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
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