The Old Schoolhouse - March 2012

seen for ourselves the e;ect of a couple of years of mass schooling, albeit at a private Christian school, on our oldest son.

Still, there were hurdles to overcome. In God’s time, as I would come across a piece of the homeschooling puzzle that did not seem right, He would replace it with one that would ;t perfectly. ;e question of heritage was one such piece. I would of course teach my children their American heritage as well. I loved many things about the U.S. and had an appreciation for its rich history, but there were certain things I simply could not relate to. For example, many American homeschoolers I met spoke at length about their Christian roots and tied it in to their homeschooling journey. What was my heritage? Legend has it that about a mile from the place where I was born, the Apostle Paul received a beating for preaching the Gospel. Hardly something to be proud of, I reasoned. So since I did not have that same rich Christian heritage, how did it all ;t together?

It occurred to me that if Paul had indeed received a beating from my countrymen a long time ago, and if great hostility toward Evangelical Christianity is still there, that reality could serve as a good teaching tool

In God’s time,
as I would come
across a piece of
the homeschooling
puzzle that did not
seem right, He would
replace it with one that
would ;t perfectly.

for the children. I used it as an opportunity to point out to them how blessed we are to live in a country where we worship freely and do not fear beatings.

On the other hand, in New Testament
times not all my countrymen were hos-
tile to the Gospel. What about Barnabas?
He was a God-fearing man (Acts 4: 35–
37). How could we emulate his faith? He
was not a Founding Father of the United
States, but he was known for being an
encourager—he demonstrated Godly
character, which transcends time and
countries. How could our family encour-
age others, as Barnabas did?

E;e Hill has lived in the United States for twenty years and cherishes the privilege of homeschooling her three children. She has lived in three other countries but knows that heaven is her true home. She is the author of School to Home: Transitioning to Home Education (Encouragement for the Christian Parent). Contact her at light-on-a-hill.com.

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