Tuesday

We didn't make it to the church yesterday to post to the blog because we went to Suzdal. The day started out with a devotion from Mary. Matt also shared about an experience he had doing street evangelism. We are all now praying for Maria, that her heart would be softened and that she will continue to be receptive. We ask that you, also, add Maria from Vladimir to your prayer lists.

We left for Suzdal in a van. It was a good chance to get to see more of the countryside. Suzdal is an ancient village that has been restored. It was at one time a capital of Russia and is currently a major tourist attraction. The Christmas Cathedral is one of the most famous landmarks in Russia. It has a blue onion dome with stars, which no other cathedrals are allowed to copy. It was national museum day (or something like that) so everything was free! The only thing we had to pay for was the right to take pictures. We toured the "wooden village" and had an opportunity to buy some souvenirs. Several of the team members were able to purchase watercolors of Suzdal from an artist/vendor. The team would like to say a public "thank you" to Sandi for the commemorative Suzdal magnets that she purchased for all of us.

After leaving the ancient village of Suzdal, we moved to modern Russia by going to Globus, a "Russian Wal Mart (on steroids)". We had lunch at the large cafeteria and rushed through all of the aisles. Fortunately, they had a LOT of chocolate, because we certainly bought a LOT of chocolate. We also found it necessary to replace several hairdryers that could not make the cultural/electrical shift to Russia. Speaking of electricity, we have overtaxed the electrical system at the church several times today (guess that's what happens when you have power tools plus every appliance in the kitchen running together =).

Doctor Jim, Jim P., Eric, and Evelyn made it here (in considerably better time than we did!). Sandi took them to dinner, and the rest of us (who had eaten lunch at 3:00) said we would get by. Actually, we think this was primarily an excuse to go to SPAR (a local grocery chain). We think they will really miss us when we leave, espcially Heather and Korte (who some of the staff now know by name). They went to the meat counter to get freshly sliced meat. No one spoke English, so the staff lady resorted to making animal noises to communicate. Korte and Heather were especially good at illustrating pork! They also tried to order cheese, but Korte was a little confused about converting from pounds to kilos and we almost ended up with a wheel of cheese.

Today was a clinic with Dr. Jim at the church, home visits, working on the attic, and cooking. Things are going well, although we had hoped to see more people at the clinic (maybe that will come). We have really been suffering for the Lord in terms of our meals. Sandi fixed chicken cordon bleu for lunch, and has already started on dinner. Heather has made 7 (or was in 8) trips to SPAR. They almost start laughing when we walk through the door. We have definitely made a difference in their financial "bottom line."

The home visits to local women have proved to be very moving experiences for the team members who participated--the hospitality of the women was heartwarming and very thoughtful. The women, with help from an interpreter, shared their life stories with their guests and told about their families. They were grateful for the groceries and the gift bags that we brought to them. One of the ladies said that the pair of slippers were an answer to prayer.

The men will be leading a short retreat for local ministers later today, and Jim P. will be speaking.

Tomorrow will be more home visits and a visit to a children's hospital by some of our team.

Here are some pictures from yesterday and today:






The Christmas Cathedral at Suzdal













A view of Suzdal from the road














Sandi, Brianna, and Kathi












The birthday girl!













Two sets of twins













Our first experiences with the Russian soda KVASS (some were better than others)













The group that "wasn't hungry" =)

Stephanie, Chaela, Lydia, and Mary at Lydia's home

The team waving "hello" on a bridge at Suzdal















Another view of the Christmas Cathedral domes












Our team leaders setting a high standard of decorum...



...for our younger team members to follow.

That's all for now!

Your well-fed bloggers,

Chaela and Sharon