Our Story

From left to right: Olya, me, Olya's sister Ira, Olya's dad Nick, and Olya's mom Nina.

April 28th to May 4th, 2001

January 25th to July 12th, 2003

July 12th, 2003 to the Present

A lot happened between my 3rd and 4th visit to Vladimir. Probably, the most significant event was the acquisition of my company by one of the largest Biotech companies in the world, Amgen. As part of this acquisition, all of the employees of Immunex were given lucrative retention packages to hang around until the close of the deal. Anyway, during this visit to Russia Olya and I met with her pastor and his wife. He asked me if I would be interested in coming to Vladimir in January on a 1 year visa and go through the missions training program that they were starting up that year. After returning to the States, I eventually decided to accept the offer. The journal page has some entries during this time period to explain in more detail what was going through my heart. The retention package I mentioned was a key piece to the story because it was God's provision of the finances that would be necessary for me to come to Russia and for Olya and I to live here after we were married.

So, two years after meeting Olya, I found myself leaving my friends, family, and livelihood in the U.S. to move to Russia, be a missionary, and be with Olya. It was hard for me to give up my way of living and adjust to a new language and culture (actually, the adjustment continues), but I knew this was the right place to be for the time. It was wonderful for us to be able to spend so much time together without thinking that we would have to be apart again in a few days. We really needed the time to get to know each other better and to be able to talk about some important issues before marriage. Our time in pre-marriage counseling was very helpful and gave us a godly perspective going into the marriage. I really appreciated the fact that the church here made me feel accepted and also provided a lot of support and accountability for us. Even though our wedding was so far away from home for me, it was such a special blessing to share the event with our church family. God always provides.

After the wedding, Olya and I honeymooned in Alanya, Turkey. It was so nice to have that special time together and experience a place that was new to both of us. The trip had some annoying situations, but overall we were blessed to be there. After returning, we tried to get our home set up and adjust to living together (again, the adjustment continues). In September, Olya started teaching at the University she had graduated from earlier in the year and I took a more active role in the ministries of CC Vladimir. At the present time, we are unsure of where we are headed. We are just trying to be faithful with what God has given us; each other, gifts, ministries, work, and a message of hope. He has done so much in bringing us together and has more than provided for all of our needs. The key for us now is trusting in His guidance and provision and keeping our eyes and hearts fixed on Him. We pray that our marriage will be pleasing to the Lord and bring Him much glory. We our so thankful for everything He has done for us.

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	Our Story
Index		Russia 2000 reflections
We met during my trip to Vladimir, Russia in December 2000. Olya was one of the translators working with our team. We didn't hit it off immediately, but by the end of that trip, we knew that there was something special between us. However, it wasn't until I left Russia that we had a chance to get to know each other. This happened mostly through hand-written letters and phone calls. As our friendship grew, we were blessed with several opportunities to spend some time together.	From left to right: Olya, me, Olya's sister Ira, Olya's dad Nick, and Olya's mom Nina.
April 28th to May 4th, 2001	July 20th to September 28th, 2001	January 26th to February 6th, 2002
Since we weren't really able to talk and spend time together during the first trip, I wanted a chance to see Olya again in person to get to know her better. I wasn't interested in sightseeing during this trip. I wanted to find out if Olya and I should continue our friendship. We spent time praying before the visit, asking God to reveal the motives of our hearts and show us if we needed to stop the friendship or if it was ok to continue. The trip itself was a wonderful time. I had a chance to meet Olya's family and some of her friends. I was able to see what she was like away from a ministry situation. We both enjoyed the fellowship and decided to continue corresponding.	Olya had a chance to work in the U.S. that summer. Through a lot of effort, including 3am phone calls, we arranged for Olya to live and work with my sister Judy in East Wenatchee, WA. I was living in Seattle, WA at that time. So we worked during the week and then I drove 2 1/2 hours to East Wenatchee every weekend so that we could spend time together. It was such a blesssing for Olya to be able to meet my friends and family and see me in my "natural" environment. She was able to see where I grew up, where I had gone to school, where I went to church, etc. Olya was also blessed to be able to experience some new things. At some point during this summer, I told Olya that I was getting to know her with the intention of finding out if she was someone I would want to marry. We were just friends at this time, but still I wasn't just hanging out with her to have some female company. I knew that I was ready to be married. I wanted to get to know her to see if she was the person I would want to commit to.	Before Olya had left the U.S., we had talked about the possibility of me visiting her in Russia again in the winter. I finally had enough vacation time to take another trip at the end of January. Thankfully, this coincided with Olya's winter break at the University. Sometime between the summer and my 3rd visit to Vladimir, my sister Judi asked me if I had thought about marrying Olya. Of course, I had considered it, but it wasn't until Judi asked this question that it occurred to me that it may be the time to ask Olya to marry me. I knew I was ready to be married and I was pretty sure that Olya was the one I wanted to commit to, but I still had some doubt about her feelings. To most people it was obvious that Olya cared about me a lot, but we guarded our emotions so carefully during our friendship that I wasn't sure about her feelings. Still, I bought a ring and headed to Russia unsure if I would propose or not. We had a nice time and four days into the trip, I proposed. Olya accepted after a pause that seemed like eternity.
August 17th to 26th, 2002	January 25th to July 12th, 2003	July 12th, 2003 to the Present
A lot happened between my 3rd and 4th visit to Vladimir. Probably, the most significant event was the acquisition of my company by one of the largest Biotech companies in the world, Amgen. As part of this acquisition, all of the employees of Immunex were given lucrative retention packages to hang around until the close of the deal. Anyway, during this visit to Russia Olya and I met with her pastor and his wife. He asked me if I would be interested in coming to Vladimir in January on a 1 year visa and go through the missions training program that they were starting up that year. After returning to the States, I eventually decided to accept the offer. The journal page has some entries during this time period to explain in more detail what was going through my heart. The retention package I mentioned was a key piece to the story because it was God's provision of the finances that would be necessary for me to come to Russia and for Olya and I to live here after we were married.	So, two years after meeting Olya, I found myself leaving my friends, family, and livelihood in the U.S. to move to Russia, be a missionary, and be with Olya. It was hard for me to give up my way of living and adjust to a new language and culture (actually, the adjustment continues), but I knew this was the right place to be for the time. It was wonderful for us to be able to spend so much time together without thinking that we would have to be apart again in a few days. We really needed the time to get to know each other better and to be able to talk about some important issues before marriage. Our time in pre-marriage counseling was very helpful and gave us a godly perspective going into the marriage. I really appreciated the fact that the church here made me feel accepted and also provided a lot of support and accountability for us. Even though our wedding was so far away from home for me, it was such a special blessing to share the event with our church family. God always provides.	After the wedding, Olya and I honeymooned in Alanya, Turkey. It was so nice to have that special time together and experience a place that was new to both of us. The trip had some annoying situations, but overall we were blessed to be there. After returning, we tried to get our home set up and adjust to living together (again, the adjustment continues). In September, Olya started teaching at the University she had graduated from earlier in the year and I took a more active role in the ministries of CC Vladimir. At the present time, we are unsure of where we are headed. We are just trying to be faithful with what God has given us; each other, gifts, ministries, work, and a message of hope. He has done so much in bringing us together and has more than provided for all of our needs. The key for us now is trusting in His guidance and provision and keeping our eyes and hearts fixed on Him. We pray that our marriage will be pleasing to the Lord and bring Him much glory. We our so thankful for everything He has done for us.