Still Here

Hello Blogland!  Just checkin' in to let you know we are still here and doing well.  Much has been happening here at the Widhalm house to keep us busy, as always.  Thought I'd give you just a quick update about a few things around our house.

School - After a short stint in public school for Jackson and Carter, we have learned that homeschooling really serves our children and our family in a way that the school system cannot.  I would never make judgements about what is or isn't right for another family or other children.  Schooling is not a "one size fits all" matter, in my opinion.  In our family, though, we have come to truly appreciate the opportunities and the lifestyle that homeschooling enables us to have.  I'm happy to have all the boys back home with me and looking forward to new studies and activities in the fall.

We will continue in our math, history and literature studies over the summer, which will include various summer reading programs, classic read alouds,  math memory work, history/geography of the middles ages, phonics and copy work.  The boys are doing extremely well with their studies.  I couldn't be happier both with our curriculum plan and their achievement.

Summer Fun! - Summer has officially began and we are enjoying its benefits tremendously!  We paid a visit to Silver Dollar City yesterday and today we hung out with new homeschool friends at a backyard pool party.  On the agenda next week is White Water and initiating the pool in our own backyard.   Having so many fun things to do is a great motivation for getting our schoolwork and chores around the house finished!

Missions/Africa - Africa continues to have its place in our heads and hearts each day.  It is never far from our thoughts.  We are praying daily for our friends and the kids we love so much in Sierra Leone, as well as for God to give us opportunities to serve.  Although we don't have definite plans of traveling back to Sierra Leone soon, we are able to Skype with the children we sponsor as well as another sibling group who is very close to our hearts on a monthly basis.  It's such a joy to see their beautiful smiles in person, but it sure does make us "Africa-sick".

There is a possibility that I have an opportunity to travel to  Guatemala to serve at an orphanage called Shadow of His Wings.  I'm not sure whether or not that will come to fruition, but we are praying about it.  It's not nearly as expensive as a trip to Sierra Leone is, but I love Sierra Leone so much that it's hard to make the choice to spend resources on airfare to someplace else.  I know it would be another wonderful experience, though, so we'll see what God has in store.

I had a wonderful opportunity to serve the people of Joplin, MO, last weekend.  What they have endured is beyond anything I can express in words.  The photos on the internet and the news do not do it justice.  However, even among the tremendous turmoil, God is at work.  It's always amazing to me that when we put ourselves in a position to serve others, we receive such an incredible blessing of our own.

God is continually bringing people across our path who share our passion for orphans and other ministries.  My heart is still being stirred and new thoughts and ideas are never ending.  We continue to wait in prayer and be open to whatever He has for us.

I hope you are all enjoying the blessings of sunshine and summer as much as we are!