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We have said so many goodbyes here. More than any human should be required, I feel. And we were only here for a year!
But such is the nature of life on the mission field. And now here we are, causing more goodbyes. I feel somewhat guilty to be the one leaving this time. There is work to be done here. The team is a shell of what it was when we came last fall, since so many people’s furloughs are overlapping this year. It’s been a prayer point at nearly every Wednesday night prayer meeting: “God, please send people to fill in the gaps!”
We don’t even want to leave! We love it here! So why are we? Logistics are a large part. We originally played it safe and said we’d come for 6 months, just in case things didn’t work out. (For some reason Ryan wasn’t sure how I’d handle it. Spoiler alert: I loved it.) The organization we came through has a cap of 1 year. We would also lose our already-booked return flights if we didn’t come home now, although that’s not the end of the world.
But I want to come back to Togo. My dream is to come back for a school year when the children are a little older. There’s a little MK (missionary kid) school on compound with delightful teachers, and it’s basically the best set-up ever. Two-room schoolhouse run by teachers I pray with every Friday morning at Moms in Prayer? Walk home for lunch? Sure.
Speaking of school, Hadassah is going into kindergarten. (To those of you who have literally watched me grow up, does this make you feel old? Because it does me.) I’ll be homeschooling her this year due to moving and logistics. Hadassah and I have already been working on reading, and I am very thankful that she’s loving it and catching on super fast. I was a little nervous about it at first – seems a rather important thing, reading – but having a quick study to practice on has been a blessing.
the book we’re using: The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading (Jessie Wise & Sara Buffington)
Except mine is a $4 Goodwill copy from a friend whose five children are all successfully reading and no longer have need of its services. Accompanied by some index cards, made up games, and early reader books from the MK school library. Honestly, I think Hadassah has learned just as much from me just pointing things out while reading books to her. As I said, she’s a quick study with a curious brain.
To all you veteran homeschool moms out there, what should I be focusing on in kindergarten? Any favorite resources? I’d love to hear all your wisdom in the comments.
Where we’re going
We are heading back to the States mid-September. Our vehicles are still in Ohio since that’s where we spent the summer of 2024 before coming to Togo, so that’s where we’re flying back to. We’ll hang out there for a week or two and figure out some logistics, then take our caravan out to Omaha, Nebraska. All our stuff is out there in a storage unit, and that’s where we’re going to work and live for the time being, until we figure out what God wants for us in the longer term.
The whole process of figuring out where we’re supposed to be has been clear as mud. Up until this point things were kind of laid out for us in neat packages, since Ryan’s medical journey was governed by the all-powerful Match. Shreveport, LA, for residency; Cleveland, OH, for fellowship; Omaha, NE, for advanced GI fellowship. After that we came here to Togo right away since we knew we wanted to do medical missions and had no job or house or kids in school holding us back. And maybe to postpone the decision of where to live for another year….
But now it’s not so cut-and-dried. And God doesn’t always give answers in nice, neat little envelopes with our names on them. And sometimes those answers are rather late in coming. Hence why I am writing this 3 weeks out from departure and only just found out yesterday which state we are probably going to be living in. But you know what’s amazing? The peace. I have had a tremendous peace that can only come from God. Granted, Ryan is taking the brunt of the planning and logistics and job searching, but shouldn’t I be more worried??
I was just listening to the Sermon on the Mount this week. Funny how God brings things exactly when we need them. I always just cycle through the Bible, either reading or (more often these days) listening. Not on any particular schedule or anything, but usually I shoot for 3 chapters a day. I prefer to get the Biblical story as a whole rather than skipping around. Sometimes I follow more of a chronological schedule, but often I just follow the way our modern translations are typically laid out (referring specifically to the OT). I admit I got a bit bogged down in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel this time around. The Major and Minor Prophets are always a bit of a breather. “Oh wow! Book’s already done! I just started!”
Now I’m into Matthew, and I literally listened to Matthew 6 with its “take no thought”s and “sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof”s (KJV habits die hard) on the same day Ryan was finally presented with a job offer that he could accept.
But even before that, for the last weeks and months of not knowing, God has given me a tremendous peace. There are pros and cons to each area, and wherever we are, we will do our best to follow God, reach out to those around us, and thrive. There’s also now an element of, “I moved sight unseen to a podunk town in a third world country in Western Africa, so I can probably survive anywhere.” But I’m just really, really thankful for the peace.
But yeah, currently looking for recommendations of mom groups, homeschool communities, and smaller Bible-preaching churches with conservative values (that preferably still sing hymns!) in the Omaha area (and surrounding rural areas too). Feel free to get in touch if you have recommendations! We’d also love to find a rental house out in the country where the children can play. Those can be hard to find, so on the slim chance that someone has a lead on one of those, please email me!
Rainy season
Summer here has been glorious. “WHAT??” you say? Yes, I too thought that summer in Africa would be brutal, but my summer was actually probably more pleasant than many of yours. Here wet season and dry season mean more than the traditional spring/summer/fall/winter delineations. The months of June, July, and August have brought much rain, lush vegetation, jolies fleures, bugs, gigantic African land snails, and malaria. We’re on a weekly malaria prophylaxis so we haven’t gotten sick, thank the Lord. The temperatures have been very mild – usually in the 80s during the day and down into the 70s at night. The humidity is super high, and laundry takes about 2 days to dry on the line. I’ve learned that laying it out in the grass to catch some sun works the best, but there’s always a chance I’ll have to make a mad dash to bring it in before a rainstorm.
A few days there was even a bit of a nip to the air that reminded me of those first days of autumn in the States, when the air is chilly but the sun is direct and the sky is blue and you’re still sweating despite the cool breeze. One night I thought that surely the temperatures were down into the upper 60s – the breeze coming in the windows was that cool – but then I took out my kitchen thermometer and it was 76. Temperature really is relative. We’re going to freeze this winter.
These rainy days and cooler weather have reminded me of home. I grew up in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, and a rainy day was not uncommon. I haven’t really dealt with homesickness the whole time we’ve been here, but now that we’re getting closer to our return, I’m itching to see family. Show the grandparents how the children – especially Rafi – have grown and developed their little personalities. Meet the little nephew I’ve never seen, who will soon be celebrating his first birthday. See how Hadassah and Noah interact with their cousins now that they’re a whole year older. Reintroduce them to our favorite zoo.
So I’m sad to leave…but I’m excited to go home. I guess that means I have the best of both worlds, right?
That’s the thing with moving around a lot. You say a lot of goodbyes, yes, but I like to think that I’m a composite of all the people I’ve known and things I’ve experienced. They’ve all shaped who I am as a person, so I carry them all with me wherever I go. It’s not really saying goodbye.
I think I’ll say, “A la prochaine!”
Until next time.
If you missed it, check out my Togo series!
Hello Brianna,
My sister-in-law and I have been following you and your family since before you met your husband. My son is obsessed with your macaroni and cheese recipe — it’s the only one he’ll eat! He asks for it so often that I basically have it memorized at this point.
I live in the Omaha area and she’s in Ceresco. We both have our kids in Christian scouts (Trail Life and American Heritage Girls) for ages 5 and up, in case you ever end up staying in this area for a while.
All that being said, I wanted to ask if you have any plans to do public events related to your THM journey and how you’ve made it your own. We would absolutely love to hear more from you and learn from the wisdom that has made your approach so successful.
Hi Suzanne! Wow, small world! I’m not really strictly THM anymore and never did the coaching program, so I’m not planning to do any events at this time. 🙂
I read your entire series on being in Togo (how did I miss that?) and enjoyed it very much. I can’t believe Das is starting kindergarten! I’ve been following you since before you met Ryan, so it’s been quite a while since I learned about your website.
I was thankful to hear that Ryan went with a shorter missionary assignment out of concern for you. I’m glad you loved it, but I was equally thankful he was considerate of your needs before doing this.
I understand why you’re not following THM very closely, but you still ate pretty healthy and unprocessed foods. You did good. And you did good raising three little ones.
Thanks for the updates! BTW – I lived in Bellevue Nebraska, up in the bluffs. Omaha was an easy place to live even with the cold winters. And there’s always something going on around town that’s easy to get to.
Somehow I missed you moving to Togo. My stepdaughter spent 2 years there in the peace corps and loved it. She went back a few times to visit. She was in a remote village and her only transportation was bicycle or her own two feet. I have no wisdom for you on homeschooling. My 3 went to public school as I was a single parent and needed to work to support them. I probably would have NOT been a good teacher, I don’t have the patience to teach and it is not one of my spiritual gifts, I have other gifts that I use and bless others with.
Wow, that’s neat! I wonder what part of the country she was in. My language teacher Issa has done French lessons for the Peace Corp.
You are a family of pilgrims…. 🙂 may God bless you all. ❤️
Curriculum: we use rod and staff quite a bit. (Hubby was raised old order. my family jumped the fence many generations ago. Lol.)
Also used heart of Dakota. Christian based. This is perfect for the younger years. 4 day schoolweek. Meets all requirements. And it works. No computer needed. It’s all set up so you can just move easily thru the curriculum. And each week, the studies all complement each other. They have it all listed out what needs done each day. Kids loved it. And it’s easy to do and teaches the child adequately and completely. My daughter advanced an extra academic grade ahead when doing these.
As my little ones grew, I did more rod and staff, and more individualized studies.
One thing I would recommend…. SINGAPORE PRIMARY MATH. The ones that are labeled 1a and 1b, 2a 2b, etc. Find them on amazon. These will accelerate your child’s math skills. Hands down…. this would be my most important tip of homeschooling if I had to pick just one. It’s different than American math. It teaches kids to look at math problems in multiple ways. For kids who struggle, it’s a blessing. For those who enjoy math, they enjoy it even more.
Not consumed ministries have many bible studies that my kids enjoy. They do sales a lot. And the Bible studies align with our Christian views. They would be fine for anabaptist families.
Safe travels and God speed 🙏🏻
Thank you for those recommendations, Rebecca! I’m not familiar with most of them so I’ll check them out. The math intrigues me.
I just love hearing about your life and children and family!! I love how God works!! I love how He directs us, and I know He is going to work all things together for your family’s good!! Keep the updates coming!
My husband and I have spent 18 years living piecemeal, every school year different combinations of part-time jobs, moving to eight different houses in two states plus short-term moves, every summer fitting together music gigs. Lots and lots of decisions to make. It helps to look at them as reversible (accepting a job, buying a house, which church to attend) or irreversible (having another baby). Most decisions are reversible, which means they aren’t as weighty as they can feel, and you can course correct as needed.
We have learned to follow the peace, and we have learned that God will always show us the next step when we need to know it. When you actually need to know what’s next, He will let you know too.
Thanks for that, Maria. I appreciate the encouragement and like what you said about most decisions being reversible. You’ve certainly lived this, and I admire the way you’ve supported your husband in his transient career and made it your ministry together.
I’m really happy that you will homeschool😊
As a biblical resource for homeschooling I really recommend to you Christian Light Education. They have such good resources! We are using them with my son who is almost 5 years old.
As a school I suggest to you Western Christian Academy➡️ https://westernchristianacademy.com/
Thanks for those recommendations, Virginia!
Hi, I’m Dawn! You’re asking for advice about homeschooling kindergarten. I’m a recently retired homeschool mom of 28 yrs. The best things to focus on during these elementary school years is just the foundational basics: reading, language arts, and math. Any other subject can be done by reading and field trips or follow an interest your child has and learn all about that. Make sure you understand the homeschool laws of the state you’ll be living in and be compliant with those. Try to find a Christian homeschool support group as well that can provide you with support and community for your family aside from your church, unless your church has one already. There is so much out there it’ll boggle your mind! If you have any questions you can email me and I’d be more than happy to answer them.
Thanks so much for that, Dawn! I was homeschooled, so I’m thankfully not new to the concept and am excited about the opportunities it brings! I’d love to continue in the future, but we’ll see what happens. 🙂
Hi Brianna, What a lovely post of your current location and the children, of course.
Kindergarten is a year to light her fire for learning which, as a first born daughter, should be no problem at all.
Are you adding and subtracting on paper or with manipulatives? Fruit, sliced veggies or nuts are a great choice for manipulatives and your younger children will be curious which is just what you desire.
Skip counting is a simple essential exercise starting with 1’s, 10’s, 5’s then 2’s and so forth; you’re setting the groundwork for multiplication and division.
Bible memory is so easy at this age but I’m guessing you do this already. Also memorizing the books of the Bible in order is essential for K learning.
Geography is fun to explore learning the continents; your daughter can start checking off the ones she has visited.
Ball and stick penmanship is good for K learning; this is an opportunity for her to spell short vowel words.
Every home educating mother has their favorite phonics program; our family used Saxon Phonics (and math) as an excellent foundation for reading, spelling, and writing.
Please share more about your husband’s thoughts on home education vs a structured school where children sit 8 hours a day. 😳😇
Thank you for this update,
Julie who is driving through Ohio currently
Thank you for that, Julie! It brings up a lot of things I’ve already been thinking about and working on, so thanks for the encouragement. I’m excited to be able to do library trips and find new things to learn about!
Ryan is still of the opinion that school is essential for a child to be properly socialized, especially for an extreme extrovert like Hadassah. Granted, if anyone would enjoy the social element of school, it would be her, but he and I don’t quite see eye to eye on the subject. I was, after all, homeschooled. 😉
What does Ryan think you can get in a school that you can’t get while homeschooling? I ask, because I have every rebuttal ever to each possible point, and I’d love to know which ones you could use. As a side note, does he consider you ‘improperly socialized’?
For homeschooling, I don’t think you can do better for math than Life of Fred. My engineer husband has looked at all the levels, even into college. It’s written by a Christian math professor, who answers his emails personally. I love the extra teaching other than math that he works in, things like, doing nothing but eating sugar and watching tv is bad for your development, but it’s all done by showing, not telling.
For all subjects, I wait until 6 to require daily, intentional, routine schoolwork, but there’s so much that’s delightful to teach and learn before then as a by the way activity. Play based is so wonderful, and they will learn routine and order by following the family routines, and by having their own things they are responsible for.
Once they’re 6, I use the curriculum that’s freely available on AmblesideOnline.org and there’s an introduction to the philosophy of Charlotte Mason on their site, here: https://amblesideonline.org/cm-intro
I’d love to talk more about homeschooling, different schedules, philosophies, whatever. I’ve been a helper to homeschool moms professionally for many years, from the time I graduated from my mom’s homeschool, after public elementary, while I got my degree in Elementary Education, taught in a Christian school for 2 years, and have long known I would homeschool my own children.
Thank you for all the help, Taryn! I will definitely keep that in mind. 🙂 This is a subject that we don’t really agree on and there’s a lot of backstory, so I’d rather not share all of my husband’s viewpoints online.
My favorite Math is Math with Confidence. The kindergarten is excellent, used times three in this family so far and I’ll probably never do anything else. Heavy on the math theory and on the games, light on the book work for those just figuring out how to write. I still use it in all grades, easily adaptable for what your kid likes. They want less games and more writing, just do 2-3 lessons in book work and just play the games /teach one lesson of the concept taught in those 2-3 lessons, Less writing and more games? Also easily done. I found it very vigorous on the mental math and decently advanced without being overkill. My 3rd graders I don’t always do the games anymore. I find them time consuming (and extra prep) for kids as old as they and it does have plenty of bookwork now at this age. It gradually increases each year. They love flashcards so I’ll sometimes switch out games for flashcards. But the games are exactly what kintergarten and first graders and sometimes second graders need and want.
My homeschool theory for young kids is to keep it fun and light and help their love of learning blossom. Don’t force a thing in those first few years and I tend to not do more than about 30ish min. a day of kintergarten. Some math, some reading and then just read to them for extra learning. Let them listen to stories as well and other than that the best thing they can do is play. Kintergarten is so fun!
Best wishes for all the life changes coming up.
Thank you, Karla! I appreciate your taking the time to write all that! Especially loved what you said about letting their love of learning blossom. I think we’ll be including lots of library trips and zoo visits.
I homeschooled all 4 of mine up.through 8th grade and then they went to Catholic High School. For kindergarten, I loved the book you are using for reading! I would also start with basic math. There are all kinds of sweet kindergarten workbooks. Look at Abeka. You’ll also want to start on writing letters, printing, connecting letter to objects (these things start with A, etc ) , fine motor skills are another thing to work on. For ideas, look at curriculum packets from places like Abeka, Memoria Press, etc. Then you can see suggestions. I loved homeschooling so much!
Thanks, Kristina! I’ve heard a lot of good things about Abeka so I’ll probably look into that for a math workbook.
Caption: Calling Grandma.