Sarah Beth's pretty excited about the fishing pole Aunt Kay and Uncle John got her for Christmas. Who could have predicted my girl would love fishing so much?
I especially love that John is fully involved with this laugh. My kids are nothing if not entertaining.
My Hannah. She's more beautiful on the inside than the outside...love this girl's sweet, sweet heart.
I think this was the second fish John caught. And yes, I did let him fish in his pajamas.I will give thanks to You, O LORD my God, with all my heart, and will glorify Your name forever. For Your lovingkindness toward me is great, and You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheoul. Psalm 86:12-13
Well, good morning and Merry Christmas! I figured before my Christmas break got too far along I'd better go ahead and write a blog, since I haven't been exactly faithful to writing as often as I'd hoped. You guys who live in America full-time--how on earth do you keep up with the pace? It's eating us alive!! But we are slowing down a bit for break, and enjoying some family time and rest. Or at least we're planning to do that. It's what I have down on my calendar, so it has to happen, right? :)
It's been a weird couple of days. On Saturday, I had a lovely cup of coffee with one of my favorite people and then went shopping. In the middle of my first store, I found out that my Dad had developed a hard spot on the back of his leg that was red, and his cardiologist wanted him to go on to the emergency room in Orange Park, thinking that it was possibly a blood clot. So off to the hospital I went. Things were complicated by the fact that Marc had to leave for Tallahassee to speak in a church there on Sunday. Thankfully, Sarah Beth was home and took over the kids. It turned out that it wasn't a blood clot, but it was a staff infection that had caused Daddy to develop cellulitis. It turns out that cellulitis is extremely painful, and it was hard watching Daddy be in pain. (The best story--when he stood up to get in the wheelchair to head to his room from the emergency room, the pain was so bad that he yelled, "Oh, my GOSH!" He sat down really quickly, and then said to the guy with the wheelchair, "I'm so sorry." Ha! I'm pretty sure 'gosh' was the mildest thing he'd heard all day!) But after 24 hours of really high powered antibiotics, he was so much better. They may even let him go home with just oral antibiotics today. I'm so thankful. So, so thankful. Did I mention that I'm thankful?
Most of December (and part of November) has been taken up with what we've come to call The Lottie Moon Tour. We have been in different churches every weekend, sometimes two or three. And while that has been exhausting, it has also been really refreshing. Many of the churches we've been in have been small congregations of around 100 people. Oh, my goodness...the sweetness of these people, the overwhelming kindness they have shown us, their sacrificial giving so that people like us can live on the mission field...unbelievable. One of my favorite moments happened in a small church not too far from where we live. Marc had spoken about the Chuvash, and the pastor said, "Let's be one of those churches who prays for the Chuvash. If you want to pray for these people, come down to the altar, and let's have a time of prayer for them." Of course, pastors give that kind of invitation to pray at the altar all the time, so I wasn't particularly taken aback by that. What brought me to tears was when I looked up and the entire congregation was heading down the aisle, including a woman in a wheelchair and another with a cane. There they all knelt, the whole church, praying together for a people group they'd never heard of, halfway around the world, but who they loved because we love them and because God loves them. Oh, my goodness! The sweet, sweet spirit in that room was precious to me. Even writing this, I am overwhelmed by the ways in which these small congregations have ministered to us, who came to minister to them. I am thankful to serve a God who not only knows exactly what our spirits need, but who also provides exactly what we need in such interesting and unexpected ways. The Lottie Moon tour has been an excellent, soul-nurturing opportunity to connect with more Southern Baptist churches than I could have ever predicted. And I am so thankful for that.
The strangest stop on the Lottie tour for me was last week, when I spoke at my own church. I never get nervous when I have to speak, but I was VERY nervous last week. I'm not really sure why--our church has certainly showered us with love since we came back, providing a home and utilities and cars and food...so much more than I could ever list here. But there's something about speaking to people who know you...it was different for me. It went well, I think, and our church raised its Lottie Moon goal (plus a bunch) in one day, so I'm very grateful for that. But it was definitely different for me to speak to so many people I know.
Yesterday, our pastor preached a sermon about taking a different route (based on Matthew 2:12, where the magi go back a different way in order to avoid Herod), and one of the things he said really struck me. He was talking about ways you know God is directing you in a different path, and he talked about the peace of Christ confirming for us what we believe God is telling us. And I thought about all the ways in which God has confirmed our path for us. There is no part of me that longs to remain in the States. I am grateful for my time here. I loved singing in the Christmas program (especially the rendition of Little Drummer Boy with the Clay High drum line..what fun!), and I am loving all the American Christmas stuff--shopping and making goodies for folks--and I am, of course, eating up the time with my parents. And that is not to say that there aren't hard things about leaving, too. We will leave Sarah Beth on one continent and live on another continent, and that will be so difficult for me to do, because I am clearly nuts about my girl. And I will miss my family and friends here while I am over there. But our life is there. And as hard as it is, as much as I don't want to go back into language training, as much as I am not looking forward to dark months of ice and snow...it's my life. And I love it. There is a great joy and contentment in not only doing that to which Christ has called you, but in being the person Christ has called you to be. It is a joy and contentment and peace that is worth whatever sacrifice I am called to make. And that peace, that inexplicable, overwhelming peace that passes all understanding...that peace is a confirmation that we are doing what we are called to do, what we are meant to do, what we are created to do.
It's time for me to get moving. No one here is even awake, yet, but SB and I are doing some shopping today, so I probably should get her up and going. I am attempting to get everything done today and tomorrow, because I will be having some lovely oral surgery on Wednesday, and I am planning on getting some rest after that. While I am not looking forward to the dental work, I am in a good amount of pain, and I am looking forward to that being over. :) Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are basking in the glow of Christmas with your family, and that you have come up with a pretty good Christmas surprise for your husband, too. Blessings to you and yours!
His,
Kellye
Well, good morning and Merry Christmas! I figured before my Christmas break got too far along I'd better go ahead and write a blog, since I haven't been exactly faithful to writing as often as I'd hoped. You guys who live in America full-time--how on earth do you keep up with the pace? It's eating us alive!! But we are slowing down a bit for break, and enjoying some family time and rest. Or at least we're planning to do that. It's what I have down on my calendar, so it has to happen, right? :)
It's been a weird couple of days. On Saturday, I had a lovely cup of coffee with one of my favorite people and then went shopping. In the middle of my first store, I found out that my Dad had developed a hard spot on the back of his leg that was red, and his cardiologist wanted him to go on to the emergency room in Orange Park, thinking that it was possibly a blood clot. So off to the hospital I went. Things were complicated by the fact that Marc had to leave for Tallahassee to speak in a church there on Sunday. Thankfully, Sarah Beth was home and took over the kids. It turned out that it wasn't a blood clot, but it was a staff infection that had caused Daddy to develop cellulitis. It turns out that cellulitis is extremely painful, and it was hard watching Daddy be in pain. (The best story--when he stood up to get in the wheelchair to head to his room from the emergency room, the pain was so bad that he yelled, "Oh, my GOSH!" He sat down really quickly, and then said to the guy with the wheelchair, "I'm so sorry." Ha! I'm pretty sure 'gosh' was the mildest thing he'd heard all day!) But after 24 hours of really high powered antibiotics, he was so much better. They may even let him go home with just oral antibiotics today. I'm so thankful. So, so thankful. Did I mention that I'm thankful?
Most of December (and part of November) has been taken up with what we've come to call The Lottie Moon Tour. We have been in different churches every weekend, sometimes two or three. And while that has been exhausting, it has also been really refreshing. Many of the churches we've been in have been small congregations of around 100 people. Oh, my goodness...the sweetness of these people, the overwhelming kindness they have shown us, their sacrificial giving so that people like us can live on the mission field...unbelievable. One of my favorite moments happened in a small church not too far from where we live. Marc had spoken about the Chuvash, and the pastor said, "Let's be one of those churches who prays for the Chuvash. If you want to pray for these people, come down to the altar, and let's have a time of prayer for them." Of course, pastors give that kind of invitation to pray at the altar all the time, so I wasn't particularly taken aback by that. What brought me to tears was when I looked up and the entire congregation was heading down the aisle, including a woman in a wheelchair and another with a cane. There they all knelt, the whole church, praying together for a people group they'd never heard of, halfway around the world, but who they loved because we love them and because God loves them. Oh, my goodness! The sweet, sweet spirit in that room was precious to me. Even writing this, I am overwhelmed by the ways in which these small congregations have ministered to us, who came to minister to them. I am thankful to serve a God who not only knows exactly what our spirits need, but who also provides exactly what we need in such interesting and unexpected ways. The Lottie Moon tour has been an excellent, soul-nurturing opportunity to connect with more Southern Baptist churches than I could have ever predicted. And I am so thankful for that.
The strangest stop on the Lottie tour for me was last week, when I spoke at my own church. I never get nervous when I have to speak, but I was VERY nervous last week. I'm not really sure why--our church has certainly showered us with love since we came back, providing a home and utilities and cars and food...so much more than I could ever list here. But there's something about speaking to people who know you...it was different for me. It went well, I think, and our church raised its Lottie Moon goal (plus a bunch) in one day, so I'm very grateful for that. But it was definitely different for me to speak to so many people I know.
Yesterday, our pastor preached a sermon about taking a different route (based on Matthew 2:12, where the magi go back a different way in order to avoid Herod), and one of the things he said really struck me. He was talking about ways you know God is directing you in a different path, and he talked about the peace of Christ confirming for us what we believe God is telling us. And I thought about all the ways in which God has confirmed our path for us. There is no part of me that longs to remain in the States. I am grateful for my time here. I loved singing in the Christmas program (especially the rendition of Little Drummer Boy with the Clay High drum line..what fun!), and I am loving all the American Christmas stuff--shopping and making goodies for folks--and I am, of course, eating up the time with my parents. And that is not to say that there aren't hard things about leaving, too. We will leave Sarah Beth on one continent and live on another continent, and that will be so difficult for me to do, because I am clearly nuts about my girl. And I will miss my family and friends here while I am over there. But our life is there. And as hard as it is, as much as I don't want to go back into language training, as much as I am not looking forward to dark months of ice and snow...it's my life. And I love it. There is a great joy and contentment in not only doing that to which Christ has called you, but in being the person Christ has called you to be. It is a joy and contentment and peace that is worth whatever sacrifice I am called to make. And that peace, that inexplicable, overwhelming peace that passes all understanding...that peace is a confirmation that we are doing what we are called to do, what we are meant to do, what we are created to do.
It's time for me to get moving. No one here is even awake, yet, but SB and I are doing some shopping today, so I probably should get her up and going. I am attempting to get everything done today and tomorrow, because I will be having some lovely oral surgery on Wednesday, and I am planning on getting some rest after that. While I am not looking forward to the dental work, I am in a good amount of pain, and I am looking forward to that being over. :) Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are basking in the glow of Christmas with your family, and that you have come up with a pretty good Christmas surprise for your husband, too. Blessings to you and yours!
His,
Kellye
