Olga and I have been considering new opportunities in Estonia, and a friend in the US, who will move to Russia soon with her family, sent the following note.  We are blessed to have friends who consider so deeply the things of God and share them so freely to encourage us.

I’m not sure these thoughts will be of relevance for you guys, but it’s what I have to offer!  

With our plans to move there in May, I’ve been talking to God a lot about my motives in my desire to be in St. Petersburg.  For example, the children are amazing and precious with whom we work, and God has used so many things in my life to get me to this point of moving to Russia.  

But I know that when it comes down to it, these things alone are not enough of a reason for me to move with my husband and child away from our family and home into a foreign land and culture.  

To do anything for any reason other than in obedience to and out of love for our Father will not only do precious little (if anything) for the furtherance of His Kingdom, but will ultimately leave us imprisoned by the very things we set out to do – whether it is deciding to leave (or to stay) in a place, or it is deciding what to wear to church on Sunday.  

To make these choices for any other motivation or in regards to the opinion of any other person simply leaves us serving someone or identifying ourselves with something other than God our Father.  

This seems like a simple enough idea, but I find that for me it can be difficult to keep my motives pure.