We are finally unpacking the last of our boxes that were stored here in Moscow while we were on Home Assignment for the past year. Sometimes we have to laugh when we unpack things we find things we didn’t remember ever buying.
We want to thank you for praying us through our transition from being with family in the States to being back with our mission family in Russia. Before we left we were able to celebrate Michael’s 20th birthday (picture). He continues to work and is getting ready to head back to John Brown University in Arkansas on Aug. 17th. Benjamin continues to live and work in Seattle. He lives in a house with several of his close friends and is enjoying living in the “city.”
Our flight to Moscow was another adventure. We arrived at SeaTac airport with plenty of time to check in. What we didn’t realize was that one of the main hubs of United was encoutering weather problems so most of the people in line where having to be re-routed. If you have been to an airport recently you will understand our concern when we waited for two hours while each of the 15 kiosk were occupied and only two people working behind the counter. Lisa and I looked at each other and said “we are going to miss our flight.” After giving our concerns to the Lord, one of the airline reps walked by and responded to our need. He quickly checked our documents, took our baggage, and started to print our boarding passes. Only the machine jammed and he couldn’t fix it. We had 40 minutes before our flight was to take off. He lead us to another terminal, printed our passes, and said, “follow me, I will take you through the lines.” We couldn’t believe it. He left the ticket counter, took us to the front of the document check point, then took us to the front of the line of the security checks. After gathering our stuff, we raced to the gate and walked right on.
But God was not done showing us how He cares for even the little details. We had a one hour layover in Washington DC. Our connecting flight was at the exact opposite end of the airport. We raced through the terminal, which was over 100 degrees that day. Once again, we arrived at our gate as they started boarding.
We settled into our seats thankful we had made the connection. Shortly after takeoff, the stewardess saw how little leg room I had. Since the plane wasn’t full, she asked Lisa and I if we would like to move to the economy plus section. We have never had so much leg room on a flight!
Can we ask you to join us in praying for these needs:
—For Bob as he transitions into the role of Russia Field Director. Pray for him to quickly grasp the different aspects of this role.
—For two new families that will be joining our team in the next couple of weeks. Pray for their adjustment to a new culture, starting langauge study, and care for their young children.
—Our family has we adjust back to life in Moscow
—For our travels as we will be meeting with all of our mission team during this month. This will require trips to St Petersburg and Kiev, Ukraine.
—For Timothy as he travels to Black Forest Academy on Sept 3 to begin his Senior year.
—For Bob as he makes a trip to Southern Russia to visit the area that was hit with major flooding last month.
