We have been dreaming about an ocean vacation for quite a while. In the snowy days in Tyumen we dream about exciting places where the sun shines. G0d knows our needs and desires and sometimes He provides in the most exciting and surprising ways.
Just 1.5 weeks before we were scheduled to come back to America for our document run, We realized that we could come back to the US a week earlier and have some down time. The in the style of Emeril Degassi – G0d just kicked it up a notch by providing free accommodations in Daytona Beach! We jumped online and immediately looked up our good friend priceline.com and William Shatner helped us find a good deal on a flight.
Incredible isn’t even a good enough word for our time in Florida. We actually slept, ate, rested, read, slept, napped, watched TV and just caught up on being human for the first three days. On our fourth day, I had this interesting feeling creep over me… it was relaxation. Such a strange sensation… A tension I didn’t know was there released from my muscles, I was sprawled out on the couch, drinking lemonade and I just knew – I was thinking about nothing.
What a great feeling – just nothing. I was focused on trying to learn to draw a fleshed out stick figure (that’s a pathetic thing, huh?) and I just leaned back into the couch and looked out at the waves crashing against the shore…
Just a photographs can’t capture the real moment, this entry can’t capture how wonderful it felt to rest and relax, but I’m thankful for the reminder.
Life is good. G0d is good.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Waterspouts and Tornadoes
There’s nothing like a beautiful sunset when you’re on a beach vacation. You know the romantic notions that you have when you’re planning for the holiday. We’ll sit in beach shares with our toes dangling in the ocean spray, sipping some lovely fruity beverage, while the sun warms us to the core of our being. We’ll play paddle ball on the beach and go for long, loving strolls hands linked together. For Amy, being near the beach (and anywhere else) involves fantasies of running the length of the beach.
Amy loves to run, it makes her more herself. You know, like how salt makes food taste more like itself… and better. That’s what running is like for Amy. She was made to run and she enjoys it tremendously. (see the scene in Chariots of Fire when Eric Liddle talks about how he feels God’s pleasure when he runs).
Anyway.
Amy was off running the beach, and her creaky-kneed husband was walking the beach to get his old fogey exercise. Evening was coming on and I thought that a beautiful sunset might be in order for our evening. I looked to the sky and instead of a sky decorated like orange sherbet and raspberry sauce, I was greeted by bread mold.
Green tinges in the clouds and very still air. Now, I’m a northern Michigan native and I know what air like that means. Get your butt back inside. That’s bad weather sky.
Indeed. 2 miles north of us there were waterspouts over the ocean and 1 mile south… tornadoes.
We weathered out the evening with a wonderful, older lady in the lobby.
Amy loves to run, it makes her more herself. You know, like how salt makes food taste more like itself… and better. That’s what running is like for Amy. She was made to run and she enjoys it tremendously. (see the scene in Chariots of Fire when Eric Liddle talks about how he feels God’s pleasure when he runs).
Anyway.
Amy was off running the beach, and her creaky-kneed husband was walking the beach to get his old fogey exercise. Evening was coming on and I thought that a beautiful sunset might be in order for our evening. I looked to the sky and instead of a sky decorated like orange sherbet and raspberry sauce, I was greeted by bread mold.
Green tinges in the clouds and very still air. Now, I’m a northern Michigan native and I know what air like that means. Get your butt back inside. That’s bad weather sky.
Indeed. 2 miles north of us there were waterspouts over the ocean and 1 mile south… tornadoes.
We weathered out the evening with a wonderful, older lady in the lobby.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Learning to draw (just the simple stuff)
You know the stick figures that everyone can draw? Well, I can’t really even draw those. I’ve always wanted to be able to draw. Nothing amazing or realistic really, but just some cartoon figures that I can use when I’m teaching or facilitating or something like that.
So, I’ve got two books about cartooning and I’m finally going to do it. I’m going to learn to draw. The advice from my paper tutor encourages me that I need to practice, practice, practice.
No wonder children can pick up new hobbies so quickly. They really have such patience and the ability to hyper focus themselves on anything. We’ll see how well I do and if I can stick to it. I’ll scan and post a few things sometime…
So, I’ve got two books about cartooning and I’m finally going to do it. I’m going to learn to draw. The advice from my paper tutor encourages me that I need to practice, practice, practice.
No wonder children can pick up new hobbies so quickly. They really have such patience and the ability to hyper focus themselves on anything. We’ll see how well I do and if I can stick to it. I’ll scan and post a few things sometime…
Thursday, July 16, 2009
American Pop Culture Ambassadors
I just had a really encouraging talk with my buddy Ashley. He and his wife, Heather, are on staff with Campus Crusade and they are at training in Colorado right now. We just chatted, laughed, and had a great conversation. It's just nice to talk to old friends and it's like not a moment went by between this conversation and the last.
Heather and Ashley have two daughters (Sarah and Kate) who are awesome and adorable. Well, turns out that Aunt Amy and Uncle Jeff are 'out of touch' with the world of American pop culture (which in some ways is okay and in someways isn't so great). So, Heather and Ashley have volunteered to be our American Pop Culture Ambassadors and keep us up to speed on what's happening in America!
Now, we'll have to get on the political band wagon too...
Heather and Ashley have two daughters (Sarah and Kate) who are awesome and adorable. Well, turns out that Aunt Amy and Uncle Jeff are 'out of touch' with the world of American pop culture (which in some ways is okay and in someways isn't so great). So, Heather and Ashley have volunteered to be our American Pop Culture Ambassadors and keep us up to speed on what's happening in America!
Now, we'll have to get on the political band wagon too...
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Training vs. Trying
I'm reading the book, "the life you always wanted" by John Ortberg (thanks Angie) as a part of my daily quiet time. It's really a good read and today's chapter is very fascinating. You know, so often in our sped up world - we want everything NOW. We have quick rice (normal rice takes only 20 minutes you know?), we have microwaves, instant oatmeal, instant boiled water on taps, you can have clothing delivered to your office, etc. We don't have patience or the desire to wait for anything.
I'm just as guilty as the next guy. I want to be fluent in Russian... now. I want to lose some weight and be healthy... yesterday. But it isn't just about wanting. It isn't just about waving some magic wand.
It is about trying. Some days I really fall off the horse. Yeah, I walked for an hour (and made a batch of double chocolate fudge brownies... or peanut butter cookies... or a 'fruit smoothie).
John's point is that it's about training. Amy is a good inspiration for me when it comes to what is training. She's a runner. Each week she runs several short runs (maintenance) and then she adds time or distance to a longer run. She's already up to 11.5 miles!
The hard part is it's easier to be motivated and to train when you are training for something. Especially if it's concrete. When we ran a half marathon, we had a specific goal and we trained (probably not the best training regime ever as we did only the long runs). But we had a goal in mind.
So John Ortberg's point is that faith is also an opportunity for training. We always want to achieve and have instant success (welcome to the American way!) But we need to buckle down and train for the journey of faith... the difficult question though? What's the race? What's the end result? I think this is the reason so many folks avoid faith and spirituality altogether. We can't wrap our brains around the finish line... It seems so far away, so we just don't bother running at all.
I'm just as guilty as the next guy. I want to be fluent in Russian... now. I want to lose some weight and be healthy... yesterday. But it isn't just about wanting. It isn't just about waving some magic wand.
It is about trying. Some days I really fall off the horse. Yeah, I walked for an hour (and made a batch of double chocolate fudge brownies... or peanut butter cookies... or a 'fruit smoothie).
John's point is that it's about training. Amy is a good inspiration for me when it comes to what is training. She's a runner. Each week she runs several short runs (maintenance) and then she adds time or distance to a longer run. She's already up to 11.5 miles!
The hard part is it's easier to be motivated and to train when you are training for something. Especially if it's concrete. When we ran a half marathon, we had a specific goal and we trained (probably not the best training regime ever as we did only the long runs). But we had a goal in mind.
So John Ortberg's point is that faith is also an opportunity for training. We always want to achieve and have instant success (welcome to the American way!) But we need to buckle down and train for the journey of faith... the difficult question though? What's the race? What's the end result? I think this is the reason so many folks avoid faith and spirituality altogether. We can't wrap our brains around the finish line... It seems so far away, so we just don't bother running at all.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Camp KOVCHEG
Here are the camp photos from this year!
We had a very interesting session of camp this year. Just one week prior to the start of the camp session, we lost the physical camp location! We've been going to Gurino for the last 8 years. They had a water issue and just got it fixed in time for camp to start... and then they started their OWN session of camp and just told us that we'd share the campground with them....
Well, that wasn't going to work, because our camp program is very scheduled and packed with activities for the children. So, we had to find another location at the last minute. Galina, Natasha and Sveta did a wonderful job and found a camp to work with us. In fact, they found TWO camps. So our pr@yers were answered and we were off to camp.
Amy & I really enjoyed getting to know the American Team this year. They were very organized and helped to run a great session of camp. The AT ran sports, English lessons, crafts, sang songs, performed skits and shared with the campers about how their lives have been changed through their relationships with Jes^s.
We spent a LOT of our time as go-betweens back and forth between the AT and the Russian team. And of course, our main focus was training and working with the interpreter team. We had a great time with them and discussed the 'love verses' from 1 Corinthians 13 with them.
Amy's relationship with our friend Masha is really going great and she truly feels like she has a close friend! Praise the L0rd. We've really been pr@ying for a friendship like this for a long time!
Of course, everything didn't go perfectly. We did have a couple problems with a few of the interpreters who didn't want to follow all of the camp rules, and we had to send one of them home on the 6th day of camp. So that was really hard for both of us, because we care deeply for all the interpreters and we are such people people that we don't like to disappoint anyone, but rules are rules and this wasn't a really bendible one.
Here are the camp photos from this year!
We had a very interesting session of camp this year. Just one week prior to the start of the camp session, we lost the physical camp location! We've been going to Gurino for the last 8 years. They had a water issue and just got it fixed in time for camp to start... and then they started their OWN session of camp and just told us that we'd share the campground with them....
Well, that wasn't going to work, because our camp program is very scheduled and packed with activities for the children. So, we had to find another location at the last minute. Galina, Natasha and Sveta did a wonderful job and found a camp to work with us. In fact, they found TWO camps. So our pr@yers were answered and we were off to camp.
Amy & I really enjoyed getting to know the American Team this year. They were very organized and helped to run a great session of camp. The AT ran sports, English lessons, crafts, sang songs, performed skits and shared with the campers about how their lives have been changed through their relationships with Jes^s.
We spent a LOT of our time as go-betweens back and forth between the AT and the Russian team. And of course, our main focus was training and working with the interpreter team. We had a great time with them and discussed the 'love verses' from 1 Corinthians 13 with them.
Amy's relationship with our friend Masha is really going great and she truly feels like she has a close friend! Praise the L0rd. We've really been pr@ying for a friendship like this for a long time!
Of course, everything didn't go perfectly. We did have a couple problems with a few of the interpreters who didn't want to follow all of the camp rules, and we had to send one of them home on the 6th day of camp. So that was really hard for both of us, because we care deeply for all the interpreters and we are such people people that we don't like to disappoint anyone, but rules are rules and this wasn't a really bendible one.
Here are the camp photos from this year!
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