Here's a picture that accompanies the story below!

Let It Go! Let It Go! Let It Go!

Dear family, friends, and those whom I don't know: I love you, miss you, and thank God for you! There is so much to fill you in on because the past three weeks of my life in Moscow have been so incredibly busy yet rewarding and fulfilling!

First things first. For anyone who knows me, you will know that I have never before been in a dating relationship, as I have been WAITing on God for that special girl (ask me about that sometime...it's really a really cool God story). Well, over the past two months, God has brought a tremendous blessing into my life when I least expected her: Leigh Sullan, an incredible girl who is a sophomore at Olivet. Through personal interaction over Christmas break, many exchanged e-mails and phone calls, and a bold pursuit on my part (sending some daisies to her on her birthday and sending her on a rather sentimental and romantic Valentine's Day scavenger hunt), we are now officially a couple! I praise God for His great gift at such a perfect time. He has confirmed over and over again through His word and through so many serendipitous situations that defy circumstance and point to Him, that His blessing is indeed on our relationship. Thank you, Lord, for bringing this amazing girl into my life! For those of you wondering if this oceans-apart relationship will be a distraction to my missional work here in Moscow, don't be dismayed. Actually, God has been using this relationship to teach me important lessons in priorities and letting things go (see the song at the end of this entry)!

Of course, I have kept my eager little 5th-graders abreast of all the "juicy details." I firmly believe that one of the most powerful things I can do as a Christian teacher is bring myself - my life and stories - to the classroom so my moldable kids can see faith in action and God at work! This is the message I wrote on the board for when they entered class on Thursday morning (in the last clue of Leigh's rhyming Valentine's Day scavenger hunt, I had asked her if she would be my girlfriend...we then talked about it on the phone on Valentine's night, which was Thursday morning for me).

My Russian friends (L to R: Nick, Asya, Yura, and Andre) hanging out in our apartment on a Friday night. Such fun!

Nick and Diana (Russian friends), David (American roommate and friend), and Joy (American friend)

Playing chess with one of my Korean boys on Valentine's Day, which was his last day at Hinkson. Due to his mother's job transfer, he had to leave Hinkson for the first time since kindergarten and begin a new life in Kazakhstan. There is such a high turnover rate of teachers and students at Hinkson and many international schools. It can make things hard when things rarely ever stay the same.

My 5th graders performing a skit they wrote about how Esther demonstrated the character trait of flexibility. We combined with the Kindergarteners for two class chapels in a row (Feb. 2 and 9). What a blast! They did an amazing job!

In the far background of the picture are my Bible students reciting the first 10 verses of James chapter 1. By the time Spring Break arrives, they will have memorized the whole first chapter! I'm so proud of them!

The goal of any teacher: for the students to follow and join you and then be able to eventually do it on their own. This picture captures that idea perfectly!

A social studies lesson in action. I just love the U-shaped arrangement of the classroom!

One-on-one is my favorite aspect of teaching. Here I am helping my Russian boy with a question and whispering words of encouragement to him...I just love doing that!

Any student in my class will tell you that I get a bit enthusiastic about math!

Playing soccer with the kids at recess. So much fun!

The lizard's name is officially Camo (camouflage). The kids just love him. He's really cute to watch, and even cuter to hold :)

With my beloved Russian teacher (Svetlana Stanislovovna, far left), our beginner Russian class learned how to cross country ski a few weeks ago. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'm greatly interested in taking up this endurance sport!

The memorable class chapel, part II. In this picture, the kindergarteners acted out the parts while my kids narrated. So cute, so precious!

Three of my boys play in a basketball league at the Anglo-American School, and I try to make the games when they play each other. It seems like yesterday that I got that weekly feeling of excitement about playing basketball against the other elementary schools in Flushing!

Things continue to go well at the school, and I'm really beginning to find my niche there, which is a great relief. Teaching is definitely a challenge, but one that brings with it innumerable rewards and deep satisfaction, especially when the entire purpose behind it is for the advancement of God's kingdom! Please pray for me as I need continual wisdom for how to teach my students and particularly, how to work with the ones who are really struggling. There is a situation with one student that is looking quite grim right now, but I know God can work a miracle in it. Please join me in prayer for her.

Connections at church are becoming more and more solidified, and each week I anticipate our gatherings for prayer meeting on Wednesday and our worship service on Sunday (singing worship songs in Russian as a part of the praise team is especially poignant for me). I praise God that He has allowed me to connect with a young couple (upper 20s) whose names are Dima and Olga. They had never set foot in a church before December, and since then they have been coming to Moscow First faithfully with me! I asked Dima last week what he thought of God, and he replied, "God gives hope!" You bet He does!!!! Please pray that Dima and his wife would come to know Christ personally!

I am also requesting your prayers on behalf of a friend of mine, Luke Henry. Two years ago, Luke was a freshman while I was his Resident Assistant in Chapman Hall at Olivet. During that pivotal year in his life, his father suddenly died. It was devastating. He was broken. I just received news this week that his mother has just passed away. Such a tragedy!! Pray that God would comfort Luke in the deepest place of his heart and that He would send people his way to be the physical manifestation of Christ to him!

Finally, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about how I go about my life, and I realized how tightly I hold onto control. I further realized that the more tightly I grip all the aspects of my life, the more they slip away; the more control I "gain," the more I lose. In my contemplation, I remembered a jolly jingle that we hear every Christmas season, and I decided to change the words a bit to help me express what I've been learning lately. I think I might actually sing it in those moments when desire nothing more than to just keep on pushing through until everything is done and the pile is gone! With all that said, here's my rendition of "Let It Snow." Maybe it can bring a smile to your face and help you in your moments of perfectionism and struggles with control :) With this, I'll let you go!

"Let It Go! Let It Go! Let It Go!"

Oh the pile of work is frightful
But playing is so delightful
And since you really wanna go,
Let It Go! Let It Go! Let it Go!

Work doesn’t show signs of stopping
From the stress your veins are popping
Your energy level’s low, so
Let It Go! Let It Go! Let It Go!

When you’re laboring late at night
How you hate that internal storm
But if you really hold God tight
He’ll loosen you up as you form

Perfectionism’s slowly dying
And, my friend, it’s sweet goodbying
Because as long as God loves me so, I’ll
Let It Go! Let It Go! Let It Go!