One more cow....for Tanya

Tanya loves cows, and I happen to love to paint them....so it works out nicely.  Tanya is a special friend and the very first Russian I met.  I taught her the gospel 25 years ago but she's taught me much more than I ever taught her.  It's been so much fun to remember and honor all of these friendships.

Pavel the Russian Banya Guru...

Pavel is a good friend of mine who taught me to love the Banya.  One of my favorite memories of Russia is when I visited Pavel in the small village where his Mother lives in and together we built his banya on the banks of a small creek and spent the evening enjoying the unique experience of the Russian Banya "village style" with repeated dips in the nearby river.  Since that day many years ago, we've enjoyed many trips to the banya together but none quite so memorable as that weekend in the country.  I miss Pavel and his great family and the Russian Banya.

The Adventurous Backman Family

This leopard reminds me of our good friends from Moscow The Backman Family - Expert hunters of Adventure.  I've always admired the way the Backman family finds adventure.  They are the kind of friends that everyone hopes to have and hitch along with on some exciting trip.  More than examples of how to have fun, the Backman's were examples of service, love and inclusion for all around them.  We were honored to know them during our stay in Moscow.  We miss them.

The Amazing Honeybee - Society's Teacher

My friend Sergey shares an affinity for the amazing honeybee.  I had fun doing this latest envelope for him.  He remembered a talk I gave when I departed Russia 25 years ago that I gave to friends about what we can learn from bees.  I've kept a few beehives over the last 10 years and the more I learn about the hive, the amazing cooperation and communication that goes on in a beehive, the more I think we should all model our lives after the bee's habits.  This envelope has helped be remember my great friendship with Sergey, my love for bees and reminded me of their lessons for me in family, work and church life.