On the 18th & 19th of this month, my family attended the Indiana Association of Home Educators (IAHE) Convention. We arrived around 8:10am (they opened the doors at 8am). That was the earliest we’ve ever been there before (we go every year), and it wasn’t crowded yet so it was quite peaceful.

At the convention, there are two general sessions on each day. One is in the morning and the other in the afternoon or evening. The general session is the time where all (well, most) of the convention attendees come together and listen to one of the main speakers. Below is a list and summary of the sessions I went to.

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Friday, April 18th

- AM GENERAL SESSION
The History of Homeschoolers’ Struggle to be Free
Presented by Mike Smith, President of HSLDA
In this session, Mike Smith told stories of past homeschoolers when it was illegal to homeschool in America. He also explained some of the struggles that many went through to make homeschooling legal.

- WORKSHOP I
Why Students Walk Away from Their Faith
Presented by John Stonestreet, Executive Director of Summit Ministries
When you don’t believe in truth, you can believe in anything. Many students once they hit the college years are walking away from the faith. John Stonestreet gave several reasons why this is happening. Students don’t know who to trust, how to think, who they are, and don’t “get” Christianity. What needs to be done? Parents need to teach their children how to see the world from a Biblical world view.

- PM GENERAL SESSION
Revival in America: Building a Godly Legacy for Generations
Presented by Norm Wakefield, Founder of The Spirit of Elijah Ministries
In this session, Norm Wakefield talked about America and how greatly it needs a revival. We cannot build a godly legacy for generations without a personal revival, so he gave several points on the mindset of personal revival. We must have a humble heart and follow God and His way. Our children need to see God’s strength in us at all times. Have faith in God. God will not disappoint you.

- WORKSHOP II (we decided to shop in the vendor hall – so we didn’t go to any of the workshops)

- WORKSHOP III
Living Happily Ever After . . . A Modern Day Love Story
Presented by Woody & Gina Robertson
This newlywed couple, shared about their courtship and what God did in their lives to prepare for it. Lordship is what they call courtship, because they kept the Lord and His will as the focus of their lives. In their single years they sought God and His will for their lives. A couple of questions that they asked themselves was “Who is God wanting me to serve?” and “What’s my message?”

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Saturday, April 19th

- AM GENERAL SESSION
Anchored in Christ: Building a Firm Foundation for Generations
Presented by Norm Wakefield, Founder of The Spirit of Elijah Ministries
Norm Wakefield spoke about our goals and what our ultimate goals should be. We must live and teach the Gospel with power, and prepare our children for life and eternity. Our problem is that we drift and we need to watch out for our unbelief. When we find that we’ve had unbelieving thoughts and actions, we need to repent of it and go to God and ask forgiveness, give Him the glory, say and believe that it all belongs to Him, and thank Him. Give thanks to God! Display Christ – it will draw others to Him!

- WORKSHOP I
The Brave New World of Biotechnology
Presented by John Stonestreet, Executive Director of Summit Ministries
Biotechnology : : the industrial use of living organisms, or the application of technique of living organisms. Bioethics : : right conduct in the area of biotechnology. You can defend your faith in anything and in any topic. Our moral questioning doesn’t seem to be around when it comes to biotechnology – God’s Word is authority! John Stonestreet spoke on all the different things that are going on in biotechnology (I will leave them unmentioned), and shared about the challenges that we have as Christians. Biotechnology is being done in the context of a false (and dangerous) cultural world view. Only the church has hope and we need to go to our Biblical foundations and send strong Christians to the “mission field” of biotechnology.

- WORKSHOP II
Training Young Ladies to be Bright Lights for the Lord
Presented by Tomorrow’s Forefathers
In this session, four young ladies spoke to parents about how they can train their daughters to be Bright Lights for the Lord. Some of the points were to give training in godliness, lay a solid foundation of Scripture, see the need for continual protection, give a vision for the future, and being committed to prayer. They shared a little about the Bright Lights groups that were started by Sarah Mally. Bright Lights was set up for girls to pursue godliness, to have positive peer-pressure, and to minister to others. Grace, Sarah’s younger sister, was one of the young ladies who spoke during this session.

- WORKSHOP III (we decided to shop in the vendor hall – so we didn’t go to any of the workshops)

- PM GENERAL SESSION
The Greatest Threat Homeschool Movement Freedoms – The Future of Homeschooling
Presented by Mike Smith, President of HSLDA
There are people out there who do not think that parents are qualified or capable of teaching their own children. Statistics show that the parents’ education had no effect on their children’s test scores. Some people think that the government should have full responsibility of educating our children. We can’t take for granted the freedoms that we have to home educate our children. We have to continue to fight for these rights, otherwise they will be taken from us.

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This year the Home School Legal Defense Association is celebrating their 25 years of service to the homeschooling community. In honor of that, they held a little reception, and Mike Smith spoke about what they’ve done over the years, and what they are planning on doing in the future. During this talk, Breezy drew Mr. Smith, so afterwards she went up with daddy to meet him to get his signature by the drawing. Of course, Mom and I followed. We had a nice chat with him, he’s a very sweet, down-to-earth, grandfatherly figure.
This conference is about being encouraged in the Lord and in our homeschooling journey – and it truly was!

Categories: Encouragement | Homeschooling