Learning + Values + Family = Homeschool - Homeschool Blogger

Seminary update and more!

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:04:00 -0500

The end of July marked 1yr. since we have lived in seminary housing. Much has changed in that time and we have seen God working in ways that we would have never imagined. His provision for our family is evident.

Next week Zac starts up classes again at Mid-America NE. He is fulltime in the M.Div program and then he also works as a Church Planting intern, handyman for the seminary, and is in the National Guard. I am still cleaning the dorms and apts and will begin babysitting next month. I am looking into a Women's ministries and counseling program but haven't acted on that yet. We are both on the Leadership team at church and I am the coordinator for the children's program. We are busy, finances are tight but we know this is right where God wants us so we wouldn't trade it!!

The kids are doing well. We started sending them to private Christian school in January. I had not done any formal testing with them so I was unsure about how they would do when the school tested them. I was so happy when they tested well. We wondered how we would pay for it all, but felt this was the right move for us at this time. The school gave us the Pastor's rate which was a big help. At the end of the year, Jacob received a scholarship for academic excellence and Christian character! God has provided for the kids to continue there this year.

Zac recently preached his first sermon http://vimeo.com/5574339 Try to ignore the buzzing sound in the background. We were having some issues with the speakers that day at church.

I'll be updating our journey. Please keep us in your prayers,

Happy New Year!

Wed, 7 Jan 2009 10:32:00 -0600

We finished up 2008 with a nice family Christmas. We missed being with our extended family so we took lots of photos to share with them.

Zac is working construction for now. The position started off pretty well but has been going downhill. We are praying for God's direction. Seminary starts back up next week and he will be attending fulltime in addition to working. I'm still cleaning at Seminary housing and will begin babysitting fulltime in the fall.

We continue to step out in faith and follow as God directs our paths. It's scary sometimes and often doesn't make sense but we will not live in fear.

Our pastor shared this poem recently that sums up our mission.

I Am A Soldier In God's Army

I am a soldier in the army of my God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is my Commanding Officer.
The Holy Bible is my code of conduct.
Faith, Prayer, and the Word are my weapons of Warfare.
I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience,
tried by adversity, and tested by fire.

I am a soldier in the army of my God.
I am a volunteer in this army, and I am enlisted for eternity.
I will either retire in this Army or die in this Army;
But, I will not get out, sell out, be talked out, or pushed out.

I am a soldier in the army of my God.
I am faithful, reliable, capable, and dependable.
If my God needs, me, I am there. I am a soldier. I am not a baby.
I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up,
pumped up, picked up, or pepped up.

I am a soldier in the army of my God.
No one has to call me, remind me,
write me, visit me, entice me, or lure me.
I am a soldier. I am not a wimp.
I am in place, saluting my King,

I am a soldier in the army of my God.
Obeying His orders, praising His name, and building His Kingdom!
No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy, or give me handouts.
I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for, or catered to.
I am committed.

I am a soldier in the army of my God.
I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around.
I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside.
I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit.

I am a soldier in the army of my God.
When Jesus called me into this Army, I had nothing.
If I end up with nothing, I will still come out even.
I will win. My God will supply all my needs.
I am more than a conqueror.
I will always triumph.
I can do all things through Christ.

I am a soldier in the army of my God.
Devils cannot defeat me.
People cannot disillusion me.
Weather cannot weary me.
Sickness cannot stop me.
Battles cannot beat me.
Money cannot buy me.
Governments cannot silence me,
and hell cannot handle me!

I am a soldier in the army of my God.
Even death cannot destroy me.
For when my Commander calls me from this battlefield,
He will promote me to a captain.

I am a soldier in the army of my God.
in the Army, I'm marching, claiming victory.
I will not give up.
I will not turn around.

I am a soldier in the army of my God.
marching Heaven bound.
Here I stand!

- Author Unknown

Thanksgiving Blessings

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:18:00 -0600

Tons of Blessings that I receive each day

Hands that fold, when I begin to pray.

Awesome powers our Lord has from above

Never ending patience and His love

Kindness and forgiveness He has shown

Sweetest gift of love we’ve ever known.

Grace that God bestowed on me.

I can't Imagine, without His love, just where I’d be.

Victory in Jesus, just like the song of old.

I’ll do my best, to lead lost sheep into His fold.

Nails driven through our Savior’s hands.

God’s Greatest Gift, His Son’s life for mortal man.

God's Provision

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:39:00 -0600

I am so thankful for God's provision and care for our family!

A few weeks ago I was on the phone catching up with my friend and former neighbor Betsy. (Our kids used to carpool together when we attended OSL) She asked if Zac had found a different job yet. Later that day she called me back and a told me of a man who attends their church that has a renovation business. He was looking for a trustworthy person with some skills to hire. Zac gave him a call and they met. He said he would be willing to work with Zac's seminary schedule but Zac would need to work up to 6 days a week and up to 10 hrs per day. He could only offer a small paycheck and no benefits. We prayed about it and felt that even though it was almost a 50% paycut and we would lose our health insurance that this was an opportunity that God had given Zac and that he should take it.

Fast forward to now and Zac is finishing up his first week. He really enjoys his new job and the people he is working with. It's a small company consisting of the owner, his brother, and Zac. They work together side by side on the jobs. This week he has done porch railings, painting, bathroom demolition, framework, etc.. It's hard work but the stress and issues of the YLA are gone. He left the YLA on a good note and has an open door to return to provide Chapel services on a volunteer basis.

I have started cleaning the guest apartment and men's dorms for the seminary. Not the most glamourous job, but I am thankful to have it. As a bonus I have been allowed to redecorate the guest apartment which has been fun for me.

We received news that we will be the new renters of a larger apartment unit come January! Our square footage will be almost doubled and we will go from 2bdrm 1bath to 3bdrm 2bath. This is a direct answer to prayer. The kids have been having issues in our current apartment with all sharing a room and not being able to spread out with homeschooling. I was at my wit's end recently and debating quitting homeschooling over it all. My hope is that this will ease things for everyone.

We have a great group of friends and I am so thankful for them! This Thanksgiving some of us will be having a Thanksgiving dinner together since all of our families live out of state and we are unable to visit with them at this time.

I have many more things I am thankful for but I would like your prayers for a request -

We have been down to 1 vehicle for the past week. Zac's car died and it needs some work. There is an issue with a spark not starting the engine or something along those lines along with the fact that the engine light is on and it won't pass inspection like that. We have been hesitant to have it towed to a shop and repaired due to the unknown expense. Zac is thinking a work truck may be a better option.. Sharing the van has been rough. I struggle with feeling trapped without a vehicle. We live on a busy road and the kids and cannot walk to a store or library etc.. all those things are car rides away.
Please pray for me to be content with or without a vehicle and for wisdom for Zac on how to proceed from here.

Family update

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:22:00 -0600

I've had a few people ask me to post an update of what is going on with our family.

Zac is attending Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary to obtain his Masters of Divinity degree. He resigned from the job he has had for the past 10+ yrs. with NY state. Next week he begins his new job working for a renovation business. He will be doing construction and painting work. It is a HUGE paycut and there are no benefits BUT it allows him the flexablity to attend seminary fulltime. This is a step of faith that we feel led to take although many people think we are crazy for doing it.

I took one class at Mid-America last session. I enjoyed the class and did well in it but I am not taking a class this session. I am unsure of the route I will be taking to continue my education. I'm considering my options at this point which bring us to the kids..

The kids are doing well academically however they are having a tough time with the lack of space. The seminary housing unit we currently live in is 700sq ft and the kids all have to share a room. We recently received news that a larger unit will be opening up in the next couple months so we are hopeful about that. It would give us about double the space and Daphne would once again have her own room. It would also provide space to spread the kids out for schooling. It has been a daily battle for the past several weeks. The kids are also in a co-op that we attend once a week. They are currenlty preparing for their Christmas Program.

I have been considering the idea of sending the kids back to private school although we can't afford it especially with Zac's new job. I would have to work to cover their tuition. I'm not sure when I would be able to pursue further education for myself if I'm working while the kids are in school. So obviously things remain to be worked out or remain the same. Time will tell...

I have been posting photos and more frequent updates on my facebook page, if you have one let me know and I can add you as a friend so that you can see it.

Apple Picking

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:59:00 -0500

On Monday we went and picked apples as a family at a local orchard. We ended up with 58lbs of them!!! So far we have made caramel covered apples, applesauce, stuffed apples, apple pie filling, and apple zucchini bread. We still have about 40lbs of apples left!

Click HERE to see our apple picking photos.

Homeschooling in Seminary Housing

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:04:00 -0500

We moved into Seminary housing over the summer. As no pets are allowed, we had to re-home our sweet little Boston Terrier, Boaz, which was sooo hard and still is hard to handle. He is now living in Ohio with a nice family and their girl Boston Terrier. The 5 of us are now in a 2 bdrm 1 bath 700sq. ft. unit. The 3 kids share a 8x10ft. bedroom. Daphne has had the hardest time adjusting since she has always had her own room. The boys have always shared a room. . Living here gives us many opportunites to remember and use the Fruits of the Spirit. It seems we need to brush up on those! Waiting for the bathroom = patience, etc... We are blessed to have a dishwasher and a washer and dryer in our unit.

Homeschooling here has been mixed. Living back in the Capital district gives us more access to homeschooling resources such as co-ops, museums, etc.. We joined one and start classes there later this month. We are very much on top of eachother in our seatwork so I have adjusted that. All of the kids friends here in Seminary housing go to the local public school. It would be much easier to do that, but we don't feel it is the right choice for us at this time so we keep plugging along in our homeschooling. There are some Christian schools in the area, but they are all several thousand dollars per student and then we are back to the issue of the actual curriculum not always being a Chrisitan curriculum. This is so those schools can still offer NY Regents testing.

The Southern Baptist Missions class I am taking at Mid America is going well and has been very informative. Zac has been taking Seminary online with Liberty University but he has deceided to begin at Mid America next month as well. By January he will be only at Mid America.

Zac's job with the state has been going from bad to worse. He has applications out and we are praying for God's leading. We may end up taking a huge step of faith before something is lined up...

Work at the church has been progressing. We have 3 River Kids classes running now and the church is growing so we will likely need a 4th in the near future. Staffing and curriculum has been a bit of an issue but I hope to have those ironed out soon.

Rally to Oppose Mandatory Vax Bill

Mon, 9 Jun 2008 08:48:00 -0500

Tuesday June 10th at 11:30am

Press conference and rally on the Capitol steps

Visit legislators to air concerns about Bill 10942.

1pm Health Committee meeting - Legislative Office Building Rm 823

Scary vaccine law proposed in NY - Please help!

Sat, 31 May 2008 19:56:00 -0500

Please help stop this scary bill from passing!!

Here are a few features of the proposed Assembly Bill 10942

· Our elected New York representatives would no longer determine the
mandatory schedule of vaccines to attend school; decisions made by the
federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices would automatically
become mandatory.

· All children, infants and toddlers included, in New York would be
required to get all vaccines recommended by the ACIP according to the
ACIP schedule

· All children in New York up to age 18 would be required to get
annual flu shots.

· All girls in New York would be required to get a human papilloma
virus shot.

· All junior high school children and college students would be
required to get meningococcal shots.

· Doctors would be required to issue certificates for every shot
given and parents would be required to maintain the records and provide
them to school and other authorities.

· The rules committee claims that the new laws would have no fiscal
impact on the state despite the necessity of the state to spend tens of
millions on purchasing new vaccines, a vast increase in mandatory record
keeping and enforcement for schools, and a huge increase that could be
expected in the number of cases of neurological damage, Guillian Barré
syndrome and other vaccine-caused injuries.

See the bill here

http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=A10942

We only have a few weeks to defeat this bill. This bill is unacceptable and undermines our freedom as parents to chose appropriate health care for our children.

Act now!!

Governor David Paterson (518) 474-8390

Speaker Sheldon Silver (518) 455-3791

Fill out a form online ~

http://capwiz.com/a-champ/issues/alert/?alertid=11428606

Moving & Sad

Fri, 30 May 2008 20:50:00 -0500

Some time this summer we will be moving to the Seminary housing. The unit we will be moving into is rather small so we need to sell off the majority of our belongings. That is a ok, but what is horrible is that there is a "no pets" policy so we will be unable to take our sweet little boston terrier with us. We are all crushed and the kids have been having episodes of crying over it all. We had hoped that a family member would be able to take Bo in but that doesn't look like it will happen.