Thankful for His encouragement

My girls are glad to be together. That makes my heart smile.

John in front of Windsor Castle

See that face? I love it. That face is one of my favorites.

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

Good morning from sunny and HOT Vienna!! John and I are back from our trip to London, where we spent a great day at Legoland and a great day at the British Museum. Best of all, we spent time together. I'm not dumb--he's eleven, so a time is coming when maybe a trip with Mom doesn't sound so cool, so I'm eating up this time while I'm still fun to be around, and he's not afraid to hold my hand as we ride the bus. :) I know from experience that this moment is fleeting. Wasn't it yesterday that he was 6 and running around Moscow? Wasn't it???

When I started this blog--five years ago!!!--I promised you and myself that I would always be open and honest about our experiences overseas, that I would try to keep myself from putting on a facade to make you like me more. I've tried really hard to be faithful to that, to honestly and openly share the faith journey I and my little family are on as we follow our incredible God on an amazing adventure. I have tried not to sugarcoat the difficulties of transitioning into Vienna. And in many, many ways, I believe we are still in transition. We haven't quite found ourselves here, yet. But in the sharing of difficulties, I never, ever want to forget to share the ways our faithful, faithful God daily encourages our hearts, no matter where we are in the world. So here are some ways He has encouraged me in the last couple of weeks, things I hope will also encourage you as you travel your own path.

• Visas: I won't say a lot about this, just that our visa situation has taken a very positive turn, and we could not be more delighted. As always, God is 100% right on time. Never early. Never late. 
• Our kids: Sarah Beth is in a tremendous, wonderful relationship that makes her so happy. Hannah had some really positive things happen at the end of school and is, even as I write this, at church camp in the States, where I know she is with people who love her and will lift her up. John is deeply in love with Vienna, and he is so appreciative of the opportunities we've been given. (As we walked into the British Museum, he told me he really loved our life, and he is pretty sure not many kids from Middleburg, Florida, get the chance to go to the British Museum. It made me smile.) When my kids are encouraged, I am encouraged. God has abundantly encouraged them, particularly in the last few weeks.
• Marc's current trip: I'm not sure what's going on in Russia on this trip, because he doesn't have enough internet to do anything more than post on my facebook wall, but I can tell from his posts that he is deeply, deeply moved by what he is finding and experiencing. He is with men he loves and admires, and who I know are encouraging and loving. While his life with one foot here and one foot there is difficult, it is good to be reminded how much he loves his job and how much work there is to be done. 
• Language: German is learnable, and God is faithful. I was particularly encouraged by the many people who spoke German with me on our trip to London, even though they could have easily spoken English. Austrians are generally very polite, and they are not anxious to watch me struggle with their language. However, by speaking with me, they help my language improve.
• Friendships: With Americans and with Austrians, we are developing deeper and deeper relationships. I'm thankful.

• Vienna: No matter how hard our transition to the city has been, our love for it has only grown. The longer I'm here, the more I adore this beautiful place. And the longer I'm here, the more brokenhearted I am for its deep, deep darkness. Don't be fooled by the pretty pictures and gorgeous mountains and lovely churches...there is spiritual darkness and lostness here, an indifference to the things of God that originally inspired so much of the beauty and culture around us. But that brokenness is exactly what we asked for when we came here--that God would break our hearts for what breaks His. And there is no doubt in my mind that He has done exactly that.

I could go on and on and on. If you're a long-time reader of this blog, or even if you've just found it, my prayer is that you will see an over-arching theme in everything I write: He is faithful. In the big, in the small, in the in-between, He is faithful. I have tasted and seen His goodness. I have been the recipient of His grace and mercy. I am awestruck by the vastness and incomprehensibility of His glory. Our little family--strung out across three continents at the moment--has followed our big God on an incredible adventure. And in every single moment, in every tear, in every problem, in the great joys and laughter of it all, in every Phase 10 game, in every little Russian or Czech or Austrian village, in every experience and every relationship--He is faithful. I am often not faithful. I judge and I criticize and I worry and I fret. And yet, He--the giver of all good gifts--He loves me and holds me in His righteous right hand. When I really take the time to come face to face with His unaltered goodness to me and mine...I am brought to my knees in thankfulness. I stand amazed and awestruck in the presence of the One who made me, who knows me, and who loves me in spite of myself. How can I be anything but encouraged?

Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you know this: what He has done for me, His grace, His mercy, His undying faithfulness, He has done for the whole world. My little family--we are beyond ordinary. We're just broken jars of clay. But His love and grace and mercy are gifts He has given to the whole world. Me and my family. You and yours. I pray that is good news to your heart today. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye