McSwain's Minutes

English Club Thanksgiving Dinner - Jeremy's group

2012-02-04T09:50:00.001-08:00

We invited over my English group from the English Club for a Thanksgiving Dinner. We had a great time of fellowship, food, and fun. Some of our American friends gave a testimony about Thanksgiving. Building relationships with Russian is key to sharing the Gospel with them.

Decorating the Christmas Tree

2012-02-04T09:46:00.001-08:00

It is our family tradition to decorate the Christmas tree on Thanksgiving Day! The kids had a great time getting out all the ornaments to put on the tree!

English Club Thanksgiving Party

2012-02-04T09:39:00.000-08:00

We had a GREAT Thaksgiving Party with our English Club participants the night before Thanksgiving. There were MANY non-believers who heard a very clear Gospel presentation as we talked about the things we should be thankful for. Continue praying for these participants to be more interested in spiritual things. Pray that God would draw them closer to Him and work in their hearts.

Patiently waiting for the party to start.

Fellowship and preparing the food.

Setting the program for the night.

Group games.

Group skits.

Songs of Thanksgiving!

More groups skits.

Cell Group Training

2012-02-04T09:33:00.001-08:00

Also, in November, we began our cell group training with the potential leaders within our church congregation! We have had 4 groups, consisting of potential leaders, meeting weekly since this time. Please pray for us as we finish up our training this month and as the new leaders begin their groups in March. Cell groups are key to reaching the millions of people who live in Moscow.

Basketball Season

2012-02-04T09:27:00.000-08:00

Towards the end of November, basketball season began at the Anglo-American school every Saturday. Both of our kids love basketball so we make the trek clear across Moscow each weekend to watch them play. Here are some pictures of the first day.

Elvira - Deana's Russian Coach

2012-02-04T09:21:00.001-08:00

This is Elvira, Deana's language tutor for over 2 years. I also studied with her a couple of different times. We took them out to Starlite Diner as a "thank you"and "farewell" time in November. She moved away from working with us and started working with some of our new colleagues here in Moscow. This was the first time we met her husband, Rudolph. Pray for her salvation!

NOVEMBER LADIES MEETING

2012-02-04T09:12:00.000-08:00

These are pictures from Deana's November meeting with the ladies from church and English Club. They always have something GOOD to eat. Sometimes they make it together. They always have a great spiritual discussion on some pressing issue in today's life in Moscow. Please pray for the group that will meet next Saturday, February 11th, at 11:00am. Pray that many ladies would be interested and willing to attend.

VISA TRIP TO SPAIN

2011-11-22T01:40:00.001-08:00

In October, we went to Madrid on a visa run. We needed to get new documents from the Russian Consulate there that allow us to live here in Moscow. Of course, we took advantage of our time there as we waited on these documents to be prepared. Below, you will see some of the fun things we were able to see and do.

Ella in the airport in Moscow waiting on our flight to go. I guess she needed a double dose!

The apartment that we stayed in was very close to the river and the riverwalk in Madrid. All along this river, they had these neat rope courses and play attractions for kids. It was very well done and well kept. My kids loved them and begged to go every day.

The view from the river, up towards the castle.

We walked LOTS and LOTS around the ciy. The kids looked for every opportunity to sit and rest!

This picture is outside our apartment building.

Kellan loved the rope courses along the riverwalk.

Beautiful Architecture in Madrid

Ella taking a break. We are almost back to the apartment.

We had a chance to visit an amusement park in Madrid. It was the kid's favorite day. Ella loved all of the Halloween decorations. She wanted her picture made in the coffin. As the sun was setting and the scary characters started being real people walking around among us, she changed her tune and we had to leave the park altogether.

Kellan is a rubic's cube fanatic. He has a gazillion different kinds and has one everywhere he goes.

Kellan and Ella are growing up way too fast!

A rare moment of affection!

Beautiful city.

Friends and colleagues who we met up with while there. Our trips overlapped by one day!

We are thankful to have had the opportunity to go to Madrid. It is a beautiful place. We all enjoyed the sunshine and the warm temperatures. One the 2nd day we were there, while we were walking along the river, Ella looked up at me and said, "Daddy, why didn't God tell us to live in this warm place?" As we face the long, dark, cold, winter, I am asking Him the same question!

Georgia Baptist Volunteers

2011-11-14T02:44:00.000-08:00

The Moscow Team is glad to have a partnership right now with the Georgia Baptist Convention. A vision team came to Moscow at the end of September to seek out ways they could partner here in Moscow. During their trip, they were able to help out in my English Club, which meets on Wednesday night. Here you see them interacting in small groups. They LOVE it when native speakers are present for our lessons. Most of them are non-believers. What a great opportunity for sharing the Gospel. Maybe you should think about coming and serving along with us here in Moscow???

DINNER WITH CHURCH FRIENDS

2011-11-14T02:33:00.000-08:00

From time to time, we try to fellowship and interact with our fellow church members at Reconciliation so we can know and understand them better as we seek to serve together. These are pictures of one of our families that we have been able to fellowship with twice in the last month.

SEPTEMBER FIELD TRIP TO THE APPLE ORCHARD

2011-11-14T02:27:00.000-08:00

These are pictures from Ella's class trip to a nearby park in Moscow where there are lots of apple trees. We are thankful for Ella's teacher, friends, and school. She loves it!

LAST DAYS OF SUMMER IN AMERICA

2011-11-09T23:46:00.000-08:00

These pictures are from August! Some day I might get caught up and post present day pictures. Thanks to everyone who made the kid's time in America LOTS OF FUN!

You certainly don't see riding mowers in Moscow. They use weed eaters to cut even huge fields.

Enjoying time outside!

I LOVE summer dresses!

Cousins

Ella and Marissa

She wants to be a rock star!

Ella turned 6 on August 8th.

Presents to take back to Moscow.

More presents. We have to have our bags in Moscow to carry things around!

Birthday trip to Carowinds.

Enjoying Cousin time!

All the Cousins on mommy's side of the family!

Pre-Camp Fun!

2011-09-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

After returning from camp, I had 1 week to prepare for camp. 3 days before camp volunteers from different parts of the states and from England began arriving in Moscow and we hosted some in our apartment and showed them around the city. You can see Vitaly, above, overcome with jet lag after arriving in Moscow. We praise God for all of the volunteers who came and participated in our English Camp.

The Sunday before camp, the poor people had to listen to me preach.

Elvira - a GREAT interpreter!

At lunch at Moo Moo's. A Russian cafeteria type restaurant. Deana with their mascot! We took volunteers to lunch there and for a walk along Arbat Street after church.

Our newest American fast food chain. 2 have opened in Moscow.

My favorite metro stop in Moscow - Mayakovskaya

We took a boat tour with volunteers from America and England. This is a statue of Peter the Great.

Christ the Savior Cathedral from the boat.

TURKEY

2011-09-04T08:24:00.001-07:00

We were really thankful to be able to travel to Turkey for a meeting with our colleagues from Russia. We had a great time of worship, study, and fellowship together. These first few pictures are of our hotel during that 5 day meeting.

Nice relaxing atmosphere! - We're not in Moscow anymore!

View of the hotel from the pool and sea area.

After our meeting with colleagues, we needed to wait on new documents to be allowed to return to Moscow for the next 3 months. We waited in Istanbul for almost a week to receive these documents. Of course, we made the most of our time there and had a great time with other colleagues who were waiting with us. The next pictures are of our time in Istanbul.

Mosques are everywhere.

We need to cross the strait most days on a water taxi. It was really beautiful.

Colleagues and Friends.

Inside the market! Lots of opportunities for shopping.

A treat that we dont have in Moscow. I actually hate doughnuts, but ate one just because I could have it. The others really enjoyed visiting this place several times.

On the water taxi.

This is our last night, I think. We received our documents and were able to return home to Moscow on July 7th. We had a great time. Istanbul is a great place. Hopefully, we will make it back there sometime. You should go and check it out for yourself!!!

Summer Wedding

2011-08-30T09:34:00.001-07:00

Kellan, Ella, and I were very blessed to be able to travel home in June to attend Matthew and Jessica's wedding. For those of you who don't know them, Matthew is my nephew! It was a great time to see lots of family and friends! The wedding was beautiful and the kids and I enjoyed being there.

Ella's favorite part of the wedding was dressing up, getting her hair fixed, buying "clompy" shoes with little heels, and dancing!

Patiently waiting before the wedding with Grandma!

Kellan and Ella with another nephew - Michael!

My family after the wedding!

Kellan and Ella attempting to dance!

Family pictures before the wedding! I liked this one!

Picture with my niece - Ann!

Dancing with the groom after the wedding!

The kids were able to stay in America when I came back to Moscow. We thank all of our family and friends who helped them have a GREAT summer there doing lots of different things! It was a summer they will not soon forget!

End of Year English Club Party

2011-08-21T09:09:00.001-07:00

Our first baseball/kickball event went so well at the beginning of May that our English Club students decided that they wanted to do it again for the End of Year Party. We met in a different park and had another great day playing baseball and kickball, talking and getting to know each other better, and of course - eating!

Kellan had to participate in the baseball part!

Of course, Ella did too!

Explaining the rules of the game!

Soaking up the sun!

Lots of snacks to share!

Taking a break in the heat! We are not used to heat in May! It drains us!

Enjoying each other's fellowship and relaxing!

Learning to "Country" dance to "Cotton-Eyed Joe."

Dancing!

We decided to give prizes for different catergories to students who participated in our English Club! The prizes were - VIP seats at church, dinner at our home, a trip to the movies with another American, Derrick, and an outing to Starbucks! This ended up being a wonderful thing for building relationships with the students. A middle-aged atheist man actually made use of his VIP seat in church one Sunday and sat on the front row of our church service. We had a great dinner in our home and our pastor was able to share at length with the other students there. The movie and Starbuck's outings were also a hit! Our English Club just started a new year 2 weeks ago. Continue praying for this ministry. This is a GREAT way for us to meet many non-believers in Moscow who are wanting to improve their English skills!

Ella and Derrick - An American college student who studied Russian here for a semester. We miss him terribly! He is now back home in America!

Kellan's 5th Grade Promotion

2011-08-21T08:56:00.000-07:00

Mr. Hays welcoming everyone to 5th Grade Promotion!

I can't believe Kellan started 6th grade last week!

Kellan listening to Mr. Hays' well wishes for every student.

5th graders!

Class Picture. Kellan is peeking over everyone in the back!

Proud Mom!

I cannot come up with words that describe what a wonderful teacher Kellan had in 5th grade. Mr. Hays was very influential in Kellan's life academically, but more imporantly he was a HUGE influence spiritually. We will forever be grateful to Mr. Hays for all of the time and energy he put into his 5th grade class this year.

Ella's Kindergarten Graduation - May 2011

2011-08-21T08:45:00.000-07:00

Ella before her graduation from Kindergarten!

In her cap and gown!

Cute Cake!

We love Mrs. Afanasenko!

All of the Kindergarteners!

The proud brother!

Ready to dig in!

Kindergarten students - Mrs. Afanasenko - K Teacher

Mrs. Graham - Elementary Principal

Silly Faces!

Ella had a GREAT year in Kindergarten at Hinkson. We praise the Lord for her teacher, her classmates, and all the friends she made during her first year there. We are looking forward to a great year this year in First Grade again with Mrs. Afanasenko! Continue praying for Ella as she grows and matures here in Moscow!

Ladies Learning to Cook

2011-08-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

Back in May, Deana started a group for ladies who were interested in learning American recipes. For those of you who know us well, know that this is definitely of the Lord. In America, we never cooked or ate at home, but Deana has learned how to cook here in Moscow and is now using those skills to create opportunities to share the Gospel. She started this group for ladies from the English Club. We decided that it would be beneficial to open this group up to ladies from our church as well so that they could come and meet these English Club ladies, get to know them, build relationships with them, and inivite them to church. These are pictures from the first meeting back in May. Continue praying for Deana as she leads this group once a month. Im sure there will be more pictures to come from this group in the future!

Ella's Class Trip to the Zoo - And 1st grade!

2011-08-15T07:12:00.000-07:00

Victory Day - May 9th

2011-08-15T07:06:00.000-07:00

Our kids on Tverskaya Street on Victory Day after the parade. This is the main street that leads away from Red Square. On Victory Day there is a huge parade. We didn't make it to the parade but enjoyed walking around and enjoying the sights afterwards!

Kellan's First 5k

2011-08-15T06:56:00.001-07:00

Kellan and his 5th grade teacher, Mr. Hays after the 5k!

Impatiently waiting for official times!

After he was finished!

Approaching the finish line.

Ella patiently waiting for the 5k to get over!

Hinkson held a 5k during the weekend anniversary celebration. Kellan decided to enter. It was his first 5k ever and first running experience ever that I know of. He did a GREAT job. He came in 2nd place in his age group in a time of just over 27 minutes. I guess he takes after his dad! :) :) :) Ha!

Joel Comiskey Visits our Church/Communion Service in May

2011-08-15T06:42:00.000-07:00

We were very blessed to have Joel Comiskey in our church back in May. He came to Moscow to do a conference on cell groups. The Sunday before our conference he was able to preach in our church. Our congregation loved having him and we praise the Lord that 2 ladies repented that day. I also praise God for the conference that he led while he was in Moscow. Following this conference, our church decided to transition to cell groups. This will be a long, hard process for our church. We begin the initial stages on September 3rd as we launch a trial "cell" group with leaders and their spouses. Please pray for this process and that this transition would go smoothly and that God would use this to further His Kingdom here in Moscow among the 17 million living here.

Our pastor and Joel Comiskey before the service.

Our worship team!

Preparing for The Lord's Supper!

Baseball Day in May

2011-08-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

Back in May we had 2 volunteers here in Moscow for a couple of days from South Carolina. They were kind enough to donate a set of baseball equipment to our team to use here with different ministries. While they were here in Moscow we had an event in a park to teach our students from English Club how to play baseball and kickball. It was a FANTASTIC day. We had great weather, great fellowship, great food, and a great opportunity to share about Christ during this day. These are a few pictures from our special day. Continue praying for all of our English Club students as we attempt to build relationships with them and look for opportunities to share the Gospel with them.

20th Anniversary of Hinkson Christian Academy

2011-08-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

We are so blessed that our kids can attend Hinkson Christian Academy here in Moscow. They both LOVE their school, teachers, and friends. Hinkson has blessed our family in many ways. This past year, the school celebrated it's 20th anniversary. These are pictures of our kids enjoying the picnic celebrating that mark. Thanks to all who give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering because those gifts help our kids attend this GREAT school.

OUR KIDS AT EASTER

2011-05-31T14:35:00.001-07:00

RUSSIAN ORTHODOX EASTER

2011-05-31T14:31:00.001-07:00

I thought some of you might find these pictures interesting. On the day before Easter, here in Russia, the people go to their local Orthodox Church and wait in HUGE lines to have their Easter eggs and cakes blessed by the priest. The is the closest Orthodox Church to our apartment. You can see how many people are there and how long the line is.

MOLDOVA VISA TRIP

2011-05-31T14:24:00.000-07:00

In April, we took a visa trip to Moldova with the Courson's, who are also missionaries in Moscow to the deaf. We were there for 4 days and we praise God that we received our visas so quickly. We found out a week later that the next 2 American couples who went there for their visas were told that they would have to wait a couple of weeks to get it. We got ours in 3 hours!! Here are some pictures from our trip to Moldova.

KELLAN'S SCHOOL PROJECTS IN APRIL

2011-05-31T14:18:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures from Kellan's school projects in April. He participated in the 5th grade Science Fair and then his class held a celebration after they completed their country reports where parents, other elementary students, and teachers could come and look at the projects and taste a native food from the country their report was about. Kellan chose Nigeria because we have a friend from there and he did an excellent job. You will also see a couple of pictures of Ella when she was visiting this event.

GREESHA'S FAMILY

2011-04-17T10:44:00.000-07:00

I have asked you many times to pray for my friend, Greesha. This is a picture of his family. He is on the left, his mom in the middle, sister-in-law, and dad on the right. Remember, that his dad was baptized in January. Continue praying that all of them would come to know the Lord, personally!

Last Sunday in March

2011-04-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

I preached the last Sunday in March at our church on Psalm 90. These are some pictures of one of my illustrations. They probably think I am really lame, but it got the point across! There are some pictures at the end of the kids after church that day! By the way, I preached that same sermon, in Russian, in Rzhev the next Sunday! First time!

Kellan's Last Basketball Game

2011-04-17T10:33:00.001-07:00

Who needs a truck?? We have Lada's!!

2011-04-17T10:30:00.001-07:00

Kid's Pictures

2011-04-17T10:26:00.001-07:00

Just some random shots of the kids for those of you without facebook. These were all taken in the last few weeks! Enjoy!

MARCH - AMERICAN WEEKEND

2011-04-17T10:12:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures from our "American Weekend" with our English Club students. We had a great time! If you are a facebook user, you have already seen these! This event took place in March. We had around 55 people at our retreat. More than half of the English Club participants were non-believers. We had 4 people from Texas and missionaries from Moscow who led this event. Everyone seemed thrilled with the results! Hope you enjoy the pictures.

ELLA'S INJURY

2010-11-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

We had a little scare with Ella the last night of the conference. She came running in our room with her chin bleeding. After looking at it we decided she needed to go to the hospital. An IMB colleague drove Ella and I to a hospital in a small town about 30 minutes from where we were staying. They were so kind to us. She ended up being glued back together instead of stitches, which was a real blessing for dad! She didn't cry and even counted in Russian for the German doctor and nurse. After we finished up at the hospital and were ready to pay. The doctor just smiled and said take good care of your little girl and don't worry about paying. What a blessing that was as well! Ella wanted everyone to see her injury. A hard floor can do lots of damage!! She has handled it all very well!

PICTURES OF KIDS

2010-11-08T11:49:00.000-08:00

2 Days of Vacation

2010-11-08T11:37:00.001-08:00

We decided to stay for 2 extra days in Frankfurt. We enjoyed spending some extra time with some good friends and looking around Frankfurt and a smaller town called Rudesheim. The weather ended up not cooperating, but we made the best of it. In the pictures above you will see some of the sights that we enjoyed. Germany is a beautiful place. For all of you Americans who have never traveled outside of the country, you don't know what you are missing! I am so glad that my kids are getting these experiences in different places and spending time with some great people.

Emigrate Conference

2010-11-08T11:29:00.001-08:00

Last week we were fortunate to attend a conference in Rehe, Germany with other m's who have been on the field about the same amount of time we have. It was a good week filled with English worship, Bible study, and sessions which contributed to our work and well-being on the field. We appreciate the time and effort that was put into making this happen. It was great seeing some old friends who we have known for some time. It was also great meeting some new friends for the first time. God used this week to refresh us for the coming months!

This is a picture of the place we stayed. From what I heard while I was there, it was a former Nazi training camp.

Emigrate Conference

2010-11-08T11:29:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of the place we stayed. From what I heard while I was there, it was a former Nazi training camp.

2010-09-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

I was able to go to Rzhev this past weekend. I love this city, this church, and the pastor's family there! They always bless me incredibly. Here are some pictures of Olga's birthday party. For those of you who have been to Rzhev or met Misha in America. These ladies are his mother and grandmother. It was a pleasure to meet them and spend time with them as well.! Continue to pray for Rzhev!

TEAM FROM GEORGIA

2010-09-30T12:19:00.001-07:00

A team from North Metro Baptist Church in Atlanta was in Moscow a couple of weeks ago and kindly helped me with my English Club in our apartment one night. We had a house FULL of people and had a GREAT time! Thanks North Metro for your help! Please continue praying for this ministry and that new non-believers would begin to attend.

ELLA LOVES SPRINKLES AND BAKING

2010-09-30T12:16:00.001-07:00

CHURCH PICNIC IN THE FOREST

2010-09-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at our church picnic a few weeks back! It was a little chilly, but it was nice to escape the noise and hustle and bustle of the big city for a few hours and spend time with our church family here.

AUGUST UPDATE

2010-09-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

The kids had a great 5 weeks in America. They enjoyed seeing family and friends! These are some pictures of the first few days we were back. As you can see, there are 2 from the first day of school. Ella is now in Kindergarten and Kellan in 5th. They love their school! We are blessed to have an International Christian School they can attend.

Ella received makeup and nail-polish for her birthday while in America. As you can see, she LOVED it!

AUGUST UPDATE

2010-08-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that summer is over! Time has just flown by. I want to begin by thanking all of our family and friends who helped my kids have a very special summer in America! They are spoiled, but it was well worth it for them. They made lasting memories with all of you! Also, thanks to everyone who was so kind to me during my short time there! It was great to see so many faces, even if it was only for a few minutes! We are blessed to have such caring and supporting family, friends, and prayer partners! We love all of you.

I just wanted to ask you to please pray for Kellan and Ella this week as they start school. It is hard to believe that Kellan will be starting 5th grade and Ella will be going to Kindergarten! Pray that they both have GREAT years at school and learn lots of new things! They are both looking forward to it. Kellan, however, is already whining over homework!

Some of the pictures you see above are of the Enlgish Camp that I worked at this summer. God blessed that in a mighty way and we are continuing to try to reach out to the campers and build relationships with them. The other pictures are of a new ministry I am trying to learn about sponsored by one of the Russian Baptist Churches in Northern Moscow. They have a ministry to those who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. They have 16 centers where people are allowed to go for help. There they study the Bible 7 hours every day. Just over 40% of those repent during this program and many stay in the church and become leaders in various ways. Please pray for this ministry. The pictures are of 1 of the 2 adaptation centers where participants can choose to go for a few more months to live and work and continue studying the Bible. They are asking for prayers that God would provide them with the money needed to finish a needed building and buy a tractor so that they can farm the land and support all of the centers with the food grown there. I will try to share more about this ministry later. Just begin praying for them!

Baptism in the Moscow River

2010-06-19T07:48:00.000-07:00

Today we were able to watch 27 Russians be baptized in the Moscow River. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful time there! Wanted to share a few pictures from that as well. 2 people from our church were also baptized! It was awesome seeing and hearing the emotion as they came out of the river after their turn. Praise the Lord for these people baptized today! The picture of the group is the people from our church who attended. The 2 holding flowers were the ones who were baptized!

FRIENDS ARE HERE!

2010-06-19T07:31:00.000-07:00

Our friends arrived from North Carolina yesterday! We are excited to have them with us until July 5th. When they return to America, our kids will be going with them to visit with family until August! Just wanted to share a few pictures from today!

LONG OVERDUE UPDATE

2010-06-05T11:14:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry that this has not been updated in almost 3 months. Life has been crazy! Lots of things have happened since we last updated here.

1) Deana spent 3 weeks in America receiving her visa to be able to live in Russia. I was with the kids during this time in Moscow.

2) Deana returned home on a Monday and we moved to a new apartment on Friday of the same week.

3) Deana has had one metal pin removed from her leg in a minor surgery about 2 weeks after we moved to this apartment.

4) Kellan has finished 4th grade and made the A average honor roll at his school.

5) Ella is spending her last 2 days with her nanny, Olga this coming week.

We appreciate your continued prayers and support! You mean so much to us! Please pray for the following requests:

1) Jeremy - Language exam on Wednesday and Thursday of this week! This is a big deal and I really need to pass this test. However, I don't feel like I will pass all of it at this time. I will do my best and we will see what happens. Would appreciate your prayers for this.

2) Deana - Continue praying for her language acquisition. She continues to study everyday for 3 hours and is beginning to get out and use her language skills more and more.

3) Kellan - Kellan LOVES playing outside at our new apartment. He goes out and plays basketball or skateboards with the Russian kids out there. Most of these kids are older, but have been very nice to him. (With the exception of one) We praise the Lord that he is comfortable going out there and playing with them. Pray for him to pick up the language quickly.

4) Ella - continues to love life everyday. She is trying to discover behavior boundaries again right now and see how far she can push the limit. She is always happy and always smiling. We praise God for that.

5) Please pray for us as we travel to a conference next Saturday-Thursday where all of the missionaries serving throughout Russia will be together.

6) Pray for our friends, Joy and Heather, who will be coming to see us for almost 3 weeks the day after our conference ends.

7) Pray for the English Club that our church sponsors in July. The dates are July 6-16. Usually they have over 200 campers come to learn English. Many of them are unbelievers and are exposed to the gospel during this time.

8) Continue praying for Greesha and Slava - I am not able to see them much now that we have moved. Pray that I will be committed to go and see them on occasion and keep this witnessing relationship open.

9) Pray for our kids to have a great trip to America from July 5- August 14th. They will be spending this time with grandparents, family, and friends there. Pray for safe travel as Joy and Heather take them back to America in July.

THANKS THANKS THANKS! I will try to update again soon.

2010-03-16T23:23:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday and Sunday I was able to go to Rzhev again. Those people are so special to me. I was glad to get to go. A group of young people from Good News Church in Moscow went to put on a party for the young people in the Rzhev Church. We also had some visitors from a town about an hour from Rzhev. It was a great time of worship, devotions, games, food, socializing together! The group from Good News did an outstanding job working with them.

On Sunday the group from Good News led in most of the worship service and again did a great job. We enjoyed lunch together before returning to Moscow on Sunday afternoon. Everyone from the church in Rzhev sends greetings to those that they know from America! Misha sends greeting to those people and to the ones he met while in America! Please pray for Misha, his family, and the church in Rzhev as they reach out to their city for Christ!

Bryan, the fish on the bread picture is just for you buddy!

2010-02-21T05:36:00.000-08:00

PICTURES:

1) Kellan playing basketball. He is the star of the team!

2) Ella's new favorite thing is taking a bubble bath!

3-7) Our winter-wonderland! I don't think that car is traveling soon!

8) 3 students from our English Club

9) Deana and her language teacher, Elvira!

It has been a BUSY, but GREAT week! Deana continues to improve every day. The kids are doing well! We have had LOTS of snow this week. I just took the kids out for about 30 minutes and in some places where people have not walked in our playground the snow is way above my knee! Ella has a hard time walking in it because some of it was over her hip. Kellan fell backwards to make a snow angel and went completely under! WE'RE READY FOR SUMMER!

On Wednesday, we had a Valentine's Party at our English Club. There were several unbelievers there and we talked alot about God's love for us! I gave a short devotion on God's love at the end and invited the students to a grammar group that was started this morning. After the grammar lesson this morning was church and I gave a short testimony today. We tried to coordinate all of this to attract some of the unbelievers to church. We had 3 unbelievers at the grammar group this morning, but only 1 chose to stay for worship. He listened very attentively and was very open. I saw some of the young people speaking with him afterwards. Please pray for him. His name is Sasha.

On Thursday I was invited by an old friend of mine to The Academy of Budget and Treasury of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation. Wouldn't you hate to have to write that name alot! I thought I was going to listen to about 12 students present their power point projects on business in Russia. I told Deana when I left home I thought I would be home about 6. Well, I returned home about 11! When I arrived at the Academy (15 minutes late), Larissa led me into what I thought was her classroom, but when we rounded the corner, it was the shool's auditorium and it had about 150 students in it. The director of the business department was on the stage and when she saw me she said, "And now our American judge has arrived!" They all began applauding and I quickly figured out it was for me! I had no idea I was there to be on a panel of judges to rate the students on 10 different areas of their presentations. I listened to 5-7 minute presentations from 3:25-8:25 with no break! It was definitely an interesting experience. After the awards were given, I was invited to go back for tea with all of the judges and professors. Hopefully, I made some good contacts.

On Friday night we prepared for Mark and Marina's wedding and on Saturday, the wedding lasted all day. Thankfully, Deana was able to go and the kids went and had a good time as well. Congratulations Mark and Marina!!

THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS, SUPPORT, MAIL, EMAIL, AND ENCOURAGEMENT! YOU ARE ALL A BLESSING!

2010-02-08T09:51:00.000-08:00

Last Monday we had a fantastic visit with our friends from Rzhev. They came to Moscow (which is normally a 3 to 4 hour drive) to visit with and encourage Deana! They have 3 children and we had a GREAT time being able to see them for about 3 hours here. Our pastor's wife cooked us dinner and we were able to fellowship around the table as well. There are a few pictures above from their visit with us.

I am continuing with language at the University. The first couple of weeks after our holiday break were great because there were only 3 or 4 of us in the group. This past week we had all of our students back and it was a little frustrating because 2 of them slow our group way down. I am beginning to understand more and more, but it is still very difficult to speak correctly! I may never! I had to take a break from the English Club and from music rehearsal, but hopefully I will return to both of those this week. I will be teaching at the English Club on Wednesday because the other teacher called and is sick.

Deana continues to go to therapy 3 days a week. She started her language lessons back last week on Tuesday and Thursday. Her teacher comes to our apartment to teach now. She is beginning to walk around the apartment without crutches and is doing a little better every day.

The kids are great as usual. Kellan had a class party last Friday night and had a great time sledding and playing games with his class. He has a great teacher and does well in schoo, just HATES homework! Ella continues to love being with Olga. She is beginning to work on writing numbers and letters in English.

Thanks to everyone who prayed for Greesha. He told me that his mind and spirit are much more calm now. I was able to tell him that I had asked LoTS of people to pray for him and that many of you responded and said that you were. He grinned very big and asked me to say, "Thanks!"

Our church family is helping us out so much right now. On Monday's and Thursday's 2 ladies are coming to cook and clean for us. I am learning how to shop for Russian products because they give me lists to shop for before they come here to cook. They have been a BIG blessing to us.

Thanks for your continued support and prayers! You are a blessing as well. There have been many emails, facebook messages, regular mail, and skype calls. Thanks!

Patient Update!

2010-01-24T08:45:00.000-08:00

Deana returned home from the hospital this past Monday. It was a long wait trying to get out of the hospital, but we survived. The doctor discharged her around 3:00. I asked the nurse to order us a taxi home then. Long story, short, we left the hospital at 6:15 when a taxi driver finally came for us. The taxi driver that eventually picked us up ended up being a real blessing though. I had been speaking in Russian to him for a while in the car. Finally, I needed to say the word therapy in Russian and had no idea what it was! I turned to ask Deana, thinking maybe she had heard it in the hospital, and when I did the taxi driver said, "You may speak English with me!". Thankfully we had quite the discussion during our 2 hour ride home in Moscow traffic. We found out that he is a once communist, KGB trained, atheist, now orthodox Russian man who lives in a different city now and comes here to work as a taxi driver for 2 or 3 weeks at a time and then goes home to his wife and son for a week. He is now Deana's personal taxi driver and takes her to and from the hospital for her therapy 3 times a week. He is great at helping her in and out of the car as well. Pray for him. His name is Vadim, but has us call him Simon!

Therapy has been pretty tough for Deana. They had her walking on a treadmill already for 30 minutes on Friday and have encouraged her to use her crutches and walk around the apartment as much as she can. She has been doing that the last 2 days. Pray for her as she goes to therapy on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It is pretty scary for her to go in and out of our building down steps in the ice. The taxi ride there takes her anywhere from 1 to 2 hours, depending on traffic.

You can see pictures, above, of the only in-home care we can afford! They help her put on her cream to help with swelling and re-wrap her leg each day! It is quite interesting to watch. They have been really good through all of this. I'm sure it has been hard on them as well.

Everyone was incredibly nice to me today at church. At one point though, I almost had a nervous breakdown when 4 Russian women were speaking Russian to me at the same time wanting to help cook, clean, and anything else needed. One person at a time is hard enough to understand. They will be helping us out some this week and some want to visit with Deana to lift her spirits!

This week the family will not have to endure my cooking very much, thankfully! Tomorrow night a wonderful co-worker is bringing dinner. (thanks Charlotte) Tuesday one of the ladies from our church is coming to our apartment to cook us dinner. (The only problem is she will use our products to cook and we have none! I guess I will be going to the store to stock up on things we normally do not buy!) On Wednesday, our neighbor (that you have read about many times earlier) will be making our dinner. She will be making me a shopping list tomorrow that I need to go buy and give to her so she can cook our meal. She has already made us Russian breads filled with jam, cabbage, and pears. On Thursday, two other ladies from the church want to come help clean and maybe cook something for later in the day. They were 2 of the four talking to me at once. They were starting to ask me what needed done and how they could help. Another lady standing there said, "What are you asking him for. His wife is the one you should ask about cleaning!"

We are proud of Kellan for making the 4th grade A-average honor roll at his school! We are proud of Ella for learning all of her ABC's now! Ella wanted you to see the cake that she made and decorated with her grandma before she left! She was so proud. She and her grandpa went out and decorated the snow with the left-over sprinkles.

Thanks for all of the emails, prayers, cards, and encouragement through facebook! You don't know how much that helps! Blessings to you all! Today, we sang one of my favorite songs at church: "Worthy is the Lamb seated on the throne. Crown You now with many crowns; You reign victorious. High and lifted up, Jesus, Son of God. The darling of heaven crucified. Worthy is the Lamb!

Worship the Lamb!

I'm sure I have LOTS of mistakes in this, but I'm too tired to check for them! Sorry!

Deana is recovering from her surgery!

2010-01-14T10:34:00.000-08:00

Deana is recovering from her surgery at the European Medical Center. Her surgery was this morning. Everything went as planned and she has been doing very well. We had a very LONG check-in process yesterday because the doctor was in surgery when we arrived about 11:45. Deana finally got into a room a little after 4:00. She was a bit worried because the nurses did not speak English, but she has handled that well! Most of the doctors speak English and they have an interpreter when necessary. She is not in a private room . She shares a room with a young Russian girl who had knee surgery. Lori and my mom spent most of the day with her. I went up after my language class and a Russian couple from the church we attend went by to see her today. THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS! She should be in the hosptial until Sunday. I'm sure she could use some emails from home if you are willing!

2010-01-11T05:05:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of December a couple of Kellan's Sunday School Teachers came up to me and told me that they needed him to be a wise man in the Christmas play but that he would not agree to do it. They asked me to talk to him about it. After I thought about it, I decided I wasn't going to make him. He has been pretty brave just going to the Sunday School where there is no English spoken and I was fine with him not doing it, but I did want him to think about it. So, I told him that the teachers talked with me and that I thought he should pray about whether God wanted him to do it or not. After about 5 or 6 days he came back to me and said that God told him he should do it!

He was not very happy about the costume, but orange is his favorite color! He was really nervous, but he did a GREAT job. When I took him to the room where his teachers were, I asked him if he needed me to stay and translate anything, but he didn't. He said he thouht he understood. When it was over, I told him he did a great job and that his bow was PERFECT. He laughed and said, "I had no idea what to do! I just followed the one in front of me!"

I was a very proud daddy! He did a GREAT job!

PLEASE PRAY!

2010-01-11T04:27:00.000-08:00

I'm sure most of you who read this knows that Deana broke her leg on January 4th after her language lesson. She was coming down a set of stairs outside and fell. Thankfully, I had just gotten to my sister's apartment which is only about a 6-8 minute walk from where she fell. We ran over and another friend (thanks Kris) drove around to where she was and drove us all to the European Medical Clinic.
The first doctor ordered x-rays and a CT scan and discovered 2 breaks. He told us that he thought it would need surgery but that the main doctor would need to examine her the next day (thanks Lori). The "main" doctor found a 3rd break and did advise surgery. We went back today at 11:00 (thanks Rhenn) and were hoping that Deana would be admitted today for surgery in the morning, but the swelling had not gone down enough. We will go back on Wednesday and try again. If the swelling is down enough then, the surgery will be Thursday morning.
Other prayer requests:
1) Kellan started back to school today.
2) Olga returns tomorrow to begin keeping Ella again.
3) I return to language lessons tomorrow.
4) Pray for Kellan and Ella this Sunday when they say goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa for a while. (Ella is now ready to go to the beach with them! She has told us all what she will do when she gets there.)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2010-01-11T04:20:00.001-08:00

We hade a great time with some friends who are living in Ufa, Russia over New Year's weekend. They were here and stayed with us for 3 nights. On New Year's night, we walked around red square for a couple of hours. I stole these pictures from them. They take much better pictures than me! We enjoyed eating out with them and taking them to IKEA here in Moscow. We showed them a very quick tour of part of this great city!

GRANDPARENTS ARE HERE!

2010-01-11T03:41:00.000-08:00

We have had a good time visiting with my mom and dad since December 26th. The kids have really enjoyed seeing them here. They are headed to my sisters today to spend the rest of the time, but we will be seeing them a few more times while they are there. They head back to North Carolina next Monday, the 18th.

DECEMBER PICTURES

2010-01-11T03:23:00.001-08:00

Just a few pictures from Christmas time!

1) Kellan will kill me for this one, but Santa made it to Moscow with a snowskate!

2) Ella got a doll that she can practice her beauty school skills on!

3) Kellan and Ella have LOTS of fun together. (usually) Especially when he agrees to do what she wants!

4) Ella posing in front of our Christmas tree!

5) Kellan and his good friend James! They were both wise men in the play that their Russian class did at school. Good job boys!

WE WANT TO SAY THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR ALL OF THE EMAILS, CARDS, SKYPE CALLS, AND FACEBOOK MESSAGES THAT HELPED MAKE OUR CHRISTMAS SPECIAL.

We celebrated Christmas Eve with some of our colleagues here in Moscow. We took the kids out sledding for a couple of hours before enjoying lunch together. We then had a candlelight Christmas story! It was great being with our family, friends, and co-workers that God has given us here.

On Christmas morning, we woke up late and found what Santa had left each of us. I must have bveen a bad boy because my stocking had 2 items in it. 1 pack of gum and 1 pen. I guess Santa didn't shop to well himself! We then went to my sister's apartment and had a late lunch there with her family and 2 other journey guys here.

On Christmas night I went to Good News Baptist Church for their Christmas service. I was really tired and didn't want to go, but it was INCREDIBLE! God really blessed my Christmas by being there. They had lots of music and drama and lighting. I was very impressed by all of the hard work that they all put into making it such a special service. (For those of you who have been to Moscow or who know the Chekalin Family, this is the church where he is the pastor.)

Sorry It's Been So Long!

2009-12-10T10:30:00.000-08:00

We are sorry that it has been so long since we have updated the blog. We hope that everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving! Here is a list of the pictures above:

1. Our Russian friends Yura and Lena playing Wii bowling with the kids. It was there first time! Kellan won!

2. We received a box of goodies form Deana's Sunday School Class at Crestview! Thanks to all of you for the treats!

3. Bother and Sister - Growing up FAST!

4. Kellan, Yura, Lena, and Ella - Lena has been an interpreter for my volunteer groups 2 times before. We have enjoyed getting to know them better.

5. The outfit Ella chose to wear to decorate the Christmas tree.

6. We had to make a paper chain to help Ella understand when Grandma and Grandpa were coming. She thought that since we put our tree up they should be here for Christmas.

Personal Updates:

Jeremy - I am about to finish up my first full semester of language. Today I had an unofficial exam in my group on grammar and listening. Thankfully, I did very well on both of them. The hard parts, which are conversation and writing, I have not completed yet. On Wednesday nights I have started helping with an English Club that our church has started. The first week we had around 30 people and this Wednesday we had around 25. There are about 10 non-believers registered. On Friday's I go to worship team practice for the church. I enjoy the time there, but it is very difficult for me because I have to listen to 6 Russians talk to each other and they want me to play chords, which I am not used to doing.

Deana - has finished her first Russian textbook and will be taking her first exam sometime soon after Christmas. She is getting more comfortable going to the store and doing things on her own. She is still learning to cook LOTS of different kinds of food and doing a good job.

Kellan - Kellan continues to enjoy his school. He does not like his homework! He does very well in his Russian class. He began piano lessons on Wednesday with a very young Russian named Max. He is enjoying his first week of practice. I hope that continues!

Ella - is a hoot! She is always keeping us laughing and on the go. She is so energetic. She loves Olga and looks forward to her coming every day. She has learned to recognize all of the English alphabet A-X and is working on Y right now. She is beginning to learn to write and is working on sequencing events.

We are experiencing Russian winter now. The snow is beautiful and it is getting cold. The forecast for Tuesday calls for a high of 2 degrees! Help us, Lord!

Please continue praying for:

1) Slava, Lena, Karina, Gleb, and Varia - our neighbors

2) Greesha - HE HAS ASKED ME TO PRAY FOR HIM EVERY TIME I SEE HIM. I PROMISED HIM THAT I HAD FRIENDS ALL AROUND THE WORLD THAT WOULD JOIN ME IN PRAYING FOR HIM.

3) Language lessons and acquisition.

4) Wednesday night English Club

5) Lottie Moon Christmas Offering

PLEASE PRAYERFULLY CONSIDER WHAT YOU CAN GIVE TO THIS YEAR'S LOTTIE MOON CHRISTMAS OFFERING. APPOINTMENTS TO THE FIELD, BENEFITS, COST OF LIVING, AND OTHER THINGS ARE HAVING TO BE CUT BY THE IMB DUE TO LACK OF FUNDING! PLEASE CONSIDER GIVING AND GIVING AND GIVING TO LOTTIE MOON! THERE ARE PEOPLE READY TO GO AND SHARE THE GOOD NEWS, BUT THERE IS NO MONEY TO SEND THEM!

Time Flies!

2009-11-22T08:49:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures of our first pretty snow of the season. It only lasted for a day or so, but it was absolutely beautiful on the trees! We are continuing to do well. I just wanted to update you on the things we have been involved in recently. 2 Sunday's ago we visited a church here in Moscow for the first time. It was a GREAT and different experience here in Moscow. For those of you who have had Lena as an interpreter, it was her church. They had a Contemporary Christian Rock Band playing when we arrived. This is not usual. They were guests for the day and were looking for opinions and feedback on how to reach young people here in Russia. They did an awesome job and the congregation did a good job of encouraging them on to minister in that way. We also heard an Orthodox pastor speak. It was very encouraging to know that the pastor had a good relationship with the Baptist church because that is definitely not always the case here. Yura and Lena then took us to Moo Moo's for lunch. (A Russian cafeteria type restaurant) I attended a meeting that evening about an English camp that the church we attend puts on every summer. Last year over 200 people were a part of the camp and all of their lessons are about a particular book in the Bible.

We continue with our language lessons. Some days we think we are making progress and others we are really depressed that we can't understand and say more at this time. Please keep praying for our language lessons.

We were able to go to our neighbor's to celebrate Karina's 9th birthday. We had a good evening together with them. I have been back to the renok to visit with Greesha and Sabrina. They are very down right now because their business at the renok has been very slow recently. Please continue to pray for these people as we develop closer relationships with them.

Last Sunday we were able to escape for an hour and a half. We went to the movies to see "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" in English. We took Karina, our neighbor with us. We even got to eat popcorn!! It was a great afternoon.

I have been participating in the worship team practices at our church. We meet in the pastor's apartment every Friday night. At first, I went just to listen so I could learn the songs and be able to sing them on Sunday. I miss singing horribly. However, once they found out I could play, they put me to work! I helped by playing a synthesizer on 2 songs today and look forward to participating some in the future. Both songs were from America. One was "The Power of Your Love" and the other was "You Are Worthy" by Hillsong.

The pastor and his wife sent me a recording of "You are Worthy" so I could practice some at home. I took the opportunity to send it to Slava, my neighbor on email. He told me tonight that he listened to it and then played it for his family. They all told me that the really enjoyed the song. Pray that God will speak through the song as they listen.

The English service that I wrote about in the last post has been postponed indefinitely. I'm not sure if this will be started or not.

We will be celebrating Thanksgiving with all of our colleagues here in Moscow on Thursday. We wish all of you and very Happy Thansgiving! We all have so much to be thankful for! Praise Him!

Prayer requests for now:

1) Language Lessons!

2) Kellan and Ella to learn more Russian and to do well in their studies. (Ella is not in school yet, but I leave her lessons to do with Olga every day.)

3) Slava, Lena, Karina, Gleb, and Varia

4) Greesha and Sabrina

NOVEMBER NEWS

2009-11-07T08:07:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it is arleady November. Things have gotten busy for us. We had our first dusting of snow that you see in the pictures on October 31st! Ofcourse, being from North Carolina, our kids flipped! They love it. Last night we had LOTS of snow. It covered the ground well and the roads and the sidewalks, but after about 4 or 5 hours the temperature got above freezing and it all turned to NASTY brown mush!

On October 31st, Kellan's school had a little fall festival and a yard sale that benefits the senior class. We went so the kids could play some games there. They both had good time. You can see pictures above of Ella getting her nails painted. She wanted each one a different color. On Friday, the 30th, Deana was able to attend a ladies night out for missionary ladies here in Moscow. She had an excellent time and the biggest accomplishment of the night was that she maneuvered the metro and the streets of Moscow to get there by herself! For the record, she is also turning into Betty Crocker seeing that we eat supper here every night and in America we ate at a restaurant every night of our life!

I have been working with Good News Baptist Church to help them start up an English Worship service. They want to do this 1 time a month. I have just been helping them out with the music. I will not be involved in it long term, but wanted to help them start it up and it also allows me to be involoved with music, which I miss incredibly! (This is Misha Chekalin's church, and Olga's, for those of you who know them.)

Last night I went to a worship team practice for the church that we have been attending! It was GREAT for me to experience, but whoa my brain was on overload. 6 Russians talking very quickly with each other, singing, and then them wanting me to play chords! (I can't play chords) All of this for 4 hours! I was mentally out when I got home!

We continue to spend LOTS of time with our neighbors from the 1st floor. Slava and I went out to celebrate the birth of his new daughter. It was quite an experience. We actually went to a very nice steakhouse. We communicated in Russian as best I could for several hours. He kept toasting his new daughter, our friendship, and our future. I was able to have a small spiritual conversation with him. I found out that he was Hindu until 1 year ago. He decided he needed a break from religion. He told me that he wants to hear from me, but I can't say very much about religion in Russian yet. I only told him that I needed Jesus every day and that Jesus helped me every day with everything I did. In due time, I think he will listen attentively. Continue to pray for his whole family - Slava, Lena, Karina, Gleb, and Varia.

I am also continuing to visit the renok once or twice a week to continue the relationship with Greesha and Sabrina. Continue praying for them as well.

We will be attending church tomorrow with a former interpreter of mine, Lena, and her husband. I have never been to this church before. We are looking forward to seeing them.

THANKS THANKS THANKS for all of your prayers, love, support, and encouragement! It means ALOT! I want to encourage you to please consider making shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. I know that these boxes are due soon. This has always been a project I promoted heavily at Crestview! Please make AT LEAST one box for every person in your family! You really could do more if you wanted :) All of my Crestview peeps need to come through with the boxes! ALSO PLEASE BEGIN PRAYING ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN GIVE TO LOTTIE MOON. MAYBE YOU NEED TO START PUTTING SOME MONEY ASIDE EACH WEEK OR SACRIFICING SOMETHING THAT YOU REGULARLY BUY AND ADD THAT MONEY TO WHAT THE LORD LEADS YOU TO GIVE!

UPDATE

2009-10-24T00:09:00.000-07:00

Things are still going well for us here in Moscow! We understand a little bit more of the language every week and maybe in 50 years we will understand completely :) Deana said that last week was the hardest week in language so far for her, but I think Friday was much better. Kellan LOVES his Russian class and made a 95/A for his first Russian grade! I overheard Ella singing a song with her nanny the other day in Russian. It was really sweet. It was about how God loved her and she loved God! I had to sneak and listen because I knew if she realized I was listening she would stop!

The leaves have all turned different colors now in Moscow and most of them have already fallen from the trees. The weather has been great here though. All of the locals say that this has been the longest and prettiest fall in several years. We will take it as long as possible! I have found out that walking on wet leaves is hazardous to your health. Thankfully, I have not fallen yet, but I have come close 2 different times. They do a great job here of keeping the streets and sidewalks free of leaves! Sometimes, however, they can't keep up!

We are continuing to attend the same church because Ella is pretty comfortable going to Sunday School by herself there. Kellan went for the first time last week. I am proud of them, since it is all in Russian and they know VERY little! I am going to be helping Good News Church with their first English worship service soon. Please pray that this will be a success for them. I will not be involved in it long term, but wanted to help them get started.

Last weekend we had a former interpreter of mine and her new husband over for dinner. We had a GREAT time getting to know them a little better. He did not speak English, but I think he enjoyed himself as well. We are going to visit with them at their church soon. They are a young couple and would be great contacts in the future when we begin ministry full-time. I also met with the lady who used to be in charge of all of the logistics for my mission teams. Her name is Larissa. She and her colleague ,who I have also worked with in the past, met me for lunch and coffee in the underground mall in the center of the city. It was nice to get to catch up with them as well.

I wanted to share a letter that Kellan wrote me for my parent conference with his teacher. We had an awesome school in NC, but it is so nice to go in for a parent conference and the teacher start with prayer and pray for your child! Kellan did well on his report card and we are proud of him. Here is his letter to me:
"Dear Dad,
Thank you for coming to my class today. My favorite subject is Russian because it is easy. What I like best about our class is it is a fun class. What I like most about our school is library because I like to read. What is hardest for me is math. Math is hardest because I do not know some stuff out of it. The second hardest is science, reading, Bible, Russian. That is the order from hardest to easiest. Mrs. Hange is a very nice teacher. Our library has a few books to check out. Our computer lab has a lot of computers. We have a bathroom right next to our class,
Love, Kellan"

THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS! We will try to update again soon with some new pictures!

October Update

2009-10-06T10:02:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your continued prayers! We are so blessed to have such great prayer partners! Things are still going well in Moscow! We continue to work hard with language! Here are a few pictures you might enjoy!

1) Ella made grapes with Olga for purple day!

2) Kellan loves to climb trees, but there are very few he can climb here.

3)Karina and Gleb. These kids belong to our neighbors. We continue to develop a relationship with them.

4) It's time to pull out the big coats, scarfs, and hats!

This is a seminary here in Moscow where we attend church! We love the church we are attending at this time!

We have been very busy recently in language study and trying to engage Russians and cultivate some relationships with different people. We have been able to have our neighbors over for dinner again and had a great evening with them on the last Sunday of September. We have also had over some friends that work at the nearby renok last Sunday. He is from Armenia and she is from Dagistan. They were very happy to be able to show me some things on the computer about their homelands. I was able to have a GREAT spiritual conversation with a lady from Japan who is in my language class. She listened very attentively as I shared about Christ! We also had over Ella's nanny, Olga, and her brothers and sister.

Kellan and Ella are doing GREAT! We praise the Lord that they have adjusted so well!

Please pray for continued opportunities to build relationships with the people here. Pray for further opportunity for Jeremy to share with the lady from Japan. Pray for our continued language studies! We will try to share more soon!

GOODBYE SUMMER, HELLO FALL!

2009-09-20T07:24:00.001-07:00

In Moscow the crisp cool breeze and leaves are blowing! We have already started wearing our coats! There is not much news to report from here. We are continuing with our language learning every day! Some days we feel like we are making progress and others we realize what a LONG way we have to go! We thank you for your prayers! Please continue praying for these people we are trying to develop relationships with: Slava, Lena, Karina, and Gleb - this is the family that lives in our building. Greesha and Sabrina work at the renok not far from our house and I have been hanging out with them trying to pracitice Russian and just develop a good friendship. Next Sunday Slava, Lena, Karina, and Gleb will be in our house for dinner and then the next Sunday Greesha and Sabrina. Please pray for these fellowship times and for opportunities to share our faith with our limited Russian! Please pray specifically for Slava and Lena - they are expecting their 3rd child at the first of October!

Finally, thanks for all of the birthday wishes on Tuesday! I appreciate all of the wishes by email, regular mail, facebook, etc.! You helped make my day special! Below, I will explain the pictures you see above. Galations 2:20 - "...I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

PICTURES:

1) Our purchase of the week! We can never find these here. They only cost about $2.75 each

2) Ella wanted everyone to see her new Russian shoes! You know she loves her shoes! The best part was they only cost $18.00

3) The card Ella made for my birthday with Olga and the gift. ( A Russian cartoon to help me learn Russian!)

4) Ella in an arcade at a mall.

5) Hard Rock Cafe - Where Deana and I enjoyed dinner for my birthday!

6) Our metro station in Moscow.

7) The closest grocery store to our house - called Magnolia!

Dacha Weekend

2009-08-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

We had a GREAT time at the Chekalin's dacha this weekend. It was great to get away from the hustle and bustle of Moscow and be out in the quiet countryside of Russia. It was the first experience for the kids to be without running water and indoor plumbing. They enjoyed looking through the gardens, playing in the fields, and sitting by the fire playing games. It was pretty cool and very windy while we were there. After returning home, we were able to go to our neighbor's apartment for a late lunch. We continue to try to develop a close relationship with them. Please continue to pray for Slava, Lena, Karina, and Gleb. Now for a short explanation of the above pictures from our trip to the dacha:

1) Ella after a long, but fun trip to the dacha!

2) Our group in front of a monastery that was started for widows of soldiers who died in battle in 1812 against France.

3) The Chekalin Family who hosted us: - Andre, Misha, Lena, Anna, Misha, and Olga - Please pray for this family. They lead the Good News Baptist Church in Moscow. Many of you have met Misha, Lena, and Olga in America.

4) We came home to Moscow on this electric train with Ella's nanny, Olga. It was Ella's first train experience.

5)Orthodox Church on the monastery grounds.

6) Memorial for the battle at this spot between Russia and France in 1812.

7 & 8 ) The kids had a great time climbing and rolling down the hills around the monument.

9) The dacha we stayed at.

10) There were beautiful flowers around the dacha. These were some of the prettiest.

11 & 12) Kellan and Ella both loved picking apples and pears from the trees and eating them.

13) We are helping salvage some second hand plywood for them to use in building a banya!

14) Close up of the dacha.

15) Picking pears to eat.

16 & 17) Russian soup and salad they preapred for us to eat.

18) The outdoor sink for washing hands.

19) A walk through the garden.

PLEASE PRAY FOR KELLAN

2009-08-23T08:06:00.000-07:00

Kellan started to school on Tuesday. We can't believe he is already in 4th grade. He was ready and excited about starting a new school. He likes his new teacher and there are 10 kids in his class. He has adjusted very well so far. We just want you to say a specific prayer specifically for Kellan after you read this post. Pray that he has a successful school year, that he makes many new friends, and that God will use him to be a witness to friends and neighbors. He loves to be outside here and rollerblade, ripstick, or go to the playground. Thanks to everyone who has had an influence on his life. Here are some recent pictures of him. The ones at the bottom are a picture the stop where we catch the bus to school and a picture of his school building. Please pray!

Good Week!

2009-08-15T11:21:00.000-07:00

We have had a good week and continue to thank you for your prayers! We survived another week of language. We went to worship last Sunday at Golovinski church. Some special music was given by a man on an accordion. It was very interesting and the first time I have ever been a part of a worship service with an accordion!
On Tuesday night, I went to meet a friend for dinner. We went to a Russian restaurant called Kvartira 44 (which means apartment 44 in Russian) and enjoyed a great salad. I had to leave a little sooner than expected because Kellan hurt his wrist outside playing and I needed to come home to check on him. Please pray for Misha, Oxanna, Ivan, and Anton. Misha would be open to the gospel but has told me 2 times now that his wife is very uncomfortable discussing or being a part of religion. Thankfully Kellan's arm was not broken. We went to the European Medical Clinic for x-rays the following morning he had severe soft tissue damage and bruising. His hand is much better now. He told me 2 days after - "Daddy, I can tell my arm is getting better because I can use more fingers on my PSP!" Healing was measured by success on the PSP!
On Friday night we went to dinner at the home of some of our colleagues and had a GREAT southern meal - barbecue, baked beans, sweet tea, and french fries. We had good fellowship and played some games afterwards.
Tonight, we had our neighbors over again for pizza and salad. We had an interesting time playing the Wii together. There is definitely growing interest in why we are here. It is frustrating to not be able to tell him more in Russian, but our friendship continues to grow.
Continue praying for our language studies and for more opportunities to meet new neighbors and friends! Blessings!!!

ELLA'S BIRTHDAY!

2009-08-08T10:14:00.001-07:00

Ella had a GREAT birthday today! We started celebrating on Thursday at an indoor play place here in Moscow. Today she chose to eat at TGI Friday's so she could get fettucini and shrimp. She opened cards and presents from family and friends tonight. Tomomrrow we will celebrate with the Stamey's!

We praise the Lord she is so happy and full of life. She has adjusted so well here so far. Her favorite things are the metro, tramvae, and playgrounds!

Thanks for all the presents and cards!

SHE LOVES TO PLAY AND CHECK OUT ALL OF THE PLAYGROUNDS!

Please pray specifically for Ella when you read this! Pray that she transitions well to staying with Olga full time on August 17th. Pray that she will begin to learn Russian (Spanish as she calls it) quickly. Pray that she continues to love being here and that God would use even her to draw someone closer to Him! Thanks for all of your support, love, and prayer.

Short Update

2009-08-03T11:13:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to send out a short update of what has been going on with us! Some day we will learn to carry our camera! We forget it everytime we go out. This past week was a good week for us.

Sunday 27th - We were able to worship at the Golovinski church and see many old friends and people that many of the volunteer teams I brought over worked with the past 4 or 5 years. It was a blessing to be there. I was able to play the piano for a quartet to sing 3 songs. She gave a testimony of how God sent me on that day to play for them. We were able to eat at Starlite Diner on the way home :) It was yummy and the kids enjoyed it. I went to hear a 4-handed organ concert at a Lutheran church here in Moscow. It was very interesting.

During the weekdays we work hard on language learning. Deana has LOTS of homework each night. Thankfully I only have to review the lesson from that day. I can sense some small progress and enjoy trying to talk to people at times.

Deana enjoyed a ladies night out on Tuesday night with fellow missionary ladies. They had a Bible study time and enjoyed the evening together. On Thursday I was able to go out to eat with some of my language classmates - 4 Koreans, 1 Spaniard, 2 Italians, and 1 Russian. One of the Korean's who was once in my group invited all of us to a authentic Korean restaurant and paid for all of us to eat!! I also met South Korea's military attache here in Moscow. I have no idea what I ate but we had a good time together. You will see a picture of our group above!

On Saturday our neighbors invited us to go along with them to Mega ( a shopping mall on the outskirts of Moscow) to ice skate and eat. Kellan LOVED ice skating for the first time ever and they took us to a Portugese restaurant to eat supper. We enjoyed spending time with them and continuing to try to develop and good relationship with them.

This past Sunday we were able to worship at Good News Baptist Church and saw some other old friends and again treated ourselves to Starlite Diner since it was on the way home.

Just wanted to fill you in on the week. Many of you have asked about it and thought this was the easiest way to answer. Your prayers are appreciated!!!!!

Please pray for me as I answer LOTS of questions about the Baptist faith from fellow students and teachers at the University I attend. I want to answer in a way that presents the gospel and also gives them a desire to find out more!

OUR FIRST RUSSIAN GUESTS!

2009-07-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

The mountain dew bottles even look like booze here!

The view from our kitchen window.

The food our neighbor brought over, which put our egg salad and homemade brownies to shame. It is a swedish roll with raisins, nuts, cinnamon, etc. - french cream danishes with fruit on top, and Russian bread with a fruity middle! Tasty! Tasty! :)

Our neighbors from the 1st floor!

We just wanted to say thanks to all of you who prayed for our time with our neighbors tonight. We had a good time together and were able to communicate enough to make it through the evening. We will continue to try to build a close relationship with this family in the next few weeks.

Language classes are consuming almost all of our time here. I am sure we are learning LOTS each day, but it seems so slow when you want to be able to talk to other people. Deana is enjoying her teacher, Elvira. I am in class at the university with 3 other men. 1 from Spain, 1 from Italy, and 1 from Korea. As you can imagine, our class can get very interesting.

Some of you have asked for our mailing address. If you will send us an email requesting it, we will send it to you. It took a letter mailed from the states exactly 3 weeks to get here. Please continue praying.

HERE AND READY!

2009-07-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

We made it to Moscow smoothly and have spent most of our time so far just getting settled in our apartment and unpacked. We have also been trying to figure out what is close by to our apartment. We praise the Lord for a smooth trip here with no problems or delays. All of our bags arrived with us and our apartment seems to be in a great location. We are near a metro and Deana is very close to her tram stop to get to language lessons. Shopping for groceries is close by and Kellan's school is just a bus ride away.

We thank you all for your prayers and support! We also thank our team we have joined helping us get into our apartment and get other things done. We also thank Lori, Drew, Mark, and Ben for driving us around and keeping the kids several needed times. All of you are GREAT!

Please pray for us as we begin language study next Monday. We will be in full-time language for at least 1 year. I will be taking language at a local institute every day from 10-3. Deana will be taking lessons from a Russian language 1-on-1 from 12-3 each day. We know that this is going to be very hard and take lots of time and commitment on our part. We also know that this will be key in the effectiveness of our ministry!

Please pray for the kids as they stay with their aunt and cousins during our language for a couple of weeks and then will have a Russian nanny named Olga! Pray for this transition especially for Ella. She will be with Olga for the next year. Kellan will begin school in mid-August. Hope you enjoy some of these pictures. We will try to update again soon.

Please pray!

2009-07-01T01:31:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy paths."

We are trusting the Lord as we leave today and asking our prayer warriors to rally behind us as we travel today. We will be leaving this morning about 10:30 from the house and our plane leaves at 2:00. We haved to make a quick stop at Game Stop for Kellan to spend some birthday money! We should arrive in Moscow around 2:45am est.

Please pray for safety, ease and patience through check-in and security, a smooth transition in DC, and passage through Russian customs without delay or problems. Pray for strength for all of us ,but especially for the kids as there schedules get completely interrupted with the time difference.

Several have asked about our email and it will stay the same for now. We will be sending an address for letters and snail mail after we arrive and try to post some pictures of our new apartment.

There have been many "so longs" and "goodbyes" said. Thanks to everyone who has made a special effort to encourage us. We thank God every time we think of you and we know that our ministry will not be successful in Moscow without all of you praying for us!

We will be in touch! If you know others who would like to be on the prayer partner list, please let us know and if at anytime you wish to be removed from the email updates, please let us know.

ENDING ILC

2009-06-13T06:45:00.000-07:00

We want to thank everyone for your prayers during our time here at ILC in Virginia. God has taught us so many useful things for ministering on the field and we are excited about finally arriving in Moscow on July 2. This has been an incredible experience being surrounded by individuals who are facing all of the same issues that we are and we are so thankful to everyone who continues to support the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering which makes this possible for us.

Please pray for all of us as we say goodbye to all of our friends here. This is the beginning of a lifetime of goodbyes for our children. Pray especially for them! They have enjoyed ALL of the kids here and have had many fun times at school and on the playground. The journeymen have been great with the kids and encouraged them and shared with them also. All of the adults have had an impact on them in some way!

We will be leaving here on Wednesday evening and heading straight for the beach! (Anyone who knows me well knows I have to have my beach time before leaving!) We will be at the beach for 1 week and then we will be back in Boiling Springs for 1 week before leaving.

Thanks to all who have encouraged us with mail here. Please do not send any more mail to the Virginia address. Our address before leaving is PO Box 327 Boiling Springs, NC 28017. If you have not recieved a photo prayer card and would like one, please send us your mailing address.

Hope you enjoy the pictures of the kids! They are excited about getting to the beach and being spoiled rotten!

DC DAY

2009-06-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

*We just wanted to say thank you for your prayers for us last Thursday during our day in Washington D.C. We had a GREAT day there and the kids were wonderful. We arrived in Washington around 10:30 and observed internationals in Union Station when we first arrived. We then went to eat at an AWESOME Kazakh restaurant called Cafe Assorti. It was great. We were in a group with 1 other family and with another single guy. After eating lunch, we went back to Lincoln Park to just walk and share our faith with people that we met. We were able to have quite a few surface conversations and a couple of people were willing to share some prayer requests with us.

*We also ask you to pray this week for us as we are in session until 5:00 each day. This means that the kids are in school until 5:00 each day as well. Pray for strength, focus, and energy to complete the week and learn all that we can in our time.

*Last week the Lord challenged me in many different ways! 2 of the things that He is continuinously reminding me of are these to things:

1) Revelation 2:10 - Be faithful unto death!

2) What would you do for God if you were not afraid?

*We thank you for being our partners in prayer. If you know someone who is not on our email list or you would like to be on our email list, please let us know! Hope you enjoy the few pictures!

PICTURES OF QUAD LIFE!

2009-05-19T14:46:00.001-07:00

These are pictures of our quad in Virginia! We are just over halfway finished with our time here and it seems to be flying by! We praise the Lord for GREAT quad mates and are enjoying being around other folks who are facing the same things that we are at this time! God's presence fills this place and we are being challenged in many ways in preparation for leaving to spread the message!

AWESOME QUOTES AND QUESTIONS!

2009-05-02T09:57:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to quickly update everyone on the week. We have had a great week. Things are incredibly busy, but worthy of the time! Our kids have adjusted so well and are extremely happy here. We thank you for the prayers, letters, and other encouragements already! Below, I am going to list some quotes and questions that challenged me in a HUGE way on Friday during one of our sessions! I urge you to think about these quotes and questions and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you through these as well!

QUOTES AND QUESTIONS:

1) There is a metiocre Christianity in the west that does not need to be transplanted to the nations!

2) Many Western churches are experiencing a spiritual drought!

3) The biggest treat on the mission field is finding passionate Christianity in believing nationals.

4) The enemy is sharpening his tools waiting for me.

5) You cannot live off the sap you have stored up for very long. The only way to survive is a fresh cup of living water each morning!

6) All you need to do is inspect the fruit of your life to determine the vibrancy of your walk with Christ!

7) The enemy just wants to get one little hook in your heart so he can cover it over. He repeats this process over and over.

8) BE HOLY BECAUSE I AM HOLY!

9) You cannot look into this country for your standard of righteousness.

10) What compromises have I made? What excuses do I give?

11) Are you filled by the Spirit? Are you walking in the Spirit? Are you led by the Spirit?

12) The Spirit cannot fill a dirty vessel!

13) We are missing so much that God wants to put into our lives!

14) Do you anticipate reading the newspaper more than reading the Word of God?

15) If the Holy Spirit were loosed to all believers, the world would be turned upside down again!

16) IF YOU HOLD INEQUITY IN YOUR HEART, YOUR PRAYERS WILL NOT BE HEARD!

17) Our struggle is always with our pride!

18) It's hard to groan after something you know nothing about!

19) We have become lamps with no lights!

20) Where is the body of Christ who will stand up and say, "Thus saith the Lord!"

21) Other religions are popping up everywhere throughout our country as we sit idly by and watch!

22) People's capacity for suffering is much greater in other countries than here in America!

We so desperately need a revival of the American church! Pray that God would lead you to become more passionate about Him and about spreading the gospel at home as well as to the nations!!!

Are you hungry?

2009-04-20T03:26:00.000-07:00

I woke up way too early in Virginia this am as we prepare to begin our training at ILC. One of the reasons I am up so early is I am HUNGRY! As I was laying there trying to decide if I would get up or not I realized that hunger is what this whole process is about. So questions started coming and I started thinking (which is scary sometimes) Do I hunger for the Word? Do I hunger to know Jesus more? Do I hunger to see souls saved? Do I hunger to honor Him in everything? Do I hunger to see every people and nation and tribe and toungue worship? This is what life should be! We should always be hungry for all of these things and more when it comes to our walk with our Savior! So, I challenge you as you read this blog to think are you hungry for these things as well? I hope so!!!

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!

2009-04-09T18:22:00.000-07:00

We just wanted to share some photos with all of you of Kellan and Ella's last day at school. We were so blessed to be able to be a part of Rainbow Connection and Boiling Springs Elementary. We will miss all of you!

Kellan's class gave him a GREAT send off before the Easter party! He got a cool hoodie and t-shirt from the school and all of his classmates had signed the back for him. He LOVES them and has already worn the t-shirt tonight!

We will miss all of you and hope you have a GREAT end to the school year after Spring Break!

Ella also had her last day of school at Rainbow Connection. We love Mrs. Connie, Mrs. Tracy, and Mrs. Tonya! Thanks for a great year in the 3 year old class. We love you and will miss you. Brady, Ella will miss her best friend SO much!

Please pray for both of the kids as they transition to a new school and to new friends after a week at Disney World! Pray that they both meet a speical friend that they can connect with!

APPOINTMENT WEEK

2009-03-20T07:11:00.000-07:00

We have returned from a great appointment week with the board filled with LOTS of information and excitement for going! We want to thank everyone for their prayers and encouragement throughout the week. We especially thank those who came to Greenville for the commissioning service on Wednesday. We were excited to see everyone. It was a GREAT service and the Holy Spirit was very real there.
Please continue to pray for us and our last couple of weeks in Boiling Springs. We need your prayers as we transition to life in Virginia for 2 months. Pray for good friends for us and for our kids to share in this time together. Thanks Michael and Crystal for the time we spent together this past week. We look forward to being with your family again in April.
Pray for packing wisdom. How in the world will we ever decide what is most important to take. We will be filling up 12 suitcases that can weigh only 50 pounds. We need wisdom for this!
Read Psalm 98: 4-6 and PRAISE HIM!

THANKS FOR A GREAT DAY!

2009-03-10T18:44:00.000-07:00

We want to thank everyone at Crestview for a GREAT farewell service on Sunday morning! The gifts from the kids were awesome and all of the well wishes and food and fellowship we will never forget! You are very special to us and we will never forget our times there. It has been a wonderful 7 years. Thanks to everyone who spoke to us on the video and to those who created and edited it! Stan's part is especially memorable. We might try to post it on here when we figure out how to do this better!

We also want to say WOW! What a commissioning service. Several people have commented that they are ready to go to Moscow with us now. Thanks to Crestivew, Pleasant Ridge, and Union, and all of our friends and family for making that an unforgettable worship experience. Every part of the service was wonderful! (Emily, you go girl, you can sing!)

Please pray for us as we prepare to leave for Greenville, SC on Friday. We will be there until the next Thursday and will be in meetings and interviews and rehearsals for the appointment service during the week. The appointment service is on Wednesday, March 18th, and we appreciate your prayers for that. Thanks for you prayers. We love all of you!

Jeremy, Deana, Kellan, and Ella

Exciting times ahead!

2009-01-16T22:57:00.000-08:00

Please pray for us as we await January 27th. This is a big day for us as the trustees of the IMB decide wether to allow us to proceed as missionaries or not! Everything has gone very well up until this point and we trust that this will go just as well. We appreciate all of the encouragement and the prayers that are being lifted up on our behalf. Please continue to pray for Crestview as they seek a new staff member to lead them in their music and worship!