Fun New Friendships

     We've mad some fun and interesting new connections with people recently.  This family lived in Canada for 6 years.  We met the dad and daughter in the store.  He came up to us when he heard the kids talking in English.  They want their daughter to learn English, as they plan to return to Canada one day.  Ella is good about playing with her and trying to speak in English (or sometimes she does both and translates) when they are together.  

This couple is Korean-American.  They lived in Mongolia for 15 years and have recently moved here.  They don't speak Russian, but Mongolian is very similar to Buryat.  Here, Leif is showing them the different churches.  

We stopped at Yulia's for tea with this couple one day when they were here.

    We also recently met a couple, where the wife is Chinese and her husband in Buryat.  They are both believers and are just here for the summer (his family lives here).  They are praying about what God would have for them and have a great heart for sharing hope with others. It's been nice to have them a part of our community this summer.

    We also continue to do work on the house.  Here, Sasha was making a wall with insulation around our bathroom.  He also completed a railing on our stairs.  One day when he was working, his little son was with him and fell from the second floor.  He cracked his scull and was in the hospital for a week.  It was very traumatic, and I still have a hard time talking about it, as I saw it happen and didn't catch him in time.  Thankfully he is totally ok.  We are praising God for this.  Last summer when we had stairs and weren't able to get a banister right away, I was worried about it, and I felt like God told me to pray and to trust (and set up house rules for the kids for safety).  When the fall happened, I remembered the many prayers and saw how even though this boy fell, I could see how God's hand was on him and protected him from any permanent harm.  Needless to say, we are quite thankful that the stairs are now enclosed!!

     We've had people come from the rehab center to help with things around the house.  It's been nice to get to know them a bit. 

     Ksusha is the wife of one of the guys who has helped us, and she has come sometimes, too.  We really like her, and it's fun for the kids to prepare foods with her.  It's a fun atmosphere to all be working together, helping each other, and sharing our lives with each other.