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Laura Morris: Following God Through the Seasons of Life
Pamela Dykes
There are many reasons's why people don't get involved in ministry. One reason might be that they don't feel that they have anything to offer. Another reason might be that they don't believe they "know enough," or they perceive that they must have the "right" type of education and or professional training to serve. Although the world often requires us to have all of the special credentials or training, what God wants most from us is a willing heart that is eager and ready to do whatever He calls us to do. Central church thrives because of the countless individuals who have done just that, yielded to His call.
Laura Morris is just this type person. You might have met Laura in the education wing of the church where she has served for the past seventeen years as one of the coordinators of the Parents Day Out program (PDO).
"I just love my job," said Laura. "I can't imagine doing anything else. I love the children and I love seeing them develop and grow. It is really funny," she said, "because my degree is actually in secondary education, with an emphasis in science and biology, but when my oldest son (Andy) was two years, old Ellen (Olford) started the program. I came to work here as a teacher in the two year old room and I taught in that room for two years. After two years of working as a teacher I then became the coordinator and I have been doing that since that time. That is actually when I realized I loved working with younger children."
As one of the PDO coordinators, Laura oversees the daily operation of the program and she is the liaison between the parents and the teachers. All of the people that Laura works with know that she is a very special person. Ellen Olford the director of the women's ministry, described Laura as a "woman who knows the word of God and lives by His word on a daily basis." Ellen says she has benefited greatly by having Laura work for her, because she knows that "Laura is an extremely professional woman who operates with the up utmost integrity."
"When I'm gone, says Ellen, "I can always trust that whatever task needs to get done it will be completed because Laura knows my heart." Carol Anderson said "it is a delight to work with Laura, because Laura is great with our parents and she truly has a heart for the children in the program. I have seen Laura pray, laugh, and cry with parents.
Terri Campbell a PDO teacher, described Laura as a natural problem solver. "Laura doesn't just to put a 'Band-Aid' on difficult situations; she seeks Gods guidance to get to the root of the problem to find the best solution," Terri replied. PDO teachers, Christy Fleming and Crystal Yoder used one word to describe Laura, "Awesome!" "We have learned so much from working with her," they said. "She is such a strong and godly woman who always has a positive way of looking at any situation."
In addition to coordinating the PDO program, Laura also teaches aerobics and kickboxing at Central Church. Latasshia Forney a former kickboxing student, said "Laura's class was a no-nonsense, high impact work out designed to get anyone in great shape. Her class is really hard but it is very good." Laura said that kickboxing was actually her favorite exercise class to teach, (kickboxing is a class that integrates martial arts techniques with traditional aerobic exercises). It isn't surprising to find out that this is her favorite class to teach because Laura is a 3rd degree black belt in Shotokan Karate.
Although Laura loves every aspect of her job the most important aspect of her life aside from God, is her Family: her husband of 20 years Andy Morris and their three sons, Andy (18), Matthew (14), and Alec (11). This is evident in the way her face lights up when she is speaking about all of the men in her life. Right now Laura said that she has limited her extra curricular activities because she feels that it is important for her to be available for her sons. Andy her husband is a consultant for a pharmaceutical company in Indianapolis, which requires him to commute and be away from their Mississippi home for weeks at a time.
Laura said that she likes to spend as much quality time with her sons as possible. Since her husband works out of town it is important to her that she is available to take them to and pick them up from all of their extracurricular activities. Laura admitted that although she would rather have Andy working a little closer to home, God has used this situation in many positive ways. She said that her children have learned to chip in around the house, they all have learned how to support one another, and she has developed an even deeper relationship with God.
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