Family Glimpses

     I was looking through the pictures on my phone and realized that there are so many little things that have happened the past weeks that I've captured and don't want to forget.  So I'll put them together in this blog.  We heard about this family that came to Ulan Ude for a few months to live.  They decided very suddenly to come and have seven kids with them (plus three back in the States).  It was very fun to meet them and special for Ike to have a couple of English-speaking boys to play with!

     During rest time and before bed, our kids like to draw and make beds for their dolls and create things out of modeling clay- all while listening to Adventures in Odyssey.  I peeked in one afternoon and snapped this picture. =)

     One of the popular methods for a lot of teachers here, unfortunately, is to yell at students.  Ike and Ella have been going to the school of arts, but the dance teacher yells so much that Ike began getting an upset stomach just thinking about the class.  =(  He's so active, so we tried putting him in this boxing class.  Since the girls were within the age range, they tried it out, too.  It was great (the teacher was really kind), but it was super late.  We didn't get home until 10:00pm on a school night, so we decided to check out other options.

     One of the best things about spring is snow that packs!  Our kids just love making snowballs and snowmen.  They had to wait all winter for it!

    One night our friends invited us to a jazz concert.  The singer was an African American artist, and it was SO FUN to hear songs we knew in English!  I was so glad we went.

     In honor of Matthew's 10th birthday, the kids got to go on a sleigh ride.

It was as beautiful as a fairy tale!

That same day we went sledding.

     Ike was delighted by everything.  The weather was right at freezing, and he exclaimed, "Mama!  It's like summer with snow in it!"

And, of course, the kids had to make a snowman!

In art class, the kids made a puppet theatre.  They've had fun since them making up stories for us.

     Preschool dance is very serious business here in Russia.  The kids have had extra Saturday practices for a couple of months now!  Ike likes Saturday practices okay because they are in the mornings.  He told me that he can take yelling better when he's not so tired.  The funny thing is that it's probably true!  We did recently pull Ike out of the school of arts for another kindergarten option, but his teacher told us she didn't know what she'd do without Ike dancing in the performance.  She asked if we could just bring him once a week for practices.  We're thinking about it.  ;)

Now the snow is gone and the mud is here.  Ella and Ike made a sand cat.

    Everyone is butchering their cows these days.  My friend Sveta's aunt was selling her beef, so I went to pick up my bundle.  It was so interesting how people were practically diving for the best meat!

     To celebrate the nice weather, we had our first family picnic of the year.  We're so happy winter is officially over!!!

     Our pastor's wife, Lena, has been teaching Anneka how to sew.  Anneka loves it and has a knack for it.

She made this purse last week.  It's so cute!!

     After lessons last week Lena invited us for sweet rolls and tea.

     Ella and I have been getting special one-on-one time together the past couple of weeks, as Ike is in kindergarten now.  One morning we babysat this little guy for a friend.

Another morning, we did a sewing project together.  She made a pencil case.  

Ike with little friends at church

The kids went to the trampoline place with Matthew for his birthday.  Such fun!

House Progress

     Our house in the village is coming along!  I took this picture out of our friends' window.  Ours (a duplex) is the one on the far left.

      Leif has been spending a lot of time with our friend, Denis, putting in windows, doors, and floors.  We are hoping to put in stairs, electricity, plumbing, and inner walls in the next few weeks... still with the goal of moving in around the first of June.

     I had a very encouraging conversation with a lady recently.  She said that hearing about our upcoming move has been very challenging for her.  She felt that God was tugging on her heart, wanting her and her husband to do the same thing in another community, but she knew it was way out of her comfort zone.  They are moving forward, though, and already have started a home group in another nearby village.  She asked if we can meet regularly to pray together.  So cool how God is at work! 

Kairos

    Kairos is an ancient Greek word meaning "the right or opportune moment".  This word perfectly describes the course we hosted a couple of weeks ago.  We've been trying for 2 years now to bring in instructors for the Kairos Course, to mobilize the church for cross-cultural pursuit to the world's least reached-peoples....  And it never came to fruition.  Until now!  We can see God's hand in the perfect timing for this course and are thrilled with how God is at work.  We had four instructors/facilitators come from western Russia to teach, train, and light a fire in the hearts of church leaders here to seeing the Great Commission fulfilled.  These trainers were extremely encouraged by their time in Ulan Ude.  They said that it's been one of the most special groups of people they've ever had the privilege to train and that they sense that God going to work in big ways through His people here.

     The course was very intense and included times of listening to instructors as well as breaking into groups for discussions on the topics. Our friend, Sonya, attended the course.  She is a university student, and she said it was intense for her.  She said she can't imagine what it was like for people who aren't used to college classes!

     

     Leif had several hours of homework each night.  

     There are 86 unreached people groups in Russia alone.  On this day, the names of these people groups were typed out on this scroll, and the group gathered to pray for each group.  One of the men who attended this course said that God has layed it on his heard to be a part of taking the good news of Jesus and this vision to the Buryats and on to the world.  Another man drew a picture of a cross with a Buryat hat in front of it and arrows reaching out "to the nations".

   

     We had the instructors for dinner one evening.

     Already we are seeing a lot of fruit from this conference.  Most of the people who attended are leaders in their churches who want to host this conference again for other believers.  Ten people took the training to become Kairos trainers themselves.  One of the pastors is ready to move to India tomorrow if his wife will let him.  We heard several people say that they knew a lot of these things before, but for some reason this week, it hit their hearts at a new level.  One girl we know is leaving in May to get training to become a Bible translator.  Praise God!

     Leif was invited to speak on Sunday at the church that hosted Kairos.  Our lives have been very busy, so he asked one of the visiting instructors if he could give the talk.  It was such a blessing to hear him share, and I could tell that his message touched a lot of hearts.  He told a story of a lady who moved to Indonesia to tell people about Jesus.  She couldn't walk and had to be carried from village to village by the people she met. The Lord used this brave woman to touch and change many lives. The speaker shared that God often uses those of us who are weak to do mighty things for Him.  During the message, I noticed that this lady was taking pictures of the powerpoint pages and was touched by the message.  After the service, she was so warm in welcoming me and wanted a picture with me.  What a gift to be a part of God's family!

A trip to "Rock City"

In the Buryat village where the church is reaching out

     I have tried to make a trip to "Rock City" at least once a year for a while now.  Some years I have even made it a couple of times, but it isn't easy as it is a 7-8 hour bus ride including long stretches of windy, rough gravel and patchy paved roads, and I have to get special government permission to travel there because it is on the boarder with Mongolia.  But the trip is always worth it in the end to visit this remote area where a small church has been gathering for a number of years now.  One of the exciting things I always like to check up on is the ministry in a small Buryat village not far from the town of "Rock City".

Raising animals is a big part of Buryat village life

     It was great to see how the church is supporting the work out in this village, and to have the chance to go out to talk with and encourage the young Buryat family that is living there.  They are very comfortable with living in the village and are able to build relationships with their neighbors in ways that foreigners and Russians can't because Buryat is their first language and they understand naturally all the cultural rules.

In the house in the village

     It is encouraging to hear and see how this family is growing in their faith too.  The wife "S" shared her testimony at the church service on Sunday, sharing how God has brought her to Himself through many different relationships and trials in her life.  It was a reminder again that usually people need to hear from a number of different sources about Jesus before they decide to follow Him.  After the service we had lunch together at the pastors house and talked about Christian resources in Buryat.  There is unfortunately not much available, and what is available is not always understandable because it is written in the literary dialect.  I hope and pray that more resources will become available for people like "S" and "D" so that they can hear and think about God in their heart language.  Maybe God will even use this young family in making things available in their dialect.

Dave and I at the pastor's house with his family

     People living in more remote places like "Rock City" are often encouraged when people visit because they can often feel isolated and even forgotten about.  This young family has four fun, active children, and Dave and I enjoyed some "uncle" time playing with them as well as having good conversations with their parents.  Please pray for this family as they are working through some questions related to their ministry in the church.

Our hosts for the weekend

     A little over a year ago when we visited we drove down and back with "S".  He was praying about moving to "Rock City" with his family and wanted to check things out at that time.  This time we got to stay with he and his family for our weekend there.  It is cool to hear about the step of faith they took in moving and to see how they are pouring into the church.  Every Saturday he spends time walking through the city and praying, then goes with another young man in the church to visit a retirement home and help bring some encouragement to those in the later years of life.

Sunday church service

     I'm glad we were able to go and be an encouragement and that we were able to see this small, remote church following God and growing.  We are praying that they will continue to grow in being a witness for Jesus in "Rock City" and in all the Buryat villages throughout that region!

Siberian Festival of Arts

     A few weeks ago, I was asked to speak at a Festival of Arts for students, ages 10-24.  The theme of the festival was the Refugee Crisis.  As part of an international competition, students were to prepare something (e.g. essay, powerpoint, video, skit, song, artwork) that spoke from their perspective on potential solutions to the crisis.  Before I went, I knew little about what I was getting into.  But I have to say it was such a delight to both speak to and hear from these bright young people!  This (pictured above) presentation was touching, as each person stepped forward representing Buryats, Russians, Tartars, Azerbaijanis, and Ukrainians.  They held hands after their introductions and said, "And we are friends".  They went on to speak of peace and opening the borders of our hearts to one another.




     I don't have any pictures of me speaking, but here I am passing out certificates at the end.  =)  I enjoyed talking with people afterward and met students who are interested in further practicing their English.  It'll be interesting to see if anything comes of these connections.

5th Annual White Party

    It's White Month here in Buryatia, and a few years ago we started a tradition to have a White Party.  It's been a chance to share and learn more about Buryat culture as well as to share about how we can truly be clean and whiter than snow.  We served white foods, including the traditional Buryat food- pozie!  (it's a meat dumpling)  We also had meat, white salads, white pizzas, white chocolate fondue, and white desserts.  The kids all took part in preparing for the special night.

     These two friends brought a traditional Buryat bread, called Boobyn, that they made.  It's hard to see the design on the bread in the picture, but it was made with a wooden stamp that he carved himself. It's very good- almost like a tea biscuit (but not as sweet).  It can be stored for a long time- over 10 years!


     In years past we have made pozie with friends before the party.  This year we just steamed them.  Zhenya is the expert on how long to steam them!
   


     We enjoyed talking and eating all of the delicious food.  People came in waves, which made it nice for conversation and not feeling too crowded.




     Martina made these awesome white cheescakes with the Buryat New Year's greeting.  We the traditional gifts of tea and chocolates to our guests.  We attached a Bible verse-blessing to each one (written in both English and Russian).  Leif shared about how he loves that blessings are a big part of Buryat culture and how in the Bible, blessings are very important, too.

 Leif shared a bit more as our girls passed them out.

      Then we played a couple of silly games.

      In this game, people had to draw a steppe, sheep, and moon on the plate while it was on top of their head.

     Following the "white" theme, we played a game where we had to put cotton balls into the cup on our heads while blindfolded, using a plastic spoon.  It turned out to be really funny!

    Everyone took a turn, including our kids.  One guy that came is normally so serious, but he kept laughing and laughing during this game.  It was really fun to see.

     We spent time mingling and talking more.  Our friends drove a car load of people back to their village 1.5 hours away and they had great conversation as they traveled.

      We're thankful for these new friends that we've made and for a successful party!

Thinking of the Next Generation

     Some day (hopefully very soon!), I will share more about all that's been going on these past weeks.  But for now, I'll leave you with a few pictures of the construction on our church building.  When we first came a few years ago, the whole church fit inside what is now our main meeting room.  Since then we added a bathroom (running water!), kitchen, and kids' room.  Something wonderful is that our church is bursting at the seams with KIDS, and so just last month, construction began on a second floor (for more kids' rooms).  Kids are so important, and I love to think of families becoming healthy and the next generation rising up to praise our Lord and to share Him with others!

Winter Happenings

New people continue to come to our English Club every week

    While on one hand, the winter seems to last forever, on the other hand each day seems to race by.  A lot of Leif's time recently has been on preparing talks for our church in a series from the book of Genesis.  It's been encouraging to see some of the other men step up and learn and grow through this study.  Of course, a lot of time is also spent in preparing for our move to the village.  The shell of our house is completed, with a roof on top!  We hope to get windows and insulation in next.

     We continue to be amazed at all of the new people who are coming to our English Club!  We have a great group of students, and many already speak English well enough to engaged in our discussions taken from different passages of the Bible on the life of Jesus.  We always enjoy the tea time at the end where we can mingle and get to know these students on a more personal level, too.

   

     We have been wanting to connect with these new friends outside of English Club and have found various ways to do so.  On this day, we invited several friends to the village where we'll be living (at Sasha and Yulia's house) for a game night.  They live not so far away from this village in another village.  We had a lot of fun!

    I like how games bring out people's personalities in new ways.  It's a fun way to grow in friendship.

    And speaking of friendship, I just have to say that our friends Adriana and Marius are AMAZING!  They had all three of our kids overnight that night, and Ella and Ike were both throwing-up sick throughout the night and in the morning.  Adriana told them she didn't want to call me because I would worry and come right away.  So she just kept them and told me when I came to pick them up! (And they have a new baby!) So we missed having our kids during the super-sick stage and just got them when they were tired and snuggly sweet.  =)

     Our kids continue to barter ice outside with their friends during English Club.  They collect and freeze ice on our balcony throughout the week.

     A bunch of kids at church have been sick lately (it's that time of year!).  Two of the kids in the youngest group were in the hospital the last couple of weeks with pneumonia.  One week Ike was the only kid in my group, so we made sandwiches for everyone in the church for after the service.  He took his job very seriously and was super cute.

      Leif's birthday this year was on the same day as the Superbowl.  The girls designed him this Seahawks football shirt that says "You are the best Papa" in both English and Russian.  Ike got this helicopter balloon for him.

     It created the perfect opportunity for us to have a Superbowl/birthday party!  We invited old friends and new (from English Club) and projected the game onto the wall.  It was fun for Leif to explain the rules to people. as most people aren't at all familiar with American football.  I didn't get any really good pictures, but we had 23 people total.  It was very fun!

     Last week we had our annual day of prayer as a team.  I was in charge of organizing it this year.  It's wonderful to take this day out of our schedules to be together and pray all day.

   
     Daniela led us in a time of worship songs that were great for including the kids. We look forward to this day each year.