Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope that all of you celebrating Thanksgiving this year had a wonderful time giving thanks with friends and family.  We had the chance to enjoy two Thanksgiving celebrations this year, in addition to other activities going on with school. The darkness outside is in full force and we finally have a bit of snow on the ground.  I would prefer a bit more snow, but I'll take what I can get at this point:-)

The end of the semester is fast approaching, and with it comes the usual flurry of activity.  Next weekend is the play!  It's hard to believe that it is already time for the performance.  Amanda has been having extra practices over the past two weeks, and the students have been doing an excellent job.  Things have gone well, and it looks like the school should be treated to a hilarious performance of Woody Allen's comedy Don't Drink the Water.  Amanda has some photos that she took at the most recent Saturday practice below that gives a taste of what the final production will be like.  Expect a big post with more plot details and photos from the performance and dress rehearsal some time next week.  It is exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time.  

Our semester ends in a little over two weeks on December 19th, which means we have the end of the quarter and final exams to think about as well.  In addition, a little over a week I finished filling out and submitting my applications for graduate school.  That was a major project in and of itself, and I am very thankful to have it completed.  Now its time for several months of waiting to see what doors God chooses to open or close.  Your continued prayers about this and about our future for next year are much appreciated!

For Thanksgiving this year we had a meal with the rest of our World Partners team, as well as another celebration with some of the new teachers who are not part of a larger organization.  Both of the gatherings were a lot of fun and involved much excellent food and good conversations.  We both feel so blessed for the many different people that have been such a wonderful community for us in St. Petersburg.  We have been especially blessed to have friends from a wide variety of ages and life experiences, and Thanksgiving was another reminder of this.

In this spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought I would list a (non-exhaustive) list of some of the things that we are thankful for as we look back over the previous year. In addition to many specific things (like a car for the summer and Amanda's successful experience directing a play for the first time), there are some big things that I would especially like to reflect on: 

1. God's continuing provision for us and our school.  This past year has had a lot of new challenges (and difficulties) for our school, but God has revealed His faithfulness time and again.  While we continue to desire your prayers for everything going on, we rejoice at all that has happened.

2. Our friends and family in Russia and the United States. We have been blessed with wonderful people in both of our worlds, and this year especially we have enjoyed getting to meet some of the new people at our school in addition to seeing old friends return after time away.

3. Our supporters.  Your prayers, encouragement, and financial giving are something for which we continue to give thanks to God.  When we first started raising support back in 2009 to come to Russia we knew that only God could provide given the poor economic outlook of the time.  Four years later, the economic picture has unfortunately not changed all that much, so we continue to recognize that God is at work to allow us to remain in Russia.  Your generosity makes our work possible.  Thank you!

4. Our time back in the U.S. this summer.  Looking back, we both recognize just how important this time was.  We didn't realize just how difficult it would be to go back to the U.S. after two years since our last visit.  We were both surprised at the extent of culture shock we experience going back to our own country, and it was an important realization that I believe will help us greatly when it is time to return.  We also greatly benefited from time with friends and families.  Reconnecting with so many important people in our lives gave us much-needed wisdom and encouragement. 

To accompany all of this, here are some pictures that Amanda took to document some of these recent goings-on.

We took in our first Cossacks game a couple of weeks ago.  Our team is looking pretty good this year.  Last year was a growing year, but the students from that team have built on the foundation of those experiences and have improved in many ways.  Additionally, we have some students back at our school after a year in the States who have also helped raise the level of the team.  We watched our varsity squad win a commanding victory over a Russian school that they frequently practice with.  It was a fun and friendly game, and it is always fun to cheer on our students!

The fans were all in a balcony area above the court.  This is the gym where the team practices (not the same gym that we rent for P.E.).  We used this same gym for basketball last year, but the school it is in had it completely remodeled so it looked totally different.

Thanksgiving with our WP team!

We all made drawings of things we are thankful for and taped them to a cabinet.  Mine is the top one on the left and Amanda's is the third one beneath mine.

Enjoying pie and a movie.

These are all photos from play practice.  I have deliberately tried to limit my knowledge of the plot so that I can get the full experience when the student's perform.  Therefore, I can't explain exactly what is going on in all of these pictures, although I do know the major details.  Here the students say the pledge of allegiance at the American embassy, where much of the play is set.

Check back next week for a report on the play and more details about the plot!

It is hard to imagine that our second to last semester at IA is coming to an end.  Continue to pray for us as we do our best to finish this year and our time in Russia by giving our best to our students and everyone else here.

-Matt