TWU Team update! Last week of Ministry…

Greetings from St.Petersburg!  Our time here in Russia has certainly been an enriching experience for each team member and continues to be a blessing to those we encounter. Our team has grown closer, as we have been a source of encouragement and strength for each other. As we have been here for three weeks now, a routine has come into place. It is nice to have a better understanding of our surroundings and the people we work closely with. Like the past letters, we would like to share about our week in more detail.

Thursday, May 20—We went back to the Disabled center and were able to take two of the kids out on a walk and were able to take them to the Spilled Blood Cathedral. Tatiana joined us and we took Anton and Kiril in, who enjoyed it very much, especially the echoing their yells made through the dome. We all had a great time and will definitely never forget the joy they were able to get from this excursion.

Friday, May 21—We went to the disabled center once again and bonded well by taking three of the children, Sasha, Kiril, and Uliya to a playground. We had gorgeous weather and had a great time playing with them.

Saturday, May 22—We woke up early and headed to St Isaac’s Cathedral. The inside was beautiful, but the view from the top was the real treat. The entire city was visible from atop and we quite enjoyed the windy sunny weather we got. We also saw the famous sculpture of Peter on a horse stamping on the snake, had a very filling blini lunch, and then peeked into a service at the Kazan Cathedral. And then we led youth group, Joy shared a part of her very moving testimony and we had a ton of fun playing games with our new friends.

Sunday, May 23—We began our day at church once again, heard a great sermon and Joy and Alejandra were able to understand it better thanks to the translation of Art, the interpreter on the California Baptist University team.  Then, we all headed to the Hermitage! Our team split up into pairs and were able to enjoy the beautiful displays, sculptures, and paintings that the museum had to offer. It was definitely a highlight of the trip for each of us.

Monday, May 24—We went back to the baby orphanage today for a really fun and tiring day with all the kids we had met a few weeks ago. We played with the older children in the morning and then moved to the younger toddlers, and finished the day with arms full of the tiny sleepy babies. It was a great way to say goodbye to the children who had won our hearts on this trip.

Tuesday, May 25—We went back to the disabled center today at which there were both fewer kids and fewer volunteer staff. The missing ones had gone on a two week long camping trip to the Gulf of Finland, which we were told is a very exciting and enriching experience for them. There were still  5 kids there which we did the normal daily routines with and had a very relaxing day.

This is the last update you will receive from us before our journey back to Canada. This Monday we will be taking the night train to Moscow to spend a day there. We are all very excited to be able to see Red Square, Christ Our Savior and much more of the beautiful city of Moscow. Early Wednesday morning (3 am), our team departs for Canada. We feel extremely blessed to have such an encouraging support group back at home, who prays diligently for us. Please do continue to pray for us, as we still have 8 days lefts in Russia! Specifically we would love prayer for the following: Our final days of ministry at the disabled center, our last youth group at the church, our time in Moscow, and our growing relationships with our new Russian friends.

Thank you again for all your prayers and support!

S Bogom,

Frankie, Adi, Alejandra, and Joy