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A Letter to My Kindergarten Graduate:

Dear Dylan Joel,

You are my precious middle child.  You didn’t get the distinction of being the “first”, and you don’t carry the title of “the baby.”  You are stuck, happily-so, right in the middle.

When you started school, honestly I was a little scared of what kindergarten would be like for you.  Before starting school, you loved to read books…as long as you could cuddle up close to mommy, and then take a wrestle break with Dad before finishing.  You loved to write your letters….in shaving cream or in flour but never with something as boring as a pencil.   You weren’t  interested in learning to write your name….you told us your big brother, Ryan, knew how, and he could just write it for you.

So what would Kindergarten be like for you?  Would you be able to pay attention to your teacher?  Read through a book completely?  Write your name with something so plain as a pencil and paper?  And most troubling for me, I wondered and worried….Would your teacher be able to see how truly amazing you are?

Oh, son – you more than proved your Mommy’s worries pointless and calmed my anxious heart.  You have had an amazing year.  I’m so proud of you. *You’ve flourished in the kindergarten social scene, giving and receiving hugs and high fives to very nearly every child you pass in the hallways. You’ve completely captured the heart of your teacher, as I should have known you would. You’ve won “Kindergarten Student of the Month” — a small award in the scheme of things, but one you were so excited to receive that the excitement became contagious.   You’re reading and writing and learning so fast that I almost wish you could slow down.

I love how you’ve listened as your Daddy prays for you each morning. You’ve heard him pray that you would be a good friend and find someone who needs encouragement.  You’ve heard him pray that you would consider others’ needs over your own.  You’ve heard him pray that you would know that you are “the head and not the tail, above and not beneath” and after clearing up some confusion about what all that “heads and tails” stuff is about, you’ve adopted those prayers as your own.  In your own six year old way, you’ve begun to ask God to show you what to do and how to love people as you go throughout your day.  (Thanks to you, no child in your class ever goes without prayer after missing school because of sickness. You got that covered, buddy.)

I’m so excited at how you’ve grown over this past year.  This year of firsts.  This year of Kindergarten.  I’ve grown too. Congratulations, graduate.

Love you always and no matter what,

Your Mommy

*disclaimer: this Mommy begs the dear readers apologies for this blatant mommy-bragging-moment.  I fear I could not help myself.

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Starr and her newly minted 3rd grader, Dylan

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Abby Miller  (Twin A…she is 30 seconds older than her twin brother)

Tell us a little about yourself.

I love to play basketball, go on mission trips with my family, and hang out with my friends.

What are your top 3 memories of elementary school?

Ms. Kuss, Ms. Kuss, Ms. Kuss…she was my  favorite teacher !!! (She was my 3rd grade teacher).

What will you miss most about elementary school?  What will you miss the least?

I will miss the teachers the most. The least – the uniform.

What are you most looking forward to about junior high?

Chapel daily

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I have not decided yet; I am thinking about being a doctor.

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Ben Miller (Twin B)

Tell us a little about yourself.

I love to play with my sibling, play basketball and watch the Texas Rangers. Love anything chocolate!

What is your favorite memory of elementary school?

The 6th grade science trip

What will you miss most about elementary school?  What will you miss the least?

I will miss the great teachers the most.  I will miss the uniforms the least.

What are you most looking forward to about junior high?

JH athletics

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up.  I do know God has a plan for my life!

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Stephanie Miller, wife & mom of the Miller6 -

Tell us a little about you and your family.

I have been married to my husband, Greg, for 20 years.  Together, we have a son, Dave, who will be graduating from TCS THIS Thursday and will be attending Texas A & M in the Fall.  Our daughter, Sally, is a freshman at TCS. She is a servant-hearted soul who loves serving on the international mission field.  Abby and Ben were born on Valentine’s Day in 2000, and it was also my birthday. As you know, they will be graduating from 6th grade this week.  I have the privilege of being a stay-at-home mom and enjoy my volunteer work with a mission organization called Physicians Aiding Physicians Abroad (PAPA). Our family serves at Karanda Mission Hospital in Zimbabwe, Africa, on short term mission trips in the summers.  (We leave this Saturday, May26th for Africa! We will be there 3 weeks.)

How are you feeling about your kids transitioning into jr. high next year?

I am excited for my twins to transition to junior high.  My two older children had a fabulous experience in junior high at TCS, and I am ready for “my babies” to do the same.  It is very bitter sweet moment for the last of my children to graduate from TCS elementary school. I’m not sure my car knows how to drive anywhere else!

Do you see a difference in the way your kids are anticipating the change, being that you have a son and a daughter making the transition at the same time?

There is not really a difference in the way my son or daughter looks toward junior high.  Talk to me in three months when we are living it, and it might be a different story!  As twins, they always have each other around, and there is a huge amount of comfort that comes with that territory.  They always have a study partner, and they have each other to discuss their school experiences.  The bottom line is they are not in this alone.  I think that makes life easier during the teenage years.

What do you see as Abby and Ben’s strongest character traits?

Abby is a discerning leader and very witty.  Ben is diligent and intuitive, a silent leader.

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PS – The following are links to youTube videos that profile PAPA Missions work in Africa.  It features not only Abby and Ben, but a total of 6 currently enrolled TCS students and 2 TCS alums.  The first video is close to 10 minutes long, and the second one is 4 minutes.  When you ask me to share about our family, I think a picture is worth a thousand words.  The videos accurately represent “who” the Miller6 really are and “what” we do with our time.

Karanda Mission Hospital 2011

PAPA missions joins hands with Trinity Christian School and other supporters to share the love of Christ at Karanda Mission Hospital in Zimbabwe.

PAPA Missions- Container 2012

PAPA missions shares the love of Christ and a message of hope in Zimbabwe. PAPA sends 28,000 pounds of food, clothing and medical supplies to Karanda Mission Hospital in Zimbabwe.This video tracks the process of the container from donations, to storage, to packing and shipment.

I am Quency Light, married to Gary for almost 33 years.  We have a son, Austin( 22), and daughter, Anna(25), who is married to Kyle Purdue(27).  We are blessed that they all live in Lubbock.  We moved from Alaska to Lubbock 18 years ago to be closer to our extended family.  My parents live in Littlefield, and I help take care of them as they grow older.  During the school year, I keep my grandnephew, Emerson(4), while his mom teaches school.

How long have you attended Trinity and in what ways do you serve?

Gary and I have been at Trinity for 18 years.  I serve with Gary in our Sunday morning Life Group, as a greeter on Saturday night and Sunday morning, and have facilitated Beth Moore studies in the past.  During the school year, I am in leadership at Community Bible Study, as treasurer and Substitute Core Leader.  This summer, Gary and I will be traveling with a group from Trinity to help at a missionary language school and camp in France.

What have you been studying lately?

I have been reading the book “7”, by Jen Hatmaker.  It has been a great follow up for our Sunday morning class, “The Hole in the Gospel”.  Both studies have shown me the selfishness of acquiring more “things” while ignoring the needs of others.  I just finished studying “Covenant” with Amie Henry, and Isaiah at Community Bible Study.   “Covenant” opened my eyes to see how God wants to be in relationship with man from Genesis to Revelation.  And Isaiah has been like the Gospel of the Old Testament!

What wisdom do you have for other women as they go through life?

I try to remember to pray about everything.  When I’m lying in bed in the morning (before the alarm goes off the second time), I ask the Holy Spirit to guide me and remember who I represent.  When someone comes to mind and I don’t know why, I pray for that person.  When I am sick, I think of others who live with pain constantly and pray for them.  When I cook a meal or make a gift for someone, I pray for them while I am working at it.

Through the years, one of my best times for prayer has been while running.  About 10 years ago, I was scheduled to give a short devotional for Community Bible Study.  As Gary and I started our early morning run, I asked God to give me something for the women.  At 6:00 in the morning, it was still dark.  I was following Gary, watching the shadows move on the ground.  The further away we were from a street light, the longer our shadows were.  Sometimes my shadow would fall across Gary or his would fall across me.  But when we were directly under the street light, there were no shadows on us and there was light all around us.

This is what I heard God telling me:  When I am in the Light (the Word, Jesus), His Light is all around me.  That’s what others will see—Jesus, through the way I live my life.  When I get further away from the Light (not in the Word, neglecting my prayer life and focusing on myself, not listening to God), I am casting shadows.  Others see ME, not Christ in me.  My shadow is blocking their view of who Jesus is.  “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” – 1 John 1:7  By staying in the Word, praying without ceasing and listening for His voice, I am reflecting His Light to the world.

May 4, 2013

Organize - I can’t just expect to walk across the stage and have everything fall into place. I must plan. Two things that I will be focused on organizing are my future job and budget.  Both of these are essential to success in my next step.

My goal, like most college graduates, is to have a job lined up before graduation. In order for this to happen I must send out my resume and go through the interview process multiple times. This is not going to be fun; however, it is a necessary process. If I choose to not send out resumes, then I won’t have interviews. If I don’t have interviews, then I can’t get offered a job. This sort of defeats the purpose of school.

My budget is something I have to tackle now. I need to get organized in this area, now. I want to be equipped to plan a budget and not be a slave to my paycheck. Budget is not easy for me, but thankfully I have Terisa Clark on my team. She is gracious enough to sit down and help me with my budget. I’m looking forward to conquering this area.

Pray -  (Duh!)  Prayer is required in every situation but especially when looking to take the next step.  All the great men and women of the Bible prayed and sought for God to transform them. We need to pray that God would continue to transform us into the leader we need to be in that next step.

Peace - We need to find peace in our preparation. We cannot rush the process of moving forward. I struggle with this because I wish it was already next year. Parts of me feel so ready to walk across that stage and never have to think about homework again. I want to rush just to get there. But I need find peace where I am. I know that this next step has great things for me. I also know that I need this time to prepare. Through prayer and time with God I find peace. We need to find peace and trust His timing.

Whether your next step is graduation, marriage, motherhood, or a new job, ask God how you can prepare. The better prepared you are, the easier the transition will be. Preparation will allow you to enjoy the excitement of moving forward instead of being stressed or overwhelmed. Take the time that is needed to prepare for that next step.

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Sarah Nichols is a student at Lubbock Christian University. She blogs at sdawnnichols.tumblr.com.

It was not until she reached a point of medical necessity and such excruciating pain that she finally underwent the much needed procedure.  After the procedure she felt instant relief!

I couldn’t help but smile at the excitement in her voice as she shared with anyone who would listen about how she had forgotten what it felt like to NOT be in pain and how she wished she had just done it sooner.

I can completely relate to this lady’s story.

Though the circumstances are different, our stories are very similar. My life had been filled with so much pain and heartache that I thought I was broken beyond repair. The hurt and the pain became such a part of my everyday life that I too learned to live with it.

It wasn’t until I was in a state of complete and utter desperation that I finally got to the place where I was ready for my simple solution… I finally surrendered my life to Christ. It didn’t take me long to discover that, though I was broken, if I would allow Him to work, I was definitely NOT beyond repair!

I wish I could say that I experienced instant relief like that lady did, but it just wasn’t the case.

It has been a long hard road, but definitely one worth traveling.

Today, I find myself in unfamiliar territory. I am whole again, and I am not sure what to do with that… The truth is, like that lady, I cannot remember a time in my life where I was not in pain. So, my next step is to walk in His wholeness and tell everyone who will listen how my precious Lord and Savior, Jesus, picked up the shattered pieces of my broken heart, put them back together, and made me whole again.

If you find yourself in a place full of heartache and pain, you do not have to accept it.

The same One who rescued me wants to do the same for you!

Do not wait until you hit rock bottom like I did.

Surrender your life to Jesus!

Take all of the pain and heartache you have been carrying around and lay them down at the foot of the cross.

You too will stand in awe of the One who will make you whole again!

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