Keep pressing on

Life has been crazy since the new year started so that I have struggled finding time to update this blog. In January we took over a Day Care Center and that has occupied much of our time - moving to a new location, hiring new staff, trying to SLOWLY change routines and old habits (SLOWLY is the key word in this beautiful country) and taking in new kids.
As of next week we will have 30 kids ages 0-3 which is our maximum, so that's exciting. But it has also been challenging to develop new daily routines and schedules for us as a family. We are glad that David was able to move out of English teaching. Having him gone in the evenings, well, actually almost all day on three days a week was strenous and we are thankful to have more flexibility again. Having said that, this is a huge task that we have taken on and there are many days when I wish I could just be a normal stay-at-home mom! And I'm praying for someone to come soon and take over most of the responsibility for the Day Care Center from me.
At the same time I am learning a lot about living in this country, learning new words as I do my best to train the staff and learning to rely on God's joy to be my strength for and in everything.
Elliot enjoys coming along to the Day Care Center and playing with the other kids.

Other than that we celebrated Dylan's 3rd birthday on Februrary 18th! The poor guy could not go to Pre School that week as he had conjunctivitis so after his eyes had healed up we brought cupcakes to school and celebrated his birthday with his friends there. It's been a while since I have seen such joy and delight in his face and that was special to see! He's a great kid and I can't imagine what life would be like without him. And I can't believe that three years have already passed since he entered into our lives. I am thankful for both my boys in spite of the way they manage to bring out the worst in me and in spite of the way their presence disrupts just about everything about my life - my sleep, my comforts, my conversations, my meals, my reading, my studying, my ideas about how I might like to spend my time,...You get the picture.
But their hugs and cuddles, joy and laughter totally make up for all of that and they are truly a blessing.

This month we will once again have to say goodbye to our good Korean friends who will be moving on. It's hard, having to let go of people that have become a part of your life and who have helped you view life from a totally different perspective. That leaves us with just one couple here that we consider our friends and life keeps getting lonelier.

I have struggled often this past year with living here, thinking I have given up on so much and that life anywhere else would be so much easier and more comfortable. But I know that we are in the right place and that life was never meant to be comfortable. And little things througout each day remind me of why I am here and what I love about being here. So we keep pressing on!