St. Pete's to St. Pat's to St. Paul!

Hello dear family and friends! Has it already been a month since I last updated this blog? Unbelievable! It reminds me of a joke that my male 5th grade teacher, Mr. Dumler, told me 12 years ago, and I shared it with my fifth graders two weeks ago: "What is the only date on the calendar that is a military command? March 4th!" And that is exactly what is happening - time is marching on at a breakneck pace! So many exciting things have happened in this past month!

First was the Winter Break trip to St. Petersburg three weeks ago. I took an overnight train both ways with a teacher friend from the school, and it was absolutely fantastic! What a beautiful city, and what a relaxing and enjoyable time we had! Here are some pictures:

The Kazan Cathedral. Wow! I was able to walk inside, take in the awe-inspiring structure, and pray in that reverent setting. I was especially struck by the vast number of pillars, which reminded me of the many saints who have gone on before us and are "pillars" of the faith.

Inside a throne room inside the Hermitage!

The Crouching boy, an original sculpture by Michelangelo.

A view from inside the Hermitage.

In my opinion, this is the most beautiful room in the entire Hermitage (which is gigantic, by the way). Sunlight just pours in, and the golden ornateness reminds me simultaneously of heaven and the grand ballroom in Beauty and the Beast :)

A view of the Hermitage from the outside.

Standing not far from the Church of the Spilt Blood. How beautiful!

Inside the Nazarene church in St. Petersburg with my good friend, Yura.

Standing on the ice of one of St. Pete's many canals! Temperatures were frigid three weekends ago (they're in the 40s now in Moscow), but I didn't mind because it was sunny!

Did you hear about the McDonald's in St. Pete's that was bombed a little over a month ago? Well, here I am ordering food in that very restaurant! Yura and I thought we'd be brave!

The elderly British man who owns the Christian bed and breakfast where my friend Shane and I stayed is a WWII veteran, and I got talking with him about this small table that was sitting in our room. He informed me that he made it 60 years ago while he was fighting in the War! The legs are artillery shells!

Last week was School Spirit Week as we sent the varsity basketball team off in high spirits to St. Pete's for a tournament. On Wednesday many students and a few teachers dressed up as comic book heroes. I decided to dress in the likeness of my favorite boyhood hero: Superman! (I actually "flew" instead of walked as I took the kids through the hallways!)

Superman reading a book of short stories to the 4th and 5th graders during their 5 minutes of silence during lunch. I just love reading to the kids!

International Women's Day was March 8, and no one had school or work on this national holiday! Here are a bunch of friends from church who are waving hello to all of the women in my life! Thanks for being you!

Last Saturday I had the privilege of eating dinner with the family of one of my Korean boys. It was a pleasant meal, complete with delicious food and merry laughter. I ate the entire meal with chopsticks!

Yesterday afternoon (St. Patrick's Day) the men of Moscow 1st prepared a meal for the women of the church in honor of the recent holiday. Here we are sporting our caps of culinary comraderie!

On Friday night and yesterday afternoon and evening, the high school honors choir put on a major presentation called Belle Notte, which is a once a semester event. This production's title was "I Need a Hero". I had the honor of making an appearance as Spider-Man! So much fun!

School continues to go well, and I praise God for that! As the 3rd quarter just ended on Friday and we turn onto the homestretch of my first year of teaching, I can truly say that I've grown a tremendous amount this year as an educator. Things are so different now from how they were at the beginning of the school year! I'm growing into my role within the school and the classroom, and my relationships with my students are only deepening. Thank you for your prayers for a miracle for one of the girls in my class; the progress has been slow in coming, but she had an incredible week last week! Praise God! I also thank God for giving me wisdom in these past couple weeks for helping me deal with a really tough situation within my classroom - resolution and reconciliation are already underway!

I've recently begun a study of the life and writings of the Apostle Paul. It's been a blessed time in the mornings! I was especially struck by what he wrote in 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13:

"Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones."

The most poignant truth to me in that passage is the overwhelming fact that it's God who does the doing...He's the one who clears the way, who makes the love increase and overflow, who strengthens our hearts and therefore makes us blameless and holy, and who will come again for those who have believed on His name. Amazing! One thing I find myself constantly having to do over here in the hecticness of my life as a teacher is to pray this brief prayer/remembrance: "It's not about me; It's about You." The natural tendency of the mind and heart is bent inwards, and it takes the overflowing love and strength of God to thrust it outward, something in which He takes great joy!

The second part that sticks to my soul actually occurred to me while I was pondering some thoughts on the metro the other day. The Scripture does not say, "May he strengthen you". It says, "May he strengthen your hearts". That captured my attention. There must be something very significant about the heart. If we look at the word "heart" and separate it into two- and three-letter segments, we see "he-art". God the Father is the Master Cardiologist, and He specializes in the human heart. He's obsessed with it. He longs for it. He desires to have it, to inhabit it, to search it, to heal it, to strengthen it, to renew it...after all, He made it. When He has a human heart, He is joyfully satisfied. From His satisfaction and joy come His strength and beauty from the inside out. The human heart is He-art, the art of God, where He does His most delicate, yet dazzling work. The human heart is His favorite canvas, His studio, His gallery of mastery.

This reminds me of a quote in another favorite movie of mine, Chariots of Fire. In it, Eric Liddell asks and answers a profound question: "So where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within. For Christ said that the kingdom of God is within you." Do we really know this inner strength?

I could say that I'm called to teach, and I would be true. I could say that God called me to Moscow to carry out that calling, and I would be true. However, there is a calling that precedes all other callings, and it's the same for everyone who walks the face of this Earth: "God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful" (1 Corinthians 1:9). The God of the universe calls to everyone, and Jesus Christ knocks on the door of the human heart, patiently waiting to be let in and begin His He-art. There is nothing more beautiful than a heart inhabited by God. Does He have yours?

Blessings to you all! For those of you in the States, we are eagerly anticipating the day I return for the summer (June 2...which is now only 76 days away)! Please continue to pray for God's will to be done here in Moscow, that His Church would "let the word of Christ dwell richly in [our] hearts as we teach and admonish one another with all wisdom" (Colossians 3:16). Pray for fresh ideas, energy, and overflowing love and patience as I teach. Pray for a few families at the school who are dealing with cases of disease and/or cancer. Pray for the students at Hinkson, that they would grow to be more and more like Christ. Pray for Spiritual Emphasis Week, which is taking place until Tuesday this week - that God would move in the hearts of the students and staff. Pray for the upcoming accreditation team visit from ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International) in April. Pray for safe travels over Spring Break (in two weeks) as I head to Germany for a teacher's conference and to then to France (Paris and Normandy). Praise God that He is faithful!