Here's a picture from April 2003 in Moscow. I had just joined MAF in January of 2003, and this was my first overseas ministry trip. I met Rick and Rebecca, who, even though I stayed in a flat close to the office and not in their apartment, were wonderful, amazing hosts. The picture is at the oldest conservatory in Moscow. It was the 100 birthday celebration of Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian, who composed the "Sabre Dance", just one movement from one of his ballets in a huge list of works. He also composed pieces specifically to inspire the Russian army during WWII. It was one of the most moving concerts I've ever been to.
I fell in love with Rebecca's Armenian cooking, and got to spend an evening with her at The Bolshoi seeing La Sylphide. It was brilliant. They are tied into the ministry thrust that I am with at MAF (Learning Technologies--we provide training and resources for pastors in remote parts of the world), so we stay in touch. In fact, I just got to see Rick when he came to Idaho for a few days in July to meet with our team and another colleague about the opportunities opening to serve in Siberia. It was a good visit.
Thank you so much for your encouraging comments, and please forgive me for taking so long to post. It's been a month of busyness, new things, and a slightly self-imposed exile from the world so I could find my brain and heart again. I am so glad for this "chance" meeting! The day that you posted, my mom was here for a visit from California, and we talked in the afternoon about everyone's blogs; she asked what it was like when someone "new" posted comments--was it weird? I talked about the serendipity of people finding blogs that interest them. We went to dinner that night, and when I came home, I checked my blog and you had posted your comment asking about MAF and Rick and Rebecca. I yelled down the hall to my mom, "Hey! Remember that 'strangers on a blog' question? Sometimes people aren't really strangers! Check this out!"
And hello to everyone else, as well :) I am still alive, and being hounded by Liann to blog. I'm getting back up to speed.
1 comment:
Thank you, thank you, thank you for that post! We were in small groups with Rick and Rebecca for a few years while he was training here, and have followed them from Tulsa to Suriname and Russia. On the rare trips to Tulsa, we always try to fit in a visit with them. They truly are wonderful people. It is also so fun to "meet" new friends through their blogs.
I am so glad you are back. Your whole group has been silent for so long, and I have missed you! :-)
TM
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