Big Changes!

So, it should come as no surprise that we are making some big changes around here. We have committed to start living like we believe in the power of Christ, and we're going to start acting on some of our dreams that always seemed far off. I still have no idea as to the answer of *some* of the things that have been causing doubt and fear to hang over my head, BUT I can live like I believe it, and trust that God will direct my path! So the most obvious thing is this blog is changing. For the immediate time being, it will stay here at blogger, but we have changed the address. It shouldn't affect those who already subscribe, but if you are typing in the link, you'll need the new address (which by now you know).  We've also changed the look, and we'll continue to do this for a little while, so bear with us! We're learning! We've created some pages at the top, to make it easier to find the posts that are related to those topics. Those are the things I blog about most. I have several different things I blog about, and I don't see that changing any time soon. But we are going to be changing this to gear it more toward our family is doing, and encouraging others.

We have a vision (hence, "Da Vision fund" ) to do so much more for our kids. We have a vision to change our strategies for education. We have realized, over the last 4 years homeschooling, that we don't have to use a box set curriculum, and we don't have to stick with the status quo. When I think about how little I've seen and how little we know about the world around us, it just makes me want to do that much more differently for our kids. We live in a different world than we grew up in. Social media is huge, and many kids don't know how to interact with each other outside of it. They don't retain much that they learn in school, and even when they do, it isn't long term. We have a dream and vision that education can be so much more! Granted, we've always had that vision, but we are seeing now more clearly how God may want us to carry this out. We are going to give our kids a greater opportunity to connect with the world around them. Because there classroom isn't limited to a room with four walls and thirty desks, we've already seen that we can function outside of the "norm".  But I know for me, I have this passion that our kids will take 1 Timothy 4:12 to heart and not "...let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity."


We know that they aren't just "kids"...they are whole people, already! Our world may belittle what they have to say or offer, but Christ tells us something else entirely! We are new creations in Christ, and we ALL have value! So it can only be assumed that what they have to say matters, what they can understand is beyond what we give them credit for, and what they can accomplish-through Christ-is HUGE! We need to stop treating our kids like they aren't capable of a strong and growing relationship with the Lord, just because because they are kids. And we need to stop assuming the only way they are capable of learning is in a classroom full of children their own age, because they aren't mature enough to do anything more.  Are we supposed to shield them? Sure. Are we, as parents, supposed to protect them? Absolutely. But that doesn't have to mean they aren't capable of seeing and experiencing the world around them in a tangible way.

Take me, for example. A year ago, I never even knew where Haiti was on a map, let alone had any intentions of going there. Now that I've been there though, I have real life experience first hand at what life is like there. We want our kids to travel more than just every couple years for a vacation. We want to make travel part of our education. There are so many things we want them to experience-museums, natural wonders, different cultures, and so much more! I think by thinking this way, they will get a better worldview and think about their world outside of our comfortable little bubbles. So we are going to start approaching homeschooling differently.  For now, we're still pretty grounded here. We feel called to lead and be a part of kids ministry at our church, and we are active in that. But we are also going to get creative and start moving forward with some projects that have just been gathering dust in the back of our minds, and pray that as soon as God starts opening the doors, we can get MOVING! It's time to act!!

I've been changing up the blog in part, to make it more organized. I also want to get more traffic. That means I want you to share and subscribe. Hopefully, we'll be getting a *real* website soon too! We also have a goal of being more present on social media. We've created a twitter , an instagram, and will be doing a FB page just for this! Our goal is that this little blog of ours no longer will only reach a few select friends and family, but also start growing far beyond that. Through the avenues I've always considered part of of this blog (our faith, being thrifty, homeschool, travel etc) I will continue to post. But we see something much bigger. We see a ministry that is our family, a combination of all those things, with the ultimate goal of reaching others for Christ and also offering encouragement to other believers. I have some other projects I'm excited about that are in the works and  I'll be sharing more with you about these as it unfolds, but keep an eye out!