Hello everyone! It’s been so long since I’ve posted anything new. Russia has treated us well and we are packing up to go. The lessons we have learned will stick with us for a lifetime.
Cool answer to prayer: we’ve been all worried about getting our luggage to England inexpensively. When got to Russia we found out that weight restrictions on Russian flights are less than North American flights. We managed to bargain down the overweight charges (the airport official likely pocketed some extra cash in the exchange) when me flew from Moscow to Krasnoyarsk where we were ministering for the first month, but we didn’t know how we would get our stuff back to Moscow from Ulan Ude where we are now. The missionaries have been looking for cheaper ways to move our equipment, but couldn’t find any. We resigned ourselves to the ridiculous overweight charges. Then, earlier this evening, we found a cheap way of getting our luggage to Moscow along with us. Praise God!
I am sad to say good-bye to our Russian friends here. We got the greatest encouragement today. One girl in told us that she could feel the peace in us despite the chaos we are often in. She also said there is great unity on our team. I am happy to hear that. Praise God for keeping our team unified and shining the light of the Gospel through our love as Jesus commanded us. It is not our own hard work that accomplishes this, but the power of God. If God is for us, who can be against us?
I have had the blessing of having access to phone and internet as long as I share with the guys, although I forgot my username for my blog, so I have been unable to use it or post anything until now. Thank-you for telling me my own name, Dielle. I feel a little silly now. I am SO computer savvy.
Pray that God continues bless our team. Pray for the growth of His Church in Russia and that leaders are raised up for the Church. There is much to be done here, but God is changing lives and that is AWESOME. Live for His glory. It’s not just the best way; it’s the only way.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
The Holidays, Russian style.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
We have 3 days of rest. We got the great news before we left that some of the girls who had handed in follow-up sheets to the Church in Dubinina accepted Christ. That was great news to drive home with. Thank-you God! Last night we wandered around Krasnoyarsk . We saw some of the partially finished ice sculptures. They already look great. We slid down a few ice slides. We went church in Krasnoyarsk again. After church, we went to Dan, Joanne, Jenny, and Abbey’s house for lunch and sledding. The people we had lunch with are a missionary couple from California . But they’ve been in Nepal before. Sledding was awesome. I finally mastered that syanki-ladyanki-thing and got to try another sled that you steer with you feet or your hands if you go down on your belly. I didn’t even hurt myself. I did spray much snow in my face from steering with my feet, though. It was a blast! James and I had shoving battles on the way down the hill AND I WON!!!!!!! OH YEAH!!!!!! I’m not proud or anything. I’m just basking in my victory over the syanki-ladyanki-thing and the Russian sled-of-death.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
We went to Colleen’s (a missionary here) house for Christmas lunch yesterday. Mike and Fran (an engaged English couple we met in church on Sunday) were there. We played Russian Uno. It’s a crazy game. They have some interesting rules. When anyone plays a 7, the last one to slap the pile picks up a card. If someone plays a 4, anyone who talks has to pick up a card for every word they said until the 4 is covered. When a 2 is played, the first one to put 2 fingers on the pile gets to give out two cards to any two players. Not only that, but if you have the same color and number as the card just played, youi can jump in out of turn. And if you play 0, you can trade hands with anyone if you want. You get pretty lost in the flow sometimes, BUT I WON!!! despite having my inexperience taken advantage of. Russians aren’t compassionate gamers. ”. Rhys, James, and I fought on the couch in a giant tickle war. Good times! We got back the apartment and did some group stuff. We all told each other about a Christmas present God had given us. I talked about Lamentations 3:22-23. The other present I got ON CHRISTMAS was discovering a little note from Dielle in the back of my quote-book. What a great day to find it! Thank-you God! Thank-you Dielle!
Friday, December 29, 2006
Yesterday we had an incredible team prayer time. We asked God to do something we didn’t understand, but show us part of what He was doing. We had two programs in a school. The school psychologist didn’t want us there. She even tried to stop a few of us with a security guard on the way in. Praise God that didn’t work. There was only one security guard and he didn’t know how to block 3 people who couild understand him anyways fomr walking in. We found out later that our being in that school for the reasons we were there is actually illegal. Good to know! During our program, the psychologist was writing a letter of complaint to the local judge. Roma talked to her. The vice principle of education in the school told Roma the program was great and Roma said what the psychologist was doing. The VP said, “If she does that, I’ll fire her”. Praise God. While Roma and the psychologist were arguing, some of the students showed up and told the psychologist that they like it too and, “Why should we listen you and not them?”
Saturday, December 30, 2006
We had two hard programs today. Tough crowds. We met Pastor Valera. He has had a very difficult ministry here. There has been very little fruit. He often feels discouraged and, when he wants to give up, God sends someone to encourage him. My heart hurts for him. He has such perseverance. I wish we could have stayed longer and at least done one more program. Word I learned tonight: Slozhna (difficult) and Schodit (will go). As in, Ohn schodit toilet.
Monday, January 1, 2007
Snovom Godom!!!! Happy New Year!!! And what a new year it was! My sleeping habit were really weird because of all the driving we’ve done. We got drove to Sevra Yenisesk, did 2 programs, and drove back to Brianka all in the same day so it was an early morning and a long day. Then we woke up early Sunday morning so we could cross the ferry at 10:00. We slept during the day on Sunday and then went to the New Year’s celebration in the evening. We did a program there and talked to folks for a while. We left the party at 4:30ish and went back to Igor’s for about 5 hours of sleep before embarking on the trip back to Krasnoyarsk we are now on.
We have 3 days of rest. We got the great news before we left that some of the girls who had handed in follow-up sheets to the Church in Dubinina accepted Christ. That was great news to drive home with. Thank-you God! Last night we wandered around Krasnoyarsk . We saw some of the partially finished ice sculptures. They already look great. We slid down a few ice slides. We went church in Krasnoyarsk again. After church, we went to Dan, Joanne, Jenny, and Abbey’s house for lunch and sledding. The people we had lunch with are a missionary couple from California . But they’ve been in Nepal before. Sledding was awesome. I finally mastered that syanki-ladyanki-thing and got to try another sled that you steer with you feet or your hands if you go down on your belly. I didn’t even hurt myself. I did spray much snow in my face from steering with my feet, though. It was a blast! James and I had shoving battles on the way down the hill AND I WON!!!!!!! OH YEAH!!!!!! I’m not proud or anything. I’m just basking in my victory over the syanki-ladyanki-thing and the Russian sled-of-death.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
We went to Colleen’s (a missionary here) house for Christmas lunch yesterday. Mike and Fran (an engaged English couple we met in church on Sunday) were there. We played Russian Uno. It’s a crazy game. They have some interesting rules. When anyone plays a 7, the last one to slap the pile picks up a card. If someone plays a 4, anyone who talks has to pick up a card for every word they said until the 4 is covered. When a 2 is played, the first one to put 2 fingers on the pile gets to give out two cards to any two players. Not only that, but if you have the same color and number as the card just played, youi can jump in out of turn. And if you play 0, you can trade hands with anyone if you want. You get pretty lost in the flow sometimes, BUT I WON!!! despite having my inexperience taken advantage of. Russians aren’t compassionate gamers. ”. Rhys, James, and I fought on the couch in a giant tickle war. Good times! We got back the apartment and did some group stuff. We all told each other about a Christmas present God had given us. I talked about Lamentations 3:22-23. The other present I got ON CHRISTMAS was discovering a little note from Dielle in the back of my quote-book. What a great day to find it! Thank-you God! Thank-you Dielle!
Friday, December 29, 2006
Yesterday we had an incredible team prayer time. We asked God to do something we didn’t understand, but show us part of what He was doing. We had two programs in a school. The school psychologist didn’t want us there. She even tried to stop a few of us with a security guard on the way in. Praise God that didn’t work. There was only one security guard and he didn’t know how to block 3 people who couild understand him anyways fomr walking in. We found out later that our being in that school for the reasons we were there is actually illegal. Good to know! During our program, the psychologist was writing a letter of complaint to the local judge. Roma talked to her. The vice principle of education in the school told Roma the program was great and Roma said what the psychologist was doing. The VP said, “If she does that, I’ll fire her”. Praise God. While Roma and the psychologist were arguing, some of the students showed up and told the psychologist that they like it too and, “Why should we listen you and not them?”
Saturday, December 30, 2006
We had two hard programs today. Tough crowds. We met Pastor Valera. He has had a very difficult ministry here. There has been very little fruit. He often feels discouraged and, when he wants to give up, God sends someone to encourage him. My heart hurts for him. He has such perseverance. I wish we could have stayed longer and at least done one more program. Word I learned tonight: Slozhna (difficult) and Schodit (will go). As in, Ohn schodit toilet.
Monday, January 1, 2007
Snovom Godom!!!! Happy New Year!!! And what a new year it was! My sleeping habit were really weird because of all the driving we’ve done. We got drove to Sevra Yenisesk, did 2 programs, and drove back to Brianka all in the same day so it was an early morning and a long day. Then we woke up early Sunday morning so we could cross the ferry at 10:00. We slept during the day on Sunday and then went to the New Year’s celebration in the evening. We did a program there and talked to folks for a while. We left the party at 4:30ish and went back to Igor’s for about 5 hours of sleep before embarking on the trip back to Krasnoyarsk we are now on.
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