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posted by Esther on 08/29/11

We had no idea what the Lord had in store for the weekend as we rounded the bend and the Wilkes little farm house came into view. Not 15 min. later the Neely Team rounded the same bend and our three families were joyfully united once again. United with a purpose – To encourage families who are seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. 

Despite the challenges of limited time, lack of sleep, and attacks on the health of key members of the team, this purpose was accomplished in the strength of the Lord.

I was personally encouraged to seek the Lord with my whole heart and keep my focus throughout the day on Him instead of my to-do list. Our family was motivated to pursue home businesses, amazed as we watched God answer prayer, encouraged when we heard about spiritual needs being met, encouraged by seeing and visiting so many like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ, encouraged to keep studying for the Bible Bee, and inspired as we saw and experienced energetic team work!

You can’t beat a weekend like that! Praise the Lord for so many families who are willing to embrace Biblical principles and live with a purpose!

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posted by Esther on 08/11/11

Last week was the Regional ATI Conference in Indianapolis, centering on the theme of seeking God’s ways in the area of finances.

We thank God for the truly wonderful speakers who spoke with such humility from their life experiences, not only teaching valuable insights and lessons but showing God’s faithfulness and power. God was glorified in many ways and at the last session, a representative from the convention center gave a speech of appreciation. She said she noticed and appreciated the families’ positive attitudes and their  friendliness toward the hotel staff during the conference. It is such a joy and honor to be a part of a home education program like this one.

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posted by Esther on 07/18/11

Today is the 1 month wedding anniversary of my good friends Kenyon and Amy Curtis! What a joy it was to witness their beautiful wedding at Southwest Baptist Church.

On our way home from Robert and Kendalyn’s wedding in Houston, our family and the Wilkes team had dropped Mom and I off in OKC to visit friends and relatives and help with Amy’s wedding. It was pure joy to have a week of Mother/Daughter time and make memories we will cherish for the rest of our lives.

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posted by Esther on 05/27/11

Yes, there were sweaty palms and shaking knees but the focus of this recital was to recognize not only the great talent, but also the great character Christ is developing in each student as they learn to play their instrument. It takes patience to play together, it takes thoroughness to get quality tone, and it takes determination to learn to sight read just to mention a few of the many character qualities we recognized that evening. I am excited to see how the Lord will use these things to make every aspect of their lives a success.

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posted by Esther on 05/10/11

As we sang “Count your many blessings” yesterday in church, I could not help but thank the Lord for my mom! Her selfless love to lay a solid biblical foundation by homeschooling is a blessing that we as her children cannot thank her for enough. And now her constant support has encouraged us like nothing else could, as we endeavor to pursue God’s best in our lives. She has blessed us in many ways: Her prayers for us, her care packages of wonderful granola bars and pumpkin bread, her helpful hands as we began selling things at the farmer’s market, her words of advice on how to teach music, her willingness to preserve the deer and garden produce during harvest time and prepare healthful meals. But even better is simply who she is – A godly lady who is fun to be with and loves us. What a joy it was to pick out flowers for her on Saturday, sing “Happy Mother’s Day to You” at every possible opportunity and spend Sunday together! Mom, you are a blessing. God is working through you in amazing ways!

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