The Countdown Week

     We had a long list of things to do before leaving for the States.  Thankfully, we got everything that was absolutely essential done, just in time!  As with the whole summer, God was our help each moment, giving peace and joy amidst the craziness.  Leif and a friend bought firewood from these guys they found at the side of the road.  We think two truckloads will be enough to heat our house through most of the winter (if not all!)  Anneka was sad that they threw the logs right onto the raspberry starters we'd watered all summer long.  Leif said there is still hope for them, though, as we already had had our first frost.  

     On my way back from buying more antiseptic to finish protecting our walls, I had to snap this picture.  This is the main road from town, and there are often cows walking across.  Cows are on our dirt roads, too.  Unfortunately the antiseptic I bought was dark blue!  We didn't really want blue walls, so our friend Denis will use it on our floor boards.  The walls can wait a few more months.

     We packed up all of the kids toys and some of our other things and are storing them in Ike's room.  Because of this, the kids played almost exclusively outside the last few days (which, honestly, wasn't too different from the rest of the summer).

Sitting on the Fence

     We were happy to have new friends at our life group.

 
     Inka had wanted to visit us all summer, but was only able to make it the final week.  We were so glad she came!  The kids wanted rings to play on, so they brainstormed together and figured out a way to make rope and fix up rings to play on.  In the afternoon Inka super-duper cleaned our bathroom for us!!  This was such a huge blessing, as it was so dirty from our tearing apart the walls and ceiling and sawdust pouring down from when we put in the new insulation.  She thoroughly cleaned behind everything and in the cracks between the linoleum and wall, etc.  I was soooooo thankful!  We wanted our house to be in the best shape possible for our friends who are living there while we're gone.

 
     We had a gate and fence put in.  The people who did it are our neighbors and are so nice!  I asked them where their sons were, and they told me, "They're just home- go get them!"  So I went and got them.

     They played with Ike all morning.  I discovered as I was cleaning out or cupboards that we still had macaroni and cheese packets saved up from America!  I made a very American lunch for the kids- hotdogs and macaroni and cheese.  Ike wanted to sit right between the boys even though there was more room at the table.  It was really cute.  They liked it, too.

     Then after lunch the family left and came back with more neighborhood kids they wanted us to meet!  Two of the girls are Anneka's age.  It's really cool because a couple of weeks before we left, our family was talking at dinner about what we'd really like to do before we left.  We all shared several things- many of which I thought just weren't possible.  One for Anneka was meeting one of these girls that she'd heard about.  Later on, I realized that God had blessed us with allowing every single one of the things to happen-  most out of our control!  I love how He cares for us and gives good gifts.

   Another thing we were hoping was to connect with this family more.  They invited us to dinner for posie (Buryat traditional food).  What a nice surprise!  Anneka took the picture.

     My friend from Krasniarsk visited and came to our ladies' group.  She shared a song that she'd written.  It was so neat because there was another lady there that she knew years and years ago.  They'd lost contact and were thrilled to see one another!!

     Here's Anneka with her two new friends.  One of the girls is only a week apart from her in age!  They played together each day until we left.  The girls were sad they hadn't met Anneka sooner!  The car in the background is our friend's.  He is the one who cut the girls' bunk bed into two.  I had been hoping for him to come and put the drawers in for storage before we left, but I thought we'd just have to wait until we returned.  Imagine my surprise to see his car in the driveway!

     These dear friends came and visited us the evening before we left.  I was so happy, as our girls are very close friends and it's important for them to say goodbyes. 

       It's a bit of a bummer that Leif missed out on time with them because he was pouring cement in our garage to make a place for the furnace (it was so cold in our house before we left!).  He worked hard for hours and was very thankful when Sasha came and helped him finish up.  We didn't have a cement mixer and didn't know what we were going to do.  The couple who invited us to dinner had one and let us use theirs!  Another piece of the puzzle and reminder of God's care!

     Nettie's birthday is at the end of September, and we were sad to miss it.  We had wanted to throw her a little party before we left, and every minute of the last week got filled so quickly.  She invited us over for breakfast on our last morning in Russia (soooo nice not to cook or worry about food and cleanup!)... and we were able to have a little party for her then!  Happy Birthday Nettie!

And goodbye, Russia!  For now!

English Club on Baikal

Our evening program was right on the beach!

     We had a wonderful "English Club on Baikal" this year!  A few days before the camping trip was to begin, we were told that we had to move our whole setup off of the land because they were going to give it to someone else.  We didn't know WHERE we would set up our kitchen, outhouses, tents, etc in such short notice during peak Baikal season!  We prayed and gave it to God... and He provided a perfect place.  It was cleaner, warmer, sandier, quieter, and more beautiful than the original place!  I love how God stretches our faith and blesses.

     We had a team of 5 people from Canada come to help put on the weekly activities and lessons.  When we all arrived to set things up the day before, it was rainy.  Our tarps were dripping, and we were remembering last year's torrential downpour for days!  But it was just that first evening and then we had the best weather we've ever seen at Baikal!

     Each day we broke into various discussion groups with the theme of the week being "Faith"

We also had morning exercises.

Arts and Crafts time

A drama group that planned evening skits

Sports like frisbee, volleyball and dodgeball

Whole camp games.  Water games were the favorites!

Songs

Free time for table games

and hanging out.  We had some good conversations during these times.

There was a tire swing that the kids loved playing on.

Each evening Leif asked Pastor Sasha some interview questions.

Our kids LOVED being in the skits in the evening program!

     The girls' friend, Anya, celebrated her 8th birthday at camp.  She was shy about everyone knowing, so she told her mom she wanted to celebrate just with Ella and Anneka.  They had their own little party at a table in the woods.  I only popped in to light the candles and snap a picture.  =)

     There were clothes lines around the camp for us to use.  I found it funny that my kids' clothes were always dirty and wet, but no one else seemed to need the lines.  =)  Our kids are very tactile and love the feel of sand and dirt rubbed all over their bodies.  I thought this was a kid thing, but maybe it's just a Gustafson kid thing?

My friend, Regina, was camping nearby.  She came to visit.  It was fun to see her!

     Here are a bunch more pictures from our special week.  This boy is blind, but he was able to see a bit of the light from a fire show that we had the last night.  It was really special for him and for his mom.

     At the very end the stomach flu began going around.  But it still didn't put a damper on a wonderful week.  We are so encouraged by conversations and by changes we've seen in people during and since the camp!

sooo tired after a full week!