John John is eight--YIKES!

John John and his friends check out his new video games he received for his birthday.
John John unwrapping the soccer ball his friend, Jae Hun, gave him for his birthday. He is definitely turning into a European kid--he adores soccer (football) and dribbles a ball around the apartment any chance he gets.

O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. Jeremiah 10:23

We have today off--it's the holiday for International Women's Day, which was yesterday--so I am enjoying a second cup of coffee (can you imagine the joy and happiness flavored fat free creamer brings? I don't think you can) while I watch it pour snow. I tried to take a picture of the snow, but I couldn't. I always like for my Florida friends to see why they MUST stop complaining when the temperature drops to 65.

Saturday was John John's birthday party, and today is his birthday. How nice that we had a school holiday on his birthday! He had a great party, with friends and pizza and video games and toys and ice cream sundaes. Today, he will open the rest of his presents, and we will spend the day together, just enjoying each other's company. I am thoroughly looking forward to it.

Not a bunch to report here. Changes in our lives continue to develop and come fast and furious. We are leaving Russia in April for a visa trip to Prague. Marc will be working on a project for the company while we wait on our visas to arrive from the States. We are, of course, losing our work permits, since we won't be living here. But Marc will continue to maintain a Russian visa which will allow him to move in and out of the country with ease while he continues to work for the cluster of Russian-speakers. (We are learning all the new names for things under the company's reorganization. It's starting to give me a little bit of a headache.) The kids and I will have three-month visas, allowing us to finish school at Hinkson. I have to be honest--we are looking forward to our time in Prague for visa renewal. We need a break from the heaviness of Moscow. After we come back, there will be lots of things going on, making the time fly by, but right now, we really need a break from this place. If you haven't been here, I don't think I can explain it. It isn't just the physical harshness of the place--the cold, the snow, the ice, the hour plus to church in the freezing rain yesterday--it's the emotional and spiritual darkness that can, if we're not careful, become really overwhelming for us. It is absolutely the enemy's most useful tool against us--the darkness of the city. It is a constant struggle, and one we cannot win on our own. But I was reminded in my quiet time this morning--the battle isn't ours to fight. It's His. And He doesn't just half-win any battle. He wins it all the way. And so, for right now, we are praying that our great Defender will give us the strength to be silent while He fights this one for us.

Well, the birthday boy is asking for his birthday pancakes, so I'd better run. I have spent some time thanking God for the blessing that our John John is to us. I cannot imagine our lives without him. They would likely be quieter, but not nearly as interesting. Who else would make everyone on the marshrutka giggle by wishing them all "Dos Vedanya" when he gets out at our stop? Who else would charm the collective babushki of Moscow? He is definitely a gift to us. He has a birthday "twink" in our family--my nephew, Daniel, who visited us in December. And his brothers, Ben and Matt, had a birthday two days ago. So happy birthday to the collective birthday boys--John John, Ben, Matt, and Daniel--who have given our family so many years of adventure and happiness and fun. I love each of you so much, and I am proud of the men you are becoming. Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you are allowing the God of Everything to fight your battles for you, and that it is NOT pouring snow on you (except for my beloved Tara, who could use some relief from the Amazonian heat)! Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye