the great flood

As we were watching a D.V.D. of The Office with some friends at our apartment, we heard splashing water. To our suprise, Kai wasn't drinking out of the toilet again, but rather, water was gushing out of the ceiling, wallpaper, electrical sockets and light switches. The apartment above us had some sort of leak and it went through the cement and even under our wood floors. It's an interesting sound when you step on a wood floor and hear "squish" under your feet. Luckily our friends were there to help us sop up water as I tried to communicate with the neighbors, building supervisor and our landlady. Fun times in flood zones! The whole combination of water and electric sockets doesn't give one a warm, fuzzy feeling, but we were safe, protected and all is well.

The Boys

Allyson and I both lead small groups at Hinkson and this is a picture of my group. All these guys are freshmen at Hinkson and really solid dudes. We meet once a month at Hinkson during school and try to hang out often outside of school. In this picture we had grabbed some pizza, played PS2 and watched a movie at our apartment. The Lord has blessed me so much through my friendships with middle and high school guys in the past and it keeps going. Good things.

advice from a tree

my mom recently introduced me to this poem by Ilan Shamir called "Advice from a Tree" that i really like.

stand tall and proud
sink your roots deeply into the earth
reflect the light of a greater source
think long term
go out on a limb
remeber your place among all living beings
embrace with joy the changing seasons
for each yeilds its own abundance
the energy and birth of spring
the growth and contentment of summer
the wisdom to let go of leaves in the fall
the rest and quiet renewal of winter
feel the wind and the sun
and delight in their presence
look up at the moon that shines down up you
and the mystery of the stars at night.
seek nourishment from the good things in life
simple pleasures
earth, fresh air, light
be content with your natural beauty
drink plenty of water
let your limbs sway and dance in the breezes
be flexible
remeber your roots
enjoy the veiw!

tim took this picture while on a run one day. this is the forrest near the konkovo metro stop.

the honey festival

a few months ago, tim and i got the opportunity to go to the annual moscow honey festival, a huge gathering where honey farmers from all over the russian countryside come to moscow to sell their honey and honey products. you get to walk around and test taste anything you want, and be amazed by all the different kinds of honey that there are! there are kinds of honey that aren't even sweet but bitter instead. that was a great time. this picture was taken at the festival. pictured here is a great group of friends that the Lord has blessed us with, who also work at hinkson.

one of my favorite quotes by author s.j. hill...
"deep is forever calling to deep. it's a continuous unfolding process, but you must respond. you must persist in your yearning for Him, knowing that in due time the longing of your heart will be satisfied beyond anything you could ever imagine."