Tag: expat

Answering Your Questions About Living In Spain | Q&A Part 1 |

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I have to say a quick thank you to so many of you that took the time to ask write out questions. There were so many really wonderful and thought provoking questions. I realized very quickly after reading them that there would be no way to answer them all in one post. So, I will be breaking this up into a few parts and intermittently posting them. Now without any more rambling from me, here is part one!

Question 1: Has the signage at grocery stores gotten easier for you?

I vividly remember when we first moved here I walked into the grocery store and just stood there with a blank stare. I wanted to buy something as basic as flour and I didn’t know the word for it, or where in the world it would be located in the massive store. I was so used to having a baking section in the U.S. stores, but in Spain that is just simply not the case. I even google translated “baking” on my phone and frantically looked for the aisle labeled “horneando”, which didn’t exist. Finally I found the flour, or harina, tucking neatly between the vinegar and the condiments. It makes no sense to me why it would be there, but for some reason that is where it exists. Another time I was trying to find active dry yeast to make some bread, and searched for 20 minutes with no luck. I finally did have to ask an employee to help me with that one. Let’s just say the exchange of my non Spanish to his non English is far too embarrassing of a story to share…but you can use your imagination and it’s probably accurate. Now after living in Spain well over a year I consider the grocery store words my most comfortable form of Spanish. Even though I joke at the fact I can speak pretty good “grocery store Spanish”, it is very true and doesn’t go far beyond that. Often times when writing out my store list I will accidentally write things in the Spanish word because in the back of my mind I guess I know that’s the word I need to be looking for on the shelf. So to answer the question, yes, thankfully!

Question 2: What do you feel has been the most positive impact on you and your family by being immersed in another culture?

My husband and I have always taught our kids that the world does not revolve around them, and that there is a whole world outside of their own in which people look, speak, and live completely differently. We have always shared with them that people from different places have different customs and traditions within their cultures. Those are wonderful things to teach children and to know as an adult, but getting to live in a country in which your way of thinking, your customs, and your food is not the norm, is truly a beautiful experience. Myself, Trenton, and our kids have grown in our appreciation for the way others think and act. We have learned so many times over that the way we do certain things isn’t as big of a deal as we always thought it was. We learned the way we worship doesn’t need to look the way it always has for us in the past. We learned that our comfort zones need to be flexible and in fact are still constantly expanding. Our kids just see their friends as their friends and they like them simply because they have common interests. Their friend group spans from many continents, languages, and faiths. I love to hear the kids talk about where their friends are from and hear the names of Iraq, Russia, Albania, South Korea, Kuwait, England and so many more. We went into this experience knowing our worldview would change, but I don’t think we quite realized how much our hearts would grow in such a life changing way.

Question 3: Have you found peanut butter or sour cream?

Truth be told there are a lot of foods that we simply cannot find here in Spain, but our pallets have expanded and we don’t miss a lot of foods like we used to in the beginnings. That being said, sour cream is just nowhere to be found. We do have cream fresh in the grocery stores here and to us it tastes pretty much spot on. In the states sometimes I would sub out sour cream for greek yogurt, and I do that here from time to time too. As for peanut butter, it is easy to find. The Spanish grocery stores will sometimes carry their version of it, but its not the same. For the real deal, one must make the pilgrimage to Costco to get the giant jars of Skippy which retails for a whopping eight euros. I had never in my life purchased Skippy brand peanut butter until moving here. I was a loyal Great Value girl. However, since Jane is faithful in her love of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and beggars can’t be choosers, I voyage to Costco and buy the peanut butter with all the other Americans in Madrid.

Question 4: What do you miss about the US?

I could list off some silly things I miss, personal preference stuff. Like Target or Chipotle. I can list a few convenience items like parking lots, and set business hours. But in all honestly, I don’t deeply miss those things. They actually don’t make a huge difference to me. In all honesty, we don’t miss living in the US. This is home to us, as foreign as that sounds. In my brain before we moved I had mentally prepared myself to be sad and have to deal with being homesick, but that just hasn’t been the case for Trenton and I or our kids, which I have been shocked by. With that being said, we do miss our family and our friends. It is sad celebrating things like the birth of your best friends baby from far away, or not getting to see your mom on Thanksgiving. I miss seeing my grandma deeply, and I would do just about anything right now to hug her and bring her a milkshake. It’s the relationships with those you love that matter most. Thankfully technology helps us not miss everyone so much. We text pictures and laugh about things. We still share our daily life things and our frustrations with stuff. The people we love are still a priority to us, we just aren’t a car ride away anymore. We are very much looking forward to the day when things go back to “normal” and when travel restrictions are lifted. We have many people who want to visit us here, and we are looking forward to being able to enter the US next time under more relaxed circumstances.

Trenton and I really enjoyed reading through all the questions you all sent in. Many of them were so thought provoking for us and led to some really interesting conversations between us in the evening. I am looking forward to getting to other questions in some follow up Q&A posts.

Experiencing A Pandemic Lockdown While Living Abroad

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Nobody was prepared for the dumpster fire that 2020 has been. I especially wasn’t ready to experience a pandemic while living in a foreign country. And to top it off, being in one that just happened to have some of the strictest lockdown measures in the world.  I can best sum up my experience like this, “I don’t know if it was all a dream or not.” It all seemed so surreal that its a bit hard to wrap my mind around. I am certain that all of the “social distancing” and lockdown measures have been difficult for us all, no matter where you live. This hasn’t been easy on anyone, anywhere in the world. But just for a moment, let me transport you into my world. How it was for me, in Madrid Spain:  

Let me start by saying that I am NOT a person who lives in fear, or gets scared or spooked easily. But, this experience was a bit scary at times. When they announced “Spain is locking down” they meant it. There was no ability to do anything. Literally ANYTHING. No sneaking past any rules. No wiggle room to do what you please. We were essentially locked in our house, for 3 months straight, the ability to go on a walk in our neighborhood was considered a criminal offense. I have never been so thankful for a yard in my life, it was the biggest blessing. We recognize that we had it so much better than most in Madrid. The large majority of people here live in apartments with their entire family, children included. The 4 walls of their apartment were it for them. Can you even imagine? 

At the time when we went into complete lockdown in March of 2020, the Covid-19 virus had a lot of mystery and unknowns surrounding it (in some ways it still does). This fact along with many others made for an ultra strict lockdown in Spain. Police were patrolling even my rural Madrid neighborhood. They were announcing things in Spanish over the speakers, that I didn’t understand, to make sure nobody stepped a toe out of line. That was unnerving for us all. We were not able to understand what was being announced and were not getting all of the news updates because only a few got translated into English. During that time we were beyond thankful for friends who were fluent in Spanish and were able to give us updates and help us better understand what was going on around us. That was so huge for us, without that help it would have made things ten times harder. 

The rules that the police were heavily enforcing were no joke. Everything you did had to be meticulously calculated as to stay within the lockdown measures. Only one person was permitted in a car. You were not allowed to go anywhere with anyone for any reason. The only places you were allowed to go were the following: grocery store, pharmacy, hospital, and tobacco store. Gas stations were also open as well as dry cleaners for some reason, though I never figured out why since all office buildings were closed. When I would venture out to buy food about every two weeks, I would get stopped by the police who would ask to see my ID to verify I was going to the grocery store closest to my home. Then, while returning home, I would have to show receipt proof of where I went and my ID once more. At the grocery store, police stood at every entrance making sure everyone was in masks and gloves. Inside the store any aisles not containing food related items were taped off with caution tape.  The only exceptions being the personal hygiene and pet care areas of the store. If it was your kids birthday, too bad. You couldn’t sneak past the caution tape to buy them any gifts. 

Once I got home with my haul there was a certain routine to bring everything into the house. I would carry everything in via the kitchen door. Next I would Clorox wipe everything down and then wipe down the counter where everything had been setting. Looking back, I can see how over the top this extra precaution was. However, to be fair, where I was living and what I was experiencing was a little over the top also. The times in which we were living in and in some ways are still living in, are unknown. None of us have ever experienced anything like this before in our lifetime, and hopefully we never will again. If there is one takeaway I hope to drive home to everyone it is this: show others grace. Whether it’s those you love or those you live around while navigating this season of life, pour out grace. Pour out understanding and patience. People who live with anxiety in normal circumstances are probably on overload right now. People who have kids with special health concerns (like my Jane), are trying our best to not instill a fear of illness into them, and into ourselves. If someone you want to spend time with kindly asks you to wear a mask around them to make them feel more comfortable, do it. Love and care for others selflessly. Even if you don’t care that people wear a mask around you, think of others needs before you think of your own. Thats the lesson I hope we can all take from 2020. Maybe a small inconvenience to me means that somebody I care about will have a little extra peace of mind today. 

This year has not gone the way any of us would have wanted. I remember at the start of the year Trenton and I were hyped up for all the things God was going to do in 2020. We had envisioned a resurgence of the “roaring twenties”, we wanted to take the year on with 20/20 vision for the future. This year did roar in, though in a different way than we expected. This season of life did give us 20/20 vision for our future,  many of the ways have been surprising to us. We have learned to be thankful for the little things in life. We have gotten to spend so much quality time together as a family and we we beyond grateful for that. So take a step back, try to look beyond the hard and disappointment this year has been. Find some things to be thankful for, I know you will find them!

West Virginia: My Home Among The Hills

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I am often surprised by the amount of people who live in The United States that look at you with utter confusion when you say “I’m from West Virginia”. They usually respond with something along the lines of “You mean western Virginia?”, or “oh, I’ve been to Virginia!” No. I mean West Virginia, as in the state.

Caught between the northern and southern states and sandwiched between the east cost and the midwest is my home, The Mountain State. However, if you go expecting to see something something similar to the Rocky Mountains, you may be disappointed with the appearance of them. The mountains of West Virginia are more like rolling hills, friendly and welcoming. Much like the people who live there. Nestled between each mountain top are valleys which we affectionately call “hollers”. Most who live in these secluded dwellings have probably called that holler home their entire life, just like the generation before them, and the generation before that. West Virginia is a unique place in that way. Once you call it home, it stays home, even if only in your heart. For some reason, it just doesn’t act or feel like any of the other states in the union. It might be because there is a kindredness, a type of bond that comes along with calling these hills home. You only understand it if you understand it. I had the honor of living there the first 20 years of my life. And although I’ve been gone nearly 10 years now, its still home. Its mountains still call to me. Its people are still the dearest to my heart.

When you leave West Virginia after living there your entire life, and you encounter another WV native out in the wild, you’re instantly connected. You ask where they are from and when they tell you, you respond with something similar to “I have a cousin who lives there, do you know____?” And more often than not you get a “Yes! my best friend is their neighbor” Or something of the sort. West Virginia is like one big family. Somehow, as impossible as it seams everybody knows everybody. And everyone looks out for one another. If you’re like me and your entire family, on both sides, hails from there, then you really get what I am trying to say here.

If you were lucky enough to grow up spending the summers running around your grandparents farm, barefoot, chasing lightning bugs, and eating homemade pepperoni rolls then, in my opinion, you’ve lived my form of the American dream. My fondest memories are when as kids we would go to my grandparents house near Beckley. They owned a local Christmas tree farm and had the most beautiful view of the mountains from their backyard. We would sit on the back porch and eat popsicles, while my grandma would play “Mother May I” with us. On the Fourth of July we would always set up lawn chairs and watch the fireworks they set off at the armory on the next mountain over. But, of all holidays, Thanksgiving was my favorite. The whole family came to grandmas house for Thanksgiving. I swear you could smell all the goodness from miles away. We always ate halfway between lunch time and dinner time. But my favorite part of all was what happened after dinner. When all the cars started to pull up. Suddenly (in my eyes) my grandpa became the town hero. People eager to jump into the Christmas spirit were ready for their tree. On a handmade wooden sign in the shape of a Christmas tree at the end of the road were the words “U PICK I CUT”. My grandpa sold his trees for $10 each. He was a retired pastor, who couldn’t help but be ministry minded in everything he did. That tree farm was what you might call a “labor of love”. It was a love of working with his hands, a love of helping others, a love of what Christmas is all about. I think my grandpa really embodied the spirit of a West Virginian. His loyalty to his state ran and to the people of his state ran deep, like many WV natives.

Although a lot of people in The United States may fail to know about West Virginia, I have learned something while living overseas. The people of the world know West Virginia. Every time I am asked “where are you from in the states?” I respond “West Virginia”, then they get a big smile on their face. And they say “You mean like that beautiful song, Country Roads Take Me Home?” And with true West Virginia pride, my heart begins to sing and I have the honor of saying “Yes, just like the song.” Your hills are well known my WV friends, and your beauty is known throughout the world. Some of the lyrics go:

“Country roads, take me home, to the place I belong. West Virginia, Mountain Momma. Take me home, country roads. I hear her voice in the morning hour she calls me.”

West Virginians understand what this really means, who she really is. The hills have a such a peace about them, they are Mountain Momma. She’s a West Virginian’s type of “mother earth”. I’ll never forget once when she beckoned to me. It was last Christmas. We had traveled to London to take in the city. It was cold and dark and we finally had a chance to get out our winter coats. It was drizzling a bit when we arrived to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park so we decided to go to the German Pavilion to warm up for a bit. As we walked in, the band took to the stage. Then I heard a familiar tune begin to play. Suddenly, I was home for Christmas. The whole place erupted in cheers and began to sing along, they knew every word by heart. My family grinned from ear to ear and sang as loudly as we could “West Virginia, Mountain Momma. Take me home, country Roads.” Once a West Virginian, always a West Virginian.

Sometimes the name West Virginia gets a bad wrap, a negative connotation surrounding it. While some stereotypes might stem from a bit of truth, others are simply that way because of how Appalachia is portrayed in the mainstream media. I often wonder why this is? Why does my state get the short end of the stick when it comes to movie scripts or news articles? I very much doubt those that dream up these ideas for others entertainment have ever stepped foot on my beloved hills. I’m positive they have never sat and watched as the sunrise slipped over the mountains. I’m sure they’ve never hiked in any of our breathtaking state parks or sat by a quiet creek for a picnic. These are the joys of West Virginia. The simple things that those who are native from there haven’t forgotten for a moment. Life is still simple here and I hope that never changes. Stay easy, WV. Stay lovely, and sure. And please oh please, stay wild and wonderful.

Photo of my dear friend and West Virginia native, Anna. Photo used with permission from her Instagram page @anna_haddox

Living Abroad: My Experience Being And American In Spain

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 For the past year, my husband Trenton, our son Owen, our daughter Jane, and I have lived in Madrid, Spain. We still can’t really speak Spanish. My husband takes lessons but has a severe hearing loss which makes it more challenging for him. I speak decent “grocery store” Spanish which is just a nice way of saying I know how to look for the food I need from the market. Owen, on the other hand, can speak a fair amount but is too shy to ever speak in front of us. And Jane knows she can’t speak Spanish but just goes about her normal social butterfly business anyway. In the year I have lived abroad I have learned more about myself and the the world than I ever realized I would. My perspective of things has taken a shift in such a beautiful way. This experience is something that I honestly have a hard time putting into words. But I think if I can try to wrap my head around how I feel, its worth trying to. Enjoy my feeble attempt at putting this into writing! 

This place is completely different from anything I had ever known and yet it is still exactly the same. Different language, different food, different holidays, customs, clothes, and places, but life is the same. Everyday I wake up and drink my coffee, and get my kids ready for school. The same as all the Spanish moms. I go to the grocery store to buy food for my family and so are the other parents. Sometimes I will see a grandpa picking his granddaughter up from school, and watch with a smile as the little girl runs up to him for a big hug, the same as my little Jane does with her grandpa. I see people going out to the park, riding bikes, and taking their dog for a walk. People are living their lives. It looks different here but it’s the same at the core. This experience has taught me in such a deep way how we are all the same. We all have needs, we all have dreams, and we all have families and friends. Nobody is exempt from these things. This experience has grounded me in such a profound way. No longer do I think of people who are completely unfamiliar to me as different, I think of them as the same, no matter how big the difference may be. 

Life is normal for me here. If you only saw my social media posts, you might think my life looks amazing.  To be fair, IT IS AMAZING! We have had many opportunities to travel, tour old Spanish towns on the weekend and so much more.  However, on any typical day, life is still just like any other normal day. Trenton goes to work. The kids go to school. Owen has basketball games on Saturday’s.  I go to dinner with friends. We just happen to be living our life in an amazing place where we can take advantage of so many memorable adventures. But again, the ins and out of my life is still a lot like yours. I stil get sad. I still get behind on laundry.  I make cookies for my kids after school. I go on dates with my husband. The only difference is I’m doing it in Spain. Also, on a quick side note, I don’t have a dryer, so I am jealous of all y’all for that one!

The deep love we have for travel will now shape the rest of our lives. I find so much beauty in getting to go somewhere I’ve never been, eat food I have never eaten, or hear a language completely foreign to my ears. Before moving here my “must travel to list” was VERY simple. It went something like “Paris, London, Turkey” and 2/3 I have done now, it would have been 3/3 but COVID. The longer we’ve lived in Europe, the longer our travel list is becoming.We long to go explore places off the beaten path. The places that are on the road less traveled. In a just a short time and with only seeing a small part, Trenton and I want to spend the rest of our lives getting to see the beauty the world has to offer.  It has become a big goal for us now. We have such a deep desire to spread light and love throughout the world.

There is so much beauty in being out of place. As I already mentioned, we can’t speak Spanish, and unlike most other European countries,  a large majority of Spaniards don’t speak English. And you know what, I like it. As much as I wish I was able to communicate better, I love that I am constantly reminded just how diverse and unique every corner of the world is.  There was a learning curve when we moved to Europe, for sure. A steep one at times! I remember vividly being shocked that I would be required to street park most places I went. In fact, parking lots would be considered a luxury here. But I found my groove. I found my way. I have a whole pocket of knowledge in my brain about how to do life in Spain. A whole bunch of information that to anybody else would be rendered useless, but for me it’s essential information. I know that most shops will be closed from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. for lunch break. (Despite what Google might tell you…) And that if you want to buy cranberries for Thanksgiving you need to rush to Costco as soon as it’s November. 

We do not take this for granted. Let me be clear, at times, it may seem like I diminish what a gift we have to be able to live in Europe, because, for me, it’s just my normal now. But hear me when I say, we know just how huge of a thing this is. Especially being brought up in a very rural part of America, where many people we know dream of being able to visit Europe once in their lifetime. I hope you hear my heart when I say that, while it will be sad if and when this adventure ends, we will return to the US full of thankfulness for the time we had.  In the end, we know we will return as different people, because living abroad changes you in a lot of ways, most of which you don’t anticipate. We have grown so much as individuals, and within our marriage. Our children have been given an opportunity to go to a very diverse school. They have learned about their friends background, culture, and faith while still being proud of their own. We have learned that the way people live their life can look many different ways and that the world would be such a boring place if they didn’t. 

P.S.  The most beautiful place in the world to me is the view from my grandparents cliff overlooking the mountains in West Virginia. I am confident that will never change.   

Peace

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My name is Olivia (this is not new information). My parents picked that name for me before they ever saw my face. Before they ever held me in their arms. They named me. They chose what I would be called for my whole life. Before I ever took a breath I was loved, SO long wished for, and named. Olivia. When you look up my name it means “olive tree”. I can promise you my parents did not pick that name because of it’s meaning, they simply liked it. And in their minds it fit. But God saw their hearts, and said ‘you may have chosen this name out of simple joys but I’m writing a story with this name. With these 6 random letters placed together, I’m pouring my glory in.’

Two weeks ago our family relocated to Madrid, Spain. Would you like to know what you get when you mix extreme jet lag, confusion, and a totally new environment that looks and sounds nothing like you know…

Culture shock- noun.
The feeling of disorientation experienced by someone when they are suddenly subjected to an  unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes.

Reality hit me like a ton of bricks. My mind spiraled really fast into panic mode “I don’t know where the grocery store is, much less what it’s called. But it doesn’t matter anyway because I have no car to get around or know how to navigate a metro. And I wouldn’t dare venture out anyway because my cell phone has been rendered useless. And even if I was brave and went out I couldn’t ask for directions because I speak no Spanish and can’t use Google translate because, like I already established no cell phone.” You see where this is going. My eyes and my mind had a strong deer in headlights look. And I questioned our choice to move (for about a day). Even though we were so divinely brought here (that is a story for another time), so obviously called here, so supernaturally placed here… I doubted. I doubted his goodness and his faithfulness.

On the second day we were here we had appointments to view potential homes (we are currently staying in a temporary apartment). So with my deer in headlights eyes and attitude we went. And I was about 110% sure no house we saw would feel like a home to me and even if it did it probably wouldn’t work out for it to be ours. Because we really are our own worst enemy sometimes. We walked into the first house and much to my surprise I liked it, like REALLY liked it. We finished inside the house then transitioned to look outside. We followed the realtor out the door, he was talking about this and talking about that. He was explaining how the awning worked and where the outlets were. Truth be told I was half listening because it wasn’t interesting conversation. Then he said something I will never forget, under his breath practically, barely audible, “here is the olive tree”. Everybody followed in a single file line behind him, not much to see with that they all thought. But I couldn’t follow. I was stopped dead in my tracks.

I looked at that olive tree, and it hit me. God spoke so prophetically over me in that moment and said, “Do you see what I’ve done? I did this all so you could glimpse my glory. My goodness. My faithfulness. You’re here. You Olivia, the olive tree. I planted you here. You’re rooted here already, you’re home.” All this time of waiting, of moving, of hoping, of doubting lead me here to this moment.

How many circumstances lead me here? How many puzzle pieces did God so perfectly orchestrate to land me in this moment facing this tree? I can think of a few. Trenton had to get a transfer to Spain, somebody had to plant this olive tree, this house had to be available for rent, the list goes on and on honestly. Then my mind starts to wonder would I be standing here in this moment if I never would have met Trenton? Did all those painful years of infertility my parents suffered lead me to this moment? I think it all fits. I think every single circumstance in our life leads us where we are called to go. The mountain top joys and the valleys of deep sadness, they all work together to form a beautiful masterpiece we could never even imagine existed. Because after all, thats what is promised to us. The book of Romans states “God causes EVERYTHING to work together for the GOOD of those who love him”.

I prayed for peace on that day when my heart and mind were overwhelmed. A small, sincere prayer. And I was handed peace. Literally right into my physical hand. I could reach out and touch those olive tree leaves.

When God flooded the earth it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. It did not let up. How uncertain Noah and his family must have felt. Did they doubt the faithfulness of God? Did they think they would ever get off this rocking, smelly, damp boat? I bet they CRAVED peace. Peace in the waves rocking them, peace for the storm that didn’t seem like it would ever let up, peace for their hearts and minds. Then the rain stopped. And they waited. For 150 days the earth was overcome with flooding. And now, if not already I bet they really began to cry out to God.
Maybe they said things like:
“How much longer Lord must we wait with no sign of this flood ending?”
“God why have you forgotten about us?”
“We were faithful to your command and you left us here to die!”

Now scripture never says that they actually said these things, or questioned these things in their hearts. But I would be surprised if they didn’t. Wouldn’t you have? I know I would have doubted the faithfulness of God, even though he had brought me so far already. Even though 100% of the time before he had been faithful to me. My favorite parts of scripture is when it uses the words “But God”, and thats exactly what is used in this recounting of Noah’s experience. Right after it says how long the flood waters sat there, right when their doubt was at its peak and they felt totally abandoned, it says “But God remembered Noah”. Just like he remembers us today. God was waiting for the perfect moment to extend His glory for Noah’s good. When Noah sent the dove out for the second time it returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf. This is why we still see the olive branch as a symbol of peace today. It signaled the end of God’s judgement on the earth. It was a sign to Noah and his family that they had not been forgotten. It was the peace Noah and his family so desperately longed for. And for me it was the peace I needed in my heart to know this city I now call home, was where I can be planted and bloom.

I want you to hear my heart here. This is NOT a story about me and my cool experience. Even though it happened to me. This is a story about God and his supreme glory and unwavering faithfulness. It’s about how I keep learning just how faithful He is, and how true the name Prince Of Peace is. We all crave peace in one form or another in a particular area of our life. With a small three word prayer, “Give me peace” God unraveled a story he has been writing a long long long time before I ever came to be. This was all pre ordained before I was even born. Before my parents ever met, He had a plan.  He was orchestrating this beautiful picture and I never even knew it. I just get to experience it and be thankful for it.

When I stopped and stared that day at my olive tree, I saw so much of God’s faithfulness planted where I now stood. Maybe you’re struggling to find peace in your life. Maybe there are situations beyond your control that don’t seem fair or good. And my heart hurts for you. I may not know what you’re walking through or experience what you’ve experienced but I have felt pain. I know disappointment, and how sometimes life doesn’t seem to be going the way you thought it would go. But I also know this God is faithful, his promises are true, and his peace passes understanding.