Thursday

Today we traveled to Stepantsevo to visit the district hospital there; Sandi and Nancy have visited this hospital for several years and have helped raised financial support for them. The building was constructed in 1903 as a private home of a town factory owner. After the revolution in 1917, it was converted into a hospital for about 15-20 small villages in the area. The hospital is run by a husband and wife team. We were able to meet the wife today and will hopefully be able to connect with the husband in St. Petersburg. The staff of the hospital were very welcoming--allowing us to tour, take pictures, and providing us with a delicious, traditional Russian lunch. It was a first experience with herring for several in our group. We were also served tomatoes and pears which were clearly home-grown and very fresh. We had a "taste of home" with the mashed potatoes and brown bread. The meal concluded with tea, cookies, and wild strawberry jam. We think that the pictures will speak for themselves.

Tonight, we will be splitting into groups and having dinner in the homes of several church members. We are looking forward to another chance to experience traditional Russian cuisine and hospitality.

Since this is our last day in Vladimir and we will be traveling to Moscow tomorrow, we are not sure when we will be posting next. Keep watching for further updates from "The A Team." =)

Yours in Christ,

Chaela and Sharon

Pictures from today: