CBU – St Petersburg: Surprises on the last day

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

CBU – St Petersburg: Three more days of camp

With only three days left of our camp in St. Petersburg, we are amazed at the relationships being built. The kids have settled into a routine of a daily skit and games in the gym, followed by group time with the teenage guys, teenage girls and younger children and ending the day with a trip to the park to play games. Keeping with the Olympic theme, the daily skit has reoccurring characters who are competitors in the “Olympics of life” and “the trainer” who is always there to guide them. Each day’s skit has a theme or moral such as … Continue reading

CBU – St Petersburg: An update from the guys!

God has been blessing us in so many ways and it has been amazing seeing it play out in everyone’s lives.  We have been doing tons of different activities with the kids and it has been thoroughly tiring, but we are all still excited to see what God has in store for us and the kids. The biggest achievement in the last couple days was the story of a three year old little boy in the Transit Center named Sasha. When we had first showed up he was so unresponsive to anything and it was really hard on the girls … Continue reading

CBU – St Petersburg: Almost done with the first week of camp

Months of planning had come down to May 14th, the first day with the kids from the transit center. Naturally nerves were there but so was the Holy Spirit. We were warned by one of our translators, Masha, that the kids would be shy and we naturally thought that they would take a while to warm up to us, but this was not the case. The day was blessed with plenty of laughter and games. In our small groups the kids really opened up about what they liked about the day.   We were so thrilled with their responses. When we … Continue reading

CBU – St Petersburg: First day of camp!

An update from St Petersburg team, Russia A, team leader: Yesterday was our first day working at the transit center and it exceeded our expectations! We arrived at 12:30 pm and the staff was so friendly and welcoming. It was nice to find out that our time here not only ministers to the kids, but it gives the staff members and teachers a welcomed break. We were aware of the fact that the kids might be shy the first day, but we found just the opposite! We had around 20 kids participating and they were fully engaged in the skits, … Continue reading