“Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! My innermost being will praise you, Lord! I will spend my life praising you and singing high praises to you, my God, every day of my life! We can never look to men for help; no matter who they are, they can’t save us, for even our great leaders fail and fall. They too are just mortals who will one day die. At death the spirits of all depart and their bodies return to dust. In the day of their death all their projects and plans are over.
But those who hope in the Lord will be happy and pleased! Our help comes from the God of Jacob! You keep all your promises. You are the Creator of heaven’s glory, earth’s grandeur, and ocean’s greatness. The oppressed get justice with you. The hungry are satisfied with you. Prisoners find their freedom with you. You open the eyes of the blind and you fully restore those bent over with shame. You love those who love and honor you. You watch over strangers and immigrants and support the fatherless and widows. But you subvert the plans of the ungodly. Lord, you will reign forever! Zion’s God will rule throughout time and eternity! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!”
Psalms 146
This verse popped up on my memories today on Facebook. It was one of those instances where I'm blown away by perfect timing. The living and active word of God told me something I needed a year ago, and something I needed today. God used even something as tumultuous as Facebook to bring my attention back to where He wants it to be. Praising the Lord with everything. Our leaders my fail since they are only human, but our help comes from God. He keeps His promises. He satisfies, He sets free, He heals, He loves. He takes care of those who cannot care for themselves, those most vulnerable in a society. He rules throughout eternity! No wonder the psalmist begins and ends these verses with, "Hallelujah!" which means, "God be praised!"
We are still trying to find our footing in this new normal of living through a pandemic. We know you are too. Maybe you're like us; some days we feel like we've got this! Most other days we have no idea what to do next. Our plans to come back to the US for a visit have been canceled. St Kitts's border is closed down hard, with no date in sight to reopen. Even if they did, is it safe to travel? Would they close up again before we could come home? Would we have to quarantine in a government facility on reentry? Sometimes the questions feel impossible and there are very little answers. Then I re-read Psalm 146 and my soul remembers, once again, who is in control.
So, It's time for me to choose to focus on all that God is doing that we can see right now! St Kitts has only had 17 total cases of covid. There are 2 active cases right now, but they were imported by a returning national and do not seem to be causing community spread as far as they can tell. Our country has reopened most businesses, although the ones who rely on tourism have stayed closed. Other industries and jobs are growing, which will help to diversify the economy and have long term benefits for the citizens here! The kids finished school and both made the honor roll (We are so proud of their hard work. Online school is not our favorite). The beaches are open *The Hallelujah chorus plays in the background*!
Our church has begun meeting in person again, while still offering an online service for those who are not comfortable coming or who are stuck off the island. Aaron was officially voted in as senior pastor and is loving his new role! Celebrate Recovery continues on virtually, but we are starting to meet in person with our men's and women's small groups.
Aaron was asked to serve as a Regional Representative for CR in St Kitts & Nevis, as well as surrounding islands who may come on board in the future. He has been in contact with two churches in Nevis and a church here in St Kitts who are all interested in starting the program in their communities. Celebrate Recovery will be holding it's annual summit online at the end of the month, and thanks to a generous donation we were able to cover the cost of the tickets for these three pastors plus three leaders from our own CR group! We are excited to see how God moves this forward.
My work has also changed - in that I either can't do it (prison & New Horizon are still closed to visitors, Children's Church is not yet feasible with current restrictions, many of the young women from church are not even on the island, etc), or I don't have time to do it with having the kids at home all. of. the. time. I adore my kids, but I had become content with being a working mom years ago. This stay-at-home-mom gig is not for the faint of heart!
However, God is giving me new contentment and joy in this season as well. I love getting to spend the extra time with my babies, I'm trying to find a routine to keep the house moderately clean, and I'm having the opportunity to get to know other moms who also find themselves with kids and time and on their hands. Today Aaron planned to take the morning off so I could grab my laptop, go to the coffee house, and write! I know the time is coming when the kids will be in school and I'll be scheduling every hour of my life to fit in what needs to happen. This slow pace is something I'm gonna try and enjoy.
That pretty much sums up May, June, and the first half of July. However, since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are some lovely visual representations of the last couple of months:
For Mother's day I made my family dress up and stand in the sun to take some photos with me!
They ended up having a blast lol
This man. There are not enough words in the world to say how much I love and appreciate him!
First family photo in two years! (Complete with plastic bag over the soursop fruit to keep the monkeys away :)
Not too far away from us is a golf course right on the ocean. It's closed, so it has basically become a public park! We love to walk on the paths late in the afternoon and to feel the breeze off the water.
In May, meeting friends in public places started to be socially acceptable! The kids were beyond thrilled to spend time with people in person again.
You never know what you will see in our village lol
First sleepover after the curfew was lifted!
It's amazing how much US events impact countries around the globe. There are so many people here who have lived, or have loved ones who live, in the United States. I could write an entire piece on the dynamics here, but so many people we know have experienced racism, and discrimination based on being foreign, while in the US. That's not to even mention our American black friends who live in SK for school. A group of those students organized a peaceful walk and time of silence and reflection. It was a blessing to join beside them. This family is anti-racist, and we will raise our kids to know and understand how to use their privilege and their citizenship to stand up for those around them.
There is not that much to do in St Kitts when the world isn't shut down, but when almost every activity was taken away we got creative! We went for drives, admired the beauty, and even found this spot to watch the sunset.
Then the beaches re-opened!!! And Thats what we do now. We play at the beach!
Not long after everything shut down, I started experiencing abdominal pain and heartburn. Once things opened up, I went to the doctor to figure out what was going on. After 3 weeks of tests and treatments, my gallbladder was deemed the official culprit. We made the decision to do the surgery here, not knowing when we can return to the US. It was quite an experience, a lesson in what expensive American medical care is paying for, and a reminder that God is holding us no matter what. My surgery went very well, and once I got back home I recovered quickly. I feel sooooo much better now, and I can eat food without pain!
The kids on their first and last days of school. They have grown so much, both physically and as little people. This year was incredibly challenging, but they have learned some amazing life skills because of it. They can use Zoom, know video meeting etiquette, can compose an e-mail, and can navigate multiple online platforms. I honestly giggle when people talk about children being behind because of all of this. Kids learn in a million different ways. If we are stuck on classroom learning as the only form of adequate education our children will miss out on a myriad of important life experiences and learning opportunities. I think this generation of kids will end up leaps and bounds ahead of the previous ones.
Speaking of learning, our kids do most of their figuring out the world from watching us, their parents. Aaron wanted a photo in his CR hat in the traditional CR freedom pose. It didn't take more than 10 second for Dean to want to be a part of it, looking up at his father to figure out the right way. I want to look up at my Heavenly Father with the same excitement and commitment to doing things the way He does them.
Two of our best friends, and co-leaders in CR, got married on July 4th! We are thrilled for them and excited for them to be on this adventure. Marriage is one of the best decisions we ever made. It's a blessing to walk alongside other married couples as we serve the Lord together.
That night we played with sparklers to celebrate American Independence Day, a gift from Addalyn's friend who came to spend the night. We celebrated with friends from Puerto Rico, St Kitts, Anguilla, and England. Their love for us, to jump right in and help us enjoy our holiday, filled us with so much joy! We have felt alone many times in our transition to living away from 'home', but God always reminds us that we have amazing people in our lives - both in the US and in SK.
Church started back! It's a small crew right now, but we are looking forward to it growing as restrictions are lifted, as students return, and as locally the virus stays under control.
The kids went back to dance class! They take a hip hop class and it's the cutest thing ever. The teacher is so sweet, and it's the first athletic things my kids haven't decided to quit lol
Dean is working towards a man bun #hairgoals
Our church here partners with a ministry called Christian Community Missions. They have a two part ministry - they provide food for around 15 families every month, and they have a clothing drive where they sell donated clothes at very low prices to raise more money for the food program. They also hand out vouchers for free clothes for families in need. Everything they do they include the Gospel in and pray for the people they serve. We have helped gather donations and raise funds, and some from our church have been able to volunteer before, but Aaron and I were finally able to join in! It was so much fun helping people pick out clothes and promoting the work that CCM does. We even found some cute things for our daughter who has not stopped growing in months! She is even taller than me now!
We are starting to see more and more fruit from what we have planted and watered these last few years. That is both literally true of the plants in our yard, but also spiritually true of the work God has us doing. Jeremiah 29:5 is a verse that God gave us our first year here, and it's one that He continues to fulfill in His ways and in His time.
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