С Новом Годом!

Happy New Year!! New Years is the biggest holiday in Russia and as Leif says, it's kind of like putting all of the American holidays into one: Halloween-like costumes for the kids, fireworks like July 4th, a Christmas tree, presents, and Santa (known as Grandfather Frost), big feasts, and lots of partying. I went grocery shopping on the 30th and it was a nightmare! It was wall-to-wall carts and people were pushing and shoving (literally) and arguing in the checkout lines. It took probably 1/2 an hour to check out and our friends who went to the same store on the 31st stood in line for 1 1/2 hours!! New Years is traditionally celebrated with family until midnight and after midnight it's often celebrated with friends. To many people, the party doesn't begin until AFTER midnight. We celebrated with friends from church, at the church.



Sasha, one of the youth from our church, LOVES Mars Bars, so I made some homemade Mars Bars and Leif decorated the top with fireworks.



This is our friend, Dima. His shopka (hat) is huge... not like I needed to tell you this. I love big shopkas. I kind of have shopka-envy with people who own big shopkas. My dream is to trade shopkas with someone who owns a big shopka one day.



We put Anneka to bed at 6:30pm and then woke her up just before 9:00 to head to the church. She did so well, even though she was sleepy. It was nice because most of the time she just cuddled on my lap. Normally she doesn't cuddle because there is simply too much to see and do. She fell asleep about 5 minutes before midnight but then woke up again with all of the commotion and fireworks outside. Leif stayed until after 3:00, but Anneka and I (along with a few others) headed home soon after midnight. She sang all the way home as she rode on her little sled.






We feasted on posi, the national Buryat dish (top left). It's a meatball inside of a noodle. We also had salted fish and liver pancakes (also pictured), different kinds of salads and desserts.



After 11:00, we each shared ways we'd seen God work this past year along with hopes for this next year. Then we prayed together up until midnight. It's such a great reminder to know that no matter what this new year holds, God is right here with us, leading the way!

A Visit To The Orphanage

The kids from our church put on a little play, recited some poems, and sang some songs about the meaning of Christmas at an orphanage yesterday. I went with them, as this orphanage is nearby and it has been on my heart to go. It is always so sad for me to see kids in orphanages. The caretakers there are very kind and loving to the kids and the facility is clean, but there are probably 15 kids per 1 adult and over 100 kids in the building. And even though these kids are aged 2-5 (and probably some older) the two and three year olds looked to be the size of Anneka and the older ones weren't much bigger. They just aren't thriving the way that kids should thrive. And that makes me sad.

The above picture was taken outside of our little church, on the 5 minute walk to the orphanage- carrying little presents (candy, pens, little notebooks) to give to the children.



The kids from church who put on the play did a really good job and were so cute. They acted out the story of "Jesus" appearing to a man in three different forms and he gave them something to drink, eat, and clothing to wear.



During the play, one little girl walked over to the door and tried to open it. As I steered her back to her seat, she called me "mama". Another little girl sat in the front row, rocking back and forth. Inka later told me that she just wanted to hold her. Another little girl looked a lot like Anneka (a sickly form of Anneka). What would her life be like if she had a loving family?

Inka and I and at least two others want to go back regularly to this orphanage, to form a "team" to reach out to them. It's close by, it's on our hearts, and we really have no excuse not to. This is kind of risky because I probably will want to take them all home with me, and no doubt there will be heartbreak. But these kids need to know that they are loved and that they have a heavenly Father who loves them perfectly and who will never fail them.

We started a new tradition this year: sleeping in the living room the night before Christmas. The Wicker family does this every year and we think it's cute and fun. This year we wheeled Anneka into the living room after she was asleep. She was so happy when she awoke at 6:00am to find her mama and papa sleeping nearby!



Anneka was intrigued by the presents. She thought everything was really interesting. Santa put horse meat and rabbit meat in her stocking. Yum yum. Now that it's been a few days after Christmas, we see that she's enjoying her toys more and more: a new doll, books, a toy phone, a wallet of her own with "credit cards" and pictures of her own, and other fun things. Our family sent us presents from the States and it was so fun to have them to open!



The way Anneka is standing in the above picture looks so much like pictures I've seen of Leif as a little boy, sticking out his belly. So cute.



Leif found a grill and gave it to me for Christmas! We have a tradition of making Swedish pancakes every Christmas morning, and the grill worked SO well for that! They were the best Swedish pancakes yet!

We had a relaxing, enjoyable day as our little family.

Christmas Eve

We enjoyed a really nice Christmas Eve with Inka and Elisabeth (from Germany), the Wickers (from Canada) and the Hoffstetters (from Switzerland). There were only 13 of us, but our small living room was full- of people, warmth, laughter, and love.




Inka and I found real (large!) hams at the store and were so excited. We each prepared one. She picked out one that was covered in garlic and Elisabeth wrapped it in dough (a tradition in Germany). She even braided the dough, and it looked so pretty! I glazed ours with a pinapple sauce. I was thankful that Leif was willing to carve it!



I didn't really get a good table shot with everyone, but this is the idea (minus a few people and towards the end of the meal).


After dinner, we watched a video that Matthew and Heather Ann had put together to a great song by Reliant K (sp?). I didn't know that they had done it when we were watching it- it was so professional. I was SO impressed to find out they'd put it together. It was really powerful and worshipful. Then we sang some carols (and the German speakers sang some beautiful ones). Leif read us all the book "Annika's Secret Wish". It's a great children's book. You've gotta read it. Then we all played a game called "nouns in a bag" that involves describing with words and motions particular words. Our teams were really even, which made it fun. Inka and Elisabeth brought presents for the little girls. Anneka's is book about a princess where her little face is on every page. She likes it.




Each year since we've been married, Leif and I have celebrated advent for the 4 weeks leading up to Christmas with different readings and songs. We love it. This year, we did half of the nights when Anneka was awake and could join us and half when she was already tucked into bed so that we could focus without a busy girl running around. It's so great to reflect on Jesus' coming to earth and to joyfully anticipate His return!



Here's our nativity set. We have a "pregant Mary" that next year we'll begin the tradition of she and Joseph walking to Bethlehem and then we'll bring out Jesus on Christmas morning.

Merry Christmas!

Sled Ride

It just keeps getting colder and colder! Yesterday it got down to -37C/-33F. That's COLD. Especially on the walk back from church when you come up over the hill into our neighborhood- the wind blows something fierce and you feel like you can't breathe and you want to run or walk backwards or cover your whole face with your scarf or all three at the same time. Anneka likes riding on her sled. We pulled it out before Christmas because it's way more practical than a stroller. It's a little funny/crazy/scary watching when Leif pulls her over curbs or down hills, but she seems unphased by it. She fell asleep on the way to church, despite the jostling and the weather. However, I didn't let her stay sleeping outside. It was just too cold today. Here's a still picture of her, too:

Team Christmas Party

Last night we celebrated Christmas with our SEND team and two other missionary families. There were 35 of us crammed into the Kerin's living room (14 people aren't pictured). It was cozy and busy and fun. We ate lots of yummy appetizers and cookies and candies, sang Christmas carols, heard a devotional on Christmas from Michael, and opened presents. We did the kind of gift exchange where you draw numbers and pick gifts out of a pile or steal them from others. It's always fun to see what the "hot items" are. The things people want when living in Siberia are much different than what you would want while living in the States. Examples are: Hershey's syrup, mapeline, good Christmas music. We are blessed by our teammates!

Family Conference

Last Saturday, Leif and I went to a family conference put on by some of our friends with Family Life from the Netherlands and Irkutsk. They shared valuable information and it was good for Leif and I to talk about ways that we want to invest in Anneka and ways that we can help each other to do so. It was also encouraging to see the good turnout.

Here's a cool story: Years ago when Leif lived in Ulan Ude, he remembers walking in to a class for adults learning English after a long, cold, winter day filled with other activities and thinking, "What am I doing? It's been a long day, it's dark, it's cold, I'm really tired, and this club doesn't even tie in with the things I'm supposed to be doing". But he went. And he met a guy named Max there that he became friends with. They worked out together and Max started coming to church. Max's life began to change drastically and he began trusting Jesus. At this time, Max invited his friend, Valentina to come to church. Well, Leif went back to the States and heard that Max stopped walking with God did Valentina didn't keep going to church. Years later.... at this conference on Saturday, Valentina was there. She shared her story and she's returned to church (for a couple of years now). She's really excited about Jesus and has taken some Bible classes and is just hungry to learn, learn, learn. She's not married and doesn't have kids yet, but she wanted to come to this conference so that she could learn about godly marriages and families. It was really encouraging for Leif because he'd initially been so encouraged about Max and then he was really bummed when he heard that Max had fallen away from God. But Valentina is a reminder of lasting fruit and how God is always at work.

The picture above is of our friends who led the conference. Leif invited them over for dessert afterwards. I only had a few minutes to clean (our apartment often looks like a hurricane went through it because of a certain little someone). I tried to put Anneka's toys away 4 different times and then she scattered them all over. So, I desperately called our wonderful neighbors, Inka and Elisabeth and said, "Please! Can you watch Anneka for 15 minutes while I madly clean?" Not only did they watch her but Elisabeth gave me a cake she'd made to serve to our guests. Talk about dream neigbors!! It would've taken me 3 hours to do what I did in 15 minutes if it weren't for them. Thank you, I and E! It was so nice to have everyone over and to talk about what God's doing in our lives and how he's leading us.

I had to include a picture of Anneka with her Papa after bathtime. They're both so cute!!

Shopping

This picture was taken when grocery shopping with Inka a couple of months ago. But what's on my mind today is another kind of shopping: for clothes and gifts. Yesterday, Anneka and I bundled up and headed out into the shopping world of Ulan Ude. Leif asked for a fleece for Christmas (I won't tell you the end result of our search because it needs to be a surprise if he reads the blog). We (Anneka and I) seriously looked in at least 20 different places... all spread out in the city. We went to sports stores, uniform stores, outdoor stores, modern clothing stores, etc, etc... and do you know how hard it is to find this simple item?!?! At a few places they had one or two. But shopping here is quite different than in the States. You may find something perfect, but it is often available in only one size... and it usually is not your size. Also, since most clothing items are imported from far away, they are very expensive. We're talking $120 for a fleece that's the wrong size and isn't all that great-looking. Craziness. Another difference from the States is that few places have customer service. Often the workers will ignore you or you have to track them down if you have a question. And if you ask if there's another size, they don't say, "Oh, I'm sorry, we sure don't" or "We don't but I can order it for you", or "Try the store down the steet". They simply say "No". That's it. No explanation or anything. Sometimes it's really nice while shopping to not be bombarded with pushy sales people. And sometimes it's not. A few months ago I went shopping for jeans because all of my pants were hanging on me. I found a place that had quite a few pairs that looked really cute. I asked to try them on and the lady said, "No." "Why?", I asked, "I think these are really cute and I'd like to try them on. "They're too young for you", she told me. "You need to buy jeans like these" and she pointed to another rack of plain-looking jeans. The funny part is that the prices on the rack she pointed to were less-expensive, so she would've made less of a profit. I tried on the old-lady jeans that she suggested and said, "I don't know, can I try on another pair?" pointing to the rack with the cute jeans. "No", she said again, "these look good on you". And she said it like she was really mad at me. And you know the funniest part? I bought them. I'd been shopping for a long time, Anneka was tired, I needed pants that didn't fall to my knees, and I bought them. And I actually really like them now. Maybe the lady knew more than I thought! I've never thought of myself as an old looking lady before. Since when can I not wear modern-looking clothes?

Whenever I come across someone who exemplifies good customer service, I feel this strong urge to "reward" them and buy something. I walked by a lady yesterday who asked me if I'd like to buy a Christmas card, and I said "Yes!", even though I hadn't planned on buying one. (But now I have a card to give my teacher tomorrow). So funny.

On a pleasant note, coming home from the grocery store on Tuesday, our dowstairs neighbors helped me carry my bags up two flights of stairs... and I didn't even have Anneka with me! And people here are SO helpful and nice when I'm traveling around with Anneka- opening doors, making sure she's covered well, carrying my bags, etc. It all kind of makes up for the shopping woes, you know?

One Of These Is Not Like The Others

Celebrating Six Wonderful Years Together!

We returned today after two days at Lake Baikal to celebrate our anniversary. It was our least relaxing anniversary ever, as Anneka was with us, but it was still a really fun trip. We brought Anneka's baby bed (she's helping her papa assemble it in the pic above), stroller, and two backpacks onto a van crammed with 14 other people and their belongings. I'm not kidding, it was at least 90 degrees in that van. And we were wearing our long underwear and heavy coats because prior to riding on public transportation, you have to stand in the cold. Such a dilemna. Anyways, about two hours into our ride to Biakal, I said to Leif, "We're never doing this again!", as Anneka was tired and cranky and sweaty and wiggly. But about thirty minutes after we arrived, I'd forgotten the suffering and it was delightful.



We wanted to rent skis, but the staff at the resort said that we needed a couple more centimeters of snow to be able to use them. So we went on a little walk to the lake. It was so windy and cold that we didn't last long at all! It was -20C, but with the strong wind, it felt much colder. Leif acted like a wind block for Anneka.



We'd expected more of the lake to be frozen, but only the edges were solid. In the surf, we could see huge chunks of ice crashing around.




The food at this place is really good. We had fish at three meals, and Anneka loved it. That's pretty much all she ate. The rest of the time she ran around the dining facility like a crazy girl (in her clunky red boots). We'd try to reel her in, but the ladies working would encourage her by taking her into the kitchen and letting her look at and touch what she wanted. So we let her have her hay day. Last night, Leif and I rented out the banya (sauna and pool) and Anneka slept sweetly on the covered porch in her stroller. Such a good baby.

I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful husband. Thank you, Lord, for giving us six wonderful years together!!

The Big Decision

I'm sad to say that this blog is a bit boring... because our decision is to let Anneka keep her hair. At first, I was totally gung-ho about the idea of shaving her (shiny-bald-shaving-her). I envisioned a fun party in the bathroom, with the camera and laughs and shaving cream all over. I was ready to shave her right away. But then Leif didn't think we should (which kind of surprised me), but then I started thinking about it and I started having my doubts. I think when you love someone and they have a view that's different that you... your view starts to change. For example, I hate pickles. Leif used to like pickles. But now that he's married to me, he thinks they're kind of gross now, too. Anyways, I started thinking about Anita's comment about sweet little baby girls not having prickly heads and my grandma's comment about how would I like to have a cold head and I just couldn't go through with it, you know? And we really don't think it works anyways. It just would've been a fun thing to do. Besides, I do like her wispy hair (thanks for the affirmation, Amy). And the kicker was that we got a package two days ago with little hair clips that work GREAT in Anneka's hair. So, that's our decision. Thanks for helping us to make it. Sorry it's not very exciting. But don't worry- we live in Siberia and will have other exciting stories to share!

Our daughter named Bill

I haven't taken any pictures this week, as we've been busy preparing for and greeting the new family from Switzerland that's joined our team and taking care of Shannon's belongings and apartment for the months that she's in the States for treatment. It's been super-cold. I think I heard that it was -25C yesterday. These pictures are from last week. We went to the market to get a new faucet for our sink (a long, boring story that involves lots of water and mess) and saw these fake Christmas trees. Leif and I aren't too into fake trees, but the real ones aren't put out for sale until AFTER December 25, since Russians celebrate New Years as their big holiday. And we didn't want to get arrested for chopping down one from the woods. So we decided to get a small tree that we can use every year and we'll have the option of getting a live real one if we ever choose to. It's nice having our apartment decorated for Christmas!


We found some red fur-lined boots for Anneka the same day, and she's so proud of them. We got a great deal: $16... they're normally about $40 for babies. She likes them so much that when we're at home, she'll bring them to us to put on her so that she can walk around the house in them. She's definitely a little girl- she likes shoes, hats, and purses! We tried out some sleds as a Christmas idea for Anneka. All the little tots are toted on sleds in the winter instead of in strollers. It's so cute. On our way to the bus stop, a taxi driver practically begged us to ride with him. His price was good, and we had a tree, a sled, and other purchases, so we decided to go for it. He was really chatty and couldn't believe that we were Americans. He kept calling Anneka "Bill". At first, Leif and I were confused, but then we realized this was the only American name the guy knew, and so he thought it was the perfect name for our child. Haha.

My Russian language teacher is coming over in a few minutes. It's been so neat because we've been reading through a children's Bible for my lessons. It makes it so much easier for me to focus on grammar and new vocabulary becuase I'm already familiar with the stories. And it's even more cool because we can talk about the stories together. My teacher isn't a believer, but she's been attending a Bible study lately and she's sharing with me what she's learning. I love it! She's shared some things I'd never thought of before.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's posting of the BIG DECISION with Anneka's hair!!!

Warm Socks

Our local store clerk friend knitted some nice warm socks as a gift for Anneka (pictured on her feet). I thought that was so sweet! I love how easy it is to strike up conversations with people when Anneka is with me. I somehow feel a lot more brave in speaking and people are patient with my language blunders (probably because they have a cute baby to look at).

Anneka likes going behind the counter with the ladies because then she can look at (and grab at) the products more easily. She wants to touch everything, everywhere, all the time.

Many Blessings

We enjoyed a nice thanksgiving yesterday with our teammates as we remembered all of the blessings God has given us and celebrated together. There were 10 adults and 9 kids all crammed into the Kerin's apartment (there would've been more, but one family is still in Mongolia.) The kids were really good and loved playing together. Leif and I made apple pies (see picture above) and Leif also made stuffing. We thought we'd only have chicken this year, but Nadia, a Russian neighbor and friend of the Kerins found and brought a turkey. Mmmmm!



Before we ate the feast, the kids performed a skit about the history and meaning behind Thanksgiving. It was really cute. Then Elisabeth and Leif led us in a set of worship songs and we praised God together. Rebecca had asked us all to come prepared with a list of the many things we are thankful for from the past year. We read our lists and were amazed at how much has happened in 12 months and rejoiced at God's goodness.



While it is always hard to be away from our family back home, we are thankful that God has given us a second family in Ulan Ude.



I couldn't resist posting a picture of our bundle baby.



And about the head-shaving, we're still undecided. Leif leans toward "no" and I'm more of a "yes". I thought that Anneka was close to bald anyways, but there definitely is a difference between her head and Kristina's, which was shaven a week before this pic was taken. We'll make our decision in a few days!

To Shave Or Not To Shave: A Poll Of Our Audience

People in many countries around the world shave their babies' heads so that it'll grow back thick and lustrous. Many Russians shave their baby's heads at the year mark. Anneka's little friend, Kristina, just had her head shaved last week. And now it's gotten us thinking. Does it really work? All logic tells us "no". I mean, at first, it will grow back thicker because the hairs have been cut off and they'll come out thicker blunt-ended than with a natural, peaked tip. But would it really make a difference for the long haul? Kristina's older sisters had their heads shaved when they were babies and they have the prettiest, thickest hair I've ever seen. People in India do this and have you ever seen a thin-headed Indian? Not me.

So here's the question: Do we shave Anneka's head? Adriana (Kristina's mom) said, "who knows if it really works or not, but if I hadn't done it I'd have always wondered." And if we shave it, do we use a buzzer or do we bic it with a razor? Adriana is bringing Kristina over tomorrow to show me what she did with her. What do you think we should do? Please cast your vote!

A Sad Day

Our teammates took this picture a few weeks ago, before there was snow, but it kind of captures how we're feeling today.

This morning, our friend (and teammate) Shannon called from the States, letting us know that she's been diagnosed with cancer of the esophogas and stomach. This is all so shocking (she's only 37 years old) and we are still digesting the news. Shannon was just planning on being in the States for a couple of weeks for her cousin's wedding. She'd had her mom set up a doctor's appointment for her ahead of time because she'd been having some problems swallowing. But she totally didn't think it was a big deal. She found out that she has a tumor that's been growing for probably a couple of years and it's blocking 90% of the passageway! She'll know more details next week, but she will have to go through chemotherapy and surgery and doesn't know when she'll be able to return to Ulan Ude. Leif and Shannon were going to begin studying the Buryat language together after the new year. We love Shannon and are hurting for/with her as she's going through this time.

I also heard from our friend, Elaine, this morning. She had planned on coming to visit us for Christmas and we were so excited! She got her letter of invitation from Russia and was just waiting on getting her visa (she's living in China right now). They wouldn't let her pick up her visa until she had purchased a train ticket into Russia. But she isn't able to purchase tickets from her city, by phone, on the internet, or through a travel agent (her plan had been to fly to Beijing and then purchase train tickets the day her train was leaving). And we aren't able to purchase them for her from here. It's so ridiculous because if you get a visa from the States, you don't have to show plane tickets. And there is no law saying that you must do this. So it really seems like some sort of weird Russia/China mix that has caused a wall. The man at the consulate was not nice to her and kept saying "Nyet. Nyet." Poor Elaine. And now Elaine can't come for Christmas. So sad.

So it's been a sad sort of day.

Anneka Got Tagged!

Anneka was tagged by her friend, Evie, to answer these questions. The above picture was taken and given to us as a gift from the Russian family we stayed with in Kyzyl.


Name/Meaning: Anneka Dorothy ... Anneka is a Swedish name, which we thought went great with the last name Gustafson. It is another form of Hannah and means "gracious". We wanted a name with a feminine ending (a), living in Russia. We also wanted a name that has a Russian alternative. We often call her Anya here. Dorothy means "gift of God" and is after Anneka's great grandma. We call her by her full name all the time, and we can tell that she likes her name.


Age: 13 months

Nicknames: Nipper, Nippy, Nip, The Nippinator, Bozo, Bozey, Doofer, silly pants, bean, sweet baby, Anya, Annechka, Anyota

Favorite Activity (ies): Throwing items out of drawers, playing with flap books

Favorite Food: yogurt, cheese, broccoli, green beans, grapes, bananas, plums, dates, dried apricots, Cheerios

Least favorite food: baby pancakes. I made her a special batch out of baby cereal, mashed bananas, milk, juice, eggs... and she wouldn't even touch them. I froze them and pull them out every few days and she wants nothing to do with them.

Favorite Music: When her mama and papa read her "The Little Drummer Boy" book. She rum-pa-pum-pums along with us. Sometimes she'll pick up the book on her own and sing pum-pum on her own.

Favorite toys: anything that's not a toy (especially the telephone)


Favorite books: The Bellybutton Book, lift-the-flap books, peekaboo books, googly eye books

What makes her happy: making big messes, eating grapes or seeing a whole banana headed her direction, bathing, going on adventures (she lays completely still when we put her snowsuit on because she knows that we're going on an adventure), getting attention from everyone, tearing flaps out of books


What makes her sad: When her mama isn't close by. And it's best if both mama and papa are giving their undivided attention.

Anneka tags: Katie, Winston, Kariya

-21C and counting...

Our friend, Inka, hung her robe out on the balcony to dry and it came back a sheet of ice!



The entrance to our building has three doors. This is on the inside of the second door.



This is ice on our living room window.

Two more months to go until it's the coldest time of the year!!

The Bundling Process

Here is a normal process of bundling Anneka to go somewhere.
layer one:


layer two:


layer three:
(Leif likes to pull up Anneka's tights up high on her chest.)


layer four


layer five


layer six


layer seven: mittens, boots, and inner hat


layer eight: scarf and fluffy squirrel hat


And bundling under a blanket for the last layer (number nine)!