Sorry It's Been So Long!

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!

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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!