And now, a word about our hosts...

I realized today that I have said very little about our hosts, Jeff and Amy.

First, I must give them full props for putting up with us for two weeks. The old saying is that fish and houseguests start to smell after three days, but my nose must be more sensitive, because it usually only takes only one day before I tire of guests. Jeff and Amy, however, either genuinely enjoy having houseguests, or they are very good at faking it. I’m okay with it either way. Because the Calvinist and I have received nothing but smiles, kind words, and good food. At no time have we gotten “negative vibes” as I used to say back when I was cool (and yes, gentle readers, there was indeed such a time; it lasted about twenty seconds). They even put up with the Calvinist’s snoring. I, of course, have never snored a day in my life, and if Keith Walls wants to say otherwise he can get his own blog.

Jeff left a six figure job to take his new bride to Russia, just because he thought God wanted him to. Crazy, I know. He made the irrational decision that the God who created him and redeemed him actually has a claim on his life. What do they teach kids these days?

They have both worked hard to learn Russian, and are both fluent, which is pretty impressive since after two weeks here I can count my Russian words on one hand. They put up with a schedule that would burn me out in a month. I respect and admire them, and thank them publicly for their patience and kindness.