In front of the Pushkin statue on Old Arbat in Moscow. We don't study Pushkin much in the States, but Russians consider him one of their greatest writers. When people discover that I am a literature teacher, they always ask, "And do you know our Pushkin?" I do, now. :)
Kids in the Metro. Unless you've been there, you cannot appreciate how far underground the metro actually is. If I thought about it much, it would probably make me uneasy. I don't think about it.
This is for Hannah. It's a Russian pun--The words at the top (Kartofel Free) are referring to the Potatoheads running free in the picture, but it's also how you say french fries. Get it? Get it? Okay, maybe it's only funny in Russian.So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. Colossians 3 The Message
I am enjoying a second cup of coffee and some quiet while the kids are still asleep upstairs. Marc is traveling in Russia on another Engage Russia trip, and Hannah and John and I are here in Czech Republic. I have to admit to you that in the summer, when it is light outside until nearly midnight, I'm not very good at getting my kids to bed at any kind of decent hour, and I let them sleep late. It's not as bad in Czech Republic as Russia, but it's still pretty light outside late at night. Last night we stayed up late playing Phase Ten and laughing at each other. It was the first time John played our family's favorite card game, and he did pretty well. It will be fun for all of us to be able to play when we're back together.
Our time in Russia was unbelievably wonderful. We loved hearing a language we could understand and speak. We loved being with friends, both in Moscow and from all over the Russian-speaking world as our cluster had its general meeting. We loved the time to sing in English, the time to learn from a great speaker, the time to share stories of God working in ways we couldn't have imagined if we had tried. We loved being...home.
Have you ever gone on a wonderful trip to a beautiful place, but sighed in relief when you came around the corner and saw your own house, sitting there waiting for you to return? That's how coming back to Russia was for us. The Czech Republic is a beautiful place. The people are wonderful, kind, generous, and very forgiving of my lack of facility with their language. We live in a great house in a city we love. But this is not home. Russia is home. We are looking forward to going to the States for a year and seeing people we love and miss. But Russia is home. Everywhere we went, God confirmed that for us. Four hours of Russian with our language teacher left our brains complete mush, but left our hearts encouraged and filled. Time with our friend, Sergei, when we gave him a book and a copy of the Jesus film as a birthday gift, left us filled with gratitude for this Chuvash man God put in our hearts six months before our work with the Chuvash began. Time with our American friends left us encouraged and edified. Watching Hannah, who struggled so hard for so long to be in Russia, speak Russian and be so content and comfortable there left us amazed at a God who loves our children so much more than we can even comprehend. You get the idea...God showed us so many ways in which He is and has been at work in our lives.
As we made our way around the city doing various things, it was clear to me that God had given us this time to reconfirm in our hearts our commitment and love for Russia. Everywhere we went, it seemed, Marc had a "guy." A matroyshka guy at the souvenir park, a shashlik (Russian barbecue) guy, our favorite waitress at TGIFriday's. We didn't make it to the southern end of the orange line to see our fruit ladies (they sold us fruit on our nightly walks and became our friends), but to see the look in the faces of people as they recognized us, were glad to see us...what a sweet gift from the Lord. To see Hannah and our language teacher, Irina, arm in arm chatting with one another, to watch Irina's face as John ran to her...precious to us. Even down to the Russian language, which I feared I had completely lost while in the Czech Republic, God found ways to encourage us. I bought a couple of t-shirts for Hannah, and the lady who sold them to me asked me why I spoke such good Russian. Now, let me make it clear that I speak terrible Russian, but just being understood is enough to encourage me. And somehow, God had used my time in Czech Republic to strengthen my Russian. If you can figure that out, more power to you, because I can't. But I'm oh, so grateful.
And so, in all things, we give thanks. We give thanks for wonderful friends, for music and teaching and preaching, for movements of God across the Russian-speaking peoples. We give thanks for things we don't understand, for decisions we must make, for friends who praise God in the midst of difficulty. We give thanks for our children's friendships, for people to miss while we are gone, for new friendships we will cultivate when we return. We give thanks for some difficulties at passport control in Moscow, for the ticket counter lady who was suspicious of our passports and visas (and for enough Russian to understand her), for the people on the bus who would not help with our bags, for a long trip back home without Daddy. We give thanks for our time left in Plzen, for our relationships here, for the chance to teach three more Bible lessons at Bible study, for our relationships at church. And we give thanks that in 32 days we will be on American soil, for time with our parents, for our church who is providing a place for us to live, for time with Sarah Beth before we take her to college. Even in the hard, even in the bittersweet, in all things, we give thanks.
And now, it's time to get to work. So many things to sort through, so many things to give away, so many decisions about what to take home. Our clothes are so pitiful that very little will make it into a suitcase headed to America--we will definitely be the ragamuffin family when we get off the plane! We took our very best to Russia, and even that isn't in great shape. But it's okay, because clothes are just clothes. Things are just things. The important things we are bringing back to America are intangibles--memories, relationships, time with God...those things pack pretty light. :) Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you know where home really is, and that you are going to beat your 13 and 9-year-old in Phase 10 today, too. Blessings to you and yours!
His,
Kellye
I am enjoying a second cup of coffee and some quiet while the kids are still asleep upstairs. Marc is traveling in Russia on another Engage Russia trip, and Hannah and John and I are here in Czech Republic. I have to admit to you that in the summer, when it is light outside until nearly midnight, I'm not very good at getting my kids to bed at any kind of decent hour, and I let them sleep late. It's not as bad in Czech Republic as Russia, but it's still pretty light outside late at night. Last night we stayed up late playing Phase Ten and laughing at each other. It was the first time John played our family's favorite card game, and he did pretty well. It will be fun for all of us to be able to play when we're back together.
Our time in Russia was unbelievably wonderful. We loved hearing a language we could understand and speak. We loved being with friends, both in Moscow and from all over the Russian-speaking world as our cluster had its general meeting. We loved the time to sing in English, the time to learn from a great speaker, the time to share stories of God working in ways we couldn't have imagined if we had tried. We loved being...home.
Have you ever gone on a wonderful trip to a beautiful place, but sighed in relief when you came around the corner and saw your own house, sitting there waiting for you to return? That's how coming back to Russia was for us. The Czech Republic is a beautiful place. The people are wonderful, kind, generous, and very forgiving of my lack of facility with their language. We live in a great house in a city we love. But this is not home. Russia is home. We are looking forward to going to the States for a year and seeing people we love and miss. But Russia is home. Everywhere we went, God confirmed that for us. Four hours of Russian with our language teacher left our brains complete mush, but left our hearts encouraged and filled. Time with our friend, Sergei, when we gave him a book and a copy of the Jesus film as a birthday gift, left us filled with gratitude for this Chuvash man God put in our hearts six months before our work with the Chuvash began. Time with our American friends left us encouraged and edified. Watching Hannah, who struggled so hard for so long to be in Russia, speak Russian and be so content and comfortable there left us amazed at a God who loves our children so much more than we can even comprehend. You get the idea...God showed us so many ways in which He is and has been at work in our lives.
As we made our way around the city doing various things, it was clear to me that God had given us this time to reconfirm in our hearts our commitment and love for Russia. Everywhere we went, it seemed, Marc had a "guy." A matroyshka guy at the souvenir park, a shashlik (Russian barbecue) guy, our favorite waitress at TGIFriday's. We didn't make it to the southern end of the orange line to see our fruit ladies (they sold us fruit on our nightly walks and became our friends), but to see the look in the faces of people as they recognized us, were glad to see us...what a sweet gift from the Lord. To see Hannah and our language teacher, Irina, arm in arm chatting with one another, to watch Irina's face as John ran to her...precious to us. Even down to the Russian language, which I feared I had completely lost while in the Czech Republic, God found ways to encourage us. I bought a couple of t-shirts for Hannah, and the lady who sold them to me asked me why I spoke such good Russian. Now, let me make it clear that I speak terrible Russian, but just being understood is enough to encourage me. And somehow, God had used my time in Czech Republic to strengthen my Russian. If you can figure that out, more power to you, because I can't. But I'm oh, so grateful.
And so, in all things, we give thanks. We give thanks for wonderful friends, for music and teaching and preaching, for movements of God across the Russian-speaking peoples. We give thanks for things we don't understand, for decisions we must make, for friends who praise God in the midst of difficulty. We give thanks for our children's friendships, for people to miss while we are gone, for new friendships we will cultivate when we return. We give thanks for some difficulties at passport control in Moscow, for the ticket counter lady who was suspicious of our passports and visas (and for enough Russian to understand her), for the people on the bus who would not help with our bags, for a long trip back home without Daddy. We give thanks for our time left in Plzen, for our relationships here, for the chance to teach three more Bible lessons at Bible study, for our relationships at church. And we give thanks that in 32 days we will be on American soil, for time with our parents, for our church who is providing a place for us to live, for time with Sarah Beth before we take her to college. Even in the hard, even in the bittersweet, in all things, we give thanks.
And now, it's time to get to work. So many things to sort through, so many things to give away, so many decisions about what to take home. Our clothes are so pitiful that very little will make it into a suitcase headed to America--we will definitely be the ragamuffin family when we get off the plane! We took our very best to Russia, and even that isn't in great shape. But it's okay, because clothes are just clothes. Things are just things. The important things we are bringing back to America are intangibles--memories, relationships, time with God...those things pack pretty light. :) Wherever you are in the world, I pray that you know where home really is, and that you are going to beat your 13 and 9-year-old in Phase 10 today, too. Blessings to you and yours!
His,
Kellye
