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