Good-bye Kentucky

Myself in Janurary

Irina and Susanna reading/posing for Sveta

Jonathan and Susanna doing dishes the day before we left

Can you find the faucet?

Here it is . Mama pumping water. (She looks like a Russian here)

As of now, we are in Cincinnati staying with some friends for a couple days on our way up to Columbus where my family will leave me. (This week is also special in that my parents will be celebrating their 19th wedding anniversary ... )Today is Sunday ... by the end of this week I will have said my good-byes to my family, at least for a time. I am excited and "ready" for it to get "started". I really don't know what to be expecting ... So I have my thoughts and wonderings in my mind. If that makes any since. I'll share an exert from my diary :

1-18-09

My greatest fear is that I would be a seed unwilling to die so that much life would be produced. One of those seeds that lay in the cold, dark earth laying dormant. Unwilling to let go of the little life I hold - to die in order to live ... " Vanity of vanities, "says the Preacher.'Vanity if vanities, all is vanity" ' that is how Ecclesiastes starts. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

" Fear God and keep His commandments. For this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgement, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil." The words of Solomon. A man in whom God has bestowed Wisdom - in abundance...My Spirit is befuddled within ... conflicting thoughts... paradoxes... confusion... passion...
Then I proceeded with many questions of life. In the end , I wrote ..."God is sovereign and truly His Yoke is easy and burden light. And I don't have to figure out this madness. All I have to do is lean on His never- failing arm and obey His commands."

Anyhow, many thoughts... I ask for your prayers. That I would learn true servanthood/selflessness as I attend this Pilate program at the school of Servanthood. And also that I will be able to develop good relationships with the youth in Columbus as that also is one of my fears. For some reason in my mind, I think since I grew up in such a different culture then the inner-city that I won't be able to relate with them as well as some people. So please pray with me about these things.