Named after conservative radio host Dennis Prager, Prager University Foundation is a nonprofit organization that says it makes videos that "promote American values," calling them "a free alternative to the dominant left-wing ideology in culture, media, and education." It is not a university. The Florida Board of Education approved the use of PragerU Kids videos to be shown in K-12 schools in late July, according to local news reports. Now, as Florida students are beginning to go back to school, here are some other changes they will face. Ron DeSantis banned diversity and inclusion programs at public, postsecondary institutions, and the state's board of education approved a controversial social studies curriculum. Clay Smith is the lead pastor of Alice Drive Baptist Church in Sumter.The Florida education system has been in the spotlight lately as Gov. When you hear the call of God, answer, "Yes." Someone, somewhere in this world needs you to say "Yes" to your call, to your purpose. When you live out your purpose, in ways small and large, you bring the Kingdom of God near to people who need the hope and peace of Jesus. Your mission field may not be Nigeria it may not even be working for a church. He was providing jobs in the name of Jesus. One of my best friends was a man who kept his business going because he knew his employees depended on their jobs. I have a friend whose purpose is to build bridges over racial divides in the name of Jesus. I know a woman whose purpose is to sew quilts for newborn babies to show the love of Jesus. I know a man whose purpose is to coach baseball and mentor boys, most of whom do not have fathers in their homes. When I received my calling on the other side of the county, my purpose was to be a pastor and help as many people as possible take their next step toward Jesus. Valda's purpose was to go to Nigeria, be a nurse and tell people about Jesus. I believe God created every person for a purpose. She did not serve to be honored she served because she said "Yes" to Jesus.
When I Googled her name, there were few internet traces. You will not find a monument to Valda in Hardee County or in Nigeria. She moved back to New Zion, the community of her birth. Valda retired in 1982, coming home for the last time. What I gathered from his words was she was the kind of person who got things done in the name of Jesus. He knew Valda and described her as a "true Christian servant." I should have taken the time to ask more. Much later, when I was in college, one of my professors served as the president of the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary. Budgets and supplies were tight in those days, and it was one tangible thing the ladies of the church could do. The local mission circles of the church would tear up sheets and roll bandages to send to her, packing them in 55-gallon drums. I remember hearing her as a child and asking Mama for a quarter so I could give something. When she came home on furlough, she would speak at local churches, and we would all dig a little deeper to give to the missions offering. She overcame Southern prejudices and served there for 26 years. To point out the obvious, most Nigerians are Black. Valda said, "Yes." She did additional training and was assigned to serve in a hospital in Nigeria. "No" is easier to talk yourself into than "Yes." Most people don't realize that when God calls you, you can say "No." I have known many people God called, and they said, "No." Most of them can't get past the leap of faith required to trust God to take care of them in a strange environment.
God was calling her to leave what she knew, to leave the comfort of the United States, to be a missionary. Though she was not married, she had a secure job doing important work. I don't know all the details, but sometime in the 1950s, God began to speak to her. Valda left Hardee County to become a surgical scrub nurse for another Hardee countian, Dr. And we both grew up in a culture where every service station had three bathrooms: "Men," "Women" and "Colored." A sermon on the Great Commission ("Go ye therefore, making disciples of all peoples ") was an annual event. We both grew up hearing about missionaries in the far corners of the world. We both grew up in rural, historic Southern Baptist churches, where the gospel was preached, the old hymns were sung, and most of the congregation knew that one day they would be buried across the road in the church cemetery. Since Hardee County, Florida, was only about 50 miles wide, our upbringings were not that different. Valda Long was born on the opposite side of the county from me, and she was two generations ahead of me.
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