Well, the past couple of weeks have certainly flown by! Get the kids to school...study Hebrew....go to class...study Hebrew....kids are home....homework time...Darrin goes to work... dinner....study Hebrew....go to sleep....dream of Hebrew! Oh my goodness...can you tell how much of my time Hebrew takes??? It is going well though. By God's grace, I do have an "A" in the class for the moment! :0)
Yesterday I had an opportunity to go to a beautiful park. It was a gorgeous day. I sat on a bench in the midst of beautiful flowers and trees... just in awe of the amazing creations of God. There were little yellow butterflies everywhere. I rather liked the butterflies. He has created a glorious world for us to live in. But the beauty of His creation here on earth pales in comparison to what we, as believers, will experience eternally in Heaven.
I actually went to the park for my storying group. I have been meeting with these ladies for a few weeks now. It is so neat to see the creativity in the group...so many different ways to teach the stories of the Bible. Yesterday it was my turn to teach. And what was my creative way??? Yep, you guessed it...a song. Our story was from Acts 17:1-10. I wrote a very simple, kindergarten-type, 7 verse song to teach the story. The ladies loved it....and I got to be the "music teacher" again for the afternoon! :0)
Speaking of being the music teacher again...God never ceases to amaze me. So, if you've been following the blog, you might remember when we had to go to the lovely student assignment office to get the kids registered for school (that 4 hour ordeal!!!). So, you might also recall that Adam was assigned to a very small school about a mile from our home. We actually didn't even know the school existed until that day. We were hoping to get him into a different school, but there was a long waiting list. Anyway, fast forward to a couple of weeks ago... Adam came home from school and said that he had gone to music that day. Well this peaked my interest because Adam has never had a music teacher other than me, and I was curious what he thought about his new music class. So I asked him how he liked it. He said, "It was good, but we don't have a 'real' music teacher yet." I asked him, "What do you mean, not a 'real' teacher?" He said, "We have a substitute music teacher because our school doesn't have a real music teacher yet." Well, my wheels started turning immediately. I thought...this school is so small....they wouldn't need a full time music teacher....hmmmmm. So I emailed Adam's classroom teacher and asked if what he said was true. Well she connected me with the principal....and indeed, it was true. Long story short....I interviewed for the job today. The interview went QUITE well. However, I will not know anything official until next week. If I get the job, I will be working Monday through Friday from 8:40am - 12:30pm. That will leave all of my afternoons free for my seminary classes. So...how cool is that??? We didn't even know the school existed....it was a mile away from our home....very small....great educational setting for Adam....AND they need a part time music teacher....plus, I get to be back in the building with my baby! (I know...some of you are thinking that he is not a baby and I need to cut the strings....others of you understand completely!) IF...I get the job. That is nothing but the work of God...not a grand coincidence...just God...knowing me...loving me...and saying, "Here you go, my child. This is for you." (if...I get the job!) :0)
What else can I share??? We have had some flu-like sickness in the house. Darrin has been out of work for 3 days, but hopefully he will be able to return tomorrow. And....still no news on the house...still waiting...
Well, I should stop writing now. Why should I stop writing now? What do I need to do? That's right....study Hebrew!!!!
Friday, September 21, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Getting Involved!
This past week was a busy one! Darrin had a week of training at Olive Garden and is now officially working as a server. We are in full swing with school work all the way around...for the kids and for Darrin and myself. So far, so good for all of us! Even Hebrew is going well...but it is getting tougher. I translated actual Bible phrases (not entire verses) for this first time this week....that was cool! None of us have had a real test yet...a few quizzes, but nothing major. Darrin did turn in his first paper, but he has not received a grade yet. So, we know there will be more difficult school work in the near future, but for now, we are doing pretty well with it all.
The kids are doing very well in school! All of the bus issues seem to be ironed out. Adam is still enjoying school and doing well. The girls are liking it better and better. They are making friends and getting adjusted to the "newness" of it all. Kayla REALLY loves her modern dance class! While she has already come home bruised in several places from the crazy things they do in there, she just loves it. It is something that she looks forward to each day. It has helped to make her "new school" experience a good one! Speaking of her new school, we had "Meet the Teacher" night last week. I only got to meet 2 of her 4 teachers. I met her chorus and dance teachers. Her geometry and history teachers were not there. Anyway, getting around that place was INSANE! It is HUGE! We must have walked the distance of a cross-country race just getting to her classrooms. I certainly got my exercise for the evening, and I also understood why she was so overwhelmed those first couple of days. But she lead me around there like she had been doing it forever. :0) Emma is in class with a girl from Africa who speaks no English at all. Emma has been teaching her quite a bit. That has been a neat experience for her! I told Emma she needs to have that young lady teach her some African words....perhaps that will come in handy one day on the mission field! :0)
While everything is going well, I have been struggling with missing everyone and everything. I miss my friends, I miss my church, and I even miss my house. While there is nothing wrong with missing everyone and everything, I was allowing that to take too much of my focus. So I decided this week that it was time to get involved in some things here. I met a wonderful Korean woman in my Evangelism class who invited me to a "storying" small group. I went this past Thursday afternoon. It was a great time of fellowship, worship, and learning. We learned how to tell one of the stories in the book of Acts using hand motions. Each week we focus on a different story of the Bible and a different method, whether it be hand motions, drawing pictures, singing a song....just different creative methods of Bible story-telling. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to going back! I also began attending a discipleship class at church. It is a class for women on emotions....understanding where they come from and handling them in Godly ways. We are blessed to have the writer of the study as our teacher! I am excited to discover what God has in-store through this class! It is good for me to begin to get "plugged-in" here.
Kayla had another really cool thing happen for her this week. The youth ministry at the church we have been attending, Richland Creek Church, does have a youth praise band. Well it just so happens that they are in need of a lead guitar player. She talked to the leader of the praise band last night. He told her to show up with her guitar and amp on the 23rd at 5:30! :0) Yet another way that God has gone before us! He had this in place for Kayla! Those things are sooooo encouraging to me!
All of those ways that He continues to show Himself and encourage us are very much needed. This is a hard transition for us all....harder than I anticipated. It is good, but still difficult. Another battle we are facing is the sale of our home in Danville. It still has not sold. We have had a couple of very low offers, but nothing we can really work with. It is coming down to the point that we may have to just let it go. That is really tough! Darrin has somehow been prepared for that all along, but I have not. I just knew that God would take care of it, and the house would sell. Please don't misunderstand...I know that God is in complete control. He is taking care of it in His Sovereignty...just perhaps not in the way that I would have chosen. But it is not my way that matters...only His. He still may allow the house to sell, or it just may be His plan that we let it go. Perhaps this is a bigger lesson on sacrifice than I anticipated. Perhaps He is testing us to see just exactly how much we are willing to give up for Him. I don't know what He is doing exactly, but I know that He is in complete control, and I take comfort in Romans 8:28 which tells me "God works all things together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." I must rest in that and know in my heart that His plans are perfect, even when I don't understand exactly what He is doing. And really, in the grand scheme of things, and in light of eternity, what is a house? It's just an earthly treasure that moths and rust and thieves can destroy. In John 14:2-3 Jesus tells me, " In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." That place He is preparing for me is my HOME...in Heaven with Him. And through my relationship with Christ, I am GUARANTEED that home WILL NOT be foreclosed on. :0)
The kids are doing very well in school! All of the bus issues seem to be ironed out. Adam is still enjoying school and doing well. The girls are liking it better and better. They are making friends and getting adjusted to the "newness" of it all. Kayla REALLY loves her modern dance class! While she has already come home bruised in several places from the crazy things they do in there, she just loves it. It is something that she looks forward to each day. It has helped to make her "new school" experience a good one! Speaking of her new school, we had "Meet the Teacher" night last week. I only got to meet 2 of her 4 teachers. I met her chorus and dance teachers. Her geometry and history teachers were not there. Anyway, getting around that place was INSANE! It is HUGE! We must have walked the distance of a cross-country race just getting to her classrooms. I certainly got my exercise for the evening, and I also understood why she was so overwhelmed those first couple of days. But she lead me around there like she had been doing it forever. :0) Emma is in class with a girl from Africa who speaks no English at all. Emma has been teaching her quite a bit. That has been a neat experience for her! I told Emma she needs to have that young lady teach her some African words....perhaps that will come in handy one day on the mission field! :0)
While everything is going well, I have been struggling with missing everyone and everything. I miss my friends, I miss my church, and I even miss my house. While there is nothing wrong with missing everyone and everything, I was allowing that to take too much of my focus. So I decided this week that it was time to get involved in some things here. I met a wonderful Korean woman in my Evangelism class who invited me to a "storying" small group. I went this past Thursday afternoon. It was a great time of fellowship, worship, and learning. We learned how to tell one of the stories in the book of Acts using hand motions. Each week we focus on a different story of the Bible and a different method, whether it be hand motions, drawing pictures, singing a song....just different creative methods of Bible story-telling. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to going back! I also began attending a discipleship class at church. It is a class for women on emotions....understanding where they come from and handling them in Godly ways. We are blessed to have the writer of the study as our teacher! I am excited to discover what God has in-store through this class! It is good for me to begin to get "plugged-in" here.
Kayla had another really cool thing happen for her this week. The youth ministry at the church we have been attending, Richland Creek Church, does have a youth praise band. Well it just so happens that they are in need of a lead guitar player. She talked to the leader of the praise band last night. He told her to show up with her guitar and amp on the 23rd at 5:30! :0) Yet another way that God has gone before us! He had this in place for Kayla! Those things are sooooo encouraging to me!
All of those ways that He continues to show Himself and encourage us are very much needed. This is a hard transition for us all....harder than I anticipated. It is good, but still difficult. Another battle we are facing is the sale of our home in Danville. It still has not sold. We have had a couple of very low offers, but nothing we can really work with. It is coming down to the point that we may have to just let it go. That is really tough! Darrin has somehow been prepared for that all along, but I have not. I just knew that God would take care of it, and the house would sell. Please don't misunderstand...I know that God is in complete control. He is taking care of it in His Sovereignty...just perhaps not in the way that I would have chosen. But it is not my way that matters...only His. He still may allow the house to sell, or it just may be His plan that we let it go. Perhaps this is a bigger lesson on sacrifice than I anticipated. Perhaps He is testing us to see just exactly how much we are willing to give up for Him. I don't know what He is doing exactly, but I know that He is in complete control, and I take comfort in Romans 8:28 which tells me "God works all things together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." I must rest in that and know in my heart that His plans are perfect, even when I don't understand exactly what He is doing. And really, in the grand scheme of things, and in light of eternity, what is a house? It's just an earthly treasure that moths and rust and thieves can destroy. In John 14:2-3 Jesus tells me, " In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." That place He is preparing for me is my HOME...in Heaven with Him. And through my relationship with Christ, I am GUARANTEED that home WILL NOT be foreclosed on. :0)
Saturday, September 1, 2012
I challenge YOU to read with ME!
Quick update....Darrin got a job!!!! After 3 interviews with Olive Garden, they finally hired him! He will be a server. 3 interviews just to be a server...they don't mess around! They say that's where the money is, much more so than in the kitchen. Of course, he doesn't have the time to do the management thing, as he has done for the past 15 years, so it's back to waiting tables. We praise God for the job!!!!! He starts his training on Monday (Labor Day)...please be in prayer for him as he now must balance his school work, his job, and his family.
We will add serving in a local church to all of that soon, as well. We have visited 2 local churches. We think we have found one that is a good "fit" for our family. Please pray that God will give us wisdom and discernment as we get plugged in and must decide in what capacities to serve, and sometimes, when to say "no" for the sake of balance and margin.
Our classes are going well. Darrin wrote his first paper! He did a great job, I think. We shall see if my opinion is reflected in his professor's opinion (and in his grade). :0) It is an essay..."A Narrative of a Changed Life: Where Did God Go?" Good stuff!
My Hebrew class is getting quite a bit tougher. No more pre-school Hebrew...you know...singing ABC songs...oh no...we have moved up to at least 2nd grade Hebrew in a week's time....long and short vowels and vocabulary words. The vowels are just dots and lines added underneath, above, or beside the consonant symbols. There are not just 5 of them though. There are different ones for long vowel sounds, short vowel sounds, reduced vowel sounds...and even more. For the vocab words, we were given 20 of the most commonly used Hebrew words in the Old Testament...symbols, mind you, not our transliterated letters. For Tuesday's quiz, we have to look at the Hebrew word and know the English translation. That's 1/2 the quiz...the other 1/2 is knowing all of the vowel dots/dashes/etc.
I've been reading a great book on social injustice for my Women & Evangelism class. The book is Good News About Injustice: A Witness of Courage in a Hurting World by Gary A. Haugen. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the horrible social injustices that are occurring every day all over our world, what God has to say about those situations, and how we, as Christians, can work to seek justice in these situations. John Stott wrote the foreward to the book, and he says:
We will add serving in a local church to all of that soon, as well. We have visited 2 local churches. We think we have found one that is a good "fit" for our family. Please pray that God will give us wisdom and discernment as we get plugged in and must decide in what capacities to serve, and sometimes, when to say "no" for the sake of balance and margin.
Our classes are going well. Darrin wrote his first paper! He did a great job, I think. We shall see if my opinion is reflected in his professor's opinion (and in his grade). :0) It is an essay..."A Narrative of a Changed Life: Where Did God Go?" Good stuff!
My Hebrew class is getting quite a bit tougher. No more pre-school Hebrew...you know...singing ABC songs...oh no...we have moved up to at least 2nd grade Hebrew in a week's time....long and short vowels and vocabulary words. The vowels are just dots and lines added underneath, above, or beside the consonant symbols. There are not just 5 of them though. There are different ones for long vowel sounds, short vowel sounds, reduced vowel sounds...and even more. For the vocab words, we were given 20 of the most commonly used Hebrew words in the Old Testament...symbols, mind you, not our transliterated letters. For Tuesday's quiz, we have to look at the Hebrew word and know the English translation. That's 1/2 the quiz...the other 1/2 is knowing all of the vowel dots/dashes/etc.
I've been reading a great book on social injustice for my Women & Evangelism class. The book is Good News About Injustice: A Witness of Courage in a Hurting World by Gary A. Haugen. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the horrible social injustices that are occurring every day all over our world, what God has to say about those situations, and how we, as Christians, can work to seek justice in these situations. John Stott wrote the foreward to the book, and he says:
"I defy anybody to emerge from exposure to this book unscathed. In fact, my advice to would-be readers is 'Dont! Leave the book alone!' - unless you are willing to be shocked, challenged, persuaded, and transformed."After reading half the book, I agree with that statement 100%. I think many of us, as American Christians, live in a little bubble of ignorance and protection. I include myself in that group. We have NO CLUE what is going on in the world. We are so blessed here in the United States and don't even realize it. I was shocked to learn of some atrocities that go on every day around this world. The cool thing about God's plan for justice in these areas of grave injustice...is that He wants to use us in providing that justice. Here is a great section of the book...Haugen writes:
"How does God rescue the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked? Overwhelmingly He does it through those who choose to follow Him in faith and obedience. He doesn't need our 'help', but He chooses to use us.
Looking at the millions of slaves in India or the thousands of child prostitutes in Asia or thousands of torture victims twisting and bleeding in the world's forgotten jail cells, we can say to God, 'Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you for all the power, protection, freedom, and justice you have granted us in sparing us from such fates. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!'
Or we can ask, What have you given me, Father, that I might help those who don't have power, who don't have protection, who don't have freedom, who don't have justice?"How can you read that and not be affected??? I certainly have been, and continue to be, greatly affected and moved by Haugen's words and experiences. Read the book along with me...just take John Stott's words to heart before you do! :0)
The kids' first week of school!
I cannot believe we have been here a month already!!! Time has flown! This week, in particular, has been a crazy one...the first week of school for the kids...school bus issues...a car repair...crazy stuff...but that's how life goes!
So, the kids started school on Monday, August 27th! Here are the pics taken very early that morning. They look good here, but they would be a bit worn out by the day's end...especially the girls. The school bus issues started right off the bat. At 6:45am the girls were at their bus stops ready to go. Kayla's stop is in our apartment complex, but Emma's is 1/2 mile away, so Darrin drives them to their bus stops. Their buses were each supposed to pick them up at 6:45. Emma's bus finally arrived at about 7:05am. Kayla's bus never arrived. At 7:15 Darrin drove her to school. The tardy bell rings at 7:25. They both arrived on time. Adam's school doesn't start until 9:15, and his school is only a few blocks from us, so we decided it would be easier for him to be a car rider. So, we took Adam to school and went off to our own 9:00 class. Darrin got out of class at 12:00. I wasn't done with class until 3:40. The girls get out of school at 2:15 and Adam gets out at 3:45. The plan was that Darrin would pick up the girls at their bus stops around 2:30, he would come pick me up from class at 3:40, and we would then go pick up Adam at 3:45. Well, that didn't exactly work out on Monday. At 3:40 I left my class and went outside where I expected to find Darrin waiting for me. He wasn't there. I called him and found him in a panic in Emma's school office. An hour and a half after Emma got out of school, she still wasn't home, and no one seemed to know where the bus was. We didn't let Emma take her cell phone to school that day because we didn't know what the school's cell phone policy was, so no one was able to get in touch with her. Kayla also did not get on the bus and come home. Because the bus didn't pick her up that morning, she didn't know what bus to get on, and the first day of high school with 3000 students was quite overwhelming for her. So she stood outside of the school and waited for Darrin to come pick her up. So, I'm standing outside of my class getting all of this info over the phone...I have no car...and it's time to pick Adam up from his first day of school. I'm in a bit of a panic at this point myself. Poor Darrin has been dealing with this for over an hour, but I'm stuck by myself and can do nothing to help at all. I don't even have the school phone numbers in my cell phone yet, so I can't even call Adam's school to say we will be late picking him up. Finally Emma's school gets in touch with the bus driver and we learn that she is almost home. Darrin comes to pick me up...we go get Adam...and go home to find Emma there waiting. Everyone had to take a few moments just to breathe and gather themselves after all of that. In addition to the bus issues, the girls did not really enjoy their first day of school. Wall-to-wall kids, not knowing anyone, not knowing where they were going, and the bus issues on top of all of that did not make for a good first day. :0( Adam, however, had a great first day....Praise God!
So, the kids started school on Monday, August 27th! Here are the pics taken very early that morning. They look good here, but they would be a bit worn out by the day's end...especially the girls. The school bus issues started right off the bat. At 6:45am the girls were at their bus stops ready to go. Kayla's stop is in our apartment complex, but Emma's is 1/2 mile away, so Darrin drives them to their bus stops. Their buses were each supposed to pick them up at 6:45. Emma's bus finally arrived at about 7:05am. Kayla's bus never arrived. At 7:15 Darrin drove her to school. The tardy bell rings at 7:25. They both arrived on time. Adam's school doesn't start until 9:15, and his school is only a few blocks from us, so we decided it would be easier for him to be a car rider. So, we took Adam to school and went off to our own 9:00 class. Darrin got out of class at 12:00. I wasn't done with class until 3:40. The girls get out of school at 2:15 and Adam gets out at 3:45. The plan was that Darrin would pick up the girls at their bus stops around 2:30, he would come pick me up from class at 3:40, and we would then go pick up Adam at 3:45. Well, that didn't exactly work out on Monday. At 3:40 I left my class and went outside where I expected to find Darrin waiting for me. He wasn't there. I called him and found him in a panic in Emma's school office. An hour and a half after Emma got out of school, she still wasn't home, and no one seemed to know where the bus was. We didn't let Emma take her cell phone to school that day because we didn't know what the school's cell phone policy was, so no one was able to get in touch with her. Kayla also did not get on the bus and come home. Because the bus didn't pick her up that morning, she didn't know what bus to get on, and the first day of high school with 3000 students was quite overwhelming for her. So she stood outside of the school and waited for Darrin to come pick her up. So, I'm standing outside of my class getting all of this info over the phone...I have no car...and it's time to pick Adam up from his first day of school. I'm in a bit of a panic at this point myself. Poor Darrin has been dealing with this for over an hour, but I'm stuck by myself and can do nothing to help at all. I don't even have the school phone numbers in my cell phone yet, so I can't even call Adam's school to say we will be late picking him up. Finally Emma's school gets in touch with the bus driver and we learn that she is almost home. Darrin comes to pick me up...we go get Adam...and go home to find Emma there waiting. Everyone had to take a few moments just to breathe and gather themselves after all of that. In addition to the bus issues, the girls did not really enjoy their first day of school. Wall-to-wall kids, not knowing anyone, not knowing where they were going, and the bus issues on top of all of that did not make for a good first day. :0( Adam, however, had a great first day....Praise God!
Day 2...Tuesday...same bus issues...Emma's bus was late...Kayla's never got there at all. Emma did get home a bit earlier in the afternoon....3:30 maybe...and Kayla did figure out which bus to ride home. Oh, and both the girls took their cell phones to school. At least we can get in touch with them through this mess. And both schools allow cell phones, so no rules were broken.
Day 3...Wednesday...Darrin takes the girls out to the van at 6:40am to drive them to their bus stops for the 3rd attempt to get this morning routine right. Well, the van won't start. He tells them to walk quickly to the bus stops. We only have the van with us. Darrin's car has been at the house in Danville all this time, so when the only vehicle we have breaks down...it's a big PAIN! So, our neighbors try to help us jump start the van. It won't jump...it won't do anything. Well, in the midst of this, we get phone calls from both of the girls. Kayla's bus actually picked her up at the bus stop. Emma's bus was actually on time that day as well, but because she had to walk a 1/2 mile to catch it, she missed it....so she walked back home. Since the van wouldn't jump and we didn't have a clue what was wrong with it, we had to call a tow truck. It arrived a couple of hours later. Darrin went with the tow truck and van. I got Adam to school with the neighbor's help. At this point, Emma didn't want to go to school, and we didn't make her. Darrin also missed his morning class. It turned out that it was just a bad battery...it was just so far gone that it wouldn't jump. It would have been nice to know that BEFORE we had it towed, but oh well...what can you do? The van was back in working order by noon. Darrin made it to his afternoon class and we were able to pick up Adam from school. Kayla's bus got her home safely on time.
Day 4...Thursday....Emma's bus is late...again...turns out the bus broke down and the driver had to get a new one. Kayla's picked her up on time. That afternoon both of the girls arrived home safely...on time. :0)
Day 5...Friday....both buses arrived on time in the morning and in the afternoon!!!! Praise God!!!!
We still don't have TV, so we don't know much about what's going on in the world around us, but I did see on a local news website that this problem was all over Wake County. Evidently, they cut about 55 bus routes this year in order to save money. It didn't work out so well for them...frantic (and angry) parents were all over Wake County this week. They are working to rectify the situation. :0)
After a week of getting into the routine, the girls are happier with their schools. They are getting adjusted and making some new friends. Kayla especially loves her modern dance class! :0) Adam has had a great first week! I haven't heard one complaint from him about school. He enjoys his day...he has done well with his homework...he even made it through PE class twice this week! :0) He was concerned about that before he went. PE hasn't been his favorite class in the past. I really don't know why...he had 2 of the best PE teachers on the East Coast for the past 4 years!!! :0) (Miss you guys!!!!) Anyway, he even liked PE...wonders never cease! A crazy first week of school...but it turned out well, all things considered.
A long weekend now and a short school week next week....those 2 are a great combination!!!
Friday, August 24, 2012
Syllabus Shock and Ramen Noodles!
So, Darrin and I made it through the first week of classes! I have to admit, it was a bit overwhelming for both of us. Going over all of the class requirements and syllabi. (The words "syllabi" and "syllabuses" are both acceptable plural forms of "syllabus', but I think "syllabi" is more fun to say.) Hundreds of pages of reading, many papers to write, even a new language to learn...it's a lot to accomplish! We are praying that God will work a miracle in our "old" brains and help us kick them into high gear!
In addition to experiencing "syllabus shock", we have been exposed to several different cultures this week. The first of which obviously derives from my Hebrew class. My first assignment was to memorize the Hebrew alphabet, spoken and written. Learning Hebrew is not like taking Spanish or French. It's more like learning Japanese. The Hebrew alphabet is composed of 22 symbols that represent different sounds, all of which are consonant sounds. We haven't learned how the vowels work yet, but I know it has something to do with adding dots to the symbols. Oh, and you read this from right to left, so it is a bit more difficult than high school Spanish.
Anyway, I had to figure out how in the world I was going to be able to speak and write this from memory within a week's time. Well, the music teacher in me kicked in, and I set the alphabet to a familiar tune. I had to play with a few tunes to get one with the right timing, but I finally came up with "Jesus Loves the Little Children". I want you to sing it now...go ahead...come on...."Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black, and white, they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world." Very good! Thanks for singing along. Now, keep thinking about that tune, but add in the words in the picture above. Remember, read right to left. Here we go..."Aleph, Beyt, Gimel, Dalet..." I won't make you finish it, but that's what I have been doing for several days. I just walk around the house singing the Hebrew alphabet. The kids are singing it too. It's great! Writing it is a bit more challenging for me. I have just been writing it over and over and over and over. I'm getting the hang of it. I have a quiz on Monday afternoon. Say a prayer! :0)
Another cool cultural thing we experienced....Indian dancing....not Native American, but from India...Bollywood type stuff. There is a dance class for students and family members on campus on Monday nights. Kayla and I went last Monday and LOVED it! We will be going back!
Let's see...this might be stretching it as a "cultural experience", but I thought I'd share. Darrin has had a couple of great interviews at Olive Garden (Italian culture...Ha!). He got connected with them at a job fair we attended last week. We are waiting to hear back from them, but it seems promising. So, that's another thing you can add to your prayer list please. :0)
Oh, and this is one of my favorites of the week....Kayla has recently been exposed to a Japanese delicacy....ramen noodles!!!! Would you believe that she, nor any of my children, had never had them before. On our very frugal seminary budget, we thought our children should be exposed to new, exciting items from the grocery store. A $0.20 package of ramen noodles was a great place to start! Who knew they would be the best thing since sliced bread???
Those were all of our cool cultural experiences for the week. :0) Darrin and I both have quizzes in multiple classes next week and must choose topics for interpretive papers and books for book reviews, on top of LOTS of reading. Oh, and don't forget about the Hebrew! :0) We certainly have our work cut out for us, but we also know that God has brought us to it, and He will bring us through it! :0)
The kids start school on Monday....FINALLY!!!! They are ready, and Darrin and I are most definitely ready for them to go back to school. Today we went to Adam's school for an open house. He and I spent over an hour of one-on-one time with his new teacher. She is wonderful, and we are very excited about what this school year holds for Adam! We also were able to go to Emma's school. It was not a time to meet the teachers, but a time to get familiar with the building and where everything is located. Emma was quite excited when we left there today. Kayla isn't quite so lucky. Her high school open house was on August 1st, so we missed it. She gets thrown in on the 1st day never having met anyone or had a tour of the school at all. The day we went to get her schedule we asked for a little preview, but we were told there would be seniors in place to help on the first few days. She is a bit nervous about finding her way around such a huge high school, but after a week or so, she'll be an old pro at it! :0) One other great adjustment for the girls...their school day starts at 7:25am. The bus picks them up at 6:45am!!!! That's definitely different. They get out of school at 2:15pm. Adam's school day is much later...9:15 - 3:45. I think that will work well for him. Please pray for the kids as they get adjusted to new schools and begin to make new friends this week.
One more thing...please keep the sale of our house in Danville in your prayers! It is being shown on Saturday. The showing may have past by the time you read this, but please pray anyway. We know that God's timing is not our timing, but we sure would like His timing to hurry up a bit. :0) I really think He is going to take us to a new level of faith when it comes to relying on His provisions in His perfect timing. We have learned those lessons in the past, but perhaps not to the degree that we are about to learn them!
More to come next week about first quiz grades and the kids' first week of school!
In addition to experiencing "syllabus shock", we have been exposed to several different cultures this week. The first of which obviously derives from my Hebrew class. My first assignment was to memorize the Hebrew alphabet, spoken and written. Learning Hebrew is not like taking Spanish or French. It's more like learning Japanese. The Hebrew alphabet is composed of 22 symbols that represent different sounds, all of which are consonant sounds. We haven't learned how the vowels work yet, but I know it has something to do with adding dots to the symbols. Oh, and you read this from right to left, so it is a bit more difficult than high school Spanish.
Another cool cultural thing we experienced....Indian dancing....not Native American, but from India...Bollywood type stuff. There is a dance class for students and family members on campus on Monday nights. Kayla and I went last Monday and LOVED it! We will be going back!
Let's see...this might be stretching it as a "cultural experience", but I thought I'd share. Darrin has had a couple of great interviews at Olive Garden (Italian culture...Ha!). He got connected with them at a job fair we attended last week. We are waiting to hear back from them, but it seems promising. So, that's another thing you can add to your prayer list please. :0)
Oh, and this is one of my favorites of the week....Kayla has recently been exposed to a Japanese delicacy....ramen noodles!!!! Would you believe that she, nor any of my children, had never had them before. On our very frugal seminary budget, we thought our children should be exposed to new, exciting items from the grocery store. A $0.20 package of ramen noodles was a great place to start! Who knew they would be the best thing since sliced bread???
Those were all of our cool cultural experiences for the week. :0) Darrin and I both have quizzes in multiple classes next week and must choose topics for interpretive papers and books for book reviews, on top of LOTS of reading. Oh, and don't forget about the Hebrew! :0) We certainly have our work cut out for us, but we also know that God has brought us to it, and He will bring us through it! :0)
The kids start school on Monday....FINALLY!!!! They are ready, and Darrin and I are most definitely ready for them to go back to school. Today we went to Adam's school for an open house. He and I spent over an hour of one-on-one time with his new teacher. She is wonderful, and we are very excited about what this school year holds for Adam! We also were able to go to Emma's school. It was not a time to meet the teachers, but a time to get familiar with the building and where everything is located. Emma was quite excited when we left there today. Kayla isn't quite so lucky. Her high school open house was on August 1st, so we missed it. She gets thrown in on the 1st day never having met anyone or had a tour of the school at all. The day we went to get her schedule we asked for a little preview, but we were told there would be seniors in place to help on the first few days. She is a bit nervous about finding her way around such a huge high school, but after a week or so, she'll be an old pro at it! :0) One other great adjustment for the girls...their school day starts at 7:25am. The bus picks them up at 6:45am!!!! That's definitely different. They get out of school at 2:15pm. Adam's school day is much later...9:15 - 3:45. I think that will work well for him. Please pray for the kids as they get adjusted to new schools and begin to make new friends this week.
One more thing...please keep the sale of our house in Danville in your prayers! It is being shown on Saturday. The showing may have past by the time you read this, but please pray anyway. We know that God's timing is not our timing, but we sure would like His timing to hurry up a bit. :0) I really think He is going to take us to a new level of faith when it comes to relying on His provisions in His perfect timing. We have learned those lessons in the past, but perhaps not to the degree that we are about to learn them!
More to come next week about first quiz grades and the kids' first week of school!
Friday, August 17, 2012
Matriculation!
Matriculation Day was yesterday! Sounds painful, doesn't it? It is actually just the registration process...signing up for classes, getting a parking pass, getting an ID card, and paying the bill. It went quite smoothly once we arrived at the "matriculation room". It was the 3-hour line we had to wait in to get in that room that was a bit painful! Southeastern has 500 new incoming students this semester...the biggest incoming class they have ever had, I am told. I believe the staff was just as overwhelmed with the day as the students were. As I was waiting in the LONG line, a group of us were talking about old school IDs. I mentioned that I still had my ID that was made at undergrad registration at James Madison University. I commented that it was way back in 1992. You must realize that I am the "old one" of the bunch. Most of these people are in their early-mid 20s. Some are brand new college students at 18 years old. Anyway, it dawned on me in that moment that I was in freshmen orientation at JMU 20 years ago....20 years ago!!! How could that be??? So, the long line, and the realization of my age made MATRICULATION a bit painful. :0)
Darrin and I both registered for 3 classes each (9 hours). He is taking Hermeneutics, which is a class on how to study and interpret the Bible, Intro to New Testament I, and English Comp I. I will be taking Hermeneutics, Women & Evangelism, and Hebrew I. Yes, I am jumping in with both feet with the Hebrew. My original plan was to take either Old or New Testament, but I couldn't get in a section that fit my schedule, so Hebrew it is! Darrin's classes are Monday - Thursday in the mornings. Mine are Monday - Tuesday. Our schedules leave a fair amount of time for part-time jobs...whatever those may be.
The girls also have their school schedules. Emma's is a basic 7th grade schedule. She is taking Computer Skills and Drawing as electives. Kayla is very pleased with her schedule. Her new high school is on a block-schedule, which she was hoping for. She takes 4 classes each semester. She got into all of the honors classes that she would have had back home. She also had many more electives to choose from than she would have had back home. She is actually taking Modern Dance, which she is very excited about. We have never been in a school system that offered that as a class before. It was always something that you had to do as an extra-curricular activity and pay for. Not in Wake County...it is a part of her regular school schedule. It makes me think of the TV show Fame. (I know, that dates me too.) She is also taking Chorus, Spanish II, Geometry, Honors English, Honors History, and Honors Science, and of course, PE/Health.
None of us have actually started classes yet, but we are all very pleased with the classes God has put before us! Darrin and I start on Monday, the 20th. The kids start on Monday, the 27th.
Earlier this week, as a part of Welcome Week, we took a trip to Falls Lake with many other students. We had a great time, great food, and great fellowship!
We have had a great Welcome/Orientation week at Southeastern! We have already been under the teachings of Dr. Akin and many of the Department Directors as we have been in information sessions, advisement sessions, worship times, and even an assembly for married students. We have made connections with great, great people! We are just so blessed to be here!
I will let you know how blessed I feel after a week or 2 of Hebrew! :0)
Darrin and I both registered for 3 classes each (9 hours). He is taking Hermeneutics, which is a class on how to study and interpret the Bible, Intro to New Testament I, and English Comp I. I will be taking Hermeneutics, Women & Evangelism, and Hebrew I. Yes, I am jumping in with both feet with the Hebrew. My original plan was to take either Old or New Testament, but I couldn't get in a section that fit my schedule, so Hebrew it is! Darrin's classes are Monday - Thursday in the mornings. Mine are Monday - Tuesday. Our schedules leave a fair amount of time for part-time jobs...whatever those may be.
The girls also have their school schedules. Emma's is a basic 7th grade schedule. She is taking Computer Skills and Drawing as electives. Kayla is very pleased with her schedule. Her new high school is on a block-schedule, which she was hoping for. She takes 4 classes each semester. She got into all of the honors classes that she would have had back home. She also had many more electives to choose from than she would have had back home. She is actually taking Modern Dance, which she is very excited about. We have never been in a school system that offered that as a class before. It was always something that you had to do as an extra-curricular activity and pay for. Not in Wake County...it is a part of her regular school schedule. It makes me think of the TV show Fame. (I know, that dates me too.) She is also taking Chorus, Spanish II, Geometry, Honors English, Honors History, and Honors Science, and of course, PE/Health.
None of us have actually started classes yet, but we are all very pleased with the classes God has put before us! Darrin and I start on Monday, the 20th. The kids start on Monday, the 27th.
Earlier this week, as a part of Welcome Week, we took a trip to Falls Lake with many other students. We had a great time, great food, and great fellowship!
I will let you know how blessed I feel after a week or 2 of Hebrew! :0)
Monday, August 13, 2012
Everyone but me and the cat!
Kids say some funny things! Sometimes they say very profound things. Sometimes God speaks to us through our children. Sometimes we wonder where in the world the things they say come from. Adam, our 9 year-old, frequently says funny things. He also frequently says things that we have no clue where he picked them up...some are just funny little phrases, some can be inappropriate at times, and every now and then he will say something that is so profound that is causes me to really pause and think that his brain is working at a higher level than I am aware of.
Adam has some developmental and educational issues. He has symptoms of mild autism and is diagnosed with ADHD. He is a bit behind most kids his age in his learning and processing abilities, but he still does fairly well, considering those things.
Over the past several months, salvation has been a big topic in our house. We have had daily Bible study and prayer as a family since the first of this year. We prayed for Kayla's salvation frequently. We celebrated greatly when that occurred early this summer. We also were thrilled when one of Emma's friends was saved during VBS this summer. So, it's a topic that has been frequently discussed.
While Adam doesn't really participate in these discussions, he hears it all. He also loves to go to Sunday School and learns quite a bit there. He has a general understanding of God and Jesus. He knows that God loves us. He knows that Jesus died on the cross for us. He knows that going to Heaven has something to do with loving Jesus. He knows that praying to Jesus to ask for his bad dreams to go away generally makes his bad dreams go away. But that is about the extent of his understanding, at least as far as we can tell. Sometimes, though, he says things that make us think he understands more than we realize.
The other day, sitting at lunch, out of nowhere, he looked at me and said, "When can I get saved?" I was taken aback for a moment and I just looked at him. He said, "Everyone is saved but me and the cat! When can I get saved?" In his precious heart and mind he was so serious, but I really had to bite my lip for a moment to prevent myself from busting out laughing (I have a problem with laughing at the wrong time...those who know me well will agree.) Everyone but him and the cat! That was funny! So my brain is quickly trying to process what he just said. He understands that his sisters and his mom and dad are saved, but he is not. He also understands that the cat isn't saved. Does he think the cat can be saved? I don't know. But I do know that he is concerned that he is not saved. So in that moment I had to respond appropriately to his very serious question. I told him that we could talk about it later that night if he wanted to. He agreed.
So, later that evening I asked him if he wanted to talk about it. He did, but he wanted it to be very private...just me and him. Everyone else had to leave the room and the close the doors. So I asked him a few basic questions to see what he really did understand. It was as I suspected. He has a very general understand of some basics, but not a full enough understanding to really make a decision. He asked me how you get saved. I told him that you ask Jesus to come live in your heart because you love Him and you want to love Him forever. He said that he would be scared to do that. I told him that when the time was right, he wouldn't be scared. He said that would be a long time from now. I told him that it would be whenever God wanted it to be. I reminded him that Emma was only 7 when she was saved, but Kayla was 14. We wait on God's timing. He seemed to be ok with that. He told me we should talk about this again when he is 10. I smiled and agreed. He asked, "Will you remember to talk to me about this when I'm 10, or will you forget?" I assured him that I would most definitely remember! He was content and the conversation was over.
Now, do I think Adam is ready to be saved? No, not today. But is God working in his heart? Absolutely! That just makes my "mommy heart" spill over with joy!!! When Adam was a brand new infant, I gave him to the Lord. He had a lot of health issues. He had trouble breathing and eating. I would hold him and rock him to sleep at night and tell him that he was going to grow up and do good things for Jesus. Nine years later, as I see God working in his heart, it makes me so joyful to see God's faithfulness. Adam is a precious child. He has had a lot of struggles with health, developmental, and behavioral issues in his 9 years. He will probably always have some type of those issues throughout his life, but God is bigger than those issues! God is faithful and good! God has a plan for Adam! What a blessing it is for me to be a part of that and watch God work in his life!
Please pray for Adam. Change is difficult for him. He is adjusting to the move (new home, new town, new state), we are attending a new church (new enviroment, people, SS class) and he will be starting school on August 27th (new school, new teachers, new friends). All of this is hard for anyone, but especially for Adam. Please pray for smooth transitions, a positive school environment, for any anxiety to be removed, and for peace in his heart and mind. And, of course, please pray for God's continued work in Adam's heart! :0)
Adam has some developmental and educational issues. He has symptoms of mild autism and is diagnosed with ADHD. He is a bit behind most kids his age in his learning and processing abilities, but he still does fairly well, considering those things.
Over the past several months, salvation has been a big topic in our house. We have had daily Bible study and prayer as a family since the first of this year. We prayed for Kayla's salvation frequently. We celebrated greatly when that occurred early this summer. We also were thrilled when one of Emma's friends was saved during VBS this summer. So, it's a topic that has been frequently discussed.
While Adam doesn't really participate in these discussions, he hears it all. He also loves to go to Sunday School and learns quite a bit there. He has a general understanding of God and Jesus. He knows that God loves us. He knows that Jesus died on the cross for us. He knows that going to Heaven has something to do with loving Jesus. He knows that praying to Jesus to ask for his bad dreams to go away generally makes his bad dreams go away. But that is about the extent of his understanding, at least as far as we can tell. Sometimes, though, he says things that make us think he understands more than we realize.
The other day, sitting at lunch, out of nowhere, he looked at me and said, "When can I get saved?" I was taken aback for a moment and I just looked at him. He said, "Everyone is saved but me and the cat! When can I get saved?" In his precious heart and mind he was so serious, but I really had to bite my lip for a moment to prevent myself from busting out laughing (I have a problem with laughing at the wrong time...those who know me well will agree.) Everyone but him and the cat! That was funny! So my brain is quickly trying to process what he just said. He understands that his sisters and his mom and dad are saved, but he is not. He also understands that the cat isn't saved. Does he think the cat can be saved? I don't know. But I do know that he is concerned that he is not saved. So in that moment I had to respond appropriately to his very serious question. I told him that we could talk about it later that night if he wanted to. He agreed.
So, later that evening I asked him if he wanted to talk about it. He did, but he wanted it to be very private...just me and him. Everyone else had to leave the room and the close the doors. So I asked him a few basic questions to see what he really did understand. It was as I suspected. He has a very general understand of some basics, but not a full enough understanding to really make a decision. He asked me how you get saved. I told him that you ask Jesus to come live in your heart because you love Him and you want to love Him forever. He said that he would be scared to do that. I told him that when the time was right, he wouldn't be scared. He said that would be a long time from now. I told him that it would be whenever God wanted it to be. I reminded him that Emma was only 7 when she was saved, but Kayla was 14. We wait on God's timing. He seemed to be ok with that. He told me we should talk about this again when he is 10. I smiled and agreed. He asked, "Will you remember to talk to me about this when I'm 10, or will you forget?" I assured him that I would most definitely remember! He was content and the conversation was over.
Now, do I think Adam is ready to be saved? No, not today. But is God working in his heart? Absolutely! That just makes my "mommy heart" spill over with joy!!! When Adam was a brand new infant, I gave him to the Lord. He had a lot of health issues. He had trouble breathing and eating. I would hold him and rock him to sleep at night and tell him that he was going to grow up and do good things for Jesus. Nine years later, as I see God working in his heart, it makes me so joyful to see God's faithfulness. Adam is a precious child. He has had a lot of struggles with health, developmental, and behavioral issues in his 9 years. He will probably always have some type of those issues throughout his life, but God is bigger than those issues! God is faithful and good! God has a plan for Adam! What a blessing it is for me to be a part of that and watch God work in his life!
Please pray for Adam. Change is difficult for him. He is adjusting to the move (new home, new town, new state), we are attending a new church (new enviroment, people, SS class) and he will be starting school on August 27th (new school, new teachers, new friends). All of this is hard for anyone, but especially for Adam. Please pray for smooth transitions, a positive school environment, for any anxiety to be removed, and for peace in his heart and mind. And, of course, please pray for God's continued work in Adam's heart! :0)
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Somewhere Over Flaherty Farms
I love rainbows!!! I really don't enjoy the rain at all. I'm a sunshine kind of girl. But when the storm is almost over and the sun peaks through and that rainbow shows up...that I LOVE! It is, of course, a symbol of God's promise to never flood the earth again. I always see it as a reminder that God is there. Sometimes in the midst of life's storms we can't see God. We know in our minds and our hearts that He is there, but we just can't see Him or feel His presence always. As that "storm of life" begins to clear and we get a glimpse of God and His Glory again...that's like a rainbow. A beautiful reminder that He is still there!
This is a picture taken yesterday right over our new apartment building. The complex is called Flaherty Farms (if you didn't get that from the title), but the building in the picture is the one we live in. It was just yet another reminder for me that God is here with us, shining down on us, and His promises never fail us! :0)
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
God has gone before us!
We have been in Wake Forest, NC for a week now. God has been showing Himself to us in so many ways! The move was very smooth. Thanks to all the youth from MHBC that helped us load the moving truck in Danville and those that came with us for the trip to Wake Forest, we loaded and unloaded in record time!
When we arrived in town we had to go to the housing office to sign our housing contract and pick up our keys. The Director of Housing asked us if we had a pet. We explained that we did have a cat, but we just gave her up 2 days earlier because we were not allowed to bring her. He told us that just 2 weeks earlier he made the decision to make our apartment building "pet-friendly", meaning we were allowed to bring the cat. This was a huge answer to prayer for us, especially for our 12 year-old daughter, Emma. Emma has prayed daily for a good home for the cat for the past several months. We knew we would not be able to bring her with us, but Emma has been especially attached to her. For the sake of God's call on our family, Emma knew she would have to give up her pet. She did give her up. We gave her to my in-laws just 2 days before the move. Well God honored Emma's prayers. What a great surprise it was to us to find out that we were actually able to keep her! What a wonderful lesson for Emma on the power of prayer! So that was our first big "God-moment" in Wake Forest.
As we were moving into our apartment, our upstairs neighbor, Sal, helped us out. After talking with Sal we found out that he and his wife, Jess, have 4 children under the age of 6. They have a girl and 3 boys. One of their boys, Isaiah, is very much like our Adam as far as being on the mild end of the ASD spectrum. Our families connected immediately. We have already gotten together several times. Our kids have played together. God placed our families in close proximity to one another. He gave us new friends right off the bat. He even went so far as to give us friends that understand Adam's issues and understand what we go through as parents dealing with those issues. Adam and Isaiah have played together and seem to get along beautifully. God not only cares about and takes care of the "grown-ups", but He also takes care of the precious children as well!
Sunday morning rolled around and it was time to go to church. We didn't know where we would attend church in our new town. For about a week or so prior to that, God had been whispering in my ear the name of a local church, North Wake Baptist Church. I just heard it in my mind on several occasions. You know how God whispers to us, right? Anyway..."North Wake....North Wake" just kept popping in there. So, guess where we went to church Sunday morning....North Wake. As soon as we got there we knew it was different than what we were accustomed to. Don't get me wrong. We LOVE our home church in Danville, but this was definitely different. The dress was very casual. We walked into the lobby and saw the "coffee bar" and all the people milling about. It was such a different environment, but already our oldest daughter, Kayla, had a huge grin on her face. Then we walked into the sanctuary. There were no pews, but rows of cushy chairs. The stage was set up for a full praise band, including drums in a glass cage. The grin on Kayla's face got even bigger. She said, "I love this church!" The service was great...full of great worship, scripture reading, and strong Biblical teaching. I was in tears through most of it...just in awe of God and His provisions for us. It was our prayer that we would find a church that our girls could really get plugged-in to. We were especially concerned for Kayla. She is a brand new Christian (as of June 23, 2012) and she was very involved in her youth group in our home church. We want her to stay plugged-in and continue in her growth with the Lord. To see how thrilled she was in this new church on our first Sunday away from our home church was just further confirmation that God had that in place for her. Sunday night during our family prayer time Kayla prayed that we would go back to that church and get involved there. That just made my "mommy heart" spill over with joy! To hear that she was excited about something new and different here in Wake Forest was another answer to prayer.
Then Monday came and it was time to get the kids registered for school. Well I have taught in 3 different public school systems over the last 16 years and I have never seen anything like Wake County Schools. There are no base schools. You don't just go to the school where you live. You are assigned to a school based on seat-availability and "proximity" to your home. Many of the schools here are year-round also. The year-round school year started about a month ago, so if any of the kids got assigned to a year-round school, they would be starting the school year quite late. I also heard about people being assigned to schools that were 10 miles or more away from their home. Well, needless to say, I didn't want year-round schools, nor did I want schools so far away from home. So we went to the "student assignment office", which was 45 minutes away from our home, and sat there for 4 HOURS in a room with over 100 other people. When we finally got called in for our turn I was pretty anxious about what they would tell us. Well, once again, God went before us! All 3 kids got traditional year schools that don't start until August 27th, and all of their schools are very close to our home. I couldn't have asked for anything better. The school that Adam was assigned to is a new school only a mile away from us. Because it is so new, it is very small. His 3rd grade class only has 13 students enrolled currently. That is perfect for him and his "special needs". Both of the girls got the schools that they wanted too.
As I am writing all of this it has just dawned on me that God has really shown up and gone before us on behalf of our kids. We made this move because Darrin and I were called into full time ministry and were called to start that journey by going to seminary. But God didn't just call Darrin and me to this, He called our family. He loves our children more than we do (which is really unimaginable, but true), and He has prepared the way for them as well. How cool is that? And I think about how their faith will grow because of all of these things that He is doing for them. What an AWESOME God we serve!
Darrin and I get to register for our classes next week. We don't have any idea what classes we will be taking for our 1st semester or what our schedules will look like. We start classes on August 20th. Darrin is also working on getting a part time job very soon.
God has proven many times over this week that He truly has gone before us on this journey. We know He will continue to prove that to us. We can't wait to see what He does next!
When we arrived in town we had to go to the housing office to sign our housing contract and pick up our keys. The Director of Housing asked us if we had a pet. We explained that we did have a cat, but we just gave her up 2 days earlier because we were not allowed to bring her. He told us that just 2 weeks earlier he made the decision to make our apartment building "pet-friendly", meaning we were allowed to bring the cat. This was a huge answer to prayer for us, especially for our 12 year-old daughter, Emma. Emma has prayed daily for a good home for the cat for the past several months. We knew we would not be able to bring her with us, but Emma has been especially attached to her. For the sake of God's call on our family, Emma knew she would have to give up her pet. She did give her up. We gave her to my in-laws just 2 days before the move. Well God honored Emma's prayers. What a great surprise it was to us to find out that we were actually able to keep her! What a wonderful lesson for Emma on the power of prayer! So that was our first big "God-moment" in Wake Forest.
As we were moving into our apartment, our upstairs neighbor, Sal, helped us out. After talking with Sal we found out that he and his wife, Jess, have 4 children under the age of 6. They have a girl and 3 boys. One of their boys, Isaiah, is very much like our Adam as far as being on the mild end of the ASD spectrum. Our families connected immediately. We have already gotten together several times. Our kids have played together. God placed our families in close proximity to one another. He gave us new friends right off the bat. He even went so far as to give us friends that understand Adam's issues and understand what we go through as parents dealing with those issues. Adam and Isaiah have played together and seem to get along beautifully. God not only cares about and takes care of the "grown-ups", but He also takes care of the precious children as well!
Sunday morning rolled around and it was time to go to church. We didn't know where we would attend church in our new town. For about a week or so prior to that, God had been whispering in my ear the name of a local church, North Wake Baptist Church. I just heard it in my mind on several occasions. You know how God whispers to us, right? Anyway..."North Wake....North Wake" just kept popping in there. So, guess where we went to church Sunday morning....North Wake. As soon as we got there we knew it was different than what we were accustomed to. Don't get me wrong. We LOVE our home church in Danville, but this was definitely different. The dress was very casual. We walked into the lobby and saw the "coffee bar" and all the people milling about. It was such a different environment, but already our oldest daughter, Kayla, had a huge grin on her face. Then we walked into the sanctuary. There were no pews, but rows of cushy chairs. The stage was set up for a full praise band, including drums in a glass cage. The grin on Kayla's face got even bigger. She said, "I love this church!" The service was great...full of great worship, scripture reading, and strong Biblical teaching. I was in tears through most of it...just in awe of God and His provisions for us. It was our prayer that we would find a church that our girls could really get plugged-in to. We were especially concerned for Kayla. She is a brand new Christian (as of June 23, 2012) and she was very involved in her youth group in our home church. We want her to stay plugged-in and continue in her growth with the Lord. To see how thrilled she was in this new church on our first Sunday away from our home church was just further confirmation that God had that in place for her. Sunday night during our family prayer time Kayla prayed that we would go back to that church and get involved there. That just made my "mommy heart" spill over with joy! To hear that she was excited about something new and different here in Wake Forest was another answer to prayer.
Then Monday came and it was time to get the kids registered for school. Well I have taught in 3 different public school systems over the last 16 years and I have never seen anything like Wake County Schools. There are no base schools. You don't just go to the school where you live. You are assigned to a school based on seat-availability and "proximity" to your home. Many of the schools here are year-round also. The year-round school year started about a month ago, so if any of the kids got assigned to a year-round school, they would be starting the school year quite late. I also heard about people being assigned to schools that were 10 miles or more away from their home. Well, needless to say, I didn't want year-round schools, nor did I want schools so far away from home. So we went to the "student assignment office", which was 45 minutes away from our home, and sat there for 4 HOURS in a room with over 100 other people. When we finally got called in for our turn I was pretty anxious about what they would tell us. Well, once again, God went before us! All 3 kids got traditional year schools that don't start until August 27th, and all of their schools are very close to our home. I couldn't have asked for anything better. The school that Adam was assigned to is a new school only a mile away from us. Because it is so new, it is very small. His 3rd grade class only has 13 students enrolled currently. That is perfect for him and his "special needs". Both of the girls got the schools that they wanted too.
As I am writing all of this it has just dawned on me that God has really shown up and gone before us on behalf of our kids. We made this move because Darrin and I were called into full time ministry and were called to start that journey by going to seminary. But God didn't just call Darrin and me to this, He called our family. He loves our children more than we do (which is really unimaginable, but true), and He has prepared the way for them as well. How cool is that? And I think about how their faith will grow because of all of these things that He is doing for them. What an AWESOME God we serve!
Darrin and I get to register for our classes next week. We don't have any idea what classes we will be taking for our 1st semester or what our schedules will look like. We start classes on August 20th. Darrin is also working on getting a part time job very soon.
God has proven many times over this week that He truly has gone before us on this journey. We know He will continue to prove that to us. We can't wait to see what He does next!
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