Being thankful...for a good book

This is the picture sitting on my desktop this morning. She's a keeper, for sure. :)

Glory to thee for all the grace
I have not tasted yet. --Charles Spurgeon

It's not been a great week. Wow. It's only Tuesday. Well, it's been a rough couple of days. How's that? Not one thing in particular--just a high stress level caused by many different things going on in our lives, both here in Vienna and back home in Florida. We've gotten a diagnosis for my Dad, but the first surgery (for his kidney) is looking like a much more major surgery than we'd originally hoped for because of the position of the tumor on his kidney. So that wasn't a plus. And he still feels so awful, which I cannot stand. Sarah Beth is in the middle of finals. Marc and I are getting ready for our German exam this Saturday, amidst a flood of other deadlines. And I had a little accident on Sunday that is causing pain and even less sleep than usual. (Note to self: sunburn + hot, steamy bath + fainting = large, painful egg on the back of my head.) We'll be fine...just a bit discouraged at the moment. Okay, maybe a lot discouraged at the moment. But we really will be fine. We serve a big God, right? If He is for us, who (or what) can be against us? :)

So I've been thinking about all the things and people God uses to encourage me during times like this--just being thankful and grateful for His new mercies each day. And there are a lot of things I could list here--dear, sweet friends who always are faithful to pray, sweet friendships that are developing with nationals here, the view off my balcony as the sun comes up, an apartment full of sunshine and light, even on cloudy days...you get the idea. Lots of stuff. But one of God's greatest gifts to me, one for which I am SO thankful right now, is my deep love affair with books.

It all started for me in the living room of my Aunt Angie and Uncle Raleigh's house in Doctor's Inlet, Florida, where I would visit in the summer as a child. It was lined on one wall with bookshelves. And I could read anything I wanted. I had books at home, of course, but there was something truly wonderful about a lazy, too-hot-to-be-outside Florida afternoon, sitting in that room and reading for hours. It was there I first discovered the wonder of true crime writing. (Yep, still love them. I have basically read every Ann Rule book in print.) I found that I loved mysteries (I've read every Mary Higgins Clark book) and history (I just finished a great bit of history this morning). In fact, I found that I basically loved everything I could get my hands on. (One thing I don't love--fantasy. Yuck. Not my cup of tea. I've never read all of Lord of the Rings or made it through one of the movies without falling asleep. Sorry. I just don't get it.) What I found during those wonderful summer afternoons spent reading was that books made great, wonderful companions and transported me to places and worlds that I could not have even dreamed of in my wildest fantasy. Pardon the pun, but I was hooked.

I went on, of course, to be an English teacher, spending my days teaching the books I loved so much. One of my favorite book memories is from early in my career, when I was teaching in a rural high school in Georgia. We didn't have enough copies of To Kill a Mockingbird for each student, and we could not ask students to buy them or buy more ourselves, so I ended up reading the whole book aloud to my classes. I even brought in a rocking chair to sit in while I read, and they often ended up sitting at my feet on the floor, just listening to the story. When we got to the part where Tom Robinson has been killed, one of my students yelled, "NO!!" Nobody laughed. Nobody made fun of her. We just kept reading. It was a meaningful moment for me and for the kids--certainly, that particular book made a great deal of sense to them, since it was written about a culture they knew and understood all too well. I went on to have other meaningful moments with books, but that one always sticks out in my mind as a defining moment in my teaching career.

I read constantly. I have at least one book "going" all the time. Sometimes I'm reading an actual book, but more often than not, I'm reading on my Kindle app or my Nook. As I get older, I tend to like nonfiction more than fiction, and I have an ever-growing appreciation for the classics I've loved for most of my adult life. I'm not always reading a classic or something meaningful, though. Sometimes (don't tell anyone, ok?) I just read for fun. I read to escape. I read because it makes me feel better about whatever thing I'm going through at the moment.

So what does that have to do with the discouragement we currently feel? Because books are a way for me to relieve tension and escape, and because they are salve to my introverted soul, they encourage me. They make me laugh or cry. They make me think. They help me to know and understand places and people better. I loved Russian literature long before I dreamed of living in Russia. (Dostoevsky is my favorite, in case you're wondering.) Reading about Austrian history, especially the history of Vienna, has helped me to have an appreciation for this place that God has us for this season. And sometimes, I just need to think about something else. Something that isn't this moment. I believe God created me to love books so that I would always have a way to turn my brain off and do something else, to remove myself from the stress of this moment so that I can refocus somewhere else. And at this moment, when I'm a teeny bit overwhelmed...I'm so, so grateful for that.

Maybe you think this is a crazy post, that I love books because I do. But God's Word clearly says that He is the Giver of all good gifts...and for me, books are a very good gift. So I choose to be thankful for them and for the stress relief they so often provide. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are grateful for whatever escape God has provided for you, and that your kids have the day off school, too. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

Those who wait...

Are you tired of pics of my cats? Because I have an endless supply. This is Tash being cute, as usual.

I love this!! I don't know if you can see him behind the flowers, but this is our pal, Jack, giving Han flowers after the musical. If you've been with us awhile, you'll remember that Jack was 3-months-old when we lived in the same quad as his parents at our training in Richmond. Now, Hannah is his babysitter. Love it!!

 

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

I generally avoid things at which I'm terrible. For example, I don't bowl. Why? I'm atrocious at bowling. TERRIBLE. So I just don't bowl. There are other things I don't do, too...ballroom dancing, for example. Or exercising in front of people with any kind of exercise that requires me to do more than put one foot in front of the other. (Get the idea? I'm not very coordinated.) I also avoid doing math without a calculator. Not good at it, so I don't do it.

But there are some things I'm not good at that I can't avoid. Waiting is one of those things. It seems like the last two years have been all about waiting. We had to wait to know where we were going. Then we had to wait to be approved by the trustees and doctors. Then we had to wait to get here. Then we had to wait to settle in and get through transition. In other words--just like every other person on earth--waiting is a big part of my life. And I'm truly terrible at it.

There are some things I'm waiting on right now that are uncomfortable to me. I am waiting to really learn German. Now, that's not a docile, passive waiting--I practice, I study, I talk to people every day. But in preparation for an exam we have coming up, I decided to take an online German placement exam. I got 8/30 right, and was placed as a beginner. I cried. I'm not kidding. I had a meltdown. I'll never learn German. I'll never speak it. I'm probably not going to pass the exam. It was a pretty big pity party, I'm not going to lie. But you know what? I am a beginner. Just because I can put a sentence together correctly doesn't mean I'm not a beginner. (I can hold a pretty good conversation with anyone under 4, as long as it's mostly about food.) I must give myself time to really learn. I'm not 20, and this is my third language. It'll come. It'll happen. But I have to wait patiently.

We are waiting to really figure out our place here in Vienna and on our team. There has been lots of transition for our team, and it continues. I want it done now. Maybe yesterday. I want to know what ministry is going to look like. In fact, if you could work out our ten-year-plan and just give me the outline so I can write it in my calendar (one of THREE I keep on my desk), then that would be super. But that's not how it works, is it? Nope. Transition will happen, we will settle in, we will find our place in this city and on our team...but these things take time. I have to wait.

The granddaddy of "waiting" situations in our lives has been the last six weeks with my Dad's health. I have not talked publicly much about this (until it was resolved), and I haven't even really talked much privately about this. In fact, very few people have known how sick my Daddy is and has been. We have been waiting for a diagnosis for weeks of what is causing him to be so ill. And it's been torture. Not just hard. Torture. My sisters are in Dallas and Indianapolis. I'm in AUSTRIA, for heaven's sake. So in my heart, I've pictured my sweet parents, all alone in Florida, with my Dad getting sicker and sicker and sicker...let's just say my normal trouble with sleeping has been magnified a bit in the last six weeks.  And the symptoms--and even comments from the doctor--led us to expect the worst. (I think even the doctor thought it was cancer.) I had a complete meltdown one night at about 1am, and had to go downstairs and plan my trip back to Middleburg. I simply could not, under any circumstances, sit in Vienna, Austria, while my Daddy was sick in Florida. I couldn't. Impossible. Yet, that's exactly what I did, and what my sisters did, as we waited.

If you're on facebook with me, you know that we got the diagnosis yesterday--something with a big long name that is basically a mass that is wrapped around Daddy's left kidney. And while he still feels terrible and is really sick, it's something that can be fixed. It's not cancer. It's not get-yourself-home-to-Middleburg-asap time. There are surgeries at hand, things to be done...but there is a positive outcome at the end of this tunnel unless something really unexpected happens. And we're so thankful, and so grateful. Many, many tears of joy have been shed in the last 24 hours, and I'm sure those weren't just here in Vienna.

I'm not just thankful, though, for a more positive outcome than any of us expected. I'm thankful, as weird as it sounds, for the waiting in my life right now. Not just in this situation, but in a lot of situations. Waiting gives me the chance to reflect on God's faithfulness, in the dark times and in the happy times. When this all started, and we realized something was really wrong with my Dad, I made a covenant with God in my prayer journal, one I asked Him to hold me accountable to--that I would praise Him no matter what the outcome. Good news, bad news, in between news...it's all about Him. And I don't think it's coincidence that this week, which has been by far the hardest as we knew a diagnosis was coming, was a traveling week for Marc, one in which I've had very little contact with him. No relying on Marc to bolster me. No relying on friends to carry me through. Nope. Me and God. And it hasn't been a terrible week. I've stuck pretty close to home as we waited for the diagnosis (and as my Dad felt worse and worse), but it's been a pretty good week, if a quiet one. I've gotten some things done. I've studied German. I've done some cleaning. And I've spent some significant time relying on the One who loves me--and you--and my Daddy best.

Time to get the day started. Well, of course, my day actually started around 4, when Tasha came and stood on my chest and licked my face. What kind of cat licks your face?!?! Oh, well...at least she's a sweet, affectionate pet, right?! Wherever you are in the world, and whatever you're waiting on, I pray that you are relying on Him alone, and that you are having a "Mom-learns-to-play-Sonic" night at your house, too. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

Who is this King of Glory?

No trip anywhere in Wien is complete without some ice cream. Seriously...it's dangerously good. (And yes, John does have some on the tip of his nose. :)

Our family is hooked on the audio guide. This was on our trip to the Mozarthaus here in Wien.

For Spring Break, they got to choose some stuff they wanted to do in our city. The Mozarthaus was John's choice. He is going through a Mozart phase. Seriously--he's Mozart crazy right now!!

Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Psalm 24: 8

Sometimes, a perfect storm occurs, and it makes it impossible for me to do anything but write about a particular topic. This is one of those times. My book of the Bible for 2012 (the one I'm reading and studying my way through) is Psalms, and I just made it to chapter 24. (Yes, I DID start on January 1st. I'm thorough.) I'm also studying the gospels, beginning with Matthew. (Yes, I DID start that way back in October. I'm very thorough.) And last night, at our church's Good Friday service, I sang an old song I haven't sung in years--Lamb of God by Twila Paris. This is a perfect storm for me, one in which everything around me is pointing to one thing (or in this case, one Person): Jesus. Who is this King of Glory? He's Jesus.

As part of my study of Matthew, I highlighted everything Matthew tells us about who Jesus is, what He thinks, how He acts. I've spent the last three days putting them in my journal during my quiet time, as a sort of reflection on God's greatest gift to us. It's too long a list to put on this blog--I counted this morning, and there are 81 sentences about who Jesus is. But I wanted to share the last part of the list with you on this Easter Saturday, as we all remember that time between His burial and His resurrection, that time when it must have seemed that all light and hope and love had left the world.

Jesus:

• weeps for Jerusalem.
• wants us to know the truth.
• calls the nations to Himself.
  
• knows the end of the story.
• is the end of the story.
• is coming in His glory to take His throne.
• cares for the least of these.
• loves to be lavishly adored.
• does not beat around the bush.
• knows we will fail often, but wants us to try anyway.
• knows the sting of betrayal.
• will come again.
• was denied and abandoned by His closest friends.
• is righteous.
• was beaten but did not utter a hateful word.
• died.
• was buried.
• rose from the dead.
• is always with us, no matter where in the world we go in His Name.

As I've put this list of who Jesus is in my journal, I have been overwhelmed by not only my love for Him, but His enormous love for me. He is the demonstration of God's love for the whole world. He's more than a great story. He's everything. The whole ballgame. But He's also a choice. You either follow Him or you don't, but He gives you the choice. There is no middle ground with Him. If anything became clear to me during this particular part of my study, it's that He's an all-or-nothing Savior, unimpressed by our good works and the things we say or do that we think are "righteous." He is righteousness. He is love. He is everything.

He is the reason I am here in Austria. I would love nothing more in the world at this moment than to be sitting with my parents in their living room in Middleburg, Florida, planning our Easter dinner together. But Jesus, the Lamb, the Holy, Righteous, Perfect Son of God died for me. Then He asked me nicely to follow Him to Austria. And for our family, that was no choice at all. We had to follow Him. I cannot imagine saying no to the One who gave His life for me. And not on the spur of the moment, not on a whim. He came to give His life for me. I love Him for so many things, for so many reasons, but I love Him most of all because He knew what His purpose was here. He knew all along. And He came, anyway, because He loved me and you that much. What kind of King does that for His people? My King. King Jesus.

Our Good Friday service was quite somber and for me, very moving. And while I loved singing with Hannah (one of God's kindnesses to me is the chance to sing with my girl), and I loved reading a portion of the story, the most moving thing for me, oddly, was lighting and blowing out the one candle that was lit in the room. I didn't say anything, and was surprised when, as I went to light the candle, the familiar words ran through my mind: Behold the Lamb of God, who came to take away the sins of the world. Then, when I blew out that one light, that one candle representing the Holy Lamb of God, I was struck by the way the darkness suddenly filled the room. I imagine that's how it seemed in Jerusalem that terrible, wonderful Good Friday. And maybe there are things in your life and your world that seem exactly that way--that darkness has filled every nook and cranny. The good news of Jesus is this: no matter how it may seem that darkness has won, that there is no hope, that all is lost...the sun dawns on Easter Sunday, the stone is rolled away, and the tomb, my friends, is empty. He is not here. He rose, just like He said. Hallelujah. Amen.

Wherever you are in the world, I pray that this will be a day to reflect on God's absolute love for you, and that your friends are coming for a visit this week, too. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

Why we love the First Baptist Church of Middleburg, Florida

The new sign: I confess that I stole this from my pastor's facebook page. :) This is our home church's latest ministry--Crosspointe Church in Fleming Island, Florida.

Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90:17

Wow! Two posts in two days...that doesn't happen very often. But this, too, has been on the list of things to write about, and a picture on facebook pushed it to the top of the list. Plus, it's Sunday, and I always think about and pray for my home church on Sunday. (I think about and pray for my church here in Vienna on Sunday, too. No worries that it's getting left off the list!!) Let me challenge you, by the way, to pray for your church. Pray for your pastor and the whole pastoral staff. First of all, you should be doing that, anyway. It's no small thing to shepherd a group of believers--we're a cantankerous lot, collectively. And secondly, it'll make you less likely to complain about stupid stuff. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. It's too hot, it's too cold, the worship team's outfits didn't match, the pastor needs a tie/doesn't need a tie, his tie was offensive...you know you do that sometimes. And so does Jesus. And He wants you to stop it. :) So if you are praying for them, you'll be less likely to do that.

Now, if you're not a believer, or if you hate Southern Baptists, this is probably not the post for you. I do have friends who read this who don't believe what I believe (I love you so much for loving me in spite of our differences!!), and I don't want you to get midway through this and feel like it wasn't useful to you. But I'm a Baptist girl. I was raised a Baptist girl, and when I was an adult and had the choice to be anything, I was still a Baptist girl. I work for a Baptist agency. Technically, I work for the Southern Baptist Convention. So--full disclosure--I'm pro Southern Baptist. That doesn't mean I think we do everything right, or that I haven't been in some truly dreadful Southern Baptist church services where I wanted to put a needle through my eye. But I believe what Southern Baptists believe. And so, I am one.

Our home church is interesting to me, because I think it's not what you would assume it is at all. First of all, it's in the middle of podunk. Now, I'm a Middleburg girl, so I can say that. You people from Orange Park better hush up. :) And don't get me started on the Jacksonville folks and how they see our little town. But if you're not from there, you might assume, because it's Florida, that it's all sand and ocean. Think more farms, dirt roads, and pickup trucks. (By the way--that's not a criticism. We LOVE Middleburg.) Now, there are also some gorgeous neighborhoods and a beautiful waterway and more and more stores there, so it's not like I'm talking about something out of Deliverance. But it is a rural area. So you would not assume that this big church would be there. But there it is. And it's big. It's grown exponentially since we arrived in 2002. (That isn't because of us, by the way. We didn't show up and draw the multitude.) It's due to a lot of things--good outreach, good preaching, good programming, good music...you get the idea. It's a big, growing church in the middle of a pretty small place.

More than anything, though, I really believe the growth is centered around a group of people who have caught a vision of what church can be. In lots of churches, you have a core group (let's be honest--usually of folks who have been there a long time) who are naysayers. We've never done that before. That's not how Pastor Whoever did it. And I'm sure that exists and has existed at our church. But for the most part, you have a group of believers who understand that the church has nothing whatsoever to do with the building. They have done some incredible, nontraditional things that have really ministered to the community. They have put on incredible events, often outside what the norm for churches is, in order to minister to their community. A personal favorite of ours is the quilt ministry that my mother is involved in. And from even half a world away, they minister to us faithfully. Sweet cards, emails, calls, packages, and above all, prayers have been sent to us and on our behalf again and again and again. Over the years, what the majority of folks at our church have bought into is the idea that God uses whatever He's gifted you with for His glory. Every gift is to be used to glorify Him in all things. You get a group of a couple thousand thinking in that same direction, and I'm telling you--stuff gets done. So First Baptist Church of Middleburg, Florida, has ceased to "do" church, and instead, have become the church. And for us, it's really a beautiful thing to behold, something that makes us so proud and so happy and so excited for what's next.

Well, what's next is rescuing a church that's run into some trouble. And now, FBCM is stretching out their arms to a new community and revitalizing a church that has watched its membership drift away over time. And Marc and I are really excited about it. Not just because we hate to see churches close their doors, though we do. But also because we love the excitement we hear in the voices of people we really love and pray for often, who are rolling up their sleeves and getting to work with a whole lot of gusto. Yes, our church sends mission teams to various places around the world, including to us. But what makes us proudest is that they are willing to do the kind of missions that simply requires them to walk across the room, across the street, across the block, and now, across the county. We're glad the sun never sets on the First Baptist Middleburg family, because that means we get to still be a part of them, however remote our "campus" may be. But we're so glad to watch them be the church right there in Clay County, Florida. And we're praying that God confirms for them the work of their hands.

Well, time to get moving. Marc is preaching tonight at our church here in Vienna, John and I are organizing snacks, and Hannah is singing on the praise team, so it's a busy day in the Hooks household. Thank you for your sweet prayers for Marc's return. There is nothing in life I love more than watching him walk through that door. And this was a particularly good trip, with an incredible visit with an old friend in Moscow to top it off, so there was lots to tell at the dinner table last night. Sweet, precious moments for us, those hours spent listening to Marc tell us how God is at work in whatever remote part of Russia he has been in. I believe long after we're gone, our kids will remember listening to Daddy tell them stories about eating pony (it was pretty good), learning about new cultures, and sharing the sweet, old story of Jesus and His love with people we love. It never gets old. When it does, it's time to come back to the States. :) Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you love your church as much as we love ours, and that you are looking forward to your guy preaching a great sermon tonight, too. Blessings to you and yours!!

His,
Kellye

An open letter to teenage boys

My guy. I love him.

Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, but who can find a trustworthy man? A righteous man who walks in his integrity--how blessed are his sons after him. Proverbs 20:6-7

I have a list of blogs I want to write, and this one has been on the list for a bit. It was pushed up on the list by the appearance this week on facebook of a list of ten things teenage girls should know (or something like that...I'm not sure of the title). And it's not that I disagree with those things at all--I am, after all, the mother of two girls, and I want them to know all the things on that list. But I'm also the mother of a boy, and I know and love many teenage boys who have come into my life as a teacher or here on the field or at my home church, young men I've come to really admire and appreciate. So really, this is an open letter to those guys, the ones I've watched grow up, the ones I've taught, the ones who call me Aunt Kellye. Because I'm convinced that our society is not doing you justice, and I think there are some things you should know. But a warning--if you're not a believer, some of this won't make a lot of sense to you. So with that caveat, here's my list of things you should know.

--Don't buy into the American pop culture view of men. Look at the tv shows that are popular, and what you often see is that the teenage guy (or the man, even) is portrayed as wimpy, stupid or both. You are not any of those things. And someday, God is going to ask you to lead--a business, a mission, a church, a wife and kids--and you cannot do that well if you are those things. So don't buy it.

--Be who you are. Maybe you're into sports. That's great. Maybe you're into music. That's also great. I am the mother of two girls, and I can tell you that being dedicated and committed to something is an attractive quality in their eyes. So whatever it is that interests you (unless, of course, it's something immoral), pursue it with gusto. Girls like that. I swear.

--Be a Christian. A real one. Not a Sunday-you're-at-church-but-on-Monday-nobody-can-tell-a-difference-between-you-and-everyone-else-in-your-school one. That is NOT attractive.

--Only date Christian girls. And only date real Christian girls. Or maybe don't date until you're older and can handle it. Because the Bible is super clear about this area of your life. God clearly says not to be unequally yoked with an unbeliever. He means in your dating life, too. And if you don't share the same morals and values, if you're not both Jesus lovers, then what happens in your pickup truck on the way home will get out of hand and outside of the boundaries you definitely want to set for yourself. Even if you are both Jesus lovers, it can get outside of the boundaries way too fast. So maybe don't get into pickup trucks with girls. :)

--Find a man you value and admire, and seek him out as a mentor. Maybe it's your dad. Maybe it's not. But I know many incredible men of God who are setting a good example, and you could benefit from their knowledge and encouragement.

--Figure out what you want in a girl...not just to date, but to marry. Someone gave Hannah great love advice last year, and I think it works for everybody. First, he asked what the guy she wanted to marry was like. Christian, heart for missions, kind, loving...you get the idea. He looked her straight in the eye and said, "Then you work on being the girl that guy would fall in love with. Because that guy will show up, and you want to be the person he's looking for, too." The girl you want to marry, who has all the qualities on your list--loving, kind, loves Jesus first--she will show up some day. You want to make sure you've taken the time to be the guy who she wants and who can lead her into the life God has for you both.

--Stop worrying about who you're going to date next. Honestly. Going from one girl to another...not that attractive. Maybe be a little more selective.

--If girls do not show you respect, they are not the girl for you. This is a toughie. There are some beautiful girls out there who have bought into the whole "you're stupid so I must lead you around by the nose" mentality. Sorry. Take a pass on them. Paul clearly commands Christian couples--men are to love their wives as Christ loved the church, and women are to respect their husbands. You know why he said that? Because for women, love is the most important thing. But for men, it's definitely respect. I've been married 22 years this summer. Trust me on this one. Respect is more important to you than you probably even know yet, but it's going to be a HUGE need in your life.

--Picture yourself in 10 years. What would you love to be doing? What are you called to be doing? What kind of partner makes that life possible? Dream about her. Pray for her diligently. Except for accepting Christ as your savior, I promise you will make no more important decision than who you're going to marry. None. And here was our experience: we'd both prayed for that person, dreamed about them, and when we spent a little time together (about 5 hours, no kidding), we both knew. This was it. I told my parents the next day that I would marry him. I'd looked. I'd dreamed. So had he. When we found each other, we knew it. Your experience might not be quite that quick, but it will help you know when it is time to know.

--Be friends with girls, but really treasure your time with the guys. Being friends with girls will give you an awesome view of the "other side" of things. Hannah and Sarah Beth have enjoyed great, incredible friendships with guys both overseas and in Middleburg. But your time with your guy friends is precious. Some of them will be your friends for life. The Bible tells us how important those friendships are. "Iron sharpens iron," and "A cord of three strands is not easily broken." I realize we usually apply that last verse to marriage, but it's true of friendships, too. The Christian guys you surround yourself with...they are being used by God to form you into His man. And when hard times come--heartbreak, trouble, divorcing parents, whatever--they will be there. Even as adults, you are going to need Christian guy friends. Trust me. I see often in Marc's life how important those three or four relationships in his life are to his ability to be God's guy. You need your guys to be His man.

--God has a purpose for you. He has good plans for your life. We tell girls all the time that they are priceless treasures of God, daughters of the King of kings. But sometimes we forget to tell you. You are priceless to Him, treasures of His heart. You are a son of the King. Never, ever forget. Whatever plan He has for your life, it is borne out of His great love for you. Maybe you won't be a professional basketball player. Maybe you won't be rich. But I can promise you from our experience that nothing in life, no comfort, no amount of money, is better than being exactly who God created you to be. And to settle into that person, that man of God...well, it will make your wife very happy some day. I promise.

I love having the chance to watch people grow up. I'm thinking, of course, of those nephews here on the field who have gone on to marry and have children and pursue ministry, certainly, but I'm also thinking of those boys in our church who we've known....goodness...seemingly forever. What a joy it is to see them pursue Godliness. What a pleasure to watch as they are shaped and molded into the next generation of leaders. It's an incredible honor to watch, even from across the world. It's an even greater honor to pray diligently for those young men we know and love as they become exactly the man God created them to be. Wherever you are in the world, I challenge you to find one young man at your church to really encourage, and I pray that your beloved is headed home to you, too. Blessings to you and yours!!

His,
Kellye

I'm being followed by a couple of dogs

Since this blog is about a couple of dogs, I thought it only appropriate to remind you how cute my cats are. This is Tasha. She's a snuggler, constantly burrowing under blankets. We love our kittens so much!!

Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6

I almost never write at night, because Marc is a "quality time" love language guy, and he wants to do stuff together, and since we can't write together, that doesn't work for him. Plus, because I'm such an early bird, by this time of night my brain is FRIED. Especially on nights like this, when I'm single parenting because Marc is half a world away. (Just for some perspective, Marc is further away from me than I am from you. Think on it a while.) Add a German test into the mix, and the fact that I'm not just sitting here drooling is nearly miraculous.

John has to memorize Psalm 23 for class. (By the way--if your kid isn't memorizing stuff in elementary school, you need to make sure you're doing it at home. It's an important, foundational brain skill. If you want to know more, shoot me an email and I'll explain.) So he's been practicing it all over the house. And every time I hear him working on it, I smile when he comes across the last verse. Now, the version above has it "goodness and lovingkindness," but in my brain, it's always goodness and mercy. I love the old song...surely goodness and mercy will follow me/all the days/all the days of my li-i-ife. :) And it takes me back several years--maybe a year and half before we went to Russia--so about 7 years ago, when our pastor preached a sermon series on Psalm 23. And when he got to this verse, he talked about goodness and mercy as two sheepdogs, following us around. And for whatever reason, the image stuck. I cannot hear/read/sing the 23rd Psalm without picturing two sheepdogs named Goodness and Mercy following me around.

Lately, I'm struck by just a sense of sheer contentedness. No, not everything here is perfect. Yes, we still have problems and conflicts and all that other stuff. Yes, language number 3 might just make my head explode. (Not really--it's a very learnable language...much easier than Russian.) But certainly, there's only so much room left in my brain for language, and it's getting a bit crowded. And I miss Sarah Beth and my parents and my sisters and my church...you get the idea. In other words, it's not like Moscow was terrible and Vienna is perfect, and that's why I'm content.

I'm content because God has stretched me into a contented person. My months of unhappiness in Moscow before I could settle in and be happy weren't because Goodness and Mercy had somehow lost their way. It was more that I just lost sight of them. (Maybe they are white, and I just couldn't find them in the snow!!) Have you ever been in a situation that so pulled you apart that you couldn't find yourself? That was me. I could not find me. Ask my parents--they could hear it in my voice. Many, many times they got off the phone and prayed for me. Ask them. It was rough. But I'm convinced that in every situation there is something good, something you can look at and say, "OH! There are Goodness and Mercy! Whew. I thought I'd lost them." But you have to choose to look for them.

I'm so grateful to be here. With the economic downturn and some hard financial times for our organization, I'm going to be honest--I'm really grateful. It means something to me to be here. Our life in America is good and sweet and I could be happy there, too. So it's not like there is bad and here is good. Nope. But when I choose wisely to look around at the positive things around me, I'm overwhelmed by His goodness and mercy. Great friendships. A lovely apartment. People we adore literally around the corner. A neighborhood we love. A language we are kind of getting. Neighbors who are friendly. Austrian friends. A great church. A great school. An organization that loves and takes care of my kids. Colleagues we love all over the world. Encouragement from all over the world. A husband who absolutely loves his job. Blessings all mine with ten thousand times ten thousand besides.

Remember the old, old song "To God be the Glory"? I think my sisters had a record of Kris Kristofferson singing it for some reason. For all I am/And ever hope to be/ I owe it all to Thee. When I look around, I see gifts. Everywhere, I'm surrounded by gifts from the giver of all good things, and His lapdogs, Goodness and Mercy. Anything I am, anything I will become...it's all a gift from Him. My children, my marriage, my whole life...all a gift from Him. And when I mess up--as I inevitably do, sometimes on a minute-by-minute basis--Mercy comes bounding down the street, overwhelming me with love and kindness that I don't deserve, but which I freely receive. If that is not good news, my friends, I honestly don't know what is.

Maybe you need to hear this. Maybe your situation is pretty terrible at the moment. Maybe there are some truly horrible things going on in your life. Can I encourage you for just a moment? Look around you. Really, really look. Because I am nobody special, and God does not love me better than you, so I know for 100% sure that somewhere, even in the darkness, there are signs of Goodness and Mercy at work. Maybe you're in a cancer ward. What about the kindness of your nurse? Maybe your marriage is in trouble. What about that sweet friend who is willing to listen? Maybe your child has turned into the prodigal son. What about the sweet lady at church who prays for you? Does it make everything instantly ok? No. But it gives a real perspective. Yes, this thing is terrible. This moment is awful. But I am not alone. Even in the darkest night, Goodness and Mercy are right by my side. And that, my friends, that is real comfort.

Well, I think that's all my brain can do tonight. :) So many of you have sent us sweet notes of encouragement while Marc is traveling...your kindness is just another gift from Him. Marc really loves his job so much. And just like he loved listening to me talk about teaching, I love listening to him be happy in his work. The travel is a bit rough, I'll admit, but if any of you have been married to a man unhappy in his work, you will know that it's worth it to me for him to be so, so happy. He did eat pony and frozen raw fish yesterday. He doesn't really love that part of his job. :) But I made buffalo chicken pizza tonight, and he wouldn't have liked that, either, so I guess it's no big deal. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that even in your darkest night, you can hear Goodness and Mercy sitting at your feet, and that tomorrow is your last day of language school until the fall, too. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

Learning German

Some of my former students started their Spring Break tour of Europe in Wien. What a treat to see them!

Beautiful flowers are everywhere in Wien. I ordered these from a flower market auf Deutsch, so I think they are particularly beautiful. :)

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14

I hardly every write in the middle of the week, because language school is eating my time pretty much completely. I am about finished with this round--I will take a break until September--and I'm both excited for a break and a bit sad. Some of the sadness, of course, has to do with the fact that I go every day to school with a friend, and that's fun. We talk and laugh and tell stories about our kids and just generally have a good time. I'm going to miss doing that every day. (Though she lives right around the corner, so it's not like we won't see each other.) But some of it is because I am really enjoying learning German. Okay, maybe enjoying isn't exactly the right word. I appreciate the opportunity to learn German. How's that?

I've told you before that when we found out the team was being moved to Vienna, my first thought was, "Oh, no!! Not another language!!" I'm middle aged (I'm a young middle aged, thank you), and I was just not sure I could stuff one more language in there with the English and Russian that are already roaming around in my noggin. But given time, I came to see this as a kind of do-over, a chance to do something right the second time that I didn't do all that well the first time. And I've talked about that, too--being hesitant to speak Russian, never wanting to make a mistake, being far too timid for my own good--all of these stunted my ability to speak and understand Russian. (I've come to know that I can read and write language far more easily than I can speak and understand them.) And that is a dreadful weight when you live in a place where people don't/won't speak English. I was always nervous, always embarrassed that my Russian wasn't anywhere near Marc's, always afraid that something would happen that I couldn't handle because I couldn't understand what was being said to me. So when it came time to move to Austria, I was one determined girl. I WOULD speak German well.

Over time, though, I came to understand that my motivation for wanting to speak German well was a little off. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it well. I wanted to prove that I could learn a language and operate in it without worry. But, of course, Vienna is a very different place than Moscow. Many, many (most?) people here speak a little English, at least. I really could survive and even do well here without going past the level of German that is required for my visa. But as I prayed to put down roots and plant myself in this place, as I fell in love with Austria and Austrians just a little bit more every day, my motivation took a turn. I don't think I have to prove anything to anyone anymore. I want to do well, to really know German, because I desperately want to make relationships with the people around me. I prayed to love this city, to love these people, to see them as God sees them, and because He is so faithful, He answered those prayers quickly. I do love this city. I do love my neighborhood. I do love my new country. And I will speak their heart language.

That takes a lot of pressure off of me and allows me to learn and enjoy the learning. It is a truly fun and wonderful thing to suddenly look at something you haven't understood and understand it. We have sweet team members who speak great German, and they are so kind to look things over and see if we've understood this or that notice or bill. But when they did that yesterday, we had understood what it said correctly. Can you imagine the joy of that?! As we seek to plant our lives here, nothing is more important than learning the language and just daily putting ourselves in the same places again and again in order to make relationships.

And so, I'm looking forward to a language break, but I'm also not looking forward to it. I am excited to grow in my ability to talk to people every day. I'm excited to reach out and make relationships with the people around me in the language of their hearts. And it really, really helps in the grocery store. :) Wherever you are in the world, I pray that your roots are planted deeply in a place you love, and that you are looking forward to seeing some folks you really like tonight, too. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye