Overdue for an update!

Time has flown by, and I have thought how I needed to update this blog dozens of times.  The biggest reason for the delay is because of the decision we made for the girls' school and education (which is where I left off the last entry).  That week was one filled with many meetings.  We met with the public elementary school for half a day, and then we went back to Perimeter Christian School (where Jenna, Joel and Ryan went for grades 1-8) and met with the middle school principal.  The public school, while amazingly over 60% Asian in its student population and filled with very nice teachers we met that day, still gave us big concerns.  They were inflexible on which grade they would be - if 10 years, then 5th grade; if 11 years, then middle school would be where they would start.  Fifth graders already change classes there, so the girls would be adjusting to 4 different core class teachers.  The ESL teacher (English as Second Language) was Russian and just not very clear in her...well, English!   This, on top of knowing that the girls spiritual foundation would not be growing there, that we would not have time for much else trying to keep up with all they needed to be doing, knowing that Public Middle School (I've not heard good things about our middle school) would be right around the corner, and knowing there would be teaching coming that does not fit our beliefs (i.e. evolution) just filled me with more stress and not much peace.  On the other hand...the decision to home school felt so heavy and so life-changing for me.

The decision came clear with our meeting with Perimeter's middle school teacher, Jodie Brawner.  I am so thankful for her insight and networking that was still available to us as a wonderful gift, even though we hadn't been a part of the school for over a year with our youngest biological child graduating from there.  The biggest gift she gave was telling me about Perimeter's Home School Satellite Program, which I found out includes a Certified, experienced Fulton County Teacher who handles all the administration and county requirements, is very knowledgeable in curriculum, is available for counsel when I need it, and gives us the ability to join Perimeter Christian School for special activities like the Arts Festival and the Veterans Day Program that I already know so well.  A huge weight lifted off me at that point.  I met with Dana, the consultant, and she gave me some great counsel for curriculum, like science and math.  I was well on my way and had great peace.

But God wasn't finished giving me things I didn't even realize I needed at that time.  I did sense that my life was not yet back in balance, with some areas of my responsibility being neglected (like honestly, the power almost got turned off on our house because I just hadn't gotten the mail opened and the bills paid like I normally do so easily!)  I went to my dear friend, Jenni Justmann, another adoptive mom of a daughter from China who home schools, because she has been such a great cheerleader for me.  She has a Christian woman living in their apartment who used to teach 5th grade at Perimeter Christian School, but is no longer able to do this full time because of disabilities from a bad car accident.  I asked her if she would consider helping me teach the girls, and fast forward to the end result of that, she is now helping me out 2 days a week, and we are finding that we are a perfect complement for each other.  For example, she LOVES science, and I DON'T!  It really helps the girls to have another teacher so that we're not together ALL the time, and when we have an issue come up, I have some very real teaching experience and a fresh perspective to help (for example, math and Maggie just don't like each other very well, and it was so nice to pass that over to Mary for her help.

The last piece that fell perfectly in place is a home school outsource called "Artios", which teaches History, Art, Music and Drama.  This is on Mondays, all day, and again gives me some help in subjects that aren't necessarily my passion and one more day to take care of the other things in my life.  This is a Christian based curriculum, so when they hear about things like the founding of America, they are hearing it from a perspective I want them to learn, while surrounded by Christian teachers and other home-schooled students.  They are adjusting very well to this, and the teacher's aid who is with them in all their classes "just happened" to adopt a school age child from a European, non-English speaking country!  Her daughter is in their classes and is helping Ginger and Maggie!

Tony and I sat down at Starbucks Sunday night a few weeks ago and hammered out our schedule to make sure I had his help in special places, so I can continue working out, and not having to be running crazy trying to pick up 3 daughters in opposite sides of town at the same time!  He has been so supportive!  He even took them on a field trip so I could get those bills paid on our first week of home schooling!  They went to "Yellow River Wild Game Ranch" and saw many great animals!

Some other very cool things I just have to share:  May Chun got me 2 Chinese English Bibles, enabling our Bible Study to go so much deeper and faster.  We just finished a 2 week study of the life of Joseph!  They read it in Chinese, and then we summarize the chapters in English with them hearing it and writing it down in their notebooks.  I am amazed at how well they are learning English words and sentence structure by doing this.  We are also studying some classic literature that my friend, Lissa Hopwood, who is ministering in Beijing, got for us in Chinese!  Ginger just finished "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", and Maggie just finished "Pollyanna", and great story about an orphan who brings her sunny, thankful outlook on life to turn her Aunt Polly's structured, stable, boring life upside down!  We are having fun discussing the books in English!

I am amazed at how God's provision has just "rained down" on us.  I am in awe of His continued blessings!  It reminds me of a saying I heard: "God doesn't call the equipped; He equips the called."  I had no clue of any of these things I have just written about even 3 months ago, but they are in place now!  For all of you parents who are feeling God's tug on your heart strings for adoption, I hope this gives you comfort!