New School

Last week was Joshua's first in public school. I've home schooled him since he was born so this was a big change for him. We went back and forth in this decision for quite a few months. I knew that I couldn't continue homeschooling him in my present condition and dealing with headaches all the time. But I was hoping to have solved the problem by now. But as the months passed with no solution we knew we needed to trust God and do what was best for our family.

At first we looked into schools near Andrew's office, up North. But when a friend asked us about the idea of sending him to a school in our area (inner city) and God convicted our hearts about our mission to reach our community: and that included personal sacrifice and extra effort. How can we say we love the people that are right here in our neighborhood, and do projects and mission work here, and invest in the school through Saturday sports and mentoring, and have compassion for these children and their parents, but when it affects our family personally we run up North where it is "safe" and "better"? (which really is more a figment of our imagination rather than reality. There are just as many problems that kids deal with up north as they do here, it's just that often the problems seem a little more disguised). So once we decided to put Joshua into the school here we became excited about the doors it would open to reach his classmates and their families. Of course we still had our fears and apprehension about how Joshua would do but we knew that God would be with him, we knew that Joshua loves and obeys God and that this would be an opportunity that would shape his life.

Joshua was VERY excited! The whole week before school started he carried around his backpack, went over and over his schedule and couldn't stop talking about it!

Angela was sad that she wasn't going to see her best friend all day, all week.

Jeremy had no clue what "going to school" was. He just kept asking, "Joshua going to ride a school bus?" Which we replied, "no, he's not going to ride on a school bus, but the school buses will be at the school and will take other kids to school." (But to Jeremy it probably sounded like, "no, blah, blah blah school bus, blah school buses blah blah, school, blah blah, school."!)

Since I've not been able to be as active and on top of things the kids have taken a lot more responsibility. I charted out a schedule for Joshua so that he knew what he had to do before and after school. Can I tell you....Joshua is amazing. What an example he is to me of diligence and responsibility. Every morning I make sure he is up by 6am. He gets up without a fuss and gets dressed, puts on sunscreen, does his bible reading, checks his backpack, makes his lunch box up, and finishes getting ready for the day.
When he gets home from school he goes straight to the kitchen table and finishes his home work.
Looking back over this week I must say that it has gone well. He is encouraged that he's beginning to get used to the flow of how school is played out and understanding the rules and expectations.
We are trying to keep the doors of communication open with him so that he's comfortable talking about situations that come up in class and on the playground. We are praying for him to be able to stand strong and courageous in his obedience to God despite opposition. We know that God is continuing to reveal Himself to Joshua and that as Joshua knows God deeper these difficulties will be a joy later in life as he looks back and sees how God used them to make him stronger in faith and and greater in compassion.

This is what is best for him right now.