Prior to all the disruptions to learning caused by Covid, The River Academy had a budding school-wide music program. As with many schools, Covid killed the music program at TRA and we lost our music teacher. Last fall, TRA began advertising and praying for a new music teacher to revive our music program. We had few applicants and the one who best met all of our qualifications and matched our distinct classical, Christian culture was Jessica Morlan.
When Mrs. G and I met Jessica last May, we knew she belonged at TRA. Her love for Jesus, experience and passion for putting Scripture to music, love for children and teaching all shone brightly from the moment she started talking. Jessica rearranged her June family schedule and cut short a visit with her out of town best friend to attend our Faculty Retreat. She blended in immediately and was welcomed and loved by our entire faculty team as we learned to sing new Psalms together and dreamed and planned for the new school year.
Our dreams, and hers, were unexpectedly shattered in August when Jessica shared her cancer diagnosis with us. It took time for doctors to learn the exact diagnosis, treatment regimen, and prognosis for her cancer journey. Shortly before school started, Jessica shared with us that her Stage 3 T Cell Lymphoma was aggressive, fast growing, rare, and by worldly accounts and predictions, terminal. BUT OUR GOD is a Miracle Worker, and His supply of miracles never runs out. We want to invite you, the TRA parent community, to join us in praying for a complete and miraculous healing of Jessica.
We also would LOVE to have the TRA family complete her GoFundMe fundraiser to help pay for her family’s many needs and expenses as she endures six rounds of chemo, followed by a bone marrow transplant that requires her and her husband to find a place to live in the Seattle area for 1-2 months this winter (and a local home for their youngest son, who is a high school senior). As the Lord leads you, please consider giving to her GoFundMe page and include “(TRA)” after your name/anonymous so Jessica can see all of the support from her TRA family.
We realize that Jessica most likely will not join us at TRA this school year, but are holding out hope that she will be healed and able to join us next fall. Will you please join us in prayer for that? As Jessica walks through this valley called cancer, she continues to encourage and bless those around her with her steadfast faith in God, joyful countenance, and authentic and transparent heart and persona. When Mrs. G and I spoke with her recently on Zoom, hoping to encourage her, we found she was encouraging us, and the conversation ended with Jessica volunteering to speak at both elementary and secondary chapels (which were AMAZING!) and asking how she could pray for us. She carries a beautiful light of Jesus that we hope continues to shine on earth and at TRA much longer than any doctor’s guesses or predictions – and that God will get ALL the glory. Amen!
