"Whatever, Whenever, Wherever the Lord Leads"

Home!

2009-12-16T13:53:00.000-08:00

I had an extremely awesome travel home. All my flights were on time and things went so smoothly. After about 11 hours, I made it to Chicago O'Hare airport and walked through customs with no problems. I was so excited to see my mom and dad on the other side of the glass doors. We stopped at McDonald's on the way home and it was so weird to order in English. Once I got home I was met by my sister and aunt. It was so good to see familiar faces and speak in full sentences in English. But I also really miss my Russian family. A big piece of my heart is still with them in Russia. People keep asking me here, so when are you going back? I just say I am not sure but I will go back. I thank God for the many things that I have learned in the past three months. God's grace is so abounding and I definitely saw it! Things went so smoothly and I never imagined that things would go so well, but when you depend on God, He shows you so many things. I will definitely be praying for my future opportunities and waiting for the next opportunity to do God's work.

As my days are coming to an end...

2009-12-08T22:56:00.001-08:00

this is me in an effort to get organized.

Little Sasha

2009-12-08T22:54:00.000-08:00

When Nelly and I got home from going on our walk, Vera told us to follow her into the girl's room. And she showed us that while Sasha was playing, he had fallen asleep...under the sofa!

Afternoon with Nelly

2009-12-08T22:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Nelly came after she got off work and we spent the day together. We ate breakfast and then we went to pick Nikita up from school (which was quite an adventure). After we brought Nikita home, Nelly and I spent the day on Nevski. Nelly helped me buy hats for souvenirs and then we wore them on Nevski for fun. People everywhere were looking at us funny, but we had fun and laughed a lot.

My Russian Mom

2009-12-08T02:37:00.002-08:00

Pictures of Children's Christmas Program at ICA

2009-12-08T02:37:00.000-08:00

My Surprise :)

2009-12-08T02:35:00.000-08:00

So Saturday night, I stayed over at two of my friends house. On Sunday, we went to church together at ICA. After church, Liza and Boukje said they had a surprise for me. So we went off to Spartivnaya metro station and walked up to a big building. My surprise was going ICE SKATING!! Woohoo! Except one problem, the ice rink wasn't open. :) So instead we went to the Coffee House and had coffee together. Not exactly the same as ice skating, but I was just so excited to spend time with two AMAZING girls. Love them! They are the best I could ever ask for :)

Our Christmas Socks

2009-12-08T02:31:00.000-08:00

At our family home, we have Christmas socks. Throughout the week, everyone puts special presents such as candy or little items in each others socks. Then on Wednesdays, we write a special note to everyone. On Thursday night, we have chai and read all the wishes people wrote to us.

Funny Picture

2009-11-29T04:13:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken at the hockey game. Around the opposing teams fans sat quite a few police men, isn't that crazy?! :)

My Thanksgiving with Masha

2009-11-29T04:10:00.000-08:00

Being that I am in Russia over Thanksgiving, a friend of mine, Masha, offered to let me spend it with her. She made a delicious dinner for us. We has pork chops, tons of mashed potatoes, green beans, and glorious danishes. We were both stuffed after dinner. But after dinner, we went to a SKA (St. Petersburg team) hockey game. It was so cool to what the hockey game and see the famous SKA play. And I even got to see them win in overtime!

Pictures of Nina and Artur's Anniversary Party

2009-11-29T04:05:00.000-08:00

For Nina and Artur's anniversary, we put on a play for them. I played Nina, Misha played Artur, and Katya played Babooshka.

Weekend of Fun and Fellowship

2009-11-16T04:55:00.000-08:00

This weekend seemed to be extremely busy and loads of fun. I had the privilege to go visit Masha Mikhaylova, her mom, and her grandma. We had a wonderful dinner and took a wonderful walk. I had so much fun walking with Masha's mom hearing about different buildings and parks. It was such a good and encouraging time!

Then after I had dinner with Masha on Saturday, I went to have a sleepover with a bunch of girls from my church. We ate lots of sweets and junk food while watching a movie. We had lots of laughs and the time was filled with memories!

The next morning we all got ready and went to church together. The church service was really good and extremely encouraging. We talked about prayer and the power that God has. I learned I really should make sure I am not keeping God in a box. He can do anything! Praise God for his faithfulness!

After church, we went to lunch with a group from Holland. We had a good time and I got to eat Subway! :) After that we looked around the mall for a while before getting ready for the circus. Boukje, Liza and I went to the circus. And as you can see we had a BLAST! I was in awe the whole time. Fun fun!

Day at Mega with Masha

2009-11-11T00:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went to Mega (a big shopping mall) with my friend Masha. We went to the newly opened H & M here in St. Petersburg. But before entering the mall, we took some pictures in the very fresh snow. Also, look closely at how dark the sky is at 3pm. It's crazy!

African Sunday at Church

2009-11-09T04:37:00.001-08:00

At ICA, we have a lot of African students. So this past Sunday, we had an African emphasis church service. It was really awesome! The worship was inspiring and the message was really good.

P.S. This Sunday I must say I thought much of my sister Abbey, who has a heart for Africa.

Night with Liza and Boukje

2009-11-09T04:35:00.000-08:00

I think it is so interesting how the Lord brings people into your life. Liza and Boukje are two awesome girls I have met at church and I would definitely say we will be friends for a long time. Every time we are together, we laugh constantly, so much it hurts. :) They are awesome girls who serve the Lord. Liza is from St. Petersburg and has graduated from a family home. Boukje is from Holland. She is studying Russian here in St. Petersburg and working in a hospital and orphanage ministry.

Saturday night we had a sleep-over at Liza and Boukje's flat. It was a blast!

So I am going to explain these pictures because you wouldn't understand unless you were there. First two pictures are of burnt popcorn. Liza wanted popcorn so bad. She looked at the bag for directions on how long to put it in the microwave for, well instead of reading the directions she just looked at the demonstrative pictures. Which showed a microwave with 5 minutes...so she put the popcorn in for 5 minutes! Needless to say, the apartment will smell like burnt popcorn for a while.

The third picture is of Liza "blowing up" my mattress. We laugh about this for quite some time though I don't really know why.

Last picture, these are the most horrible shoes EVER. So I was trying to be Russian and wear high heels. I must say wearing those boots was so miserable and painful. If you doubt me, just ask Boukje. Like an awesome friend, she changed shoes with me for a while so my feet could stop throbbing.

Visit to Rita's Brother

2009-11-09T04:20:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, I was able to go with Rita to visit her brother Misha who lives in a home for mentally handicapped children. Misha struggles with a learning disability. This home is about two hours outside of the city so Rita and I took the metro and a bus to get there. At first, I was really afraid but I knew I should go to support Rita. Once we got there, I struggled with the smell, it was horrible, but the second I met Misha my heart melted and nothing else mattered, but making him smile. Just watching Rita, I saw such love and motherly characteristics. I pray that Misha will be able to be moved closer to the city so Rita could see him more. We sat with Misha for a while and talked with him. Rita brought him some hot chocolate and candy. He was so happy and the whole time we were there, Misha held my hand and petted my hair. It just made me so happy that I came and I smiled the whole time.

Tanya's Birthday Party

2009-11-09T04:12:00.000-08:00

Last week, one of Nadya's friends, Tanya, had a birthday. Vera decided to throw a birthday party for her. These are some pictures from our good time.

Posts to Come...

2009-11-08T11:03:00.001-08:00

Sorry its been a few days since I have posted pictures or updates. I have been really busy but tomorrow I plan to post pictures. Just wanted to let you know!

Our Homemade Cinema

2009-11-04T04:38:00.000-08:00

Today, everyone was off from school and work. Last night I had a rough night with Katya, but this morning things were going a lot better. Today she asked me if I wanted to go to the store with her and get some chips. We ended up getting chips, soda, chocolate, sour skittles, and yogurt. We came home and decided to watch a movie. It was like our own homemade cinema! It was a lot of fun and good bonding with Katya.

I like this picture!

2009-11-02T10:20:00.000-08:00

Megan's Hair Salon

2009-11-01T11:53:00.000-08:00

Tonight, I asked Rita if she wanted me to curl her hair. She said yes...and after Nikita saw what I did to Rita's hair, he wanted me to do his. These are some pictures of the lovely new hairdos.

Angel of Encouragement

2009-11-01T09:37:00.000-08:00

Today, I had an experience that I have never had before, but it came at a much needed time. I went to a different church this morning with Liza and Boukje. I was running late and was told I am becoming a "real" Russian. Haha! Anyways, I hurried to the elevator of the hotel where the church was being held. The service was going to be held on the 18th floor. Four people including myself enter the elevator, two of which chose different floors and one didn't chose a floor at all. Well, once there were only two of us in the elevator, the other woman asked me something in Russian and I nodded assuming she was asking if I was going to the 18th floor. After I exited the elevator, I saw and greeted Liza and Boukje. To my surprise not five minutes later, the woman from the elevator came up to us and asked me if I spoke English. She went on to say that this was the first time she was attending this church service and actually didn't know where it was being held. She then said that she knew by looking at me that I was a Christian. She said she decided to follow me to wherever I was going because she could feel God's presence around me. She said she wanted to tell me this as a kind of encouragement. I was kind of in shock. But when we went into the service, the opening prayer was about walking in God's Spirit, walking in His presence. I wanted to cry because this is the first experience I have ever had where someone has said such things to me. I really needed this encouragement. I don't know this woman's name, but I believe she is an Angel of Encouragement sent from God. He works in such miraculous ways!

Lasagna Take Two

2009-10-29T05:39:00.000-07:00

Today, Vera asked me to make lasagna again, which I believe is a good sign that the first time I made it, it was good. So with the help of Marina, I made it again. I did it a little differently this time because we didn't have much tomato sauce so I added tomatoes. We'll see how it tastes...

The reality of it all...

2009-10-29T03:32:00.000-07:00

I was looking through some pictures on my camera today and found this one that Rita took. I think this picture shows that doing missionary work is not always easy and we get tired. In this picture, I look really tired but even though I am tired I rejoice in the opportunity the Lord has brought my way. I know I sometimes complain because I am tired or I am frustrated because I don't understand things. But I must say that no matter what I go through I know and really see the Lord working here. I believe that when we put our needs and wants aside, God shows you what really matters.

семья

2009-10-29T03:25:00.000-07:00

семья...I had to look up what this meant. When I did look it up I got a little teary eyed because Nadya wrote this on the dry erase board in my room. And you want to know what the word means...family. And look, my name is include. :)

My Lovely Walk

2009-10-29T03:22:00.000-07:00

Okay so I went on a walk yesterday which was extremely nice. I wanted to take a few pictures of my walk, but every time I pulled out my camera I totally felt like a tourist so...I only took a few.

1st Picture: This is where I like to get away and have a small piece of heaven...a cappuccino. Glorious!
2nd Picture and 3rd Picture: This is a beautiful cathedral right across from the metro station.
4th Picture: This is a picture of a BEAUTIFUL shop with beautiful china. I took this picture thinking of my Aunt Gayle at home who collects teapots.
5th Picture: I was walking behind this lady with these dogs and the whole time I was trying not to laugh. Those dogs are HILARIOUS. The way they walk, the sounds they make, and the way the owner talked to them just made me giggle.

Megan and Vera's Bonding Time <3

2009-10-26T06:28:00.000-07:00

Vera and I made cookies today. With a lot of laughs and broken Russian and English, we made some very "koosna" cookies/ cupcake cookies.

My Lasagna Effort

2009-10-26T02:18:00.000-07:00

So last week Vera asked me if I would make lasagna because Nikita really likes it. Well, besides the fact that I really have no clue what I am doing in the kitchen, how do you make lasagna without ricotta cheese and without cottage cheese? I did without both and I have no clue how it is going to taste. It looks like lasagna, smells like lasagna, so lets hope and pray its also tastes like lasagna.

Sunday with Masha

2009-10-25T08:23:00.000-07:00

Today, I went with Masha to Calvary Chapel and spent the afternoon with her. The service this morning was awesome looking at 1 John 2. Also, the translator did such a great job! Then after church I met some of Masha's friends. We then headed of the the Gulf of Finland! Haha! Masha and I had lunch at Carl's Jr. and walked around the mall, watching a Bridal photo shoot and finding a really cool store that was pretty reasonably priced. We then walk out to the Gulf of Finland, which besides the fog and the slight darkness, was BEAUTIFUL. All in all, a great day!

Orphanage with Karina and Misha

2009-10-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

This Saturday night I went with Karina and Misha to an orphanage to help teach English. If was kinda funny because my "students" were teaching there students. We had a group of about 6 boys who were about 12-13 years old. The effort they put forth was awesome. They did such a great job and I enjoyed meeting them all!

More cooking!

2009-10-24T04:16:00.001-07:00

Masha Mikhaylova gave me some biscuits to bake (they are the ones you just add water too). I had fun making them and Vera really liked them.

Yesterday

2009-10-24T04:15:00.000-07:00

So we haven't had internet for a few days so I am sorry I have not updated my blog sooner. Yesterday I opened my email and saw 40 new messages! I enjoyed reading many emails about home and seeing how well things are going. Also yesterday, I got to go on a walk with the girls. Here are two pictures: one is on Nadya and the other is of Marina. We were waiting outside of Rita's work for Rita.

Praying for Daddy

2009-10-19T03:53:00.000-07:00

Even though I maybe thousands of miles away, I am still praying for you. Good luck with your interview today, Daddy! I will be thinking of and praying for you today! Love you!

Church

2009-10-19T03:50:00.001-07:00

I just took some pictures at church last Sunday. Here they are!

My Second Time Cooking AND My Brownies

2009-10-19T03:49:00.000-07:00

So this week I was bound and determined to do some kind of dessert, so after a Skype call to my mom and grandma I decided to try brownies. I made a trip to Dixie's and got some eggs and some other for making dinner. We don't have a cake pan here so I used a cupcake pan. I think they turned out alright. Vera seems to really like them, and I think she asked for the recipe but I am not sure. Also, I made dinner. Pasta and browned meat and tomato sauce and carrots and onions and some garlic seasoning....hmmm sounds like what I made last week! Haha! Well almost the same, different kind of pasta this week :)

Night at Masha's

2009-10-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

A few nights ago, I had the privilege to visit a good friend of mine, Masha. She was the translator and director/ leader on the previous trips I have taken to Russia. We were able to fellowship and have dinner with much discussion and encouragement. I must say that I am pretty proud of my travelling skills here in Russia. I took the metro 5 stops and then got on a marshrootka [small van/bus] and rode it close to her home. I didn't even get lost! Praise God!

[Picture is before our wonderful meal and of the beautiful bottle Masha uses for filtered water :)]

Update

2009-10-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

Today was another good day of bonding! Rita and I went to Marina's house yesterday and stayed the night. We got back home today around 2pm. When we got home, we made blini (Russian pancakes). We had a lot of fun! We were singing in the kitchen "How Great is Our God" in both English and Russian. It was so cool! God is so good!

[First picture was taken at Marina's house, she was showing us how to help get rid of wrinkles with kiwi :)]

English Club

2009-10-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I had my second English class. It went really well with only two students Misha and David. They are really starting to pronounce words really well. I pray that they are not bored. I am starting to realize that it is good I didn't go into education as a career, or maybe it is the lack of material. I am not sure but I will be honest, it is difficult to figure out what to teach them. Please pray!

Oh and by the way!

2009-10-12T00:44:00.001-07:00

Today, it snowed!

Baking in Russia

2009-10-12T00:43:00.000-07:00

First, baking for me in America is hard enough, so baking in Russia was a little difficult. In Russia, you cannot always find the ingredients you need when following an American recipe. And as if baking without all the needed ingredients wasn't hard enough, baking cake and making frosting for Sasha (who is allergic to milk) was even harder. Vera had this cake mix that could be made without milk, and it was in English so she asked me to make it for Sasha. Now on the front of the box is a picture of a cake with frosting. When Sasha saw there was no frosting on the cupcakes I made, he didn't want to eat them. So this morning I spent 30 minutes looking through recipes for frosting that doesn't use milk and had ingredients we have here at home. So eventually I found a recipe for brown sugar frosting, okay easy enough. No! You have to use a double boiler. (Of course, I have not idea what that is, so I googled images) So with my make shift double boiler, I made brown sugar frosting, and I am pretty proud of the results. :)

Exciting News

2009-10-09T10:05:00.000-07:00

I find it so awesome how the Lord works. His timing on things are so perfect! Yesterday, I visited a hospital here in St. Petersburg and not a few hours later I found out that I got accepted to Methodist College of Nursing. I just think it is so cool how the Lord pulls everything together. I thank everyone who is praying for me! And I praise God for His guidance and for the doors He is opening in my life!

Hospital visit with Liza and Boukje

2009-10-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

Today, I had the opportunity to visit cancer patients at a hospital with Liza and Boukje. The children there were so precious. We were able to just put a smile on their faces by playing games like Skip-Bo and the memory game. It was a really cool experience for me because I am studying to become a nurse. It was really interesting to see how a hospital works in Russia compared to the United States. But more importantly, I had a blast just playing with the kids and seeing them light up with joy. I cannot imagine spending weeks in the hospital as a child, so it was good to give the kids time to be kids and have some fun.

All the Girls!

2009-10-08T09:24:00.000-07:00

This picture includes the girls that graduated this family home and the ones that are currently living here. Oh and of course, me!

MIR Meeting

2009-10-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

Today, I had the privilege to attend the MIR prayer meeting. During prayer, I felt the Lord really challenge me. When prayer was finished, I looked around the room and noticed that I was the youngest one there. I felt the Lord challenging me that my ministry does not stop when I leave Russia and go back to the States. I have a huge missions field at my community college and in my own community. Sometimes I think I use the excuse I am too young and no one will listen to me. But that is when I remembered 1 Timothy 4:12, "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." What an awesome verse for Christian young people!

Waiting for an E-mail

2009-10-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

This is me waiting for my lovely mother to e-mail me. I miss you, Mom!

Monday Night English Class

2009-10-05T09:56:00.000-07:00

These are my advanced English students. Tonight, we played an alphabet game with cards. My students are learning how to pronounce simple words. They are having fun learning these words by playing many rounds of Bingo.

Prayer Request

2009-10-05T00:09:00.003-07:00

I have a prayer request. The boys in my family home are sick and have been home from school for a few days. If you would, pray that they would get better and also that I would not get sick.

Orphanage Party

2009-10-03T11:41:00.000-07:00

Today, we had 13 children to our apartment from orphanage 51. They were able to spend a day with our family, having sweets, drinking Kool-aide, and playing with toys. It was awesome to see them light up with joy! I praise God for these children, they are His creation and they are so precious.

My First Day Cooking

2009-10-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

I will admit that I am a horrible cook. But this meal seemed to turn out just fine. Hey, Mom, I told you I could cook!

Pray for Katya

2009-10-03T02:34:00.001-07:00

The Lord has laid Katya, a girl in my home, on my heart. Please pray for her.

Adventure to Mega with Rita

2009-10-03T02:29:00.000-07:00

These are just a few pictures of my day with Rita at Mega. We had a lot of fun bonding and getting to know each other better.

First Update

2009-10-03T01:43:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to send an update on how life in St. Petersburg, Russia is going and inform you of some prayer requests. It has almost been two weeks since I have arrived here in Russia and immediately I was welcomed with open arms. The Lord has definitely been guiding and providing for me since I stepped foot on the airplane in Chicago. Traveling alone without a team was quite interesting, but it has showed me when you fully rely on God you need not worry. After boarding the plane in Chicago, I prayed that the Lord would guide me through the Stockholm airport and lead me right to my gate. Arriving in Stockholm, I got really nervous being that my plane arrived at 8am and my next flight did not leave until 1pm so the gate for my flight was not posted. Standing at the flight information board, I met a woman named Carol. She is an American who previously taught at Eastern Illinois University, but now teaches at St. Petersburg State University here in Russia. She teaches English to Russian interpretation. She was taking the same flight as I and so we sat together for 5 hours until our gate was posted. I told her what I was doing and she gave me her phone number and email address just in case I needed anything. After arriving in St. Petersburg, Carol also helped me through passport control and waited with me until my "family" arrived to pick me up. I saw this as a huge answer to my prayers. God works in such awesome ways!

After arriving in St. Petersburg, I met my family and we got acquainted. It has been awesome to observe how a Christian Russian household is run. It is so encouraging to me that I have brothers and sisters in Christ not only in the States but even thousands of miles away. Within the first week here, our family got a little bigger. We welcomed two new orphan graduates to our transition home. Now, we are a household of 6 females and 3 males. With a total of nine people living in a 3 bedroom flat, it has been interesting in many ways from being woken up early by little running footsteps (little Sasha, 4 years old) in the hallway to having to wait to use the restroom or shower. All in all, God is definitely helping me learn to have patience. Last week, Vera and Vova (parents of the home) had a translator come so I was able to tell them about my life in American and hear about their lives in Russia. The girls have stories you would not even believe. All the girls have lived in shelters (orphanages) most of their lives until now. Two of the girls living here are sisters, they are living together for the first time in a long time. As little girls, they were separated from each other and their other siblings. Their names are Nadya and Marina. Nadya and Marina are the youngest of 11 children, all of which lived in shelters. One of the other girls, Katya, did not even want to speak about her past. She has been living in this home the longest, 4 years. All she said was "This is my family. Those I live with right now. I am not going to talk about the past." After talking to a few people who have also lived in Vera and Vova's home, they all said they could not reach Katya. She is very closed off, but I have been praying that she would be able to open up to me. As the days go by I see her wanting to spend time with me. Yesterday, she wanted to look at pictures of me and my family, and she wanted to go for a walk. Please pray that the Lord will open Katya's heart to the love He has to give her, and that I will be able to bond more with her.

As time goes on, I will be taking on more roles and responsibilities here. From cooking and cleaning to Bible studies and English lessons, I will begin to do more so please be in prayer for understanding and direction on what the Lord has for me to do. Also, pray that as I am here I will learn the metro system a little better. For those of you who have been to Russia in the past, I have taken the metro ALONE, without Masha and Dan saying "Two stops! Check for your buddy!" :) But it is still very difficult to navigate the different metro lines.

Under Construction

2009-10-03T01:31:00.001-07:00

I have been having difficulties with my blog. As of now, I am trying to work out some problems. I will begin posting pictures and updates as soon as I can. Thanks for your patience!