God works in amazing ways, and I think that putting us in a place where the public schools were less than ideal led us to seek out private schools, which eventually led us to Regents. But when we first got thinking about private school we had not even heard of Regents yet. I remember when Benjamin was just a baby, Lance and I went to an open house at the Montessori school. It seemed like a good prospect, since both of our neighbors' kids went there and, oh yeah, it was in WALKING distance from our home! It was pretty evident right away that this would not be a good fit for us. We knew that their policy of no "screen time" until age 7 would not work for our family. We certainly don't park the kids in front of the television for hours but, come on, we like our television! I was also not very impressed with their belief that we should not praise our children for fear of ruining their self-esteem.
God had a plan for us all along. When Evan was about 8 months old we joined a life group at Austin Ridge. At first we were taken back and felt like outsiders when we found that ALL of the couples in the group had some connection to Regents, whether parents of Regents students, or teachers themselves. In fact, our life group then accounted for a total of 8 Regents students and 3 Regents teachers. Lance and I wondered if we were in the wrong group and I felt that familiar sense of not belonging. But something was different this time. I felt a sense that God wanted us to stay with this group, that he had a plan that we were not aware of. Keep in mind, Lance and I were still pretty much "Baby Christians" at this point so this was a big revelation for us.
After hearing so many great things about Regents, and seeing what a community it was, Lance and I knew it was the place for us. Not just for our children, but for our family. We started the application process in the Spring of last year, which seemed to impress the admissions officer that I worked with. We went on a tour, went to an open house, took Benjamin to an evaluation, had an interview, and sat in on a class. Throughout that process it was more and more clear that this place was AMAZING! We just felt an overwhelming sense of wanting to go back in time and attend Regents ourselves. What a dream that our kids could go to this school from Kindergarten through 12th and learn about God the whole time.
A few weeks ago on a Friday night, I headed to the mailbox with my heart pounding. It felt just like those times that I waited for acceptance letters from college, except somehow it seemed even more important. I opened the box and saw a large manilla envelope and just knew what it was. My heart soared. I brought it in and Lance and I opened it. Halleluja! We hugged and cried as the boys slept upstairs. We knew that this was just the beginning of something big, something that we would all be a part of for 18 years to come! Thank you God for knowing what was best for us before we did! Thank you for your infinite blessings!
Here are some pictures of the acceptance letter and our reaction. It was just perfect that the head of the school drew a rocket to symbolize the start of Benjamin's life at Regents. It symbolizes the beginning of so many things: our first child's first days of school, the beginning of his education, the beginning of our lives as members of a community of Christians, and I pray the beginning of something very special indeed!
Yes I know that the above pic is not very good, that we look like *&*^%, and that there is a spec of food in my teeth. But, please try to focus on the look of pride and excitement on our faces.
I am very excited for you all!
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