Thank You, Lord!

How appropriate it is that I get to have Turkey again in Turkey on Turkey Day! The Eurasia Region of the Nazarene church is having a retreat for one week along the Mediterranean, and it's been so great to get away and be with my other "family". So far I've been able to laugh, listen, learn, sing, share, run, rest, swim, write, read, research, and so much more. It's been so healthy to rest up before the last three weeks of the semester before going home to Michigan for the holidays (and yes, it has been restful)!


On this great Thanksgiving Day, my heart is grateful for so many things: Jesus Christ, Lord of my life, who chooses to live in me!; amazing parents who have entrusted me to God as I follow Him and who are two of my closest friends; close friendships with both of my siblings; wonderful students who are sensitive to God's voice; faithful friends who keep me accountable; answered prayers in a myriad of ways; a clear calling to be living and serving over here; countless "little things" on a daily basis; and so much more!


At some point during the last couple years, my dad let me read through his notes for a Sunday School lesson that he was going to teach at our church. I'll never forget a couple lines of wisdom that he had shared about walking intimately with Christ. He said that two "breath prayers" that are good to pray many times throughout the day are "Thanks, Lord" and "What's next?" That really helped my driven, forward-thinking, achiever mind to remember that it's an important exercise to look backwards, too. I'm beginning to understand that we'll live most effectively in the NOW of our lives when we have an even balance between thanking God for the things He's done in the past and eagerly trusting Him to lead us into the future.


In reading through the Psalms recently, a recurrent theme of thanks has also captured my attention. At four separate times in the Psalms (50:14, 50:23, 107:22, 116:17), we read about sacrificing thank offerings. Obviously, God knows the importance in our walk with Him that we express true gratitude; He values this so highly that it was a part of Hebrew religious custom to offer thanks offerings. That has been speaking to me especially because this process of giving thanks really is a sacrifice. It's something that we must choose to give, not something that will necessarily flow forth freely, like the automatic process of exhaling after inhaling or the inevitability of desiring to eat after having fasted for a while. Giving thanks is just not natural. Our toes point forward, not backwards, and we have to literally turn around to look behind us. God help us to make the sacrifices necessary (time, energy, etc.) to thank you sincerely!

Now allow me to detail some of these thanks :)

The English Cafe is booming! On November 1, we had 100 Russians join us for a night of games and conversation in the Hinkson school cafeteria. We were a bit overwhelmed by the amount of people, but we had good feedback nevertheless. Last Saturday night, November 22, we had around 70 Russian friends who came out for our "Are you a carrot, egg, or coffee bean?" night during which we discussed stress and how we deal with it. Keep praying for this important ministry. Our next Cafe will be on December 6, with the theme of "Light and Darkness", and we plan on sharing about Advent and the light of Christ coming into the world!

A young Russian couple who regularly attend the English Cafe.

Three college-aged girls who regularly attend the English Cafe.

One activity of our Halloween Cafe involved groups using toilet paper to make original Halloween costumes. See the girl who has "tentacles" hanging down? She was my table group's interpretation of a Venus Flytrap!

During the first week of November, we did a concentrated unit on poetry in all its forms. Great inspiration for this week each year comes from a collection of poems that my Grandpa Hays has written and sent me. The kids love his rhyming, and it has helped inspire them in their own poetic creations. The next few pictures capture my students reading their own poems!

Irichka (an affectionate name for my little calico cat) is doing well! She continues to soak up all attention I give her, and she's my constant companion at home, especially on the weekends when Max is gone to the dachas with his mom and foster child. Notice her elongated left front leg? That awkward rotation was caused by a shift in one of the pins that was aiding in the healing of her leg over the summer. Although it is abnormal, she still has great mobility and jumping ability! As pictured above, she often loves to sit on the radiators, as much heat is concentrated there!

One feature of 5th grade with Mr. Hays is that students can trade in 25 supers for a competition with Mr. Hays. If they win, I have to buy them lunch! One boy recently challenged me to a two-minute round of tae kwon do, and he beat me! It was a blast!

One of the most poignant lessons of our social studies class so far this year was our caste system simulation, which we conducted two weeks ago (we were studying Central and Southern Asia, particularly India). Students drew names to see which role they would play for the entire day. Some were Brahmans (priests), sat near the front of the class, and were able to issue edicts, demand service, and generally reap the benefits of being at the top of the caste system. Others were Kshatriyas (warriors) and were second only to the Brahmans. Third were the Vaisyas (merchants). Finally, the Sudras (servants) had to sit on the floor for the whole school day and offer their services constantly to the castes above them. After an entire school day of discrimination of others and isolation within their castes, many of my students were very frustrated (which is the objective that I had hoped for!). In their written reflection assignment, the fifth graders obviously saw the evils of such a system, and they vehemently expressed that God loves us all equally. Some students even drew the connection that we should all be servants and that Jesus, though the highest of all beings, decided to make himself lower than all of us in order to save us! Needless to say, the students (except for some of the Brahmans) were happy to return to class as usual the next day!

A subservient sudra in action!

I couldn't believe it! The dollar recently jumped to over 28 rubles in worth (but it very quickly dipped back into the 27s the next day)! This has been really helpful for me economically, because my money can go farther as I pay for living expenses and other things in this most expensive city in the world! Just last spring, the dollar was at a measly 23-24 rubles.

"No-Shave November" has been in effect at Hinkson, and every Monday morning the staff and student participants gather in the chaplain's office for a "progress" picture. With the coming of December, "Fuzz Fest" will begin. I'll finally be able to trim up the nasty patches on my face but be able to retain the rest of the reddish brown growth! As for now the plan is to continue growing the beard through March, as I will need it for my role as Antonio (an older man) in our school's production of "Much Ado About Nothing".

One of the most difficult parts of teaching in an MK school is dealing with the high turnover rate of staff and students. Just a couple weeks ago one dear family from Australia had to move back to their home country, and it has subsequently left a huge hole in the hearts of friends and teachers. Pictured above, Kian (now a 7th grader) was in my first class. I miss him so much!

Kian and his best friends. Thank God they have each other to cope in his absence!

One student impersonating Harry Houdini during his "Biography Interview" oral book report.

The most recent bulletin board in the 5th grade classroom. The beautiful cornicopea was painted by my amazing teacher aide!

Looking up at the ceiling of the Goom mall (on Red Square) a couple weekends ago, revealed quite a cool perspective!

Gorgeous view of the Kremlin from a bridge over the Moscow River.

A very common sight for me. I have spent countless hours riding escalators in Moscow while riding the metro and transitioning between stations.

An incredible ice formation on the school parking lot!

The bearded teacher goes to Turkey

Thank God for a time like this week, a time to "Stop"!

Is it already November?

Time here in Moscow is surely flying by, but that is good. The recent weeks and months have been filled with blessings, memories, and experiences for which I am so grateful. Allow me to share a bit through pictures and captions!

A recent picture of me in front of St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square. It was a cool, grey Sunday afternoon.

During "Spiritual Emphasis Week" a couple weeks ago, I emphasized to my fifth graders the importance of developing their own Bible studying system, one that would make sense to them. Here they are highlighting their Bibles in color-coded keys that they devised.

A couple weeks ago, the fifth graders of HCA put on "Young Christians Super Talent Show", in which each student was able to demonstrate his or her God-given abilities for an audience of elementary students and parents. The kids did an excellent job, and I know that God was glorified as a great Creator of diversity, for each of my students is brilliant in their own unique way!

One of the boys created a tiger out of clay and passed it around the audience. It was really cool! (In the picture the tiger is in his hands.)

Some of the lively girls wrote and performed a skit and then added motions to the song "King of Majesty".

Here one of my students demonstrates how to correctly fence!

One boy shared 4-5 magic tricks and illusions.

This boy elicited the laughter of the entire audience as he made up a story on the spot...using random prompt words that the audience had written!

A humorous skit involving a clown and his friend

You might ask, "What did Mr. Hays do?" Well, I had the honor of reading one of my poems while juggling three balls. It took quite a bit of concentration!

Two weekends ago was our much-needed Fall Break (no school on Monday). It was such a blessing to be able to travel via train to St. Petersburg with four of my friends from the school. The weekend was a perfect blend of relaxation, sightseeing, good conversation, writing, reading, playing games, and exploring the city.

While in St. Petersburg, we visited the Hermitage, which contains an amazing collection of original art works from around the world. Here I am imitating Michelangelo's "Crouching Boy".

When St. Petersburg was the capital of Russia (for a couple hundred years), the Hermitage was the Winter Palace of the tsars. This is a picture of the stairs leading up to the throne.

One of the highlights of the trip was visiting the final apartment of Fyodor Dostoyevsky, a renowned author who is one of Russia's greatest literary gifts to the world. This is the office and desk at which Dostoyevsky penned his final work and masterpiece, The Brothers Karamazov (which I bought and intend to read while here in Russia...it might take a little while at 700 pages).

My friends and I took one afternoon to visit Catherine's Palace, which is in the Tsars' Village (Tsarskoye Selo), the Summer Residence of many of the tsars. It had such beautiful grounds that my friends (two student teachers) and I couldn't resist adding to the ornamentation!

Laurie, Chris, Luke, Laura, and Gail...a society of friends :)

Posed for yet another picture within the palace

A glimpse into the Amber Room from an adjacent room. I've never before beheld such an amazing room in my life. The entire room is covered with walls made of amber, a truly gorgeous stone of varing orangish/reddish hues. While standing in "The Eighth Wonder of the World", I couldn't help but think how many millions of dollars were surrounding me. A little trivia: during WWII most of the panels were taken away as loot to never be found again. After the go ahead from the Russian government, the room underwent a restoration project to restore it to its original glory; the project was completed in 2003.

Standing at the gate to the Catherine Palace, the same gate that Catherine the Great most surely entered through many times.

Attached to the Catherine Palace is this beautiful ballroom. What must that have looked like from the inside on a dark, starry night? Wow! (It reminds me somewhat of the ballroom from Beauty and the Beast :)

Five friends in front of the bronze horseman, a tribute to Peter the Great. In the background stands St. Isaac's Cathedral.

Traveling in the coupe on the way back to Moscow. I have always loved the top bunk!

Back in Moscow, my fifth graders ran their first timed mile run. I went out to the lake behind the school to cheer them on. Boy, did it ever bring back memories of Mr. Kelly's gym class in elementary school! I remember trying to break six minutes in fifth grade, a feat that I accomplished, and which one of my students surpassed this year with a 5:45!

Great job! Kick it in!

Almost done! Don't slow down!

Last Friday, I taught perhaps one of my favorite lessons so far of my teaching career. We were studying linking/state-of-being verbs and their predicate noun and predicate adjective modifiers. To help drive home the concept in a Biblical way, I lead the students through Exodus 3:14, in which God states his own name as "I AM." He is the ultimate being, and all other beings exist only because of Him. So we listened to and dissected a song that describes God's character (both nouns and adjectives) and then broke into groups to search through Scripture to find nouns and adjectives to describe our Maker. The students then wrote their words on corresponding slips of paper that they linked (using plastic chain links) to a chain hanging in the room. At the center of the chain was "I AM", and to both sides were approximately 70 words to describe God! The intention is to continue adding words throughout the year as we discover God's character through our studies! This week we're going to add some descriptors of us, words that should describe our character because of who God is (this will be on an adjoining chain link entitled "We are").


How has the English Cafe been? It has been going amazingly well, praise God! For our last two meetings, we've had 55 and 100 people, respectively! The word has been spreading quickly about our ministry, and many people are coming to improve their conversational English in a fun, non-threatening environment where snacks and tea are free of charge and native speakers sit at every table. Thank you for your prayers for this ministry. Your prayers for our "True Colors" night were answered! One of my Russian friends came up to me afterward and told me that he was glad to hear the gospel story again because it had been a while since he'd heard it at an English camp. He is seriously considering his beliefs about God and Christ. Continue to pray for him and others! Pray also for wisdom for us leaders and we must decide how to manage such large numbers of people ... a problem we're glad to have to solve!