nights, you would find us relaxing in the living room while
reading Jesse’s literature, science, or history aloud. I laughed
one night when I heard my ten-year-old daughter reading
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe. We feared she’d
have nightmares, but she survived with no ill effects. We
used these opportunities to teach our younger children to
serve their brother by lending him their eyes, although they
weren’t always thrilled about it.
We were blessed by a family foundation who gener-
ously gave the money for Jesse to buy a braille note, a small
computer of sorts weighing less than two pounds. He did
all of his writing assignments using this. He typed in braille
and with the touch of a button, transferred it to a flash drive
which when inserted into a regular PC, allowed his teacher
to read it in print. This was a great tool, and Jesse used it
every single day.
ACTIVELY ENGAGED
Finally, I would implore all parents to be actively engaged
with your child’s teachers. Although in the beginning, some
were a bit dubious about having a blind child in their class-
room, his teachers were more than willing to adapt their
own teaching styles to accommodate Jesse. They were great
about giving me lesson plans in advance so that I’d be able
to braille or record the needed material. We truly partnered
together and shared a mutual trust and respect when it came
to accomplishing the goal of educating my son.
On a beautiful evening in May of 2016, Jesse tapped his
way down the aisle to the solemn “Pomp and Circumstance”
to receive his high school diploma—with honors! We were
so proud, and our hearts brimmed with gratitude—grati-
tude which stemmed from knowing he had been able to
truly achieve academic success in subjects such as anatomy,
physiology, algebra, geometry, biology, literature, Bible,
music, and much more. Surpassing this was the joy we expe-
rienced knowing he had absorbed each of these important
subjects through the lens of a worldview that began and
ended with our Creator God.
We will never regret giving our son the opportunity to
learn under teachers who loved, prayed for, and invested
in his life by pointing him to Jesus Christ every single day.
Today, when I hear Jesse using his musical gift to glorify
God, hear him speak articulately about things that matter
to him, and prepare to release him as he moves away for
college, I realize that every labor-intensive hour I invested
as a mom was well spent, and I am incredibly rewarded.
Jesse with his parents, Tim and Becky Keep, on graduation day.
Becky Keep is a freelance author and speaker. She and her hus-
band, Tim, have five children and two granddaughters. Becky
and her family spent thirteen fruitful years as missionaries to
the Philippine Islands, where she practiced her nurse training
to organize medical missions, treating thousands of patients
in towns and villages throughout northern Luzon. Becky is the
author of two inspirational books: Eyes to See: Glimpses of
God in the Dark and It’s All About Obedience. Becky and her family now reside in
Cincinnati, Ohio where Tim is Director of Bible Methodist Missions and President of
Shepherds Global Classroom.
Read more about Jesse’s story in Becky’s book,
Eyes to See, Glimpses of God in the Dark.
Available now at Amazon.com. Connect with
Becky at facebook.com/Eyes2SeeBook.
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