Do you ever wonder where some of our most beloved missionary hymns come from? One of my favorites is O Zion, Haste by Mary Ann Thomson. Very little is known about this lady. She wrote this hymn while tending to her son who was ill with typhoid. What I love about this hymn is that it doesn't elevate one role in missions above another. The words are just as true today, as they were back in 1870.
The never ending battle of trying to make syrup that isn’t too sweet, doesn’t crystallize, isn’t the consistency of water, and actually tastes like something besides sugar water, is over!
When we first came to Papua New Guinea, we had those same problems. But, we learned how to make syrup that everybody liked! Syrup that doesn’t crystallize, isn’t too sweet, is simple and easy to make, and tastes great!
What you’ll need
One cup sugar
One cup water
One tablespoon corn starch
In a tall pot, whisk ingredients together until corn starch is completely integrated.
Keep on medium-high heat until syrup boils.
If the syrup starts to boil over, just remove the pot from the heat for a second.
Boil the syrup for one minute.
Remove the syrup from the heat, and cool.
Flavor syrup with mapleine, extracts, fruit juice, or cinnamon.
Our favorite extracts are coconut and almond!
For fruit juice we like to use lemon or orange juice.
You can also flavor syrup with cinnamon or other spices like nutmeg.
You can refrigerate the syrup for two to three weeks, depending on how often your power goes out!
Enjoy on your pancakes, waffles, french toast, or use to sweeten your granola or yogurt.
Grilling marshmallows in a summer blizzard circa 2010
Does having a diploma mean that a child received a quality education? No. Does the lack of a diploma mean that the child is ignorant? Again, no. Does standardized testing accurately determine the education level of a child? Absolutely not. But if getting a diploma or other documentation is easy, why not do it? Having proof that your child completed the minimum courses can make his transition to higher education or employment easier. Enrolling in an umbrella school and taking standardized tests are easy ways to make that happen.
Umbrella School
What is an umbrella school?
An umbrella school is a school that helps you document your homeschooling. They take on many different forms. Some of them are on-line. Others are Christian, private, or even public schools. Still others are run through a single curriculum like A Beka Book or BJU Press to give two examples.
How would an umbrella school help me?
Umbrella schools vary in their level of involvement in your home school. The beauty is that you can choose the school that matches your needs. You can pick one that does everything from lesson plans, to classes, to testing. This works well if you use only one curriculum. If you are like me, though, and like to mix and match books, you would do better with an umbrella school that is less involved. Mine, for example has certain guidelines about what needs to be taught and reported every year. They leave the lesson planning, education, and testing to me. That is how I like it. The cost is minimal. In return, I get a diploma for my child with official transcripts.
What do I need to look for in an umbrella school?
Look for a school that works for what you need. If you need a lot of help with planning and testing, enroll in a school that does that for you. If you are more of a curriculum snob, like me, then enroll in a school that gives basic guidelines and requirements. Finding an umbrella school with a Department of Education Number (DOE number) is very important. This means that the government has given their stamp of approval to the school to verify that your child's diploma and transcripts are official.
Standardized Testing
What is a standardized test?
A standardized test is a test given to compare students with the norms of other students. There are different forms of standardized tests. One of the most common is the California Achievement Test (CAT), though there are others. Some of these are administered through an umbrella school. If not, you can order them on line.
What do I gain by giving a standardized test?
I know, comparing ourselves to other people is bad. So, why should you do it? For me, it was an easy overview of where my children were versus where they should be. Also, it was a really easy way to document that my students were indeed learning. Not to be ignored were the smiles on my kids' faces when they knew that "test week" meant no studying for the test, no homework, and no stress about passing or failing. I always tell them that it is really more a test of me as their teacher then them as students.
What about the SAT and ACT?
Many countries have a school that administers these standardized tests. This works well for those of us educating our children outside of the United States. The test days are usually the same as the test days in the States. You can register for them on line. Plan about an hour, though, for your child to answer all of the questions when you register for the tests. Some colleges will accept these tests scores for the college application without an official high school diploma. Consider having your student take an on-line prep course to help them better answer the questions.
When I first started homeschooling, the paperwork scared me to death. I knew that I would educate my children, but I did not know if I could prove that they had learned anything. Having an umbrella school and giving standardized tests helped me stay on track and gave me the peace of mind that their schooling was documented. It was far easier than I thought it would be and cost very little. I recommend it to others who are looking for a way to document their children's education.
We serve a wonderful God that cares about the little things!
I love teacups!! There were 2 particular ones that caught my eye and I wanted to add them to collection. Every time I went to the store, I went and looked at them. One day one of them was on sale, so I put it in my cart. After shopping around for awhile, I put it back. I had the money, but there were other things that were more important.
In the meantime, my sister-in-law asked me to help her give a tea party for the ladies in her Bible studies. I gave one the year I filled in for her and the ladies wanted another. It was Christmas time and so we had a wonderful tea party with all the trimmings. We created wonderful memories that day.
I mentioned before that Japan is a reciprocal gift country, so there is a constant exchange of gifts. If you do something for someone, they do something for you in return. Each of the classes presented me with a thank you gift. Culturally, you do not open them at that time unless they tell you to. They did not. I took the gifts home and sat down with my hubby and children to open them. When I opened one of them, I was stunned. When I started to cry, my hubby looked in the box and his jaw dropped. It was the two tea cups! I asked him if he told anyone. He said that no one asked him for any advice and he didn’t give any.
In Japan, they worships idols. When I taught the Bible study classes, I tried to teach the ladies that God is a real person. He knows our thoughts and our desires. He provides all of our needs. Above all, He loves us. I took this opportunity to write the ladies a lengthy thank you letter. I told them of my desire for the teacups. They didn’t know of it, but God did. I went on to tell them that when I used one of the cups, I would think of them and my God who put it in their hearts to buy them for me. This was not a coincidence. It was a direct message that God doesn’t just care about my needs, but He wants to give me the desires of my heart. It wasn’t the teacups that God cared about, but me! The teacups are a constant reminder of my heavenly Father’s great love and tender affection for me!
There was quite a stir around town as the story spread of the strange foreign woman and her God who cares about teacups! The mother of one of the ladies made me the quilted wall-hanging with tea cups when she heard about it.
I am so thankful that God did not allow me to purchase those cups. If I had purchased those cups with my own resources, I would have missed a tremendous blessing.
“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”
I was one of those kids who always wanted to be a missionary. Always. As long as I can remember. Even my mom says that as soon as I could talk, I started talking about being a missionary. Something about mission work fascinated me, long before I knew Christ personally. Of course, I read all the stories of missionaries like Isobel Kuhn, David Brainard, Amy Carmichael, and my favorite, Bruce Olson. I dreamed (literally!) of foreign lands, jungles, native people groups, and even other languages. I wanted to work with orphans, start an orphanage, and teach the children how to become productive members of their homeland (as opposed to just housing them until they are too old and then their children end up back in the orphanage).
From forever it seems, my call was to the orphans of Mexico; though my yearly mission trips from age 15 on took me to many different places, thanks to my parents' wisdom. I did go to Mexico- twice! There's a little girl there, well, probably older now, whom I will never forget. Yet God closed that door. I was so distraught, not knowing what to do. At 24 years of age, I was supposed to have my life planned out and on track, right? My mom is a very wise woman and told me that God probably had something else in mind, and if I just kept doing what I knew He would be pleased with, He would show me the next step. And so it was. Six months later or so, I met my would-be husband, who was support-raising to go to Georgia, Europe.
Jude, Barbara, Zachary, & Michael
What??? I'd never even heard of that place! The amount of information on the internet is minimal too. I know; I looked it up and researched as much as possible when I first met Michael. It's not a 3rd world country. Not anymore. In fact, living in the capital city of Tbilisi is much like living in a modern city in America. There are few sacrifices that I had to make. The culture is only a little strange. The language; beautiful and challenging. The people, friendly; though very staunchly religious.
The mission field sure looked different than I thought.
Lately, God has been reminding me of this truth again and again as I struggle with first-term issues:THIS IS MY CALLING.
Instead of natives, I am reaching civilized Westernized people. Instead of orphans, it is neighborhood kids with absolutely no manners or training. Instead of jungles, it's a never ending sea of people and buildings. Instead of quickly absorbing the language, I'm stuck diving deep into textbooks: still feeling quite drowned into our second year.
I sometimes have to remind myself that I had always wanted to be a missionary, and that this is where God has sent me; my God and His plan has not changed. I can't speak the language (sufficiently). I'm not teaching Sunday school. I'm not playing music in church. We don't even have a "regular" church!!! We learn from several different local churches, led by national pastors, because we want to see how to "make church work" i.e. get it set up and running, in this culture. I'm not out of the house much, so I get little contact with the locals. I'm sending my oldest son to pre-school this fall, so I'm not even homeschooling. I'm not doing anything, really, that I would consider missionary/ministry work.
So, maybe I romanticized the foreign field a little? Or, maybe the mission field just looks different than we tend to see on church power point presentations? One thing I know: this is where God has called both me and my husband, and He has been preparing me since childhood. My children are my mission field. My language textbook is my ministry. My God is still the same God. My calling- yes, still the same. It just looks different than I thought.
So what is my ministry? My ministry is staying refreshed in God's Word, supporting my husband, loving my children, keeping house, and spending HOURS in language. I get bored learning language, I do it so much! Thankfully, God gave me a young lady to disciple whose first language is English, like me, which gives me some sense of "doing something." In the next article I write, I want to share what else God has allowed me to do so I don't go crazy not doing the ministry things that I've done my whole life. Regardless though, fellow missionary; whether your ministry looks conventional or not, whether you feel like a "real" missionary or not, please remember:
Remember God. Remember His calling. Know that you are right where He wants you. Don't give up, for "in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." -Galatians 6:9
