September 2012

Don't you just LOVE the colors of fall?!! It's as if the Creator decides each year that He's tired of the greens of summer and wants to liven things up with brilliant splashes of oranges, yellows and reds! (For the folks in Florida, you don't know what you're missing :) I (Laura) even love the smell of burning leaves and the new crispness in the morning air - strange, I know. But you must admit, it IS a beautiful time of year!

A brief update on our car.....the engine arrived without a problem and was installed within two days of it's arrival! Soooooo...we're back in business serving the fellowship with this wonderful blessing of a car.
                           

     Almost everyday begins with a fair amount of emails. Sometime it's junk, sometimes we receive updates from friends and other works around the world and sometimes we get one that's just amazing! "We have an offer for you….will you perform our ceremony. Will you marry us?” Kevin received this email in July and I (Laura) was glad he was sitting down for fear of seeing him faint. This would be his first wedding and in Russian no less….of course he agreed; the young lady has been a dear friend of our family for almost 15 years! The wedding was beautiful and I haven't seen Kevin this nervous since our wedding day! We have watched this girl grow into a beautiful young lady who truly loves the Lord! Her husband has also grown into a Godly young man and our prayer is they will be used as a shining example of His love! What an honor to have been and continue to be a part of their lives. We know the Lord will use them in a powerful way; we pray they will be open to His calling.                   
                                                     

She loves chocolate and coffee - the white 'borders'
on the floor are coffee beans!

Arriving at the church.....

Kevin addressing the congregation.

Arriving at the banquet.

Beautiful and delicious!! Made by one of the ladies from the
church in Ulan Ude. 

All dressed up...Kevin in a tie!?!

   The other day we sat down with our fellow workers and looked at how things are going here in the village. Are things progressing the way "we" think they should be going, etc. (Notice the emphasis on "we" ?!) The last few months have been difficult at best. We've seen people leave we felt were solid in their walk and little interest when simply talking to folks in everyday conversations. Sound a little discouraged? Yea...we are, but we're also very aware that we need to dig in deeper, encourage one another, and pray without ceasing! Of course the Father is so faithful; he often sends us something to remind us He's still at work....for example:

“If you hadn’t visited me in the hospital, I would have walked away from God.” Tanya stopped by the other day just to chat, have some coffee and look at pictures we’d taken at the Lake. She’s had an incredibly tough year so I try and sit with her at least once a week just to chat. You see Tanya almost lost her arm earlier this year in an accident where she worked. You may remember the story and our request for prayer. Miraculously she did not lose her arm and has movement in all the fingers. Although, her bones have been quite slow to heal, there is great progress. In any case, the best part of our conversation ..... the quote above; if we hadn't taken the time to visit. We all took turns visiting her throughout the entire month she was in the hospital and for weeks afterward as she adjusted to being in different arm casts. It seemed like so little at the time but having her stay the course was worth every minute.
            On another note, her daughter ‘Jean’, will be going to Moscow the middle of Oct. for surgery.  Jean has severe bone problems with her jaws and will have an apparatus literally screwed into her jaws for six months. Please keep them both in your prayers as they travel, for the surgeons, and for complete recovery. Jean is solid in her faith and her mom says that she’s ready to get this done and return home – putting all her trust in the Lord!

 

Tanya - taken two yrs. ago

"Jean" is on the right...remember her in Oct. as she
travels to Moscow and has surgery.

     

Turning 50 isn’t so bad… especially if there’s coffee and grilling meat by Lake Baikal! Yes, it's true, Kevin celebrated his 50^th birthday in August and we wanted to share a couple of pictures. Several folks from the fellowship here in our village drove two hours to the city then another three to the Lake to share in the celebration! We love these folks!!

     

Kevin and Sergei 'grilling' meat or shashleek as it's called.
Shish-ko-bob for all you non-Russians.

Getting ready to eat - watermelon, salads, breads,
fresh veggies from their gardens...and 'shashleek'!!

Everyone knows that Kevin LOVES to cook and grill!!
They bought him a convection oven that can sit on
a counter top - pretty cool and works great!!

Kevin at Lake Baikal for his 50th!

The cold winds are blowing in today, the beautiful leaves are almost gone - winter is around the corner. We pray you are encouraged in some small way and will remember the people here daily! THANK YOU for the continued support as we serve together in Siberia.
     Until next month.....blessings to all!
             Kevin & Laura