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Friday, August 21, 2009

A Brand New Adventure

In 2 days my family start a whole new way of life. "Am I happy? am I excited?" These are the questions people are asking me. How do I answer them? I don't know.. Let me tell you the story and maybe by the end I will know how to answer them..
Ever since my Oldest Daughter Kristina was about 2 years old i knew that I would home school her.. Sent her to school for a whole day away from her mommy when she is only 5 years old??? NEVER! I was a teacher before I became mommy, of course i knew everything that I needed to know to teach her at home! So when she was 4 and her sister was 3 I started tutoring a little boy from the community. He came to my home 3 days a week and we worked on his phonics.. well wouldn't you know it by the time Christmas rolled around both Kristina and Staci were reading! @ 3 & 4 years old!! Now I was really convinced that i was meant to be a homeschool mom!! LOL So I started going to support groups and learning all i could about educating my girls at home. Yes I started grinding my own wheat and baking my own bread too. :)

I LOVED HOMESCHOOLING!
I loved everything about it, especially all the books and reading we did! I Loved Getting to spend everyday ALLDAy with my Girls! I loved that we could wake up and all snuggle in my bed until we decided to get up and eat some whole wheat toast with some raw peanut butter and organic honey for breakfast! :) I oved that we could skip all our books and make a whole school day out of watching a butterfly emerge from it's cacoon!

Well All of that was before My husband or Igot saved.. :)
When we got saved and God directed us to worship at the Gospel Lighthouse Church and I knew they had their own privat Christian School, I made a bargain with God: Ok I will worship at the church of your choice (part of this is a story for another day :) ) BUT DO NOT ASK Me TO SEND MY GIRLS TO THEIR SCHOOL! Well as far as i knew God was ok with it because he didn't ask us to send the girls to Lighthouse Academy.. Don't get me wrong i had NOTHING against the students or the teachers there, in my opinion they were absolutely wonderful! But Homeschooling was the life for me, I was convinced of it!
Well 2 years later, (during which time Mitchell joined our family) All was well and we were happily homeschooling Kristina was in 2nd grade and Staci was in Kindergarten and Mitchell was the entertainment for our dining room table classroom.
When out of the blue God asked me to give my children to him and obey him in all things, especially when it came to my 3 children!
This is how it happened: at a Sunday night church service led by our youth pastor Zach Fox. he was talking about things that get between us and our Saviour, How important it is to have God search our hearts and remove those things that are not his will for our lives. I started feeling the Lord work in my heart, making it soft and receptive but i had no idea what it was that he would point out! at alter call my husband and i both went to the alter and the instant my knees hit the floor I heard this voice from heaven saying " I WANT YOU TO GIVE UP HOMESCHOOLING AND SENT KRISTINA AND STACI TI LIGHTHOUSE ACADEMY." I was speechless, I started sobbing, I knew in my heart that the only way I would have peace would be by obeying so my response was " ok Lord I will do it but i have no idea how i am going to give it up with out your help."

I sobbed for 3 days straight, I fely like someone had die, my husband was supporting God and encouraging me but i felt like God was asking the impossible of me! On the evening of the third day when I was sobbing in the shower asking God why? why me? I was happy, I was successful at homeschooling! when i heard the tiniest whisper through all my sobbing "if I didn't love you, If you didn't belong to me, I wouldn't be asking it of you!
Of course I started with fresh sobs but this time it was different, I did belong to my savior, he was not punishing me but refining me, and He loved my children even more than I did so he would surely make the very best choices for their lives! from that day forward I felt alot better about it and learned alot about praising my saviour even whem my heart was breaking..
I often had only God to really share my feelings with as all my homeschool friends were thinking I was 'backsliding' or giving up. (or so I told myself)
My friends at church, well they all Love the Academy and couldn't understand why someone wouldn't wat to sent their kids there. My husband saw it as 'black and white" God has asked it, We obey!
But through out the whole summer God has given me little Victories, most of them happened when I was praising through my tears.

The school shopping is all done. Yes we had a BLAST! the Uniforms are hanging in the dressing room. the backpacks are stuffed and ready. and the girls are counting the hours until the first day.. No they don't have to tell me I know very well the # of hours . from this moment it is 58 hours!! they practiced getting up when their alarm went off all week! they talk about it continuously! THEY ARE READY!

Am I ready? Is any mom ever ready to sent her baby to school or in my case 2 babies? Will I cry?

So what do I answer when people ask me if I am excited for my daughters to start school?: Yes I am excited for them, the excitment in their eyes is catching. No I am not worried about them! they will excel! So yes, yes I am excited for them!
But me?? I still have mountains to climb, Sunday night we are invited to dinner at a friends house.. and yes everyone that is there homeschools their children, They will all be talking about what things they are studying this term and the new books by all our favorite publishers... And me?? we will be leaving early to get the girls to bed in time so that they can get up and be bright for their first day of school on Monday morning. Have I shared my story with anyof my homeschool friends? no I haven't, they haven't ever asked me why the girls are going to school this fall.

So yes, I am happy and at peace because I am obeying my Lord and Saviour who gave his very life to set my free from sin.
I will post pics of their firat day and keep you updated on my progress of learning to let go when it comes to my most prized gifts of the Lord, MY 3 precious children. Kristina 8yrs. , Staci 6yrs. And Mitchell 20 mo.

3 comments:

  1. The Lord knows your heart. "Trust and obey" are steps in the right direction. They lead to bigger steps, but don't fear, God will not lead you where His grace cannot keep you. Think of the social skills they will be learning in their new enviornment. Skills I wish I had. :)

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  2. Ruth Ann...I hear your heart! :( But as Mike says...Trust and Obey. I've been RIGHT where you are, although it wasn't homeschooling...and I know there are other things I need to give up. My song that helps goes a little something like this:

    He never promised that the cross would not be heavy, Or the hill would not be hard to climb. He never promised victory without fighting, but He said help would always come in time.
    Just remember when your standing in the valley of decision,
    And the adversary says give in,
    Just hold on, our Lord will show up
    And He will take you through the fire again.

    Love you and praying for you this week!

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  3. We're soooo thankful JESUS sent the Zimmermans to the Gospel Lighthouse Church.... I loved your post.....
    Dixie

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