By Guest Author Natalie Ambrose,

Though the homeschool community grew substantially in recent years, home education can still sometimes feel like an “outsider,” fringe place. Many homeschooling families will intentionally seek out pods of community for support. Healthy community bursts with ways for the church collective and individual churches to weave life-giving connections that resonate into eternity. Homeschoolers deserve respectful consideration because they are pioneers in their own right. They seek out and carve out a place for themselves! In the spirit of going off the beaten path, I offer this lyric from the United States Air Force: “Here we go, off into the wild blue yonder!”

“Here we go…”

Our family dove into homeschooling when the oldest of our three kids was in 3rd grade. Our town, Stillwater, Oklahoma, holds a rare quality as a college community that is NOT connected to a major city, so Stillwater is a good middle-ground for rural, suburban, and intellectual metro. Home educating here offers many points of connection: co-op groups, hands-on learning opportunities, strong and supportive Christian families, upper-level college-prep programs, and the list goes on! Knowing we’d be well-supported made the dive into homeschooling more palatable for my husband and me. Nevertheless, we knew the decisions about finding and participating in a meaningful community would take wisdom and consistency to nurture.

“Here we go, off into…”

My husband and our middle child had joined Trail Life USA, a Christ-centered, boy-focused program, and my daughters and I loosely tagged along for their campouts, service projects, and the annual Pine Car Derby Race. Seeing the members of this troop thrive together sparked a yearning in a small group of the moms including myself, “We want that for our relationships with our daughters too.” Seeing how beneficial Trail Life USA was, we decided to map a course for the mother-daughter side; a Stillwater-based American Heritage Girls (AHG) Troop was in the works! What would come next for us? Only God knew.

“Here we go, off into the wild blue yonder!”

Turns out, starting an AHG Troop in your town is a lot like exploring new territory. A core group of Trail Life mamas met after the last pine car had zipped down the track, the last award handed off, the last photograph snapped. We stole away into a room at Sunnybrook Christian Church, one mama missing (she was three days postpartum, but sent her tenacity via her husband, “Oh she would be here if she could!” he said.), and we tentatively began speaking the vision out loud. It was awkward, clunky, and totally worth the risk! AHG Troop OK2810, woven in Ephesians 2:8–10, pushed her first tender roots into the ground.

A handful of years down the road, we have 23 core families who meet every Monday night. Even amid challenges of pandemic navigation, the value of our AHG Troop is undeniable, helping us to remain strong in our faith, serve each other and our community, and experience so much joy! If you are reading this as one who confidently ventures into uncharted community territory, or if you are in a season of intentionally seeking out and bonding with an established community, know this, you have my distinguished respect.

“Here we go, off into the wild blue yonder!”

[Editor’s Note: Finding community that fits your family’s interests and needs is a crucial part of homeschooling success. If you haven’t found that sweet spot yet, we hope this family’s testimony encourages you to press on. Discover more ways to find community in your area here.]

About the Author: Natalie Ambrose

Natalie Ambrose is a 40-year old wife to Kyle, mother to the A-Team (three creative, tenacious, and sweet kids), and wrangler to Patsy Cline, the hound doggie. Their family lives in Stillwater, OK. Natalie works as the Content Marketing Specialist for American Heritage Girls, Inc. To learn more about AHG, visit americanheritagegirls.org.