Grad School Tuition

 In early May of this year, my whole world seemed to fall apart.  Due to the work of Satan, who prowls around seeking whom he can devour, my marriage of 19 years unraveled and within a week and a half, we lost our ministry, our home, our church, and our community.   We left Uganda, where we had served as missionaries for 7 years, and landed in the town that I grew up in: Milledgeville, GA.  Within 24 hours, my husband and I were legally separated and the kids and I have been trying to put together a new life in America.  We have suffered so much loss, but in the process, we have gained more of Christ and have been able to say, "When all around my hope gives way, he then is all my hope and stay."

We have been very blessed by the church of Christ surrounding us to provide for our needs and take care of me as a "widow" of sorts.  I am so thankful to be able to maintain something of our former life by being able to stay home with my kids and even continue to homeschool this year.  What a blessing, amidst so much trauma, that something can stay the same!

As I look towards the future, however, I know that eventually, I need to end up at a place where I can support myself.   I have had the dream for many years to become a licensed mental health counselor and I believe that the Lord is beginning to open doors in that direction.  

I have found an online program that is intended for working adults. Due to the slow pace, it will allow me to continue homeschooling and begin working towards my master's degree.  I hope to start school on August 22 to earn a degree in mental health counseling with an emphasis in Christian counseling.

I can see how God could use this for his kingdom in so many ways.  Through all the life paths that God has taken me down, I now have first-hand experience in foster care/adoption issues, missionary/TCK issues, and marriage/sexual betrayal issues.  There are so many possibilities of how God could use this in my life to support our family and in his kingdom to build his church. 

The total cost of Tuition is about $10,000/year and it is a 4.5 year program.  That includes everything from tuition to books to graduation requirements.  The kids and I would be so thankful for any help we could get towards this endeavor.  Mostly, we have been thankful for how the people of God have come around us to pray for us continually and love on us richly.  It has not been an easy journey and there is not an easy end in sight, but God holds us day by day and I've been so thankful for all who have cared for us deeply.