Hello from King's Team!

Saint Isaac’s Cathedral is tall. And when I say tall, I mean, 261 stairs tall. What a lovely view of the entire city greeted us when we finally reached the top! In the cathedral itself, we were met with the same impressive architecture that greeted Russian monarchy for centuries. A Russian Orthodox service that was going on in part of the cathedral reminded all of us how shallow religion can be when it is ritually driven and not faith driven. After Saint Isaac’s, we had lunch at Pizza Hut. Russian pizza is extremely different from American pizza and, let me … Continue reading

King's H.S. – halfway…

Update by 2 team members! 🙂 Today we took the metro to the Hermitage Museum. The metro was extremely crowded and we literally could not move inside. One of the team members made a new friend on the metro. The Hermitage was amazing and we even got to see The Prodigal Son (Mrs. Warren was sitting on the floor staring at it forever). As most of you already know, we got to go on Facebook and/or email; which made everyone very excited!! All of the children at the transit center were very thrilled to see all of us return again … Continue reading

King's H.S. – Day 2 with the kids!

Day 2 with the kids! Fred:  God has blessed, is blessing.  High points mentioned in our evening devotions as a team, have included working/playing with the orphans, and some of the sights we have seen along the way.  King’s kids (and adults) and SunErgos kids are starting to connect, starting to communicate even without a translator, starting to want more time together to just talk; the initial reserve and awkwardness is melting (unlike the weather outside!) to smiles more and more.  What a blessing to give hope and hugs and laughter—to show each one is valued; and what a blessing … Continue reading

King's H.S. – "We met the kids today!"

Dear family and friends, We met the kids! What a joy and an experience! Quinn, Danny, Kierney, Lina, Katya: The younger children surprised us; they abound in energy, and their moods change upon a whim. They are far less trusting, as they did not warm up to us nearly as quickly as we thought they would. Our crafts and games were fun to some, but others were unsure. The good news is that each child found his or her place in one of the choices we planned. Two of these little guys have been in the center for over two … Continue reading

Day 1 is finished! Tomorrow we meet the kids!

Today we experienced Russia! The snow, the ice, the wind, the drivers, the underground metro and the beauty of St Petersburg! We started with learning about the Russian culture, which will help us to relate to the kids a little better. 🙂 Then we found out what to do and what not do! Being told that pedestrians do not have the right of way is one thing, but experiencing it first hand was another! 🙂 Learning about the underground metro and then riding it for the first time! Amazing and fun! And  a bit scary. 😉 We went to see … Continue reading