Please Pray

Just this morning I received some very hard news. A missionary wife and mother in the Hinkson community just died of a heart attack on Monday in Moscow. She was 49 and has twin daughters who are seniors this year and are about to graduate. Her family has been in Moscow for about 15 years, faithfuls servants in the Kingdom of God. Please pray for this family in this difficult time.

Also, pray for Hinkson as the licensing process is still pending, and we are still in need of a science teacher and full-time and part-time teacher aides.

dialects

“Where did that come from? Man, what is my problem?” We were gathered around the family dinner table, and my mom was at a loss to explain where her very southern pronunciation of a particular word had come from. She rarely talks that way, but every once in a while, she admits, a word will proceed in raw form from her mouth that is most definitely accented in the way that Midwesterners don’t talk! She’ll always explain it something like this: “I know I’ve got Tennessee blood in me, so that’s probably where it comes from. I’m going back to my roots! Sometimes I say things so briar!” And every time it gets us laughing.

Last week I made a trek down to Beavercreek, Ohio, with my brother Lance so we could spend a few days with my maternal grandparents, Larry and Virginia Wright. We had an enjoyable time with Grandpa during the day, as Grandma was busy selling items at a garage sale with my aunt in Fairborn. Lance and I joined Grandpa in what he does best: athletics and humor. Much laughter accompanied us as we played three major pitching games: corn hole, horseshoes, and hillbilly (ladder) golf. In the midst of our conversations, I noticed that my ears were a bit more attuned to the way that my “down home” grandpa talks (he was born in Kentucky and grew up in Tennessee). I heard the common “We need to worsh our hands” and another one of my favorites: “What happened wall-a-go?” Grandpa also used his signature “Let me see that once” or “Come over here once”. I wouldn’t want him to talk any other way because that’s him.

There’s a lot to these things we call dialects, which are basically the ways of talking that are native to a certain region of a country or people group. In America, we know that New Yorkers can ask you for a “quah-tah” while it would be most logical to “pahk your cah near the hahbah” in Boston. Then there’s the aforementioned southern accent, which can be distinguished from the dialect of Midwesterners, which is “normal” (yeah right!). Since living in Moscow, I’ve learned that Muscovites pronounce many of their unstressed “o’s” as “a’s”, which is distinct from the rest of the country (e.g., a Muscovite would say “spaceeba” instead of “spaceebo” to say “thank you”). The point is, each of us has a dialect that is determined mostly by where we live and who we’re around, and to anyone who’s listening it can be a very quick indicator of where we’re from.

All this dialectic thought got me thinking on a deeper level about my “spiritual dialect”, so to speak. Those of us who have surrendered our lives to the lordship of Jesus Christ are citizens of His kingdom, the Kingdom of God. And that kingdom is not “out there”, something that we will realize just upon death. It’s 100% here, right now. Not only did Jesus say, “The kingdom of God is near you”, but He also said, “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 10:9, 17:21). That means that our citizenship in God’s kingdom is very real, and in many ways more real than what we can see and touch. Just as citizens of any geographical area can be identified by their dialect, so should citizens of Christ’s kingdom be distinguishable by their manner of speaking. Followers of Christ should be “easy to spot” by the words they choose to use. Do the words that proceed from our mouths indicate an eternal frame of reference? Do our topics of conversations include more than just the superficial ideas of the day? Are our words used more to edify than to criticize? Can people tell from our speech that our love for Jesus is more than just lip-service? From our speech, can people even tell that we love Jesus? Does our non-verbal communication (such as a contented countenance or genuine smile) speak of a committed walk with God? Is our speech devoid of obscenity, foolish talk, and course joking and filled instead with thanksgiving (Ephesians 5:4)? Is our tongue quicker to build someone up behind their back than to spread a rumor of juicy gossip? Do we ask others questions to find out truth about them, rather than to just seek answers for ourselves? Can friends, neighbors, and strangers sense that we sincerely care about and value them by the words we exchange with them?

I’m beginning to think that our spiritual accent should be much “thicker” than our geographical accent. Why would I say this? Because a geographical dialect is determined by mostly outside factors: genetics (that were determined by our parents and other ancestors), geographical environment, and the people with whom we converse the most. For the vast majority of people, the factors of birth, home location and environment, and family are outside of them and beyond their control. This is in contrast to a spiritual dialect, which is the result of a change from within us. In many ways a spiritual dialect is much more personal. I know for a fact that thoughts, feelings, emotions, and attitudes formed within me always have much more effect on what I do and say than do factors outside of me because I’m acting from who I am, not from what I’m around. (This is not to say that our decisions and words are never affected by outside factors and pressures. I am merely saying that most decisions and words flow from the inside rather than from the outside.) Here’s the bottom line: If indeed our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), then it follows that His truths, thoughts, ideas, motives, and exhortations should flow from our mouth.

It has been said that actions speak louder than words. I agree…somewhat. Perhaps we should add a phrase to that well known adage. “Actions speak louder than words, but words reveal the heart.” In Luke 6:45 Jesus said, “For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” When we understand the truth that words reveal a person’s heart, we might begin to not only listen a bit more intently to others, but we might begin to listen a bit more intently to the words that pass through our own lips. Do our words reveal Jesus’ heart within us? Can it be said of us that “from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue” (Proverbs 16:1)?

Is it any wonder that David prayed for God to connect his heart and words in holy harmony? “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14). May each of us give careful thought and prayer to the issues of our heart, that our speech might reflect the thoughts of God. Just as our geographical dialect flows naturally from our mouth without effort and concentration, may our speech flow naturally from a heart that is aligned closely with God’s.

God Saved the Paw!

What a miracle! For about a week now, my family and I have been praying for Ira, my little cat back in Moscow. We received word last week that she had contracted "dry gangrene" in her right paw and that she would need to have it amputated today (Wednesday). We were praying that God would heal her of the disease; we were also praying for the gangrene to spread no further and for the veterninarian who would be examining her (the same doctor who had set pins in Ira's front legs after she had broken them a few weeks ago).

Well, in an e-mail I received this morning, I heard that the paw did not need to be amputated! In fact, the vet didn't mention anything about gangrene! Instead, the only thing that was needed was to remove some layers of dead skin from her paw so new skin can grow in to replace it. Praise God! Our prayers for healing were answered in grand fashion!

We do need to continue praying for Ira's healing, though. Her left leg is in pain, we believe, because a pin has shifted, and there is always the threat of infection as her wounds heal. I am confident that Ira will heal well. She is my little companion in Moscow, the one who nightly greets me at the door of the apartment after a long day at school, who sits on my lap at all possible times, and who sleeps on top of the blanket in the "canyon" between my legs at night. I'm so thankful she's in good hands right now!

Another point of providence about this whole story is the connection that is being formed with the female veterinarian who has been so helpful in this process. Evidently, she really likes the missionaries who are caring for Ira, because she smiles at them every time she sees them. My missionary friends say that she is an excellent candidate for the English Cafe (which I help lead) because she wants to progress in her English conversation, but her employers will most likely not pay for her to take classes. We'll see how this all pans out, but there could be even more good to come out of my little Ira's traumatic experience; I'm praying that our veterinarian friend will desire to come to the Cafe, where she could rub shoulders with numerous Christians and perhaps commit her life to Christ someday! Who but God could orchestrate so many things to work together like this?

What a Finish!

Wow! It's been entirely too long since I've been able to blog and update all of you who are following my journey. But I'm learning that some things must come first. Lately, I've been taking lots more time for myself, to rest, to listen, to spend time with family now that I'm home in Michigan, to read, to run, to walk, to write, to plan for next year, to just be. Life is so rich!

I'm writing this blog entry shortly before leaving for Ohio for my cousin's wedding tomorrow and shortly after returning from the annual 4th of July bike trek with my dad through the countryside of Genesee and Shiawassee Counties. What a beautiful day it is here in Michigan: blue sky and green earth touching perfectly, sun faithfully shining, air resting at 77 degrees, slight breeze caressing the face and arms, freedom pulsating through everything. I thank God for the freedom He gives us in Jesus Christ and the freedom He's blessed us with in the U.S.A. How good it is to be home!

Thanks to all who have been praying for me. I could literally feel your prayers during the home stretch of the school year, during a May that could best be defined as hectic, yet very rewarding. This second school year ended splendidly well. Although I had a completely different group than my first class, I loved them just as much and in a different way. Each student left a mark on my heart, and I'm so grateful for the honor of teaching them. We capped off the school year with the 5th grade promotion ceremony on May 29. I continued the tradition begun with my student teaching class of honoring each student in front of their parents, families, former teachers, and other families, by highlighting certain aspects about each student: specific memories of them throughout the school year, their nickname (that I gave them within the first month of class), a character award and "funny" award, and a legacy I see them leaving on the world for Christ. I gave each student a CD containing all the pictures from our 5th grade activities during the school year, a picture of each of them holding our bunny Baxter (with their legacy hand-written on the back), and a book containing all of the anecdotes that I had the kids publish as their culminating writing project.

It was a really sweet way to end my second year of teaching. I give all glory to God for everything that was accomplished. How can I take credit for any of it, when I wasn't the one who made me? I like to think of it this way: I wouldn't tell a beautiful painting, "My, how lovely your coloration is! You did such a good job of highlighting the contrast on that house! You are an excellent painting!" The credit for a painting should go to the artist, for he/she was the source of creativity and design, the artisan of the masterpiece. It would be wrong for me to take credit for the results of my teaching and ministry, for it was God who created me with teaching ability and a deep desire to inspire and motivate and encourage kids and adults alike. He's the source of my ideas and the author of my creativity. He gets all the credit!

Now for some pictures (click on them to see a larger image)!

Here's my first class in Moscow, my precious 5th graders from the 2006-2007 school year.

A funny pose with the kids

I was blessed with 17 students again this year, school year 2007-2008. As of right now, I'm slotted to have 16 eager 5th graders on August 20 (I fly back to Moscow on August 9).

A goofy pose with a highly energetic class.

Daniel and Elizabeth Lutz - what a wonderful couple! My sister was absolutely stunning on her wedding day, May 17. I had the privilege of flying home for 51 hours to be a part of the big celebration. (Yes, it was a crazy weekend for me...taught on Thursday, flew on Friday, arrived in MI on Friday, went to Wal-Mart to get some essentials for others at the school, participated in the rehearsal and ate some good food for the rehearsal dinner, stayed up late to write a poem for the newlyweds, had the wedding and reception on Saturday, got really sick on Saturday night, flew back on Sunday, arrived on Monday, got unpacked and caught up in the classroom on Monday night, took the class on a field trip on Tuesday!)

The beautiful bride decided to stick her head in between her two usher brothers during a picture at the reception. I love them both!

A rose between two dandelions (I don't think Lance and I are so handsome-less that we need to be called "thorns")

Lance and I have gained another brother, Dan, who is a youth pastor in Wahpeton, North Dakota. Elizabeth is finishing up her occupational therapy assistant clinicals in Minnesota (they live three miles from the North Dakota/Minnesota border), and we plan on taking a trip out to see them in late July, early August.

A good-looking couple tying a double-knot (I can't resist punning).

Classic Elizabeth. She has always loved to laugh, and her laugh can be distinctly heard in any crowd. How appropriate that she'd laugh hysterically in her own wedding!

The entire Wright side of the family (my mom's side)

Luke and Ira, my beloved little cat. Please be praying for her...serious prayer request regarding an emergency surgery for her below.

Here the students are working on preparations for a benefit concert they put on to help free slaves around the world. They joined International Justice Mission's program "Loose Change to Loosen Chains" and had six major pushes to raise money over the course of about three months. We exceeded our goal as a class and were able to send a check for $1,100 to IJM! The kids were fired up about this!

A group of us teacher friends hanging out on a Friday night for a birthday party. I can't recall ever being a part of such a tight-knit Christian community as I have at Hinkson. The double peace signs were an inside joke (sorry!)

Remember praying for our Easter English Cafe? Well, here we are assembled after that very gathering. It turned out very well as we were able to engage in very open conversation about Easter, Jesus, and the power of His resurrection. We even showed a portion of "The Passion of the Christ" to help illustrate the lesson. Our Russian friends had very positive feedback after the meeting, which is consistent with the feedback we had throughout the semester. A few of our friends are seriously seeking answers and purpose for their lives, and they've been encouraged by the Biblical truths we discuss on a bi-weekly basis. We usually average 10-25 students per Cafe, and on this night, we had about 10 Russian friends.

One of the staples of an English Cafe meeting is improv drama. I was asked by the Russian students to be one of the actors on our "Comic Relief" night, which was lots of fun!

Four quick anecdotes before prayer requests:

1. Kids say the craziest things.

A few days before flying home for Elizabeth's wedding, I had a haircut during one of my prep periods while the kids were in PE. Upon their return, they were shocked to see their teacher with significantly shorter hair! One student didn't hold back his/her blunt opinion: "Mr. Hays, your head looks like an egg!" I kindly responded, "Thank you."

A former student was talking with me one morning in May before the schoolday began, and he told me that my breath smelled really bad. I told him that I'd brushed my teeth that morning (but I guess I'd forgotten to brush my tongue!), and he said that it still smelled in spite of that! I asked him if other students had noticed the same thing, and his lack of answer/smirk on face seemed to indicate that the word has been quietly passed around about Mr. Hays' bad morning breath. Needless to say, I immediately went to my backpack and popped in a couple "Bold Mint" Tic-Tacs!

2. "It takes a village to feed a lizard."

These were the words of a fellow teacher who took care of my lizards and rabbit during my long weekend back to the States. Apparently, they could find no live crickets in any of the Moscow pet stores, and there was grave concern that my precious little cold-blooded friends would die of malnourishment. Many teachers in the school were searching around the city to find insects for the little guys. Thankfully, they were still alive when I returned, and I had the idea to send the first graders insect hunting at recess to help out the desperate 5th graders. They responded with great enthusiasm and presented us with a jar of about 10 ants. The lizards quickly gobbled them up, and this carried them over until a few days later, when crickets were back in the stores.

3. The kindness of God is shown in unexpected places.

It is true that I got very sick on the night of my sister's wedding. It was AWFUL! I could hardly move and was devoid of energy, even at the airport. I knew that I absolutely couldn't afford to miss school on Tuesday, so my family gathered around me in the Detroit airport and prayed in faith that I would be a new man upon returning to Moscow. And the prayer was answered in grand fashion! While my 9-hour flight between Detroit and Frankfurt was miserable, I was pretty much back to normal on the flight between Frankfurt and Moscow! God had provided an amazing stewardess, who cared for all my needs on that trans-Atlantic flight: ear plugs, extra food and drinks, an extra seat so I could lie down, a mask so I could sleep with the lights on, etc. Not only was I shown great kindness on the plane, but I encountered two gentlemen in Moscow who showed me kindness that I rarely encounter in the city. On two separate occasions as I was navigating my way through the metro back to my apartment on the Monday after the wedding, a man offered to help carry one of my suitcases up a big flight of stairs. I am confident that God sent them my way to help out!

4. "Luke Daniel, meet Luke and Daniel."

On the day before flying back to the States for the summer, I had to drop off the class lizard (the second of three died on the last day of school) with a young missionary, who would watch him for a few days before transferring him to a missionary family for the duration of the summer. When I ascended to the 6th floor of the apartment building and entered the apartment of the young missionary, I had quite an extraordinary meeting! There were actually two young missionary guys rooming together temporarily, and their names were Luke and Daniel (my first and middle names). Even more remarkable than that is that they were also 24 years old, just like me! We hit it off really well and were able to share about the work in Moscow and Russia that God was leading and enabling us to do.

Prayer requests:

• School license: This is still a really big deal. Every three years Hinkson's educational license expires, and a really involved process is needed to renew it. We are in the renewal process right now, and we need the new license ASAP. For without it, we are unable to issue teacher visas. Please pray for this process to be expedited and for us to get the renewed license as soon as possible. Pray for our school to gain favor with the governmental committee that handles our license.
  
• Student's mother is very sick: Remember the student I told you to pray for a few months ago, the one whose mother is undergoing a very tumultuous time physically? Well, the last I knew, the family all flew back to South Korea after the school year was completed in order to get her even better health care. The mother's daughter, who was in my class and is a very sweet girl, has been growing in her knowledge of and love for God through this trial, and over the course of the last couple months of school, she became more open with the class about how to pray for her mother. She demonstrated remarkable hope and perseverance in spite of the fact that she had not been able to speak with her mother in over a month and a half because she was in a coma due to a serious stroke. Continue to lift up this family in prayer.
  
• School staffing: HCA, being a missionary school on the other side of the world, faces the annual challenge of staffing. We are still in need of a few teaching/aid positions to be filled. Pray for God's providence in this area.
  
• English Cafe: The missionaries to whom this ministry this outreach originally belonged are still in the States, and so my teacher friends and I will continue to lead it next year, most likely on a bi-weekly basis. Please pray for the effectiveness of our ministry, as we engage in English conversation with many Russian college students, many of whom are not Christians. Pray for our light to shine brightly for Christ and that our relationships would continue to deepen. Pray for wisdom and direction for this coming year as we plan the meetings, schedule, format, etc. Pray for additional native English-speaking volunteers to help us. We love to join in with God in what He's doing in the lives of Muscovites!

• My cat Ira: I've received some tough news during the past week regarding my precious little furry friend. While she was exploring the apartment of her summer babysitters (a wonderful Christian missionary couple), she found an opening in the window screen of their 7th story apartment and ended up falling all the way to the ground below. Thank God she didn't die! She broke both of her front legs and had a severe break on her right front wrist. Once pins were set, her progress looked good...until a couple days ago. She developed an infection in the right paw, and this resulted in "dry gangrene", which has caused that paw to die. The only solution is for the vets in Moscow to amputate that paw, and the earliest this can be done is next Wednesday, July 9. Please pray for Ira, as these past two weeks have been extremely traumatic for her, and they'll only get harder next week. Pray that the gangrene wouldn't spread any farther before the surgery. Pray for her left paw to straighten out as it heals. Better yet: pray for her to be healed! Pray for the doctors who will be examining her and will be conducting the surgery.

• Master's degree/my future: I am in the process of seeking God's guidance and will for my future. While I am certain that I need to be teaching and living in Moscow this year (which I love with all my heart), I am unsure of what to do for the 2009-2010 school year and beyond. I'm also praying about what to pursue for a master's degree. While I have a few hunches and some slight direction, I am waiting for God to make it all clear. Much seeking will take place between now and the end of January, when I have to give a final answer to the school about my decision for the next school year. Please join me in prayer.

More insights and writings will be coming soon! Enjoy the summer, all!