Listening to the whispering of the Spirit

There is an experience that I had (and in a way continue to have) that happen last year that I have not shared in here and since this has become my journal and since it was such an amazing experience I will share it.
We have moved alot in the last 5 years and because of that the kids have changed schools alot and because of that they haven't had very many long term friendships. It is very hard to go to a new school and be the new kid amoung kids who have grown up together. It is hard to find where you fit in and how you fit in and it gets harder the older you are.
This experience is mainly about Tyler (my oldest). He is now 15 and in 8th grade. He has gone to 6 different schools in the 9 years he's been in school and so he is very good at...."being the new kid". It was easier when he was younger because...well, we all know that young kids aren't as clicky or mean and are very open armed when it comes to friends. As you get older, though, it is harder and this is were this story begins.
In August of 2009 we moved to South Jordan, Utah after having spent 11 months living in Omaha, Nebraska (and before that we lived in American Fork, Utah). Tyler was starting his 7th grade year at South Jordan Middle School. We who have been through middle school know that it is the toughest time in a kids life. They are lost and trying to figure out who they are and where they fit in. It is not an easy 2-3 years and Tyler had a double whammy; middle school AND being the new kid.
Tyler is a quiet kid when it comes to big groups. He is very kind and sensitive to others and sensitive himself in return. He doesn't understand it when kids kid around in a mean way. Having said that, it was more than kids being kids. He was beginning to be bullied by a couple of kids. He would come home and tell me things that would break my heart but he was also determined to work it out himself. I was, of course, very frustrated because of the lack of teacher involvment but sensitive to the fact that this school was so overpopulated (3 grades and over 1,600 students). I started thinking of what we can do and one of my suggestions to Tyler was to go to the Charter school that had just started that year. The Priciple there had been the Priciple of another Charter school Tyler had been to in American Fork and so we knew and liked him. The charter school seemed to be a great option mainly because there can be no more than 75 kids per middle school grade. Hmmm, 225 kids compared to over 1,600? No brainer. I was heistant, though, just because I felt like Tyler needs some stability too and changing schools again wasn't going to provide that. It was an option though and so I asked him if he would like to put his name in the lottery at Early Light Academy and see what happens. He did so we waited to see.
Within a month we recieved an email telling us that Tyler got into ELA (Early Light Academy) so we filled out the forms and sent them in to hold his postition.
Skipping forward another month....Tyler did work it out at South Jordan Middle. He took care of the sitiuation and actually turned those two bullies into...well, not friends but they actually stopped picking on him and started defending him if needed from others. I still didn't like the lack of control but was happy if he was happy.
Skipping ahead another month, Tyler decided by the end of the school year that he wanted to stay at SoJo. When August rolled around and the new school year was a week away from beginning and we hadn't recieved his new schedule for the 8th grade I called the school. They informed me that they didn't have his records any more because they were at ELA and what I needed to do was go to ELA a request them to be sent back. To make this part of the story a little shorter, I found out that there was a deadline for transferring records that I had missed by under 2 weeks. I was never informed of this deadline but still didn't think it a problem because, hey, we live within the bounderies of this school and so they HAD to let Tyler go there....which is true if it wasn't for the fact that the school was already over it's 1,500 student limit by over 1,000 students and the fact that the Principle of SoJo was not going to take Tyler back because she was mad that the school hadn't recieved the money for him from the state (it had gone to ELA). She was very headstrong and heartless as I broke down in tears realizing that Tyler, who was finally making freinds and feeling some stability, was going to have to go to a new school because "we had made our choice to not go with South Jordan".
Well, that was just not going to happen. I was not going to let this happen to my son. I came home with Tyler, who was very upset also, and suggested that we kneel down right then a ask Heavenly Father for help. We did and although I began in tears and pleading I ended with a very calm feeling that everything was going to be ok. Knowing how Heavenly Father works though, I got on the phone right away and called Dave. He called the Superintendant and explained the situation and the Super said he'd call the Principle and that we would try to get this worked out.
Without knowing if he would get in and having to wait to for the call to find out, we were all very nervous and continued to pray. This all started on a Thursday. By Monday, I started getting this feeling as I (and we-Dave and I) would pray that he would be able to go to SoJo that he was supposed to go to ELA. No. NO! NO WAY! He needs stability! He needs to make this decision himself and he wants to go back to SoJo! So, I hid this feeling from my husband and son thinking that it was just my imagination.
Then, on Tuesday night after Dave and I had said our couples prayer (and as I was beginning to think I needed to tell him about the feeling I was getting) he looks at me and says, "You know, I think that Tyler is supposed to go to ELA". No way! I finally told him that I had been having the same feeling but was to afraid. It felt good to know that the Lord was speaking to us both and that we knew because of it that it really was where he should be.
So, what do we do now? We knew where Tyler was supposed to go but felt that Tyler should still make the decision. Wednesday morning (a day before ELA was to start and 2 days before the first day at SoJo) we sat down with Tyler and told him of the promptings from the Spirit that we had felt. Tyler reacted exactly how we figured he would. He was not happy. We told him that it was still his choice and that he could go where he chose so our prayers now turned to a plead that he would feel that prompting too or that something would guide him to making the decision to go to ELA.
Thursday morning (the first day of school at ELA) I told Tyler that before he could make a decision he needed to get a feel for the other school so we were going up to ELA to talk to Mr. Glather (his old Priciple) and tour the campus. Mr. Glather was a blessing because he was someone that Tyler was familiar with and liked so I was hoping that he would be the turning point in Tylers decision.
Very reluctanly Tyler went to ELA with me to meet with Mr. Glather. He was very quiet as we met with Mr. Glather yet I was feeling very hopeful still. He told us that we were welcome to tour the school and that they were having an assembly in 45 minutes that we were welcome to come for if we wanted. We toured in less than 15 minutes and were trying to decide whether to stay for the assembly or not since it was still 30 minutes from starting. We decided to stay.
We walked in as everyone else started walking in and just stood to the side. I looked over and saw someone that I thought I recognized so I turned to Tyler and asked him if he knew her too. He said she looked familar too but he couldn't place her either so I went up to a passing girl and asked if she knew who it was and she gave me the name Ms. Mott. Still no click so I went back to Ty and asked him. "That's Ms. Mott! She was my 6th grade math teacher at Mountianville Academy!" He LOVED Ms. Mott! Ms. Mott is the kind of teacher everyone loves. She makes everyone feel special. We rushed over to her and right away she recognized Tyler. We told her that he was trying to decide whether to come there or not and she told him how awesome it was and that she'd love to see him there. Then she turned around and asked, "Do you remember Ms. Remington too?" Yet another one of Tyler's past teachers was there teaching! She remembered Tyler too. We stayed for about 20 minutes and decided that it was time to go. As we were walking out Tyler asks me, "Do you think I could get some of those shorts too?" (they weea uniforms there). I knew he knew. I knew he felt it too. I knew he had made his decision. He would go to ELA.
Of course Dave and my prayers then turned to prayers of gratitude with the added, "Lord, help him KNOW now that this was the right decision. Help him make friends and do well and look back and know that the Lord knew where he needed to go even if he thought it wasn't". With less than 3 weeks left in his 8th grade year at ELA I can tell you that he does know. He is so happy with his decision. I am so happy that this is a life experience that he can look back on and say, "Look what happened because I listened". What a testimony for our family.
I am so grateful for the spirit. I am so grateful that we listened to our Heavenly Father. He really does know best. He hears us and answers us and loves us. I will always cherish this experience.