Well, what was supposed to be a 5-day visa run to Kiev, turned into a 20-day stay... We were thankful for the little vacation He provided us, but we are VERY glad to be back in Ivanovo. So... while we were there we visited a few places:

This is a statue at the end of a major street in Kiev. I forgot what it is called :/ Sorry! However, there is a HUGE mall underneath it. That seemed to have been the trend in Kiev: underground malls. and, yes, OF COURSE, we visited them!

Kiev was the first city of what is now Russian Orthodoxy. This is a very large, working monastery and seminary of Russian Orthodoxy. It had many very beautiful churches. It sits high on a hill, beside the Dniper river, overlooking Kiev. It is a very beautiful place!

One of the churches at the monastery...

This stature is nicknamed "The Metal Mama"... It is HUGE!!!!!!!!! It towers over the city, and is a memorial of WWII... There is a WWII museum there, as well, but we didn't go inside. They have tanks, helicopters, other monuments, etc. located all over the grounds at the memorial site. That was interesting :)

Train to Kiev...

We took the train between Kiev and Moscow (both ways). We were able to get a coupee for the 3 of us (that way, we didn't share with someone we didn't know.) It was quite an experience... and if you ask me, sort of like a time warp! It was a 12 hour trainride, and we were woken up at 12am and 5am to have our documents checked (once at the Russian border and again at the Ukrainian). Needless to say, I didn't sleep that well...

I had never been on a train before... or even close to a passenger train. We had no idea what to expect!!! We weren't able to go on those grand adventures, running from wagon to wagon, singing about snow in the dining cart, or anything that cool... So, we talked, laughed, etc, as each of us became very sleepy from the constant rocking... I think now I know what a baby feels like when they are in a swing... and when it stops, I know why they wake up! That's how I felt each time the train stopped!

Yep, this is all three of us... in our coupee... that is really all the room we had for 12 hours! ... but we survived, afterall ;)

Spring in Russia!

Two weeks ago, EXACTLY, we woke to a foot of snow, weighing the trees down, and everything!!!!


Today, there is VERY little snow left on the ground! YAY! A lot of the mud has dried, and the sun has never been so welcomed! People are walking, riding bikes, and EVEN laughing again...

I am so glad that it's FINALLY spring! :)

COFFEE BEAN!!!

When Sarah and I arrived last May, there was sign in front of a building downtown Ivanovo that said "Coffee Bean: OPENING SOON!" We were so excited! It looked like a real, western-style coffeehouse... OH, the possibilities! By August, the sign was still there and we decided to forget about it! It was hopeless! But after Christmas, we got this glorious, smoke-free, alcohol-free, comfy-cozy coffeehouse... ahhhh... it was worth the wait!!!
On April 22, we hope to host an 'Open Mic Night' here... It's a new concept in Russia, but we hope that the community enjoys it!

The inside of the CoffeeBean... how clean and neat and nice!

My friend, Sveta, and I... it's our favorite place to meet ;)

One of the big windows that give a great view of downtown! No snow and ice= many Russians taking walks!! :)

the Jesus i never knew...

i have just finished a book that i am going to encourage each of you to read. i think that the book is several years old, but the content is incredibly refreshing!

'the Jesus i never knew' by philip yancey is fantastic!

i returned from my trip to prague and paris about a month and a half ago. the depression i felt after returning to ivanovo was overwhelming in a way that i haven't felt here before. i wanted to begin counting the days until i would be home again... with my family... with my friends... with the things that are familiar to me... after days of staying inside, dreading going outside to say even 'hello' to my neighbors, or hearing it back, i was listening to a sermon from online. i don't remember exactly what was said, but i what i remember thinking was, 'i am down. i want to go home. and the only solution to my problem is more of Him. so... i will get to know Him some more.'
i began re-reading the Gospels and reading this book. it has done a world of good! it's not that i didn't know or had never read or studied these things that the book talked about, but i was reminded that He knows and understands EVERYTHING that i am going through. He's already done it! He's already left home... He's already been homesick. He's already been uncomfortable... He's already been misunderstood... He's already cried the tears... He's already laughed the laughs! He's made Himself credible...and i can trust Him to lead me through it!

so... maybe you just need a reminder... maybe you just need something good and encouraging to read... either way, pick it up. you won't regret it!

well...

today is sunday, feb. 24, 2008. by the looks of it, i haven't updated in quite sometime... that 'sometime' being about 10 months! as i read the last entry posted, i just grin... kind of chuckle outloud... you see, if i could have looked into the future 10 mos., i would have said, 'ummm... right! i think i will just stay here.' without that extra month at home, i wouldn't have been prepared. that boat i was sitting in was quite comfortable. His timing was perfect. His preparation invaluable. who knows where i would be if i hadn't been home during that time... i would rather not think about it...

so. we just got hi-speed internet. that should tell you a little something about life here :)
however, i love it. and my goal is to update you... update you on what i have learned, the experiences i have had, the gut-twitching giggles i have had, and the salty flowing tears i have cried. thanks for being patient. i have lots to tell :)

just chillin' in the boat...

i really like the ocean...it's waves...it's animals...the sounds it makes... the way it looks in the morning, and in the evening... the glory of God, clearly.. but lately my life is as if i am sitting in a boat, just out in the sea...

sarah and i got word that we were not leaving until may 18th. we were a little frustrated, but now it seems that we have both found the peace that we needed to wait 3 more weeks.

mine came from reading Mark 4, when Jesus and the disciples were out in the boat and the storm came...the disciples got really nervous and scared... i am kind of like those disciples... just more frustrated than anything... and my response to Him is the same "Are YOU aware?"... but i found that His response to me is the same "Where is your faith?" (grimace: ouch!)

so for now..i am chillin in the boat...the storm of frustration is calm now...and i am just waiting patiently for the land to come into sight...

don't you love the sea? i do...