With grateful and happy hearts...

What a beautiful thing, God, to give thanks, to sing an anthem to you, the High God! To announce your love each daybreak, sing your faithful presence all through the night, Accompanied by dulcimer and harp, the full-bodied music of strings. ~ Psalm 92:1 (The Message)

It is good to be home again after spending most of the months of October and November on the road. In that time, on two different occasions I spent a combined three weeks in Prague, a week in the Republic of Udmurtia and have just returned from another week in the Chuvash Republic. The remainder of this month and December will be spent at home, and I am looking forward to the time with my family.

I hate that it usually takes a special holiday, especially Thanksgiving, for us to stop and recall all the things the Lord has done for us and for all the many things for which we should be thankful. We really should do that on a daily basis, but it seems that (at least for me) life always seems to get in the way of pausing to reflect on God's graciousness and to think about the things for which we should be thankful, but become part of our daily routine. So, here is an abbreviated list of some of the many things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving...

~ Of course, I have to start with my God, who provided the ultimate sacrifice to save me from my sins. That sounds preachy, but really. To just imagine that someone who knows my every thought, motive, and generally crappy nature would still lay down His life just to make sure that I can approach the throne of God. Wow! Now that is something to be thankful for.

~ My wife. I don't tell you who read this, or even her, enough what a special woman God gave me in my wife. Kellye is a truly wonderful woman who supports me in every way. In many ways, she is the embodiment of the Proverbs 31 wife and here are just a few examples from The Message version of that proverb:

"She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast
for her family and organizing her day...
First thing in the morning, she dresses for work,
rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started.
She senses the worth of her work,
is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.
She's skilled in the crafts of home and hearth,
diligent in homemaking.
She's quick to assist anyone in need,
reaches out to help the poor.
She doesn't worry about her family when it snows;
their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear.
When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say,
and she always says it kindly.
She keeps an eye on everyone in her household,
and keeps them all busy and productive.
Her children respect and bless her;
her husband joins in with words of praise:
"Many women have done wonderful things,
but you've outclassed them all!"

Is it any wonder that I am thankful for her??

~ My children. Sometimes, in the midst of life in another country it can be hard to remind yourself to be thankful for your children. Life here can be difficult and life here with three children who share a room in an apartment can be a little challenging at times. And, as a result, it can be pretty hard to remember to be thankful for your children at times. However, they are each very special and I love watching them growing into the people that God is molding them to be. Sarah Beth is silly and compassionate and makes me laugh. She has a great eye for video and photography and spending a week with her in Udmurtia was one of the greatest joys of my time in Russia. She has a great heart for God and for lost people and I am excited to see how God will use her. Hannah is growing into quite the young woman. She understands that following God's call is not always fun or easy, but that obiedience to that call is important, even if what we want to do somedays is go home. Hannah is funny and creative, a great writer, computer savvy, and has a unique way of seeing the world. She is also a joy to spend time with and I love that she still likes to snuggle up with her Daddy just to be close to him. John-John...well, what can you say. He is my boy. Not only does he look like me, in many ways he acts like me too. He is curious and inquisitive. He wants to know everything about everything. He also is computer savvy, even though he is just 7. He, unlike his father, likes to study Russian. He has never met a stranger and is never bashful to tell people about Jesus. He has a heart for God and all of "God's little guys", no matter how repulsive. I am just glad that we do not live in Brazil! I have no idea what John will be when he grows up, but I can already see signs that he will be a great man of God. As you can see, I have much to be thankful for.

~ Our family back home. I don't want to camp out on the fact that life here can be difficult. However, life here is always made easier by our family back home. They pray for us regularly, call for no particular reason, help us deal with stuff back home, spend countless dollars to help make life easier and send boxes of silly things like KoolAid and 3 Musketeers bars. This year I am specifically thankfull for Kay and Cathy, who are the sisters I never had while growing up. But mostly I am thankful for two sets of parents who raised Kellye and I to hear God's voice. I am thankful that we were raised in Christian homes. I am thankful that our parents always held us accountable to standards of Chrstian living, even when that was difficult. I am thankful that our parents made it possible for us both to attend OBU, or I never would have met my wonderful bride.

Time is starting to run short, so I will try to get in as many things possible...

~ Our churches. We could not stay on the field without their help and support. We appreciate everybody who helps by praying, giving, and going. A special thanks also to the many Sunday School classes who have sent cards, letters, packages and donations for things like warm winter clothing.

~ My travel partner, Tim. Getting to travel around the country would not be nearly as much fun without him by my side. More on that at a later day, but you should know that I am thankful for the fact tht he is my partner.

~ Friends around the world who read this blog, many of whom I have never met. Most days I wonder why this blog would be of any interest to anyone other than family or friends, and yet you continue to read and to pray for us. I am thankful for you.

~ Old friends with whom I have reconnected via Facebook. How cool is that, really?

~ Snow on Thanksgiving morning. It would not be a Moscow Thanksgiving without it. Seriously, I love it.

~ Our English Club. Having relationships with this special group of Russians that God has given us to share our lives with is just great and we love them.

~ Our "Mission Friends" here in Moscow and around the world. Too many to name everybody specifically, but you know who you are. I am thankful for you.

~ Our cat, Notchka, who makes our apartment feel a little more like home.

~ A company who makes sure we have a place to live and food on the table and who has a vision of reaching all peoples on earth with the Gospel. We are also grateful for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering which makes us being here possible. Please start praying about what you will give this year.

As you can imagine, this is far from an exhaustive list of all the things I am thankful for. And, if you put them on a scale, they would far outweigh the yucky stuff about missionary life. Thank you again for being part of our ministry and for reading.

COMING SOON...

~ A recap of my trip to Udmurtia.
~ A full report from my trip to the Chuvash Republic.
~ New videos from the Engage Russia project.
~ The world premire of the Engage Russia theme song, "You and I" by the Jud Kossum Band.

STAY TUNED!!!