The One Thing We Always Do...

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Homeschool in a Minivan...Part 4

After many months of crazy travel life is settling down to a normal pace for our boys...

• Lunch at noon 
• naps at 12:30
• playing in the back yard
• trips to the library
• having all of their toys in the same house!

Reading books on the coffee table!

A few days off the deputation trail really showed me how much of a strain the last few months had taken on their little schedule oriented selves.  As adults we often discuss the stresses that come with living out of a suitcase, always being in unfamiliar surroundings, and not having enough space for our stuff; however, our boys have no way to express those feelings of frustration that arise from time to time.  I remember pulling out of the driveway on our latest journey with the van and car top carrier packed to the hilt and hearing our three year old's concerned voice cry out because he thought we had left his toy trains behind!  I gently reassured him (about 12 times) that we had "everything"...or at least we had the trains.

Yelling something, yet holding on to that train!

The first few days here were spent reacquainting themselves with their old toys and books, blankets, stuffed animals, and every nook and cranny of Grandma's house.  If you asked my older son he would tell you that this is his home and Grandma just happens to live here too!

Our schedule is hardly ever "normal" or consistent while on the road and that makes for confused, cranky children who seem to spend their life reliving the same training sessions over and over every place we go.  Imagine all of the things you've trained your children to do at home.  Now imagine suddenly moving in with your extended family, or a furnished apartment for a few weeks, or a hotel where jumping on the bed is allowed?  For a two and three year old, we don't expect them to remember everything, but there is one thing we always do (or strive to do)...

We try to consistently have Bible time with them on a daily basis.  We don't want our children to grow up thinking that the only time you read God's Word is during a church service.  Our boys love Bible time with Daddy at night.  Just yesterday, our three year old fell asleep on the couch, and when my husband carried him up to bed he asked to read the Bible first.  Of course, he was long gone before his head reached the pillow, but it was sweet to see that he desired to learn more about God.

Reading their story Bible with Daddy.

For the month of December we have been meeting together in the morning to read verses and color ornaments for our Jesse Tree.  I found some great material online here and here.  We've found it works best right after breakfast when everyone is happy and seated around the table.  If not in the morning, then right after dinner is our second choice.  Our sons may not remember all of the moving around and church visits in a few years; but our three year old is already learning trace the story of redemption from Creation to the Cross, and that is something that can forever change his life.

We may not live an exciting life sitting in our minivan traveling up and down the highways, but we serve an exciting God, and we want our children to know Him, and love Him above all!

There are no "sick" days on the road

Pin It Doesn't it seem like disaster always strikes at the moment you finally have everything together?  There we were all packed up and ready to make our short one hour trip to stay overnight before giving our presentation the next day.  The boys were calmly listening to the Focus on the Family cd of The Magician's Nephew instead of complaining or crying. 

Then to make the trip even sweeter, the youngest fell into a deep sleep which promised a good night's rest for all.  We stopped at McDonald's for a Happy Meal making my older son happy beyond belief at having yet another cheeseburger for dinner.  All was well in Pardineland until we were five minutes away from our destination. 

FIVE MINUTES!  We were so close.  I could almost taste the victory of an uneventful trip with two toddlers in tow.  Alas, my feeling of triumph was short-lived.  As we turned off the highway, our younger son woke up, coughed twice, and became violently ill all over his car seat.  If that wasn't bad enough, the last thing that he had had to drink was bright red Kool-aid!  What happened next would have been hilarious to watch on a sitcom, but in real life it was nothing to laugh about. 

The next hour was a blur as I tried to drive the last few minutes while directing my husband to make sure the baby wasn't choking.  He was perfectly fine, did not cry at all, but just sat there covered head to toe in red yuckiness!  Then we arrived at our overnight location where a loving couple came to our aid with quick access to the prophet's chamber, towels, running a bath, and throwing the car seat cover and clothes into the washing machine.  We were amazed and grateful to see that besides the car seat very little needed cleaning inside the car. 

So Sunday morning our family was divided as I stayed home with one son, and my husband took the other to share Peru in a church about 20 minutes away.  Even though I had the day off from ministry and was in full mommy mode, I used the time to continue my study of God's Word in I John.  As I sat on the sofa with my 22 month old climbing in and out of my lap, Chapter 2 verse 28 was an encouragement to me, "And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming." 

God knows the ordeals we go through every day and how they literally absorb our time.  He knows how our best laid plans are often interrupted by rambunctious Turbo Tots.  I am thankful for the moments that He slows everything down and my focus is turned to Him.  When I abide in Him, I have confidence to face whatever comes my way, be it a wrench in my perfectly laid plans or a chance to share His goodness with someone else.  What do you do when everything else goes wrong?  Abide!

VBS with kids

Pin It This summer we have been in four different VBS programs!  For any normal person who has run the gamut of VBS preparation, planning, and execution this may seem like taking an unnecessary dose of insanity upon yourself, but we have our reasons.  First of all, we love working with children, sharing the gospel with them, and seeing the light of understanding dawn in their eyes as they hear God's Word.  Second, it's a great way to get to know the people in our supporting churches.  Nothing brings you closer together than working together for God's glory!  We have made many lasting friendships and gained new prayer partners this way.

"But what about your kids?"  This is a question that we often hear.  They do what we do!  One of the "best" excuses people use for not serving God is their children.  "Oh, Johnny has to go to bed early." "Well, I would, but my children are still so small."  We want our children to love the ministry, so for us this means getting them involved at an early age.  Of course, this also means that I must sacrifice some of my own "ministry moments" along the way for nursery duty!  However, this is also a ministry. 

Me too!  Me too!

Coloring our Bible verse

For example, during VBS this week, several of the workers have nursery aged children, and our program is only for first through sixth grade.  With five toddlers on the loose we were going to have a difficult time keeping things under control!  This was definitely a problem that needed solving.  We were able to find a few volunteers to watch them in the nursery, but I decided to take it one step further and plan some mini-Bible lessons, memory verses, songs, and crafts just for them. 

Jesus Himself said in Mark 10:14, "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kindgom of God."