The cold, the secret, and the book title

But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; though I dwell in darkness, the LORD is a light for me. Micah 7: 7-8

As you can well imagine, any mention of light or darkness catches my attention these days. We are definitely dwelling in darkness here, and the LORD is our only light many days. I told my Mom and Dad last night, though, that it’s interesting how my consciousness of the darkness is fading. I don’t gaze out the window longingly, searching for any patch of blue I can find. I don’t expect to find it. When it suddenly appears, I notice it and smile and enjoy, but the darkness itself has ceased to envelop me and squeeze the joy out of my day. That can only be because many of you have prayed for me and that God has listened and answered. Thank you so much. It’s nice to look outside and not feel like crying all the time.

As for the title of this blog…it is soooooo cold! I am going this afternoon to a store to try and buy some things for the kids. Hannah will have to have a new coat—hers is not waterproof (I’ve never bought her a coat before, and I didn’t think to look for that), and it isn’t warm enough to stand up to bitterness of the cold. I can’t imagine how cold it is going to get. The high today is 25, and that is practically spring in comparison to the days ahead. Brrrrr….

Many of you read my title and wondered if there was a dark, scandalous secret to be revealed. Sorry. Nothing dark nor scandalous—just silly and maybe a little embarrassing. One of the things that has really bothered me since leaving home is that I have not sung publicly in months. When that is part of who you are, it’s difficult to leave it behind. And I’m not even talking about doing some kind of big solo. I just mean singing in the choir or even in the congregation. There wasn’t a ton of singing at ILC, and much of what we did was in another language when we worshipped corporately. And here…well, let’s just say it’s hard to sing when the words are written in an alphabet that you can only sound out like a kindergartner. So, on the advice of a friend, I have taken to going into my kitchen, shutting the door, and singing as loudly as I want. I even turn off the lights and gaze at the city as I sing. When my family walks in, it’s a little embarrassing, because I often have a hand raised or am making some kind of gesture, but I’ve decided I don’t care, because it makes me feel better. Last night, I serenaded Moscow with “It is well with my soul,” “Before the throne of God above,” and “Not a god (You are God alone)’, and while I didn’t hear any response from the citizenry, I’m pretty sure I heard the applause of the only audience Who matters. I like to think He’s missed hearing me sing. And who wouldn’t feel better after singing, “Though Satan should taunt me, though trials should come, let this blessed assurance control: that Christ has regarded my helpless estate and has shed His own blood for my soul”? I sure did. It’s good to be able to sing, “It is well with my soul” and mean it.

Irina has decided I must write a book about being a new missionary in Moscow. I have no idea why she has decided this—she told me, but since she mostly refuses to speak English to me, I only caught part of it. But I’ve been thinking about it, and I’ve decided that if I ever decide to write a book about anything, I’m going to title it, Armpit farts at the breakfast table. I’ll let you draw from that title whatever you can about my life here in Moscow.

Well, speaking of the breakfast table, it’s nearly time to get the children up and feed them (and enjoy some glorious armpit farts from the youngest member of the Hooks family), so I’d better run. Thank you for reading this. I have no clue why anyone would want to read the ramblings of my brain, but I appreciate that you do. Continue to pray for us. And today (Tuesday), would you also pray for my nephew, Dan? He has a big day today at his job, and I’d appreciate it if you’d just say a quick prayer for him. He’s a pretty wonderful man, and Marc and I are really proud of the person he’s grown up to be. Thanks for joining us in praying for him. Blessings to you and yours!
His,
Kellye