Winter is Here!

Tristyn's snow angel

Isn't she tall?
Daegan's tunnel
The attack on Dad Tristyn is armed!

Okay, after much waiting for snow, we finally have winter in Moscow. The temperatures are running in single digits with it getting down to about 5 below zero at night. We have had a lot of snow over the past week, and it is now here to stay. The kids are excited to finally play in the snow, and by play, I mean bury themselves. We haven't been able to go sledding yet, but hopefully we will before too long.

This has been an exciting week for us. It started out with Christmas packages from our church family. We knew they were coming and we have enjoyed everything so much. See our tree above. We are especially excited that we received some new family games to play, since we love playing games with the kids. The treats from you all like the Velveeta and candy just make everyone full of joy and laughter around here. Thank you all for those wonderful blessings.

We also celebrated Tristyn's 11th birthday this week. He had 3 boys spend the night and go bowling. They ate a lot, played a lot, and had a great time. Tristyn is such a blessing. He is always thinking and analyzing (who does that remind you of?). He has recently shared with us that he is searching for what God wants him to do with his life. We tried to assure him that God is okay with him playing and learning right now. He has a long time to figure out those things.

Language study is coming along. I have completed my fifth language exam, with one more next month to finish full-time language. I will then study 3 days a week. Doyle has his fifth exam this month and should finish full-time in May. Little by little, we are making progress. We are actually able to follow along during church services a little more. We can make it through the first two hours, but after that, the third hour is still a blur. It is encouraging to understand at least some of the service now. And the kids are trying to follow along with the songs, even if they don't understand completely what they are singing.

The church that we are currently going to is the Golovinsky church that our team started. They are a small group of believers (averaging 25 or so on Sundays) who have now moved forward with renting a small hall on Sunday mornings for worship. The funny thing is that at the back of this hall is another door leading to a veterinarian clinic. You have to come into one door of the hall and walk all the way through to get to the clinic. So, during worship services, frequently people are walking through with dogs on leashes or cats meowing. A few weeks ago, there was a man waiting at the back of the room for his turn to go in with an Irish Setter, whom he had removed the leash. During the Bible lesson, the dog simply strolled up the center aisle. But the most interesting part that Sunday was when 4 adults carried a big black furry dog (about 5 feet long) out. Whether the dog was drugged, dead, or what we don't know, but it was a little distracting to say the least. Oh well, as we now say...Eta zsheezen! (That's life!)

We are still praying about our move this summer. Another family here had a little trouble finding an apartment. It seems the prices have grown incredibly and much over our budgeted amount. We know that as we are praying now for an apartment this summer, God is working out the details.

Falyn did come through her first mouth procedure, the frenectomy, well. Although she lost a lot of sleep anticipating her wisdom teeth extractions on Friday, and much to our frustration, she still has them. We are getting conflicting information from the dentist, so we will wait until the middle of February when the orthodontist is back in the country and the two of them can confer. Thank you so much for your prayers for her during this frustrating time. Doyle's elbow has been a struggle. He did get the cortizone shot, but he did not respond as he had done before. He had a bad bruise this time and stinging for over a week. Now, after several weeks, it is almost hurting just like before the shot. We really aren't sure what to do about it. He needs to have physical therapy, but he will not be able to do that until at least May.

Though it may seem strange to mention this as a prayer request, buying groceries has been much more difficult lately. Our grocery store near our apartment closed, which means we have been having to travel by Metro two or three stops away to buy groceries, then carry them all the way home. Imagine after buying your groceries, carrying all those bags (hoping none of them bust) downstairs, onto a crowded subway, back upstairs (don't forget the glass doors you have to manage to open), and then walk only a short distance home (but it's 5 degrees!). Actually, the cold is the best part because you are pretty much sweating at that point!

Prayer Needs:

• Falyn's dental issues
• Doyle's elbow
• Apartment and moving
• Grocery shopping
• Language study
• Doyle and Daegan illness this week

Prayer Requests

This week has been a good week. Thankfully, the kids went back to school with no problem. The homework load hasn't been too bad this week either. Our language lessons have gone well also. Thank you all for your continued prayers!

We would like to share a few prayer needs for this week:

• As you may know, Falyn has begun some orthodontic work. Last month she had an expander put in which we had to turn every night for a month and caused her some pain. Our next step is this week. She will be going Thursday to have her 6 wisdom teeth (yes, 6!) cut out. She will also at the same time have a procedure done where they cut the skin above the two front top teeth. They will only use local anesthetic for these procedures. Please pray for the procedure and for her recovery. She will be going in next month for the top braces and head gear after this heals.
• As we've mentioned before, we have two new journeymen, Dan and Payton, who will be joining our team in April. They are preparing now to leave for their seven week orientation in Virginia as we did. Please pray for these two men as they make preparations to leave home and begin their journeys of obedience in Moscow with us.
• We are beginning to look at areas in the northern district for our move. We are praying now for the Lord's guidance in moving to an area where there is no church plant and possibly beginning something new there or moving into an area near a current church plant and working with that group for now. Please help us pray for the Lord to lead us where He wants us to be and begin the work He wants us to do.
• I completed my language exam this week. Doyle and I will both have one next month. Then I will drop to part time language while Doyle will continue full time until May. We are working hard to memorize Scripture in Russian. Doyle led a small part of the Thursday night Bible study in English (with translation) with some Russian thrown in. He feels very frustrated that he cannot share the Bible and his heart because of the language barrier. He desperately wants to learn so that he can share without any hindrances. Please pray that we can understand new language concepts, remember our grammar, remember new words, and speak with correct pronunciation as we continue this part of our journey.
• Doyle needs prayer for his elbow. It is really getting bad. He truly needs some physical therapy after the shot for the correct healing to begin. It is so hard to sacrifice that much time with full time language, ministry, and family needs. Please pray that God will make a way for Doyle to properly care for his elbow so that it can heal. Also, the cortisone shot that he gets is very painful, and he experiences a great deal of pain for several days afterwards. ***Update: This morning (Sunday) he could not attend church due to the pain and we now have moved up the doctor visit for tomorrow (Monday) per Doyle's request. If you know Doyle and doctors, this should tell you how severe the pain is.
• Daegan is having some problems with some relationships at school. Please pray that he will develop good relationships with some of the boys there.
• Continue to pray for the work of the co-laborers team.
• Continue to pray for a meeting place for the Timi group.
• Continue to pray for those who recently watched the Jesus film with the Golovinsky group.

Thank you all for the emails and comments that help to know that you are there faithfully praying for us and the work here. Every word we receive is encouraging and makes the journey easier. And, thank you for all of you who send us your requests as well. We are praying for you all as well. We pray God's blessings for all of you!

What a Blessed New Year

MK Beauties

Candelight Nativity

Daegan on the train to Kiev

Fletchers in Kiev

Making Christmas cookies


Kids' shuttle bus to school

Tristyn playing hand chimes

Daegan as Sargent Sam Star

What a truly blessed new year this has been already for our family. A few days ago, Daegan prayed to receive Christ! We rejoice in this as we know you will also. He has been showing such a hunger for God’s Word now reading every day and asking many great questions. We are thankful that God has worked in Daegan’s heart and that He has brought him from death to life!!! What a wonderful beginning to a new year and a new life for Daegan!

Before the holidays, the kids all had Christmas programs at school. Falyn’s choir sang some Christmas songs, Tristyn’s class played hand chimes, and Daegan had a lead part in a program where the kids were all stars. They all did GREAT!

We have so enjoyed having our kids home for their three-week long winter break. Though we did not have enough snow for sledding, we had some wonderful family times just playing games together and fellowshipping together (with no homework!).

Our Christmas was quite different this year, but we are learning to start some new traditions here. For those of you who know us well and know our infamous tradition of Christmas cookie-making, yes, we did continue that tradition. There is no way Falyn (and Doyle) would let that one slip by. Thanks to my mom and our wonderful GCC family, we had colored frosting and sprinkles galore to decorate them. It was a little more challenging finding room to lay out all the cookies in this kitchen, but we made do, and they were just like home!

We missed having a real Christmas tree, but we are so thankful that the family that lived in our apartment before us left us an artificial one (thank you, VanKirks!). Falyn was a little skeptical (she is so headstrong about family traditions), but once we got it all together, she said that it didn’t look as fake as she thought it would. We had to buy ornaments and decorations, so we went shopping altogether. I let the kids (and Doyle) pick out whatever they wanted. Doyle said, “You mean, it doesn’t have to be all color-coordinated?” And I said no (he was shocked). We didn’t realize how much we would miss all the same decorations we put out every year (especially our nativity), but we will add a little more every year.

We had an absolutely wonderful Christmas! Thanks to our GCC family, our kids had what they called “the best Christmas ever!” We had our traditional family Christmas on Christmas morning, then in the afternoon we went to the Stameys with another missionary family for dinner and games. We did a white elephant gift exchange, and the kids thought that was so much fun. Tristyn treasured a coffee mug with a few packets of hot chocolate in it, and no one could dare take it from him. We also came home with the highly treasured package of candy canes. The kids did a nativity candlelight drama. As the Christmas story was read with singing throughout, different kids lit different shaped candles to represent the parts of the story (angels, shepherds, Mary, Joseph, Jesus, etc.). With the lights out, it was a very moving drama. Daegan and Tristyn especially enjoyed getting to actually light a match. When we arrived home, we were able to talk to all of our families back home on skype. We so wished we were there, but we made it through. The day after Christmas, we visited with another missionary family and had a great time as well. The rest of our holidays, the kids just wanted to stay home and play. So play we did (with a little bit of language lessons thrown in as well).

New Year’s Eve was very interesting. New Year’s is a huge holiday and celebration for the Russians. We knew this but not to the degree that it actually is until now. They began setting off fireworks around 12:30. Since they were firing them right outside our building and we are on the 18th floor, we had a perfect view of them bursting, and we didn’t even have to stand out in the cold. Out every window and on every side of our building as far as you could see, there were non-stop fireworks going off all over the city. It was so amazing. Then, by around 3am, we weren’t so fascinated anymore. They actually did them until daylight! Next year, we will know that we need a nap that day! The other interesting thing that we have found is that Russians pretty much take off until around the 9th or so of January. This means that except for a few of the grocery stores, they just don’t get anymore trucks in stock. From New Year’s Eve until the 9th, our grocery store has been slowly dwindling...and it doesn't start with a whole lot anyway. They have no butter, milk, bread, etc. So, Doyle has been making runs to other Metro stops searching for bread and other such items. Next year, we will know to stock up before the New Year.

The kids went back to school today (Monday), and it was so sad having them gone all day again and coming home with all that homework. They are enjoying it, but they are looking forward to homeschooling once again.

The Russian home group that we meet with on Thursday nights has lost their place to meet. This is the Timi group. This Thursday we will be hosting them in our home (our first time to host a group of Russians in our home). The Golovinsky group showed the Jesus film on Saturday and Sunday, and it is estimated that 20 or so non-believers did attend. Many filled out a simple contact form (which is very unusual here in Russia) and we are praying that God will do what only He can do.

Thank you all for your faithful prayers and emails of encouragement.

Current prayer needs:
· Falyn having pain from her mouth expander
· Doyle is experiencing a very bad left elbow pain
· Kids adjusting to going back to school
· Kids’ homework loads
· Our language learning
· The Stamey family and Mark Sprinkle
· A place to meet for the Timi group
· Non-believers who attended Jesus film this weekend