Show & Tell
By Loretta Hayward
Hello! We’re the
Hayward family from
South Carolina! During
the past fifteen years of
country living, Glenn
and I have been raising
our family: Ronald, Benjamin, and Gloria,
as well as 120 rabbits, various farm
animals, and pets. Our homestead on Little
Durbin Creek has been a tremendous
learning experience as we have cleared
portions of the land to establish our home,
workshop, rabbitry, and gardens. The
family cut timber for our fence lines and
uprooted tree trunks as we engineered our
roads. Cheyenne, our black Lab, alerted us
whenever she found snakes or snapping
turtles. She kept opossums and wildlife on
the run while we worked. Our surroundings
renewed our senses and love for the beautiful sights and sounds of God’s creation all
about us. Another chapter of our lives had
begun, and we were thrilled with the adventure of it all!
Our children started their homeschool
lessons with kindergarten. This small step
was the beginning of enormous responsibility that led to the making of another trail
through the wilderness. Glenn and I had
trusted Christ for our salvation, and now
The Victory Quartet/The Hayward Family. L to R: Benjamin, Gloria, and Ronald Hayward.
Back row: Glenn and Loretta
The Bible had always been our guidebook,
and it was now our main textbook.
for the sake of our children’s souls and
future we were going to believe and follow
His Word in raising and training them.
“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all
flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?”
(Jeremiah 32: 27)
Since we had dedicated our children to
God, we regularly prayed for the wisdom,
strength, and help we needed to raise them
for His glory. Homeschooling was a major
commitment and not a trial period! Our
children would need to see Christ living in
our lives, our home, and our school! “And
thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all thy might. And these words, which I
command thee this day, shall be in thine
heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently
unto thy children, and shalt talk of them
when thou sittest in thine house, and when
thou walkest by the way, and when thou
liest down, and when thou risest up.”
(Deuteronomy 6: 5–7)
