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!

Good Week!

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!

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.