Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

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A Quick Update...from not so far!

Our last evening in Moscow was spent at Red Square with loved ones!















Greetings from a little closer... at least for those of you in the US! Our last few weeks in Russia went by in a flash! With packing, preparing our dacha for our lengthy furlough, seeing as many people as possible in Moscow and beyond, the time was gone before we knew it. We were blessed to be able to make a day trip back to the orphanage in Bezhetsk a week before we flew out. The children were disappointed that we had only come for the day, however, all-in-all, it was well worth the trip to give hugs and share the Lord's love with them one more time! We also had the joy of having 15 of our young friends over for a final gathering at our place. We had a cookout and a time of fellowship as we shared with them our love but most importantly, God's faithfulness to and love for them.

A friend from church took us to the airport in Moscow and on the way there we picked up Egor L. and Galya. When we arrived there, we were surprised to find Arseni and another group of friends there to send us off! What an encouragement and blessing it was for us. We felt the Lord had opened the flood gates and poured out His love for us through them. Though it made our goodbyes more difficult, we were grateful to see each and every one of them! Eight months will be a long time to be away, but we are trusting the Lord to fill the gap and meet each one at their point of need in our absence.

Some dear friends, including a Russian, picked us up from the airport in Atlanta and then John-David surprised us by meeting us as soon as we arrived at another friend's home in Gainesville! We are now at Roz's dad's resting and visiting on the east coast of SC for a few more days before heading to the Charlotte area. Since we have been back in the US, we have been able to get caught up on some much needed rest. We think, though we may be mistaken, that we are almost over jet lag!

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for Tom's leg. It is doing great and we are so thankful that medical attention was not necessary. We are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made... There was a brother in our church in Moscow that saw Tom limping during our last Sunday there and he went and got Tom two varieties of lotion and told him to use it twice a day. We found out later that the lotion is intended for horses, however, the Lord used it to give Tom much relief.

Please read our updated prayer requests to the right. Thanks to all of you who faithfully cover us in prayer regardless of which side of the ocean we are on. Thank you, too, for those who faithfully support our family financially. Our prayer is the Lord will find us faithful to Him in all of our ways.

Bezhetsk Orphanage Camp July 5-12, 2009

Our return trip to the orphanage in Bezhetsk was a phenomenal work of God. Just two weeks prior, it looked like it would be delayed or cancelled. There were not enough leaders available to pull it all together...but that was looking through man's eyes. God's ways are higher than our ways and His timing is perfect. It was decided to move forward even though there were only a few who had ever had a leadership role in camps before. It was a motley crew for sure! We realized that it was God who called us together and God who wanted to work in and through us. Our main direction was to deny our own fleshly desires and expectations and trust the Holy Spirit to love the kids through us...and love them He did. As you look at the orphans faces, you will see a reflection of the joy in their hearts.

Each day started with a leadership Bible study, prayer, and review of the day's schedule. We then marched to the children's rooms to have some fun rousing them out of bed. The kids, especially the younger ones, loved it! Our days were full of teaching, games, crafts, singing, sports, and lots of fellowship, topped off with an abundance of the love of Christ. The last 3 days we sensed the softening of the older orphans' hearts so we set up a special meeting for both the guys and the girls. This took place after the evening big group meeting. We invited the older guys to join us if they were interested in learning more about the Bible and how to pray, etc. We honestly did not know what to expect. If they came, it would be an open statement of their interest in wanting to know more about Christ. Peer pressure can be very controlling , especially in that environment. They didn't care...they came anyway. Four guys met with me and the other male leaders and talked about faith and how to pray. That same night, the girls had a very special time of fellowship as some of the leaders shared their testimonies and some of the orphan girls shared their life stories.

The next night, after the big group meeting, we asked if the kids wanted to meet again. The answer was a resounding yes! The guys, 7 of them, went until 1am sharing their backgrounds. The stories were heartbreaking. Outwardly, most seemed callous, but we could feel their pain.

The girls met again with Roz, Katya (the camp director), and some of the other leaders. They were able to share with them about God's desire for their lives and the lasting consequences for wrong choices. They shared about how God is the Father to the fatherless and that He has a perfect plan for each of them.

It proved to be a profitable time of fellowship for both groups. Two of the young men repented the next day and trusted their lives to Christ. There were also several of the young ladies whose hearts were softened toward the things of the Lord where they had been rebellious and non-interested at the beginning of the week.

The message that was filtered throughout everything we did was faith~Faith in Christ instead of self or man.

We praise God for His power, the power of His Word, and the power of His love. He is in control and working all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose!

The song that is playing during the slideshow is one of the children's favorites. Tom would take them for rides in the van and they would ask to hear this song over and over. It speaks of loving Jesus and being grateful for all He has done.

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

A Special 4th of July Picnic!

Andrei and Tom went outside of Moscow with a group from Golgotha Church to fulfill the birthday wishes of a man living in a home for the handicapped. His wish was simple, but for him, to have that wish granted was a dream come true.

As we arrived at the facility, we found an old dilapidated building with a big group of guys walking around a fenced pen...not a very good first impression...Tatiana went to pick up the birthday man, Sasha, and his best friend, Serozha. Both men, 33 years old, are wheel-chair bound but full of joy. They were excited about riding in the van as we headed for Sasha's big birthday celebration~a picnic near the lake. What a glorious day it was! It was supposed to rain and be a bit chilly, but God stumped the forecasters and blessed us with beautiful weather. We built a fire, went for a stroll in the forest, sang hymns to them, and had a Bible lesson. We shared with them that just like Andrei, they were created by God and perfect in His eyes, as He makes no mistakes! We then got down to real business and enjoyed a great picnic lunch prepared by Tatiana and her sister, Ira. Jenya, Ira's husband and their son, Jenya, made sure we had plenty of wood for the fire and a place to heat up the meat. Both Sasha and Serozha were blessed and grateful, as were we, for the time God gave us together.

Our trip to El'na (Yelna)

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Our Visa Trip to Ukraine!

Thanks to everyone who faithfully prayed for us and provided financially during our visa renewal process! We had a wonderful time visiting with our friends, the Hunsuckers, while waiting for our applications to be processed! Though the slideshow is lengthy, we couldn't leave out any of these! Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

A Time to Rejoice~

We are happy to attach a slideshow of Andrei's recent baptism. He repented several years ago but was not willing to face his fear of water (from his years in the orphanage) to be baptized. In the Lord's perfect time, Andrei faced his fear, walked out in the very cold water with boldness and had victory as he followed the Lord Jesus' example in Believer's baptism. We are rejoicing with him in this and believe the Lord will build Andrei's faith as a result of giving this fear to Him!
The recorded choir song is with Andrei and the Golgotha choir singing in church the day after his baptism...It's one of his favorites and is about God's forgiveness.

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Giving Thanks!

Praise the Lord, He has once again allowed us to receive visas to stay in Russia  (at least until August 30th)!  We had a wonderful trip to Ukraine, visiting with friends while waiting for the paperwork to be processed.  We are so grateful for all of you who have prayed for us during this holding time.  

We have some wonderful pictures to put in a slideshow that we hope to post sometime this week.

Until then, know that we are back in Russia with grateful hearts!

Rejoice With Us!

     

        

  
          

          

         

      

             

      

 Thank you for praying for us to receive our visa  letter of invitation prior to our departure tomorrow!  We received word that it is ready and will be picked up today!  We are grateful for each one of you who prayed!  For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers (1 Peter 3:12a)

We will leave tomorrow afternoon and be traveling two nights on the train.  Please pray as we get to the Embassy in Kiev, we will have favor in the officials' eyes and they will grant us new visas.  Though this visa will only be valid for 90 days, Lord willing, we will be able to get a one year visa on our next visa trip in August.

We have more pictures from our last trip to Bezhetsk for your enjoyment and encouragement.  May the Lord bless each of you whom He works through to allow us to do His work here.  We are grateful for your prayers and faithful support.  May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!  

We love you and praise the Lord for you!