A Trip to Celebrate Grandma Dorothy

     It's always amazing how God can bring such joy, even in the midst of sad times.  These past two weeks have been just that- both sad and joyful.  We've known that my Grandma's life was nearing it's end for several months now and have been praying for God's perfect timing of her transition out of this world and into the next.  Although we never wanted the day to come, it is amazing at the perfect timing of it all (a definite answer to prayer) and that Ella and I were able to make a trip back to the States to celebrate Grandma Dorothy's life and to be with family!  

We traveled through China.  It was special to have this mother/daughter time together.

The day of Grandma's service was beautiful- sunny with fresh snow.  

     Grandma was always a planner.  She had planned much of her service already.  She would have loved the view on that day.  And she would have loved the pretty Christmas decorations everywhere.  She loved Christmas.

     It warmed my heart to see how many people braved the snowy roads to come and honor my Grandma.  This picture was taken after a few people had already left.  The family gathered around up front to say final goodbyes.  The service was very precious.  My cousin Brenda's husband, Dave, officiated and did a wonderful job of sharing what life is all about and the hope we have in heaven when we believe in Jesus! Grandma invested her time, money, and energy in the things that are eternal.  Thinking of this brought such joy and truly made it a celebration!  My cousin Daryl read the eulogy (that  my Grandpa had written years before, thinking Grandma would probably pass away before he did).  Daryl also shared touching memories he had of Grandma and read letters from the rest of us grandkids.  It was perfect.

Of course, it was extra special for Ella and I to get time with family!

Ella with cousin Nora

     My mom had Ella try on this dress that I wore when I was the same age.  Ella is taller than I was at 9!  It was a bit too short on her.  =)

We got a lot of special time with my parents.  My Dad took us to an art show downtown.

Ella got to pick out a piece of pottery to take home.

     Our family usually has a special advent activity each day.  For two weeks, we celebrated advent across the world from each other.  We read from the same advent book, however, which was a special way to stay connected across the miles.

Looking at Christmas lights in Medical Lake one evening.

Much to my Dad's joy, Ella had several opportunities to plow snow!

He took her on a special Grampa-Granddaughter date to the Nutcracker.

One of the benefits of being an only child is that Ella got to pick out the Christmas tree!

Reading Together

Hamburgers!

A visit to the Davenport Hotel to look at the trees!

     It was nice for Ella and I to experience warmer weather and to go on walks with just light coats!

My mom helped Ella with her schoolwork.

And Ella helped my mom by sorting through "Grandma Great's" old jewelry.

     Ella learned how to do self-checkout at the store!  We were able to get some items for our family for Christmas (and some things we can't buy in Siberia) to put in our bags for the trip back.

It was really a gift to have this time together.

     I'm so blessed to have had Grandma Dorothy as such an important part of my life.  I will always be inspired by her sincere faith.

And I will always remember, with a smile in my heart, her quick-wit and sense of humor.

 1Thessalonians 4:13-18

     And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died  so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.  For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.  We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves.  Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.  So encourage each other with these words.

Edited Note: Months later, we saw even more clearly what a gift the timing of Grandma's homegoing was!  Just a few weeks later, and China would have been closed because of COVID-19.  And any later than that and the whole world shut down!  

His Hands and Feet

Nettie and I, on a morning prayer walk. 
We had to stop and take a picture with the only deciduous tree in the village!

Several weeks ago, Nettie and I went on a prayer walk through our neighborhood, and one of our prayers was that God would help us to be his hands and feet to the people here. It's so neat, because the very next day, God started answering, and almost daily since then (and sometimes more than once a day)  He continues to give opportunities for us to show love to neighbors.

A major plus, is that God is opening doors at times when we are available!  Our schedule is often very busy, but He's had people come at moments when we are free to help.  Here are just a few examples...

Our elderly neighbor needed gas for their stove but didn't have a car.  He asked if I could drive him to the gas station.  It turns out the place that has the special kind of gas he needed was on the exact road (and it's a dirt road with nothing around!) where Anneka has her horse lessons, and it was right at the time when I needed to pick her up.

Another neighbor's well broke and she was home alone with her three small kids.  She desperately needed water and asked if we could come and take their barrel to the local well and fill it.  She wrote at the exact moment that Leif was already gathering ours and Nettie's barrels for our own drinking water!

A different neighbor owns a store and the engine in their car is broken.  They needed help buying products for their store.  Originally she asked me to come when I was busy.  I was prepared to change my plans, but then she called and said that the next morning was actually a better time... and it's when I was free!

Another neighbor was in the hospital with her baby and needed diapers.  She wrote me when I was already in the city and able to easily come to her.

People have been so grateful and amazed that we would help them so readily.  I am so grateful to God for how He shows His love for us, and He also knows what is too much for us.  In His kindness He is making it so that helping others hasn't been a burden but instead a joy and seamlessly works into our days.  I pray that we can shine his Light here.



     One of Anneka's new friends from the summer was in the hospital with pneumonia.  We visited her a couple of times and brought her home on the day she was released.  Her family doesn't have running water, so it was nice for her to come over to do laundry and take a shower after a couple of weeks of being in the hot hospital!

There are many more stories, and of course, I'm not taking pictures when we are doing these things.  But I want to write this as a reminder of how good God is in showing His care for others and for us at the same time.

Special Holiday for the Elderly

     This past Saturday, our neighbors got together and planned a special celebration for the elderly in our village.  It was a great way to serve, meet new people, share a little bit of why we are here, and enjoy a great day!  Leif and the kids went the evening before and helped burn weeds and pick up garbage. Ella and Ike helped decorate (this banner is just made from the pages of an old magazine!).

     The neighbors collected money to buy meat and ingredients for rice pilaf, and everyone brought something to share, too. At first, only the elderly sat at the table. Everyone shared will wishes with them and honored them with songs, poems, dances, and kinds words. The older generation were asked questions about their childhood, too, which was interesting to hear their answers. After they had gotten their fill, the rest of us took turns sitting at the table.

This lady danced a beautiful traditional Buryat dance as a gift to the elderly.  

Everyone enjoyed listening and watching!

     I didn't get any still pictures, so I took a screen shot of a video.  Leif, Nettie, Ella, and I sang "I'll Fly Away".  Leif shared the meaning of this famous American song.  He also shared about how we can have hope beyond this life and total freedom while we are here, despite our circumstances.

     People danced, too.  I thought it was so cute how this lady grabbed Nettie and danced around with her.  =)

     The kids had fun running around everywhere and playing with other kids.  (and in the dirt, of course!)

Anneka met a couple of girls her age.

 

Ike and Ella enjoyed flipping over the bars.

Such fun!

     I thought it was so interesting how they made the tea.  They used this samovar that had a hollow place in the middle for wood and fire.  Then around the tube, the water heated up.  Genius!

 

     Once it was hot, they brought it over to the table for people to pour from.  When it was empty, it didn't take long to heat up a new batch.

     Here's a picture of most of us at the end (minus some people that had already left and several of the kids).  We really enjoyed this celebration and appreciate how the older generation here is valued and respected.

English Club at Baikal 2019

     We celebrate another wonderful year of English Club at Baikal!  It's always so amazing how God brings exactly who He wants to be here and connects our hearts to Him and one another in special ways.

     Our theme of this week was God's Power and our theme verse that everyone memorized was 2 Timothy 1:7: "For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of self-control."  While this theme proved to be very powerful and created many great conversations, when I think back on this week, Isaiah 55:10-11 is what sticks out to me most.  We were encouraged to share God's Word, knowing that God would be faithful to use it for His perfect purposes.  In this, there was a relaxed atmosphere and a freedom, trusting that God was at work.

We packed 6 people and all of their things into this one car!!

     We had a team of 8 people help us this year from New York, Massachusetts, and Maine.  They were a great group, both prepared and flexible.  Their addition was a great help.  It was fun to see how different people from here connected in different ways with each of them.  

     Once everyone arrived at camp and we got everyone registered, we divided into several discussion groups, based on language levels. We met twice a day in these groups. We got to know one another more deeply through questions and ice breaker games, and looking at the Bible together (specifically focusing on texts that show God's power in different aspects of life).

Each group found a little place to nestle in.  We're thankful for good weather!!

     This year for the first time we gave a little language test to people beforehand.  For the most part, it worked really well as far as people being on the same level as the others in their groups.

     We started each day with morning exercises.  I noticed that Kathy explained things so clearly, that even Alex (who is blind) was able to perfectly follow her instructions for exercises.  Everyone really liked that we did this on the beach- a beautiful and invigorating beginning to the day!

We also had group games each day.  Our kids really enjoyed this time.  

Water Volleyball on the Beach

     This was a relay race of running with water to fill a bucket several yards away.  It took many trips!

     This was a hoola-hoop relay race.  The team that came had some really fun ideas to use for these game times.  Each day we also had special groups that people could choose to attend for music, drama, crafts, and sports.  I didn't get so many pictures of these, but it was a highlight for many people.

     In the afternoon, we had free time.  This was a great time for hanging out on the beach and talking with people.  Often people would start up a game during this time, too.  This is the game of Kubb- a big hit!

     Each evening, we had a special program.  In this time, our guests from the States shared stories of how God has worked in their lives.  We also sang songs.  One of the songs that was really popular this year was the verse John 3:16.  This was a very meaningful time for everyone and created great conversations afterward.

     On this evening, we sang outside during the sunset, but we moved into the tent quickly afterward because there were a lot of mosquitoes.

    Mainly only the kids participated in skits this year.  Diana was great with the kids and helping to guide them.  She had this funny skit were Ike's head looked like it was on a platter.  

Diana and Ella, hanging out in the car.

     Leif's mom, Irene, came again this year.  It's so nice to have her help.  She was available to be with the kids and take them to the beach during our discussion groups.  We all treasure having her with us.

Being at English Club at Baikal is one of the kids' highlights of their summers.

Ike, playing on a fun tire structure.  He liked jumping off of it.

Hanging out on the beach during free time.

A lot of people would warm up in the banya before and after swimming in cold Baikal.

Ella, jumping in!

 This stream that connected with the lake is fed by springs and was even colder than the lake water!

     Because we had so much great help this year with the team from the States, I was freed up to be a "helper", wherever needed.  I love this role.  On this day, I helped in the kitchen.  Renata was the head chef and did a fabulous job.  There were over 80 people there!

 

      Everyone loves hot dog night!  We set things up so people could walk by to get their hot dogs, buns, and toppings.



     Sometimes the kids came with me to run errands.  We were about 20 minutes from the closest village.

Getting Bread at the Store

     Being in God's beautiful creation often stirs up beautiful things in our souls.  It's such a privilege to share this week with people from both near and far, both believers and those who don't yet believe.  It's a time of drawing nearer to the One who created it all!

      We had a special program on the last evening.  Some nearby campers came into the tent when Matt was sharing his powerful story.  We had this time translated into Russian so that everyone could understand clearly.

     We roasted marshmallows.  The fire was so hot we had to put the sticks in the sand and stand away from the heat!

     Zhenya and Marina performed a fire show for everyone- an amazing ending to an amazing week!  Many people stayed up into the wee hours of the morning to talk.

As God promises in Isaiah 55, we trust that His word that went out this week will accomplish His purposes.