Starting on Thursday I've met 2 really significant people that I would describe as world changers.....That has always been a secret theme song for my kids that I heard in one of my first years of homeschooling. The 2 lines in the song that I remember were:
I want to be a world changer
I want to be a mover, a shaker
That's it. But I remember thinking, "That's what I want to be. That's what I want my kids to be. Lord, let my kids be world changers." We even started reading books called World Changers about men and women like William Wilberforce and others like him.
Anyway, the first woman I met on Thursday was Tania Granic-Allen. She is the president of PAFE (Parents As First Educators). My husband started following this group awhile ago and loved what they were about. They fight the government on their involvement in parents' lives and how they parent. PAFE wants as little government as possible. Tania is a homeschooling mom of 4 and is a Christian. She recently ran for the leadership of the Progressive Conservatives, but lost. However, she sure raised some eyebrows and can only be described as a fireball.
We had her come down to the homeschool support group to speak and she drove 3 hours to be there. My only sadness was that more people weren't there and that more people didn't get inspired by her. We all left after her talk ready to take on the prime minister and all the awful bills he's allowed pass since coming into office, not to mention all the other left wing politicians who hate families.
Her main goal was to get us to be involved, to not sit back, to write our politicians, to give input on the sex ed curriculum they are trying to change. So many Christians are sleeping and it is time to wake up. She also lives on a farm trying to raise animals and vegetables and kids....not easy (I know!) So she was very impressive as she manages all that as well as a career in politics. But I now know what I'll be doing at the next Policy Convention - I will be there with my older kids. I'm going to try to make sure they go to at least one in their lifetime as part of their schooling, (a crash course in civics!) so that they will see how things work.
She's fighting for a Parental Charter of Rights. Something that is etched in stone just like a Charter of Rights, so that when they try to take our children and or challenge us on how we raise our children, it will forever be there in black and white that WE as PARENTS have FIRST rights..NOT the government. The government thinks that they co-parent. No, they don't. I parent. They are MY kids.
Whew! I laugh when I read that...I am so NOT political, but I do get riled up when I think about stuff like that. Tania was very animated and I related to her a bit - we were able to chat a bit at the end and I shared with her that we were praying for her. I love women like her.
Then, on Saturday, a completely different woman came over to our home. She was my nurse when I was born in Zambia, Doraine. When my kids heard she was coming over, one of them said, "She's still alive?!" Yes, I am not THAT old.
She is now the "mobilizer" for SIM (Sudan Interior Mission), the mission my son is considering going to Zambia with this next year. My grandparents, parents and even myself have all been to Africa (my mom was born there, too!). It seemed natural that my son would also consider going. The interesting thing was it was his idea, not mine. The interesting thing is that he'll probably end up in the very hospital my dad worked in and where I was born.
One day he thought, "Mom, I think I want to go to Africa and work in the hospital." I mentioned it to my husband later and he came up with the idea that he take a term off school and go for a longer period of time. That was a shocker to me as I was quite certain he liked our kids on this side of the ocean more. When my son thought about that, it really interested him. I mentioned it to my parents and they gave me Doraine's email as she is the one to be in touch with. The next thing you know she's at our house interviewing my son.
Our oldest son has taken quite a turn in his original interest, perhaps considering human medicine over animal. He loves animals, but thinks if it is the same amount of schooling, he'd rather pursue human medicine and keep animals as a hobby on the side. He's doing fairly well at school and hopes to write the MCAT exam this summer. He'd then probably head for Africa either in the Fall or the new year of 2019. It takes that long to prepare.
Seeing my little nurse (she's so small!) was bizarre! To think she was one of the first people if not the first person who ever held me is crazy! And there I am introducing her to my 19 year old of my 8 children. It must be just as crazy for her.
She is a world changer. She told us all about an orphanage one of her student nurses started and how she is helping the 1 million orphans in Zambia (out of a population of 13 million). Amazing. Doraine also shared her story of how she fought being a missionary for years. It was one of the last things on earth she wanted to do and she ran from God doing other things, before she finally gave in and surrendered her life. She is now living in Canada, but hasn't slowed down one bit.
There you have it - two women, in just a few days. Both women are serving the Lord in such different capacities, one in politics, on through foreign missions. One young and just at the beginning of her career. One older and nearing the end of her's. One doesn't realize the fruit she's going to see and all the people she's going to impact. The other can look back and see God's Hand in her life and all the people she's been able to bring into the Kingdom. I guess it really doesn't matter where our kids end up, as long as they love the Lord and want to do His will, they can be world changers anywhere. That's my prayer and I'll keep singing my secret theme song for them.
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