I want to be strong AND contagious

All the pictures are of John-John from the recent AGM. Here, he is with his good friend, Emma Grace, who lives on the opposite side of Russia.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

I'm hoping to eventually get my schedule under control enough to blog more than once a week, but so far, Saturdays and Sundays are my only blogging days. It's a lot to try to get four of us out the door in the morning, especially since I'm trying to give them something hot each morning for breakfast--it has turned chilly this week, and we do not look to be warming up until the spring thaw.

The kids and I are loving school. Honestly, it's such a God-send to us to have them at Hinkson. They have friends, activities, and the academics are very challenging, which is wonderful. The verse above was John-John's verse for this week, and one day, when he was practicing it, he said, "Be strong and contagious." Of course, he's our baby, and we think everything he does is wonderful and funny, but when I started to think my way through it, I thought he might just have something there. (My Momma says he's a devotional book in the making, anyway.) I want to be strong, for sure. I have to be strong, frankly. Russia is a tough place, and the weak, well--they don't do well here. So strong I think I've got, because I've learned in the last year a whole lot about relying on His strength and not my own. With Him, I feel like strong isn't an issue. But contagious? I don't know about contagious, but I hope and pray that I am living a life that is contagious. I pray that I'm "living out loud," as the old Steven Curtis Chapman song goes. I think it's the reason we have had such success with our English club. God has put us in a position to just be ourselves, work with the things we are strong in (my teaching, Marc's people skills), and let Him use those things to draw people to Himself. That's the kind of contagion I hope I'm starting here in the land of the frozen tundra and the even-more-frozen-heart. And being contagious here probably looks different than it does where you are. I'm not handing out Bibles or tracts on the street corner. I don't carry a card in my pocket I can hand to people. But I smile at every child I see. I give directions pleasantly when I'm asked. I give my seat up on the metro to the older person who comes in after me. I push myself way beyond my comfort zone with my Russian friends, who insist on kissing me in greeting and farewell. (You guys who are my pals in the States...I'll try to refrain, but I make no promises...it's just habit now.) I open up my home more than I have ever in my entire life. I love my kids in front of my Russian friends. I adore my husband in front of them. In other words, I simply live my life in a way that, I pray, screams, "I'm different. Ask me why." And so far, it's helped me develop more relationships with lost people than I ever imagined.

On Sundays, John-John and Han are working their way through a book called The 21 Rules of This House. The rules are simple, and they come with coloring pages, and it's a good way to reinforce with them the general rules of life that I hope they will take with them when they are grown. We have their coloring pages hung up around the house, and the pages with just the rules are all over, too. Marc took one of them, the first one, and hung it on the front door over the peephole. He knew that our friends from English Club would have to look at it while they were retrieving coats and bags and shoes, and he thought it might spark some interesting conversations. I looked in the front hallway to see all of them clustered around it, reading it, and talking about what it meant. What did it say? "We obey our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ." What was really interesting was that Marc didn't say a word. It is not a secret to our friends that we are followers of Christ. But the sign, and the conversations it sparked among our friends as they left, showed another way to live a life that's contagious.

Well, I must run. Marc and I are headed to Mega today, to Ashan and IKEA and Sportsmaster (Sarah Beth is playing soccer for the school, and she needs shinguards). Then we'll likely spend the rest of the day unpacking from our shopping trip. Sarah Beth has a neat thing tonight called Shindig, where the high school kids get together at a teacher's house for a worship and Bible study time. Did I mention how much I love this school? Honestly...what a HUGE answer to prayer for us. (Hmmm...friends for the kids, contentment, peace, even happiness...didn't we just chop down quite a few giants?) Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are living a life that is strong, courageous AND contagious, and that you are looking forward to a full day of college football, too. GO GATORS! Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

Going quiet

Hannah in her "Outrigger Island" gear. Between the folks at AGM and the box we received from the 5th and 6th graders at our home church, she had the full outfit.
John-John and Hannah with some of the things we received in a box from the 5th and 6th grade VBS class at FBC Middleburg, Florida. What treats for us!
I don't want to say the first day of school was tiring for John-John, but he did pass out on the couch at 6:30 and sleep until 6:45 the next morning. (On another note...look how big his feet are! If he grows into those paws, he's going to turn out to be a big man.)

But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head. I was crying to the LORD with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustains me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about. Psalm 3:3-6

It's been several days since I wrote, and while I was busy with the start of school, I also sort of "went quiet." I don't know if you're familiar with that term, but when a submarine hasn't been heard from in a given amount of time, there's a chance they have gone quiet--stopped communication because an enemy is lurking nearby. I went quiet. And while I cannot go into detail in this very public forum, I can say that we ran into significant problems involving our documents, and there was a real possibility that we would be forced to leave the country for an unknown period of time. I am so thrilled to report to you that those issues have been resolved, we have important documents in our hands once again, and we are cleared to stay in Russia until the end of our term. Or at least that's what we think. It could all change tomorrow, because that's how things are here. But Marc and I deemed yesterday the best day ever (we even sang the song, I think from SpongeBob), because we received our documents, we could drive our car again, we got some groceries, and we picked up three packages at the office. On top of that, it was chicken fajita night, and we started the Heroes marathon (we haven't seem any of the second season, yet, so don't spoil it for me. It's my favorite show.), and every single thing I ordered with my birthday money fit perfectly. Honestly, can you imagine a better day?

Here's the really big news, though. As we went through the last two weeks in this state of total upheaval, the obvious question became where will we go if they have to get us out of the country? Every idea that was offered was pretty enticing, frankly. Beautiful places in our region that are part of the EU, and so are easier to get into and out of than Russia. Places where we have beloved friends we would love to be near. Places where almost everybody speaks English. So what is the big news about that? We were absolutely heartbroken at the prospect of leaving Moscow. Three months ago--for us, the 8th month on the field was by far the hardest--we would have given anything to be somewhere else. But something has happened. Something amazing. Something we really hadn't known until this time of trouble hit. We don't want to leave Russia. Our life is here. Our home is here. We are finally comfortable (to some extent) in this culture and with this language. We love our Russian friends so much. God has called us here, to this megacity with its history and beauty and darkness. There simply is no place else we want to be.

I am the first one up in my house every morning. I get the pleasure of watching the sun rise and shine against the buildings outside my kitchen window...an absolutely beautiful sight. And lately, as I hang my head out the window and gaze at the city around me, here has been my prayer: Take it all, Lord. Claim every person within my sight for Yourself. And use me to do it. I'm not sure when that became my prayer. It happened without my really noticing it. But at some point, I went from praying for survival to praying for God to come in and take the city He has given me to love. My heart aches for this place and these people. And the threat of having to leave, possibly for a long time, was a tool God used to make me aware of the growing love I have for that (and those) to which He has called me.

Well, it's 9 am here, and it's time for me to get moving. There is a lot to be done today, and a good bit of it needs to be done by me. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are hungry to see the people God has given you to love come to know Him, and that all of your documents are in order, too. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

A lousy day, Scooby Doo, and the email

I love this picture of Sarah Beth. It's the smirk on her face. One of my best friends from college said she loved the smirk because it was a hint that I'd gotten exactly the daughter I deserved. I laughed and laughed when I read that. I love this girl. Honestly, I am totally, sold-out crazy about my eldest child.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

May we arm ourselves
with the mind of Christ
to rejoice in trials
and be not surprised.
May our hearts be so
consumed by You that
we never cease to praise.
"Never cease to praise"--Jeff Bourque

Yesterday was a stinky, lousy day. It has been ridiculously hot, and I am allergic to something here when it is hot, which makes my contacts all gross and sticky and makes me grumpy. Then I took some sudafed to try to stop the sneezing and watery eyes...and it only made me sleepy. And I sat all day at school, waiting for somebody to show up and meet me...and I only met one kid. I sat for 7 hours. Honestly, by the time it was time to go, I was so grumpy and unreasonable. And homesick...oh, like you wouldn't believe. When my teaching friends in the States were teaching but I wasn't, it was okay. I missed them, sometimes I really missed them, but it wasn't terrible. But to be at school without them...Steve and Nancy, if you read this--I just couldn't stand to be in a classroom without you guys down the hall. So add to my grumpiness a good dose of sadness, and you have a pretty good picture of my day.

By the time I got home (you can't imagine how hot the metro is in the summer), I was pretty ticked off. Frankly, I just wanted to be home. And I don't mean my apartment. I mean home in MY school, in MY classroom, with MY friends, joking and laughing and generally having a good time. But where was I? On a marshrutka with the garlic lady in 95 degree heat and not an open window in the vehicle. Yeah, I was pretty ticked.

When I got home, Marc had bought and downloaded the entire first season of Scooby Doo. Yep, the cartoon from 1969. So he and S.B. made dinner while I typed some things for school and ironed, and we all sat down together to watch some Scooby Doo while we ate. And things got better. It didn't make me less homesick, but it was an enjoyable time with my kids, and I am...well...okay...I'm a Scooby Doo fan in a big way. I'm not kidding. I love that stinkin' dog. And those meddling kids--don't get me started! And we laughed, something I hadn't done much of during the day. (Hannah was especially fond of the laugh track on the cartoon. They don't have those on new shows, and she really thought it was helpful.) And then we checked our email.

I have shared with you on this blog that because we are ISC, the Board only pays a stipend for our kids' education. With me teaching, plus the stipend, we still owed about $5000, which ends up being about $500/month. A wonderful couple from our church in Florida paid the first month, and the email we received last night informed us that some friends of the family were paying four more months. That means we are halfway done with our tuition. And while I can't go into detail in this public forum all the things that are going on in our lives, I can tell you that tuition was one more burden in what is already a difficult time for us. To have that burden lightened significantly...such a God thing. And can I tell you this? It isn't just the financial help that means so much. It's being remembered. It is so easy to sit on this side of the world and think no one even remembers us. It's easy to sink into the pool of nobody-appreciates-what-we're-doing-over-here. And while I would tell you again and again that Jesus is all I need, it helps so much to know people love us, remember us, and pray for us regularly.

And so, it started as a lousy day and improved through some good Scooby Doo time, and then God used a faithful couple to bless us and encourage us in the way that only God does. Isn't that your experience? At that moment when you just think you can't do any more than what you've done, someone calls or drops you an email at precisely the right moment to encourage you to strive on, to complete the race, to finish strong. That has been my experience in Russia. When days like yesterday happen, when I am overwhelmed by what I have given up to be here, that's precisely the time God chooses to encourage me in a significant way. I just hope that when it's my turn to encourage someone else, I am as faithful and obedient as these precious folks. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are in love with the God of all encouragement, and that you have a whole season of Scooby Doo to look forward to watching. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

What is that sound? Oh...that's just Satan buffetting.

The beautiful view out of our window at AGM. If I squint my eyes, I can almost see my grandfather wandering around his apple orchards.
John-John loves the guitar, and the praise team was kind enough to let him play with it.
John-John with his teachers. What tremendous people! He had a wonderful week.
Hannah with her teachers. This is probably the best week Hannah has had since we got here.
Hannah as Mary Magdalene in the musical. It was a hoot. She did a really good job...all the kids were great.

God is strong, and he wants you to be strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the devil throws your way. Ephesians 6:12-13 (The Message)

Though Satan should buffet
Though trials should come
Let this bless'd assurance control
That Christ has regarded
My helpless estate
And has shed His own blood
For my soul.
"It is Well"

We are obviously back from AGM. We arrived Thursday evening, but I had to work yesterday, so no blogging got done. Last night our friends who are staying with us post-AGM took us out to TGIFriday's here in Moscow. What a treat! This morning, we are all moving a little slowly, so I have a few minutes to get some thoughts down and catch you up on what's going on here in Moscow.

AGM was good. In fact, it was much better than I'd anticipated. We made new friends, sang in English, heard sermons in English, heard what was going on around Russia, and renewed our spirits. Interestingly, I was most touched when, at the end of "How Great Thou Art," one of us began singing in Russian and the rest joined in...a whole chorus of folks singing at the top of their lungs. Russian will never be my heart-language, but it is the language in which I minister, and that makes it special to me...and frustrating. We had a great memorial service for Teri, and the kids did a wonderful musical at the end of the week. I wish a could publish a clip, because I think you'd be amazed at how well the kids did in such a short time, but I can't for security reasons.

At the end of any significant time in my life, I always ask myself what God is doing in my life or teaching me. I always want to take the time to reflect on where I am spiritually, where the family is, and what I need to be doing or praying about or changing. Here are some things I walked away with from AGM:

• It is well with my soul. It is a hard time to be in Russia. And because this is a public forum, that's all I can say about that. And it is no secret that we have struggled to be on the field as a family. But I can look myself in the mirror and honestly say that it is well with my soul. Teri's death, Hannah's struggles, John-John's special issues, document difficulties, my own problems...they all pale in the light of who God is and what He has done for me. So after months of hanging my head out the kitchen window and singing "It is Well with My Soul" in the hopes that it would, someday, be well with my soul, I can honestly say that I am at peace...no matter what.
• We are not the only ones struggling. And while I don't like what it says about me that I find that comforting, I do find it comforting. It is not the Hooks family alone. To quote a certain Disney movie, we're all in this together.
  
• There is great joy to be found in our Russia field family. I'm not saying I want to be everybody's best friend, but we certainly have a great bunch of people serving here. We had a lot of fun and a lot of laughter.
• It is time to be bold. Our situation here is so interesting, and we have really worked hard to protect the platform on which we arrived. But there's protecting and there's hiding behind. And we don't want to hide behind and use the platform as an excuse to not be bold in our witness. This is going to be a time of change and transition in our ministry here, and it'll be interesting to see how God uses AGM to take our ministry in a new direction.
• Yep, that's definitely Satan. You know how sometimes, when we go through difficult stuff, we don't know if it's God trying and testing and re-shaping us or Satan attacking us? When I heard the stories of what kind of stuff is happening in Russia, and I took into account the stuff that's happening to us personally...there is no doubt in my mind that it's an attack by Satan. I find that really encouraging. If Satan's attacking, then there must be something big on the horizon for the work in Russia. If Satan's attacking, it must mean we have settled into life and ministry here enough to be a threat. Yea, us! In the Hooks family, we've decided that we're not tucking tail and running. Not us. We're suiting up with the best armor around, and if that threatens the enemy enough to attack us...well, let's just say we already know we're on the winning team.
  

That's a bunch of a lessons for five days. But that's awesome, isn't it? God can work in five years, five days, five minutes...and change lives forever. Aren't you grateful for a God who can encourage us even in the toughest of circumstances? I know I am. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that the God of all encouragement is causing you to say it is well with your soul, and that you are having fun with great house guests. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

Jesus is taking up all the room in there

I think this is hysterical...I like that John-John is giving me that goofy grin, and the hawk is looking at him with great suspicion. Cracks me up.
My little man and little lady in front of the little man/little lady statue. This was Andreevsky Spusk, a long, tall hill that we climbed on my birthday.
Tserkov Andreevsky...our St. Andrew's church. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous, and well worth the climb to see it.
My little man with his mommy. We look sweaty and awful because it was a thousand degrees outside.
The view as we left Kiev on the train home. A beautiful city, and fun to explore...but we were glad to be going home to Moscow.

Like an open book you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day. Psalm 139 (The Message)

We are headed out today for our annual general meeting (AGM), so this will be brief. In fact, Marc has already left with sound/media equipment. I have to be honest...I'm not looking forward to AGM. When we are all together, Teri's absence (and Ed's and the girls') will be blatant. Sarah Beth dreaded coming back to Moscow for the same reason. In Budapest and Kiev, Aunt Teri shouldn't have been there, so it was easier to deal with her death. In Moscow, we're supposed to be having dinner and playing cards on Wednesdays. Her absence is clearer here. I know AGM will likely be wonderful, and I'll come back with great stories of renewal and revival...but on this side of it, I'm not cherishing the idea of it. Make sense?

I've thought a lot lately about what God is doing here. There is so much going on--crisis after crisis after crisis, visa problems all over the field, folks being transferred or leaving the field, Teri's death--it's easy to think that God has turned His back on Russia and everyone in it. But I know that is not true. I must confess, I see no easy days ahead. More and more and more, the government is making its disdain for protestant/evangelical organizations known. (I cut out a rather long paragraph on this from yesterday's blog, thinking better of my little rant in such a public forum.) Life here is difficult. Where is He in all of this?

He's here. I keep coming back to something we were told at FPO. All church planting movements have two things in common that happen right before they start. First, there is a mighty movement of prayer on behalf of that place. Second, missionaries and believers suffer. I don't know what He's doing. I miss my friend. I want her back. I want visas to be easier to obtain. I want the school where I work to be left alone. But above and beyond all of those things, the desire of my heart is to see Russians come to know Jesus. And let me say this--if a church planting movement broke out in the largest nation on earth...Eastern Europe and all those former Soviet satellites would come with it. Think what would happen in this region of the world if a mighty wind of God moved across this vast place. I'm longing for it. I want to be here to see it. I'm praying for it every morning. And my precious friend, whom I miss so much? It was the desire of her heart to see the nation she loved come to God. I have to believe that she has already been to the throne and petitioned the Father for the salvation of her beloved Russia. So I don't know what He's doing, but I know He's doing something. And again, I'm on a need-to-know basis, and I don't need to know right now. But I'm watching. And I'm praying.

Well, there are hungry folks waiting for biscuits to be made, so I'd better run. There is a great deal to do before we trek to the metro this afternoon. Here's a little added bonus for you: when we were in Kiev, Hannah and John-John were discussing Sponge Bob, which John-John loves. So Hannah said, "John-John, you love Sponge Bob so much, you must have him in your heart." John-John replied, "Hannah, don't be silly. Jesus is in there, and He's taking up all the room." I almost spit my Diet Coke all the way across the room, I laughed so hard. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are watching and praying for the people God has given you to love, and that Jesus is in your heart and taking up all the room in there. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye

Some pictures and a prayer request

I love this pic of Hannah. Everywhere we went in Kiev, there were little gardens like this.
Look at how they're standing...exactly alike!! I also think this is funny because the flower appears to be staring back at them.
We found Capri Suns. It was a big deal to us...big enough to take a picture in the middle of the sidewalk!
Mom...do we have to take a picture in front of every single fountain in Kiev? Yes. Yes, we do.
Look at those chins and tell me this isn't my kid! And am I starting to REALLY look like my Momma, or what?

From my distress I called upon the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me in a large place. The LORD is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me? Psalm 118:5-6

Well, my friends, we are finally back from Kiev. It was actually a pretty fun trip, though we missed Marc, of course, who was off in Odessa. We did receive our new visas (hallelujah!), and that means our situation here in Russia should be pretty stable, at least for a while. If so, that would really be the first time since we got here that we felt there was a pretty good chance we would be able to stay in Russia for the full length of our first term. What a blessing that is!

Our friends, the Roberts, are here with us before we all leave for our Annual General Meeting (AGM) tomorrow. We have enjoyed our time with them immensely. They are the best kind of houseguests--funny and low-maintenance. I had my first day of work yesterday, and they bought Papa John's pizza for dinner last night so I didn't have to cook. Praise God for good friends! It's fun to just sit around and gab, compare our very different experiences here in Russia (they are all the way over on the Comchakta Peninsula, which is the Far East part of Russia...near Alaska), and laugh at the silly mistakes we've made and the funny things that happen when you submerge yourself in a new culture.

While our situation seems to be stabilizing, we do have an urgent prayer request. Hinkson Christian Academy, where I teach and the kids attend school, has been working for well over a year to obtain a Russian education license. The government has been...let's just say difficult and leave it at that. Yesterday, we received notification from the school that they've received notice from the Prosecutor's office that they have something like two weeks to get the license or close. Hinkson has been a lifesaver for us and for thousands of missionary families in Moscow since 1991. It is an absolutely impossible task to get that license in two weeks. It is a God-and-God-only-sized task. Would you join us in earnestly approaching God about this? There are people all over the world who will be praying for the next two weeks. Would you join us? These are tremendous folks, the teachers and staff at Hinkson. Completely dedicated to God, committed to Christ, and servants of those who have come here to serve. We walk in faith, but we are well aware of the enormity of the request.

Well, I must run. It's time to start the hour to work. (Our registration is not in, yet, so no driving for us for the next 2-3 weeks.) I'm glad to be home in Moscow, and I'm glad to be able to share some of our Kiev trip with you. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are joining us in fervent prayer for our school, and that it is warmer than 46 degrees outside your house. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye