The Blessing of Water

We got a telephone call at almost 11:00pm a couple of weeks ago. It was a man telling us that he was from the "Water Canal" and that they'd be shutting off our water for a few days, so store up! The ironic part is that I'd JUST gotten done telling Leif that I was done touching water for the day (my hands were so dry) and I'd slathered them in lotion and covered them in socks. So, what could we do? We filled up the bathtub with water, filled all the pots, pans, and bowls we could find with water, took a shower, and went to bed.

Well, days went by and we had water. The conclusion we came to is, "Someone is playing a joke on us!" (both relieved and slightly bothered by the conclusion). But Leif asked his friend, Chingis, who called the Water Canal for us, and- yes, the information is true. They just aren't sure when it'll happen... sometime in the next month. So, how long do we live with pots and pans all over the house? How often do we fill the tub with water? These are questions we've been pondering. In the meantime, each day I thank the Lord for water! Hot or cold, I love it all.

Leif went on a backpacking trip in the mountains this past weekend. He'll post some pictures after he swaps some with friends. His trip sounded like all of the stereotypes of Siberia- icy, stormy, windy, and bitingly cold. I'm happy he's back safe and sound! I went to a nearby village with some teammates one day and sat through an awards ceremony at a little school. The directors there presented us with medals around our necks- as the special foreign guests. Before the ceremony, someone passed out newspapers that spoke out against capitalism and promoted socialist ideas. It was really eye-opening that many people actually want to return to communism. I was especially surprised to see this in a largely-Buryat village. I felt like the trip helped me to understand a little more of Russian culture.

Marik's 2-Year-Old Birthday Party

Last night we were invited for dinner to Zhenya and Valia's house. They are a wonderful couple from the Sayani church that we attend... and they have 5 kids between the ages of 18 months and (barely) 5!!! They adopted two of the five, and their greatest desire is for each of them to know the love of Jesus and to live their lives for Him. We were blessed to be there for Marik's second birthday. He is the little blond boy holding the mega-legos. It was so sweet to see his pure excitement over the cake and two presents. We felt so honored to be welcomed into their lives. Oh, and the food was out of this world! (yummy mashed potatoes covered in a sauce with beef and carrots... Mmmmm)

Bowling in Siberia

We went bowling last night- yes, that's right- Bowling! Our teammate, Shannon, invited us for a night out on the town. Elisabeth, another teammate who recently returned from Germany, came, too. We were the only people at the bowling alley. It resembled alleys in the states except that it was much smaller and the lanes weren't flat! I personally liked the uneven surface because many times my ball was headed for the gutter and then it would hit a dip in the floor and veer toward the pins again! It was fun to get time with Shannon and Elisabeth in a relaxed atmosphere. Yesterday was actually the first time we met Elisabeth (well, Leif met her briefly 5 years ago, but it wasn't monumental.) Pictured left to right are: Elizabeth, Shannon, Jami, Leif

Old Friend and Workout Buddy

Something encouraging for Leif has been reuniting with his friend, Chingis. Chingis and his wife Ksusha only live 5 minutes (walking) from where we are currently living. In the mornings, Leif has been working out with Chingis and another friend, Pasha. They run around an asphalt track and do pullups on some bars nearby. It's a great time to connect as well as get into shape. Even more encouraging has been seeing how much Chingis has grown in his faith over the past 4 years! He and Ksusha are mentoring other young believers, and the last two Sundays Chingis has given the sermons at church. It's so neat how God is faithful to continue His work in His people. Chingis and Kshusha are expecting their first baby in the spring. They're very excited! Pictured above is us with Kshusha and Chingis.

Students from Compass

We're here on work visas through "Compass", a group for Russian and Buryat college students. Every Thursday evening there is a "Compass" meeting where every other week we discuss a meaningful topic and on the off-weeks, we play games. This past Saturday we went on a picnic with the Compass students. We played frisbee golf, American football, and roasted sausages over a fire. It was a great way to connect with students on a little deeper level (and, of course, to practice our Russian).

What does that say?

The Russian handwritten script can sometimes be a bit tricky to read. When I first saw it up on the chalkboard, I thought it looked like a bunch of "double-u's". This picture proves my point, with little exaggeration. When my teacher taught me this word last week, I had to take a picture! This word means "unnecessary" or "unwanted". Yes, I would tend to agree.

Mongolian Meat

We went to a Mongolian Restaurant yesterday, and for the most part, we were impressed. They had REAL SALAD there... with lettuce! But I couldn't help taking a picture of this meaty bone that was on my plate. This was just as it came- I didn't cut anything off of it. Funny, isn't it? I do think the plate is quite pretty, though!

God Delights in us Singing Praises to Him

We sat in the living room/dining room/bedroom of the humble, one room apartment. We were surrounded by warmth, love, and an abundance of Russian food. Tanya and her mother, Svyeta, had invited us over for lunch and to hear songs Tanya had written.
After our tummies were more-than-full, Tanya stood at the windowsill where here keyboard lay and played and sang the songs she'd written for God. We felt so priveleged to be included in this. We pray that many more Russians and Buryats will create songs, dances and artwork that brings glory to our Creator.

A Snow Picture at Buryat State University

Canadian Thanksgiving

This Monday we celebrated the Canadian Thanksgiving with our teammates, the Wicker family. Seated left to right in the picture above (after us) are Matthew (14), John, Heidi (11), Heather Ann (16) and Sharon. It was fun to celebrate this special day with them... and guess what!!? We had a REAL TURKEY! Yes, that is right. They found a turkey in Ulan Ude. This place is definitely changing.

It's always good to reflect on our loving God... there are so many things to be thankful for! After dinner, we each went around and shared something we're thankful for. We also shared a way that God shows Himself to us through His creation (based out of Romans 1:20-21). We shared how we're thankful for each other and for the body of Christ that reaches out to us wherever we are. I (Jami) shared how I sees God in people. I love looking around and seeing Buryats, Russians, little children... we are all made in the image of God, and yet we are all so unique. God is so creative! Leif shared about how God's parental love is shown in nature. For example, most mother animals would sacrifice their lives for their children.

Here are some other things we're thankful for:
-friends and family who love and pray for us
-hot water
-beautiful snow
-teachers we love
-our first box of books arriving safely
-Leif connecting with old friends and Jami fitting in with them, too
-playing games with Russians after church
-working heat, internet, electricity
-Kleenex and paper towels (yes, they've arrived here, too!)
-cheese
-sour cream
-Bible study with women on the team (for Jami)
-letters and emails
-God's love

The First Snow

The first snow of the season always has a little bit of excitement to it, but there is also a bit of a feeling of, "here we go," when you live in Siberia and know that it will be quite a few months before you really feel like just going out for a walk to enjoy the nice weather. It kind of took us by suprise because we both got ready to go to our classes without looking outside. We opened the door and looked through the door to the stairwell in our apartment building and saw the skiff of snow on the ground and a blowing wind that sent the snow flying directly into your eyes. We managed to make it to and from class and didn't get to cold. Actually, there has been little to complain about as far as the weather. We have had what they call a grandma summer--kind of like what we would call an Indian summer--where it has been relatively warm so far this fall. The whole grandma summer thing makes me think of the large elderly populations that move to nice warm places like Florida and Arizona. Maybe there is some wisdom that people get with age, but as long as the rest of the world hasn't figured out that it is nicer to live somewhere warm we will continue to share Christ and His love in cold places like Siberia.

Our Teachers

As many of you know, our first "job" here in Ulan-Ude is to learn Russian. Because of that these two lovely ladies are going to be a large part of our lives. It has been such a blessing to have them as our teachers, and we want to say thank you to anyone who has been praying for us in that. Jami has really enjoyed her time with Lubov, and I think that she is really learning a lot. I am so happy to be studying with Alexandra Danielovna, who was actually my teacher when I was living in Russia before. It is so great to jump into a class where you already have a relationship with the teacher, and here is one reason why.
On just our second day of class my teacher and I started talking about things that are happening in the world and about our lives. In the middle of this discussion my teacher asked me how I became a Christian!!! This is a well educated Buryat woman who is not a Chrisian, and she is asking me how I became a Christian?!? In my broken Russian I shared with her how I came to know how much Christ loved me and how I finally made the choice to give Him control of my life. It was an amazing converstion, and I pray that she would come to know our loving Lord soon. I love opportunities like this where God opens a door for us to share about the hope that He has given to us. Please pray for us in our times with our teachers and with others who cross our paths.

Our Mailbox

This is a picture of our mailbox. It hangs in the stairwell of our aparment building, and just received it's first letter for us! The envelope was torn open, but the letter was intact... Hooray! We're praying that other mail will arrive safely. Here's our address (for a few months) for those who want it:

RUSSIA
Ulan-Ude 670042
Kalashnikova 16-2
Leif and Jami Gustafson
RUSSIA

Russian Language Classes Have Begun!

We started our language classes today. Aside from having a cold and having to blow my nose every 30 seconds, I really enjoyed the class. (this is Jami writing). My teacher, Lubov, is very nice and affirms me by saying kind words like "excellent!", "great!", and "nice work" (all in Russian, of course). This is especially wonderful because the normal teaching style in Russia is not one of positive affirmation. So, thank you for all who prayed for my teacher! Leif also enjoyed his class. His teacher, Alexandra, is the same lady who taught him when he lived here before. She apparently started off with a really hard lesson. Leif is working on his homework as I type.

I purchased Russian cold medicine today and took it, even though I wasn't really sure what was in it or what symptoms it was supposed to help. Pretty brave, huh? I must add that any American cold medication sent in a care package would be welcomed with a leap of joy... the stuff here doesn't really work.

Leif bought a huge slab of meat today at the market. I was amazed how he expertly hacked away at it, making nice beef strips out of part and boiling the rest to make a base for soup. Then he made a wonderful stroganoff dinner and we had a Russian couple over for dinner. Sasha and Katia both speak English very well, which is most encouraging to us right now! We had a delightful meal and conversation. The two of them are believers and shared insights about missionaries that they have seen and what has been effective and not-so-effective. The most encouraging part is that both of them said they would not know Jesus if missionaries had never come to Siberia. It is so neat to how God is alive in their lives. We feel very welcomed to Ulan Ude by the two of them.

I'll post pics of our teachers as soon as I figure out how to transfer them from the camera.

Our First Few Days in Ulan Ude

We've been in Ulan Ude a few days now, and are feeling more and more settled in. We plan to start language classes next week, and in the meantime have been finding our way around, getting registered in the city, hooking up internet, phones, and connecting with teammates and others in Ulan Ude. On Saturday, we got to see two new believers baptized in the Uda River. (Brrr!) We hope to see many more of these as we're here. It really is a miracle that God offers us eternal life!

Ivan and Larissa

After staying with our friends, Jon and Tanya in Moscow, we flew to Irkutsk. Our Russian friends, Ivan and Larissa, were so hospitable. They met us at the airport (our plane was two hours late) and took us to their apartment. They fed us, gave us a cozy bed to rest on after an overnight flight, helped us onto the train at the end of the day...and were wonderful company. We were so encouraged by them and their ministry. They're on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ in Russia. Right now they're in the process of adopting a 5-year old Russian boy (something almost unheard of for Russians to do!) and they need to raise more monthly financial support for their growing family. This is something we are hoping to see more of- nationals taking over in leadership and ministering to their own people. We told them we would tell you about them, and if you're led to support them financially, let us know and we'll lead you to them. The picture is of Ivan, Larissa, and a single Russian girl who is living with them now, Tanya. We are so grateful for the welcome into Siberia that this amazing couple gave us.

Layover in Stockhom, Sweden

On our overseas flight from Chicago to Stockholm, we got exit aisle seats! We almost felt guilty stretching out our legs, while everyone else was squished in their seats... but it sure was nice! God gave us many gifts like this during our travels. One amazing gift was getting to visit Stockholm during a 6 hour layover in Sweden. We took a train into the city and walked around. It was really pretty. We both love being Swedish!

On our way

Well, we are on our way. Well, actually we will be on our way in a couple of days, but it feels like we are already on our way right now. We're a bit weary as we think of all there is with packing and the long trip into Ulan Ude, but we are also excited. Just today in church Jami was struck by the interaction found in John where Jesus has shared a difficult saying and many people left him. He asks the twelve if they will also leave to which they reply, "where else would we go, you have the words of life" (my paraphrase). This is true, and we want the people of Siberia to know that Jesus has the words of life. We hope to share this with them. Besides, where else would we go, but where God is leading us.

Leif, Jami, Joyce, Dwight, Rebecca, and Gardner