Jehovah-Jireh: {meredith in paris in january}

After spending the New Year with a sweet group of friends, it was exceedingly difficult to return to daily life here. January and February in Paris are notoriously bleak. and very cold. So it was hard to try and look ahead past what was widely accepted among our team as the worst months of the year. Still, I tried to push through and be positive.

I feel like January can't really be articulated in what I did or new vocabulary I learned or in looking at what I wrote down in my planner. In reflecting, all of the meat, all of this "update" has happened in my heart, so please bare with me as I try and flush it out for you.

This month, I've started teaching my own class at our Women's Literacy class. I have 10 sweet, hilarious and ridiculous women who I get to spend time with 3 times a week. I'm enjoying the smaller setting and the ability to influence the pace of the class depending on how well the women are understanding our material. I love sharing the stories at the end of class and feeling the women start to connect with who Jesus is and what His life means. Mostly, I love that I'm getting to know each of the women more personally. Knowing what their lives are like and having them know me more. I'm praying that this will afford greater access into their homes to know them outside of classes!

So I started off January with classes, excited about a new routine and pushing through the bleakness of the weather.

Then, in mid-January, things started to get a little crazy. On January 14, my older sister had her second baby, precious Will. I got to FaceTime with my family in the hospital after the fact and got to see little Will all swaddled up and new to the outer-world. I cried a lot and he yawned a lot. Don't blame him though, it's a tough business being born!

Bibi (my mom) beaming. Will (my nephew) yawning. Meredith (myself) crying.

January 17, I received the news that my grandfather passed away back in the States. My family is small, as I've only one living set of grandparents, and it was important that we were able to grieve at this time together. Thankfully, I was able to take a few days at fly back home for the funeral and for some sweet time with my family. My sister and her now slightly larger family are in the States until March, so I was able to see them and to do a lot of baby holding, diaper changing, and niece-swinging while mom-hugging, National Championship game-watching, and chips and salsa-dipping. As unexpectedly as it was planned and as difficult as the reason for my home-coming was, it was a sweet sweet time.

This is Lucy, my 4-year-old niece who can count to 10 in Arabic unprompted. She's awesome and also jumped up and down on my bed waving this flag chanting the pledge-allegiance on my first night back.

Me, jet-lagged. Will, adorable and cuddly and baby-smelling.

These are my parents. They are almost always wearing red t-shirts.

January has yielded way to February and with it has come the responsibility and joy of classes and French exchanges and other daily tasks. A slight rise on the thermometer (highs of 45, to be exact) has been a silly tease of springtime to come.

Ultimately, in January I was pulled and twisted by the Lord into obedience. There were points when I didn't want to step forward, where the only thing forcing my feet one in front of the other was knowing that my will, my plans and my comfort are subject to the sovereignty and Lordship of my God. In the confusion and frustration of my grandfather's illness in early January I would have never imagined that his death would be in perfect timing- in perfect accord with the birth of a new baby and the reminder of life. As he stepped into eternity with the Lord, being given a new, more fully realized, and capable body, my nephew came into the world in brand new form. It doesn't wipe away the sadness and the frustration that I've felt at points with The Father, but it has removed any bitterness. His timing is so. far. superior. to ours. What hope we have, sweet friends, as children of the Most High!