tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65429672011-04-22T03:42:25.488+04:00Chronicles of a missionary family's life in Vladimir, RussiaDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.comBlogger3501100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1159331664173045172006-09-27T08:26:00.000+04:002006-09-27T08:34:24.196+04:00

Well, our family made it back to the States in one piece (or is that three pieces?) last week. It was an exhausting trip, but a fairly uneventful one. We are thankful for a safe and successful trip.My time as a missionary in Russia has come to an end and with it the reason for this blog. Therefore, I am shutting down Musings From The Motherland. Actually, you will still be able to access previous

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1157990241287158102006-09-11T19:43:00.000+04:002006-09-11T19:57:21.336+04:00

We have less than a week to go until we begin our move back to the U.S. Olya has been making special visits to friends to say goodbye and I've been wrapping up a few odds and ends for Sunday school. It's a strange time for us as there is a lot happening despite our feeling as if nothing much is going on at the moment. I think that Olya has a lot of stress and varying emotions as she has never

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1157611437704276772006-09-07T10:35:00.000+04:002006-09-07T10:43:57.706+04:00

Our beautiful little girl turned one year old yesterday. Since it was in the middle of the week, we didn't do anything special to celebrate. We will have a family birthday party on Saturday or Sunday evening.Annika started off her new year by getting herself out of the crib, hopping in the shower, brushing her teeth, dressing herself, making herself some bacon and eggs, and reading the morning

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1157610628123152302006-09-07T09:57:00.000+04:002006-09-07T10:30:40.116+04:00

On Tuesday, our latest visiting team from the States flew in to Moscow. Al and I made the trip out to meet them. Honestly though, the main reason I went along was to get another free ride to IKEA to buy some more storage containers for my Sunday school supply cabinet project. The team made it in on time and we all had lunch at the mega mall (where the IKEA is located) close to the airport before

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1157365569792023102006-09-04T14:22:00.000+04:002006-09-04T14:26:09.826+04:00

10 people at the meeting again last night. No increase in attendance this time, but it's still nice to see that there wasn't a decrease either. Praise the Lord!

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1156959434445457952006-09-01T09:35:00.000+04:002006-09-01T09:53:31.470+04:00

Even though our move is still a few weeks away, we have already begun to make preparations. We have been scanning through clothes, books, household items and the like trying to figure out what we want to keep, what we need to take, and what we are physically capable of taking. Thankfully, the small size of our apartment turned out to be a blessing in this area. With a small apartment, we have had

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1157028682587355872006-08-31T16:36:00.000+04:002006-08-31T16:51:22.606+04:00

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about improved attendance for our prayer meeting. I joking headlined the post "500% Increase in Attendance!!!" While the math was correct, the number was misleading as only five people had showed up. Still, it was an improvement from the meeting I had led before that one. I mentioned at the end of the post that I was hoping and praying for another five fold

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1156958881542489172006-08-31T00:19:00.000+04:002006-08-30T21:28:01.676+04:00

The last few days I've been reworking the curriculum for the children's ministry. Before we took over the program two and a half years ago, they were using two different programs. One was especially for the 3-7 year old class and was very basic and topical. The older class had a curriculum developed by Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. That program took the kids through almost every book of the Bible

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1156953626289873562006-08-30T19:02:00.000+04:002006-08-30T21:29:14.090+04:00

A few weeks ago, I took home a few books from church that Caleb had dropped off while cleaning out his apartment. All four were either biographies or auto-biographies. I've never been a big fan of biographies, but Olya really enjoys them. Anyway, we both started reading one of the books entitled "Bruchko." Though it was an easy read, it was very interesting and entertaining, not to mention

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1156845195660363302006-08-29T13:43:00.000+04:002006-08-29T13:53:15.676+04:00

For those of you who haven't yet heard, our family will be moving back to the U.S. on September 18th of this year. The decision to return, though in some ways quite sudden, was actually the result of a two year process of praying, asking for advice, studying the Bible, and mulling different options in my head. It all really boils down to my uncertainty that I am called/interested/skilled to be a

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1156739768904284392006-08-28T08:32:00.000+04:002006-08-28T08:36:08.920+04:00

We're still here. Tomorrow I will start posting regularly again. There is much to talk about. We hope that you are all well. Please check back tomorrow.

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1155028802450385902006-08-08T13:10:00.000+04:002006-08-08T13:20:02.693+04:00

Yesterday, I went into church to start organizing the cabinets with the new storage bins that we were able to purchase last Friday. As usual when cleaning out our cabinets, we made quite a mess and tossed out a bunch of useless items that were hiding in various boxes and shelf corners. By the end of the day, everything was back in the cabinets- neatly organized and in the new containers. The old

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1154804000757269022006-08-05T21:48:00.000+04:002006-08-05T22:53:21.036+04:00

You may remember a post I wrote about a month ago where I shared the frustration and disappoinment I felt when no one else showed up for the prayer meeting. Well, I am happy to report that there were five people in attendance tonight (including myself), which makes for a five-fold increase in attendance! I think that I'll start praying for another five-fold increase for the next prayer meeting on

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1154593137625757682006-08-03T11:39:00.000+04:002006-08-03T12:18:58.506+04:00

One of the things that I've really enjoyed about working in the church office two or three times a week is occasionally being asked to help with little tasks. Some of these things aren't very exciting, but it brings me great pleasure to see how they help someone out or make things run more smoothly in the building. Every now and then, the task involved spending the church's money on some kind of

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1154431784983216512006-08-02T11:35:00.000+04:002006-08-02T11:39:47.180+04:00

I received an e-mail from the pastor in Alexandrov a few days ago informing me that the basketball tournament has been rescheduled for this weekend. While I was excited to hear that they will still be able to conduct the event, I was disappointed to learn that it will start this Friday. The reason for my disappointment comes from the fact that I have had plans for several weeks to go to Moscow on

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1154430815931766632006-08-01T14:49:00.000+04:002006-08-01T15:18:25.150+04:00

Sunday morning, Olya translated for me as I taught a combined Sunday school class during second service. Annika also joined us for a few minutes to help me tell the story. I mentioned in the previous post that our text was taken from Matthew 18:1-5. I ended up shortening it to the first four verses. Here they are again:At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "“Who is the greatest in the

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1154082440127548122006-07-28T14:11:00.000+04:002006-07-28T14:27:20.143+04:00

Al, Joshua, and I left for the basketball tourney in a bus a little less than two hours ago. Not more than ten minutes ago, we arrived back in Vladimir in a car. Confused? Let me explain.About an hour into our trip, Al received a call from the pastor in Alexandrov informing us that the tournament would be cancelled. The court that they were going to use is outdoors and the weather today is cold,

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1154004538015608932006-07-27T16:19:00.000+04:002006-07-27T16:48:58.340+04:00

Tomorrow, I'm heading off to Alexandrov with Al, his son Joshua, and a young guy in the church named Kostya. The church in that city is hosting a 3-on-3 basketball tournament that we intend to double as a great evangelistic opportunity. The tourney starts on Friday evening and will conclude by 1pm on Saturday. I don't plan on posting anything until a day or two after we return. Keep us in your

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1153908682979068882006-07-26T13:54:00.000+04:002006-07-26T14:11:23.003+04:00

I mentioned last week that I wanted to take part in our regional youth campout (version 2.0), but didn't feel well enough on the first day to leave with the group. Thankfully, I was feeling well enough to spend all day on Friday and part of the day on Saturday out at the campsite.The weather this year was not ideal for camping, not would I call it good camping weather. There were cold gusts of

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1153671497610893682006-07-23T20:09:00.000+04:002006-07-23T20:18:17.683+04:00

We have big Annika news! Friday afternoon, while I was out at the youth campout, Annika was taking her first steps at home. She has been standing for a few months now and has become a pro at walking while holding on to the couch, chair, or some other object. Still, she has been afraid to take any steps.Olya told me the news over the cellphone and I made sure to make it back home that evening

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1153667636832971442006-07-23T18:10:00.000+04:002006-07-23T19:13:56.983+04:00

I've left you waiting for a few days now, so I thought it best to finish up the VBS review before too much time passed. In the first part of the review, I talked about our theme for the week (Friendship for Life), the turnout, the behavior of the kids, the weather, our excellent staff, and our special guests from the States. (Speaking of our special guests: they have nearly cleared all of the

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1153384491439916842006-07-20T12:26:00.000+04:002006-07-20T12:52:01.836+04:00

Two summers ago, the youth group in our church went on a campout as a sort of send-off for those who were "graduating" from the group and moving on. Pasha, still the youth pastor at the time, had wanted to have a youth campout for many years and finally saw his dream realized. We all had a great time and hoped to do it again in the future. I posted about that campout, which you can read about by

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1153383331270658572006-07-20T11:25:00.000+04:002006-07-23T19:19:38.216+04:00

I'm writing this from church and do not have access to the VBS photos, so this will be the first of two parts writing about the kid's camp we hosted last week.(Side note: I'm not feeling well physically and would appreciate your prayers. Many youth and leaders from our regional churches left today for our annual campout. I was responsible for the game/activity time, but was feeling too poorly to

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1152988351980548292006-07-15T22:22:00.000+04:002006-07-15T22:32:32.003+04:00

I'm pretty much wiped out after the VBS this past week. Once I have recovered, I will post a summary of the camp. We are doing alright, though Annika and I each have a cold right now. Actually, my illness may only be allergies, but it still bothering me. We hope you are all doing well. God bless you!

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1152268137079847262006-07-07T14:15:00.000+04:002006-07-07T14:28:57.100+04:00

Our annual kid's camp is probably the biggest event of the year for the Sunday school. No matter how early we starting thinking about and planning for the camp, I still get very nervous as the date approaches. This year, I have done more preparation than previous camps and I have had more help in getting things ready. Still, it feels as if there are more loose ends than there ever have been

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1151855038370319482006-07-02T19:14:00.000+04:002006-07-02T19:43:58.400+04:00

One of my character flaws is that I expect too much from others. This is especially unfortunate considering the fact that no one, even if they know and love Jesus, lives a perfect life. People sometimes fail to keep promises, to act responsibly, or to overcome apathy. I certainly struggle with all of those things (and others too) at times. When people don't meet my expectations (or when I don't

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1151780973894864602006-07-01T23:01:00.000+04:002006-07-01T23:09:33.913+04:00

I spent a good chunk of time today writing our family's update letter as well as the monthly prayer letter for the regional churches. If you don't normally receive our family update and would like to, please give me your e-mail in the comments section below and indicate that you would like a copy. Likewise, if you are not on the church mailing list and are interested in our monthly prayer letter,

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1151566718379071602006-06-29T10:46:00.000+04:002006-06-29T11:38:38.396+04:00

Yesterday, I spent close to an hour working on a menu for our annual VBS that will run from July 10th to 14th. I know that it is a necessary part of planning, but it seemed kind of pathetic mulling over questions about whether kids will eat slices of bell peppers or if they are more likely to eat macaroni or pancakes (Russian pancakes are different from the ones we eat in the States and are often

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1151407867291434812006-06-27T15:14:00.000+04:002006-06-27T15:31:07.313+04:00

If you are looking for an exciting post, it's probably better that you skip this entry and come back in a day or two.Recently, I have been spending a few days each week in the church office. With our one room apartment it has become increasingly difficult to get much work done at home. Annika is very mobile right now and loves to crawl over to the computer desk, pull herself up and try to touch

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1151295841530689142006-06-26T07:52:00.000+04:002006-06-26T08:54:15.823+04:00

This Saturday, we had a special men's meeting and work project at the church. We gathered at 10am in the church yard and, after prayer and instructions, we worked to build a new chainlink fence behind the church. It was a blazing hot day, but we had the project completed in two hours and weren't too affected by the heat. After we finished the fence, we ate a hearty lunch and then headed to our (

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1150965477323526822006-06-22T12:01:00.000+04:002006-06-22T12:37:57.343+04:00

Sunday evening we had another prayer meeting at church. Prayer is something that I wish I did more of and wish that I had a better understanding of. A year or so ago, I volunteered to start leading our regular prayer meetings for our fellowship because I wanted to learn more about prayer by praying. Leading the meetings also provided some accountability to be more consistent with corporate prayer

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1150618116178127722006-06-18T11:51:00.000+04:002006-06-18T12:08:36.196+04:00

Yesterday, we went to the Harb's house for an end-of-the-school-year party. As this was a difficult year for teaching, I was especially excited to celebrate it's conclusion. We spent the afternoon playing games, sharing lunch, and praying together. Some of the games we played had to do with school. We had a spelling bee, a competition with math flash cards, and a science game that was structured

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1150375194699438382006-06-15T16:26:00.000+04:002006-06-15T16:39:54.716+04:00

If you are still checking this blog regularly, you've probably noticed that I haven't been posting much this past month. Everything is fine with us. There haven't been any special events or activities that have happened recently and it has been difficult to write anything interesting.The last few days, I spent quite a bit of time writing our organization's (Calvary Chapels of the Vladimir Region)

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1150374351992771762006-06-15T16:09:00.000+04:002006-06-16T10:23:28.253+04:00

Mondays are our days off. We usually don't end up doing much on those days besides taking a nap and going for a nice walk as a family. This past Monday, I learned that the U.S. was playing their first match of the World Cup at 8pm. We decided to walk over to Olya's parents place so that Grandma could play with Annika and I could watch the match on their TV set. On the way to Olya's parent's place

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1149932361441523182006-06-10T13:22:00.000+04:002006-06-10T13:39:21.456+04:00

I see that it has been over a week since I last posted here. I figured that some of you might want to know about the damage done by the unknown kids last week. Apparently, the group of five or six teenage boys had poured gasoline on our front porch and entrance doors. While some of them were starting the fire, one or two others were writing "This is only the beginning" on our metal garage doors

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1149307323966885012006-06-03T07:46:00.000+04:002006-06-03T08:02:03.980+04:00

A few minutes ago, I received this e-mail from my friend Sasha, one of the church staff.I have a little prayer request. Our Pastor went on a furlough and the enemy began his dirty job. Tonight I got a call from the police. The porch of our church building was set on fire by some hooligans. They also broke windows on the first and second floors. There was a guy who saw a group of young guys

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1149261807242570182006-06-02T19:12:00.000+04:002006-06-02T19:23:27.276+04:00

It occurred to me today that I said that I would post a picture of the “castle” in the nursery and give a timely report about our “Da Vinci Code” event, though I failed to do so. Please forgive me for not following through with those things. I would like to complete these things now.First off, I’ll share a little about the presentation last Sunday evening. Al and I each prepared to speak on

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1148755343338915692006-05-27T22:34:00.000+04:002006-05-27T22:42:23.353+04:00

I've been busy the past two days preparing to share two sections of a presenstation addressing some of the claims of "The Da Vinci Code." Al will be presenting the other two main sections. He will also provide an introduction and I will give the Gospel message at the end if we have any unbelievers present. The meeting is tomorrow night (Sunday) at 6pm Moscow Standard Time.There is a lot of

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1148312044144821252006-05-22T19:21:00.000+04:002006-05-22T19:34:04.266+04:00

As far as I know, the team from Eastview Christian Church flew out of Moscow earlier this morning. They accomplished a lot while they were here and we were glad to serve with them again. Rather than give you a day-by-day review of everything that happened, I will give a summary of the various types of events and projects.VBS-We held a day-long kid's program on Sunday from 9:30am-4:00pm. On

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1147667392816489732006-05-15T08:21:00.000+04:002006-05-15T08:29:52.833+04:00

Things are going pretty well with the team right now. We had a good turnout for the VBS yesterday (32 kids I think). I think the kids enjoyed it. I'll talk about it later and post a few pictures, but I don't have time right now. I don't really have energy either.In just a few hours, I am leaving for church to work with the men on the team in our attic. I think that we will start putting up

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1147448579865598832006-05-12T19:24:00.000+04:002006-05-14T22:37:54.233+04:00

There is a lot going on right now, but not in such a way as to warrant seperate posts. So, I thought I would take a few minutes to highlight some things.First off, Annika is having new adventures thanks to acquiring the skills of crawling and walking from side to side while holding on to something. This is both incredibly exciting and frustrating at the same time. She is increasingly disatisfied

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1147332474138808052006-05-11T10:02:00.000+04:002006-05-11T11:27:54.156+04:00

Our next team from the States is expected to land in Moscow this afternoon. They are from Eastview Christian Center in Bloomington, Illinois. Last August, we also hosted a group from this church. We are excited to have them here again and to see some of the same faces from last year's team.Yesterday morning we had a special meeting to finish planning the details for the team's visit. Al had made

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1147327288947258932006-05-11T09:08:00.000+04:002006-05-11T10:01:28.996+04:00

Yesterday, my day got off to an early start thanks to a drunk man and a large truck. At 4:00am, I awoke to the sound of a drunk man talking very loudly out in front of our apartment building. (A quick side note: the only available bench in our neighborhood happens to be located right in front of the entrance to our section of the apartment building. Consequently, it attracts some interesting

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1147064357458616332006-05-08T08:29:00.000+04:002006-05-08T08:59:17.486+04:00

It's been a while since I talked about our Sunday school program. Part of the reason has to do with the fact that there hasn't been much going on outside of the usual Sunday and Wednesday services. Besides our special song for Easter, we haven't had any special events since the beginning of January.All of that will change very soon. This Thursday, our next team from Bloomington, IL arrives in

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1147062099574819062006-05-08T08:07:00.000+04:002006-05-08T08:21:39.590+04:00

On Thursday, I spent the afternoon at the church constructing a castle in the nursery with Pasha, Caleb, and Sasha. Yes, that’s right…a castle. Pasha is constantly coming up with ideas to improve our church facilities. His latest idea was to buy some thick panels of wood (think plywood on steroids) and cut out two large walls (castle-shaped) and a floor. The two walls would be fastened together

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1146675999522801792006-05-03T20:49:00.000+04:002006-05-03T21:06:39.553+04:00

Monday, we celebrated my 29th birthday. We didn't plan anything special. I just wanted to have a nice quiet day with my family and maybe enjoy some special food dish. It so happens that May 1st is a holiday in Russia, which allowed Olya's mom the chance to walk Annika for her late-morning nap. It also freed us up to have a date together. We went to the center of town and ate at a wanna-be

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1146674931323530982006-05-03T09:23:00.000+04:002006-05-03T20:48:53.393+04:00

Hi everyone,We sent out our monthly update letter yesterday. If you didn't receive a copy and would like one, please let me know and I will send it to you. Besides reporting some highlights from April, the letter contains two pictures and our latest prayer requests.Blessings

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1146237965193634742006-04-28T17:54:00.000+04:002006-04-28T19:26:05.596+04:00

Wednesday afternoon a teacher of religion from the Vladimir Polytech Institute brought a group of 9 students to our church to ask us some questions. We had a panel consisting of Pasha, Sasha, Al, Caleb, and myself to answer their questions. We weren't sure what exactly to expect, but it turned out to be an assignment for them to find out about our beliefs and organization. They had each prepared

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1145903696150293762006-04-24T22:31:00.000+04:002006-04-24T22:37:03.903+04:00

This Wednesday afternoon from 4-5:30pm (5-6:30am PST), our church will be hosting a teacher of religion from the local polytechnic university and some of his students. I mentioned several posts earlier that he attended one of our special youth night events during the Korean team’s visit. Al spoke with him and his female companion and, despite making his Orthodox loyalty very clear, expressed

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1145870053754101132006-04-24T13:12:00.000+04:002006-04-24T21:16:16.430+04:00

Yesterday turned out to be a very busy day for us, but that didn’t mean that we didn’t enjoy the holiday. We BOTH had a chance to hear the sermon (a huge blessing as this has been somewhat of a rarity since Annika was born) and I had the chance to serve in Sunday School and at the film night.I want to thank everyone that prayed for our kids and their special song in the service. When we rehearsed

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1145730218311289212006-04-22T22:22:00.000+04:002006-04-22T22:23:38.323+04:00

I’ve mentioned this before, but it probably should be mentioned again: the Easter holiday in Russia (and in other countries that have large Orthodox Christian populations) is often celebrated on a different Sunday than in countries with ties to Western Christianity (Roman Catholic and Protestant). The difference is due to the fact that Orthodox churches use a different calendar for religious

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1145431095220690172006-04-19T11:17:00.000+04:002006-04-19T11:18:15.223+04:00

As usual, I was pretty nervous before Monday's youth group. I feel such a weight on my shoulders when I know that I will be teaching from the Bible. It makes me appreciate those who labor in the Word and teach it week in and week out. I was extra nervous this time because there was a possibility of having a lot of visitors. During last week's special youth events with the Korea team, many

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1145431017267749982006-04-19T11:07:00.000+04:002006-04-19T11:17:41.390+04:00

Like many people, I have a hard time sticking with certain hobbies. You can probably think of several things that you have started to try- learning and instrument, photography, learning a language, etc.- only to lose interest a few weeks or months later. I suppose that, in some cases, there are just more important things that get in the way.For me, I wondered if blogging would be one of those

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1145260527475972262006-04-17T11:52:00.000+04:002006-04-17T11:55:27.486+04:00

I was asked a few weeks ago if I could lead the weekly youth group while Caleb and the Harb family were in Riga, Latvia renewing their visas. Anytime I am asked to lead a meeting, especially when it involves teaching the word, I am greatly humbled. It is a wonderful opportunity.As usual, I am quite nervous about the evening. I haven’t been to a regular youth group meeting yet. The events we had

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1145252346439886522006-04-17T09:04:00.000+04:002006-04-17T09:39:09.076+04:00

Note: Some of what I am about to write doesn't necessarily reflect the opinions of the ministry in our church. My thoughts are not to be taken as criticism of the way our church does things. I am expressing my thoughts about a general idea.It has been customary in our church during Easter and Christmas services for the children of the Sunday School to perform a special song and recite a few lines

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1145250169932652742006-04-17T08:36:00.000+04:002006-04-17T09:02:50.016+04:00

Late on Friday evening, our team from International Christian School in South Korea flew back home. Thank you to everyone who prayed for the remainder of their ministry time in Alexandrov. I wasn't able to go along, but I heard great reports. Some were blessed by the unity they had as a group. Some were impressed with the openness they had about their relationship with God. All were glad to have

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1144764814647824672006-04-11T18:11:00.000+04:002006-04-11T18:13:34.670+04:00

Wow! The ministry time with the team from South Korea has been awesome. The team comes from a school called the “International Christian School” in Seoul. It consists of two American couples and two American women- in their twenties and thirties- and 16 youth who are from South Korea, the U.S., Japan, and the Philippines. I wasn’t sure what to expect at first, seeing that most of them were so

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1144396730792607652006-04-07T08:41:00.000+04:002006-04-07T11:58:50.863+04:00

Late this evening we are expecting a team of 7 adults and 16 teens from South Korea. The will serve in Vladimir for three days before going on to Alexandrov for another three days. The will finish up their trip with a day in Moscow- buying souvenirs and seeing the sights.This is the first time that we have worked with a team that wasn't from the U.S. or somewhere else in Russia. The bulk of their

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1144313810063122182006-04-06T12:11:00.000+04:002006-04-06T12:56:50.146+04:00

Our church is in the middle of several recording projects at the moment. Music ministry has always been a big part of what our church does. Pastor Jeff grew up playing a lot of music and brought his skills and background with him to Russia. Our current pastor, Pasha, was saved at a concert put on by Jeff's brother Greg during the first church plant outreaches. Before I moved to Russia, the church

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1144062671135881022006-04-03T15:00:00.000+04:002006-04-03T15:11:11.150+04:00

Yesterday evening I had the priviledge of leading our monthly prayer meeting. The turnout wasn't great (only eight people I think), but it was a wonderful time of prayer. I was especially encouraged to see a young man, who had received the Lord last year, come for the first time.At the morning services, we studied Matthew 6:5-15; a familiar passage concerning prayer in the middle of Jesus' Sermon

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1144061957943072912006-04-03T14:51:00.000+04:002006-04-03T14:59:17.960+04:00

Recently, I have been working on the latest praise report and update letter for our regional churches. Every month we highlight one of our seven churches for the first page (the praise report) and then include a list of prayer requests on the second page. The prayer requests are organized by city. We usually send out an e-mail to each of the pastors asking them to provide us with prayer requests.

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1143467587446355132006-03-27T17:48:00.000+04:002006-03-27T17:53:07.446+04:00

During last week's update letter naming contest, I came across a clever entry from Mark Mason that, unfortunately, did not meet the contest criteria. However, I loved the name so much that I decided to change the name of this blog to:Musings From The MotherlandOur hearty thanks goes out to Mark Mason for saving this blog from the mediocrity inherent in a title like "Erhos In Russia."Mark Mason,

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1143450490803842622006-03-27T08:32:00.000+04:002006-03-27T13:08:10.870+04:00

It feels as if nothing blog-worthy has happened in the area of ministry since Tuesday evening's men's meeting. The only thing that made that an item to post about was the fact that I was asked to share and teach. Our Sunday and Wednesday services and Friday night home groups went as usual. The youth group (they re-formed and started meeting a few weeks before we arrived) moved their weekly

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1143056569559724962006-03-22T22:35:00.000+03:002006-03-22T22:42:49.563+03:00

One of my favorite pastimes is reading various blogs. The vast majority of blogs that I visit could be considered Christian blogs. There are a handful of these blogs that have been especially encouraging, challenging, and convicting for me. It is this small set of blogs that I frequent on a regular basis. Some of you may not spend much time, if any, looking at other blogs, but I wanted to mention

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1143007862477908792006-03-22T09:10:00.000+03:002006-03-22T09:11:02.480+03:00

Thanks to everyone who prayed for me as I was preparing to share and teach at the men’s meeting. Your prayers mean so much to me. God is so good. He taught me from the passage before I taught from it. He calmed my fears and nervousness about teaching. Overall, I would say that the whole meeting went well.I ended up choosing Psalm 49 for our study. As I mentioned to the guys at the meeting, I was

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1143007832468955282006-03-22T09:09:00.000+03:002006-03-22T09:10:32.480+03:00

I forgot to mention on Sunday that it was Olya’s 25th birthday. Fortunately, I didn’t forget about the birthday altogether. After attending morning service at church, we celebrated at her parents’ house with a nice meal. Olya also had a good time talking with her mom and sister while I took a nap with Annika. Overall, I think she had a nice birthday.

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1142847571713772772006-03-20T12:09:00.000+03:002006-03-20T12:44:30.780+03:00

Well, there were no server meltdowns for the contest extension. We received some wonderful entries in our comments section and a few more via e-mail. Thanks to everyone who participated. There were some very clever entries. One of my favorites, unfortunately, didn't meet the contest criteria, but will be selected for re-naming this blog. We can only have one winner, who I will announce shortly,

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1142712009997010252006-03-18T22:58:00.000+03:002006-03-18T23:00:10.020+03:00

Sometimes, I really wish that we had the technology available to translate baby talk and figure out what babies are thinking.Just before we left the U.S. a few weeks ago, my niece Amy gave us a Johnny Jump-Up for Annika. We tried it out once or twice in the States, but Annika didn’t really know what to do. Since that time, she has learned what it is for. It turns out that she really enjoys it. On

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1142589027637153282006-03-17T12:26:00.000+03:002006-03-17T12:50:27.686+03:00

The response to our naming contest has been amazing! The server was so overloaded with entries that only one submission remained. (Oh, if this were really true.) Everything else was lost! :P Since I failed to write down those entries, I am extending the deadline to Saturday, March 18th 11:59pm PST. You may submit your entry in the comments section of this post or the previous one. Please!!! Do

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1142229673767199262006-03-13T09:00:00.000+03:002006-03-17T12:55:19.950+03:00

We are having a contest to see who can come up with the best name for our periodic (monthly may be a stretch) update letter for our sponsors. Our last name (according to my understanding and practice) is pronounced “arrow.” I want our letter title to reflect that pronunciation. For example, the title could be “Aiming For Russia.” Make sense?All entries are to be submitted via the comments link at

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1142229635375717582006-03-13T08:59:00.000+03:002006-03-13T09:00:35.376+03:00

Yesterday during the morning service, Olya and I were sitting just outside the hall listening to the sermon. (Olya had needed to feed Annika during worship and didn’t finish until the sermon started, so we thought it best to listen from outside instead of disrupting the people in the hall.) About twenty minutes into the sermon, one of our ushers came upstairs and told us that two Americans were

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1142229541603308972006-03-11T20:55:00.000+03:002006-03-13T08:59:01.616+03:00

The other day I went to an appliance store in town to shop for a microwave oven. I finally found one that wasn’t very expensive, yet was manufactured by a good company. It doesn’t have any bells or whistles, but it reheats food and cooks popcorn perfectly, so we are happy with it.Anyway, when I was paying for the microwave at the register, I unknowingly gave the cashier an extra thousand rubles.

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1141892590394129562006-03-09T11:22:00.000+03:002006-03-09T11:23:10.410+03:00

We had a difficult moment this morning. Annika woke up early this morning and was very tired and cranky when it came time for her late-morning nap. She had just finished getting settle in bed when the phone rang. The ringing set her off and she cried loudly for the next 10 minutes. When she had again started to calm down, the doorbell rang. The water company was going through the apartments

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1141876308361392582006-03-08T16:50:00.000+03:002006-03-09T06:51:48.376+03:00

Our re-adjustment to life in Russia has continued a little slower than I thought it would. A few days ago, it seemed as if Annika had fully adjusted to the time difference. Of course, that same night and the one following she was extremely fussy and had difficulty staying asleep. Thankfully, last night was the best yet and she looks and acts well rested this morning. As a result, her mommy and

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1141495307618846562006-03-04T21:00:00.000+03:002006-03-09T11:24:18.600+03:00

After an extended stay in the U.S. we finally arrived back in Russia. The furlough was a good time of rest for us. And, while we enjoyed much time with family and friends, there were some people that we didn’t get a chance to visit and other people that I wish we had visited with more. In any case, it was a refreshing time and we were blessed by the Lord in so many ways. God provided some new

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1140033192848840622006-02-15T22:24:00.000+03:002006-02-15T22:53:12.903+03:00

Dear friends and family. We could really use your prayers right now...Olya and I are still waiting for her green card and it may be several weeks (or months?) before her application is processed. We are in a bind because we cannot get definitive information from the service center handling our case on whether or not Olya will have to have fingerprints and a new photo taken for her new card or not

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1138864158527530042006-02-02T09:54:00.000+03:002006-02-02T10:09:18.536+03:00

It's been a while since I posted any pictures or news about Annika. Since we won't have much to post about until we return to Russia on the 21st, I thought some Annika news would be a good space filler. :-)At her last doctor's appointment (age 20.5 weeks), Annika weighed in at 15 pounds, 10 ounces and had a length of 25.5 inches. She was small at birth, but is now in the 90th percentile for

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1137177761225841122006-01-13T21:25:00.000+03:002006-01-13T21:42:41.240+03:00

I called the USCIS (United States Citizen and Immigration Services) yesterday to get information about obtaining citizenship for Olya under a special provision for spouses of those performing "ministerial or priestly functions." I also called to see if I could get an update on her application for a corrected permanent resident card (green card). Her application had been received, but we

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1137088714179418452006-01-12T20:40:00.000+03:002006-01-13T21:43:13.820+03:00

I thought I would take a little time to update you on our fundraising and share some prayer requests. As I mentioned in the previous post, fundraising is the one part of being a missionary that I really loathe. It is especially difficult considering the fact that we are not officially sent out and sponsored by a church or missionary organization. (Interestingly, we are received officially by a

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1135898981482091422005-12-30T02:07:00.000+03:002005-12-30T23:34:42.906+03:00

Fundraising.There were several different reasons that we came to the U.S. this year for December and January. One was that it had been four and a half years since Olya had seen my family. I had also wanted Olya to experience a little bit of what Christmas was like for me growing up. Another was that my family had not yet seen Annika. Yet another reason had to do with the fact that all the other

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1135185566415249922005-12-21T19:59:00.000+03:002005-12-21T20:19:26.470+03:00

We arrived in the U.S. on November 30th and eventually made it to my hometown. The trip took twice the amount of time than anticipated because we missed our connecting flight in New York and had to wait 24 hours for the next one. Upon arriving in Seattle, we were met by my Dad and his wife and told that our flight to my hometown had been cancelled due to poor weather. We ended up driving the rest

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1133035199054761942005-11-26T22:47:00.000+03:002005-11-26T22:59:59.066+03:00

We had a kid's event at the church today. One of our friends, Igor, from a Calvary Chapel in Moscow came in to lead the event and to do a concert tomorrow night. It was a neat production. Igor started off doing a puppet show with the help of Roma, our church handyman. The puppet show had something to do with an atheist king who ended up believing in Jesus after being witnessed to by his daughter

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1132772578636132602005-11-23T21:45:00.000+03:002005-11-23T22:02:58.713+03:00

That was the title of the presentation I gave at the university today. Al and I were invited to speak for a group of teachers/professors/instructors on topics related to the English language. Our talks were somewhat of a "sideshow" as they were a small section of a larger conference that was being conducted today. It was a great opportunity to "get a foot in the door" for future events. I talked

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1132771514880673842005-11-23T21:37:00.000+03:002005-11-23T21:45:14.893+03:00

Olya received the package from the embassy today. This time the envelope was completely sealed and intact. We are thankful and looking forward to visiting the States in a week.Speaking of being thankful, I want to wish all of my readers a happy thanksgiving. It's a day early, but I wanted to be the first. :) I hope that you all have hearts full of thanks for what God has done for you. He has done

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1132654717863946092005-11-22T13:17:00.000+03:002005-11-22T13:18:37.876+03:00

The package has finally been picked up from the embassy! Sweet!If everything goes according to schedule, we should see it arrive at our door late morning tomorrow. We are praying that it is handled well this time and doesn't rip.Stay tuned...

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1132598150677245652005-11-21T21:15:00.000+03:002005-11-21T21:35:50.756+03:00

This package thing is still unresolved. Today, we finally got a person at DHL who knew about the situation and could help us out. We also got an email from the embassy that informed us that the reason the package wasn't delivered on Friday was because the DHL courier thought a part of the airway bill was illegible. (The funny thing is, it was a DHL person who filled out the airway bill for me in

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1132415633216729152005-11-19T18:51:00.000+03:002005-11-19T18:53:53.233+03:00

What follows is my attempt to answer the question I’ve been asked many times since moving to Russia: “What do you think about living in Russia?” Another common variant is: “How do you like it living there/here?”In answering this question I have to make the disclaimer that I don’t keep mental or written notes about what I think or feel about living in Russia. Sure, I’ve talked to people about

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1132382209136026182005-11-19T08:54:00.000+03:002005-11-19T09:36:49.173+03:00

I posted last week about the exciting news that Olya had received her immigration visa. What I didn't mention was the not-so-exciting complication that we also discovered when she received the package from the embassy. Let me give you a little background.When Olya had her interview at the embassy, she had to submit several different forms and supporting documentation. Additionally, she was

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1132343574268078572005-11-18T18:01:00.000+03:002005-11-18T22:55:02.550+03:00

As I stated in an earlier post, we had special meeting at the church on Tuesday evening to address a CD that was being passed around the congregation. Before I share the details, let me simply state that our church stated officially that it does not support the teaching on the CD and considers it to fall under the label of "false teaching" of which the Bible says we are to expose and confront.

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1132325969339805312005-11-18T17:50:00.000+03:002005-11-18T17:59:29.350+03:00

I have at least two new posts coming in the next 24 hours (and possibly a third), so please don't stop dropping by the blog. One will deal with the results of Tuesday's meeting regarding the CD of false teaching that was being passed around in the church. The second will deal with a trip that I had to make to Moscow yesterday. The third, if I have time, will deal with a question that I am often

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1131808919303403042005-11-12T18:06:00.000+03:002005-11-12T18:24:31.703+03:00

...advice about how to create a small room within our existing one-room living area and sound proof it? Annika nearly drove us crazy this morning by her refusal to take a nap and give us time to get things done. We tried to let her cry it out for a while, but we couldn't deal with it after over an hour (this happened twice). If we had a soundproof mini-room, it would help us a bit emotionally.

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1131731390535824142005-11-11T20:47:00.000+03:002005-11-11T20:49:50.546+03:00

Yesterday, I made another trip to Moscow. What used to be a treat is now kind of a hassle. Anyway, the main reason was to pick up Annika’s U.S. passport and birth certificate from the U.S. Embassy. Olya was going to pick it up after her interview on Monday, but there was a problem with the mail system and they didn’t receive it until Tuesday. As usual, the Lord worked out a cool arrangement for

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1131540931237780922005-11-09T15:48:00.000+03:002005-11-09T22:01:15.126+03:00

Our annual regional church conference kicked off last Thursday evening at 6:30pm. This year’s theme was the letters to the seven churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. One special part of the conference was that seven pastors from the States came to the conference to teach. These seven pastors, in various ways, have played an integral part in God’s work in our region since the Vladimir church

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1131384110065873252005-11-07T20:04:00.000+03:002005-11-07T20:21:50.110+03:00

While I played Mr. Mom today, Olya took a 3:20am train to Moscow to make sure she was at the U.S. Embassy by 8am. Today was her interview for an immigration visa. The experience for her was much better than previous embassy visits. She had a very nice lady examining her paperwork and conducting the interview. The officer made it very clear from the first minute that Olya had been approved. Olya

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1131171200827300622005-11-05T09:06:00.000+03:002005-11-05T09:13:20.840+03:00

We are right in the middle of our annual regional church conference. The location is about 45 minutes across town and we spend most of the day there. Consequently, I haven't had much time for blogging, let alone checking my email. When things calm down, I'll post again. Everything is going well. Olya's immigration interview is only days away. Please pray for Olya to be prepared for it and have

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1130781968536262862005-10-31T20:46:00.000+03:002005-10-31T21:06:08.610+03:00

I mentioned a while ago that we don’t really have a day off anymore with Annika around. Lately the situation has been wearing on me a bit. We live in a one bedroom apartment (for which I am very thankful), which means that my work area happens to be in the same room as Annika'’s sleeping area. Annika is still learning how to get to sleep and tends to have difficulty going down for her naps

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1130600515023548942005-10-29T19:41:00.000+04:002005-10-29T19:41:55.023+04:00

I was working on posts the last few days, but had been unable to complete them for publishing because of church responsibilities, teaching preparation, and helping out with Annika. I posted two of them below. One of them deals with a trip our family took to Moscow on Wednesday. The second deals with an issue that has popped up in our church. If you are interested in our ministry here, please

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1130600424819141442005-10-29T19:32:00.000+04:002005-10-29T19:40:24.823+04:00

There are copies of a certain CD being passed around our congregation containing about 10 hours of teaching by some Russian pastor that may not be doctrinally sound. There are some in the church who are claiming that 99% of what the guy says is spot on and also rave about how God has used the teaching to inspire them to greater devotion. (On a side note, the fruit they are claiming in their lives

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1130599906391341662005-10-29T19:29:00.000+04:002005-10-29T19:31:46.406+04:00

On Wednesday, the three of us went to Moscow for the day. We had several things to accomplish. First, we stopped by the U.S. Embassy in order to apply for Annika’s “certificate of birth abroad” (serves as her official birth certificate while in the States), her U.S. passport and her social security number. Afterwards Olya needed to take her medical examination as part of the requirements for her

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542967.post-1130269647250425552005-10-25T23:45:00.000+04:002005-10-25T23:47:27.250+04:00

Tonight at 7:05pm, our first snowfall of the year began. The snow was gone by 7:30pm, but it still counts. Yikes! Last year's snow didn't arrive until November.

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015384301525818408noreply@blogger.com0