Monday morning carried a stillness that only the week before Christmas can bring. The lights were dim, and on Ms. Larsen’s desk stood a small nativity scene surrounded by candles. Written on the board in calm, blue letters was “Mission #21 – Listen to the story that started it all.”
When everyone was seated, Ms. Larsen opened a worn Bible and began to read from Luke, chapter 2. Her voice was quiet but steady: “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus…” The classroom, usually restless, was utterly silent. Even Jonas, who always found something to whisper about, sat still, watching the candles flicker.
As she read about Mary and Joseph, the manger, and the shepherds who followed the star, something warm settled in the room. It wasn’t about religion alone — it was the story of hope, humility, and love born in the simplest of places. When Ms. Larsen finished, she closed the book gently and said, “Whether you believe this story literally or as a symbol, its heart is the same — light coming into darkness.”
For a few moments, no one spoke. Then Emma said softly, “It’s kind of beautiful that it all began with so little — just a child, a family, and faith.”
Ms. Larsen smiled. “Exactly. Great things rarely start grand. They start small — like kindness, like this project.”
When the bell rang, the students left quietly, speaking in lower voices than usual. Outside, snow began to fall again — slow, steady, peaceful — as if the story itself had followed them out the door.