SPU: Holding babies…

Hello again friends and family! We are so happy to be able to update you again with how God is working in Russia. Below is our own personal reflection on the last few days at the HIV Baby Orphanage. Jessica: I have been so enjoying our time at the orphanage! I have been blessed to work with the babies, taking them for walks and playing with them. They are so thirsty for attention and hugs-they are so precious!!! It is fun to try to communicate with their nannies and try to figure things out. One highlight from today was seeing … Continue reading

SPU: Finished training, tomorrow we meet the kids!

Privyet Friends and Family! After completing our training in Russia we are excited to embark on our next adventure: BABIES! We will start helping at the HIV Baby Orphanage tomorrow. What we have learned: These first few days have already been an eye opening experience for us as we have learned much from the people of Russia. In our training we learned about the Language, History, Religion, and Culture. Through learning the history, we were able to understand its large impact on present day culture and people. This morning, we had the opportunity to attend an Orthodox Church service: a … Continue reading

SPU: The final team for the summer has arrived!

The team from Seattle Pacific University has arrived and is sleeping after their long flight. Everything is well and their luggage arrived on time; an important fact when traveling internationally. Tomorrow they start the 3 days of training, learning about history, culture and the Russian language. Please pray for the team as they get used to the 11 hour time change, for safety and for health. You may leave your comments and words of encouragement for the team. They will be read daily.

SPU: Goodbye, paka, dosvidaniya…TB Center…

Today we had to say our final goodbyes to the children that we have spent the last three weeks with at the TB Center. All of the children have touched our hearts in many ways and it was really difficult saying goodbye. We have made memories that are going to last a lifetime. Our time here is Russia has been full of laughs, love, and joy. Russia will always have a place in our hearts because of the beautiful children, generous people, and tasty food. We knew we were going to see God’s work here before we came, but we … Continue reading

SPU: Camp is over and we are back in St Petersburg…

Dear Family, Friends and Loved Ones, Hello! We are back safe and sound in St. Petersburg and are currently starting to get ready to come back home on Sunday. We know that you guys are as excited to see us as we are to see you, but to be honest we’re definitely going to miss Russia. But we know that we are here for the amount of time that God wanted us to be and we are looking forward to sharing our experiences and stories when we get home. Yesterday was the last day of camp with the disabled youth. … Continue reading