homeschool – Notes from Bob and Ellen

I thought that you said that you had retired.

Well, we thought we had retired!

However, Ellen, at least, has been called out of retirement from August – November, 2023. How does that work? Well, John Myrick, an experienced TCK (Third Culture Kid) educator, became the TCK Education consultant in January of 2022 and has been doing an excellent job. However, the third-grade teacher at Rift Valley Academy and her family will be in the US for their Home Assignment from August – November of this year. John, along with his wife and two girls, will be heading to Kenya at the beginning of August so that John can fill this gap at the school. His wife, Becky, is also an elementary school teacher and will serve as a tutor. In a fun twist, both of their girls are rising third graders, so you guessed it – they will be in their dad’s class! This means that John is not available to fill the role of TCK Education consultant for the fall – I was asked if I could fill in and Bob and I agreed.

What does this mean? I will be part of the Children’s team for Waypoint from July 29th – August 4th in Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. I will also be part of the Engage staff at Peachtree City, GA November 5th- 9th.

The Waypoint Retreat offers:

* Time alone with God in a beautiful, restful environment
* Time to share experiences serving cross-culturally and their impact within a small group and individually with a trained debriefer
* Dedicated, age-appropriate debriefing program for children and teens (through grade 12)
* Wide range of recreation options

Engage AIM is held at AIM’s Headquarters just outside of Atlanta as a final evaluation in determining if AIM is a good fit for our candidates. The week will orient missionary candidates to AIM and provide an introduction to African culture, insight into the missionary life, and training for raising financial support. These events are held in March, June, and November, with an age-appropriate children’s program running in parallel. A final decision on appointment to AIM will come about week after the event. Other responsibilities will include being in touch with each of our families who have been appointed and work with them on their Education Plan.

I will also be in touch with each family who is in the US on their Home Assignment and work with them on updating their plans for their children’s education. I am looking forward to this time of reconnecting with families that I have worked with in the past and getting to know new families at the beginning stages of their career.

Bob and I attended Waypoint at the beginning of 2022 as participants and believe that it is a very worthwhile program. He will be with me this time around as well and helping as he can.

In June we were able to visit two of our kids and their families. Much of the month was spent with Ginny, Stephen, Luke and “Little Blue” Bracht. We enjoyed camping at the Grand Canyon and Ghost Ranch as well as time with them in their home in Albuquerque.

In the middle of that trip, we were able to spend about 10 days in British Columbia with James, Daphne, and Peter (with Luke and Ginny joining us for a few days). Being together was amazing, but the big highlight was that James was ordained as a priest in the Antiochian Orthodox Church! The music sounded like a heavenly choir and now James is further able to officially use the gifts that God has given him.

Otherwise, we are becoming reengaged in our sending church, Creekside Community Church, spending time with Bob’s mom who is now in a wonderful memory care unit in Gainesville, working on projects in Bob’s mom’s 64 year old house where we are currently living, and visiting our kids, grand kids and other friends.

July 22nd marked one year since Bob’s open-heart surgery. His cardiologist recently told him his heart was beating strong and steady. We praise God for his good health

Homeschool Week Kenya 2011

Studious Children — Homeschool Week at RVA

The children of missionaries—our treasure! My ministry in these past years since we left living in Kenya full time has been the children of our workers in Africa. Those sharing the Gospel are living in remote areas of the bush with unreached people groups. Others are in teeming cities. Some are working at schools for the children of missionaries.

Blazing hot, damp and chilly, desert thorns, lush hillsides and mountains, humid beachfront property… Resistant people groups, believers who want to continually learn more and more. Children who learn academics easily—those who struggle with paper and pencil… Americans, Koreans, Brazilians and Brits… Preschoolers and those deciding what their next step after Secondary School will be…

Coming alongside our families to encourage, support, teach and love… in Africa and in America… Skype, e-mail and sitting down together to chat… This is how I spend my days! What a privilege.

This past week, I have had the privilege of being in Kijabe, Kenya at Rift Valley Academy with more than 40 or our school aged children. I was joined by our team of educational consultants and some of the staff of RVA.

During this week, the children had their own academic program as well as joining the elementary school of RVA for classes. Standardized testing, as well as in depth individualized educational assessments were available. Reading methods, math games, transitions and organization were some of the topics covered in workshops for the parents.

Pray for our families… Many are working in difficult and isolated circumstances—educational choices available might not be in their mother tongue, children may have learning challenges—mothers feel isolated in alone.

Praise God for weeks like this when families can spend time together and encourage each other. Pray for me as I attempt to help our families to reach the people to whom God has called them…

God Bless! Ellen

Record Breaking Heat — August 2nd

I walked alone through the shady streets
Listening to my heart beat
In the record breaking heat
When we were born in time.
(Eric Clapton’s version of Bob Dylan song)

Yes, it has been hot. Too hot to work outside very long at Mom’s house up near Gainesville. Too hot for serious birding although the famous birding team, “Grey-haired Bobbys”, did make one foray onto Paynes Prairie and came away with a list of 29 including a couple of gorgeous Purple Gallinules.
I’m back to work at ECHO after a week’s vacation getting stuff done at Mom’s house. The trip to Tanzania in June went very well and there is now an excellent group of people on the planning committee working towards the ECHO East Africa Symposium in Arusha next February.

Ellen has been busy with the AIM Regional Administrator job. She enjoys the travel and interaction with people but it keeps her on the road too much for my liking! It is a temporary position that ends Sept. 14th when our good friends Sam and Bonnie Thomas take over. Ellen also has an MK education trip to Mozambique in a couple of weeks. Actually she just sent out this short update:

Hey y’all!

Hope that you are having a wonderful summer!

God is sure keeping us busy – We have had a wonderful week in Cincinnati where we celebrated my dad, Bob Wheeler’s, glorious first 90 years and then my awesome 40th high school reunion. Both fantastic indescribable occasions!

We just got back from a great week at the Hargrave farm where Bob and sister June helped with a number of projects around the farm. Otherwise, Bob keeps busy as an agricultural consultant at ECHO –

Myself – I have been keeping more than busy as interim Regional Administrator for AIM – which means that I meet with, e-mail, talk with all those who are interested in serving with AIM from the SE United States… I’ll be involved in this rewarding job through the middle of next month.

Next week I’ll be at AIM Headquarters’ to be on staff for our Candidate Week where there will be four of the young people that I have interviewed since starting this job. I am excited about seeing it from another angle! As usual, I will be meeting with all of the parents there to talk about educating their children in Africa!

Following that, I will be Mozambique for a week to be on staff for a homeschool week – I am in the midst of preparing my workshops – so, I definitely appreciate your prayers for that!

May Update

Update from Ellen

May 18, 2010

Greetings from our current home in Pioneer Village – North Fort Myers, FL.

One of these days I’m going to get it together and spend the time figuring out how to use all of the things available to me on my computer and send you all a very spiffy looking newsletter – I promise, one of these days!

In the mean time – I want to just update you and thank you for your friendship, prayers and faithful support.

So – What’s new?

AIM (www.aimint.org) – Ellen continues her work as TCK Educational Coordinator for AIM US. That means that I get in touch with all of our families on their Home Assignment and see how education is going for their kids. I try to help out wherever there might be problems. I also attend all of our US Candidate Weeks to meet with all of our new missionary families and again help them walk through what it is to raise and educate their children in Africa.

From April 1, 2010 – September 15, 2010 – Ellen is the Interim Regional Administrator for the Southeastern US. That means that I am meeting with and interviewing many in the SE who are applying to work with AIM in Africa. In the past 6 weeks I have traveled to North Florida, South Carolina, Georgia and East Tennessee. Next week I am hoping to get to South Florida (Atlantic Coast) – and probably one or two more trips to the Western part of my territory before I turn over the reins in September.

ECHO (www.echonet.org) – Bob is still on staff at ECHO answering requests from ECHO’s “network” all over the world and interacting with interns and visitors. He will also be arranging a forum for network members in East Africa and making a trip to Tanzania June 17th – June 28th to help get the ball rolling on that.

Ellen also meets with the young married women at ECHO on Monday nights and we are currently beginning the Power of a Praying Wife.

Family – James is now officially a missionary with OCMC (www.ocmc.or) and is in Tanzania upgrading his Swahili. He has quite the challenging commute across the capital city Dar es Salaam!

Ginny is winding up her classroom studies at Taylor University and Stephen has concluded his teaching at Ivy Tech in Eastern Indiana. They will be leaving for Southern Sudan on June 17th where Ginny will complete her Masters degree with an internship in water development and she and Stephen will both serve with SIM (www.sim.org) into December of this year.

Becky and Elliott are still in St. Louis where Elliott has wound up his second year at Covenant Theological Seminary (www.covenantseminary.edu) and Becky, her second year of teaching music at Ethel Hedgeman Lyle Academy to Middle Schoolers.

July 2nd, Ellen’s dad will be celebrating his 90th birthday and we are hoping to celebrate with family in Cincinnati.

Ellen is also looking forward to celebrating her 40th Reunion for Finneytown High School the 2nd weekend of July!

Back in Kenya – As you know, we had the privilege of being back in Kenya this fall to teach at the AIC Missionary College. What a rewarding time of teaching and spending time with many that we ministered with and to in our past years. there. Things at the college and Cheptebo are moving on well and we just heard that one of the couples we worked with are now proud parents of a new daughter.

I still receive many requests for school fees – urgently is needed about $250 for Eunice Basele from Loglogo who is coming near the end of her degree. I also have many requests from Cheptebo of impoverished families with children in Secondary and Tertiary education. If anyone is interested in contributing anything to help these young people who love the Lord and want to help their families, their God, their futures and their country – please let me know and I will get the fees to the right places.

strong>Logistics – Once more we are changing residences. But don’t worry, we will continue to get our mail at ECHO (address below), continue to have the same cell phone numbers, and continue to have the same e-mail addresses. We will be moving to a different mobile home in a different park – this one has two bedrooms and two baths, so we can once more host visitors, but is further from the ECHO campus.

Spiritual Growth – Ah… why is this last? Maybe because it is easier to sum up “What’s happenin'” – To reflect on how God is working… now that takes more thinking and reflecting. Now, what are we learning. Continually, utter dependence on God. God is Sovereign. There are many things going on in the world at large and the world we see more intimately that are distressing and concerning and can cause us to think that God is sleeping or not at work. Yet, in the midst of that, we see him alive and active in both big and little things. So – we are learning to trust when not everything makes sense… Haven’t we learned that before? Of course! And so, now, yes, we DO know that this is true – but we relearn each day as new challenges come our way.

Again, we are thankful for each one of you that is a part of who we are – yes – that is each of you! We covet your prayers and love each of you in your own unique and special way!

Blessings! Bob & Ellen Hargrave

Ellen Hargrave

c/o ECHO

17391 Durrance Rd.

North Fort Myers, FL 33917

239 464 6516

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too.

1 John 5:1 (New Living Translation)