Ninth Year Anniversary at our Church in Moscow

Today we celebrated together as a church family.  Nine years of growing together and seeing great fruit in the Kingdom of God here in Russia! 

Our family has lived in Russia for over a decade now and I must say that it has been one of the most rewarding 10 years of our lives.  We are enriched in every way you can imagine.  Terri and I have fallen in love with the Russian people who have embraced us so very warmly.  I see things with a much greater understanding of culture and people than ever before. 

Becoming a "missionary" is more than moving to a foreign country from your own.  I knew from the beginning that there would be challenges, and there have been those, however I have learned that in order to be effective you must do just as the Apostle Paul wrote to us.  He said that "...I become all things to all people"...

We have found that learning the language is always the first step yet that is only the first thing.  Being a "missionary" means becoming someone different than you were when you came.  You must not only change your ability to communicate, you must, and I say must change your mentality, your thinking and way of doing things.

When we are in Russia we still feel like foreigners on occasion but most of the time, we are Russian.  That is the only way possible to be effective. 

This was our ninth birthday today for our church.  I want to say thank you to all of our Russian friends and family for making this the most wonderful years I can remember.