Wednesday, September 26, 2012

First Day of School



Starting the 2012-2013 academic year here in Michigan was the last thing we would have thought when we left our home in Italy the beginning of the summer.  A support deficit that was realized in our final two weeks of our scheduled furlough, was what caused us to delay our return.  However, as we see the ever working, merciful and caring hand of God in our lives to work for our best and His glory--these added months are what our bodies, minds and souls needed.  This forced delay and temporary encampment through the end of the year will be used for rest, restoration and refueling to prepare us for the work God has called us to in Italy.

You might wonder how our kids have handled such a dramatic and last minute shift in their lives.  We praise the Lord, that they have embraced the changes and although they still desire to return home, they joyfully and with great courage have entered an entirely new school and structure of learning.  We are so thankful for the wonderful school district and very friendly and helpful staff to make this transition as smooth as possible for our kids.

Samuel is in the fourth grade and his teacher is Miss. Sabon.  He has passed his assessments with high marks and measures at an advanced proficiency level for reading and writing.  Never having received any formal English teaching, this was a pleasant surprise to us to know he is keeping pace with the American standards.  All you parents of MKs...keep encouraging your kids to read in English, it does pay off!







Pray for Samuel for his continued transition and adjustments.  He loves school and loves to learn, but gets really aggitated when he falls behind.  He seems to be struggling a bit to keep up with English dictation and copying from the board.  We so appreciate the phone call from his teacher this week, to discuss the issue and seek to understand how best we can all help Samuel.  He is our perfectionist and so desires to please his teacher, that he is too hard on himself if he feels he is not doing it 100% correctly.  Pray for wisdom as we encourage and help him see that his best is enough and we love him no matter what, just as Jesus loved us while we were still sinners.

Emma is in the third grade and her teacher is Mrs. Scholma.  She too is enjoying her school experience.  A little less motivated on the homework side of things, but as her confidence grows in reading English this will hopefully become less of an issue.  Emma has qualified for additional English Language Learning help and also has been placed in a reading group.  What a help for her to have some individual tutoring to help accelerate her English comprehension and expression.  I have had the privilege of helping out in her classroom and it is fun to see her interact with classmates and be a part of her education.  Tomorrow I will go on a class field trip with her. (Go here to see Emma as the Star Student and here to see Mamma helping out in the classroom).







Luca is in Kindergarten and his teacher is Mrs. Lyon.  At first we registered him for 1st grade since that is what he would be in if in Italy.  Upon assessment it was clear he needed to be in Kindergarten.  As it turns out Luca has the same teacher as Samuel when he went to Kindergarten for the fall semester back in 2008!  Initially Luca was pretty unhappy about not being in 1st grade.  He too is enjoying school, but  every Thursday night he says he wants to stay home on Friday.  The days are long and he is tired come the end of the week.


Adjusting to classroom rules was a hard part for him as well.  I received a call from his teacher on the 2nd week of school when Luca got a "red light" for not raising his hand nor using his indoor voice after repeated instruction and warnings.  I love that the teachers call and keep us parents aware of behavioral or other difficulties with our kids.  We can immediately address the issues with them at home, which is so crucial to helping the teachers and children.  By the end of the week Luca came home with a certificate for being a good example in Art class and then another one the following week for sharing his toys.  He is finally learning his letters and desiring to try to read and write more too.




Thank you for praying for our children regarding this fall semester.  No doubt the transition back to Italian schooling will be tough for them after what they are experiencing here.  But when that time comes in January, we pray they will embrace the transition and that God's grace will cover them just as much then.


*As a side note.  This has been a transition for us parents as well.  We miss not seeing our kids for 1.5 hours during the day for lunch, but then again we have a lot of uninterrupted time now during our days.  The other thing is that the kids were shocked by the American lunch schedule.  15 minutes to eat a meal is mighty tough for them to get used to!  Riding the bus is a huge deal for them and quite the fun experience for them.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Twelve Years

Praising God and rejoicing in the 12 years of marriage he has given us!  So thankful for His grace in our lives.  For keeping us firm in our love for Him and faithful to each other.  For growing in deeper love and appreciation for our Savior and each other with each new day.  

August 19, 2012

We had a full day of ministry on our actual anniversary, but we made up for it by spending two days away in Chicago a couple of weeks later.  And believe it or not, neither of us got sick on our getaway.  (On our 10th anniversary getaway Jonathan came down with the stomach flu)  The couple of days away was so what we both needed after a very hectic and stressful summer.  We walked the city, ate well, took a boat tour on the river and soaked up the freedom to not plan an agenda with kids in mind.  We love Chicago!  Too bad we had to come back to reality so quickly!










We took the train from Kalamazoo into Chicago.  It was a great way to travel and not have to worry about city driving or parking fees of $50/night.  Unfortunately, this is what we returned to when we reached our car at the parking garage in K-zoo.  And here we thought everything was going so smoothly with our trip until then.  Nothing was stolen from the car and it appears to have been an act of sheer vandalism.  Our home church was very gracious about the matter and are thankful that insurance covered the repair and that the garage gave us free parking.


Sonrise National Park VBS

We had the unique privilege of serving one of our supporting churches, Jamestown Baptist, here in Michigan this August.  In fact, the last time we helped with a VBS was with the same church eight years ago.  We love the missions emphasis they incorporate during the week and had a great time sharing with the 125-150 kids each day about the field of Italy.  We used an Italian meal and it's courses to share about the ministry.  They might remember more about the sampling of food each day, but we pray that as they eat pasta or dip into a Nutella jar in the future that they will remember the people of Italy and their great need to hear the gospel.

Our kids loved the opportunity to attend a VBS and make some new friends.  An experience they won't soon forget.  We were not only blessed to work with the kids and serve alongside an amazing staff of volunteers, but they also held a penny drive to give towards a special need for our family.  The kids collected over 700 lbs. of pennies during the course of the week for us to replace our brakes on the van and buy a new washing machine (seeing as how it died the day before returning to the US).  Thank you JBC for all that you do support our family and ministry!  It is a joy and honor to partner with you in taking the gospel to Italy.




Sunday, September 16, 2012

Camping

We arrived back in Michigan the first of August and are still here, but that is a story for another post.  The first week we were back was filled with ministry at a vacation Bible school, and maybe I'll post about that wonderful experience as well in the coming days too.  However, as the title states this post is about our second week back in the midwest when we went camping with Munga and Gramma on the shores of Lake Michigan.

We camped at the Hoffmaster State Park where cooking meals over the fire, eating smores, riding bikes, hiking, reading and playing at the beach were a relaxing "norm" for the week.  We had rain the day we set up camp and one other day during the week.  But that can be expected for Michigan camping and we found things to do indoors as the showers passed.  We rented a trailer which made life much more comfortable in the heavy rains and the grandparents tent slept (by their choice) with the kids each taking turns to have a night in the tent.  One day we all went to Michigan's Adventure and the kids enjoyed riding the big rollercoasters as minimum height is no longer an issue for them.  Water slides and wave pools kept them cool in the afternoon and little heads and eyes were heavy on the way back to camp.  Uncle Ben joined us too as his work schedule allowed.  Thank you Munga and Gramma for a fun week with many memories to cherish for always.