Our Green Pumpkin

     As we live in Russia, it's fun to keep some American traditions.  One that our family has done each year is carve a pumpkin.  Last weekend, Anneka had a homework assignment of making a creation out of a vegetable.  Also, she's been asking for awhile now if we can roast pumpkin seeds so that she can take them out on the playground and share them with her friends.  So it was a perfect weekend to find a pumpkin and have some fun family time together!

     There was only one pumpkin at the outdoor market (where the grandmas sit and sell vegetables from their gardens).  It's not the traditional orange, but we bought it immediately!  Since this was for Anneka's school assignment, we let her choose the face and draw it on the pumpkin.  Leif asked me if I thought it was too scary, and I was like, "no, it's fine".  But I totally wasn't thinking about the fact that it was going to school.  And that it really is CREEPY and people here don't have Halloween as a holiday!  For whatever reason, I just though Leif was asking if it was too scary for Ella and Ike.  

     When we took it to school on Monday, the teacher gasped!  It was then that I realized what a strange/creepy thing this really. is.  I explained about the tradition, and I actually think she really liked it.  The kids all gathered around and oohed and ahhed for 4 minutes.  

     Here are some of the creations that were on display from Anneka's class.  Sorry the picture quality isn't so great.  As you'll notice, the jack-o-lantern is hidden in the back.  Whew!  Next year, we'll think this through a little more!

Acts of Kindness

     On the same day we finished up Ike's medical tests to apply for his residency (that makes 21 trips to different doctors in less than one month!), we got this huge package from a family in Germany that we've never even met!!!  It was such a lovely surprise, and oh-so-fun to open!  I just love how God knows just when we need encouragement and how He lavishes us.  

   
      The package was full of all sorts of fun things- clothes (here, Anneka and I are sporting our new shirts), fun German candy, games, peanut butter, marshmallows, baking powder, fast rising yeast, a soft blanket, scarves and gloves, ETC!

     The family that sent us the package are friends of Inka's.  It was perfect because Inka was at the dentist (in our neighborhood) the day the package came.  She popped on over afterwards to be with us while we  opened it.  It truly is amazing how God provides for much more than what we need.  He loves to remind us how much He loves us and He often does this through beautiful people!

     Another act of kindness was the other day when Ike and Anneka and I were out running errands.  (Ella was with Leif as he helped some friends get firewood).   Anneka wanted to stop into a second-hand store and say hello to the lady working there.  We had just planned on saying "hi" and going, but there was a bin of hats for 50% off and Anneka found one she liked that was a good price.  The lady didn't have change for my 500 ruble bill, so she told me to just give her the small change that I had and that would be good.  I was about 10 rubles short (about 30 cents) and she told us that was good enough.  On our way home, however, I had change again and asked Anneka run in to give the lady the 10 rubles. (I stayed out with a sleeping Ike in the stroller).  The lady wouldn't take the money from Anneka and told her to go and buy ice cream with it.  As you can imagine, Anneka was soooo happy!

     And another day I went to pick up the results from Ike's HIV test (it's required for applying for residency).  I had gone a little out of the way to give someone a ride and then there was a traffic jam... so I arrived there about 15 minutes after closing.  The guard at the door told me "sorry, come back Monday".  I asked him a few times if there was anyone there and he said that all of the offices with the results were locked up for the day.  I told him it was a bummer because of the traffic jam and that I have three kids and it's hard to get down there.  He paused for a minute and then said, "let me check".  He found one of the doctors in a different part of the building.  He told her that I was his American friend and she was so nice and got the results for me!  That kind man and lady saved me probably 3 hours of time and hassle!

     I'm so thankful for unexpected blessings!

First Day of School

     After eight trips to the doctors for a "simple" update on Anneka's medical card (this is not including the three trips for swimming lessons), and buying needed school supplies, Anneka was ready for her first day of kindergarten!  I took a picture of most of the supplies as we checked them off of the list.  Some interesting items were a board game, a bag of dirt (not pictured), indoor sandals (also not pictured), medical gauze, toilet paper, coloring books and makeup remover cotton circles... in addition to the normal notebooks, glue, folders, etc.

     One item written on the list we had NO IDEA what it was!  It was like a scavenger hunt going from store to store.  Usually the person working would give a little smile and then send us on to the next place (fabric store, household store, furniture store, hardware store, etc.)  But finally a lady knew where to find it, as she'd just seen it at a large hardware store a ways away.  Anneka is holding the mystery item (foam rubber) in this picture on the morning of her first day.  It'll be interesting to know what she'll use it for!

     We still haven't found a preschool for Ella.  We'd talked up "school" so much for her when we thought she was going that now she keeps asking when she will go to school.  On Anneka's first day, we made it special for Ella.  Leif stayed home with Ike while I took Ella to the store to buy school supplies.  Then we had our "first day" of school at home and learned about different shapes.  After Anneka got out for the day, we all went out for lunch to a local cafe.  I'd forgotten how crazy it is to eat out with little ones.  We had fun, but we won't be doing that again for awhile!

     Ella and Ike love playing together in the mornings.  I try to include them in daily tasks, too.  This week we grated zucchinis that we got from Inka and Vera.  Of course in this stage of life, my "helpers" create more work.  But they have fun, and I have to remind myself that it's not all about efficiency!  

Fun vs. Excellence

     The more we live here, the more we realize that different cultures place higher values on different things.  I'm seeing more and more that Americans place a high value on "fun" and Russians place a high value on "excellence".  This doesn't mean, of course, that Americans don't value excellence or that Russians don't value fun (although they don't have a direct word translation for "fun").    We enrolled our girls in swimming lessons for a way to get exercise, connect with people (I'm going to Anneka's lesson with a mom and her son that I met a couple of years ago on the playground), become comfortable with the water and learn to swim, and to have fun!  But what I didn't know was that swimming here is serious business!

     First of all, to even be allowed to go to the pool, they require blood, urine, and stool samples from the kids and checks from the pediatrician and dermatologist.  They also require chest x-rays from parents, the same lab tests as the kids (plus one more), a dermatologist, and a gynecologist for the moms.

     Anneka has had very little experience in pools, and yet in her first lesson the teacher was shouting, "One, two, one, two, one, two!"  as she kicked and had the kids jump into the pool with their heads submerged.  Maybe they do this in the States, too, and I'm just not aware, but it seemed like that would be something kids would do a few lessons into it in America.  It was all very professional and very skill-focused.  Thankfully, Anneka took it in stride and moved through her fear.  Now jumping in is her favorite thing to do!

     Ella's class is on another day of the week, and her sister had told her all of the things she would do.  Frankly, I think it freaked her out!  I had a Russian class, so Leif took her, but she cried so hard that I walked them over to the pool (she would have cried just as hard with either parent... I was just there for moral support).  We weren't sure what to do because we'd already paid for the first four lessons.  And we were pretty sure the instructor would go easier on the little ones!

     I left a bawling Ella with Leif on the steps of the pool.  Leif said that when he tried to coax Ella into the water she wouldn't budge, but when the instructor gave her commands, Ella obeyed right away.  And she ended up loving it!  She even slept with her swimming sandals this week because she's so excited for her next lesson.  We are very happy that this has been positive so far for both girls!

     Leif had an operation on his shoulder this week, so I'll be going with both girls now to their lessons for awhile.  It turns out that some of the stitches in Leif's muscle didn't dissolve, so the surgeon had to re-open his wound and take them out.  Yesterday he had to put another stitch in and it's draining a lot, but so far so good!  We appreciate your prayers for a full healing in his arm!

The Harvest Is Plentiful

      We got to go out to Inka's last week to visit her one last time before she heads to Germany.  The kids loved picking and eating the carrots that they'd helped to plant back in May.  There's nothing like fresh veggies from the garden!

Anneka got to stay overnight with Inka and just loved getting that special time with her!

     Mmmmm!

    Ike loved that we let him eat a raw carrot.  Usually we cook them for him, as they can be a choking hazard.   He has lots of teeth now, so we figured it was probably safe.

He also enjoyed feeding Papa!  

    We're in that time of year when our lives are filling up again with school and weekly ministries in addition to everything else.  It can all feel overwhelming at times.  One of our teammates reminded me that fall is a good time for re-evaluating the things we're a part of and asking God what He wants us to do- what to say yes to and what to say no to.  It occurred to me that the harvest is plentiful and we are so limited!  I am praying for God to raise up more people to harvest the fields here.  And for wisdom to know what part of the harvest He has for us!

God loves kids!

     We're so excited about the kids program that's up and running for the year!  Last week was the beginning with a special morning of games and songs and making yellow handprints to later decorate the room (made into little bees).  We're getting more and more kids at our church!  I think I counted 14 the last two weeks, and that was with several kids who normally come not there.  It's wonderful, as God loves kids, and a team of people in our church have worked really hard to plan out great lessons for them.

      The kids played a game outside where Yulia was a bee, guarding her honey, and the kids had to run and collect the honey without her catching them!  They sqealed with delight!

They all worked together to make a fruit salad.

It was so cute to watch Ella concentrating as she cut her banana. 

   

   Anneka was happy to get to cut harder fruits.

     I invited a lady that I met at the outdoor market and she came with her two kids.  They all had a lot of fun.  Her daughter liked it so much that she cried when it was time to go home!

     I couldn't resist taking a picture of me and my little buddy.  He was in a "mama mood", as he often is when we're around a lot of people.  Ike liked watching all of the other kids.

     Anneka has a little friend that she just loves.  In the weeks before the kids program started, the kids would run outside and shriek and laugh in the other room inside and often were NOISY.  And often our daughters were a part of the laughing and the noise.  Of course we still had them quiet down, but I was thinking about what a blessing it is that THIS is our problem at church- that the girls have friends and are giggling.  I didn't even imagine this day a couple of years ago.  Anneka and her friend decided that they wanted to buy matching shoes.  The girl's mom didn't want to buy them, and I thought it may be strange to buy them as a gift, so Anneka used her own money that she'd saved up- to the very last ruble!- to buy shoes for her friend.  She was SO happy to give them to her.

Fun friends in their fun shoes!

     Leif and I have been asked to be in charge of younger kids group starting in October.  This is a little challenging for me to do in Russian, but I'm thankful that everything is already planned out and made easy for us!  God loves kids so much, and it's so important that they learn about Him and know how much He loves them!

Growing In Flexibility, Growing in Patience

   So, the question is, how much do I want to test your patience by telling you everything?!  I will try to keep it as simple as possible.  Last week, the girls and I went to their school to make sure we had everything in order for the first day on Monday... and we found out that the school is CLOSED on weekdays now!   So, I/we then proceeded to visit a bizillion (well, probably more like ten) kindergartens, learning centers, and school preparatory centers over the next three days.  We were so disappointed because the school we wanted is practically next door and both girls could attend there in separate classes.  After much searching and prayer, we've decided for Anneka to go back to the school where she was last year (it's a great school but means a farther walk and they don't have a place for Ella).  And we're still searching for a good fit for Ella.  This also means that we need to update Anneka's medical card.  This should mean a simple stamp, as she already did the round of 13 doctors, tons of lab and medical tests, etc last year (you can click here, if interested in what we needed to do).  But already we've been to the clinic three times this week and need to go back at least 3 more times.  With long lines (like almost two hours wait.  with little kids).  I took the above picture today when we were waiting for what we thought was our last stamp from the pediatrician.  We brought books and found this nice free bench down the hall from the other people who were waiting.  Not pictured is the line we had to stand in to get some sort of paper.  It was just too crazy to pull out the camera!

     There are actually a bunch of really irritating things that I could share with you, but I've found that that's not usually the helpful thing (as entertaining as it may be) I just start to get grumpy (especially when I think of going back there 3 more times!)  I've found that it truly helps to reflect on what I'm thankful for, so I'll make a little list:
     * Yulia called me while we were there, and SHE was in the clinic, too, with her two kids!  Neither of us knew the other would be there.
     * The clinic is right next to where we live- no buses or driving necessary
     *  Our kids are healthy
     *  Wonderful people have sent us wonderful books in English that we can read while we wait
     * Ike did not destroy the papers on the bulletin board
     * I sneakily weighed Ike while we were there, and he's over 27 pounds!
     * After we'd waited to get the paper in that long line, we were told to get at the END of the other line (the one we'd already waited it).  I seriously couldn't believe it.  This nice lady told us to just cut.  She said it with authority in front of everyone, and everyone let us!!  If she hadn't done that, we would have been there 4 hours!  I wanted to kiss her.
     *  The pediatrician couldn't find Anneka's lab results after looking through a box of papers.  Somehow I spotted it in a pile on the table.  This was God, as it was written in messy cursive Russian, and I normally would not be able to do that.
     * There were open seats for us to sit on the whole time.
   
     It's good to remember that God is with us.  What matters is how we respond to situations- no matter how irritating.  He wants to show Himself through us and grow in us.  It's also good for me to remember that patience is a good thing for my kids to learn, too

     So after a morning at the clinic, we went to the playground with Yulia and her girls.  Ella and Anneka loved holding little baby Dasha!!

     She's so little!

     I bought a bag of oatmeal cookies and praised the kids for being so good in the doctor's office.  I let them have as many as they wanted (not a normal practice)!  Ike was pretty pleased with his two cookies.

     After about an hour and a half of playing outside, they came over for lunch.  Ike was very interested in Dasha.  He kept pointing and saying "baby!" and talked with her in his own little language.  I think he poked her or something when Yulia and I had to leave the room for a minute (potty accident) because she started crying.  I forget that you can't leave a baby alone with a bigger baby!!

    Speaking of that little Ike, I just looked over at him and he's wiping up the floor with a towel after spilling some milk.  What a good little boy!  Another blessing to count!

More about Khuzhir

     We have so many pictures and so many different aspects to share about from our trip to Khuzhir, that I (Jami) decided to write a few things, too.  It took 11 hours to get there on bumpy roads with a screaming Ike (our guy who usually loves being in the car suddenly decided that he hated it and screamed much of the time), 2 carsick girls (including Ella throwing up), and a van so stuffed with stuff that my legs were up to my chin much of the time.  By about halfway there, I wondered, "why, again, did we decide that this trip was a good idea?"  And while much of the week was challenging, I can see in hindsight why God wanted me and the kids there, too.  This man is one of many who came and interacted with our team while we lived and worked on this property.  Daniela had some good insight that by us bringing our kids into this village, we were showing trust in these people and opening ourselves up to them in ways that we couldn't without them.  

     Before this trip, I'd read a book about transforming prayer.  I was really excited to get to lead times of prayer with the team each morning.  A big theme of this book was that often in prayer we seek God's hand, but really we should be seeking His face.  We started out by reading a passage of scripture each morning and then using it as a guide to praise God for who He is and to remember all that He's done.  The majority of our time was spent in focusing on God and who He is and then from there we allowed God's Spirit and the scriptures to guide us into a time of confession, requests and thanksgiving.  We also spend some time in evenings singing praise songs.  There's a song "You're the God of this city" and we sung it as a prayer for the village of Khuzhir, acknowledging that God has great plans for these people.  We often say that prayer is the greatest thing that we can do, but we don't always follow this with our actions.  It was really good this trip to put this into practice and to be united as we sought God's face together.

     While the drive to get the Khuzhir was not something I'd want to repeat, and while it rained a few of the days and we had a small river in our tent, and while Ike was really needy and screamed tantrum-style any time I left him for a couple of minutes to go to the bathroom.....   the girls LOVED playing and playing outside.  Anneka and Lina were inseparable, and it was so fun to hear them chattering away in Russian.  They set up this little table where they ate most of their meals.  They spoke Russian except when they prayed, in which Anneka prayed in English and Lina in Swiss-German and then they translated what they prayed.

     In many ways I felt like I didn't help very much as far as the "project" as I had three little ones to run after, but it was good to be there, to be a part of the team, and to help in small ways when I was able to (food prep, dishes, weeding, cleaning the ceiling, etc.)  Here we were preparing potatoes.  I cannot imagine life here without potatoes!

     Ella loved her little friend, Anya.  Here they were, watching a little show during a rainy day.  They speak their own language (a made-up language) when they're together.  It's really funny and cute and entertaining to listen to them.  They seem to understand each other perfectly.

     These boys (among others) hung around us, both watching from the fence and coming onto the property, and talking with us.  In our prayer time, it really struck my heart to pray for them, that God would raise them up as a generation of men who would follow Him and lead many others to Him.  In this small village everyone knows everything about everyone.  There is no doubt that they saw something different by watching us.  There is hope for these boys to not follow after their parents' generation in alcoholism, poverty, and hopelessness.

     A few people from the church in Zakamensk (30 minutes away) came a couple of days to help out on the property.  Something cool that happened was that our team collected money before we went to Khuzhir to contribute to needs on this property to get the house and rehab center set up.  Well, right after we collected the money, the owner of a small house on the property offered to sell it for a low price ($1,300).  Originally the owner was going to totally move the house off of the property and Alexei was going to have to build a new home for his family to live in. Between the money that we collected and money they'd recently gotten from a collection among the area churches, they had enough to buy the house!  We were able to help out with general cleaning and painting to make the home nicer for living in.  

     On Sunday Leif and Kandid shared from the Word at the church service in Zakamensk.  Afterwards they had a lunch for everyone.  It was nice to get to know people from this church.  After the lunch, we divided and visited people who were too sick (or unable) to come to the church service.  The way that some people live is very sobering.  So many people have such troubled lives and horrible living situations.

     Ella had a second friend that she played with (another Anya!).  This is the little girl who's family will move to this village to share Jesus with the people there.

     I found them playing all sorts of interesting and funny games.  Anya's first language is Russian, so I figured this was probably good for Ella's Russian, too.  These kids are tough.  They got stung by nettles several times and still kept playing!

     I like this picture because Ella and Ike are so cutely washing the watermellon and Anneka is in the background, hugging Inka.

     One evening Lina and Anneka volunteered to do the dishes.  Ella joined in to help Renata with the drying.  It took them FOREVER, but they did a good job.

     I just had to post more pictures of the girls playing... hence, the need for two blog posts!  Anneka and Lina were never at a loss for things to do- chewing on wood chips, counting spiders in the outhouse, helping dig out the holes for the foundation with tin cans, playing with the chickens, etc.

       On the last evening they had us watch a circus that they'd prepared.  It included tricks with this dog, running chickens, and the property cat (but the cat was MIA during actual circus time.)  They had some stunts that they did on a makeshift teeter-totter.

     I walked this road a couple of times a day, trying to get Ike to sleep in the stroller.  He hardly slept all week!  I prayed for this place and these people.  This village has no running store.  No believers.  But when I think about all that God has in store for these people, I feel excited.  He loves them so much and has great plans for them!