After All

This morning we were sitting in teaching and I was having a hard time focusing. I finally realized, thanks to the HS, that I am nearing the burn out point. I have been overseas since May 7. I haven't been able to have a good intentional day of rest in a while. I feel like I have been running well, but marathons don't last forever.

Yesterday we went over the story of the woman at the well in Jn 4. Even when JC was weary he was still intentional. He had every right to be selfish, even if just for a moment. But he took advantage of every opportunity, no matter where he was or how he felt. We don't get to disengage when we are tired. We don't get to check out and shut down. JC gave us an example of how staying engaged through weariness changed a whole village. He has given us all we need to follow his example.

Father has reminded me of his faithfulness. He showed me where I was before I hit the level of being useless to all those around me. He orchestrated a great group discussion of Jn 4 yesterday to bring to mind. He also reminded me of a song that we sing at church that tells of his faithfulness.

Today has been good. I have gotten to rest in good fellowship with some of the people I am blessed to be here with. I am looking forward to a less intense week. I am thirsting for the word in a way I haven't been in a while. I am in a good place. And I am excited to see where we go from here.

Love y'all!

Quick Overview

So, I have not been good about keeping y'all informed as to what's going on. To catch everyone up, I am going to give y'all a bird's eye view of what the past couple of weeks have looked like for me.

June 5-11: 20 students and adults came to Amsterdam from Kansas. They were a great group. I don't know if I have seen students so excited to pr walk as these students were. It was very encouraging. It was a fun week for us field staffers because we were joined by another staff member. It was wonderful to have her there. She was fun, encouraging, and challenging all at the same time. We got to also see students jump in head first to meeting Name (North Africa and Middle East) peoples through out the city. Lots of great conversation were had. Please pr for all the seeds that were planted and watered that week. Praise Father that He alone can bring the growth and that He does it in His own perfect timing. 

June 12-14: The seven of us (SHaK and 4 JSIs) were able to play tourist a little bit. We ventured to a town called Volandam on the coast. We ate good seafood, did some good souvenir shopping, and enjoyed being out of the city. We also were able to visit the city of Haarlem and the Corrie ten Boom house. I was able to finish her book The Hiding Place while we were in Amsterdam and was super excited to visit the real hiding place. It was such an incredible experience. Our tour guide was a funny Dutch woman who retold the whole story of the ten Boom family and gave us a very knowledgeable tour of the house. Our last night in Amsterdam we babysat for the m family we were able to work with. We have three kids and it was a ton of fun to run around and play with them. They are an absolutely fantastic family and it was a blessing to spend time with them. Pr for them as they continue the work Father has led them to in Amsterdam. Pr they are able to connect with the same people the Kansas students were able to.  Pr they would be strengthened and encouraged in all they do. 

June 15-18: Everybody left Amsterdam. Sarah and the JSIs set off for Paris while Hunter and I came down to Madrid. Our first few days here were spent with two of our friends who are joining us in Spain this summer to help get things started. For those of you who don't know, this if the first summer iG has ever sent teams to Madrid. It is a beautiful city. The architecture is exactly what you think of when you think of Spain. We did a little exploring and lots of planning. It was great time of adjusting to a new city and getting ready for the JSIs. Last night we were able to go out to the M family's house and hang out with them. They are another super fun family with 4 kids and a heart for Name people. Please pr they figure this iG thing out quickly. Pr for good communication for all involve and clear expectations. Pr the family would learn how to balance family life with students on the ground. Please pr we are a blessing to them and that this is the first of many great summers in Madrid. 

June 19: Today! 10 new JSIs landed at 1pm. They are a fun group and I look forward to knowing them better. We kept them awake and vertical by taking them on a scavenger hunt of sorts. It was good to hang out with them and watch them work together to get around a new city. We start real work tomorrow with training and visiting some potential work sites. Pr they adjust to Madrid time quickly and jetlag isn't even a thing with them. Pr they soak up all the teaching and are excited for the pr and work that comes with opening a new city. Pr learn to love this city, its people, and each other in a way that can only come from Father. Pray for us we lead them and prepare them to lead one weekers well. 

I think the coolest thing about these new JSIs is that their team leader is my sister. We will get to lead and work together all summer. I am excited to spent time with her. She figured out that this will be the most consecutive days we will see each other since I graduated high school. I can't wait to share this adventure with her.

Thank you for all your love and prs. It means the world to me!

Love y'all,

Kel

Whoops.

So I have not done a very good job of keeping this thing updated. I'm sorry about that. A lot has happened since May 28th, like a team of 20 wonderful people from Kansas has come and gone. But I will talk about that in another post. First I want to share what Father has been teaching me in my time here in Amsterdam.

I'm writing this on a Tuesday. We leave Amsterdam on Saturday. I don't know where this month has gone. But here is what I can tell you. Whilst overseas, we do LTGs, or life transformation groups. Over the past two weeks, us girls have read Isaiah. I read it my first JSI summer and have loved it ever since. Reading all 66 chapters in two weeks was a challenge, especially with a one week team on the ground.  However, there is a lot to be said for reading so much in a short amount of time.

Father's redemption and restoration of His people is what stood out to me the most this time around. So many times He tells them He blots out their transgression for His name's sake. He restores His people for His glory and fame. His love for us comes out of an overflow of His passion for His glory. I think it's easy to sway too much to either side: He is love or He is for His glory. Both are true. I take so much comfort in knowing that Father's passion for His name comes first. In my finite mind, that's how He is able to lavish His unconditional love on us; it doesn't depend on us. It can't. If He loved us to love us He would be a push over God. Instead He has a mighty arm that leads us, protects us, and restores us when we foolishly try to wander away. He is only good.

This past week I realized how many lies I was being hit with from the enemy. Lies about my singleness, my appearance, my role here, and a little bit of everything else. Father has been super faithful and has quickly helped me recognize lies and remind me of truth. But even pebbles can bury you if they pile up long enough. And one night I realized all at once the weight I've been under. Father was near though. He used that to open up Philippians 2:3-4 to me in a whole new way.

"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others as more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."

For me, this starts with the language I use in my thoughts. If I ever felt slighted, overlooked, or lesser in anyway because of recognition or affirmation someone else got I would think, "Well, they deserve that more than me." So it sounded like I was being humble but really I just stored up hurt and a little shame for myself. I was piling up the lies. It was unhealthy. Father revealed the right language is, "They need that right now." It has nothing to do with me. When I think about how a friend might need a certain affirmation at a particular time doesn't shift anything on me. It pushes me to rejoice and pr for them. It helps me put those verses into practice. I'm not competing with anyone. What I need, my Father is faithful to provide.  He knows what I need to encourage me and to keep me seeking Him. It is healthy.

I have been designed the way I am for the good works that were prepared for me to walk in before the earth was created. He knows I am a crazy mix of pride and insecurities and can only handle so much before one side spins out of control. One of my best friends taught me one of my favorite sayings, just be you and just love JC. We don't have to strive to impress people, we don't have to fit any particular mold. We are to be obedient and just walk in the way He shows us. He promises to be near, to show us the way, and to make the rough places smooth. He does these things, He does not forsake us. He is only good.

This is basically what I have been learning. It is sweet, it is rich, and it is good. Thanks for pr for me. It means more to me than y'all know. I would be good for nothing without them. Love y'all.

Switching Gears

I don't know how much experience you have with bikes, but sometimes life is a lot like switching gears. Sometimes the transition is smooth, sometimes it takes a few pedels to get the chain to fall into the right place. This has been my time in AMS. When we first got here, I had to change gears. It was raining and cold. Nothing is ever fun in the cold rain. Especially when you're a South Texas girl who is only used to temperatures in the 50s in the winter time, NOT late May. But after a few days, the gear fell into place and everything started flowing smoothly.

Another rough switch was the hostel we are staying in. At first we weren't sure about it, and were a little disappointed actually. But after we started meeting the staff and getting a better feel for the place, the gear fell into place. I wouldn't want to stay anywhere else. We have gotten to meet really cool people and have some great conversations. It's been fun to be here for a few weeks and watch people come and go and really get to know the staff.

The switch that had the biggest potential to be rough was the arrival of the JSIs. Fortunately, it has been the smoothest transition of all. We have 4 college age students, two guys and two girls. They are an awesome bunch. As an answer to pr, they hit the ground ready to run. They have been champs. We have had a lot of fun with them and have watched them do some good work. The next two days will be  a free day and a rest day. I don't think any of us could be more excited. It will be nice to rest, cut loose a little, and actually do some touristy things.

Praises: It's been absolutely gorgeous for the past two days. We're talking two of the prettiest days I think I have ever lived in. So pr that we have mostly just days like that for the rest of our time here.

Pr requests: I have felt a little under the weather the past week or so. So please pr that I'm all better by the time the one week students get here. Please pr for the 7 of us as we prepare for them. Pr we would have fun and restful break days and get everything done that we need to. They will be arriving next Wednesday.

Thanks for being awesome! Love y'all!

Full Disclosure

To be really real, yesterday was a hard day. I think it hit me that the training phase is over and the summer is officially here. This city is beautiful, but it has not been exactly what I expected. It is hard to go from staying with friends to staying in a hostel. It is hard to go from being with people who know the way to having to figure everything out on your own. We gotten lost more than a few times in the roughly three days we have been here.

Amsterdam is very much a biking kind of place, so we have spent most of our time pedaling around. It is fun but it can be stressful too. Yesterday, while trying to squeeze past a car on a crowded street, I knocked a bike over and almost fell into a canal. By Father's grace, there just happened to be a boat docked in just the right place to keep the bike from falling in. I'm not going to lie, it was probably one of the horrendous moments of my life. I was completely helpless as the bike clattered to the edge of the water. I had my own bike between me and it and there was nothing I could do but watch. My heart sank and rose as I watched it land perfect only the edge of the boat and stay on land. I put my own bike down, picked it back up and leaned it against the tree it had been resting on. And that was the perfect picture of my day.

Being in AMS has been harder for me than the ME. It's not at all what I expected, but it's true. I think a lot of that has to do with familiarity. Even thought the culture was more foreign, we were always with people we knew well who knew the culture well. That was the whole reason we were there, get us out of our everyday lives to fully focus on the summer. And y'all, it was wonderful. My time there really did prepare me for the role I am here to do. I am so excited for the job I've been given and what I get to do. What it did not prepare me for was the moment where it shifted from the time of training to the time of doing. I woke up one morning in Holland and the summer had officially begun. The JSIs arrive the day after tomorrow. Sarah, Hunter and I have spending all our time prepping for them, all the time we aren't trying to find where we are. Yesterday, as we rode around I felt like bike. I was helpless and wasn't exactly sure how things were going to turn out. I was basically on the verge of tears most of the day.

But Father is faithful. He reminded me that all of the time we are riding around is perfect to pr for the city around me. He reminded me to be thankful instead of upset or worried. And it changed everything. He was able to change my perspective, my outlook, and my attitude. I have spent pretty much all of my time overseas in the book of Col in the NT. Man, everyday those same words have rocked my world differently. It's definitely living and active. In Col, everywhere it talks about how to live, it is followed with something about thanksgiving. Every time he mentions pr, he says to be thankful in it. Col 4:2 is my theme for the summer.

Because Father is constant, only good, and sovereign, he was like the boat that kept me from falling into the canal. And not matter what's going on, he will always be there to keep me from falling in the canal of despair, selfishness, or whatever I'm on the edge of. He's good like that. And I couldn't be more thankful.

Please pr for the three of us as we try to get everything ready for the JSIs. Please pr we are able to learn our way around completely and are confident in where we are. And that we are safe on our bikes. Seriously, there are so many ways to get hurt here. Please pr for the JSIs as they travel here. Pr that soak everything up at base camp and are able to hit the ground running.

Thank y'all for everything. I honestly, really, and truly couldn't do this without you.

PS, looking back now, almost knowing a stranger's bike into the canal is pretty funny and definitely a typical Kelley story. So you're welcome for the story and the analogy. 

Made it!

Just wanted to let y'all know we have made it to Amsterdam! Hunter joins us tomorrow and we will start preparing for the JSIs who arrive next week! I can't believe summer is actually here. Look for a full blog sometime in the next couple of days.

Love y'all! Thanks for the prs!

Safe & Sound

After a very long, albeit fun, travel day(s) Sarah and I arrived at our final destination on May 9th. It has been a fun and incredibly packed few days and we are so thankful for the time we have here. We got to do some crazy fun things, like snorkel in the sea, and have started to prepare for the rest of our summer. We will be here for the rest of the week then we will venture to Holland and really get the party started. I look forward to giving y'all more details once we hit the ground in Amsterdam.

Thank you for all your prs for our travels. Father is good and got us where we needed to be on time. We even got to explore London (Fundon) a little bit! We went to Westminster Abbey, found 10 Downing Street, ate lunch overlooking the Thames, and even had coffee with Queen. And by that I mean we drank coffee whilst looking at Buckingham Palace. For all intensive purposes, we're counting that one. We also stumbled upon Horse Guard's Parade where all of the Olympic beach volleyball matches were held. So basically we are almost like Olympians now. We were even asked for directions by another tourist. We quickly told the man we weren't from London. Once he heard our Texas draws he immediately responded with "No you're sure not". Good times.

Please pr we will be productive in our remaining time here and enjoy time with the Ms we get to spend time with. Please pr that we will soak up everything we need to and arrive in Amsterdam completely prepared for what's to come. Please pr for all the students who are finishing school and preparing for their trips as well.

Y'all are the greatest ever. Thanks for everything.

Y'all stay classy friends.