Fr. Joe left his home in the American midwest and now lives on a small farm in the Russian countryside with his wife and eight children. He is a husband, father, priest, mathematician, musician, writer, gardener, and his nine-foot tall Belarus tractor is almost as old as he is.

This is Fr. Joe and his family five years ago, not long after their arrival in Russia:

To see Fr. Joe and his family in more recent pictures, check out these great videos:

• To Russia for Freedom - Families from Across the World Flee to Rostov

• American & Western European Christian Families Settling in Rural Russia

• Christian Family Leaves America, Settles Near Rostov Veliky, Russia

• American Father - Full 10 Minute Mini-Documentary - Big Family Moves to Rural Russia

Fr. Joe contributes to Russian Faith and Global Orthodox, and he previously spent 20 years working in the IT industry for companies such as Experian, HAVI Global Solutions, and Sears.

This modest internet cul-de-sac reveals the inside scoop on what it's like to enjoy life near Rostov Veliky, the charming corner of Russia where Fr. Joe and his family live, along with a growing community of English speakers from America and Western Europe, about a three-hour drive north of Moscow.

From the glories of farming to the pits of bureaucratic despair, Fr. Joe highlights the mountaintops and valleys of life in rural Russia . . . in English!

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