Some thoughts on the kids' study next year
There's so much we could say. On so many levels.
When we came to France Gwilym was 10 and Catrin 8. We knew we were asking them to do something very difficult, but we also believed it would be incredibly enriching, rewarding and blest. We think it has been and is enriching and blest, though Gwilym was very determined to return to the UK and to study there, despite the student loan he will accumulate. Catrin is content to return after doing her bachelor degree, though she has her sights on a masters in Wales afterwards.
Not all missionaries' kids come to faith. Not all grow up straight. Some grow bitter. Some have very complicated or disturbed lives. We are so aware of so many threats to our kids, but God has been so kind to us and to them. Can you imagine what it does to a dad's heart to see his son posting scripture on Facebook?
You never know what is going to happen with your kids. Not all can go to university and not all should. For some kids, to bring honour to God means getting a 1st class honours. For other it means being a really diligent employee. Some will be appreciated and get on in the world. Others will have a tough, hard road and will glorify God in that. So we never assumed that our kids would go on to tertiary studies. But both are.
Gwilym is going to the London School of Theology to study Theology, music and worship. Yes, I know he's not going to LTS to learn to be a preacher. He doesn't have any sense of call to preach. We've talked about it. Yes, I know that West is doing great things, and I have friends at West, at Highlands and at Westminster Philadelphia. But he doesn't have a call to preach, he is musical and wants to study theology and music. I think that's great, and I am very excited to see what the next step in his life will be. And yes, maybe as time goes on he will have a sense of call to preach. Maybe. Whatever happens he will study the Scriptures and music with Christians. It's a dream.
Meanwhile Catrin has been accepted to study Musicology and French Song at Bordeaux. She'll learn about lyrics, music, harmony, structure, arrangement, accompaniment, recording, performance, sound, concert programming... She'll learn to be a singer/songwriter. Like her dad, she's not very keen on what people call "Christian music". (Gwilym loves it.) But she is very keen on songs that communicate and on singing to convey something. Maybe one day she will write "Christian songs". Or maybe she will be a Christian who writes songs. Or maybe her life will take some other turn. Again, it's a dream.
Both Gwilym and Catrin have worked very hard at their music. Gwilym had a couple of years of guitar tuition at the music school. We stopped it because his guitar teacher was not very good. Catrin has done a little flute, then changed to singing. We couldn't give her regular piano lessons, but two friends helped her tremendously. The first was Jenna, who did elementary piano with her. The second was Judith, a student who taught Catrin to improvise with confidence from the chords of a song, so she could learn to accompany herself or others. And so Davey family evenings meant Gwilym singing to his guitar in the bedroom above and Catrin singing to her piano in her room along the hallway.
When we came to France Gwilym was 10 and Catrin 8. We knew we were asking them to do something very difficult, but we also believed it would be incredibly enriching, rewarding and blest. We think it has been and is enriching and blest, though Gwilym was very determined to return to the UK and to study there, despite the student loan he will accumulate. Catrin is content to return after doing her bachelor degree, though she has her sights on a masters in Wales afterwards.
Not all missionaries' kids come to faith. Not all grow up straight. Some grow bitter. Some have very complicated or disturbed lives. We are so aware of so many threats to our kids, but God has been so kind to us and to them. Can you imagine what it does to a dad's heart to see his son posting scripture on Facebook?
You never know what is going to happen with your kids. Not all can go to university and not all should. For some kids, to bring honour to God means getting a 1st class honours. For other it means being a really diligent employee. Some will be appreciated and get on in the world. Others will have a tough, hard road and will glorify God in that. So we never assumed that our kids would go on to tertiary studies. But both are.
Gwilym is going to the London School of Theology to study Theology, music and worship. Yes, I know he's not going to LTS to learn to be a preacher. He doesn't have any sense of call to preach. We've talked about it. Yes, I know that West is doing great things, and I have friends at West, at Highlands and at Westminster Philadelphia. But he doesn't have a call to preach, he is musical and wants to study theology and music. I think that's great, and I am very excited to see what the next step in his life will be. And yes, maybe as time goes on he will have a sense of call to preach. Maybe. Whatever happens he will study the Scriptures and music with Christians. It's a dream.
Meanwhile Catrin has been accepted to study Musicology and French Song at Bordeaux. She'll learn about lyrics, music, harmony, structure, arrangement, accompaniment, recording, performance, sound, concert programming... She'll learn to be a singer/songwriter. Like her dad, she's not very keen on what people call "Christian music". (Gwilym loves it.) But she is very keen on songs that communicate and on singing to convey something. Maybe one day she will write "Christian songs". Or maybe she will be a Christian who writes songs. Or maybe her life will take some other turn. Again, it's a dream.
Both Gwilym and Catrin have worked very hard at their music. Gwilym had a couple of years of guitar tuition at the music school. We stopped it because his guitar teacher was not very good. Catrin has done a little flute, then changed to singing. We couldn't give her regular piano lessons, but two friends helped her tremendously. The first was Jenna, who did elementary piano with her. The second was Judith, a student who taught Catrin to improvise with confidence from the chords of a song, so she could learn to accompany herself or others. And so Davey family evenings meant Gwilym singing to his guitar in the bedroom above and Catrin singing to her piano in her room along the hallway.
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