This girl, Lyra, has been coming to our church (and youth club and Bible study) faithfully ever since we met her through the day camps in the summer. It's so neat to see how excited she is to learn and she has lots of good questions about the Bible and about God. She gave Anneka this dress as a gift for her birthday! I thought that was so sweet. This week, I'll post a blog on all that's entailed in dressing Anneka to go outside.



Katia and Sasha were at church today (after their wedding yesterday)! There were so many other sweets at the wedding, that their wedding cake wasn't touched. So they brought their cake and leftover pizza and salad to church and we all ate it together afterwards. I usually think that Russian cake is very pretty and very icky-tasting, but this cake was the best I've ever had. Anneka slept through the whole service. We just parked her outside in her stroller. I know this seems mean, but she would've been too hot inside with all of her winter gear on and it's too noisy inside. She woke up refreshed and cheerful. And she got lots of "fresh air", which is very important here.

Katia's Wedding

Yesterday, my friend Valia and her daughter Lyra and son Vanya (yes, he's the one in pink that I'm holding) came over to make pizzas with me for Katia's wedding today. It was fun to have the time talking, and it was a blessing to have help because our electricity was out again in all of our apartment except for the refrigerator and oven! What a blessing that they worked! Anyways, it was so nice to have them because we were able to finish just as it was getting dark. Then we made dinner and ate by candlelight. Leif tried to fiddle around in the fuse box, but it was glowing and he almost died a few weeks ago trying to fix the wires (it burned a hole in our pliers!) so he decided to leave it alone. An electrician came last night and fixed it, so now all is well . Hooray!

I was thinking about how much work it would be to plan a wedding in Russia. Some things are more simple- there's one gov't office that everyone goes to get married. There are standard locations that everyone gets their pictures taken, etc. But Katia had to go to a bizillion different stores to find 10 candles that all matched! And to find a few yards of ribbon all the same color! She borrowed our dishes, since they are red and her wedding color was red. And she had different people prepare pizza and desserts and sandwiches. It was really neat to see how loved she (and her husband, Sasha) are and how many people in their lives support them.



Sasha and Katia radiated joy and many people sang, gave words of inspiration and encouragement, showed videos, and acted in skits (Leif was in a couple and I was even in one... I just didn't know it until they called me up there. Ha!). For one part, the emcee read different love letters and women in the audience had to yell out if they thought their husband wrote it. I didn't know that Leif had written one, but when I heard a letter, I knew it was from him. I yelled out and was relieved that I was right! The service was about 5 hours long, and this didn't include the trip to the government office to become official. Katia and Sasha's day began at 9:00am with the "buying of the bride", where Sasha proved his love for her, and ended at about 7:30pm. They must be so tired! But happy. It was fun to be a part of this special day.

Today I went to visit my friend, Lyena, at the fish market. We know that fish is healthy to eat but we're afraid to buy it here. We can trust Lyena, though, as she won't sell us something that's spoiled. Lyena is so sweet and is so crazy-busy right now. She works long hours at the fish market and is very involved with helping out with the youth in the church.



We got TWO packages today! It was so exciting. The lady at the post office would only give me one of them because the slips had Leif's name on them. I told her to look at the packages, saying that the person who sent the packages probably put both names on there, but she wouldn't look. I somehow convinced her to give me one, but she wouldn't give me the other. She said that Leif had to come get it. Oh, brother. But actually it worked out well because I was on my way to the fish market and Leif went by there later, as he found an apartment for our soon-to-be teammates from Switzerland. And then it was easy for each of us to just carry one. The funniest thing is that both packages did have both of our names on them. Sometimes things just don't make much sense. ANYWAYS, Anneka got this fun ladybug outfit from my mom's friend, Judy. Isn't it cute? And these great boots that she had trouble walking in at first (SO funny).



And this is Anneka talking on the phone with her gramma. She's copying us more and more. She's also whining more and more. It's such a dilemna for me because I can't stand whining, but she also can't talk yet, and I know she's wanting to communicate... and of course, I want to acknowledge that. So we've been working a lot on sign language to try and curb the whining. Yikes.

Oh, what a funny daughter we have! I was in the kitchen doing the dishes after lunch, Jami was in the other room taking care of laundry and Anneka was playing in the hall going back and forth between us with her ever improving mobility. I heard her coming in the kitchen and turned to make sure that she was okay, and instantly called out to Jami to come see what our daughter was up to. In the minute or so that she was alone in the hallway, she had pulled down the hat box and found her hat which she put on all by herself. Of course in early acts of independence there are varying degrees of success. Her face was covered even more than it is in the picture. In fact, from my angle it looked like her face was completely covered. I think that she could hear my voice though, because she made her way toward me at a good pace. What really got me laughing though was that she veered just to the left of me and into the cupboard which sent her plopping back onto her backside. She is such a good sport though and didn't mind that her mama and papa were laughing at her. Actually, she began to laugh with us and really enjoyed herself immensely. The second picture is showing her with her new favorite toys. She just recently started playing with her magnetic monkeys, but she absolutely loves them (thanks Scott)! It really seems like she feels pretty when we strap them around her neck like a necklace too. It is so fun to see her develop and explore with such curiosity.

Finally, some REAL birthday cake!

For those of you who were not satisfied with the idea of Anneka having zucchini bread for her birthday (Inka, Anita), don't worry- Anneka finally had her chocolate cake! We celebrated with the youth Bible study tonight. At first Anneka looked really disgusted with how messy it was, but then she warmed up. She definitely is more thrilled about green beans, however. (I dropped our camera and jostled the lens right in the middle of everything so we have minimal pictures).

Our little toddler is now a climbing monkey. She climbed right out of her crib yesterday, landing on the hard floor. Thankfully, she's okay. Hopefully she'll remember the pain and not try that stunt again.

This week we're searching for an apartment for a family from Switzerland who is coming to learn language for a year. The prices have skyrocketed and it's really hard to find anything good. We saw the strangest apartment today that had a spiral staircase inside, ping pong and pool tables, and a triangular bathroom with a stand-up shower just sitting in the middle. It was really expensive. It would be PERFECT for youth ministry, but not exactly ideal for a small family. They will be arriving at the end of this month.

A Day to Celebrate!

The theme of the day was Psalm 107:22 "And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of His deeds in songs of joy!" (ESV) There is a group of churches in Ulan-Ude that meet once a month to pray for the Republic of Buryatia and the people here and share ways that they have seen the church be a blessing, in particular for the Buryats. This group has decided that we should have a larger gathering of people from all the churches in the region twice a year, and it made sense to do one of these gatherings directly after the seminar that went on this last week. We personally took on a large role in helping to make sure that this day happened. It was great to have people from so many different churches gather together and sing sons of joy about God and all that He has done. I (Leif) was given the privelege of sharing about the theme of bringing God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and then members of many of the churches in Buryatia came and shared about what they have seen God do and what they are doing to show others our great God. We sang praises together and prayed together and then followed it all by sharing food together. I am so thankful for all the people that put time in to make this happen, and I am so happy that there are so many things to thank God for.

Professor Anneka

This week, we've had a conference about how to reach our fellow Buryats with Christ and the main topic has been discipleship. On Wednesday, Anneka made her first debut as a visiting professor. She was titled the "growth expert". The speaker used Anneka as an parallel between believers in Christ and shared how she will probably be tall, but she won't be 5'10'' tomorrow. It takes time. She needs food and nourishment and care to grow. Sometimes she grows fast and other times she grows more slowly. Etc, etc. She was the star of the show, of course. (She kind of blends into me in the picture because we were dressed as twins) Below is a recent clip of Anneka practicing her walking:

A Couple More Tuva Stories

God reminded me of His love for the Tuvans while I was there, and here are a couple of ways that he showed me:

In the daytime while Leif was at the seminar about sharing Christ with Buddhists and Shamanists, I would walk with Anneka all over the city (and pop in on the seminar, too). The city is small and it was fun to see my old "stomping ground". Walks in the stroller were the best way to get Anneka to nap well during the day. One day, she was crying really hard and I didn't know why. (I suspect she was just overly tired). I pushed the stoller faster and told her it was okay, to go to sleep, but she cried for what felt like an eternity (maybe 10 minutes). I started praying, "Jesus, please help!" It was at this moment that I walked by this prayer wheel and people were turning it, praying empty prayers. My heart felt heavy as I realized that I'm so caught up in my little world and there is so much MORE going on. My prayers changed to, "Jesus, please help!" for these people. God still cares about my little world and my baby's fussy 10 minutes... but how much more does He care about the people of Tuva and longs for them to pray to Him!

The second to the last day we were in Kyzyl, I went to a bank machine to get cash. It's a long story that includes me forgetting I didn't have cash when I went to the store and then hurrying at the ATM while the cashier waited and forgetting my pin number, etc... but to make the story short, I left my card in the machine too long and it ate my card!! This was our only working card and so I felt like a royal idiot and I also didn't know what I would do! The guard at the store showed me phone numbers I could call, but nobody answered them. So I went to the bank (Anneka slept in her stoller through this). A nice Tuvan man helped me and the worker at the bank was friendly, but I was told that I couldn't get my card back until the next afternoon. I explained that we were leaving Kyzyl in the morning and had to catch a train so we could not wait until afternoon. The man said that he'd try but it didn't look hopeful. I gave him our cell phone number and left. Later on, Leif returned with me to the bank and they said they were sorry but they didn't open the ATMs on Thursday and could not open it until Friday afternoon. We again explained our situation of leaving in the morning but there was nothing they could do. They said we could write up a document and have it notorized and have a friend send it to us, but we didn't want our activated card traveling through the mail. So we decided to just cancel the card and figure out what to do later. Another long story happened after this, but to make it shorter, we couldn't cancel our card online and to call would've cost $3 a minute (and sometimes these calls take awhile to get through the automated system) so we decided to just cancel it when we returned to Ulan Ude. As we left the phone company, I prayed with Leif that God would do a miracle. I knew that He could, but I can't really say that I believed that He WOULD. But we prayed just the same, and acknowledged that He was in control.

The bank closed at 6:00 and we made a fun dinner for our host family and had forgotten about the card. A little after 7:00, the bank called and said to come right away! We walked there in 5 minutes, got the card in 5 and back home in another 5! It was a miracle!!! Seriously. I really don't know how this happened. And how wonderful that we hadn't cancelled our card! That night, God reminded me again that, yes, He cares about small things like bank cards, but how much MORE He cares about the people of Tuva and wants them to know Him. What a wonderful reminder!

Back From a Wonderful Trip!

We had a wonderful time in Kyzyl, and God blessed us with many wonderful surprises. The trip there was LONG (2 1/2 days each way), and Anneka did well except for the 6 hour car ride from Abakan to Kyzyl. But we survived. And the couple that we took to Kyzyl was really gracious and fun to travel with. Anneka celebrated her first birthday on the train with zucchini bread and a candle. She was VERY social on the train and would cruise from room to room, visiting our train neighbors. Everyone loved her (especially the little boys) and people gave her cookies, carrots, candy (I wouldn't let her eat it), fruit, etc. She loved all of the attention. We even let her crawl all over the dirty train floor. We would've gone crazy if we hadn't, I think, and so far she hasn't developed any diseases. =)We had a 6-hour layover in a city called Taichet. It was nice to get out and walk. The hat Anneka is wearing was our birthday present from her. We think she looks like a little bird or a squirrel in it.



We got to attend the church that I went to when I lived in Kyzyl. There were many new faces, but there were also people who I remembered. One was a fun lady that used to do aerobics with me (and my friend Kim) in our living room. It was fun to reminisce. Oleg is the guy on the left of the above picture, and he is a dear friend. He is so funny, and now that I understand Russian better, I was able to understand more of his jokes! The couple on the right, Lena and Vitya, warmly let us stay with them for the week. They have a 4-year old and 9-year old boys. This family was wonderful to us! I'm so grateful for our time with them and found it to be really good to be immersed in the Russian language for a week.



Lena and Vitya lived a block away from the Center of Asia monument. You can't go to Kyzyl without getting your picture next to it. It was so interesting to be back. There were a few new stores, but a lot was exactly the same as when I left. It was so interesting being back in Tuva after living in Buryatia. In Ulan Ude, there are probably 50% Buryats, but in Kyzyl, it's more like 90% Tuvan... and most of them speak Tuvan as their first language. I was surprised to hear Tuvan EVERYWHERE (before I didn't know the difference because my Russian was so bad. haha). Also, roots of Shamanism are very strong there and Buddhism is a lot weaker. It gave us a lot to think about and we learned a lot.



One fabulous surprise was seeing my friend Oktrabrina! I had thought that she lived in London, but she was back in Kyzyl! And now she speaks English and I speak Russian! It was SO fun to talk and catch up. She is such a beautiful person. She bought Anneka these fun gloves.



This is Mattvei, the 9-year-old son of the family that we stayed with. He loved to push Anneka on this little car (barreling down the hallway) and she'd squeal with delight!



Another gift was seeing Aldynai! This is a girl that Kim and I spent a lot of time with in our year in Kyzyl. Her English at the time was very poor (we met her through an English club). We shared with her a lot about Jesus that year, but she didn't make any decisions for him. I remember her saying, "maybe someday when I'm an old woman". As I talked with her last week, I found out that early on in my year there I saw her in the market and called out "Hi, Aldynai" and she was really surprised that I remembered her name (most Russians don't remember it) and she thought, "I want to know this girl". And then through the year of spending time with Kim and me, she saw that we weren't weirdos and were sincere in our faith in God. One day she'd seen which bus stop we got off to go to church, and the summer after we left, she decided to go. She saw there, too, that the people weren't weirdos. But she didn't return. Then her sister got seriously hurt in a car accident. She prayed for the first time and asked God to make her sister better. She visited her sister in the hospital and the nurse showed Aldynai how to give her a shot. Aldynai was really afraid to do it, so she prayed that God would make her better so that she wouldn't have to administer the shot. The next day, as she was unwrapping the medicine to put it in the syringe, her sister said, "It's okay ,I don't need the shot because I'm better". Aldynai said that she knew God had heard her and she began going to church regularly after that (to the service in the Tuvan language). She'd kept a card that I'd sent her, saying I hoped to visit her again one day. It was so joyous to be reunited and to hear her story!! It's such a reminder that God uses us, even when we feel like we can't do anything.



We also got to spend a day with David and Christie and their family. They used to live in Ulan Ude. They are so nice, and their kids are so cute!!



On our way back to Abakon, we had this picture taken. It's kind of dark, but the road in the background leads to Kyzyl. Each time I've left Kyzyl, I feel like God is saying (about Tuva), "I haven't forgotton you. I love you." And I'm grateful for this reminder to pray for the Tuvans. Thank you, God, for a wondeful trip!

Off to Kyzyl!

We leave on the train tomorrow for Kyzyl (capital city of Tuva). It'll be an 8 hour train ride to Irkutsk and then we switch trains and ride for 1 1/2 days to Abakan. And then it's another 5-6 hours drive to Kyzyl. I'm feeling a little stressed today, so I appreciate your prayers! Yesterday we didn't have cold water, so I couldn't do laundry, had to buy and haul water to make soup, etc. And half of the electricy was out in our apartment for the second half of the day. The blessing of it was that our oven worked, so I could make dinner for our guests, but it was an awfully dark kitchen. haha. And Anneka woke up today with a cold, so it's sad to see that she's not her normal self. Anyways, I know God is taking care of us and I really am happy that we're going, I'm just kind of stressed. And I still need to pack! So, I will pack and wish you all a lovely week and a half!

Sundays

The last few Sundays, I get Anneka all bundled up over an hour before church and walk her in the stroller until she falls asleep. Then I sit on this little bench and pray and read. It's such a serene time of day/week, and it's nice because then Anneka gets her morning nap. (she can't sleep at church, so this is our solution that seems to work pretty well).



This is what Anneka looked like before I put her in the stroller. She loved being all bundled up because she was tired. But on the way home from church, she was not at all happy about the situation. So we pulled her little arms out... and they turned to popsicles. But she was a happy popsicle.

After church, a couple of guys from the neighborhood came to the door and asked if Leif wanted to play basketball with them. They played and then a larger group played ultimate frisbee. Leif invited them to the youth club tonight. It'd be cool if some of them came. This sports court has been a wonderful way to connect with people!



A year ago, this is what our little family looked like. At that time, I didn't think I looked very big and thought people may not know I was pregnant. Now I look and my belly looks HUGE! I showed Anneka where she used to live. She didn't really seem to care, but she really likes playing with my belly button (and Leif's). It's her new fixation. Her entire first birthday (this Friday) will be on a train. I told her and she doesn't mind. What a nice baby.

Potatoes

Something I realized lately is what a big part of life potatoes are for people here. On public transportation, I'll hear people (men and women) on their cell phones, talking about potatoes. Or we'll invite someone over, but they have to plan around planting/picking potatoes. We look out our window and there's often someone sitting there, selling potatoes. Potatoes are just a big part of life.

Anneka and I went outside today to buy potatoes (because we're making mashed potatoes for Canadian Thanksgiving on Monday), but we stopped in our little store first to pick up a few things. In just those few minutes time, the potato guy was gone! So we rode a couple of bus stops up the hill and found a nice lady selling potatoes. In all of the grocery stores right now, they just have little potatoes, so you have to find a private seller for the big ones.

I used to despise peeling potatoes (with all of the dirt and bumps and eyes, etc), but my friend, Erin, sent me two really good peelers and now I like it. Actually, now that I think of it, I think I'm becoming a Russian because I like cutting onions, too. I used to not even like onions at all and now they're one of my favorite foods. I love the way the house smells when I saute them ,and I love to put them on pizza, in quiches, sauces, soups... everything. They're so good. Onions and potatoes. Mmmmmm. The picture above is Anneka "helping" me put away the potatoes when we got home.

Someone asked me if Anneka is always smiling. She's definitely a very happy baby and most of the time has and intent/curious look on her face as she's exploring or she's smiling. But here are a couple of other faces.



I wanted to take a picture of Anneka standing/stepping on her own, but she wanted to play with the camera. And I wouldn't let her. And she was NOT happy.



Leif caught this face the other night. She takes after her papa!!

We're Going to Tuva!!

Yes, that's right! Next week, we get to go to Tuva!! I'm soooooooooooooooooo very excited about this. Tuva is where I lived for a year before Leif and I were married. It is such a unique part of Russia (it truly feels like a different country altogether) and Leif has never been there. This opportunity came up suddenly when an American couple needed someone to help them to get there (someone who speaks both Russian and English). They'll be putting on a conference in Tuva. Anyways, we jumped at the chance to go. And I know I must really really want to go because the thought of 4 1/2 days of travel with a baby and being away from home for 10 or 11 days doesn't seem bad to me at all! The above picture was taken 6 1/2 years ago in Kyzyl (the capital of Tuva) with my teacher, Radmila.



Anneka and I went long underwear shopping for her today. It's very important for Russian children to have long underwear (and, of course, very practical when it's -40 degrees!) It was a bit of a treasure hunt finding long underwear that we liked. The styles here are very different than American styles, and my tastes have yet to adjust. While we were out, I bought Anneka a pair of pajamas, too. They're quite hideous, but she needed some badly and who could resist buying "booby bear" jammies? Haha.

The Heat Is ON!

Not only is the heat on, but it's roasty toasty in our apartment. We had the windows open today and are sporting our t-shirts. Ahhh, it's so nice. I don't think I mentioned it before, but when our apartment was so cold, Anneka would wake up in the night and she was like a little popsicle. (Thankfully, it was only once a night, but I felt so badly that she was so cold!) Now she sleeps 11 or 12 hours and her naps have been much longer, too. This is a picture of our little blooming cactus. I'm ashamed to say that I'm a "brown thumb" (especially since I come from a "green thumb" family), but cacti seem to like me okay because they don't really need water very much. Anyone know what kind of cactus this is?



Anneka's been doing so many cute and funny things lately, but whenever we pull out the video camera, she becomes so interested in the camera, that all else is lost. We need a third party to come and hide in the corner and film when she's not looking. On the last day of September, she officially took her first steps (four in a row). She takes a few each day but is still not walking as a form of transportation (crawling is much faster).



Anneka loves to play the guitar with her papa.



The other night we had Tanya over for dinner. Our friends, Ryan and Diana sent gifts for a few of their friends here in Ulan Ude and it was a great way for us to distribute the gifts and meet them.



The day their packages came, Leif brought them home from the post office on public transportation (vans that go in circuits). When he walked in the door, I laughed at him and couldn't believe that 1) we got three packages and 2) that he carried them all onto the van! haha. He's amazing.

Laying a Firm Foundation

Anneka and I went to visit Leif at the church on Thursday, and this is what we found. They've dug out all underneath the building in order to lay a foundation. "Why in the world did they build the building before they laid the foundation?", you may ask. Because the ground was frozen. But, oh, what a dreadful task! It is certainly easier to lay the foundation first! Yesterday, Leif and Dennis (pronounced Denise) went to the woods to find rocks. Lots and lots of rocks. Then they loaded trailer after trailer full of rocks to dump down into the holes that they've dug. Some of the rocks were so large that they had to haul them together.





Anneka officially has enough hair now to put into a bow. She likes being a bowhead. (and as you can see in the picture, she loves her mama's wallet)



Right on track with all of the child development books, Anneka basically doesn't want anyone except for her mama or papa to hold her. She's cordial and friendly to others as long as she can at least have a hand on her mama or papa's knee. We joyfully discovered, however, that Anneka LOVES Heidi, our 13-year-old teammate! We've left Anneka with Heidi a couple of times and they've done great.

Leif and I went out on a date on Thursday and had a delightful time eating pizza (different than pizza in the States, but good all the same)and talking. We took a taxi home and had a wonderful surprise on our ride. The driver was a 50-year-old woman (we'd never seen a woman taxi driver before!) and she was a Buryat and she was a believer! What are the chances?? It was so encouraging to hear her story and of how she came to know Jesus. Her children and grandchildren are all believers, too. Halfway through the ride, she excitedly stopped the car and dug around the glove compartment for a tape. When she put it in the deck, it was an English tape and the words to the song playing were "show me your face, LORD" I realized that He WAS showing us His face by crossing our paths with this joyful woman and reminding us of how He is at work in Buryatia.

Thousands of Pounds of Dirt!

Leif has been helping dig, dig, dig at church the last few days. They're digging under the building to lift it up and put a foundation underneath. On Saturday, Leif came home at about 7:30pm after working all day and said that he must have literally shoveled a couple of tons of dirt! Craziness. I'm so glad I'm not a boy.




I pulled out the crayons yesterday, thinking that Anneka may be a budding artist. She loved the crayons, but more to put in her mouth, drop on the floor, and roll around. Someday she'll figure out the "drawing" part.

Harvest Day

Today for harvest day, our church met outside, by the river. We roasted hotdogs, played frisbee, and celebrated together. It was to be a kind of outreach for the youth, too. It was neat because last week our pastor told everyone that a lot of these kids smoke and swear and we don't need to tell them that they're sinners. We just need to welcome them. This was refreshing, as often the mentality is different.

I thought it was interesting to see what some people brought for the potluck... a bag of potatoes, a bag of onions, a carton of milk... but it all worked nicely together. We just threw the potatoes into the fire and then took them out after awhile to eat.



Last week when we were deciding what to bring, a few people got really riled up and said, "We HAVE to have tea. We can't be out in nature without tea!" I thought it was funny at the time, but today I was thankful to sip something warm.



Leif's friend, Greesha, came today, too. Leif met Greesha when he lived in Ulan Ude eight years ago.

The heat has finally turned on in most rooms of our apartment! It's SO much better. Hooray!

Brrrrr! part 2

Yes, this is how I found my sweet wife earlier today. She seemed pretty comfortable after putting on her hat and scarf, but was pretty chilly before that. Later on she was inspired to make pigs in a blanket because it sounded warm. I think that she also liked the thought of having the oven on. As you can see, Anneka is also getting into the spirit of putting on winter clothes and just loves playing in the hat box. When Jami put Anneka down for her morning nap she put her in a onsie, two warm sets of pajamas, and her fleece snow-suit then wrapped her in two blankets with a hot water bottle next to her. I'm not sure if Anneka was really cold enough that she needed all of these things, or if Jami was just cold enough that she thought it sounded nice herself, but Anneka slept nice and cozy warm. We have hopes that the heat will be turned within the week, but until then we'll have to continue to wear a bit warmer clothes when we're inside, and maybe I'll wrap Jami in a few layers of pajamas, a snow suit, some blankets and give her a hot water bottle :).