Just a Little Homeschool House Keeping

This year has just been marching right along, hasn't it?  We are steadily making our way through our curriculum, activities, and Cambodia.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I am getting a little excited! 

The girls and I have enjoyed this year of school.  Not in the same way as last year, but still, it has been a good year.  So much ground has been covered for both of them.  They are both reading, writing, doing math, memorizing all the books of the Bible and bodies of water that were important in the Old Testament, drawing maps, learning about weather patterns, our solar system, and the water cycle.  They measured the size of Noah's Ark, started ant hills, captured a caterpillar and planted gardens.  We went on bike rides, hikes, camping trips, and to the beach.  It has been a pretty eventful year of learning, and we are not done yet!

We still have about 2 months left before we wrap up for the summer.  However, I feel like I am just hitting my stride.  The first half of this school year was more work than fun for me.  So much of my energy, and thoughts were on Cambodia.  I learned that, according to my husband, I do not compartmentalize well.  Hmph!

I have been home for 5 weeks and can say with confidence that I am back physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  However, I came back from Cambodia changed.  I have a stronger sense of purpose than I did when I left.  My relationship with Jesus has deepened, matured, grown. 

Upon returning, I felt uncomfortable in my own skin here at home.  I felt out of place, discontent, frustrated.  It took several weeks for that to slowly change into a greater sense of purpose, focus, and true appreciation for all that I have.  I have found that it is so important to be content right where I am.  I look for God's handiwork in my life no matter what I am going through. 

I now ask God questions all throughout the day.  I did not do that before Cambodia.  I used to not want to bother God with my "silly" questions, but as it turns out, He desires for me to ask those questions.  He wants to be in relationship with me all the time, and part of being in a relationship is communicating, asking questions, sharing my deepest feelings, thoughts, ideas and then sitting still and listening to Him.  I regret that I did not do that nearly often enough before Cambodia.

As I learn to ask God more questions, I am also learning to appreciate the multitude of questions my girls ask me throughout the day.  It can be exhausting sometimes, but when I am patient and give them my attention, answering those questions can be incredibly rewarding as well. 


On the subject of school, I decided to start teaching the girls Spanish.  I am not fluent in Spanish by any stretch of the imagination, however, I know a little, and more importantly I know a lot of people who are fluent in Spanish!  So, I took the advice of a mom more experienced that I am in this area, and I purchased a few immersion workbooks for the girls to start with .   So far the girls like them a lot and I have found them easy to teach from. Here is some of what we are using:











We are on Day 95 with My Father's World 1st Grade.  Last week the girls began the New Testament, which was very exciting for them!  The can now recite all of the books of the Bible up to 2 Corinthians.  Soon, I will be posting a video of them singing the song they have learned.  That is if they let me:-)

And with that, I will say good bye for now. 

Blessings,
Kim

If God is calling - be obedient and answer the call!

 Cambodia January 2012- Medical Mission Trip

I was in Cambodia for a total of 9 days.  Our home base was Takeo.  We spent 5 days in 5 different villages, 2 days were spent in Phnom Penh, the capital city and we had 2 days of travel.

What an amazing trip!  I returned on Sunday January 15th at 9:30pm.  I have been home now for 2 weeks and am still processing everything that the Lord showed me, taught me and is still revealing to me daily.

There is so much that God showed me while just preparing me for this trip, not to mention while I was in Cambodia, and now that I am home again.  I am not yet quite ready to post completely about it.  However, I will share one thing I learned while in Cambodia.

God used this trip to bring me closer to Him.  I was forced to learn to rely completely on His strength to get me through each day.  I could not do it on my own power.  He filled me up each day with just enough of His strength to get through that day and whatever challenges were presented to me.  At the end of the day, I was completely rung out and spent - most often reduced to tears of exhaustion.  I learned immediately that when I woke up the next morning I needed to deeply immerse myself in Him before I could be of any use to anyone else.

God didn't send the disciples out alone- "After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go."  Luke 10:1

The Lord didn't send me on this trip alone.  He sent me with a buddy!  Karen was able to walk with me through this process of relying on Jesus' strength each day.  She brought amazing worship music on her ipod - sent by her worship leader husband.  She and I were both already reading the same devotion every morning before we left for Cambodia - Jesus Calling by Sara Young- and so we woke up each morning and did our devotion together.  We were roommates.  We both went on this trip because we were being obedient to God.  He told us to go, so we went.  I am so thankful that He called Karen and I to go together, and that we were both obedient.  Karen was such a blessing to me in Cambodia and, from what I can tell, to many others as well.  All because she was obedient to go when called, even though she didn't understand why at the time.

I learned so much on this trip.   The lesson for this post is:  If God is calling you to do something, even if you don't understand it and don't want to do it - be obedient.  Perhaps especially, if you don't understand, and don't want to do it - be obedient.  Walk in faith, one step at a time.  It isn't always easy - there most likely will be many challenges along the way.  I know I experienced my share of trials in the months leading up to the trip, our whole group did.  However, I was not alone, He sent us out together.  We leaned on each other, prayed for each other, cried to each other, all the while, walking in faith and being obedient

For me, it can be difficult to really appreciate and see the work that God is doing in my life.  I downplay it in my mind.  Sometimes, the Lord reveals to me His glory, power and love by showing me His work in others. Because He sent Karen on this journey with me, I was able to see it.  We walked in obedience to God's calling for us together, and I was able to see Jesus' glory, power and love through that experience.

And with that I will say goodbye for now. 

To walk in faith every day, one step at a time, desiring a deeper relationship with my Jesus.

Kim