Marc Ira Hooks-Personal Blog

Jet-lag Is Not A Pretty Thing

2009-02-21T04:47:00.003-05:00

According to the clock on my computer, it is almost 1PM. However, the clock on the wall says that it is almost 5am. The preferred, and logical, explanation for this is that the clock on the wall stopped working this morning. However, the reality of the situation is that my body is now eight time zones behind my body, and although I am exhausted from traveling almost 23 hours yesterday, it is early in the morning and I am fairly wide awake. So, that gave me time to write a little blog.

Currently, I am at my parents' house in Maryland. The IMB media personnel are having a conference in Richmond, VA this week, so I took that chance to spend a little time at the Hooks Homestead. Tomorrow I will have the opportunity to speak at my home church in Westminster about life in Moscow and the work in Russia and then will head off for Richmond.

While I am so grateful to be back in the States for a few days, I must say that it has been a little bit more overwhelming than I imagined it would be. Standing in Kennedy Airport yesterday afternoon, I was almost totally overcome by the sights,sounds, and smells of America. And, it began almost immediately. There is just something special about bypassing the long lines of people at Passport Control because you are going to the line that says "US Citizens" and then having the guy behind the desk smile, stamp your passport, and say (in English) "welcome home." Even as I write this, the thought has me a little choked up.

Sounds are funny too. When you live in a foreign culture, your ear gets used to hearing that language. And, even though you may speak that foreign language, you never really stop having to work to understand the things that are being said around you. So, when you live your life surrounded by the sounds of a different language, when you hear somebody speaking English, your brain automatically keys into the familiar. If somebody is speaking English in a large crowd, my mind will automatically focus on the familiar. However, standing in the middle of the airport in New York where EVERYBODY spoke English, it was kind of like having my radar jammed. I didn't know where to look or whom to listen. Very strange experience.

If you know me at all, you know that I love to eat. So walking through the airport where I saw Chili's, Burger King, Dunkin' Donuts...it was almost more than my poor little nervous system could take. Dinner with my parents last night was a Texas Roadhouse for a good old-fashioned American steak. I have no idea what the rest of the week will hold, but I am beginning to think that maybe I should pick up a few pairs of pants with elastic waistbands because I am not sure how long it will take me to lose the 75 pounds that I am sure to put on after this week.

Of course, being with family for a few days is a treasured experience. And, I am not sure what more I can say about that. It is nice to walk through the gate of the airport and see your parents and realize that no matter how old you get, you are still loved and they still like to see you come home.

So, my American adventure begins. I am looking forward to the week. I miss my family and wish they could be here with me. But, I have promised to return with all kinds of American goodies. I hope that makes me being gone a little easier for them to bear.

Blessings,

Marc

Long time, no blog...

2009-02-06T00:57:00.004-05:00

I feel like it has been forever since I have had a chance to sit down long enough to gather my thoughts and blog. And, while my thoughts are far from gathered an unfortunate accident last week that left me with a broken pinky toe has given me lots of time this week to sit around and catch up on life in general.

If you haven't heard by now, the big news in our lives is that this summer we will be moving to Prague, Czech Republic for me to take a new position with our company. I will serve on the Forward Communications Team for the European Affinity Group. While that is quite a mouthful, what it means is that I will be working with missionaries from across Europe and not just in Russia. Of course, this was a very difficult decision for our family to make. While we do not usually enjoy life in Moscow, we do love Russia and Russians, and we believe that we will always work with some kind of Russian ministry. We are very excited because we have many friends that life in and near Prague and it will be a joy to live in such a fairy-tale city. At the same time, we will miss the dear friends (both American and Russian) that we have made while we have been here.

The Engage Russia project continues to roll on at full pace, although I am on the injured reserve list this week. Tim and Jimmy will still travel to Bryansk this weekend where they will shoot interviews for another partnership profile. The thing I hate about missing this trip is that I will not get to see a winter river-side baptism where they will cut a hole in the ice in order to baptize. I hate to miss seeing that firsthand. Next weekend we are scheduled to go to the Arctic Circle and the city of Murmansk. Believe it or not, it has been warmer there than it was during our trip to Siberia! We are grateful for all of the people that have come alongside of us during this project. Several weeks ago we officially launched our new web site (www.engagerussia.org) and as of today we have 222 members on our Engage Russia Facebook group. That is truly amazing! In addition, we have made contact with several churches who will be staging a 4-week prayer campaign for the Chuvash people group and two churches are sending volunteer teams to Cheboksary over the next six months. God is good.

I am starting to realize that my time with my children is starting to slip past. In recent weeks I have had the opportunity to catch up with old friends through Facebook. And, as I look at some of the photos from our high school days that have been posted, I am often shocked to think that Sarah Beth is now the age I was when many of those photos were taken. Where has time gone? I have no idea. While I am excited to listen to her make plans for her future (which at this point include OBU), I often realize that my time with her is quickly slipping through my fingers. I wish you could know what an incredible young lady she is. She is funny, smart, and so in-tune with God. She makes me laugh and smile and I am so proud of her. I know that I am her Daddy, but you really should get to know SB if you have the chance. Hannah and John are equally amazing and it always surprises me when I look at my kids to see how different they are. Hannah is sooooo smart, and such a hard worker. She is constantly making sure she is where she needs to be in school and she studies non-stop. She is also incredibly creative. I love to watch her sit at the computer and create. She also crochets, knits, and makes all sorts of interesting things. She tries to be funny, and sometimes succeeds. But, she always makes me smile and I love it when she curls up with me just to snuggle. John is...well, John is just John. He is one funny kid. He is so creative, and incredibly computer savvy. He amazes me each week as we get a new spelling list. There is rarely a Monday where he does not know how to spell all the words for Friday. John is very social and adores his friends. Nothing about life in a foreign country seems to bother John. While he is learning Russian in school, communication never seems to be a barrier for him, even if he does not really understand what the other person is saying. John is going to love all people and God's "little guys" (bugs and anything creepy crawly) no matter what. He loves to memorize his Bible verses for the week and will be the first to correct you if you misquote (or even use another translation.) So, while my job keeps me very busy with travel, I am especially thankful for the times I have at home to spend with my children. I think I will cherish them for as long as they last.

And, speaking of cherish. I can never say enough about my wife. Scholars have not invented enough words for me to tell you about Kellye -- in English or Russian. (OK, maybe they have in Russian. But if they have, I haven't learned them yet. And if I did, I have forgotten them already.) My wife is one of the greatest people I know and she is not just my wife, but my best friend too. Last night we were sitting on the bed together, watching television and eating pizza...not really doing anything, and it was my favorite part of my day. Just a quiet moment that we got to share together.

So, what do the next couple of months hold? Next weekend we will travel to Murmansk. Following that I am attending a media conference in Richmond, VA and have arranged to spend the weekend before and after the conference with my parents in Maryland. So, I am really looking forward to my time in the States, seeing family and friends, and speaking in churches about the Engage Russia project. I will be here in Moscow to celebrate birthdays with Hannah and Sarah Beth and then it is back on the road again. There is a possibility I will be traveling to Rome, Italy to work on a video project and following that I will take a quick trip back to Surgut to get video footage of a traditional Khanti festival. Then our family will lead a mission team to Cheboksary to work with the Chuvash. We will renew our visas in April and will be out of the country for a few weeks while those are processed. And, in May my pastor, Alan, and I will travel to central Siberia to shoot video for an Engage Russia project. In June we will lead another team to Chuvashia and then head off to Greece for our annual conference. The week we return from Greece we will finish packing our apartment and make the move to Prague. So, as you can see, the next six months will be both busy and exciting. Pray for our family as we travel, minister, move and say hard goodbyes.

Again, let me thank you for following us on this journey and for keeping us in your prayers.

Blessings,

Marc

Trying to catch my breath...

2009-01-29T01:52:00.003-05:00

I have not written much in this space lately. And, quite frankly, the main reason is that I have been so busy writing things for other places, that I have neglected my own space. So, while I have a few minutes of quiet this morning I thought I would try to catch up just a little.

Last Monday we officially launched a new web site (www.EngageRussia.org) which is the centerpiece of our Engage Russia initiative. This website is the central hub for the campaign and is what connects folks from around the world with what we are doing here in Russia. We also have a profile page and group on Facebook and are hoping the 200+ people that are part of that group will begin dialoging together about how they can cooperate together and form partnerships with field personnel here in Russia. If you haven't joined already, you should!

If you don't know already, it is my primary responsibility to create media which connects people from around the globe with our field missionaries in the hopes of forming partnerships that will engage the unreached people groups of Russia. What does that really mean? It means that I am constantly on the road or connected to my computer creating video, writing materials, sending updates, or promoting these unreached people groups. And, so far, I think it has been quite successful. In the two months since our first trip to the Republic of Chuvashia there have been around half a dozen churches who have committed to pray for, and in some cases, physically engage the Chuvash people. That is pretty exciting for me.

Last week we went to Northwestern Siberia in search of the Khanti people group. We never found them. It was too cold and too dangerous for us to go on an expedition to find this semi-nomadic tribe of reindeer herders. But, it was a good trip and we learned a lot about the people that will be useful in the future. We hope to complete that project in the spring.

This afternoon we leave for Udmurtia. I am looking forward to it. I love the Udmurt people and taking the overnight train is always one of my favorite things. We will be gone until Monday shooting a video feature on a couple of volunteers who are working in the area this week. Why? Because we want to show that there is no one "profile" for the kind of person who would come to work with the unreached of Russia.

Well, time is running out and I must pack my bags and pick up a sack full of chicken sandwiches to much on while on the train. More updates next week.

Blessings,

Marc

Off on another adventure...follow along

2009-01-20T12:23:00.000-05:00

Team Engage Russia is currently in sub-zero Siberia working on a feature about the Khanti people group. Although our Internet connections are spotty right now, you can follow us on our adventures in several ways:

1. Follow us on Twitter. Throughout the day we will be posting updates, and sometimes photos, as to what we are doing. Our Twitter ID is: engage_russia. You can link to our Twitter updates through the Engage Russia website or blog. Or you can link directly through the Twitter website (www.twitter.com)

2. Read our blogs. Marc, Tim and Jimmy will all be posting stories and updates on our blog. The address is www.engagerussia.blogspot.com.

3. Connect through our newly-created website. There you will find Twitter updates, links, stories, photos, etc. The address is www.EngageRussia.org.

More from me in this space when we get back to Moscow next week.

On a personal note, please pray not just for our team as we travel, but for our families as we are away for them.

Blessings,
Marc

Bringing in 2009 from Red Square

2009-01-02T09:16:00.003-05:00

Remembering Aunt Lee

2008-12-14T02:50:00.003-05:00

I am sad today. Last night I received the news that my Aunt Lee died after a bout with cancer. Now, the good news is that last week she prayed to accept Jesus as her saviour and that today she is with Him. Nonetheless, I am still sad.

As a child, Aunt Lee was always there for me. She was always just a phone call away anytime I needed her. And, there are many aspects of my adult life and the man I am today that I can credit to her influence. My broadcasting career started in the school where she was an assistant principal. When I would come to visit she would let me sit on the counter by the intercom and call different rooms by flipping the switches and talking into the microphone. My love of photography and photographic eye came from her as well. She purchased my first camera for me (and many subsequent cameras as well) and she taught me how to properly compose a shot and about the mechanics of photography as well as the art. My love of travel was also greatly influenced by Aunt Lee. As I was growing up she made it a point to take me on many trips (always with camera in hand) and we went to exciting places: Colonial Williamsburg, Amish country in Pennsylvania, etc. My first train ride was with her on the Strassbourg Railroad and ever since then I have been in love with train travel. She retired from the school system when I was relatively young, and spent the rest of her life traveling the world. And, she would always return with souvenirs and trinkets from the many places she traveled. We would look at her photos together and she would tell stories about the different things she had brought home and I would imagine getting to travel to some of those far-off places. And, even in recent years we were able to share stories about our travels to the same locations. She even visited Moscow before the end of the cold war. And now, I write this while sitting in my Moscow apartment. Who would have ever imagined?

She loved books and literature and had a special love for children's books, which she shared with me. Her favorite children's author was A.A. Milne and many hours of my childhood were spent having conversations with Pooh, Piglet and the rest of the gang as she voiced the characters from the other end of the phone.

I remember helping set up her first computer, a Commodore 128, if you can believe. She wanted to embrace and learn that technology as quickly as she could. And, as computers advanced and email became accessible to everyone, Aunt Lee became the queen of the E-Card. There was never a birthday, holiday or family event where my inbox was not flooded with E-cards when I awoke.

Aunt Lee was always willing to share one of my favorite meals with me... steamed Maryland blue crabs. And when I came home, a crab feast with her was always on the agenda. She even participated in several crab feasts that we threw for my high school buddies.

I could spend countless hours recalling the many stories and important moments of my life that she was involved in. But I guess the thing that I will remember most about my Aunt Lee is that she was my biggest fan. If I did it, then (to her) it was wonderful.

So, today I am sad. I will miss her very much. And, I suppose for the last time... To Eel, from Cram.

Blessings,

Marc

Chuvash Videos

2008-12-06T05:08:00.001-05:00

It's that time again for Southern Baptists - LMCO - or Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.
This annual offering for international missions allows us and more than 5000 others to serve the Lord throughout the world.

This week has been a busy one. Tim Wicker and I have been trying to get some video promotion pieces ready for you and your churches to use as you pray and give and think about joining us in the work overseas.

We got a lot done and the fruit of our labor can be seen at www.engagerussia.org
There you can see some of the videos on the Chuvash People of Russia.
There you can follow the links to download these videos and handouts for use in your churches.
There you can learn more about how to join us as we seek to Engage Russia with the Good News.

Even if you don't plan to use them in your churches, I would encourage you to check this site out, watch the videos and pray together with us for the work among the Chuvash people. The site is brand new and under constant revision - so bookmark it and follow along.

Today is Saturday, and we will be celebrating Thanksgiving with our English Club.

Blessings,
Marc

Don't forget to give to Lottie this year!

2008-11-28T16:27:00.002-05:00

With grateful and happy hearts...

2008-11-27T00:54:00.003-05:00

What a beautiful thing, God, to give thanks, to sing an anthem to you, the High God! To announce your love each daybreak, sing your faithful presence all through the night, Accompanied by dulcimer and harp, the full-bodied music of strings. ~ Psalm 92:1 (The Message)

It is good to be home again after spending most of the months of October and November on the road. In that time, on two different occasions I spent a combined three weeks in Prague, a week in the Republic of Udmurtia and have just returned from another week in the Chuvash Republic. The remainder of this month and December will be spent at home, and I am looking forward to the time with my family.

I hate that it usually takes a special holiday, especially Thanksgiving, for us to stop and recall all the things the Lord has done for us and for all the many things for which we should be thankful. We really should do that on a daily basis, but it seems that (at least for me) life always seems to get in the way of pausing to reflect on God's graciousness and to think about the things for which we should be thankful, but become part of our daily routine. So, here is an abbreviated list of some of the many things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving...

~ Of course, I have to start with my God, who provided the ultimate sacrifice to save me from my sins. That sounds preachy, but really. To just imagine that someone who knows my every thought, motive, and generally crappy nature would still lay down His life just to make sure that I can approach the throne of God. Wow! Now that is something to be thankful for.

~ My wife. I don't tell you who read this, or even her, enough what a special woman God gave me in my wife. Kellye is a truly wonderful woman who supports me in every way. In many ways, she is the embodiment of the Proverbs 31 wife and here are just a few examples from The Message version of that proverb:

"She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast
for her family and organizing her day...
First thing in the morning, she dresses for work,
rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started.
She senses the worth of her work,
is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.
She's skilled in the crafts of home and hearth,
diligent in homemaking.
She's quick to assist anyone in need,
reaches out to help the poor.
She doesn't worry about her family when it snows;
their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear.
When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say,
and she always says it kindly.
She keeps an eye on everyone in her household,
and keeps them all busy and productive.
Her children respect and bless her;
her husband joins in with words of praise:
"Many women have done wonderful things,
but you've outclassed them all!"

Is it any wonder that I am thankful for her??

~ My children. Sometimes, in the midst of life in another country it can be hard to remind yourself to be thankful for your children. Life here can be difficult and life here with three children who share a room in an apartment can be a little challenging at times. And, as a result, it can be pretty hard to remember to be thankful for your children at times. However, they are each very special and I love watching them growing into the people that God is molding them to be. Sarah Beth is silly and compassionate and makes me laugh. She has a great eye for video and photography and spending a week with her in Udmurtia was one of the greatest joys of my time in Russia. She has a great heart for God and for lost people and I am excited to see how God will use her. Hannah is growing into quite the young woman. She understands that following God's call is not always fun or easy, but that obiedience to that call is important, even if what we want to do somedays is go home. Hannah is funny and creative, a great writer, computer savvy, and has a unique way of seeing the world. She is also a joy to spend time with and I love that she still likes to snuggle up with her Daddy just to be close to him. John-John...well, what can you say. He is my boy. Not only does he look like me, in many ways he acts like me too. He is curious and inquisitive. He wants to know everything about everything. He also is computer savvy, even though he is just 7. He, unlike his father, likes to study Russian. He has never met a stranger and is never bashful to tell people about Jesus. He has a heart for God and all of "God's little guys", no matter how repulsive. I am just glad that we do not live in Brazil! I have no idea what John will be when he grows up, but I can already see signs that he will be a great man of God. As you can see, I have much to be thankful for.

~ Our family back home. I don't want to camp out on the fact that life here can be difficult. However, life here is always made easier by our family back home. They pray for us regularly, call for no particular reason, help us deal with stuff back home, spend countless dollars to help make life easier and send boxes of silly things like KoolAid and 3 Musketeers bars. This year I am specifically thankfull for Kay and Cathy, who are the sisters I never had while growing up. But mostly I am thankful for two sets of parents who raised Kellye and I to hear God's voice. I am thankful that we were raised in Christian homes. I am thankful that our parents always held us accountable to standards of Chrstian living, even when that was difficult. I am thankful that our parents made it possible for us both to attend OBU, or I never would have met my wonderful bride.

Time is starting to run short, so I will try to get in as many things possible...

~ Our churches. We could not stay on the field without their help and support. We appreciate everybody who helps by praying, giving, and going. A special thanks also to the many Sunday School classes who have sent cards, letters, packages and donations for things like warm winter clothing.

~ My travel partner, Tim. Getting to travel around the country would not be nearly as much fun without him by my side. More on that at a later day, but you should know that I am thankful for the fact tht he is my partner.

~ Friends around the world who read this blog, many of whom I have never met. Most days I wonder why this blog would be of any interest to anyone other than family or friends, and yet you continue to read and to pray for us. I am thankful for you.

~ Old friends with whom I have reconnected via Facebook. How cool is that, really?

~ Snow on Thanksgiving morning. It would not be a Moscow Thanksgiving without it. Seriously, I love it.

~ Our English Club. Having relationships with this special group of Russians that God has given us to share our lives with is just great and we love them.

~ Our "Mission Friends" here in Moscow and around the world. Too many to name everybody specifically, but you know who you are. I am thankful for you.

~ Our cat, Notchka, who makes our apartment feel a little more like home.

~ A company who makes sure we have a place to live and food on the table and who has a vision of reaching all peoples on earth with the Gospel. We are also grateful for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering which makes us being here possible. Please start praying about what you will give this year.

As you can imagine, this is far from an exhaustive list of all the things I am thankful for. And, if you put them on a scale, they would far outweigh the yucky stuff about missionary life. Thank you again for being part of our ministry and for reading.

COMING SOON...

~ A recap of my trip to Udmurtia.
~ A full report from my trip to the Chuvash Republic.
~ New videos from the Engage Russia project.
~ The world premire of the Engage Russia theme song, "You and I" by the Jud Kossum Band.

STAY TUNED!!!

Where in the world is Marc???

2008-11-19T09:16:00.003-05:00

Over the next six months I am scheduled to travel to nearly a dozen cities spread across Russia. So, it may be difficult for me to sit down and write regular blog entries, however I will attempt to do that as often as possible. However, in the meantime, I will be posting regular updates on Facebook, which I can do from my phone. So, if you are on Facebook and have not added me as a friend, send me an invitation, I would love to hear from you.

I have also created, a Twitter account and will start updating that soon as well.

Thanks for praying and wanting to stay connected.

Blessings,

Marc

On my way out the door...

2008-11-19T09:11:00.002-05:00

Well, it seems that time for reflection lasted for only a couple of hours before life started getting busy again. In less than an hour I will head out for the train station and will spend the night on my way to Cheboksary, the capital of the Chuvash Republic. This media trip will be the second in a series of trips I will be taking as part of our new "Engage Russia" project. I will be telling you more about that as we roll out the new website and first video features...hopefully just after Thanksgiving.

I will return next Tuesday and will update you on this trip, plus add a few more comments from my Udmurt trip at that time.

Blessings,

Marc

Time to Reflect--Part One

2008-11-01T02:11:00.003-04:00

It is a quiet Saturday morning... something that comes none too often in our home these days, so I thought I would take the opportunity to reflect on the past couple of weeks.

First, an update on the dryer.

Now that I am feeling just a little bit more calm about the situation I can share with you that I have made my peace with the fact that we will not have a clothes dryer. No big deal, really, just one of those niceties from home that you like to have, but not a necessity. Yes, I would love to have a fluffy towel instead of a crunchy one. And even more so, I would love for Kellye to have the feeling that it is possible to be caught up on laundry. (A nearly impossible task with 5 people in the house.) But, the fact of the matter is that most people in Russia (missionary personnel included) live perfectly fine lives without a clothes dryer. Without going into a lot of detail (since it really does not matter anyway), the repair company called later in the day telling us they had found another of the little plastic part we had been waiting for over the past three months. However, they wanted $300 for the part and another $150 to install it...and that was in addition to the $100 we had already paid for the diagnostic. So, we thanked them very much for their offer and hung up the phone. It makes me all the more thankful for the washing machine and thanking the Lord that we are not washing our clothes in the bathtub as some of our other friends and colleagues must do.

A Heart for Russia

I love to travel. Seeing the world is a great pleasure to me. A couple of weeks ago we had the chance to spend two weeks in the Czech Republic visiting friends and traveling the countryside. And it was fantastic. Wonderfully friendly people and beautiful scenery. And, I would be lying if I told you that I didn't consider switching assignments to live there. It would be delightful to serve in that part of the world and to be close to dear friends. But God has put Russian people and the geographic area of Russia in my heart. While in Udmurtia this past week I was able to get my first taste of life in Russia outside of the big city...and I loved it. One of the highlights for me was to be able to attend a small Russian Baptist church on Sunday morning. There were about 20 people present and I had a wonderful time just sitting and talking with them. As we were driving back to the larger city, I thought to myself..."God has given me a heart for Russia, I cannot possibly leave this place." So, though other places in the world may be great places to visit and can be enticing, I thank God that he has placed in our hearts a love for the people we have been asked to minister to.

Engage Russia

We have lived in Moscow for a little over a year now and have spent much of that time studying language, and trying to carve out a ministry with the Russians we have met here. And, while we have enjoyed most of that time, I have been chomping at the bit to really get to work and to do what I do. This month I started work on an exciting project we are calling "Engage Russia" where we will spend the next 8 months or so traveling around the country and creating media pieces which will be used to promote cities and people groups where we do not have any personnel in place. Our travels will extend as far north as the Arctic Circle, to Siberia, and to the Far East of Russia. So, it will be an exciting time for me. During that time I will be on the road for at least one to two weeks a month, so please continue to pray for Kellye and the kids while I am away. I will continue to blog about my adventures and soon we will have a special website for the project, so stay tuned!

Udmurts!!

A little more than two years ago Kellye and I took Sarah Beth to Oklahoma to attend a missionary conference. At that time, the emphasis for the IMB was on a people group known as the Udmurts. They are located in the western foothills of the Ural Mountains and their religious background is mainly shamanistic. Well, Sarah Beth fell in love with the Udmurts. She would leave us notes around the house reminding us to pray for them, she would talk about them and would often joke about adopting a "little Udmurt baby." So when I found out that I was headed off to Udmurtia for one of my media trips I just had to take SB with me. We had a great time traveling together and were joined on the adventure by my project partner, Tim, and his teenage daughter, Rachel. The girls spent much of their time laughing and giggling at nearly every turn. And the Daddys enjoyed watching our daughters develop a heart for the Russian people and share their faith with them. It was a very special time and one I will treasure for years to come.

Well, I have had to amend the title of this blog to Part One. The children are up and going and the house is abuzz with activity. Today is a great football day, so it is time to run to the store to get the fixins for chili. There are more reflections yet to come...

Blessings,

Marc

Great Expectations....and consequent disappointment

2008-10-28T04:03:00.003-04:00

Today was supposed to be a banner day. After more than three months of waiting, the part for our broken clothes dryer was supposed to be installed this afternoon. However, it seems that as we get our hopes up in the morning, we often spend the end of the day saying, "Well, that's Russia."

This morning the company called to tell me that the part from Germany contained a factory defect and they would not be sending a repairman today. So, where does that leave us? Back to doing a minimum of two loads of laundry a day and waiting for them to crunchily dry on the rack. It leaves us praying that they can get the part ordered and delivered from Germany in less than another three months time. And it leaves us with a clothes dryer that only worked for a week and has since just been something to sit other stuff on top of.

Well, that's Russia.

After my trip to some small towns this past week, I keep telling myself that the things in Moscow that make me whine are nothing compared to the life that other Russians endure every day. Many have no running water or indoor plumbing. Many struggle with how to heat their homes. So, there is much more to life than a dryer that is not working. However, when away from your home you cling to small comforts that make life a little more bearable, and that was one of them. So, today please pray for Kellye and I to have patience. And pray that the company is able to get a new, non-defective part delivered in a relatively short amount of time.

Blessings,

Marc

Back from our first adventure...

2008-10-27T13:32:00.003-04:00

I have returned from my first media trip outside Moscow. We visited the Republic of Udmurtia and worked with Russian Baptists and a volunteer team from the States. Sarah Beth and my partner's daughter, Rachel accompanied us on this trip and we had a great time bonding with our daughters.

There is much to write about and many pictures to post, but here are a few highlights for you to be looking forward to:
1. Christian lessons from the life of a chicken.
2. "We go to banya."
3. Flaming coffee.
4. RLMs4RLUs

I will try to start writing tomorrow so that I can document things before I start to forget them. In the meantime, here are three photos from Udmurtia to give you a sense of what life there is like.

Blessings,
Marc

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