Twin Valley Bible Academy to present guest speaker

Eleanor Isaacson's life experiences have ranged from being abandoned as a toddler by her immediate family and surviving Nazi Germany in World War II to becoming a ballroom dancer, Christian author and motivational speaker.

Isaacson will share the story of her life during a program being presented by Twin Valley Bible Academy on Thursday, March 9, at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary of Twin Valley Bible Chapel. The event is the first in a series being presented by the school as part of a program titled "America! America, Where Do We Go From Here?"

The evening will begin with a musical prelude by Twin Valley Bible Academy students, followed by a short program about the school, which is open to students in kindergarten through grade 12.

"I will welcome everyone, and we will have a video about the school and then introduce Eleanor," said Academy principal Nate Mellinger, who noted that Isaacson is a family friend of his parents, Steve and Jennifer Mellinger, who are in charge of marketing and development for the school, respectively.

Jennifer explained that when Isaacson was a toddler, she and her family resided in the United States, but they returned to Germany to visit relatives there. "Her parents went back to Germany to visit family, and they left her there at the age of 2 with her grandparents," Jennifer said. "Soon after, the war broke out and her grandparents were not able to care for her, so they gave her to an aunt (and her husband). (Isaacson) would cross over enemy lines at night to get food. She has quite a story."

Isaacson credits her survival to an "Individual Presence," which is the title of one of her books. "She didn't know who God was. She had never been taught, but she had this sense that there was someone bigger than herself watching out for her," Jennifer said.

"Her stories are both humorous and serious, (and) she will also have a Q and A," Steve said, adding that Isaacson will have visual displays on March 9 featuring photos and memorabilia from Germany.

In addition to offering an interesting presentation to the community, the goal of the evening is to make the community more aware of Twin Valley Bible Academy and what it offers for students. "What we are trying to do is let the community know about what we are doing here. We are different than a traditional school," said Nate.

The school implements The Principle Approach, which is a Christian method of teaching every school subject. "The thing that sets us apart is that our subjects are taught from the principle of God's words," Nate explained. "We have a specific Bible class, but the Word of God is brought into every class. In math class, for example, we (share) the biblical basis of math and we highlight some Christian mathematicians. Everything has a biblically reasoning basis."

Twin Valley Bible Chapel is located at 105 Shirktown Road, Narvon. There is no admission fee and no registration required for the speaker series, but a freewill offering will be received. For more information about the school, visit http://www.twinvalleybibleacademy.org or call 610-286-6646.