Teresa D
 

Hi my name is Teresa,

Christianity was a lifestyle for me growing up in the country outside of Morganton, North Carolina.  My mother who is now 82 years old literally took me to church from the time she brought me home from the hospital almost 52 years ago.  My older sister, Cathy, and I attended Gibbs Chapel Wesleyan Church in Glen Alpine with my mother every Sunday, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening our entire childhood.  Yes, church was at the center of our world – socially and most importantly – spiritually.  So, I feel as if my testimony is relatively simple, almost boring, compared to others.  I was saved at age 11 in a typical Wesleyan revival service – an evangelist from within the Wesleyan domination and a revival soloist from within the denomination preached and sang for a week.  On a Thursday evening in 1968 of that weeklong revival, God spoke to my young heart and I invited him in at the altar in my home church, Gibbs Chapel Wesleyan.

As I said, my salvation story is not ‘razzle dazzle’ but one of a child-like faith encouraged by a Christian mother who lived life faithfully to her God and her Savior, Jesus Christ.  My mother’s unwavering faith and example as well as her service to others built a strong foundation for my beliefs and thus, made accepting Christ into my heart an easy decision.

I feel my “faith story” begins after my salvation.  When Jesus called the disciples he said, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave. Just as the Son of man did not come to be served but to serve and give his life for each of us..”  Matthew 20:26-28 God truly has opened so many doors for me to serve others and I praise him for the opportunities he has given me to show a lost, weak, devastated and sometimes hopeless world - HIS LOVE. 

I am a champion for the underdog – my career as an educator – has given me countless opportunities to show children and teens how a Christian reacts under pressure and to witness on a day to day basis.  In 1999, I was asked to leave my “comfort zone” school – Oak Hill Elementary - that was in the top five elementary schools in the county serving children from medium to above average incomes to lead a small, high risk, high poverty school located on Morganton’s most notorious drug street!   Coupled with these risk factors, our test scores were at rock bottom!  White flight had occurred at the school leaving the student population mainly minority and well below the county and state averages.  For nine years, I worked with this population and the school soared!  Not because of me – but because of the answered prayers on behalf of these kids.  The school, Mtn. View, was named Top 25 Most Improved School in NC twice, John Locke Foundation Award winner, etc – so many blessings from God’s Hands were poured upon this precious little school and its children from the wrong side of town.  I share these things not because of my work there but because of God’s work through me.  God gave me the wisdom and leadership skills I needed to fix a school that had failed these children.

Last summer, after nine years of labor at Mtn. View, I was asked to accept the principal ship at our county’s alternative school.  This was not an easy transition for me and I must admit I accepted my new principal ship reluctantly and with hesitation.  The school operates two programs simultaneously each day – alternative program for students with discipline infractions and academy program for students needing a non-traditional pathway to graduation.  I have never been cursed or disrespected more in my life – but surprisingly, God’s grace is more than sufficient for each day. Every day, His grace is there waiting for me each morning when I arrived through our metal walk through!!  I often, during my private prayer time, visualize each classroom up and down the hallway and ask God to use me to touch the lives that enter the classrooms.  I thank God for the opportunity to work with this group of students – their issues be may be as simple as attendance violations to more complicated ones such as teen pregnancy, return from incarceration to other legal system issues.  However, I know that I am in the right place – God’s timing is always perfect. 

On my first day back in August 2008, I asked God to show me that I was in His will.  A young female student – nine months pregnant – came into the office and she was distressed.  She did not “fit’ into the one piece student desks!  She explained that her baby was due in three days!  And – her body was so large that she had out grown the desks.  She was embarrassed, worried, and hormonal to say the least – and started to cry.  I put my arm around her and assured her that every one of her classes would be set up with a desk that would “fit” her.  We talked “mom” talk and I reassured her that she was doing the right thing by finishing her education.  That was my sign – God has placed me in this unique school that has tried my patience in so many ways – but I know He is using me to again “champion” for the underdog.

Cups of cold water given in Jesus’ name will bring a rich reward!  As always, I am doing what I love and loving what I do …

Teresa D.

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