The following article was written in 2003 when I was computer science teacher and system administrator for Greater Houlton Christian Academy. While the story is old, I find that the message is timeless, and once again I'm leaning on God's supernatural intervention as I hit my own personal limits in my latest endeavour. I hope this story will strengthen your own faith as well. ~ Michael Surran
Recently Greater Houlton Christian Academy has received much publicity on the local, national, and even international level concerning our new computer lab. When my article appeared in the publication Linux Journal detailing how GHCA was able to save thousands of dollars AND outfit its computer lab with new hardware and the latest in software, many people took notice. The magazine focuses on a computer operating system called Linux, a powerful and stable operating system that is released to the public as open source software. This basically means it is very inexpensive (it can be downloaded for free). GHCA has received attention because it is one of the first schools in the nation to use Linux to save money and also provide software that in many cases is superior to the alternative, Microsoft Windows®.
While Linux is a big part of why GHCA was able to completely upgrade our computer lab, there is a side to the story that technical magazines won't publish, yet is far more deserving of attention. I'd like to share that story with you now.
It was this time last year that as the system administrator, I knew we couldn't keep our donated computer lab running much longer. Age and use had taken its toll, and many computers were failing. We were also not able to use the latest in computer software because of the age of our computers. With permission from the board, I decided we needed to pursue purchasing new computers for the lab. Our computer lab accommodates 20 students, add equipment needed to upgrade the servers and the teacher's computer, and you can see how cost becomes an issue. As a private school, we do not have extra funds set aside for such ambitious projects, yet I knew we needed to go this route.
I began looking at ways to raise money. With little experience, I started writing grant applications. I spent a lot of time and wrote some impressive requests, yet each was denied because, as I found out the hard way, most institutions that award grants (at least the ones I pursued) have a stipulation that they don't support computer equipment purchases. I hit a number of dead ends, and each time I became more and more frustrated until finally, I did something drastic. I prayed.
It wasn't an ordinary prayer. I remember going to the school after hours and pacing up and down the computer lab. I was frustrated and desperate, and I realized that I could not provide the funding I needed using my own abilities. Experience has shown me that this is a good place to be to see God work miracles. I prayed for exactly that. I poured all the energy that I had originally focused on writing grants into my prayer. I think I might have even used some of the same arguments! To be honest, I much more enjoyed bringing my requests before God than I did organizations that I knew little about. I left the lab that day with new hope that something had changed, something for the better.
It wasn't too long after that day that we received some money from individuals, earmarked for the computer lab fund. One hundred dollars here, five hundred dollars there. Most of the people donating money were strangers to me, yet they had taken interest in what I wanted to do with our lab. Even an individual from a foundation to whom I sent a grant application gave us money when the foundation couldn't meet our request.
Taking a "leap of faith", I bought new computers as the money came in, not knowing if we'd receive enough money for the full 20 computers or would come short of our goal. It was amazing to see, now that I had stopped trying so hard and started praying hard, that the money was there when I needed it. In fact, we were able to equip the lab with some very nice extras that I had only dreamed about before that prayer!
When GHCA was featured in Linux Journal, I received a message from one individual saying “I've never believed in God before, but I now believe in the penguin called Tux.” Tux, a cartoonish penguin, is the logo for the Linux operating system. Many have credited Linux for our success in outfitting our lab with modern equipment. While I am a supporter of Linux, let me go on record and say there would be no computers to run Linux on if it were not for God answering a desperate prayer and moving individuals I've never met to so generously bless our school with the finances needed to complete our lab. The fact that GHCA now has one of the most advanced computer labs in the county is nothing less than a miracle. The penguin helped, but it was God's answering a prayer that deserves the real credit. Thank you Lord for this miracle you've given us.