Happy March 8th!

Everyone is back from Dallas! Hurrah! But I spoke too soon when I said Raia was well. All the women in this family are pretty miserable, just in time for our holiday: "International" Women's Day. Happy March 8th to all of you! Will and Jaan are fine.


The sick ones
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

(Edited to add: After reading this, I'm not so sure about wishing friends a Happy International Women's Day. I didn't know anything about the history of it! I think I'll keep enjoying the holiday, though. I have great memories of flowers and special services at church, schoolchildren giving me so many flowers and so much chocolate that I couldn't even carry it home, fun teas, and explaining that "no, they don't celebrate it in America," that I think it's worth continuing the tradition. Even it there are feminist and socialist roots, today we celebrate mothers, daughters, grandmothers and the other women in our lives on March 8th!)

Good news, bad news

Good news: this one. . .

Sick Raia
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

. . . is well now.

Bad news: now the littler one is sick.

Good news: we had a great visit with friends last night, and we have another one planned for tonight.

Bad news: most flights out of Dallas were cancelled yesterday, so our Papa and grandparents are stranded there.

Good news: they should be back around midnight tonight! (Pray!)

Math

1 fussy baby+1 sick girl+1 active boy-1 Papa away>1 tired Mama

But I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! Prayers please.

"No hands!"

Riding with Granddaddy
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

There were better, closer ones, but this was the only "Look, Mom no hands!" that turned out.

Charlotte photos

I hardly have any photos of our Charlotte grandparents yet. Here are a few pictures of us in North Carolina, though.


Visiting Pop
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

(Pop is Will's grandfather.)

Eating ice cream with Тетя Anna
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

Raia had just gotten these overalls as a Christmas present, so she had to pull off her other clothes and try them on.

Swinging
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

I posted a similar photo of Asya in Florida. She likes to swing!

Bicycle!
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

Yes, it's cool here. Beautiful weather! It's like spring, but no mud. I've been comparing the temperatures here and in Kovrov. (Look over on the side here.) They've been about the same.

In NC

It's snowing here! Yes, just a tiny bit, but I'll take what I can get.

We had a good trip yesterday. Of course, right when I was thinking that it was going really, really smoothly and easily, we had a little adventure. But the adventure was just another way for God to show His love for us. We stopped at a rest stop in South Carolina, and the car keys got locked in the trunk. While we were trying to figure out what to do, a State Trooper drove by. Will chased him down (and got a ride back in his car! The children thought that was great!) He couldn't help us, but he got out a phone book and had Will call a locksmith in the nearest town. While Will was on the phone, and they were telling him that it would be a few hours before they could get out to us, one of their trucks drove up. The locksmith was coming to fix a door at the very same rest stop where we were stuck! He had our trunk open in about five minutes and didn't charge us anything. Coincidence?

Quickly

Our presentation at church tonight went well. My Grandma was even able to "join" us, thanks to amazing technology. (She's actually on the other side of the country.) Jaan and Raia were going to sing, but at the last minute they decided not to. That reminded me of a video that I thought I had posted. It turns out that it never did come up. So, I just fixed it now. If you go to this post, you can see what they were supposed to do at church.

We'll be heading up to Charlotte on Tuesday.

Good night!

Whew!

We have had such a fun week! We've been visiting with friends and family every day. Our visit with Aunt Mary Dru on Wednesday even included trips to the zoo and the beach! I think our children reached their limit yesterday, though. We drove six hours (on the hottest day of the week). They did fine in the car, but they were awful during that visit. Today we had the morning off, so I finally got to bathe those filthy children of ours. (I won't tell you how long we had gone without having a chance to get to that.) Now they're resting. We have more time planned with family and friends after they wake up. Tomorrow evening we're sharing at Circle Community Church. If you're in the Orlando area, please come to that! It will be at 6:00.

Early next week we'll be heading to the "other America." That's how Jaan explained it to a neighbor, before we left Kovrov. "First we're going to one America, then to a different America." I kind of wish that we had planned our time away to be in between Florida and North Carolina, so that we would have a chance to get our children back in order, but we didn't think of that. We'll take the first few days in Charlotte to rest and settle in, and then we want to see everyone!

By the way, we have tons of photos to share. The problem is that there are too many, and I don't have time to sort through them.

Flamingoed! (and butterflied)

My parents were hit by the flock of flamingoes last night! The funny thing is that we're sleeping in Mom and Dad's bedroom in the front of the house. We actually heard all the whispering, but didn't think anything of it and didn't get up to look.


Flamingoed!
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

Yesterday we had a chance to enjoy real wildlife (not pink plastic wildlife!) at the Lukas Butterfly Encounter.


In the butterfly house
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

"I want that butterfly!"
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

Feeding butterflies
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

Jaan's first photo
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

Grandda set it up, but Jaan pushed the button.

(Asya got me up early this morning, so you can thank her for this post. Jaan and Raia get credit for it, too, because they're still asleep.)

English

People keep asking about English. Raia is not speaking English at all. It's funny, she speaks Russian to everyone and doesn't seem to notice that they don't understand. Maybe that is because she's younger? Or because she usually has a translator nearby and everyone guesses well? If she holds up her cup and says something in Russian, Baba "understands" and gets her a drink.

It's been fascinating to watch Jaan learn! The first few days he scared me a little, because he started a weird baby talk, and would hardly speak intelligibly at all. Then, all of a sudden, he started speaking English. It's still rough, but he can definitely communicate. Now there's a constant stream of "Dis vhat is?" and "Dat vhat do?" and "Vhere you go?" (or, more often, "Tyotya Leetra vhere go?"). And of course, there's always "Vhy?"

The funniest story, which I've been telling everyone, is from last week. Jaan was playing in the backyard, and Mom was hanging laundry out there. He yelled, "Baba. Come! Dis is vhat?" She went over and saw that his hands were covered in ants! Don't worry, he didn't get bitten.


"Go to the ant"
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

Ремонт

Since I started this blog, it had this same basic look:



I have made some small changes along the way, but now I've decided to try something completely new. I tried to just change the colors and the header, but that template was too hard to work with, so I went with this one. I love seasons. I love winter, and since I couldn’t bring it with me, I'll let to make our blog reflect that beauty. I know, the family photo isn't wintery, but we're in Florida right now, and it is Florida winter. Also, my pretty winter weather sticker
doesn't work with the new version of Blogger. Oh, well!

What do you think? I'm very open to suggestions.

I may keep playing with more changes over the next little while. . . .

(I think we have something planned for every day in the next week, so I won't have time for computer play for a little while. We're having too much fun in real life!)

Family and friends

With Grandda and Baba
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

With Shannon and Caiden
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

Click here for the rest of the photos from that morning.

Nebuloustically Speaking...

For all who are praying with and for us, but who have not seen us yet, a short update is definitely overdue. We feel like we have finally gotten to the point where we can stop asking, "Will this ever be over?" That is, the process of trying to fix our document problems so as to stay in or return to Russia, and then the process of gathering the needed documents so as to leave Russia. It's over, and that's sinking in slowly but inexorably.

Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your love and support. Without you, who are "the sweet savour of Christ in those who are saved, the savour of life," our encouragement and mainstay, our spiritual brace and support in a world that for us has been turned upside down... this all would have been nearly unbearable. We thank and praise our God and Father for each and every one of you. We love you, and your love is one of the greatest blessings our family has seen throughout this difficult time.

Our plans are still a bit nebulous, but they are still plans. We want to keep moving forward in life and ministry - not start 'coasting' just because we have left Russia. We will be visiting here in Florida for a couple of weeks, then we'll have a couple of weeks with my family in NC. After that, we have a month reserved at a home for traveling missionaries in NC. During all of the time we have here, and especially the month we'll have to ourselves, we want to be defining the what, where, why and how of our next step in ministry. Right now our plan is to find a place in eastern Ukraine to minister in a similar capacity as we did in Russia. That's rather... nebulous, undefined, vague, yes. However, that is what we are praying and thinking about at this point. Please pray for wisdom and direction for us.

We want to make these decisions in a fairly short amount of time so as to be able to make the most of my Russian visa. It is still good, and will allow me to enter and exit Russia until the 10th of May. We left a good bit of our belongings with friends in Kovrov, with the hope that I would be able to return and expedite their transportation to Ukraine. Return to Kovrov, that is, from Ukraine, having already moved there by that time. = o) We have therefore a very definite time frame to work within, and that's actually a good thing. You can see our tentative travel schedule on our home page.

Again, your prayers, notes, love and encouragement have been a true source of spiritual, emotional and psychological strength and solace for us. Thank you. Keep praying!

Just a few photos

Our first car
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

It's the first car we've ever owned, and it's such a blessing! (Well, Will owns it on paper. It's really a loan.)

So cute!
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

No snow here!
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

They're here!

Mom got in this morning, and Will joined us in the afternoon. We've had a wonderful day with Baba, and we're praising the Lord for Will's success with documents and smooth trip. His Dad took a day off from work yesterday to help, and they were able to get Will's driver's license, insurance, title signed over, registration, technical inspection and everything. And look at this. The North Carolina DMV shut down today with computer problems. They were just in time!

Yesterday we got to spend some time with Allie and her little boys. Here are a few photos from that:


Driving with Iain
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

Playing
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

Swinging
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

I don't have a good photo of cute little Cory, but you can go to the link I gave and see him.

For those who are far away

My Mom is in California, and I know she can't wait to see her grandchildren, so I'll just post everything from yesterday. (My grandfather died last week, so Mom is with her family there. She'll be back tomorrow. Please pray for all of us who will be missing Grandpa!) There are so many others who are far away, so I know others will enjoy these photos, too.



Please pray for Will as he's taking his driving test and working on everything with the car today. His Dad is kindly taking a day off from work to help him, so pray that they'll be able to make good progress.

And for those of you who are close, please come see us! We can't fit in Dad's car, so we're not going anywhere, but we would welcome visitors. Thank you for all the meals and other treats!

We're here

Finally!
Originally uploaded by fylliska.

(That's my sister holding Asya's pacifier in.)

Thanks for all the prayers! The trip was L-O-N-G, but smooth. I'll write more later. . . .

Tickets

We’ll be flying out on the 9th. Please pray for us as we travel! We’ll all be together until New York, and an extra bonus is that our friend Julie will be with us. After that we’ll split up. Will has to go to North Carolina first, then he’ll join us in Florida. For that last flight I’ll be by myself with the children, so really pray (for our fellow-travelers! ). By the time we get on that flight we will already have been going for more than 24 hours.

I’ll give more details about our plans when we get there. . . .

Jaan keeps telling people that his Papa is going to be a driver in America. I wonder if he’ll be surprised to learn that most people in America can drive? He was appalled when I told him that there aren’t many buses there and no trolleybuses at all (at least not in the cities we’ll be visiting).

The latest

I just realized that the posts I had written at home don't have the latest info in them. When Will got home from Vladimir on Monday, he went to the local migration office. They said that they can't have the children added to the court decision, because they don't have anything against them. (Should we have them go out and commit crimes so that they can leave the country?) Yesterday he went back to Vladimir. After waiting for hours, he got a few minutes with the boss there. He gave permission to do visas for the children, but it was closing time already. Will has to take care of some details here, and then tomorrow he'll go back to Vladimir (again!) to apply for visas for the children.

When Mama is too busy. . .

"Anything but that, Lord"

(Click for the bigger size to read it. You probably guessed;
leaving Russia was my “anything but that, Lord.”)

Going to America

We call Raia The Bag Lady, because she’s always dragging around at least one bag—more often a whole train of them. Today she asked me, “Mama, can I take my bags to America?” She also wanted to know if there are books in America. Both she and Jaan often check to be sure that we can and will take Asya with us. They’re very concerned about that. (Wasn’t baby Elisabeth Elliot left behind when her family moved to the States? Well, not all the way left behind, but I think they walked out without her? We’re not going to do that!) Jaan asks every morning if this is the day that we’re going to go on an airplane. He knows that Uncle Vanya is going to take us to the airport, so when Vanya dropped by today before Jaan was out of the bathtub, Jaan panicked.

We thought we would be able to by tickets today, but we still can’t. First we were waiting for Jaan’s new passport. It came back a while ago, but with a mistake, so we had to start that process over again. We had to have his passport to get exit visas, and we didn’t want to buy tickets without knowing what the dates on our exit visas would be. Now we have his new passport, and today Will went to Vladimir to apply for exit visas. It turns out that I don’t need one. I’m supposed to leave on the court decision, not a visa. But then what about the children? Will doesn’t need an exit visa, and they don’t usually do them for small children separate from parents. So, the people in Vladimir sent Will to go back and get something added into the court decision that will mention the children by name. That’s not supposed to take long. . . .

I also wanted to say THANK YOU for all the sweet comments, encouraging emails, and prayers going up for us! I’m sorry I can’t answer you all individually. We also appreciate the suggestions for our future ministry options. If you think of something like that, please do send it to us. We might just say a quick thank you now (or maybe not even have a chance to acknowledge it—sorry!) and file it for later, but it’s helpful to have those ideas on hand. And more than anything, we thank you for your prayers.

Strange ashes

Again, I thought I’d share some of my thoughts and what is comforting me these days. If I were a writer, I’d write something like this:

Sometimes I am asked to speak to young people who are toying with the idea of being missionaries. They want to know how I discovered the will of God. The first thing was to settle once and for all the supremacy of Christ in my life, I tell them. I put myself utterly and forever at His disposal, which means turning over. . . my notions of how I am to serve my Master. Oswald Chambers calls it “breaking the husk of my individual independence of God.” Until that break comes, all the rest is “pious fraud.” I tell these earnest kids that the will of God is always different from what they expect, always bigger, and, ultimately, infinitely more glorious than their wildest imaginings.

But there will be deaths to die. Paul found that out--daily, he said. That is the price of following the way of the cross--of course. . . .

This scares people. Yet what is there to fear when Christ holds first place in our lives? Where, other than in the will of the Father, shall we expect to find significance, security, and serenity?

God’s guidance for me has been so different from my early notions--I was to be a jungle missionary for life! [And, of course, we were to be in Russia for life!] The complete futility, humanly speaking, of all the language work I did (Colorado, Quichua, and Auca for various reasons, all came to nothing) was a deep lesson in the supremacy of Christ. Whom had I set out to serve? May He not do as He wills, then, with His servant’s work? Is anything offered to Christ ever wasted? I thought about the sacrifices of Old Testament times. When a man brought a lamb, the priest laid it on the altar, slit its throat, and burned it. The offering, then. was accepted. But what was left of it? Amy Carmichael taught me the implications of a living sacrifice. She wrote:
‘But these strange ashes, Lord, this nothingness,
This baffling sense of loss?’
Son, was the anguish of My stripping less
Upon the torturing cross?
Was I not brought into the dust of death,
A worm, and no man, I;
Yea, turned to ashes by the vehement breath
Of fire, on Calvary?
O son beloved, this is thy heart’s desire:
This, and no other thing
Follows the fall of the Consuming Fire
On the burnt offering.
Go on and taste the joy set high, afar,--
No joy like that to thee;
See how it lights the way like some great star.
Come now, and follow Me.

From Elisabeth Elliot Newsletter March/April ‘93

(Нет, я не пишу стихи. Эти слова просто были большое утешение для меня. Они не мои. We have friends who read our blog through an electric translator, which is hard to understand, at best. Last time I quoted a poem, it told them that I had written it. No, I am most definitely not a poet!)

Four months old!

Asya turned four months old yesterday! It seems like it's been a whole year since her three-month “birthday.” I think I’m enjoying her even more than I’ve ever enjoyed a baby before. Not that I love her more than our other children; that wouldn’t be possible. I’m just soaking up her babyhood more. Maybe it’s the contrast, after the hard pregnancy, and with what’s going on around us.

This morning I saw something very sweet. After trying and trying to get Asya to sleep, I finally just left her to scream for a few minutes. There was nothing more that I could do, and I needed a break. Then, all of a sudden she was silent. I ran to check on her and saw Raia holding her hand and shushing her. I tiptoed out, and in about two minutes Asya was sound asleep!

Prayer letter

“The thing which I greatly feared is come upon me,
and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.
. . . Yet will I trust in Him.”
Job 3:25, 13:15


Dear friends,
We have sent out many cries for prayer lately, and we are so thankful for you who have been praying! The thing that we feared most has happened: we can no longer live in Russia. I don’t know if you can even understand how heartbreaking this is for us. Russia is so much more than just a place of ministry to us; it is our beloved home. Please continue to pray for us, as we grieve and try to move on.

Right now we are in the midst of packing, sorting, giving away. Soon we will buy tickets and leave for the States. (God provided all the money we need for those tickets! Thank you so much to everyone who gave toward that! I’m having trouble getting to thank you letters. Please forgive me, if I don’t thank you individually.) We’re planning to spend two weeks with family and friends in Florida, and then two weeks visiting in North Carolina. After that, we would like to move to some missionary homes elsewhere in NC to think, pray and plan. Then we hope to move on to a place of ministry somewhere else. . . maybe Ukraine? Or somewhere else in the former USSR?

We haven’t written for a while, and I’m sorry for that. The past few months have been very difficult. We skipped over the good news too, though! You probably know that our sweet baby Asya was born September 24, 2007. She is such a wonderful, happy, easy baby, and we’re all in love with her. Jaan is four years old now, and Raia is two. They are best friends and my little helpers in everything. We love watching all three of them play and interact with each other and the people around us.

Prayer requests:
1. Details of leaving Russia: packing, documents, emotions, decisions.
2. Passing on the torch with Gospelink ministry.
3. Travel and visiting in the States. Pray especially for our children to be flexible, to adjust well, to learn English quickly and not forget Russian. Pray that we really would be able to work out that time away after visiting. Pray for a car!
4. Wisdom and guidance for what comes next.
5. COMFORT: we really are grieving.

As always, you can keep up with us on the internet through our site:
http://www.willphyl.com/
We would love to hear from you, so please write to us at mayakovsky@willphyl.com or
Will and Phyllis Hunsucker
c/o The Robertsons
808 Grandview Ave.
Altamonte Springs FL 32701
Let us know how we can pray for you. Thank you so much for your love, prayers and support! We look forward to seeing many of you soon.
Love and prayers,
Phyllis Hunsucker (for Will, Jaan, Raia and Asya, too)

Thanksgiving

I am so thankful for this list! For the example that inspired me, and for the God who got me moving to start it at just the right time! I can’t even explain the comfort it is. It’s more than “counting my blessings,” which sounds trite, more than Pollyanna’s Glad Game.

I can look back over many decades, remembering how worried I sometimes was, how bewildered at things God had permitted to happen, but now I see them all as a golden chain of mercies, gifts from a merciful Father who, like the father Jesus described, would never give his son a snake if he asked for a fish. . . . How thankful I am for God’s withholdings, for His unfailing faithfulness.
Elisabeth Elliot in her newsletter

869. God's withholdings (The biggest one ever is the withholding of life in Russia. I'm not sure I can be thankful for this one now, but it is one of God's gifts to me, and I accept it. And Amy Carmichael pointed out that the Bible says we are to be thankful in all things, not necessarily for all things.)
870. That my life is a golden chain of mercies and gifts, even though I can't see them yet
871. Johnson’s lavender baby shampoo and sweet-smelling children washed in it
872. "Joy is the keynote of the Christian life. It is not something that happens. It is a gift. . . . God gives to us a heavenly gift called joy, radically different in quality from any natural joy."
873. Finishing crying out "why? why? why?" without answers, and finding that the next chapter in the book I'm reading is called "Why Suffering?"
874. Still no answers, but such comfort
875. The pain, the agonizing, heart-rending pain: it is better to love and to hurt like this, than not to love and to be able to move on unhurt
876. Six years in Russia, one of God's biggest gifts to me!
877. This list that keeps my mind going, looking for and noticing the gifts in life
878. I am not alone.
879. Friends are crying with me.
880. Strawberries "fresh" from the garden--via the freezer--in January
881. "Our joy will be in collecting the happiness of living the everyday well, in gathering the memories of common (and yet painfully rare) loving. For therein is the God of the universe."
882. Asya all excited, cooing, kicking, squirming, flapping and trying to run away
883. A sparkling clean kitchen (without having done any work myself!)
884. Amy Carmichael called her children "our little lovables." How perfect!
885. A spring-like day (minus the mud) in January!
886. Jaan and Raia, holding hands to pray
887. Happy baby again, after a week of fussing!
888. Raia bringing me little "ladybugs" (that were really specks of dust) with as much care and joy as if they were real live creatures from the garden
889. A little flock of European goldfinches on the thistle right under our window

It's over

"The thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. . . . yet will I trust in Him."
Job 4:25, 13:15

The hearing for our appeal was today. They upheld the last decision. Deportation.

Laughter and joyful noises

A recent conversation with Jaan:
“MAMA, I HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!”
“Then go.”
“I can’t. The light is off.”
“Well, I’m feeding Asya. Go get the stool and turn it on.”
“I don’t have time to do that. I have to go NOW.”
“Okay, then. . . use your hanger to turn it on.” (He was carrying a clothes hanger around.)
“Oh, good idea,” and he successfully implements it.
Five minutes later:
“MAMA!” (I think “Sigh. I need to go wipe him.”)
“. . . IT’S NOT A HANGER. IT’S A PISTOL.”

Every few minutes when Jaan and Raia are playing, one of them will say, “It’s time for church!” At that, they jump up, grab some books, and do this:


(I know you probably can’t see much, but at least you can hear their joyful noises.)

Here are Mama and Papa:


Mama has Baby Asya in her carrier.

Here’s the real Baby Asya:



There’s not much news here. On Monday Will called the regional (“state”) court to find out if they could give us any news, and they couldn’t. Tuesday we got a letter from the judge here, saying that he had sent all his papers about our case on to the state. We’re packing and sorting and waiting.

Christmas with pictures!

I’m writing this just after Christmas, but it might take a few days before I have a chance to post it. On January 6, there was a children’s Christmas program instead of church. (And there was a funeral, the second in our church in less than a month. Please pray for the families left behind.) Our children loved the Christmas program, and there was a great turnout from the orphanage and friends and relatives of church members.

Jaan and Raia were thrilled to see the sign for this skit when they walked in. It says “Office of Heaven” but “of heaven” is the same as Raia’s name. And for those of you who know our friends here, the angels are Yulia, Ira, and Babushka Lena.

We got a family photo in parts. Everyone was too busy running around to get us all together, so I combined two photos here:

Then on Monday we had the church service that didn’t take place Sunday. Since we usually have two church services each week, holidays are even more special now. They are almost the only time that we can rent the big auditorium where we used to meet and see everyone all together. Then in the evening all the young families got together again for more fellowship time.

Tuesday, while the rest of us recovered from the exciting day before, Will went with a group from church to visit the kids in Sannikovo (the village where they used to do Bible classes) and take presents to them.

Wednesday we were able to turn in our court appeal. We should know in the next few days if it will be accepted and our case reheard.

Oh, and I forgot the big news! Asya laughed out loud for the first time on Sunday!

So many gifts!

Accept, positively and actively, what is given to you. Let thanksgiving be the habit of your life.
--Elisabeth Elliot in her newsletter

890. My bird feeder and the little friends who come to it
891. Good discussion and fellowship
892. We're still in Russia for Christmas!
893. The month of January and January weather
894. Family travel fun (I like to say that there's no need for extreme adventure trips when you can just take a few small children along and get the same thrill. )
895. Raia, looking out the train window, her reflection looking back at her, framed by the old wooden trim
896. Perspective: praying for Laura, puts our situation in perspective
897. "If God can make His birds to whistle in drenched and stormy darkness, if He can make His butterflies able to bear up under rain, what can He not do for the heart that trusts Him?"
Amy Carmichael, quoted in Amma: The Life and Words of Amy Carmichael, page 45
898. Visible improvement in a child's behavior
899. This unbelievable beauty:


Outside our windows on the first morning of 2008
900. Someone taking care of the abandoned babies in hospitals! (article in Русский Репортер № 30)
901. An automatic washing machine
902. Making a whole drift of paper snowflakes, whole family together
903. The strength that comes from prayer
904. Nadya's suggested answer to my document problems: she'll just adopt me!
905. Cold and clear days of my favorite winter weather
906. Jaan giving Asya art lessons: he tucks the pen into her little fist, and then moves the paper around under it.
907. Raia playing dolls with Asya: "Here, this is how you hold her."
908. Conversations with Asya
909. Visitors on Christmas evening to cheer us up and distract us
910. Too many gifts to even keep up with listing them!
911. "Бог с нами" на телефоне!?!?!?
912. Seeing the nice judge again and talking to her
913. Isaiah 50:7-10, written across the top of my court notes
914. Christmas treats, all ready to give to the neighbors
915. The story of Amy Carmichael's court case, read the day before ours
916. The morning sun, turning the ridges of snow on the next building into pink stripes
917. Snow that sparkles
918. Blue sky!
920. Raia pointing out that Baby Jesus is just like our Baby Asya
921. Patches of blue sky and big fluffy flakes coming down
922. Three in the tub for very happy bath times
923. Familiar faces, greeting us when we go out
924. Neighbors to talk with
925. A rare chance to walk fast
926. The lovely little people who usually slow me down when I'm walking
927. Forgot to mention this one: help with the gigantic suitcase on all those stairs when we changed trains in Vladimir. A friend "just happened" to be on the train with us!

Merry Christmas again!

I'm just taking a few minutes away from a Christmas gathering to post this, so I'll be quick. Merry Christmas to you all!

Hi from Moscow!

We came into Moscow yesterday to renew Jaan's passport and get a letter from the American embassy to help with our appeal. We are going to appeal as soon as everything opens back up after the holidays. That will be January 9. Please pray for Will and Sergei, our lawyer friend, as they get the appeal ready and turn it in!

Other than that, there's not too much to say. We're doing well, except for lots of germs going around. We've enjoyed a fun visit with Julie, since we spent the night with her here.

I don't have any pictures, and I'm not coming up with any good stories right now. . . .

Thank you for all your prayers! Sorry to be so out of touch. It's hard to keep up without an internet connection.

Oh, do pray for us as we're headed home tonight, too. So far the children have timed their sickness perfectly. Raia slept like a log on the table at the embassy, but she didn't throw up until we were done with that and all the traveling that came before it. Jaan took his turn before we even left home. Pray for everything to continue so smoothly and for a little extra patience for us, because not feeling so well is making everyone fussy.

And I did come up with a Jaan quote to share:
"How do you say mama in English?"
"It's just the same: mama."
"No, it's not. Mama in English is Phyllis!"

I can't believe I forgot to say this: God has provided all the money we need to buy tickets to the States, when that time comes! Thank you for praying with us and giving toward that need. Now you can praise Him with us!