Midwinter Vision!

How did the Midwinter Convention get started?

There is no way to talk about how the Midwinter Convention got started without sharing my heart in a very personal way. It all boils down to obedience. No matter when, where or what is going on in our lives, when we truly think the Lord is calling us to do something, do we obey, half obey or do all we can for His honor and glory? For two years I floundered in the dangerous ground of partial obedience and the third year, I finally obeyed wholeheartedly! If you are interested, the intensely personal story of the Midwinter Convention vision, read more …..
 

What is the purpose of the Midwinter Convention?

Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. 1 Thess 5:1Only be strong and courageous, be careful to do according to ALL the law which Moses My servant commanded you to do; do not turn from the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it, for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you then, be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:7-9

Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice! Phil 4:4

Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anyting worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. Phil 4:8 

The heart of the Midwinter Convention is to encourage, equip and inspire home educating parents in the midst of the school year to be strong and courageous, to not tremble or be dismayed. It is no secret that many home educating parents suffer a tremendous amount of discouragement in the winter, especially after the holidays. The school year stretches out before us and can often look as bleak as the winter landscape. When the enemy is trying to discourage us with distractions, his plans over the Lord’s plans, with that never ending whisper of threats and accusations to render us useless, it is a time to rebuild the wall and move forward, as Nehemiah did. The Midwinter Convention is designed to be a time of refreshing in the Lord, to hearten, strengthen and embolden homeschool parents. If the Israelites could complete the wall, with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon, in only 52 days, we can borrow their endurance from scripture and persevere! The heart of the Midwinter Convention is to bring new strength and courage, to invigorate and energize homeschool families and to boost enthusiasm and vision in 2008. 

What makes the Midwinter Convention unique?

In the midst of the winter doldrums, the Midwinter Convention exists to champion homeschool parents toward the finish line of the 2007-2008 school year! We talk about walking in a manner worthy of the gospel and strengthening our kids in the Lord. It is a time of encouragement from people in the trenches with you. You are going to hear from real live families, with real issues, real struggles and how they dealt with them as an encouragement to you – not just the fluffy platitudes of the perfect family with the perfect life and the perfect homeschool. We are all struggling with our sin nature, and the sin nature of our children and trying to educate them to the glory of the Lord. We talk about life’s tragedies and how to navigate them, along with life’s successes and reassurance through the trenches of common experiences all homeschoolers face. You want real – you get real! Our goal is to equip home educators through the valleys and back toward the mountain tops of this incredible journey the Lord has placed us on, as we love, nourish and educate our children.

It is not your standard end of the year convention designed to help you plan the next school year, which is so needed in the Tri-Cities, and hopefuly we will have in the very near future (in fact your support and attendance wil help with that goal!) Midwinter will certainly go over teaching ideas, techniques and strategies, but it is not a curriculum fair in the traditional sense. You will go home with goodie bags full of information, new homeschooling ideas, curriculum ideas and programs, but the heart of Midwinter is not to plan out your NEXT school year 8 months in advance. Our mission is to encourage, equip and inspire home educating parents to finish this year strong.

Our emphasis at the Midwinter Convention is on supplementing what you already have, not figuring out what you will need 8 months in advance for however many kids you have! Jan and Gary Bloom are bringing their enormous selection of 4000-5000 of the best living books! There are bookshelves FULL of delightful living books- they have an amazing selection of homeschool favorites, classics, all sorts of Christian books, children's books, and the best books from yesteryear, organized neatly! It is like going into a great library full of safe books, and actually being able to pull old favorites to share with your kids that you were able to read as a child, plus plenty of new ones you want to read aloud, all treasures!  There will be much, much more to be announced soon! Really though, encouragement, fellowship, chocolate and good books….need we say more? 

Who would benefit from attending the Midwinter Convention?

Whether you are brand new, feel confident and are charging ahead, have questions, feel a little weary facing the new year or are just curious, you will leave the Midwinter Convention and seminars equipped and encouraged with new ideas and tools to immediately use at home. All homeschooling parents will benefit,  new and wanting to learn about the wonders and joys of homeschooling, experienced veterans with children who have graduated and everyone in-between. Moms and dads are welcome to attend all sessions! Help us get the word out, please invite your homeschooling friends, support groups and anyone interested in educating their children at home 

What if I am just thinking about homeschooling and want more information?

Welcome to thinking about the wonderful world of homeschooling! Newbies will find the Midwinter Convention is the ideal place to start finding out information about homeschooling children of all ages, hear excellent speakers who are experienced and willing to share, meet local homeschoolers, learn about local co-ops and opportunities to learn, and go home with a goodie bag full of information! Plus, there will be great chocolate and wonderful coffee!

Are children invited?

We love our wee bairns and the not so wee bairns, but we ask you leave your precious children at home for a few hours with Grandma or a trusted sitter! This is a time of refreshing for the parents. Nursing babies are welcome with their mamas!

Why should we invite our friends to the 2^nd Midwinter Convention?

There is nothing better than bringing a friend. Tell them they will get their batteries recharged, gain a fresh perspective, a new vision, get questions answered, hear from others sharing similar struggles, meet other home educators and enjoy a great day in the Lord with you! Have you ever gone to a convention full of people who were pursuing similar goals, with a similar heart, wanting to do the best for their children, under the guidance of the Lord and thought how much your friend would enjoy it?  Have you ever looked around such a place of like minded individuals and thought of those who have accepted the Lord, and what a joy it will be to be in heaven together some day, not to mention knowing their children and grandchildren will be there too, along with yours! We serve a mighty God and it is incredible to be with His people! There is a sweetness in the fellowship at homeschool conventions that simply must be experienced! 

How do you determine who the speakers are going to be?

Through prayer! Over the years, the Lord has blessed us with many friends in the homeschooling community all over the country who speak professionally, the difficulty is in limited space, colliding schedules and choosing a date! We believe wholeheartedly in the admonition of Paul in Philippians 4:7 to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. We are very careful that our speakers are trustworthy people who seek to honor the Lord first and foremost, are well respected in the homeschool world, delivering relevant information home educators need and that there is evidence of obedient fruit in their lives! Some are beloved old friends, some are new. All have a heart for the Lord and a passion for encouraging others. They are real –folks who have made mistakes, have triumphed over struggles, blazed new paths, taught children with learning disabilities or handicaps, graduated kids, struggles and triumphs they are willing to share openly and honestly. They can encourage others facing similar issues and share what the Lord did in and through the circumstances. We are not putting on masks at the Midwinter Convention, and that requires that we be real. And they all have a great sense of humor, so you won’t be bored! 

We have had the honor of many fine people asking to speak at the 2nd Annual Tri-Cities Midwinter Homeschoool Convention and we appreciate your requests. While we have tripled the amount of speaking slots over last year, we can only accomodate so many. We appreciate all requests and hope to add more next year. 

How do you choose vendors?

Easy – we look for materials that we would use, recommend and know are going to be of value to you! This year, our emphasis is on the best living books! Traveling through the snows from Minnesota, we are featuring the Books Bloom Library with the Queen of Books, Jan & Gary Bloom! Jan is our Keynote Speaker, a delightful friend, author and hilarious homeschool speaker who has written two books that are essential for every homeschoolers library, Who Should We Then Read? with over 140 authors of good books for children and young adults and What Should We Then Know? Jan is a breath of fresh air – she is inspirational, passionate and a genius at introducing kids to the best books! We will have many more vendors at Midwinter, so please check our vendor page for updates! And always, we look for the "know, like and trust" principle as well as "quality and value for price!"

Why Midwinter and not in the summer?

After the holidays, do you need a kick start and boost to finish out the year? Tired and exhausted – wondering how to get it all done? The Midwinter Convention will energize and equip you! 

Will you cancel for snow????

Since Jan Bloom, our Keynote Speaker is coming all the way from Minnesota, the Midwinter Convention will go on rain, snow or shine! Yes, Midwinter will go on! We hope you will brave whatever weather the Lord brings that day, in a safe and sane manner, to join us!

Will it be worth the investment of my time and gas?

You get out of the conference what you put in! Come with a spirit of willingness to learn and seek the Lord for His wisdom and vision for your family. Come prepared to be encouraged and you will be! Invite a friend or two, or a whole vanful and share the cost of gas!

Is the Tri-Cities Midwinter Convention worth traveling to?

Absolutely! Whether you are traveling from the Tri-Cities area or coming from out of state, we have a convention rich with opportunity for you. We have reserved a hotel block at the AmericInn in Jonesborough and negotiated a terrific rate. We will be profiling area restaurants and things to do in the Tri-Cities area. The convention is right next to the brand new Gray Fossil Site (known officially as the ETSU Natural History Museum and Visitors Center) which is a great field trip for dad with the kids.

What can I expect to take away from the Midwinter ?

Refreshment for today. New friends. GREAT books!  A new way of looking at things. A fresh perspective. Encouragement toward the finish line of this year.  A can do attitude! Great chocolate….great books….need we say more?

How do I get the most benefit?

Come with a heart prepared to learn, bring a notebook, a budget for books and homeschooling supplies, and a friend. 

How much is the Tri-Cities Midwinter Homeschool Conference?

We are asking for a $5 donation per family to offset administrative costs and provide you with the best conference we can!  We would never want money to be an issue, so if you truly cannot afford the $5 donation, just smile and tell us the Lord asked you to come and that will be that! 

FOOD! Will there be food?

Excitingly, we will be offering a lunch this year for a very reasonable rate! More information on that will follow, as soon as all the details our worked out with our homeschooling family that caters! There will also be an area to bring in your own food, so feel free to pack a lunch and keep it in the car! And, if you came to the first Midwinter, you will be happy to know that homeschooled Miss Emily’s Bakery will be back with luscious treats and delicious coffee that were sold out last year! Chocolate and great books!

How can I get involved and volunteer to help out?

Thank you so much for asking! Visit our volunteer page for more information, which will be updated often! God bless you for your servant’s heart! 

How do I become a sponsor?

Thank you for asking!  Sponsors help create extraordinary events! Please email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Invite a friend and come on down to the 2^nd Annual Tri-Cities Midwinter Homeschool Convention and Book Sale for a day of encouragement, equipping, fellowship, chocolate and good books! 

How the Midwinter Convention got started!

There is no way to talk about how the Midwinter Convention got started without sharing my heart in a very personal way. It all boils down to obedience. No matter when, where or what is going on in our lives, when we truly think the Lord is calling us to do something, do we obey, half obey or do all we can for His honor and glory? For two years I floundered in the dangerous ground of partial obedience and the third year, I finally obeyed wholeheartedly! Here is the intensely personal story of the Midwinter Convention vision…..

A few years ago, as Christmas melted into a new year, waves of discouragement crested over me. I felt worn out, exhausted, tired. Physically, I was sick and the doctors could not figure out what was wrong. The holidays were over, the decorations packed up and put away. A new year was dawning full of resolutions and plans, hopes and dreams. But I did not have the energy to do them. I felt depleted. The children’s revamped lesson plans called out to me, and I didn’t have the get up and go for the second half of the year, for life, for anything. I felt like quitting. The physical exhaustion mixed with the mental exhaustion and I just wanted to escape.

While crying out to the Lord, a still small voice whispered to me, “My child, other homeschool mom’s are feeling the same way, under the same burdens. I want you to encourage them.” How Lord, when I can barely hold my own head up? How Lord, when I can barely function? “I want you to speak to them” came the voice and I had the distinct feeling that I was to arrange yet another conference, but this time in the middle of winter, to encourage moms toward the finish line. No one needed encouragement, energy, strength and to know that she was not alone more than I did. But a conference?

So I did what I always did. I wrote. I posted it on many of the Yahoo groups, I called my friends, I had a little personal encouragement program going. But I did not have the physical stamina to do a conference or arrange a big event. We were getting ready to move cross country and I had been having some severe health issues. It was a partial obedience….yet the seed was planted in the winter of 2005. 

In January of 2006, with another year spun past, with the quiet of winter taking root in my heart, again that still small voice whispered in my ear, the same thing. “My child, other homeschool mom’s are feeling the same way, under similar burdens. I want you to encourage them. I want you to speak to them.” Only two months before, in total obedience, we gave up a perfectly wonderful life, selling our home and business, moving cross country in a grand adventure that felt like Abram and Sarai. Go forth from your country to the land I will show you. We were in hotels and transitional housing having gone over 15,000 miles trying to figure out WHICH of the 18 well researched target locations we were going to settle in. We had struck out on all 18 and we were wondering if we had completely missed the Lord. We did not even know where we would be the next day, let alone to plan a conference. Oh but how I needed that midwinter encouragement, as did so many of the homeschooling families we know. We were dry, tired, worn down. So once again, I did what I always did, I wrote to all of my friends and groups, encouraging them. Once again, that uneasy feeling of partial obedience prickled my soul, but I could not figure what else to do. We did not even know where we were going to settle yet, in our new lives out east. 

Yet I was like Peter, in Acts 10. He saw the vision of all kinds of four footed animals and crawling creatures. A voice admonished him "Arise, kill and eat!" But Peter said, "By no means Lord....." and he gave his excuse.  While not having a home is a perfectly good reason not to plan a convention, does the Lord not call us to obedience, whether we are in a hotel room or a home? Was He quietly confirming the idea He had put in my heart for two years in a row?

Settle we eventually did in Tennessee, in the wonderful Tri-Cities area. We would gladly go each mile again, and strike out on each of the 18 well researched target locations, if He would only put us in our beloved Tennessee. We would not want to miss out on the blessings of our new life! Ultimately we see His hand in all of. It has been an incredibly difficult journey, but obedience is rarely easy. There is a cost. For us, it was a life we loved and so much more. Yet through it all, the Lord knew what He had planned for us, a training of character and a chipping away of our self reliance, and a scrubbing off of our old lives, so He could fit us into the completely new plan He had. When you know that your Creator has loved you since before the foundation of the world, why is it that we resist so much? Ultimately we need to trust, Jeremiah 29:11-14, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope....and you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found by you, declares the Lord....

As we put the ornaments away this last Christmas, staring January 2007 full in the face, that whisper came back stronger. “Now my child, now you need to encourage women, your sister homeschoolers. They are weary and tired, just like you. Speak and encourage them, a day of encouragement.” That still, strong voice in my life could no longer be ignored. Obedience was the only choice. I wasn’t moving cross country or evaluating which area of our carefully chosen 18 target destinations to settle in. Yes, life was difficult, but it was time to trust and obey. This was the 3^rd January in a row that I had heard the same whisper, either I was going crazy or I just flat out needed to obey.  

Whispers melded into reality as I began to talk to my husband about planning a day of encouragement. Praying about what those words had meant this third time, we decided the Lord had given us a large home and our goal was always to open it up and host people, so why not open it up? It is His home, we are merely stewards of it. Whether missionaries, traveling homeschool speakers, or families, we had always hosted people and planned seminars, talks and events. Our whole family delighted in always opening our home to whomever He put in our path and whatever event surrounded it. We laughingly call ourselves TeamBaughn, and have found great joy in doing this, it was kind of our family trademark. 

Back home in CA, we had hosted Bob and Tina Farewell of Lifetime Books and Gifts every summer, and would volunteer at our enormous CHEA homeschool convention (7000 attendees). We would do different seminars, speaking and/or organizing, whatever the Lord led us to do through out the years. Civil War reenactors, we helped organize and present at living history events and large historical teas for our organization, school presentations and more. We just loved organizing events with fascinating people and inviting our friends over for times of enrichment, inspiration and encouragement. We held huge gatherings and intimate talks, delighting in watching how people’s lives were changed, molded and shaped in new ways. 

Since moving to Tennessee, we had already had the honor and privilege to host Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn of Trivium Pursuit in October, along with The Old Schoolhouse creators and publishers, Gena and Paul Suarez for a homeschool talk. Why not open up our home once again, push all the stuff to the side in our enormous walkout basement and set it up with booksellers, and have a mini conference upstairs in our living room? The whisper was becoming reality. 

Our job was to stand aside and let the Lord work. It was His idea, not ours! We began to advertise it on the TCHomeschool digest and on Grace in Abingdon, and suddenly it grew. A pastor friend of ours offered us his church to host the event (he had only moved to the church 3 weeks before) because we had outgrown our home. People were coming from all over the Tri-Cities, from North Carolina, Virginia and as far down as Knoxville. It seemed like the gates of heaven opened up and we had so many folks volunteer, sign up to be used book sellers and so much more, it seemed that the Lord was pulling together the convention faster than we could keep up with. He opened doors and we ended up on the radio, in several newspapers, press releases, and Chamber releases, home school newsletters all over! We just kept going through every door He opened....and all of those years in marketing helped!

In three short weeks, we went from whisper, to prayer, to obedience, to convention. The 1^st Annual Tri-Cities Midwinter Convention and Book Sale was born. On January 19^th, the day dawned cold and with the promise of snow. We opened up the doors and had a steady stream of people all day. Some came for the seminars, others just to shop our used book sale, and still others arrived early and stayed late, eating fabulous chocolate and drinking good coffee, attending every seminar and getting the most out of the day that they could. 

The 1^st Midwinter Convention was a precious day in the Lord. We laughed and we cried together. Words are inadequate to convey the heart of the conference. So many homeschool Moms came up and told us that it was exactly what they needed. They were dry, exhausted, discouraged, worn down, just like I had been. Satan was all over them, just as he was all over me. Their urge was to quit, yet their commitment was to continue. They just felt depleted, at that precise moment in their lives and needed someone to share a scripture of hope, or a story that would spark a new idea. They desperately needed encouragement along their own particular homeschool journey. They needed someone to come alongside them, and encourage them onward and upward. We praise the Lord for what He did that day! 

We fully intended to have a 2^nd Midwinter Convention the following year. But as the Lord has so often done in our lives, He changed our direction. A few short months ago, we found out we were pregnant with a post sterilization reversal Miracle Baby! Unexplainable joy. We were due in April, and the thought immediately came to us, would we be able to do the Midwinter Convention again? Because of a strong history of miscarriage, we knew that we needed to postpone a decision until we got through the first trimester. Joy quickly turned to sorrow. It was a difficult pregnancy which we completely surrendered to the Lord. He is the Author and Creator of life, and He chooses who lives, who is born and who dies. We put our precious Miracle Baby squarely into His loving, nail scarred hands. We ultimately lost our beloved baby Hope at the end of Sept. You can read the story at www.squidoo.com/blightedovumhope  Accepting His sovereign will, we continued to submit our lives to the Lord, and His will and purpose in our lives. 

Yet silently inside, I was panicked. Winter is difficult for me, and I knew that I would be facing the heartbreak of losing our precious little Miracle Baby and the physiological devastation of a miscarriage again this year, as we went into winter…which I could barely survive anyway. How could I ever think of doing another Midwinter? My hair was falling out in chunks, I was exhausted and cold and going through hormonal crashes, peppered with migraines, in a blur of exhaustion. My life was one long blood test to see what was going on…. I could barely put two sentences together, and didn’t have enough energy to keep a sloth going, how could it be done? 

Quiet and a sense of peace came rushing over me like gentle oceans waves lapping against a sandy shore in the hazy warmth of the summer sun. If the Lord wanted a 2^nd Midwinter, He would bring it about, and I should just rest, leaving it in His strong hands. It wasn’t up to us….it wasn’t about us…. 

He looks for the one with no strength, the one feeling weak, and exhausted and worn. Like the song we sing our children “We are weak and He is strong.” Once again, He quietly, deliberately opened the doors of heaven, and in a few short days, the entire convention was put together with a larger location, beloved friends and national homeschool speakers Jan and Gary Bloom with their fabulous Books Bloom library, two homeschool magazines, and so much more. Midwinter 2 had begun and I daresay, that moment of rest was decidedly over! Nehemiah tells us that “the people had a mind to work” in 4:6, and that work is to be “as unto the Lord…” 

So that, my friends, is the story of how our little family obeyed that still small whisper, creating a Midwinter Convention designed to inspire and equip other homeschool families! We would be so honored if you would attend and bring a friend. We would be so thankful if you would join us in praying for all of the parents attending, all of our speakers, and that our precious Lord and Savior would be glorified above all else.

We have been praying for you for many months - Dave, Lisa and Emily Baughn... TeamBaughn

Depend on it. God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply. He is too wise a God to frustrate His purposes for lack of funds, and He can just as easily supply them ahead of time as afterwards, and He much prefers doing so.

J. Hudson Taylor

Missionary