Meet the Nelsestuen family

We started at PRCA in the fall of 2010. Two of our sons have graduated from PRCA, 2016 and 2019. We have two more sons that will graduate in 2023 and 2026.

Our family has held to the value of Christian education as a crucial element in raising our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6). PRCA offered our children a Biblical worldview, faithful teachers that love God and love their students, and opportunities for my sons to advance in the areas of interest for each child - these areas include fine arts, sports, and academics.

We have been blessed by the Arizona tax credit scholarship program - we could not have seen any of our children through private school without it! That being said, we have had to sacrifice to pay the difference. We drive used cars, we skip vacations, we don't go out to eat very often, and we are a two income home to make sure the bills get paid. Sometimes the kids have to pack lunches and not buy school lunch - we get that specific with our budget! But God is faithful and we have seen miracles every year. Overall, we've had kids in private Christian school for over 20 years. And we are still going!

My children receive the freedom to wrestle with the big questions of life in a safe environment. They are not persecuted for their faith, and they are allowed to question and learn to defend it. Mostly this happens in Bible, Science, and History/English (Humanities) classes, but the mentorship by math and electives teachers has also provided rich relationships to help form and shape who my children have become. As much as my husband and I are intentional to mentor and disciple our kids, we are eternally grateful for the faculty that have come alongside and supported us as parents. When our sons mess up (because they do), we send them to serve their teachers. For example, Mr. Raikes was gracious and let our kid pull weeds at his house, but then Mrs. Raikes made cupcakes for him... That's just one of many examples and we could not have asked for more from our community. It's never perfect, but we trust the leadership at PRCA and want to see the school do well and persevere to serve many families for years to come.

Look at the world we live in. There is a battle for the souls of our children. Christian families need all the help we can get to invest and impart Truth in our kids' lives. All kids have to go to school and get an education in some way. The integration of Biblical Truth and academic content creates an amazing 5-day a week discipleship model for our children - my church can't do that for me.

The consistent Christian community. There are other private schools, but they are not all Christian schools.

Trust God and go for it. Be prepared to pay and invest in your children (do your part), but God will provide in ways you least expect.