Thankful for His faithfulness

Goofy, goofy children. John and Hannah in Karlstejn, Czech Republic.

Some of my favorite people on the train to Karlstejn, Czech Republic: John, Marc and Hannah.

I will sing of the lovingkindness of the LORD forever; to all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth. Psalm 89:1

Although it is 5:30 (the cats woke me up a couple of hours ago, and I got up at 4), I don't have tons of time this morning. Thanksgiving for our team is at our house, which means there are still many little things to get done before 2p.m., when we are expecting people. However, I wanted to take just a minute or two and tell you some of the things for which I am thankful. So here is a list, in no particular order:

• Of course, my kids and husband. Yesterday was a truly awful day in a thousand ways (the shower broke and the washing machine flooded, just to mention two of them), but by last night, when we were on our way to a worship service with friends, they had me laughing out loud on the street. Funny and entertaining and loving and caring...these four people never cease to amaze me. Gifts from God, each one of them.
• My amazing immediate family. I've written tons about my parents and sisters and their love and support and encouragement. Suffice to say that when God was handing out families, I really got the cream of the crop.
  
• Amazing friends all over the world. I thought I knew what friendship was before I came on the field. After two plus years away from home, I can honestly say that I understand friendship, have experienced it, and am a better friend now than I have ever been in the past. I could not exist without my friends.
  
• Our home church, First Baptist Church of Middleburg, Florida. Lately, it seems they have an endless supply of encouragement for us. We are honored to be their missionaries.
• Southern Baptists...you pay my bills and make it possible for me to be here. Please give generously to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.
• Our church here. I understand maybe 60% of every sermon, but I adore worshiping in Russian, and these sweet people have made us feel very, very welcome. They are proof that the family of Christ is, indeed, a family...in whatever language.
• My preschoolers. You have never seen anyone backpedal as quickly as I did when I found out I would be teaching ESL to preschoolers. PRESCHOOLERS!!!?!?!?! You know what? I love it. Love it, love it, love it. Love cutting out the little stuff for them, love making play doh for them, love teaching them, little by little, about Jesus' love...love it. I never thought I would say this, but there is little in life that is better than when they run up to me and call me "uchitilnitsa" (Russian for teacher). Who knew I would be so crazy about little kids? Turns out...God knew.
  

Maybe you are looking at my list and thinking that I could not understand your situation, your hard times, your struggles. And maybe you're right. In many, many ways, my life has been a charmed one. Loving family, great husband, fabulous kids, a sense of purpose and mission, a career I have loved...blessings all mine. But I want you to know that the last five months, since we moved to Prague, have been some of the toughest of our time on the field. When we moved here, we took a cut in field parity, a significant cut. But our expenses (especially in terms of our utilities) quadrupled. Suddenly, we have found ourselves--like many of you--struggling financially to pay our bills and feed our kids. We have not known financial hardship since coming to the field--until now. But it isn't only a financial struggle to be here. We love Prague--it is absolutely one of the most beautiful places on earth, and the surrounding countryside is gorgeous. In comparison to Russians (very generally speaking, by the way), Czechs are friendlier and less likely to yell at us when we do something culturally wrong (like unzip our coats at the wrong time of year). We love our team, we love our church, some of our very closest friends live only an hour and a half away...from the outside, our life is as close to perfect as anyone has the right to expect. Yet we long for Moscow. (Not all of us--Sarah Beth longs for Texas!) We are homesick for snow and ice and the crowded, smelly Moscow metro...but we know we are supposed to be here for this moment in time. Why? I have some ideas, but none I'm ready to share with the universe at large. Suffice to say--God knows what He's doing. He knows us better than we know us. And He is showing us some things so clearly right now...things we could not have learned in Moscow, things we could only learn here. And so, despite the hardship and the longing for "home," I am thankful that God is not done teaching me stuff. I wish He could find an easy way to do it, but that is not evidently in the cards for me. Today I will enjoy this moment, with these people, in this place, but I will thank Him that He has created something within me that longs for another place, a place that only He could give me a heart for in His immense love for me.

Well, friends, there are sweet potatoes to mash up in the kitchen, so I need to run. (Yes...sweet potatoes...and I only paid maybe $6 for them! Unbelievable.) Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are thankful today for the good and the bad in your life, the easy and the difficult, the beautiful and the ugly. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye