When Sam comes home from work, this is what he looks like. Flat-out exhausted. 

His day isn't over yet. After teaching all morning, he still has prep work to do, and tonight he's going to spend a few hours praying with the leaders of Calvary Chapel. 

He's amazing. And sleepy. 

Whenever he has a frustrating day at the school, he always tells me, "I wish I were a better teacher." 

He never complains about problem students. He rarely talks about the terrible education system that's left most of his students years behind where they should be. No, it's always, "I can do better." This is one of the many reasons I love my husband. 

Prishtina High School is full of people like him, who are just doing the best they can day after day. Almost all of them have to raise support from America to stay here, but they all give 110% at their jobs, giving up prep periods to sub for sick colleagues and staying long after school hours to grade projects and prep new material. Some of them even host weekly meals for the other teachers. Many volunteer with other ministries or have families to take care of. They are the hardest working people I've ever met, and they are a huge blessing to the people of Kosovo.    

The school is currently in the process of being accredited, and a team from Ohio is coming this weekend to determine if it's up to American standards. If they are accredited, it'll be a huge step for the school, which has been growing despite a lack of resources and staff. Please join us in praying for this process. So much hard work has gone into making this school an excellent place. Pray that the teachers' sacrifices will be rewarded and that their spirits will be refreshed so they can make it to June. 

I know one sleepy teacher who could use a win. 

Love,
Liz (and Sam) 

For more info on the school, check out their website. 

As always, support can be sent to
Sam & Elizabeth Steere
3601 Ginger Creek Dr. 
Springfield, IL 62711

Thank you!

Hey all, 

We have an update in the works for Friday, but in the meantime, I'd like to shout out to all the folks who have sent us pictures for our refrigerator. I know it's kind of a silly little thing, but it makes me SO happy to see friends and family smiling back at me every time I grab the milk for my morning cereal. 

Thanks for thinking of us, and for sending a little part of your life into ours. Your support—spiritually, financial, emotionally—bowls us over every time. 

I hope what we share with you will bless you just as much. As always, requests (for topics, pictures, etc.) are totally welcome. What snapshots would you like to see from our life? 

Be blessed,
Liz

Every time I meet someone, they ask me what I do. I find this a surprisingly difficult question to answer. Sometimes I tell them that I'm writing a book or that I'm involved with the local church, but as much as these are important tasks, I know in my heart that neither of them fully encompass "what I do." My chief occupation—the one on which I spend the most time—is being a housewife. 

For a long time, I've been embarrassed to admit it. I always thought housewifery was more a joke than an occupation, especially if there aren't any children in the mix. I imagined 50s sitcoms. Detergent ads. Martha Stewart. But the truth of the matter is that I am a wife, without children, who stays at home. I spend the greater part of my day prepping food, doing laundry, running errands, and serving meals. Once Sam comes home from the school, I rarely work on my manuscript. I spend time with him. I encourage him. I feed him. A lot...  

I also feed anyone else who happens to stop by our apartment during mealtime. I've been known to plan ethnic-themed dinners for friends (see pictures above), and we often have people over just so they can fill their bellies and chill out with us. One of our friends refers to our apartment as "the rest house," because of how quiet and calm it is. Because I don't work, I have time to hang out with and really talk to people. I have time to counsel and cry with them during a crisis. I have time to do absolutely nothing with them, if that's what they need. When I stop stressing over the "housewife" title, I really enjoy the job. 

As much as I still find it strange and sometimes frustrating that I don't go to work everyday, it's an absolute blessing that I don't have to work, and I'm learning to love the opportunity that God has given me to pour into others and create an inviting space for them. 

Colossians 3:23 tells us, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." When I used to read this verse, I imagined a career or long hours of service at our church. Never in my life would I have thought it was telling me to bake a really great pie for my husband. 

But, then again, God is always surprising me. And He is GOOD.  

Be blessed, friends. 
Liz (and Sam) 


As always, support can be sent to
Sam & Elizabeth Steere
3601 Ginger Creek Dr. 
Springfield, IL 62711

Thank you!

In Germany, we feasted. We took our friends out to a brewery, and we ordered a huge skillet of sausages and sliced pork. Side dishes brimmed with sauerkraut and beans. It was the best meal any of us had had in months. But we didn't just eat for the sake of eating. We did it as an act of worship to the God who had provided for us. 

Tithing is really near to my heart. I grew up watching my mother give 10% of our income no matter how tight the budget was that month. She believed that God meant what He said about taking care of our finances, and we all watched as He came through on His promises. When God called Sam and I to move to Kosovo and live on support, I knew I wanted to give 10% away, no matter how little we might receive. 

It has quickly become my favorite part of the month. We pray, and then we choose people or organizations to bless. Even when our account is low, it makes us feel rich, because if we have enough to give away, then we must have enough. And per God's promise, He always blesses us with more than enough. 

In February, we weren't receiving much support, but we still felt God leading us to go to Germany over Sam's spring break. We knew we needed to get out of the country and rest, and we were feeling particularly drawn to stay with Seth and Becky Rodden, Sam's friends from college, but we were hesitant to spend money on it. In faith, we booked the trip, and sure enough, God provided the finances for it. As we considered our March tithe, God led me back to a verse I'd read during our honeymoon: 

Rather than giving it away, God was calling us to eat the tithe in His presence, as an act of worship and gratitude. It was so counterintuitive that I almost had to laugh. I could think of a million needs that money could have met, and my own stomach was definitely not one of them. But God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8), and He wanted us to enjoy a meal together. 

As it turned out, our Love Feast, as we dubbed it, was one of the best parts of our trip. Seth and Becky had been in Germany as long as we'd been in Kosovo, and they seemed just as tired as we were. Seth speaks excellent German and has a couple jobs, but they don't cover living expenses, and so the newlyweds (married just a few months before us) have been scraping by on their own savings. Becky is a wonderful cook, but has had to reinvent spaghetti a hundred different ways to fit their food budget. They are incredibly ingenious, giving people (and totally spoiled us when we stayed with them), and we couldn't think of any better way to bless them than with the feast we already had in mind. We took them out to Münster's famous Pinkus Brewery and ordered the most German thing on the menu. We talked about everything we were grateful for and encouraged one another, but mostly, we ate. And ate some more. We allowed the Lord to satisfy us, and we felt His spirit comfort us. It was just what we all needed to carry on. 

I'll end this with Psalm 103, which perfectly describes the God who sometimes commands us to feast: 

We certainly feel renewed, and we pray that you will be too. To those who made this love feast possible, thank you, and may you receive a double portion of what you have given. We are so grateful for you. 

Love,
Liz & Sam

PS: If anyone feels led to bless the Roddens, please email us, and we'll happily orchestrate it! 

As always, support can be sent to
Sam & Elizabeth Steere
3601 Ginger Creek Dr. 
Springfield, IL 62711

Thank you!

When we arrived in Munich, I could still smell coal in my hair from walking in Prishtina that morning. All winter, the air has been full of smoke—coal, garbage, exhaust—the product of low waste standards and general neglect. But as we walked around Munich, I realized that I could breathe freely again. The air was fresh, cold, and snowy. Mountain air. 

It just so happened that we arrived on Easter Sunday. The cheapy European airlines only fly certain days, so it was our only choice. We had planned on serving at our church. Singing in Albanian, helping serve lunch, praying with guests. But God told us clearly to go. He had a different kind of Easter in mind for us.
 
So as our church family gathered, we flew north. And we breathed. We walked on sidewalks without potholes. We marveled at cathedrals. We feasted on sausage with sauerkraut. We listened to the bells ring over Munich. We felt ourselves rejuvenate. We laughed, filled our lungs, and laughed some more.  

We went to many churches in Germany and heard beautiful choirs, but on that particular day, we didn't. The gospel of Jesus' resurrection was so tangible. Even in the air. Prishtina air is full of toxins. We love our little city, but the truth of the matter is that it could kill you. I can't tell you how significant it was for God to pluck us out of that, even for a time, and put us in a place where we could breathe. It reminded me how much He cares for us, how much we can have in Him. Jesus is always pulling us out of death and into life. He did it on Easter, when He emptied the tomb. And He does it now, even when we just need something different in our lungs. 

Hallelujah, He is Risen. May you walk in the light of His life. 

Love,
Elizabeth (and Sam)

PS: More on Germany later this week. Hoping to do smaller, more-frequent updates. 


As always, support can be sent to
Sam & Elizabeth Steere
3601 Ginger Creek Dr. 
Springfield, IL 62711

Thank you!