RMCNews with Traci Pike – Casper, Wyoming …Mountain Road Christian Academy welcomed back Shayne Vincent, pastor of the Casper district, after several weeks of being seriously ill, with a celebration two months in the planning.

Tie-dyed shirts with “Faith over fear” were made and worn by the students. Students decorated the classroom with balloons, banners, and streamers to create a real party atmosphere, and they bought a cake to help celebrate the occasion.

Why the party atmosphere to welcome back the pastor? Because it was a miracle the students had a chance to witness over the last few months.

Vincent is a valued member of Mountain Road Christian Academy, and the students genuinely love him. Thursdays are known as “Pastor Shayne Day.” Students count down the days every week, asking over and over, “How many more days until Pastor comes?”

“Pastor Shayne presents chapel to our students and then plays games with the students. The favorite is Hide-and-seek. They run all over the school building for the last 30-45 minutes of the day every Thursday to find the very best hiding places,” Traci Pike, headteacher at Mountain Road Christian Academy, said.

In September, Thursday fun day came to an abrupt halt as Vincent contracted COVID.

“We found out he had COVID. At first, he was just sick and at home, but then the situation turned deadly, and our dear Pastor Shayne was hospitalized,” Pike recalls.

While Vincent was battling for his life in the hospital, multiple students lifted their prayer requests that “Pastor Shayne” would get better and come play Hide-and-seek with them again every morning.  Students were given daily updates by Pike, who received them from Vincent’s wife Gabriela, and would hold open discussions about how he was doing and would pray for both Shayne and Gabriela after the updates.

Pike recalls when things took a turn for the worse for Vincent.  “Then Pastor got really, really sick. He was moved to the ICU unit at the hospital. Students prayed. And prayed. And sometimes teachers and students cried together.”

Vincent was anointed on October 2, and as Pike shared this with the students and James 5:13-16 was read and claimed by them. Their faith that he would be healed never wavered.  And God began healing Vincent, bringing him back from the threshold of death.

Recalling the joyous moment at school when the news was released to the students that Vincent was being discharged from the hospital, Pike said, “The day he got out of the hospital, we celebrated at school with songs of praise! We sang, ‘Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah, Praise ye the Lord!’ and thanked God for answering our prayers.”

“November 4 was a sweet reward to see our pastor and friend once again. He still can’t run around the school building, so instead of Hide-and-seek, he played Sardines with the students,” Pike added.

In the game of Sardines, one person who is “It” hides, and everyone else looks for them. When they find where “It” has hidden, they hide with them.

Pike finished by stating, “Mountain Road Christian Academy students and teachers know that they have witnessed a miracle of healing in our pastor. Praise God that He hasn’t run out of miracles yet!”

–RMCNews with Traci Pike is the headteacher at Mountain Road Christian Academy; photo supplied.