Peru in 2 days...

Our car is packed with four backpacks, a luggage roof carrier, and a change of clothes. As many of you know God brought us to Georgia in the beginning of September (another post), and we are settled with every box unpacked, rooms organized, and homeschooling underway. However, over a year ago after meeting Smith, we began the process of getting our youth group in FL to Peru.

Our youth's parents faithfully agreed to switch our dates of travel from July to October to cut the costs in half and allow their kiddos to miss four days of school. We leave our nest for Florida tomorrow morning and head to Peru on Saturday afternoon. This trip is incredible special for my husband and I because 1) our six year old is going 2) my husband and Luk will be meeting Smith for the first time 3) two of the other people going to Peru will be meeting their Compassion child for the first time (WHOA!) and 4) 10 out of the 14 people going have NEVER gone out of the country, a few have NEVER ridden on an airplane, and few have gone further that Georgia or Alabama.

Needless to say, I am humbled that they are coming on this journey. I am shaken to the core that my beautiful brothers and sisters in Christ are inviting us into the homes to share the love of Christ. It is overwhelming to have them in my family!

As we were preparing for our travel, it has occurred to me more and more just how much this trip is going to change my son's life. We leave his baby brother behind (he is not too happy about this) knowing he will make the same trip in just a couple of years I do not hesitate in the decision to take Luk. I have posted before how he writes to his friend in Burkino Faso, and God has laid it heavily on my husband and my heart to show Luk what we believe in.

Be in prayer for our entire team. We know that from God we can expect faith to move mountains. Pray for Luk. He has been very emotional the past two days wanting to make sure he gives Smith the perfect gift. He still doesn't understand that HE is the perfect gift. His big heart in a little body is overwhelmed by the idea of meeting Smith. I having met him already know Smith is going love on him to no end.

We will also be meeting my mother's Compassion child, Anderson.  Mom, thank you! I know that you wanted to meet him first, and I want you to know just how honored I am that you are letting us spend the day with him! I know the decision was a hard one, but I promise to hug and love on your boy so much!

Pray!

Him

I have always been a relatively organized person, but the last time that I was this organized in my life I was a newlywed with no children, new job, new college, and new home. Frankly put, I was so organized because of ME. As I was putting my baby boy to bed as his older brother and dad are at a football game it occurred that I have NEVER been this organized down to a regulated menu for dinner time. The boys' rooms are clean not because they weren't played in, but because the boys knew it was time to clean up. The kitchen is clean because as dinner is coming to end I am able to start rinse and placing in the dish washer. As I rinsed the last dish I came to the conclusion that the only reason I am remotely THIS organized is because of HIM.

You know, there were moments in that newlywed stage that I wish I could say HE carried me through it, but I wanted to so badly be the one to do it... I didn't give Him any glory to what He was doing in my life. My life then was disrupted greatly. He wanted me to give Him glory. My jealous Father wanted me to acknowledge Him in all His splendor, and I fought tooth and nail NOT to do it.

I am so blessed to not be that girl anymore. There are moments when I look at hate towards her, but I have to remember just how much HE loved her (and still loves her). He loved her so much that He poured an abundance of grace unto her being that He made her who she is today and will be in the future. He commands our destiny. What a beautiful promise that is.

I stand in that truth tonight as I remember my selfish, "one man" show. It is the past, and the present and the future are looking bright. May you be engrossed in His glory as you read. Shine it out and tell your story because you are called on a mission. It is a mission to glorify the one true and holy God. Don't forget that, baste in it.

May I always remember to boast in His glory.

Remember Compassion

I haven't been able to write the amazing things that has been going on in our lives. We will be going to Peru in October. The best part is seeing our Smith again with my husband and son.

Luk is incredibly excited to meet one of our boys. Now, today we received an updated photo of our boy in Burkina Faso. Luk is itching to get on a plane to Peru, but if he had his choice he would be going to Africa to see his Abdou. I've posted before about their relationship and letter writing before.

Here was our first photo of Abdou:

Now, look at our oldest!

Look at that boy! Precious! He is getting so big! There is nothing like getting a letter from one of our boys, but there is something great to see their new photos.

Once we see Smith; I know that Luk will be begging to see Mr. Abdou, here. Then to head over to Thailand to see our third guy. Our trips seem to be far, farther, further (is that right?).

www.compassion.com is just a click away to have one of the most meaningful relationships you can have in this life that will bring glory to God's kingdom. In Jesus name...

After visiting Haiti in March, I had to share this beauty's photo, she needs a sponsor! Click on her name to learn more about her.

Edmaleelle

FPEA Convention 2012 Lessons Learned

Here is a lengthy post, but worth it!

This is my fourth year attending the FPEA Convention, first year as an ambassador and first year attending workshops. It was always encouraging every other year, however this year was plagued with many doubts about myself in many areas of my life.

1) Am I doing anything right?
2) Will I be able to do this with my super disobedient child (Logan)?

God continues to affirm many aspects in our decision to homeschool our boys even when I allow my sinful nature attack me. So, I have to give a shout out to Christopher Hopper from Spearhead Books.

You know those moments when you say something to someone and it was exactly what they needed to hear. Well, that was Chris for me on Friday. God showed me grace in that moment through our meeting. It was clarity. Clarity in more than one area of things I was accomplishing, but I was not giving myself any slack.

Clarity given by complete strangers.

Clarity from brothers and sisters in Christ.

Things I Absorbed:

Workshop: Raise Them Up, Don't Crush Them Down" The Strong-Willed Parent with Mark Hamby
Lamplighter Publishing
*Stop trying to finish the curriculum but to teach Biblical Character. (read about my biggest challenge here)
*It's not about what you keep away from your child, but what you pour into them.
*You cannot lead your family from the rear. You must lead by example.
*"You cannot control anything when you have outstretched arms."  -the cross- with grace, you will get nailed. Grace given freely will cost you to give.

Books I purchased after this workshop:
- "Teddy's Button" (book only) - a character builder in self-control... what six year old doesn't have this problem.

- "Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince" - this builds on combatting selfishness... what PERSON doesn't struggle with this?

-"Little Threads" - a lesson on disobedience and unwillingness... I'm not sure how this book was written in 1863. I am almost certain that this author is living in my home! I already started reading it because a helpful man by the name of Roger told me how encouraging it would be for me and my fight with my unruly two year old. NO JOKE! EXCELLENCE!

If you LOVE Classical Literature like this English major, you will eat these books up. It's beautiful! The icing on the cake? They are written by Christian authors always turning back to the Creator of all things.

Workshop: "Proverbs: God's Character Curriculum" with Rick Boyer
The Learning Parent
*Through King Solomon we learn that the wisest man knows things from Botany to Music to Government, yet his first words in his book of wisdom... "To know wisdom and instruction... righteous, justice, knowledge..."
*We learn to be more profitable servants when we put Christ as our front in character.
*An educated fool is more dangerous than an uneducated fool.
*Knowledge separated from wisdom is apart from God's will.
*If your child wants to learn something, you must learn it, too.

Keep reading for what I got from here.

Workshop: "Gotta Love Those Preschoolers" with Marilyn Boyer (wife of Rick)
The Learning Parent
*Savor the Season
-the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world
-look for the preciousness of the season
-a preschooler is a bundle of potential
-You are raising a child (generation) to follow Christ.
IF YOU'RE GOING TO HOMESCHOOL YOU NEED TO BE HOME!
*Nurturing a heart for the Lord
-Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
-"thou seest me..." Psalm 115:13
*Build a sense of destiny in your child
-"God made _____ in a special way, for a special purpose."
-instill a sense of vision in prayer
*Build a Foundation of Character
-Maximize your time... it could be short...
-systematic teaching of character qualities- character does matter- It's foundational to living a God-honoring life.
-teach the meaning of character qualities in simple language
-Character is the most important subject.
-Teach scripture where the negative character can be positive
GOD'S WORD IS WHAT WILL CHANGE NEGATIVE BEHAVIOR NOT YOU!
REMEMBER TO POINT TO SCRIPTURE AS  OUR AUTHORITY AND GUIDE.
*Teach Responsibility at an early age (chores, etc)
*Include your preschooler in teaching time
*What do I do with them while teaching?
-lace and trace
-paint
-pegs
-more on this with the next workshop
KEY- HAVE ALOT OF ACTIVITIES, CHANGE OFTEN
*Remember to have fun (give 15m sections of time to have mommy time of learning)
*Growing a Servant's Heart
-Those who learn to be servants will become leaders.
*Foster Patriotism
*DELIGHT IN YOUR KIDS
*How you manage them brings success to school

Logan is my disobedient child. He is the boy that laughs in your face when you do correction. Marilyn really put things into perspective for me in this session. As a result I bought two books. They are Character Builder books. You learn the character, it's definition, and the scripture of support. This is our CORE curriculum for my unwilling two (soon-to-be three) year old.

Books I purchased after this workshop:
"Character Trails" and "Crossroads of Character"

Workshop: "Occupying Pre-Schoolers While Teaching Older Children" aka "Educating, Involving,  Occupying ONLY WHEN NECESSARY While Teaching Older Children" with Jami Phillips
My Father's World
*Is. 40:11 Anything worth doing is hard!
*Reading Levels: Pre-Reading ---> Learning to Read ---> Learning to "Love" to Read ---> Learn by Reading
*Learning to read is the most important phase that needs the most instruction.
*What every toddler and preschooler needs:
-meet emotional and social needs
-devote your first 10-15m of the day to schooling them
-have a flexible routine, prepare snacks and drinks before the start
-expect them to want to prepare for school like the others
*Involving little ones as much as possible, some ways this can done:
-unit studies
-Bible activities
-History
-Arts and Crafts
*Creative Scheduling
-schoolbox for school time (let them decorate)
-strategic naptime
-learning centers
-read aloud
-toy rotation
*Educating Little Ones
-shapes & color starter
-peg stacker
-numbers
-lace & link letters/shapers
-kids puzzles
-pattern blocks
-pipe cleaners
-legos
-play doh
*Pre-Reading: Stages of Learning to Build-On
-Ages 2-6
-Structure and security
-Educate and Involve
-15-30 minutes daily
-very concrete learners
-like repetition
-mimic oriented
-foundation oriented instruction (4-5 subjects)
-focus on obedience
*Set-Up a School Box
-Target Areas: pre-reading, pre-math, language development, large motor skills, fine motor skills
-new items
-used, but looking new items
-created, but simple (junk mail to open, photo book with magazine cut outs of a topic [animals, etc], pipe cleaners, magna-doodle, nuts & bolts, mat (toys must stay on there to play with)
*School Time
-worksheets that siblings have (maps, etc)
-EXPOSURE VS MASTERY
*Training Mentors for the Younger Ones- allows the older child to teach and learn about their sibling

I bought a foam ABC board lower and upper case, a lace board, and color & shape sorter.

Knowledge from the workshops. More to come in another post about what will come into play for our school year.

Proverbs 31 Bible Study Week 2 Thoughts

The second week of this Bible has brought two list of things to consider. The first list is what a woman of NOBLE Character does not look like, and the second list is looking at if your husband can trust you in certain areas of life.

The first proved to be the hardest, as I look at my heart to see what can hinder my walk with Christ and my relationship with my husband.

So let me tell you what a wife of noble character does not look like:

1. She does not rival her husband. *on occasion this may happen, but it is not a constant thing* 

2. She does not mope around and complain about her housework. *not usually... unless it's laundry LOL*

3. She does not overspend and put her family into debt. *no*

4. She is not bored, discontent, greedy or selfish. *yes, I think pity parties are apart of our human condition. hate that!*

5. She does not gossip and slander others. *not usually, but there are moments when with close friends this happens*

6. She does not spend her days doing leisurely shopping, texting, emailing, web browsing, watching late night movies, and sleeping in. *sleeping in- is a huge thing for me having struggled with depression it is a daily battle for me to get out of bed.*

7. She does not criticize, mock, or disrespect her husband. *I think I try to protect his image more than my own.*

8. She does not have children and a husband who embarrass her. *No. However, they do make me laugh at their craziness. ;)*

9. She does not let her outer beauty take precedence over her inner beauty. *Well, this is apparent if you see my make-up less face everyday*

10. She does not take God’s word lightly. *nothing ruffles my feathers more than when someone takes scripture out of context, and when I fail at the very thing I work at!*

The second list, I am lucky to say that I have. Trust is such a vital life line in a marriage. I remember growing up being told by my father that he trusted me to go out with my boyfriend (now husband), but the moment I broke that by not following his rules the trust was broken. It would take a lot to gain that trust back. I am a firm believer in this statement, yet God has shown me that He can give that trust back to the person you hurt by His merciful grace. 

1.  Money – Can he depend on you to spend it wisely? *yes*

2. Children – Can he trust you to train your children wisely? *yes*

3. Home – Can he trust you to run an orderly home? *yes*

4. Reputation – Can he trust you to not speak poorly of him behind his back? *yes*

5. Faithfulness – Can your husband trust you to not build emotional connections with other men? *yes*

6. Emotions – Can your husband trust you to be self-controlled when under pressure? *yes, however I know he would check to make sure my depression was acknowledged (if present) and taken care of.*

7. Choices – Can your husband trust you to make wise choices when urgent situations arise? *yes*

These are things that we may think are automatic, yet if we look at the specifics we may find more that we have to pray and fast that God would help us with. I value trust so much. I've seen it lost, and it is such a painful thing. 

It is heard to strive for noble character when everything in this word tells us to do the very thing we shouldn't. It is hard to earn that trust when we can be too busy to keep the house clean, or talk badly when your friends are doing it. We must not be of this world even though we are in it. It is so much easier to be "good" in the world's standard, but that is not what we are called to be. 

Raising a girl in today's world is just as hard as raising a boy. I feel this when we work with youth each week... it's rough...

Proverbs 31 Bible Study

Currently, I am on week two of a Proverbs 31 Bible Study. I was just reminded of a conversation that I recently had with my husband. The conversation with me making a statement that I didn't think would rouse anything, but it did. "Did you know that 'this' is the largest growing belief in the world?" His response, "Of course it is!"

Of course it is... I guess I was a bit surprised by it. However, as my husband explained, it is a belief in your works. If I do works in this and that I will go to Heaven. It's easy for us to see the list of does follow them and not really change anything on the inside. When you study the Bible and Christ draws you to Him... guess what?

Change is imminent.

And so, comes the change in reading Proverbs 31. This is regarding as the women's chapter, but the first nine verses are quite interesting because it unveils that this is a King writing about what his mother has taught him. These were my immediate thoughts after reading it along with the Bible Study.

"After reading the King's inspiration for writing this chapter it reminded again why raising our boys is so difficult. I've heard from many people that boys are easier than girls when it comes to child rearing, but that is such a false statement. I'm again reminded that I am raising men that need to fear God, lead a household, manage this affairs above reproach, and love his wife the way that Christ loves His church. The mother teaching her son the attributes of a righteous woman is such an act of love for him. In today's world where men aren't stepping up and leading and having a fear of responsibility what an example to teach my boys what is honorable to God. That their helper is not a
thing to look at and flaunt, NO! But one that is to be honored like precious gems, loved as Savior loves his people, and To respected as his partner."


It is quite a heavy thought raising children in the way of the Lord. You immediately know that you are to raise them differently than what the world says to do. As it describes in the 10th and 11th verse of chapter 31, a wife is far more precious than jewels and her husband trusts her. 


The Bible Study shares how we are not to be like other women of the world. It gives a list of what a virtuous woman is...


Man... I need work on those!


Change is imminent. It is when you embrace that that true joy can begin to flourish.

Homeschool Photo Portfolio 2011-2012

Homeschool Photo Portfolio 2011-2012
I am thinking that this coming year I want to get more photos into this. We did much on geography, but it was mainly in writing. Hopefully, this year I can get a better grasp on everything we did through a photo portfolio.