Our Teachers

As many of you know, our first "job" here in Ulan-Ude is to learn Russian. Because of that these two lovely ladies are going to be a large part of our lives. It has been such a blessing to have them as our teachers, and we want to say thank you to anyone who has been praying for us in that. Jami has really enjoyed her time with Lubov, and I think that she is really learning a lot. I am so happy to be studying with Alexandra Danielovna, who was actually my teacher when I was living in Russia before. It is so great to jump into a class where you already have a relationship with the teacher, and here is one reason why.
On just our second day of class my teacher and I started talking about things that are happening in the world and about our lives. In the middle of this discussion my teacher asked me how I became a Christian!!! This is a well educated Buryat woman who is not a Chrisian, and she is asking me how I became a Christian?!? In my broken Russian I shared with her how I came to know how much Christ loved me and how I finally made the choice to give Him control of my life. It was an amazing converstion, and I pray that she would come to know our loving Lord soon. I love opportunities like this where God opens a door for us to share about the hope that He has given to us. Please pray for us in our times with our teachers and with others who cross our paths.

Our Mailbox

This is a picture of our mailbox. It hangs in the stairwell of our aparment building, and just received it's first letter for us! The envelope was torn open, but the letter was intact... Hooray! We're praying that other mail will arrive safely. Here's our address (for a few months) for those who want it:

RUSSIA
Ulan-Ude 670042
Kalashnikova 16-2
Leif and Jami Gustafson
RUSSIA

Russian Language Classes Have Begun!

We started our language classes today. Aside from having a cold and having to blow my nose every 30 seconds, I really enjoyed the class. (this is Jami writing). My teacher, Lubov, is very nice and affirms me by saying kind words like "excellent!", "great!", and "nice work" (all in Russian, of course). This is especially wonderful because the normal teaching style in Russia is not one of positive affirmation. So, thank you for all who prayed for my teacher! Leif also enjoyed his class. His teacher, Alexandra, is the same lady who taught him when he lived here before. She apparently started off with a really hard lesson. Leif is working on his homework as I type.

I purchased Russian cold medicine today and took it, even though I wasn't really sure what was in it or what symptoms it was supposed to help. Pretty brave, huh? I must add that any American cold medication sent in a care package would be welcomed with a leap of joy... the stuff here doesn't really work.

Leif bought a huge slab of meat today at the market. I was amazed how he expertly hacked away at it, making nice beef strips out of part and boiling the rest to make a base for soup. Then he made a wonderful stroganoff dinner and we had a Russian couple over for dinner. Sasha and Katia both speak English very well, which is most encouraging to us right now! We had a delightful meal and conversation. The two of them are believers and shared insights about missionaries that they have seen and what has been effective and not-so-effective. The most encouraging part is that both of them said they would not know Jesus if missionaries had never come to Siberia. It is so neat to how God is alive in their lives. We feel very welcomed to Ulan Ude by the two of them.

I'll post pics of our teachers as soon as I figure out how to transfer them from the camera.

Our First Few Days in Ulan Ude

We've been in Ulan Ude a few days now, and are feeling more and more settled in. We plan to start language classes next week, and in the meantime have been finding our way around, getting registered in the city, hooking up internet, phones, and connecting with teammates and others in Ulan Ude. On Saturday, we got to see two new believers baptized in the Uda River. (Brrr!) We hope to see many more of these as we're here. It really is a miracle that God offers us eternal life!

Ivan and Larissa

After staying with our friends, Jon and Tanya in Moscow, we flew to Irkutsk. Our Russian friends, Ivan and Larissa, were so hospitable. They met us at the airport (our plane was two hours late) and took us to their apartment. They fed us, gave us a cozy bed to rest on after an overnight flight, helped us onto the train at the end of the day...and were wonderful company. We were so encouraged by them and their ministry. They're on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ in Russia. Right now they're in the process of adopting a 5-year old Russian boy (something almost unheard of for Russians to do!) and they need to raise more monthly financial support for their growing family. This is something we are hoping to see more of- nationals taking over in leadership and ministering to their own people. We told them we would tell you about them, and if you're led to support them financially, let us know and we'll lead you to them. The picture is of Ivan, Larissa, and a single Russian girl who is living with them now, Tanya. We are so grateful for the welcome into Siberia that this amazing couple gave us.

Layover in Stockhom, Sweden

On our overseas flight from Chicago to Stockholm, we got exit aisle seats! We almost felt guilty stretching out our legs, while everyone else was squished in their seats... but it sure was nice! God gave us many gifts like this during our travels. One amazing gift was getting to visit Stockholm during a 6 hour layover in Sweden. We took a train into the city and walked around. It was really pretty. We both love being Swedish!

On our way

Well, we are on our way. Well, actually we will be on our way in a couple of days, but it feels like we are already on our way right now. We're a bit weary as we think of all there is with packing and the long trip into Ulan Ude, but we are also excited. Just today in church Jami was struck by the interaction found in John where Jesus has shared a difficult saying and many people left him. He asks the twelve if they will also leave to which they reply, "where else would we go, you have the words of life" (my paraphrase). This is true, and we want the people of Siberia to know that Jesus has the words of life. We hope to share this with them. Besides, where else would we go, but where God is leading us.

Leif, Jami, Joyce, Dwight, Rebecca, and Gardner