Saying farewell

A statue of Karl Marx overlooks a block of the center of Moscow. His philosophy formed the basis of communism, which had and continues to have a profound impact on the people of Russia.
General Zubkov's statue outside the entrance to Red Square. He is trampling a Nazi flag beneath his horse. Russians are extremely proud (and rightly so) of their involvement in defeating the Nazi forces.
Probably our city's most famous landmark--St. Basil's cathedral on Red Square. It is said that Ivan the Terrible had the architect's eyes gauged out so that he could never create anything to rival the beauty of St. Basil's.

Blessed be the LORD, for He has made marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged city. Psalm 31:21

You're the God of this city

You're the King of these people

You're the Lord of this nation

You are

You're the Light in this darkness

You're the Hope to the hopeless

You're the Peace to the restless

You are

"God of this city"

While it is only Tuesday and we don't leave until Monday morning, today is likely the last chance I will have to write before our big move to Prague. The apartment is mostly empty. Our belongings are on a truck between Moscow and Prague. We are taking care of last minute things, spending time with friends, and saying our final farewells. This morning, I have spent some time reflecting on what God has done in the last two years as we have lived in this massive city--Europe's largest, and the third largest in the world. The latest calculation I've seen puts the population of Moscow at 15.1 million people. Eleven million people ride the Moscow Metro each day, including the five members of the Hooks clan. So what has God been doing as we have lived in this large place, as David says earlier in Psalm 31? More than I could have imagined two years ago.

• He has grown me out of my comfort zone. It was extremely difficult for me to live in a place where nothing anyone said to me for the first six months made any sense whatsoever. I was accustomed to being a smart person. Suddenly, I had trouble communicating with small children, who had a much broader vocabulary in Russian than I did. My first reaction was complete frustration. But it was clear that God had called us here, so I just kept plugging along at the language. I still am not nearly where I want to be with Russian, and Marc is way, way more advanced than I, but God has definitely used this time to grow me out of the idea that I had to rely on my own "smartness" to get by. Now I know--I have only to rely on Him.
• He has taught me to pray constantly. I literally have an ongoing conversation with God all day long. I could not possibly have survived the first year on the field without a true sense of His constant presence. I have learned that nothing is too small to bring to Him.
• He has made me understand that He doesn't need me to do anything but be obedient, even when it doesn't make sense. When I came here, I genuinely wanted to offer God all of my skills to use as He saw fit. I believed my God-given abilities would certainly be useful to Him. But I have spent the last two years feeling like a failure because I couldn't seem to accomplish anything for God. What I have come to understand is that it isn't about what I can do for Him, but what He can do through me if I just respond in obedience to Him. That means saying yes even when I don't want to or when it doesn't make logical sense to me. No matter what--yes, Lord.
• He has taught me that home is wherever the family is. It was a shock to me the first time I called Moscow "home." But it's where we all are, and so it's home. There are certainly people I miss in the States, and I'd give my right arm some days for a Chik-fil-a sandwich, but home is where Marc and the kids are. And for now, they're in Europe. So Europe is home.
• He has given me a heart for this city and these people. Never in a million years could I love Moscow and its people without fully relying on God. I am not a city person. My Russian is not terrible but not great, either. The culture here is 100% different from my native culture. Yet when I think about leaving on Monday, it's hard. Not because I don't love Prague and all its beauty, but because my heart breaks at leaving Russia. My heart remains here. I will find ministry in Prague, because that's in my nature. But I am praying already for Russian-speaking folks to be involved with in ministry. That, my friends, is completely and totally a God thing.

Goodbyes are never easy, and I seem to have done nothing but say goodbye the last couple of years. But in the midst of this goodbye, I can honestly say that wherever I look, I see the fingerprints of God's lovingkindness to me in this besieged city. I am thankful for a God who remains faithful, compassionate and merciful no matter what city I am living in, or in what part of the world. I am also grateful that He loves this city and these people more than I can fathom, and that His heart remains steadfast in His desire that they would each come to know Him personally. That will continue to be my prayer for Moscow, even as I say, "Dos vedonya." Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you have a heart for whatever city God has put you in for this moment, and that you are having dinner with some of your favorite people tonight, too. Blessings to you and yours!

His,

Kellye