Being encouraged

We have had the chance to see some amazing things. Here is one of my favorites--Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow. This picture was actually taken from a boat on the Moskva river.
Statue of Jan Hus in the middle of Old Town Square, Prague. Jan Hus was a 14th century reformer, burned for heresy about a century before Luther nailed his theses to the door. He was from Bohemia, which is now part of Czech Republic.
Beautiful Prague. So different from the beauty of Moscow--lots of beautiful spires everywhere, because the churches here are mostly Catholic. Very different from our onion domes in Russia--the hallmark of Russian Orthodox churches. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss the domes a little.

Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14

It is a gorgeous, blue-skied morning here in Prague, Czech Republic. I am enjoying mug number two of "real" coffee, after drinking (and being thankful for!) the instant stuff for a week. We arrived home yesterday evening from a week-long camp in the mountains along the border of Czech Republic and Poland. Absolutely beautiful. I cannot imagine being there, seeing the incredible beauty, and not knowing for certain that some power higher than mere man created all of that. Chaos and randomness look nothing like those mountains, trust me. Chaos looks like my living room at the moment, which is full of the laundry I am desperately trying to get done in order to pack Sarah Beth's suitcase for her trip to the States this week. We enjoyed ourselves very much, but we were definitely glad to be home. This next week will be spent seeing Sarah Beth off on her trip and preparing to start school with the other two the next week. We are also going to be finishing up putting the house together--we still have not a single picture on the walls, and our stuff is definitely not as organized as it must be for Marc and the kids to work here. So it will be a busy week.

The English camp we worked at this past week was very interesting to me, very different from the kind of ministry we've done in Russia. Although many people on the field in Russia are working with the Russian Baptist Union, we did not, at least not in Moscow. It isn't that we avoided them or anything like that, but Marc's job didn't entail a close relationship with the RBU in Moscow. Now, he has several extremely close, important relationships with RBU churches outside of Moscow, places he has been as part of his travels around the country, churches he adores and where he is mightily adored. There are some really exciting things going on around Russia, great partnerships between folks in the States and churches on the ground. But because I stayed in Moscow and didn't travel with Marc, I never really got a feeling for what that kind of partnership could be--beyond going to church every week and trying to understand the sermon.

This week was really interesting for me, because although there were Americans there--four families working for our company and a team from Montana--we were definitely not in charge. A wonderful, loving Czech Baptist church was in charge. What an encouragement they were to me--just watching their passion and their clear sense of mission to reach their own people. And the love they showed us--amazing. We spent the first night at the home of one of the families in the church, and we were treated so well. Then a great day Sunday in church, where there weren't enough seats for everyone. Then a delicious lunch provided by the church. And even the folks who couldn't speak a word of English (my Czech is currently limited to 'yes' 'no' 'please' and 'thank you'--all of which I say like a Russian) were so friendly and wonderful. Marc has had that kind of partnership experience, so I don't know that it was a big deal for him, but it was for me. It was just an encouraging week all around.

I'll be honest with you--I have no clue where we'll be in a year. Could be coming back to Prague, going back to Russia, or headed home to the States to stay for a while. I just don't know. But I do know this for sure--the experiences we have had in the last two years, the things we've seen, the people we've met--I wouldn't trade a single minute of any of it...even the hard minutes. Just when I think I know God, have Him figured out--He does something else amazing, and He shows me some other aspect of who He is. I knew God in Middleburg, Florida. I really did. But the way in which I know God now...worth every hardship of the last two years, every stupid language blooper I've made, every tear I've shed for my children...worth it all. You know why? Because He is worth everything I have to give. I knew that before. But I KNOW it now. And I'm thankful for that knowledge.

One last thing--this week marked the anniversary of my Mimsey's death. I never get past August 6th without a few tears, and I guess I never will. She was a precious, priceless woman with a gentleness and a kindness that I can only vaguely hope to attain some day. I don't think I'm much like my Mimsey, but oh, how glad I am that I had all those years with her in my life. So last night, while Marc was getting McDonald's to take home for the kids, I bought some peach ice cream and cried a little, thinking of all the times I sat on her back porch, turning the hand crank of the ice cream maker, listening to her hum a tune in the kitchen. And because he knows me better than I know me, Marc came up and whispered, "They'd be so proud of your life." So I smiled and cried a little more...and walked home to the kids I know she would have been so crazy about if she'd lived long enough to know them. So even though August 6th always makes me a little sad, I am so thankful for the idyllic summers I spent with both sets of grandparents in Clarksville, Tennessee, for the relationships with my grandparents, and for the Godly influence they had on my life. I am, indeed, a blessed woman. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are thinking about the ways God is encouraging you, and that you don't have a pile of laundry calling your name. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye