The last three weeks in pictures

Since returning to Moscow, I've been able to visit the orphanage twice to hang out with the kids. As of last May, the orphanage in which all 40+ kids had been living was shut down. Half of the kids were able to stay together and were relocated to an orphanage within the city (this is the orphanage I'm continuing to visit). The other half of the kids were scattered throughout the city. Above is a picture of Vova and me.

This license plate caught my attention on the way to school one morning.

One of my fifth graders proudly holding her baby sister, with her brother standing nearby. What was the occasion? The Parent-Teacher Fellowship All-School Picnic!

Three fifth graders who also happen to be great friends.

Two more of the wonderful fifth grade girls.

Former students (6th graders) pose for a picture with their former teacher (notice the Superman hat that I'm wearing...it had been a birthday gift earlier in the day).

How many ears do I have?

After the PTF picnic, I had an overnighter with all 6th and 7th grade boys (former students). It was a blast!

Hinkson Christian Academy, what an awesome place!
Praise God - we just received our official license documentation yesterday and the coinciding card that allows us to issue visas. What an answer to prayer!

I've never seen such a long line for tobacco. I've noticed that cigarettes are a lot cheaper here than they are in the United States (approximately $1.00-$1.50 per pack versus around $4.00). Perhaps this is one factor contributing to the large percentage of people who smoke in Moscow.

Baxter, our beloved bunny, tries on a hat.

During our science unit on human body systems, one of my students decided to dance with "Sebastian".

A couple weeks ago we had quite a bit of rainy weather (I think it was tied to the hurricanes in the Gulf Coast), and the kids had indoor recess for four straight days. During one of those recesses, they created this lighthouse for me, since they know that I love lighthouses. We proceeded to remove some of the dominoes on the very bottom and were surprised that we could pull out all but three before the tower collapsed!

Mr. Hays and the lighthouse.

Yeee-haaaaw! Line dancing during English Cafe.

During the staff retreat last weekend, I was able to hang out with my little buddy Henry a lot. He wanted me to put on my "helmet" like him, and we proceeded to race each other around the auditorium before the start of one of the sessions.

Birch trees lining a sidewalk at our staff retreat center. What a beautiful morning it was!

What do you know! A lighthouse dacha was poised on the opposite shore of the river from our retreat center. Pretty cool!

The staff of HCA. This is most of the group (we had about 10 missing from this picture). I just love working with this group, and I especially appreciate the unity we have among the staff.