Interns: In Novgorod!

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We are now in Novgorod! But the last days in St. Petersburg were not to be forgotten . Some of our new amazing friends from camp met up with us in the city to show us what their city was about. The bus driver from camp took us on an amazing night tour of the city. We also were invited to the cook from camps house for an amazing dinner with her and her daughter. It was such a great time and we felt so blessed that God had placed these wonderful people in our lives. We also worked at … Continue reading

CBU: Celebrating birthdays!

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Having decided to take our Sabbath on Saturday, we began our day by catching up on some much needed rest.  After a late breakfast, we headed to a local souvenir market to purchase gifts for our loved ones back home (and a few for ourselves, as well).  Our team really enjoyed bargaining with the local vendors and immersing ourselves in the culture.  We ate dinner at our favorite Russian café and enjoyed a relaxing evening of team bonding over popcorn. Sunday marked the beginning of our last week of camp, this time consisting of seven consecutive days at the Transit Center (prayers are … Continue reading

CBU: Beautiful children!

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On Thursday we said good-bye to little Visilli. He has been declared an orphan and left the Transit Center for an orphanage. We were able to give him a gift before he departed and to share with him that he is never alone, that God is with Him and will protect him. Our gift and card brought him, as he so beautifully shared, “tears of joy”. Having this experience blessed Visilli and our team immensely in that while our hearts were breaking, God in his loving-tenderness reminded us that he is fully in control of all of our lives; that … Continue reading

CBU: Starting the first day of camp

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We safely arrived in Russia and have enjoyed immersing ourselves in the culture. On our flight here, we dealt with a few health problems such as upset stomachs, but everyone is healthy now. Upon arriving to St. Petersburg, we discovered that Lauren’s luggage, as well as one of our team bags, did not make the connecting flight. However, the next day we were pleasantly surprised to find it by our door. We started our team training and sightseeing and have been amazed at what we’ve learned so far. We’ve enjoyed training with the Vanguard team also serving in Russia at … Continue reading

CBU – St Petersburg: Surprises on the last day

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Yesterday was our last day with the kids at the Transit Center. While it was one of the hardest days that any of us have endured, it was also one of the happiest. Being the last day we could spend with these kids we had planned a party for them; little did we know that they had plans for us as well. After we got the kids ready for the party we came back together to dance and hangout, and just enjoy our last few hours with them. When they returned we were informed that they had planned a special … Continue reading