One of my routine tasks, when I’m at the office, is approving expense requisitions. It is a means of accountability and cross-checking expenses being made. At least once a day, our business office assistant Cheryl Little brings me a stack of requisitions to sign. As I sign them, I observe the amount of expenses and how the funds were used.

Sounds boring, right?  But I literally feel joy sometimes.  Joy!?  Yes, because I get to see a direct connection between the gifts that people make and the everyday impact of the Oakdale ministry.

I signed one requisition the other day to approve the expense for the gas for students to travel on a weekend getaway two weeks ago. I signed another for an ice cream outing for honor roll students. And one for medical supplies… and then one for liquid chalk pens for a student activity. And one for a Happy Church activity, as shown here, where Oakdale students reach out in ministry to community children.  It’s really exciting to see the connection!

Certainly, there are other expense requisitions that are not as interesting, but it also makes me feel good to know that we can pay our electrical bill and afford to pay our cafeteria food vendors.  And it feels great to know the people who make it possible to provide this ministry to students.

Shouldn’t tuition dollars pay for some of that?  In a perfect world, yes.  If families can afford tuition, room and board, then yes, they should.  The reality is, however, that so many of our students come from families that cannot pay the actual cost and who have no other good option. We enroll them regardless of the families’ ability to pay.  We can do that only because of your support, and that is where your gift has such a great impact!