Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

I'll be gone on holiday for a week! I'll be writing lots of blogs to catch you up on what happened and what the Brakes are thinking. Merry Christmas! Remember the reason for the season. Enjoy your time with loved ones and remember that the joy of this season isn't in presents (though I love them) it's in the presence of the Lord in our lives!

updated

Go on back to December 9 and catch up with the last week's worth of posts - sorry for being delinquent in getting things posted!

Snow snow snow!

It rained all day yesterday in Indianapolis. Snowed overnight. But the roads were fine... mostly. We drove all the way back to Michigan and arrived home to 1 foot of snow in our driveway - and this incredible path leading up to the house. Our friend Melissa had taken some pity on us and had started the shoveling for us! Almost half the WHOLE driveway!

Great friends are hard to come by and show their true colors in times of need.

It made our arrival home so much nicer.

(pict: Amy shoveling)

The wounded man

So, I'm not completely healed yet. My knee and wrist are both getting better (they've both been injured for nearly 2 months). This weekend I stopped wearing the braces. I'm going to wear the knee brace for activities, but I'm really trying to allow the muscles to work again and to see if that will aid the healing process. Please be praying along with me. I want to be healthy and fixed by Tuesday next week (Christmas) so that I can thoroughly enjoy all that Washington State has to offer as far as fun in the snow!

Visa Regulations

Amy & I are still trying to figure this out. There have been some changes to Russian visa policies. (They went into affect in October, but I hadn't been looking at visa stuff since we're not heading back until next summer). I'm not sure if the changes affect all visa types or if they affect only Business visas. If only commercial (business) visas are affected, Amy and I are a-ok - we're cultural exchange visas. I'm not sure about educational visas either. So it might be smartest for us to travel on an educational visa. I'm trying to do some research to figure this out.

Here's the new rules:

1. A foreign citizen can obtain a visa to Russia ONLY in the country of his/her citizenship. Exceptions include those who have a residence permit for a foreign country for the period more than 90 days. A visa may also be issued in a country other than an applicant's own in case of urgent necessity, such as participating in international, governmental, official, scientific, sport and cultural events. A final decision in these cases would be left up to the consulate.

2. A multiple entry business visa allows nationals of all countries to stay in Russia up to an aggregate of 90 days out of the period of 180 days. (does this mean that Amy and I will have to spend 1/2 our time outside of Russia?)

3. Russian Foreign Ministry has retracted its decision to apply the new visa rules even to visas issued before October the rule came into effect. Older visas have now been "grandfathered." (This means that Jim & Sally can stay in Russia until their current visa expires)

4. A multiple entry visa is only available for people who have been issued a Russian visa before. If this is your first visit, you are only eligible to obtain a single or double entry visa for 1 to 3 months. A copy of your previous Russian visa should be enclosed in your application for a multiple entry invitation. (Praise the Lord! Both Amy and I have had visas issued to Russia before).

Again - I don't know if these apply to all visa types or just commercial/ business visas.

Russia vacation

Amy took her Russian final today! She, of course, doesn't feel like she aced it, but I'm sure she's done a tremendous job. I know that she's my wife and I'm supposed to talk about how wonderful and amazing she is - it's very easy when it's the truth. She's doing an excellent job at her language lessons and she's decided to continue forward with the intensive second year Russian next semester. We are still talking a little bit about the 'normal' level Russian lessons, but leaning toward the intensive.

In order to prepare to focus more on class and getting ready to head back to the field, we've decided to end our relationship with Starbucks at this time. Amy's last day is next Thursday. It's going to be so wonderful to NOT get up at 4:40am twice a week and to feel rested. I think it'll be better for both of us mentally, emotionally, and intellectually.

But we'll miss the free coffee and discounts (I don't even drink coffee, but I love for Amy to have what she loves!)

World Outreach Candidacy

Amy had her interview today with World Outreach (the missionary arm of the EPC) trans: the agency that I've been working with for the last several years. Of course, she passed the interview with flying colors.

We're just thrilled to have this final technical hurdle out of the way, so that we're officially able to do support raising as a united couple with World Outreach!

Amy's got her Russian final tomorrow morning - keep praying!

Teen Technology Trends

It is with great joy that I present this post. I've been at UM in my position for 6 months and one of the big movements that I've been trying to establish in our office (Technology Services) is that technology isn't scary and that 90% of the battle to master it is just knowledge.

So I've been putting together a presentation to share with staff in the Division of Student Affairs. The presentation drew a crowd of 60 people and I've been asked to present it again in the Health Services unit! It's really exciting, because the current generation of students (Millennials, Net Generation or Digital Natives) are really connected to technology and the current generation of staff and faculty (Baby Boomers and Generation X) are digital immigrants.

Basically there is culture shock happening on college campuses worldwide where the students out number the faculty and staff, yet are more advanced.

It was SO exciting to share with folks. One participant asked me "what is mp3?" I was so pleased that the atmosphere was comfortable enough for people to ask questions that to others might have seemed very simple.

I'm basically just really pumped.

Meeting Nora

I'm thrilled to present a new friend in the world. Nora Evelyn McGowan. She's the daughter of dear friends and co-worker Jen & Kevin McGowan. Amy and I were so excited to meet her. She was sleeping for a good portion of our time with her, but as you can see from this picture - she woke up to stretch for us and open her pretty little eyes. She's so tiny and precious (almost 7 lbs and so soft and with that awesome baby smell). We're thrilled for the miracle of life that was given to Jen and Kevin (they'll be wonderful parents). I'm looking forward to having Nora's mom back at work, but know that Jen's chosen the best path for now to be with her daughter!

So cute!

Christmas Ornaments

(ONE) Only in America can you find Christmas Ornaments that are as big as your head.



(TWO) Amy and I chose this as our first Christmas ornament to purchase for our tree. Giraffes are important to us for many reasons and these two just seemed to reflect so much cheesy newlywed love that we had to buy it.

(THREE) This is a necklace that I got last year for Christmas from my friends Sasha and Zhanna. It makes a WONDERFUL Christmas ornament and so Amy and I chose to put it up on our tree. Doesn't it look great!?

Making Borsch in America

Photo 1: using the cleaver Todd bought for me in China! It cuts cabbage with a vengeance! I used it in the second stage of making Borsch.

Photo 2: Borsch in America. For some reason it doesn't taste quite the same. I have to be honest, I think it's because the vegetables aren't as good and fresh here. But it was still delicious and it got better every day. We ate it for days.

One laptop per child

I feel like I'd heard about this organization before - but I stumbled upon it again today (nearly ashamed that it was through a website for the tv show Heroes on NBC). One Laptop per Child is a non profit that has literally composed a laptop for $100. It runs linux as it's operating system (free) and has wireless, drawing programs, chat, music programs, 2 programming languages, etc. It's really quite incredible. I really think that the Holiday Spirit has seized me - it's just so the right kind of thing to do. So Amy and I are in talks about getting a laptop for a child in an developing country.

http://www.laptopgiving.org/en/index.php

I just read on this website that if you give a laptop before December 31st 2007, they'll send a laptop to a child in a developing nation AND one to you! That's really incredible. I wonder if we'd be able to use laptops like these in Russia to work with kids at the cultural center? Computer literacy is really becoming required in Russia too....

A bit too busy - inspiration

I've been a bit busy to do much posting lately, but you'll notice my twitter post on the right side of the blog. This is an opportunity for me to do microblogging... I can literally just type a few sentences and this blog is updated. So I hope that it's still fun to keep up with me. I'll have a bit more time this weekend for continued blogging.

I'm stressing out because of some confidential stuff happening at work. Life has it's stressful times. The following quote was shared with me this morning by my boss. It was a BIG encouragement to me

Leave safety behind. Put your body on the line. Stand before the people you fear and speak your mind - even if your voice shakes. When you least expect it, someone may actually listen to what you have to say. Well-aimed slingshots can topple giants. And do your homework. - Maggie Kuhn

Power of a Praying Husband

I've been reading this really great book for about 3 weeks. It's about praying intentionally and purposefully. Of course, it's in the main genre that I've been focused on for just over 4 months -- marriage -- being a husband. it's really great. I've been enjoying the easy to read format of the book and using it as a component in my daily devotions. These are the main topics of prayer in the book:

• Her husband
• Her spirit
• Her emotions
• Her motherhood
• Her moods
• Her marriage
• Her submission
• Her relationships
• Her priorities
• Her beauty
• Her sexuality
• Her fears
• Her purpose
• Her trust
• Her protection
• Her desires
• Her work
• Her deliverance
• Her obedience
• Her future

a bit hazy

our morning started off a bit hazy today... 4:40am and the alarm jolted me out of bed. I was very confused and didn't know where I was. I laugh sometimes, because I think it's just because it's SO dark at that time that it's hard to get up - especially when the bed is cozy and warm!

Amy and I dragged ourselves out of bed (5.5 hours isn't enough) and prepped for our day. It's hard to get up that early, but there are benefits too (like 2.5 hours of uninterrupted work before anyone else comes in). I digress.

I write this morning to share a funny story. We're running around in the morning to get Amy to starbuck's on time. I'm making lunch and her coffee. She's getting her hair put together, munching cereal, reading her devotional. I'm packing her cell phone, my bag for work. She's dressed, I'm trying to find a sweater. She's brushing her teeth and foaming at the mouth.

Yes, foaming at the mouth. She makes a horrible face and spits into the sink and bursts out laughing. Soap. She put soap on her toothbrush. We're both in such a fog that we just giggle and laugh, that she's spitting suds.

seriously... it's a funny start to the day. I checked my calendar. I'm doing a 3 hour training this afternoon with 3 colleagues. We work VERY well together. We all know the material. I just don't know what part I'm responsible for... it's so fun to send emails to co-workers at 4:45 am. Anita's going to think I was in a panic to email that early!

Making time to rest

I've not fallen off the planet in the last week, Amy and I are just making some decisions to help us be more relaxed and rested. It's difficult, because there are so many things that we actually WANT to do as well as all of the things we know we NEED to do and what we SHOULD do. We're trying not to SHOULD on ourselves and accomplish what we must while remembering to enjoy our first year of marriage!

This weekend was busy, probably too busy again, but also included quite a lot of fun. We headed to Grand Rapids where we watched a cross country race with Amy's former team from Franklin College. It was really fun to see Amy in her element. We were running ALL OVER! I think that we made more mileage than the athletes (exaggeration is my forte). Then we had lunch with friends and supporters, followed by dinner with more of the same.

Dinner was really SO much fun. Amy and I dined with Steve and Suzanne Cole. Steve is one of my oldest and best friends from Bellaire. We laughed so much and just reminisced and enjoyed each other's company. I wish they lived closer.

On Sunday we spoke at Knox EPC to the youth group about the upcoming Siberia summer camp mission trip. We're really hoping and praying to have enough interest for 3 full teams this summer - it's really one of the focuses for ministry this year, so I'm hopeful.

We also raked the yard and took a nap on Sunday (after lunch with friends) - whew.

So the resting continued a bit on Tuesday, when we napped after work followed by more raking and then watching some tv and talking to one of the elders from Amy's home church Common Ground. He's going to be writing Amy's recommendation for joining World Outreach.

And the real resting. Thank you God that Amy has no class and no work today. She can sleep in, rest, relax, and just enjoy the day. It has been so busy that rest has seemed far from us too much for this year of recuperation in the States and 'getting to know your spouse.'

I'm praying it's a marvelous day for her.

the praise of man

I know that the praise of man is not what is supposed to fuel us, but it sure does feel good. Today I got an email from my supervisor at UM and he wrote:

Fantastic! And, you can’t be any more pleased than I am with what you are accomplishing!

It just felt really good to know that my efforts here are making a difference. I'm thrilled to be back and I know I'll be sad to leave once again when Amy and I return to Russia.

I've been working on several larger scale projects and ironically at 5 months, 1 week about 5 of them are all culminating at the same time.

SNOWING!

That's right, it's the simplest, shortest blog entry ever! It's snowing. Just little teeny flakes. The first snow always brings me joy and reminds me to think about the wonder God has created in the nature of our world. It's SO cool! Green leaves that turn magnificent colors, rain drops that become floating fairies who dance about the skies, hazy nights, sunsets, and on and on....

The Perfect Day

Today was as close to the perfect day as I've every experienced. Amy and I started the day by staying in bed and going back to sleep. Then we got up and decided to walk downtown. On the way there we saw a cyclo-cross race (it's like cross country running, but with hybrid mountain bikes). When we reached downtown we got coffee and chai and window shopped (we were searching for the perfect bag).

We then strolled through the farmer's market on our way to Zingeman's for a quick scone/cinnamon roll. We meandered back through some of the shops in Kerrytown and then walked back home.

From there we hopping in the car and drove to Livonia for lunch/dinner at PF Chang's (the lettuce wraps and Dan Dan noodles are incredible). Stopping at REI we found the perfect bag (see post). Then we spent several hours in Barnes & Noble bookstore reading and writing.

Amy proposed getting some dessert, so we stopped at Bravos! for cheesecake, it was decadent, delicious, and we demanded a second piece.

We watched a movie, some episodes of TV on dvd and went to bed.

INCREDIBLE. The perfect day. (and we really needed to slow down and relax for a day)

The Joy of Organization

My wife knows me TOO well. She has flooded my soul with joy. #1 my love language is gifts. I often feel shallow about this, but it's who I am and who I was created to be. I really like receiving presents, small ones, large ones, homemade, thoughtful, if it's for me - it's a deposit in my love bank.

My love bank is FULL right now. Amy bought me a new messenger bag for me to carry my laptop and files around. It has so MANY pockets and organized compartments, it's AMAZING.

Here are some photos. (I love my wife - and she loves me -- sorry we're newly weds!)

Camp Ark 2008!

I'm really excited to write that Amy and I had a great meeting last night with Grace Chapel EPC church. They're planning to come to Camp Ark in 2008 and work with us! We had a nice question and answer session, showed them the camp manual, and watched the Footprints International video. On the way home Amy and I had all these ideas about other ways that we can help American teams that are coming over to work with us. (training, manuals, media) It was really fun for us to have a longer conversation about ministry, uninterrupted by Russian homework.

Oh! And our friends in Owosso are meeting next week to discuss coming to camp in either 2008 or 2009. Let's pray that they decide on 2008, it would be amazing to have 3 groups coming to camp and committed before December!

My life as a palm...

... my palm pilot computer has been missing for 3 weeks! I found it today. Literally a miracle. I've looked through my backpack dozens of times looking for it, but today it was there! YES!!!

Tuition!!!!

For all of you who have been praying for Amy and I, we are thankful. Especially to share the following news with all of you. Amy has been granted in-state tuition. This means that her Russian class this semester just dropped from $11,000 to $4,000!!! Praise the Lord! No joking here, get up, do a little dance, shout for joy along with us. We have been waiting for this news since August!

We are relieved.

retropatellar pain syndrome

it's official, looks like this pain in the knee has a name, retropatellar pain syndrome. Might be easier to call it by it's common name, "runner's knee"

Basically what it means is a pain underneath my knee cap. Turns out running with a wife who's a runner isn't the best thing to jump into. I don't think that was exactly what has going on when I really injured my knee, but it was what we suspect weakened it.

Bummer, huh? So I'm supposed to do rehab exercises and take it easy. No running, no stair climber, no stairs (if possible).

So please pray for me. For no pain and fast healing.

Go Fish! Missions weekend in Owosso

Amy and I just finished an incredible weekend with Community EPC church in Owosso, MI. We had the opportunity to speak there three times, plus a question and answer period. I spoke on Friday night, Amy on Saturday and on Sunday we both got to share. We talked about missional living and service opportunities as a platform for sharing the gospel. On Sunday I spoke about how God has a specific plan for each of us and referenced Henry Blackaby's book "Experiencing God" as a great method for seeking God's will for each of us.

It was a great weekend with a group of people who truly understand fellowship.

We connected with so many great folk. We're excited to stay connected!

Corn Maze

Today Amy and I went with friends to a 'corn maze' Isn't this awesome? So it's a maze cut into a field of corn if you've never seen one before. You go there at like 7pm at night. So it's really dark and you use a flash night to navigate your way through. There were 6 check points to go through. And yes, you really can get lost.

So isn't it amazing?! It was really fun, I'm pretty tired, so this will be brief.

Please pray - tenuous relations between Russia and the US

So this is really just a link to a CNN article about the tension between the government's of the US and Russia.

Pat and Stanley

Have you ever met Pat and Stanley? They are these crazy cartoon characters that some French guy thought up. I laugh every time I watch one of his shorts... I have no idea if he gets paid for them, but you can watch them on Google Videos.

Being intentional about living healthy

I guess this is a nearly impossible goal in the United States. Amy and I are trying to be healthy. I've gained a bit over 10 lbs since the wedding. So today we're taking a stand...

I've got cottage cheese, applesauce, and string cheese for lunch today. I'm looking forward to something healthy. This past weekend up north, I really didn't eat well... literally 3 cokes a day, chips and dip, and amazing incredible food. My dad grilled Steaks on Saturday for dinner!

Food is delicious, but when you eat the good stuff too often and you don't exercise...

... yeah, exercising has been way too much on the down low lately. My knee has been hurting for over a week and the most I've done for exercise is walk for an hour. Ridiculous. Please pray that it gets better and that it's nothing real.

Fall Colors

Northern Michigan is probably most beautiful in the Fall. This Fall is no exception. God really got out his painting palette and did some incredible handiwork this season. It was the perfect weekend for Amy and I to go visit my parents. It also turns out that today is Amy and my 3 month anniversary. I know, I know, they must be newlyweds because they're still counting such silly dates. Well, we're excited and we celebrated with the colors and a small shopping extravaganza at the outlet mall in Birch Run... which really meant some brown shoes for Amy and a couple of pairs of work pants for me, but all the same it was really a great weekend. And sleeping for 22 hours doesn't hurt anything either!

Timing, Priorities, and messing up

Being a leader is really hard. Balancing multiple roles is really hard. And I’m not very good at failing. Let’s face it, I’m not even very good at trying at 100%. I’ve lived my life in a way that I’m always trying to give 110% - Amy is teaching me to give myself some slack when I’m not overachiever, awesome man – I know that I’m no super hero, but it’s never stopped me from trying before.

So I’m learning how to give myself grace, allow the lawn to grow longer (for 2 weeks I’ve not touched it), etc. I’m doing okay – but I just am feeling like something isn’t quite right… you know, it’s that Fall funk thing.

Being a son, a husband, an employee, a supervisor, a missionary, a disciple, a friend, a mentor... it's all finally become more than I can do (well anyway). So I'm trying to figure out how to manage my time and be who I'm supposed to be.

Russian Conversations

Just a sample of what a Russian conversation right now is like between Amy and I.

A - Hello. How are you?

J - Hi, I’m fine. How are you?

A- Good, but a little tired. What are you doing?

J – I’m reading a book. Do you like to read?

A – Yes, I like to read magazines and the newspaper. I also run.

J – Who is that?

A – Over there? That’s my professor. Her name is Alina Alexandrovna Makin. She teaches Russian.

I’m SO very proud of her! With the complexities of Russian, this is a real feat of intellectual brain power, grammar, pronunciation, and quick thinking. She’s learning more than 100 words per week and

PS I’m nervous a bit for my friends in Russia. There’s a bit of an economic crisis happening in Tyumen. Please pray for them!

Chasing Chipmunks

No joke. That's what Amy and I got to do today. The evening started when we got home about 5:45pm. Amy walked in the door and said, "Holy Crap!" After the loudest shriek I've heard from Amy ever. (I should probably qualify that I've never heard Amy shriek before).

My heart was pounding and I was preparing myself to take out the robber who was in our house.

A chipmunk! He rushed across the floor. And for the next 2.5 hours I watched him skitter this way and that around the house. He's been inside for OVER A WEEK! We're not sure how he got in, but when we got home last night from being gone for the week in Atlanta and Indiana, we realized there were … mouse turds? Well, they were the largest mouse droppings I'd ever seen and really I thought they were little balled up bugs… was he trying to eat them?

Anyway, Amy was out with a friend walking and it really did take the team of two Brakes to rectify the situation. I opened the front door. Amy cornered Skippy with a broom. Then she spooked him, he came running at me and I used another broom to scare him at the opened door. And, voila! He ran outside on his own. Yes!

Amazing. and we danced in celebration.

Running 4 miles

Can you believe that I ran 4 miles! It was an amazing feat (or is that feet?). I was really hoping to make it to 6 miles, but that's a bit ridiculous, huh? The furthest I've run so far is 3.5 miles and I was hoping to jump that by 2.5 miles… anyway, I made it 4 miles at about 10 minutes per mile. It was really nice. I actually enjoyed most of it AND hit a rhythm for breathing. But my legs were numb and I was feeling a bit dizzy.

The Simple Way

Shane Claiborne | transcript |

Shane is a really interesting guy. He did some kind of internship or something with Mother Theresa, and basically just decided that it's really okay to live a life of poverty and to help people. He's founded a movement in Philadelphia called the Simple Way.

He only spoke for a short 30 minutes, Amy and I picked up his book, "Irresistible Revolution" to get a little more. I'd heard of him a couple of times already, my buddy who lives in Kyrgyzstan, Matt, also recommended the book.

Anyway - here are the two thoughts that I had written down from his talk.

"You should surround yourself with people who are like the person you would like to be."

"The church is like Noah's ark. It stinks sometimes. But if you get out, you're going to drown."

Catalyst - Three Signs of a Miserable Job

Patrick Lencioni - | transcript |

Patrick is a secular author and leadership consultant who came to speak at Catalyst. Gotta say that he was one of the highlights for me. He shared about his newest book, "The Three Signs of a Miserable Job." I'm planning to check into some of his other books as well.

Patrick has managed to capture some concepts that really should be common sense to us all, but unfortunately are not. The cool thing, is that he's written it down in such a way that it makes sense and has applicability.

The model consists of three sides to a triangle - anonymity, irrelevance, and immeasurement. We can't enjoy our work if we don't feel known, if we don’t know what difference or impact we make, and if we can't gauge our own success.

It's a few simple concepts, but I think it really makes sense for creating a better job work atmosphere

There is of course, no job that is ALL fun. We need to BE happy where we are. We need to invest in the people that we work with, and we are NEVER too busy to invest in the people we work with.

"Don't wait until you retire to recognize the impact you have in your work right now.

Catalyst - unChristian

Catalyst Session 4
unchristian | transcript |

this is the title of a new book that just came out. It's based on three years of research based on surveys and interviews of 16-29 year old Americans. "What do you think of Christianity?"

It's not really such a good impression that we're making. I haven't read the book, but I did get a copy of it. Seems like Christianity really has an image problem, deeper than an image problem. The basic gist is this: Christians are judgmental, hypocritical, sheltered, too political, and proselytizers.

I guess I'll write more about this when I've read the book. It'll be interesting, stay tuned.

Catalyst - Session 3

Session 3
Matt Chandler
Family Traits

The church is doing to much and isn't building it's muscles where it needs to. It's like the muscle man who is pumping iron and building his upper body, but doesn't pay attention to his legs. You gotta do some squats sometimes, otherwise the heavy upper body will just topple. Looks great on the outside, but the inside is lacking. Matthew 5:13

Matt Chandler is the head pastor of a church that has grown from 160-some people to something like 5,000 in just a few years. The numbers are great, but that can't be what we're satisfied with. In fact, numbers growth like that can really be a detriment - especially that fast.

Our culture is preoccupied with information. Too much information leads us only to mechanical growth. Sometimes no growth at all. Such a simple statement, yet it really struck a chord with me… maybe because it's my current profession? His point is that we spend so much time acquiring information, but that we don't really do much with it. How do we put it into application. Nor do we process it enough. The point of information is transformation.

"We don't need a new revelation, we need to understand what's already been revealed."

He also pointed out the obvious, but it's good to hear again, that every Christian stumbles and falls. And when we fall, there is grace from God. "He doesn't love the future us, he loves us right now!" It's really good news.

Another issue we got as Americans is that we live in a culture based on speed. But spiritual growth and transformation is not fast, it's a CRAWL. Matt likened spiritual growth to a traffic jam. It is so slow that you can't feel it, but you can measure it over time. The same thing with spiritual growth. Most of the time you can't feel it

Catalyst - Session 2

Session 2

Nancy Ortberg
Authentic Influence

How do catalytic leaders think differently? This was the topic of Nancy Ortberg's talk today. I was first really excited, because She's the wife of John Ortberg, who's written some amazing books. My notes seem to include 5 points from her talk, I'd like to share them with you now.

One. The most difficult person to lead is yourself

Two. Vision is nurtured in 2 primary ways: by the stories we tell and by the heroes we create.

Three. Defining moments are only as significant as the lifestyles they create.

Four. Teamwork is a strategy not a slogan.

Five. Stop being surprised that leadership is hard.

Probably one of the most interesting things that Nancy shared was that she doesn't really journal frequently. Most folks in Christian circles talk about a "quiet time" being comprised of reading Bible, journaling, praying, maybe listening to music or items like this. Nancy doesn't really journal. It's not her 'thing'. It works for some. Maybe it doesn't work for you.

Sometimes I journal, sometimes not. Amy journals every day, prodigiously. She's really good at it and it works for her. I was so excited, because I felt as though I had permission to do something different. So I'm trying to journal a bit more often, but instead of just writing, I'm mind mapping.

It was very interesting listening to her talk and share about how seeing Les Miz was for her a religious experience. It really was so freeing to hear her share her perspective.

Catalyst - Session 1

Session 1

Reggie McNeal
Missional Leadership

Reggie shared about several realignments that need to happen within the church today. To start with, there's an image problem. There are basically three views of the church: 1) a place where things happen, 2) a religious vendor, or 3) a group of people on a mission with God. Of course, we'd hope to be type three.

There's way too many bad opinions out there about who and what Christians are. How do we reestablish the truth of who we really are? Reggie suggests 3 shifts.

1) a shift from an internal focus to an external focus

As a culture, Americans (maybe all people) love to live in silos. It's easier when we separate aspects of our lives into domains where they live: sports, business, education, church, etc. The problem is that spirituality doesn't live in just one aspect of our lives, it spreads across all aspects of who we are.

2) a shift from service driven church to spirit driven. Or a move from program driven church to people development. We don't need to create better church, we need to have better people development.

3) a shift from church based leadership to A.D. 30 leadership. It's not about what position you hold. WE need to build on the strengths and abilities we have and not worry about positions. Job descriptions aren't always helpful, sometimes they just force us to live inside the box of the position.

Staying afloat...

Sometimes it's so strange when you can't quite put your finger on it, but you realize that you're barely staying afloat.

There's no ONE individual thing that's too much right now, but the conglomeration of things is like being dunked under water over and over again. There's the opportunity to breathe in some air in between the dunking, but not quite enough that you really feel like swimming.

Guess I should thank Will for dunking me under water so often as a kid.

Be praying - we can use it.

Wedding Poem

Many folks have asked me about the Poem that our dear friend Heather Holleman wrote for our wedding. I thought, I could post it here!

Wedding Day

~For Amy and Jeff

As fragile as two dandelion seeds
Scattered one to the Masaii, swirling up
Between spear and red cloth,
And one to the Russian,
Resting between beet soup and nesting dolls,
and yet, what strong Hand brought them together,
holding them in the tightest grip,
though blown by every wind,
across years, across continents?

There is wonder in this mysterious
Coming together—a girl running radiant in the direction of God,
Persevering, her head held up like a giraffe
Alone on the plains of Africa,
And this boy, all balance and rhythm,
All energy and hope,
Knowing she’s out there somewhere.

And the Lord releases His breath,
Sends the two where He knows they will find one another.
And recognize they have found a place to rest.
They take root, first in him, and then each other,
And a new thing is made—
Something no language can describe
And no border can contain.

The Lord Himself is their dwelling place
And on the beauty of this day,
They hold each other, exchange vows, become one,
And just as the dandelion, a singular thing, expands out
Signifying wonder
May your love together overflow and
Bring many to know the
One who caught you first in His Hand.

Napping is good for you!

I just read on one of my favorite blog sites (yes, I have favorite blog sites) that there are several names for different types of naps. Merlinn Mann posted on 43folders.com about his love for the Winston Churchill nap (which includes actually getting in bed).

I think perhaps this post is inspired by the fact that Amy and I get up 2-3 mornings a week at 4:40am for her to get to work on time... we're both tired. When I actually get up, I'm really okay... but sometime in the afternoon the desire for a nap is only broken by the consumption of caffeine.

Who I Am in Christ

Amy and I have been using this incredible resource to help us to firmly establish our identities as Christians. Sometimes in this world we live in, it's hard to fight against the pressures of our culture and what's happening around us and we forget who we really are.

I know for me that the consumerist mindset has a really strong pull. I just want to have it because other people have it and it's cool. Sometimes, that's okay. I love music and an iPod is an excellent music player. Mine is 2 or 3 years old. I do NOT need a new one. But I want one. Who am I?

Body image is a big part of American culture. God was really good to me in Russia and I lost 35 lbs. And I've gained 10 back here in the States. It's a struggle for me because I'm worried about what I look like (and how I feel). I want to be healthy, but I struggle sometimes with the motivation... do I want to BE healthy or just LOOK healthy. How ridiculous. Who am I?

Neil T. Anderson has written several books and one of them is all about identity. I haven't read it actually, Amy has though - and the truths are summarized in a list of identity statements from the Bible. I've linked to them through this post and hope that it encourages you.

Sometimes I really need a solid reminder of Who I Am.

I've added an RSS Feed

If you know what an rss feed is and you'd like to just add mine it's here.

If you don't know what an rss feed is, here's a definition:

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) It is a web technology that allows you to subscribe to content on the web. So now, you can subscribe to automatically receive updates from my blog if you use an RSS feed reader (I suggest using Google Reader).

Basically, you can read any posts that I make to my blog by adding this link http://infoczar.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default to your rss reader and you'll automatically keep up with me!

The family tree

Amy spent a good chunk of the day today working on a project for her Russian class. What am I saying?! Amy spends a good chunk of most days working on Russian. She's been an incredibly dedicated student. She's spending at least 4 hours a day on this class. We know why it's labeled INTENSE Russian.

She's learning the names of all the family members now. So she made a family tree to describe everyone to her class... She ended up taping 6 pieces of paper together to get her family on one sheet! If I'm remembering correctly there's 6 siblings in her dad's family (all married with kids) and 3 in her mom's.

Incidentally it was good for me too. That's a lot of people to meet and remember.

life outside the bubble

I've never really explained why I called my blog 'life outside the bubble'

It started when I realized I was spending almost all my time at church, at youth group, working on becoming a missionary. I was living my life completely inside the 'Christian' bubble.

That is NOT where life is to be lived. So I made a decision to try and live my life outside the bubble.


Ironically, living in Siberia (or Kenya) or wherever God leads is certainly living outside the bubble of my comfort zone.

So - here goes continually living life outside the bubble.

Evan Almighty

I had the opportunity to go to Russian tea again today. I was speaking with Dasha (an 18 year old visiting from Ukraine with her mother who's a Fulbright researcher here at UM). Dasha looks at me, starts laughing and says that I remind her of Steve Carell from the movie Evan Almighty. She even said that I make people laugh like him and look like him.

Just goes to show that making goals in your life really does have purpose... once upon a time, I thought my goal and purpose in life was to make at least one person smile or laugh a day... it's a good aim, don't you think?

Home Renovations

Today was an important day. I got to do some work on the house. Amy and I have been struggling a little bit figuring out how to work our schedule...

We really want to be together as much as possible (I think that's what happens when you're on different continents for 11 months), so we're doubled up sometimes when we run errands or just try to get things done (like going to the grocery store).

Well, we just had to separate. I can't really help her do her Russian homework... I kinda get in the way a little bit and help too eagerly... she has to do it by herself to learn. So I headed off to Lowe's and bought the hardware to install new handles on our screen doors. I only messed up one door!

So now we can get in and out of the house easily! Yes! We've been going in and out of the garage door for nearly three weeks...

... I've already become one of those husbands who fall behind in home projects.

Speaking before Presbytery

Yesterday Amy and I drove down to Detroit for the Midwest Presbytery meeting. It's a gathering of teaching and ruling elders of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) where they discuss doctrine and policy. There's a section of the meeting to hear from World Outreach, so Amy and I were invited to speak. Usually there's a 10 minute window, but the other missionary couple that was supposed to attend couldn't make it - so we got 20 minutes!

It was wonderful to share with them the story of how we met, Amy shared about her time in Kenya, I gave an update about what's been going on in Russia, AND they spontaneously prayed for us. It was really great. Amy & I have both been feeling the pressure and stress of being too busy and trying to figure out how to prioritize a bit better. We're learning how to do it, but it's taken a bit of a toll as we've been trying to figure it all out.

First Russian Grades

Just sharing briefly the pride of a husband whose wife scored a 99.75 on her first Russian test! Way to go Amy! I knew she was smart all along, but WOW!!!

The test was about 5 pages long and had everything from listening comprehension, grammar, speaking, and vocabulary.

That's it. I'm really proud of her and how diligently she's dedicated herself to learning Russian.

Русский Чай - Russian Tea

Today was a treat! Amy's enrolled in Intensive Russian and has hours of crazy language practice required each week. Two hours each week there's a group gathering of all the Russian students with several professors and some native speakers! We went for a little over an hour and met so many people! It was really good practice for me. The first couple of minutes was all that awkward figuring out who's going to talk to who... and all that jazz.

I hope we're able to keep going - it was really great practice!

Frenetically paced

Amy and I are really trying to figure out how to schedule our lives. Seems like there are 1,000 opportunities at every turn and we need to figure out how to prioritize and choose.

I had a small freak out moment last night. I'm not really sure why, but I was just FULL of stress. Usually when I'm stressed (which isn't that usual) I know the cause. So it was interesting to try and figure out what the cause was.

We sat down last night and wrote out a list of the priorities that we have for our time in the states. Hopefully this will help us to just be focused on what we need and want to be doing with the year. It is really daunting to be: husband, wife, student, employee, employer, son, daughter, friend, mentor... We're feeling pulled in all directions and trying to be true to our hopes to establish our marriage as our top priority this year.

Your prayers are welcomed!

Early mornings

Amy & I have been presented with a wonderful opportunity. Getting up at 4:50am most mornings...

The University of Michigan has started classes and Amy is enrolled (well, will be soon) in the first year Intensive Russian language program. This means that Amy's job had to fit in with her class schedule. And when you have class from 11am - 1pm everyday (and 3 hours of conversation practice to fit in too, along with at LEAST 20 hours of homework a week) you end up working the early morning shift.

So we rise before the sun. We rush around for about 20 minutes or so, Amy drinks a quick cup of living life (coffee) and I pack a quick lunch for each of us. She reads her Bible and I try to get my hair to stop sticking up. You'd think a man with as little hair as me wouldn't have a problem with that in the morning. Within a blink of the eye our time together in the morning is over and it's "to the bat mobile!" The 3 miles to campus usually takes 15-20 minutes in the morning, but this early... it's about 8 minutes. There are a few cars on the streets, but mostly is just us.

So this means that I'm at work 2.5 hours before most everyone else. It's been quite nice because I get SO much accomplished in the first couple hours of the day. I think maybe that I'm annoying to my colleagues, because I have a bit too much energy by 8am and they haven't even seen coffee yet!

eating ants

I had a bowl of granola for breakfast at work this morning... I didn't know there were ants in the granola. I had already poured the milk... Amy and I are on strict budget, I was really hungry, and it hardly phased me...

I picked them out

and kept eating.

Life Speed or Light Speed.

Life always flows at the speed of life, but for Amy and I, the speed of lift is more like the speed of light.

It seems like we spend a good deal of time rushing around and trying to get things done all the time. Amy's just started working at Starbucks and it's really great so far. We were nearly late this morning though... and neither of us like being late.

Just imagine: Amy, me, a small blue Saturn (the car) and yellow lights turning pink and then red at every turn. I think I literally heard my life soundtrack turn to Indiana Jones as we adventurously weaved our way to Starbucks. We made it with 3 minutes to spare.

Phew.

Starbucks & Russian

Amy worked her first training shift at Starbucks today. Really sounds like it was about reading and learning about the company, which I think in and of itself is cool.

Well, turns out that her mentor barrista has studied 3 or 4 semesters of Russian AND there's a Russian national named Olga working there too! Can you believe how awesome the Lord is? Just coincidence? I don't think so.

Amy got her Russian course books today and I'm trying to contain my excitement that she's just one week away from her first Russian class!

The puzzle is coming together.

We've been married for 1 month and 1 day and everything is really starting to fall into place. Amy found out today that she's got a job! She's been interviewing for the past 3 weeks and just secured a position with Starbucks right on campus! We'll be able to drive in to work together a few days a week and she'll already be on campus for her classes.

That's right! She's been accepted at UM as a non-degree student to study Russian. She's decided to take Intensive Russian (two semesters in one) and that means she'll be on campus 4 days a week! It's really exciting, because we'll be able to have lunch together more often!

There is one loose string that we would love your thoughts, prayers and encouragements on... residency. Amy has been accepted as an out-of-state student at this point and we've got all the paperwork together to submit for her to apply for Michigan residency. Please pray that they'll grant residency and quickly. Tuition will be DRASTICALLY cheaper if she gets in state tuition (to the tune of THOUSANDS of dollars).

Moving Day

I'm not really sure how to describe what's going on today because I'm not sure that the full impact has really hit me. My long time friends Ashley & Heather Holleman are moving today. From Ann Arbor to Pennsylvania! I know that I'm sad, hopeful, content in God's will, and sad.

Creativity Day

Last month at work we started something called Creativity Day. It was inspired by Google. At Google, 20% of every employee's time is supposed to be spent on personal projects. Just trying something new, learning something, testing an idea, catching up on the latest technology, etc. Well, we can't dedicate that kind of time (1 day a week), because we're more than a little behind, BUT 1 day a month isn't out of the question. So... Creativity Day.

I'm using this month's creativity day to learn more about SLR Cameras... you know the ones, with all the bells and whistles... and you have ultimate and total control of everything that it does. Yeah, it's challenging, but interesting and exciting. I'll post some pictures when I get some.

Honeymoon Photos

Take a look at the honeymoon photos if you'd like. I didn't take nearly the photos that I usually do, but it's fun to share all the same. St. Lucia is BEAUTIFUL.

Memorizing

I'd forgotten how key it is to memorize the Bible. Frankly, it really helps in daily life. So, I've started again. I'm really fond of the Navigators' Topical Memory System. So, I'm typing up my own version to keep me thinking of the truth and to remind me of what's real.

What do you think is real? How we're feeling about something or what we really know about it? Sometimes I get wrapped up in my feelings or being tired, and I have a skewed view of reality. It's nice to go back to a standard that you know is solid and rely on what you know is true instead of what you fear might be.

Who's a delingquint?

That would be me. I've got a LOT of updates to share and I'm sorry for being offline for so long. It's been more than a month and frankly, not only do I miss blogging, but I feel like I'm letting my friends, family and supporters down without sharing the funny, crazy things going on in my life.

So, get ready for some more posts... I'll be writing about some major life events (getting married, going on our honeymoon, gaining weight) and I'll be updating you on some other interesting things (starting work at UM, the pressures of living in America, what's an interesting read, good music, and other things inspiring me)

Wedding Photos

I don't have that many wedding photos yet, but here's a few to tempt your appetite. Being married to your best friend is really the way to go.

Mini Marathon Training

Not that it's the most exciting thing for you, but I wanted a place to track my training milestones for the mini Marathon next year in Indianapolis.

3/10/08 ran 6 miles for the first time. 1:01:35
3/2/08 ran 5 miles through the slush and mush. 54 minutes
2/23/08 ran 4.7 miles - we thought it was 4. it killed me. i was a winer

didn't run for a long time

october 2007 - knee injury

7/4/07 ran 5K - 28 minutes (my first race)

Touching base and keeping you in the loop

Wow - another whirlwind week has passed us by! I can't believe how quickly time is passing. I think stateside, I might be blogging, but once per week (maybe twice if I can manage). There is just so much going on with the wedding, starting my job again, seeing friends & family, and getting the house ready to live in again. Amy and I still haven't found my can-opener! I really wanted some tuna fish... alas.

The past week has been really busy, but VERY productive. I've nearly completed a 2 page letter and 4 page newsletter to send to supporters, Amy and I had TWO pre-marital counseling sessions, and I ran 3 miles for the first time since college.

I've been running to try and stay in shape some. The lifestyle here in America is really different and I walk a LOT less here than when I was in Russia. I feel like my health lies in the balance sometimes. I've already been up 7 lbs since I've been home (that's 3.5 kilo for any non Americans out there), but I'm clinging to only being 3 lbs heavier than Russia. The biggest reason for the health kick is that my back never hurt in Russia and today is the second day with the intense knot in my lower back. So I gotta do what it takes to get rid of that!

So about running. I started off with 1 mile 3 times a week. And then after 5 times, I jumped up to 2 miles. Well, after the first week - I cut 1.5 minutes from my 2 mile! It's still nothing to write home about, but I'm really excited to be active regarding my health.

Amy and I are planning to run a 5k race on the 4th of July... she'll kick my butt, but it'll be fun to run a race.

Flushing Drinking Water

I hope this isn't too uncouth, but I was at the Michigan Union today and I (clears throat) used the facilities. I noticed that the urinal flushes 1 gallon of water and that the toilet flushes 3 gallons. I was amazed at how much good water we use here in America for something like flushing a toilet. When I visited Amy in Kenya there wasn't even running water and certainly not for drinking. It just really amazes me the privileges that we have here. I'm learning about how to have my eyes open to how different our lives are here and to appreciate what we have.

I'm not sad that we have this access and that we are so blessed, I just want to appreciate how much we've been given just by the nature of our birth into this country and to recognize that there are so many that don't have these things.

I also miss some of the simplicity of life and want to figure out how to lay claim to it a bit more here.

Meetings...

I go to lots of meetings now. It's a good thing. But I'd forgotten about being in them. Sitting there listening to people talk and they always go longer than they should. Gotta figure out how to help people end meetings on time.

Who's that singing solo?

Amy and I headed up north yesterday to visit my parents in my hometown (Bellaire, MI) I can't believe how beautiful it is up here. It is so peaceful. The sound of frogs croaking in the marsh and the wind rustling in the trees is so relaxing. There is hardly any light when it's dark and I SO enjoy the DEEP sleep that I experience here in my childhood home. I miss being here and the true relaxation that I experience here. Thanks mom and dad for choosing a paradise in which to raise the children!

On Saturday, dad sang in his barbershop chorus. It was INCREDIBLE. There were about 40 guys singing in incredible harmony. Dad's also in a quartet and sings the very difficult baritone part. It's basically the invisible part that blends the other voices together. I was so AMAZED at the afterglow when dad sang a SOLO! Usually the baritone's don't have a solo part and he was SO good! I was really proud. I'll post some pictures if they turn out!

First day of Work

Whoa. I was not prepared for how much changed in the year I was gone. Almost all for the good, but so much change. And really I think I wasn't prepared for how much I would forget. Not the really important or basic things, but acronyms and names and where buildings are on campus. Not to mention that some buildings are just, well, missing. Or new ones are being built.

I am glad to be back for the year that Amy and I are establishing our marriage, and excited to reconnect with work friends and to make a difference in people's lives once more here in Ann Arbor.

Wedding invitations…

I can hardly believe the humor of creating our own invitations for our wedding. Amy and I really thought it would be a good idea to save some money (which in fact it REALLY saved a LOT of money). The real humor is that creating our own invitations for the wedding really created a LOT of work. I worked on them in Russia and really got a good headstart.

When we got to the States, I just had to drop in the text and we were ready to go. Amy and I headed off to the copy shop to print a test invite and… they didn't have legal sized card stock… so I changed the invitation to letter size. Then we printed a test. It was perfect.

So the next day we returned to make the invitations. They didn't have the same card stock… it was too thick which made it too difficult to fold the invitations and they didn't look as nice.

So the quest began. There is a store in Ann Arbor called Xpedex, which basically only sells paper and related products. So we found the right weight of paper and the right color. We needed enough to print 200, so I got 250.

All was great until we were walking out of Kinko's (the copy shop) and realized that the invites are 2 pages of double sided… which means we needed 400 sheets of cardstock… and it was already 5pm. So another day lost in the process of putting together the invites.

In the end, they are created and this weekend we'll be folding, stamping, stickering, labeling, and mailing them! Look out paper cuts and gummy tongues.

Laying Low

I had never expected to have such a HUGE desire to be anonymous in my life. I'm actually afraid of bumping into people right now. I'm not overwhelmed being home really, but there is SO much going on right now, that I just need to have some alone time. It's planned for tomorrow.

The speed of life in America

I love America. There are rules. People follow the rules. People enforce the rules. Some of the rules we know. Some of them are just culturally implicit. The speed one drives a car is an explicit rule. We know it. Sometimes we don't see the signs… sometimes we just don't obey them. At the end of the month, the cops are out and watching to catch speeding drivers and I got stopped. 3 days I've been back in America and I've been stopped by the police. She was unmerciful. I was all of 10 feet into the zone were the speed changed from 35 to 30 and she had me clocked at 37. So I now have to pay a ticket.

I'm in enough culture shock that milk is nearly $4 a gallon, but a speeding ticket at $120 is about to break the bank. I couldn't believe it was so expensive. Gas has increased $0.70 / gallon since I left. I know that I'll get used to it, but I do want to hold on to my new awareness and my bi-culturality.

I'm also reeling a bit at the busyness of our lives here. We go from one task to the next without much resting and relaxation. Amy and I are literally discussing creating a calendar to make sure we SCHEDULE our relaxing time… I know that I’m not always spontaneous, but whoa.

Home SAFE!

Sorry once again for the blog hiatus. I know have a connection to the internet again. It has been a whirlwind coming back to America for my wedding and the first year of my marriage with Amy Carew! We are so excited. We have been engrossed in wedding, wedding, wedding planning. All is wonderful here stateside.

More soon!!!

Beer at 4:30am

Yeah - I'm sitting here in the airport (I got plugged in!) and there are two ladies sitting across from me drinking beer. I can't believe it. Now there's a man pouring martini for a group of 4 women… whoa. There's a beautiful sunrise right now though.

Lost my Passport Part II

When I got to Moscow, I checked my baggage into the baggage check… and then I couldn't find my passport when the lady asked me for my passport… I about freaked out. Stranded in Moscow without my passport. Whoa. I was afraid that I left it on the plane from Tyumen to Moscow… But, turns out that I had put it in my coat pocket, and then I put my coat IN my baggage… so that's where it was... My Russian life is truly a never ending adventure.

Lost my Passport

I remember when I got my first planner. It was my senior year in college. One of my fellow interns in my office gave me one and it really changed my life. The amazing thing is that now I'm organized. And without organization I feel like I'm a cripple.

So I keep things in the same places too, so that I can easily find them. Well, I moved my passport this morning before ch^rch, so I could make photocopies to put in my baggage. And then I couldn't find it.

I lost my passport.

I took three prayers for me to find it again… it was right where I thought it was… it was in a place I had already checked two times.

The Patience Blog

The past couple days sure have been busy. I've been SLAMMING to get all of my things packed. To see everyone that I care about here in Russia before I have to leave. Today has a really interesting and phenomenal feature. I'm moving all of my things that are going to be waiting for Amy and I here in Russia. And three of my four favorite Russians will be helping me move. Sasha, Igor and Dennis are all helping me move my stuff along with Dennis' friend Sergei. Zhanna is our telephone and pr@yer support specialist. You'll never believe how long it took us to move my things less than 1/4 mile from my apartment to the garage.

Everything was all set up for 2 o'clock. Then the moving helpers were late. Then the taxi was late. Then the taxi cancelled. We got a new taxi… We loaded it… We moved…We unloaded the truck. Then we spent 3 hours trying to open the garage door. It turns out to be really not complicated. But we didn't do it right. 6 different people tried to open the door… and then Zhanna and I were talking on the phone (she was helping me look up phone numbers for people in Russia who know how to open the door). She suggested we pr@y - and the door opened. Isn't that amazing?!

The really incredible part of the story is the lesson. I've really learned so many things about myself in this past year in Russia - and the lesson is about patience. There are many aspects of Russian culture that differ from American culture. And the highlight for this story is waiting. Everything in America seems to be designed to happen as quickly and as efficiently as possible. In Russia, we wait in lots of lines, people push to the front (not everyone of course) and in general it's really great for developing patience. In fact, people often go on errands in small groups so that someone can stand in line while the others get the errands done.

So the past several days - I've completely forgotten this lesson. I've been rushing around like a chicken with my head cut off and I've forgotten that the roses smell beautiful. I actually told Zhanna on the phone that I was really frustrated, because I didn't have time to be standing waiting. Zhanna reminded me that I was with my favorite people and that it was a beautiful day to be standing outside.

She was right.

Here goes!

Today might be my last entries for a while. I'm flying TOMORROW (night)! I'll be without internet for a while. Don't know exactly when it's going to be set up at my place in Michigan. Here goes! I'm EXHAUSTED. I've been starting to switch my sleep schedule, packing and seeing people for the last time until Amy and I come back next year! Wow.

People are coming over to help me move my things into storage… whoa. I'll try to post some pictures.

I can't believe it's been 11 months WHOA.

Last Interpreter Training

Well, I feel like I was a disappointment today. I don't usually do very well in this situation (not like anyone does - we all like being successful!) Anyway - I really just ran out of time putting everything together at the last minute with moving. I thought I had planned everything well, but I didn't anticipate all of the last minute projects, meetings, and people visiting. I've been going to bed late this week to try and start switching my body clock… 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning most days. Whoa - I think it'll help me sleep on the planes and adjust to the 10 hour time zone change.

Anyway - we had a shorter meeting than usual and it went just fine. I think I set my expectations really high and it was just a normal meeting. Most of them have really been wonderful, so the bar has been constantly on the rise.

Last Teaching

I taught my final lessons this week at the University. It was with mixed feelings that I approached the lessons. Most of the students had already taken their oral exam with me, so it was really just a matter of giving them their grades and having a wrap up conversation. Many of them are planning to join our English Discussion Club!!! I'm really excited about the possibilities that this brings to us as far as the outreach potential. I have nearly 100 students, so if even a portion of them decided to start coming it would be enough to start another session of club. We're already at maximum size for everyone to have a chance to talk… I think it might be nice to have an intermediate level and an advanced level group.

Many of my students are hoping to come to America someday - it has been so incredible to see them improving their language skills. My involvement at the University has had some really great impact on some of our ministry projects, mostly notably D-Club and Interpreters for camp. Here are some pictures of my students.

Behind in Blogging

Beloved readers! I'm SO sorry I haven't blogged in almost two weeks. I want you all to know that I am certainly still recording the main points of my life and what's going on. It's a bit crazy right now with my imminent departure for America. I'm excited to take some time today to write though, as it really is a highlight of my time here in Russia. I feel so connected to my friends and family back home.

By the way - with all that's been happening in the past 3 days (going to Talitsa for two days with Igor's family, and my interviews with the CEC staff, and 6 hours with my friend Dennis last night), I'm speaking and hearing a LOT of Russian lately. I woke up this morning thinking in Russian! This of course, has happened before, but it's so funny to me, when I realize sometime after I get up that I don't know how to think about something… it's a really good sign. Today I get to pick up my language certificate from my Russian test last week. I'm a bit nervous about my language rating, but I'm also just interested in knowing the results.

Last D-Club

Today was our last discussion club meeting! I have really mixed feelings. I'm excited that it's ending because it means that I'm going back to America and see AMY!!!!! I can't wait. On the other hand, I'm so sad. I really enjoy our conversations, I enjoy having a positive impact on their lives and seeing how they are changing. It's sometimes frustrating that there aren't instant changes, but then again, with slow and steady changes you know they are thinking and considering things honestly.

Saying Goodbyes and Hellos

Being a man of two minds and two hearts is a tough thing. At training in Colorado Springs last January, Amy and I learned that one of the most important things that you can do when moving to and from the field is to say appropriate good-byes. You have to go through the good-byes, so that the hellos are good too.

But, I want to be honest that it's really hard. I feel, in so many ways, that I've really hit my groove here and that I am really being used to make a difference.

I know that G0d will complete the work that I have begun. This is a promise that I cling to. And I know that my friends here are in excellent care, both with the CEC staff and with the divine, but I'm weak and I just like to be able to see what's going on.

(below final d-club meeting)

Anyway - two minds, two hearts. I am SO excited and thrilled to move back to the States for the next year. I cannot wait to SEE Amy, let alone get married! We'll certainly have a LOT on our plate in the next year, and we're really excited about our future together. AND, it's hard to leave. There are people when I leave this year that I probably never will see again. Most of my students and the one-on-one relationships that I have are locals, from Tyumen. But there are a few folks who are not locals and are 15 hour train rides away. So, I'm sad about the fact that I may never see some of them again. Even when Amy and I return, they won't be here… We'll have to see about having a Thanksgiving celebration or something so that they can come back and visit!

The packing frenzy

It has begun. There are boxes littering the floor, clothes piled on couches and arm chairs, picture frames are sitting askance on the table. I am packing. I'm trying to do a better job of not being a frenzied, crazy man as I move back to the States for a year as I was when I moved here in the first place. I don't know if I'll do it or not. I've been thinking about the packing process for nearly 2 weeks already (it's so helpful that Amy has just moved back to the US and I got a LOT of pointers from her move). I'm deciding which items to bring to America and which ones to leave behind. We have a garage here where I'll be storing a bunch of my things for when Amy and I return. This is one thing that will make moving a LOT easier. It's also fun that I can leave some things behind for people to use when I'm not here. Mostly things like magazines, books, and movies. But English materials are like gold here.

Hanging with the fam

So, I had forgotten how nice and brain numbing television is. Let's just say that I got to spend a rainy day with the Kurmangashinov family watching television. We drank tea, made Mexican food, and just relaxed the day away. There was even a cat to curl up in my lap and purrr me to relaxation.

The interesting this is that I'm understanding most of what's going on when I watched tv. They have this show (for THREE hours) called Minute of Fame. It's an opportunity to show whatever talent you have. And today was the semi finals. So that was fun, everything from dancing, singing, instruments, to extreme biking, or the bizarre. So relaxing.

On Sunday we had a ch^rch service at home, which was actually really cool. There were six of us and we all had an opportunity to share what G0d's doing in our lives and what we're learning. It's so cool to get the multiage perspective. We had (39, 39, 35, 20, 16, and 10). So I really enjoyed this time of sharing, learning, and just plain worship. It was fun to sing together too. I even knew the words to half of the songs!

Family visits (and a paragraph on PURPOSE)

Wow, what an early start to the day. Igor and I caught a train this morning to his hometown, Talitsa. The train ride is only about 2.5 hours, but it's really interesting. The elektrichka as it's called, doesn't sell specific seats on the train, so the possibility of it being overbooked, is very possible. In fact, it was so overbooked today that we were standing - in between cars. That's right. At first I couldn't believe it as the rain was dripping in through the connecting parts of the train, but within 45 minutes we found a place to sit down together.

It's so fun and interesting to work with young people. Getting to talk with them about their futures, their choices, their lives. Everything is ahead for them and it's really such a wonderful time in life. I especially like this time because it's when we're figuring out our reason for being. Purpose is really this thing for me. I just love the word. I like thinking about what it means. I like thinking about what it means to know that I have a purpose. I just like knowing that we're all created for a reason, a specific reason for each and every one of us. I think that it's critical for us to seek this purpose and figure out the specific meaning behind our individual lives and that so many of us don't find it. It's one of the reasons that I really love being a facilitator with the LeaderShape program. It's all about finding purpose.

So the purpose of our visit to Talitsa, was that I'm starting the process of saying my Russian good-byes. I've been here for almost a year and it's back to the States for my wedding with Amy!!! Igor's family, the Kurmangashinov's, have been my surrogate family here in Russia for years already. I've known them since 2002.

When I arrived at the house (they live in a small 2 room house in the village, with an outhouse, small garden, and banya (a Russian sauna) - I was immediately overcome with that feeling of being home. You know the one? Where you could just fall asleep laying on the floor? Or the couch? It smells like food is cooking and it's warm. Yeah, that's the one. It was a great feeling.

Victory Day

Russia celebrates Victory Day on May 9 to commemorate the millions who gave their lives during World War II. Flowers and wreaths are laid on wartime graves on this day, and veterans come out into the streets wearing their military orders and medals.

There was an AMAZING parade today. I think it probably lasted for 2 or 3 hours! It was really cool. Here are some pictures. The Irony might be that I honestly felt pride for Russia's contribution in World War II. Really, in so many ways, the war turned because of them (I almost typed us…whoa). I also felt America pride at the same time… it's strange becoming a person who loves two countries. But it's true.

(this is my univeristy! two of my students are carrying the banner)

(when the spectators get cold...)

Interpreting the Velveteen Rabbit

We are having such an AMAZING TIME training the interpreters for camp. It is going really well and they are so talented. We have a basic format that we follow for our meetings: something for team development, B!ble study, talk about the Narnia program, and interpreting/ language practice.

Today was interesting because usually the interpreters lead the B!ble study portion as a way to become more familiar with the Book. There was no one signed up for today, so I sorta had to do a lesson on the spot. Most everyone who knows me, knows that I like to be really prepared, but I was at an orphanage for most of the day today and I wasn't completely prepared.

So - we had an AMAZING B!ble study. It was like someone else was speaking for me the whole time. I was actually talking about the resurrection today and how it connects with the part of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe when the stone table breaks and Aslan lives again.

I was just thinking about the emotions of the people surrounding Jes^s at this point. The respect, admiration and love they felt and that HE felt for them. So we talked about who we respect, admire and love and how we would feel if something happened to them. It really made the story more real and come alive.

As interpreting practice, we just sort of fell into interpreting the Velveteen Rabbit. So I read the story in English, all of the interpreters have a copy in front of them, EXCEPT the one who is actually interpreting. That person is in the hot seat and is practicing. It's harder than you think. They are learning how to work together with their interpretee and control the pace of the message. They are figuring out how to improvise and create clever ways to say something in Russian when it's hard to describe. In English was say, "lap." In Russian, they translate that as, "the upper part of the legs when the person is in a sitting position." So, sometimes it's a mouthful. Of course, if they're talking to a child and they say, "come and sit on my lap" they just say, "some and sit on my knees" But the specifics are lost.

Anyway, the point of the Velveteen Rabbit is SO awesome. If you haven't read it in a while, please read it again. It's easy enough to find a copy of the text online to read. The part about being Real is my favorite. Being Real isn't easy, it hurts. It doesn't happen in an instant, you Become. But once you are Real, you can never be UnReal.

Let's all strive to be Real in our lives. It's the most important thing we can do. To be vulnerable enough to be loved so that our hair falls out, and that our noses are rubbed off…. That is really living.