Huge Praises!

Our first snow!

Daegan, Sasha, and Tristyn on the bumper cars. Funny thing - they are not called bumper cars, and when our kids tried to bump into each other, they got yelled at by the workers. Apparently, you are supposed to just drive them around.

Daegan, Tristyn, and Sasha (yes, Doyle posed them)

Natalya and Karen

Tristyn and Doyle walking back to Metro after church one Sunday

Leaf-faced Daegan

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers! I met with my friend, Natalya, at the baseball park this evening. She told me that she has been reading the book that I gave her. She said that it has helped her to change her attitude and that her relationship with her husband is better. I give God the glory in this small victory. Please continue to pray for Natalya and Valodya. In the pictures above, we were at Gorky Park with Natalya and Sasha. They had a special promotion one Saturday where one part of the park had the rides free for kids. Of course, half of Moscow was there, and it took 1 1/2 hours to wait for a ride, but the kids still had fun. The workers would run a ride for 5 minutes, then take a 15 minute break, then run it again for 5 minutes and so on.


Another exciting moment- we had our first snow on Sunday! It wasn't much to play in, and it is all melted now, but it was still fun to see. We feel pretty confident that we will get some more sometime (just maybe). It is so funny what a difference perspective makes. When we got ready to leave for the baseball park this evening, I checked the temperature to know how to dress. Doyle asked what it was, and I said, "Oh, it's just 42." We started telling the kids they didn't have to wear their gloves or hats but to take them just in case. Of course, by the time we got to the park, we needed them. I just can't imagine ever saying in Houston, "Oh, it's just 42." And, would you believe that at the park, Tristyn begged to take his coat off and just have his shirt on?


One interesting culture thing about the weather here is that babushkas (older ladies) always look out for kids. If your child is not properly dressed for the winter weather (in their opinion), they will let you know. The first day it got cold, I was taking the kids to meet Doyle at a nearby shopping center. We were still in our jackets with no hats or gloves just waiting for a bus. It wasn't too bad. But Daegan (being the little drama actor he has turned out to be) started doing this very exaggerated shivering just to be funny. Of course, that set off the babushka waiting beside us. I thought she would never get quiet. From this point on, they have to have their hats on or handy, or they (and we) will hear about it!


We will be leaving on Saturday for a conference in Prague until next Thursday. Please pray for safe travels, for good fellowship, and for spiritual growth for our whole family. We may be without email access during this time, so please be patient with us if we are slow in responding to any emails.

Thank you also for praying for Daegan. We did see the doctor on Monday, but he did not have the wart removed yet. He apparently has a slight flat-footedness, and they recommend that he have orthopedic insoles put in his shoes for a short period in order for the callous tissue around the wart to soften and to allow the wound to heal properly once they remove it. After he wears the insoles for some time, they will then remove the wart. We will have to wait until after our trip to Prague to get this done, so please continue to pray for his discomfort. We are trying some homemade means of relieving the pressure around the site, but it is still difficult for him with a lot of walking.

Please continue to pray for the distribution of the Bibles. Doyle and Mark have been out a few times, but they are finding a hard time catching people at home.

It looks like we will be having several volunteer teams in the spring and summer. Please pray now for the ministry that these people will be able to help with here and also for the organizing and planning (both here and there) that needs to be done beforehand.

Thank you all for your encouraging emails and comments. We LOVE to hear from you all! Don't forget you can skype us!!!! It's free!!!