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.