Things Are interesting here in Russia

So far things have gone pretty well.

We have had a few hicups. Today the karaoke machine wouldn't play the disc that had many American songs. We ended up singing I love Rock and Roll, then the Russian girls sat and sang with many Russian songs and we talked with kids that didn't want to sing.

So far the Bible lessons have gone well. We've also had relatively good success in family groups where we've tried to get to know kids on a small groups level. We've also used that time to look at spiritual issues and where kids see God. Yesterday about half of the orphanage went to a day trip with one of the local Orthodox priests. It gave us some opportunity to talk to kids about what they saw and about what the priest told them.

In my group I have been able to tell a bit about my testimony and why I believe God is working in my life. Others used the story of the crossing of the Jordan River and the rock mound that Israelite made to remember what God has done. Some told of the things God has done that they remember and put a rock on the pile as a symbol.

We also have done well with teaching ultimate frisbee, which has caught on well. Crafts have also gone well as usual. More boys have done crafts this year, as we have introduced T-shirts. The search for 60 t-shirts in Izmailavo was interesting and took me and Jeff and Nadya much longer than we would have liked. We walked many aisles of the marketplace before finding a vendor with plain white t-shirts.

I need to go to dinner, so I'll stop for now. Everyone is healthy. Pray for us. Pray for continued health and for further development of relationships. Some of the kids who are graduating have some options and have not made final decisions. They need wisdom.

Pray for us as we go to the ministry center in Vladimir tomorrow--for safe travel and for a positive impression of what Children's Hopechest is doing.

We miss you all.