Christmas Carolers and?????

John has been at Elema all day and I am expecting him home around 11pm, but there was a ring at our door at about 9:30pm---you must know if you are in a foreign country, you need to know who it is to answer the door, especially at night!  So I said--in English--Who is it--thinking it was John and he was early, but NO!  We had carolers!  Our friends, who will remain nameless--but they know who they are---came to our door and sang us Christmas songs and then delivered a very unexpected gift to us!!  A vacuum!!! You see our vacuum that we had purchased in September broke about three weeks ago and we were having to sweep our carpets---doesn't really work.  ---it was used when we bought it so it was not totally a shock.  We priced them this week, but didn't get one. 

But, OH my!  The sweetness of these folks---amazes me!  Thank you for the vacuum and Thank God for His blessings that I didn't even expect!  What a gift!

Walk down memory lane....come with us!

Thought you would enjoy our trip down memory lane!

Our kids had a great laugh at how they used to look---Melissa wants to cut her hair so she looks like this and Mark still thinks he is the cutest person in the WORLD!

Yes It Is!

Being from the South, I am not used to cold weather but I am really not used to -4 F!  Wow!  That's cold.

My friends here in Russia!

These are some of my Russian, English friends here in St. Pete!  Many of the girls in the pics are from the family home---the group we worked with last year!  They keep me feeling young!

Brrrr!!!

Two weeks ago, it was in the upper thirties; last week it was dropping---near freezing; but this week---wooooow!!!  It was 3 degrees Farhenheit!  It's all the way up to 12 now, but it's really cold, especially when the wind is blowing!

I can't believe that Christmas is so close.  That means we have been back here for about 4 months since our stateside visit!  We continue to seek Him as to what He wants us doing.  Right now, we feel that we are to stay faithful and help Stoneworks(see sidebar for link) and to continue in our language studies, but for the most part---we are getting this---WAIT.  Ever been there?  I think most people have while following after the Lord.  If you haven't, I think you might have this to look forward to:).  The good news is that Isaiah 49: 23b says
"Then you will know that I am the LORD;
    those who wait for me shall not be put to shame."

This comic is old, but thought you would enjoy!!!

I WON!!!!

I WON a BOOK!!! I am so thrilled.  I have been reading interviews of authors for a month or two here and I won this book!!

I love Amish books!! I find that their lives are fascinating--hmmm....this is good, seeing that I have had some down to earth experiences here! 

So, mom, you can read this one first and then I can--b/c it's being shipped to you stateside!


I also got another special treat today--saw my friend Lucya--thanks Pam and Gary for sparing her!  We heard it's -35 C degrees in Siberia!!BRRRRRRR!!!

Thanksgiving!

When you can't be with family, you have to make the most of the holiday times to cover all your home-sickness!  This time we outdid ourselves!  Thanksgiving is both John and my favorite holidays!!!  So, we had friends over and ate and ate!!!  We miss our family very much during this time, but we got to call them after our Thanksgiving!
I cooked two 5 pound turkeys, Spinach Madeline(my mom's recipe), Stuffing(my mom's kind), Sweet Potato Crunch( John's mom's recipe), and Buttermilk Pie!

Our guests were our interim pastors and their friends who are pastors in Moscow, but from Pennsylvania!  We also had a couple students over that we have met through our church.

The lighting of the tree!

This is our beautiful tree with all the trimmings! 

John's plugging the tree in!!  Not that you can see the lights, but they are great!  Yes, we are rejoicing in the small things!









Even Matthew took part!!  Of course, we had a few ornaments to replace---as in one of the branches had 5 ornaments on one!  I think that was Mark's doing--why not, he like them soooo much, he put them on one branch!

You are not unplanned for, nor are your steps.

2 Kings 19:  ²⁵ "
      'Have you not heard
   that I determined it long ago?
I planned from days of old
   what now I bring to pass,...

Have you thought lately about what the Lord is doing now has been planned out long ago?  It's reassuring to me.  John and I are in a waiting period on the Lord's next step...knowing that He has already planned our next step is nice to remember, especially when we can't figure it out.

Lunch Time!!!

.  Today, I was talking to Mark about where his dad is right now as we were reading our History lesson about Christopher Columbus coming over from Europe.  I was telling him that Daddy was in Europe right now.  Mark looked at me and said--"No, He is in Lunch!" " What??"  I said and then realization dawned on me---John was in Hungary--and Mark got that linked with LUNCH!!  Well, of course!!!  Aren't you hungary when you eat Lunch????  Gotta work on the boy's geography!!

Charts Galore!!!

Do you like charts?  I am my father's daughter---so I am a list maker and thus charts appeal to me!  I have an engineer as a spouse, father, brother ...what more would you expect???

Publish Post

This isn't one of their best examples of a chart---but I can't seem to bring the charts over...so you will have to check it out...if you are a chart person!!

Surviving without John---counting the days till his return

We have been surviving without John--barely---he's at a Pastor's conference---nope, we aren't Pastors, but nevertheless he is there!  He heard a message that was confirmation of where we are in our spiritual walk--waiting!   Sometimes, we need those confirmations and now is one of those times.

I drove to church for the first time today---John usually drives and let me just say--I like it that way!  He is great with directions and nerves and other crazy drivers.  Really--Drivers here are very interesting.  I think the ones that probably bribed their teachers to pass the test, maybe the most interesting!  My friend Sue prayed for me before I left---so glad for someone to do that!  I was pretty nervous about remembering a particular turn I had to make--seems when John takes it, I look up and don't realize he ever did!!  Well, I know why now...there's no other way to go!!  Shew!!!  We made it and everyone is safe now.  Now, I just have to survive the week of driving to school.  If you want to pray for me, I am welcoming allllllll prayers please!  The kids are doing well...missing their daddy--especially when mommy gets turned around!!!

To add to this list...we have a flat---I think I could cry now!  (not like I didn't feel like it already!!)
UPDATE---flat is fixed--thanks to Sergei!! and We have kitchen water now!!!  Much better now...

Hangin' on for Tomorrow!!!

So, today, we asked John's tutor to help us find out why we don't have water.  She talked to our landlord, who asked her to go ask a downstairs neighbor.  John remembered seeing the water spillage along the third floor wall, so they went there and lo and behold there was a note taped to the door handle-- you would have to take the note off- if you were going into the apartment.
The note went something like this...A water pipe burst in your flat---please contact us at....---if we don't hear from you in TEN days, we will break into your flat and fix it.

So, I said--well, it might not be until next week...Saturday --the water went off---John looks at me and says, NOPE, it's worse----The note was dated TOMORROW!!!!!  Did you read that!!???  Tomorrow!!!  So, ten days from tomorrow is the most we have to endure the tub dishes!!! YIKES!  Well, that's Russia for you!  Write a note that is dated tomorrow and put it on the door today---so all the people above the third floor don't have water in their kitchen on our side of the building.  AND---John left today for a 9 day trip to Eastern Europe---He's been great---did everything to help me out so I would have an easier time while he was away.  Pray for all of us!