Andy and I have been in Thailand for the last 10 days on a mission trip from our church. We came to partner with our old church, Our Home Chapel. They invited our team to come help them with an English camp. The goal of the camp was to invite university students in and then build lasting relationships with them that would lead them to seeing Jesus Christ lived out and want to have a relationship with him as well. Our team was the catalyst to seeing that happen once again in the church. With this goal and task before us, we had to make the difficult decision to leave Ellie behind in America with my mom. We knew that Ellie would love to visit and everyone would want to see Ellie, but it would be hard for me to lead a team, join in all the ministry, and care for Ellie. That, combined with expenses, and we left Ellie home.
Everyone in Thailand was excited when we saw them. When they realized that Our daughter didn’t come, they were a little sad…well, some were very sad. They wanted to see how she has grown and enjoy her cuteness, her personality. To many, she was part of their “family,” one of their nieces that ran around and charmed everyone who would play with her. We told lots of stories of Ellie. Stories of her continuing Thai-ness, how she loves to sleep on the floor next to our bed, her beginning understanding of walking with God, and on and on. Our friends ate it up.
What no one could quite wrap their mind around was why we didn’t bring Ellie. They understood the money issue, but the ministry aspects confused them as Ellie always joined us in ministry while in Bangkok. That is true, but they forget the early nights when Andy or I would take Ellie home for bed, or the times when I would take breaks for quiet times with Ellie during busy teams. With us only in the country 10 days, we didn’t want to miss any opportunity to pour into the church.
The first thing everyone asked when they found out Ellie was not in Bangkok was, “she’s 3 now, right?” You see, 3 is the age when kids start school in Thailand. School is in session right now, so Ellie must be in school, and that is why she couldn’t come with us. She had to stay home to go to school. I just nodded my head that Ellie was 3 and left the rest up to their imagination… Others asked if Ellie was in school now and I simply replied that I homeschool her. They were rather worried about Ellie’s education until I reminded them that I have a background in teaching. Then everything was good in their mind.
Even after living in Thailand for 6 years, it baffles me how concerned people are for their children’s education that their children need to start at the age of 3. I believe that it is so young. Children need time to play, explore and be curious about the world before formal learning begins. Ellie and I play together, explore things together, read together, and so much more that is fun. I hope that Ellie can catch a desire to learn about the world and that learning can be fun. That is how I “homeschool” Ellie. We don’t have formal lessons but informal ones and mini lessons about numbers, counting, and letters. My “school age” child loves to learn about her world but doesn’t need any formal training yet.
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