MILESTONES

9.10.2009

The girls first day of school was unique for us as a family and full of firsts:

• Annie, who has never attended school before, would be skipping Kindergarten and going into Grade 1 (Canadian for "First Grade")....The joys of a December birthday in Canada.
• Sophie and Annie would be attending a public school...
• ...a school where we didn't know their teachers...
• ...we didn't know their classmates...
• ...and we didn't know the other parents;
• a school 5 times the size of the one they attend overseas.
• They would be riding the school bus.

I must admit, as a mother, I was a bit petrified for them. I know you are thinking, "You take your kids to live in a 3rd world country most people can't pronounce, nestled in an area known to be a political tinderbox, and you can't send your kids to a small, suburban public school?" Exactly. Most of you reading this are MUCH braver than me!

I came to realize that this wasn't a question of whether the school was safe, the teachers, competent, or the other kids "nice". It was a question of whether or not I was trusting God with my kids. Could I let them go and trust Him to not only go with them but before them? It has become a lesson for us as a family to trust in the words from Deuteronomy 31:6&8:

“Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”

“The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

What a great God we serve who not only goes with us, but he goes BEFORE us, preparing the way. You know what else? The girls haven't just survived; they are THRIVING. Yes, they are being stretched in new and challenging ways, and yes, the year has only begun. But the biggest lesson has been learned, and not just by the girls, but by their mom, too. God is enough.