Thursday, August 31, 2006

Countdown


The last bastion has fallen . . . the house is all packed up and everything moved to storage. We're now at less than 48 hours before the journey begins.

As usual for us, we have "packed" the last few days with so many activities and things to be done that we continue to put off the epiphanic moment when we realize that we're actually travelling halfway across the world and beginning a new life in a new culture. We've had glimpses, such as when we slept last night in a house completely empty of all our belongings and any vestigial signs of life: as the house shifted and echoed, the blank walls and dark rooms felt foreign and distant, and we woke up feeling as though these remaining days in California are the stirrings of a new volume of life for us. That's an exciting and terrifying thought.

Another thought that we are even less prepared for is how to satisfyingly express gratitude for the outpouring of support from you--our friends and our family. As letters continue to come in from all over Texas and California, we are overwhelmed with the sense that we are not going the 6,000 miles to Moscow alone . . . we carry your inspiration and encouragement. It's sobering to recognize one's place in something bigger, and we have been assured in the past few months that while our feet will be in Russia, the impetus for movement originates in what God is already doing in that country and in the world at large. Watch and be amazed, He says.

Thank you for your faithful responses.

3 comments:

Makinzie said...

Look! A comment! Yes, I wrote my own comment on my own post--this is how desperately we want the rest of you to write comments and "check in" with us on our blogsite!

Anonymous said...

Matt & Kinzie,

Just wanted to let you know how very much we love you guys, and that we will most assuredly be praying for you throughout these months. We've been praying over your travels and your first day of class these last couple of days, we know God is going to work in all the confusion, and that if you feel you're in over your heads, then you're probably in the right place.

Now come on, you have to have been there for at least 24 hours now. Let's see some updates to this site!

Anonymous said...

Melissa says Moms don't count as a person "posting" on your site but I wanted to try this in spite of that fact. I am making a copy of your blog pages for Grandma and will show Mema again how to view this. Know we are so proud of you both and are very excited for you and love you very much.