It's Amazing What You Can Pack into 30 Days!

Dear Loved Ones,

We are overwhelmed by God's grace, His hand of protection, and steadfast love for us. We have so enjoyed the past 4 weeks and look forward to what He will do in the next 8 weeks!

We are attaching some pictures of recent activities that will give you a brief glimpse of great times with those we hold so dear...

Tom and Andrei went to Tarzhok for a weekend to help a local evangelical church with a work project. Some of the older students that have graduated from the orphanage in Bezhetsk were there to help out also. It was fun to see them and we were encouraged to see that they are attending church and growing in their personal relationship with the Lord.

We were able to attend 'Last Bell' (the last day of school) at the facility that was formerly the

Moscow Training Center. Though it is a military cadet academy now, there were a few familiar faces with some staff members as well as students. It was a bittersweet experience, as Sarah puts it, to walk down memory lane. It was a joy and honor to be invited by Egor L. who has for 11 years been like a son to us. Please pray for the Lord's hand to guide him as he seeks to find a university to attend in the fall.

We are planning a reunion, reaching out to any former students, staff, or friends from the Training Center. Please pray for good weather (rain is forecasted) and a good time of fellowship as we gather. We are planning to meet at a local park this Saturday. Our desire is to encourage each one according to their need and simply share the love of Jesus.

Tom had the blessing of teaching a group of about 20 young leaders that will be working at the summer camp in Elna next month. His message encouraged them to allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through them to effectively share the love of Christ with the children. It was a good group. Many who attended the camp in years past are now grown up and investing in other children's lives as was done for them.

Andrei and one of our pastor's sons, Ilya, sang a beautiful duet in church on Sunday. It was a blessing to hear them sing of the joy that comes from fellowship with the Lord.

Sarah has been busy helping to pack and repack, distribute, and serve wherever needed. She has such a heart to reach out to her many friends here. She is constantly on the phone planning, encouraging, and seeking ways to help. I grabbed the shot of her on the phone one day while taking a break to admire God's beauty all around us in our yard. Our phone coverage is poor, at best, so she can often be seen 'out the window' trying to catch or keep a signal! From haircuts, to cooking, to planning, and to reaching out, she has a full schedule, to say the least!

We recently made a quick trip to Elna to meet with Pastor Sava and his family. They are looking forward to the upcoming camp. We are planning to help them set up and prepare for around 100 children at the end of June. They have recently sold their apartment to buy a house that is large enough for their family as well as orphaned children. It is a dilapidated structure and in great need of renovating. It has incredible potential and we are encouraged by the desire to deny their own comfort in order to minister to the fatherless. We are trusting the Lord to provide us with the time and energy to help them start working on the building as soon as they get all their documents together. Please pray for the Lord's will to be done and for them to have favor in the eyes of the officials.

Last but not least, we are in awe of God's beauty all around us. It is with amazement that we study His handiwork and we are in awe when we realize how vast His love is for us, how tender His mercies are toward us, and how small we are in comparison to Him.. If you haven't seen it already, the dvd by Louie Gigilo, "Indescribable" is a phenomenal reminder of how great is our God.

We are so very grateful for His love and care for us shown through so many of you. We trust He will bless you with His presence, His provision, and His peace, as you seek and serve Him there in your mission field. May the Lord bless and keep each one.