We made it to Moscow at Noon (Russia-time), 4am in Dallas. We had a slight delay in Atlanta...but other than that, everything has been just perfect. God has already blessed us so much on this trip. In Dallas, as we were boarding the plane we were told there was no more room for luggage and that we would have to check our bags. (Carl and I had packed everything to carry on so we wouldn't risk lost luggage) So, I said, "Please, is there any way you can squeeze ours on? We just can't risk being in Moscow without our luggage." "Sorry, maam. There's nothing we can do. Go talk to the attendant on the plane maybe she can work something out." So I did, and they managed to find room. Plenty of room! In Atlanta, when we checked in at the gate, we asked if we could possibly change seats so that Carl and I could sit together going to Moscow. The attendant said the only two seats available were at the very back of the plane - so we (I mean, I) declined. About 30 minutes later, Carl went to the restroom and I saw a new attendant at the desk, so I went to the desk again and asked her the same question. And as a matter of fact, she had two bulkhead seats together! Carl was so proud of me! :) On the plane a man decided to take the vacant seat beside me after we took off. His name is Michael Brohm, a photographer from Louisville, KY. This is his fourth trip to Russia - he is working on a book about life in the city of Perm, Russia following the Cold War. We had such a great conversation (another blessing from God, I managed to find my voice on this flight. If you've flown with me, you know I have a hard time talking when I'm in the air.) Anyway, he told us all about his trips and his work and it was FASCINATING. You can find his photographs by going to Blurb.com and searching on "Perm, Russia" or "Michael Brohm." You may also find his photos at michaelbrohm.com. He does beautiful work! Anyway, I felt like I was sitting by a celebrity. He shared a lot with me about his trips but was so humble about it all. Carl and I both learned a lot from him. Our driver was waiting for us at the airport when we arrived - drove us right to our hotel. The hotel had no rooms available in the size we booked, so we got a free upgrade to a suite! We just couldn't have asked for a better trip. Our plan was to stay awake all day so we could sleep tonight, but Carl nor I could do it. We were just exhausted. We both slept HARD for about 3 hours. Then went looking for a place to eat. Sbarro Pizza (the place a friend back in Dallas told us to look for near our hotel) has gone out of business. Everything else around our hotel looked very expensive. So we went back and ate in the hotel bar. Also very expensive. Our meal of beef strogonoff and a club sandwich was $70. Not complaining. Just giving you an idea how expensive it is. We will definitely be sharing any meal we eat out going forward and Carl is ready to jumpstart his weightloss plan by seeing how little he can get by with here. Another observation - something is blooming here that I've never seen before. There are cotton balls blowing around in the air so thick it looks like snow. It even piles up in drifts along the street curbs and on the sidewalks. I don't know what it is but I have discovered a new allergy! Again, not complaining! Tomorrow we have a 3-hour tour planned with a tour-guide.

If you are not tired of reading yet, here's an article from Gary Henry. Gary doesn't know how much he is helping us grow our faith on this trip, but when we get back, I plan to tell him.

"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going" (Hebrews 11:8)

UNFORTUNATELY, OUR DESIRE TO KNOW THE FUTURE OFTEN TURNS INTO A DEMANDING ATTITUDE TOWARD GOD. We demand to know what is going to happen. We insist on seeing what's ahead. We put the Lord on notice that if we're going to follow Him, He had better tell us the territory the road is going to take us through.

Yet when God told Abraham to leave his home in Ur, Abraham had enough faith to obey God without being told where the journey would take him. "He went out, NOT KNOWING WHERE HE WAS GOING." We need to work on having that same kind of trust in God.

More than most of us realize, we are HINDERED by our attitude toward the future. For one thing, worry about what's going to happen tends to paralyze us; it keeps us from taking steps in any useful direction. But also, trying to see ahead frustrates our faith and keeps us from growing. It's in the actual EXERCISE of faith that faith grows, and the only way faith can be exercised is to take steps that are based on trust in God rather than our own wisdom and foreknowledge. If we insist on walking by sight rather than by faith, we ought not to be surprised that our faith remains small.

One thing is certain: God knows what He is doing and He can be counted on to take care of us no matter where He asks us to go. In Abraham's case, Canaan was no doubt very different than anything he could have enjoyed elsewhere. Abraham "waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews 11:10). As long as he was going toward God, it didn't matter what happened to him in the meantime. It ought not to matter much to us either.

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Good night. Or rather, good morning! :)