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THIS has been my home for the last year- but now it's time to start closing, finishing, completing, saying goodbye. I'm going back to Australind in 2 1/2 weeks.



The last couple of days at home have been very full of stressful things, but we are enjoying life and each other all the more for it.

Kostya (who's been in the army in Khabarovsk for the last 2 years) is coming home to Sakhalin next week. Two years of praying, waiting, supporting, smsing (Tracy's phone didn't often leave her hand these last 2 years! She's on 24 hour Kostya support standby) is coming to an end.

He's had a very difficult time, and new difficulties are arising with his return. Suffice it to say that we will not take part in the struggle going on for Kost. We're working through each new trouble with patience and endurance (thank you Lord for the passport and visa office, where we can learn such things!!)
We will prepare him a place in our household, and leave the rest for Kostya to decide.

Roma (above) has been going through troubles of his own. But in recent times he's turning more to us for friendship and relationship than previously. He'll be able to look for work again once his passport and documents are in order (they expired a month after he turned 20).



Natasha has grown and matured a lot since the summer. She spent the summer living with her sister (who recently turned 32) and working for her aunt, taking care of her baby cousin. For the first time Natasha has spent bulk time with these family members, and I wonder if she is finding a confidence and peace that comes with knowing who you are and where you're from, through her sister and aunt.

Nastya may have got herself a job today- she was calling around a couple of hours ago, and searching the papers for ads. She visits us occasionally, when she needs something (which is not uncommon)- but more often she's visiting without Anton, and I find her more approachable at those times. She finished her computing course this summer, and wanted to continue studying, but there's some rule about living at the school's dorm and money for a second course, which counts her out, at least for now. Hopefully she'll be able to earn enough money, stay focussed, and then pay her way through a second course. She can do it, it's just a matter of motivation...

It's a good thing I don't have paper airline tickets- I'm sure she would have taken them off me and hidden them by now ;-)