Our registration trip, pt. 3: friends in Kiev

Sarah Beth and her "men"--Adam and Carson. Adam, btw, is Super boy, and Sarah Beth is now Lois Lane. Just thought you should know.
John-John and Adam were pals at FPO, when Adam's family lived in the quad next to us. Here they are in Kiev together.
The kids, minus John-John and Adam, who spent the day together in Kiev. What a great time we had!

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for He has been good to me. Psalm 13:5-6

We are finally to the end of our registration trip stories, and this is my favorite. There is little in the life of a missionary that is more precious than the missions family on the field. They are our lifeline, people who truly know what it is to do what we've done, and who know that we haven't completely lost our minds. There is something especially important about that group with whom we trained. They know us beyond knowing us. They love us, anyway--a miracle in itself. Our closest friendships in life are with those people we lived with for eight weeks while we all studied, wrote papers, tried to find a wireless internet signal on the playground, and just generally spent time together. So you can imagine our joy when we knew we were going to get to spend some time with one of the families from FPO.

After a great, restful night at the Christian Center, the taxi picked us up and took us to Kiev, to the home of our friends Calvin and Janet and their son, Adam. We had soup and sandwiches and lots of great conversation. We were joined by Carson and Cameron, brothers who are friends of Sarah Beth's, and Lori and Paul and their kids, who live upstairs from Calvin and Janet. Great new friends! There is something about having experienced the transition onto the field that makes people instantly friends. We spent hours telling stories, laughing at one another's fumbles with the Russian language, and just generally recouping and renewing our ties.

I can complain a lot about the sacrifices of living the life of a missionary. It's not interesting nor helpful, but I can do it if I choose. However, when I really think about this life, I am struck by the many blessings that are attached to it, not the least of which is the friendships we've made with other missions families. We are blessed beyond measure. And even though those closest to us live in different parts of the world, nothing can break those ties--not time nor distance, not different language learning or different cultures. Our hearts are knitted together by God, and no one and nothing can break those ties.

Well, I'd better run. We have an extra Sarah Beth here (the other half of SBSquared), and John-John and Hannah are at her house spending the night. After Marc's language lesson this morning, we're all piling into Jeff and Karla's van to go to a waterpark outside of Moscow. I think you can imagine how much my Florida babies are looking forward to dipping their toes in some water. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that today will be a day you take the time to thank God for the friendships He's given you, and that you remembered to pack your swimsuit in amongst your winter clothes when you left the States! Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

When it's all been said and done

My three treasures--Sarah Beth, Hannah and John-John.

For He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His Beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14

Obviously, I am taking another break in the saga of our registration trip. In the last day or so, there has been a sort of "perfect storm" of things God is obviously telling me, and I feel compelled this morning to tell them to you. (I don't always do that--one of my favorite people, Lauren Crews, once said that what God is telling you is for you, not necessarily for everyone. Wise words.)

First, a confession which will not come as a shock to anyone who even vaguely knows me. I am a worrier. You name it, and I have worried about it at some point in my life. My current list of things to worry about consists of the following:

• on-field friendships for us and the kids
• the pain and trauma of transition, especially for Hannah
• how we are going to pay the leftover tuition for the kids' school next year
• controlling my weight (I went back on Weight Watchers on Saturday)
• what to do with my hair (I'm not kidding)
• whether people think we are "good" missionaries
• what I will wear to the swimpark on Tuesday (my swimsuit is still in the States)
• how my kids are turning out (don't all parents worry about that?)
• my Daddy's "flutter" on his stress test

You get the idea. Some stuff I worry about is important in our lives. Some of it is, well... silly. So this is the stuff I carry with me. And you should know that I am a thousand times better than I used to be. I used to make myself sick worrying about stuff. Now it just wakes me up before dawn. (Actually, this morning it was the construction outside, which began at about 5.) And let me be clear--I am totally and completely aware that this is sin. I know it. I really, really do.

At church yesterday, the "word before the word"--the analysis of scripture that takes place before the "main" sermon--was about thanksgiving. In his analysis, the speaker made the point that the opposite of thanksgiving is worry. We worry about what we will wear, etc., but those things keep us from thanksgiving, and thanksgiving is a command of the Lord. I had never thought about it that way. When I worry about things, I forget to be thankful for the ka-billion things God has done for me and is doing currently in my life. Interesting point.

So when I got up this morning, I was already thinking about what was said at church and all the things I worry about in the course of any given day. In my quiet time, I read from Colossians 1-2:5 (I'm studying Colossians right now). In that passage, Paul tells the church at Colossae that their lives should be filled with fruit, and that they should beware being deceived by persuasive arguments. Nowhere does he say, "And while you're living fruit-filled lives, make sure you spend some of your day worrying about things God already has under control." It occurred to me that the "persuasive argument" I have listened to for most of my life is a lie straight from the enemy. He has persuaded me that God cannot handle the details, that He needs me to work and do my best to solve all problems and control all things in my life and the life of my family. Yikes! That wasn't a fun realization. That didn't make me feel very good about my Christian walk. There was some confession and forgiveness time, and then I started listening to music.

I am listening through Robin Mark's "Revival in Belfast" right now in my quiet time. This is a collection of music we did in praise team years ago on a Sunday night. It's great music. I love "Lion of Judah" and "Garments of Praise" and "Days of Elijah." But this morning, I got to the end of the album, to a quiet little song called "When it's all been said and done." These are the words I came upon:

When it's all been said and done, there is just one thing that matters. Did I do my best to live for truth? Did I live my life for You?

Lord, Your mercy is so great that you look beyond our weakness and find purest gold in miry clay, making sinners into saints.

I will always sing your praise, here on earth and ever after. For You've shown me heaven's my true home, when it's all been said and done. You're my life when life is gone.

You know how much my worrying matters? I mean really matters? Except that it's sin, and something I must immediately get rid of, it doesn't even fall in the list of top 100 things that matter. It isn't living my life for truth, or living my life for Him. What matters is taking care of that which He has entrusted to me--their names are Marc, Sarah Beth, Hannah and John. It's praying for my friends and family. It's loving people like Jesus loves me--in spite of themselves. It's saying, "Yes!" to whatever it is God has for me right now. It's not worrying about the three million things Satan has convinced me I'm in charge of, when I'm really not in charge of anything at all. It isn't thinking about next term (though the south of Spain still sounds great to me, Tara) or stateside or any of those things. It's here and now. It's taking care of my home and family. It's living a life that glorifies Him. It's making my life the song I sing for Him. That's what matters when it's all been said and done.

I may or may not know you. I'm overwhelmed by the people who read this blog even though they don't know me. But here's what I'd tell you this morning--whoever you are, and wherever you are, take a deep, hard look at what the persuasive argument is you're listening to today, and then evaluate it based on the life He has called you to live. If it doesn't match up, then you need to change the tuner on the radio and listen to some truth. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that today is a day in which your life reflects the best He has for you, and that you are not spending time worrying about the ever-encroaching gray in your hair. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

Our registration trip, pt. 2: Irpin

Almost everywhere you go in Eastern Europe, there are dogs. Of course, John-John loves every single one of them. This was "his" dog at the Christian Life Center in Irpin, Ukraine.
Honestly, these were some of the most comfortable accommodations I can ever remember having. As you can see, we slept really, really well. For those of you near FDR State Park in Pine Mountain, GA, it reminded us of the cabin we rent there for vacation every summer.
Yep! Five inches of snow...though it had been 60 degrees earlier in the week. C'mon! But it was really beautiful, and we had a good time playing in the snow, something we don't do much of in Moscow because of the pollution.

Let the favor of the LORD our God be upon us; and confirm for us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands. Psalm 90:17

After we arrived in Kiev, we went immediately and changed rubles for grieven, the money in Ukraine. Then we headed to McDonalds, so excited about eating breakfast, which we haven't had at McDonalds in a really, really long time, because only a few, stand-alone McDonalds serve breakfast in Moscow. It was about 9:00 a.m. when we arrived at the McDonalds across from the Kiev train station. As we walked in, Hannah said, "I'm so excited, Mommy. It's just like when Poppy used to take me and John to McDonalds before school!" Well, not quite. Because this McDonalds did not serve breakfast foods, we ended up eating hamburgers and french fries at 9. Oh, well. Someday, we will find a place to have a McDonalds breakfast!

We found a taxi for the "short" ride to Irpin, where we were staying at the Christian Center. An hour later, we were still not there. Finally, we arrived, exhausted and not a little frightened by the style of driving employed by our taxi driver. Marc went in to the center, and the kids and I got out of the taxi to stretch and get our bags. Now to understand our apprehension about the Christian Center, you need to know that places like this in Eastern Europe can vary widely in their sense of...their belief in...well, let's just say that it can be kind of scary. So we were looking for a sign of some sort that this was going to be okay. The place looked beautiful--well-kept lawn, newish buildings, fresh paint. Then we met Vasily, the director, who came out to greet us wearing (I am completely not kidding) a blue and orange Gators jacket from the University of Florida. I almost dropped my teeth. I knew that no one who was a Gator fan of any sort would run a shoddy establishment, so I felt okay from there on out. And it was wonderful! Beautiful accommodations, a really nice bathroom, comfortable beds, and lots of room to spread out and read and run and enjoy. There was even a dog for John-John to play with all afternoon!

The people who work at the Christian Center were just wonderful, especially the lady who runs the kitchen, Lyba. Even though we declined to have dinner since we'd done nothing but eat all day, she brought us tea and coffee, bread and fresh butter, cakes and other goodies. We ended up having a feast! Lyba is the sister of Vera, who works in the company office here in Moscow, so I think she felt like she was our adopted mom, which was just fine with us.

We took a long nap after eating lunch, and woke up to find that the ground was completely covered in snow. Big snow. Heavy snow. By nightfall, it was still snowing heavily and about five inches had accumulated. Under a bright moon, we went out to play in the snowy woods, surrounded by beautiful fur trees. Honestly, it was really fun. We went back to our room, which was huge, and drank hot chocolate (Swiss Miss packets from the U.S.--thanks, Aunt Kay!) and watched Gilligan's Island. After a great night of sleep, we woke up refreshed and renewed and ready to spend the day in Kiev with friends. I'll pick up there tomorrow.

I don't know that there's something really deep to glean from our time at the Christian Center. We enjoyed ourselves immensely, and look forward to returning some day. What we really enjoyed there was some rest. It can be hard for us to rest in Moscow--there's always stuff to do, it takes an hour to get anywhere, we're always tired, we drop into bed at night exhausted. But in Irpin, there wasn't anything to do but rest, read books, enjoy each other's company, play games, and relax. In this, as in all things, God knew exactly what we needed. A little bit of His beauty. A little time to relax. Some fellowship with believers who don't speak English but were very, very welcoming to us. A sign that He is at work in Eastern Europe, where the progress is beyond slow. We needed these things, and so He provided them. He is good and faithful, and He knows us so well. In dark times, when all I want to do is be someplace where the stop signs say stop and not стоп, I can take great comfort in knowing that He knows, that He is in charge, and that all is well. There is rest to be found in that knowledge.

During my "mommy" time yesterday (I went to by bathroom scales), I listened to my iPod, and one of the songs I listened to as I roamed Moscow's metro system was by Chris Tomlin. It contained these words: "We have only heard the faintest whispers of how great You are." More and more, I am overwhelmed by how little I know and understand Him. I am humbled by the ways He is revealing Himself to me here, but I am sad as I look at the years I have wasted on my own pride and ambition. As we learn to fully rely on Christ, those faint whispers are becoming louder, and I have to tell you this--knowing Him more is nothing short of awe inspiring. He is unbelievable in His capacity to love us enough to take care of the small details.

Wherever you are in the world, I pray that the whispers of His greatness are growing louder and louder, and that you have bathroom scales in pounds and not kilograms. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

The party

This is what having a sixteen-year-old has done to me...not only am I a drooler now, but I have bug eyes to boot!
Sarah Beth's "big" present--her best friend, Anna, came in from St. Petersburg for her party. She was totally and completely surprised. (For the surprise moment, look at Marc's blog, where he posted the video he shot of Sarah Beth and Anna.)
Her cake--Jungle Camp's Favorite Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Frosting--with all those candles!!!

This is a brief respite in the saga of our trip to Kiev. I don't have much time, because I'm headed out for a little bit of "mommy" time alone--a precious commodity for me. But I wanted to let you know that Sarah Beth's sixteenth birthday party went off last night without a hitch. Fifteen or sixteen kids came, and they had a wonderful time. We had little pizzas, chips and dip, a nacho bar, and chocolate chip cookies and cake. Because Sarah Beth is 16 going on 90, they watched Gilligan's Island and The Andy Griffith Show. Most of all, they laughed and had fun together. I especially appreciate that several of the kids left this morning for Uganda on a mission trip, and I'm sure they had a million things to do besides come to S.B.'s party. The big surprise of the evening was Sarah Beth's best friend, Anna, who lives in St. Petersburg. Her parents, Nancy and Mel, drove from Petersburg (a 10-hour trip on a good day, which Thursday wasn't) on Thursday and dropped her off. Lots of people worked hard to keep her a surprise, and she is here for the whole weekend. They stayed up late last night, giggling and whispering and laughing. Sarah Beth said it best--when Anna walked in, she said, "This is so much better than a puppy!"

I was nervous about the party. It was the first "real" girl/boy party we've ever had. It was great. I've said it before, and I'll repeat it again--the mk community in Eastern Europe is like the best youth group you can imagine. They're the kids you'd hand-pick for your children. I love them so much, and I'm so honored to be "Aunt Kellye" to a whole new group of nieces and nephews. It really is a special thing to be part of the missions family.

Well, that's not much of a blog, but I want to get on the road to where I'm headed. I love you all for caring about Sarah Beth's birthday, about the way the kids are adjusting, about our new life here. I am so honored by the commitment many of you have made to praying for our family. You are a vital part of what we do. Wherever you are in the world, I hope you are enjoying an easy Saturday, and that you have leftover queso to enjoy. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

Our registration trip, pt. 1: travels with Daddy

You can get kind of a feel for how small a train coupe in Europe is in this picture, though we were pretty comfortable.
Ignore the fact that Marc looks like he's had a little too much of Russia's favorite drink...it's still a cute pic of the girls. (Sarah Beth was trying to get a phone signal about 2 hours outside of Moscow.)
John-John loved his first train trip. Here he's sitting on a table watching the Russian countryside roll by us...he sat that way for a pretty good while.

You are forgiving and good, O LORD, abounding in love to all who call on You. Psalm 86:5

Well, we are back from Ukraine (I always want to say The Ukraine, which is totally wrong), and we had a really amazing trip in lots of ways. There's so much to tell you that I thought I'd divide it up into a few parts, so this may take a couple of days.

First of all, we had to leave on this trip simply because we've been in Russia six months (!!!), and every six months we have to leave the country. We'll do this all over again in October, but for longer, in order to renew our visa. When we boarded the train (my first ever train ride) on Monday night, I don't mind saying that I was pretty nervous. It wasn't just that I was getting ready to go somewhere new or use a new form of transportation, but mostly worrying about the border crossings. In my mind, I could see all those WWII movies in which trains and cold nights play such a terrible part. (Except, of course, you have to substitute the German voices with Russian voices, but you get the picture.) When we got on the train, which was about fifty years old, we were met by our conductor, who seems to have been the original conductor for the train. (Not really...he was about my dad's age.) We knew immediately that we were going to like him. He was so sweet--allowing us to stay together in one coupe (Marc had a bed in another, but wanted to stay with us since this was our first time), speaking to us in a kind voice, smiling at us...you name it, and it if made us feel more comfortable, he did it. So we settled in, playing gameboys, reading books, coloring and drawing until we all were ready to go to sleep. Miraculously, John-John said at about 10:30, "Is it okay with everyone if we turn off the lights? I'm so tired." Of course, we scrambled to turn off the lights, since we'd all worried that he wouldn't sleep. We rocked along in our train to Bryansk, where we were to cross the border.

Crossing two borders on our way to Kiev is a little like being in a hospital--you are awakened a couple of times in the night for someone to take your "vitals." So at about 3 a.m., a knock came at our coupe. It was our conductor with the border guard from Russia. He explained to the guard that we were an American family, and that he had allowed us to travel together so that we would be more comfortable. (Of course, no one but us in this scenario spoke any English, so all of this is going on in Russian.) The border agent talked to us for a minute, checked our passport pictures against our faces (no small feat, since the kids were soundly sleeping), and took our stuff. Several minutes ticked by, and our conductor came back to get Marc. Now, to appreciate our concern, you must know that no one else had to go anywhere. No one was being called to a different part of the train. Marc got up, put on his slippers, and went with the conductor. All I heard was another border guard whisper something about the militsia--police. For those of you who work with our company, I think you can appreciate that our special three-day training started to kick in pretty hard about that moment.

So Marc went with the conductor, the kids slept, and I prayed pretty hard. About five minutes later, Marc reappeared with a grin on his face. The border guard had returned all of our passports, showing Marc where they were stamped, and wished him bon voyage, shaking his hand before Marc returned to us. Can you imagine? So we went back to sleep, praising God for friendly border guards (and our special training, too).

The Ukrainian border was exactly the same. We had a friendly border guard, and no problems at all. After the Ukrainian border was crossed, our conductor came to our coupe and told us that everything was done, and that we should sleep soundly now. Then he closed our coupe door. We all sat in our beds for a moment (Sarah Beth, Marc and I were all awake), and then Sarah Beth said, "If that wasn't Grandpa on a Sunday afternoon in his white shirt and tan shorts settling us all in, then I don't know what was." We laughed and agreed. Marc said, "If I'm not mistaken, our conductor just tucked us in for the night." We all went back to sleep, and we slept soundly until not long before we arrived in Kiev.

It struck me as I drifted off to sleep that, like everything else in this adventure we call the missionary life, God knew everything that would happen. He knew I would be nervous about our trip. He knew it would be a little scary. He knew that it would be a Russian language exercise like no other. And how did the Father comfort us? By placing us in the hands of someone who reminded us so much of my Daddy, whom we all adore. I've seen my Daddy over the years with travelers, and he always handled them much the same way...making them comfortable, placing their needs high on the list of things to take care of (my Daddy worked in the airline industry his whole career). And you know what? It didn't make me homesick or sad or lonely for my Daddy and Momma. It made me so thankful that the Heavenly Father takes such careful care of us, down to the last detail.

For right now, I'll leave off there. I'll pick up in the Kiev train station tomorrow. Irina will be here soon, and Sarah Beth's sixteenth birthday party is tonight, so there is a great deal to get done today. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are aware of the ways the Father is comforting you through whatever you face, and that you know the words for Bon Voyage in whatever language surrounds you. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

Easter (well, sort of), 2008

Yep, that's the view from our kitchen window Easter morning. Nothing says Easter like a fresh coat of snow, right?
Thank you to my beloved friend, Elaine, who sent me an egg cookie cutter after my disastrous post at Christmas where I cried for the lack of a cookie cutter. As you can see, I had plenty of egg-shaped cookies for Easter.

Up from the grave He arose with a mighty triumph o'er His foes. He arose a victor from the dark domain, and He lives forever with the saints to reign. He arose! He arose! Hallelujah, Christ arose!

I'm not sure I have ever dreaded a holiday more than I dreaded Easter. Of course, Russian Easter is still a month away, so I have a chance to do some stuff again (I'm not sure we will, but we might, if it's an excuse to have another ham, which was really, really good). But at home, Easter was our big holiday, with Passion Play and Easter Sunday taking our focus for at least a full month before, Easter dinner at Angie and Raleigh's, with the kids hunting Easter eggs on the lawn and our traditional picture by the palm trees at the pool. We really have been homesick this week, especially with the big Tennebrae service at our church. It was hard. But you know what? We had a pretty good day. So here is my list of the things that were different and the same about our first Easter in Russia.

Things that were different:

• We had a white Easter. That's just weird.
• It isn't Easter here.
• I had to look up the word for ham.
• I used red pepper instead of green in my famous potato salad.
• I didn't sing in the choir or praise team for Easter Sunday services.
• I didn't understand the sermon at church (we went from Exodus to Hebrews to Luke...it was enough to try to understand the words for the books).
• We did not have new clothes for Easter.
• My parents weren't here.
• My aunt and uncle weren't here.
• I did not make a mandarin orange cake (no instant vanilla pudding here).
• I wore a coat and snow boots to church.
• I took a bus, a metro, and a marshrutka (kind of a taxi) to get to church.
• It poured snow on us on the way to church.

Things that were the same:

• The Easter bunny showed up (a special thanks to the Easter bunny for bringing some stuff from America...especially the squishy balls, which were a hit all around).
  
• I sang "Total Praise" (even if it was just me and Jesus in my kitchen, I think He still appreciated the effort).
• We had people we loved over for Easter dinner (our friends the Tarletons came over)
• I made ham and potato salad and deviled eggs and green beans for dinner.
• We dyed eggs (another thank you to the Easter bunny for the kit from the states).
• We hunted eggs (in our apartment, because the snow might have made it a bit difficult).
  
• We went to church (where they at least acknowledged that it was Easter in the States, and wished us a Happy Easter).
  
• I read all four accounts of the first Easter. (My favorite is John.)

And the most important thing that remained the same: Jesus still rose from the dead, conquered death and sin, and gave me eternal life. In the face of that, there's nothing to do but rejoice, right? Snow or no snow, family or no family...He is still Lord, He still reigns, and He's MY Savior. It never ceases to amaze me.

Well, I'd better run. We have tons to do today, because we are leaving on the night train for Kiev. (I don't know if that's like the midnight train to Georgia or not. I'm guessing not, since everybody will be speaking Russian.) We will be completely out of communication until Thursday afternoon, when we return. Please pray for us. We are a little nervous about our first trip out of the country. But we know that, like everything else, God has this in His hands, too. I pray that wherever you are in the world, the Easter bunny showed up and you spent a miraculous resurrection day with people you love. Blessings to you and yours!
His,
Kellye

A special birthday present

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14

I have very little time this morning, because Marc and I are headed to meet Irina and then on to the train station to purchase our tickets to Kiev for next week. We are excited about traveling to a new country, and grateful that they speak Russian there. (When did I start to be grateful for places that speak Russian? Don't I speak English? Hmmm...) Anyway, I wanted to share this picture Marc was able to lift off of our DVR recording of the Today show on S.B.'s birthday. My sister, Kay, and my nieces, Amy and Katie, went to the Today show on the 17th with a sign for Sarah Beth's birthday, and here they are!!! That's Amy on the right and Katie on the left, and Kay is actually behind Meredith Viera's head. What a special thing to do for our girl on her birthday. We were so excited, and Sarah Beth was really, really excited. She had such a great birthday, and we are so grateful for all the people who worked to make it special--even getting up early and heading out in the cold New York morning to hold a sign. Do I have the best family or what?

I'm headed out. I love you guys. Thanks for reading this. I pray that wherever you are in the world, you are getting to go someplace where they speak your second language, and that someone loves you enough to stand in the cold with a sign on your birthday! Blessings to you and yours!
His,
Kellye

Happy Birthday, Sarah Beth!

"I don't know, Momma. Something is definitely in the air. Could be love. Could be pollen. But something is definitely in the air." --Sarah Beth on the glory of springtime

I am busy making preparations for our team meeting tonight, which will be held here in honor of S.B.'s birthday, so I only have a minute or two. This is, indeed, Sarah Beth's sixteenth birthday. How is that possible? Yesterday she was four, and today she's sixteen.

Many of you probably don't know that I was hospitalized two months before Sarah Beth was born. I remember sitting in that hospital bed, thinking I would never get up and have a life again, and wondering whether or not motherhood would make all of the pain worth it. Well, let me say that being Sarah Beth's mom is worth any pain I might have endured to get her here. Over the years, Sarah Beth has grown into a charming, witty person. Her facebook was full of birthday wishes this morning, and her phone has gone off with text messages all day. I am not surprised that people like her. I'm her mom, who washes her dirty clothes and has to get her up in the morning--and I really like her. My favorite qualities that Sarah Beth has are her great sense of humor, her love for her friends, and her absolute insistence on being herself. I do not know what God has in store for her, but I am pretty sure that whatever it is, it will not look like the path anybody else takes.

I'm making the birthday girl some macaroni and cheese for lunch, so I have to run. I hope wherever you are in the world, you are really thankful for the great way your kids are turning out and praising God for giving them to you in the first place. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

A really, really great night

You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever. Psalm 16:11Sarah Beth and her friend Rachel at last night's performance of Bella Notte.
Sarah Beth and Min make the sign for our family.
Alto power rules at Bella Notte last night at Hinkson Christian Academy here in Moscow.

Last night was probably one of the best nights we've had since moving to Moscow. Sarah Beth takes a choir class at Hinkson Christian Academy here in Moscow, and this weekend was their performance of Bella Notte (beautiful night), which was just fabulous. As you can tell from the pictures, the theme was top chef, and the music was so fun. She has made tremendous friends at HCA through the choir program, and we had such fun watching her have such fun. We also got to spend the night without our smaller children (an actual babysitter had them!!!), and we sat at the table with our friends Ed and Teri (Ed is the strategy associate for all of Russia, which means he's in charge of the work here for our company), Jeff and Karla (our beloved friends and team leaders), and Tiffany (a journeyman on our team). We laughed and joked and had a wonderful time. By the time we got home, we had just had a wonderful night. We did not manage to get Hannah home--she spent the night at Jeff and Karla's with Abby, her closest friend here--but the other two were glad to be home by the time we arrived.

I have no deep meaning to attach to this evening, no spiritual allegory in which I can compare our evening at Bella Notte to something Jesus did. However, I can tell you that I think these kinds of evenings are such blessings from God for us. They are encouraging and fun. We have friends to have fun with, a place that is ministering to our children, so many things to be thankful for as we look at six months here on the field. Russia is such a hard place. The people can be difficult to love. The climate is hard. The city is huge and impersonal. The language is beastly. Life here will never be "easy" like it was in the States. But there is fun to be had. There are deep friendships already with our colleagues. And as we learn more and more of the language, we can begin to see a way for this to be home. I cannot imagine being somewhere else right now. I know from others who have lived here that there will not be a morning where we wake up and suddenly things are easy for us. But I also know that there will be a morning where we wake up and realize that we are home. Evenings like last night bring that morning closer and closer.

Well, it's time to get breakfast done and get to church. We are taking the kids out to lunch after church at TGIFriday's, a gift from family. We are really looking forward to it! Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are looking forward to a great day in the Lord's house, and that you are grateful for the fun in your life. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

Why I have stopped worrying about what my kids are "giving up"

Let the name of the LORD be praised, both now and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised. The LORD is exalted over the nations, His glory above the heavens. Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? Psalm 113:2-6

It has been a busy, busy week! Besides trying to recover from the flu and the bronchitis that accompanied it, we are in the middle of birthday season, which encompasses all of March (9th and 17th) and part of April (10th) at our house. Wednesday was John-John's birthday party, which we held here at our home. All of the elementary-aged boys from our mission were here, and though they are all older than John, they made him feel special and wonderful. I think you can see from the pictures that he had a marvelous time.

Marc talked last night with one of the ministers at a partner church who has recently been appointed by the IMB to our part of the world. His family won't be in Russia, but they will be working with Russian speakers, and they had a great talk last night. They just discovered that they are expecting their third child, and while that is joyous and great, I'm sure it's also accompanied by some hesitation on their part, if only because of medical care issues in our part of the world (many of which are being solved...more and more, we have access to really good health care here). When we were in the process to be appointed, our biggest fears and concerns were for our children. Would they be happy? Would they adjust? Were we asking too much of them? Were they giving up too much of "normal life," especially Sarah Beth? These are the questions that kept me up nights. But they don't any longer.

My children's life experiences will be different from the "average" kid in America. There is no denying that. Sarah Beth will not go to prom or homecoming dances, and she won't spend her Friday nights at the football field, because Hinkson doesn't have American football. But this weekend, she will spend most of her time at school, where she is in the choir, because their big spring performance is this weekend. She will likely spend her spring break of her senior year on a mission trip (they are going to Uganda this year), options that are open to her as an enrichment student at Hinkson. Next year, all three will study Russian, then get to go out and practice what they learn in the metro, the store, the sidewalk, at church. Sarah Beth is studying the Russian Revolution right now in history, and I had her read an essay by William Safire about the edifice of the Hotel Moscow and how it is representative of the old USSR. She came to me and said, "OK, is this the hotel by GUM? Across from Lenin's tomb?" And it struck me--she is studying the events that literally rocked the world in which she lives. She can read about religious oppression under Stalin anywhere in the world, but because she's here, she actually goes to church with people who experienced what it was like to live in fear because of their religious beliefs. We are on a pretty amazing field trip.

Yes, there are moments when one of them wishes they were "home" in the States. But those moments are more and more rare. Our reality is here. They are making friends, going to parties and sleepovers, trying to figure out math, trying to figure out dating, spending time with their "aunts" and "uncles" on the field, with their many cousins. The reality of life as a Christian is this--what God calls you to is always His best. And while that may not always equate to what is easy, it means that in the end, He can be trusted with our happiness and the happiness of our children. I don't worry about my children anymore, because it's clear to me that, just like He's doing something amazing in my life and Marc's life, God is doing something amazing in the kids' lives, too. None of us will ever be the same.

Well, it's time to get ready to go to Ashan, our version of a Super Wal-Mart. I'm meeting my friend, Karla, and we're heading out early. You cannot imagine the kind of money it saves us. We are trying to find ways to squirrel away some savings, and Ashan plays a major part in that, since much of our salary goes to buying food. I hope wherever you are in the world, you are looking forward to Easter, and that you know the word for "ham" in whatever language is spoken at your grocery store! Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

Happy Birthday, John-John!

Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. Psalm 16:5-6


This may be a difficult blog to write, since the music is pounding from the cd player in the kitchen (where Sarah Beth is doing the dishes from brunch and practicing for Bella Notte, a big performance for her choir this weekend), and there is some kind of rescue situation going on in the living room (where Han and John-John are playing with some of his new toys). If this wanders around a little more than usual, you'll know why.

Well, it's John-John's seventh birthday, if you can even imagine such a thing. I can't, frankly. How is it possible that he's that old? And his cousin Daniel, his birthday buddy, is 24. And my nephews, Ben and Matt, turned 22 on Friday. Weren't they all babies yesterday? Where did the time go?

Many of you know that John's birth was surrounded by serious illness, both mine and his. I didn't even see him for the first three days of his life. When I was allowed to see him, I thought he was just so beautiful--I was clearly delirious, because when I see pictures of the two of us now, I realize how lifeless and sad we both look. He was in intensive care with a sign that said not to stimulate, because his little lungs were just not ready to breathe on their own. It's hard for me to imagine that the very, very active little boy who loves to slide in his socks all the way down our long hallway was once such a sick baby. But he was. Even then, though, God was at work, preparing his little lungs to function, growing him daily to be the big boy he is today. I can't imagine my life without a John-John. I'm fairly certain it would be a lot quieter, but also pretty dull most days. After all, who would give me the daily rundown of what kinds of animals like to kill and eat what other kinds of animals? Or who would run from the bathroom after his bath screaming, "Naked boy alert!" all the way down the hall? Who would keep us all in line with the threat of his "toots of fury"? And who would fall asleep with his little arm draped around me after whispering, "I love you so much, Mommy"? I can't imagine my life without those things, now.

So many of you have emailed to check on us. We are doing better. It's a slow, slow process to recover from an illness that has really set us back on our heels. We continue to have the cough of a 2-pack-a-day smoker, and we're still struggling to get some sleep and feel stronger, but we are definitely on the downhill swing. We are not going to church today, however, because we cannot face the three different modes of public transportation it takes for us to get there, and because we can't afford to catch anything else at this point. Instead, we are spending the day with one another, celebrating John's birthday and watching Chronicles of Narnia as a family. It should be a fun day. I hope wherever you are in the world you are preparing for (or already enjoying) some Sunday rest, and that no one in your family is unleashing the toots of fury! Blessings to you and yours!
His,
Kellye

I can do all things...even be really sick

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:10-13

I would love to say that I haven't blogged in so long because I have been busy, busy, busy with ministry and language study and homeschooling. Unfortunately, I haven't blogged in a while because Marc and John-John and I have been so stinking sick. Saturday night the volunteer team from Texas took us to Hard Rock Cafe to eat dinner, and in the middle of it I realized I really didn't feel well. Sunday was okay, but I didn't feel great, and by Monday morning, I was sure I was going to die. Marc was even sicker than I--he actually passed out--and John-John concerned us all by running a high fever and being lethargic. I seriously don't even remember Monday or Tuesday at all. Thank heavens for our friends Kris and Frances, who continually dropped by and brought us stuff to drink and made sure our kids didn't starve to death.

We are feeling better today. I have actually been upright for two hours, eaten breakfast (not much, but some), and had a cup of coffee. Of course, I'm ready for bed now, but it's at least some improvement. The funny thing about being that sick is that you have no choice but to be content with how things are, because you can't change them. I didn't have the energy to complain or rail at God about being sick. All I could day was lie in bed and pray that I would not cough myself to death in the next hour.

That's about all I'm up to for today. I'll try to write something deep and meaningful soon...how I found real spiritual meaning in the size of the augmentin pill I'm taking perhaps...but for now, I'm pretty sure I'm done for the day. Thank you so much for the calls and emails and prayers I know have been sent up for us. We really do appreciate you all for that. Wherever you are in the world, I hope that you are sitting upright, drinking some coffee, and praising God for the nasal spray that's helping you breathe. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye