There is SO much to be thankful for during this holiday season.....as I sit here and think about this amazing journey that God is taking me on I get goosebumps. It has not always been easy, there has been MANY tears, lots of pain, lots of questions and lots of prayers. But one thing that has remained....the thankfulness in my heart. This journey to K has awakened in me something that I am not sure that I was (or even am) ready to deal with. I have been completely stripped of all comforts and normalcy. Things that have been lingering in my past have begin to resurface because of the vulnerable state that God has allowed us to be in. It has been exhausting, frustrating, and at times almost unbearable. The other day I received an email from a friend here in K and they reminded me to find JOY in all circumstances. That I must endure...that I must press on. That night as I opened my bible I was reminded in James of that exact same thing. James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." God has a purpose for us here in K....sometimes it seems that purpose is just to survive while other times it seems that he wants to refine us and build character....but then some of the most exciting times are when I have a conversation with 2 of my students about Jesus Christ and why he is my Savior. Again...I don't know the exact reason that God brought us here...but I am thankful. I am thankful that HE trusted us with this mission.
So as I sit around a HUGE Thanksgiving table this Thursday and I look at all my fellow friends who have given their lives to the work in K, I will remember and be thankful because I am blessed, I will have Joy, and I promise to endure.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love you all,

Giveaway!

Check out this awesome blog and giveaway.....just in time for the Holidays!


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This week.....

We survived an earthquake, midterms, and crazy warm weather (after having snow last week).
Yes you read that sentence correctly....this past Wednesday morning at 2am a 5.3 earthquake shook Prishtina.....and Richard and I slept right through it! It was quite the talk around school the next day and we had no idea that it had even happened. Most of our friends where awakened by the shaking while Richard and I were sawing logs :) Apparently since we have been here there has been a total of 4 earthquakes, but this past one was the largest. Didn't realize when we moved to K that we would have to think about earthquakes!

This week was midterms at the school. Most of my students did very well....the average score was a B+, so I was very pleased. Richard's students struggled a bit more (but they tell me he is a hard grader....ha ha!) We are now one-fourth of the way through the school year. This next term will go by very quickly because we have both Thanksgiving and Christmas break! yay!!! (one of the many reasons I LOVE being a teacher)

Last week, as many of you saw on my facebook, we had our first snow. It was CRAZY. It lasted for about 4 hours and was a constant stream of huge flakes. It didnt stick because the ground was so warm but it was beautiful. We thought we were going to be welcoming Winter a bit early this year...but we were wrong. This week we have had super warm temps (for this time of year). Tomorrow (Friday) it is supposed to be 70 degrees. Crazy! But unfortunately we were told not to get to excited....within the next 10 days we will be back down into the 20s and 30s......BRRRRRRRRRRRR. I hope my body can handle this!!!!

We are looking forward to another great weekend. Tomorrow night we are having some friends, who live here in Pristina, but are originally from Scotland over for dinner and then on Saturday Richard is going with a group of people to hike the tallest mountain in K. He is very excited, but a bit nervous. We have heard it is a very tough hike, but I know he can do it. They will be going again in the Spring and I cant wait to join them. I am just not quite healthy enough to make the trek....boo...so Ky and I are going to have a "mommy and Ky" day. I have some fun things planned for us...hopefully the weather cooperates!

All is well here in K! We love each of you! Thank you for joining us on this journey!

Much Love,
Tiffany

PS....For those who havent heard...Richard's sister, Rachel, got engaged over the weekend! YAY!! So we will be having a wedding in June once we return!!! So exciting! CONGRATS JOSH AND RACHEL!!! WE LOVE YOU BOTH!

Adoption.....

For some reason since I have been in K there has been one thing that has constantly been on my mind and that is ADOPTION. Adoption is something I am very passionate about....it has been something that I have always been passionate about. I remember when Richard and I first started dating and the topic of children came up. (At this point in our relationship we did not know that G had chosen adoption for us as a way to have a family.) But we were both totally in sync. We knew that no matter what at some point in our married life we would want to adopt at least one child. Now looking back.....G was preparing our hearts for what lay ahead!

Richard and I have often talked about the adoption of a second child (a little girl) but for various reason...and Gd's perfect timing...it has not worked out yet. We have seen many of our friends who we adopted Kyler with adopt their second babies and it has been hard but we continue to wait on the Ld and HIS will for us. So until then I have been praying about how Gd could use this burning in my heart.

Everyday on our way to and from school we pass by an orphanage here in K. It is ran by Germans. This morning on our way to school I told Richard that I would love an opportunity to just go their and hold babies. One of the other teachers heard me say that and he said you should talk to our Vice Principal she has connections there....so I did. So tomorrow afternoon myself and our Vice Principal are going to meet with the director of the orphanage to discuss how I can serve there. I am so excited!!! Now many of you are probably thinking...."she is totally going to fall in love with one of those babies and want to bring it home"....yes that probably will happen BUT sadly K has very strict adoptions laws and the chances of us ever being able to adopt a baby from K are slim to none. My purpose in going to this orphanage is not so that I can scope out the babies, it is because I have a passion for the orphaned children of the world and if I can shed a little love into just a few of their lives....then my "mission" is complete.

I am so excited to walk you through this journey with me over the next several months. Prayerfully everything will work out tomorrow and I will begin to serve there very soon! I am so thankful that Richard see's this passion in my and is in total support of me volunteering some time each month to this orphanage.

Please pray for me and for the children!
As I close out this post I want to leave you with one thought....

"Lord Jesus, break my heart for what breaks yours"