The sky is clear, but I know rain clouds are on the horizon

I don't know what John is doing with his hands, but his mouth is full of shashleek--Russian barbecue--which we would call shish-kebab.
Hannah and some of her pals at the fourth of July picnic. When did Hannah get this old?
Hannah making the play at the kickball world championships on July 4th. Actually, there probably is such a thing, so you should know it's actually just the kickball game they played at the picnic on July 4th.
In true John-John fashion, even when kicking the ball, he looks like he's making some kind of karate move. When he was little--maybe 4--we were outside and it was windy. He started karate chopping all over the place, and when I asked him why, he said, "I fight the wind, Mommy. I fight the wind."

There are giants in the land
But within our reach
There is a victor's sword
A mighty, sovereign Lord
The Rock of Ages.
--"Giants in the Land" by Wayne Watson

"When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath." Joshua 2:11

It's been a few days since I blogged, and I'd love to say it was because I was so busy. Unfortunately, it was because I have been so sick. I finally got into the doctor yesterday. I was able to schedule an appointment with an ENT specialist, and he suctioned out my ear, which allows me to hear again, and told me what kind of ear drops to get to cure the second infection that was lurking behind the gunk in my ear. (Lovely, I know.) Unfortunately, we have not been able to find the drops in any pharmacy yet, so this morning my ear is not painful, but not as good as yesterday. Sigh.

I have spent some time watching really good movies in the last few days. I watched Rebecca and Dead Poet's Society with Sarah Beth and Facing the Giants last night with Hannah and Marc. While I adore the movies I watched with Sarah Beth, it was the movie last night that made a real impact on me.

If you're not familiar with the movie (and we'd not seen it before), it's a production of a church in Georgia. Some of the acting isn't fabulous, though I thought the lead characters did quite well, and the production values are really good. At the end, when the main character cries out to God, "I am overwhelmed, Lord," well...there wasn't a dry eye in the room. Especially Marc and I, who cried our way through the whole movie. And I'm not talking some sniffles, either, or a few tears easily taken care of with a tissue. No, sir--I mean hand me the kleenex box kind of crying. And not just because God has taken care of so many giants to get us here to Russia--logistical giants, personal giants, spiritual giants--but also because there are many giants not just in the land, but camping out in our living room. To name a few:

• visa issues that began the week after we got here in October
• financial issues related to paying for the kids' schooling
• language issues (those would be universal for any adult learning a new language)
• health issues--we struggled through our first winter with nagging health problems
• family issues--you try being together 24/7 for over a year now!
• loneliness issues--enough said
• cultural issues--ask anyone who has been here, and they'll tell you that Russians can be hard to love collectively
  

When I look at that list, I have to be honest...it seems insurmountable. I look at that list and know that there is NO WAY that I can handle even one of those things. I look at that list, and I want to book a flight home to my Momma and Daddy and lick my wounds and get my job back and get back to "real" life.

There is a moment in the film, when the main character finds out that his job is in jeopardy, that he tells another character that God has not released him from that place. And the other character tells a story of two farmers who prayed to God for rain. One sat in the house; the other went to the fields and got them ready for rain. Which one saw the rain? The one who prepared for it because he KNEW it was coming. Until God moves you, bloom here where He planted you, the older man tells the younger. And get out there and prepare for rain. Now, I know it's just a movie, but we nearly had to hit the pause button to recover from that scene.

I am forty years old. I have had a wonderful career as a teacher. I have three beautiful children, a husband I am crazy about, a family I adore, a guaranteed spot on the praise team, a great church. So what in the world am I doing here? And with just one look at that list, why do I stay? Because, like Rahab in Numbers, I know that the Lord my God is God in heaven above and on earth below. I tremble in His presence. He called. I had no choice but to answer. He has not released me from this place. So instead of trembling in fear at that list, He wants me to prepare my fields for rain that is coming. Not that may come. That is coming. And though I'm looking outside at a bright, clear morning without a cloud in the sky, I know the rain clouds are out there somewhere, and I don't want to miss out on the harvest. The list above, by the way, isn't even half of the giants we are looking at here. Some things are simply too personal to share in such a public format. But I listed them this morning in my prayer journal, and here's the promise I made to God--as He slays each of these giants, I will publicly give Him the glory. As the giants in this land disappear one by one, I will share them with you, and together we can praise the mighty God who is God in heaven above and on earth below. Deal?

Well, it's time for me to run. We are headed to the park for a few hours of fun with some friends of ours, folks who have just recently moved here, and whose company we really enjoy. Anybody else hear the giant of loneliness starting to totter? Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are busy cultivating your fields for the rain that's on the way, and that you are spending the day playing with your kids, too. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye