First update from Vanguard University!

Priviet!

Our team has been in Russia for a few days now and it has been beyond our wildest dreams.  Every street, every building, every person is the exact definition of beauty. We have been trying hard not to stick out as loud, tourist-like Americans but we can’t help but carry our cameras with us at all times.

We started off the first couple of days in Saint Petersburg where we were blessed with a wonderful host family.  We stayed in the heart of the city and learned firsthand what this town has to offer.  Each morning was spent being taught the language, history and customs of the Russian Culture.

These lessons became very useful for day 3 of our Russian experience because we were split in groups to travel the city and find a church and local market.  We had certain times we had to be back and mapped our route before leaving to ensure safety (don’t worry parents… we are all alive and safe).

In the afternoons we explored the city with our wonderful SunErgos leaders.  They took us to several museums, churches, parks, and shops; each leaving us breathless. When traveling to these places we traveled on the metro which was located around the corner from our host house. The metro was an experience in itself, full of rules, and beauty.  Each ride seemed as though it were a game to see how many people you can fit in a very small place… eliminating the idea of having claustrophobia as an option.

Yesterday we traveled 3 hours by bus to Novgorod (which is the oldest city in Russia).  We were able to see more of the country landscaping of Russia and yet again we were left speechless.  We arrived at the church where we are staying and realized how blessed we truly are here. We had a wonderfully cooked meal and friendly faces greeting our arrival.  The boys and girls are split in two rooms in the top floor of the five story church. Last night was the first night we were able to sleep all through the night and able to get used to the time difference (the girls actually slept through our alarm and almost missed breakfast).

All in all Russia is amazing, perfect, breathtaking, wonderful and we cannot wait to share the love of God with the kids today and for the rest of our time here.  Today we finally get to meet the kids and see what we can give to them to make their lives more blessed and also help with our own walk with God ? Dosvedanya!