As most of you know by now, our family was living in India back in February when we got the bad news. Our son Bobby had cancer. I can remember being in a hospital in Delhi and feeling like my world was spinning. We had to immediately begin planning how to get home, and also ponder what kind of life was ahead of us.We went straight from culture shock in India to hospital life in the USA. It was quite a change. We endured a relatively short, but intense, series of chemotherapy treatments from early March to mid-May. During that time, Bobby was in the hospital as much as he was out. Either Alice or I was in the hospital with Bobby, and the other was trying to juggle homeschool with the girls.
We thank the Lord for Bobby's clear PET scan in late May. The doctors do not yet consider him to be cured, but Alice and I believe he is.
At one point during that process, we were put in contact with the "Make A Wish" Foundation. We were excited to learn that Bobby would be eligible to make a wish of something he would like to do. After being beaten up by the chemotherapy, getting a wish cheered him up a bit.
If I had a wish, I might ask to go to Hawaii or something like that. However, Bobby is eight-years-old. He has liked Legos for years, so he naturally made a wish for a trip to Legoland. I didn't realize until later that the only Legoland in the USA is in San Diego, CA.
The "Make A Wish" volunteers appeared to be excited by his request because about 1/2 of kids ask to go to Disneyworld. They seemed to like Bobby's unique choice. This all took place a few months ago.Tomorrow we fly to San Diego. Quite honestly, they have spoiled us rotten. In consecutive days, we will be visiting the Naval Pacific Fleet, Legoland, the San Diego Zoo, and Sea World. It is a dream come true for Bobby. I don't feel badly about what seems to be excessive because Bobby has been through a lot, and because most of the money for this has been donated by businesses.
I think the best part of all this is that all five of us get to go. Therefore, all three kids will get to see a different part of our country that they may have never gotten to see otherwise. I'm hoping we can squeeze both a dip in the Pacific Ocean and a short visit to Mexico into the trip.
I'm also hoping that this trip to San Diego can have some lasting value for the kingdom of God. Please pray that the Lord will give us opportunity to share with others about Him, and also be able to serve others in some fashion. I don't want this trip to be completely about fun, although I'm sure a lot of that will be had.
After each day, I'll try to post about what we have experienced. We arrive in California late tomorrow night. May we honor God somehow through this trip.
2 comments:
Sounds like quite a "homeschool field trip". I do hope you are counting this as part of your educational experience :)
What are the state requirements where you homeschool? Wisconsin is quite liberal--parents have to agree to teach certain core subjects and a certain number of hours per year. That's all.
Kat
BTW-I am praying that God will open ministry doors as you go.
Thanks Kat for your kind words. We will definitely count this as a homeschool experience.
In Georgia the homeschool requirements fall in the middle of the liberal to conservative range. We have to report our attendance to the local superintendent of schools, and have to do standardized testing in the spring. As far as curriculum goes, we have a lot of freedom. We use an eclectic mix (actually, my wife, Alice, just posted about this over at www.thinkingasawoman.com).
Thank you so much for your prayers.
In Christ, Eric
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