Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Can we already be at the end of 2007? Is it really true that I've been done with high school for over five years? Can I already be entering the second half of my second year of teaching fifth graders at Hinkson Christian Academy? Can it already be two months since I last posted on this site? Have I already been home in the U.S. for two weeks, bound to return to Moscow in one? Of course, the answer to all the above questions is yes, and that only underscores the truth that time is passing so quickly. It also causes me to think about our constant fascination - or misunderstanding - of the nature of time. If we're always befuddled about its quick or slow passing, frustrated by the crunch it causes us, driven by its "deadline" nature, etc., doesn't it logically follow that we were made for a timeless world? We humans just don't seem to fit too well within the confines of time, yet that's what we're given, and I'm grateful. I'm so thankful for the blessing of time I've been given to be home in the U.S. with family and friends for the holidays. It has finally allowed me the time to give a thorough update on what God's been doing in Moscow! Here's a little chronology of the past couple months:


Shopping for groceries isn't too different from shopping in the States, but one of the noticeable differences is how the "pop" aisle is not nearly as long as the juice aisle. I usually buy two two-liter containers of juice for each week, with one of them being orange juice (good old OJ helps my mind sharpen in the morning before school :)

My grocery acquisition is limited to how much I can carry in my backpack and two hands...from the store to my apartment, which is over half a mile away. I like the workout, actually. Sometimes I even do curls with the bags as I walk...and I get some weird looks, but not usually.

Some of my students requested that Mr. Hays sing/act his version of "Beauty and the Beast", which they think is rather hilarious. This picture captures the "Beast", which is completely opposite of the preceding "Beauty" pose.

Another snowy morning at Hinkson Christian Academy. I just love the serenity in nature during and after a snowfall. It was so good to have snow before January (last year it was grey and dark throughout all of November and December)...it really brightens up the city!

I have the privilege of serving as one of the co-leaders of an English conversation group called the English Cafe. A wonderful missionary couple, whose daughter (pictured above to my right) was in my class, were the leaders of this ministry until the wife/mother was discovered to have serious health issues. Unexpectedly, the family decided to move back to the U.S. for the next 6-8 months. This also left the English Cafe in a very uncertain position. How would we go forward? Through prayer and conversation, we decided that some of us native English speakers (most of us teachers at Hinkson) would co-lead the Cafe for the rest of the year. Since our fearless leaders have left, the final two Cafes of last semester went splendidly well - praise God! While the primary focus is on helping mostly college-age Russian students progress in their conversational English by providing a fun environment, our deeper prayer is that our Russian friends would encounter Christ through our meetings. Many of our topics of conversation have led to opportunities to share the good news of Christ, and the response to that has been good! A couple of my friends have said that they would "do a lot of thinking" about what we had spoken about in the Cafe! In the picture above, I'm surrounded by my Russian friends. We try to station one native English speaker at each table. Please pray for this ministry for the upcoming semester. Pray for wisdom for my co-workers and me as we prayerfully plan each bi-weekly meeting (on Saturday nights in the school cafeteria).

My dear friend, Tim Thompson, and his family made one final trip to Moscow around Thanksgiving. Tim was the visionary director of Hinkson for eight years before he followed God's call to Omaha, NE.

If you recall from last year, I had the rare privilege of eating Turkey in Turkey on Turkey Day :o) This year it was a bit different. Three friends from Moscow First Church decided to join our friends in Kiev, Ukraine, for a Thanksgiving celebration. I thoroughly enjoyed that long weekend, which was capped on either end with an overnight train ride (definitely one of my favorite ways to travel). Here we are playing an extremely long game of Phase 10.

While in Kiev, I was able to do some sightseeing. The most fascinating part to me was hearing the story of Kiev's great leader, Vladimir, who brought Christianity to the Kievan Rus in 988. (Kiev is about 1500 years old, whereas Moscow is 861...Russia was born out of Ukraine). According to the story, Vladimir led the people of Kiev from the center of town down to the Dnieper River, where there was a mulitudinous baptism. "Baptism Street", as it was called, retained its name even during the Soviet era. This is a statute of Vladimir overlooking the Dnieper.

Pretty cool job, huh? Those big sign are a bit larger than they appear!

On the ordinary side of a Kievan apartment building, an extraordinary symbol appeared. Can you see the shadow of a cross that was formed in the one window frame?

Not long after returning to Moscow from Kiev, I was able to do some major Christmas shopping at Izmaelova, the main souvenier market, with some good friends from the school. Parked in the middle of the metro station near Izmaelova was this incredibly artistic train!

A rare treat...I had the honor of celebrating the birthday of a fellow teacher/friend at a really nice Thai restaurant. In a moment when few others were watching, I couldn't resist "wearing" some of the crispy wafers we were given as appetizers.

Christiana Graham, elementary principal, and Laura Meier, 4th grade teacher, two of my best friends in Moscow. They are both such constant encouragers!

What more could a teacher ask for than for his students to be digging through the Scriptures to find God's truth as it relates to their lives? We spent a week in Bible class discussing the theme of light in God's word, with a special emphasis on 1 John 1:7 and walking in God's light. Here a student is illustrating an "in the light" poster that would eventually be laminated for safe-keeping and posting at home for years to come. This unit also provided an opporunity to listen repeatedly to dcTalk's classic song "In the Light"...the kids loved it!

The high school Honor's Choir presented "Reindeer Ranch", a funny and up-beat musical/drama that rounded out a fantastic semester.

Mr. Hays was invited to dinner with the family of one of his former students. What a blessing it was to not have to prepare my own meal for once and to enjoy the fellowship of this generous missionary family!

Alf and me. Alf (I can't remember his last name), according to a reliable source, is the most famous Christian rapper in Russia. I was able to catch a picture with him one evening in the school. Peace!

Toward the end of the semester, my students and I did a Scripture dig to find what Christmas really is (focus on characters and action verbs). This study, when contrasted with what Christmas isn't, culminated in a small in-class production called "Christmas Is" that the kids performed for their parents. Pictured above are three students acting out their original drama.

As a part of our social studies unit on the Far East, we had a Korea Day, a day in which we celebrated the history and culture of South Korea. My five Korean students were our leaders, and the celebration was complete with diagrams, books, food, discussion, explanation of common misconceptions, and traditional Korean clothing. We had a blast!

Three weeks ago our church hosted an overnight Christmas party for an entire Russian orphanage at our Nazarene dachas. It was a life-changing weekend! We were able to lavish love on the boys and girls aged 8-16 through games, crafts, contests, drama, singing, conversation, delicious meals, a gift exchange, and a clear presentation of the gospel. Of the 40 who were there, only three were orphans because both of their parents had died. The remainder were declared orphans by the state because their parents were not capable of giving them adequate care (many times because of drug or alcohol addictions). Some of their stories absolutely broke my heart! Of great consolation during this weekend was that while the kids had an unending desire for love, I knew that I could be a conduit to help them connect to the Source of limitless love!

What a good-looking bunch!

What precious children!

The children put on a talent show of sorts for us, and what a treat it was! Here Anastasia is singing a beautiful Russian song. Max, my roommate and the coordinator for this event, is watching in the background. Can you see the love in his eyes? He has such a passion for these kids, and through his relationship-building over the past four years, we were able to make this weekend happen!

I've never seen boys who were as affectionate as the orphans I interacted with three weeks ago. They were starving for attention. One of the most remarkable things I'll always remember about that weekend was how the kids were more concerned with serving me and caring for my needs than they were about taking care of themselves. ("Luke, do you want some chai? Luke, can we help you? Luke, here...you can have my necklace"...all dialogue that took place was in Russian, of course) What a humbling experience! When Sunday afternoon came, the boys were so sad to have to leave that they picked me up off my feet and carried me onto their bus, not once, but twice! They wanted to know the next time they would see me, and I assured them that I would visit next semester. Through this whole experience, I've come to a clearer understanding of what could perhaps be another facet of God's calling on my life. Working with, serving, and loving these orphans truly tapped into a part of my heart that I didn't know existed!

Back in the fifth-grade classroom, some of my students are playing "Snail", which is a Revolutionary War game. Kids thrive on hands-on, more constructivist/student-centered learning activities. Combined with my random spontaneity as a teacher, we have a fun time while learning a lot in room 201. One of the kids' favorite teachers is "Eugene", which Mr. Hays' alter ego. I will occasionally (and often on request) switch my voice to a nasal New Yorker tone and speak in the third person while teaching. It brings a good change of pace to the classroom climate every once in a while.

Two fifth grade girls are posed outside the school cafeteria to pass out bulletins for the elementary Christmas program. My fifth graders performed a beautiful version of "Silent Night" on tone chimes. I was so proud of them!

Phil Brande...middle school English, social studies, and drama teacher, and one of my closest friends/brothers in Christ in Moscow.

Penny Saunders, ESL teacher, and Laura Meier. I've told them that they're practically my moms away from home. Being 1/3 of the world away from my own wonderful mom leaves me somewhat homesick at times, especially for the nurturing love, care, and advice that a mother is so especially crafted to give. These ladies provide that for me at Hinkson...especially in the form of prayer.

On the last day of the semester, all elementary students who are enrolled in a Russian class presented the Russian Christmas Chapel. It was outstanding!

I know that this has been an absolutely monstrously long blog entry, but I've had so much to share, and I still have more! Just a few glimpses into my life as a teacher, and some ways in which you can pray.

One huge answer to prayer that I've seen unfold before my eyes this semester occurred in the form of a friendly letter. Among a handful of my students, there had been an ongoing conflict throughout the semester, the kind of conflict that was nasty and could leave some students in a state of dread about having to come to school. Obviously, it was a large problem, one much larger than me. A little over a month ago, one of the students who had been absorbed in the conflict decided to use our friendly letter writing assignment to write a letter of apology and forgiveness that she would copy and distribute to her classmates. I was amazed as I read through the letter, for it included, in its essense, the very heart of Christ, and was the practical working out of what I had so long been trying to teach them. The conflict has greatly subsided as all parties involved have a broader picture of what a conflict involves, how it affects each one, and what the Bible admonishes us to do in those situations.

"Competitions with Mr. Hays" have slowly been gaining popularity over the semester as well. With the "supers" that my students earn in class, they can eventually purchase a coupon that entitles them to a competition with their teacher. The competition can be of any nature they desire, and if Mr. Hays loses, he has to buy them lunch (pizza or cheeseburgers, depending on the day). I just love these matches because it allows me to interact with the students in the environment that I most prefer: one-on-one in a relaxed setting. Oftentimes, numerous students will watch along as Mr. Hays goes head to head with one of their classmates in a game of chess, and they love it when their classmate is victorious (I've been beaten twice). The rumor is that I'll be challenged to a piano competition in the near future :)

Another really exciting event in the near future for the HCA fifth grade is the Bible study for next semester. For a while I'd been sensing that the kids were hungry for something deeper, and that sense was confirmed when I asked them about a month ago if they'd like to have a Bible study next semester. The answer was a resounding "Yeah!" After some discussion, we decided that we'll eat lunch together in the classroom on Fridays, and if we have to move into recess time, we'll do it. The time will be spent studying the Word for answers to questions such as, "How do we know what God wants us to do with our lives? and "What were the major miracles of Jesus?" and "What prophesies haven't been fulfilled yet?" The kids have also requested that I put in the newsletter from the Friday prior to each Bible study the Scriptures that we'll be studying so they can have a full week to digest it at home! Please pray for wisdom and direction for this Bible study. It has the potential to impact my students in incredible ways for the rest of their lives. Pray that God would reveal Himself in a mighty way through the studying of His word and that my kids would fall in love with the God and His word.

I would be unbalanced in my portrayal of my experience in Russia if I only focused on the "positive" experiences I've had. The reality is that life still is quite hard and very intense for me as I walk the streets of Moscow each day. The cold, dark, grey, unforgiving environment can make it hard to wake up on some days. Loneliness almost constantly knocks at my door, and the battle for my mind can be nearly unbearable at times, especially since I'm one who is almost always thinking. It can be emotionally draining, too. Being so far from my closest friends and family, from face to face interaction, from being able to actually read people's body language and expressions rather than trying to interpret tones of voices and the syntax of e-mails, can all add up to quite a taxing load at times. Sometimes I want nothing more than to just get away from everyone, but you can't do that completely in a big city. But a few weeks ago I did the next best thing. I went for a run on a Saturday morning to the nearest forest, followed a trail into the woods, went off the beaten trail to a tree about thirty feet away, and broke down in tears. I cried out to God regarding the deep issues in my life and let the tears and snot flow down my face into the white snow. It was a necessary and defining moment for me. I can't explain the purifying nature of crying, but that's what happened. Getting up and heading back to my apartment, I was a new man, able to face what still lay ahead only by the grace of God. Please pray for me in the semester ahead, that I would live in God's grace and power, finding rest and companionship in Him amidst all the work that must be done. Please also pray for me as I seek God's will regarding my decision for next year (do I return to the States or return for a third year at Hinkson?). I thank God, for my cat Ira, who provides much affection and comfort on a daily basis, and for my dear friends at the school and church who so often gives hugs and encouragement. What a family!

One final issue that I would like to make everyone aware of is a situation that our school is currently facing. While I cannot give many specifics, I can say that Hinkson is currently facing a situation that causes the future of our school to be very uncertain. It is already affecting many of our missionary families and could drastically affect the student (and teacher) populace this coming semester, and definitely next school year. Pray that God's will would be done in this very uncertain situation. Pray for God's peace to pervade the missionary community and our school.

Thank you for reading, supporting, and praying. Your support means more than you'll ever know.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!