Our New Addition

We want you to meet the newest member of our family, Ночка (Notchka-- pronounced "notsh-ka", which means "the night").


As many of you know, when we left America we were forced to give up our beloved cats, Beacon and Scout. Since that time everybody in our family has been terribly lonely for a pet. And, with the expenses associated with having a pet in Russia, we thought it impossible for us to have one while we live here. However, our God is bigger than all that and knows our needs better than we do ourselves.

This past week Sarah Beth and her friends found a stray kitten outside of the school grounds. She brought it home in the hopes that we could adopt it, but again, the expenses of spay/nutering the animal, getting vacinations and all of the other papers we would need to have a pet made it impossible. After sending her downstairs in tears, our hearts were broken.

Well, not more than an hour after that we received an email from friends telling us about a teacher at the school who was looking for a home for her cat. She (the cat, not the teacher) had been spayed, has all of her shots, and even has a passport making it possible for her to return to the States with us when we go. So, much to the surprise of our children, this morning Notchka came home to live with us.

Now in connection with this story I must share with you my "Language Blunder of the Week." It has been a particularly bad Russian language week for me and I have spent a majority of the week at a loss for even the simplest of words and phrases. And Wednesday night was no exception. Before we could bring the cat home we had to get permission from our landlady for us to have a pet in the apartment. I called her Wednesday night to ask her permission. Well, of course, our landlady speaks Russian, but also speaks a little English. However, I try to communicate with her in Russian whenever possible. So I explained to her that since leaving America my children had been very homesick and that Kellye and I were trying to find something to make them feel better. I then proceeded to ask her permission for me to purchase a "coat" for them. That's right...a "coat". So she asked me to repeat my question. And I did...two more times. Finally she said, "Why don't you ask me in English." So, this time in my language, I asked her if she would allow me to buy my children a "cat." "OOOOhhhhh, you meant kush-ka...not kut-ka"

So, our children once again have a pet to scare, chase, and upon whom to shower their affection. She is already becoming part of the family and has spent the evening lying on the hallway floor watching the goings and comings of the family. A few minutes ago I heard John-John tell Kellye that, "This was the better than any present we could have gotten." I don't think there is anything I can add to that.

Blessings,
Marc