From Homeschooling to ALS Journey

Last year was one of the major transitions for JC and Eu-La.  I decided to enroll them in the Alternative Learning System.  This is a curriculum from the Department of Education that allows students to access education in a nonformal setting.  We home-schooled our four children without adopting a curriculum from a DepEd-accredited school.  Enrolling in ALS provides them with an opportunity to obtain an LRN as well.  This is essentially a student number given by DepEd to all students attending accredited schools.

This one-year journey has provided me with answers and demonstrated that my children can adapt to a classroom setting as well.  Their teachers expressed amazement at their special abilities and how well they excel compared to other students.

One thing that amazes me is their ability to commute from home to school and back.  They spent most of their time at home before.  They leave the house with us in a private car. This period taught them to ride jeepneys and somewhat experience a detour, but they managed to figure out how not to get lost.  

Along the way, it was not as smooth as it could have been, especially for JC, who requires learning considerations due to his special conditions. This is one of the reasons why we chose to homeschool from the beginning. However, with encouragement and support, JC was able to make it through his ALS.

They completed ALS Elementary on August 7, 2023.  Up until now, we are still undecided about whether to enroll them in a regular school or let them wait for another ALS Journey and finish high school.  

As for the two younger children, we are also preparing them to attend ALS. There is an age requirement for acceptance into this program.  For elementary level, applicants must be at least 12 years old age.

SJ's 11th Birthday Celebration

 

We just got through the pandemic.  We used to think and worry about our safety when being around other people and having gatherings, especially for children.  Since it's already 2023 and everything has slowly returned to normal, I guess we can relaunch our Little Stewards Club.  

I talk to SJ about how he would like to celebrate his birthday.  Aside from having a simple family celebration, he was glad to hear that he could celebrate in church and invite children from the community.  We take this opportunity to share food and also to introduce the gospel to these young hearts.

It's been a long time since we gathered the children.  We are all excited to see them once again after more than two years.  We are praying that this will become a regular monthly event like it used to be.

I am also grateful for how my children understand the need to reach out to those who don't know Jesus.  In their young hearts and minds, they feel thrilled with every opportunity to go to church and host a fellowship.

I will tell of the Lord’s unfailing love.

I will praise the Lord for all he has done.

I will rejoice in his great goodness to Israel,

which he has granted according to his mercy and love.

Isaiah 63:7 New Living Translation (NLT)

Today is a special day for my youngest son and a reminder of God's sovereignty over all.  

Spending every day with our children highlights how uncertain life can be. We can never know what lies ahead, and life is full of uncertainties. Yet, despite all the trials and troubles our family has faced, God's great goodness has always been present. We have hope and security beyond life's uncertainties because  He holds our future.

I have learned that I cannot control what is to come; nothing is certain or permanent. I can't even provide a completely safe place for my children, but I know that the God I serve will be with me and my family every single day.  I will continue to trust in the Lord and place my hope in Him.  He will never fail.

Being human, I tend to forget how God can work in the most challenging situations and often cannot see how He is moving amid every trial. However, God demonstrates His love and grace, despite my weaknesses.

Today, I will speak of God's unfailing love because He deserves it! I praise the Lord for my son's life, which speaks of God's miracle every day! 

  

Answered Prayer

The beginning of 2016 was very busy for me as a business owner.  Overall, I am glad to have finished 2015 well.  As a pastor's wife, I am committed to teaching children and reaching out to them, especially regarding their spiritual needs. I have been doing this since I was in high school.  Our church has been working with the children in our community. In previous years, our church had enough funds to schedule a feeding ministry for less fortunate children, and we held this program once a month.  For the past two years, we have only set the schedule for the children's fellowship whenever there are available funds.

Cake Art Collections 6

Happy Holidays Everyone.  This season is one of the busiest days in a bakeshop.  A time where our family takes our chances to earn extra even if it means to spend more time working rather than having a vacation. We can have our vacation later.  

My Christmas Decors for 2015

As promised, I am now posting the Christmas decorations I have created to embellish our house, business, and church. As much as possible, I tried not to buy items to make these decorations to save money, so I focused on recycling and reusing materials to complete my Christmas decor. 

Notable November

Rushing to create this post has made this month truly remarkable. Since I haven't been able to make regular posts, I prefer to compile a summary of my highlights for the month to ensure I don't miss them.

I started this month by working on Christmas crafts for our decorations, which occupied my free time.  I'll make a separate post about the Christmas decors.