A Desperately Needed Update

I had hoped when I started this blog that I would be more frequent in updating it than my last website. Well, so much for that thought. It has been almost 3 months, so there is a lot that has happened. Time, it seems, has slipped away once again. Time does that a lot, actually -- more often than I would like.

Considering that we are almost halfway done with this school year, let me summarize the past few months. I am still teaching the same classes -- 6-8 English and 6 history. I have 14 6th graders, 15 7th graders, and 14 8th graders. The school year started off well, in spite of some anxieties about how this year would go. It always takes a little while to get the 6th graders used to the ways of middle school and "Mr. Brande's classes." Some of them may be trying to figure everything out for a while.

September flew by with beautiful weather and led into October, which began with our middle school retreat. A fun time was had by all even though it took 4 hrs to get to the retreat center. 4 hours on a bus with middle schoolers is not something I would recommend if you're just looking to have a good time; but the kids did really well with it, over all. Here are a few pics from that. To see more, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/philbrande/MSRetreat#

Most years, I also attend the high school retreat, but this year I chose not to, knowing how much energy it would require. I am currently studying Russian once a week and working on our spring play, so my plate is pretty full.

As November started, there was a weight hanging heavy on my heart. I have been in Russia quite a while, and God has blessed me immeasurably through the students here. He has given me numerous opportunities over the year to invest my life in them; and over the years, there are some that I have bonded with on a much deeper level.







Kian is one of those students. His family are missionaries from Australia with the Salvation Army. They have been in Moscow about 6 yrs, and even though I have only had Kian in my class for a year and a half, it is a special relationship. November 19th was Kian's and his sister's last day at Hinkson, and it was, without a doubt, the most difficult goodbye I have had to say since I have been here. The reason for this was because I am also fairly close with his 3 best friends -- Artyom, Matt, and Drew. To see how difficult it was for them to say goodbye to him, made it doubly hard for me. God has allowed me to be here for them as they have had to work through this difficult time. I am so thankful that God has brought me here for these kids! There have been days when I have doubted my calling here, but -- as hard as that day was, it was not one of them. God confirmed to me once again that I am in the right place at the right time.
Please pray for me and for these boys that God will continue to comfort them. We are also blessed in the technology that we have -- 15/20 yrs ago this situation would have been far more difficult without the internet.

I am also thankful for the friends that God has given me here that have allowed me to cry on their shoulder and pray with me through this. As Christians, we must lean on each other and sometimes carry each other through the rough patches of life.

The other thing that I was reminded of, through all of this, is that our God never changes or leaves. How encouraging that is! He is always there for us, and He understands our every hurt and every need, and His grace is sufficient always. Someday we will not have to say goodbye to those we love, but until that day, we must continue to rest in our God and in His faitfulness.










































The following is a poem that I wrote the week before Kian left:

"The Mark"

Christ came into this world for us

He came for death and life.

He spared no cost to save us.

He gave us everything

And He left His mark on us.

The world did not accept Him.

They turned their backs on Him.

They heard the words and saw the truth.

They chose to believe the lies,

And they left their marks on Him.

God's love compels us now

To show that same selfless love

To the world that rejected Him,

To the same world that marked Him with nail and spear,

And to leave His mark through us.

My life is one of time and toil,

Of training those who are young.

My life is one of daily words and wisdom

Seeking to touch with my heart and my hands,

And desiring to mark those who come my way.

The marks that I leave are subtle for some

And obvious for others.

I know that some marks leave smiles

And sadly, some leave tears,

But they are marked, nonetheless.

And then it must be noted

That I too am marked by them.

God brings our paths together

And then divides the road again,

And many leave their marks on me.

The mark that I am left with

When that road divides,

Is a mark of blessing

That cannot be described.

It is a mark on my soul forever.

I am changed for knowing them

And though my heart may ache,

I know the chord that binds us

Is one that will not break.

We have the same mark.

God writes on our hearts

With indelible ink

A permanent stain of love,

And wherever we are, where e're we may go,

That mark is His mark.

A glimpse of this past year

This is a video that I put together recently of pictures from this past year. I used the song "Amazed" by Jared Anderson because it was my theme song for the year. There were very few times this past year when I was not amazed by what God was doing in my life and in the lives of my students.

Random thoughts on time...

I am thoroughly convinced that the older we get, the faster time escapes us. When we are little, it seems that certain events -- Christmas, birthdays, summers, etc... -- will never come. We wait with expectant and excited hearts for the times such as these. As adults, we also wait expectantly but when these times come, they seem to go just as quickly. As a teacher, summers are looked forward to, perhaps more than any other time. Then before we know it, the time has come to start a new school year and the whole process begins again.
This summer was one of the most relaxing and enjoyable that I have had in a very long time! In addition to enjoying the coolness of the weather, I felt no pressure to cram as much as I could into the month and a half that I would have, had I been in the States. And yet, I had a very specific schedule so I was not bored nor lethargic. As I said in my previous post, I worked on my Russian language -- very small steps to learning, and I tutored English. I told people that I had English lessons twice a week and that my English was improving. I am actually intending to continue studying Russian once a week after school starts.
As far as my writing -- well...I didn't accomplish as much as I would have liked, but I did make some definite progress. I will continue to work on that as I have time.
School begins on Aug 20th...thus my thoughts on time. It seems that this summer has flown by. I think I am ready to start school, but there is still a part of me that wants the enjoyable summer to continue. Perhaps it is the child in me that still wants to enjoy my play time. I have heard it said that you can take the boy out of jr high, but you can never take the jr high out of the boy. I struggle often with keeping the balance between my need to be an adult but my desire to hold onto my childhood. Part of me knows that I need to grow up, but the other part of me resists with everything I have. I always find it fascinating that, in Scripture, Jesus told us that we need to come as a child to Him, that our faith must be childlike. I wrote a poem a while back on this struggle of finding that childhood faith:

"To Be a Child Again"

A Child weeps in his mother's arms
And she comforts him.
I fall like a child and do not weep -- Why?
Where is the brokenness that I should have?
It is swallowed up by pride.
To be a child again...

The young have it easy, so we say --
No jobs to work, no bills to pay.
The joy of life consumes them.
To be a child again...

The ability to play with abandon
To see the richest colors and the brightest stars,
To live without this life's demands.
To be a child again...

The young have innocence and awe,
The ability to be amazed by everything.
To have that endless energy,
Pure and raw.
To be a child again...

To fall and feel the pain for the first time,
To cry unashamed and free,
And then wipe away those tears and live anew.
To be a child again...

The young have it easy, so we say --
They know they are forgiven and loved.
Lord, show me the way
To be a child again.

Please be praying for me as I begin this new year that I will find that balance and that I will make the most of that precious time that I have been given. I was reminded this summer how much of a gift each breath, each moment, and each day truly are. At the end of July, the mother of two of our high school seniors passed away very suddenly. It was a shock to the entire community. Teri Tarleton was 49 years old. She and her family have been in Russia almost 15 yrs and have touched so many lives. Please pray for this family as you remember. And remember that each day is a gift, so use the time -- whether it passes slowly or quickly -- for the things that matter.

I had the opportunity this summer to get out of the city twice and visit a couple of monestaries. I have posted full sets of these pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/philbrande Here are a few of them:

Until next time...

A Different Type of Summer

Many people have asked my why I spend my summers in Florida and winters in Moscow. Well, this year I have taken that advice to heart and am in Moscow for the summer, with plans to be in Florida for Christmas.
When I first began thinking about spending my summer in Moscow, instead of in Florida, I was not sure what to expect. I have spent portions of my summers here, but never the whole summer. I knew that my main reason for staying here would be to study Russian, so I was a little apprehensive about the idea. However, as God began showing me clearly that He wanted me here, I became less apprehensive and more excited. God provided a Russian tutor for me -- I had someone specific in mind but had not asked. One Sunday, on the way to church, I saw the father of my 6th grade Russian student. This was the man I was considering asking. He asked me what my summer plans were, and I told him that I was considering staying here to study Russian. His response was, "I could help you with that, if you would like." It was a confirmation from God. Then I began wondering how I would pay for the lessons. Another Russian friend called me and asked me if I would be willing to tutor her husband in English. They are wanting to immigrate out of Russia, and he needs to be able to pass a proficiency test to do so. Not long after that, I was asked to tutor a new student coming to Hinkson next year. Not only has God provided money to pay for Russian lessons, He has also added a little bit of extra for the summer, and He has provided so that I will be able to stay busy.
School ended the 30th of May -- as always it brings with it joy and mixed sadness at seeing so many students leaving. I had a week to rest and work at school, and then I started my lessons -- both teaching and studying. Studying Russian has been and will continue to be a stretch for me. So far, a lot of it has been review, but I know it will get harder.
There are a few kids spending their summer in Moscow, so I have also been able to hang out with them and continue to build those relationships. I have been working on my writing as well. Many of you know that I am working on book 2 of the "Minar Chronicles" (such is the name at present). I hope to finish book 2 (A Lifetime of Favor) this summer, but I have also been inspired to start book 3 (Restoration of Joy). I will keep you posted on their progress.
So far, I am thoroughly enjoying being here for the summer. It seems more relaxing for some reason than when I am in the States. It is also much cooler! The average temps have been in the high 70's/low 80's -- beats Florida humidity any day of the week.

My awesome 6th grade class on the last day of school

These are some of the graduating students that I taught when they
were in middle school -- Nathanael, Tim, DongKeun, and Meri.
I am very proud of them.

The staff and faculty at graduation

Two of my closest friends (and traveling buddies)
here in Moscow -- Luke and Christiana, also
known as "Shavs" and "That" (If you want the details of
that story, ask me)

Spring in Moscow

Spring has always been my favorite season. I grew up never really experiencing true winter and summer was always miserably hot in Florida, so I naturally loved the spring. When I moved to Moscow, I learned to appreciate it even more. The winters here are cold and dark, and so when spring begins it is the realization that we have made it through another winter. I especially like the fact that the days are longer and the sun shines more. When I leave for school, the sun is usually well on its daily path across the sky. The mornings are cool but I know that by the end of the day, it will be much warmer. I don't need my coat anymore, and the light and warmth give energy to me and to my students -- which could be good or bad. Right now, the sun does not set until around 10:00, but that too will change. Summer days here last until almost midnight.
A lot has happened in the past few months. So I will give you one or two highlights from each month. February has always been the hardest month of the year for me here in Moscow. This year, however, I was able to get out of the city for a few days. I traveled with four other teachers to the cities of Vladimir and Suzdel -- about 3 hrs by train. Even though the temperature was about -20, we had a great time with each other, seeing the city and laughing until our sides ached. Here are a few pictures from that trip -- the first four were taken in Suzdel and the rest in Vladimir:

I also spent a very quick 4 days in New Jersey attending the wedding of Hans and Sara Lee -- Hans was in my first 6th grade class here in Moscow. It was a beautiful wedding and I was glad that I was able to be there for them. It is a little scary, though, seeing my students getting married before I do :)

I can only describe the month of March as insane. I was co-directing our high school play -- "Don't Drink the Water" by Woody Allen. The performance was the one of the best that we have done in a long time. I find that directing the play is usually a stress reliever and a stress maker for me. I enjoy doing it but am glad when it is over.

The 4 directors (2 were student directors) -- I was in the cast this year in case you are wondering why i have make-up and white hair.

By far, the highlight of this semester and even this school year was my spring break trip to Israel. I have always dreamed of being able to visit Jerusalem, and in April, God allowed that dream to come true. It is hard to describe the week in words -- it was so incredible! We saw so much -- places that I have only read about. Now I can read the Gospels with a new perspective, as I can see these places. Instead of posting one hundred some pictures here, I have posted them on another site and will give you the link: http://picasaweb.google.com/philbrande
Now as spring begins to move toward summer, I continue to be amazed as I see beauty in this city that I have not seen before. I am also amazed as God continually gives me opportunity for ministry here -- often when I am not looking for it. I am blessed beyond words to be here in Moscow. I pray that this spring will find you blessed as well. May you enjoy the beauty of the world around you and of God's love.
I will leave you with a few pictures of my students from our field trip to a puppet theater and from the 6th and 7th grade chapel:

Ups and Downs pt. 1

A couple of weeks ago, I took my 6th graders sledding after school -- we had a blast! Earlier in the week, we received a nice covering of snow, but then the temperatures rose and everything began to melt. Fortunately there was still enough snow to sled, but the ground was quite wet and there were some decent sized puddles at the bottom of the hill. By the time we finished, most of the kids were soaked. One of the boys was so wet that it was pointless for him to wear his coat back to school, so i let him wear mine. I can only imagine what people must have been thinking as they watched me walk down the street in a short sleeved shirt and a scarf.
We then went back to school for hot chocolate and cookies and a movie ("The Princess Bride"). I enjoy hanging out w my students so much. I know that many people say they could never teach middle school students, but I am not sure I would ever want to teach any other age. God gives us the gifts and talents and then places us in just the right spots to use them.
I was thinking about sledding in relation to life. There are many big hills that we face -- I have had many of them recently. We start out at the top feeling great about life and where we are headed, but then we start down the hill, increasing speed as we go and wondering if we are going to make it to the bottom in one piece. Sometimes we get hit in the face with snowballs (one of my students did hit me in the face as i was sledding down), and sometimes we get our feet knocked out from under us when we aren't looking (another student came down the hill when i wasn't looking and knocked me flat on my back). The question that remains then is this: what happens next? Do we choose to stand up and keep moving forward or remain on the ground and feel sorry for ourselves? We know, of course, that God will give us the strength to stand again, and it's much easier to face these situations when we have each other to help and encourage. I have been experiencing some of these downhill experiences recently mainly related to the stress of living here in Moscow. For a while we thought we were going to have to move due to rent increase, but we are able to stay in our apt for the time being. Also, teaching, in general, has its stresses. Sometimes I feel like I don't have the strength to keep moving, and other days, I am flying with all the energy of the wind.
Here are some pics and a video of our sledding party: