dave and i are at a conference this week outside chicago that is teaching us how to educate our children overseas. in the states you have just a few options when it comes to education: public, private or home. outside the US, the possibilities are more complex: national, international, boarding, american/missionary, private national, british, french, dutch...most of which cost an incredible amount of money. we have to think about which elementary/secondary school will lead to the best option for high school which will ultimately lead to getting into college, probably back in the states. so what we are trying to figure out is what we want our children's' education plan to be through college...in the next two days. once they start school, we will be constantly reevaluating it (ourselves, many times without a conference with the school) to see if it is a good fit.
our children are too little right now for us to know what kind of learner they are!
many missionary kids (MKs) go to boarding school for high school (which is looking like a great option for our kids). we are now looking at how far away we are willing to let our kids be in order for them to get the education we want them to have!
i'm already feeling sad that the kids will probably be leaving home at 15! this is reality! this is our life!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
a heart healed
Last night marked the end of the life that I know and the beginning of a new one: the life of a missionary. Dave shared that 10 years ago, we began coming to TNL. We came broken and beat-up and I was angry, but something kept bringing me back. Dave started to get involved and I still held my distance. I was asked to help organize the children's ministry after the children's pastor was asked to leave, and only agreed after letting the pastors know that I would not help on Tuesday nights and didn't want anyone else in the church to know. I met "secretly" with the children's director when no one was in the office. I kept my distance, went to events but did not participate, attended Tuesday nights but tried not to make friends. This went on for a year.
One day I asked the children's director if I could start a toddler class and became the main teacher of the 2-3 1/2 year old class. I got to know people and they just knew me as "Amy"-most didn't know much more than that. TNL began to go to Crooked Creek and it was there, in a cabin of girls, the massive wall around my heart was broken down. I shared my pain with a group of strangers completely terrified of what would happen next. What happened next was a picture of who TNL is (it is said every week from the front). The girls in my room put their arms around me, cried with me, prayed with me and accepted me just like I was.
I began to see my church in a different way and began to see the people around me as friends. I started looking forward to Tuesday nights and even made plans to sit with friends instead of by myself. I began encouraging Dave to become more involved instead of fighting about it and getting angry when he would come home fired up about TNL and the things God was doing. I began attending my first Bible study and would hang out before and after the service. I was beginning to heal and fall in love with God and church all over again.
When our first pregnancy ended in miscarriage shortly after Dave became teaching pastor, I asked my brother-in-law and some of his friends to take me to TNL. I needed to be there. When we got pregnant with Abigail, I asked Dave to share our news from the front because I wanted my church to share in our joy.
Now 10 years, 3 children and many added family members, I can tell you that my heart is healed. As I cried last night, I realized that I love TNL like I, as a mother, love my children...unconditionally and with my whole heart. I shared my love for TNL with our good friends from seminary days, Greg and Gretchen and Gretchen commented that she was so excited to hear and see how much I love TNL because "it took a long time to get here".
Thank you for being a place of healing and love. I know that anytime I walk back through those doors, I truely am accepted JUST AS I AM!!!
One day I asked the children's director if I could start a toddler class and became the main teacher of the 2-3 1/2 year old class. I got to know people and they just knew me as "Amy"-most didn't know much more than that. TNL began to go to Crooked Creek and it was there, in a cabin of girls, the massive wall around my heart was broken down. I shared my pain with a group of strangers completely terrified of what would happen next. What happened next was a picture of who TNL is (it is said every week from the front). The girls in my room put their arms around me, cried with me, prayed with me and accepted me just like I was.
I began to see my church in a different way and began to see the people around me as friends. I started looking forward to Tuesday nights and even made plans to sit with friends instead of by myself. I began encouraging Dave to become more involved instead of fighting about it and getting angry when he would come home fired up about TNL and the things God was doing. I began attending my first Bible study and would hang out before and after the service. I was beginning to heal and fall in love with God and church all over again.
When our first pregnancy ended in miscarriage shortly after Dave became teaching pastor, I asked my brother-in-law and some of his friends to take me to TNL. I needed to be there. When we got pregnant with Abigail, I asked Dave to share our news from the front because I wanted my church to share in our joy.
Now 10 years, 3 children and many added family members, I can tell you that my heart is healed. As I cried last night, I realized that I love TNL like I, as a mother, love my children...unconditionally and with my whole heart. I shared my love for TNL with our good friends from seminary days, Greg and Gretchen and Gretchen commented that she was so excited to hear and see how much I love TNL because "it took a long time to get here".
Thank you for being a place of healing and love. I know that anytime I walk back through those doors, I truely am accepted JUST AS I AM!!!
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