I'm a Canadian teapot!

The biggest surprise I've had so far in Russia is that it's not all that cold! It's been a mild winter for them. That could all change when we train to Ulan Ude in a few weeks.

Tuesday, December 12 - We went to an orphanage with a lot of really shy kids in Bogotol. Our usual translator wasn’t there because she was sick, so Pastor Andrey read the train story for us and James and Molly translated for us. It was interesting. The kids were still scared of us when we started making balloon art. We had to go to them with them. They loved the balloon art and they gave us all thank-you cards. I got 4. I don’t if that means anything, but it was pretty special. We were running behind already, but they asked us to stay for chai, so we did. So we were even later for our next program. We were going to eat before we went, but we got about two bites down and then left. On the way to the program, we saw some people in the ditch. We stopped and pushed them out. It was very cold, the snow was very deep, and I was in my dress shoes. My feet were cold. We couldn’t budge the car, but a Uaz showed up and got it out eventually. I got to see a Uaz!!! It looks like a jeep. Our little interruption made it later yet.
It seems that, in Russia , when you show up 40 minutes or so late for a program in a community centre, they don’t care if you get there a little later than you already are. We got all our stuff inside and I was inwardly bemoaning the immense quantities of melted snow in my shoes from pushing out the aforementioned car when we were told to have some chai to warm up before we set up. I love this country! The program was fun. There is no church in that community as of yet, so many people heard the gospel for the first time.

Sunday, December 17 - Life is good. We had a day off yesterday. We went into a little village on the edge of the lake and stayed in Ernst’s cabin. Ernst is an African guy who speak English too. We also went on a hike and had a competition to see who could slide the furthest on the lake ice with a running start. AJ won. We also saw the hill that Ghengis Kahn apparently stood on to survey the surrounding area. The town we were in was once called “God’s town” and the lake beside it was “God’s lake” because of a miracle worker saint who lived there. The communist government changed the name and martyred the saint. They say all the officials who had a part in that died strange deaths. There’s a stream there and a picture of the saint beside it. The Orthodox church does baptisms in the stream. Kinda neat. Kinda sad too, though.

Wednesday, December 20 - We did programs in Sharipeva today. We had a tough program in a school/orphanage. The kids were really quiet and suppressed. It was disheartening. We did an impromptu program for the church this evening. I am so tired!!!!! I need sleep tonight. We all do. The program was fun though. We did “We Choose to Stand” and James and Janelle were hilarious. So hilarious that Bruce and Olga started laughing. Then the rest of us started to laugh and we lost our place. AAAAAAAA!!!!!! Good times. There was a few non-churched youth there too. That’s great because they got the FULL gospel out of the program tonight. It was tiring, but ministry is.

Praise God! Slava Bogo! It’s a saying I’m getting used to saying and hearing.