Happy Anniversary, Dad and Mom!

27 years ago today, Dan Hays married Debbie Wright, and I'm so happy they got married! Dad and Mom, you've been such a wonderful example of love and faithfulness for me. I'm so thankful to our God that He's given me such amazing parents. You have fully invested in raising Elizabeth, Lance, an me; in creating a warm and loving home; in making great family memories; and in training us to be ready to enter the world to do God's work. I love you so much, and I pray your anniversary is a special day.

Happy 50th Birthday, Mom!

Today, October 13, 2008, is the 50th anniversary of when my mom, Debbie Hays, discovered America! In these first 25 years of my life, she has been an incredible mother, and I wanted to honor her on her special day. But first, a couple pictures:

The two most important ladies in my life (sister Elizabeth...born November 1986, and Mom)

Mom and the two boys. Mom gave birth to me in September 1983, and she gave birth to Lance in June 1988. We love her dearly!

Now to the part where I honor you, Mom :) Happy Birthday!

50 Reasons I Love You, Mom

(In no particular order)

1. You love me unconditionally.
2. You’re nurturing.
3. Back rubs :)
4. Our great conversations (from college, Russia, and in person)
5. The kisses we exchanged in the van every morning during my high school years.
6. You send me packages in far away places :)
7. Your simple, trusting faith in Christ is an example to me.
8. All those letters you sent me during college (weekly).
9. You’re short and sweet :)
10. You’re an amazing listener.
11. Although you think you’re not a stellar cook, I beg to differ.
12. You raised me right, seeking God’s wisdom continually.
13. You’ve shown me the great importance of family.
14. We both love animals! (elephants, Gibby, Libby, Sugar, Ira :)
15. You serve others selflessly and don’t seek the limelight.
16. You’re a prayer warrior.
17. You are passionate about being a mother and homemaker.
18. You’re sensitive to others’ feelings.
19. You cherish your husband, your kids, and family time.
20. You are a friend and confidant (for me and many others).
21. You are honest.
22. You remember the details.
23. I’ve always loved your handwriting :)
24. You’re a planner.
25. Through you, we kids can trace some of our heritage through Tennessee (hillbilly :)
26. You go to bed when you’re tired (thanks for setting limits…I learn from that)
27. You have such a generous heart.
28. Your kindness and care as a Registered Nurse spills over into all your relationships.
29. You have a hunger to know God better each day.
30. You love Reader’s Digest.
31. You’ve ingrained in me the power of Shaklee and other vitamin supplements.
32. You’ve taught me how to eat a healthy diet.
33. You love to stay warm (sitting by the heat ducts and fireplace, soaking up the sun in the living room during the winter, bundling up, etc.)
34. You are compassionate.
35. You’re athletic.
36. You love to go for walks, especially in nature.
37. You stayed home with us three kids – what an incredible investment!
38. You’re patient with me when I fail.
39. You are an encourager.
40. You let me watch Sesame Street twice a day as a little guy (not three times!)
41. You have been intentional about keeping a baby book for each of us.
42. You have always modeled love, honor, and respect for Dad as the head of our home.
43. You have made 1519 Flushing Road a warm and inviting home.
44. You always attended all of our events growing up (spelling bees, quiz meets, cross country and track meets, basketball games, etc.)
45. You take care of all those little details for me that I can’t do while I’m in Russia.
46. You are humble.
47. You love the Love Chapter (1 Corinthians 13) and strive to live by it.
48. You share in the lives and excitement of your kids.
49. “When Mama prayed, good things happened. When Mama prayed, lives were changed. Not much more than five foot tall, but mountains big and small crumbled all away when Mama prayed.”
50. You are beautiful.

I love you, Mom!

Awesome autumn

It's officially that wonderful time of the year here in Moscow, the time when the leaves stop producing their green chlorophyll and the other pigments show off their impressive array of colors. The leaves are falling, the air is crisp, and the kids in school are generally still very excited (as are the teachers).

Just this past weekend HCA had the middle school retreat at a camp outside of Moscow. It was a wonderful time to get away and be with the sixth through eighth graders (the 6th and 7th graders are former students of mine). Throughout the course of four sessions together (followed three times by small group time), we explored the biblical truths of propitiation, reconciliation, regeneration, and justification - all amazing works that God does in us! God surely met with us in our times of worship and during all the random times throughout the weekend: crazy games, mealtimes, late night talks in the 7th grade boys room (including Q & A with Mr. Brande and Mr. Hays...we addressed the ever-pressing topic of girls; told stories about our most embarrassing, happiest, and saddest moments; and heard stories from the kids as well), and much more. I sensed that the kids grew closer to each other and were challenged to continue growing deeper in their walks with God. Please join me in praying that the seeds that were sown this past weekend would take root in fertile soul.

Please join me in praying this week for Jeff McGuire, the HCA director, as he is making many contacts at recruitment fairs in the U.S. Pray for God to direct his conversations and the hearts of those who are considering teaching in international Christian schools. Actually, as of this moment on Monday, Jeff is at a recruitment fair at my alma mater, Olivet Nazarene University, and he's staying with one of my former education professors! Small world!

Please be in prayer all this week for our upcoming English Cafe on Saturday, October 11. We will be exploring the topic of "True Colors" through a variety of games, icebreakers, songs, and discussions. In planning for this night, we leaders have sensed God direct our night in such a way that we will be sharing gospel truth quite clearly in a few points, and we are very excited about this. Please join us in praying for the hearts of our Russian friends who will be attending, that they will be excited to come and that the truth that will be presented will penetrate and will be effective. Pray for continued relationship forming and deepening between our Russian friends and us native English speakers. Finally pray for wisdom as we prepare and as we lead the discussions on Saturday night.

For those of you who have been anticipating pictures of my big 25th birthday bash, I have finally been able to upload all of them to the web and add captions to them. To check them out, click on the following link: http://picasaweb.google.com/lukedanielhays/25thBirthdayAdventure#