Chelsea...

Hi it’s Chelsea, I thought I would say that first because if you are anything like me you always skim to the bottom so you can see who is writing………Any way, Dad has been driving me mad not to start my own blog but to write on his so I am in the process of doing both.
What have I been up to?
Funny you should ask that really, I have been doing a lot, I mean flying from Perth to Sydney to America to England to France to Belgium to Germany to make my Czech Republic only to be told we are planning to resituate ourselves somewhere else.

I guess you could say that I am tired, I have been living in a house of nine kids four adults, the only teenager, sleeping in my Parents closet so I don’t have to share bedrooms with my three brothers, starting up a new way of schooling (at home) and amongst all of this nothing could be worse. I have been flown away from my family and friends to a place where people treat you with such little respect and the country is so far behind that you cant find Milo, regular cheese (not the fancy stuff), you cant find a pumpkin anywhere, no smash hits mags and if there is any of these things you have to try to get the point across to the service person who doesn’t speak English and doesn’t have the time of day to take you seriously.

Right now I feel terrible and to make it worse my back feels like it is broken and I can’t do anything. I want a slab of meat (being Australian) not he tiny pixy ones you get in Prague the real kind.

As for friends I left them at home,

I want Melissa and Emma to ring up because they heard I am not well, like they used to do. I want to go to youth group and act like an idiot and they not hold it against me. I want to leave home to go to school and come home at night.

I also had a big sister around for a while but she decided to up and leave. I really want to go and see her in Texas but only if funds permit and it is not looking promising…..

I WANT TO DO A LOT OF THING BUT GOD WONT GIVE ME AN INCH

But more then anything I want to be happy, stop crying every night and smile when I hear from friends and they tell me all the good things that are happening in their life.

I WANT TO GO HOME SEE SOMETHING FAMILIAR……..

I’m here sitting in Berlin which is a possible moving place but I cant help thinking what is so bad with Perth, I can't look at the good things about it because I am already set against it…..

If God wanted us here so bad then why it is he can make it sooooo much easier but choses not to.

Comments

[Hamo]

Hi Chelsea - we haven't met - but i'm a perth bloke and a mate of your dad's!
Gutsy post - very Aussie of you to say it straight like that - I really appeciated your honesty and clarity.
We have just done a big move back home as missionaries and I often wonder what my little girl is thinking and feeling.
I wonder if she will see her parents as passionate Jesus followers or nutbags who messed up her life and made her do weird things?
Your post has really grabbed my heart and got me thinking about how my own kids are doing in ma much less testing environment.
Thanks

[Jess]

Hey Chel, I'm sorry to hear that you're having a hard time of it! Know that all of us back here at youth group are thinking of you! I have to tell you that I admire the fact that you guys had the courage to leave the safety of home to minister in a place that is so foreign to the way of life you know. Hang in there Chel cause even though it doesn't seem like it God does have great things planned for you. I know it's hard to figure out why He does things the way He does them sometimes & that we wonder why He'd let it hurt so much if He loves us but remember that He sees the big picture that we can't and He won't give us more that we can handle, He'll bring you through it. I hope you feel better soon chicky. Love & hugs from the land of Oz. :)

[brad]

hey chelsea, i have a lot of the same questions and frustrations about my own recent (crazy) move to texas (except maybe the part about the meat. they have lots here.). i've been at six different addresses in the last 10 weeks. i don't have a cell phone so friends haven't been able to call, and i can't call them unless i find a phone to borrow. some of my mail got lost, or sent to my old address. nothing is familiar, except a few peopel. i don't have a car, haven't learned the area yet, and if i walk more than six blocks away i'll be lost, with no phone to call anyone to come rescue me. etc. etc. etc.

culture shock is rough no matter who we are, and i'm even older than ... err ... umm ... your dad! sorry it's been so rough. but hang in there. i need to know i'm not alone in this ...

so, thanx for posting about what's happening, chelsea. and when i look at the little yellow diamond-shaped magnet your dad gave me in January (it says "kangaroo's next 4 KM" and it's on our refrigerator), i'll try to remember to pray for ALL of you in the Stuart clan this week!

[heather]

Hey girl, I hear your cries, and feel your pain. I hear your frustration, and I wish I were close to give you the biggest hug ever! I wish I could do more than respond to your post......God has a plan, and he will shine it out in due time. I have to remind myself of this everyday. I too have a lot of things I want to do, and it seems as though I'm trapped. Hang in there. Most of the time we don't see what God has planned until it already happened. I must admit I'm kind of jeolous. I've been stuck in this small town where the christians are too stuck on trends than loving relationships. Plus, all of the places you're experiencing, and the history of it all. Soak it in while you can. And girl, I'll pray for you in every way I can. Moving around like that can't be easy. I hope God will provide the comfort that you need. I hope we can keep in touch. Take care!