…the extraordinary colors of His love…

Hello old friends,

Fall is without a doubt my favorite season. I love the sunny days that display the colors of the trees so perfectly, as well as the cloudy, windy days that remind me of the chilly days ahead. It’s a whole new color palate, compared to our summer, with hues of captivating reds, mustard yellows, rusty oranges, vibrant greens, and rich purples. Catching a whiff of the fall air creates a desire within to lose myself in a forest or find that perfect place to drink a hot apple cider.

One morning last month, I was on my way to class and noticed for the first time how the leaves were changing colors. I made a mental note to stop on my way back to take a picture at one especially colorful tree. After class, I took a picture and reached up to inspect the color and detail of a leaf more closely. In that moment, God spoke something that my heart had really needed to hear… You aren’t meant to be just green. You aren’t meant to be normal. You are meant to be bold and bright like this tree changing from green to reds, yellows, oranges, and purples. You are meant to stand out…

This was so special to me because last month was a bit of a challenge. I was having the feelings of being normal. Not anyone special. Nothing exciting going on in my life. I even tried to “spice up” my life without asking God about it. It fell through. I became frustrated. Bored. For so long I’ve had something to “say” about my life. Things like going to Russia have been a big part of my plans for SO long it was my life. But now my life seemed so ordinary. And I was fighting it… but not quite sure how to. At the same time I was having temptations of “becoming ordinary”. You may think that isn’t possible but it is. People began to come into my life who told me that being “ordinary” was “extraordinary”. I was caught not sure where to turn and not exactly understanding what was happening. I felt the tugs and the frustration inside me and finally began to quietly whisper for Gods help… Even though I didn’t quite know what the problem was I knew deep down that only He could put those puzzles together.

Possibly now you can see why that simple reminder from Him was so special and intimate for me. I haven’t looked at a leaf since that day without being reminded of God’s love for me and that I am destined to be extraordinary.

Since refocusing my perspective on things, God has been showing me opportunities to become more than average. In seasons of “fall” (or life), we can have the tendency to prepare to hibernate for the “winter”. We want to wait for something to have a difference in only if it literally hits us in the face. Seasons like spring and sometimes as late as summer. Because everyone else is doing it we fall into that spiritual winter….

“He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.” Proverbs 10:5

I challenge you. To be bright, bold and to reflect the exquisite colors of our Heavenly Father. Don’t fall asleep during the most exciting adventure that we will ever have…

What an amazing person you are.

Destined to be more than ordinary,

Leah

only the beginning of the adventure…

Dear Friends from all over the world-

Last time we talked, I was writing from the desk in my dorm room at the university. This time, I write to you from my desk back in Illinois… I admit that it’s not quite the same.

The last 5 remaining days I had in Russia were filled with goodbyes, packing, wrapping things up with the university, and lots of “this is the last time I will do this” moments. Saying goodbye to all who became a part of my Russian family was just as hard as it had been when I said goodbye to my real family back home. My goodbyes with girlfriends, Vika and Natasha, were sad but thankfully not filled with a bunch of crying. I was not so fortunate when leaving the Hinsons. I made up for my dry eyes with them. My last day in Khabarovsk I attended my church picnic and baptism service in the Amur River. It was an awesome way to finish my trip. I thought it was special to have everyone from church there to say goodbye too. I’m not going to go into much detail with all of the goodbyes… For one thing that could get a little monotonous for you to read… And another is that I’m choking up just thinking about it. So we’ll just skip around a little bit.But.... here are some pictures of the baptism and me with one of the pastors sons...







Travelling for two days to get back home was not as fun as flying usually is for me. I didn’t sleep much at all and I just wanted to get home. It honestly felt like I was in the Twilight Zone or something between my two lives… Slightly creepyish. When I saw the welcome sign to the US in the LA airport I started singing “God Bless America” for some strange reason. When the customs people welcomed me back home I took it in a very literal way and thanked them very graciously. During my different layovers in the US I just watched and listened to people speak in English. The outlets and other random things caught my attention like I was a little child in some strange place. I wanted to hug the first black person that I saw in Korea… He was a rather large and strong looking man so I contented myself with giving him an imaginary hug. In LA I could hear two women having a conversation but I got very frustrated when I couldn’t remember what language it was… Its not Russian.. not English… its not Chinese… or Japanese… WHAT else could it possibly be?! Spanish. DUHhhhh. I searched the LA airport until I found a restaurant to eat real pizza. I was rewarded by some amazing cheese pizza with none of the weird stuff Russians put on theirs. But yeah, I’d say I got about 6 hours sleep in the two days of travelling and then my sister wouldn’t let me sleep till like 10 pm that first night back home. It was a very cruel thing to do…

I had a week to get unpacked and catch up on sleep before packing again and heading to be a counselor at youth camp. It was a long, hot week but worth it. I had about a week to unpack from camp and do some job hunting and fall semester to do lists before packing again for vacation with the fam. We visited family in Iowa and Minnesota. So now I’m back home again…. Sick of packing/unpacking and ready to get things rolling. This will be my last semester at the community college in town and then I will be at ISU in the spring.

I have about 2,600 pictures from my trip to Russia… try and scrapbook all of those… It was SUCH a privilege and honor to live in Russia for 5 months. To be able to meet the people I did, see the things and places, to learn and to become a part of so much. Even though it was a short time and it hurt to say goodbye… Thank you God for giving me that opportunity to go. I am so incredibly blessed. I pray that I will never forget my days in Russia.

Like I said, I am excited for where God has me TODAY. The last thing that Amanda Hinson said to me, as she was literally in the doorway on her way out, was that she felt like God was saying, “That when you are boarding that plane for home, that that is when your adventure is just beginning.”

Thank you to all of you for reading my blog, praying for me… I will continue to post but don’t expect any stories about my daily life in Russia because I don’t live there anymore:) Although I’m sure I’ll mention it once in awhile and maybe tell stories I didn’t tell before.

You have amazed me.

Lest I forget,
Leah

“I’m not who I was…”

Dearest Friends,

I have returned from my mission’s trip within a mission’s trip… I’m alive!! I’ve actually been back for a few days, but my faithful computer thinks it needs a new battery. It randomly plays dead and I can’t use it for a few hours. Silly contraption. Although playing dead is quite a good trick. Can YOUR computer play dead?? I thought not.

Now I’m going to be extremely open with you guys about the mission’s trip. Extremely. Well, I can honestly say that I have gone LEGIT camping for what ended up being 7 days. Bathroom in the bushes, baths in the Amur River, snakes in the campsite, eating extremely fresh fish, storms bringing water in your tent, sunburn with no available sunscreen, bugs in your food, washing dishes in the river, campfires for warmth and not just smores… Yeah, I’d say it was pretty legit. I wish I could tell you about all the people who came to the Lord, the people filled with the Holy Spirit, all the healings and miraculous things we saw… but I can’t. Honestly, I didn’t see much of anything other than the campsites and the little bit of evangelism we did while on our way to a new campsite. Me and Tim Eshelman were made the official security for the campsite. That way we didn’t have to break camp every day and the Russian speakers could do the talking with the people. We earned our way by being security, helping around the campsite, and praying for the team as they went out every day. We had three different campsites. The first was on sand, the second was on rocks, and the third was straw that we put on the rocks. So very comfy cozy… :) We were always able to camp along the coast of the Amur River since that’s where most of the villages are. It really was a survey trip to find out where the villages, roads, and people are. There were several places that the map said there WAS a village but once we got there we saw there was only like 5 people living there now. The villages are definitely disappearing. So the surveying part of the trip we were able to accomplish. We took tons of Christian literature with and gave away almost all of it. A lot of seeds were planted in the hearts of the people in the areas we were in.

As far as how the trip went for me… Again, I’m going to be very open with you guys… All around it was pretty rough on me. I thought I had been roughing it these past 5 months and then I’m put out in the forests of Russia… In 7 days time, I got sunburn, a bad cold and 123 (that’s one hundred and twenty-three) bites from mosquitoes, gnats, and the like. Not to mention the sleeping on rocks and trying to sleep through storms that soaked my sleeping bag. Washing in the Amur River is not what I would consider an efficient system for a thorough clean up. Keeping watch over tents for days on end is not exactly exciting. Eating fish for every meal except 2 was not exactly appetizing. I could go on and on:) Pretty sure I learned that I am a city girl when it comes to legit camping… Communication between us team members was difficult since half of us were American and the other half Russian. I struggled with that every day.

But, I did have some high points of the trip (believe it or not)। If I haven’t mentioned before, sunsets in Russia are amazing। And I was able to see many of them which were made even more amazing with the river and giant hills. Those 7 days were a great time to see and appreciate Gods beautiful creations. God also taught me a good lesson that with His help I can handle more than I think I can. Many times during the trip I told God that I’d had enough and that I simply couldn’t handle anything else to go wrong or happen to me… One more bug bite, one more night in that tent, one more mouthful of fish, one more word in Russian I couldn’t understand, one more day feeling helpless just watching the tent, one more bug infested trip to the bushes, one more day in the sun on top of my already burned skin… But even though pretty much all of those things happened when I said I couldn’t handle it… I survived. I’ve been very humbled these past months with what I am able to do as far as ministry because of the language barrier. It continued to remind me of how many opportunities I have in the US just because I can speak the same language. But this trip really humbled me. I watched our stuff. I washed dishes (as always:). I prayed. There wasn’t much I could do. I did get to hang out with my adopted brother Tim quite a bit seeing how he was my partner in security. We were hired around the same time… :) I really prayed that during the times I was with Tim that I would be a good example for him and an encouragement. Being with the other members of the trip was pretty cool too. I shared a tent with Lena, the only other lady on the trip. She was one of many stand-in moms for me during my time in Russia. It was really cool to see her love for the Lord and how she put that into actions. I think the real highlight of the trip for me was when the team found some Christians in one of the villages who have a house church. We were able to go there for Sunday service and meet everyone. The “Pastor” is a girl around my age who grew up in the village but moved away for school. God called her back after she graduated and she has been trying to grow a church ever since. With our team of six, we doubled their church attendance for the day. But it was so great to see that SOMEONE is doing something out there. We now know that a church DOES exist and we can stay in contact to help out. It was a great time fellowshipping and encouraging the church there. I had the “Pastor” write down some specific prayer requests for their church and I will be bringing them to my small group back home to keep in our prayers… For me, the trip had many downs but I definitely have had more adventures to add to my list:)Here are some pics of the trip… This is Cecil with some people he met.


This is our Russian team members talking with some villagers…

This is me and my faithful buddy Tim..


It’s been 6 days since I got back from the trip. The sunburn is gone, my bites are slowly healing, and my cough is not as frequent. Hooray hooray. I’ve been resting, doing some last time things. I was a part of my last Khabarovsk team meeting and worship time with the Eshelman and Hinson families. Those worship times are something I am really going to miss. I’ve hung out with a few of my girlfriends for the last time. Sunday was my last time at my church here in Khabarovsk. The Pastor surprised me by having me come up front to be prayed for. I didn’t know that they realized it was my last Sunday. I am very thankful for my Russian church family. They have been amazing.

During the mission’s trip, I read through the books of Micah and Habakkuk. Micah is only 7 chapters and Habakkuk only like three but I really got a lot out of it. In the midst of suffering, Micah says, “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.” (Micah 7:7) And in the second part of verse 8, “Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.” Habakkuk is asking God why things were so terrible in Judah. He goes on and on and on asking God why… but even though things were so horrible Habakkuk says, “yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” (Hab. 3:18) Even in the hard and difficult times, these men remained faithful. They knew that in the end God would come through for them. They knew that God would prove true to the promises made to them. “But as for me”, “Though I have fallen”, “yet I will rejoice”… even though hard things HAD happened and WERE happening they trusted in God’s plan. They knew that Gods plan was better than their own even if they didn’t understand it themselves and couldn’t see a way out because they sat “in darkness”. May we always remain true and faithful to the Lord. No matter what happenS. No matter what happenED. The Lord is faithful.

I leave 5 days from today (my time). I’m excited because the day I leave, my church is having a water baptism. As long as I have my luggage in the car, I should be able to attend. What a way to end my trip!!!

I hope to have one more blog from Russia or at least partly. I have a 7 hour layover in Seoul so I may have some time to spare there:) Please be praying for the remaining 5 days of my trip. God can do anything in 5 days!!! Pray for everything to go smoothly with tying things up with the university and dorm. Pray for safety, and no problems with my trip home. Also, for when I get home. I’ve been gone for almost 6 months… A lot changes in 6 months. My family moved to a different house so I don’t even know where my bed is let alone the house! I will be counseling at youth camp the week after I get home, I need to find a job, school starts in August… there will be a lot of challenges with going back home but I’m excited to start this next part of my journey!

I’m not who I was when I first arrived in Khabarovsk. Soon I will be seeing just how much I’ve changed. It will be kind of like an unveiling:)

Who you are and all that you’ve done for me is amazing.

A city girl,
Leah

“…two worlds…”

Dear Friends,

Sorry I haven’t gotten a post up for so long. I’ve been MIA for the past couple weeks. But I return with lots of stories to tell you! Let’s see, your weather forecast since we last talked was… Unpredictable. We had some warm, sunny days that were gorgeous. But we’ve had a lot of cold rainy days, especially this past week. I’m wondering if the seasons are going backwards…

I am officially done with my semester at the university. I SURVIVED! :) I lost count of how many times the finals were rescheduled. My geography exam was on what I have done worst. We listened to our teacher read a text, then we had to rewrite it. My Russian language exam was that we had to memorize 10 texts and 10 dialogues that we had written throughout the semester. For the actual exam we had to pick up a piece of paper that had 1 text and 1 dialogue and recite it. Technically, I don’t need these Russian classes for my degree. I can possibly use them as electives but I really didn’t HAVE to pass these classes. My sister kept telling me to stop freaking out about the exams because I didn’t have to transfer them. But I wanted to the best I could because I knew that I was representing Americans, Christians, and myself as a person and student. With all the rescheduling and a lot of ministry events during the exam study time… I was sure I was going to bomb both tests. But God showed up for each of my exams. I did the best I’ve done on anything in geography and received a 5 (highest score) and also got a 5 on my Russian language exam. It was only because of God:) I’m definitely not a pro with speaking or writing Russian. I was at a store today and the lady working was talking and I had no idea what she was saying. I just kept saying uh huh uh huh… I couldn’t help but smile to myself when I left that store cause she had no idea that I didn’t get anything she said:)

My goodbyes with people at the university were very different than I had pictured them. Pretty much all of the students in the other classes were done before us and never said an official goodbye. The other ones were very sudden and it wasn’t until they left that it really hit me that that had been a real goodbye. On the last day, my classmates had to go do some paperwork before class was over and they wouldn’t get done in time for the rest of class. It was a very sudden goodbye and I fought tears for a little while. Thankfully, I saw them in the hall later on and we all walked back to our dorms together like we did pretty much every day after class. It had a little more of a finish to it then it had in the classroom… Those guys will be hard to forget:) миша, иван, and толя will always have a special place in my heart. My favorite teacher Ekaterina was a goodbye that I was dreading. She was so awesome to me and to the other people in my class. She was kind of a second mom to me… Her goodbye was also one that was on the spot. She gave me a small gift, said a few things, and left very quickly. I think it was just as hard for her as it was for me.

I’ve lived here for about 5 months now… With all its queerness and difficulties, Russia has stolen my heart. It’s a place I’ve learned to call home. A people that I have learned to call my friends. The last few weeks, I have been in an emotional struggle. It’s like I live in two worlds. America and Russia. Where do I belong? Where is home? I talked with my sister about it a little. And she spoke my thoughts about how that heaven is our home. That’s why we never really do feel AT home. On earth, my home is in God’s presence. THAT is where I belong. That is the only place on this earth that I will feel like I’m home. And wherever Gods presence is… that’s my home. Wherever God wants me… that’s where I belong. Russia has been my home for 5 months. That’s where God has wanted me. Next, my home will be back in Illinois, although with a lot of changes… For someone like me, who has moved around a lot, the verse that talks about storing up treasures in heaven… that really makes sense. So that’s what I’m doing. Storing up all these treasures for my real home:)

In May, the English teacher that I met my first week here (and the one I did a podcast for), called me up and asked if I could record some texts in English for her. Sure, I said, how hard can reading some texts in my native language be? She gave me a stack of papers and said we would record in a few days. Would that be all right? Sure thing! No problem! I started reading them on the way home from school just to see what I would be reading about. Architecture. Greek architecture history. With names and places that shouldn’t be legal in the English language. Thankfully, being a Bible reader, Sunday School attender, and former JBQer, I knew how to pronounce about 4 names correctly… Out of about…. 30. I tried googling the way to pronounce them but then I found that some of the names in the texts they gave me weren’t even spelled right! At that point I gave up and just went with what sounded right. Sooooo if you ever are discussing the history of Greek architecture with a native of Russia that attended my university… It’s not my fault. The English teacher forced me. What a way to make me feel even more confused about languages! Stick some Greek words in front of me… This English teacher ended up inviting me to go to a theater here in Khabarovsk. It was a drama theater but I figured she would translate if I needed it. So we went. And I didn’t understand a word of it. I understood there was tension between those two characters and those two were conniving together… but other than that. No clue. After the performance, I tried getting an idea of what had happened from the teacher. No such luck. The teacher said, “Maybe the musical theater would have been better.”

While on the bus to the theater we talked most of the way. There was a girl my age that I noticed listening to us very intently. I was surprised when she continued to listen because usually by that time people stop listening because they don’t understand what we are saying. I figured she must understand enough English to get an idea of what we were saying. Finally, she interrupted and asked what state I live in back home. In English. Beautiful English. Come to find out, she lived in Colorado for a year studying at a community college. She gave me her phone number right before she left the bus. I was excited although the English teacher thought it had been rude of the girl to interrupt our conversation:)I texted Natasha (that was her name) the next day and we set up a time to meet that Saturday. We had a great time and where able to explain things about our countries that the other didn’t quite understand. It has been so amazing to see how God has brought all of these girls into my life! I mean, how random is it to meet a girl your age on a bus that lived in the US for a year?!

The last few weeks have been full of lots of other things. Like Mesha Hinson getting dedicated, Amanda Hinsons parents coming to visit, another visit to the homeless shelter, the June orphanage birthday party, I stayed with the Eshelman kids for a few days while Cecil & Tonya were out of town, my interview for the schools journal, an outing with my class to see Kung Fu Panda 2, my 3 day trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway, a picnic out in the country… I’ve been very busy you see:)I’m adding some pics from these activities to make up for my lack of talking about it:)

Trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway… Me and my class….

The June birthday party...
But I want to share with you what will be happening on the 15th of this month (your 14th)। I will be leaving to go on a short missions trip (a missions trip within a missions trip:) for about 10 days. It will be me, Cecil, Tim, a lady from a church in town, and 2 men from a church in a nearby city. The pastors around here have divided areas surrounding the cities into 5 zones and will send a team to cover each zone. We have a zone north of here and will be the first team to go out. We honestly don’t know what to expect. As far as we know, there has been no ministry done in this area for a decade. It sounds like a lot of the people we will be meeting are from minority groups. We will be camping and all the things that come along with that. Pretty sure I won’t even find a real porcelain squatty potty out there. I am asking for your prayers for this trip. There are so many things you can be praying for… Safety, health, working together as a team, guidance, the language barriers even between us team members… the list goes on and on. Honestly, a really big thing you could be praying for me is concerning the mosquitoes. They are really bad out there and I am allergic to the bites… I don’t like puff up and die but they get like 4 times bigger on me than normal bites and everything else is like 4 times worse. Also ticks are a big problem in Russia because they can carry a disease… sorry I keep forgetting which one it is… but pray for that God protects us from these bugs and all their evilness.

This was actually a bit of a struggle for me to say yes to this trip. I had originally said yes, but I had to reevaluate it and my heart. I was so close to not going. But I was reminded (by quite a few people & God) that I was not called to be an ordinary Christian. This trip definitely isn’t normal… So I guess it fits perfectly:) The speaker on Sunday spoke about how God hates it when people are lukewarm. When we are hot is when we are full of Gods fire. We are on fire for God and spreading it around. When we are cold we are constantly trying to get warm. Trying almost anything to get warm. When we are lukewarm we fall asleep because we are comfortable. I want to be on FIRE for God. One of my theme songs while preparing to come here was “Set the World on Fire” by Britt Nicole. The first verse says, “I want to set the world on fire. Wanna set it bright for you. Its everything that I desire. Can I be the one you use?” This is a chance for me to be on fire for God in a place that people may have never heard the name of Jesus. What an opportunity!! Please pray that God can use me on this trip even with all my inadequacies and fears. Mark your calendars. Write a note on your fridge. Add us to the prayer list. Call the prayer chain. Whatever it will take to remind you to pray.

“… You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.” Lam. 3:57

I will see your beautiful faces soon. I love how amazing you are.

Is not going to major in Greek architecture history,
Leah

… the valley of Fear

Greetings dear loved ones-

Pretty sure they have turned the water off in my dorm building at least 10 times in the last 4 months. I’m thinking that they need to change something if they have to work on things that often. Notice how I said “something” and “things”? Like I’m one to talk about plumbing:)Tuesday they were being especially noisy as they worked on whatever it is they were working on. At least they don’t forget to turn the water back on when they leave for the day…

Not much to say about school. Thursday, our teachers finalized when out exams will be. June 3rd we have a regular type test. Mostly grammar exercises. June 8th and June 10th we have geography exams. Apparently, it has two parts to it. June 14th was originally when our teacher said we were to have our text and dialogue test, but me and Mesha talked it over and convinced her into giving us our exams after the regular class time on June 7th. If for some reason I’m not ready, I can take it with Ivan and Tolya on June 14th but I really would like to be done before then. So if all goes as planned I will be done with classes on the 10th of June:) There are a few things that may happen during my last 3 weeks without school. Rest assured that I will let you know about it. One of our teachers told us her birthday is this next week… Apparently, she has told anybody and everybody that her birthday is coming. Mesha called her “sneaky” :) But whether she is sneaky or not, Mesha and I think that the four of us should together give her something. Not sure what but we are thinking about it over the weekend.

So some random facts or maybe I should say “discoveries” that I have made about Russia… Wedding rings are worn on the right hand instead of the left. Which has confused me greatly because I think “Oh, she is married cause her ring is on the left hand… No wait, that’s in America… So she isn’t married… but what if she is a foreigner or something… So she might be married….” People here are more likely to not wear their wedding ring just because they don’t feel like it. Sometimes my teachers wear their wedding rings and sometimes they don’t. My mind runs around in circles and eventually I give up trying to figure if someone is attached or not. Deanna Eshelman was the one who pointed it out to me when I wore a ring on my right hand. She was like, “Are you married?” I answered, “Noooo, why do you ask?” She replied, “Well your ring is on your wedding finger for Russian people. You better switch it.” Thanks Deanna. Apparently, Russian people aren’t much into cold drinks because they think it will give you a sore throat. Now I know why so many places don’t have refrigerated drinks!! So I guess that means no sweet iced tea for me… While I’m thinking of it, another funny story about Deanna and Vera. They have the habit of asking me quite regularly when I’m getting married. Not sure why but they do. So they asked me recently and I replied (with my usual sarcastic humor), “Tomorrow. I’m getting married tomorrow.” They freaked out and were like, “Tomorrow!! Really!! Who are you getting married to?” I wanted to see who they would come up with so I said, “Don’t you know? I thought it would be obvious! Who do you think?” They couldn’t come up with anyone:) I let them ask me a few more questions and then finally told them that I wasn’t getting married. They were disappointed. BUT they haven’t asked me that question again:)

Wednesday evening, I had dinner with the Eshelmans, a professor/pastor from Moscow, and the couple who heads up the shelter that I visited a few months ago. I actually felt like a pastors kid again with all the leaders there for dinner:) It was really cool hearing about the shelters history and the dreams that they have. I didn’t know that they were involved with more than just food, housing, and services (I mean that’s a lot in itself!). But they also help with people getting documents that make living in Russia extremely difficult if you don’t have them. The couple ended up inviting this professor to preach at their shelter on Sunday and we were all invited as well. I will get an official tour of the place since it was cold and dark last time I went. Looking forward to it!

I mentioned last time that I am having a hard time with classes the longer they go on. Not only am I learning a new language, but I’m at school from 9-2 Monday through Saturday. Not much time for a break. Sunday evenings are usually hard for me because they mean the end of my only complete day off from classes and the return to school the next day. This past Sunday I made things really clear to God as to where I was at with school. I needed help and that’s all there was to it. I also prayed that I would see my teacher through Gods eyes and not my own American or student eyes. His eyes. The teacher I have Mondays and Tuesdays loves drama and doesn’t mind making a big deal of small mistakes. I’ve been having a hard time with her lately. So Monday at class my teacher got a call that her son was sick. She spent the rest of the day on and off the phone talking about doctors, medicine, and hospitals… I couldn’t understand it completely. Almost every time she got off the phone there would be fresh tears in her eyes. I don’t know why she was crying… maybe about her son or something else that she was dealing with… but when she looked at me, God spoke to my heart and said, “This is what I see.” What a slap in the face. Even though I’m on a “mission’s trip” I still can lose the whole weight and span of my influence. Near the end of class, my teacher started asking me what church I go to… Which is strange because I don’t remember mentioning it to her other than “What do you on the weekends” kind of questions we have to answer in Russian once in awhile. I told her the name of the church and she asked where it was located. I honestly didn’t know cause I haven’t taken the time to memorize the street or building name, so I pulled out my flier for movie nights cause it has the address on there. She read the entire thing then asked if she could keep the flier… I was blown away. Pray for my teacher. She needs Jesus and to know that He loves her with an everlasting love. Also, I challenge you to pray for those around you. Pray that you will see them through His eyes. But be prepared that He will do just as you ask.

I have been in Russia for four months. The longer I am here, the more interesting it is for me to think back on when I first arrived and all that has happened since. God has been good to me. Some of you may think of me as a fearless adventurer (and you’d be right… hahaha… no), but I have had to overcome some of my biggest and most challenging fears when preparing and actually being here. Asking people for money has never been something I have been comfortable with and I probably never will be. Going to a foreign country that I’ve never been to is slightly freaky. Being away from my family and friends for so long was one of the biggest challenges that I have faced and, honestly, continue to. When getting ready for the trip I would start thinking about it and then get teary-eyed. I would shake myself and say I can’t think about that now. I did that for months. All the way until the day I was leaving I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I tried to hide my tears all the way from home to the St. Louis airport. Especially from my mom:) At the airport I only stopped long enough to get through security, and then I bawled at the gate and on the plane all the way to Chicago. And I know it wasn’t just because I was going to miss my family. It was a combination of stress and facing the great unknown. There is an old song that says “Wrap your troubles in dreams and dream your troubles away”. Sometimes I wish it were that easy…

Fear. Just the word produces so many pictures and emotions… It has the power to control every movement. Every thought. It can reach down into the heart, the very soul of a human being. Its grip is strong and unrelenting. Fear has held millions of people in its grip since creation. After the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, the first emotion that is described that Adam and Eve felt was fear. People who are adventurous are admired for their ability to face normally fearful situations. We put them on a pedestal because we say they are brave, courageous, and we aspire to be like them. Fear is what keeps us from doing the will of God. Fear of what people will think. Fear of failing. Fear of getting hurt. Of getting embarrassed. Fear of being alone. In extreme cases, a fear of dying. The list goes on and on. I face fears just the same as you do. I did in America, I do now, and I will when I go back home. Fear is always ready to attach itself to you. It is always searching for a victim that it can reach into and take the very life out of. I just finished reading a Sherlock Holmes mystery by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The story was centered on a city that became known to its residents as “The Valley of Fear”. This Valley of Fear was the result of a powerful organization that controlled the entire town and would kill anyone who got in their way. One of the most interesting characters in the book was a man who had unknowingly joined this group of murderers and wanted out. He wanted to be free of these men and their dealings but he was too afraid to try to escape. The end of the story was a happy one, for a man gave his life to release the city from this strong force and thus the city was set free. Our own very real world is under such a curse of fear. But Praise the Lord, God sent His son to set us free!!! Fear has lost its grip!!! Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no evil. For you are with me. Psalm 23:4. Fear is still out there. It waits for its chance to creep into your life. But God has the power to overthrow it. God never lets go. Through the calm, peaceful times AND through the storms of life. Whom then shall we fear? If our God is for us, then who can ever stop us? Hold on to God. Because only He can get you through your Valley of Fear. Only with Him are all things possible.

The time is drawing near when I shall see some of you for real and not just in my memories and pictures. I have 6 weeks left in Russia. Pray that during that time that I would accomplish everything God wants me to do.

I am blessed by your amazingness.

Not getting married tomorrow,

Leah

“…come and join the circus, I mean the service….”

My Friends-

Yet again I have failed on updating you of my activities (my goal is to get a blog out every week). But I will make up for it by having a super long blog:) The weather here… is so confusing. We have had some absolutely beautiful days when I think that I can put my lighter coat away and bring out the sunglasses. But they are usually followed by cold, dark, and sometimes rainy days. The trees are starting to show beautiful, green leaves but the flowers have yet to be seen. I don’t know how it’s possible but I have already gotten a mosquito bite. It’s just the start of a summer filled with millions of them I am told. So there is your weather update. Now to the news…

The past two weeks have had many unexpected and much needed holidays. I had two days off and I believe got out of class early three times. But I am always able to fill up my time with other things I need to do very quickly:) Things at school are as crazy and as random as ever. I’ve told you before that I have three teachers. Svetlana, I have on Mondays & Tuesdays. She teaches geography and a little of the regular Russian lessons. Ekaterina (my favorite), teaches Wednesday through Friday. On Saturdays, we have Alexandrava. She is the one I have the hardest time with understanding things. But we got great news that my favorite teacher will now be teaching on Saturdays too!! This is wonderful news! She will help making going to school on Saturdays a little more bearable:) I have to say though that I am very ready for the semester to be over with. I’m tired and my brain is full. When my teacher is explaining a new grammar rule I just want to tell her, “You know, don’t even bother explaining it cause there isn’t any more room in this head for it. Fyi.” We have three more weeks of classes, then a few days off to study on our own, and then we will have our exams. Oh God help me…

Иван has had a super bad attendance record and it is finally catching up to him especially since exams are coming up. My teachers actually faxed his dad about the situation and he came to town two days ago. In Иванs words, “Game over.” Today, Иван asked me, “Are you going to study here this fall?” I answered that I wasn’t and that I’d be leaving the beginning of July. He said, “So I will not be able look at you?” Oh my… this kid doesn’t give up. Two days ago he offered to buy me coffee when I said I needed some to wake me up. Yesterday, he offered to buy me a radio so I could hear the weather forecast. Today, he found out I was leaving and we had that conversation. But it’s not just my heart that he is trying to win. Today at lunch he said to me, “That girl is very beautiful.” I agreed with him. Then he said, “Maybe next year… when I can speak more Russian….” Иван & толя are quite a pair. Ekaterina has started giving them nicknames which she likes to use when they are not paying attention. Толя is referred to as a “child prodigy” and as a “grandpa”. Иван has had many names… but his most popular are being referred to as a “wart” and “Pushkin” (a famous Russian poet). All of these are used in a most sarcastic sense of course:) Today, толя left class early because he was sick. Our teacher started asking Иван what they had eaten the past few meals wondering if that’s why толя was not well. Come to find out that Иван prepared last night’s dinner for the first time and the meat he used was old… Иван also had an upset stomach today and excused himself quite a few times to find a bathroom. But apparently, толя ate more than him thus he was more sick. Yes, those boys make quite a pair…

Last Saturday, we cleaned our classroom. And I mean CLEANED it. We scrubbed the desks, chairs, walls, windows… you name it and we cleaned it. I thought it was quite interesting that the students are required to clean their classroom. I would like to see a university in America do what we did! Some sad news is that my bodyguard/translator/friend, Jane, no longer works at the school. She still is a student but she quit her job. So there goes my bodyguard and translator. Very sad day.
On Friday, the 6th of May, our university had a special ceremony celebrating our veteran teachers. And by veteran, I mean people who taught at the school way back when. The ceremony was outside our school on one of those few beautiful days I mentioned that we have had. Everyone got a balloon and watched the ceremony filled with speeches and songs. During the last song, which was performed by some old people in fancy costumes, they set off fireworks. Not sure if setting off fireworks and not warning anyone is the best thing to do at an event celebrating veterans… Pretty sure we almost lost a couple. It surprised me so much even I thought I was going to have a heart attack!! And fireworks on a bright, sunny day… What’s up with that? I guess it achieved the “finale” effect that they were looking for even if it did possibly mean losing a few special guests to a heart attack. Whatever works for you.

I told you last time about going shopping for summer clothes with some friends. I had a little success but still needed some things. I finally decided that I was going to go on my own. Even though I had never ridden the bus route on my own, knew exactly where I was supposed to get off, or how I was going to communicate with the store employees. Needless to say I prayed a lot that day. I had planned to go to one place I had seen but ended up getting off the bus earlier when I saw a store Jane had mentioned to me. It was totally a God thing because I found a lot at the store I went to. I was very proud of myself for getting there, finding clothes, paying for it, and getting back home all by myself:) I went out one other time on my own downtown and was again very proud of myself. I was exhausted after doing it but it was worth it. I’m so glad that God cares about even the little things of life, like summer clothes:)

This past weekend was full of exciting and interesting activities. On Sunday, the Eshelmans took me to a church on the north side of the city. It is a house turned into a church that is pastored by a lady. It has been around for about 6 years and it is a small church but Gods presence was in that little building. I thoroughly enjoyed the worship and the sermon. Before the service started the pastor asked Cecil and Tonya if they had anything to share with the congregation. Somehow it ended up that I was volunteered to say something and Tonya would translate. Thankfully, I was able to prepare something in my head during the sermon so I was ready when my turn came. I didn’t talk very long but it was a great experience. I shared why I’m in Russia and what I’m doing. And basically how God had led me to be right in front of them at that very moment! To be speaking to an actual Russian church through a translator was an amazing experience.

Sunday afternoon was Tim Eshelmans 13th birthday party. He had 5 boys over for cake and homemade pizza. Two of the boys are from an Australian missionary family that has been in Russia before. I have yet to meet the whole family. It was so cool to have America, Russia and Australia represented at his party! It was also crazy hearing a mixture of English, Russian and Australian accents all at once. After eating we all went to the circus!!! I was so excited to go:) We had first and second row seats so that was really awesome. The acrobats and clowns were awesome. I especially liked an act done by a couple that had unicycles, juggled huge balls, and did hula hoop tricks. The finale was supposed to be with lions. Tonya was freaking out that the lions would break out of their cages and attack us on the second row. I personally wasn’t impressed with that part of the program. The lions were sleepy or uncooperative and the tricks were kind of boring. The lion tamer lady didn’t impress me either. But I guess that’s what happens when you use cats as your main attraction:) At one point the clowns went around threw a ball into the audience and had them try to throw it through a hoop. Deanna caught it and when she threw it a clown caught it in his pants and then withdrew a long, thin balloon instead of the ball. Pretty sure her face turned bright red:) Perfect timing on the clown’s part though. It was hilarious.

Monday was a huge holiday in Russia. Victory Day it’s called and is basically the equivalent of our Fourth of July. There was a parade in the center of the city and there were lots of things set up on the embankment of the Amur River. I went with the Eshelmans to the embankment where we met up with some friends of theirs. The military set up a lot of tanks and other equipment that kids could climb on. There were different ceremonies and soldiers all over the place who you could get your picture taken with. There were also lots of random things like camel and pony rides. We walked around for most of the time and went down to the river itself. We also had some kawy (kashy) which is what the military eats almost on a daily basis. They prepare a ton of it and then give it for free. I was amazed at how many people were waiting in line at least an hour before they even started serving it. I also got to see another really cool brick church. It’s kind of become my goal to see all the beautiful churches in Khabarovsk before I leave. It was a very cultural experience being a part of Victory Day I must say.

I have mixed feelings every time I enter one of the huge and beautiful orthodox churches. I am in awe of the beauty and detail of the art. The wonder of entering such a beautiful place with all of its intricacy is overwhelming. It reminds me how Great and Glorious our God is and that He deserves all our devotion. But it also saddens me that people forget about God outside of those walls. They don’t realize that God is just as big, just as powerful in their daily lives as He is in that building. People come in with head coverings, buy a candle and light it in front of an icon with the candle representing their prayers. They go from icon to icon praying silently with all eyes on the painting every once in a while crossing themselves and bowing. They may even kiss the icon. But then they leave. There are some orthodox people that really do understand who God is and live for Him in a real way. But there are so many more who don’t realize what they are missing out on. Coming to such a beautiful place to pray and worship is, I think, something that is a wonderful thing to experience. But they are missing out on the freedom that God gives for us to worship and learn about Him. I can have an amazing time with God in my dorm room. At the park. In my car. I can talk to Him wherever and whenever I want because He is always there waiting and listening. They are also missing out on the importance of studying Gods word and having fellowship with other believers. Most orthodox churches don’t have any kind of discipleship, most sermons are preached in an older version of Russian so they don’t understand much, and since there is no discipleship where can believers get to know one another and lift each other up? As always, I am kind of talking out loud, trying to get my thoughts into an understandable paragraph. My thoughts about this are clearly all over the place but I hope you get a general idea of what’s going on in the Orthodox Church. Taking pictures is not allowed inside the church, which is probably a good thing cause I could fill up a whole memory card very easily. But from the pictures I’ve taken of the outside you can imagine the magnificence of the inside. I’m sure there are pictures online somewhere.

God has been showing me lately that there are some people that I’m having a very direct influence on that I seem to have overlooked. Vera and Deanna Eshelman. I knew that I would be around them a lot and that I should try to be a positive influence in their lives but I didn’t realize how much I would really have. When kids start working hard to get their hair to look like yours, want to sit next to you in the car, draw pictures for you, give you gifts, and ask for their parents for the phone so they can tell you what they did in art class that day… It kind of wakes you up. Missionary kids need Gods love shown to them just like anyone else. They need Godly people in their lives just like any other kid. I just hope that I can be a good example of a woman that loves God more than anything else. That is my prayer.

Tim Eshelman has become my little “brother” for the time that I am here. But his friend, Vladick, has quickly become my other temporary brother. Vladick is 14 and lives in the same apartment building as the Eshelmans. His parents are not believers. His mom works a lot and his dad is very often so drunk he doesn’t remember where Vladick is let alone care. Its been so cool to see how the Eshelmans have opened their home to him and become his second family. He gets up early and comes to church with us on Sundays, and also to Movie and Game nights. He can be a huge help with setting up and tearing down after events. I honestly don’t know where he is with his walk with the Lord. From his actions I see great promise in that he does have a relationship but I don’t know that for certain. He is a great kid and is constantly messing with my little knowledge of Russian. He is learning German so he will slip in German words in with the Russian and leave me totally clueless. He has also taken to asking for money when he sees me:) Apparently I must look like I have money to spare. I will miss him and his little Russian man ways. Keep Vladick in your prayers.

Well, I’ve given you a lot to chew on so I think I will wrap things up. Homework awaits me as always. I only have seven weeks left in Russia and am trying to take every opportunity to make these last week’s count. Continue to pray for me and my classes. That God would renew my strength and mind.

“For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen YOU.” 1 Thess. 1:4

Amazing. That’s what you are.

Is going to run away and join the Russian circus,
Leah

“…gifts of food are an international love language…”

Dearest Friends,

Spring is definitely in the air even though a teacher lied to our class that it was going to snow today. Silly woman. The grass is turning green and people are spending more time outside. Now I can actually see what people have looked like all this time under their fur coats and hats. Most are less intimidating and but some are more:)

I’ve always found people watching very interesting. That may sound slightly creepyish to you but its true. I tend to be more of an observer than someone who is right in the midst of things. I enjoy watching what’s going on just as much as the person who is in the center of all the excitement. Anyway, people watching here is just as interesting to me here as it is back home. I love to start a conversation in a public place with someone in English and then watch the people’s expressions around us. They usually have the same look on their face like “I don’t want them to see me looking at them and have them think I actually care but I do wonder where they are from and how they know English and if they are American why are they on this bus.” Usually I get the strangest looks because I obviously don’t have a Russian accent. It’s quite fun although there are days when I feel like staring right back. Probably not the best idea in Russia. Or anywhere really.

One of my New Year’s resolutions was not to get sick this year. I failed when I got a cold my first month here. Well this past week was an epic fail. I caught a bad cold then got some kind of stomach flu on top of it. I have no idea what I ate or if it was a bug… No idea but whatever I did I don’t want to do it again. After getting home from class Tuesday I went straight to bed and didn’t leave my room till Thursday morning. I was basically either in bed or the bathroom. And let me tell you, authentic Chinese food is one of the worst things to smell when you are at your worst. Pretty sure I was thinking of never eating Chinese food again. Praise God by Thursday I was well enough to go to class although I was still tired and weak. I’m still being careful of what I eat. Yogurt has been my best friend. Although, I accidently bought some yogurt with mangos in it…. If you didn’t know, I’m really allergic to mangos. My allergic reaction to a mango is on my “When I Died” top ten list. And pretty sure it’s in the top 5. Thank God I saw my mistake before eating it and gave it to my roommates. They actually ended up trading me for a strawberry one. Huh I thought that was cool of them.

On Friday, we had a substitute teacher because my fav. teacher took the day off. I didn’t say she could so I don’t know what’s up with that… The sub was the one who thought I was from Belgium and I hoped she would just kind of keep talking nonstop like she did last time and I wouldn’t have to do anything. After our lunch break, she came back in the classroom and told us that she just heard that she won a contest. Apparently, she wrote a song about Khabarovsk and its upcoming birthday and entered it in a contest. She won first place! She even sung a few verses for us…. That was interesting cause she is kind of old... But she said that she needed to be somewhere that day to accept an award or hear the song… I’m not sure which but she said that she was going to let us go at 12pm instead of 2pm so she could go do this thing:) Not only that but if the other teachers asked about us leaving early she was going to tell them that she took us to see the Amur River. So we literally tiptoed out of the classroom, down the hall, and out of the building. Hahaha good times, good times. It’s a once in a lifetime thing so what are you going to do? AND the best part was that we got out early:)

Thursday night I had the unexpected pleasure of going to a ballet. Riles and Aurora Hinson were performing along with all the other groups from their program. It was movie night but I was excused to go to a cultural event:) They were definitely legit performances and we had awesome third row seats. One of the numbers really reminded me of the ballet in the Shirley Temple version of “The Little Princess”. Yes, I watched Shirley Temple. And I loved it. Anyway, it was great to relax and hang out with the ladies of the Eshelman household and the Hinson fam. And hooray for supporting Riles and Aurora!!

Recently, my roommates gave me a food gift of friendship and I hadn’t repaid the favor. On my first trip to the store after being sick, I picked up some candy bars to give to them. After the ballet, their door was open so I went in to give them my new gift of friendship. Marsha was there with only a reading lamp on which I thought was curious. She took and thanked me for the food and then took my arm apparently trying to tell me to wait a minute. She then stood up on her chair and started messing with the light bulbs in the light fixture and had me turn the light switch on and off to see if they worked. I was pretty sure she was just switching around dead light bulbs so I asked to see them. I shook them and, yes, all of them were burnt out so I told her that they were ALL burnt out. She was really confused and asked how I knew that they were… I thought everybody knew that when you shake a light bulb and can hear something jingling that means it’s burnt out…. Well, I was wrong cause she didn’t:)So I guess she learned something new that day. And if you didn’t know about it then you did too. I think that gifts of food are an international love language. That’s quote worthy. Just saying. Make sure you give credit to me.

Because space in my suitcases was limited, I wasn’t able to bring much summer clothes with me. Like pretty much none at all. I didn’t even have room for flip flops. Tragic I know. So on Friday, I was able to go shopping with Vika and her friend, Dasha. I came away with a few things. Hopefully, I can find more or what I have will somehow manage to get me through the bit of summer I will be here for. If you are really interested in how my shopping experience was, you’ll have to ask me about it sometime. Writing it all out would be extremely difficult and it’s just a better story to tell in person. But yeah, ask me and I’ll be glad to tell you about it:)

Pretty sure that everyone woman that works at the grocery store I go to is named Olga. I went on… Monday and the cashiers name tag said “Olga”. On Thursday, I was in line and all I could see was the cashier’s nametag which said “Olga”. I thought this must be the same lady I had yesterday. Nope, turned out to be a totally different person. And I know I’ve seen another Olga there… I told Tonya and she thinks that they are trying to save money on name tags:)

So everyone in my class, including me, has been hoping to visit the circus. Khabarovsk actually has a building where different groups come through all year round. We have let our desire be known to the teachers and my fav. teacher decided that she would check into ticket prices for us. So last week she found out how much they were, reported this to us, and offered to take us with another teacher if there would be enough of us that could go. At the same time, Tonya Eshelman invited me to go for Tim’s birthday. I told my teacher that I had someone else taking me and миша said he wasn’t going to go. That left only толя and иван that could go. My teacher turned them down and said that she wouldn’t take them:) She doesn’t want to waste her time on иван, who it sounds like is going to have to speak to someone really high up because of his poor student performance and many absences. That would leave толя which would be just awkward. Иван was trying to corner our teacher today trying to get her to take them. She just told him straight out, “I don’t want to.” If Иван does show up for class and it’s a beautiful day all the teachers say that it’s because he actually came to class. If he doesn’t come and it’s a beautiful day they say it’s because he DIDN’T come to class. Somehow they are always able to describe the weather based on whether he is there or not:)

So Monday is my third month anniversary here. I only have 2 months left because I go home the 2nd of July. It still is amazing to me that I’m really here…. I’ve been thinking, dreaming, planning, and hoping for this trip since I was 12 years old. I’ll be riding the bus and all of sudden I’m like… Wow, I’m really here. Yes, even after 3 months I still get that shock:) This has been such a big dream of mine to come to pass like this. It’s been quite a ride. I’m already getting excited for that next big dream to take form in my heart. I have other dreams, of course, but which one will really take hold for me? Which one will God lead me to pursue? This has been and will continue to be such an awarding experience to be in the midst of this long awaited time in my life. And the feeling of knowing that you know that you are where you are supposed to be is one of the best feelings there is. It’s still difficult at times but I know quite worth the work. And the wait. I serve a big God with BIG plans for me. And you. I encourage you to follow your dreams. Not like what they are talking about in the Disney movies like the follow your heart stuff… but the dreams that God has for you. In the past, I’ve let other people tell me what my dreams were. Even my family. But it wasn’t until I put those aside and really went for what God wanted of me that things started falling into place. And it wasn’t until I set aside my own selfish desires that things started to make sense for me. And again, I’m not talking about the Disney stuff even though I know you want to break out in a Disney song… Like I do... Allow God to revamp those lost dreams. Explore Gods treasure chest of dreams and find the one that He wants for you. And don’t just stop with just having a dream… With God’s help, go FULIFILL it! Take your own adventure that will take you to great lands unknown or maybe just somewhere in your own backyard:)

Thank you for your prayers, especially when I was sick. I’m still alive!! Happy 3rd anniversary to me! And to you!

You amaze me.

Didn’t end up needing a stomach transplant,

Leah


This for those who were waiting for the breakout in song, “We’re Soaring! Flying! There’s not a star in heaven that we can’t reach! If we’re trying, yeah we’re breaking free!... You know the world may see us in a way that’s different from who we arrreeeeeee.”

… if only for a day…

Dear Friends,

It has been such a long time since we last spoke. I shudder to think of how long it has really been. I’ve kept busy all this time. You can take that as a good or bad thing. I’ll update you on things and you can decide for yourself. Let’s see the weather has been quite interesting. On the Friday before Easter it was an absolutely beautiful day. I pulled out my converse and went for a walk. I thought maybe that day would be the first of many spring days. To my disappointment there was a mix of rain and snow for 3 days after that. The snow here is amazing. I don’t know what it is but there is something special about it. I have been reassured that warm weather will be here soon enough. We shall wait:)

Classes have been very consistent since all the teachers got better. I like to know what’s going on so the consistency is nice but I must admit that they are getting a little monotonous. Although, a few Saturdays ago it turned out to be the most unmonotonous (pretty sure this isn’t a word but its fun to say) days yet. We were on break (me, толя, and миша) and had a little over an hour left of classes for the day. I was just thinking that I didn’t think I could stand another minute of class when we heard what sounded like an alarm go off. We all stopped talking and толя jumped up to look out in the hall to see what was going on. He came back and said that it was the people in the next class messing around… I wasn’t quite sure how they could have possible made an alarm sound like that but you never can tell with those kids. We all continued talking and forgot about it. Then we could hear people moving all around us… Upstairs, downstairs, in the hall, down the hall, next door… all going outside… There had to be a fire!! The guys jumped up and went into the hall. I sat frozen and then suddenly started grabbing my belongings (I couldn’t live here without my camelbak water bottle) and sticking it into my bag. I was about to grab my coat when our teacher came yelling down the hall with толя and миша in front of her still looking quite panicked. Then our teacher proceeded to give us our homework assignment… Me and the guys stared at each other trying to figure out if our teacher was crazy. If there was a fire in the building WHY IN THE WORLD was our teacher taking precious minutes of our lives by giving us a homework assignment??!! Was it a fire drill? Was there a fire? Why was the building slowly emptying and why was there a recording in Russian over the loud speakers repeating itself? What did the recording say!? Our teacher finally stopped talking and said that everything was fine. Totally fine. But she pushed us out of the room and into the hall after giving us our homework. She disappeared off to somewhere and us foreigners headed outside the fastest way we knew. We could smell something that may have been burning as we left the building. Once outside, we saw that the grounds were full of people that had been evacuated from the building. миша said, “It’s true that everything’s okay?” Of course it was in Russian but that’s basically what he said:) I don’t think we will ever know if it was a real fire or a drill. Some people have told me it was a real fire and some have said it was a fire drill. I almost died that’s all I can say. It would have served them right for making me go to school on Saturdays:)…..

Classes have their interesting moments. Like when толя is trying to ask something and no one has any idea what he is trying to say. Or when иван gets his 50th lecture… no scratch that… gets literally yelled at for not showing up to class and doing his homework. And we all get to hear it:) hooray. Or when break time in between classes turns into nap time. We’ve been doing a lot of memorizing texts and dialogues… I’m literally dreaming them. It’s quite frustrating right now because when I want to speak or write Russian I do it in English. When I need to do something in English all I can think of is Russian. And of course there are the times when I can’t think of any language at all. Ugh. Did I tell you that one of our sub teachers thought I was from Belgium? Haha that was funny. She asks, in Russian of course, “Where are you from?” I said America. She says much more slowly and louder, “Noooo, WHERE ARE YOU FROM?” Again, I said America. She looks at me with pity I’m sure thinking what a sad confused girl this is, “No, you are from Belgium.” Ohhhhh yeahhh. I forgot what nationality I am! And they taught me that on my first day! Silly me. The teachers actually faxed иванs dad last week telling him what a horrible student he has been… Should be interesting what happens next… Drama lama.

Remember the guy who talked about torpedoes and submarines that one time? You know the other time I almost died… Well I see him around school every once in awhile. I always get the giggles and have the urge to ask him how the war is going or something. WAIT! Nooooowww I know where that fire came from!! Guess that’s what happens when you are going to school near a battlefield…

I got a call a couple weeks ago from that English teacher at the university that I met on my first week here. She said she wanted to do some kind of interview on my first impressions of Russia… I said sure I’d do an interview and we planned to meet a few days later. We met in the center of the university and as we walked she told me what she had neglected to tell me on the phone. The “interview” was going to be me, talking into a microphone, for 5 minutes, about my first impressions of Russia that would be put on a podcast… No introduction. No questions. Just me. For 5 minutes. Hit it. Oooohhh Lord. I wasn’t nervous until she told me what was REALLY going on. We got to the office where two guys were waiting to do the recording. The teacher gave me a piece of paper and a pencil and said, “You will write what you want to say and we will not disturb you for 5 minutes.” Awesome. I might as well write my will. I haven’t heard from her since my 5 minute execution. My only comfort is that very few will even listen to the podcast. I hope.

I’ve also done a written interview for my friend. It was an assignment of hers to get an interview of a foreigner. And what are friends for? I was thankful for the written questions but I was pressed for time on that one as well. Gotta love Russians and their lack of planning ahead.

Me and my friend Vicka were eating peanuts in my dorm room not long ago and the shells reminded me of the restaurant that you can throw the peanut shells on the floor (I always forget which one that is…). I told Vicka about it and then told her about Lamberts and how they throw rolls. Oh her reaction was priceless:)

I have a refrigerator!! I can’t remember if I’ve told you but I don’t mind telling you again because it is still wonderful news!! Also, my surprise Easter present was a microwave!!! Praise the Lord! The possibilities of what I can eat now make my head spin! Like I told a friend of mine, the biggest Easter present I’ve gotten was a Barbie… so this microwave definitely takes first prize now.

I try to have some quiet times to myself once in awhile. One of my favorite afternoons was when it rained and I had the window open and drank coffee. Not exactly like my favorite spot back home (Fusion Brew) but it was good times.

God continues to put people in my life who speak English. Easter Sunday a girl that was a visitor was all of sudden in my face and talking to me in English. I was totally taken off guard. It was one of those moments where no language is available to my brain or mouth. She’s a really nice girl though. I hope to talk with her again soon.

I went to an orphanage last week with Tonya. She got permission to use the eggs that have different things inside that tell the Easter story. This was really a God-thing that she got permission to do that. Other times she has gone there she has almost gotten dragged out and has had actual students yelling to hurt her cause she isn’t Orthodox. But God had his hand in this ministry opportunity and it went very well. She went a few times the week before Easter and told the story to the different age groups. She actually had some good talks with some of the teachers as well. There was a teacher when I went with that asked why these kids had to be without families and live at an orphanage. They don’t deserve the life that they have she said. The children of Russia need a Heavenly Father. They need a Savior.

I was thinking today about all that I’ve seen in Russia. All that I’ve experienced. All that happens in a day here. I wish that I could transport you here even just for a day. Maybe then you would understand why I’m here. Why the Eshelmans are here. Why the Hinsons are here. Why they need more laborers of the field. Why Russia has been on my heart since the age of twelve. Why some days are very difficult and I would rather just stay in bed. Why other days are so full of God’s love that I don’t want the day to end. I wish I could bring you here. Just for a day. Or two. Or a lifetime. For many of you, I can’t take you here even for a day. But I can try.

My two month anniversary here has come and gone. In fact my 3rd month anniversary is right around the corner… It’s funny how you think you are prepared for something and then you are in the midst of it and you’re like… What have I gotten myself into? That happens to me quite often. Many of those times I know God neglected to tell me about it in advance for a reason:) But one of those things I thought would be quite ordinary and natural would be creating friends. My mind said I’ll go to Russia, make some friends, win people to Jesus, and make some more friends…. I didn’t totally grasp what “making friends” would entail. I neglected to remember what making a friend means. What happens when you become someone’s friend. I neglected to realize how REAL making friends here is. The real feelings that you have for people. It has really taken me off guard the connections that I’m making with people here. I didn’t realize how “real” it would be. We have inside jokes, we know when each other is tired, when we are frustrated, when it’s time to hang out, giving gifts to each other… This is for real. Why didn’t God warn me? God is so funny sometimes. But so am I.

I don’t know if you can understand what I’m saying. I’m doing a lot of thinking out loud. That is if you call this out loud… But I guess this would be a good example of why I want you to come to Russia so you can see and experience it for yourself. If only for a day:)

You are all amazing.
“My love to all of you in Christ Jesus, Amen.” 1 Cor. 16:24

Still living and breathing no thanks to the torpedo guy,

Leah

“…isn’t everything Made in China?...”

Mellow Greetings Friends-


I am happy to announce that on Wednesday afternoon the window in my room was open:) It’s still chilly outside but with the heat on in all the buildings it can get quite warm। So yay! Although one downside to the window being open is that sometimes smoke comes in from people outside… Gross… I can actually see brown grass in places but mostly mud. Drying is the key right now. Everything is wet and muddy. Which God must not have heard my plea for everything to dry cause it rained off and on all day Friday… Darkest day that I’ve been here I think… I missed the really dark days of January:)But I'm sad to announce that it rained all day Friday and snowed on Saturday......


I actually have had 8 teachers total now. It was at 7 last time we talked. But the teachers that have been sick have finally returned so things are getting back to normal again. Also we started a geography type class in addition to the regular language study. Sounds like we will be learning the Russian names for geography type stuff. Like what the “Atlantic Ocean” is spelt in Russian and were it is. Should be interesting….


On Wednesday, I went was on my way to Golden Bird for a shopping trip when I thought I heard my name called… Right away I thought that I was just imagining it and forgot about it. I took about 4 more steps when I heard it again… This time I looked behind me and then laughed at myself for thinking someone was saying my name. I took about 2 more steps when I definitely heard my name being yelled from somewhere above/behind me… I could just barely make out an arm hanging out of window on the fourth floor of one of the dorm buildings. It was waving furiously, though not at me, just flying around to catch my eye. I quickly figured out that I was standing before dorm building No. 2 which is where most of the Chinese students I know live… And pretty sure that was иван (pronounced Ivan) hand hanging out the window… So I quickly waved and walked on hoping he would not try to have a conversation with me from the window with his hand… I think the tree in the way helped. The hand said, “Goodbye!” with a strong Chinese accent. I walked on breathing a sigh of relief that the hand was not in a talkative mood at the moment. When I came back the same way (any other way would have been too long) I walked quickly hoping to not make… eye contact (?) with the hand again. Thankfully, it did not. The next day at school I asked толя (pronounced Tolya) if it had been иван hanging out of the window. He said it wasn’t but he could only remember the guys name in Chinese and not Russian (the teachers give Russian names to everyone on their first day of class). But later женя (pronounced Jenya) (the guy who said I love you) came up to me and said that it had been his hand talking to me:) This is женя on the left and толя on the right:

So I have successfully taught my bff женя how to do a gun show. I say where’s the gun show and he gives one:) Although the other day when I asked him about the gun show he said that all he needed to do was flex his finger. That was all he needed to do:) Nice comeback:) He gave me some Chinese money on Friday! I’m excited:) The guys are really fascinated by this “gun show” and brought out their dictionaries to figure out its exact meaning… Boy was it hard to tell them that it wasn’t going to be in their dictionary the kind of way the word was being used! I finally had to use the example of толя saying “game over” to illustrate. The guys like to make “Made in China” jokes. They will be talking to each other and someone will randomly say “Made in China” and they all start laughing hysterically. On Wednesday, иван asked our teacher what her cup was called and she told him it was called a “thermos”. He didn’t understand so she looked to see if “thermos” was written on the cup somewhere and only found that it said “Made in Thailand”…. Иван said, “Made in Thailand… not made in China?”…. And they all started laughing….


So my other bff толя found out that I am leaving in July। He has been bringing it up almost every day since then. He has the date memorized and will sometimes during break write it on the board and look at me all sad. Although he has said that it will be “better” for me to be in America again:) Last week during all the confusion with teachers only he and I came to class and apparently we bonded. When he found out that I was only here for one semester he wrote “friendly” on the board trying to tell me that he didn’t want me to leave because I’m very friendly. It came out “friedly” … but I got the idea:) He said that иван and миша (pronounced Misha) are not going to come back with him next semester so he’ll be all alone. He really won’t be all alone cause I’m sure there will be other students. He just won’t have any of us with him. Sad day. But I know that he will make lots of new friends next semester:) So I don’t know how old толя is or when his birthday is…. When I asked him the first time he said he was 21. When my teachers asked him how old he is he said 23… When one teacher asked him when his birthday is he said October 7th. When another asked him the same question he said February something… I think he is getting his numbers/dates mixed up during the language conversion in his mind:) Here is my name in Chinese :)




So I have to admit something… I’m starting to get sick of the food at the cafeteria… Yes, I said it. It’s all good food don’t get me wrong! I’m sure that I will have cravings for it once I get back home… BUT eating there Monday through Saturday gets a little old. The vending machines at school have been calling my name lately just to get a taste of something different… Not good. I’m working on being thankful for the good, cheap, and easy to buy food that I get at the cafeteria instead of the monotonous tastes:) God bless the cafeteria…


So just a heads up for you, I’m going to be the champion of Chinese checkers by the time I get home so watch out. I’ve been playing it almost every Tuesday night at the game night we have at the Hope Center. Russians have their own way of playing regular checkers… Timothy “taught” me and I’m still in denial about how that went. It’s like a combination of checkers and Chinese checkers and… something else. Not sure what. You can go backwards and jump two pieces… It’s weird. I shouldn’t say weird… its different than what I’m used to:) I’ll have to play again so I can tell you exactly what the “Russian” rules are.

I successfully paid for my first month of internet on my own:) Света (pronounced Sveta), who helps the Eshelmans with translating, wrote out a dialogue for me to use when I pay. I had it all memorized but at the last second I got flustered and stumbled through it. They were very nice though and got it taken care of. One of the ladies was there when I first got the modem and stuff so she knew what my problem was:)

I can’t seem to find a record of me telling you about the verse that God gave me last year that really confirmed in my heart that I was supposed to come here. Its Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you WHEREVER you GO.” I love that verse. God has brought that to my mind several times over the past year. Currently, I am doing a study on the book of Joshua (or Joshua). I guess I’d never thought about how difficult it would have been for Joshua to step up as leader of the Israelites after Moses. Try and fill those shoes! Errr sandals. I can’t imagine the fears and hesitation to take that position. This verse proves that Joshua did in fact have doubts about it because God is telling him, “BE strong. BE courageous. DON’T be terrified. DON’T be discouraged, BECAUSE I will be with you WHEREVER you are.” But it wasn’t just out of the blue that Joshua became the next leader. He had been under Moses wing for a really long time. He had been in training. Preparing for his time as the leader. So it wasn’t like God was just saying do this now cause I said so… He was reminding him that this was his plan for him and that he was going to stick with him through the whole thing. The Lord said, “Have I not commanded you?”… They have obviously had a similar conversation before. There are lots of things I like about this story… One, is that God prepares us for what he has planned for us. He doesn’t just drop us in the midst of things. Sometimes it may feel like that :) but he really has prepared us for that moment in time if we let him. Second, is that Joshua was human too:) Reminders that someone that God used in such a big way had his doubts and fears just like anyone else makes me feel better about my own human thoughts and emotions. Third, is the fact that God kept his word. He stuck with Joshua through the thick and thin. The story of the Battle of Jericho was Joshua’s time to show the people that he really was Gods appointed leader over them. During that whole ordeal I’ll bet there were days when he didn’t want to march around that city and wanted to just stay in his tent. It’s not like he could have slipped on his iPod to avoid talking to people (yes I know you do that). But God came through for him:) Joshua 4: 14, “That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they revered him all the days of his life; just as they had revered Moses.” And Joshua 6:27, “So the Lord was with Joshua and his fame spread throughout the land.”


I think this is already starting to click in your mind:) But just in case, I’ll break this down even more for you… 1. God has an amazing plan for your life. 2. He WILL prepare you for it IF you let him. 3. God keeps his word. These are the things I want you to get out of this as Pastor Ed would say:) I’m excited to learn more about Joshua and the Israelites… maybe I’ll tell you more about it sometime or better yet… do your own study:)


Thank you, as always, for your prayers. They are what keeps me going on dark days. Time is flying and I’ll be home sooner than…. You are amazing. I am truly blessed to know you.

Made in America,

Leah

"... because there the Lord confused the language of the WHOLE world..."

Dearest Friends-

Here in Russia I am finding little hints of spring. The birds are singing and the sun is shining but I believe with all of this snow spring will take much longer than back home. During the night everything that had melted during the day freezes so in the mornings and evenings you are walking on ice. During the day, you are trekking through slush, mud, and puddles upon puddles. I have switched to a lighter coat so I’m excited about that. People have been saying how warm it is back home and that they can open windows and such……. You really need to be quiet… haha JUST kidding:) I will have my window open soon enough I’m sure. I hope. While I’m thinking of it, you can’t control how much heat is coming into your home (dorm room, apartment, flat). If you are getting warm you open a window. And if you were to have your front door open all day it wouldn’t affect your heating bill. Just an fyi for you:)

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a pretty full week here. There were some definite ups and some definite downs. Having internet in my room has already been a huge blessing especially during the down times. It is my little escape into the world back home:) But most importantly I can easily keep in contact with family and friends. I was disappointed to find that hulu is not available in this part of the country. Sometimes just a half hour show is nice to have to settle down with after a long day. Guess I’ll just have to be content with what I brought with me from home:)

I believe I’ve told you about the worship conference that the Hinson’s are leading on Saturday nights. I was there for the first week and helped with the Eshelman and Hinson kids. The next week I volunteered to watch the kids at the E’s so they wouldn’t have to worry about the kids during the sessions. So the last two Saturday nights I’ve been with the kids. I brought some movies with me from home so I take them with me when I watch them. I knew there was a reason why I brought my preschooler show “Charlie and Lola” with me… It’s just right for Iva to watch:) But yes, we are three weeks into the worship conference and we have three weeks left. We are halfway done. I usually stay at the Eshelmans place on Saturday nights but this week there were a total of 16 people already staying there… I decided not to be the 17th. It was the Eshelman family, Nastia (girl from the orphanage), Lola (a girl staying for spring break), and 9 ladies in town for a conference. I think I made a wise choice:)

So I have three teachers that trade off each week for my class. But this past week all three of my regular teachers were sick… I think it’s something about our classroom or us students… In America, what happens when your teacher is sick and the regular subs they get (if they even get a sub) are sick? They cancel class. What do they do here? Find sub after sub after sub… I had a different teacher every day for 7 days in a row. They are Russian Language teachers, yes, but they usually teach the higher levels of the language. They aren’t used to us newbie’s. Sooo yeah. Its been an interesting week at class. There were days I thought about not going because of everything being up in the air. And its difficult to be getting used to a different teaching style each day. But I’m proud to say that I didn’t skip. In fact, I haven’t missed a day since I started. There were days that I wanted to leave after I got there but I was too scared to leave not knowing what the teacher of the day would do:) They should have just canceled classes…

My university has a museum on the… 4th floor? Its like three good sized rooms with history about the university. There were several faculty members who were a part of the war so they tie in a lot of history about that. When they said we were going to a museum I got pretty excited:) But then they said it was only on the fourth floor… But I was pretty impressed with the whole thing. It was very nice and interesting. I didn’t understand everything that they were telling me but that is to be expected.

Breaks from classes have been interesting this past week. Some friends of mine from China wrote my name in Chinese for me which I was pretty excited about:) Still am. They seem to think that I should also be learning Chinese while I’m here… Shoot me in the face… haha I’d love to be able to learn Chinese BUT I’m having a hard enough time with Russian. And learning them at the same time… Madness. Yeah, just to let you know, this studying Russian thing I’m doing has pretty much ruined any chance of me learning any other language. Pretty sure. I can definitely see the importance now but I don’t think my brain is built for this.

Almost every day I hear the name “Alexander Sergey Pushkin”… If you didn’t know (which I didn’t), he is a famous Russian poet from way back when. He is very much dead but still his name comes up all the time. He is in my textbook dozens of times. They use dialogues of people talking about Pushkin to study and learn new words from. I haven’t been able to read any of his poems cause they are all in Russian. Obviously. But my friend, Vicka, found a collection of his poems with Russian on one side and English on the other. I’m excited:) Now maybe I can figure out why this man was so great.

Last Sunday, Cecil preached at the oldest Pentecostal church in the city. I went with as well as the Hinson family. Apparently, at this church not long ago the men sat on one side and the women on the other. Also, the women wore head coverings. So I had to be prepared with a head covering and to possibly sit with the women. Turns out that most of the women wear head coverings but not all so it was fine that I didn’t and they sit wherever they want. I guess the pastor has been working hard at trying to get the church to grow. But yes, it was an interesting service. It started at 11am and didn’t get done till 1pm. The seating is on wooden benches with backs that didn’t reach the middle of my back so 2 hours was… at times slightly uncomfortable. There was worship, Cecil preached with Tonya translating, the pastor got up and pretty much preached again, Steve Hinson did a special number, then there was announcements and prayer. The pastor and his wife live on the second floor of the church. They brought us there and fed us an amazing lunch. Their kitchen is tiny but somehow we managed to all eat. I think you could fit a queen sized bed in there but that’s it. After lunch Tonya and the men went back downstairs to the church for a leaders meeting. I think we were finally in the car at 6pm with still an hour’s drive to go:) It was a long day for everybody but a great experience.

Last Wednesday, I went for an outing with a lady, Irina, who is studying English and Italian. Her Italian teacher goes to my church and that’s how she heard about me. Irina has a car so she took me to lunch and also to one of the squares downtown I hadn’t been to yet. My college student stomach was extremely blessed at the restaurant she took me to. She ordered salad, a main course, dessert, juice as well as tea. Yes, I was very blessed:) This was the first sit down restaurant that I have been to here that I ordered food at so that was interesting. They had an English menu so I was excited about that. But yes, it was a great opportunity to meet and get to know her. She says that we will do it again in the future so I guess I didn’t scare her too badly:) Her son is learning English at school so she had me talk to him on the phone for a few minutes. He is only like 8 years old but his pronunciation was pretty good on the few words he knew:)

My first week here I read in my Bible about the Tower of Babel and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head since. I wonder what the world would be like if the people hadn’t built the tower and if God hadn’t divided the languages. Would there be different languages like there is now or would there just be a lot of different accents? And how did God decide who would have what language? Were families separated because they were given different languages? What was it like to suddenly be speaking a different language? Did they sound the same in their own eyes/ears and everyone else sounded different? I have often been pondering these questions… The answers to these can only be answered when I get to heaven:) Maybe they have some “what ifs” videos that I can watch or maybe the video on the Tower of Babel has some bonus features…. Whatever happened (or would have happened) I’m SO thankful that the Lord hears and understands me whenever or wherever I am. He knows what I’m going to say before I say it. He understands what I’m thinking or feeling even better than I do! I’m thankful that we don’t have to learn a certain language to talk to God. We don’t have to memorize certain prayers or anything. We can talk to Him just like we would talk to a close friend. With not having as many people with me throughout the day that speak English, me and God are having more inside jokes than ever before. I see something funny and I’m like “Hey, God you saw that right? That was hilarious! No one else saw it or understood it but we did!” Yes, it’s okay for you to have an inside joke with God:) So I guess in all my pondering and inside joking… Most likely you don’t have a language barrier to deal with where you are right now. So what’s stopping you from shining Gods light to those around you? But I also challenge you… Before you text your bff about that funny thing that just happened to you… Tell God first. He already knows about it but He would love to hear you say it in your own words. Before you call your mom to tell her about your day… let God know about it. Create some inside jokes with God. He has a sense of humor too you know:)

Well, according to my schedule this is a day or two late but thankfully I got it out before my weekend ended. Hooray! My prayer requests… Always be praying for my classes and that I would understand things quickly. That’s an everyday struggle for me. Also that God would provide times for me to talk one-on-one with these women He has been putting in my life. You guys amaze me.

Pondering,

Leah