More things have been happening since we last wrote about the latest round of letters. First, I want to say THANK YOU! once more to everyone who has helped us out through their prayers, generous giving, advice, encouragement, love, and direction so far. We have so humbled and blessed by the response we have received from so many people who have gone out of their way to encourage and help us and who have given so sacrificially.
This is a terrible economic climate to try to raise funds, especially as a young couple who has never done this before and therefore have limited fund-raising contacts, but we have been so blessed by God through it all. This time last year we were going through the application process to work at IA, and Amanda and I both felt strongly that God was leading us in this direction, but also felt a great deal of fear and uncertainty as to how it could be possible. A year later, we have seen so many amazing things happen and so many pieces fall into place, and we want to give praise to the Lord for all that has happened and thank all of you once again for what you have done!
We continue to keep busy with life and school, as well as with making plans for next year. We had a huge answer to prayer take place in the last couple of weeks when we found out that we would have a place to say for the months after we get married and before we go to Russia. This had been something that was a concern and something that we were praying about, since the fact that we would only need housing for a few months meant that our options would be very limited. However, thanks to the wonderful generosity of a professor at Bethel and her husband, we have been given their condo to live in for the time after the wedding until our departure! They have also generously offered it to us rent free, meaning we only need to pay for utilities and take care of things. This is a huge blessing, and we are so grateful!
Amanda's student teaching is still going on, and she is doing very well. She is working with 10th and 11th grade students, teaching them Fahrenheit 451 and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn at the moment. She is getting exposed to lots of new situations and responsibilities as a teacher, but things are going well and Amanda is really enjoying teaching and working with students. Last week, we got to talk with Tammy at IA about clarifying a few more details as we look ahead to teaching next year. It was a good conversation and we have a better sense of direction now about a number of things. As we continue to get a clearer picture about our next steps in preparation to go to Russia, we'll post them here to help keep everyone informed:-)
-Matt
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 9, 2010
More Letters!
That's right, another round of letters will be on their way soon!
Thanks to the magical power of the US Postal Service, we are able to send letters online. While its a little more expensive then doing them by hand, it is much more convenient. We're sorry if these look a little less personal than the last round of letters, and we hope you understand. We just wanted to say THANK YOU to all of you who have been so generous in your support, encouragement, and prayers and to give a quick update for those who haven't had a chance to read our blog.
We are very excited about what will be happening in the near future! 2010, the year of our departure, is already here, and soon we will be moving into the active preparation stage as we work on visas and other logistical things. That means that we should have more information to share in the coming months, so please check back here. Things have been a little slow for awhile, but that is going to be changing.
Our sense of anticipation is growing, and we are both eager to be in St. Petersburg and working at the school, and nervous about taking this big step. Amanda just started her student teaching this week, so she will be getting some major practical experience for what we'll both be doing next year. I'm going to have a chance to "borrow" a 3 hour class for a night from a professor to continue to work on teaching myself. I feel far less qualified than Amanda to be doing this, but I am eager to begin working with IA so I can start preparing more for the classes that I will be doing there. It's all crazy and a giant step outside of our collective comfort zone, but we know that this will be an amazing experience and we feel so blessed to be able to have the opportunity to serve like this in Russia.
-Matt
Thanks to the magical power of the US Postal Service, we are able to send letters online. While its a little more expensive then doing them by hand, it is much more convenient. We're sorry if these look a little less personal than the last round of letters, and we hope you understand. We just wanted to say THANK YOU to all of you who have been so generous in your support, encouragement, and prayers and to give a quick update for those who haven't had a chance to read our blog.
We are very excited about what will be happening in the near future! 2010, the year of our departure, is already here, and soon we will be moving into the active preparation stage as we work on visas and other logistical things. That means that we should have more information to share in the coming months, so please check back here. Things have been a little slow for awhile, but that is going to be changing.
Our sense of anticipation is growing, and we are both eager to be in St. Petersburg and working at the school, and nervous about taking this big step. Amanda just started her student teaching this week, so she will be getting some major practical experience for what we'll both be doing next year. I'm going to have a chance to "borrow" a 3 hour class for a night from a professor to continue to work on teaching myself. I feel far less qualified than Amanda to be doing this, but I am eager to begin working with IA so I can start preparing more for the classes that I will be doing there. It's all crazy and a giant step outside of our collective comfort zone, but we know that this will be an amazing experience and we feel so blessed to be able to have the opportunity to serve like this in Russia.
-Matt
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