siberiangrits

Important: This Blog is Closing

2007-09-29T09:28:00.001-06:00

Attention all Siberian Grits fans, as of now this blog will no longer be updated. We have since updated our siberiangrits.com website and integrated our blog into the site, so everything is in one place. I repeat, siberiangrits.blogspot.com will no longer be updated. Instead visit www.siberiangrits.com.

This blog will be left up if you wish to come back and read old stories.

Isaiah's new tricks

2007-09-22T01:12:00.000-06:00

Isaiah is one and a half now, and he's continuing to do new and amazing things. He seems to go through little spurts of development, doing lots of new things at one time, then slowing down a bit. Sometimes I have to confess that during the slow times, I often struggle with worry that he's not developing as much as he should be. Then a spurt of development will come and he'll amaze us with what's new.

A friend reminded me the other day that children all develop at their own pace. They all do things a little differently, and that is absolutely OK.

So here's what Isaiah is up to:

His upper body is getting stronger and stronger. He can lift his trunk up all the way off the floor and do "push ups". He's also getting really good at "pull ups". With a little bit of assistance, Isaiah can pull up from the floor and reach something on the couch. We just have to support his knees a little bit. Then he sits on his knees and plays with the hard-earned object.

We're trying to encourage him to be independent in whatever ways he is able. We've been working with him to eat on his own with utensils. Trying to get him to use a spoon has been quite entertaining. It didn't take him long to figure out that he needed to put the spoon in his mouth. As my grandpa said about him when he was eating a waffle with his hands one day, "He sure knows where it goes!" Once he got the spoon in his mouth, however, he didn't seem to know what to do next. He sits there with the spoon sticking out of his mouth, looking at us with a confused expression on his face.

Before we moved to St. P, I was trying desperately to get him to drink from a cup. (A special thanks to those of you who graciously listened to my panicked questions and helped me!) Last week I came home from my language lesson to hear the good news that Thomas had been able to get him to drink from the cup BY HIMSELF! I know that this is a wonderful accomplishment for every child, but this has far-reaching implications for Isaiah. He must drink a great deal of fluids every day as a preventative from UTIs, since he is at increased risk for them due to cathaterization. We have been standing on our heads (figuratively, of course) to get him to drink. Hopefully now that he can do it some on his own, he will drink even more!

Thomas and I have been hard at work studying Russian. Isaiah doesn't want to miss out on all the fun. He loves to look at my Russian workbook. I have to keep a close eye on him to make sure that he doesn't love on the book too much and eat my work! He does seem to understand a lot of Russian though, maybe even more than I do! We go to the park together and the Russian babushkas all talk to him, and they say that he understands them.

I don't have a picture or video of this, but Isaiah is also starting to talk our ears off! As soon as I try to video him, though, he starts posing for the camera and stops talking. I'll have to sneak up on him sometime. We don't always understand him, of course, but he's quite a chatterbox. The other night as I was putting him to bed, I laid him down and he looked up at me and in the sweetest voice ever to be heard said, "Mama". Melt my heart! He still says "okey-dokey" a good bit and "Dada" more and more, and then he has his own language. We look forward to being able to talk with him more and more.

Quite a Treat!

2007-09-18T20:21:00.000-06:00

Since we have been in St. Petersburg we have been able to communicate with our families via webcam usingWindows Live Messenger. Being able to see our parents' faces has been grand. Isaiah even recognizes them and plays with them, which delights everyone involved.

Well, Sunday evening we were able to talk to people from my home church Beacon Baptist in Burlington, NC! My mom took her laptop and webcam to church, and our friend Greg Phillips set everything up. Being able to see so many friends at one time and hear first hand their greetings and prayers and love ministered to our hearts. I don't know if they could tell or not, but with every knew face that came on our screen, I had to brush tears from my eyes. Not sad tears, but what can I say, I'm an emotional person! We were able to talk with all the pastors of the church, and so many members!

Imagine just 10 years ago the lack of instantaneous communication between people separated by such a great distance. I know that lots of bad things are on the internet, but I must praise God for His gift of letting us talk to our friends and family so easily. When homesickness nags at our hearts, Isaiah starts doing something really cute or on special holidays we can feel a little closer to home.

So thank you to all our Beacon family for taking the effort to enjoy some technology with us! We loved seeing you! We hope to be able to do it again very soon. Thank you for your love and for your prayers--God is definitely using them! We love you!

On becoming a "ruskaya mamichka"

2007-09-07T07:25:00.001-06:00

One of the things that I have really enjoyed since living in St Petersburg is taking walks in the parks with Isaiah. This activity seems very popular among all the Russian mothers. Always however there have been several obvious differences between me and the Russian mothers, besides the fact that they can all talk to each other with ease. One thing immediately identified me as a foreigner: Isaiah was not bundled up as if prepared for weather in the movie Day After Tomorrow. That's right, this crazy American woman didn't even have a hat on her son's head! The horror! After receiving many scolding looks and even a few admonitions from both of our language teachers, I decided that it was finally time to submit to the cultural norm; besides, the weather really is getting chilly now.

Thomas and I headed off to the market the other day on the hunt for a fall coat for me and proper accessories for Isaiah. As in everything thus far, God directed us to just the right vendors. We were able to find everything that we were looking for. Here you see Isaiah sporting his new Russian hat. He has adjusted fairly well, and he doesn't even try to pull it off his head any more. We also found him some snazzy shoes for now and boots for colder weather.

So when I went to the park yesterday, I didn't receive any scolding looks, but I'm sure that they will begin again soon, because I don't have Isaiah in a snow suit in 50 degree weather. :)

Be Our Guest

2007-09-06T13:45:00.000-06:00

Over the past week and a half, we have had the pleasure of entertaining guests in our home. First Robin Harris came to see us, then Dave and Kay Henry. See, St. Petersburg is not too far or too difficult to travel to from America! (ok, I have to admit that these friends were headed out to Siberia and using our home as a pit stop, but that doesn't mean that you can't come just to St. Petersburg to see us!)

We were privileged to celebrate Robin's birthday with her in between her many visits to friends in the city. Unfortunately, we didn't get the greatest picture of her, but here you can see her enjoying meeting our friend Luda before we went to church. Isaiah is of course trying to steal the shot.

A couple days after Robin left us, the Henrys arrived very early on a Thursday morning having taken the overnight train from Moscow. We didn't know how long they would be with us, but thankfully they didn't have to leave until Monday afternoon! We were excited to be able to get to know this very experienced missionary couple and benefit from their wisdom. We had briefly met them in 2005 when visiting Siberia, but this extended weekend visit gave us lots of time to chat and get to know them much better. We were also able to tell them about some great tourist spots to see, since this was their first time to St. Petersburg. Here they are in front of St. Isaac's Cathedral.

Having familiar faces visiting in our home refreshed us a great deal. Being able to talk with these other missionaries about our cultural learning experiences and language study encouraged us. Talking with people who have experienced very similar circumstances as we now find ourselves experiencing helped us realize that one day we will be able to communicate with people without struggling to think about what word we need to use and which form or tense it needs to take. How I long for that day!

So, now that you know that's it's possible to make it here, when should we reserve the devan for you?

A Great Deal

2007-08-31T18:00:00.000-06:00

Well, I must admit that I am feeling quite proud of myself today (and excited about what God has provided). Since Isaiah’s infection we haven’t taken him out much, which meant that most of the shopping was done by Thomas since he can understand and speak Russian better. This arrangement however was beginning to give me a case of cabin fever. Today Thomas stayed home with Isaiah while I went and did some shopping at one of the stores he told you about in a previous post, Okea (pronounced OK). My list wasn’t long, so after I had found the items that I needed I decided to look around a little bit and see what was available. The store was pretty crowded since school starts here very soon. There were tons of children there with one parent or the other looking for school supplies and school uniforms; I had the unexplainable urge to buy pencils or something.

Anyway. Okea sells some children’s clothing, so I headed in that direction since Isaiah needs a winter coat. I maneuvered my way through the mamichkas with their children who were also on the hunt for a good jacket or coat. Most of the coats were too big for Isaiah and cost beyond what I wanted to spend. Then a shorter sleeve caught my eye, and I pulled down the hanger to take a closer look. To my great surprise it had a tag inside that told the European size, the French size and the American size! “This coat should fit Isaiah!” I excitedly thought to myself. To my even greater surprise, the coat was on sale for only 399 rubles (about $16)! I could not believe that price. I checked all the zippers and pockets and snaps to be sure that nothing was wrong. Then I tried to find any other coats to make sure that I was really getting a good deal. Every other coat was at least 1200 rubles (about $48), and most of them cost more than 1200 rubles. Being careful not to smile too big or show too much excitement with so many people around, I called Thomas to double check the deal that I thought I had found. Upon hearing the price, before I could even describe the great features of the coat, he said, “Buy it!”

This might seem like a small thing, but I was concerned about getting the right coat for Isaiah. I thought we would have to spend a great deal more money than we actually spent. I forgot to mention that this was the only coat that was on sale. This wasn’t just the only STYLE of coat that was on sale, this was the ONLY coat that was on sale. There were no other coats of this style on the rack.

I love how God uses experiences like this one to remind us that He will take care of us. He wants our family in St. Petersburg, and He is going to provide everything that we need to do His work here. Isaiah will be warm all winter!

Feeling Russian, sort of

2007-08-17T14:43:00.000-06:00

Well, I have now completed 3 language lessons (15 hours). Thomas and Isaiah accompanied me to my first lesson so that I wouldn't get lost. My teacher lives about an hour away from us. I travel by metro and then by tramvai (sort of like a cable car).

Monday I headed off on my own for my second lesson. I had done all my homework and tried to memorize as many vocab words as possible. I was nervous about traveling by myself, but I felt very Russian with shopping bag in hand carrying my books. Cultural note--most people carry things in shopping bags here. I felt like I blended in a bit better with my nice bag that formerly carried my jeans (see previous post).

My language lesson went very well, which means that my brain was completely oatmeal by the time the lesson was over. One of our friends described learning Russian in the beginning as making baby sounds, and well, it's true. My teacher had me make sounds over and over and over again before I graduated to real words. She was very patient and encouraging. My favorite sounds were goola, goola, goola, goo. She told me to practice this with Isaiah. :) (yes I understood her instructions in Russian!)

On my way home, I stopped by a store and bought a few things and even talked to the lady checking me out, sort of.

At the metro a man asked me for directions, I think, and as I tried to tell him what I thought he wanted to know, he looked more and more befuddled, before I finally pulled out the old trusty "I'm sorry, I don't speak Russian well", which earned me a laugh and kind smile.
Wednesday I got to learn tons of verbs, which will keep me very busy until my next lesson on Monday. I'm thankful that God is tuning my ears, so to speak to this language. He has provided for our learning in so many ways, and I pray that I will honor Him in my learning.

For those of you interested in what the rest of our flat looks like, I have finally posted the rest of the pictures. I hope that you enjoy your "visit". We would love to have any of you come and really visit!

So What's Been Happening

2007-08-15T06:38:00.001-06:00

There's never a dull moment here in the Slawson household these days. The past few weeks have been quite a whirlwind of events as you can imagine. Tomorrow marks four weeks since we have arrived. For those first two weeks about 90% of our energy was devoted to just figuring out how to live. Week three was down to about 50%. Now, as we have just about completed our fourth week here in SP we are starting to establish a routine and a way of life for ourselves.

Language Lessons

Our language lessons are in full swing now. Both of us are taking 6 hours of one-on-one Russian lessons per week. Mine are on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. My teacher Galina, comes here to our apartment. Cristy's lessons are on Mondays and Wednesdays, but for longer periods of time. The reason for this is because Cristy has to travel about an hour one way to go to her teacher, Ludmilla's, house. When we're not taking lessons, we're studying and doing our homework for the next lessons and taking, care of Isaiah and living. So far both of us have really enjoyed our lessons, and feel like the Lord is granting us real progress in our Russian.

Forming Relationships

Our friendship with Luda continues to grow, especially between Cristy and Luda. Yesterday Cristy had the opportunity to spend the day with Luda. They visited at Luda's apartment. Luda and Cristy read some sermons and discussed them together. It was a very profitable time.

Church Associations

We have been attending Light of Christ Reformed Church here in SP. The pastor, Mikhail, has welcomed us into the congregation. Right now, it being summer, a number of members of the congregation are out, and so an average Sunday attendance is anywhere from 10 to 20 people. When everyone is present there are over 40 people. The church meets in the sanctuary of the historic Lutheran church downtown. Since the Lutheran congregation meets in the morning our service does not take place till 3PM on Sundays.

The whole service is in Russian, of course, so we don't understand everything. But each week, especially after starting our language lessons, we understand more and more. I am meeting this Friday afternoon with Pastor Mikhail to discuss ways in which I can help with some pastor's conferences he wants to conduct here in SP. He's also stated that as my language develops further that he looks forward to me teaching some.

So that's the big news for now. We love and miss you all.

Shopping in Tongues Part II

2007-08-11T11:44:00.001-06:00

So by now you've learned about the little "ask the lady behind the counter for what you want" shops here in Russia covered in Part I, now on to the other types of shops here in Saint Petersburg. These other stores are very much like markets on planet America only they come in many shapes and sizes. There are two big chains here. One is called Lenta, which interestingly enough means "tape" in Russian (haven't figured that one out yet), and a store called Okay, which translates "Okay." Both of these stores have sluffed off the cozy idea of piling into a tiny little shop and waiting in line while the tzarina of the establishment gets each person's items one at a time. No, these "shops" are quite different. We passed a Lenta on our way into town when we arrived three weeks ago. Our driver, Planton who had been to America several years ago pointed to the store and said Eto kak Wal-Mart. I'm not even going to translate that because it should be obvious.

Yes, Lenta and Okay are not "supermarkets." They're geepermarketi, which translates "hypermarkets." And, no, they're not called that because everyone inside is excited all of the time. They're called that because they sell a bunch of "stuff." Yes, Russia too has entered the realm of cheaply made goodies produced somewhere in the orient. I'm not kidding. I bought something at Okay last week that was made in Japan that must have had instructions in close to 40 languages, with the English instructions being so outrageous one would assume that some comic genius wrote them. But I digress.

Anyway, at Lenta, Okay and other lesser but similar shops, one does not ask anyone for anything with the exception of the butcher's counter. The layout is very similar to big stores on planet America, but with just a few differences. First, there's the process of checking one's bags. So many people use public transportation over here that it's very common for one to have bags from other shops on his person when he enters the store. To remedy the hassle of one having to carry his bags through the store (and to thwart the temptation to steal), there are lockers setup that have keys in them, free to use. One simply puts his bags into the locker, locks the locker and takes the key with him. Don't worry, the key can only be removed from the locker when it is locked, so no one can steal the key. The other major difference that one would notice is the shopping carts. While they look the same they don't operate exactly the same. On Russian shopping carts all four wheels turn 360 degrees, not just the front ones. This is in some ways handy, and in some ways annoying. It's handy in that if one has to get out of someone else's way, he just slides his cart left or right without convoluted maneuvering that's often more difficult than docking an aircraft carrier. But it's annoying in that unless all four wheels are perfectly aligned (and they never are) the thing wonders all over the place. I can't begin to tell you how many people I've crashed into with my cart.

Upon entering the shopping area things are pretty much the same with one minor exception; almost everything is in Russia. I say almost everything, because there are a number of western products available, and quite often major companies are not interested in contextualizing their logos. So there are bags of potato chips that have Lays written on the top, however all of the ingredients are in Russian. There are boxes of Cocoa Puffs, but again with Russian ingredients.

In some ways this kind of shopping is easier, but in some ways it's more confusing. It's nice to be able to take my time and examine the various products. But sometimes the choices are so many that I'm not sure what to choose. The little shop on the corner has 3 different types of bread. Okay had over 50. But then there's also the problem of still not knowing what everything is even when I'm looking at it. Trust me, "stuffed capers" is not one of the first words one learns in Russian when he studies the language.

Enough already, let me fast forward a bit.

So I did my shopping, loaded up the basket and headed for the checkout stand. Just like home, a line forms behind a moving conveyor belt with various trinkets to the left and to the right. There's candy, lighters, flashlights, etc. There were packages of dried squid, which I thought was really nifty. I thought before I ever went that checking out was going to be the easy part. After suffering under the tyranny of the dragon lady at the corner shop I thought this experience would be pain free. "What could possibly go wrong?" I asked myself. "She'll just ring up the items, tell me the total, I'll pay and be on my way." Not exactly.

Like I would in America, I unloaded my cart onto the moving belt. Immediately the lady asked me a question, which I didn't understand. I was perplexed. "Why is she asking me a question?" I thought. "There's no need for all of that. Just ring up my stuff and I'll pay you." Well, she kept asking me the same question, and I had no idea (nor do I to this day) what she was asking me. I had already presented her with my lovely shoppers card. I had already told her that I needed three bags (In Russia you have to pay for your plastic bags). Frustrated she began ringing up my items, and I began bagging them. Total time rolled around, 585 roubles, about $23. I handed the lady a 1000 rouble bill. She immediately showed a look of consternation on her face and asked me if I had any smaller bills, which I didn't. For some reason over here the ATM machines always give out 500 and 1000 rouble bills, and people who run shops always get mad when people try to spend them. Banks don't like to exchange larger bills for smaller bills for people because there's no profit in it for them, and a store certainly won't do it for free. So my cashier friend wearily had to take out four 100 rouble bills along with a 10 and a 5 rouble coin. I felt so sorry for the extra stress of counting I had to put upon her. Thus ended my shopping extravaganza...so I thought.

I've failed to mention one little detail. Remember, we don't own a car over here. We take public transportation everywhere we go. Normally when I've stopped by the corner shop on the way home I'm ever mindful of the fact that I'm traveling via foot and only need to get what I can carry. Also, standing at the front of a line of tired, hot and frustrated Russians as I jabber away in some kind of Tarzan tongue to Mrs. Hitler behind the counter is also a great way to keep from buying too much. But at places like Lenta and Okay it's easy to get lost in the moment. There's just so much stuff, and there's a shopping cart just waiting to be filled. As it turned out I had filled my cart a wee bit too much and now had three rather filled bags along with the bag that I had brought into the store in my locker. I now had to carry all of those bags to the metro station, ride four stops and then walk home from the metro near our apartment. I learned my lesson quickly.

So shopping this way has it's pluses and minuses. Recently we've discovered a good store close to our apartment that I think will become our new main grocery shop. It's a "pick your own items yourself" kind of store, but it's much much smaller than the mega marts. While it's a couple of roubles cheaper on some items, it's, in most cases, not worth the time and the cost of the metro ride to travel to Okay.

So there's shopping life in St. Petersburg. There's so much more that could be said, but I won't bore you.

Time with Friends, and a Sneak Peek

2007-08-09T20:11:00.000-06:00

We are really getting settled in now to our new home. Our friend Will has been such a big help. We were very sad to see him go. Before he left though, we were able to have our first dinner guest! Sunday night after church (which is at 3pm our time) our friend Luda came over for supper. Thomas cooked up some stir fry, so Americans and Russians were eating Japanese food with Ukrainian decorations. We all got a good laugh about those circumstances.

Monday Thomas and I were able to take Isaiah to the American Medical Clinic in St. Petersburg. The clinic maintains western standards of treatment. We were very pleased with the care that we received. The doctor spoke enough English and Thomas spoke enough Russian for us to be able to communicate what we needed. She was able to help us get some medicine for Isaiah (that he takes regularly, nothing was wrong), and she referred us to two possible physical therapists.

Monday night we had a farewell dinner with Will. We already miss him very much and look forward to seeing him again very soon, Lord willing!

Thomas has had two language lessons as of today (Thursday). I hope to have my first lesson tomorrow. I've had several "experiences" lately that have increased my desire to learn Russian. Thomas, Isaiah and I went to Mega (the equivalent of an American shopping mall, but add Lowe's and Wal-Mart in the same building). I was on the hunt for some jeans, and I really wanted to be able to find them without leaning on Thomas for translation. Now, jeans shopping in the States can be a challenge at times, but that's nothing compared to what I experienced.

First, I had to figure out the European sizing (I'm going to keep my size to myself, just in case you're wondering), which uses much larger numbers. For instance, imagine once being an 8 (for example purposes only) and suddenly you're a 30. If not prepared for such changes, it can be a real blow to the female ego. Add to this trying to communicate to the sales clerk that you don't know your size while you don't know any of those words in Russian. Thankfully the sales clerk that was trying so graciously to help me was indeed gracious. She quickly picked up on the fact that I am "americanski" and helped me narrow down the size options. Once my size was discovered, I tried to say that I didn't want jeans with designs on them and that I wanted a higher waist. Jeans without design would not be a problem, but a higher waist?! What was I thinking?! Apparently jeans in Russia come one way--low, low waist. For you ladies out there in America, I hope you understand my dilemma. Modesty over here is not a top priority, not even close. So I continued my search, and finally found one pair of jeans that was in my price range, had no design and was at least a little bit higher in the waist than anything else that I had seen. Whew! I was exhausted!

So besides jean shopping and a few other things, I have also been trying to get our flat to look like our flat. One great thing about Russian flats is that many of them come furnished. One down side to that is that landlords often use the flat to store some of their stuff. Our flat is very nicely furnished, by the way, but almost any space that could be used as storage is being used for storage. I've enjoyed the challenge though of finding a place for our things. I'm still working on where to put the extra suitcases, but I'm sure that something will work out. I've posted some pictures, but just to whet your appetite, here is a picture of our kitchen; complete with adorable little man:

Shopping In Tongues Part 1 1/2

2007-08-05T11:58:00.000-06:00

It's now Sunday night here in St. Petersburg. Sorry for the delay in giving you the exciting sequel to the previous story, but things have been quite busy. We moved into our new apartment this past week and somehow writing witty bits about shopping didn't make it to the top of the list.

But permit me to whet your appetite for more juicy tidbits to come with this humorous antidote. Tonight we had our friend Luda over for dinner. Luda speaks impeccable English and is fast becoming a good friend of our family. She has also been a great help when we have language questions and are searching for cultural insight.

Anyway, the subject of learning language came up tonight after dinner and we began to share our funny stories of making complete idiots of ourselves. Just down the road from our new apartment is a store like I described in Shopping in Tongues Part 1 only a good bit larger. I've already been in there a number of times, and each time I go in all of the ladies behind the counter get a "Mona Lisa grin" on their faces. I'm fast becoming a celebrity there I imagine. I can just here them every time they see me coming, "Hey, Lena, here comes that crazy American who always points and mispronounces things, isn't he just the cutest thing?"

I was regaling Luda with my tales of idiocy there tonight when I described to her a situation that had confused me a couple days ago. I was at this little store ordering some juice. I asked for orange juice (appelsinyi), then I asked for some apple juice (yablochni), which caught me some interesting looks and an immediate correction. Well, when I told Luda what I had called the apple juice she nearly had a conniption fit. As it turns out yablochni, putting the emphasis on the emboldened syllable, sounds dangerously close to a very very very bad word in Russian. Luda immediately corrected me informing me that the proper way to say the word is yablochni.

I assume, given all of the other crazy mispronunciations that I've said, that I'll be forgiven for this...ahem...little social error that I made. But these past two weeks have been a profound learning and humbling experience for me thus far. It is frustrating not being able to say what I want to say, and when I do think I'm saying the right thing wind up either nearly cussing out a shop clerk or providing dinner table antidotes when they go home at night.

Well, that's all for now. Part II will be on its way soon. I promise.

Shopping in Tongues - Part 1

2007-07-31T17:28:00.000-06:00

One of the very first things we did when we arrived in Russia was shop. Immediately upon unloading our luggage at our apartment I proceeded to find the nearest little shop and purchase the basic necessities of life; eggs, milk, bread, etc. Shopping for food over here has been one of the richer cultural experiences we have had thus far. My Russian is in the...um..."developing" stage which means I can grasp anywhere from about 20-50 percent of what's going on around me in everyday life. Yes, sometimes if the right combination of words are said I can understand everything, but currently I live in a state of having a perplexed look upon my face while I try to determine what verb of motion was just used and whether or not the word for "chicken" was just used in the genitive case.

On planet Yazoo City Cristy and I had shopping down to a science.

A. Load up the car with freezer bags and head off to Wal-Mart in Jackson or Madison.
B. Stock up on a month's worth of food.
C. Come home and load up the fridge freezer and cabinets.
D. Drop into Sunflower over the next month for milk, bread and eggs and "little" things.

Here on planet Russia things are a bit different. One has two choices of the manner in which he or she wants to buy food. First of all there are little shops where one can get items. Most of the time these are little hole-in-the-wall places that sell a little bit of everything. All of the items are behind a chest-high counter usually guarded by anywhere from one to three women. Anyone who wants a product or products will line up at the counter and when it is his turn he will tell the lady behind the counter what he wants...one product at a time. The lady will go and get the one product (everyone is still waiting in line), come back, ring it up and usually say the words "shto yesho" ("what more?"). One then proceeds to say the next item he wants. If he wants a cut of meat, everybody waits while the lady goes and gets the meat out, cuts it wraps it, rings it up and again asks, "shto yesho." When one is finally done he responds "vsyo" literally meaning "all." The final total is given, money is exchanged and the next customer is called upon.

There are a number of factors that make this type of shopping experience particularly exciting for the foreigner like me who is learning the language. First of all, just like in America, there are multiple brands of the same kind of product. Some people like Lays potato chips, some like Ruffles, and some like Pringles. On top of it all, there are plain potato chips, sour cream & onion, sea salt and vinegar...you get the picture.

So the fun begins while standing in line to order from the lady behind the counter. All the while I'm going through my list of items in my head. I want milk, bread, sour cream and some cheese. Now remember, the products are behind the counter, sometimes out of site. I know the basic items that I want, but I haven't the slightest clue as to which brand or style. Suddenly my turn arrives.

Thomas: "Hello"
Lady: unimpressed with my Russian "Hello"
Thomas: "I would like some milk please."
Lady: still unimpressed "What kind?"
Thomas: "It doesn't matter." (Note: thought this little phrase would save me some stress)
Lady: even less impressed "Doesn't matter? You've got to be more specific, what kind of milk do you want?"
Thomas: "Three percent"
Lady: annoyed "Which brand and what type?"
Thomas: "It doesn't matter."
Lady: rolling eyes while walking over to the milk. She brings it back and sets in on the counter ringing it up. "What else?"
Thomas: "I would like some sour cream."
Lady: perturbed "What kind?"
Thomas: "It doesn't matter."
Lady: Gives me a dirty look

I soon learned why the phrase "it doesn't matter" was not the best one to use. When I got back to the apartment after this little transaction I discovered that I had been given condensed milk. The packaging looked just like the regular milk with the exception of the Russian word for "condensed" on the front. Trust me, "condensed" is not one of the first words you learn when you learn Russian.

So there's one way to get your products. The next way is more like the "American" way which I will tell you about in part two of this exciting drama.

The Past Few Days

2007-07-26T23:50:00.000-06:00

We've found an apartment! Praise the Lord.

The search both began and ended yesterday. We had been put in contact with an agent named Svetlana. An agent over here helps people find apartments to rent, and for said services also gets a full months rent as commission, but it's the only way to go. Svetlana proved to be very helpful in the process.

We started out going to see a place on the south side of the city just about 15 minutes walk from a metro stop. This is important as the metro is the way that we will do most of our traveling around the city. As we walked to the place Svetlana told us it was newly renovated, but it was on the 23rd floor. The "lift" (elevator) apparently work, but in all my ventures in Russia I've learned that elevators are not very reliable. But we pressed on.

We arrived outside of the building and met the owner of the apartment. He was a man, mid-forties, and the first words out of his mouth were "I didn't know there was a baby." In less than twenty seconds the transaction ended. He told Svetlana "nyet" and walked away. Svetlana explained that the man was afraid that Isaiah would tear up his newly renovated place. We recognized the Lord's hand of mercy. Even if this guy had conceded to letting us stay there, he didn't seem like the kind of guy we would want as our landlord.

Svetlana immediately suggested another place that she said was "very nice." It was also located closer to a metro stop, and we could go see it in about two hours. We agreed to meet her at the metro stop in two hours, and we headed off to that section of town.

The metro stop was Petrogradskaiya (if that means anything to you). This stop is just two stops down from the downtown area, which is great. Sure enough at 2:30 we met Svetlana and went to see the apartment. I'll summarize the details.

-It's a two room apartment (two bedrooms, and a kitchen, no living area which is normal)
-The apartment is already furnished with antiques and fine china that we are free to use.
-There's a grand piano
-The landlady is putting in a brand new bed
-It has an almost new washing machine
-The apartment has its own water heater so that when the hot water gets cut off we'll still have hot water
-The landlady is a trained musician and singer
-Her husband is a physicist who speaks English
-Both were taken with Isaiah
-The agreed to lower the rent 1000 Roubles for the first six months.

As we examined the situation, it just got better and better.

Now the price of the rent was a bit more than what we had originally wanted to spend, but we had discovered when we arrived here that all rents had gone up significantly over the past few months. But as we looked at the situation something quite amazing made itself clear. We had originally expected to have to furnish our own apartment as well as buy a washing machine. In all we were expecting to spend about $1000. When you subtract that amount from what we're spending on rent the monthly average goes down to just about what we had hoped to spend on rent each month. The Lord has truly blessed us.

So last night at 8 o'clock Will and I went out to the apartment again and signed a year lease. We made a deposit, and the rest of the money should be transferred to our Russian account by Monday. We'll then pay the rest of the first month's rent. Lord willing we will move in Tuesday or Wednesday.

The next step is to start our language studies. We've contacted one of our teachers, and our lessons should hopefully begin by the second week of August.

The Lord continues to be faithful. Thank you all so much for your prayers and love.

Life in the Burg

2007-07-23T04:51:00.000-06:00

It's now Monday afternoon here in St. Petersburg, and most of our friends and family back in the States are either waking up or about to in the next few hours. What I can say is this, that God has been very gracious and merciful to us thus far. He continues to sustain us, and he has made our landing here in St. Petersburg to be a very "soft" one.

There is no way we could tell you everything that has been going on and everything that we've learned. So from time to time we will simply try to answer some of the big questions that come up.

Living in General

It takes a fair amount of time to just live over here. What takes an hour or two in the States generally takes three to four times that amount of time here. For example, there were four things that we needed to get the other day, a rain jacket for Cristy, a boiling kettle for boiling water, cups, and house slippers. There's a "mall" of sorts just down from us that sells these products. The raincoat goes for about $100, the boiling kettle for over $50, the cups for about $35 and the house slippers for about $10 each. These are extremely nice shops where the few Russians who make extremely nice incomes go. But most Russians do not make extremely nice incomes, so what do they do? They go the Renok.

Renoks (pronounced "ree-knock") are kind of like open-air markets where people set up little booths and sell their products. In one section of a renok you might find clothes, in another shoes, in another hardware type products. At renoks you can bargain, talk the vendor down, and if you don't like the price walk down about ten feet to the next place. The renoks seem to almost always be much much cheaper.

So here were our two options.

1. Walk down to the "mall" and buy all of our stuff for about $205, be done in about an hour and a half and come home.

2. Walk to the metro (10 minutes), take the metro ride down town (30 minutes), walk from the metro to the renok (30 minutes), spend two and a half hours looking around the renok for the items we needed.

We chose option two. "Inefficient" you say? Of course it is. But here's hour our journey turned out.

We paid about $32 for Cristy's rain coat. We found a boiling kettle for about $13, a set of glasses for about $16, and two pairs of house slippers for about $8. All total we spent about $69, and the whole ordeal took about 5 hours.

But you say "what about all of that time?"

Granted we could have saved a lot of time and energy just paying more down the road, but there are a number of things we would have missed. First of all, most Russians do not make a lot of money. By going to the renok we were going to the place where most Russians go. We got to practice a lot of Russian. I got the opportunity to bargain with a woman about Cristy's coat. In short we got to see and experience more of what real Russian life is like, and learn about these people with whom we hope to communicate.

When you email us and ask us "What did you do today" and we say "We went grocery shopping and washed clothes (that's a whole other story by the way), don't be shocked. We are learning fast that life runs at a different pace here. If we move at that pace we will move with the people who live here. If we, because we can "afford to" choose to move at our own pace we will pass them by.

Ten "Random" Things

2007-07-21T22:53:00.000-06:00

Years ago during the undergrad days I kept a "blog" that only about 7 people read. I started doing a regular post that I called "Ten Random Thing" which allowed me post information for people to read without having to worry about putting it in some nice neat paragraph replete with proper layout and pictures. Don't worry, we'll still continue to do those kinds of posts, but on a day-to-day basis being able to simply communicate a bunch of information to you without paragraph transitions will be helpful to us. So here they are in no particular order, Ten Random Things.

1. The hot water in our apartment still does not get hot, though occasionally it gets tepid. Sometimes it doesn't even come on at all.

2. The metro system is great. We've had no problem getting around on it with Isaiah. People will always give up their seat to Cristy when she's holding him.

3. We saw some Russian graffiti on the side of a building yesterday. One phrase said lyoubov yest' Bog which means "God is love." Someone had spray painted a line through that phrase and had written above it Bog nyet, which means "No God."

4. 2008 has been declared to be "The Year of the Family" in Russia. With one of our main emphasis being family ministry could the timing be any better?

5. We found a Rynok (a mostly open-air market) yesterday that sells products quite a bit cheaper than one can find in the stores. We bought a boiling kettle for 370 Roubles (about $14.57). Later in the day we saw them in the store a store for no less than 1300 Roubles (over $50.00) We are pleased.

6. When our stove is plugged in all of the burners turn on. Therefore we must unplug the stove whenever we're not using it.

7. Isaiah continues to make people smile everywhere we go.

8. The less sensible the shoe, the more popular it is.

9. We're headed to church today at 3PM. It's the same church I visited when I was here in March. We pray that this congregation might be one that we could perhaps connect with.

10. There is a delegation of about 15 people here from the PCA for the next week, exploring how the Reformed Faith can be furthered here in St. Petersburg. They are trying to find a local Reformed Church to connect with.

-The Slawsons
(Thomas, Cristy & Isaiah)

The Time Has Come

2007-07-17T22:03:00.000-06:00

I'm sitting here in bed at the home of our friends Bill and Robin Harris on the eve of our departure. My mind is so full right now it could burst. There is so much that has gone on over the past few months that I could not begin to put into words everything. This event of packing up and moving overseas ranks right up there with other major life events. On the way here I commented to Cristy that I was feeling almost like I did before our wedding day. There is an overwhelming sense of excitement coupled with an overwhelming sense of terror. Fatherly concerns roll around in my mind: "Am I going to be able to care for my family? What if this or that happens? Am I doing the right thing for their benefit?" etc.

When things get complicated I need to go back to the basics. I need the fundamentals rehashed in my mind and heart to give me clarity and focus again. So here are my points of clarity.

1. God is Good - He has never failed me yet, and he never will. He is always faithful, and will continue to be. We rest assured that he will give us no situation above what he has given us grace to endure.

2. This is Our Calling - We've prayed, sought counsel, prayed, took vision trips to Russia, prayed, pursued what burdened our heart for the kingdom, prayed (you get the picture). I have neither the time nor the energy to recount to you the events that have led to this day, but they are astounding, and nothing but the divine hand of God's providence could have brought them about.

3. We Are Blessed - In so many ways, of course, but specifically in that we have this amazing privilege to take the gospel to Russia. What an amazing thought that God is bringing to pass what he has prepared and enabled us to do.

4. Our Hope Lies Beyond - Yes, we have said some very sad goodbyes to family and friends. Yes the "what if?" thoughts have crossed my mind regarding our own lives and the lives of others. What greater comfort to know that, come what may, this life is only the beginning. We're simply preparing for eternity.

5. All Things Work Together for Good - Nothing can happen that is not part of God's perfect plan and will. Whatever frustrations may come, whatever stresses my arise, whatever moments of hardship may erupt, all is working together for good for us.

6. Jesus Wins! - It's settled. It's done. The "not yet" is as sure as the "already." The elect will be saved, Christ will return, Satan will be destroyed and the saints will reign forever and ever in the New Heavens and the New Earth, sinless, perfect and happy. Nothing can stop this. Amen.

I know that some of the points overlap, but these basics are a source of great comfort right now. I pray they are a comfort to you.

-Thomas

And, we're off!

2007-07-17T05:30:00.000-06:00

In an hour we will be pulling out from Baton Rouge and heading for Atlanta! Thanks for all your prayers as we continue our journeys, this time the big one! We will post again as soon as we can, maybe from Atlanta, but definitely from St. Petersburg, to let everyone know that we arrived safely.

Packing has been a challenge, but thankfully I had some wonderful help!

Christmas in July

2007-07-14T16:30:00.000-06:00

Well, Thomas has been working hard the last two days to make something extra special for Isaiah. But first a little history...

Whenever Thomas opens his guitar case, Isaiah gets really excited! If he's not close to his daddy he tries to get to him or at least be able to see him. He has excellent hearing; he really does hear the case being opened. Then when Thomas gets the guitar out and starts playing, Isaiah thinks that he MUST touch the guitar. He reaches for it with such strength that if I am holding him he nearly throws himself out of my arms. Thomas will sometimes let him strum the guitar, which immediately brings Isaiah incredible joy.

Well, we want to encourage Isaiah's apparent love of music. Thomas called me the other day to tell me that he had a surprise for someone else that I would really like. When I came home, he showed me the largest part of the body of an Isaiah-sized guitar. He finished it last night, including a paint job, strings, and tuning (yes, it really plays "just like Daddy's").

This morning, Thomas gave Isaiah the guitar. Isaiah was enthralled. You would have thought that it was Christmas morning. He has played with it off and on all day with more attention than anything else that he has. Yes, he seems to LOVE his guitar.

Once I figure out how to upload videos, I'm sure that there will be video posted! We're so proud of our little man!

Visa, Visa, Visa!

2007-07-11T21:06:00.000-06:00

We have our visas! Wooooohooooo! We are good to go as far as paperwork is concerned.

Praise the Lord.

A cry in the night

2007-07-09T19:54:00.000-06:00

There's nothing like being awakened from a sound, coma-like sleep at 5:00am (or earlier) by the frantic cries of your child. Sometimes the cry is obviously one that can be "ignored" as a cry that will soon disappear. Other times the cry is not as easy to figure out, like this morning, for instance. Let me elaborate, as briefly as possible, I promise. Sunday morning about 5:30am Isaiah let out a terrified cry that set my heart racing. I went into his room to check on him to discover him cold and, I think, scared. I took him into our room (I didn't want to have to clean off the extra bed in his room), and he snuggled in and went back to sleep while still whimpering a bit. It was clear that something was wrong.
This morning at 4:56am Isaiah began to cry again. This time I couldn't tell what was wrong. I stood outside his door for a few minutes, knowing that as soon as I entered his room all hope was lost of him returning to sleep on his own. He stopped crying. I went back to bed. Ten minutes later he started crying again. I remained in bed this time for a few minutes, listening to my baby on the monitor. After 5 minutes or so, he stopped crying. Ten minutes later he began crying again. This time the crying had intensified to high-pitched squeals that could have been pain. After getting advice from my husband (making this decision at 5:30 in them morning is never easy), I went to check and make sure that Isaiah wasn't in a position in the bed that he couldn't change (this happens occasionally--he'll be sort of stuck against the side of his bed, and once moved, he'll stop crying and go to sleep). Well, I peeked in, trying desperately not to be noticed by my ever-vigilant 17 month old. Nothing doing. He was in a slightly awkward position, but I don't think that was the problem. He actually didn't notice me at first, but rather he heard the door close, I believe. He continued to cry. I couldn't hold out any longer.

(Sidebar--for those of you who are wondering what kind of a mother I am for letting him cry it out, I just have to say that that method has worked well for us, and until recently Isaiah has been sleeping really, really well. In the last week or two there have been some random occasions such as the one that I am describing to you.) Back to the facts...

I took Isaiah into our room. He had the "crying hiccups" (for lack of a better word) for several minutes before I felt his body relax back into sleep. His breathing was still slightly troubled, but nothing in comparison to before. A while later, maybe 15 minutes or more, he began crying in his sleep, even though I was holding him. At this point I became convinced that he was having a nightmare or some type of bad dream. I felt so helpless. I tried to comfort him and pray with him and asked Thomas to pray, too. I didn't know what else to do, and finally he calmed again to sleep for an hour and a half, I suppose.

I was thinking about this today, trying to decide what to do if/when this happens again. As I was thinking about it, I was again struck with the utter helplessness that I felt in wanting to do what was best for Isaiah, but having no idea really what that was. I started to think about how as parents we often give our children a picture of Who God is (don't worry, I'm going to be careful here!). By being trustworthy and good to our children, we can help them learn faster and better that they can trust God and that He will always do what is best for them (as we are teaching them about Him, of course). I am thankful that even though I don't know what is best for Isaiah in this situation, that God does. I pray that He will help me to know what to do. I pray that He will reveal Himself to Isaiah. I am thankful that God isn't up in heaven looking down and feeling helpless like me. Praise God for His sovereign wisdom and care for His children.

Happy 4th of July--a little late

2007-07-09T19:30:00.000-06:00

Isaiah's second Fourth of July was spent with lots of family. We are still in Baton Rouge with Thomas' parents, and having a great time, I might add. We were able to spend the day with Thomas' parents; brother and sister-in-law and their four children; sister and brother-in-law (no children yet, but they do have a really cute dog who stayed at home); and sister-in-law's brother and his two children. And if that's not confusing enough I have a few Trivial Pursuit questions for you from the game that we played. :)

Thankfully Isaiah took a good afternoon nap, which hasn't happened in several days. We were hoping he would get to have his first water playing day (other than the bathtub, of course), but we had a great big storm. Oh well, the swim diapers will have to stay in the package a little longer, I suppose.

All in all the day was quite relaxing and enjoyable. Isaiah even had his first game of catch, throwing a ball back and forth with Grandma. Naturally, though, by the time we were able to get someone outside with a camera, he decided to be more interested in the camera than in the game of catch. We'll get him eventually!

Thursday Thomas, Isaiah and I were able to go to Slidell and part of New Orleans to see how Thomas' old stomping ground was recovering from Katrina. This was my first opportunity to see firsthand any of the areas affected by Katrina. Some areas were completely abandoned, even two years after the storm. Other areas were works in progress. A few neighborhoods were absolutely perfect; I had to remind myself we hadn't left Slidell yet.

Kind of ironically we were caught in some flash flooding. We were eating lunch in a Mexican restaurant (not a bad place to be stuck, one of my friends said), when the rain started coming down. When we were ready to leave, the rain had all but stopped, but we had to wait a little while for the street to become visible. We finally braved the rapids in our sturdy little Camry and made the rounds of Thomas' old haunts. Being able to see the way that people have persevered and fought back to have their town again reminded me of the common grace of God. I know that there are Christians in that area and God has blessed them specifically. Then, think about how God gives grace to other people because there are Christians there, too; or how God gives grace just for His glory to be proclaimed. I pray that I will be faithful to give Him the glory for all that happens in our lives, what seems to be "good" and what seems to be "bad".

Settled at last...for a little while anyway

2007-07-02T20:23:00.000-06:00

Well, we have returned to Baton Rouge for our last bit of rest before we make the final leg of our journey. We had a wonderful visit in Yazoo City. We were able to stay with the Nott family--Isaiah's honorary Aunt Wendy, Uncle Steve and cousins Stacy, John and Luke. Their home is a wonderful place to stay, which makes sense as they are a wonderful family. We were able to truly rest and to enjoy lots of fun!

Friday we had Isaiah's last appointment with the neurosurgeon in Jackson. Dr. Lancon gave his final approval and encouragement for our move. We were also able to see Isaiah's physical therapist (Becca) and occupational therapist (Lou Ann, pictured to the left with Isaiah). We had the extra pleasure of meeting
Lou Ann's children who have been longing to play with Isaiah for some time apparently. They were so sweet and gentle with Isaiah. He seemed to like them a lot, too! He has recently started interacting more with children his own age and a little older as he has been interacting with adults and "big people" for some time--so much fun! We returned to the Nott's late that afternoon for dinner. We had been in the habit whenever we had a meal with them to end the evening with singing. Thankfully we were able to sing with them one more time. Thomas and Luke played guitar, and we all sang some of our favorite songs. I have to admit that as we ended the evening with Thomas' and my favorite songs that I had to fight back the tears. How blessed we have been to enjoy such wonderful Christian fellowship. But that wasn't all!

Saturday Thomas and the Nott men "went to war", paintball war that is. A friend of Thomas' has built this paintball course on some of his family land. Lots of boys were able to talk proudly of "battle wounds" later that evening (I'll let Thomas have the pleasure of describing that event) as we gathered for a meal that the Notts hosted for some of our friends that evening. We enjoyed some spectacular food and some more running around as some people started a game of ultimate frisbee. I chose to just sit and visit. I was able to spend some time with several people, but especially Becca (pictured far right with Isaiah and the red cup) who was able to make the trip from Jackson and Michelle and her girls (that's us to the immediate right with Michelle's oldest girl Ella and youngest girl Savannah).

Sunday we went to First Pres in the morning. We were able to say goodbye to everyone there after the service, and yes, I cried. That night we went to Second Pres to say goodbye to our friends there. Yes, I cried again.

Monday we said goodbye to the Notts. I'm not even going to tell you, you can guess on your own what I did. As we drove away Thomas said, "It's our own fault. We chose to love these people!" I used to avoid such painful goodbyes by emotionally pulling away from people as I sensed the time drawing near. I thought that pulling away would be better for me, but now I think differently. Lord willing, I will see most of these people again, but some will have moved on in different ways when we return. I want to have every possible opportunity to tell people how important they are to me, how special they are and how God has used them in my life. I look forward to the future, but I want them to know how I will always treasure the time God has given me with them. I also can't wait to make more memories with them as God so ordains!

We still have a few more goodbyes to make, and I don't want to even think about how blubbery I will be as we make them to our family. But as one of my dear friends says, "Glory of God, good of others"--I'll remember the plan that God has for us, a plan of good and not of evil to give us a hope; and Lord willing, we will be telling the Russian peoples of that glorious hope.

And here you see how exhausting all these goodbyes are! We have fun, but whew! :)

On the Road Again

2007-06-24T21:42:00.000-06:00

Friday, June 22 we bid farewell to our time in North Carolina with Cristy's family. While it was hard to say goodbye to her parents, we look forward to seeing them again at the airport on July 17th and 18th when we leave. But we did have to say goodbye to Grandpa for a while, since he won't be making the trip down to Atlanta with them.

We pulled out of Graham about 8:45AM headed for Rutherfordton, North Carolina over on the western half of the state. We arrived about 12:15 and had lunch with my uncle Larry and his family, we visited with them until about 4:30 and then headed over to visit with my uncle Hilmon and family. We ate out that evening and some of our cousins joined us. It was a very good day.

Our next destination would be St. Louis, where we have family and where my grandmother currently stays with my aunt and uncle. Prior to our leaving Graham we had decided that we would drive through the night on Friday to St. Louis (about 11 hours away). We did this for a number of reasons. First of all, we're a little crazy, which pretty much covers it. But we also knew that Isaiah would be a lot better rested. We also knew that we had limited time in St. Louis also, and why waste all that time sleeping when there's family to see right? So we left the restaurant at about 8:45 in the evening, filled up the tank with gas and headed down the road by 9:05.

It was a very peaceful drive. We passed through Ashville, North Carolina, wound (literally) our way through the mountains on in to Knoxville, Tennessee. We then made it on over to Nashville, Isaiah sleeping soundly the whole time. Around Paducah, Kentucky at 4:30AM central time I finally had to get Cristy to drive for about an hour as the two double-shot Starbucks espressos with cream just weren't cutting it any more.

I did sleep for about an hour, and somewhere around the middle-of-nowhere Illinois I took over the wheel again. We rolled into St. Louis and into my aunt's house around 7:30AM central time. Isaiah slept the whole night!

While I wouldn't recommend such insanity for everyone, it really was good for us in our case. Isaiah had never met my grandmother nor my aunt and uncle, and we wanted him to have good quality time with them, so traveling while he slept was a good idea. I nabbed about 4 hours of sleep on Saturday, and did pretty well,

Today we went to church at Ballwin Baptist where my aunt and uncle attend. My aunt was kind enough to put me in touch with one of the pastors ahead of time, and I was able to give a brief spiel about our ministry and mission work, and give our some prayer cards. If any of you good folks from Ballwin are reading this, many thanks for your kind reception this morning!

After the morning service a Russian speaking congregation meets there at the church. We also stayed for that, and I was able to give a short talk (in Tarzan-like Russian) to the very gracious and patient congregation about our plans for moving to St. Petersburg. Though I may have butchered the Tsar's Russian when I spoke it was still a tremendous experience getting to worship with these folks. It excited us tremendously for what lies ahead. My parents and aunt also stayed, which was exciting too. Figuring that they may never get to visit us in church over in St. Petersburg, it was fun to share with them what a real Russian church service is like.

This evening we visited with the cousins, and my parents headed on back to Baton Rouge. Tomorrow morning we'll be leaving bright and early to travel back down that way.

-Thomas

Moving, Marriage, Missions, Monuments, Migraines

2007-06-16T13:17:00.000-06:00

It's been a month of exciting adventure for the Slawson family. On Saturday June 2nd we had the big ole yard sale at our old house in Yazoo City, making deals that would make a used care salesman's jaw hit the floor. We were wheeling and dealing left and right. I felt like I was the owner of a store that was going out of business, "Everything must go, down to the bare walls!" We sold almost 80% of our stuff, and the rest we...ahem..."donated" to our church for future youth trip parking lot sales.

While I was working the Arabian Market in our driveway, Cristy, her mom, dad, my sister and brother-in-law were all busy putting the finishing touches on packing up whatever was to go into storage and cleaning up our old house. Cristy's parents left after lunch with a trailer full of stuff to be stored away if we ever move back to the U.S. long-term. My sister and brother-in-law left soon there after with a few things that were going to Baton Rouge. Cristy, Isaiah and I then left our old house in Yazoo City for the last time and went to stay with our pastor and his wife in the manse. Saturday afternoon I relieved some stress by shooting teenagers (and being shot) with a paint ball gun.

Sunday, June 3rd was a day to prepare ourselves for the final goodbyes. While we are going back to visit one more time on July 1st, we realized that this was one of the last times we were going to see these friends for a long time. The Lord has blessed us with some very close and meaningful relationships in Yazoo City over the years, and it is not going to be easy to let those go.

Monday morning, June 4th we took care of some odds and ends in town and pulled out around 10:30AM headed for Atlanta. We stopped on the way out in Jackson at Lone Star Steakhouse to celebrate our next adventure. Some friends of ours that live just south of Atlanta let us stay at there home (they were out of town). The drive straight from Yazoo City to Graham, North Carolina is about 14 hours. It's nice to break it up. Tuesday morning, June 5th we headed out for Graham, and arrived late afternoon, tired and ready to rest.

Our time here has been a mixed mesh of rest, work, slowing down, being rushed, etc. The Wednesday after we arrived I ran some errands, and Cristy and her mom started sorting through a lot of the stuff we had sent up here to store. We were able to get some rest in that first week though, for which I'm very thankful.

Sunday, June 10th we enjoyed a good day of worship and rest. I taught the combined adult Sunday School classes at Beacon while Cristy spoke to one of the ladies' classes. That evening I preached. The Lord really blessed.

On Monday morning the 11th we headed out for Newport News, Virginia to visit Cristy's Uncle Wallace. You may remember from back last year her Aunt Flo passing away. This was Aunt Flo's husband. We met up with him for lunch and then spent the afternoon visiting with him. We left about 4PM then to head off to Vienna, Virginia (just outside of Washington D.C.) to stay with her Aunt Paula and Uncle Pete.

We rested well Monday night, and the next morning Cristy, Isaiah and I headed into D.C. via the metro. We stopped off first at Arlington National Cemetery to see her Aunt Flo's grave. While Cristy had been able to go to her aunt's funeral, she was not able to go to the graveside because it had been held some four weeks later. So this was her first time to see the grave. It was a beautiful day, and the walk through Arlington was very enjoyable for us.

We left Arlington and headed via the metro to downtown D.C. We ate lunch at the Old Post Office Pavilion, and then spent the afternoon meandering around the National Mall, seeing several memorials; the WWII, Korean War, Lincoln, and Vietnam. It was a good day to spend together as a family.

That evening we took the metro back out to Vienna where Cristy's Uncle Pete treated us to a feast of crab legs, shrimp and baby back ribs. We enjoyed the evening together and then hit the sack, exhausted from a day of much walking. We left Vienna Wednesday morning and stopped off to see Cristy's cousins in Fredricksburg and Richmond. We arrived back in Graham at about 5Pm that evening.

Our time since then has been filled with various and sundry things. I have been spending a lot of time doing paperwork, filling out visa forms, working on health insurance, sending out a few more support letters. In the midst of all of this we were thrilled to have another supporting church come on board. What's really interesting is that this church is in California! The whole story of how this came to pass is too long to recount here, so I'll make that another post for another time.

Yesterday (Saturday, June 16th) my friend Seth, who I haven't seen in almost three years, drove down from Delaware. In the afternoon there was a small gathering at the Atkins house as kind of a "goodbye" for us. We enjoyed that, though Cristy was feeling sick most of the day.

Today Cristy is feeling some better but stayed home from church this morning. We all worshiped at Beacon Baptist and had a wonderful time. We just got up from a meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, baked beans, and a bunch of other "fixins." Tonight after the evening service at Beacon there'll be a fellowship time for us to say goodbye to everyone up here.

Well, that's the short account of the long story. There's much more to tell, but we don't want to bore you. We'll try to be better about posting more often so that we don't let tons of details pile up.
-Thomas

Advice on Moving Overseas

2007-05-31T10:00:00.000-06:00

Over the past two weeks of consolidating our lives, putting things into storage, selling things, packing things for Russia, I've come up with some advice for all you would-be-perhaps-one-day-living-overseas-people.

The BEST thing to do is this; Plant a bomb underneath your house. Set the bomb to detonate in 30 minutes. Everything that you can get out of the house in 30 minutes is really all you need.

If that idea sounds a little too extreme then let me offer some other bits of advice.

1). Learn to be Less Sentimental - I'm not talking about throwing away your child's pictures, or his baby book. But after cleaning through boxes and boxes of sentimental thingsies I found shells, wooden pens, brochures, plane ticket stubs, etc. I also made a rule for myself that if I couldn't remember where something came from then I threw it away. I've had to remind myself that all of this stuff is going to burn up anyway one day. If you struggle with sentimentality like me then read Revelation 21 & 22 several times.

2.) Sell Whatever You Can - Have yard sales. Have several of them. Sell whatever you can. Sell stuff for cheap and fast. Don't haggle over quarters, just get rid of the stuff. Tell all your friends to come over to your house and "shop." Give stuff away to those whom you know need it.

3.) Take Breaks - The madness can get to you. Stuff is piling up all around you. Your house doesn't look like home anymore. You're living out of boxes and you're watching all of your worldly possessions depart to the four-corners. Remember to stop and do something that reminds you of 'home.' Watch a movie with your wife. If you've already sold the T.V. then watch it on your laptop (all missionaries have laptops these days right?). Order a pizza and play a game, but do something to ease the stress.

4.) Keep Focused on What You're Doing - One of the hardest things to do during this time is stay focused on what's really important. Satan has tried and tempted me a lot during this time. I've had trouble sleeping, I've become easily frustrated. I've missed Bible reading time, etc. I've had to constantly keep reminding myself that we are about to embark on trip to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. This is no mundane task. So keep your focus on the Lord and on his word.

So, that's what we've learned for now. I'm sure more lessons will present themselves in due time.

-Thomas

Almost done

2007-05-30T17:09:00.000-06:00

Well, we only have 2 1/2 more days in our house, such as it is. Our house is in utter chaos, and every time we see someone we invite them to come and go shopping. Anybody need anything?

Now that Isaiah is getting more mobile, for which we are so grateful and excited, he enjoys adding to the packing challenge....has anyone seen my pen, purse, book....? He is so much fun to watch as he enjoys himself.

Thomas' sister Emily has come to join the craziness. We are so excited to have her here. We are in great need of some reinforcements.

So this is really short because my brain isn't forming words and sentences very fast, so blogging takes a tremendous amount of time and energy. Have a grand day!

One Day at a Time

2007-05-27T23:59:00.000-06:00

Isaiah's First ABF and Beacon Homecoming

2007-05-21T20:00:00.000-06:00

We've enjoyed lots of firsts with Isaiah. This weekend we added some NC activities to the list. On Friday Thomas, Isaiah and I flew up to NC after being invited to the Atkins Backyard Fellowship (ABF). Every since I can remember, my parents have hosted this backyard festivity before their church's anniversary. This year was no exception. I remember my dad saying in the past, "It's not an official ABF unless we have 35 people." Well, this year on Saturday they blew the top off that statement with a grand total of 79! Thankfully the weather was great, and the bugs were few. My mama really outdid herself with all the barbeque chicken to which my grandpa gave the finishing touches, potato salad, pulled pork, well the list is quite long, so I won't continue with that detail; except to say that we also enjoyed Southern Illinois style strawberry shortcake! Yum!!!!!!!!! Isaiah even got to have a taste of that, and yes, he did like it.

I was able to catch up with some friends. Isaiah was able to get to know Adelyn Newton the daughter of one of my friends, Cherith Barkman Newton. I think that they liked each other!

I love the feeling of coming home. I think that it's a little piece of heaven, coming back to the place where I grew up and being accepted and loved. When we go to heaven, we'll have the ultimate feeling of coming home because we'll be as God created us to be, and we'll be with Him! We'll get to know and understand more and more about Him and be loved by Him and glorify Him the way that we only long to now.

Sunday we enjoyed worshiping at Beacon Baptist, the church where I grew up. For celebrating the 34th anniversary, Beacon invited Dr. Richard Belcher to come as a special guest. He preached the Sunday morning sermon. As a sacred concert, he recounted the life of Adoniram Judson through narrative and song. How humbled I was as I heard all that America's first foreign missionary suffered for Christ. I pray that as things are difficult for our family, whether on the mission field or back in the States, that God will help me to remember what kept Adoniram Judson going: Christ! Christ is worth anything that we might endure. Remembering Who Christ is and what He has done will strengthen us to continue to work for Him to accomplish the great commission that He has given us.

I was able to spend time with my wonderful friend Grace White Sunday afternoon. We had great fun drinking tea and talking about lots of different things. Hopefully we'll get to spend more time together again in June while we're visiting with my family.

Our last few hours with my parents and grandpa were nice and relaxing. Our flight home was on time at both legs and all 3 of our bags made it! We are always delighted when such things happen. Tomorrow we will spend most of the day in Jackson, finishing the day with picking up my mom at the airport. She'll be staying with us until we have our last big yard sale June 2. I'm so thankful that she will be here to help us get ready to go.

Our 2nd Mother's Day

2007-05-14T09:30:00.000-06:00

Mother's Day has always been special to me because I have a wonderful mother. Now it is even more special because I have a wonderful son! Thomas and Isaiah helped make my second mother's day quite grand. Thomas cooked breakfast and lunch, which is always a treat because he is an excellent cook! I also had sweet cards from him and Isaiah. It's amazing how well Isaiah can get around to shops these days!

We had a good time of worship in the morning and evening, with a nap in between and some fun fellowship at the home of some friends of ours afterwards.

Before Isaiah was born, people told us over and over how having a baby would change our lives. Some things I could think ahead and just naturally figure would be different, but most of the changes I never anticipated. One that I worried about was sleep. I have always been a very sound sleeper. You can ask Thomas about this, he is quite jealous of my sleeping abilities. I worried before Isaiah was born that I wouldn't be able to hear him crying for me in the night because I sleep so soundly. Now I still sleep through lots of noises, but the one that always seems to awaken me is the slightest sound that comes from the room next to ours. I am amazed at how God changes us to fulfill the duties that He gives us. I do see being Isaiah's mom as a calling from God. I am thankful that for whatever He calls us, He also equips us in order to be able to do that calling. Not that I'm the perfect mother, anyone who knows me even a little bit can see my faults in that area, but God is faithful to help me be a godly mother who continues to grow in grace.

Here's a comparison of Isaiah and Mama from our first Mother's Day to yesterday. I think that the Lord has done a great deal in both of us!
Seeing God's help in this area gives me encouragement for our work in Russia. I often get nervous thinking about working in Russia and learning the language in particular. It's not a "I'm scared to death" nervous, but more of a fear of not being able to do well. I must remember to look at what God has done in my life in other areas to enable me to do things I never thought possible and then trust that He will also enable me to learn Russian and minister in a culture that I do not understand right now. I must remember to look to God! He is so faithful even when I forget and become anxious! I pray for His grace and wisdom!

God's Providence

2007-05-07T19:18:00.000-06:00

Regularly we take comfort in the providence of our Great Father. This weekend we saw the hand of God clearly in our lives. Thomas' maternal grandmother, Louise Bracker has been living with his parents in Baton Rouge for the past 13 months. I have only been blessed to know her for the past three years, and really only well in the past 13 months, since her move to Baton Rouge. I am confident as is possible that she is a believer, trusting in Christ alone for her salvation. Yesterday we were able to celebrate her homegoing. She has been in declining health during the time that I have known her, but her spirit has always been strong and her faith clear. So, a month after her 96th birthday, the Lord finally called His servant home.

I am so thankful that we were able to be with Thomas' family this weekend. Thomas was asked to preach the sermon at his grandmother's memorial service. I believe that the Lord blessed his preaching. At an emotional time, Thomas was able to stay composed and clearly present the gospel. Please pray that God will use the proclamation of His Word in the hearts of those who were present.

For several years Miss Louise had longed to be with her Father. Her journals and devotional books were filled with prayers to be with the Lord. Even though she longed to be in heaven, she always wanted to be useful while here on earth. As Thomas' brother said, we would all do well to remember and learn from his grandmother's life: Faithfulness throughout life, no matter what the circumstances; focus on Christ.

I pray that we will be faithful to teach Isaiah the spiritual lessons that we have seen by example in his great grandmother's life.

Staying busy

2007-05-03T20:44:00.000-06:00

This has been yet another busy week for the Slawsons. Isaiah got his braces on Monday and stood for the first time without someone holding him. Tuesday we got to go to a park in Jackson with Michelle and her girls; what fun to be outside almost all day! Wednesday we were able to do something really special!

Isaiah's physical therapist Becca teaches at University Medical Center (UMC) where Isaiah was born. She's actually the assistant chair of physical therapy at UMC. We are soooooo thankful to have her as Isaiah's PT. Anyway. A while back Becca had asked us to bring Isaiah in to her class. We were finally able to do it on Wednesday morning. We also took some pictures with us to show his development, in other words to show how greatly the Lord has worked in his life. Watching the pictures on the screen was a little overwhelming. We started with his first picture ever...and moved on from there. Isaiah was his usual cheerful, flirting self. He had everyone in the class in stitches at his antics. The Lord has given him such a sweet spirit that really attracts people. He's now starting to try to get people's attention whenever they pass by. He looks up at them from the floor and flashes them one of his infectious smiles. I get so tickled with him. I pray that God will help him to always have such a sweet spirit to show the love of God to others.

We are really going to miss Becca. She has become quite attached to Isaiah, I think. As she was telling her class about us moving to Russia, she had tears in her eyes. She even sent Isaiah home with toys.

Wednesday night we went to our church picnic. I think that I held Isaiah for 5 minutes the entire time. He loves to be loved on and to give love, too.

God has put us in such a special place for this time. Isaiah is loved by so many people. He has had so many advantages that Thomas and I never would have imagined. We pray that we will be able to give that love to the people that we meet in Russia. We long to show them the love of Christ, especially to the children with disabilities and their families. And that longing is getting closer and closer to reality! We have our plane tickets! Monday we bought our tickets to depart on July 18 from Atlanta.

And we're in serious preparations now. Our living is half-full with all the stuff that we hope to sell on Saturday at a yard sale. We are exhausted but still have a lot to do. Our friends are being very helpful. Tomorrow several friends are coming over to help me sort through and price things. It's a big job, and I am so thankful for people to help. Having people offer to help is great, but also sort of humbling. One of my friends even came over and took my ironing to her house. We have so much to be thankful for.

Some fun contraptions

2007-05-02T20:37:00.000-06:00

This Monday Isaiah had his physical therapy, just like most Mondays; but this Monday was special. Becca (his physical therapist) came bearing surprises! A few weeks ago, Becca had cast Isaiah for braces. I didn't expect them to arrive until the middle of May, but she brought them today! These braces will enable Isaiah to stand in something called a Gecko upright stander, which holds him upright and makes him bear weight on his feet.

Sometimes it is hard to see all the "aids" that Isaiah needs to do the things that other children his age do naturally. But most of the time, by God's grace, I am able to be thankful for what God has enabled men to invent to help other people. I praise God for the common grace that He has extended to man.

I also think about all the "aids" that God gives us in our spiritual life. I know that there have been times in my own life that I don't think that I could have "stood" on my own. God never failed to bolster me up with the truth of His Word, whether it came through reading, preaching, or fellowship.

I look at Isaiah's body and his capabilities and think about all that God can do for him physically, but that is nothing compared to the greatness of what He can, and I pray will do very soon, in Isaiah's heart.

A Wonderful Weekend!

2007-04-30T19:48:00.000-06:00

The Lord greatly blessed our weekend! For starters Thomas made it home from Washington D.C. safely. After eating a yummy meal at Cracker Barrel, Isaiah and I picked him up from the airport. Isaiah was one happy boy to see his daddy again! I love how he is becoming more and more aware of us and loving us. Thomas went to bed early that night, which was good because he needed to be well-rested for celebrating his 30th birthday the next day!

After a good night's sleep, Thomas was ready to start celebrating! Isaiah and I had quite the day planned. We fixed him a good breakfast and let him open a couple of presents. Then the real fun began. On Friday my friend Michelle helped Isaiah and me in the planning of a little scavenger hunt for Thomas to get the rest of his presents. We had so much fun thinking of different clues and wondering what Thomas' reaction was going to be. We were not disappointed. Thomas seemed to really enjoy driving around town and figuring out his clues, especially when he was rewarded with a pyramid of Tim Horton's coffee! Thank you to all the friends who let me use their homes and businesses for the fun.

In our family a birthday tradition is picking what you want for your birthday meal. Thomas requested chicken and dumplings and fresh turnip greens. Since I had never cooked either of those dishes, I added a couple of side dishes that I knew would turn out, just in case. He also requested a special, decadent fudge cake for his birthday cake. After the scavenger hunt, I stayed in the kitchen until lunch time. Praise the Lord, everything turned out--even the turnip greens! We had some wonderful fellowship with the Nott family before going to church that night for some mission conference meetings.

The meetings were a great encouragement. We were able to hear one of the adult sessions before speaking to the elementary children about Russia. Sunday continued the conference, with Sunday night being our commissioning service. Some special guests came to share in the time with us, some friends close by and far away. Bill and Robin Harris came to participate in the service. Bill read Psalm 67 in Russian and also gave us a charge about being missionaries. Pastor Joe gave a charge to the congregation, and the elders laid hands on us and prayed for us. It was a really special time.

We are amazed at how the Lord has brought us to where we are. This morning, we finally purchased our tickets. We were able to get them at an amazing price. I know that the Lord was guiding our search. We plotted out on a calendar this evening where we will be the next 2 1/2 months. Thankfully we know that no matter where we are, the Lord will be guiding us and taking care of us.

Coattails

2007-04-24T20:33:00.000-06:00

I was thinking today about friends that I have because of Thomas. Thomas is definitely the more extroverted one in our marriage. Sometimes I think that many of the people who like me, like me because I'm married to Thomas. Before you think that I'm feeling sorry for myself, please know that I'm completely all right with this. Sometimes it makes my life a lot easier. I don't have to put out all the energy that it takes to begin relationships.

Anyway. I was thinking about this today as I was driving to our friends' house to have dinner. Thomas is out of town this week. Usually we go to our friends' home together, but today it was just Isaiah and me. As I was driving I started to think about how I ride on Thomas' coattails fairly often. I was wondering about this, and then started to think that in some ways our relationship with Christ is the same way. Because of our relationship with Christ, we have a relationship with the Father. Because of our relationship with Christ, we have amazing riches. We have life because of our relationship with Christ.

Well, just a random thought while driving down the road.

The celebration has begun!

2007-04-23T14:02:00.000-06:00

This weekend we went to Baton Rouge, LA to begin celebrating Thomas' 30th birthday (which doesn't actually take place until this Saturday, but it's a big one so we wanted to celebrate in style!). We had a great time visiting with family.

On Friday Thomas' mom and I began decorating for the party that night. I think that I have the best mother-in-law! She thinks of everything! She had streamers and balloons and signs to make everything quite festive. Being able to help her get things ready was a real treat.

Friday night the family came over, and we all enjoyed some yummy shrimp creole, well except the 2 nephews who've taste buds have apparently not fully matured to enjoy such wonderful food. They had mac and cheese. After dinner we sat around the table and told "Thomas stories". I learned a lot. Some of them I had heard before, and some were new. Thomas has always been a character! His love for music began very early, and his parents did what they could to promote his talents, which the Lord has continued to bless. I love hearing stories about my husband and learning more and more about him.

Next came presents, which is always fun; then came cake. Yes, there are 30 candles on that cake, complete with trick candles. I enjoyed that part a great deal, especially since my birthday has already past and I doubt that there are trick candles easily accessible in Russia for Thomas to use next year! It's amazing how much light and then smoke 30 little candles can produce.

Overall we had a grand weekend. Isaiah even slept quite well, which I always enjoy. I love to watch his grandparents enjoy him. He got to play with Grandma a lot on this trip, and they went outside and played and played. Grandaddy was teaching him some new things about tools and pockets and such. Then Isaiah helped him play Boggle; he helps his daddy with that a lot and has become quite good. We all enjoyed hearing Isaiah chatter away as he has begun to do all the time. I never have to worry about the house being too quiet when Isaiah is awake!

Each visit with family becomes more sweet and special as we realize that we will have only a few opportunities left to have these visits. We look forward to being in NC for a weekend in May, when Beacon Baptist, my home church, celebrates Homecoming. I'm really looking forward to being at a Homecoming again.

Well, I've had several interruptions at this point, and I don't remember where I was going with this, so it's probably a good time to stop. Have a blessed day!

Sweet sounds

2007-04-17T20:21:00.000-06:00

I never knew that the "smack, smack" of a baby's hands clapping together could sound so sweet. The other day Isaiah was enjoying himself and started clapping his hands. Who'd have thought that I could have so much delight from such a small thing, but I must confess that I stopped whatever it was I was doing at the time and just listened to that "smack, smack" and smiled to myself. I sure love that little boy!

Isaiah is also starting to say words beyond his babbling conversation. He has begun to tell me when he is done with his meal with a cute "all done" that at first was hard to distinguish, but I'm finally catching on.

I can hardly believe that he is over a year old. I daily am amazed at all that the Lord has done in his life. He kept him alive the night he was born. He preserved him through surgeries and seizures. He has kept him safe for 14 months with me as his daily care giver! :) I love how God enables you to do something when the time comes. Sometimes I still wonder how we will make one day to the next, and yet God gives the strength to keep going on.

God has already used Isaiah in ministry. Because of Isaiah our family ministry has changed in God's hands. We grow more and more excited as we think about the opportunities that we have to minister that we never would have had if Isaiah was not part of our lives.

And related to that thought, but changing the subject slightly, God gave me a gift today. I was emailing someone that I haven't spoken with since Isaiah was born, I think, and catching her up a little bit on what is going on with our family. As I was typing about what I do with Isaiah every day, God gave me a perspective on my work with him that I have never had before. Every day I try to do physical therapy exercises with Isaiah. Some days he doesn't want to do them as well as other days, but he's usually a lot of fun to work with. Most mothers of 14 month old children don't get to spend as much time with their children, I think. Most of the children that I know around Isaiah's age, who have normal spinal cords are fairly independent at this time. Isaiah needs me more than other children might need their mothers. He can do a lot on his own, and he's completely content to do so, but then he'll need to go somewhere and either Thomas or I need to be there for him. This thought is still sort of new in my mind, so please forgive any rough edges that I need to smooth out later. I have a unique opportunity to show Christ to Isaiah that some other mothers might have to work harder to do. As frail humans we are completely dependent on Christ. Sometimes it is easy to forget that we aren't in control of our lives, that our decisions are the bottom line. In helping Isaiah I can hopefully teach him faithfully how we can depend on God the Father for all our needs, that in fact, He is the One that I depend on to care for Isaiah. And perhaps God is allowing Isaiah to see (as he grows older) the necessity of dependence on Him.

The other day I took some pictures of Isaiah sleeping. Whenever I look at him sleeping, I am struck with the incredible responsibility that God has given us. God has placed Isaiah in our care for a period of time. I pray that we will be faithful.

Such Fun!

2007-04-16T20:46:00.000-06:00

We have been blessed with some great family. This past weekend, Thomas' sister, Emily and her husband Richard were able to come and visit with us. We had so much fun! We were able to just relax with a good supper on Friday night. They even got to hear Isaiah really cry for what the claimed was their first time. We were able to go to the home of the Nott family on Saturday afternoon for some paintball and, of course, some yummy food. Sunday they made the trek with us to Tchula, MS where Thomas was preaching. I love how they are able to be comfortable in whatever situation we put them in.

Watching Emily and Richard play with Isaiah was a lot of fun, too. They just got right down on the floor with him and rolled around. Richard even taught him a trick or two. Isaiah perfected the ability to roll over to his tummy, realize that someone was clapping for him and try to roll to his back as fast as possible so he could clap, too. That probably loses something in the typing/reading, but it was really funny to watch.

We get to see almost all of Thomas' family this weekend for an early birthday celebration for Thomas and our sister-in-law Sandra, and a late celebration for Thomas' grandmother and dad. April is a busy month for our family!

At Home

2007-04-05T20:48:00.000-06:00

Well, we're home now. We were released from the hospital about 1 o'clock this afternoon. We're still hoping to leave tomorrow to go to Montgomery, Alabama, so we got home and jumped into getting things washed and cleaned up for the trip.

Isaiah seems to be doing fine now, though he's absolutely exhausted (as are we). He's been on antibiotics until next Tuesday for his UTI (urinary tract infection), and he'll be taking medicine for his seizures for some time, probably several years. We see the Lord's hand in all of this though. We know that through this we came to understand what the cause of his seizures was. Hopefully his medications will prevent him from having anymore in the future.

Coming home is always bittersweet. Of course it's great to be out of the hospital, but the adrenaline that keeps one going during the situation suddenly drops out and a strange kind of depression can set in. Both Cristy and I went and took turns jogging this afternoon. Also, having this weekend out of town helps too. But there's still this "what just happened?" kind of feeling that comes over us.

I'll confess personally that there are times when I really stop and think about what is going on in our lives, and I realize more clearly the far-reaching effects of the fall. When Adam and Eve sinned they "died, died" (Literally in the Hebrew). Sin brought more than just spiritual death, but physical also. Our bodies grow old. Things stop working the way they're supposed to, and little children are born (if they survive until birth at all) with unexpected problems. No, I don't think that Isaiah's condition is necessarily because of some specific sin in either my life or my wife's. But we're dealing with all of this as a family because of sin. Hospitals are wonderful things, and doctors and nurses are wonderful people, but they all stand as monumental reminders that things are not what they ought to be. We're broken, defective, frail creatures. We treat diseases, fight sicknesses and endure for a time by God's grace only to be overtaken by the inevitable in due season.

So I'm reminded afresh that my hope lies not here on this earth as it is right now. I morn the effects of sin that have brought about the troubles that my son must endure, but I rejoice in the God that made him just as he would have him to be, knowing that this is what is best. He makes no mistakes.

In Christ,
Thomas

Sleep, sweet sleep

2007-04-05T06:13:00.000-06:00

Thank you all for your prayers yesterday, and continued prayers today! We had a much better night last night. Thankfully the only interruptions were the nurse bringing me syringes of medicine to give Isaiah. I think that she brought 3 (maybe 4?) rounds of medicine in the night. Even better, Isaiah didn't wake up while I was trying to squirt the medicine into his mouth in the dark--and I think he even got most of the medicine! :)

(this picture was about 6 months ago, and in his own bed, but I couldn't resist putting a picture of him sleeping--he's just too adorable!)

Thomas said he slept well, and I was able to go right back to sleep after giving Isaiah his medicine. It's amazing how absolute exhaustion will help you sleep anywhere!

We do hope that the plan has not changed for us to go home today. Please pray that the discharge process will be handled very quickly and efficiently. The last time Isaiah was in the hospital we were told at 8:00am that someone would be coming in a few minutes to discharge us. At 1:00pm we were finally leaving the hospital. Waiting to be discharged is like waiting at a green light; I always wonder, "and what are we waiting on?".

We have been greatly ministered to by many people. Isaiah's physical therapist even came by and stayed with him so Thomas and I could go eat supper last night. My sweet friend Guitta let me come take a shower at her house. Sleep and cleanliness can make a world of difference!

Thank you to all of you for praying. We know that the effectual fervent prayers of the righteous avail much!

Update on Isaiah

2007-04-04T16:06:00.000-06:00

So we're here at University Medical Center in Jackson. I'll give you the brief rundown on what's happened.

Yesterday (April 3rd) Isaiah was running a fever at home and started throwing up. Last time Isaiah ran a fever he had a seizure that just about scared us to death. Cristy went ahead and took Isaiah to Canton (about 40 minutes away) to his doctor. The doctor discovered that Isaiah had a bladder infection. This occasionally happens with children who have to be catheterized frequently like Isaiah does. While at the doctors office his temperature shot up and he had another fever seizure. He recovered quickly, but his doctor wanted him to go ahead and come to the Hospital just to make sure there was no shunt infection. As they suspected everything was fine with the shunt, but his neurosurgeon wanted him to go ahead and stay overnight just because he was having such a high fever and also to start administering the antibiotics quickly.

This morning Isaiah had another mild seizure, and we were told that they wanted us to stay one more night just to be sure everything was okay. Right now he seems to be doing much better. His temperature has dropped to almost normal.

We did find out another thing, though, today. A couple of weeks ago Isaiah had an EEG (don't ask me what that stands for). Children with spina bifida can occasionally have seizures related to that condition, and the doctors wanted to determine whether his first "fever seizure" weeks ago was connected in any way to his condition. Today they determined that it was. He has very mild seizure activity going on in his brain at times, and it is agitated when he runs a fever. Thankfully a very mild medication should remedy this we were told.

We are thankful for all of the prayers and support. We're doing alright, but we're tired. The Lord continues to be good to us always through these situations.

In Christ,
The Slawsons

Hello again, as time goes by, very randomly

2007-04-02T20:27:00.000-06:00

Well, things have been settling back in since Thomas returned from St. Petersburg. Isaiah and I were very happy to see him. While we anxiously waited to pick him up, we were able to have supper with my friend Erin. She's expecting her first baby this month. Baby Jack could be here any day! Anyway, we enjoyed some wonderful Mexican food and rather than anxiously waiting for Thomas' plane to arrive, which actually came on time!

Since he's been back, we've been getting back to business as usual. He returned to teaching at Covenant and preached the Sunday after he got back.

It amazes me how fast the time is going by. As Isaiah's therapists were here today, we looked at the calendar and decided when his last therapy session would be. I found my eyes tearing up. We made a presentation yesterday to the Sunday school classes at our church. The Lord has been so gracious to bring in our support through some very generous people. Every day we get closer and closer to St. Petersburg. We have over half our support and many people praying for us.

I'm itching to pack up our house. Everywhere I look I see something that we can either sell, store or take to Russia. Is it possible to feel claustrophobic in your own house when you didn't before it was getting time to pack up all your worldly goods and move multiple time zones away?
Anyway. This blog is really a lot of rambling, I think. I don't even remember really what I was intending to talk about in the beginning. But hey, there's a really cute picture of Isaiah. :)

Speaking of Isaiah, I've never seen a person fight sleep like this adorable little boy. He'll do pretty well at night, but during the day it's unbelievable! I'll lay him down for his naps. Sometimes he'll have fallen asleep nursing beforehand, but he'll wake up the second the last part of my body is no longer in contact with his body. I'm glad that he likes being with me, but you should see his poor little tired eyes.

One really exciting thing: Isaiah is finally feeding himself! He eats lots of things with his hands now. It's amazing how much time this gives me during his meals. I can get all kinds of things done while he eats his peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Changing subjects....I'm really excited about the friend that God has provided for me in St. Petersburg. Her name is Luda. Thomas met her at a church that he visited. We have been emailing since even before Thomas came home. She speaks excellent English and has a good since of humor. I'm really thankful that I will have someone close to my age to talk to and spend time with and minister to. She seems to be excited about us coming. She is new to St. Petersburg also, having just moved there in February. Incidentally her birthday is the day after Isaiah's. I just thought that was interesting.

Well, I suppose that I should end the rambling soon. But a few prayer requests first:
This weekend we will be traveling to Montgomery, AL to visit with some families and talk to them about partnering with us.
Please pray that Isaiah will sleep better! He gets so tired during the day that he is not able to work on his physical therapy.
Thomas will be preaching the 15th and the 22nd of this month.
Our church is having a missions conference the weekend of the 28th.
We are continuing to ask for people to partner with us in the work that God has called us to do.
We want to use the time that we have left before our move in a manner pleasing to the Lord. Please pray that we will have time to spend with friends and family to encourage and receive encouragement; to take advantage of every opportunity the Lord puts before us. To look forward with joy and not anxiety to the road ahead.

I'm sure that there will be future rambling posts in which I can update you with the wrapping up of our time here. Thank you for your prayers!

2007-03-11T13:16:00.000-06:00

Well, we have some exciting news from the Russian front. Thomas and Jimmy Sullivan arrived safely in Moscow on Wednesday morning. They toured around Red Square a bit and then took a train to St. Petersburg, arriving early Thursday morning. They are staying with an Irishman named Trevor who has been very helpful in getting ideas. He has suggested that we might be able to get a “cultural exchange” visas rather than religious worker visas. These cultural exchange visas would give us a little more flexibility in entering and exiting the country as we need.

Some of you may recall some friends of ours: Bill and Robin Harris. Their daughter Katherine played the piano at our wedding. She was fantastic! But that is another story. Anyway, Robin and Bill have been an invaluable help to Thomas. For example…

On Friday morning Thomas was able to see the two pediatric neurosurgeons at the Polenov Clinic. He said that as you enter the building, you didn’t feel any extreme bit of confidence in the surroundings, the typical rundown building that was built to look 50 years old when brand new. You’d have to see structures in Russia to understand completely, but I assure that this happened all the time during communist times. So, Thomas wasn’t sure what he would find in the doctors. Robin and a friend of hers named Nadine accompanied Thomas to translate. To his and then our great delight, the doctors were quite kind and helpful. The doctors said that they would be able to treat Isaiah. They want to see him two times a year. One of the doctors said that in the case of an emergency regarding Isaiah’s shunt, we would be able to call him on his cell phone and he would make all necessary arrangements for the surgery to take place. And some of the most relieving news: If he does need to have a shunt revision, the cost would only be around $1000! That is a fraction of a fraction of the price that such an operation would cost in the States. We are overwhelmed with how God is already providing for Isaiah’s care in St. Petersburg. The doctors also said that they could give us information about therapy and other help that Isaiah might need.

Today Thomas was able to meet with two ladies who are language tutors, Galina and Ludmila. (Please forgive me if the “translation” isn’t spelled exactly correctly.) Thomas worked with Galina three years ago and is excited to have the opportunity to learn from her again. He would work with her four days a week for a couple hours at a time. I would work with Ludmila at a beginning level, also for four days a week for two hours at a time. Knowing that we already have language tutors secured makes our future seem much more real and definite. When Thomas told me about our teachers, I got so excited! I’m going to learn Russian! Galina asked Thomas what our goals were in language learning. Thomas told her that he wants to be able to teach and to preach in Russian and that someday I hope to be able to offer counsel and help to other people without having to use a translator. She said that those were both high goals, but certainly possible. Start praying now!

Thomas also said that when they met with the teachers at Ludmila’s home, it was a distance from the center of the city, but the rent is much lower. He said that the ride to the city is very easy, so he is going to talk to the realtor about that area, and Ludmila is going to keep her ears open for any good apartments.

The Lord has continued to show us that this is the way that He has called us to go. Please pray for us as we prepare. Thomas still has some things to take care of before he comes back to us. Of course, we are very excited about his return, too.

I love people who love my baby!

2007-03-07T22:05:00.000-06:00

I've told Thomas many times that when people show love for Isaiah it only shows what good taste they have. :) Of course, I might be a little partial. But it is amazing how someone who shows care for my child is greatly endeared to me from that point on. I have found myself doing things for Isaiah that I would never take the initiative to do for myself. Who knew?

Today I took Isaiah for an EEG. Last year between Thanksgiving and Christmas (I don't remember exactly when) Isaiah began to have a twitch on the right side of his face. After a little scare that it might be something called "partial complex seizures" that can happen in children with spina bifida, we were reassured by a neurologist that it's most likely something called a hemi-facial twitch that will eventually just go away. To be on the safe side though, as most doctors seem to like to be, she scheduled an EEG and an MRI. So, today I took Isaiah to the old familiar hospital, UMC, and he had 28 sensors put on his cute little head for a 20 minute test. He was actually really good for it.

So back to my original thought...after the test we were able to visit with my friend Guitta. She's really quite grand. I already loved her, but she has taken such a liking to Isaiah that I love her even more. We were able to take a walk in the lovely weather that we're having and then have lunch together. I'm trying to grab every available moment with my friends here before we go. Whenever I take Isaiah to the doctor in Jackson, I try to make arrangements to see at least one friend there. Last time I was able to see my friend Natalie who sang at my wedding (some of you who read this might remember her). She's also a grand person, with almost too much talent to easily fit in to just the right place. She can always make me laugh with her quick though sometimes quiet humor.

Oh, in case you are wondering, Thomas made it safely to Moscow and I'm assuming to St. Petersburg. He was very tired when I talked to him this morning (late afternoon for him). He said that everything went very well, even the purchasing of 2 train tickets, which he had to do in Russian. He said that he had to do it in a "round about way", but he was able to get the job done.
I miss him.

Well, good night.

World Travelers

2007-03-04T21:00:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday was my grandpa's 85th birthday. My parents gave him a surprise present: Isaiah and me! I thought for sure that Grandpa had figured it out, but I think that we really surprised him! We had so much fun. For the first time Isaiah was able to meet his great aunt Paula and some more cousins. We had quite the family gathering. It was great to see everyone together again.

On the day before his birthday, my parents hosted a drop-in in honor of his birthday. Being able to see how Grandpa has made himself apart of the church community. He always used to go to church with Grandma, and when she passed away, we weren't sure if he would stay committed to going. The Lord has really done a work in his heart! He is in church nearly every Sunday. He has also become friends with other families in the church.
God greatly blessed my heart last weekend as I was able to spend some special time with him and the rest of my family.

Those visits are becoming more and more special as the time draws near for us to go to Russia. Another "marker" is coming up this week. Thomas is traveling to St. Petersburg for about 9 days to do some preliminary work for our move. (For all the thousands :) reading this, please pray for him as he travels and has lots to do!) We are very thankful that an elder from our church is going with him. They'll leave on Tuesday (very, very early) and fly to Moscow. From Moscow they'll take the overnight train to St. Petersburg, arriving on Thursday morning. While they're there Thomas will be meeting with doctors at a special clinic that can treat Isaiah for any emergencies, find an area for us to live, investigate language school and find us a church. Please pray for stamina and wisdom to know what to do when.

Isaiah and I will be spending the weekend in Baton Rouge with Thomas' parents. Besides that Isaiah has physical therapy, occupational therapy, two doctor's appointments and whatever other surprises he decides to throw in. By the way, you would not believe how well he is rolling around these days! I can't leave him alone anywhere.
So, it should be a fun couple of weeks. I know that I'll be able to stay busy while Thomas is gone, but I'm not looking too forward to him being gone for so long. He's not gone yet, but I'll be really glad when he gets back.

An interesting couple of weeks

2007-02-16T09:04:00.000-06:00

Well, the last two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity! Last week, Isaiah had a doctor's appointment every day except Tuesday, which was of course his birthday (just in case you missed that post). I won't bore you with the details of each visit, but let me just say that I was really looking forward to being home two days in a row this week.

We only had two appointments scheduled for this week: 12-month shots on Tuesday and the Blake Clinic on Thursday. Everything went well on Tuesday afternoon after his shots, including a trip to Wal-Mart.

Wednesday morning I woke up looking forward to spending the day at home. Isaiah slept really well that night and was still sleepy when he did wake up. I laid him back down for a nap before breakfast. At the risk of being too detailed, I'll give you a few more details. During breakfast Isaiah just wasn't himself. He was really droopy and not smiling at all as he usually does. After throwing up he started to turn blue and throw up again. Trying to keep my panic at bay, I did a finger sweep to try to remove anything lodged in his mouth or throat. Finding nothing, I picked him up and hit him on the back before getting ready to breath into his mouth. He was getting more and more blue and limp. After a few more hits on the back, his color began to return. I called a friend to get in touch with Thomas at school before calling the doctor. Thomas came home and we rushed Isaiah to the ER in Jackson.

We thought that he was having a shunt malfunction and tried to keep him awake all the way to Jackson, which normally is not a difficult task, but that morning it proved very difficult. The doctors and nurses at the ER were wonderful. They began treatment right away and had all the necessary tests completed within an hour! Isaiah's shunt was fine--Praise the Lord--no surgery required.

Here's what happened. In reaction to his 12-month shots, Isaiah developed a fever. His fever spiked on Wednesday morning, causing him to have a seizure. His fever wasn't incredibly high, for a baby. The doctor said that it's not so much how high the fever is but how quickly it gets there. So at some point during his breakfast of oatmeal, his fever spiked; and I had one of the scariest moments of my life.

Isaiah has been sick before, has even needed some very special care before; but nothing could have prepared me for Wednesday morning. I hope that none of you ever have to go through a fever seizure (or any other kind of seizure for that matter) with your child. I thought that he was going to die in my arms despite anything that I might do to try to keep him alive.

I am thankful that even in those moments of terror when prayers might not be able to be verbally made, our Sovereign is sovereign and knows our thoughts and hearts. While I was scared beyond description, somehow, by God's grace, I was able to function (no one is more surprised than me!) and even to pray quickly. I say that not to "toot my horn" but to acknowledge the work of God. I know that He is the one that enabled me to pray at that moment. He is the one that kept Isaiah safe. He is the one that gave the doctors and nurses and technicians the knowledge to do what they needed to do. I am thankful that He has let me see His hand at work in my life and Isaiah's life. I am thankful that He is sovereign in all things.

Happy Birthday, Isaiah!

2007-02-05T16:34:00.000-06:00

Well, we made it! As of 6:37 pm CST yesterday (Tuesday) Isaiah officially became one year old. What a year! God has done exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or think. Our little man has grown so well. Saturday we had a party at the home of our friends, the Notts. Most of Thomas' family was able to come, and we had a grand time.

Isaiah seemed to have such a good time! He was as adorable as ever. We enjoyed some great food, shooting a potato gun, bow and arrows, and even shotguns. Luke Nott, David Gilbert and Thomas also played their instruments so that the whole group could help us sing praise to God. It was some mighty fine singing, too. :) Who'd have thought that all that would happen at a 1 year old's birthday party. But, as the newest member of the family said, "You never know what's going to happen when you get together with the Slawsons." It truly was a unique time. For more pictures, see our album at our shutterfly collection.

I must confess though, that for me the past 4 days have been somewhat of an emotional roller coaster, in the best sense. On Saturday I found it difficult to talk to everyone as I was overcome with emotion from the past year. Not only was our baby turning a year old, but also so much has happened in that year. From the moment that he was born, no before he was born, we were wrapped in the love of Christ by our friends and family. Rarely have I felt so humbled on a regular basis. Thank you to everyone who prayed for us, comforted us, supported us, distracted us, and gave so sacrificially to us. I trust that when faced with a similar opportunity to help someone else, we will seek to do as much, having learned from all of you.

Well, so yesterday was Isaiah's birthday, and this is what he looked like exactly when he had lived one year!
What a difference from the little man that greeted us one year ago.

Please continue to keep him in your prayers. He is working so hard in his physical therapy! We're still trying to get him to drink from a cup (or even a bottle for that matter), so any advice you have would be greatly appreciated on that front. He brings us and everyone with whom he comes in contact great joy. We pray that the he will have the joy of the Lord in his heart and profess love for Christ very soon.

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible before we move to Russia!

Love,

Cristy (for the boys, too)

With anticipation

2007-01-31T15:12:00.000-06:00

Saturday brings another first for our family--We will be celebrating Isaiah's first birthday! His birthday isn't actually until next Tuesday, but in order to have as many family members come as possible, we decided that a Saturday would be best. Having never had to prepare for a 1st birthday party, I find myself learning about a whole new world: party decorations, party favors, treat bags, etc. I have decided, however, that this celebration will be a little more low key. We will have only the essentials: good food, family and probably lots of pictures.
But in all seriousness, I am looking forward to marking the year, in most ways that is. I do feel a little sad about my "baby" turning 1; but at the same time I feel such joy that God has brought him so far from his sudden beginning!
I'll be happy to report after Saturday the great amusement had by all!

Sometimes I can't think of a good title

2007-01-25T14:07:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been a while since I took fingers to keyboard and posted a blog. The Lord has given our family a wonderful couple of months. We enjoyed our trip to Nova Scotia immensely! We haven't had a chance to just kick back and relax like that since Isaiah was born, at least, maybe longer.

After Nova Scotia we spent Christmas with my family in North Carolina. I was looking forward to having Isaiah's first Christmas. I imagined him playing with the wrapping paper and boxes and having a grand ol' time. He did enjoy himself, and of course he was just as cute as he could be, but he wasn't as active as I thought he'd be...maybe next year. He enjoyed spending time with his grandparents and great grandparents in NC, though, being quite the charmer and giggle box.

We were able also to have a "Second Christmas" with Thomas' family in Baton Rouge the first weekend in January. We made what seemed like a very short trip after all our previous traveling. Thankfully all of the family was able to be there. We had some great fun and as always good food. I am starting to have mixed emotions as July 18 draws closer. I am so excited about going to Russia and serving God there, but as I begin to realize that we are starting to do some "lasts" (at least for a while, most likely), I also feel sad in some ways. We want to enjoy everything that we can while we can!

In between the two Christmases, Isaiah had a doctor's appointment to get some routine shots that he's been getting once a month during the winter months. Every time that he's had shots before he never responded or acknowledged that anything had happened. This time, however, things were very, very different! Just like every time before the nurse had me lay him with his knees at the edge of the table so that his lower legs hang down where she can lean against him to keep him from moving. (She explained the first time that this was how she gave all children their shots because most of the try to pull away. I, of course, wasn't concerned about Isaiah pulling away, but who am I to mess with anyone's system.) Well, he was in position and I was holding his hands and talking to him, when all of a sudden I realized that he had pulled his left leg up and arched his back and squeezed my hands while looking at me with an expression of fear and confusion! He had felt the shot! Up to that point he had never responded to any stimulation in his left leg or foot. I cannot explain to you how I felt at that moment. I think that I was in shock. He still needed to get a shot in his right leg (he had begun responding to stimulation in his right foot before, so I was really paying attention this time!). When he saw the needle coming towards his leg he started to tense up and look at me as if saying, "This is going to happen again!?" I did my best to speak to him in a comforting manner, but I probably wasn't very reassuring as tears were starting to run down my face. He never did cry with the shots, but without a doubt he responded to them. While feeling guilty for being excited about my child feeling pain, I also felt incredible joy. I held Isaiah as soon as I could and just prayed right there to thank God for allowing Isaiah to have some feeling in his legs. We don't know if the feeling will grow stronger or if it has reached its maximum, but we do know that no matter what, God is working amazing things in our lives.

Thank you for your continued prayers for us. We are regularly asked how Isaiah is doing and what his prognosis is. We still wait from day to day to see what changes will take place. We have learned that every case of spina bifida is different; what is true for one person could be completely different for another. As we anticipate each day what the Lord will accomplish, we thank God for the wonderful gift that He has given us.

Greetings from Nova Scotia

2006-12-17T07:33:00.000-06:00

Greetings!

Cristy, Isaiah and I are having a wonderful time here in Nova Scotia. We are now on our third day of travels, and here's a bit of what's been happening.

Last Thursday (December 14th) was a long day of travel because of some delays, but nevertheless we have arrived safely in Halifax and are stayed at this OUTSTANDING bed and breakfast called "English Garden B&B". It was nicer than we could have ever expected and so inexpensive, and the young couple that owned the place was so friendly. We plan to stay there again on Tuesday night before we leave Halifax next Wednesday (December 20th)

When we went to get our rental car in Halifax we got a pleasant surprise. They didn't have the mid-sized car we had reserved, so...........they had to give us a brand-spanking new Jeep Grand Cherokee with all the fixins. Awwww, I guess we'll just have to suffer through the experience.

We had originally planned to take off on Friday and head either south or north on the island, but we decided to stay and see the Halifax area. We had a great time in the city. We visited the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, took a ferry ride across the harbor, saw some of the sights, and of course got coffee from a Tim Horton's.

Isaiah has been absolutely great! We get compliments all the time on just how well he does on planes, in restaurants or just out in public. He's sleeping okay at night. On a scale of 1-10 he's been about a 7, so that's been good.

Saturday morning we left Halifax and headed down the eastern coast of the island. We had talked Friday about going all the way down to Yarmouth on the southern tip of the island, but everyone said that we'd be sorry if we didn't stop at Mahone Bay. And so, figuring that the Nova Scotians might know their own island better than we do, we headed off Satuday morning for Mahone Bay.

Now we had two options,

1) Boring old 1hr and 15 minute drive down highway 103 straight from Halifax to Mahone Bay.

2) Beautiful scenic drive down winding roads along the Atlantic coast with a stop off in a quaint little lighthouse town called Peggy's Cove.

I'll leave it to your creative imaginations which route we ended up taking (see pictures)

So now we're in this beautiful B&B at Mahone Bay with a view of the bay itself from our room. We arrived Saturday afternoon about 3, checked into our room and then went on a brisk walk in the downtown area. It's an absolutely beautiful town with great views overlooking the Bay.

We plan to attend a local Baptist Church in the morning, and we found that only after quite a bit of internet searches. There are no shortages of churches here, but, sadly, few preach the gospel. After much research we discovered that the United Baptist Church of Canada still, as a denomination, believes that the Bible is the only inerrant and infallible Word of God and that Christ is the only way to salvation. We hope this proves true tomorrow as we attend their worship service.

As of right now we are planning to skip Yarmouth, stay here in Mahone Bay tonight also, and leave for Digby on the Bay of Fundy on Monday morning. We'll stay there Monday night and then head back to Halifax on Tuesday and stay there once again at the English Garden B&B.

Enjoy the pictures! We'll take some of Mahone Bay today and hopefully post them.

In Christ,
Thomas, Cristy & Isaiah

Just the Halifax

2006-12-11T21:43:00.000-06:00

Greetings!

In just about two and a half days we will be on our way to Nova Scotia! We'll be leaving Wednesday afternoon to drive to Atlanta. There we'll stay with our friends Bill and Robin Harris. We'll fly out at 3PM on Thursday for Halifax. Our plans are to hop in our rental car and meander around the island for a couple of days. On the 20th we'll fly back to Atlanta and then drive on to Cristy's parent's house for Christmas. Please keep us in your prayers.

Our Latest Prayer Letter

2006-11-07T15:20:00.000-06:00

Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ! The Lord has been good to us beyond measure these past few months. We are excited about the work that He has been doing in our lives. The summer was filled with a plethora of events which we’re anxious to tell you more about on these brief pages.

We have now officially set a departure date of August 1, 2007 for Russia! We are very excited about this. Lord willing, we hope to officially leave on that date next year to begin our work full-time over there.

The month of June brought with it a very busy schedule. There were activities at the church, Bible studies, a mission trip, etc. And as if that weren’t enough, we had several surprises come our way. We received a phone call one afternoon in June from one of Isaiah’s doctors stating that a recent CAT scan showed that his shunt was not working as well as it should and that he was going to need to have it revised, which would require surgery. As you can imagine, this was a little discouraging to us, but the Lord was good to calm our fears. As it turns out, this is a relatively common procedure for people with shunts, especially infants and babies. This all happened the week of June the 11^th, the week right before Thomas was to take the youth down to the Gulf Coast for a mission trip. To further add to matters, Cristy was suddenly struck with a kidney stone late on the evening of Saturday the 17^th, resulting in us having to rush her to the hospital.

In the midst of all of this, we were reminded of God’s sovereign control over all things. Though we would not have planned all of these events, the Lord’s hand of providence was at work. Many pages could be devoted to all the details of what happened, but suffice it to say that all “worked together for good.” Cristy was able to get pain medicine. Others stepped up to the plate so Thomas could leave the mission trip Wednesday night to be back for Isaiah’s surgery that Thursday.

Isaiah’s surgery went smoothly and fixed the problem with the shunt. And Cristy’s problem … well … was resolved Friday night the 23^rd. Saturday morning we left for North Carolina. Whew!

After such a busy schedule, our time in North Carolina visiting Cristy’s family and old home church was refreshing. We were able to rest and enjoy some time with Cristy’s family and friends. Both Cristy and Thomas were able to teach Sunday school at Beacon Baptist, and Thomas was able to preach for their Wednesday night service while Cristy spoke to their youth.

We returned home to Yazoo City on Friday, June 30^th. Thankfully the month of July proved to be a bit slower than June.

But slower doesn’t necessarily have to mean dull. July, though, proved to be a month of winding down from the very active summer. Summer Bible studies at church began to end, kid’s programs finished and the youth began to get ready to go back to school. The end of July also brought another change to our lives.

Some shifts of responsibilities have taken place in Thomas’ life. The end of the month of July brought an end to Thomas’ job as Youth Director at church and the beginning of a new position at Covenant Christian School in Yazoo City co-teaching the 6^th grade class there. Monday through Thursday Thomas teaches the class Bible, History and Science. This change of jobs brings with it a bit more flexibility in our family’s schedule to allow us to pursue fundraising and preparation for the mission field for next year. We’re very excited about this opportunity.

And now we find ourselves already through the months of August and September. School has started and the weather has backed down from the 100+ days that hurt so badly. By the time we get through with a Mississippi summer, we find ourselves saying “You know, -40 really isn’t that bad!”

We have a number of goals set for ourselves over the next few months. Thomas has been asked to speak at a pastor’s conference in North Carolina on December 4^th. As it stands right now, we have about 43% of our support raised. We hope to be over 50% around Christmas time. The Lord has really been blessing us with supporters!

Please take a moment sometime and visit us at our website, www.siberiangrits.com, send us an email or write us. We’d love to hear from you!

In Christ,

The Slawsons (Thomas, Cristy & Isaiah)

Just Gotta Say...

2006-10-06T08:14:00.000-06:00

...I'm sick of hearing about this Mark Foley stuff, but I cannot help but make a few comments myself. Let me first say that I find what he did deplorable and sick. But that being said here are my thoughts in no particular order.

1. Movies such as Basic Instinct are accepted in the public eye.

2. We already have a senator, Barney Frank, who has admitted hiring male prostitutes.

3. A major "Christian" denomination, the Episcopal Church, elects as Bishop an openly practicing homosexual, Gene Robinson, who divorced his wife to shack up with his lover.

4. A number of states are striving to legalize gay marriage.

5. We, as a nation, have for years and years remained silent and have befriended other "civilized" nations who essentially allow paedophillia. If Foley had done this in Amsterdam it wouldn't have been illegal.

6. We had a president that engaged in lewd acts with an intern in the Oval Office.

7. We have a national black "leader" who claims to be a minister of the gospel who, while "counseling" the former president during the incident, was found to be committing adultery. He's now back in the limelight apparently "healed."

8. TBS has a show called "Sex in the City" in which a woman writes a column in a newspaper chronicling female sexual escapades.

9. With the advent of the internet obtaining pornography has never been easier or more discrete, especially for young people.

10. With many parents being ignorant (or not caring) about what their kids do on the internet, all manner of filth is getting into the minds of kids not to mention the sexual predators that are getting in the homes of kids.

So, should we be suprised? This is not to make light of Foley's deeds, but his deeds didn't occur in a vaccum. They are the fruit of our nation's cultural mindset. What used to be taboo is now openly accepted.

Now, I am not a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but let me make a prediction. In 50 years if someone does something like Foley did again it'll probably be no big deal. That's sad.

-Thomas

This Just In...

2006-09-04T20:51:00.000-06:00

We just got back from a weekend in Baton Rouge. We had a great visit with our family, and we were able to present our work to Riverdale Baptist Church. The Lord really blessed our time.

The very very very exciting news is that Isaiah has started reacting to touch in his right foot! We're very excited about this, as he has not really ever responded to touch in his feet up to this point. Praise the Lord!!

Okay! Okay!....

2006-07-27T22:17:00.000-06:00

Alright! So we'll try to do better updating our blog.

Seriously, please forgive us. Life can so quickly get away from us here that we forget to take care of this little internet wonder. Cristy is much more organized that I am about life, but with taking care of Isaiah and lots of other things she rarely has time to sit down and blog. And me being a card-carrying member of the A.D.D. society so often forget. So from now on I'll try to blog at least once a week.

The month of June was particularly busy. I was involved with a number of youth events at the church, and a mission trip down to the Mississippi Gulf Coast to help with work going on there. But in the midst of all of that we found out that Isaiah was going to need his shunt revised. To top it all off Cristy, on a Saturday evening was suddenly struck with a kidney stone. She was in immense pain, so we rushed her to the hospital making it home at about 3am Sunday morning.

To make a long story short, she was able to get some relief from the stone with medicines, but I left for the mission trip Monday afternoon, and she still hadn't passed it. I returned back to Yazoo City on Wednesday night in time for Isaiah's shunt surgery on Thursday morning. All went very well and we only had to spend one night in the hospital.

We had been planning to leave for North Carolina on Saturday June 24th before all of this happened. The doctor said that Isaiah was fine to travel, but we were uncertain what to do because of Cristy's situation. We prayed and subsequently decided to go ahead and go since it would probably be Christmas before we could make a trip out there again. Well, thank the Lord, Cristy gave birth to a 4mm kidney stone in the wee hours of Saturday morning.

Our trip was so very enjoyable and relaxing. We really just enjoyed visiting. I got to both teach Sunday School and preach at Cristy's old home church of Beacon Baptist. Cristy also got to teach a ladies Sunday School class and talk to the youth on Wednesday night. We also took a day and went to visit Old Salem, and we even got to go to a baseball game while we were there.

We returned home where I had about a month to finish off my youth duties at the church. For those of you who don't know, I'm no longer the youth director at First Presbyterian Church. I'll still be doing choir there, but for the remainder of our time in Yazoo City, I'm going to be doing that and I'll be a part-time teachers assistant for a 6th - grade class at a local Christian School. I'm very excited about this opportunity. I'll talk more about this in a moment.

On the home front here, Isaiah continues to grow and develop quite well. On all of his cognative evaluations he is developing normally which means there is no indication thus far of slowed mental development. We pray that this will continue.

As expected, though, there is some slowness in his physical development. He does have a considerable amount of movement in his legs, but it is only, thus far, to a limited capacity. He extends his legs quite well, but rarely is able to pull them up closer to his body. This, of course, is all part of spina bifida, so it is not unexpected. On a good note, being able to extend his legs is a good indication that he'll be able to stand on his own one day. Quite honestly though, we take this one day at a time. The more we learn and study, the more we learn that spina bifida is a strange thing. What appears to work today is no guarantee of tomorrow, which in some ways is good and in some ways is bad. Therefore, we do not trust in statistics. We are so very very thankful for what we have right now and what the Lord enables Isaiah to do.

After about two weeks at home we made a short trip to Baton Rouge to visit my family there. We were able to spend a Friday and a Saturday visiting with my whole family. While we were there also we were able to get a new laptop computer! Already this has been a blessing to our ministry.

Which brings us now the question, "How are things going with your Russia plans?" The answer to that is "great!" We are not about 1/3 of the way there on our support (118 days), and we continue to get support pledges from various people. We are also planning to visit some more churches here in the near future to share our vision for our work there.

Right now our plans are the same as they were before; we plan to leave for Russia August 1, 2007, and move to St. Petersburg for about 2 years so that we can study language and be close to the Polyenov Clinic there to care for Isaiah's needs.

Also, for those of you who might be interested, we now have a couple of "fun" things you can get that are associated with our ministry. These things make great conversation pieces at family reunions. Also, get one of our T-shirts and strike up a conversation on a plane with a stranger about the poor souls you exiled to Siberia! Seriously, check it out at http://www.cafepress.com/siberiangrits

Finally, what about all of this teaching stuff? Well, first, let me say that nothing is wrong. My being able stop doing the youth work at First Pres is actually a gift to both Cristy and I that essentially frees us up more to prepare for the mission field. My work teaching will only be part-time during the week and will allow us to visit more churches and make more contacts, as well us allow us more time together as a family to prepare. I'll be teaching History, Science and Bible to a 6th-grade class all school year.

In addition, there are a number of other ministry opportunities I'm hoping to be involved in this next year. There is a group of young guys at the local private academy that are hoping to get together and form an accountability group for the upcoming school year. I'm kind of spear-heading this endeavour, but already there's been a good response of about 8 guys who want to participate and who are serious about walking with the Lord. Please be in prayer for this.

Well, it's getting late and I'm getting tired. I hope this suffices until next week.

In Christ,
Thomas for the Slawson clan (Cristy and Isaiah)

The Mary Poppins School of Youth Ministry

2006-07-05T08:14:00.000-06:00

On July 4th Cristy and I spent the afternoon with our friends the Gilberts. David and Michelle have four young girls age 4 months to 5 years. About three days a week Cristy goes over with Isaiah to walk and visit with Michelle and the girls. David pastors at Second Presbyterian church here in Yazoo City. Over the course of the last year and a half we've all grown quite close as friends. We've even joked about an arranged marriage between their newest daughter Savanah and Isaiah. So yesterday we enjoyed the fouth of July holiday at their home, complete with BBQ, coleslaw, baked beans, apple pie, etc.

During the festivities I walked back into the girls' playroom to see what they were up to. As you can imagine, there were toys all about, stuffed bears, kittens, puppies, bows, naked barbies, baby dolls (I fear for Isaiah three days a week), hair brushes, beauty play things, etc. The girls were watching the old Disney movie Mary Poppins on the television and it was just coming to the end of the movie when I caught an interesting conversation between Mary and her umbrella just as she's about to leave. She looks on happily but sadly as the children she has nannied run off hand-in-hand with their father to "go fly a kite." The conversation goes...

Umbrella: "That's gratitude for you. Didn't even say good-bye"
Mary: "No, they didn't"
Umbrella: "Look at them. You know, they think more of their father than they do of you."
Mary: "That's as it should be."

The last time I saw this movie was probably about 15 years ago, but now, watching it as an adult, this last part of the movie struck me as significant.

For those who have never seen the movie I shall summarize. The story takes place in 1910 in England at the home of the Banks family. The father, George, is a busy and successful businessman in the banking world, while the mother is heavily involved in the women's liberation movment. As a result of their busy and disconnected their two children, Jane and Michael, are quite literally being raised by an endless barrage of Nannies, all of whom don't last very long because of their frustration with the two children. One day the "wind" changes and in walks (or rather "flies") this mysterious and fascinating woman named Mary Poppins, ready to take the Job of Nanny for the Banks family. She engages in the task of being their Nanny, but not in the traditional way. Her methods of teaching the children ultimately serve to "mend" the whole family. She teaches the children and at the same time she teaches the parents so that at the end of the movie she leaves having accomplished her work. The parents, especially the father, come to realize the priority of loving and raising their kids personally. Mary Poppins silently slips from the scene with a smile on her face and a sense of accomplishment.

Now, this is just a silly movie, and, of course, not everything corresponds. Mary Poppins referrs to herself in the movie as "practially perfect in every way." There's words like "supercalifragilisticexpialadocious" and people flying around with umbellas, but aside from all of the fantasy and frilly things there's a profound point that even the secular world realizes here. Parents have the first and foremost responsibility to love and train their children. The most profound molding and shaping influence in a child's life will be his parents, particularly his father.

Malachi 4:5-6 "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse."

It is unfortunate that the current sentiment in most churches today is that a youth director is "needed." It seems that most parents assume that their "teenagers" are going to be rebellious, hard-headed, and rough during the sensitive and influential years of 13-18. They expect that this will happen and so they shoot for that mark. But the sad truth is that anytime one shoots to miss he will hit every time. So to rememdy the problem a youth director is sought out; someone who the child can "relate to." And so someone is brought in who is supposed to become the spiritual mentor of the children to whom he is serving, thus winning their hearts.

Now, let me say, I don't necessarily have a problem with brothers and sisters in Christ being spiritual mentors to younger people within the church. This is scriptural and good. But what bothers me is when a child begins to esteem, respect and, in all practicallity, look up to his youth director more than his father and mother. This is not how the covenant family is supposed to function. It is supposed to be a home where the gospel is proclaimed and taught personally. It is to be the institution of a "little church" where the father serves as the guiding shepherd of his family. The ages of 13-18 ought to be the ages where fathers are winning the hearts of their children, not a young college graduate.

But, sadly, this is not how things have progressed over the past decades. Parents all-too-often assume that their children will rebel and not respect them during the teenage years, and children do just that. So the fact of the matter is that someone else is needed. The question is "Needed to do what?"

That's what struck me about the closing words of Mary Poppins. She came to do a job in the Banks family, and that job was very specific. She was not there to win over the children and draw them further away from their father. For a season she filled the gaps where he was not present, but all the while she was carefully working to remold the childrens' thinking and the thinking of their father's. The result is that, at the end of the movie, she fades into the background while the affections of the children are once again returned to their father, and the affections of the father are once again returned to his children.

Now this, of course, does not address the excpetions. This is not talking about homes where there is no father, or the father is not a believer. Indeed, in these situations there is a real need for someone to fill the gaps, and perhaps more permanently. This is rather addressing the covenant family where the father and mother are faithful believers.

The average youth director is in a church 2-3 years, but fathers are normally there much longer. How much stronger our families and young people would be if every youth director out there learned from Mary Poppins. How much better things would be if we worked with the goal of eliminating our own jobs.

From North Carolina

2006-06-29T21:18:00.000-06:00

It's late Thursday night here at the Atkins home in Graham, North Carolina. We arrived here last Saturday after quite a hectic week of mission trips, kidney stones and surgeries. As many of you know Isaiah had to have a shunt revision done last Thursday. Thankfully that all went very very well and we were discharged by Friday noonish.

We had been planning on flying up together to visit Cristy's family and friends here in North Carolina, but then she developed a kidney stone. So we were faced with the question of what was best to do. By last Friday Cristy had not yet passed her stone but was in considerably less pain. Furthermore, she was on some pain medicine that didn't keep her "doped up" so she was able to carry on a lucid conversation. We prayed, and decided that since our next trip up here probably wouldn't be until Christmas that we would go ahead and come. Thankfully, in the wee hours of Saturday morning all was resolved. Praise the Lord.

We've had a wonderful visit here in North Carolina. It was the first time that Cristy's church family at Beacon Baptist was able to see Isaiah. She's very close to all of the people there having known them for about 25 years. We were also able to minister some with Beacon. They are already supporting us for our work in Russia, and plan to increase that in the next year. On Sunday both Cristy and I were asked to teach Sunday School. And this past Wedesday night Cristy spoke to the teenagers about our work in Russia, while I gave an update on our plans to the adults as well as preached.

In addition to all of the visiting and work we've enjoyed some considerable rest time! Thankfully, Isaiah has been sleeping very well through the night and both Cristy and I have been able to catch up on some sleep these past few days. It's also encouraging to sit down and talk with some people about our vision for Russia, especially people who are really eager to ask questions about our future work. Also, today we took a short trip over to Old Salem and toured some of the old Colonial Moravian Village. It was very interesting and relaxing, and it was just a good time for Cristy, Isaiah and I to spend together as a family. We made it back to Graham here about 3PM.

Tonight the Simmons family, a family that is very close to the Atkinses, came by for a visit tonight. I've enjoyed getting to know them over the past 2 years as we've come up here for visits. Also, Cristy's life-long friend Grace stopped by to see Isaiah for the first time. It was good to see her again.

Finally, what better way to top off the night that with a rousing, schmack-talking game of Phase Ten! It was tough going there for a while, but I emerged victorious. Ah, the sweet savor of victory.

Tommorow will hopefully take off from the Raleigh-Durham Airport at 5PM headed for Jackson. Lord willing, we will land in Jackson about 8:15 and be back in Yazoo City before 10PM. It's been a good trip, and I think a much needed trip for us. We hope to tell you more about some of our ministry opportunities here soon. Please check back.

In Christ,
Thomas

Another change

2006-06-19T08:50:00.000-06:00

Well, life needed a little more pizzazz for us. Saturday night I had just finished giving Isaiah his bath when I felt a horrible pain in my stomach. I called Thomas and asked him to come home soon because the pain was not going away and lifting Isaiah brought some discomfort. When he got home we talked to a doctor who goes to our church and described the symptoms. We ruled out some things before deciding that I probably had a kidney stone. Thomas took me to the hospital in Yazoo City, which turned out to not be such a good idea, so we went to Jackson.

If you have never had a kidney stone or experienced labor pains, there are simply not words to describe the pain. I actually think that a kidney stone might be more painful than labor. So as Thomas drove really, really fast to the hospital I tried to keep from screaming. We waited at the ER in Jackson, and I tried to restrain myself from rolling around on the floor in pain. Thankfully the triage nurse saw me and decided to call me back early. The nurses were great! They gave me drugs! A CAT scan showed a 4 mm stone on my left side. The doctor told me that if I was still in pain in a couple of days to come back and he would send me to a urologist. (My last kidney stone lasted 2 weeks.)

So, things have been a little different since Saturday night. I'm pretty doped up, so I'm not allowed to nurse Isaiah. Thankfully one of my friends was able to give us some ready-made formula that we can feed him. He eats it pretty well. Thomas is still headed to Bay St. Louis this afternoon for the mission trip, but he will be back on Wednesday night. We have some wonderful friends who have volunteered to stay with me at night and check on me during the day. I think that one thing that I can learn from this situation is to ask for help. I don't like having to ask for help, but I know that sometimes it is a good thing to do. God is probably using this to humble me, which is always needed.

Please pray that Thomas will have peace of mind about me and about Isaiah as he is gone. Please pray that the stone will pass, quickly! Praise God for how He is providing for my needs while Thomas is gone through some wonderful friends. Please pray that I will be cognizant enough to care for Isaiah while I'm here by myself. And if any of this post doesn't make sense, well that's percocet for you. :)

Grace to you, my friends.
-Cristy

A man plans his way...

2006-06-15T15:51:00.000-06:00

...but the LORD determines his steps. This week has reminded me of the sovereignty of God, again. We received a call earlier this week from one of Isaiah's doctors cocerning a CAT scan that Isaiah had last week. That call was the beginning of another lesson from God, which is still in
progress:

This Thursday Isaiah will be having surgery to revise his shunt. At some point during his growth (which has been rather rapid of late) the shunt stopped draining properly and fluid began building in his head again. About 75% of people with shunts have to have some type of revision within the first 4 years, and 50% of those happen in the first year. All that to say that this revision is routine for the doctors and nurses, but not for us as parents.

Monday Thomas is going to lead a team down to the coast for some hurricane relief work. I was planning on flying to NC with Isaiah while Thomas was gone. Thomas was going to join us next Saturday to spend the following week with us there. Those were our plans.

Yesterday we went to see Dr. Lancon for a regular appointment and to talk about the revision. We had been told earlier in the week that the surgery would take place some time in the next month, which led us to believe that our plans would continue as normal. Then Dr. Lancon told us that Isaiah's surgery would need to take place this coming Thursday. Thomas went into a flurry of activity while we were still in the doctor's office. He had to make arrangements to come back early for Isaiah's surgery while being confident that the team would still have enough chaperones. After several hours of phone calls, the mission trip seems to be well supervised. When we got home from Jackson, I had the pleasure of calling Delta and trying to get my departure date changed. I must confess that I did not respond well to the ticket agent who told me about all the fees and extra charges that would take place. When I got to the point of tears, I realized that Thomas needed to take over. He handled the situation very well, and I repented. Thankfully we are still able to fly on Saturday following Isaiah's surgery, and now we are all on the same flight, which will be very nice.

We are thankful that Isaiah's shunt malfunction was discovered even before he began to show any of the symptoms. He is still happy and sleeping and eating well. Thankfully he will not remember any of what is about to happen. Please pray for Thomas and me as we wait for his surgery, stay with him overnight in the hospital and continue to care for him. Pray that we will be observant without being anxious or paranoid but simply resting in God's peace and presence. I am thankful that we are learning to be flexible in our plans, realizing that God is the One Who ordains all things. May He be glorified!

siberiangrits

2006-05-21T06:44:00.000-06:00

Isaiah's growing well!
It has been a while since we gave an update on Isaiah, so I thought that I would take a minute to do so before getting us both ready for church. One thing that I did not have any comprehension about before becoming a mother was how you have to do everything twice (not just for the baby); for instance, it's time for breakfast, so I feed Isaiah then I eat; time to get dressed for church, so I dress Isaiah and then I get dressed; bathing at the end of the day, etc. I find that the only time I have truly to myself is in the shower. :) But don't get me wrong, I wouldn't spend these moments any other way than with my precious little man.

We went to the health department this past Wednesday for a check on his weight. Praise the Lord Isaiah weighed in at 8 pounds 4 ounces! He looks so much healthier, which you can see from our picture albums on our yahoo pictures site. He is smiling a lot and cooing and gurgling. He often seems to be looking at my hair when I'm changing him or feeding him as if he's thinking how wonderful a handful would be to take with him. His physical therapist comes once a week to check his progress and give me ideas of how to encourage his development, particularly in his legs. She was quite impressed these last 2 weeks as Isaiah has lifted his head well while lying on his stomach and remained alert throughout the session. He even loves to look at himself in the mirror--it's so cute!

Last week Thomas entitled a post "sanctification", but I think that I could have used that title again. I love being a mother and spending so much time with Isaiah, but sometimes it is very difficult. It's not difficult because he's overly fussy or a burden or anything like that, but rather because I am often faced with my own selfishness, which I didn't realize ran as deep as it does. It's hard work to "be there" for someone else's every need, and it requires some sacrifice at times. The Lord has used Isaiah in many ways already in his short 3 1/2 month life, but I think that one of the main ways is to teach me how much I think of myself rather than Him or other people. Being a mother has also driven me to my knees, and not only in the ways that I expected. I pray more for my mother now, and I appreciate her even more than I did before. I also have even enjoyed the middle of the night prayer times (when I can stay awake) during Isaiah's feedings. (I never thought that I could function on such little sleep--The Lord is gracious!)

Well, I could go on, but all that really needs to be said is that my sovereign God works all things for His glory and for my good, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I am thankful that He plans my steps and makes my path straight because I probably wouldn't have picked for things to happen the way that they did, but again, I wouldn't have it any other way.

-Cristy

Sanctification

2006-05-13T10:38:00.000-06:00

You may notice that our blog address has changed, not to mention the format, not to mention that all our old posts are gone...sigh...

Well, here's what happened.

Some of you reported to us that there were obscene comments being made on our previous blog. This is true, but understand that it was being done by "bots." Bots are little computer programs that scour the net looking for ways to mess up people's blogs, websites and email inboxes. In the case of a blog site a bot can automatically find the "comments" section of a blog, and then automatically make posts to it. Apparently that's what happened to our blog site, and therefore that's why there were obscene comments with links to trashy websites. As soon as this was brought to my attention I jumped to remedy the problem. I could just delete the comments, but the bot was still going to continue attacking our site.

So I downloaded the new blog software that had added security features that would prevent bots from attacking the site. Without getting too technical...with the click of a button I completely deleted our old blog, and all of the previous posts...sigh.

So I figured that since, providentially, we were starting from square one again with our blog posts, that I'd take the less stressful route and simply use blogger.com.

So please feel free to visit us here and keep up with our lives.

-Thomas