Hello again!
It's been awhile since we've posted an update here and with good reason- we have been busy traveling in the U.S.! We arrived in America on July 5th and since then have been on a whirlwind tour to visit family, friends, and churches. We leave to return to St. Petersburg a week from today.
Once we get back in Russia and have a chance to think back over our time here, we'll have a bigger post with some of the pictures that we've taken in the past month. We finally got the new camera that we ordered awhile back, so look forward to crisper, more beautiful images in blog posts to come:-)
It's been so good to be able to see so many people and talk face to face after a year of only communicating via email and Skype. Technology is a wonderful thing, but so far it has yet to surpass the actual experience of physically being present with someone and having a conversation.
An important part of our time in the U.S. has been our work to raise additional support. As we have mentioned before, our financial needs for the coming year are somewhat higher than last year's due to the fact that we are now eligible for Russian taxes and our sending agency will begin deducting an administrative fee. So while our actual expenses to live in Russia are essentially unchanged, we have found ourselves in the position of needing to increase our funding between 1/4 and a 1/3 of what it was last year.
To that end, we have been speaking at the churches that currently support us and also had the opportunity to meet with another church as well. We had the privilege of being able to speak with a children's group, a youth group, and a retired persons group at churches, so we've gotten to experience a full spectrum of people:-) Everywhere we have gone we have been received warmly and graciously and have greatly enjoyed our chance to talk about our ministry and to meet many new people. We feel very blessed by the kind words, prayers, and encouragement we have received!
With just one week to go before we leave, it doesn't seem like we have been in the U.S. for only three weeks. With all that's taken place it seems like we've been here so much longer! I always say that a perfect trip is when you've had a wonderful time and when you come to the end of it you are ready to be back home. This trip is shaping up to be just that. We have loved every opportunity we have had to spend with family and friends and sharing about our experiences, but we also know it's time to start shifting gears and preparing for another year in Russia. A new school year will be starting soon and we both have a full slate of classes that we need to prepare for!
If you are someone we met over the summer and are reading this for the first time, please keep checking back. We'll have more to come in the future!
-Matt
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Heading Back
... to the United States!
Just a reminder to everyone that we will be returning to America for a month-long trip before heading back for the new school year in St. Petersburg. We leave tomorrow, July 5th and arrive back in Russia on August 3rd. In between those dates, we will be BUSY visited friends and family and talking with churches!
We are excited to see many people who we have been missing over this past year and are also looking forward to meeting some new faces as we speak about our work in Russia. God has blessed in so many amazing ways during the past 11 months and we are eager to share about what He is doing in our lives and at our school. Please pray that this month will be a time of relaxation and fellowship as we reconnect with many people and that it will also be a productive time as we share about our work. We are still in need of some additional support for the coming year and we would truly appreciate your prayers that God would speak to the hearts of those whom He would have partner with us.
Returning to the U.S. fills us with mixed emotions. We are obviously very anxious to see those who we have only been able to communicate with via email and Skype. However, it also makes us realize that in many ways we lack a sense of "home." Moving to Russia after only being married for two months means that we have spent the vast majority of our married life (as admittedly short as that has been)in Russia. Still, it seems inappropriate to claim Russia as our "home." Every time we are asked a question in Russian that we don't understand or fail to catch on to something that everyone else around us seems to immediately grasp is a reminder that we are strangers and guests in a foreign land. At the same time, to call the U.S. "home" also seems wrong. We don't have a house or apartment in America and now that we have graduated from school and our married the places that we used to call home are now most definitely our parents' homes. Obviously we are Americans, but most of our "adult" life so far has transpired in Russia.
On some level it can be frustrating to feel kind of rootless and unsettled, but it is a powerful reminder that this is what life is like for all of our students. While it is not always fun, it allows to experience the world that is simply normal life for our students and helps to better comprehend their experience and relate to them. These are just some thoughts that I have been kicking around in my head for a while and this seemed like as good a place as any to express them:-)
Thanks again to everyone who has supported us through prayer, encouragement, and financial giving through this past year. God has blessed us through you!
-Matt
Just a reminder to everyone that we will be returning to America for a month-long trip before heading back for the new school year in St. Petersburg. We leave tomorrow, July 5th and arrive back in Russia on August 3rd. In between those dates, we will be BUSY visited friends and family and talking with churches!
We are excited to see many people who we have been missing over this past year and are also looking forward to meeting some new faces as we speak about our work in Russia. God has blessed in so many amazing ways during the past 11 months and we are eager to share about what He is doing in our lives and at our school. Please pray that this month will be a time of relaxation and fellowship as we reconnect with many people and that it will also be a productive time as we share about our work. We are still in need of some additional support for the coming year and we would truly appreciate your prayers that God would speak to the hearts of those whom He would have partner with us.
Returning to the U.S. fills us with mixed emotions. We are obviously very anxious to see those who we have only been able to communicate with via email and Skype. However, it also makes us realize that in many ways we lack a sense of "home." Moving to Russia after only being married for two months means that we have spent the vast majority of our married life (as admittedly short as that has been)in Russia. Still, it seems inappropriate to claim Russia as our "home." Every time we are asked a question in Russian that we don't understand or fail to catch on to something that everyone else around us seems to immediately grasp is a reminder that we are strangers and guests in a foreign land. At the same time, to call the U.S. "home" also seems wrong. We don't have a house or apartment in America and now that we have graduated from school and our married the places that we used to call home are now most definitely our parents' homes. Obviously we are Americans, but most of our "adult" life so far has transpired in Russia.
On some level it can be frustrating to feel kind of rootless and unsettled, but it is a powerful reminder that this is what life is like for all of our students. While it is not always fun, it allows to experience the world that is simply normal life for our students and helps to better comprehend their experience and relate to them. These are just some thoughts that I have been kicking around in my head for a while and this seemed like as good a place as any to express them:-)
Thanks again to everyone who has supported us through prayer, encouragement, and financial giving through this past year. God has blessed us through you!
-Matt
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