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