February Snow....a little late

We had some beautiful snow in February and it has continued into March! The day these pictures were taken, it was sunny with NO wind. The children, most on their way home from school, stopped to play and make this huge snowman.

The View From Our Window

"Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow..." Isaiah 1:18
Just wanted to share some of the beautiful scenes from our windows on the 5th floor. Recently, we received about 6 inches of wet snow. The snow white washed our bare trees.

Fruit that Lasts

Calvin and Sasha (Calvin's translator) just completed their first expository preaching seminar in the Illychosk region of the Odessa Oblast. They had the joy of working with pastors and lay leaders from the Illychosk Baptist Church and her seven sister churches. Each Thursday evening 8 - 15 men would come to better understand how to study God's Word and prepare a sermon. Most of these men will probably never have the opportunity to attend seminary. So, Calvin and Sasha are bringing the seminary to them. We believe this to be "Fruit that will last" based upon John 15:16. In these pictures, Calvin and Sasha take turns standing behind the students.

Odessa Ballet and Opera House

Calvin and I celebrated 20th wedding anniversary in December! In case you don't know, I am married to a wonderful, attentive and loving man. He wanted us to do something special to celebrate and we did. We attended the Nut Cracker Ballet at the Odessa Ballet and Opera House. It was magnificent! My other special little man went with us, too. Adam enjoyed it as much as we did.

You are not allowed to take pictures during a performance. However, I hope you will enjoy the pictures that we did take. This was a real treat for us. The building has been completely restored inside and out.

Lena

Life is short. Our friend, Lena, passed away last week. She was 46 years old, divorced and the mother of two young men. Lena was the head door guard in our apartment building in Kiev. We last saw Lena in October. She shared with me (Janet) that she had been sick and in the hospital for a month. Then last week we received word that she had been in the hosptital, in a coma and then died from pneumonia.

Even though we were not close, my heart has grieved her passing. Lena had a beautiful smile. She was pretty. She received us very graciously as we,the new Americans, moved into her building. She went out of her way to ask how we were doing and would let us know if the elevator was not working or the water was off. Sometimes, she would walk up to the third floor and bring the elevator down for us. I know that doesn't make sense but the elevator would come and she would hold out her arm for us to enter. She was thoughtful and sweet. Mostly she was precious to me because she loved my Adam. She would come out of her office and get down on her knees and talk to Adam. She would ooh and aahh over his latest superhero exhibition. Miss Lena would have a special treat for Adam - candy! Some days, she just couldn't stand it any longer ---- she had to get a hug from her favorite Superhero. It meant so much to me that she would love my son. You see, when you are far from home, you miss the physical touch from family and friends back home. Watching Lena interact with Adam, made me realize how much I needed for someone else to love and hug my child. God used her to fill part of that void. As time passed, Adam would play shy (not him !) and would try to scoot past her window and then look back to see if she was coming. Unless she was tied up on the phone, she would come running out of her office to see Adam.

Lena was patient too! She would let me practice my Russian on her until one of us became too confused to continue! Calvin and I tried to talk to Lena about her relationship with the Lord and so did some other colleagues in our building. She indicated that she had attended a Russian Baptist Church. She seemed comfortable when I would tell her that I was praying for her. But, I just don't know if she was a daughter of the King. Losing Lena is a good reminder that we are to "redeem the time" with those we care about and those whom God has placed in our path. Spasiba vam, Lena!!

Some of the Students

Odessa's Big Snow of 2009

It has been a while since we have posted. Praying that all of you had a worshipful Christmas and are enjoying this presence of our Lord in 2010.

About a week before Christmas, we received about 18 inches of snow in Odessa. The drifts as you can see were 3 - 4 feet high. We didn't move our car for a week and a half because we don't have snow tires. Odessa's traffic is crazy enough without adding in snow and ice. We had a lot of fun but wouldn't want to spend a whole winter like this!