Pokrov - Day 5

Well, allergies are acting up, which has put a damper on things a bit, and one of the kids I sponsor left for camp this morning before I got to see her. 

However, it was a good day in many ways.  The lesson on unity went well and I was able to spend time with a number of kids that I might not normally spend time with. 

I also met one of ths kids' fathers as he came to visit. 

In addition to the lesson, we did some work around the orphanage and I was part of a group getting to know some of the younger kids.  We also did crafts and games.  T-shirt making is always a favorite, and this year we introduced string back packs.

We also had our annual dinner with the orphanage staff.  It was very nice and I met two staff members that I had not known well in the past.  That was a great time. 

The children also put on a concert for us about the federal children's holidays. 

Vladimir and Pokrov - Days 3 and 4

Hi.  I'm sorry that I did not get an update together yesterday.  I had an unfortunate card error and lost all of my pics, so I was spending time trying to recover them.  No luck yet.

So, here is a brief update as I need to get to bed.  It's been another long day.

On Sunday, we went to the Weslyan Church for services, then to lunch at the mall, then back to the ministry center.  Unfortunately, I lost all of those pics, except for a few toward the end of the day.

The lessons at the ministry center were on needs and motivation and on having a positive attitude.  Don and I led the lessons and we had a pretty good group of kids.  We met in small groups in the second session for a while, then we went off to dinner with the kids. 

Today, Monday, we had a good drive with minimal delay to the orphanage in Pokrov.  Most of the kids are in Moscow for a children's holiday event, so we spent some time with the real little kids and then most of the afternoon with the orphanage staff.  They provided some lessons and games for us, and Don led a lesson on anger management for the staff.  A few kids who were at the orphanage attended a portion of that session. 

Here are some pics of the day.  BTW, so far everyone is well, but I do feel a cold coming on.  :-(   I hope it's nothing. 

Russia - Day 2- Vladimir

Today we took a bus from Moscow to Vladimir.  We left before 9 a.m. to try to beat traffic.  Unfortunately, due to some bridge construction, it still took us about five and a half hours.  We had a lot of fun reconnecting with kids and we got in some organized fun activities.  Oleg Baumann was there.  It's the first time I've seen him in three years.  Kids were very excited that I could speak Russian so well.  It was nice to be able to do a majority of conversations in Russian. 

I'm pretty tired so I won't be uploading any photos today, but we had a nice pizza dinner with kids and then the guys and two of our interpreters ran off to a banya for steam room, sauna, and a pool for relaxation.  We didn't get back to the hotel until after 10 p.m. so it's off to bed soon. 

Tomorrow's plan is to do lessons on priority setting and needs/wants.  I'm also going to do a lesson on keeping a positive attitude. 

So, more pics tomorrow!

Russia 2014 - Day 1 - Moscow

We arrived today.  It's always so strange to arrive and in some ways it feels like the same day, but really it's the next day.  It's been about 28 hours since we left Denver, but it's 38 hours on the clock.  Time to go to bed.

We had a little scare when one of our team members had to wait for his passport and visa,, but was able to make a slightly later flight and arrived a little over 2 hours after we did.

Then it was off to the hotel, red square, dinner and the tomb of the unknown soldier.  We arrived just at the changings of the guard. 

Still a tiring day of travel and looking forward to going to Vladimir in the morning.

Doug

Day 8 - Pokrov Day 5

Our last day was full of emotions for everyone.  The day was wonderful and we began by finished the work on the basketball court. 

Brian taught the kids to slack line.  They were a bit timid at first, but by the end of the day, they were great. 

Our lesson of Aslan was led by Karin and JJ.  JJ portrayed Aslan and kids could ask him questions about love and forgiveness. 

We inaugurated the basketball court with a ceremony and a basketball game.  It was a lot of fun.

Our planned final dinner and sausage roast was modified so that we had to eat indoors, but that also went well and was a lot of fun with a noisy hall and many hugs. 

The day ended with revealing who our "guardian angels" were.  We had chosen names of people to whom we would do special deeds. 

In then end many kids walked back to the hotel with us where we delayed our good byes as long as we could with lots of memories of the week and hugs and crying.  The kids will come in the morning to see us off and we'll have to do much of it all over again. 

It was so wonderful to see each and every team member valued by the kids that they had bonded with over the week.

Day 7 - Pokrov Day 4

Today was a special day for us and the kids.  We were invited to a nearby camp that included horse and buggy rides, ATV rides, a cheese making operation, and a trip to a lake that has sponges for islands. 

The most interesting part was the lake with islands made up of plants that group together in the lake to form small islands.  Depending on the winds, the islands can move across the lake and back.  We walked mostly on planks set out, but we were allowed walk out onto the plants that were as sponges beneath our feet.  They were so dense that you could jump up and down on them.  The island created something similar tot he surface of a water bed, so that when you walk on it, you create a wave underneath. 

This took longer than we thought it would and so our afternoon was very short with a lesson about Edmund and how we all are like Edmund in a way.  We are all tempted and we often fall.  Sometimes because the temptation does not, at first, appear to be for something wrong.  Then we find out that we've been tricked, but we seem trapped.  There is no way out.  But Aslan provides a way of escape for Edmund. 

I also was especially blessed today.  I was hoping to get to Nadya's grave, but because we arrived back at the orphanage after the bus had left for errands, my only other option was to go Friday morning by taxi, which would have been more money than I hoped to spend.  Nastya (a curriculum director at the orphanage) offered to drive me there.  We got into her car with two others and then met a girl with whom Nadya went to college.  We went to the grave  and shared stories about Nadya.  Then we went by the college and the dormitory where Nadya had lived.  It was very moving for me. 

All in all a great next to last day.