Establishing our Family Culture

Posted by Dan and Carole McClelland

McClelland Family Culture

For the past 14 years, Dan and I and then when Olive and Valor came along, have lived in community. Daily doing life with a group of other people, 12 of those years with Deaf people. And we absolutely loved it! Having a daily community of people that are seeking God and serving together to bring God’s kingdom is an amazing experience. We have gained so much experience in creating a “family” within the ministry setting, something we care deeply about. Dan and I have dreamed about what could it look like to establish this same concept but within our family and over the last 3 months we have been able to begin to establish it! We prayed about what values we want to have as a family, what are our strengths and areas we want to grow in and how do we live just the 4 of us!

The first thing we desired was to read/listen through the Bible this year, so for 15 mins a day, as a family we are reading or listening to the Bible and it has been so fun! I love moments when we are driving at the GPS is on and we are listening and Valor gets upset because the GPS interrupted the Bible as he wants to hear the whole story! Or when Olive who knows many Bible stories, shares wow I did not know that detail of the story or when their names or the stories their names came from in the Bible they get really proud! If we are at home, we will color or do sticker pages while we listen. 

Our family has also started intentionally exploring the outdoor parks and activities in a 2 hour radius from our home. It has been fun to be outdoors and explore as a family. This is a picture of our family going tubing (like sledding but in a tube).

Also for the year of 2025, we have been praying for the fruit of the spirit and developing character in us! So each month, our family has picked a fruit of the spirit that we are focusing on developing and then practicing it daily. When a new month arrives, we move that fruit into a weekly practice and start a new one! For example, in January, our family practiced self-control and had no sweets or desserts! This was especially hard after our first holiday season in the states! But the kiddos did amazing, saying no to hot chocolate at a friends house, when either Dan or I were there! Now, we pick a dessert a week practicing self control throughout the year! For February, we practiced forgiveness and quick repentance, so every night, we meet as a family before bed to ask HS if there was anything we needed to say sorry for during the day and asked for forgiveness and then forgave each other! It was so amazing to see how throughout the month, we all especially the kids become quicker to say sorry and to forgive and often, the kids were doing it in the throughout the day instead of waiting until evening! We now have a weekly time together to clean our hearts for the next week. It has been such a joy to be establishing Kingdom culture within our family of 4 and doing it with our children. We are looking forward to the rest of the year and all that God wants to do!

Taekwondo

Valor has been doing Teakondo since the end of December and really loves it! He practices 3 times a week for 30 mins and has one sparring (all the gear pictured below) once a week for 45 mins. In March, he tested for his first belt and passed so he has a white belt with a black stripe. The instructors are so kind and intentional with the young kids. Valor is building confidence in himself as well as disciple. We love it.

Valor has to get 3 stripes (6 classes for each stripe) in order to be able to test to get the next belt. Here is is proudly showing his second stripe.

Regular classes

Sparring Classes

Bouldering (Rock Clibming for Olive)

Olive is taking bouldering class for an hour and a half on Saturdays in Pittsburgh, about an hour and 15 mins away from our home. There are 4 children taking the classes including Olive and she loves it! The rock climbing community is so relax and supportive of one other. She has coaching them help her plan out routes, and teaching her moves to climb higher as well as safety. Here is the class warming up with two instructors. Olive has been climbing for 2 months and really is learning a lot! We just got her own climbing shoes. She got some blisters and is using bandaids and breaking them in but she loves she has her own.

   

While each of the kiddos are doing their sport, I try to be intentional with the other child. We spend time reading together, cheering for our sister or brother and playing games. Valor has a longer class on Thursdays, so Olive picks a game to play and Olive climbs for an hour and half every Saturday, so Valor and I get some really great connecting time!

First McClelland Family Mission Trip to Teach at YWAM DC

As Mommy and Daddy taught in the DC training school, exploring homeschool duringtrips was a new a experience for us but worked out great. We did set up a classroom in our living room, went to National Museaum of American History with Smithsonians which aligned with Olives classes and visited a Fort Washington from the 1812 War.

  

We also got to see our good friends from Davids Tent and YWAM DC and Olive and Valor got to be brought into blessing the students with encouraging words and cards at the end of the week! It was a great group of students who were hungry for Jesus!

Olive's 10th Birthday

    

Olive turned 10 years old! Grandma and Grandpa had a special birthday breakfast on her actual birthday and then she had a birthday party inviting 10 of her friends to celebrate with her! Grandma planned the decorations and party games with Olive and she LOVED it!