Our Baby

Medical care here in Russia has been a dilemna for us as we prepare to have a child. The system of prenatal care is quite different from the States and has caused us to pray about what to do. Thankfully, there's a midwife here (from the Spokane area, no less!) who is happy to do checkups for us. I met with her last week, and I am so thankful for her care and expertise. She had a kit of babies of different sizes, depending on how old they are in the womb. This picture shows the size of our baby now at 16 weeks.

We're still enjoying this time with the Brunos. Yesterday with took a passenger train to Lake Baikal. The weather was nice and it was so nice to breath fresh air and take in the beauty of God's creation. Ron and Gretchen have been such servants... washing our dishes, cleaning our floors, taking the garbage all the way out to the garbage cans... it's been really nice. Gretchen continues to give me new ideas for cooking. I feel more empowered to try new things.

More Fun Visitors

We have the privelege this week and next of having Ron and Gretchen Bruno visiting us. They're from our home church in Spokane. It's been really nice having them here, speaking in English, sharing things on our heart, and feeling connected with home. Today Gretchen helped me at the market to buy some ribs and a whole chicken. She's going to teach me different simple recipes to make with the ingredients we can find here. It's sooo helpful, because I find that we get stuck in a rut of what we eat: tacos, tuna melts, spaghetti and pasta dishes, beef stroganoff, etc... but I love learning how to make new (and easy) things. The Brunos were missionaries in Guatemala years ago, so they are familiar with a lot of what our lives are like.

Today we introduced Ron and Gretchen to "KVAS". This beverage comes in big wooden or metal barrels and is very popular here in the summer. Today, Leif and Ron had to stand in line before tasting this treat. Gretchen describes it as tasting like iced tea with molasses. It's definitely an acquired taste.

The second picture is from church on Sunday. I think Baba Ira (in the red scarf) is so cute. =)

Goats and Embarrasing Moments

The other day in class, I had an embarrasing cultural moment. My teacher asked me if I noticed what was on the trees. "Yes! I exclaimed! Horrible white paint!"... and then I realized that it wasn't at all the paint that she was talking about... she was talking about the little green buds that were beginning to form. I felt badly because 1) it is cultural (and seen as beautiful) to paint the bottom sections of trees white. (it is also "useful" for the trees, as Russians would say), and 2) I really am happy about the buds that are forming. They were just so tiny on that tree that she pointed to, and the paint was so WHITE. Thankfully my teacher is really nice and just laughed with me. The picture above isn't the best and was taken at dusk, but you can get the idea. I also don't understand why most trees have all their branches cut off. Some trees look just like straight poles with white paint at the bottom.

This monument and these goats are in front of our apartment building. The goats are so funny. On of the little kids (goat) came up to Leif when he was taking the picture and nudged his hand. Leif took a picture of him, but he was so close, it was just a picture of goat hair. haha.

A Housewarming Party

Yesterday we invited our church over for lunch after the service. When we were sitting in the service, I had this horrifying thought that nobody would come... but I think EVERYONE there ended up coming! (no exaggeration... I really think everyone came... although our church is quite small, so that only meant 35 or 40 people). It' so convenient living within walking distance from the church, and it was so fun to have a "housewarming party" now that we're settled into the neighborhood. Afterwards, Leif and I both reflected that we feel like having everyone over really helped us to feel more connected with people. And we really felt loved by everyone.

The top picture was taken after a few people had left and is of us "girls". The bottom picture is of our room. We feel so blessed! The sweet babushka in the above picture (Ira) kept saying "Slava bogu" (praise God) for all of His blessings. We agree.

A Little Bundle of Joy

Yesterday we got the meet Chingis and Ksusha's new baby, Daniel (Danya). He's so cute! Even though he's 3/4 Buryat, he has light hair. It was so neat to see Chingis and Ksusha with their little son. Babies are such miracles.

We're really happy because Chingis, Ksusha, and Danya will be moving to our neighborhood soon. We're especially excited because we're expecting a little bundle of our own in about 6 months!! It'll be so nice to ask Ksusha questions and have them within walking distance of our apartment.

We'll keep you posted on news with our baby. So far he/she has developed all the major organs, has fingers and toes... even fingerprints. It's amazing to think about. We appreciate your prayers for our growing family.

NOT ЗАСУХИНО!!!

We're all familiar with no smoking signs and no parking signs that have a picture or a letter or a word with a diagonal slash through it. Well, an interesting use of that here is city signs. Instead of having signs that say entering or exiting such-and-such city, they have signs like those above. This sign happens to be for ЗАСУХИНО (Zasukhino) which is a very small town between Ulan-Ude and Lake Baikal. When I think about it it makes a lot of sense, but because of the context I associate it with it feels harsh like, "this is Zasukhino," and, "this is NOT Zasukhino," or, "we are anti-Zasukhino." I feel like I can't really put in into words, but hopefully you enjoy another little taste of Russia, and can laugh with us.

Siberia Impressions from Erin

• 
  
  

(Jami writing) A common question that people ask here is: "What are your impressions of Siberia?". Since Erin has fresh impressions, we're giving her this chance to write about them on our blog. If you come to Siberia to visit us, you can write on our blog, too.

(Erin writing) It's been a long time since I've even been able to think about Siberia without a smile. Places that friends love, I start to love. That's especially true now. When Jami first told me (in our dorm room @ CWU) that she was going to Siberia for the summer I couldn't imagine it at all. 8 years later, here I am. Here are a few of my impressions:

• It's not that cold. : ) (At least in April)
• The birch trees outside the city gleam in the sunlight; it's just beautiful.
• The fruits and vegetables here are lovely.
• They serve fish to you here with the head still on.
• The Marshrootkas (mini-busses) are a fantastic & efficient way to get around town.
• Ulan Ude is much more casual than Moscow (fewer polished-looking women in heels).
• It's poor; people seem to live just fine with what they have.
• The babies here are very very bundled; the kids are adorable.
• People don't smile as much as people generally do in the States; the Christians smile more.
• The roads are bumpy (ie: I will never again complain about the potholes in Seattle).
• There is a lot of paperwork, for a lot of things...and it's copied & re-copied by hand.
• Sometimes the shops and Post Office close in the middle of the day.
• The tea, piroshky, salads and soup here are delicious...and a great deal!
• A person can buy just about anything here, but maybe not consistently at the same store.
• Locals are nice to non-English speakers after a short while.
• The music is unlike any I've heard in the States; I like it.
• Most people live in apartments; the older (wooden) apartments remind me of Dr Zhivago.
• There are not flowers yet in the city in April, but there's hope it'll start to turn greener soon.
• The painted window shutters on the houses all over are a favorite thing of mine.
• It doesn't feel like Europe or like Asia...maybe it feels like its own continent.

You should come. : ) The travel is an adventure. The food's yummy. Leif and Jami's apartment is beautiful & comfortable. The company's great (Jami and Leif are awesome, as you agree) & their friends here are quite wonderful.

Erin

Happy Day

Today two very exciting things happened. The first (and most exciting) is that our friend, Erin, arrived for a visit!! It's been SO fun to catch up today and to have our close friend here. The second exciting thing is that we saw our first flowers of the season! What a welcome sight after a long winter. Spring is officially here. Erin says the flowers look like crocuses with fur on them. Leif says that the fact that the river is completely unfrozen is also a sign that spring is here. I say "howdy do".

j

We Live in Hollywood!

There's something we failed to mention, when we told you about our new neigborhood. It's really quite a special neighborhood because it's "Hollywood"! We definitely feel like movie stars living here (just kidding). We're not really sure what this building is (it's empty) or why there's a Hollywood sign, but it's fun. And it's what you first see when you enter our area.

There are English signs all over the city, and many of them are perplexing. Sometimes people will have strange English sayings on their clothing and we wonder if they really know what it is saying. It definitely adds humor to our days, though.

Christ is Risen!

Happy Easter!! Something I LOVE about this holiday in Russia is that many people say (in Russian), "Christ is Risen"... on the street, in the stairwell, on public transportation.... and the reply is, "He is risen indeed!" It is so interesting to me because most people here don't have faith in Jesus. Many people don't even know what they are saying. But I love hearing those words all around me, and I pray that people will come to know this Christ that they speak of once a year.

We had a lovely Easter. Our church had a social after the service, where we drank tea, and ate different treats. We brought colored eggs to contribute (most people bring sweet things, and it's nice to add something not-sweet to the mix). The pastor held up the eggs and told everyone the Christian symbolism behind them. Unfortunately, I didn't catch the meaning. But apparently, a few years ago, there was great debate within the church of whether colored eggs should be allowed because they are associated with paganism. But they found some religious meanings, too, and it was all okay. Phew! I'm glad we didn't cause an uproar!

In the afternoon, Leif and I delivered cupcakes to different store workers in our neighborhood. The response was mostly positive, although one sweet lady felt badly that she didn't have anything to give us. I didn't realize this, but culturally people feel like they need to return a kind act. We need wisdom to know how to reach out to people without them feeling indebted.

In the evening, we had some of our teammates over for dinner. I had read online about "resurrection eggs", where you hide 12 eggs, and each has a symbol inside (along with a Bible verse) that shares the Easter story. Of course, they don't sell plastic colored eggs here, but we bought some chocolate "Kinder Surprises" that have a plastic egg inside and used those. Us girls hid the eggs in really hard places and the guys had to find them. It was fun to watch them search! Then it was neat to reflect upon all that our Saviour has done for us. It really is amazing that He would choose to suffer and die in our place. It really makes no sense... but I am so thankful!

We pray that your Easter is filled with God's goodness.

Our View

People have asked to see our "view" from our new apartment. This is it! We live in a region of town that's not as congested. And actually, our rent is about half of what it would be if we lived more in the center of town! We see kids playing outside a lot. In the back are "garages" for the people who have cars. Everyone tells us that we will eventually want a car. I don't believe it!! I LOVE not having a car! I think cars are stressful and expensive (especially in Russia). I feel like more time on public transportation keeps life from moving too fast. It gives us extra time to pray and to think. For this season, I'm enjoying being "carless".

Last night I was encouraged in my language. The Wickers had us and a Russian couple from church over for dinner, and the whole time was spent talking in Russian. Even though it is still effortful to compose sentences, I realized that my comprehension of the language has grown leaps and bounds! I found that I understood almost every conversation. This was especially encouraging after a difficult week in class (where I felt stupid 60% of the time). I feel like I'm more able to relate with people and understand their hearts. This helps so much.

Of course, we still have a ways to go. We heard a statistic that if a non-English speaker wants to learn English, it takes about 600 hours of study... but if a non-Russian speaker wants to learn Russian, it takes about 4,000 hours!!! I believe it! I've started reading Russian outloud because I heard that this is supposed to help. I feel kind of silly (and only started this week), but already I feel like it's helping some. Of course, the best way to learn is to talk with people.

20 Minutes of Terror and You're Home

This sign was posted in a marshrutka recently, and it adequately describes what it is like to ride in one of these vans used for public transportation. Whenever I ride up front next to the driver, it becomes all the more clear the miracle it is that we are alive and that we can get places so quickly. Here are some of the driver's job descriptions:

- He keeps an eye on the side of the street for people who are flagging him down.

- He keeps his ears open inside the van for people who tell him they want off at the next stop.

- He collects everyone's money.

- He makes change for their money (or sometimes he just receives a lot of change that he counts out).

- He dodges potholes and obstructions in the road (these are numerous).

- He dodges people who are in the middle of the road (also a common occurance).

- He avoids other marshrutkas and cars that are also darting and weaving.

- He listens to loud music.

- He drives very fast.

It really is impressive to see a marshrutka driver in his element. However, it can also produce this kind of terror that the sign talks about. You should come and visit us in Ulan Ude and go for a marshrutka ride!!

Our New Home

We officially moved into our new apartment this past week. After cleaning the floors multiple times to get rid of wallpaper glue and dust, it now feels liveable.... and sooo nice to be in our own place! We couldn't have asked for a better apartment. We see God's hand all over finding this place. We're still getting furniture (so that our clothes and belongings won't stay in piles on the floor). But we have a kitchen table and a couch, so we now feel that we can invite people into our new home and develop relationships with people from our new church and neighborhood. What a blessing!

Speaking of blessings, our teammate, John, and his son, Matthew, came over this week to help Leif assemble our bed and nightstands. They were delivered in tiny little pieces! I think the guys had fun doing it, though, and it saved us the cost of assembly. We will post more pictures as our rooms are more in order (and our clothes are off the floor!) I think our kitchen is the nicest kitchen in all of Ulan Ude! The landlords really did a nice job with the cabinets, tiles, and flooring. The only thing we still need for this room is curtains.

Extreme Picnic

We have some pretty crazy people among the students that come to Compass, and that is where the idea of an "extreme picnic" came from. The youth club at our church thought this was a great idea and they joined in too. The centerpiece for this "extreme picnic" was the set up you see in the picture. Three good sized innertubes anchored to the back of Shannon's car. Actually Shannon was afraid she may drive too extreme and so Gardner and his son Andrew did the piloting for our little expedition. Things have been warming up so we were a little bit scared that things might melt and we would be sliding around in the mud instead of on the snow, but as you can see, our fears were unfounded. After everyone took a few rounds on the innertubes we cooked up hotdogs and everyone shared an extreme moment from their lives. Everyone enjoyed being whipped around behind the car, the conversations around the fire, and the giant soccer game we all played at the end. I can see this "extreme picnic" idea catching on.

Dancing the Yohor

Thanks Yulia for correcting me on the Yohor thing. I put the wrong thing, but I really did think that is sounded like people were saying yolka. Actually a yolka is a small pine tree like a Christmas tree and sometimes people do dance around those. For those who haven't read this blog yet, forget what you just read and enjoy what we share below.
The Yohor is a sort of Buryat national dance. We had another one of our meetings to learn about the Buryat culture today, and we learned the Yohor. It is a dance that traditionally the Buryats did often for fun and relaxation. You danced hand in hand with everyone in a circle, which worked well in the yurt which is the traditional housing for the Buryats. A yurt is a sort of large, round tent. Buryats will do this dance anywhere though, and so that's what we did. We danced the Yohor in a Russian Baptist church, which for those who are familiar with how traditionally conservative that church is, know that this is a good step of openness and effort to reach out to the Buryats here.
Also, just to let you know, the re-wallpapering project in our new apartment is almost done, so we should have some pictures coming soon.

We're Back!

It's been so good to have some time away from the daily routine and to be reminded of God's incredible love for the Buryats and Russians. God's been impressing on both of us to trust Him in praying for big things- expecting Him to work in powerful ways. It's exciting... we serve a great God!

We heard rumor that the winter will end soon, but we will believe it when we see it. The above picture depicts a common scene every day on almost every street: workers pick-pick-picking away at the ice. The mystifying thing is that the ice continues to build up... even when it doesn't snow! We can't figure out why, but I do have one theory. I think it's from spit. Everyone spits everywhere. That would make a lot of ice.

The above street has been newly done in the past few years. It's called "Arbot Street" (like the famous one in Moscow) and is a walking street designed to show off the best of Ulan Ude. In the summer, flowers and fountains line the street and people just "hang out" all around.

Our aparment could be ready as early as next week! After we finish our homework today, we're going to go bed shopping. We saw one yesterday that had a big cabinet for storage behind the headboard. We've come to really appreciate storage, living in tight quarters.

"White Month" has Begun

On Friday, we had a wonderful time with Buryat, Russian, and foreign believers. In lieu of the beginnig of the White Month (Buryat holiday of cleansing), we sang ate white foods such as posie (see women making it above) and other white foods such as apples, salamat (sour cream mixed with flour) and pancakes. We sang worship songs in Buryat, and a couple of men shared scriptures about the cleansing we can experience through the One True God. We pray that many people here will come to know the cleansing that comes through Jesus.

Also, this weekend, we met with our new landlords to sign official papers for our new apartment. We were there for a few hours, ate with them, sang with them, and declined a lot of alcohol... but we never signed the papers. They want to be sure that the bathroom is remodeled before we move in. Of course, we appreciate this sentiment, but we are also anxious to sign the papers!! All-in-all, it was nice to get to know our landlords more. They are very warm and hospitable. The above picture will be our new living room! (minus the furniture and curtains).

On Saturday we moved out of the apartment we were in and are now in an interim apartment. We are thankful to have a place to stay. Tomorrow we are leaving the country to renew our visas. We have to do this every six months. Because of this, we will probably be away from Internet access for awhile. We'll update you on more when we return!

The Singing Duo

Last night, Leif and I sang in a talent show at Compass. Leif translated the worship song "Before You" into Russian. Talent shows are very popular in Russian... and usually very long. There was singing, dancing, dribbling a soccer ball and basketball, the showing of a drawing, the tasting of different treats, and humorous antidotes. It's always fun to see people in a different light and to learn more of Russian and Buryat culture.

The White Month

Sunday marks the start of Sagalgan or "White Month" here in Buryatia. This holiday is deeply entwined with Buddhism (and originates from the Chinese New Year) and is very much a family holiday for Buryats here.

The picure above is me with my language partner, Ira. She is so sweet and so helpful in talking with me about life and culture... and correcting my grammar along the way. Yesterday she shared a bit about her thoughts with the White Month coming. It's always been such a part of her life growing up, but now she is a believer. She said she's thought a lot about what is right as far as celebrating this holiday. She wants to honor her family, but she doesn't want to dishonor God. She knows that the meat in the posie (Buryat dumplings) is sacrificed to idols, and she simply wants to do what is best. She must decide by Sunday, when the month-long holiday begins. I pray God gives her great wisdom and love in these next few days.

Please pray for Buryatia during this time. It is often a dark time when believers here feel discouraged and oppressed. We want to live as children of the light!

On The Train To China

SEND International has a ministry in Russia to the Chinese population here. Many of these people don't speak much Russian (or English!) so it is difficult to reach out to them. Last week, a group of Chinese Christians (who live in Russia) along with two westerners, took the train from Moscow to Ulan Ude to share Jesus (in Mandarin) with the Chinese passengers. They booked tickets all the way to Bejing (even though they got off before) so that they could be in the same train cars as those who were heading to Bejing. This was a strategic time, as the Chinese New Year begins next week, and many travel home to be with their families.

There were 50-60 Chinese passengers on board, and after 4 days and nights of traveling and sharing with them, 15 made decisions to follow Christ with their lives (many in the last hours of the trip). It is hard to follow-up with these people, as the nature of the ministry is while traveling, but the exciting thing is that many people who've made decisions for Christ from past train trips are still strong in their faith. In just a few years, a Chinese church in Krasniarsk grew from 5 to 70... plus many of the believers have since gone back to China.

And then, after they arrived in Ulan-Ude, this group met with some of the Chinese population here, and 4 more made decisions for Christ! Many Chinese people are hungry to hear the good news of Jesus and respond readily. It is neat to think of how they are being reached in Russia!

The picture is of three of these Chinese Chistians singing a song at church on Sunday. The picture behind them is one of the chalk drawings from the VTI team that was here a few weeks ago.

Leif's Birthday

Thank you to everyone who sent cards, emails, and gifts to Leif for his birthday!! We had fun bowling with our teammates and then came back to our apartment for German chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert. John gave a big speech upon presenting Leif with his gift (a wonderful tool box). This speech followed Russian tradition and was very wordy and lengthy.

The first picture is of Leif blowing out his candles. Elisabeth (from Germany) had never heard of or tried German Chocolate cake before. And incidently, it's much sweeter than any cakes in Germany. The second picture is the applause after the speech, and the third pic is at the bowling alley. I think it's funny because only Leif knew I was taking the picture and gave a huge grin for the camera.

Thank you, Mama Irene and Papa Eric, for having such a delightful boy!! =)

Toilet Soap

We ran out of hand soap the other day, so Leif picked out a bar that had nice packaging and said "milky". Of course, he thought that sounded nice and so he purchased it. Well, when he got home, unwrapped the soap, and began to use it, he made a horrible face with a wrinkled nose. I asked him what was the matter and he said that the new soap was really stinky. We looked more closely at the packaging, and below the "milky" part, it says "toilet soap". What is toilet soap? This is a mystery to us.

We haven't been good about taking our camera with us places lately (hence, more pictures of "items" than "people" the last few blogs). Right now, Leif is cross country skiing with an old friend from when he lived here before. This guy is a Buryat and used to call himself a believer and went to church frequently. Sadly, in the last couple of years, he's fallen away. It's really neat because he continually pursues Leif and their friendship. I'm praying that God is giving Leif love and wisdom as they're together today.

The family whose apartment we're living in will return in 1 1/2 weeks, so this next week, we'll be packing, organizing, and cleaning. We've also been having different people over for dinner, seeking to develop closer relationships with the people here. We were both encouraged with language classes this week. God truly is our help.

Alcohol

This morning on the way to church we had an interesting interaction in the Marshrutka (those vans that run bus routes). There were a couple of guys that guessed pretty quickly that we were foreigners and started to talk with us. They asked what we were doing here in Ulan-Ude, and we shared a little bit with them. Then I asked them what they did, and they simply said, "We drink vodka." That was it! Of course then they tried to pass me the open beer they were drinking on the marshrutka so that I wouldn't be left out. I declined, as I've had to do often here, and then asked if they did anything else and they said, "no." I'm sure they actually do work because of how they were dressed, but it was another reminder of the stark reality of emptiness that consumes so many lives here. So many people live in a state of hopelessness and alcohol becomes their reprieve. Vodka helps them forget about anything else. And it's not just a physical hopelessness either. Alcholism is affecting all strata of society here from the richest to the poorest. It just reminds us that without the knowledge of a good and loving God, there is no option but hopelessness. The above picture, from the stairwell just outside our apartment, is a common sight and one of the least ugly reminders of alcoholism here.

XL-XXXXXL

It's a little hard to see what this picture is, but it's a tag for my ultra-thick tights that says XL-XXXXXL. Yes, that is seven X's total. And the worst part is that they don't pull up all the way. But they are warm!

Remember back to when I said I'd broken 4 chairs in 4 months? Well, today in the cafeteria, I broke #5. All I could do was laugh... what else is there to do?

On to more exciting news, we looked at an apartment today that is a dream come true!!! It's right across the hallway from Elisabeth, it's clean and in good shape, the owner said we can pick out our own wallpaper, she'll move out all of the gross furniture (no bed bugs!), and it's inexpensive! And it's in an area of the city where there's less pollution. And it's on the third floor (my floor of preference... not so low that it's easy to break into, but not so high that it's a burden to walk up and down all of the time). We have a verbal agreement with the owner, and need to sign papers next week, after she returns from a trip. So, basically we just need to make it "legally offical" and wait on them to finish up some remodeling with the place. If all goes well, it should be ready for us by March 10th.... Yippee!! We are praising God for His goodness to us. This really is a miracle to find this place.

Chocolate or Sour Cream?

When I first came to Russia, I was repulsed by all of the sour cream ("smetana") that Russians ate. I would stand in line at a cafeteria for soup and before I could move my bowl out of the way, a lady would plop a huge spoolful of sour cream into it. I then spent the rest of lunch time spooning around the blob, hoping it wouldn't rupture into the rest of my soup. Russians love their sour cream, and I think that I'm slowly becoming one... because I LOVE sour cream now!! We both love sour cream! The other night during dinner, Leif and I had a discussion over which food item we'd give up if we had to choose: chocolate or sour cream. And we both decided that we'd rather have sour cream than chocolate. Don't get me wrong, chocolate is wonderful. But sour cream can make an ordinary dish extraordinary, where as chocolate stands alone.

We buy these bags of sour cream and go through about one a week. Each bag holds about 2 cups. Notice how "20%" is written on the bag. This is the fat content. In Russia, people consider a food item to be better if it has more fat in it. This gives a person energy. So instead of labels like "nonfat" or "less than 1% fat", we see labels where the good yogurt is labeled 12% (Mmmmm.... the best!) and sour cream 20%. People think we're crazy because we buy the 1.8% milk (the lowest fat content in milk at our local store) when we can afford the 5% variety. Speaking of milk, it's packaged in boxes on shelves at room temperature. It must be safe because we are still alive. The yogurt is at room temperature, too. And eggs. And pig heads. And a lot of things.

Reaching the Buryats

Following our conference this fall about sharing Christ with Buddhists and Shamanists, the local churches have begun a monthly meeting of prayer, brainstorming, and planning how to reach the Buryats for Christ. It is so encouraging to see the beginnings of this. Churches in Ulan Ude are becoming more aware of the need to reach out to their own people and travel to villages throughout the region. Yesterday was the third meeting of it's type. One lady made CD's with Christian songs in the Buryat language for all of us to have.

Last Sunday, for the first time at our church, a group of 6 people sang a hymn in the Buryat language. This may seem like a small step, but we really think it is huge in terms of people developing a heart for their region. We are excited by how God is at work. The picture above is a few of the Buryat believers who were at the meeting.

May I Take Your Coat?

Okay, so a few days ago Jami wrote in a blog that she thinks I'm a cute driver. Well, I think that everyone will agree that she even cuter in her work as a coat checker! I know that some of you may be thinking that that is not exactly what we came here to do, and I can assure you it is not a part time job to supplement our salary. No, actually this is just Jami being her normal self and volunteering to do just about anything to help out. You see there was a concert being put on by a team from Canada at one of the large auditoriums in Ulan-Ude, and they needed someone to help with checking coats (that is a pretty regular thing with how much people have to wear in the cold winters here). It was so fun to see her working side by side with a lady who does this as her job. You can see in the picture that you have to deal with crowds in this line of work. I love that Jami felt comfortable doing this, and I think that is shows how well she is progressing in her language. It was great to be a part of this concert in this way. We did get to enjoy the show as well, and were particularly encouraged to see one young lady who works at a cafe we often go to near our school. Many of our relationships are still in their early stages, but it is encouraging to know that God is bringing different people into our lives, and that He will help to grow those relationships.

VTI Team

For three weeks, a Canadian group is here in Ulan Ude from Venture Teams International. There are four guys and three women (one is a translator) on the team. We get the privelege of hosting the women while they are here. This group uses music, drama, and chalk art to share the love of Jesus with people here. Yesterday and today they traveled to a couple of nearby villages to perform. Leif is one of the drivers. He's such a cute driver.

It's refreshing to be around this group and their energy. It's also always good to be reminded of the beauty of the gospel message. I love when the creativity in God's children reflects their Creator.

Grand Hospitality

While we were in Zakamensk (town six hours away) over New Years weekend, we stayed with a wonderful couple. They were an amazing example to us of hospitality and we had a great time getting to know them over the few days we were there. This couple just got married in September, but because of visa issues have already had to be apart for two months. The wife is a "German Russian". She lived in Kazakstan until she was about twelve, but has lived in Germany since then. After their marriage, she had to leave the country to get a visa.

This couple took us in (and another girl, Lena), gave us their bed, fed us, and kept us warm by continually stoking the fire. They had no running water and yet hauled water for us...not to mention the sheets they would have to wash after we left. We did get to help one day as you can see in the picture. Besides all of this, the wife had to leave the same day we did for Mongolia for another month to get a new visa. And yet she never complained about having us there as guests, taking time away that she could have had with her husband. This was truly a blessing to us and a lesson in hospitality... and a reminder of what a servant Jesus is. We have so much to learn!

We congratulate you with the new year!

In the Russian language, it is common to congratulate people for lots of things- including the new year. So we congratulate you for 2007! Leif and I spent the weekend in a town that's about a 6 hour ride away. It took more like 8 hours to get there because we were transporting a mattress on the roof and at first it didn't like to stay there. Thankfully, God protected us and other cars from accidents with the flying mattress.

We stayed with a Russian couple (more about that tomorrow) and met some of the people in the church there. We saw huge needs and felt oppression in this town but were also encouraged by how God is at work there. He loves them and wants them to know Him.

Leif was asked to preach again on Sunday... thankfully he was able to use his same sermon from the week before. And all day Sunday was a celebration at the church to bring in the New Year. We ate lots of Russian salads, potatoes, and bread with fish in it (it was on the dessert table, so we were both very surprised when we bit into a chunk of fish!) There were two men (see picture above) who really took a liking to Leif. It was really neat to see the three of them talking together and praying together throughout the weekend. I (Jami) felt like the weekend was really good for my language as well. Shannon's friend Emma is here for two weeks from Ohio and often I was the "translator" for her with Russians. I also felt like I got to know some of the Russians on a deeper level. I was thankful for this.

In Russia, the New Year's celebrating starts just before midnight, while in America it's the opposite. Many people stayed up all night and climbed a mountain at 6:30 in the morning! We, however, got a little sleep and went later on New Years day up a beautiful scenic mountain (see picture above). It was so beautiful. On the way back to town from the mountain, we saw Father Frost on the side of the road!!! We had to stop and get our picture with him... and discovered that he was a she... and very drunk at that. It was another reminder of the emptiness of so many people here. You'll notice that the man who joined into our photo is positioned in a traditional Russian squat. Many men will sit around outside chatting in this position. And, of course, he has his vodka bottle.

This town had many free range cows. The cow in the picture was in search of a little snack.

"My Dream-My Mom"

Happy New Year to you all! We had a wonderful trip to a small city in one of the southern regions of Buryatia. The trip was packed full of interesting stories, people to pray for and wonderful relationships, and we want to share with you about some of those in the next day or two, but right now we want to share about our time today. On the way home from this town we stopped in a village where there is an orphanage. There are about forty kids in this children's home. Some of these are true orphans who have lost their parents from tragic deaths while others have been brought here because their home situations are so terrible. The picture at the top was painted by one of the boys in the orphanage. Both Jami and I were drawn to it right away because of the beauty of the picture, but what cemented this image in our hearts was the title, "my dream-my mom". Thinking of this brought tears instantly to Jami's eyes, and we both just looked at each other and thought of these kids crying out for something, for someone to love them. I don't know how many of you have been in children's homes like this, but the kids always tug at your heart and you always feel like you can do so little because you just want to take each one of them home to love and raise as your own child. Our program was pretty simple. We shared with them about Christmas (and in that, shared the wonderful news about Jesus' life, love and salvation), played games, sang songs, did a craft and gave gifts for the workers to pass on to the kids. It was really impressed on our small group that the workers there are so important. We were plesantly suprised after some horror stories we had all heard of different orphanages here in Russia. The conditions were sparse, but nice, and you could tell that the workers care about the kids. We were talking afterwards about how we would like to see the church do more work with this children's home and to make sure we look to the workers to serve and love them as well. They are the only "parents" that so many of these kids know and how powerful would it be if there were believers bringing the love of God to these children every day. Orphans have been on our hearts a lot lately- and all the more as we left these beautiful children. We can't help but be reminded of James 1:27, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." We pray that we can live a life that exemplifies this.