Paul and Gena Suarez
Hello, again, from Cool, California! We are Paul, Gena and kids (Paul, Luke, Levi, Julia), the publishers of this magazine. It's great to be with you for yet another issue. As each new one is published, our whole staff collectively sighs with relief and disbelief! God (Jesus Christ) is the One who gets the glory and our complete thankfulness; we cannot believe what He has accomplished in us as a family and in this publication. There are days we just shake our heads, stunned at the work of His hand. We don't yet know the exact direction of this magazine. If you've been with us since the beginning, you'll note many changes! Certain columns sprang up and are now on hold; new ones are being introduced. Last issue you saw Tophats & Parasols and Kindergarten Korner. Surprise! They're not here this issue! But they'll be back in the Spring edition with Mark Hamby and Michael Maloney. This issue we introduce Resource Room and others. Next issue we have several more columns for you. (Diana Waring joined our staff in our new HisStory Corner - she is GREAT!) Things are moving and settling as we endeavor to come up with a workable template. Take a look at the staff pages at the front of this book. Meet the TOS Team from good ol' Kalamazoo, Michigan, who did this lovely layout for us! We want to especially thank professor Larry Ahleman, the leader of TOS Team at the university. TOS Magazine is so new (two years)! We started it to bring encouragement and inclusiveness to the homeschool community. Our hope is that our Father will use it to bring glory to His Son. It is our desire to remain faithful to these efforts. Please keep us in your prayers, that we may always seek His will before our own.
The word intervention is a noun - the act of intervening. Have you ever had to intervene when a brawl began to erupt between two (or more!) or your children? You step in, or come between. You pro-actively move to put an end to something or force an event to happen. One definition of intervene according to Webster's New World College Dictionary is: "to come between as an influence, as in order to modify, settle, or hinder some action, argument, etc." God has done this for us, the Suarez family. He seems to keep doing it with this magazine every single issue and He has done it in the past, just in our lives, in general. We experienced a tragedy approximately a year and a half ago when certain individuals meddled and began a process of sin with a family member (a child). Never had we felt the pain of betrayal as at that time. It was a crisis for our family; something we never dreamed would happen to us. A rumor caught fire and then more rumors. Scripture was never applied to the situation by those who stole from us. In fact, they wanted nothing to do with Scripture, by their own words. We were shocked and dismayed that a rumor could take precedence over what the truth actually was, particularly with Christians' involvement! But reality was not sought after - that was not the priority. When this happened, we could only draw our children to ourselves tighter and try and get through each day to the best of our ability. We would wake up with tight knots in our stomachs; it felt like a deep hole that would not close up. Nothing could fill that hole. Our younger children were devastated and afraid. They were insecure and utterly confused. We cried out to the Lord almost hourly during those days - our family, our closest friends and our extended family - all praying. Our sister, my aunts, our cousins, numerous friends, everyone. All we could do was pray and watch. We all begged God's intervention in what was happening. We were on our knees, imploring Him to intervene… to break in and stop the rapidly advancing crisis which was spiraling out of control. Word was getting back to us that these meddlers were causing great damage to this child (worldly influences that she had never been exposed to). We prayed and prayed. "GOD, please intervene! Do something on our behalf. Don't let this child end up on this new path!" Two and a half weeks into our crisis, something incredible happened. Within a three-day period, an event akin to a miracle occurred so quickly that we all shook. It was like God stepped right in and placed His index finger deep into their plot. He then seemed to whip it up furiously, causing all their plans to scatter like water thrown at a fan. Everything stopped. He scooped down, picked up this loved child of His, and placed her right back where He wanted her. He had a better plan. Our opposers were thrown back. God intervened.
There is more to this story, much more. And it is not even fully complete, yet. Waiting is a hard thing. In His timing, indeed. God desires peace amongst His people. We are thankful, however, at the incredible intervention that took place on our behalf, and on behalf of this now adult child, by the God who loves us enough to be directly involved in our lives. He cares about every large event and every miniscule one, too. Nothing escapes His eye. Nothing is too small for Him.
Thanks to Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore, HSLDA, Focus on the Family and other groups who care deeply for the homeschooling movement, we don't see a lot of 'high alert' situations in the homeschool community like we did a decade ago. Parents can feel free, for the most part, to home educate their children in peace throughout all 50 states. We at TOS recommend membership with HSLDA as well as staying informed on the latest in homeschool laws and essential goings on. We don't often hear horror stories like we once did, where CPS shows up and removes "truant" children from homes. What a nightmare that would be! These faithful families laid a trail for us, and groups with principle have helped to keep that train clean. We thank God that we are hearing more and more GOOD NEWS in homeschooling, rather than 'tales of tragedy.' God is intervening, and things are changing mightily for families because of His intervention.
Remember to give Him glory and much thanks for your blessed opportunity to keep your children near you, training them up in a way they should go. If you need God's intervention in your life for anything (big or small), including salvation, call on Him. HE is an awesome God! Cast all your cares on Him, for He careth for you.
Til next issue, Lord bless your households. We are honored to make your acquaintance.
- The Suarez Clan
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