Yuri describes himself as the only Christian to survive the only Christian orphanage in the city. I have heard from other sources that this orphanage turns kids away from the Good News though their methodology, which is sad. Though still an exaggeration, there is no question that God has a special hand on Yuri. Providence…

I have a lot of stories that are still in the percolation stage, meaning I don’t yet have enough to report on that would make it worth reading. This is a story that isn’t ready for prime time, but I have to share what has been happening to date here on my blog. God connected…

These pictures need little comment. You laugh at them. We cry. (Click on any to enlarge.) The first set I call Russian Feats of Transportation: The next set is called Building Blunders: Offices of the Russian State Construction Company, no joke Followed by Shame on Russia: And lastly, Only in Russia: This is not abuse.…

With last year’s changes in visa rules, we have been struggling, along with all missionaries and most expatriates in general, with the question of how to get a new visa once our current one is up in July. To get the background and context, read my earlier post here. In sum, we can’t return on…

Whether at school, play, or at the market, we are always acquiring language. Each of us has improved in our Russian, and all of us have different methods. Lyle already spoke Russian fluently before arriving in St. P, but, there’s always more to learn. He’s written about Ludmilla, our tutor, who has helped him hone…

Scott and Tricia Kennedy entered our lives through an email. Friends of theirs, who attend one of our supporting churches, Church of the Hills, in Duluth, GA, suggested Scott and Tricia contact us upon learning their adoption journey would lead them to St. Petersburg. Last winter Tricia wrote to us explaining they would arrive in…

It’s finally springtime, and we are approaching our one year anniversary in St. P. It feels like we are emerging from our winter cocoon, just like the trees and flowers. Reflecting on the school year, we notice the kids’ growth and development in particular. And they are thriving just like the blossoms and new leaves.…

By the end of college I knew that my music degree was not what God was calling me to use professionally. Where I ended up instead was doing camp counseling and then outdoor education for the next year, experience that marked me for life. Among the ways in which this time impacted me was what…

The Orthodox, and even the Protestants here, celebrate Easter on the Eastern calendar. So we’ve taken that up too, and it fell on April 27th this year. Here was my cool idea for a game for my kids, that ended up drawing the other kids in our courtyard in as well:I don’t really go for…

Diana and I had the joy of hosting a young fellow in our home from Georgia – the country – back in 1994-95. We were living in married student housing on the campus of the Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, where I was a student. David’s father had been the minister of Justice…