Shane & Katie

On July 11th, we will be hosting our 1st annual “Lehmans in Russia” Golf tournament. We will not be having a banquet and souvenir auction. We will also be having a raffle drawing for our six Russian prize packages and some various American prizes including a custom set of golf irons (worth over $300), 4 passes to a Phillies games (vs. Pirates), $200 gift certificate to Dick’s Sporting goods, and much more. So if you are not a golfer, you can still purchase raffle tickets. For more information, contact my father, Dean Lehman, at (717) 432-4119 or on his cell at (717) 215-5680. Hope to see you there!

We had an amazing trip to Uganda with our team from Hinkson. It is quite a different culture in many ways. People are friendlier. Poverty continues to be a major problem. Somewhere there was a road amidst all those potholes. We saw lots of wild animals from baboons to giraffs; lions to hippos. I will never forget being in the Nile river. How many people can say that! God really used our team to help and impact the orphans and staff at New Hope. One thing in particular that I learned from the Ugandans was to truly appreciate the relationships we have with others. We hope to go back one day.

We were so blessed to have Katie’s mom visit with us for a few weeks. We had a great time. She even subbed at the school on various days. It was quite refreshing! We look forward to seeing many more of you in a few months when we return to the states!

This Sunday, I have been asked to preach at a local Baptist church here in Moscow. This is a door of opportunity that only God could have opened for me. I will be preaching on “Love.” This will be the first time that I preach through an interpreter since the entire service in done in Russian. I would appreciate your prayers as I prepare for this Sunday. Remember, opportunities are around us always, we just need to be paying attention.

What is love? This question has eluded mankind for generations and generations. The answer depends on what kind of “love” we are talking about. There are many different kinds of love: a father’s love, the love between spouses, love between friends, the love for pet animal… yet there is only one love that is lasting and eternal. There is only one supreme love wherein we find true fulfillment in life. Many have looked to the temporary satisfactions of life, yet in the end, they discovered that it still left a void inside of them. There was still this feeling of emptiness, incompleteness. This supreme love, a love that overshadows all others, is found only in Jesus Christ! This supreme “love” is a fruit of his Spirit and is only accessible to those who have asked Jesus to become Lord of their lives, cleansing them of sin, and bringing them into fellowship once again with our Heavenly Father who then pours out his Spirit upon us wherein we receive this love supreme. The secret is this: Supreme love is not something sought after, but rather something we receive. It is a free gift from our Heavenly Father. He is waiting, even now, to pour out His Spirit, His Love upon you today. Stop searching, start receiving!

May each of us be renewed in our faith in the person of Jesus Christ as we begin this new year! Though we know not what lies ahead of us, we can be certain of Who goes before us to prepare the way. May this be a year of blessing for each of you as you walk obediently in God’s will for your life.

On the way to church this past Sunday, we saw an elderly lady trying to walk down a footpath over a small hill but was slipping alot. Of course, I immediately raced to go and help her before she falls! As I raced out after her to be her hero, I failed to consider the fact that what I was racing onto was a path of ice! On my second step, I completely wiped out, head over heels, and upon my landing proceeded to slide down the path towards the elderly lady I was attempting to aid. Meanwhile, Katie is at the top of the hill, hand covering her mouth and eyes wide in utter shock at these events. With all my strength I tried to stop myself from totally taking out this old lady. I finally managed to come to a stop just behind the lady, only gently grazing her leg. Upon noticing my unexpected presence beside her, we met eyes and I was speechless. Luckily, she bagan to laugh, looked back up the hill towards my wife, and motioned for her not to follow, but to go over and use the stairs. Moral of the story: One should never allow good intentions to override wisdom. Otherwise, you might just find yourself bowling for grannies someday!

The other day Katie was talking with her 7th grade class about babies and how a pregnancy lasts for nine months. One boy then said, “I thought a pregnancy lasted two years!” Oh the funny things kids say. (and think)

Hey everyone! Check out the new albums we posted today. Just click on the “Our Photos” link.

As September comes to a close, it’s time to gear up for a busy October. This month hosts the Middle school and High school retreats on the first and third weekends of the month with Shane’s parents visiting us the weeks in between. The retreats are always a time of fun and fellowship with the students. They get to see us outside the classroom which can really help in building relationships with them. Shane will be the speaker for the Middle school retreat this year which is an exciting opportunity for him to share and challenge those students with what God has been teaching him. He will also be leading worship again for this retreat so please keep him in your prayers as he finalizes the details for everything. We are eagerly anticipating the arrival of Shane’s parents in two weeks! They will get an inside look at what we do here and what it’s like to live in Moscow, Russia. It’s always quite the learning expeience. With all of this ahead of us, it is still hard to believe that it’s almost October already. So much has already happened and so much more still awaits us. We’ll keep you posted.