A lousy day, Scooby Doo, and the email

I love this picture of Sarah Beth. It's the smirk on her face. One of my best friends from college said she loved the smirk because it was a hint that I'd gotten exactly the daughter I deserved. I laughed and laughed when I read that. I love this girl. Honestly, I am totally, sold-out crazy about my eldest child.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

May we arm ourselves
with the mind of Christ
to rejoice in trials
and be not surprised.
May our hearts be so
consumed by You that
we never cease to praise.
"Never cease to praise"--Jeff Bourque

Yesterday was a stinky, lousy day. It has been ridiculously hot, and I am allergic to something here when it is hot, which makes my contacts all gross and sticky and makes me grumpy. Then I took some sudafed to try to stop the sneezing and watery eyes...and it only made me sleepy. And I sat all day at school, waiting for somebody to show up and meet me...and I only met one kid. I sat for 7 hours. Honestly, by the time it was time to go, I was so grumpy and unreasonable. And homesick...oh, like you wouldn't believe. When my teaching friends in the States were teaching but I wasn't, it was okay. I missed them, sometimes I really missed them, but it wasn't terrible. But to be at school without them...Steve and Nancy, if you read this--I just couldn't stand to be in a classroom without you guys down the hall. So add to my grumpiness a good dose of sadness, and you have a pretty good picture of my day.

By the time I got home (you can't imagine how hot the metro is in the summer), I was pretty ticked off. Frankly, I just wanted to be home. And I don't mean my apartment. I mean home in MY school, in MY classroom, with MY friends, joking and laughing and generally having a good time. But where was I? On a marshrutka with the garlic lady in 95 degree heat and not an open window in the vehicle. Yeah, I was pretty ticked.

When I got home, Marc had bought and downloaded the entire first season of Scooby Doo. Yep, the cartoon from 1969. So he and S.B. made dinner while I typed some things for school and ironed, and we all sat down together to watch some Scooby Doo while we ate. And things got better. It didn't make me less homesick, but it was an enjoyable time with my kids, and I am...well...okay...I'm a Scooby Doo fan in a big way. I'm not kidding. I love that stinkin' dog. And those meddling kids--don't get me started! And we laughed, something I hadn't done much of during the day. (Hannah was especially fond of the laugh track on the cartoon. They don't have those on new shows, and she really thought it was helpful.) And then we checked our email.

I have shared with you on this blog that because we are ISC, the Board only pays a stipend for our kids' education. With me teaching, plus the stipend, we still owed about $5000, which ends up being about $500/month. A wonderful couple from our church in Florida paid the first month, and the email we received last night informed us that some friends of the family were paying four more months. That means we are halfway done with our tuition. And while I can't go into detail in this public forum all the things that are going on in our lives, I can tell you that tuition was one more burden in what is already a difficult time for us. To have that burden lightened significantly...such a God thing. And can I tell you this? It isn't just the financial help that means so much. It's being remembered. It is so easy to sit on this side of the world and think no one even remembers us. It's easy to sink into the pool of nobody-appreciates-what-we're-doing-over-here. And while I would tell you again and again that Jesus is all I need, it helps so much to know people love us, remember us, and pray for us regularly.

And so, it started as a lousy day and improved through some good Scooby Doo time, and then God used a faithful couple to bless us and encourage us in the way that only God does. Isn't that your experience? At that moment when you just think you can't do any more than what you've done, someone calls or drops you an email at precisely the right moment to encourage you to strive on, to complete the race, to finish strong. That has been my experience in Russia. When days like yesterday happen, when I am overwhelmed by what I have given up to be here, that's precisely the time God chooses to encourage me in a significant way. I just hope that when it's my turn to encourage someone else, I am as faithful and obedient as these precious folks. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are in love with the God of all encouragement, and that you have a whole season of Scooby Doo to look forward to watching. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye