I have always been vague about where we lived overseas and what our family did. I still don’t want to put too much online, but I do want to share what’s going on with my family right now as things are kind of topsy-turvy for us.
Until this summer my family had been living in southeast Turkey near the Syrian border. I’ve actually seen ISIS members. They recruited in our neighborhood. Our city faced the brunt of the influx of refugees from Syria to the point where now a quarter of the city is refugees. We ended up being support to a school for Syrian refugees and my husband discipled Syrian, Afghan, and Iranian pastors leading fellowships in the city.
This spring we found out that our residence permits were not going to be renewed to continue living anywhere in that region of Turkey. As we had felt called specifically to that city and not to Turkey in general, we didn’t feel right just choosing another city in Turkey to live in. We sought the Lord as a family and two weeks later found ourselves moving to eastern Germany, really east, like a stone’s throw from Poland, or as they say here, a cat’s leap.
We moved in with a family who had been strangers before we arrived. We were at their home for six weeks until we moved into our apartment just this August. Yes, we just moved in. When we went to apply for our residence permit in Germany, we were met with a letter saying our application would be denied unless we enrolled our children in school. They had been told by a German friend of ours that we would be homeschooling. (He had been trying to be helpful.) The Lord has not changed our minds on homeschooling, and so we began speaking with this official and that official and sending letters, etc. In the end we were not given permission to homeschool, and we have to leave. We’ve only been in our apartment for less than a month. This weekend my husband will leave with my two oldest to find our next home, and I will be traveling by plane a week later with the youngest four children.
Where are we going? We are headed to Macedonia. It’s the first foreign country the Lord brought us to years ago. We were there for 6 years, living and working among the Roma, better known as Gypsies. I love Macedonia, and I have not been for a visit since 2008. We are allowed to stay three months there without a visa before we either need to get permission to live there or get out.
We do plan on coming back to Germany in three months (we can re-enter after being out 90 days) and will keep doing the work we’ve begun here and we’ll see what comes of it. We have friends here who will continue to seek an exemption for us to homeschool. We don’t know what God’s plan is for all of this.
Please be praying for me and my family through all the transition. I love being home, so it’s hard for me to not have a place to settle into.
WOW! I had no idea of the calling on your family’s life. This puts Easy Peasy in a whole new light for me. THANK YOU SO MUCH and know that our homeschool family of six children are praying with you and yours every day!
Can someone please help me what do we do about standarized testing? you can email me if needed at anyname3@gmail.com
You can get more help using the email account: allinonehomeschool@gmail.com and/or you can join the facebook group to get more help: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Easy.Peasy.All.in.One.Homeschool/
I don’t know if you have found answers, but Bob Jones helps with this, as do some homeschooling associations. Is it something you just want, or something required? You might also check HSLDA–they address this topic, though I don’t know if they offer help.
Wow, lots of moving in foreign lands….may you find your strength in the Lord.
yes may God see you and your family through this.
with love and respect Mrs. Mendoza
My prayers are with you and your family
Sent from my iPhone
>
I will be praying for you and your family, Lee! I am actually a student of Easy Peasy, and I wanted to thank you for all the hard work you have put into this website. Thanks so much!
Thank you for sharing your life of faith- it’s inspiring! I love how flexible you are in following the path that God lays before your feet! I will be praying and look forward to hearing of your settling in somewhere! With love from California.
Oh wow, Lee! I had no idea! You have been in a pretty dangerous place. We are also in Germany, homeschooling. It is allowed for military families though. I pray there is some kind of exemption you can get but I know the homeschooling laws here are terrible. My kids are told all the time here that homeschooling is illegal and get sick of hearing it. We will be praying for your family. Thanks for all you do!
Dear Lee, I have prayerfully been considering homeschooling my precious, gifted, 8th grade son who has dyslexia and your site has given me hope that I can do this difficult job I feel God calling me to do. My prayers are with you and your family during this crazy time-my prayers are for your safety, guidance and peace in the face of change. Blessings from Florida, Dana
I just found your website and have starting using EP for my kids. I wanted to say thank you because it took an incredible amount of work to put all this on and keep it up. I lived for 4 years in Papua New Guinea and seemed to be always on the move….you are right that women are much happier with a place to roost and call home. Will be praying the Lord guides your path and give you the grace through it all. Praying for you, my sister.
Thank you for sharing. I read the post to my kids and we were so inspired! What a trust in God to follow Him to challenging and dangerous places.
Sending prayers up for your family!
Dear Lee, Thanks so much for sharing your life with us. It is amazing to me that you have done all this EP and you re living as missionaries, right? Wow. My heart is for the mission field and 3 of my 4 children feel the call to that as well, and have been to many places. My daughter nd her husband were on an 11 months 11 countries missions a few years back and hungry was taken off the list , too dangerous at the time they were coming through. I will keep your family in my prayers now that I know this about you. Wow you are touching so many with God given tallent . I pray the Lord gives you great favor wherever you place the sole of your foot. May He open incredible doors of opportunity for you’ll and may you continue to train up your children as you have been. Praying for great friendships and refreshing along the way.
God Bless you.
Penny- Tampa Bay, Florida –
I am Homeschooling my 15 year old, or rather she is home schooling her self pretty much -through EP. 🙂
Grateful <3
Hi, saw you were from the Tampa Bay Area and homeschooling-we live in Palm Harbor , Fl and I’m considering homeschooling my son this next year when he starts high school. He is dyslexic 🙂 wondering if you could share your experience with EP with me. Thanks, Dana
give me a shout and we can exchange phone numbers. and resources. Torreshms1@gmail.com or on face book Penny Torres. 🙂
Your update really touched my heart and I had no idea of course of your circumstances. I will be praying for God’s hand to direct and protect your family.
Thank you for all the work you put into this site. I know it’s a huge blessing for many families!
God bless you and yours!
Praying for you!
I would like to extend my prayers for you and your family for God’s direction! Bless you!
Lee
We will definitely hold you and your family up in prayer.
Thank you for the life you’re living for our Lord!
-Julie
Blaine, Washington, USA
Wow, I” will be praying for you. Finding your website has made my job as a homeschool mom of a teen so much easier. Thank you so much, prayers that you find the home you are looking for.
God bless you guys, our family is praying for yours!
Hello, I am writing to say that after reading your update, the Lord got me up early this morning to pray a hedge of protection over you and your family.
My husband was forced terminated from a church on the east coast last October. We’ve been displaced back to Texas. As we are still waiting for our home to sell… It has left us living with family for a very long time. My son who is in highschool read with me what you’re going through and immediately felt the need to pray as well. I know that God will guide you to where you need to be right now. The freedom to homeschool is a blessing. I have 3 boys, one with aspergers, a chronic illness & a husband who has been w/o a permanent job for almost a year. Even though I don’t have s home of my own, and much obstacles daily I choose to count my blessings. I hope my story can encourage you and anyone who is struggling. “With God all things are possible!” Praying for an open door and for you to be together again soon! Blessings, Bren
Thank you so much for this resource! Our family will be praying for you all as well.
As a former missionary, my heart just breaks for you to hear this story. Love and blessings to your family. We will be praying for you. Thank you for all you do.
Would love to connect with you! My family (husband, 4 homeschooled kids, myself, and our dog) are moving to Macedonia TOMORROW to start an orphanage! A friend who follows your site, just told me about you. We will be traveling from North Carolina via DC, and Istanbul starting tomorrow (9/2) morning. So excited to read about your plans!
Please use the allinonehomeschool@gmail.com account to send a message.
Wow Lee!!!
Many prayers for you & your family! Thanks again, so much for all you do. Such an inspiration!
What a journey! I have been using your site with my kids for a couple of years, and this year will again be using three courses. Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing your expertise and efforts with the rest of us! I did not know your background, but will be praying diligently for you and your family as you work out how to mesh the different aspects of your call so that you can accomplish everything the Lord has led you to. My family and I are in the same work, though not the same country. We, along with many of our friends, are experiencing several challenges that have led and will lead to changes and decisions, as well as opportunities for growth. It is not easy, but it is worth it. I cannot imagine how you have homeschooled your children while dealing with ministry and upheaval, but we do serve an awesome, empowering God. When we log in now to work every day, we will be reminded to pray for God to work through you and in your family. God bless
You are in my prayers!! I’m encouraged and inspired by your experience. Also, thanks so much for this site. I have 7 kiddo and this has been so helpful. Blessings.
Krista.
Incredible! Thank you for letting us all know. I had no idea. We have just started your program for the first time this week and absolutely love it. And we are excited that it continues through High School. Our family will be praying for you all!
First of all, thank you so much for all the work you put into this site. I know it is a blessing to so many people. There are so many bad things going on in the world and at the same time I am in awe of the generosity of people such as yourself.
I wanted to share a scripture I felt the Lord gave me years ago when I was praying for a house for our family…The Lord worked it out for us to buy a wonderful house 2 years ago, much more than we asked for. He always takes care of his people.
Maybe this scripture will encourage you as well. God Bless you and your family.
And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning. — 2 Samuel 7:10 (NIV)
We are adding our prayers to that of so many others here, for your family to be protected and settled. Thank you so much for blessing our lives with your hard work on this and the sister site. I am a Mom of ten, home schooling six this year, and was floundering after losing our family income. Your site is a blessing for us.
I am moved deeply by your story. When I got to the part about moving to Germany a red flag went off in my mind. So glad the God worked out a better situation for your family in Macedonia. As a family, we are praying for your ministry.
Praying for you and your family!
Lee im praying for you and im not gonna say I know what your going through but I know what it feels like to just want to go home I was in and out of different hospitals for 4 months when my appendix burst and they didn’t know I came close to dying put pulled through im better now but I missed my dog and my home and family every second of laying in the hospital bed in pain I missed easter too so I may not have had to leave my home for good but I know what it feels like to miss home and neighborhood at least praying for you from Wyoming,IL
Just hang in there God has a plan whether your know what it is or not, Everything is happening for a reason. I’ll be praying for y’all. (2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.) Keep the faith. 🙂
Dear Lee, We will be praying for you…Thank you so much for your curriculum. I am starting to use it and it is really awesome. Blessing to you and PRAYING FOR PROTECTION AND GUIDANCE YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION TO ME!!!! GOD BLESS YOU SO MUCH!
I’m keeping your family in my prayers. I hope that you are safe and that you find a safe place to land and call your own. We appreciate the site very much. It is a blessing to me and makes me feel that I can homeschool my kids. You efforts are much appreciated.
Just Curious, Is anyone in touch with Lee? I have not seen any posts from her. Are her and her family ok? Are they on the grid or does someone else run this site from the states on her behalf? Thanks, Prayers for Lee & Her Family!
I’m here! I just don’t write on the blog often. Sorry! We are in Macedonia right now. I’ll have to think of an update to post. 🙂
I knew it was illegal to homeschool in Germany (the HSLDA, here in the U.S.A. has been helping German families for years), but somehow I thought temporary residents wouldn’t be held to the law of the nation.
Praying! I hope everything is getting better!!
Praying for your family during all the moving and shaking. Growing up as an MK in war torn countries and behind the iron curtain, I can understand a little bit of the frustration of visas and foreign living.
I, also, wanted to say thank you for all your hard work and for sharing it with others! It has really given me a lot of confidence in this age of having to prove everything that my kids really are learning a lot. What a great resource!
Thanks for praying for us.
Hi Lee,
I just read you latest life update. We will pray for y’all.
I’m not sure if you have already done this or not, but you could try
posting a fundraiser of gofundme.com and seeing if any one would help y’all raise some money.
We are regular donors to your website. We’ll be praying,
Cadence