Hello 2012

Every year, it would seem, the Shoop’s have some news;

 What with school, work, and play, there’s a lot that accrues.

 So with your permission, we humbly request

 To give you the highlights in a form that seems acceptable.

 Joe’s still treating teeth that are broken or decayed

 While Hannah and Jonah are now in first and third grade.

 Kelly gives lectures on countries and crusaders

 As she teaches history to seventh and eighth-year students.

 Our family this summer booked no big cruise ship,

 But rather visited Kenya for a weeklong mission trip.

 Each season brought adventure, some big and some small,

 But the most challenging by far started happening this autumn.

 Though more painful at times than brushing with cactus,

 Our family is headlong in starting our new practice.

 So the plan is next month, (that’s January, you see,)

 We’ll open the doors of Shoop Family Dentistry.

Our clever recap of 2011 in and around the Shoop house.  The biggest news by far is the last paragraph.  Check out www.ShoopFamilyDentistry.com and make your appointment today!  (He begins seeing patients on January 30th!)

100 Things About Hannah

On her seventh birthday today, these are a few of the most remarkable things about Hannah:

"One hundred things about Hannah"

You are a toughie.
You are a two year old baby hamster that's this big.
You like crab legs.
You love your Foofey.
You have your mother's independence.
You beep my nose.
You take good care of Julie.
You make little beds for your pets.
You have a great fashion sense.
You like to make ice cream soup.
You are tender hearted.
You like to watch the Science Channel with me.
You are really flexible.
You like it when I push you on the swing and tell you "duck poop".
You know just how many days until your birthday.
You always want me to sing songs and pray.
You love your Tiger and Ty-Ty.
You are a great cousin.
You are not selfish.
You are brave.
You want to be a doughnut cook, a dentist, and a cheer girl.
You created "Pony World".
You like to make your own computers and then work on them.
You have a special spot.
You had a railroad tie fall on you.
You are a good roller skater.
You look a lot like Mimi.
You swim like a fish, or a mermaid.
You can play by yourself for a long time.
You want something from the red bowl.
You like to go fishing with me.
You want to have a spa day.
You like it when I do "tick tock".
You let me pop your toes.
You tell the truth.
You are always concerned when someone is hurt or sick.
You can burp whenever you want to.
You like to have your fingernails painted.
You are the littlest in our family and proud of it.
You are a servant to others.
You like to wear aprons.
You walk on your toes when barefoot.
You like to write in your journal.
You are not picky what your journal is that day.
You have beautiful hair.
You make cards for me and mom.
You like to sit in the front.
You are shy.
You can't whistle, but you try.
You drink pop and it makes your eyes sparkle.
You like coffee.
You have a palindromic name, and you know what that means.
You are the one everyone wants to play with.
You are a fashionista (which is different than having great fashion sense).
You are growing really fast.
You like to eat freshly-browned hamburger with salt.
You say "ow" each time we brush your hair, even if there are no tangles.
You give yourself hickeys.
You always like to be reminded of how big you were when you were born.
You do a perfect "Katie" impression.
You are always gentle.
You said that one store was "inappropriate."
You are very modest.
You invented the "homemade Hannah" sandwich.
You stop and smell the flowers.
You are a peacemaker.
You want a phone.
You have a cute smile.
You can wear 20 outfits in one day.
You always need "help" cleaning your closet.
You rub soft things on your lips and face like someone I know.
You like to take long baths.
You are Jonah's best friend.
You ask insightful questions.
You can cross your eyes.
You set up stores in the living room and charge pennies.
You pray for people you've never met with sincerity.
You are naturally artistic.
You constantly put your hair behind your ears when on stage.
You like to listen to music in the car- usually Rosie.
You eat ribs off the bone.
You let me pull your first tooth in front of your kindergarten
You order tilapia from IHOP.
You like to run and plop.
You have an amazing imagination.
You looks good with dreadlocks.
You pay attention in church.
You like to hide your pets in unusual places.
You want everything with extra, extra, extra, extra honey.
You hide whenever someone's at the door.
You like to use your Easy Bake oven, but don't like the taste.
You are Abigail's BFF.
You look good in boots.
You like to work on your tan.
You don't mind sharing a room with Jonah.
You have two favorite colors: light blue and light pink.
You want braces.
You are God's little princess.
You are our favorite daughter.
You are Hannah, and you are special.


Happy birthday, Hannah. We love you.

Window

"Hello world!"

This was the greeting my Humanities professor used to give each time he walked into our classroom of 40+ students my freshmen year of college.  Our small classroom full of students barely constituted the "world," but we nevertheless couldn't help but grin at his greeting each morning.  He used to pull out old records and randomly play classical tunes throughout class just to keep us on our toes.  Vivaldi.  Mozart.  Bach.  I could tell he loved his job.  I bet he's retired now, soaking up some serious Vivaldi on a regular basis.

I'm not sure where I was going with this.

Oh yes.  Hello world!

That's right.  World.  Seeing how this blog is open up to the whole world (wide web), I technically can justify that greeting.  Though in reality, I am fully aware of the fact that there are a total of three people who might actually read this post.  (Hi mom!)  I'm okay with that.  It's been three months since I last updated.  It's been four months since I've written about something other than Kenya.  I'm a bad blogger these days.

So bad, in fact, that my dad made me promise him a few weeks ago that I would at least write one paragraph on this here blog.  So.  Here I am.  Writing a bit more than a paragraph.   I'm not so narcissistic to believe that anyone really needs to read an update from me, but I would love to look back on this time in our lives and see what the Lord took us through.

And boy is He taking us on a journey.

Life around the Teach and Tickle home has been a bit crazy for the past few months.  School started back again.  I'm teaching (and hence, grading) more.  I hate grading.  There. I said it. Love teaching.  Hate grading. Schedules are a bit crazy.  Budgets are ridiculously tight.  But that's not the reason for my absence on this blog.  The primary reason for my absence are all the big changes that are brewing in the realm of dentistry.  After seven years as an associate working for another dentist, Joey has made the decision to branch out and start his own dental office.  This venture holds equal parts excitement and fear.  I can't overstate that last sentence.

Super long story short ---  The Lord closed a door and opened a window.  Now we are trying to figure out how in the world He wants us to climb through that window.  It seems so high and out of reach right now.  Sometimes I look at the window and wonder how in the world we can fit through it.  Sometimes  I can't see what's on the other side of that window.  Sometimes I just want to wallow inside my box with a window and shake my fists at the empty walls.  Sometimes my eyes are so filled with tears that I can't even see a window.

But my God doesn't see boxes with walls, windows and doors.  He sees the big picture.  He sees the process, the refining, the ministry, and the growth that will come out of our obedience when we finally climb out that window into His marvelous light.

Lord willing, we will see glimmers of that marvelous light when Joey opens the door to his new office sometime in the next several months.

Until then, you may expect my presence on this blog to be somewhat sparse as I have the great honor of helping and supporting my husband in the bazillion decisions leading to his grand opening.

Some of those bazillion decisions were helped along a couple weekends ago when a dental supply company sent us to New York City on their dime, just so we could see their showroom.  We took advantage of that opportunity and made a long weekend of it, taking in the sights and having a great time with Joey's brother Jeff and his wife Rosie.

We stood in Times Square, walked along Broadway and Wall Street, saluted the Statue of Liberty, mourned at the World Trade Center site, hoped for a flash mob in Grand Central Station (didn't happen), climbed to the top of the Empire State Building, listened to Rosie's new album (knock-out, by the way), and watched a sky-writing plane spell out "Last Chance" in the sky above Jeff and Rosie's apartment.  (Wild.)

Then we drove to Scranton, Pennsylvania to visit the dental equipment showroom.  (We didn't run into Jim and Pam, although I am sure we would have instantly become BFFs had we had the chance to meet them.)  All in all, it was a super quick but fun and informative trip.

Our camera managed to take zero excellent photos, but here are a few:

from the patio rooftop of Jeff and Rosie's apartment with the skyline of NYC in the background

the statue of Liberty in the distance

my favorite "statue" in the forefront

Times Square

This shows the excitement side of starting a dental office. 

Thankfully, I don't have a picture of the fear side.

It's a big world.  I'm so thankful for a window. Pray for us as we climb through that window.

Supernatural Contentment

Most of us didn't wake up to a cold shower this morning.

Or find ourselves extra tired because we got called to the hospital three times overnight.

Or realize we forgot to put more water out in the sun in order to have enough purified water for the day.

Most of us didn't have to create three meals from scratch today.

Or plan groceries for months at a time because the nearest real grocery store is two hours away.

Or find bugs in our bread.

Most of us had ice in our drinks today.

Most of us didn't have to use a bathtub or a clothes line in order to do laundry.

Or a sink of soapy water in order to do dishes.

Or a mosquito net in order to sleep without the annoyance of bugs.

Most of us didn't have to comfort a mom whose baby died today.

Or witness the sadness of seeing a child with third degree burns.

Or perform three c-sections in a row.

Most of us have the option of an epidural when we give birth.

Most of us didn't sit down to a much anticipated DVD only to have the power go off midway.

Or have to dread the power staying off for days in a row.

Or wake up to a scared child who can't find his way to the bathroom in the pitch dark.

Most of us didn't have to worry about people scavenging our trash for "useful" items we threw out today.

Or people asking us for money to help send their kids to school in order to secure a "better life."

Or walk through town and find ourselves the focus of unabashed stares from every face we pass.

Most of us have a home and car with air conditioning.

Most of us won't ever live in Kenya.

Or experience these difficulties to the same degree.

Or truly understand the sacrifices made by missionaries around the globe.

But then...

Most of us won't ever experience supernatural contentment in spite of these circumstances.

To Kyle and Vanessa

My amazing brother and sister-in-law living in Kenya

Who impressed Joey and I most with their utter contentment and zero complaints.

Happy Anniversary Kyle and Vanessa!

Wild Life

I'm not a fan of wildlife.  Few if any animals intrigue me.  I even have a personal ban against the zoo in my city that I desperately try to uphold.

So when people asked if we were planning to go on safari while in Kenya, I swiftly responded with "I don't think so" and kept my fingers crossed that we wouldn't.  

Shame on me.  

Thankfully, Kyle talked us into going on safari through Nairobi National Park where we witnessed (in their natural habitat) lions, giraffes, ostrich, monkeys, water buffalo, rhino, impala, zebra, and others. 

We even almost nearly witnessed a live birth - - that of our soon-to-be niece, Ariella.  The bumpy safari roads seemed to prompt Vanessa to have quite a few contractions, each running only three minutes apart.  Thankfully, she drank a gallon of water and the contractions stopped, although we were sure a safari-delivery would have provided the most interesting birth story ever.

Outside the National Park, we also visited the elephant orphanage in Nairobi.  

We ran into some Masai warriors.  (Very touristy, I know. They even asked for a "small tip" after I took their picture with the kids.)

Then we visited the Bomas of Kenya, which is a mock set up of the different tribal hut villages of Kenya.  

It was here that we decided to take our 13th Anniversary picture.  We were only a few days off from our actual anniversary date and this trip to Kenya would far outweigh any other trip we could plan this year, so taking our picture in Kenya seemed to fit.  

Kenya may not have held a candle to the romance of our Cancun anniversary.  It may not have had quite as much historical interest as the anniversary we celebrated in Rome.  It definitely cost more than that anniversary we spent at home in order to save money for the new roof.  And boy did it beat the anniversary when Joey locked me out of the house for an hour and a half.  

But isn't that how life goes?  Each year brings with it new challenges, journeys, and romance.   Life is kind of wild like that.  

I may not especially like wildlife.  But I sure like this wild life I get to live. 

Songs of a Hospitable Hospital

The Children's Ward at Kapsowar Hospital has about 20 beds.   20 beds that, at varying times, are filled with sweet souls dealing with anything from broken bones to severe burns to heart disease to any other form of illness.  Although the walls are painted with happy cartoon versions of Bible stories, the ward is not always the epitome of happiness.  Death happens.  Disease gains the better hand.  Despair can be found on the parent's or patient's faces.  The children in the ward are often hurting. But because of the care they are receiving, they are healing and hopeful.  Their faces might show pain at times, but when three pale face children showed up one day to bless them with gifts from America, their faces showed gratitude and joy.  Jonah, Hannah, and cousin Hudson were thrilled to deliver goodie bags to these kids one day.  

As a result of the donations from Jonah's classmates at school, church, and a few neighbors, we were able to include the following in each of the goodie bags:

toothbrush

toothpaste

bouncy ball

coloring book

crayons

notepad

bracelet

light-up bracelet

suckers

balloons

In addition to the goodie bags, we also delivered 14 Christian DVDs for the children to enjoy on their TV/DVD combo in the ward.  Since many of the kids only speak Swahili, we purchased mostly music sing-along DVDs to give to the hospital.  Songs are often easier to enjoy and understand than a story line.  Even if the kids don't understand all the words, they can still feel and see the joy of a song sung by children whose faces show the joy of the Lord.  

Jonah, Hannah, and Hudson sang a song for the children in the ward that day.  Joey spoke briefly about Jonah and the Whale. Jonah and Hannah somewhat nervously handed out our small gifts.  

Then one mama of a patient led the children and staff in a song for us.  This time, we were the ones who didn't understand the words.  But we saw their joy.  Joy in the midst of pain, sickness and death.  Joy in response to our small gifts.   Kenyan songs are often "sing and repeat" type songs.  Kenyan voices are strong and bold.  

The sorrow of the children's ward didn't cause me to cry.  The pride in my own children doing something beyond themselves didn't make me cry.  But this mama's song made me cry.  This mama is no doubt dealing with a sick child who may or may not fully recover.  I don't know her story, but I saw the joy and gratitude on her face.  I heard her voice loud and clear, as you can hear below:

We may have brought a few hundred dollars worth of DVDs and small gifts, but it was clear that this mama gave the better gift that day.  A shared joy.  A reminder that our God is a good God in the midst of sorrow and sickness.  

Join me in praying for the parents and children of the Children's Ward at Kapsowar Hospital.  May they forever know and feel the joy of our good God.  

Family of Faith

It's going to take a while to process and work through all that we saw and experienced in Kenya.  Rather than bombard this blog with a billion pictures and stories all at once, I thought I would just share bits and pieces as they come.

So.  Let me introduce you to the family of Faith...

Actually, this is only a small fraction of the family of Faith.  There are a total of nine children in Faith's family.  And Faith didn't even make it into the above picture.  She was off grinding corn when this photo was taken, but her mother sent for her when we arrived.  Here's Faith:

Faith was a patient of Kyle's in the hospital in Kapsowar.  While under his care, the Lord saw fit to bring her body back into health.  More importantly though, the Lord brought her into a spiritual health when she made Him Lord of her life. She lives about a 20 minute drive away from the hospital, in this beautiful mountainous countryside filled with some of the most gorgeous scenery anyone could expect to encounter in Africa:

It's beautiful, yes, but primitive as well.  Most people in and around Kapsowar live without running water or electricity, growing food in their gardens for a living. This is Faith's homestead:

The huts are used as kitchens.  Faith's mom graciously allowed us to enter their hut and see how she cooks meals for her family: 

She was thrilled to have us pop in for a visit.  Over and over again, she requested we take photos of her, her family, her cow, and her crops.  Most of all, she wanted a photo with Kyle, the doctor who helped her daughter, Faith.

Kyle wouldn't wish for me to glorify him or his ministry with this family.  He would quickly pass along any credit to the Lord.  But I could tell by the way the mother and father of Faith looked and spoke with Kyle that he has obviously made an impact on this family's life. 

Kyle and Vanessa are constantly faced with Kenyan's who request their help financially.  In fact, it is so common for foreigners to give money to Kenyans, that it is not uncommon for Kenyans to outright ask foreigners for money on a regular basis.  Giving money seems like an easy and simple fix for the hardships of these people's lives.  But giving money is not always the answer.  In Faith's family's case, the answer was not money, but instead this:

It's an expanded garden.  Corn, millet, potatoes, beans, and other things I'm not sure I recognized.  These crops will hopefully give Faith's family the ability to produce more and sell more in order to meet the ever growing needs of their family.  In the process, their hard work ethic and perseverance will hopefully prove an example to their neighbors and community of a growing faith in the Ultimate Provider of their needs.  That Provider doesn't wear scrubs and bring small gifts of candy and crayons.  He doesn't hand out shillings on request.  He seeks out and builds true and genuine faith.  

Pray with me that Faith's family becomes a true and genuine 

FAMILY OF FAITH.

Three things I'm asking of the Lord

When Kyle and Vanessa were gearing up to leave for Kenya, they specifically asked Joey and I not to support them financially. They said it would be more of an encouragement to them if we set aside the amount that we would give toward saving up for our family to come and visit them in Kenya someday. That someday is finally here.

Kyle and Vanessa are not just family to us. They are best friends to us. They were the friends we could call at 6:02 on a Friday night and say, "Hey! You guys want to hang out tonight?" and they would drop everything an come over. Kyle and Joey were accountability partners. Vanessa and I stole every opportunity for a kid-free lunch on the days both our kids were in preschool. We could talk about anything. Our kids adore their kids and vise-versa.

Needless to say, it's been a long and lonely year and a half since they left. But this just makes our upcoming trip an especially exciting one. As I've prepared for this trip, I've continually been praying three things:

1. That we would be an encouragement to Kyle, Vanessa, and the boys. We know they are exactly where the Lord wants them to be right now. We also know that this fact is not always as easy as it is evident. When my parents visited them back in February, my mom showed Hudson (age 6) pictures on her phone of all the cousins here in the States. Hudson has a bigger heart than any 6 year old on the planet. The pictures caused him to cry, saying that he missed his cousins so much, and asking serious questions like "Why did God call us to Kenya and not them?" We want to affirm them in their calling, their ministry, and their life. We want God to use us to encourage and refresh them.

2. That we would be able to have a ministry to the people in Kenya. Joey is bringing a bunch of dental equipment to provide dental services to the people in Kapsowar as well as the people in the Pokot village among whom Kyle has started a ministry. The kids and I are bringing gifts to hand out to the children in the children's ward. A very specific request I am asking of the Lord is that our luggage would not be lost on the way there. We have a very quick (1.5 hour) layover in Istanbul where our luggage must make it off one plane and onto another. I'm praying that all the equipment for our ministry makes it with us to Kenya on time.

3. That our children's worldview would be drastically widened. Right now, Jonah and Hannah live in a little world where most people live, look, and smell like them. I can't wait to see how this trip opens their eyes to see beyond themselves and this bubble of a world they live in. I've often heard our friends from The Traveling Team talk about seeing students "put their yes on the table." I want my kids to someday "put their yes on the table," telling God they are willing to do anything or go anywhere to further His kingdom. I want them to look back on this trip and see it as one of the turning points in their lives leading to this decision.

We covet your prayers for these things as well.

Thank you!
Kelly

We done and got the girl graduated

We are proud of you, Hannah!

Just for kicks, I'll share Hannah's first day of school video here too.

My Wife, the Mom.

Just in case no one has already taken the understatement of the year, my wife is an amazing person.

A few years ago, Kelly had had about enough of going to scrapbooking stores and buying irregular cutting scissors, and decided that what with the Interweb and all, she was going to preserve memories for our kids on one of them new-fangled blogs.

Teach and Tickle was born.

If you happen to be new to this blog, I encourage you to look around and learn about my remarkable wife. If you're a regular, then, well, I don't have to tell you.

Oh sure, Kelly is not perfect.  She would be the first to admit that.  She often tells me that she worries she portrays herself and our family in too good a light - that she holds herself and our family out as the ideal.  Nonetheless, for good or for bad, this particular medium, being autobiographical, and editable at our discretion, along with being fraught with many superfluous parenthetical phrases separated by commas, affords the author a certain, how you say, "I don't know what."

Wow, am I wordy.

But getting to the heart of this post:  My wife, the Mom.   I love my wife for how she loves our kids.  I know it is too cheesy a thing to say that she loves them with her very life, with her every fiber, but it's true.  

Tonight, we watched the Disney movie, "Tangled."   (Great flick.  I think the best since "The Little Mermaid" or "Snowball Express".)
-Spoiler Alert!-
In the movie, a selfish woman has kidnapped the infant Rapunzel and poses as her mother while keeping her isolated in a tower.  Rapunzel's hair has some magical quality that gives youth and health to this pretend mother, so it becomes this woman's life to keep Rapunzel for herself.  While their are some fleeting moments of near-motherly concern, it's obvious this woman only looks to her own selfish desires, meaning that if she got what she wanted, Rapunzel would never leave the tower.

Huh?

It's just this:  what occurred to me while watching the movie was not only that Kelly loves our kids now, she loves them then.

Kelly's love for our kids is felt now, and if God so chose to take her from us tonight, her love would be felt by them for the rest of their lives.  It is so foundational to who she is that her absence would not be enough to make them doubt.  She instills in them a deep sense of not just doing what's right, but knowing why it's right.   More than anything in the world, she wants to see Jonah and Hannah fall in love with Jesus, and follow Him all their lives.

What more could I ask for in the mother of my kids?

I love you, dear.  Happy Mother's Day, from us all.