2nd Moms

          In SCA, I (Ashlyn) often feel like we are all one big family. We are so blessed to be immersed in an atmosphere of love. That is the true blessing of the body of Christ! But, not only do I feel as if I am surrounded by “adopted” sisters (and brothers); I am surrounded by “adopted” moms, who I have fondly named “2^nd Moms.” These moms would have open arms for all of us.

Two moms in particular come to my mind—Mrs. R and Mrs. T.

I have known Mrs. R since I was born…literally. Mrs. R and my mom went to highschool together, and have stayed friends ever since. Therefore, this adopted mom has always been in my life. Because of pure the amount of time I’ve known her, I feel like I can be totally myself around her. When you first get to know someone, it can be hard to feel like you can be yourself around someone, especially adults. But, the comfort that comes with just knowing someone for a long period of time helps a lot. You may or may not know your new “big sister” that well, and it may take some time to feel completely comfortable around her. That should just be motivation to keep trying and keep opening yourself up to her!

While I haven’t known Mrs. T for quiet as long as Mrs. R, I instantly loved her. Mrs. T has three wonderful boys, but is lacking a girl. So, I like pretending I am her “adopted daughter.” Long conversations don’t have to just be with highschool friends. I have found that some of my most enjoyable conversations have been with Mrs. T. When you find something in common with an adult, they can offer wisdom, advice, and can actually be fun to be around. Mrs. T is not only my friend, but also a teacher—of extemp, Spanish, and life. I’m so thankful for her!

Get to know not only your SCA Sister, but her mom too! Reach throughout the generations. These women have so much to give and teach us if we just give them a chance. And, we can be a blessing in their lives as well! When we go off to college one day, I think we will realize how immensely blessed we are to be surrounded by a loving body of Christ. I have been blessed by my teachers, my mom’s friends, my friends’ moms, etc.—shout out to Mrs. S, the other Mrs. S., Mrs. G, Mrs. C, Mrs. N, and Mrs. B! J These are truly Godly women, and there are many more whom I do not have time to list.

Even beyond our SCA moms, we can look for Godly friendship and wisdom within our own families. Tessa and I have been blessed with kind grandmothers who take an interest in our lives and pray for us daily. Aunts (and cousins too) can also be special friends. Even one of my good friend’s grandmas has played a special role in my life! :)

And, perhaps the greatest blessing of all would be our own moms…stayed tuned for a tribute to our mom!

Thank you, 2^nd moms for blessing me! It is our hope and prayer that all of us at SCA will grow closer together—moms and daughters!

Welcome!

If this is your first time reading our blog, welcome! We started this blog because we have been so blessed by older girls who have invested time in our lives, and we want to encourage others to do the same! We hope this blog will be a place for all of you to share your stories of mentoring and encouraging other girls at SCA. We call these relationships "SCA Sisters". Please feel free to share stories and pictures (get permission from your "sister" first!) If you have trouble posting, please contact us and we'll help you!

For more information, check out our website! http://scasisters.webs.com/

“We were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.” ~1 Thessalonians 2:8

Including Others

I(Tessa) will never forget what it felt like one day in 6th grade when all of my friends got a special part in an SCA play and I did not.  Although I was happy for my friends,  on that first day back to choir (after the parts had been given out), it was difficult for me to watch those in the cast go off into a corner and talk excitedly about their parts. Of course, they had no idea that I fought back tears as I imagined a whole semester of feeling left out. They would never have intentionally hurt me! As time went on, it got easier, and I even made some new friends. But now, I can use this experience to remember to be aware of the feelings of those around me.

 We can all encourage our sisters in Christ and SCA friends by working to not leave anyone out. For instance, posting pictures on Facebook of a fun time shared is really great, but if someone might be hurt by it, maybe we should think twice before posting. Birthday parties, sharing inside jokes, and inviting your best buddy to sit by you in class are opportunities to be inclusive, or to be sensitive and reach out to those who might be feeling left out. I am not perfect at this, and I hope that we can all quickly forgive and extend grace to each other when we make mistakes, because I know we are all striving to share the love of Jesus with each other.  We are all still growing and learning, of course!  So, let’s keep encouraging and reminding each other to be sensitive. How does that sound? :)

Our hope with starting “SCA Sisters” is that we will all reach out beyond our comfortable group of friends to also get to know other, great girls at SCA. Being Christians and homeschooled is a unique bond that we all share. We hope that we can all “build each other up” and be one big family!

Shout Out to My Real Sister! (From Tessa)

Growing up with a real big sister is a true gift from God. Ashlyn and I (Tessa) are only 16 months apart. She likes all things related to politics, debate, and history, while my interests are more in athletics, music, and art. She is an extrovert and I’m an introvert. Despite our differences, we get along great! We love spending time together. So this is a “shout out” to my real big sister: “I love you!  From playing dolls when we were younger, to our long talks EVERY night in our room, you are a wonderful friend to have. You are the best thing that ever happened to me!!!”

The Blessing of Younger Girls

The other day I (Ashlyn) had the wonderful privilege of having a long conversation with Mika. I’ve only known Mika for about a year, but every time I have the chance to talk with her, she brightens my day. She’s a couple of grades younger than I am, and yet, she teaches me a lot. She is the perfect example of how, in a friendship between and older and younger girl, it doesn’t always have to be the older one ministering to the younger one. In fact, I admire and I have learned a lot from Mika! She genuinely takes in interest in how I am doing, and I always feel like she cares about me. I have much to learn from her joyful countenance, and gentle spirit. This particular day, while watching my siblings’ swim practice, we began talking with a mom whom we did not know. Because Mika is so friendly and engaging, she immediately found out that this mom’s daughter ran triathlons (which Mika just happens to be amazing at), and sweet Mika began pouring out encouragement and competition “tips” to this complete stranger. I could just see how blessed the mom felt, and I felt proud to be Mika’s friend. Even our younger sisters in Christ can make an impact on our lives. Isn’t it neat how God works that way? :)

Pictures of the below post :)

Alex and Ashlyn in 2008


Alex and Ashlyn now

Closing the Age Gap

Have you ever noticed that the older you get, the less age seems to matter? For example, someone whom my mom used to babysit, is now one of her favorite friends. I (Ashlyn) have someone like that in my life too.

 At first my friend Alex used to come over and “help” me babysit my siblings. At the time, I was just a little bit too young to be responsible for my youngest brother, but a little bit too old to really need a babysitter. So, Alex, four years older than I am, sort of babysat all of us. She was fun, and yet, when everyone went to bed, the two of us would stay up and talk about all kinds of important things. I learned a lot from her during those times, and I looked up to her. She always made a point of hanging out with me at different SCA events, and never made me feel like she viewed me as “young”. Alex and I became good friends right when I was hitting the “emotional stage,” if you know what I mean. :) She was there to wipe my tears whenever I had something on my mind. I vividly remember having a particularly hard day, and she took me aside and hugged me and prayed with me. What a blessing! As the years went on, she did not seem “older” any more. Now, we are true friends~ mutually enjoying and encouraging each other as if there is not much age-difference at all anymore. Alex has recently embarked on an exciting adventure in New York City, and we frequently talk via e-mail, Skype, and phone calls. As time goes on, age doesn’t seem to matter as much. The girl who started out as my “babysitter” is now one of my closest friends, and I am grateful.

Two Great Girls

Although not “official” mentorships, there are two younger SCA girls that especially come to mind when I (Ashlyn)think of investing in the life of someone else. Anna and Emma are special to me and a lot of fun to spend time with too.

Emma has a great family newsletter that she writes and sends to me monthly. She is so talented and I feel special to be included on her mailing list. She and I are both letter writers, so we send a lot of snail mail back and forth! With email and Facebook being so popular, it’s especially fun for me to get a real letter from Emma! Whenever I see her, I make a point of checking in on her latest news. We have a few (both good and challenging) things in common, and I pray that God will use me as an encouragement in Emma’s life!

I have known Anna for as many years as I can remember. Once, both our families were involved in a team teaching group. It was then that I grew to appreciate her intelligence and curiosity about life. Recently, she began to compete on our speech and debate team. Remembering how intimidating that could all be at first, I have enjoyed helping her with her speeches and debate cases. Just the other day, she came over to my house to practice, and we had a great time! I was even able to give her a couple of my now-too-small-debate suits. In so many ways, I am blessed to have Anna as a part of my life!

The Inspiration for SCA Sisters!

Our SCA Sisters

Please allow us the priviledge of introducing OUR SCA sisters--the inspirations for this mentoring program.

Ashlyn's "Big Sister" Priscilla :

When I (Ashlyn) was about ten, I had a big interest in competitive speech and debate and really looked up to an older SCA girl who was a part of the SCARLET team. Priscilla was so gracious to reach out to me over the years when she was a high school student at SCA, and even while she attended Patrick Henry College. Over the years, Priscilla took the time to help me to write debate cases, to write me notes of encouragement, and to do a summer Bible Study with me. I remember feeling so proud to be invited to her 16th birthday party when I was only eleven! And, most recently, I felt honored to recieve a phone call from her right after her engagement, and to attend her wedding. To this day, Priscilla is a role model and close friend to me. This adopted “sister” and several older SCA friends have had a great amount of influence on my walk with the Lord and my life in general.

Priscilla and Ashlyn in 2008
Priscilla and Ashlyn now

TessaJoy's "Big Sister" Christy :

I (Tessa) have attended SCA’s Forest Home Family Camp for many years with my family. It was there that I met an older SCA student, Christy. She has been such an encouragement to me over the past 4 years, even though she is years about six years older than I am. We are both swimmers, and she has taken the time to work with me on my strokes. She has taken me shopping and “spoiled” me by buying me clothes. More than once she has attended my swim meets to cheer me on. What especially stands out to me is the time that she came a long ways to give me encouragement the first time that I had to race a mile. I was so nervous, but just being with her before the race, and seeing her jumping up and down in excitement while I swam was a huge encouragement to me. Christy has written me notes and talked with me on the phone about whatever is on my mind. I am so grateful for Christy and for other kind-hearted girls who have shared their lives with me.

Christy and TessaJoy 2008

Christy and TessaJoy now