Funny Picture

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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!

Megan's Hair Salon

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

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!