The Finish Line!

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Tiffini
Posts: 413
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 9:36 pm
Location: Indiana

The Finish Line!

Post by Tiffini » Fri May 20, 2016 1:16 pm

I am so excited to share that our oldest finished up her high school studies yesterday! She used HOD from Bigger Hearts with Extensions for 5th grade through the US History 1 Guide this year for her senior year. We feel HOD provided an outstanding, fulfilling, satisfying, rich, enjoyable, interesting, and Bible-based education that truly cannot be beat! She is fully equipped for whatever and wherever God leads her next in life.

There is nothing like the feeling of seeing it through to the finish line. We have something called Senior Sunday at our church where the seniors and their parents go up front and the parents say a few words about their senior and then the student just says briefly what they are going to do next. There were six seniors last week and our daughter was the only one who had been homeschooled through high school. When it came time for us to talk, she totally surprised us and took the mic first - and proceeded to read us a letter she had written thanking and honoring my husband and myself for what we had done for her. It was so eloquent and beautiful. She addressed homeschooling and the ways it had benefitted her life. By the end, the whole church was in tears. And this from our our daughter, who absolutely hates speaking in public. And our high school years were not easy ones, with much questioning and seeking the Lord. She ended up by saying that the biggest blessing of all is the relationship that she enjoys with her dad and me as a result of being at home. She really gave homeschooling a good name!! What an amazing blessing it was to hear her publicly bring glory to God at the end of this journey! We are so thankful and so blessed. (She was the only senior who thanked her parents at all.)

THANK YOU CARRIE, MIKE, AND JULIE! :D :D :D May God continue to bless your family and your business as you minister to the homeschooling community.
Tiffini
DD (21 ) Graduated! Used HOD from 5th Grade through 12th Grade!
B/G Twins (18) Graduated! Used HOD from 3rd through 12th Grade!
DS (12) and DS (10)- Preparing Hearts
HOD Users since 2008

LynnH
Posts: 1846
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 12:41 pm
Location: OH
Contact:

Re: The Finish Line!

Post by LynnH » Fri May 20, 2016 1:46 pm

Tiffini,
What a great post to read!! What a testimony to all the time, effort and prayer you have put into your daughter's schooling. Homeschooling for high school can be such a challenge at times, although HOD makes is 100 times easier than when I tried to do it eclectic with my daughter, but I know I wouldn't trade it for anything. Congratulations to you and your daughter for reaching that finish line!
Mom to:
dd 22 college graduate and employed as an Intervention Specialist
ds 18 US2, Loved Preparing, CTC , RTR , Rev to Rev, MTMM ,WG, WH and US1
http://www.graceandfur.blogspot.com/

MichelleIndy
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2015 6:15 pm

Re: The Finish Line!

Post by MichelleIndy » Fri May 20, 2016 4:19 pm

What a wonderful testimony!!! As my son just started my first year of Kindergarten a we are looking forward to many years to come, this is what I needed to hear to bring motivation, encouragement, and the peace of the Lord! Blessings to you!
Michelle
Mom of four boys, oldest in Little Hearts

my3sons
Posts: 10698
Joined: Sun Aug 26, 2007 7:08 pm
Location: South Dakota

Re: The Finish Line!

Post by my3sons » Mon May 23, 2016 7:22 pm

Oh, Tiffini! I'm in tears. What a precious unexpected surprise from your daughter! I am rejoicing with you today, and I can't wait to see what God has in mind next for your sweet daughter! She has managed to graduate high school with love and respect for her parents and her family, with faith in our heavenly Father, and with a passion for life and learning that is still burning bright. No small task. This is due to you and your husband's commitment to your family and to the Lord as well. Thank YOU for being such a supporter of HOD and for being an encouraging friend to Carrie, to Mike, and to me all of these many years. We are blessed to have you in the HOD family. The Lord has blessed us with you, Tiffini. Please do give your dd a hug from all of us and tell her "Job well done!!! :D :D :D

Love in Christ,
Julie
Enjoyed LHTH to USII
Currently using USI
Wife to Rich for 28 years
Mother to 3 sons, ages 23, 20, and 16
Sister to Carrie

Lynn3ggb
Posts: 45
Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2015 5:38 pm

Re: The Finish Line!

Post by Lynn3ggb » Tue May 24, 2016 1:24 pm

This absolutely made me smile and brought tears to my eyes. Congratulations to your family on your strong finish. Thank you for sharing this experience to be an encouragement to other families. I know it has encouraged me tremendously. May God continue to bless you.

Letha

raindrops
Posts: 303
Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2012 9:51 am

Re: The Finish Line!

Post by raindrops » Tue May 24, 2016 1:40 pm

That is so wonderful! Did they record her? It would be great to listen to or watch later on. She was really the only one who thanked her parents, even with the parents on stage with their children? I bet there were some parents in the audience seriously considering homeschooling because of her testimony. Surely the testimony was a stark contrast...
9 yr old boy in Preparing
6 yr old girl loving all things LHFHG

countrymom
Posts: 770
Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2009 3:16 pm

Re: The Finish Line!

Post by countrymom » Tue May 24, 2016 2:21 pm

What a great testimony! It certainly isn't always easy, but if we keep the goal in mind and look at the end result it is worth the effort.
Countrymom
Wife to J
Big J - LHFHG, Beyond, Bigger, Preparing, CTC, R2R, Rev to Rev, Modern Missions, beginning parts of World Geography
Little J - LHTH, LHFHG, Beyond, Bigger, Preparing, working in CTC

StillJulie
Posts: 394
Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2009 5:04 pm

Re: The Finish Line!

Post by StillJulie » Tue May 24, 2016 2:44 pm

Awww... Thanks for sharing this!
16yo DD using US History 1 for 11th grade
14yo DS using World Geography for 9th grade
13yo DS using Rev to Rev for 7th grade
10yo DD using Creation to Christ for 5th grade
8yo DD using Bigger for 3rd grade
7yo DD using Beyond Hearts for 2nd grade

LovingJesus
Posts: 331
Joined: Thu Oct 27, 2011 8:29 am

Re: The Finish Line!

Post by LovingJesus » Wed May 25, 2016 8:41 am

Thank you so much for the encouragement to stay the homeschool course through Highschool. :D I have been questioning our homeschool call this spring, and your post is wonderful and warm encouragement. Your testimony really touched my heart. Great job mom! :D :D :D

Tiffini
Posts: 413
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 9:36 pm
Location: Indiana

Re: The Finish Line!

Post by Tiffini » Thu May 26, 2016 9:07 am

Thank you all for your kind words! :D I am so thankful for a like-minded community that can support and encourage one another.

I want to share a little more personally about our journey in the hopes that it will encourage someone else who may be in the same place that we were in. My dd's high school years were not easy ones for many reasons. I wish I could say that my mind was made up and never wavered during those years, but I can't. As most of our friends sent their kids off to school for high school, it became very difficult for my dd. She often felt that she was missing out and would often ask us to look into other schooling options. Many times, we questioned whether it was best to keep her at home. We did check out other options - several times. But as we continually prayed for wisdom and direction - knowing that God could see the big picture and knew what was best for our dd even we did not - God kept closing other doors and gently reminding us that He had a different plan for our dd than what those around us were doing. (I am not putting down others' decisions to choose other schooling options. It was just that God had shown us earlier that this was His plan for our family). There were lots of hard discussions. Lots of tears. Lots of prayers. Lots of times when it felt impossible to go on.

But I can tell you today that our dd has been thanking us continually for staying the course and for listening for God's voice more than we listened to hers - or even our own. She now sees things more clearly than she could in the midst of things. And like I said earlier, she says the greatest benefit is the relationships she enjoys with her family today that she feels would have suffered if we had chosen another route.

Yes, I do think that she missed out on some experiences - both good and bad - by not being in a school setting. But as we would always remind ourselves - if it's important for her life then God will make sure that she experiences it in one way or another. He is able to provide EVERYTHING that she needs.

Here is an excerpt of the letter she read to us in front of the church that I hope will give you encouragement and inspiration! I can't believe how brave she was! :D

"Thank you both so much. I know there may have been some things I didn't get to
experience not being at another school. Some people might say I haven't been
“socialized” enough or exposed enough. At one time I agreed with them. But now I
see differently. I see that I have done more living and experiencing than many
other kids will ever get the chance to do. I learned to live real life. I learned to be
independent. I've gotten to pursue the things that I'm interested in. I've learned to
get things done on my own. I have such a huge array of knowledge in unique areas
of learning that will benefit me for the rest of my life. I've gotten to work unique
and fun jobs that have introduced me to a lot of different people and challenges. I
also have developed a strong relationship with God and learned how to defend my
faith, which I know is due in huge part to the teaching and guidance you two have
given me. But one thing that I will never regret that I got out of this journey is the
strong and lasting relationships I have built with you two that will last a lifetime.
Nothing could ever replace that."
Tiffini
DD (21 ) Graduated! Used HOD from 5th Grade through 12th Grade!
B/G Twins (18) Graduated! Used HOD from 3rd through 12th Grade!
DS (12) and DS (10)- Preparing Hearts
HOD Users since 2008

Carrie
Site Admin
Posts: 8125
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2007 8:39 pm

Re: The Finish Line!

Post by Carrie » Thu May 26, 2016 12:06 pm

Tiffini,

What a precious letter and a moment to treasure in your heart! :D It is so true that homeschooling is far from easy and that there are tough days filled with uncertainty. But the Lord promises to walk with us through the midst of it all, making the finish line all the sweeter as our students cross it. I know that my husband and I felt much more assured of our decision to homeschool through high school after we graduated our oldest son. It gave us a much-needed moment of reaping what we had been sowing for so many, many years. Thank you for taking time to share your daughter's story with us. What a wonderful testament to the faithfulness of the Lord in her life (and yours).

Blessings,
Carrie

raindrops
Posts: 303
Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2012 9:51 am

Re: The Finish Line!

Post by raindrops » Fri May 27, 2016 5:43 am

God bless your family . Thank you so much for sharing her letter. What a joy. My heart is full of happiness for you and your husband and daughter.
9 yr old boy in Preparing
6 yr old girl loving all things LHFHG

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