Extremes

Today began with the ultimate test in flexibility for our team. About 30 minutes in to our 90 minute commute to the orphanage, our bus was stopped at a traffic check point. Apparently our bus was stopped due to a tail light malfunction and during the inspection by the policeman, the driver was also fined because we weren't wearing our seat belts, along with the tail light. Good news is...we are a resourceful group, and during our wait (which ended up being 2 1/2 hours) we used our time wisely. We rehearsed for the talent show (more on that later), letters were translated to the kids, sorted some materials and even had time for a little dancing. Unfortunately when something like this happens in Russia, you are not allowed to leave until the problem is fixed. So we waited....and waited...and waited for an electrician to come assist with the repair and we were finally on our way.
By the time we arrived at the orphanage, it was past lunch time. We ate a quick lunch then left with the older kids for the bonfire. Stephanie and Marca stayed back with the younger kids who were not allowed to go. They played games, colored, did beads and practiced Russian (only Steph!). The bonfire was a blast! The setting was one of the most beautiful, peaceful places we have ever seen. It was so awesome to see how the older boys immediately began working, helping the teachers prepare the fire and coals for the shashlik (kabobs). We played tag in the forest, hiked and played soccer while the fire was warming. After playing for a while we introduced the group to s'mores!!! They LOVED them! We were handing out marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate as fast as we could.
The transformation in the older boys from year to year is obvious. After 4 years they are so much more relaxed and interactive with us. The teachers invited Rich to help with the shashlik. He had a great time putting the meat on skewers and cooking it on the coals. They even had him pose for a picture with the finished product. The meat was AMAZING! The kids loved it as much as we did. We asked if they would share the recipe to which the teachers replied...it was Gyorgy (school principal and orphanage director) who had cut the meat and that is why it was so special. We could have stayed longer, but knew we still needed to get back to the orphanage to pass out sponsor gifts and have the talent show.
The kids were foaming at the mouth to get their sponsor gifts, but we hadn't done it yet, because we were waiting to do it on bonfire day. Earlier the younger kids had been asking when they were getting them, and we had to tell them to wait until the older kids got back.
We say this every year, but it is amazing how each and every kid pulls out their letter to read your words first. There are beautiful moments when they are sitting there...read something cool, then turn to the next person and repeat it. The Kansas City themed stuff was a HUGE hit! They loved seeing your city and sports teams! One of the older boys opened up a KU gift and Autumn was explaining it was her favorite sports team, then one of the other kids said, 'What about the tigers?' We think it is hilarious about they know the MU vs. KU rivalry just from our gifts and letters.
This year we tried something we've never tried before...a talent show! We wanted to give the kids the opportunity to perform, and give us an opportunity to make them feel like our own kids do...like celebrities with paparazzi all over the room! Several of the girls did dances, Vika and Denis drew beautiful pictures and Nastya P. sang for us. Sergei P. answered Rich's challenge to a sweet roll eating contest...which is on video and had us laughing like crazy! It was a fantastic experience to cheer them on and encourage them in the gifts and talents God has given them!
This will be our last post before flying home on Monday. We leave for Moscow tomorrow (Saturday) night, and will be away from wifi for the rest of our time. We are incredibly thankful for our prayer support you've given us, and are even more thankful that we cannot post after leaving the kids for the last day. We know we will need the support of each other, and our families as we process everything this week has meant to us! It is an honor to serve this way and an even bigger honor to be a presence in our kids lives. When you have the opportunity to change a life through being in a relationship...it is an extraordinary gift from God!

Cracking ourselves up!

Tonight we decided we are going to give you some thing that each one of us has done that made the rest of us crack up.

The other night at team meeting we were very tired, and trying to get done quickly. Becky was giving the night devotion, and we look over and Marca is slouched on Autumn's bed. We immediately started giggling, but Becky continued...at the end, Stephanie was trying to be funny when she said, 'Marca, do you want to pray?' She sat straight up...replied yes, and prayed the most beautiful, on topic prayer. We could not stop laughing...then the next morning when we were still laughing about it, she had no recollection. :)

Last Sunday when we went to church, Olga (our Hopechest rep), had said we didn't need to wear long skirts because it was so cold and we would be walking a lot. Melanie and Becky decided they would still wear their skirts, but Melanie's was really, really long...and it was snowing...by the end of the day Mel's skirt was so dirty and wet from Kirov streets that our translator, Valerie, took her skirt home with her to wash it.

Today we went down to the river before meeting the kids. The river in Velikoretskoye is special because an icon of St. Nicolas was found on the riverbank. There is a pilgrimage every year in June on foot from Kirov to Velikoretskoye with the icon. Some believe it has healing powers, and there is a holy spring to give you good health. Earlier today when we were there, Becky opened the door to the holy space and ripped it off its hinges...yikes!

Everyone is loving the sweet rolls that we have at meal and tea time! Rich is especially loving them...so much so that he is eating more than one in the morning when we arrive. This morning when he was on his second one he bit off a chunk of the side of his cheek. He has been wearing shorts in the gym and not changing before we head home, but tonight we had to stop at the store for water. The store workers were whispering and pointing as he walked by! Not a normal sight you would see in November in Kirov!

Stephanie is an amazing team leader! She has guided us through so many situations...her knowledge and love of the Russian culture is obvious. But.....it became abundantly clear on day 1 that she is not a cheerful riser in the morning. After the alarm went off and Autumn got out of the shower she tried to gently wake Stephanie a couple of times before she finally got up and headed to the shower without responding to Autumn's comments. When she came out of the bathroom she said, "Ok, I can say Good Morning now, I have had my shower."

When it comes to planes trains and automobiles, miss Autumn has been dubbed with the name narcoleptic. Why you may ask? Well it all started with the plane ride where she spent at least 6 of the 9 hour flight asleep straight! She could not sleep on the train however. I guess even narcoleptics can't sleep sometimes. We are hopeful for the train ride back to Moscow on Saturday! She quickly redeemed her narcoleptic reputation when we were heading to church Sunday morning via public transportation. We were only on the bus for a short while, but Autumn managed to fall asleep right away...it was not only a eyes shut snooze, but a full on head sag, eyes shut, mouth slack sleep! She followed that up by easily sleeping on the bumpy bus ride twice a day, every day to and from the orphanage. As she describes it, she can even sleep when it feels like her head is in a paint shaker! So on the plus side, Autumn is getting a lot of sleep...on the down side, we think she's probably gonna need to get checked out by the doctor when she gets home!

We do recognize that we have not talked about the kids yet, but to that we want to say when a team in ministering to kids in this way it is so important to be truly united as a team working together. This late in our week, it is becoming more and more evident that our time is so short and every single one if us is needed to love our kids! 

So now onto the kids...we are having so much fun being with them in all aspects, but especially during free time. Drawing beautiful pictures. Playing epic gams of pioneer ball, like volleyball but you catch the ball and throw it over the net. Teaching soccer and basketball fundamentals. Still making a ton of bracelets. Playing UNO. 

But our favorite? The amazing moments of quiet with just a few kids to talk. Our conversations are incredible. Hearing their dreams for the future. Learning about their friends. Talking about music. So many precious memories to take home with us!

Today is lesson, all Stephanie had to lead with was, 'There were 10 men with leprosy...' and every single age group finished the rest of the story about Jesus healing the 10. The wonderful thing about that was how much time we were able to spend on talking about being on the outside of a community, and what that feels like. Then more time on how joyous they were, and the one who came back t say thank you. Each kid wrote down 5 things they are thankful for and there were some very beautiful thoughts. Thankful for life. Thankful for friends. Thankful for America friends. Thankful for caregivers. Thankful for breathe...life...happiness.

Our last full day is with the kids tomorrow...please be praying for us extra hard! We can hardly believe the week has gone this fast, and are lamenting saying goodbye. Each time we have a team here it seems like we fall more in love with our kids!

Bead-extravaganza

As we start to write the blog tonight, Autumn was closing the blinds in the room and figured out that the new rolling blinds at the hotel are magnetic at the bottom...it's the small things!

Tonight was the second night we have stayed late and we had a massive glow party complete with photo booth, glow in the dark bowling, ring toss and balls. The kids had a blast putting on wigs and using prop hats in the photo booth! Even the serious teachers got in on it! It was hilarious! Many of the kids loved bowling too!

There have been many observations of how everything the kids make and do get given straight back to their American friends and the team. We have everything, compared to what they have...yet they give it all back. For them it is so they feel remembered by those they love...

As the week has progressed we are seeing how incredibly talented our kids are in sports, singing, drawing, braiding hair...it is truly an amazing example of how gifted God makes each individual. We are working very hard at noticing those things so we can not only encouraged them, but compliment their uniqueness.

Today Stephanie worked on getting videos from the kids to their friends. It was so much fun to see how nervous and tongue tied they got in front of the camera. Not all have been comfortable getting in front of the camera, but there were several that courageously stepped up. 

Beads came out today! Actually it was a bead-extravaganza! And every age...gender and personality type loves beads! It was exciting to see how many of the kids wanted help with how to spell their friends' names in beads. Not all of those get sent on, because most get worn proudly. Each was a labor of love with extreme care put into design or sheer quantity of sports balls.  Others

Several of the older boys have been working on a skating rink in the school yard. They are taking so much pride in it, and they will be using it for hockey. Since this is their week off of school this is one of the few opportunities they have to put time into it. Yet as soon as they get released for lunch...they are right back in the rooms with us joining in any activity we have going on. 

We're sorry if it feels like we are not elaborating tonight...we are exhausted! Melanie is especially because she applied a million glitter tattoos! It is such an absolute blessing to be here with the kids and spending these moments with them. But...We. Are. Tired. :)

A day of favorites!

Experiments...it is so important to try new things, but you never know if it will be the best thing ever or epically fail. We showed the kids the video this evening that many of the American friends sent to their kids. It was one of the best experiences of the trip so far to see the expressions on the kids' faces as they saw you show up on the screen. They knew immediately who their friends were before the messages could even be translated. Sergei B. saw Ann Williams on the screen and his hand immediately shot in the air knowing exactly who she was and her words were for him.

Rich's favorite part of today was bonding with Valya, his family's Russian friend, over soccer, basketball and playing in the gym. The gym was his favorite place today, because even during rotations he loved seeing how into the game the kids were. At one point the assistant director came in and said, 'Are they doing something wrong? They are so quiet!'

Marca's favorite part of today was during our free time after we finished rotations this afternoon. She chose to go to the gym and before she knew it, the whole room was filled with kids who wanted to do stuff with us. She thinks it says something about how they want to spend time with us and want someone to care about them. She even volleyed a volleyball with Nastya Ch. for a long amount of time!

Autumn's favorite part was when her translator asked one of the kids, 'Did you know that Autumn is Igor's American friend?' And she replied, 'Of course, Igor recognized her immediately when she walked in this week.' Then he came and spent a lot of time around her this afternoon during free time.

Melanie's favorite part was during craft time while they were finger painting on paper with their names taped off to leave white space once it dries. Craft was incredibly messy and there was paint everywhere...each hand was covered...some up to their elbows. First Nastya P. says, 'We get to be messy like pigs?' Then she loved watching Roma spend the entire 30 minutes spreading the paint, and then changing it...and then changing it again. It looked so therapeutic for them. They also loved the gloves that we put on their hands to paint, because it made them feel like doctors. Dima S. said, 'I will be a surgeon now!'

Becky had the best time in family group. They are very interactive and willing to try any game we teach them. Today we played a game that the kids were supposed to wink at each other, then try to figure out who was winking. It was hilarious watching them try to blink their eyes. Their group is laughing a lot together, because all of the kids are incredibly expressive. When you are making funny faces at each other, there is no translation needed to laugh about it!

Stephanie was entranced by the kids' expressions as they watched the video. Sergei B. was absolutely precious when he saw Ann. Vika had Julia and Audrey Fleenor sing a song on camera, and knew immediately that song was for her. Then Alyona saw Sharon Hutchens come on the TV and her face broke into this beautiful, sparkling smile. Her demeanor completely changed, she sat up straighter and if was as if she got a huge boost of confidence in just a 30 second message! It was great when at the end she announced she would be video taping messages from the kids to their friends if they wanted to be on video. Each kid got excited and Dima K. said, 'I will be running to you in the morning to do my message!'

Everything pales in comparison once you hear how God is moving in each one of us and through the kids...and we can also assure you that God is largely using us as a team as well! Thank you so much for reading along with us! It is an absolute pleasure to represent you all here! More and more the kids realize that we are an incredibly small representation of those who love and believe in them. Amen!

Hugs and more hugs!

We swear...the road to the orphanage gets longer every year. As we got closer the energy in the bus was absolutely electric. The last stretch was like a winter wonderland as snow clung to trees and the road was covered in white. 

After being greeted with tea and treats, we walked out to kids looking for familiar faces. Many found who they were looking for, and quickly found new friends. Hugs were abundant and all promises made to give hugs out for you were kept many times over. Yet others were asking where their other American friends were...many of you are well loved by many!

We moved into a big room to introduce ourselves. There were 4 graduates at the orphanage today: Pavel, Alyosha, Nadia and Sasha. Months of prayers were answered when Marca walked in and saw Nadia, who she sponsored for 3 years before she graduated last year and moved onto the Medical Academy. There were happy tears on both sides when they saw each other and blessings of long conversations were amazing.

Then we split into 3 different groups to get to know the kids on a more personal basis. Autumn and Rich were impressed when the older kids stayed to hang out instead of get distracted elsewhere. Melanie and Marca loved that all of the kids stayed engaged and wanted to play games. Becky and Stephanie had a blast with their energetic and competitive kids while laughing continuously while playing group games.

After lunch we did rotation activities where Marca and Stephanie did the lesson on the fiery furnace. We talked about the miracle of Shadrach, Meshach and Abendago surviving the fire after not going along with the crowd and worshipping the golden idol. Many of the kids automatically thought it was God in the fire with them, because God does miracles and saves us. Melanie and Autumn had a favorite quote from craft where they did a stained glass craft with the 4 figures in the fire. Dima S. said, 'I am going to hang this by my bed and wait for Jesus to come.'

We just finished packing for tomorrow's activities and are weighing it to see what it is because we packed the blue beast full...Rich says it is 65 lbs. Wow! 

It is a collective mix of excitement and relief that every one of us feels like today was an incredible day! We are all waiting with bated breathe for the delicious rolls at morning tea in Velikoretskoye...but more so for our next day with the kids.

We loved the comments on yesterdays blog, and enjoyed them at team meeting tonight! Thank you! 

Spachoina nocheya! 

We're baaaaaack!

Stinky and exhausted quickly turned into joyous and anxious as we arrived by train at 7:30 this morning in Kirov, Russia. Stephanie had told our friend and Russia leader, Olga, she was hoping for snow when Olga replied with, 'I shall order it for you!' Then...after we'd had breakfast and showered it was snowing on our way to church! Just as ordered!

The Russian Orthodox Church service was very beautiful, and one of our observations was how invested each person was in the service. Sight, smell and sound are huge sensory components of Russia Orthodox services. They do stand on average 2 hours during the whole service...with their coats on, which astounded us because we were sweating after being there only 30 minutes. 

The most common thing we've said to eat other is, 'I'm hot,' or 'I'm sweating!' It is always hot inside, yet cold outside! 

None of us slept well on the train because it was so hot. Stephanie woke up about midnight, and was playing games on her iPod when Becky asked of she was awake. It quickly turned into an adventure as Becky found Rich in the hallway and they decided to go to the restaurant car. Melanie quickly piped up from her bed, 'Wait, I'm coming, too.' Which surprised the others who thought she was asleep!

Their adventure was cut short when a train attendant made it very clear the car was no longer open. So then they busted out snacks and dug in...since we were hungry...again...

We feel like all we've been doing so far is eat and travel! Mostly true.

This afternoon, when we finished a yummy lunch (see!?!?) in our favorite cafe, we headed to the Kirov Ministry Center to visit with some Hopechest orphans. (There were no Velikoretskoye grads there, we are hoping to see some tomorrow.) 

We were immediately greeted with a traditional Russia hospitality greeting with bread and salt. Rich and Becky were very excited for salt since they think there hasn't been enough salt on what we've been eating.

The grads were incredibly impressive, and by far the most exciting thing from our day. They had questions for us that they were curious to know what we would answer. We were touched by their maturity and honesty. Their questions ranged from 'Would you ever want to live in Russia?' to 'If you don't have a job and cannot support your family should you have kids?' and 'Is Spider-Man real?' To which Stephanie replied immediately, 'Of course!' And got a rousing applause from the boys.

They also sang and danced for us, and then started a battle of singing. They gave us topics and we had to come up with songs we could sing. We epically failed to the point that they were giving us suggestions and we didn't know all be words. 

We broke out into rotation teams to get ready for tomorrow. Melanie settled into Autumn and Stephanie's room using glue and tissue paper to make a craft demo, while Marca and Stephanie went over lesson plans for Shadrach, Meshach and Abendego tomorrow. When we broke out, Rich and Becky said to each other 'Are we good?' ' Yah we're good!' :) Gotta love the spirit of flexibility and 'Eh, we got this!' from newbies!

Becky just looked up the weather for tomorrow and it is 90% snow! It was truly beautiful walking through Kirov in the snow! And we are anxious to play snow balls with the kids. It snowed about an inch today!

...pause...

We just got off Skype with Nadezhda Crew! They are our folks at WCC that are connected to the Russia ministry. They were at their normal monthly meeting, and we are fighting to stay awake...but it was worth every second to hear their voices, say hello and be encouraged by their support the night before we go wrap our arms around all of our kids!

We are incredibly excited for tomorrow, and are honored to be representing WCC...but most of all to be representing our Savior who loves these kids a million times more than we do. So we head to bed, hoping not to wake up at 1 am unable to go back to sleep...

See ya tomorrow!

It's time!!!

I am incredibly excited to tell you that the Russia Team is set, and already planning for our trip. Our trip dates are Nov 2-12, 2012 and there are 8 of us going this year. If you look to the right, you will see our new team list!

We will be in contact with sponsors in the middle of September to get you all working on sponsor gifts. Don't forget, the first Sunday of the month is Nadezdha Crew up in the Lecture Hall at church. We eat together, then normally do small projects of letters or cards to send to the kids. For September and October, we are doing video messages for the team to take over, and hopefully be able to play it on their equipment.

Keep writing your Russian friends letters! It makes our job as your ambassador of sorts much more fluid once we arrive!