I came here certain that we still needed to homeschool our kids. We both have strong convictions about that subject, so the only remaining question was how to get them into the culture to learn the language, etc. It didn’t take me long to realize that playing on the playground is good, but an excruciatingly…

The last time we looked at moving was nearly 12 years ago. Not only were our needs vastly different from what they are now, we were vastly different people. Now I am growing in my understanding that a home is more than finding a fit between finances, the amenities, and desire. I’m beginning to see…

Our current apartment is close to perfect for our needs (see pics), so we we’re wondering how God is going to work out our permanent location. This temporary place has three large bedrooms, is fully furnished, and is in the old city, not too far from our teammates, the O’Byrnes.They even have a bunch of…

We have lived in our new home for almost a week now. Our comfort zones are widening as we explore and experience life in St. Petersburg. Coming home from a visit to outside of the city today, our temporary apartment started to feel like a home base. What more have we learned this past week?…

I’m sitting at the dining room table writing to you while supper is cooking. Lyle is out with the kids at a playground. Sounds just like a page from our American life, right? Perhaps so, but since our arrival about 48 hours ago, so much has happened that I barely recognize our life from the…

Sitting out on the lawn at 6am the morning of our yard sale, Diana held her coffee pensively and mused, “Life is just a bunch of junk.” We could not believe how much stuff we had accumulated over the last 11 years in this house. It covered all the way from one end of the…

To some, this question may seem odd, but many consider mission agencies and all other nonprofit ministries to be a second best option for the Body of Christ. The real work of the Church should be done by local congregations – the only legitimate expression of the Church. Ralph Winter wrote a powerful article in…

The Broken Dreams of Russia “He hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted”With our longstanding dream of returning to Russia coming onto focus, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and theologizing about the concept of dreams. I’m not talking about those dreams we have in the night, but the dreams we have…

I have been working on a special project for a couple of years now, but more intensely over the last several months – the completion of a 30 day “engagement” as I call it for husbands (kind of a cross between a devotional and a mini-course) with the passage in Ephesians 5:25-33 about how to…

Two obvious questions that many will have: what will become of my ministry here through CMU, and what will become of Diana’s ministry through The Potter’s School? As to CMU specifically, I don’t have all the answers. I have been praying for God to provide a means of continuing what I began her back in…