Homeschooling on the Mission Field

I love seeing all the pictures of everyone getting ready and sending their kids back to school.  And sometimes I'm a little jealous.  I miss sending my kids to school each morning.  And then having a quiet house:/

Yesterday was back to school Sunday at LifeNet.  We are about a month into school.  Someone asked me how the homeschooling is going.  In my  head, I pictured Jack Black from "Nacho Libre".  I thought, "It's FANTASTIC...I get to wake up every single morning, with the pressure of cooking, cleaning and laundry for seven people...and then answer a million questions throughout the day.  I never really get time to myself...that is, until I fall into bed at night completely exhausted."  But yeah, homeschooling is going well.  Of course, often I wish my kids went to school like everybody else.  I wish I had more support here in Belize.  I wish there were more things that my girls could be involved in...that were safe spiritually and physically.   Just so we could all have more breaks from each other.  The house can get really small.  Everyone working and schooling and mom trying to run a house.

BUT THEN, as I walked with my eldest girl this morning, I realized what a privilege it has truly been to get to homeschool her for the last seven years of her education.  How homeschooling her, has definitely been the right choice.  In fact, even though some days are long and hard and frustrating...I feel it has been the right decision for all of my children.  It has definitely been a place of health and bonding as we have added more girls to the family.  Rather than sending them away all day and them coming home and doing homework, they do school...and are finished.  So we can spend our evenings together.  Whatever that may be.  Right now, we have been working on a puzzle.  But often, it is family games or going out for ice cream.  Swimming when Erika is healed.  And I get to be present for all of it.  I don't have to sign up for room mom for everyone else's kids.  (Although I think that is so important for us as moms to do.)  I get to pour into my own kids.

So, as I tried to mop this morning, and do laundry, and keep kids in their rooms (especially the resident 9 year olds), and tried to grade work and answer questions, I know the Lord wants to remind me how blessed I am...to be entrusted with so many amazing kids.

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:", Ecclesiastes 3:1