Marc Ira Hooks-Personal Blog

When time stands still...

2008-10-04T01:40:00.003-04:00

I am a blessed guy. I really am. If I were to take the time to write about all of the blessings in my life, they would have to create more space on the Internet. Of course, Kellye and my kids would have to be at the top of the list, but very close to the top would be good friends.

Have you ever had friends that are so close, so in-tune with who you are that when you are apart time stands still? You know, the kind of friend that when you are together it does not matter whether a year or 20 years has passed since you were together last, it feels like just yesterday? While some people are never lucky enough to have those kinds of friends, I am blessed to have two sets...guys that I went to college with, and some people who went through missionary training together in Richmond. I suppose there are some similarities, we both lived together in pretty close quarters for some time. But the biggest similarity is that these couple of people in my life just "get me." And, conversely, I just "get them."

Ya know, missionary life is not always easy. As a matter of a fact, some days it can be downright hard. It can be discouraging, lonely and sometimes it makes you wonder why God has called you to serve in this way. But I think that there are rewards, and one of those is that He provides friends to help you get through those times of discouragement. Friends who somehow transcend both time and distance. Friends who will make you laugh so hard an for so long that you don't want to go to bed no matter how tired you are. Friends who will celebrate your victories with you and encourage you. Friends who understand that sometimes you want to toss a family member (or two) out of your balcony window...and then stick around just to watch them bounce. And friends who will tell you that you are wrong when you are. These are the kinds of friends God gives missionaries.

This week is a special one for our family. We will have the opportunity to spend time with these unique friends in our life. We will laugh. Some of us will cry. (Oh, man-up and get over it!) We will eat foods that we cannot get in our own countries. We will worship and pray. We will be tourists together. But most importantly, we will be friends for each other.

I pray that God gives you at least one "time stands still" friend in your life. And, if He does, that you will get to spend as much time together as possible and that you will cherish that.

Blessings,

Marc

PS-There are more photos and video of this magical cit to come, so stay tuned!

Video from Prague

2008-10-03T17:09:00.003-04:00

I love this city.

Meeting with Russian Brothers...In The Czech Republic!

2008-10-03T03:10:00.004-04:00

We are spending this week and next in Prague, Czech Republic as we attend some meetings, spend time with dear friends, and enjoy our first vacation since arriving on the field a year ago. (I know, I cannot believe it has been that long either!)

During this time we have been staying with our good friends, Larry and Melissa, who currently live in Prague, but will be serving in Plzen starting in the spring. Yesterday Larry was invited to a meeting with the head of the Czech Baptist Union who wanted to introduce him to some Russian Baptist missionaries who will also be moving to Plzen to work with Russian-speakers in the area...so he invited me to tag along. It is hard this morning to put that experience into words, but I will try.

First, if you were a fly on the wall you would have needed several language dictionaries to keep up. The meeting was conducted in English, because that was the most common language. But it was a strange mixture of English, Czech and Russian. It was exciting for me to sit with the head of the Czech Baptist Union and hear him talk about his heart for reaching his nation and to hear how excited he is about reaching Russians as well as native Czechs. And it was invigorating to hear how God is bringing resources from around the globe to this city in Western Czech Republic to bring the gospel to the people there. In addition to the work they were involved in, God has also brought others who are working with the Roma, or gypsies in the area. And, I must admit, it was also exciting to be in Prague and speaking Russian with Baptist brothers...one of which spoke only Russian and not Czech or English.

An interesting side note. When we speak to our friends in Moscow about the time before 1990, they refer to this time as either "communism" or "when we were the USSR." But here in the Czech Republic they refer to 1990 as "the revolution" and the time before that as "under totalitarianism." It is interesting how the perspective changes as to whether you are one of the conquering or the conquered. And yet, none the less, the believers here still have a desire to see native Russians who are living in the Czech Republic come to Christ. Isn't that itself a testimony to Jesus living in us?

I may have said this in this blog before, but this seems like a good place to repeat it if I have. A funny thing has happened over the past year. When I left the States I considered myself a media producer whose job it was to assist church planters in Russia. But now, after living in Moscow for a year, making friends with Russians, and learning to speak the Russian language, I consider myself to be a church planter who uses his media skills to help reach Russian speakers. Will we always serve in Moscow? I don't know. Will we always serve in Russia? I don't really know that either. But, after yesterday morning what I can tell you is that God has given me a heart for native Russian speakers, regardless of where in the world that they live. Yes, I have become a church planter, and it is my heart's desire to see God use the Russians with whom I am able to share my faith to then go and share that Good news with their Russian friends. Of course, English will always be my first language, but when I hear Russian it speaks to my soul. Now really, who would have ever thought that would have happened this year?

We are looking forward to the rest of the weekend before our meetings start on Sunday. Today we are going on "photo safari" in this magical city and I cannot wait to share some of those images with you. Our friends from all over CEE will be arriving on Saturday evening and I can only imagine there will be lots of laughter over the next week as we share our experiences from the last year. It is my prayer that wherever in the world that you are when you read this that you have as good of friends as we have.

Blessings,

Marc

Camping with the Scouts

2008-10-03T02:44:00.004-04:00

Showing off his first Swiss Army Knife!

Sitting around the campfire.

Whittling a stick to roast weenies on.

The Hooks Men head for the woods!

Last weekend the Hooks men escaped the concrete jungle of Moscow and headed into the wilderness for a camping trip with the Cub Scouts. Well, I say the wilderness, but it was actually a dacha about 2 hours south of town, but we were surrounded by a patch of woods so I guess that counts. Now, for those of you who know me, you know that I love the outdoors. I like to hike, love to build fires and cook over them, and life is even better if I am near the water. However, sleeping in tents is just not for me... especially when there is a perfectly good house only 25 feet away.

This was John's first camp-out and we had a really good time. Our big man got his first Swiss Army knife and learned to whittle and we built a birdhouse together. We roasted weenies over the fire and made a "hobo" dinner where you wrap your food in foil and burry it in the coals of the fire for 40 minutes. So, it was a lot of fun. The weather, on the other-hand was horrible. We had rain for most of the weekend and overnight temperatures hovered right around freezing. As a matter of a fact, when we packed the tents on Sunday morning there was ice all over the rain covers! Did I mention that I think this is a perfectly good waste of a house?

Anyway, it was great to be out of the city. I saw stars for the first time in over a year. And, not just a few of them. As a matter of a fact, I am not sure I have ever seen as many stars as I did on Friday night. It was simply breathtaking and caused me to take a minute to sit and stare in awe and remind myself of the majesty of God.

All in all, the weekend was a big success...but I am glad the Scouts only do it twice a year!

Pirates, Bible Study & Cold Feet

2008-09-19T05:59:00.007-04:00

Avast, Mateys!

Today is one of me favorite days...it's International Talk Like A Pirate Day. (Don't believe me? Check out www.talklikeapirate.com ) However, I for the sake of this blog I will keep my pirate talk down to a minimum.

Kellye is outside of Moscow for a few days with the teachers from Hinkson during their annual staff retreat and that left the English Club teaching duties to me last night. So guess what the theme for last night's lesson was? You guessed it....pirates! We watched a few sections from Muppet Treasure Island, learned some pirate vocabulary, and created a comic strip about pirate life. But the best part of the day actually came this morning when I received an email from one of our students written entirely in pirate-speak. Now, how cool is that??

Bible Study Update

In my last post I wrote about our attempt to move people from English Club to Bible study and I am pleased to report that we had one of our students show up the following Sunday. He had never read the Bible before, so I gave him one (an NIV Study Bible that had been translated into Russian) and we started with the basics. "The Bible is divided into two sections. It contains 66 different books, etc." After which, we started to read the Gospel of Mark together. We have been reading a chapter a day and then discussing on Sundays. And, last week the student who came brought his younger brother with him. So, just like English Club we started with one person, then went to two. And, in the near future, I am hoping that we will continue to expand and have more and more people coming to our home on Sunday's to study the Bible. One of the things that we, as a team, have adopted as one of our core beliefs is that "The Word of God is the change agent in people's lives." While I considered using some books, study guides and other tools, I have to believe that if we really put stock into this statement that spending time reading and talking about God's word with lost people will result in life-changing faith. So, that is exactly what we are doing. Is it church? No. But it is the first steps of exposing a group of people with no religious background and no knowledge of God's word toward finding out the special purpose God has for their lives.

Please continue to be in prayer for these two special men. Pray that the Word of God will penetrate their hearts and minds and that the Holy Spirit will draw them to Himself. Pray also for Kellye and I as we lead these discussions and teach. Sometimes explaining Biblical concepts can be difficult enough in your own heart language, but even harder in a language that you are learning. (Our lessons are a strange mixture of Russian and English and sometimes there is a dash of German thrown in.) Pray also that as these men study that they will feel led to bring their friends with them so that we may study together.

Cold feet!

No, I am not nervous or scared. My feet are quite literally cold! The weather really took a turn last week and the temps dropped and the rain and wind moved in. Everybody in the house got sick and Kellye and I are still coughing and have runny noses all day long. (Nice visual, huh?) Even though it is a little warmer this week (low 50s), this is still my least favorite time of year in Moscow. Usually once the snow starts there is a strange sense of warmth about the snow, even when the wind is blowing. Ugh, but the rain, now that is another story. It seems that no matter what you wear you always feel cold and wet. And on a related matter, I think I am going to write a book called "Moving to Moscow: What they don't tell you in the brochure." One of the first chapters will be called "A thermostat? What is that?" If you didn't know before, now you will know that the heat inside all buildings is controlled by the government and no matter what the weather is, it only operates from November 1 to March 1. Not only does the government control the heat, they control the temperature, so you can usually count on the inside temperature being anywhere from 80-100 degrees. I only wish I was exaggerating for effect. Chapter two will be called "What do you mean I have to take a cold shower?" Another quirk about living here is that the government (remember the guys who control the heat?) also controls the hot water. And, in the summer months they do maintenance on the city's hot water system. So for around two weeks (if your are lucky) each summer there is no hot water available in your apartment. Fortunately for us, our landlady installed a contact water heater for the shower, but that still does not help with things like washing clothes and dishes.

There are more chapters to the book (those of you who are hoping to visit or live here will have to stay tuned for more), but right now my feet are so cold I cannot remember what else I was gonna write about.

Next weekend is the big Cub Scout father/son camp-out, so my blog will be delayed by a few days, but I suspect that it will be chock-full of John-John stories. Speaking of which, Long John Hooks (his pirate name) is waiting for the Captain to make his way to the galley and fix him some pizza and grog 'else I may have a mutiny on my hands and have to walk the plank!

Arrrrrrr!

Spending the day with my Russian friends...

2008-09-06T14:46:00.002-04:00

We were invited by a group of our English Club students (Jane and Dasha) to a picnic today and we could not pass up the opportunity. It is always good to get these invitations because Russians are usually pretty guarded about inviting new people into their intimate circles, let alone foreigners. So, even though Kellye and the girls had prior commitments John and I went out to enjoy what will probably be one of the last warm weekends we will see for the next six months or so.

Little did I know that Jane actually lives in a small city outside of Moscow that took us about 40 minutes on the Metro and another 30 minutes by bus to get to. (Which makes me appreciate even more the fact that she comes to our home every Thursday night.) And, after the two-mile hike into the woods after the bus ride I was more ready for a nap than for a picnic. As you can imagine John was enjoying being in the woods and looking for and then talking to all of God's "little guys."

We joined the many others who had made the trek to the large lake in the woods that was surrounded on most sides by a sandy beach. Frankly, it was hard to believe that we were as close as we were to a city of 15-million people because the setting was so quiet, beautiful and totally different to what we have become accustomed to in the city. The men (John-John, Sergey, and myself) built a small fire so we could grill our meat while the girls spread out blankets and the rest of the spread.

They had asked me to bring some recreation stuff, so I grabbed John's frisbee and at the last minute decided to grab the football off my shelf. When I unpacked my backpack and they saw the oblong ball they nearly went crazy. It was the first time any of them had ever seen, let alone touched, an American football and they were dying to learn how to play. Now, I don't know if you have ever tried to explain how to play football to someone who has no concept of the game. But try then to explain it in another language...one that you have only scratched the surface in learning! We had so much fun they have asked me to organize a football party for them in a park nearby our home.

On a more serious note, we have been working with these students, along with about 25 more, in English Club for the past six months. During that time we have tried to live our faith out in front of them and be an "incarnational witness" for them. This week we sent an email to each of them inviting them to join us for a Bible study in our home on Sunday afternoons, starting tomorrow. We are praying that God's spirit will move in them and draw them to our home on Sundays to study more about what God might have for their lives and how they can join us on our journey of faith.

On the walk back to the bus station, Sergey asked me about the invitation. "It is something about the Bible, right?"

"Well," I said. "Our family studies the Bible every day."

"Oh yes, I know that," he replied.

"So it is something that is important to us and we wanted to share it with our Russian friends," I said.

So, please start now to pray for Sergey, Jane, Dasha and the rest of our English Club students as they consider our invitation to join us to learn about what God is doing in their lives. While we will be surprised to see any of them tomorrow we would be thrilled if any of them decide to come. I do feel that God is moving in their lives and that we were prompted to make this invitation when we did. So, we are excited to see what God is going to do in the lives of these young Russians.

Finally, it is time for Sooner Football, so this is were I wrap things up. It was an interesting day and I believe that God is orchestrating these opportunities for us to live our faith out in front of folks who don't have any more of a concept that Jesus can be a real part of their lives than they do of how to play American football. Fortunately, I happen to have a copy of the rule book...for both!

Blessings,

Marc

Feeling like I should blog...

2008-09-06T03:16:00.002-04:00

This Morning...

It is Saturday morning and Kellye and the girls have gone to Mega to shop and pick up a few things. John and I are hanging out at the house for a few hours before we join some of our Russian friends who have invited us to a picnic this afternoon. We treasure these invitations because they are tangible signs that we are being accepted into their everyday lives. I cannot tell you how much we have enjoyed working with these young people each week and how much their friendship keeps us going some weeks.

Now, I must admit that I have been feeling a little discouraged as of late. The details are really not all that important. However, when discouragements sets in it is a hard feeling to shake...even when you can see external signs that things are looking up or that your discouragement is not really rooted in reality. So, as you pray for us this week, please pray that God would help me work through this season quickly and that discouragement will be replaced with enthusiasm for our lives here.

We Finally Made It...

For months I have praying for us to just hold on long enough for September 1st to get here. Why September 1? Because that was a couple of weeks after the start of school. That was the date I was praying that our lives would feel just a little bit easier. And, you know what? It does. Thanks to some very generous gifts from people back home we were able to enroll our kids at Hinkson Christian Academy and have our first semester paid for. Kellye is also teaching a couple of classes there to help defray the costs. Why has this been so imoortant? Well, I think the biggest thing is that this school is where all of the missionary kids in Moscow attend. So, to be a homeschooled kid many times means that you get left out...even if it is unintentional. It also provides tremendous social opportunities for our children who have not grown up in a home school atmosphere or on the mission field. So, to be honest, this has released our family from feeling like prisoners in our own home. Sarah Beth is playing on the girls' soccer team, Hannah is taking piano lessons and John-John is getting involved in Cub Scouts. And, Kellye is getting to exercise her gifts as a teacher and is starting to have a ministry at the school in addition to all that she does for our family and through English Club. So, this is a time to give praises for the changes in our lives. Does that mean that every day is a good one? No. But it was not at home either, right? Thanks again to all the people that are helping make this possible.

Football and Feeling a Little, No...A Lot, Home Sick...

For those of you who read this and know me pretty well you know that on most occasions I am a pretty happy guy. And not just happy, but joyful. I love living in Moscow. I love the big city, all the different things there are to do and see here, and even riding on the buses and metro. But last Saturday I was swept by a wave of homesickness that was pretty hard to overcome. As you know, I am a nut about college football. (BOOMER SOONER!!!) And at home my day usually started early by making a pot of chili and then watching CollegeGameDay on ESPN followed by 12 hours of football games. Last year I missed most of the college season. On a few rare Saturdays we were able to watch a few games during our field training in Richmond, VA. But once we got to the field I was limited to watching the little game-tracker graphic on my computer with no audio or video. In December our family purchased a piece of technology that allows us to watch American television through the Internet on my computer. So, we were able to watch the bowl games and enjoy those, despite yet another Fiesta Bowl Sooner loss. So, I had spent month looking forward to last Saturday. We were gonna put ESPN up on the computer and watch GameDay and all the games into the wee hours of the morning. And, as the show started, I stood in the kitchen and wept like a little girl for what was only minutes, but felt like hours. I was so overcome by homesickness. Silly, isn't it? I was doing exactly what I wanted to do. It was not that I was accustomed to being AT the games, I was watching in the kitchen just like I always do. But I was so homesick and lonely. I eventually got over it and was able to watch and enjoy the games and plan to watch the Sooners tonight. But, this one little thing reminded me how much my life has changed over the last year. In most ways I would tell you that it has changed for the good. But, man, when homesickness and discouragement come, they come heavy and hard.

FaceBook

This past month I became part of the FaceBook generation. If you don't know what this is, you really should try it. It is an Internet tool for networking with family and friends. Well, in the past two weeks I have made contact with and become reacquainted with friends that I have not seen or talked with in 20+ years. It really has been amazing and such a tremendous blessing to me. So, to all of my FaceBook friends, thank you for encouraging me over these past two weeks and making me smile.

Well, I had planned to tell a few more stories and share more with you, but the time of the picnic has just been moved up by two hours and I have to get going.

Blessings,

Marc

Address Change

2008-08-16T12:37:00.002-04:00

Since arriving in Russia we have asked that when you send packages that you send them to our office address. However, we are in the process of relocating our offices and have been asked to have to have all packages sent to our personal addresses. So, if you are planning to send a box of goodies from America to Russia, please use our apartment address. Thanks!

Moscow 117485 Russia

Ulitsa Akademika Volgina

D. 8, K.2, Kv. 54

Marc & Kellye Hooks

RUSSIA

A lot of catching up to do

2008-08-15T06:17:00.004-04:00

Well, it has been ages since I sat down to write a blog. And, I could make lots of excuses for why I haven't done that. But instead I will try to just bring you up to date on all the things around here.

UNEXPECTED FRIENDS

Several weeks ago we received a phone call from one of our friends and colleagues who serves in the Far East of Russia...the area that almost connects Russia with Alaska. It seems that due to a SNAFU with the airlines there was a team of volunteers headed for the Far East and they were stranded in Moscow. Of course, I suited-up and headed for the airport to pick them up and helped arrange for a place for them to stay while they were in Moscow. Now, as it turns out, some of those folks are regular readers of the Hooks family blogs, so it was great to get to meet and spend time with people who pray for and support our ministry. After several days of negotiating with the airlines we were able to finally get them to their final destination so they could help with a youth camp. (By the way, there were a large handful of youth who accepted Jesus as their savior during that week.) I cannot tell you how wonderful it was and how encouraging it was to spend some time with these new friends of ours. It was a very special time for our family and we enjoyed getting to know them. Sometimes it is easy to forget that there are faithful friends back home who pray for us regularly, so this was really a time for encouragement.

STONES OF REMEMBRANCE

It is good to have times and places where we stop and evaluate our lives. For Kellye and I this usually takes place every summer as we celebrate our anniversary. I can honestly say that I never really expected to celebrate an anniversary in Moscow, Russia. And I really never expected to call that place my home. However, God has done some great and mighty things in the 18 years that we have been married. I think if I were to recount them all I would probably overwhelm the servers of the blogging network and cause a world-wide shutdown, so I won't do that. However, let me say how blessed a man I am that God gave Kellye Hodges Hooks to me. She is a tower of strength and the premiere example of what it means to be a godly woman of faith. She is not only my wife and best friend, but a wonderful and loving mother to my children and I am a blessed man. If you want to read more about the kind of woman she is, turn to the last chapter of the book of Proverbs and start reading in verse 10...you will see her described there.

SOME BITTER WITH THE SWEET

Unfortunately, our anniversary will also remind us of the passing of our dear friend Teri Tarleton. It was on this day that she went to be with her Jesus and left the rest of us to carry on the work here without her. She was not only a dear friend, but a godly wife and mother and example to us all of how to live on the mission field with hearts filled with joy regardless of circumstances. She will be missed by our family very much. We will miss her smile, her playful attitude, her cooking, her patience, her love for us and our children, and a myriad of other things. And, while we are saddened at her passing we celebrate a life lead for her Lord.

MOVING INTO MID-LIFE

We also celebrated Kellye's 41st birthday recently. It is amazing that a woman that looks so young and beautiful could be "into" her 40s. Wow! How blessed am I?

THE QUEST: MISSION UKRAINE

Most of the folks with our company who work in the Moscow offices are in the process of obtaining new work visas and work permits that will allow us to stay in the country long-term. Now this is a rather difficult process and the Russian government does not like to make life easy for foreigners. ("The Russian government does not like to make life easy for Russians either," said Dema, one of our Russian friends.) So several weeks ago we packed our bags and headed for Ukraine to obtain our new documents. In the recent past our folks had been able to get their new documents in Kiev. However, two weeks prior to our trip the Kiev office decided they were not going to process those kinds of documents anymore, so we had to go to Odessa. So after an overnight train ride to Kiev, we got Kellye and the kids settled into a company-owned apartment in Kiev and I jumped on a "bus" (it was really an 18-passenger van) headed for Odessa. Maybe one day this week I will write the full account of my very interesting trip, but for this blog's purposes I will summarize. Six hours later I arrived in Odessa... aptly named because the dictionary definition for odyssey reads "a long and eventful or adventurous journey." I arrived on Thursday night and was told at the consulate on Friday morning that my new documents would be ready that afternoon. After sitting in the waiting room for the entire day on Friday I was informed at 4:30 that getting the documents that day would be "impossible" and that I should return after 10am on Monday. So I spent the weekend exploring Odessa and then spent the entire day on Monday sitting in the waiting room waiting for my paperwork. Finally, around 4:30 on monday the consulate handed me our passports with the new visa stickers. Woo-hoo! Then it was back on the "bus" to Kiev. We spent a fun day at the zoo with friends of ours who live in Ukraine and that night we were back on the train to Moscow. OK, as I write this overview I now know that this week I need to tell the whole story, so stay tuned for that one. Needless to say, we arrived home safely and realized that we are starting to think of Moscow as "home."

THE RUSSIA FAMILY

Immediately upon our return to Moscow we started final preparations for our Annual General Meeting (AGM) which was being held at a retreat center about 2 hours south of Moscow. Kellye's description of this event in her blog does as good a job as any of describing the week-long meeting with our colleagues from around Russia, so I will refer you to her blog for more information. But let me add that there is something refreshing about sharing time together and swapping stories to be reminded that we are not alone here. In many places where we have personnel, their nearest contact with anyone from our company can be as much as several thousand miles away. So it is nice to be reminded that we are not alone here...that we all hate language school...and that we all face similar struggles and though we may not be seeing them in our own back yard, there are success stories from across Russia. God is at work in this place and this was a good reminder of that.

So, as we spend the weekend sharing a few more precious moments with dear friends who serve on the opposite end of the country, let me say to you that the one thing that we all have in common is that we are grateful for the people around the world who read our blogs, who pray for us, who give to missions offerings, and who remember that God has called all of us to missions whether we are living in the States or in a city or village where the language is not our own.

Blessings,

Marc

PRAYER NOTICE-Tarleton Family

2008-07-28T15:02:00.003-04:00

Friends,

I will write more personally in the days to come, but want to share a press release from our office with you. Teri was a dear friend of our family and will be missed greatly.

"It is with broken hearts that we inform you that Teri Tarleton passed away Monday, July 28, 2008 at her home in Moscow from an apparent heart attack. She was 49 years old. Teri was scheduled for heart tests later in the week.

At this time arrangements are being made. However, it will be several days before final arrangements can be confirmed. We will notify you of those arrangements at that time.

We know that Teri loved her Lord and we do not grieve as "those who have no hope" yet our tears are shed for our loss and for our friends. We encourage you to join us in prayer for her family and friends at this time."

MAT Video (Part Three-Bible Study)

2008-07-07T11:55:00.002-04:00

MAT Video (Part Two-Our Strategy)

2008-07-07T11:45:00.002-04:00

Moscow Arts Team (Part One-Events)

2008-07-07T11:29:00.004-04:00

The past few weeks have been like a whirlwind. We have all but stopped taking language lessons, brought new people into our English Club, moved a Bible study to our home on Sunday and said goodbye (at least for now) to our dear friends Jeff and Karla who are headed back to Florida for their Stateside Assignment. Before Jeff left we worked long and hard to produce a couple of videos about our work here in Moscow so he could share them with his students at Baptist College of Florida and the churches where he will have an opportunity to speak. So here is part one of our Moscow Arts Team DVD. If you would like more information about our team or would like to contact Jeff about coming to your church while he is in the States, please visit our website at www.hope4artists.com or email Jeff at: jefpul@everyheart.net

Photo from House Church

2008-06-30T15:30:00.002-04:00

Since it was Jeff & Karla's last Sunday, we posed for a group photo.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

2008-06-30T02:18:00.003-04:00

In many ways this week has been no different than most here in Russia. There have been soaring highs, crushing lows, days that you desperately want to pack up and go home land later (even on the same day) you can't imagine being anywhere or doing anything else. The week was filled with both language failures and successes. And, in a period of a week, the Russian Football (soccer) Team took made our spirits soar and then brought us crashing back to the ground as they just barely missed being able to play in the championship game. With all of that being said, it is funny to me how we have started to feel nationalistic about our adopted country in such a short time. Even when we are at our lowest and the suitcases come out of the closet we stop and ask ourselves "but what about..." and then we start to list the names of Russian friends we have made who have not had the chance to give their lives to Jesus. And that list is becoming longer. Every week we seem to make new relationships and we pray that God will use our friendship to allow the Gospel to be shared. And I don't think we will ever feel that the work here is finished because as soon as one gets saved, there will always be another new friend that we couldn't bear to leave until they were saved too. In a city of around 15-million people, I think we could be here for quite some time.

Let me add this on a total side note. I am finishing a video about our team and their strategy and I hope to post that here sometime later this week. However, I think it is important to remind folks back home that most of the people that we work with are"totally lost" in the sense that they have no background or concept of religion to work with as a starting point. Many who are a little older (25+) have told me that under the Soviet Union, Communism was their god. "Lenin and Stalin were our gods and we worshiped them," one lady told me. So, sharing the good news of Jesus and his sacrifice for our sins is not as simple as meeting for a cup of coffee at Country Cabin and finishing lunch with the "sinner's prayer." It is about forging deep relationships and personal trust which then gives us the right to share our faith. It is about them realizing that our lives and our family is different from theirs and them developing a hunger for wanting to understand what about us makes us different. The work of sharing the Gospel here is slow. However, in the end what we will find is that we have made a host of new friends and pray that they will one day meet us in heaven. That makes the daily struggles worthwhile.

OK, my sidebar is over.

Our team leader, Jeff, and his family head home this next week for their year of Stateside Assignment. Jeff and Karla will be serving as the Missionaries in Residence at the Baptist College of Florida in Graceville, Florida. Our whole family will miss them very much. They have not been just our team leaders, they have been our friends and I assure you that without their friendship, guidance, advice, shoulders to cry on, etc. that we would have given up and left Moscow long before now. So, I am grateful to them and ask that you pray for them as they transition back home this week.

And that brings me to the long list of changes that are in process...

First, let me tell you about church yesterday...all six and a half hours of it!!! That's right, you did not misread. We met as a church for 6 1/2 hours. For weeks you have been praying about our decision to host a Bible Study and yesterday was the first meeting in our home. It was truly amazing. Jeff and his family joined us for their last meeting with the group and we were also joined by another missionary family who has just moved from St. Petersburg to Moscow. But more importantly, there were 7 Russians who were with us yesterday! That meant that we had more than 20 people crammed into our living room as we sang songs of worship and studied the Bible. Our worship time and Bible study was at least three hours. Then we shared a meal together and fellowshipped. We played cards for awhile and then we had another spontaneous time of praise and worship again. It left us so excited about the decision we have made to host this group and it is so encouraging as we watch our new friends wrestle with the Word of God and see the Holy Spirit working in them. We are also excited by the fact that they are already stepping up and sharing in the leadership roles. We thought it was very important that they begin taking ownership of the group and started leading as well as participating. So, one of the guys has volunteered to play guitar each week and another (very shy) girl has agreed to facilitate the Bible study portion...a huge step for her. Next week we will start a six-week study on the life of Peter. Please be in prayer for our group as we use the life of this disciple to draw us closer in our relationship with Jesus.

Change number two...we are down to just six hours left of language learning!!!! As the Russians would say, "Oooo-rrrrah!" Our teacher in on vacation in Turkey this week so we will have the week off as well and then will study for three days next week and be finished...at least for awhile. Now, before you think us arrogant, know that we are nowhere close to knowing all of the things we need to learn and still struggle just to watch television and understand what is being said. However, we are grateful for what this break means in our lives. We are looking forward to spending more time with our children and doing things as a family. And, we are looking forward to our language learning taking on different forms...like actually talking with people. One of the drawbacks to full-time language study is that when you spend your day studying lessons and doing homework from textbooks it leaves you very little time to get out of the apartment and actually talk with people. So, I am especially looking forward to that. There is a possibility that in the fall I will start taking lessons again for six hours a week. But, none of that has been set in stone so we are reveling in our accomplishment and looking forward to the freedom it will bring to our lives.

Change number three...we are getting a vehicle!!!!! Our Moscow leadership decided this week to let us use the van assigned to Jeff and Karla while they are in the States. We are so excited about this decision because it will make our lives here just a little bit easier. It will also allow us to pick up Lilliana for church each week. She is 82 and could not attend if she had to take public transportation. We are trying to be cautious about how we use this new asset because it could be re-assigned at any time and will certainly go back to Jeff's family when he returns next year. And, when that happens we are back to using our feet and public transit, so we will try not to over-use the van while we have it. However, in the meantime it will allow us to transport groceries in large quantities from the store...and that, my friends, is worth the price of admission.

Change four...this week I officially transfer to my "real job" as the Russia Field Media Coordinator. This change, for me, is probably the most exciting of all because it means that I finally get to put my concentration on the things I am good at, and to finally be able to do the things that God called me here to do. I will tell you more about my new job throughout the summer, but my primary functions will be to (1) visit cities where we do not have any personnel and produce media pieces that will create interest in future personnel serving in these areas; (2) assist current personnel in the field with creating media pieces about their work in Russia; (3) work with the Russia Leadership Team in creating support pieces for our work here. As you can see, my life is getting to be radically different and I will most likely spend around 10 days a month away from home. Please pray for Kellye and the kids as we transition into this radically different lifestyle.

Change five...and this is not a good one...visa laws. The government changed their visa laws again this week and fellow colleagues are having trouble obtaining their new visas/work permits. We are scheduled to get our new documents in August. We were supposed to travel to Kiev, Ukraine to get this done, but have now been told that the Kiev office will no longer issue the documents we need, so as of today we really don't know what the plan is. Please pray that God will make a way for us to stay in Moscow to work with our friends here.

This week is the corner we have been waiting to turn for some time now. It is hard to believe that we have been in the country for nine months. It is hard to believe that we finally feel we have at least a base knowledge of the Russian language. It is hard to believe that we have made relationships with Russians and that there is a group of them studying the Bible in our home each week. And, it is hard to believe that most days I cannot imagine doing anything else with my life right now. That does not mean that all days are happy ones. As a matter of a fact, it generally means that we are under attack much more frequently and that makes life hard. If you never have before, I ask that you pray for our family over the next two months. If you have been praying all along, I ask that you double that amount this summer. While most of these changes are great ones we are aware that this time in our missionary career is a particularly sensitive one and is usually the point where a family either takes off and soars or crashes and burns. Pray that this week especially will be the one where we begin our ascent.

Blessings,
Marc

Here are some photos from house church yesterday:

I didn't have a wide-angle lens for my camera so you can't see everybody, but this gives you an idea of what our very full living room looked like.

Our "Russian Cowboy", Cyrill, singing during our praise and worship time. Notice his sweatshirt. Cyrill loves all things American and usually wears cowboy boots and a cowboy hat...quite a sight in Moscow.

Jeff leading us in worship.

Dema and his nephew Vita.

Lilliana...'nuff said. :-)

By The Numbers... (June Edition)

2008-06-21T11:05:00.004-04:00

Because next month holds many new changes in our lives and because we are looking forward to those changes, this past month has felt rather monotonous. School is out, but Kellye and I continue to study language. We have said goodbye to friends as they have left the field, some for good and others for just awhile. And, we have suffered through Moscow's little annoyances like our dryer breaking after having it for just a week. So, as I took time this week to get excited about the week ahead (there is some fun stuff coming and I will tell you all about that next week), I also decided to take a look backwards and let the numbers do the talking. So, here is the June 08 edition of "By the Numbers."

265 - The number of days we have lived in Moscow.

492- The number of classroom hours we have studied Russian.

328- The approximate number of hours spent doing Russian homework.

820- The approximate number of total hours spent studying the Russian Language.

23.54- That is how many Russian Rubles we get for every American dollar.

232- The cost (in Rubles) for a kilogram of cheese.

424- The cost (in Rubles) for 24 half-liter bottles of Coca-Cola.

1,997- The monthly cost (in American Dollars) for the rent of our 2-bedroom apartment.

3 to 7- The number of miles we walk each day.

1- The distance, in miles, to the nearest Metro (subway) station.

25- The number of Russian students "enrolled" in our weekly English Club.

2- The number of students we started with on the first week of our English Club.

9- The average number of Russian students who now attend each week.

90- The number of blog posts I have written.

3,740- The approximate number of visits to this blog since October 2007.

40- The approximate number of countries represented by the people who read this blog.

14- The average number of visits to this site each day.

So, whether you are one of the 14 people who check this site every day, or just one of the people in one of the 40 countries around the globe who are interested in what and how we are doing in Moscow...THANK YOU!!! Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. Thank you for praying. We could hardly do more than get out of bed without your prayers and support.

Next week... "Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!!"

A lot of catching up to do

2008-06-13T13:57:00.002-04:00

They say that you start to slow down once you hit 40, so that is the excuse I am using for not posting since my birthday a couple of weeks ago. The truth of the matter is that part of the reason I have not written is that I have been pretty busy over the past couple of weeks. The other half of the reason is that nothing of consequence has really happened and therefore there is not much to write about. However, at the prodding of my family I am going to attempt to bring you up to speed on the not-so-exciting adventures of daily life in Moscow.

Let's start with my birthday. My wonderful wife, Kellye, went above and beyond to make this a special birthday for me. As you can imagine, living the missionary life does not leave you with a lot of money in your bank account for extravagant birthday gifts. So Kellye took this opportunity to make this a memorable birthday not with the expense of the gifts, but for the sentiment. At a dinner party with our Moscow missionary family, Kellye presented me with a scrapbook filled with letters from friends and family around the world wishing me a happy birthday. Many of you who read this blog contributed to the book and it was truly wonderful. I heard from friends that I have not seen in over 15 years as well as missionary friends from around the world. Those of you who know me well know that I am a "weeper" so it should be no surprise to you that as I read greetings from these important people I had tears streaming down my cheeks. In addition, Kellye's parents sent a truly amazing quilt made from t-shirts I have collected for 20 years. There were shirts from Oklahoma Baptist University, from radio stations where I have worked, from t-shirt logos that I designed and a variety of other memorable times in my life. It is really cool and very special. During English Club that week we had another party to celebrate my 40th and my students wrote acrostic poems using the letters in my name to describe me. Also very special. They also were very generous and gave me a few gifts, including a t-shirt with the Russian flag on it.

Our language lessons continue. And, while they can be very frustrating some days, I feel like we are starting to have some degree of success with the language. We even felt comfortable enough with our language skills that we returned a DVD to a store the day after we bought it because it was not working properly. And, while we did not get our money back, we did get them to let us choose another movie. All in all, a language success.

Our "new" clothes dryer that Kellye has been so excited about died a week after we got it. We are currently waiting for a service man to come out and tell us if it can be revived or not. Until then it is back to crunchy jeans and underwear from the drying rack.

I am about two weeks away from transitioning from the Moscow Arts Team to the Russia Field Administration Team. What does this really mean? It means that after nine months on the field I will finally get to start doing the things I came here to do. I will start working on media projects, traveling the country, and creating media pieces which will hopefully draw new missionaries to the field. It also means that I will spend more language learning time in OJT and less in the classroom and I am looking forward to that.

As Kellye has mentioned in her blogs, we have a lot of people from Moscow who are moving back to the States. Some are going just for the summer, some for a year and some for longer. While this is difficult, we are celebrating that God has brought friends from St. Petersburg to Moscow to live and our children are already becoming fast friends. Tomorrow is movie night at our house and we will have a full house as we watch Horton. We have also started a weekly Phase 10 night with friends and this is one of the highlights of my week.

Many of you have joined us in prayer as we were presented with the opportunity to host and facilitate a Bible Study/Church for Russians in our home. We have felt God's leading in this matter so this week we will start meeting with the existing group and three weeks from now we will officially move the group to our home. We are excited about this because it will be yet another opportunity to share our faith in a very real way. And, having the group in our home will also make it easier for us to invite those attending our English Club to our Bible study. Please continue to make this a matter of prayer.

Whew! So, that about sums it up. A lot of activity, but not much else to say. Life here continues to be interesting. There are good days and bad, but the days we want to get the suitcases out and come home have all but disappeared. I still don't like Russian food, but am starting to look like "an olive on a toothpick" because Kellye keeps my belly nice and fat with her great cooking and my legs are getting skinnier and skinnier from all the walking we do each week.

Know that we love each of you and enjoy hearing from you.

Blessings,
Marc

PS- Each Saturday we write a prayer letter update from the past week that is sent to the leadership of our partner churches. Some of you have expressed interest in getting this letter so we have started posting our weekly letters on a different blog site. The address is: www.hooksworldprayer.blogspot.com Please feel free to share this address or print these updates and share them with your Sunday School classes, WMU groups, etc.

Also, if you would like to read stories about how people in Russia are finding saving faith in Jesus Christ, you can read our new newsletter "Blessings 4 Every Heart." It can be found at www.hope4russia.org/blessing or you can subscribe to the weekly email by filling out the form in the top left of the page.

The up-sides of 40...

2008-05-26T00:43:00.003-04:00

So, I woke up this morning another year older. No big deal. Just another day, right? Yeah, sure...until you say it out loud..."I'm 40!" Wow! That kind of stings a little. However, I am determined to make my 40th year a banner year and to do and see things that I have never done before. Pretty easy considering that I live in Russia, but none the less...

Now by nature I am a pretty optimistic guy, so I thought I would try to take an optimistic view as I enter my fourth decade. One of the best things about turning 40 is that I am the last one in the club. Among our friends I have always been the youngest. I am younger than Kellye, Cathy, Kay, Mike, Teressa, Neil, Robert, and Larry (ok, only by a couple of weeks, but it still counts). So, while this worked to my disadvantage (and I took quite a bit of teasing about it) 20 years ago, I can spend the rest of my life knowing they reach the great landmarks of time before me!

It is tradition for Russian men not to celebrate their 40th birthdays. When I asked why, I got a vague explanation about something about Moses and him being 40 but they were not really sure of the reason. I have chosen to embrace the day, but I also decided this morning that I would do a Biblical search for the phrase 40 years. I mean, 40 is one of "God's numbers", right? That would imply that there was some pretty good stuff happening when you turn 40. Here is what I found:

- Isaac married Rebekah at the age of 40 (Gen 25:20) and Esau married Judith when he was 40 (Gen 26:34) Those are both pretty good. I am glad that I found my wonderful bride 20 years earlier and didn't have to wait until I was 40. But getting a good wife is certainly worth waiting 40 years.

- The books of Exodus and Numbers provide no comfort. They are filled with references to the Children of Israel suffering for 40 years. I think I will pass on that one if God doesn't mind.

- Deuteronmy 2:7 is a good one. It says, "These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything." That is certainly true. My family is a living testament that God has been with me and has blessed me. Of course, this verse refers to the 40 years of suffering in the desert, but it is good to know that even in the midst of suffering that God is with us and provides for our needs. In other verses the Old Testament talks about the children of Israel not even needing new clothes or shoes. Considering I have already gone through one pair of shoes since we moved here that would not be too bad either.

- Joshua was 40 years old when Moses sent him out to explore the promised land. (Joshua 14:7) Like Joshua I feel like the important part of my life is just beginning. Everything I have done before now has just been training for the mission God has given me in Russia. Sure, I get homesick and there are days I would rather do anything but speak Russian. However, I can tell you that most days I feel more comfortable here and with what God has called us to do than anything I ever did in the States. He has gifted me with a wonderful and Godly wife who stands by my side and encourages me every step along the way. It is exciting to look back over the past 40 years and see how God has used my different experiences (both good and bad) to shape me into the man I am today and to prepare me for what lies ahead. I am sure that Joshua felt excited as he crossed that first ridge into the promised land. I can relate to that and am glad that he did not send me when I was younger.

- Saul's son, Ish-Bosheth, was 40 when he became king of Israel. (2 Samuel 2:10) Now that is a pretty good gig. He only reigned two years though and kings usually lost their thrones by winding up dead, so there might be a few drawbacks there.

- In Acts 4:22 we read of a man who was 40 years old when he was healed by Peter and John. Not a bad birthday present.

- It was at age 40 when Moses left the palace of Pharaoh to visit his fellow Israelites and witnessed their suffering. (Acts 7) Just before I left for training I found that part of my family immigrated to America from Ufa, Russia. While I would certainly not presume to compare myself with Moses, I think I understand a little bit how he felt when he left his place of privilege at age 40 to see his kinsmen. I am inexplicably drawn to Russia and her people. Even on the worst of days I love them. Perhaps because in some way their history is my history. Regardless of the reason, I am always a little awed that God would wait until Moses was 40 to start using him for His purposes. I hope that in God's timeline I am coming to an age where I can be used by him more and more.

So, on my 40th birthday I choose to celebrate. I choose to celebrate that God has redeemed a worthless life and allowed me to live this long. I choose to celebrate the wife with whom He as gifted me. I choose to celebrate the family He has surrounded me with. And I choose to celebrate that no matter how old I am, I am still younger than my friends!!

Recovering from RamCorps

2008-05-24T04:52:00.004-04:00

We have had a great week ministering with the students from the University of Mobile. Their group, RamCorps, spent last week in Moscow playing one or two concerts each day in various locations around the city. While the concerts were certainly great, the students quickly came to understand that their purpose was less about the music and more about making connections with the Russian people they got to meet along the way. As a result, we already have seen three new people join our English club this week and have deepened relationships with people who were already familiar with our cultural exchange work.

As you can imagine, we are exhausted. So today our schedule is clear and although there are many things to be done, not the least of which is housework, we have dedicated the day to resting and getting our bodies back on schedule. I plan to write more about the RamCorps visit in the days to come, but in the meantime here is a brief video from their week in Moscow.

Blessings,
Marc

PHOTO ESSAY - Victory Day 2008

2008-05-10T10:07:00.008-04:00

On Friday, May 9, Russians celebrated their victory over Hitler (or Gitler, as they pronounce it) and the Nazis in World War II. That afternoon I went to Парк Победа (Victory Park) where millions gathered for concerts and to celebrate and honor veterans of WWII. Here are some images...

This is a victory gate located just outside of the park. It commemorates the Russia's victory over Napoleon.

The park entrance. The sign says "Victory!"

This emblem was at the top of a long column near the entrance to the park. Notice the letters CCCP (or USSR). Russians continue to use these initials on Victory Day because it was the Soviet Army that defeated the Germans, and not just soldiers from Russia.

One of the many veterans that donned their old uniforms and medals so that they could be honored.

Notice the flowers in this soldier's hand. It is customary to present the veterans with a long-stemmed carnation.

Their were flags everywhere. The wind was blowing this one backwards, but if you put it up to a mirror it spells "Russia"

To me, this is what a Russian WWII veteran should look like.

Many of the millions of people were carrying Russian and Soviet flags.

I was surprised at how many female WWII veterans were at the park proudly displaying their medals.

Veterans and babies...could you stage better photo-ops?

I love this monument. It is to memorialize the cooperation Russia received from other countries in fighting the Nazis. The two soldiers on the left are Soviet, the right-center soldier is an American and the soldier on the right is British. On Monday in Red Square we met a Veteran Soviet General who told us we should remind our folks back home that "Americans and Russians fought shoulder-to-shoulder to save the world."

And finally, this is me with my Russian Federation flag (that is now in my bedroom) in front of one of the monuments.

I almost ran away from home this morning...

2008-05-07T14:10:00.002-04:00

After struggling with, and then giving up on, my homework this morning I wanted to run away from home. After all, how easy would it be to go to out to the store and then disappear into the sea of millions that inhabit Moscow. But then I remembered that I hadn't brought my Russian Language notebooks to the store with me and without them I would not be able to tell people to put things down, to lie things down, or to hang things up. And, to make matters worse, I haven't yet learned how to pick things up.

So...

I came home.

Not seeing what is in front of our eyes...

2008-04-27T00:41:00.005-04:00

Today is Easter in Russia. Due to the fact that the Eastern Orthodox churches use a different calendar to calculate their holidays, most often we do not celebrate religious holidays at the same time as most of the rest of the world. This does have its advantages though. For one, we get to celebrate twice...once with our traditions and once with theirs. But I think even more importantly it usually brings me back to familiar scripture passages more than one time a year. And each time I read them I gain new insight.

Since our first trip to Russia more than a year ago I have been struck with a singular thought and lingering question...how can a people be surrounded with the truth and not see what is before their eyes? This morning I re-read the Easter accounts in all four Gospels - a practice I have held on Easter morning since I was a teenager. So, you would expect that it would be difficult to see anything new. However, it seems that each time I read these passages I see something that I have never really seen before.

Russia is not what we would classify as a "heathen" nation. In fact, Christianity has been a part of Russia for centuries. Almost everywhere you look you can see at least one brightly-colored onion-shaped dome capped with a cross marking a Russian Orthodox church or cathedral. There are even several within the Kremlin walls. And, much like in America, Russians are surrounded by the symbolism of Christianity. Religious holidays are celebrated by nearly everyone in the country - believers and non-believers alike. And most know the religious stories tied with the holiday. How is it then that a nation who knows the stories of Christ can not see the the truth locked in the stories and traditions? This question has bothered me for the better part of a year...not just for Russia, but for my home country as well.

Yet this morning as I was reading it hit me. The Jews of Jesus day were not really any different than we are today. The answer to my question is this...it is because most people are not seeking answers from what is placed clearly before them.

Let's take a quick look at the scriptures to see what I am talking about. First, the women who came to the tomb were not looking for the resurrected Jesus. They were coming to mourn. They were not looking for an empty tomb. When Peter and John went back to the tomb, were they looking for a risen Jesus? No. The men on the road to Emmaus were not expecting to be walking down the road or sharing a meal with a man they had watched be crucified just days before. Even after he explained the scriptures about himself to them they did not really understand what was plainly in front of them until he allowed himself to be revealed to them. And when Jesus appeared before all the disciples in the upper room he proceeded to give them a lesson in the scriptures so they could understand how the teachings of Moses, all the prophets pointed to Him.

You see, the Jews of Jesus' time were surrounded by a religious culture. One with religious holidays and festivals and customs. And, just like us, they were blind to the real meaning and significance of those holidays. This is not a new phenomenon. I imagine that the priests of Jesus day had to remind the people that their was deep, significant meaning behind the ceremonies and customs that surrounded the High Holy Days. (Who knows, maybe they even had bumper stickers made for the back of their ox carts that read "Moses is the reason for the season.")

So what can we take from this blindness to things that seem so obvious to us as believers? First, I think it is important that we not assume that just because we are surrounded by the truth that everyone understands that significance. Secondly, I think we must remember that it is not their fault that they do not recognize that truth. And thirdly, and most importantly, I think that we need to remember that none of the people in the Biblical accounts of Easter came to the realization of Jesus' resurrection on their own. In every account, Jesus had to open their eyes. And, in many cases, he used the scriptures, holidays, and customs to teach them that all of these things that they were familiar with all pointed to Him.

I think it also important to remember the response to His teaching. The men on the road to Emmaus returned to Jerusalem saying, "It's really happened! The Master has been raised up!" Mary Magdalene called him "Rabboni" and clung to him and wept. And Thomas fell to his knees and proclaimed, "My Lord and my God!" You see, revelation of the scriptures and the true nature of Jesus as the Christ comes only after He opens our eyes.

Our responsibility, no matter where in the world you are when you read this, is to help those around us understand how the holidays, traditions, and most importantly the scriptures point to Jesus. To explain to them how and why God came to earth to live a sinless life among us and how he chose to sacrifice Himself to save us from our sins. And, to remind our family, friends and neighbors that the tomb of the man know as Jesus remains empty to this day. We are to tell them that having a relationship with the living God is more than ritual and religion. It is our responsibility to share that true Christianity comes from asking Jesus to forgive us of our sins and inviting Him to live in our hearts.

We cannot open the eyes of those around us. Only God can do that. But we have the responsibility to tell others what we know to be true. All of creation and history points to Him...Jesus, who is the Christ and who is risen!

христос воскрес! (Christos Vos-kress! He is Risen!)
воистину воскрес! (Va-east-a-new Vos-kress! Truly He is Risen!)

Blessings on this Easter morning,
Marc