Calling our prayer warriors!

Our cat, ночка, digs the view from our apartment as much as we do. This is one of her favorite spots from which to gaze out at her kingdom.

But now, God's Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob; the One who got you started, Israel: "Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you. I've called your name. You're mine. When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you. When you're in rough waters, you will not go down. When you're between a rock and a hard place, it won't be a dead end--Because I am God, your personal God, the Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you, all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in! That's how much you mean to me! That's how much I love you! I'd sell off the whole world to get you back, trade all the creation just for you." Isaiah 43, The Message

When we were still at FPO, Bobbye Rankin, the wife of the IMB's president, Dr. Jerry Rankin, quoted most of Isaiah 43 to us in one of her talks. Since then, it has been one of my favorite passages, for the same reason it is important to her--it is a reminder that, regardless of our circumstances, no matter where we are in the world, the God of all Creation is with us. We are never forgotten. We are never alone. As we walk through this first term and deal with the every day difficulties of living in a different culture, what comfort and peace it brings to us to remember that not only are we not our own, but that He would trade all of creation just to ransom us. What kind of love is that? My pea-sized brain is not capable of understanding or analyzing it, but my unworthy soul is awfully grateful for it.

Tonight at 7, during English Club, we will have a discussion of Easter, because Orthodox Easter is this Sunday. Easter is a big event for the Russian Orthodox Church, and so this is a perfect, God-ordained opportunity for us to have spiritual conversations with these people we have come to love. We are asking those who are on our prayer team, no matter where you are in the world, to pray in earnest at 7 p.m. our time (we are 8 hours ahead of the East Coast of the States, if that helps) for God to move in a big way. Would you please especially call the names Karoline, Ivan, Anna, and Sasha before the throne, as these are the people we believe are seeking something more than what they know of God. We don't know what will happen tonight, but we know that God listens intently to the prayers of His people and moves His hand on their behalf. Tonight, we are asking that you covenant with us to pray for His presence and movement in our home.

Thank you so much for praying for us and with us. We are excited and honored by what God is doing in our lives here and in the lives of others. Our prayer is that no matter what happens tonight, His name would be glorified. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you have exciting ministry opportunities on your horizon, and that your cat does not like to play "attack the feet" late at night. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

Oh, just a little bonus for those of you who follow the John-John Chronicles: We watched the very first episode of "Get Smart" last night as a family, which is in black and white, and John turned to Sarah Beth and asked, "How come it's colorblind?" That kid cracks me up!