Muffy, Our Messy Neighbor Dog

We have the privelege of having "Muffy" as our neighbor dog. Muffy is my favorite dog in our whole neighborhood, and he always keeps us smiling. I think that Muffy is a boy and Leif thinks he's a girl. I asked Muffy's owner, and she said they didn't know if he was a boy or a girl! But she said that they call him Sophia. It's a nice name, but it's kind of feminine for a boy, I think. Many mornings, we open our door to messes like the picture above. Sometimes there are pieces of carcuses, sometimes large chunks of fur, and sometimes bones or other mystery items. Many times our question is "what IS that?" Often we never know. But Muffy's owner is very good about cleaning up after him. She loves him so much. He was lost once for a few days and she cried and cried. I like our neighbor. I like Muffy.

Many, Many Sleeping Bags

We've been washing sleeping bags for camp over the past few days. Our washing machine holds one at a time, and when the water drains into the bathtub, it is black and leaves behind streaks of dirt. It is a very good thing these bags are being washed!! Today the weather is nice, so the sleeping bags are drying pretty quickly. All of our clothes have to be hung to dry, as there are no machine dryers here. On Sunday night, I hung a bunch of sleeping bags outside and then it started to rain! So, on Monday, our house was filled with open wet sleeping bags strewn about everywhere (over doorways, chairs, clothes racks. etc.) Right now the last one is in the washer... hooray!!

Today I got together with a girl who is studing economics at the university. We walked around for a long time, talking. (It's such a beautiful day!!) At one point she came right out and asked me if I was a Christian. I said "yes" and asked her if she was. "Not yet", she replied. She then explained that she's caught between two different cultures and two different religions. She's trying to sort them out. I loved her answer "not yet" and look forward to talking with her more in the future.

On the crowded bus today, a man looked at my belly and got up to let me have his seat. I thought that was so nice. People are really respectful to moms here. Often moms with little kids get to cut in lines that normally people push and shove to be at the front of.

Later on, I bought some fruit (nectarines, plums, and apricots!!) and an older lady behind me wanted to know where I was from. She said that she'd read in books that Americans are fat and ugly... but then she looked at me and said that I'm okay. So funny.

We're a team!!!

We're a team was our rally cry, or whatever you want to call it, at the camp workers "conference". As Jami shared in the last blog, the time together was long. It stareted after church on Sunday and went until Wednesday morning and was from 8am to midnight. I actually came home early and did end up coming home each night. It was pretty tiring, but it was also really good to connect more with these brothers and sisters who will be working at the camp, and many of whom are members of the church we go to. Each day started with some time together in the Word, then we had a mix of team building exercises and planning/understanding our roles at the camp. I am actually one of a team of three sports instructors. Our job is to lead a time of morning calisthenics/warmups, organize thematic games for each day, lead a sports time each day, and generally be available to help out through the rest of the day. It is a challenge, and I am having to push into some areas of Russian vocabulary that I haven't learned in class. Despite the long days, I am really glad that I went. I think that we really did connect as a team. It will be exciting to see how God utilizes and grows us this summer.

Team Photo

Here's a picture of our team from the conference in Germany. It was neat to have everyone there (of course, it's sad not having Dwight and Joyce as a part of our team anymore). I like our team more and more all the time. Don't get me wrong, I liked them at the beginning, too... but I like them even more now that I'm getting to know them more. I find that my personality is "slow-to-warm-up" and it's hard for me to instantly feel close to people. I think I can even seem cold at first. It's not something I'm really proud of, but I guess the good part is that people have to like a less "likeable" me to begin with and then they're happily surprised later.

Right now, Leif's at a conference for 3 days to plan for summer camps. Our Russian pastor is the one heading it up. The meetings go from 8:oo in the morning until midnight!! No joke. I wasn't invited to this conference. I'm not really sure why (because my language isn't as good? because I'm pregnant?). But trust me, I'm not sad about this one! I'm praying that this will be a good time for Leif to connect deeper with people here and to grow in his language skills. I'm also praying that God will give him incredible energy. A conference like that sounds exhausting in English... how much more in Russian!!

A Thai Tradition

One of our friends in Thailand told us about a tradition they have there to find out the gender of your baby if you're expecting. You hold a baby that's 6 months old or younger over your pregnant belly. If the baby puts it's feet down, then you're having a boy. If it's moves it's feet or lifts them up, it's a girl. In Germany, we stole Elisabeth's nephew to try out this little experiment. It looks like we're having a boy! Hahaha.

A Few Germany Pictures

We're back in Ulan-Ude after a wonderful time in Germany. I'm wide awake in the middle of the night because of jet lag. The flight to Ulan-Ude from Moscow is an overnight one, and we didn't sleep too well on that (Leif not at all), so we slept in the morning after we returned. Tomorrow I'll need to push through 'til evening!! In looking over our pictures, I realized that Mom took all the really great pictures in Germany, and our selection is pretty sparse. As you can see, it was soooo beautiful! The last night we ordered food from our hotel's restaurant and sat on the balcony and talked. The last picture is of us at the conference with teammates, Shannon, Gardner and Rebecca. We're really thankful for our team! Upon returning, our neighbors and local store workers greeted us warmly, noticing our absense. It was nice.

In Germany Without A Camera Cord

Hello from Germany! SEND has a Eurasia area conference every three years... and this time it happens to be in Germany. It was wonderful because my mom and her friend, Jean, were able to come the week before the conference, and we spend time together, seeing the country and catching up on each others' lives. It was sad to say goodbye!

I'd love to post some pics, but we didn't bring our camera cord (and we haven't had internet access). I can't get over how green everything is. It's funny because we thought Ulan Ude was getting green right before we left... but it is NOTHING compared to Germany!!

At the conference it's been great to get good Bible teaching in English and to meet other missionaries from Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakstan. Yesterday, we went to the town of Hamlin and saw an enactment of the pied piper. (Hamlen is the town this fairy tale comes from). We've also met other missionaries with new babies or who are pregnant, too. We've picked their brains about the process of getting papers, passport, and visa after the birth.

We'll post some pictures in a few days!!

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

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(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.