Homeschooling Down Under

by Miss Jessica

I’m a little different than most of the GGM writers – I’m Australian. I was born and raised in the north of Western Australia, where it is hot, remote and with unique scenery. Yet there is one thing in common I have with most of the writers at GGM – I homeschool! Always have, and, Lord-willing, always will.

I’ve collated a couple of questions I thought I might get asked if I were to mention homeschooling Down Under. What questions would you ask me?

Is homeschooling legal in Australia? Yes, it is. Although registration requirements differ in different states, the government supports parental choice, including the choice to provide registered home schooling to children. (Homeschooling Association of Australia).

For example, in all eight states and territories except Victoria, the parents need to submit a written application to the Board of Education, who will give, upon approval, a homeschooling licence for varying amounts of time. Occasionally we have a member from the Education Department come to our town and ‘check in on us’, to make sure that we are doing OK and receiving a full education. There is no such requirement on families in Victoria.
Is homeschooling in Australia any different than in America? Over the years, through media, books and online, I’ve noticed a few differences, but the principle – which is teaching your children at home – doesn’t change.

• In Australia, we don’t have a three month break, but rather, two weeks every ten weeks, and six weeks over Christmas and January. This school practice is often held by homeschoolers as well.
• The concept of homeschooling was accepted a lot earlier in America than in Australia. Only thirty years ago Australians would freak out at the thought of homeschooling their kids, while homeschooling was ‘happening’ at the same time in the USA. Now many people homeschool in Australia and it is easily accepted.

How many people homeschool exactly? Although a strict record is not really kept, roughly 15,000 kids homeschool in Australia.

What resources are available in Australia? Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot of homeschool resources produced by Australians in Australia, so we use either our own ideas or American curriculum and books, which can be brought in Australia or overseas. This is changing as mums start to publish what they have taught their children.

How do you ‘do’ homeschool in Australia? As in America, there are different styles for homeschooling – Charlotte Mason, Unschooling, Discipleship or traditional. One way of education outside of regular school system that is unique to Australia is a long distance-education program, called School of the Air, which is performed via radio and textbooks and usually an option for families on remote Cattle Stations. Nowadays, parents take on homeschooling themselves, regardless of whether they live in the outback or not.
Did you choose to homeschool because the school system is bad in Australia? Our family doesn’t believe there is anything wrong with the school system in Australia itself. Nearly eleven years back, Mum and Dad decided that they wanted to be the main influence in our kids’ lives, not school teachers. Although we have loved every minute of it, for us, it doesn’t mean that we frown upon anyone who chooses to send their child to school. Though this was our reason for homeschooling, there would be many reasons why families choose to homeschool in Australia.
Do you have to take exams and tests? No, you move on at your pace and level, without the pressure of preparing for a test.

Can homeschool students get into University (College)? There are many options for entry into University in Australia. One way that our family is looking into is a Uni course via external education rather than to actually go to Uni. Open University offers entrance to university without exams and tests that ‘standardize’ you, as my brother calls it.

So there you have it! We can homeschool in Australia!

Miss Jessica is a 14year old homeschool girl who lives in Australia. She loves the Lord and enjoys music, reading, history, computers and sewing. Jessica has a warped sense of humour and is always ready for a giggle. She helps her mum around the home and participates in the local church music team. You can find out more about Jess at her blog Little Miss Giggle.

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Braces: awesome or horrible – your choice

by Miss Jessica

I rubbed my jaw and sighed. The panadol I had taken several hours before for my poor, agonized mouth had worn off, so I walked to the kitchen to take some more. It was October, 2007. For a whole week I had taken life relatively easy. Having braces put on hurt a lot, and it was, understandably, taking my mouth a long time to become accustomed to having bits of metal and plastic plastered to my teeth and wire cruelly pulling my mouth’s structure into another position. Even eating tomatoes was excruciating! Let us just say that mealtimes became interesting excursions, and panadol grew to be my faithful companion.

Fourteen months down the track, having my braces tightened hardly bothers me. I lie down in the dentist chair, confident that I won’t go through the same agonizing progress I went through the first few months. In fact, I can walk out of the dentist clinic and eat a steak for dinner and my mouth will feel as fine as if I had eaten marshmallows.

Braces can be seen as worse than worse, shameful, excruciating, and humiliating, but reality is, braces become as natural as without them. All you need is a positive, grateful and contented outlook to get you through the short time you have to wear them.

10 great things about braces:

1. They change the way you speak and chew.
2. If you have them, a qualified, professionally trained orthodontist obviously thinks it is worth having them on.
3. You are given the continual opportunity to ‘live’ with pain and show endurance, joy and patience.
4. The orthodontist takes pains to make them as ‘fun’ as they can, by letting you choose colours for your braces and bands.
5. The orthodontists are relatively chirpy and want to get to know you and will talk to you. (even if they have their hands in your mouth!)
6. You are given another thing to look forward to… having your braces taken off!
7. Taking the pains to clean them well is very rewarding, and the orthodontist will be extremely impressed with you.
8. People notice when you have a good attitude about having braces on; it pays off.
9.It’s different!
10.You are left with a wonderful smile!

Why do we need them and how do they work?

From time to time jaws aren’t shaped right. While some upper jaws are bigger than the lower jaws, called an overbite, sometimes the lower jaw is bigger than the upper jaw, which is called an underbite.

The most common reason for it though is that the adult teeth just don’t grow evenly. In a nutshell, braces work by applying steady pressure to your mouth for a certain amount of time, forcing your teeth to move into the perfect position. To help the jaws move, sometimes the orthodontist makes you wear rubber bands which are stretched from the back of your lower jaw to the front of your upper jaw on both sides. Generally, braces stay on for 18months to two years, although sometimes it is more – my Dad had them on for three and a half years!

How could we look at braces in a positive and enthusiastic way? Is it even humanly possible? What does the Bible say?

For starters, the Bible reminds us in Psalm 118:24, "this is the day that the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." God ordained the day you would have braces; he is still in control even if the pain in your mouth isn’t!

In Philippians 4:11, Paul shares with the Philippians that "…in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Although braces wasn’t on Paul’s mind at that time, he was in an even worse situation than we are, and yet he was as cool as a cucumber about it! Why not give this a go – thank God for your braces. Thank him for the orthodontists and thank him for the investment being invested into your mouth. Truly, we are blessed by the Lord!

For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall, declares David in Psalm 18:29. With God’s help you can do all things – including enduring the pain of braces, not eating certain foods, and keeping on smiling day in and day out!

These are just some ways to remind myself to look on the bright side of having braces, and what God actually says about it! What can you think of that the Bible says about having a positive outlook regardless of the difficulties you face?

Honestly, braces aren’t that bad. Wearing braces can become much less of a deal when we choose to not make it one. What attitude are you going to have today?


Miss Jessica is a 14year old homeschool girl who lives in Australia. She loves the Lord and enjoys music, reading, history, computers and sewing. Jessica has a warped sense of humour and is always ready for a giggle. She helps her mum around the home and participates in the local church music team. You can find out more about Jess at her blog Little Miss Giggle.

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Are You Connected?

On our farm, we grow sandalwood trees, which are rich in oil. After at least 13 years of growing, they are harvested and sold to produce sandalwood oil. Surprisingly different for a tree, the sandalwood cannot grow to its full potential without the help of some other trees, due to a weak system for providing food for the whole tree. Although the root system itself is normal, it lacks the ability to find the goodness in the soil and draw from it. This classifies Sandalwood as a parasite tree. Without a strong system, the tree will struggle to grow, and will die if completely isolated. What is the tree to do?

God has made the Sandalwood tree to latch onto other plants and nearby trees and draw from their source of nutrients, these are called host trees. On our farm, we have three different sorts of trees which act as host trees at different times in the sandalwoods life. Initially, the Sandalwood is grown by seeds in a pot with a ground cover called alternanathera. Over the next two-three years, the Sandalwood roots will grow beyond the ground cover and onto another tree planted a couple of feet away from the Sandalwood. This tree is known as Sesbania, and will last for about six years, before it dies and the Sandalwood roots will move on to find another row filled with other host trees such as, Cathromium, Albizia (Raintree), pongamia, dalbergia (Rosewood) which provides sufficient nutrition until harvesting time.

From the outside Sandalwood looks greedy, or even weak. When you take a second look at the Sandalwood though, there is an enormous analogy between us and God. Let’s check it out.

Sandalwood trees need to connect with ‘host trees’ through the roots to be strong. Likewise we need the LORD to be our host tree, where we constantly drink from his goodness and love. The sandalwood tree doesn’t need to rely on anything else to survive when it has the host tree, because everything all the nutrients that sandalwood needs are found within the roots of the host tree.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

Some sandalwood companies don’t use host trees to grow sandalwood, but instead leave the tree to grow with its own roots. Don’t be like that – you might turn out an OK person just like a tree turns out to be an OK tree, but you will never have the abundant life that is found in God and God alone. I look around at the world today and see so many awful things – drugs, divorce, suicide, abortion and depression – and can only wonder at what would happen if the abundant life promised in God was there instead. Draw from God and continually put your trust in Him– he is there for you and won’t let you fall!

"But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God." Psalm 31:14

"But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever." Psalm 52:8

One of my favourite artists, Colin Buchanan, once wrote a song based on Psalm 1, Grow Like a Tree. The first verse is as follows:

Grow like a Cabramurra snowgum

Steady and strong in the Lord

Facing the cold winds of hardships

With roots that go

Deep in God’s word

* How do we feed off God?
* Delve into His Word.
* Never stop praying.
* Memorize scripture.
* Have daily devotions.
* Join with other like-minded Christians.
* Glean from other wiser Christians by reading books and blogs and listening to sermons.


Check out Philippians for more on how to live as a citizen of heaven. When we are planted next to streams of water and positioned with good sun, and we soak it up, we will grow to be as tall as cedar trees and attached to God as the sandalwood connects to its host.


Miss Jessica is a 14year old homeschool girl who lives in Australia. She loves the Lord and enjoys music, reading, history, computers and sewing. Jessica has a warped sense of humour and is always ready for a giggle. She helps her mum around the home and participates in the local church music team. You can find out more about Jess at her blog Little Miss Giggle.

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Joy In The WORD

by Miss Jessica

Did you know that the Bible uses the term joy over 500 times? As well as words such as ‘joy’, ‘rejoice’, ‘be glad’, ‘be merry’, and ‘delight’, it totals up to an exact amount of 826 times! Wow!

In 2 Timothy, chapter three verses sixteen and seventeen, it says:

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

If all scripture is God-breathed, and God tells us to do something 826 times then I think we’d better pay attention!

But what exactly is joy? To my mind, joy and happiness are closely connected. Joy is a Christians’ expression of happiness, although happiness is more based on the emotions of the circumstance than your inner spirit. Joy is the assurance, hope and love of Jesus Christ grinning right through us!

Psalm 118:24
"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it!"

I once read a fictitious story with one of the characters being a teacher, called Damarius Drybread. As a Christian, she was stern and strict and believed that all Christians should be sober and solemn. Damarius Drybread didn’t know what she was missing out on!

In Zephaniah 3:14-15, he proclaimed:
"Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more."

You know, we too can rejoice with all our hearts, because that’s what Jesus did for us! He took away God’s judgment and wrath from us, anointed us with his Holy Spirit, and freely gave us the inheritance of heaven, where there will be no more evil! Isn’t that something to help us smile through those tough times?

As Christians, God wants the fruit of the spirit, joy to be in our lives. Why? Because ‘the joy of the LORD is your strength’, ‘a happy heart gives healing’, ‘For ye are our glory and joy.’. Because Jesus is coming back again; because Jesus is alive; because we will see Jesus again. We have joy when we are faithful with what God has given us, when we do God’s will, and when we ask God in faith. I once read that “the world gives us thousands of reasons to cry, but Jesus has given me a million reasons to smile”. It’s true – God has given each of us thousands upon thousands of reasons to rejoice in him – even in the tough times, because we know that he ‘holds the future’ and that the ‘joy will come in the morning!’

Philippians 4:4
"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice!"

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4
"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;"

When my sister was but six months old, she had a tumor, which resulted in having one of her kidneys removed. Throughout the years the scar tissue has grown giving her many excruciatingly painful tummy aches. Through it all though, Mum and Dad have taught Nomi to remember God’s faithfulness. We strongly believe that God was right there with Nomi as a baby, performing miracle after miracle. Although the actual pain and surgery wasn’t something to rejoice about, we can find a lot of things to praise God for – namely, that He doesn’t leave my sisters side through all her pain! Again and again I hear that when we stop focusing on the problem and start looking at the Lord – and not the little God of our normal understanding either, but the great BIG awesome Jehovah – it all falls into perspective and we can praise God through the good and the bad, knowing that He’s still sitting on His mighty throne. In other words, we don’t praise God for the bad things, but we can praise God for being faithful.

Mathew 2:10
"When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy."

One of my absolute favourite songs is Because He Lives! The chorus goes as follows:

Because He lives
I can face tomorrow
Because he lives
All fear is gone
Because I know
He holds the future
And life is worth the livin’
Just because He lives!

So today, I’d like to encourage you that Christians are supposed to be joyful people because of what Jesus did for us, regardless of the circumstance;

Romans 14:17
“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”

Miss Jessica is a 14year old homeschool girl who lives in Australia. She loves the Lord and enjoys music, reading, history, computers and sewing. Jessica has a warped sense of humour and is always ready for a giggle. She helps her mum around the home and participates in the local church music team. You can find out more about Jess at her blog Little Miss Giggle.

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Gifts of JOY
by Lady Rachel

It is a JOY to go outside in Spring,
To see the lovely birds that sing,
Of their wonderful Maker above,
Who is looking down in love.

To see the flowers all a-bloom,
It is a JOY for me,
And to see the birds all a-swoon,
Oh! It is a JOY to see.

It is such a JOY to be a Child of the Father!
I know I have a loving Friend,
That will go with me all the farther,
All the way to the end.

It's the best time in the year,
When I know that my Saviour died,
So that I could be so near
And close in the years to come by His side.

A JOY is it for me to know
That I can, anytime I need,
A Friend is near that can bestow
The Gift of JOY in ev'ry good deed.

What could I want more,
Than for my Friend to be here,
Even when I get sore,
Who always wants to wants to lend an ear.

Spring reminds me of new Life,
Summer the sounds of Laughter,
Fall reminds me to let fall the strife,
And Winter, the happily ever after.

I see the things that the Maker made.
I praise Him for it everyday,
I love to remember what He said,
I think of it and give Him a thankful prayer.

Thank You, Lord, for the JOYS You give,
They are all tokens of Your love for me.
There is little more that I can give
Than to accept the free gifts You've given me.

Our Golden Wattle

by Miss Jessica

In Australia, there are many beautiful and exotic flowers across the countries, many native only to Australia and the Asian Pacific. But this one is special to Australians because it is the National Flower of Australia: the Wattle.

Yes, I know, it’s an odd name!

Joseph Banks, naturalist on Captain James Cooks’ explorer’s trip to Australia in the Endevour, discovered this bright rich yellow, exotic flower, which is best known to grow in Australia. After the Federation in 1901, the Wattle was dubbed the National Flower of Australia, and still is to this very day. On the coloured version of Australia’s embassy, you will find this beautiful flower as the background. The First of September has been Wattle Day before it was even the National Flower, but was only formally declared ‘Wattle Day’ in 1992.

Golden Wattles is on of the 900 acacia trees, and is known for its beautiful golden colour and strong scent.

You can learn more about the Golden Wattle here.
http://www.anbg.gov.au/emblems/aust.emblem.html

Miss Jessica is a 14year old homeschool girl who lives in Australia. She loves the Lord and enjoys music, reading, history, computers and sewing. Jessica has a warped sense of humour and is always ready for a giggle. She helps her mum around the home and participates in the local church music team. You can find out more about Jess at her blog Little Miss Giggle.

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The Importance of History

by Miss Jessica

Why is history considered to be so important to some people? What effect does long-gone events and dead people have to do with us as nations and individuals? How does it affect our views on life?

History tells us three things:
1. How the world came to be today
2. Our heritage and who we are
3. God’s take on life and the consequences to learn from

How The World Came to Be Today

In Genesis, God gives an exact account how the universe, and everything in it, came to be. If we do not accept this account, what are we going to believe? When we believe this account it gives us the confidence that we are ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’.

Even though we still struggle with pain and suffering these things can be explained with the history of the fall. Living without the history in the Bible would be a misrable, misguided mystery.

Our Heritage and who we Are

In Romans 5:8, Paul writes, But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection is also history. When we come to Jesus to be forgiven, we become part of God’s family and his inheritance that comes with it. Without the Bible to telling us what Jesus did – and the evidence that he was true – we wouldn’t be able to access that heritage from God.

God’s take on life, and the consequences to learn from

In the New Testament, we can catch the Apostles’ life lessons and what Jesus taught them. To my mind, the apostles didn’t sit around twiddling their thumbs waiting to be hear God saying, ‘Be completely humble and gentle’, but went out there, did their stuff, and learnt those practical lessons in real life! Throughout the whole Bible, we can learn from the lessons taught by God in other people’s lives.

So, how do we learn from history?

It’s important to know the history in the Bible and elsewhere because history isn’t merely part of our life; it is our life! In that light, we should learn as much about it as possible, glean from their life’s lessons, and improve what they’ve left behind.

Read the Bible daily. Soak, familiarize, and memorize God’s word. As you read the Word, you will know how to defend yourself in your day-to-day situations.

Learn an overview of history. There is a wealth of wisdom and knowledge to be found in all parts of history, not just the Bible. Learn about you and your country’s heritage and history, the early Christian Church, and how the world came to be what is today.

Unless we trust both the historical accounts and the spiritual lessons of the Bible, we cannot hold the Bible as infallible. That’s why history is so important.


Miss Jessica is a 14year old homeschool girl who lives in Australia. She loves the Lord and enjoys music, reading, history, computers and sewing. Jessica has a warped sense of humour and is always ready for a giggle. She helps her mum around the home and participates in the local church music team. You can find out more about Jess at her blog Little Miss Giggle.

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Lest We Forget

April 25th: one of Australia’s most celebrated holidays of the year. While an emotional experience for many, Anzac Day is a time where Australians and New Zealand’s come together to silently honor and remember the many men and women who, over the years, have died because of the wars. Proudly yet silently we reflect on our history through the memorial services and traditions that we participate in annually.

The History

The ANZACS (Australian New Zealand Armed Corps) forces were involved in the Boer War, WWI and II, and the Vietnam War. During WWI, in 1915, the Anzacs, with backup help from the British, were part of a risky scheme to send supplies to the Russians, which involved sailing through Turkey (enemy ground). Through a mix-up of information, the Anzacs, throwing their full effort into climbing up near-vertical cliffs, were accidently positioned right in the middle of the Turkey Army’s strong point. Many men were killed. Wounded men lay struggling. Survivors eventually evacuated. Although tragically defeated, the Anzacs’ cheerful and courageous spirit to ‘never say die’ was marked on that day. Continually those men fought with a determined, loyal and positive attitude that is surely one to be proud of. That’s why we honour them on the 25th of April, at a dawn service on a hill… just like in 1915.

The Traditions

Imagine this: At the crack of dawn, the bugle mournfully blows The Last Post. While the flag rests half-way down the flagpole, a full minute of silence falls over the people gathered on the hill, both traditions held in honour and in memory of the brave ANZACS who fought for our freedom. Throughout the cities and towns, marches and memorial services are held… to help us remember. Veterans gather together. Wreaths are laid. Soldiers proudly salute. Thankfully, tenderly, triumphantly, this is how we remember the Anzacs on ANZAC day.

The Reason behind the Traditions:

At dawn in 1915, the Anzacs swiftly landed on the beaches of Gallipoli. Because it is such a memorable part of WWI for the Australians and New Zealanders, that’s the day we gather on Anzac Day.
For part of the duration of the service, the Australian flag is lowered to half-way in commemoration of the people who died.
Another Anzac-related ‘tradition’ is the Anzac biscuits. During the wars, the mothers and wives of the soldier’s wanted to support their boys, so they baked these yummy biccies which wouldn’t break when travelling overseas.

Anzacs remained cheerful comrades and loyal companions who never gave up their love for their country and each other. With a spirit of perseverance, thousands of young men charged out to the battlefront, many never to return. These men and women would have rather died than see their country lose its freedom – even if it meant they never personally saw their dream come true. So on Anzac day, Australians and New Zealanders come together to honor these soldier’s die-hard spirit, commemorate their loyalty, devotion and determination, and remember our home is the unique, free place it is today because they never gave up.
Lest we forget.

Miss Jessica is a 14year old homeschool girl who lives in Australia. She loves the Lord and enjoys music, reading, history, computers and sewing. Jessica has a warped sense of humour and is always ready for a giggle. She helps her mum around the home and participates in the local church music team. You can find out more about Jess at her blog Little Miss Giggle.

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Clean Your Home Office Day

If I was to ask you, what does your desk look like RIGHT NOW, what would your answer be? Is it cluttered with paper and rubber bands, or is it fairly neat? I think that at some point, our desks haven’t been in the best of conditions. If we look, we’ll see paper we’ve procrastinated in filing, craft supplies left out from five days ago, and loose puzzle pieces. These things clutter your work space until your sanity level is in desperate need of refill. Isn’t it frustrating to work in a messy area? Or maybe you’ve become accustomed to the mess, and you don’t notice it.

TIPS TO CLEAN OFF YOUR DESK

* If it’s not too embarrassing, take a photo of what your desk looks like before you touch anything. When it’s finished, you’ll always be able to see what a difference you made!

* Go through the piles of paper and discern what is rubbish, what needs filing or what needs editing and what are personal papers. Discard the rubbish, file the filing papers including the personal papers and put the to-edit pieces in a folder for easy access.

* Make a pile of everything that doesn’t belong on your desk – from broken bracelets to hair bands. Rubbish goes straight into the bin. Find the right home for everything else.

* Dust and wipe down the desk so it’s nice and fresh.

* Take another photo of what it looks like now that it’s in order to remind you of what it could look like!

Let me ask you another question; What is the purpose of your desk? Is it for you to do your schoolwork, or is it for recreational and craft activities? Is it where you do your office work, or is it just for storing papers? Determining your purpose for your desk helps you know how your system needs to operate to achieve the greatest efficiency.

Here’s how the Letchford Family functions:

In our family, we have a tray on top of our desks where we keep our school diary, pencil case, ruler, finished work folder and an assignment folder.

* In that assignment folder (a presentation folder) we have sleeves for every subject we study. There we keep unfinished work, loose pieces of paper and lists.

* In the finished work folder we place all our finished work ready for Mum to edit.

Keeping paper in folders keeps paper out of sight, neat and it doesn’t matter if there’s a bit of a holdup.

Other Paper work systems

* Furthermore, we all have a box under our desks where we store our notebooks and text books we are working on.

* On a bookshelf, we keep our filing folders for finished work, which are separated into different categories: Bible, Character, General, Interest, Writing, Art and Timeline.

Our system makes it easy to file finished and unfinished work, keeping the paper fresh and neat.

My Mum also keeps a system in her office. She has a bookshelf, full of magazine boxes labeled with her different subjects. On the right of her computer is a rack with folders she accesses daily. On the left is a pile of assorted paper. She also has several filing cabinets with information she uses not-so-regularly. Although there is the stock pile from time to time, it keeps her assorted papers under control!

Our God is a God of order; look at this verse in Job 25:

"1Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
2Dominion and fear are with him, he maketh peace in his high places.
3Is there any number of his armies? and upon whom doth not his light arise?
4How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?
5Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight.
6How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?"

We are made in God’s very image! I think God wants us keep our space orderly, so we can be efficient with our time and have the freedom to help others instead of working on our own area.

Whatever system you use, I encourage you to find one that achieves the greatest efficiency. Show responsibility, add a good dose of individual creativity, stick at it diligently and enjoy your clean desk!

Miss Jessica is a 14year old homeschool girl who lives in Australia. She loves the Lord and enjoys music, reading, history, computers and sewing. Jessica has a warped sense of humour and is always ready for a giggle. She helps her mum around the home and participates in the local church music team. You can find out more about Jess at her blog Little Miss Giggle.

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Growing Together

For many years, we have tried time and time again to grow a vegetable garden. We’ve failed many times, but have finally found the perfect spot and conditions for successfully growing a vegetable garden in the tropics. We’ve found that our vegetable garden needs to be:

1. With plenty of sunlight and some afternoon shade
2. Raised beds
3. Soil that isn’t clay-like but can be packed down firmly
4. Good watering system

Originally this plot was roughly 6m x 3m, but we’ve since doubled it to be 12m x 6m, so it is now a very large veggie garden! We’ve used this plot for the last two years and instead of having the garden in ‘traditional’ long rows, we’ve split the area into square metre beds, leaving one-foot pathways in between. Instead of having maybe six or seven long rows of plants, we have 50 square-metre beds – with footpaths inbetween.

Other things we’ve done over the years:
* In 2007, the year we moved our vegetable garden to where it is now, we had some friends over who were a little bit more experienced with gardens than we were, and we set up the square-meter plots and stomped down the pathways.
* We’ve used both seeds and seedlings, but mostly seedlings, so we didn’t have to worry about growing them from scratch.
* Last year, before we went on holidays, my two brothers thickly mulched the garden with sugarcane hay so as it decomposed, the dirt would become the perfect growing condition for the next growing season.

Growing a veggie garden is heaps of fun, gets you out outside, and is economical. There are so many different plants to try – why not give it a go? It doesn’t have to be 12m x 6m plots; I once read about growing herbs in old sneakers! With the spice of creativity, imagination and diligence, you will be eating your own veggies in no time!

Miss Jessica is a 14year old homeschool girl who lives in Australia. She loves the Lord and enjoys music, reading, history, computers and sewing. Jessica has a warped sense of humour and is always ready for a giggle. She helps her mum around the home and participates in the local church music team. You can find out more about Jess at her blog Little Miss Giggle.

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Haman's Hatred

by Miss Jess

Long ago, long before the time of Queen Esther, there lived a small nation, called the Amalekites. Ever since the time of Abraham they mocked and were enemies of God’s people. Repeatedly the Israelite army had gone to battle against them – with Joshua, Saul and David leading – but none of them ever completely wiped the enemy out. Although the Israelites were victorious every time, the Amalekites mysteriously survived. Continually they picked on the Israelites, blockading the land as the Israelites moved into Canaan, invading the land during crop planting time, blocking the land, and teasing the people.

When Saul attacks the Amalekites, which we read about in 1 Samuel 15, he does not kill their King, Agag, although the prophet Samuel kills him later. I do not know how anyone survived to carry on their line, but someone did because just a few chapters later, in chapter 30, there are hundreds of Amalekites, and all but four hundred were killed.

Queen Esther
What does this have to do with Queen Esther? I find it interesting that Haman wasn’t a Persian by blood, but an Amalekite; or more specifically, an Agagite. Throughout the book of Esther, we find references to his father and himself being an Agagite. I think this explains why Haman hated the Jews. In Esther 3:5 and 6 it tells us:

" ⁵And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath. ⁶And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai. "

When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.

To my mind, this verse explains it all: why Haman wanted to kill the Jews. It was more than just Mordecai – it was the pride of his heritage!

As we know from the rest of Esther’s biography, Haman succeeded in finding a plan for the destruction of the Jews, but Esther, Xerxes new Queen, also a Jew, finds out the plot and bravely reveals the evil scheme to the King – resulting in Haman’s death and the Jew’s deliverance. Ever since that date, the Israelites have celebrated God’s faithfulness, on a holiday called Purim.

Miss Jessica is a 14year old homeschool girl who lives in Australia. She loves the Lord and enjoys music, reading, history, computers and sewing. Jessica has a warped sense of humour and is always ready for a giggle. She helps her mum around the home and participates in the local church music team. You can find out more about Jess at her blog Little Miss Giggle.

Meekness – Self-control for my Emotions

by Miss Jessica

Feelings, feelings, feelings – will we ever be able to keep our emotions down pat? Continually they confuse and lead us astray from how Jesus wants us to live; and yet, do we actually have control over them? Mrs. March, from the book, Little Women, explained, “It has taken me a good 40 years to learn to control my temper, and will most likely take another 40 years to not feel it.” It is vitally important that we do not confuse the two words control and feel. What’s the difference? Control is not allowing our temper to show and affect us, whereas feel is not bearing any grudge at all. If we confuse the two, we will get frustrated with ourselves for feeling upset and not try as hard as we ought to control ourselves. Having been there myself, I know that you are guaranteed to end up even more annoyed during the very situation where you want to be in control.

But what’s that to do with meekness? A lot of people think of meekness as something like following directions without resistance. Although I believe this is one definition, I’ve recently discovered another meaning to meekness; controlling your feelings. Let’s take this as an example. If a door slams while you have a splitting headache, what matters is your emotional response, and not being controlled by emotion. Proverbs 3:5 says to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING.” What we feel isn’t always true; we can’t trust our emotions to rule how we react.

We are sinners, and it’s natural to feel the way we do, even if we know we shouldn’t. Refusing to let our emotions rule our words and actions – and showing self control - is the second step to putting out the ‘fuel’ of our emotions. What’s the first step? To pray. “In everything,” Philippians 4:6b encourages, “by way of prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Of course, it’s easier said than done, as most heart-related topics are.

‘Meekness harnesses emotions in order to produce good decisions’, Character First defines. When we are meek, we are forsaking the desire to focus on me, me, me (my emotions) and focus on serving others with all our hearts.

Miss Jessica is a 14year old homeschool girl who lives in Australia. She loves the Lord and enjoys music, reading, history, computers and sewing. Jessica has a warped sense of humour and is always ready for a giggle. She helps her mum around the home and participates in the local church music team. You can find out more about Jess at her blog Little Miss Giggle

Celebrating Our Country Australia

by Miss Jessica

26th of January: otherwise known as Australia Day. When did this public holiday come to existence, and why do 7.5 million Australians celebrate it every year? To tell the story how this holiday came to be, we have to go back 280 years, when Sir Arthur Phillip, Captain of the First Fleet and first Governor of ‘New Holland’ landed at Botany Bay.

Captain James Cook had explored ‘New Holland’ twelve years earlier in 1788. In England, Captain Phillip had been carefully chosen to take 1373 men, women and children to New South Wales to start a new colony. After eight months of gruesome traveling, the eleven ships arrived at Botany Bay – a sandy beach which later proved to be awful farming ground. On Saturday, January 26, Captain Arthur Phillip raised the Union Jack to symbolize the start of a new British colony. This is the beginnings of Australia Day.

Since that date, January the 26th has been referred to as ‘Foundation Day’, ‘First Landing Day’ and ‘Anniversary Day’. Regardless of its title, it wasn’t till Australia reached her 30th birthday did it become a public holiday for New South Wales. By 1946, 156 years after the arrival of the First Fleet, every State and Territory chose to celebrate the year Australia came into existence.

Now days, Australia Day is celebrated by millions of people all over the continent. On this holiday, you will find many people gathered at the pool, around a barbecue, or playing a good game of backyard cricket on a hot day. Fun has become the focus of Australia Day, but that’s not all it is. For on Saturday, 26th of January, 1788, eleven ships pulled into harbour and the Union Jack planted at Botany Bay, and a new country was born.

Miss Jessica is a 14year old homeschool girl who lives in Australia. She loves the Lord and enjoys music, reading, history, computers and sewing. Jessica has a warped sense of humour and is always ready for a giggle. She helps her mum around the home and participates in the local church music team. You can find out more about Jess at her blog Little Miss Giggle.

Be the Best Pen Pal you Can Be

by Miss Jessica

When I was eight, we met a family who stayed at our house for a week. Their second eldest was a girl a few years older than I. When they moved on, we agreed to become ‘pen pals’. Since then, I have twelve other people I want to keep in touch with. A large amount; I know! Yet how could I possibly resist? Although challenging, writing letters is great fun and is very rewarding.

Most of my pen pals are people I know and have personally wanted to keep in touch with. (Strictly speaking, we aren’t really pen pals, since we know each other, but what would we call each other?) Where do I find the time for this? Occasionally, I realize that I haven’t written to my friends for what seems like ages, and had better get some letters written soon. I aim to write at least one letter or email a day until I get it all done. It works fantastically!

A few years back, I was writing more of a ‘personalized newsletter’ to about eight people, in which I wrote one letter with all my recent news, changed the name for each person and added in a personal paragraph. For instance, in ‘Mandy’s’ letter I wrote a paragraph asking her if she had acquired any new reptile pets, but changed it to ask ‘Fran’ about her trip around Australia. Most likely this helped me keep consistent, but after a while I wanted to write completely individual letters. I started handwriting them.

Here’s a couple of Tips for Letter-writing:

1. Don’t feel like you have to talk about the same information to every person you write to, especially if that next person happens to be her sister! Write down stuff the person will enjoy hearing from you.

2. When replying to a letter, never, ever reply to questions like this:

Question 1: yes

Question 2: yes

Question 3: no

Question 4: yes
People don’t tend to keep their letters, let alone remember what the question was! Instead, include the question in the answer, like so, “In your last letter you asked me if I had any pets. Yes, we have a bunny rabbit, Peter; named after the famous one in Beatrix Potter’s books!”

3. Choose your words carefully. In letters, the recipient can’t see your facial expressions or hear your voice; something can read completely different than how you meant it to be.

4. Don’t be afraid to include a verse or be serious about something – letters don’t have to be all family news reports! Christian martyr Rachel Scott wrote to her friend after explaining how her school friends had ‘dumped’ her for being a Christian, “I am not going to apologize for speaking the Name of Jesus, I am not going to justify my faith to them, and I am not going to hide the light that God has put in me. If I have to sacrifice everything… I will” Don’t be afraid to talk about God in your letters – you never know the results.

5. Asking a question after you’ve finished a paragraph helps give some leads for your friend to follow up on in their next letter.

6. There are some advantages to writing a letter by hand. For example, writing it by hand means you don’t have to have access to a computer – you can take it anywhere and do it anywhere! It shows your personality through your handwriting, which reflects you, and shows the time you put into the letter. Don’t worry about it being mistake-free – if you do, it will be painstakingly slow!

7. When you decide to write to someone, it has become your responsibility. Letter writing requires consistency, diligence and even to an extent, initiative. Enjoy it, but be consistent! On the note of consistency, be aware of how frequently others write to you. While they might have the same problem of consistency as you do, they might find writing a very hard thing to do. If that’s the case, don’t bombard them with lots of long letters, giving them the pressure to do the same. Still write faithfully, but maybe not as often as you write to others. Know what you are getting into – writing letters does take time, worth it though it be. If I am going to write to twelve people once a month twelve times a month, I am prescribing myself to a staggering amount of 144 letters a year! Stay diligent!

8. Have you ever read Daddy Long Legs, Good Wives, or Anne of Windy Willows? In these books, Judy, Jo, Amy and Anne write with long words, wit and innocent honesty. Trying to imitate them sure can bring on a laugh!

Letter writing is so beneficial, because it develops friendships, not to mention you can learn all kinds of things. It can build skills, such as learning to communicate well, learning to choose words carefully and learning to ask interesting questions, which God can use later in life through relationships with others in real life. Have fun, stay consistent and be yourself!

Miss Jessica is a 14year old homeschool girl who lives in Australia. She loves the Lord and enjoys music, reading, history, computers and sewing. Jessica has a warped sense of humour and is always ready for a giggle. She helps her mum around the home and participates in the local church music team. You can find out more about Jess at her blog Little Miss Giggle

Contributor- Miss Jessica

Hi! My name is Jessica, but most call me Jess. I live in a beautiful but extremely hot region in Western Australia with my two brothers, sister, Mum and veterinary Dad. We homeschool and am now a fairly independent student. I love to read particularly spiritually-challenging books as well as biographies, fiction and historical fiction.

I am slowly learning the piano which I thoroughly enjoy and music itself is a large part of my life. Keith Green and Colin Buchanan are my top two favourite artists. The way music and the lyrics are sung out of pure worship to God is simply amazing.

Once a week I help out at Mainly Music, a Combined Churches’ ministry for Mums with young kids. I help set and pack up, serve morning tea and join in the half hours’ active dance and music session. Occasionally I do the Kidz talk at Church and slightly-more-than occasionally sing or play the piano during worship. Being involved with the kids and entering their world is a highlight of my week.

Although not knowledgeable in history like my brother, ancient civilizations hold my fascination. Romans, Greeks and Turks have an amazing connection to Church and Jewish history and I like to learn all I can about the way they lived. I am starting to learn more about Creation vs. Evolution, office work and slowly getting my head around (exasperating) math!

You can visit my blog, Little Miss Giggles where I write about my everyday life.

If one word was to describe me, I wish it would be joy. In the book Pollyanna, she shares the all-important fact that God tells us over 100 times to rejoice and praise God. Isn’t that worth taking note of? Funnily enough, I have an odd part of me that giggles at any old thing, and I see that as a part of God’s joy – something God wants in us!

Rejoice in the LORD always; I will say it again rejoice! – Philippians 4:4

Soldier of Virtue

by Miss Jess

Ephesians 6:11,
"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."

Each person's life is a battle. Every decision made has its ultimate consequence on the battlefront. Jean Jacques Rousseau tells us, 'Virtue is a state of war, and to live in it we have always to combat with ourselves.' This is the battlefront. As Christians, we are called by the Highest of Highest to 'to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?' (Micah 6:8). To 'flee from the evil desires of this world', and uphold and honour the standards of God. Peter warns us to 'stand on… guard against the devil's schemes'. According to Character First! Virtue is defined as 'the moral excellence evident in my life as I consistently do what is right.' Another word we may be more familiar with is Goodness: doing what's right, every single time.

Paul encourages young Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:12: "Fight the good fight of faith". To be able to fight, you have to train. Training is hard work. When we think we've mastered something, a real battle will arise to which we must muster all of everything we have in us and fight to do right. Our General has confidence in us. He knows what it takes to win a battle, and he believes we have what it takes to win. Although he's strict, he loves. And he's right there with us, shouting out the orders, inspiring us to fight the good fight… of faith.

Hebrews 12:5b, 6a, "..My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth,.."

As I mentioned before, training is hard work. We tend to make the same mistakes over and over again. Our Captain rebukes us, corrects us, and reminds us that he expects better. But do not feel bad when he does so, for he does so because he knows what is in us, and he knows what we can accomplish.
Sun up to sun down – we train. From the moment we wake up to the moment we fall into bed, we are preparing ourselves for when the devil tries to make a mess out of us. As time wears on, we grow in our defensive skills, and become that elite soldier God has been training ever so patiently. And yet…

As Jean Jacques Rousseau states, the fight for virtue is a continual battle. That includes continual temptation. Most battle rage within yourself. You are tempted to change sides, but your training has taught you better than that. The Lord's ways are a part of you, and you know what to do. Don't you?

Psalm 119:11, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."

Most soldiers don't have a choice to obey, but when it comes to training in righteousness, however, we do have a choice – we can choose to continue to waddle in sin, or we can choose to change for the better.

In the Bible, we read time and time again how the Israelites stubbornly refused to obey God. Eventually, God had to punish them and send them into exile. When they returned, they still didn't seem to understand that God desired obedience. They had the choice to live as God required. You have a choice to obey God. If you've gone and put your big foot in it – God will forgive you, and God will still use you. He just longs to!

Our life is a battle between right and wrong. The Bible tells us to put on the full amour of God, to live by the spirit, pursue the things of God. It's hard. But a virtuous person will radiate integrity no matter what the cost. So, will you be a soldier of Virtue today?

Taking Care of the Temple God Gave You

In light of it being national Diabetics and Epilepsy month, I have been considering why it is important to look after our body. Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 6:19 and 20, "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."

When we look after our bodies by keeping them in good shape, we are ultimately honouring God, because we acknowledge that God made us "fearfully and wonderfully" (Psalm 139:14). When our bodies are how God wants them to be, we are available to fulfill his unique and personal calling to which you alone were designed for. God has a plan for each and every person who has walked the planet, and every plan works into Gods' mysterious purpose. One question now remains, is your body up for it?

God has given you an amazing body – just look at yourself! Have you ever learned just how detailed your eye is? Recently I learned about cells, and how there never seems to be an end to the detail of the cell and how small it is. Quarks are the smallest part of an atom we know, and we have gazillions of gazillions of them in our body.

God is so creative it blows my mind away! Just imagine – God created every person who has lived and will live, with different personalities and looks; with a unique fingerprint design; our own strengths and weaknesses. Our body is far more complex than we can imagine, and yet he knows every hair on your head. And He longs for you to be a part of His plan. Isn't that something?

By keeping our body fit, strong and healthy, we will be ready when He shows us his plan.

Miss Jessica is a contributor at GGM and regularly blogs here.

*There are different forms of diabetes. Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to change sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles.

*Epilepsy is a condition that affects the nervous system. Epilepsy is also known as a seizure disorder. It is usually diagnosed after a person has had at least two seizures that were not caused by some known medical condition like alcohol withdrawal or extremely low blood sugar.

Australia: For that I’m Thankful

by Miss Jessica

Saying “thank you” is a simple but extraordinarily powerful thing to do.
– Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister of Australia

I am aware that in America, people celebrate the settler’s first years in America and all they were thankful for. In Australia, we have a new yet similar tradition in May each year: National Day of Thanksgiving. We don’t eat the turkey and cranberries on a frosty fall evening with all the family, true; but, once a year during the month of May, we encourage all Australians, no matter what culture or belief, to gather together and simply say thank you to somebody. Whether it be our Mum or Dad, brother or sister; people who look after our communities’ welfare (spiritual, mental or physical) or the government and ministries who pour so much energy into making our lives better. Saying thank you is like giving others a taste of God’s love – the most powerful thing on earth.

I am thankful for Australia. I’m thankful for Australia’s Christian Heritage. Many of our ancestors were convicts, but significant leaders and explorers had a relationship with Jesus Christ; such as Captain James Cook and Charles Sturt. It was those men, along with many others, who established our country. And for that I’m thankful.

Because National Day of Thanksgiving is still something new in Australia, traditions haven’t really sunk in; however, barbeques is always a winner in Australia.