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The Arrival

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 14:06:49 +0400

The answer: 9. The question: how many bags did it take the Lawson family to get all their stuff back to Moscow. Clothes, food, toys, medicine, books, bottles, lotion, etc. It’s all here.
Departing DFW last Monday was a time of mixed emotions. There was the nagging worry that accompanied the day. “Did we get everything? Are we going to experience any problems? How’s Graham going to handle this? How are we going to handle this?” There was sadness and tears as we said goodbye to family. There was excitement of the return to our home and our life in Moscow. There was the joy of getting back to a land and ministry which we enjoy so much. And there was also the encouragement of family supporting us in our call.
This plethora of emotion carries you through the long hours of travel and sustains you...for a time. But there is no escaping the exhaustion that comes at the end. For us, this proved as true as ever.
We were checked in, bags checked, through security and on the plane with ease. The 8 hour flight before us was the first hurdle. Liz sat with Graham across the isle from me and Donna. Next to her was another couple with a 4 and half month old girl. In my mind I thought, “this could be a long flight.” But both babies did pretty well. There were a couple of moments of crying, standing up and holding Graham, moving him around to get him settled down. He slept in the arms of all three of us at different points until we touched down in London. Part 1 was over. So far, so good.
London proved difficult. An hour and half delay only added to our exhaustion as we sat and waited. Again, Graham did ok. Sleeping on and off but constantly requiring our attention. The next flight, London to Moscow, finally arrived and with it came a full flight: a full flight full of kids. Lots of kids. Almost all Russian.
Luckily we had the front row seats and again the flight wasn’t that bad. Same as the first we traded off holding Graham and helping him sleep. Touching down in Moscow, we could see the end in sight.
Passport control was no problem and all of our bags came quickly down the chute. I pushed a cart with four bags, Donna pushed a cart with four bags and Liz wheeled Graham through customs and out in the hot and crowded Domodedova airport. 20 minutes later we were loaded into Nicholi’s van heading towards home. Sleep was calling.
Our apartment greeted us warmly (both literally and figuratively). Beds were made, fans running, food in the fridge. We have amazing teammates. We settled in and tried going down for the night. Graham was reluctant, but after some work he and I feel asleep on the couch around 3:00 a.m. Around 8:00 a.m. we started our day. The arrival was complete.
Now we are putting away clothes and other things. We are laughing with friends and catching up on the last five months. Graham is slowly adjusting to the time change and the heat of this Moscow summer. We ventured out in the city yesterday and grabbed some pictures. Life is returning.
There’s more to say, more on my mind. So many things cross your mind in a transition like this. I hope you return to hear more. But for now, know that we made it safely and that we are doing well.

The Reason for Goodbye

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:58:18 +0400

It’s been nearly five months since we packed our bags and caught the 5 a.m. flight out of Moscow bound for DFW. Nearly five months since we sat in our apartment on our couch and made plans for the journey ahead of us. At that point, Graham was keeping us entertained as he moved around in his mother’s womb. Things have now drastically changed and the journey we are preparing for now is like none we’ve ever been on before.
How many bags does it take to get the Lawson family of three back to Moscow? I’ll let you know in about two weeks time. The packing is about to commence. The passports are at the Russian Consulate running through the visa processing system. The to-do list is growing and the days are counting down. July 26th we are Moscow bound once again.
This has been one of our most special trips back to the States and our longest stay since 2005. Saying goodbye this time will also most likely be the hardest since that initial move.
When we first moved to Moscow, we knew we were going because of God’s call upon our lives to live and minister there. We knew that it would be one of the most difficult decisions we would make, if not only for our lives but we realized the difficulty it would place upon those who love us the most. We counted the cost and we knew it was steep. But the reward was worth so much more.
And that reward is not our own. It belongs to those who love us and support us as well.
You see, we believed that the best thing we could do for our own lives was to respond to God’s call with faithful obedience. More than anything, I believe that this goes beyond us. When we trust the Lord and are obedient to Him then this is also the best thing we can do for our family and friends as well. (I hope that those closest to us reading this understand that and know that we go because we love them so much.)
The call to Moscow has not been removed yet, but rather has been strengthened over time. God’s Glory and God’s Kingdom still needs proclaiming in Russia. I don’t know how much longer God will keep us there, but I do know that for now He has called us to return. And so we will, taking you with us in our hearts.

What’s in a name?

Sat, 15 May 2010 02:28:32 +0400

As I’m settling into a new stage of life – parenthood, I find myself still a bit in shock that such a transition is taking place. Graham Christopher is no longer just a name we thought up, but he’s an actual person, and I find myself thinking is it the right name, does it fit him? Graham Lawson? What will he be like as a little boy, and then teenager?
Recently I found the obituary written about my grandfather, John McClellan Graham, on a bookshelf in my parents’ home. Such a reminder of what a special man he was and how worthy he is of having his great grandchild named after him. I’m reminded of why we chose this name. Pappaw was a simple, countryman who worked hard to always provide for his wife and family, and had such a love for his grandchildren! He has so instilled the character trait of hard work and loyalty into our family, and it has reminded me of the impact a simple, loving, hard-working man can make! My Graham will not ever meet Pappaw, but I hope and pray that we’ll all get to see some of Pappaw’s influence passed down as our family continues to grow and remember him fondly. Much love to my Pappaw, John GRAHAM!
Liz