july 15-16

July 15 – 16

Tuesday Brandon, Zena, and I went to the circus/park to meet up with some friends and ride some rides and walk around. We walked around the pond for a while and then some of us rode the Ferris wheel. The pastor’s wife and her daughter and Brandon and I rode in on car and I’m not going to lie, it was a bit scary to be on the quite old ride, but the view was well worth it. It was a great time to talk and relax in the afternoon and further relationships. The weather here is quite toasty, even for me. It almost feels like Alabama. While we were at the park, Michael and Kira went and got a pedicure because he had really been wanting one since Moscow so that was good for them to do that.

We all met up later in the evening at the children’s cancer hospital to do ministry there. I went through the story in Matthew about the birds of the sky and the lilies of the field and how if the Lord takes care of them, how much more will He take care of us? We made flowers out of paper afterwards and it was so great being able to talk with this small group of kids that are just longing for love. Some of the mothers and one of the grandmothers were there with their kids, but not all. The kids ranged from 2 years old to 10 years old and were just like all other little kids I’ve met; they just want to have fun and be loved. We sang “This is the Day” in English and Russian, and Kira even had Brandon and I sing it in Spanish to add to the international flair which was perfect for emphasizing that while we may speak different languages and come from different cultures, there is one God. We talked a played for a bit longer and it was just such a wonderful time altogether there.

Wednesday (today) we slept in and had pancakes for breakfast which was prefect. We spent most of the day at the apartment (because Kira had to meet with an accountant) cleaning and doing laundry. We had a small service tonight where Michael spoke a little of his experience with communion and what it means to him, and then we broke bread together as a church body. We sang some hymns and ended with the Lord’s prayer in both languages all together, continuing our theme of worshiping the same and one and only King and Savior who shed His blood for us on the cross.

After we had the service, we had a lasagna dinner while Kira went to a friend’s house. Tonight was Zena’s last night here and it has been a sad day of goodbyes and exchanging of gifts and letters. We have really gotten to know her and it is going to be quite different without her around. She has really made an impact in our lives in the short time we’ve known her! We took her to the train station tonight around 11 and it was sad to see her ride away.

Tomorrow Brandon, Michael, and I leave for Syktyvkar for the week and Kira will go to a conference about the Emmaus walk. We will all meet up in Moscow on the 25th for the youth camp there. I’m unsure of the internet options in our next location, so we will update as soon as we get the chance, so have no fear if it is a bit before an update. Keep praying for us as we are completely unsure of what is next to come in our journey!

On a completely unrelated note, we hear that Syktyvkar has the largest indoor cross-country skiing arena in the world…so this is going to be interesting…