Russia Trip 2012

This was my fourth year going to Russia and it was by far the smoothest trip. We raised more than enough for each person to go and had no issues with traveling or visas this year. We were a team of 8 (including our translators) who spent time in Zavolzhy'e, Russia giving presentations at schools and speaking English with the students. It may seem like a bizarre thing to do on a mission trip, but the Church we support, Christ Our Savior Church, can not go into the school and invite students to the English Club they provide. Parents aren't even allowed in the schools and so the fact that we can enter them is huge and a great connection for the Church.

I need to give you a little background at this point. In Russia Baptists are seen as a cult who kill their babies and drink their blood. This stereotype is from the communist rule. If you were to ask anyone they would identify with the Russian Orthodox school because that's just what you are. Every year we go we meet someone who has stepped into a Baptist church for the first time in their lives. Last year it was Natalia, an English teacher at one of the schools who set up our schedule this year. Natalia had a meeting with teachers from the different schools we attended, in order to set up our time there. She had an hour to speak and for 45 minutes of the hour she spoke about how Baptists were not bad. This is awesome considering she is not a believer and just shows how the Lord is working.

We spent 4 days in Zavolzhy'e, 1 day in Nizhny Novgorod and 2 days in Moscow. We began the week by attending church, enjoying a wonderful lunch they made for us and ending the day with youth group. That Monday we went on a little tour of a nearby region with the best students from 4 different schools and then had a festival where we learned about each other's region/state and handicraft. We were very excited for this opportunity because of the history of Rhode Island. If you do not know it was founded for religious freedom by a Baptist named Roger Williams. This was a great opportunity to mention this in the school without being asked first. For the handicraft we had a little difficulty thinking of one because what they would consider handicrafts we have turned into jobs or we buy the item. After some debate we decided put our degrees to use and talk about cake decorating. It turned out to be a huge hit and the students loved learning how to pipe on a cake and eating it too. The students presented knitting, silk ribbon sewing, painting, beading and macrame. It was a fun time had by all and after presenting our handicrafts we were able to go around and attempt them as well. On our way to this festival, while taking the tour, we stopped in the middle of nowhere, got off the bus and there was a group of ladies in traditional dress waiting to great us to the region in song and the presentation of their traditional bread. It was a fun little surprise and treat to experience. At the school itself we also took a little tour of their museum. (Every school has a museum) The museum was created by one of the teachers who, coincidentally, also speaks German. They had me ask him questions in German, translate his answers to English and then our translator translated them into Russian. Very confusing, but it was fun.

One of the things I loved about this year was that the students we met on Monday we also saw the rest of the week at their schools, ice skating and pizza party we had. They were all so eager to talk with us and practice their English. Think of a person who inspires you and it's usually a famous person or parent, but for these students we were theirs. They told us how we inspired and encouraged them to learn better English and do well in school; this touched my heart and blew me away. We went to three other schools during the week, one of which had Americans for the first time at their school and were the first of the school in the region to have Americans visit. During the week we invited the students to ice skating and a pizza party at Sputnik on our last night there. This was one of the main goals of our week for the kids to come so that we could talk to them about the English Club at the Church outside of the school but also build deeper relationships with them. 

I found that most of the students who came to everything went to the Gymnasium School, for students who do well, which we visited on Wednesday. They spoke very good English and I think it was one of my favorite schools to visit because we got to sit and talk with the students one on one over some tea and cakes. They also came ice skating and to the pizza party as well, so we literally saw them everyday we were there. One of the students who remains on my mind is a girl named Lena. I met her ice skating and the next day we ended up at her school for some presentations and conversation. She is a tiny little thing who loves photography, a common connection, and was full of questions to ask. We spent the whole of tea time at her school talking. She came to the pizza party as well and just had even more questions and was so eager to show me her photography. She speaks very good English and has a desire to go to the school for the gifted to improve her English and then to go to the Linguistic University in Nizhny Novgorod. I hope to continue conversing with her throughout the year and grow our friendship. 

The school to the left is in Nizhny Novgorod, which we went to on Thursday. By the time we got there school was actually over but the students had stayed to meet us a talk with us. It was a fun experience because they gave us a tour of their school and then showed us a presentation about Pancake (Crepe) Week, which ended just as we got to Russia. They showed us a little video and then had us participate in some of the games that they would play at the festival such as walking on a circle of rope and pancake tossing. It was entertaining. Afterwards we had lunch with a group of 11th class students whose parents and grandparents prepared the entire meal for us. Everything was from their gardens and homemade. It was delicious and one of the best meals the whole week.

Our time in Moscow with the missionaries there was both an encouragement and eye opener. We spent the first night hanging out with the team eating food and playing Nurts. Each member of the team is in Moscow for the same reason, to teach English and reach Central Asians with the Gospel, but they each have their own people group they have a heart for and all those groups are in Moscow. They have all lived in various different places in Russia and Central Asia. The next day we handed out flyers for the English business and then cooked meals for the ladies study and men’s meeting. Cat, Nicole and I cooked for a ladies bible study group at the home of one of the missionaries. The ladies were from different countries in Central Asia and were believers from a Muslim background. We all shared testimonies and listened to their stories of sharing the gospel with their family members and friends or things the Lord has opened their eyes to recently. They had such passion in them when they spoke and one of the ladies was actually moving back to her home country because she felt the Lord was calling her back to share the gospel with her family. We were all very reluctant to leave but we had to head back to the United States.

Russia 2010

I went to Russia again this Spring Break for the third time and I thought it was the best trip to date. This year the school supported each of the students half the cost of the trip, which covered the flights and visas. 72 hours before we were to leave for the trip we were told that there was a possibility the school was going to cancel the trip. 48 hours, Wednesday March 23rd, before our departure date our Campus Minister was told the school was pulling their support. This left us in a state of relief and confusion. We all thought we were not going to go on the trip and then after some conversation with the people at the International Mission Board it was decided that it was best for the witness of Christ and the local church that the students still go.

We all met that night at 10pm to discuss the options, the reason to still go and to pray hard. To be honest many of us were relieved the trip was canceled because it had been a stressful trimester and week with finals. Although we had a relief about the trip, we all agreed that we should still go and realized that if God wanted us to go on the trip he would raise the money we needed. We had to raise $5,200 in less than 24 hours.
The next day we took tests and contacted family members, friends and recent alumni to ask for their support. By the miraculous work of God we raised more than enough money and by 6pm that Thursday we had our airplane tickets.

The following day, Friday March 25th, we were on our way to Russia and excited to see the work that God would be doing there. We landed in Moscow fine and left for Zavolzh'ye Saturday evening. Seeing the people we had met the yeas before was exciting and brought us so much joy. It was amazing to see the work that the LORD had been doing at the Baptist church there to grow it and the people there with sharing the gospel. We went to four or five different schools this year, which gave us the opportunity to meet more students and build more relationships. We went to a teaching college in Gorodetts where we met students who were learning to be English teachers. Later that day we went to the Orthodox church in that same town and were given a tour of it. Orthodox is somewhere between Catholicism and Greek Orthodox. They believe that Mary is more forgiving and just than God and that is why they pray to her. They believe that if you touch certain pictures, icons, and the footprint of Mary (yes this was sewn into a pillow) then you will be healed. It was very sad and broke my heart for them. The tour guide really seemed to believe everything she was saying too.
We took part in an English competition at School No 15. The students were in groups by school and there was one American person in each group. The competition was to go around to the different stations and answer questions on English grammar, movies, food etc. The one thing that we Americans had to do was memorize all the names of the people in our group and their hobbies. It was a lot but I succeeded, as did many of us surprisingly :) While there we held an English Club at the church, where people from the church and surrounding community comes to learn English. However many people are turned away by the fact that it is held at a Baptist Church and are afraid of them or of becoming one of them. I am happy to say though that some of the people who have been attending the English Club have become Christians and members of the church. We went ice skating with the students on one of the days as well as a way to talk to them without the teachers around and to build relationships with them. Russians we were told do not usually talk about religion, politics and such things unless you have been friends for a couple years. This is why building relationships with the students and continuing them when we return to the United States is such a key aspect to what we are trying to accomplish and help the church there to do.

Our last day in Zavolzh'ye we were given a tour of the town by one of the English teachers and her students. This English teacher was the lady who had set up most of our visits to the different schools and had us over for dinner one night. She is also not a Christian and barely goes to the Orthodox church, but when she heard that there was a possibility the trip would be canceled, that was the first time she prayed. That evening we had a pizza party planned for the students to come and for us to enjoy time with them outside of the schools and in a more relaxed atmosphere. About 60 students came, which was amazing. Some of us were able to talk about what a Baptist was and clarify the fact that they do not drink the blood of their children. We did clarify that we were Christians during our conversations but not many students had questions or the topic was changed. Hopefully with the continued growth of relationships we will be able to knock down some of those walls. All in all it was a very productive week and thought to be the best trip so far.

We returned to Moscow on Friday morning, March 4th, and spent to days with one of the missionary families in Moscow. We spent the whole day with them learning about them, why they were there and ways we could help them in the future. We cooked for them as well. It was funny how it ended up. At one point all the women were in the kitchen cooking and the guys were in the living room talking. I had to laugh at it in my head but it was fun because we were able to talk to the wife and see her point of view on being a missionary in a foreign country as well as being a wife and mother. It was very encouraging and you could tell that they had been very blessed. We spent the next day relaxing and walking around an open air market. That Sunday we flew home on a very long flight.
If you have more questions about Russia feel free to come and talk to me or post a comment or send an e-mail. I would be more than happy to speak with you.
One thing I ask of you is that you would keep some prayers in mind and if you remember could you include them in your prayer times.
Prayer 
1. Baptist Church in Russia - that they would be encouraged and keep growing in the sharing of the gospel.

2. The relationships we have begun to build with students - that we would continue to build on them.

3. For the English teacher - that she would come to know Christ.

4. That we would take what we saw in Russia and apply it to our lives here. That we would take advantage of the fact that we live in a free society where we can talk about religion openly and people are willing to listen.


Thank you for all your prayers and support.

    

Geneve

This past weekend was a three day weekend because of all Saints Day. Annette and I decided to take the train to Geneve, Switzerland for the weekend because we would have gone crazy here in town and it was Switzerland. It poured buckets of rain on the way there but once in Switzerland it maybe drizzled for 10 minutes total the whole weekend. We arrived on Saturday night at the hostel, switched some money (because they still use the Francs) and went searching for food. We found a pizzeria still open so we sat for a delicious pizza. It was a little over priced though, but that's just the way Geneve is. Since everything, and I mean everything, is closed on Sunday we decided to do most of if not all of out sightseeing then. We saw the Jet Eau, the flower clock, St. Peter's Cathedral (from where we overlooked all of Geneve), saw the reformation wall, played checkers on life size boards and discovered Geneve. We walked around from 9 am to about 8pm. We were exhausted. But it was a fun time and can now say that we have been to Geneve. We got back to the hostel and since were were bored and nothing was open we ended up playing the box game and then conked out. On Monday since we had no school and everything was open again, that is when we did all of our shopping. A lot of that shopping was swiss army knife hunting to find the best deal. I ended up buying my brother one with his name engraved on it. In the morning though we stopped at the United Nations because part of it is located in Geneve, that is why they speak so many languages there. It was gorgeous and the beautiful morning added to it. With some more shopping, and the hunt (literally) hunt for chocolate shops, which was surprising. Our day came to an end with a dinner of the most expensive Chinese food I will ever eat. But it was good.

Marseille, Boats and Fruit Vinegar

Last weekend one of the girls and I decided to go away for the weekend because we NEEDED to get out of here. We decided to go to Marseille in the south of France on the Atlantic. The first day was gorgeous weather but it rained the second day which was fine because we were leaving anyway. The hostel we stayed in was classic, modern and nice. We ended up staying 1 minute from the port after hours of searching for a hostel. We toured all day Saturday from 9:30am to 9 at night. We saw the Notre Dame, went to the Old Port (Panier District), saw some cathedrals, went to the highest point in the city and found tons of deliciousness. The Notre Dame is small but is gorgeous inside. Tons of color, gold, pictures and candles. It also has a beautiful view of the city. We found an outdoor market selling soaps (which Marseille is known for), pictures, vinegars, bags and other stuff. Unfortunately we did not buy anything because it was only the beginning of the day and we thought that we might find some other deals else where and if not then the market would be there in the morning. Well it rained the next day so most of the sellers weren't there and the only thing we found elsewhere was the vinegar. While walking in the Panier district we came to a cute little shop where the lady was canadian so she spoke perfect english and french. The vinegars in the store were so good that we had to buy one. I bought a black currant and my friend bought tomato. We went back the next day to buy the one each other had but she was closed. They were delicious though. We also bought these cookies that are famous to Marseille. They are about 12 inches and smell of citrus and flowers. They taste of lavender and citrus and last for a year. They are very interesting but good. You could probably only eat one at a time, which is why they are good for a year :) For lunch we ate at a pizzeria where the owner sat down next to us to eat his lunch and then helped us with directions and places to go. He told us that if we wanted the best view of the city and port that we had to go up the hill on the opposite side of the port and go into some port. So we did and he was right, so we decided to go back to the hostel and change into warmer clothes and go back to the park to see the city at night. It was beautiful. Dinner was pasta and the tomato vinegar...deliciousness in a bowl :) The next day we decided to trek up to the Palais du Longchamp in the rain. We didn't realize how far it was but it was totally worth it. It was beautiful. It was a great weekend and well needed. It was nice to be away from the people, and city here. Not that it's a bad place but every once in a while you need to get away.

Family Wedding

Last weekend my Mum, Heather, Rachel and I drove 6 hours (should of been 5 but there was tons of construction) to just outside Dresden for my cousin Adam's wedding. The party was over a three day period because as the invitation said they like to celebrate. My cousin and his wife have been married for a year but they never had a church ceremony. We were staying at a hotel/hostel run by Monks and some mission. What the mission does is help people in East Germany who have dropped out of school or been in jail and they teach them different skills and morals and things in life. The buildings on the property were all restored and were actually built with the help of the people who have been through the mission. My cousin, his wife and her family have had strong ties to the mission and what they do for a while. The rooming situation though I have to say was a little awkward. Everyone else had rooms with the people they came with and my mom ended up with her own room because the room we were going to have was going to be used for something else. So Rachel, Heather and I ended up sharing a very large room with Marci's (Adam's wife) brother and his girlfriend and a friend of Adam's. The guys however were up in the loft so we did not sleep on the same floor but it was still slightly awkward because we didn't know them.

We arrived in time for the BBQ and the rest of the festivities. That night   we had a BBQ with friends and family from both sides of the couple and then celebrated the Baptism of Adam that evening. As the evening led on some of us sat around the table for a little chat and get to know each other time. Breakfast was a traditional German breakfast followed by free time till the wedding at 3pm. So we decided to go into Dresden for a few hours. We only walked around a small area of the city but it was fun to
 see all the old buildings and the beautiful detail on everything. It used to be where the Royal family of that region lived. before leaving we stopped for lunch and had the most delicious flammkuchen (a very flat pizza with no marinara sauce); my sisters ended up getting bratwurst. the funny thing is is that we don't think the cook charged us for the bratwurst and my sisters are convinced it's because the cook thought I was cute but I'm not totally sure. Anyway it was a neat little cafe where they cooked the pizzas and food outside and served it to you sitting down at a table or standing up. We made it back to the hotel in time to change for the wedding, which was in a very small rustic church, completely their style. After the wedding on the way to the reception, Germans do a vehicle line where they drive along behind the happy couple honking their horns till they arrive at their destination. We returned to the hotel for tea and cake, had a break and then had the remainder of the reception and dinner.

A neat little thing they did was a picture guest book where you would have your polaroid taken and then stick it in a book with a little message for the couple. They also did this thing where everyone went outside to the lake where they had a little dingy set up and the couple got in and rowed out to the middle kind of as a crossing of the water because he's from England and she is from Germany. They then set up fireworks from behind a set of bushes. I must say it was very romantic. I enjoyed many things about this celebration and one of them was that almost everyone who attended was a Christian, which was very enjoyable because many of our conversations were about Christ and the church. They were also all very welcoming and friendly. It was amazing to see such a loving couple who are completely dedicated to Christ and furthering his work, join in a holy union set up by God. It is very encouraging and gives one hope for the future and the people of the world.

The Joys of Space-A Travel

One of my best friends got married a week ago in Pennsylvania and I was planning on attending. So I decided to take Space-A, which means it's free and I might not always get out. Well I got out the day I walked into the airport and was in the States last Monday night. I was able to see family, friends from HS in NJ and attend my friends wedding (which was beautiful). I was planning on flying out Space-A on Monday after 4th of July. The flight ended up being canceled an hour before I got there so I stayed with my friend from HS for the night because there was a flight the next day. Nope, that flight got pushed back to Wednesday. Wednesday came and the flights got pushed back to Thursday and then canceled completely. There were three flights on Friday though so I planned on those. I was able to get a seat on the second flight out, but then they told us that they would be stopping in Dover, Delaware because of maintenance problems but the plane was flyable. We arrived at Dover and were told we would be there for 30 minutes. Then we deboarded the plane and were told to collect out luggage because we were staying the night and that our roll call time would be at 13:45 today. Of course the hotel on base is booked through to Sunday and I have no idea where the hotels off base are. So we all pretty much bunkered down in the terminal and USO for the night. I think I have had a collective total of 4 hours of sleep so far. Now I'm hungry and the roll call is not supposed to happen until 19:45 tonight. UGGHHH!!! Kill me now. But I must say I have met some very nice people and if people see you walking on base with luggage they are more than likely to give you a ride. So I have to say I have been privileged to help and company.

England for the Holidays

So my parents decided Christmas Day that we were going to England the next day to visit family and friends. So we loaded up in the van...which is very small with 7 adults....the next day and were on our way. It took 5 hours to get to the ferry in Calais, and 1 hr 30min ferry ride and another 2 hour drive to London. The hotel we stayed at the first night was ok, but the elevator was scary. We loaded 6 people into this closet elevator with bags and rode up to the 4th floor, on the way it felt like we were going to fall at any time. We decided to take the stairs from then on. The next day the elevator was marked as out of order...kinda creepy.

We saw my aunt and uncle that night, whom we hadn't seen in 6 years and they are the same as ever. My aunt is still as crazy as ever. But we love her. We took the Underground into London the next day and hit as many sites as possible because it was the only day we were going to have there. We went to 21B Baker's Street...a MUST. We are huge Sherlock Holmes fans. We went to the Bunhill Graveyard and Wesley's Chapel & Leysian Mission (that was exciting). We saw the Tower Bridge and London Bridge (which is not the real one). We saw the Globe Theater, but didn't get to go in...sad :( We walked the Millennium bridge and saw St. Paul's Cathedral, and stopped for a nice warm drink at Starbucks. We had to take the traditional picture though of how many people you could fit in a telephone booth....we fit 4 of us. And another must was the 9 3/4 platform at King's Cross, which was a little disappointing because it wasn't the actual stop they use in the movie but it was close enough. We went to Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and Piccadilly Square. These were all in the evening so we got to see all the lights and stuff for christmas.


The Next day we drove 4 hours to the coast to see some very good friends, whom we haven't seen in 6 years. It was so much fun to just relax and spend time with them, having dinner, walking around town (even though it was so cold). My friend Rachael had a baby girl 2 years ago named Gracie and I just got to meet her on this visit. She is so adorable and she has pudgy cheeks. She looks exactly like her mom. We had some of the best fish & chips in a long time......DELICIOUS!! We ate Italian the first night and the garlic bread that we ordered for an appetizer came out looking like a pizza and tasted like one too, but it was really good garlic bread.

Jan, 30th we began our drive back to Germany. Of course we had to stop at an English grocery store before leaving to stock up on delicious British food. We then headed out on our way and hit traffic and detours. We ended up missing the ferry we were meant to be on, but got on the 6 o'clock one. It was then an hour and a half boat ride and a 6 hour drive home. So we didn't end up getting home until around 2 in the morning.

All of us trying to fit into a phone booth...we only managed 4 people

St. Paul's Cathedral with the Sunset hitting it

Tower Bridge....not London Bridge...many people get confused

All-in-all it was a great trip with many, many new memories.

Weihnachts Markt

Christmas in Germany is so different than in the United States. I find that it is much more festive and there is more to the Holidays for people than shopping and running around everywhere. It is a time of family, friends, Celebrating the birth of Christ and the spirit of joy and happiness that this season brings.

On Sunday my family and drove down to the Stuttgart Weihnachts Markt (Christmas Market), our favorite one. The downtown shopping center and courtyard is packed with stalls of food, wood engravings, warm weather accessories, kitchen goods, candles, smokers, nutcrackers...etc. and even an ice skating rink. We took the U-bahn down to Koenigsstrasse and had an enjoyable bratwurst on brotchen with mustard once reaching the market. I ran into my good friend Tamara and her family downtown and we caught up later that evening before my family returned to Ramstein. It was great to see her. I miss her so much. I need to get better at calling and e-mailing people. One person I did not see but wish I had was Michelle W.

We walked around the christmas market for at least 2 hours; enjoying the smells, food, hand crafted goods, decorations and gluhwein. Gluhwein is a traditional spiced wine that is drunk warm at christmas time. It warms one from the inside out. I also ate a nice helping of cheese spaetzle...it was delicious. To end out the night, it started snowing, which simply added to the whole experience.

The Past Weekend

I have been really bad lately about posting new posts so I am going to try harder to post them more regularly.
This past weekend was a lot of fun. Thursday 6 of us went out to Chilis for the 3 for $20 deal and had a great time. At one point some of us were in tears because we were laughing so hard. Also we decided that one of my roommates was like a camel because she drank about 8 cups of water and did not have to pee.
Friday was fun becuase we got to go to a Brown Women's Ice Hockey Game. We were about the only people there and the one's with the most spirit even though we don't go to Brown. We had made signs for each of the players, were screaming and had painted our faces. It was a BLAST!!! We plan on going again, plus we get free tickets. Saturday was fun because it was such a beautiful day out and so some of us went to Newport. We walked along the Cliff Walk and saw the mansions, had lunch at Panera and walked around Thames Street. The only downside was that the bus was an hour ride......crazy.