Updates
Today is a good day to post a letter I wrote exactly 10 years ago. This was written just before I moved to Russia. Little did I know I’d meet my wife in just a few months, and I certainly didn’t expect most of what has transpired in this wonderful decade. It’s been a very [...]
Camp Elama is slowly thawing out; Spring is here, yet the snows remain and our work preparing for the summer has begun. We have a good leadership team in place and exciting plans for the summer. Back in December Sergei and John laid foundations for two new buildings, and in May and June we’ll have [...]
Most of the Stoneworks associates and workers are meeting in Tallinn, Estonia for our first annual ministry retreat. I’m the Executive Director, and we’re very glad that we could gather for this meeting. We’re spread out all over Eastern Europe and the Balkans, and this is the first time we’re all together in one place. [...]
About 10 days ago, Olga and I began a road trip from St. Petersburg, Russia to visit Stoneworks ministry sites in eastern and central Europe. Stoneworks continues to expand, and it’s an honor to be able to visit so many wonderful people that God has put together as ‘living stones’ (1 Peter 2:5). Our first [...]
This may not look like very much, but it is the fruit of much loving labor and the beginning of something great. This picture was taken recently at Elama, our camp in Russian Karelia. These are part of the foundations of a pavilion and summer kitchen we’ll build next year. St. James UMC in Athens, [...]
We have mentioned this before, and it’s high time to introduce you to Zhenya, Anya, and Natasha. Just about a year ago, we were in the US when three young ladies from our church, on short notice, needed a place to stay for a few weeks. Well, that ‘few weeks’ has turned into a year [...]
I’ve just returned from a trip to Budapest for a conference and a visit to Serbia where I spoke at a church. I traveled with John Bull, a Stoneworks missionary based in St. Petersburg. The picture above is of the Danube flowing through Budapest, taken from the Citadel overlooking the city, with the foothills of [...]
As many of you know we’ve always wanted a family, and we found out a few years ago that Mike is unable father children. We’ve wanted to receive the family that God gives us, rather than ‘making’ it happen by our own will. The Lord promised Abraham a family, but Abraham and Sara were unwilling [...]
Many of you will remember Oksana, the orphan who lived with us several years ago. She now has a two year old daughter named Valeria. Oksana wanted for Valeria to be baptized, and she asked us to be the godparents and participate in the baptism, which was in an Orthodox church (hence the headcoverings). Valeria [...]
Continue reading about A Postcard from Russia — Valeria’s Baptism
The other day I came home to a pleasant sight: Olga making jam from gooseberries she and babushka picked at dacha. We’ve done a lot of traveling this summer, and it’s nice to be back in Russia for a bit. We’ve recently spent time at Elama, been at dacha, and visited with teams from the [...]
Continue reading about A Postcard from Russia — Home Sweet Home
