FFMC: Day2!

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Heavy rain during the night brought cooler temperatures-and more energy! Day 2 at the orphanage began with the day’s theme of kindness and a good Samaritan skit enjoyed by all (how can you go wrong with a rich businessman, a police officer and a Chechen on a Harley?) Some of the big kids helped with the parachute in the gym, and the little kids had a blast doing parachute games. After the first day we felt like we were better able to communicate with the younger children, and the activities and games flowed more easily. So, although things felt a … Continue reading →

FFMC: Being Flexible

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Our first day at the center was an emotional roller-coaster. We were excited because of all the planning and efforts put into the skit, games and crafts. The anticipation was palpable. There were many unknowns going into this week (How many kids will be there? What will be their ages?), but we thought we had all our bases covered…Boy were we wrong. This day was not going to follow a simple schedule on an excel spreadsheet. We were going to have to think on our (very jet-lagged) toes! Upon meeting all 23 of the kids, we quickly realized our anxieties … Continue reading →

FFMC: The team has arrived!

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After long travels, the First Free Methodist Church team from Seattle, WA has arrived and getting some long awaited sleep! Thank you everyone for your prayers! Please continue to pray for the team as they go through some training tomorrow, learning about what it means to live in the Russian culture and memorizing some Russian words! Since the FFMC team is here for only 9 days, they have gone through much of the training in the US before their departure. The training empowers teams to serve even better throughout their time of ministry in Russia. It is amazing the impact … Continue reading →

SPU: From Russia with Love

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Well, our final days in Russia have been quite the adventure. From saying our goodbyes at the orphanage to seeing more beautiful sights around the city, we have made these days count. Here is a recap: Sunday (in the 90 degree heat), we went to our final church service and our favorite post-church food spot, the Teaspoon. We had our final servings of borsch and blini (crêpes), which were delicious as always. After, the team went to the Summer Gardens and had a picnic, spending some quality time in the city together for our final days. It was absolutely gorgeous. … Continue reading →