The countdown

Happy the soul which by a sincere self-renunciation, holds itself ceaselessly in the hands of its Creator, ready to do everything which he wishes; which never stops saying to itself a hundred times a day, "Lord, what wouldst thou that I should do?" Francois Fenelon, quoted in Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

You are probably tired of hearing about this book, but it's truly made a huge impact on me. This is from the section on worship, which I've been reading for a few days now. Worship is a topic God is really pounding away at me about, making sure that I don't think worship is only singing on a Sunday morning or in praise band on Sunday night, but that worship is a life lived constantly in tune with the One Who made it. I love the Casting Crowns song that says, "Lord, the worship we bring is more than songs that we sing, it's a reflection of our ever-changing hearts, the best we have to offer." Man, I want to give Jesus the best I have to offer, to give Him the life back that He's so graciously given me. I know I'm not there, yet, but progress is happening.

On Marc's computer, he has widgits, which are little things that tell him all kinds of information at a touch of the finger. One of his widgits is a dual countdown: one to FPO (Field Personnel Orientation), and one is to the day we set foot on the soil of Mother Russia. Today, the FPO countdown is at 1, and the Russia countdown is at 60. Unbelievable. If you have traveled this road with us, if you have even once prayed for us as we've taken this journey to get to this day...thank you so much. We have felt your prayers. Never in my life have I been more aware of the physical reality of the prayers of others. They have been like a warm coat on a very long, cold night. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I can never say it enough.

If you're wondering to yourself, "Self, why does Kellye's blog look especially good today? What is it about this blog that is different from the others?"--the answer is that this blog was written on my BRAND NEW LAPTOP!!! Yep, that's what Marc and the kids gave me for my birthday!!! It came in a Vera Bradley laptop case, which matches my entire collection of Vera Bradley that my parents, sisters, and aunt and uncle gave me for my birthday. Evidently, Marc and Sarah Beth have been planning this for months. It is so nice...it's a white MacBook (we are a totally Mac family), and it has all kinds of cool stuff on it. With some of the money I received, I'm going to buy the scrapbooking software for it, which will make it possible for me to digitally create scrapbooks, and either print them or keep them on my computer (or send them to others). How cool is that? Pretty cool! I could not have been any more surprised than if he'd bought me a car or something else that's huge. I absolutely love it, and I can't wait to figure out how to use every little program on it.

Well, it's time for me to run. Pray for us as we repack (for the three thousandth time) to go to FPO. We did not purchase a new bag yet to replace the one the airline destroyed, so we are short one of our huge bags. It is lots of fun! Thanks for the many birthday greetings yesterday. You made my day. On a similar note--today is my Mimsey's birthday, and I always think of her on this day. Mimsey died in 1995, and even though that was 12 years ago, I never have gotten over missing her. I know she's in heaven, and I know I'll see her again, but I still miss her. Mimsey and Papa's house was absolutely filled to the brim with love, and losing them twenty days apart remains one of the hardest things I've ever endured. Today, I will eat some cottage cheese and sliced tomatoes, which was my favorite lunch at Mimsey's house. What a blessing to have grandparents who loved me with a passion. I am one blessed woman! Blessings!

His,
Kellye