Happy Birthday, Abe! Happy Valentine's Day!

During this past month, I've been thoroughly enjoying reading The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence, a man who lived more than 300 years ago. I've been struck by the book's profound simplicity, and much of the words have struck a deep chord with my heart. Lawrence devoted his entire life to practicing God's presence, and it affected everything he did. I'd like to my favorite part of the book with you, a passage which is probably the best description of God's grace that I've ever read:


"I consider God my King, against whom I've committed all sorts of crimes. Confessing my sins to Him and asking Him to forgive me, I place myself in His hands to do whatever He pleases with me.

"The King, who is full of goodness and mercy, doesn't punish me. Rather, He embraces me lovingly and invites me to eat at His table. He serves me Himself and gives me the keys to His treasury, treating me as His favorite. He converses with me without mentioning either my sins or His forgiveness. My former habits are seemingly forgotten. Although I beg Him to do whatever He wishes with me, He does nothing but caress me. This is what being in His holy presence is like."

The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence, 5th letter, pp. 41-42



Life in Moscow has continued to be very busy, yet rewarding. I think that's why these past five weeks since I arrived back in Russia have seemed to zoom by so quickly. God knows that the achiever mindset He placed in me likes having things to do, places to go, and people to see. But it's also nice to have an extended rest, which is precisely what we have this weekend for Winter Break: no school on Friday or Monday!

Thursday night was a staff Superbowl party in the cafeteria. Although many of us already knew the outcome, it was sure fun to watch all the exciting events unfold. Then on Friday I decided to do some major relaxing by sleeping in, staying home, reading, writing, and spending time with two close friends from Hinkson. It was a glorious day of lying low!

Today, Valentine's Day, was a day of sharing God's love with the orphans at the orphanage not far from the school. I took two of my middle school boys (from my Caring Community Group), and we were able to play soccer, basketball, and Skip-Bo with the orphans before sharing some candies and tea with them. It was a good afternoon as my boys and I were able to put our Russian into practice and start deepening our relationships with the boys at the orphanage. We plan to continue visiting on a monthly basis.

Tomorrow I'm planning on worshiping with my church family at Moscow First Church of the Nazarene, eating lunch with one of my Korean students and her family, then watching It's a Wonderful Life with my friend Igor, and finally enjoying a Guys Night with some of the young men from the school. Monday will be filled with a cross-country skiiing workout with my school director and a visit to the U.S. Embassy to work on renewing my passport. A full weekend, but a very well-timed rest!

Before I say much more, I'd like to request your prayer for our staffing needs for next year, which are pretty substantial. If you could lift these needs before God, it would be greatly appreciated! Also, if you know anyone who might be interested in one of these positions, please contact me (luminous83@aol.com).

HCA Staffing Needs 2009-2010

MS/HS Bible
HS English
MS/HS Math
Chaplain
K – 12 Music
MS/HS Science
Computer Coordinator
Special Education and/or NILD
Librarian

So what about the pictures below? The first few pictures are of my fifth graders engaged in Literature Circles, which provide a great way for kids to take ownership of what they are reading. Each student has a role within a group (Discussion Director, Literary Luminary, Connector, Artful Adventurer, and Character Captain), and I found that my students really took hold of their reading and learning when I tailored a week of lessons to revolve around Literature Circles!

The five kids whose heads are all next to each other are the five Armenian kids/young teens who attend Moscow First. I had a little seminar with them last weekend to get them started on an international project called "Poverty and Hope Through the Eyes of a Child". Basically we discussed poverty and hope from God's and their perspectives, and after teaching the kids some very basis photography skills, we equipped them with disposable cameras so they could capture those two themes on film throughout their week in Moscow. Their pictures and profiles will hopefully make it into the finished project, which will be published in time for the General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene at the end of June in Orlando!

And what of those last four pictures? Well, I figured that while I have this big nasty beard (only three more weeks until the play and a subsequent shaving!), I thought I'd put it to good use. I've always admired Abraham Lincoln, and my interest in his life has only increased in past years. After reading through Smithsonian's Collector's Edition issue about Lincoln at 200 (he was born on February 12, 1809), I decided that something special must be done in honor of this great man. So I decided to dress up as Lincoln and recite his Gettysburg address! Last Saturday night during our Open Mic Night for English Cafe, I first delivered his amazing piece of oratory, but I had not yet memorized it. As this school week got underway, I decided that in addition to dressing up as Lincoln on his bicentennial on Thursday, I would dedicate his famous address to memory and then deliver it to various classes throughout the day. It was so fun! The 11th grade U.S. History class and the 4th grade class were both studying the Civil War, so the timing was perfect when I shared it with them. Then my 5th graders, the 3rd graders, all the high schoolers (at lunch), and a number of the staff were visited by the 16th president. It was one of my most memorable days as a teacher so far!