Some day, I am going to write a book, and I'm either going to title it Dinosaurs in my bathtub or Forts in my living room. This morning, I am writing amidst the fort that John and Laini built last night before going to bed. It makes me smile, because I know the days of fort-building in my family are coming to an all-too-swift close (though Marc does love to make a good fort now and then). It's been a big week for us. We left Moscow on Monday, flying to Prague on what can only be described as the best Aeroflot experience EVER--pleasant from start to finish. (If you've never flown the official airline of Russia, you cannot appreciate the joy of a truly good experience.) We settled into the guest apartment here in Prague, which is so nice. Prague is a beautiful city--I cannot imagine a more beautiful city anywhere--and the weather has been incredibly warm (until yesterday, when we had showers and things cooled off a bit). Also on Monday, we waited with great anticipation for the birth of our first great-nephew--Jason Andrew Burroughs Jr. (we call him JJ). He was born about 6p.m. Monday night (Missouri time), and in my completely unbiased opinion, he is a truly remarkable baby. I have to admit that there were some tears because I am a world away and will not see him until he's a year old, but the joy of his safe arrival overshadowed that pretty quickly. I hope you're all thinking that I look way too young to be a great aunt. You ARE thinking that, right?!
The rest of the week has been school for me and the kids and work for Marc. We sent our documents to the States for our visa renewal, so that is in the works. Please pray that everything goes smoothly. We have also spent a great deal of time with the Lewises, some of our closest friends in the world. They are here in Prague for another couple of months before they move out to western Czech Republic to begin their job there. We haven't done a single "touristy" thing--no walking around Old Town or anything like that--just enjoyed the time to be together and relax a little, at least when Marc isn't working (this is prime time for him--lots of time to finish those projects that he's had the parts to but no time to finish until now). Sarah Beth got the chance to see her friend, Jacob, one night, because he happened to be in town helping his parents move, and this morning, her boyfriend, Kurt, and his friend come in from Germany to spend some time with her. She is going to thoroughly enjoy that time, I promise. She and Hannah went to Youth Praha last night, a youth group experience for all the mks in Prague. Then Hannah went home with the Lewis kids to spend the night there and Sarah Beth came home here, where Laini was spending the night with us. I say all of this to tell you that we're having a wonderful time, getting a lot of work done, and enjoying time with friends.
I came upon the verse above this morning during my quiet time, and it made me smile, because it's one of my all-time favorite verses. Just His name is enough to be my protection--isn't that a comfort to you? It is to me. One of the things I like to do when I feel down or discouraged is to go through my prayer journal, which is contained in a really neat notebook that my Daddy received as a retirement gift from Aeroflot. On the front it says "Aeroflot" in Russian, and my Daddy thought it would be cool for me to have, so I have chronicled my prayer life in that book since coming to the field. Over and over again, I am encouraged when I read through those prayers, because so many of them are about His answers. Peace? got it. Contentment? got it. Light in the darkness? yep. Friends for the kids? uh-huh. All answered. Do I have everything in life I could possibly want? No, of course not. But I have everything I need, and every single thing is a gift from God. I know some missionaries worry about the experience their children are having growing up in a land that is not their own. And I can understand those concerns--what parent doesn't want the absolute best for their children? But when I look at my children, and I see the friendships they have made and the unbelievable experiences they have had...I am amazed. Tomorrow, I am taking Hannah to Munich, Germany, with a friend. She is twelve years old, is learning Russian, has been on a trip to the middle of Russia to minister to others...I wouldn't trade that for her. John has charmed every Russian he's met by speaking to them in their own language. It's his ministry. He's going to smile in the metro at every person he sees--and miraculously, they almost all smile right back at him. Sarah Beth spent ten days in Uganda ministering to orphans--and it changed her life. She went to Udmurtia, a republic here in Russia, and came back a different person. She has been to Budapest, Greece, London, Entebbe...and she's 17! She has gained a view of the world that is so big and broad, something that we could not have taught her in our small town in Florida. My kids have made sacrifices to be here, to be sure, but what they have gained...all gifts from God, all answers to our prayers that their experiences in Russia would change them forever into the people God has called them to be. What better thing could God do for us than to give us a front-row seat to the work He is doing in the lives of our children?
Well, I have downed what can only be described as a vat of coffee this morning, so I'm thinking it's probably time to make some breakfast to accompany all of that caffeine. One problem that I am having here is that my body cannot make the transition to being two hours behind Moscow time, and so I am up at 5:45 every single morning. It does give me the chance to listen to the church bells as they ring every morning at 7. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are enjoying the view of the work God is doing in your life, and that you have a cool fort in your living room, too. Blessings to you and yours!
His,
Kellye
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