Dear family and friends,
When we moved to Hawaii last year the children were invited by dear friends to go to Awana's, a Bible club. They went and had a wonderful time which catapulted them into their summer campaign of wanting to attend Awana's this year.
I have to tell you I am cautiously careful about what we commit to as a family and individually. There are so many wonderful things to do, and I want to do so many wonderful things. On the other hand, I don't want to miss life. I want our children to have fond memories of being home, being together.
I also struggle as Awana's very much runs on a rewards system. This of course is not bad in and of itself, but I want our children to hide God's Word in their hearts for the right reasons.
When the fall came our sweet friend Emily offered to take them this year as she was going anyway and had four extra seats in the car. Well, and because she is a great lady who has been so wonderful to our children, and their mother. Ed and I prayed about it as there are very few things that we've just sent our children off to do without us being right there in the middle of it.
Awana's had a great focus on Bible memorization. At the beginning of the year I clearly told the
three older children that they would be on their own. There were basically three guidelines for the year. 1) They were going to have to be self motivated, I was not going to make them memorize verses. 2) They could only say verses that they had memorized at home and could not work on verses at Awana's. If they couldn't go to Awana's and say it without practicing then it really wasn't memorized. 3) They had to write all their verses on cards so they could review them in the future.
Awana's has been a great blessing this year.
So this Sunday was the last day and parents were invited for songs and presentations. The children all finished the books that they were supposed to for the year, with the three older children going above and beyond in some manner.
Okay this is where I am totally embarrassed. Melanee Kate has receited a few verses for me this year and I knew she'd finished several books but this didn't mean much to me as I just don't know the older Awana's materials. She was allowed to work on Awana's during school and I saw her working on her verses many mornings. I clearly remember when she announced that she had decided that she was going to complete all four books. The item that I missed...okay, I missed that Melanee Kate memorized well over 200 verses!
What a blessing...I know our children have done many things over the years without Ed and I knowing. What things did you do as a child that your parents didn't know? Well, when it's all said and done and the final list is made, it will bring me great joy that somewhere on that list is "memorized 200 Bible verses without Mom and Dad knowing".
I should have caught a clue this spring as we read Scripture and Melanee Kate interrupted and kept piping in, "Oh Mommy, let me say that one. Oh Mom, I know that one." She didn't do it 200 times though, so I just had no idea.
She also had a heart attack recently when the children were reminded of the cards I told them they had to write this year. I reminded them a few times at the beginning of the year and then just knew they would have to learn the hard way.
I love being, not just a mother, but I love being Caroline, Wyatt, Melanee Kate, and Jefferson's mother.
Lord, may the list not be too long...
Love in Christ,
Dinah for The Troops
