Eye Exam

Yesterday I was able to get an eye exam and order new glasses.

It was a little different to have my eyes checked here. I had to read the eye chart in Russian! She didn't have the large machine that we are used to in the states. You know the one that you sit in front of and the doctor changes the lense choices by turning a dial. Instead, she put a pair of glasses on me that was capable of holding two sets of lenses. She manually changed the lenses and asked me which was better.

The eye exam cost 30 rubles ($1.12)
The frames were 730 rubles ($27.34)
The lenses were the most expensive part at 1250 rubles ($46.82)

I used the most recent exchange rate of 26.70 Rubles = 1 USD

So for a grand total of $75.28 I will be able to pick up my new glasses today at four in the afternoon!

Splendid or Well Done!

Ve-li-ka-lep-nee is Tom’s new favorite word. It means splendid, magnificent, excellent, and marvelous. Two of the new teachers, Marina and Tatiana, use this word. It is exciting when you here it said after you get something right.

Most of the other teachers use: Mal-a-detz (well done!) or Ot-leetch-na (excellently, perfectly, extremely well) either way we are still being told we are doing a great job... it is just interesting to hear new words to express the same meaning!

Radiators

Tom called Slavic to come over and check on our Radiators. He had to bleed the air out of each one until water came through. Now they are all putting out heat.

We are grateful to have Slavic help us out with things like this. Next year we will know exactly what to do.

The talk at school was about who went to McDonalds and who didn't. Was it crowded when you were there? What did you order? Is it cheaper than the one on Moscow? Does it taste the same as in America?

When we were having the discussion Spencer was the only one in the room that had eaten in Moscow... here in Krasnodar and in America. He says that in Moscow, McDonalds was more expensive. But, McDonalds taste like McDonalds. One of our teachers who has a very busy schedule went there at 4am. McDonalds was taking a break and so she and her friends had to go back at 6am. They had been out dancing and then she was supposed to go teach an English class. Oh to be 23 again!

Prayer Request:
Our school director, Tanya, needs our prayers. Her mother is very ill and is not doing very well. Please keep her in you prayers.

Weather

Summer is over and fall is here. The days are getting chillier.

Here is a link to see what our weather is like for the next several days: http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/34929.html

At least it is not going to snow anytime soon. We don't feel as cold as we did last year. Coming here from California when it got below 60 degrees we thought that was freezing. Having experienced -35 last winter we have a new definition of cold!

McDonalds Opening Day!

Spencer and I decided around 6:30 Saturday evening that we wanted to go out to Krasnaya Ploshad. We hopped on a bus and were surprised to find two seats together all the way out there. When we arrived, there was a give-away going on. While we were inside the mall, we heard fireworks.

With the new wing of Krasnaya Ploshad finished, Spencer and I felt like we were back at South Coast Plaza wandering around! We found McDonalds and it had a line out front of at least 100 people. It was hard to calculate. We decided we would shop for a while and come back later.

We purchased some movies:
Anna and the King
It’s A Wonderful Life
And
To Kill a Mockingbird

After we got our movies Spencer asked if we could try McDonalds again before going home. We got in a much shorter line than the one we had seen before. They were keeping the doors locked and only allowing groups of about 20 in at a time. We were in line outside the doors for about 10 minutes and then waited in lie to get our food about 5. We picked up four Big Mac’s, two orders of fries and two strawberry shakes. It cost 370 rubles. ($13.86)

We saw Christine and Murat (from the BLTC) and some people from KBC church were there too. Opening day of the first McDonalds in our city will only come once and we were there for it!

lazy day

A cold, wet morning.

Spencer is watching movies from his childhood or "old Movies" as he calls them. Nathan is writing in his room. Tom just got up and I am checking today's news.

I got a call this morning telling me there was a warning issued to Americans not to be in places this weekend with large crowds. This is a holiday weekend. I found articles on demonstrations planned for today that were cancelled. Most of them say that the demonstrators plan on gathering anyway and the police are being told to be firm.

So I guess we will stay close to home this weekend!

Social Ministries Team

Today we had a meeting for the Social Ministries Team. It only lasted for 3 ½ hours. Normally our meetings go for much longer. It felt as if we accomplished a lot. We were able to work on priorities for the team and on the budget for next year. We met in a basement room without lights and without heat. The workers had shut off the power to the basement to work on the new addition. We opened up the curtains to allow as much natural light in as possible and went on with our meeting.

Tom and I are here to help with Alcoholics/Addicts and their families. We never expected to have to make decisions about purchasing farm equipment. However, since the rehabilitation center we are affiliated with is located on a working farm, we need to be concerned with such things. Therefore, spending 20 minutes or so talking about purchasing a baler and another 15 talking about a shredder is vital. The farm is 40 % self-supporting. We would like to see it support itself 100%. Purchasing new equipment to help the farm run more efficiently is important. After purchasing the baler for example, they will be able to bale hay for others and make money through that avenue as well.

Tomorrow is a big day out at the rehab center. A butcher is coming to the farm to kill a bull and butcher it. Then they will take it to the market to sell. It takes two years for the livestock to be ready for sale. Tom M. told a story about having a book with a picture of an animal with dotted lines on it for where to cut the meat. He said that he went hunting and caught a deer but the deer didn’t come with dotted lines to show him where to cut. So he was happy that they hired a butcher and he doesn’t have to take his book out to the farm!

Guess who came to dinner?

Tonight Lee and Marilyn came over to our house for dinner. It was great to spend an evening with them again. We hope they decide to come here. They are very nice people. We had no idea that people from Fresno could be so much fun! They had been reading my blog before they came to get an idea of life here in Krasnodar. It was fun to meet people who got aquainted with us through the cyberworld!

Lee and Marilyn were in class with Tom and Ann this afternoon. Afterward they came home with Tom. Nathan and Spencer did a great job helping me with cleaning the kitchen and bathroom while I cooked.

When I was out today shopping at Krasnaya Ploshad, I saw where McDonalds is going in. Monday is a holiday here. McDonalds has chosen to open on Saturday just in time for the long weekend. Our family is not planning to go on opening weekend. I think we will wait awhile...maybe a week or two. Although we are interested in French fries and strawberry shakes!

Dinner Out!

Tom and I just returned from Madyar Restaurant. http://www.madyar.ru/

We met Lee and Marilyn from Fresno, California. And even though we are “Southern” Californians and they are not, we ate with them anyway! Maj-Lis and Joy were also there and we all had a great time together.

Tom and I got there first and we looked around for the rest of the group. Joy had said which room we were going to be in but when we asked, there was no reservation under her name. So I took out my cell phone to call her. And she gave me a membership number to give to them. He heard me repeat the number back to her while I was on the phone and when I got off the phone he said that number was Brian’s. We realized that the BLTC must use this restaurant a lot!


Tom and I were at Madyar last year with Dave and Shari from Moscow back in January. Tonight both Tom and I tried new foods. I had a salad with duck, star fruit, cranberries and cucumbers. It was quite tasty. Tom ordered a hors d’oeuvre that was fried cheese with bacon wrapped around it. We also had Czechoslovakian flat bread with garlic sauce that everyone shared. The food was beautifully prepared and so good to eat.


Earlier in the afternoon, I had an interesting cultural experience when Judi H. and I went out for coffee after class. I asked for tea with honey and cream. I was told “no honey” and I said, “Fine, with cream then.” He said “no cream” and then asked if I wanted a latte. I asked if he could make a chai latte (tea) he said he could only make the latte with coffee. So, I had plain green tea.

We have had the experience here in Krasnodar of trying to special order a pizza you know, something exotic, like ham and mushroom. The ham pizza does not come with mushrooms... if you want mushrooms you have to order a different kind of pizza that is already prepared with mushrooms. We heard of others who tried to order ice cream a certain way with no luck. Food items come the way they are “packaged” with no exceptions.

Happy Reformation Day or Happy Halloween!

Spencer and I just returned from a Harvest Party. There had to have been thirty kids at the Watsons house! Joy asked me to take pictures. So I was busy the whole party.

Becky came up with all the games, my favorite was when the kids were shucking corn! There was a pile of corn set in front of each team and they raced to see who could finish their pile first. Next time I buy corn on the cob I am going to invite some kids over!

I have some photos from the party and of Yanna today,but, Blogger is not letting me load them as fast as I would like. On top of that I loaned my camera to Joy because Hannah has a program at school tomorrow and Tim has their camera in America with him.

We had Yanna today for four hours while her mom was at the doctor. She is two months old now.

Nathan had a really bad headache today. He spent the entire day in his room. Their teacher's mother is in the hospital and their class was cancelled for the day... but they have to make it up on Friday!

a wonderful monday!

More packages! Thanks to Del and Marge for the movies... we just finished watching Monster-in-law and really enjoyed it. Thanks also to Mom and Dad. We received the box of goodies and have already divided things up. The pop tarts worked out to just the right number!

I used some of the pumpkin today. Mom reminded me of the recipe I used to use all the time when we still lived in California. It took a little work but I found it.

Monastery Pumpkin Bread

3 1/2 cups sifted flour
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 4 eggs, beaten
1 cup oil
2/3 cup water
2 cups solid-pack pumpkin
Walnut pieces

Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.Combine eggs, oil, water and pumpkin, mixing well. Stir into dry ingredients. Turn into 3 greased 9x5-inch loaf pans and top with several walnut pieces. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 1 hour or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool before slicing.

Enjoy!

sunday, sunday

Alexei spoke in church today. Our whole family went to support him and to hear his message. We didn’t understand everything that Alexei spoke about but we got the context and overall meaning.

We understood:
He was reading from the book of Judges
He talked about Gideon
Sometimes God gives us difficulties in life
Fear affects our ability to serve God
Difficulties cause us to turn back to God
God was merciful to Gideon and gave him a miracle when he asked for one.
What we go through in life affects our faith

As we gathered in small groups to pray our family came together and prayed in English. It still amazes me that around the church several different languages are present. Russian, English and German to name a few.

The needs mentioned this morning were:
Weather changing is causing many people to be sick
Volodia Rajabov and Tim Watson leaving for America today. They will be away from their families for three weeks
The church’s neighbor has a bad attitude towards the church being next door to him.
Three different people are having surgery this week
One person is going to Pakistan to have a heart transplant... he wanted to have it here in Russia but that did not work out.
Our church’s soccer team as an outreach tool
A new teen group is meeting at the church
For us as a church to not just hear God’s word but to obey it.

Last year Maj-lis had to tell us what the prayer requests and announcements were and this year we understand better for ourselves. We pray that each year it will get easier and easier to understand what is said...including the jokes that we miss now!

As the service was ending, Pastor Vadim spoke about the importance of cleaning your shoes before coming into the church. He wanted all of us to notice the shoe cleaning area outside and to “get acquainted with it!” He said that if we couldn’t clean our shoes then to use a pair of house shoes that the church provided or bring some from home. Keeping the floors clean is serious business here in Russia!

online friends...

Nathan got a package today from an online friend that he’s known for over 4 years. He was expecting something small like a music cd. She sent him a late birthday present, the cds and some sugar cookies! We like Ruth’s cookies... Nathan treated each of us to one cookie. Thanks Ruth!

Nathan was able to pick up the package by himself with no problem. He showed the package slip and his passport and she went to get the package and handed it over. As we were on our way home from the post office, he says, “Now you have to believe that my friend is real!”. I acknowledged that I do believe that Ruth exists. ‘I do believe in Ruth, I do believe in Ruth!”

The online world is great for meeting people that you might never have met otherwise... even though you live in the same area. Nathan, Spencer and I have all met people online. My friend Joan is a woman I met online from my days on the original Starting Over message board. She actually lives in the same city where two friends of mine used to live. I think Sadie may have lived just a few blocks from where Joan is. I drove there plenty of times... did we ever see each other and not know it? It is possible. I look forward to meeting her.

Andrew is here playing video games with Spencer. The rest of us are trying to stay out of the living room and not embarrass Spencer. It is so tempting to go in there!

the adventures of public transport

Spencer and I went to hear Jill and Stuart Briscoe speak for the ex-patriates in town. We decided to take the bus over to Shane and Melissa's house for the event. On the way over there we ended up taking two buses. Which is no big deal because we have bus passes. It was a big deal to those who did not hear the announcement that the bus was going on break. So it only went as far as the University and then stopped. When one young man realised that he was going to have to pay to ride another bus he started yelling at the conductor. She yelled back at him and finally got out of her seat and walked up to the front of the bus to get away from him.

He would not stop yelling so the driver stopped the bus and got out of his seat to come and yell at him. The driver yelled that "everybody heard the announcement" and that the young man needed to listen better. That was when pandemonium broke loose. Several people joined in the argument saying that they didn't hear the announcement either. Spencer and I seemed to be the only people that actually heard the announcement as soon as we boarded the bus. It ended with the young man writing down their names and I.D. numbers to report them.

Spencer and I enjoyed the time with Jill and Stuart. Hearing their stories of life in ministry and their world travels was inspiring. They have gone to teach in places where it is illegal for Christians to gather.

I think the thing I will remember the most is Jill saying that "you have to unpack your bags into the situation or you will always have regrets". She was referring to a young wife who had spent two years on the field of a four year term and had not unpacked her bags and was ready to give up and go home. It applies to literal bags as well as emotional bags. It is difficult to move forward in life without having fully unpacked all that you brought with you.

We met some people with Campus Crusade who are here in the city attending school and serving. It was nice to meet some new people. One of the young ladies is from California. I talked to her even though she was from Berkeley!

On the way home Judi B. joined us. The soccer game had let out and there were six drunk young people who were singing a Kuban cheer over and over and louder and louder. And playing the music on there cell phones loudly. It is interesting to note that when people are drunk they sing "La La La" a lot!

As Spencer and I were getting off the bus Judi whispered to me to be careful. Spencer and I walked slowly along the path to let that group get ahead of us. And then came safely on home. If they chose to harass anyone along the way it was not us!

why did the Sharp men stay home from school?

Nathan was feeling ill. He felt sick to his stomach. Spencer had a stuffy nose. And Tom wanted to stay with me while I babysat for Yanna and Ira. (Eera)


Ira was only here while her mother was shopping at the outdoor market. She showed up with her little raincoat on and her little yellow umbrella in her hand. She and I read some books together. I have a book called "The First 1000 Words in Russian”. All the language students have it. It is an Usborne book. I read to her in Russian and she repeated after me. It was cute. After about an hour her mother called and was ready for her to come home. I got her dressed to go outside and Spencer walked her home. He said to her “give me your hand” in Russian and she had her umbrella in one hand and Spencer’s hand in the other!



Yanna and Tom took a nap...Yanna on our bed and Tom on the couch. When she woke up I got her bottle ready and then Tom fed her. Spencer and I took a few pictures of her wearing a hat I crocheted last night. She is such a joy! The boys marveled at her little hands, feet and face. We just sat and held her for two hours until Olya came to pick her up. She was trying her best to talk to us. Each of the boys took a turn talking with her and holding her. Plus since she is just 7 weeks old we could speak to her in English. What a great way to spend a rainy day!

did you know?

Spencer asked Tom about Russian history. Tom gave Spencer the book "Russia, Belarus & Ukraine" which is an Insight Guide from the Discovery Channel, and a second book “Midnight Diaries” by Boris Yeltsin. Yeltsin was the first president immediately after the fall of communism in 1991.

Yesterday, Spencer was coming up to us and saying things like “did you know that Gagarin went into space in 1961? Since we have been here in Russia and have traveled to Ukraine his fascination with history has grown.

Nathan went over to pick up our mail from Olya’s and we got three movies from Marge and Del. Thanks so much for the treat! We truly appreciate you thinking of us.


Class today was just me. Judi H. was ill. I spent and hour and a half being drilled non-stop by Madina. She was very excited at one point during the class. She looked at me and said “Alida! That was 10 minutes! You just talked about your faith and spirituality for ten whole minutes.” It is amazing that we have learned enough spiritual vocabulary to give a testimony about why we go to church or what we believe.

The joys from yesterday:
Hearing Stuart Briscoe speak for 3 hours on Titus 1:1-6. (it was amazing!)
Talking with Erin on the phone.
Receiving an email from my cousin Hilary.

pumpkin time!

Yesterday, I spent the evening cooking, pureeing and then freezing a 8.5 kilo pumpkin. That is 18.7 pounds! Judi H. had gotten 3 cups of pumpkin puree from her pumpkin. Our pumpkin yielded 16 cups. I found a recipe for pumpkin pie and one for pumpkin bread and they both take 2 cups of pumpkin so I packaged up eight bags of 2 cups each.
It is hard for me to believe that something like this actually occupied my evening...
In America with cable TV, movie theatres and malls to keep us entertained, I would have just bought canned pumpkin. However, here in Krasnodar, it is so different. I cannot jump in my car and run to a Quik Trip or 7-11 the night before Thanksgiving and buy canned pumpkin. Thanksgiving is a month away and I am planning what to have. Nathan & Spencer want a pie and Tom wants pumpkin bread. So, I had to cook a pumpkin to accomplish those goals.

Spencer and I tackled the project together. I cut it in half and he scooped out the insides. Then I baked it and he helped me to scoop out the cooked pumpkin into a container and set it in the window to cool before going into the blender. Since living here, we have learned to make things from scratch. We have learned to plan. I realize that there are homemakers all over the world who do these things. But, for us coming from Southern California that was not our lifestyle. Microwave food, McDonalds and flying by the seat of your pants was the way we lived. Part of our culture shock came from slowing down.

We read more. We watch movies and not TV shows. We all have hobbies... Nathan writes and draws, Spencer collects medals and takes pictures, Tom does jewelry, and I crochet, knit and take pictures. Daily life in Russia is different from daily life in Costa Mesa, California. It is not bad or wrong just different!

best laid plans

I set my alarm to get up and go hear the Briscoes before school. I woke up, turned off the alarm and laid back down for a few minutes... 2 minutes before the seminar started this morning I woke up again!

I was up late having a discussion with Nathan. That was worth missing out on the seminar this morning.

Update:

McDonalds has a new billboard up here saying "Coming Soon".


McDonalds was supposed to be here this summer... we are still waiting!

Great Reads:

if you find a copy of "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgarov then read it! Tom and I both finished it and it is great at helping understand Russian culture, religious beliefs and it is just a good well written book.

church with the Briscoes!

We got to church and had a nice treat this morning. Stuart Briscoe spoke. He and his wife Jill speak all over the world. I found their website here:http://www.tellingthetruth.org/

Stuart started off by telling us that he and Jill learned three Russian words the last time they were here:

Amen,
Alleluia,
and Coca-Cola! just say them with a Russian accent and you can speak Russian too!

I have a favorite quote from Stuart this morning:
"God gives you the absolute right to be totally wrong!"

He and Jill will be here teaching at the BLTC from 9-5 all week and on Thursday night they are speaking just for the ex-patriates here in town.

I spoke with Jill briefly after church and told her that because of my father being in the military I was born in Chiseldon, England. She said that her Aunt lives there and that it is a very lovely city! She encouraged me to visit there when I can.

Being at KBC (Krasnodar Bible Church) reminds me of when we were in Pasadena, California and many of the teachers and visiting professors at Fuller Seminary came to speak at Lake Avenue Congregational Church. We attended Lake Avenue during Tom's time at Fuller.

Church was full this morning because of people being here in town for the seminar. We had people from Dagestan, Salihardt and various cities here in Russia.

After church we went to have lunch with Tim and Joy. Tim was given a duck for his birthday. So we ate it today. Joy made orange sauce and it was very tasty. The duck was grown at farm (the rehab center) in Artirka. Joy and I are going to put together a Thanksgiving Dinner and I am looking forward to that.

saturday morning

Last night we watched a movie that Spencer has called "HULK". It was interesting how different it was from the tv series that Tom and I grew up with.

I got home around 7:30 from a meeting with the BLTC women. We divided up into serving groups and I ended up on the worship team. That's great. I have led worship before.

However, once I got back home I realized something... I will have to lead worship in RUSSIAN!

The two people on the worship team (Becky and myself) are not native Russian speakers. Becky has lived here a lot longer and she is fluent in Russian. She also fluent in Greek (she is an MK who grew up in Greece). I could make a joke about it all being Greek to me but, I won't!


It was a productive meeting. We heard about the new childcare center (detsky sod). We are getting a librarian for the women's library. We decided what things would be done monthly, quarterly or semi-annually. We met for an hour and a half and all the serving groups were formed and one seminar was decided upon. I like it when meetings are short and to the point!

195th Anniversary

Last night we were out late a concert. This is the 195th anniversary of the Kuban Cossack Choir. We really enjoyed the evening. The costumes were new this year and the event was held in the Music Theater instead of the Choral Hall.

Spencer and I went with Lena, Alexei and the Havens family. Judi and Michael had to leave early... Mikey was a trooper tolerating the first half of the show!


They sang national songs from the Kuban area and from Ukraine. The choir will be going on tour and are gearing up for the big anniversary in 5 more years. The children's choir had not been seen for about 4 years. (according to my neighbor)It was a treat to see them last night.

As Spencer and I were walking home we met one of our neighbors. She said that she recognised Spencer from him walking his dog everyday. She saw my program and we started to chat about the concert. Then she asked if she could walk with us. She said repeatedly how afraid she was to be out so late alone. It was around 11 o'clock at night and it was dark and not many people were out walking. As we got closer to our building she asked which building we lived in. It was then that we discovered that we live in the same building. We live in the first entrance and she lives in the 9th. (near our friends Olya and Vova) Spencer walked her the rest of the way home and saw her safely inside. She invited us to come over and have tea. I think we will bake a cake and go over sometime this weekend. It will be great to get to know someone outside of our normal circle of aquaintances!

warm in our house

We woke up this morning to the feeling of warmth in the house. The radiators were turned on at some point and we didn't know in advance this time.

Last year, a few weeks before the radiators were turned on, they did a test. They had the water go through the piping to make sure it was all clear. We know for sure that they did this because the pipe in Spencer's room had a leak and water poured down from his ceiling until they got the water turned off for our building.

This year the radiatiors came on without warning and without incident. Having the radiators on reminds us that this winter will be cold... hopefully, we are ready. Last year the 35 below zero temperature caught us off gaurd after coming from sunny southern California!

4 hours

Tom and I were a part of an intervention group last night. The meeting lasted for 4 hours... it was a difficult meeting. I personally didn't want to go. I keep thinking they need Tom and not me. But, when I got there and saw that the wife was the only other woman present I saw my purpose for being there. I know and understand that this will not be the last meeting of this type we attend.

I cannot write any details about the event. We learned a lot. Saw some cultural differences and had to realize that being vulnerable has a different meaning in each country. Body language and spoken language are only part of it... we also need to understand culture.

We have further motivation to master this language. It is important that our words be understood and that we understand what others are expressing to us.

back on line

I didn't get to post a photo of Yanna yesterday so here she is... I had to take the photo with one hand. Remember, I had to be touching her with the other!

Yesterday was a little frustrating. Our internet card ran out of time on Saturday and there was no place open in our region to buy another one. So I had to wait until after school today and I picked one up near the bus stop not far from the school.

It is hard on those days when we don't have internet access... we feel out of touch with the world!

aren't you supposed to sit on the baby?

Tom woke up and saw that Yana was here. She is six weeks old. Her mom wanted to go out and run some errands and I had told her that I was available if I was not in school.

I thought she would use me during the week and that this morning I would be sleeping in! Yanna got here at ten and stayed until 2. She is a sweet little girl. She is a lot like Spencer in that she wants to be touched all the time. If you lose contact with her she cries. So either Tom or I held her the whole four hours she was here. When her mom came to pick her up she was waiting to hear our complaints...

we didn't have any. She is only six weeks old. It is normal for her to want to be held. Maybe since Tom and I have done this before we don't see baby quirks as over demanding and frustrating. If she were 8 or 9 years old and needed constant holding that would be a different story!

Tribute to Miriel

I want to take the time to acknowledge the passing of my best friend's grandmother. I had a lot of respect for Miriel and enjoyed the times I was in her presence. I met her about 12 years ago when Erin and I were studying at UCIrvine together. She was a very vivacious woman and it is hard to believe that she is no longer with us.

I wish peace, love, and healing to her surviving family.




Miriel Ring-Roberts
RING-ROBERTS, MIRIEL Born Miriel Mary McCall on February 16, 1921 in Denver, CO. Except for the few weeks following birth she lived in the state of California all her life. She moved to Beaumont, CA in 1954. She was active in the School PTA's during her children's school years and she was a charter member of the Pass Players. She worked for five years as secretary for Beaumont Presbyterian Church and she worked for 25 years as an administrative assistant for the Beaumont Library. She was active in the community, a member of the Beaumont Women's Club and a board member of the Laura May Stewart Foundation. She was an avid bridge player and belonged to the Inland Valley Duplicate Bridge Unit #534. She is survived by her husband, Morgan Roberts; her sister, Peggy Fought of La Crescenta, CA; her daughters, Connie Ring of Beaumont and Rexanne Ring of S. Lake Tahoe, CA; her granddaughter, Erin Ring-Howell of Stamford, CT; and her great-granddaughter Rhianna Ring-Howell of Stamford, CT. She is preceded in death by her husband Rex C. Ring. Mrs. Ring-Roberts passed away in her home on October 6, 2006. The memorial service will be held at Beaumont Presbyterian Church on Thursday, October 12, 2006 at 4:30 pm. Banning (951)849-4527



Published in the Press-Enterprise on 10/11/2006.

Tax Day

not American taxes... Russian. Our tax bill went to Alexei's mother's house in the city of Maikop. She paid them for us because any delay could cause additional penalties. Lena brought over all the receipts for the payments her mother in law made. And I gave her money in return. The bill was a grand total of:

307.00 RUB

307 Russia Rubles = 11.3940 USD


I paid 11.39 in taxes for the year on our apartment. How many of you would like that for property taxes?!

Lena stressed several times how important it is to keep the receipts because it is common to get more than one bill for the same year. And we must be able to prove that we already paid it. This happened to the church property. They paid a penalty double the taxes because the paperwork was misplaced.


Alexei is registered as a citizen in Maikop and that is why our paperwork went there. It went to the address of his registration. He is registered here in Krasnodar only for medical services. Before the purchase of our apartment he had to go to Maikop for medical care and Lena had to go back to Ukraine. Since we purchased the apartment they were able to get medical services here. If you live in a city other than the one you are registered in you cannot qualify for medical services and other benefits unless you own property. We had other couples ask us if our apartment could be purchased in their name. However, since Alexei and Lena are our ministry partners we choose them.

shoes

Sometimes the interesting thing about watching people is the unexpected things that you notice. In the past the day to day uniform that people wore included either black or brown shoes. Today I saw many different colors adorning the women's feet here.

gold high heels
blue leather
purple plastic flip flops
sandals with straps that wrap around the leg
stillettos in various colors

However, the highlight was a little girl in her school uniform:
white blouse
black skirt
pink hair ribbons

with
pink patent leather tap shoes.

She was a cutie!

who killed???

We found a few documentaries from BBC Timewatch:

Who Killed Rasputin?
Who Killed Stalin?
Who Killed Ivan the Terrible?

If you enjoy "who dunnits" and history you will enjoy these shows!http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0273026/episodes#season-2

What is on TV?

We have been watching a few new movies:

The Mistress of Spices
The Road to 9/11
Les Miserables in Concert

and each day Nathan, Spencer and I have been watching a TV series that Nathan's friend Trevor sent him.

Dr. Who

Nathan chose not to watch the 9/11 show with us. I don't blame him... it originally happened on his first day of highschool. Tom and I thought it was very interesting. They did a good job of taking you through the journey of events leading up to the tragic day and they did not dwell on the footage that we are overly familiar with.

Les Miserables in Concert is stunning to watch. The music is superb!

The Mistress of Spices gets mixed reviews from our family. I enjoyed it while Tom thought it was predictable.

Dr. Who is a long running series that started over 40 years ago and was recently brought back to the tv on BBC. It is clever, weird and funny. If you have access to BBC give it a try!

Serenity Prayer in Russian

Tom got a copy of the Serenity prayer in Russian at his AA meeting last night. We have been trying to find it online with no success. Now it is there for anyone who is interested in learning it.

you can find it here:
http://www.sharps4russianrecovery.com/index.cfm?id=6291&fuseaction=browse&pageid=48


If you have never heard of it here it is in English:

Serenity Prayer (short version in English)
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.
Amen!

Russian Grammar

Today Sasha Rajobov came over to help me with grammar. I missed a few lessons while we were in Ukraine and needed to catch up. She was explaining:

В always goes with ИЗ

НА always goes with С

К always goes with ОТ


В ИЗ НА С К ОТ if you put the letters together they spell "Business Cat". At least that is how Tom remembers it and he shared that with his class. One of his classmates told that to Sasha... so she asked me if I was familiar with it. Tom asked her where she heard about it and she told him. Anyway, after an hour with Sasha I know how to say who I am going to see and where I am coming from or to afterwards. Oh I could say it before but now it will be grammatically correct!

Al-Anon Literature in Russian

Both of these books are available in Russian. The One Day at A Time Daily Reader is 12.00 and is invaluable! I read from it regularly.

The Dilemma of the Alcoholic Marriage is great too and is 7.00

It would be exciting if there are Al-Anon groups who would like to purchase literature for starting a group here. Let me know if you are interested!

You can see a list of all of the available literature on the World Service website:

http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/

Thanks for letting me share!

Teacher's Day

Yesterday Spencer got a phone call from Mari at school about giving the teachers gifts today. I only go to school on Monday and Wednesday so I picked up a very cute flower arrangement for Marina yesterday. She was so exicted. It was a complete surprised to her and the flowers that I bought matched her outfit!

Tom went into school today with a gift for Madina. He took in some white chocolates and she immediately hid them under her desk... Tom said there was no opening it up and sharing!

So here's to Madina, Marina, Arina, Dima, Goar, Tania and Tania:

Happy Teacher's Day! You all are great!

I guess we missed Columbus Day. Not being in America means we miss out on celebrating American holidays. I was chatting online with a friend about 4th of July. I would love to be in America for the 4th of July but it was a blast to be here in Russia for New Year's! It was unlike anything we had ever experienced!

Recent Events

A young man, around college age, boarded the bus today wearing a shirt that said on the back:

Supreme Authority

and on the front:
FBI
KGB

Interesting, huh?

Tonight Tom and I went to a party where we met 4 people who are here from a church in Oregon. They shared their testimonies and talked about how they serve their home churches and communities. Jeff, Bruce, Diane and Mindy all had different stories but they each had a story that others could relate too.

Lena, Alexei, Valera and Andrei also shared their testimonies. What stuck me the most were some of the commonalities between Lena's testimony and Mindy's. Both of them grew up in Christian homes with loving parents and were persecuted for faith while attending school growing up. 4 of the men shared stories that included alcohol and/or drugs. Some things are the same no matter where you are in the world!

One interesting cultural observation that Mindy commented on was about when the plane landed in Moscow. Everyone clapped! My thought on that is that it is not just a Russian thing but a European thing. It happened when I landed in Italy too. I saw it as a sign of being grateful that we landed safely!

Last night we had a meeting that was very serious and very long... It involved pulling together a treatment plan for someone here who is wanting to get sober. Tom was explaining about how serotonin works in the brain and Joy was translating for him. It was getting late and everyone was tired. Joy mistakenly said serotonin in Moscow instead of serotonin in the brain. In the brain is "V Mosgeh" and in Moscow is "V Moskveh". It took a few minutes to get back to the seriousness of the meeting because we had to wait for everyone to stop laughing!

At the meeting last night one of the men was telling a story about several years ago... it involved going out to the garage with a friend to have some beers. One of the other men shared that for many Russian men the garage is a "Russian Mecca". All the men go there to drink and relax with friends at some point in their life!

thoughts about Sunday

Since it was Communion Sunday we also had an open microphone time. It was interesting to hear testimonies and be able to understand most of them.

One of the girls who was to be baptised on Saturday has parents who do not want her coming to church. She didn't come to our church after the big Seeker camp that was held this summer near the Black Sea. She choose another church because they had an evening service that she could attend. Her parents thought that churches only meet in the day time. So they had no idea she was attending!

Sasha (Volodya and Lena's oldest daughter) shared a story about eating macaroni for a more than a week. She lives with another girl from the church. They both work and go to college but they were very low on money. They were excited when there were invited to eat with someone from church and guess what was served...MACARONI! Finally, one of the girls was given some money and was able to buy some food. They were grateful to God for that provision. As I listened to her talk I thought of when Nathan was little and how we made it to the end of the month and didn't know where food was going to come from. We would go to church hungry and get invited to someone's home for lunch. It is great when you see God's hand at work like that!

looking for something new!

Pumpkin
Flax
Olive
Corn
Sunflower
Grape
Walnut
What do these things have in common? They are all oils that I found today at the supermarket. I was looking for coconut oil. I got an email from a friend telling me about the health benefits of coconut oil. There are health benefits in these other oils as well. I may go back and get the pumpkin oil. Partly out of curiousity and partly because I read about how good it is!

Communion Sunday

For over a year we have been taking grape juice to church on Communion Sunday. The practice here in Russia is to use real wine. We go to church with several alcoholics (Tom and Alexei included) and we asked for this to change. We were told that it was possible that we would be the only ones who want juice so we would have to provide our own.

Each month we noticed that more and more people were choosing the juice instead of the wine. Yesterday, I remembered that today was the first Sunday of the month so I purchased two containers of grape juice for the service... we took them with us to church this morning. Tom was told that they were not needed because juice had already been purchased by the church secretary!

The juice and wine are put on separate serving trays and of course you can smell the difference between the two. Once again the juice tray was the first one empty! (The people who requested it were served first)

Today Tom, Alexei and Valentin were called up front to bless and serve communion. This was the first time Tom was called up front to help serve. Usually, Volodya will just call on the Russian men to help. Don't ever think that just because "it has always been done this way" that people are not open to change. Our pastoral staff just needed to see the needs and the desires of the people!

Day Trip Cancelled

Our church had a baptism scheduled today in the forest near a river. Spencer and I got up and got dressed and were over at the church precisely at 7:45am. We waited along with the others for about a half an hour. I was curious as to why the bus was not already there but I just thought that the bus was late. Around 8:20 the rain started to come down pretty hard.

Around 8:30 Volodya called us all into the church for a meeting. He told us that he had been calling all evening to find a replacement vehicle because the bus we originally scheduled broke down. Late last night he found another vehicle. The driver arrived at the church at 7am and called Volodya to let him know he was there. At 7:30am Volodya went over to the church and the driver was not there. Volodya called to find out what had happened. He found out that our driver had a heart attack. He tried to find a replacement driver all morning with no luck.

So our trip was cancelled. Please pray for the driver and for those who were going to be baptised. Some of the young people have parents who don't want them attending church. Nathan says that there was a debate last night at youth group about obeying parents. How long is that supposed to last and does it apply to all situations? If some of these young people were to obey their parents they would not be in church.

Sometimes people can be superstitious. I pray that noone takes this as a sign that they are not supposed to get baptised and go to church.

Sharp Family Mailing Address

Lost marathon is over!

We finished season two last night. Tom and Nathan stayed awake to watch all the bonus material as well. We can hardly wait to see season three!

Spencer is over at Andrew's house. Tonight is Bill's birthday party but Tom and I couldn't make it. Today was a hard day for me. The weather is changing and when that happens my fibromyalgia acts up. Today the left side of my body was very achy. Tom said his knee hurt on Tuesday... aren't we a great pair? But, at least we can tell what the weather is going to do!

Nathan is at his youth group. He says that there are new people attending now. Which is good. I don't think Spencer will get involved with the youth until Nathan leaves. They try to give each other space when they can.

We got a phone call tonight asking us to attend a baptism in the forest tomorrow. We have to meet at church at 7:45am. It may be a little early for Tom and Nathan but I think Spencer and I will go. It would be good to get pictures and be part of the fellowship.

Lost Marathon Season Two

Last night we had a marathon of watching LOST. We didn't finish all the discs yet. It was hard to go to bed knowing that we were only on episode 14 and still had 10 left to go!

We all went to bed around 2am last night and this morning Lena was here right on time at 10 am. We were all awake and worked with her!




P.S. Happy Birthday Bill!

There is a first time for everything!

While we were in Ukraine, it was common to see a grandfather (dedushka) pushing a child in a stroller. After living in Russia for 17 months, we finally saw a grandfather out with a little one. That doesn’t mean it never happens here. It just means we saw it for the first time today. When asking Russians about this we have gotten different answers. “Maybe the grandfather is an alcoholic”, “maybe the grandfather is dead” and so on. It was interesting that in Ukraine the men seemed to live longer there than they do here. On a daily basis, older men are not as visible here as older women are.

The little guy who was out with his gandpa today looked very happy. And grandpa appeared to be very patient with this little one.

Ice cream

When we were out on Saturday we saw at least 6 ice cream stands along the street we were on.

Here in Russia one of the beliefs about ice cream is that if you eat it when it is cold outside it will make you sick.

Saturday was still warm enough that noone seemed to be worried about getting a sore throat from eating it!

City Day!

Spencer and I went strolling down on Krasnaya Street on Saturday. We enjoyed the sights and sounds of the day. Many people were out eating ice cream, watching the concerts in the parks, and shooting off fireworks.

Tom had his AA meeting on Saturday and I baked a cake for him so that he could celebrate his 19th year of being sober. I used a box cakemix that we had on hand from America and Tom said that one woman was insistent about getting my recipe! I was glad that it was well received... sometimes Russians don't like cake if it is too sweet!

Marilyn Murray celebrates her 70th birthday!

Marilyn is here to teach level two of her training. She had just finished up teaching at a university in Moscow and is here in Krasnodar for the next two weeks.

Joy put together a great party for her consisting of her teaching team here in Krasnodar and a few fortunate friends (like us!)


We had food, fun and great fellowship. It was exciting to hear Marilyn speak of all the work she has been doing and of her future plans.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could bottle her energy!

You can see more of her party on the photo blog starting here:
http://sharpmomphotos.blogspot.com/2006/09/joys-neighbor-spent-week-making-this.html

Christmas List

Last year I just did this list in the sidebar of the blog. This year I thought it would be nice to spice it up a bit...

We have three cake mixes left and half a container of vanilla frosting. We like vanilla frosting on cinnamon rolls... yum!

We have found peanut butter here and of course we could always use more poptarts and popcorn! Looks like I forgot to add poptarts and popcorn to the list... oh well!

Nathan and Spencer have other ideas about what should be on this list but Tom and I reminded them that this was for items we cannot find here in Russia and it won't be a waste of anyone's money if we get more than one of each item... it will get used!

blame the French!

Hard, rough, uneven sidewalks...

cause us to have to either buy new shoes or get them repaired. I have several pairs of shoes that need to have the heel repaired and Spencer needs to have the sole repaired on his tennis shoes. We started with one pair of my shoes.

When I showed up at the little kiosk (pictured here) to give the guy there my shoes, well, um, they were dirty on the soles from the last muddy day I wore them and lost the heel of one shoe. At first he was not going to accept them because they were dirty. I apologised and said I didn't realize that they were so dirty. He wrote out a claim ticket, I paid and then left.

At five o'clock I went back to pick up my shoes and he was there smiling! I thanked him for the shoes and he said "in French it is Au Revoir right?" choosing not to correct his thinking that I am from France (I get that a lot) I just smiled and told him he was correct and said "Au Revoir" in return and left. When I got home and told Tom what had just happened he said "that's great! Then he can think that the French have dirty shoes and not Americans!"

so there you go... blame the French!

a grip on reality

Joys of the big city...crowded buses, expensive taxi’s, fast moving cars on the streets and people everywhere you look. This is true of many large cities in the world. In Kiev, my phone was stolen on a very crowded marshutka. (a public van) It was so crowded on the ride that day that people who were standing nearest the door had to get out of the van so others behind them could get off if they needed too. Most of the riders were standing because there were not enough seats for everyone.

I ran errands that day with Spencer. We were still trying to get everything sorted out with our visas. When we finally got back to the boat, I was going to text message Tim and Joy to let them know we needed additional funds to cover the new cost of the visas. That was when I discovered the phone was gone. I honestly did not want to believe that the phone was stolen. I believed that I had lost it. The rest of the time we were in Kiev, I kept searching various places in our room. I just knew that a monster inside the couch had eaten it or something.

Today I have to deal with the fact that it was indeed stolen. Lena told me that she heard from Judi H. about my phone. She decided to call it anyway. A man answered. She asked for me. He told here I was not available. This makes it official. The couch monster I was accusing didn’t eat it. I didn’t lose it in our room. It was swiped from my pocket on the marshutka.

Lena asked me if I was sad. I said yes. I felt out of touch with the world around me. I couldn’t send anyone a text message or call to chat. I missed Judi, Lena, Erin and Joanie. These are the people I usually text message or talk to on the phone. I still cannot communicate with people unless I borrow a phone from Spencer, Tom or Nathan. Lena noticed that I was calling her from Nathan’s phone. She asked me if I was going to get a new one. I am. Right now, our passports are with Madina. She is getting us registered again in the city. Without a passport, I cannot get a new phone. Everything sold in Russia has to be registered. Even the small alarm clock Tom purchased last year is registered!

pictures are up!

You will have to check out my photo blog to see our memories from our trip. I think this photo is self explanatory... Spencer is being Spencer and Nathan is spying on me!

We all returned to school today. Tom and I were unable to attend the seminar that was next on our schedule. So we trooped off the school! Our school day started with a meeting of the second year students and the founder. It was good to see Diane again. We attended the hour and a half meeting... Ran over to the supermarket to get some food and got to class on time at 1:30.

This weekend is the 213th anniversary of the city. All over the city repair work is being done to pretty up the place for the weekend. Next month the Kuban Cossack Choir will be performing again and this is their 195th anniversary. I don't know if Nathan and Tom will go to the concert but Spencer and I are always ready for a show!

Before school began I got a call from Pastor Vadim at our church and he wanted to borrow our copy of the church video. I made arrangements to leave it at Olya's house. She is home with 3 week old Yana and 2 year old Ira. Spencer and I went down to her apartment and saw Yana. She has one of the most beautiful faces I have ever seen. I saw her smile and I don't believe it was gas. I was in a hurry so I didn't get photos. Yana is a brunette and her older sister is a fiery redhead!

here they come!

I took this photo as we were waiting for our taxi to the train station. This is the front of our apartment building. We didn't have much luggage... thank goodness there was a washing machine on the boat!

home at last!

I took this photo on the way to Kiev. This is the inside of a Russian train. After just completing a 24 hour journey we are all glad to be home! Thanks for your prayers.

On the road again…

As we rode the train to Kiev from Krasnodar several vendors got on and off the train to sell their wares on the different cars. We saw people selling:

Ice cream (two different women)
Tools (one man was selling a complete drill set)
Coloring Books
Fried Pies (meat or potato)
Magazines
Newspapers
Hot Water
DVD’s and VHS videos
Art supplies

We board the train in Kiev this evening at 11 pm and it will take 24 hours for us to reach Krasnodar. It will be fun to take note of who boards the train this time… and what they will have to offer. The guys joked about someone coming through selling pets, cars or houses. The possibilities do seem endless!

where should we go?

This is our final day to sightsee and enjoy the beauty of Kiev. Spencer and I are having a hard time deciding where to go. There is still so much to see!

Tom is on the boat studying his Russian lessons that he has not had time to look at for the past two weeks. He and Nathan are staying on the boat today to enjoy the quiet provided by Spencer and me leaving!

delayed until sunday...

Our new visas are dated for the 17th of September so we cannot enter Russia until that date.

We had to go to the train station and stand in one line to wait for information on where to change tickets... then a second line to get a refund for the old tickets and a third line to purchase new. We lost about 12 per ticket in the refund and the new tickets were about 10 dollars more per ticket. So we came out okay.


We leave here now on Sunday at 11 pm and get to Krasnodar shortly after midnight on Monday. Or you could say Tuesday morning!

That is life... always adjusting and redjusting!

Family Night

I found this photo on the internet... it is a path not far from the boat we are staying on.

Tom is speaking at tonight's family night service. So he is back on the boat preparing (taking a nap). Nathan, Spencer and I are venturing out to see a few more sights beofre we leave.

Last night we had dinner again with Sharon, Bayassa and his wife Miga. This time Jillian joined us as well. Bayassa and Miga cooked so we had Mongolian food. They made three types of little fried pies that had meat, veggies or just mashed potatos inside. Bayassa and Miga say that Mongolian Bar-b-que is an American thing. There is a new restaurant that opened up in their town that sells Mongolian Bar-b-que and it is run by an American.

Jillian asked what our favorite food was that we had been served by the students. I said it was difficult to answer that question because we have had such different meals. We have eaten, Mongolian, Korean, Ukrainian, Russian and American (one group fed us pizza). How do you compare and choose which is the best?

I can answer which dessert has been the best... vanilla ice cream and fresh fruit for topping. yummm! That was Sharon's contribution to our mongolian dinner!

People watching??

Going for a stroll on Kreshatik Boulevard is always an interesting experience. Languages from all over the world can be heard. English is spoken with many different accents and for us as English speakers that seems to be the language we hear the loudest. Are English speakers actually louder than speakers from other countries? It is hard to say. Americans seem to be the loudest to our ears. We can spot them in a crowd anywhere.

Yesterday Spencer and I decided to sit down on a park bench and rest. We got into watching the crowd as they milled by. People were eating icecream, smoking, laughing and talking. We sat down near three guys with monkeys on their shoulders. They were getting people to stop and have a photo taken with a monkey for a fee. One man seemed to be trying to pick up girls with his monkey. At one point we saw the monkey pat himself all over as if to look through his pockets and then pull a cigarette out of his diaper. Who would want a cigarette so bad that they would accept one from a monkey's diaper? Well this young lady did.

People watching.... interesting!

Postcards

We have several postcards addressed and today we need to go out and find a postoffice. Last year our trip to a Ukrainian post office was pleasant. Much nicer than our experiences in Russian post offices. This year the difference is that many of the official forms and offices around here have switched over from using Russian on all documents to using Ukrainian. Unfortunately, we cannot read Ukrainian.

As we listen to TV programs we are realizing that they are not using Russian words we have not learned yet. They are speaking in Ukrainian. We tried to watch a movie that was originally in English... you could hear it in the background. And then it was dubbed into Russian. And then it had subtitles in Ukrainian. We gave up because it was too confusing!

Yesterday, felt like such a somber day. Spencer and I went down to the conference room after everyone had cleared out and we figured out how to getthe big screen TV on CNN. We watched the memorial services that were held around the world. Then we tuned in to BBC to watch news.

Right now we are watching TV and we can see Oprah. Normally, this would excite me since this is a program I watched faithfully since it's inception. However, since it is dubbed into Ukrainian we cannot really enjoy it! Oprah speaking Ukrainian... I wonder what she thinks of someone else's voice coming out of her mouth!

9/11

Five years ago today was Nathan's first day studying at Biola in the homeschool coop program STAR. We arrived at school on time and a little harried from having to actually fight traffic for him to go to school.

Nathan still remembers being sent home to pray. They gathered all of the students in the auditorium and recounted the events that had taken place in America that morning. As we sat listening I was in disbelief that the Pentagon had been hit. As the daughter of a military serviceman I was taught that this was impossible.

We pause to pray again for the families and people affected by this tragedy. It is strange not to be in America watching the memorials on the news with millions of others. Or perhaps participate in one. We can only read online and remember.

Orange Revolution

We had a very busy day yesterday. We went out sightseeing again with Igor (sounds like eager). We saw St. Sofia's and St. Michael's churches. spencer and I have many pictures to post when we get home on Sunday. We also went to the site of the Orange Revolution. It was awesome and overwhelming to be in this square where this incredible stand against the injustice of a "stolen" election took place.

Igor told us he was there during those days. Last night at dinner we found out that everyone at the table had been there too. Lena, Igor (different man) and his wife Olya were also been there. They had no idea what the outcome might be at the time. They didn't know if tanks would come to send them all away or if they would be arrested. But, it was important to each of them to take part in this revolt. Many people around the world were praying for the people of Ukraine back in 2004. Tom and I were part of that group.

Tom has vivid memories of watching the news while we were still in America. He knew where we were yesterday when he saw the angel on top of the column. He remembered from the news reports that this was that same historic spot.

We never expected to ever be standing in that square. We will never forget yesterday and we will always be grateful to God for the places we have been allowed to travel to.

What do you have for sale?

Riding the subway is an adventure. Today there was a guy selling band-aids. Yesterday there was a man selling magazines. I have never ridden the subway in America but I am sure this must be a common sight. After all you have a captive audience and if it is a good deal why not?!

I didn't want to open my wallet in public otherwise I would have bought the band-aids... he was selling them for a great price... 1 greeven, which is basically 20 cents for a package of 20!

Last night we saw the graduation of the DTS students from YWAM. Discipleship Training School last 6 months. These young people had done the complete course and then they went out for practical in the field training. One group went to Moldova and the other group went to Armenia. I have never been a geography whiz so I didn't realize that Mount Ararat is in Armenia. Seeing people atop the sight of Noah's ark was awesome. And so was hearing the testimonies of the students. The did youth camps, went to an HIV clinic and to a nursing home.

The did skits for us and led worship. It was a great evening. It was fun to sit at the back of the room and yell out the English words the translator was searching for. He did great translating from English into Russian. But,when he had to go Russian into English it was much harder!

Motion sickness

The motion of the boat is finally getting to Spencer and I. Last night the water was choppy and we both woke up not feeling well. Spencer has had problems with motion sickness since he was little, bless his heart, and he is really not feeling well right now.

Nathan, Spencer and I are spending the day out sightseeing and shopping for postcards and gifts. We are taking a break from the rolling and rocking of the boat. Right now we are at http://www.kiev.info/shopping/metrograd.htm in an underground mall about three stories down in an internet cafe. Nathan is happy that he finally got to have a strawberry shake at McDonalds on the way over here. And we may end our time downtown with a stop at 31 Flavors... it is conveniently located right next to this cafe!

Last night Tom and I had dinner with the ladies instead of the guys. The guys went out to the soccer game. We enjoyed the evening with: Sauleah from Kazakstan, Jillian from America, Larissa from Ukraine and Nina from Russia. They laughingly call their apartment "IHOP". "International House of Prayer"! Sauleah speaks English, Russian and Kazak. Larissa speaks Russian and English. Nina speaks Russian and understands some English if you speak slowly. Jillian only speaks English. There were times when I translated for Jillian and times when Sauleah translated for Nina. The ladies are looking forward to going back to their respective countries and are seeking God's guidance on what to do when school is over.

This actually applies to all the students. They have invested six months learning about Addiction Behaviour Counseling. When school is over they have to put what they have learned into practice. Please keep them in your prayers.

Finally...

Success!

We went in, the man checked over our paperwork and then gave us a reciept to take to the cashier. Spencer and I got excited when the man mistakenly told us it would be 500 dollars cheaper than the price he quoted yesterday. Both of us did well not reacting in his presence. The eagle eyed cashier caught the guys mistake and called him to come in and show us the correct price. He apologised; we paid and left. Nothing eventful to report.

Tonight we are scheduled to have dinner with the "boys" of the school here. There is a group of young men rooming together and they are going to prepare food for us. Tom and I are betting on pizza but we don't know for sure. On Monday we had dinner with Sharon from South Korea, Miga & her husband Bayassa from Mongolia. We had a Korean meal that Sharon cooked for us. It was wonderful. The conversation was fascinating mostly because South Korea and Mongolia don't speak the same language. Sharon speaks English and Korean. Miga speaks English, Mongolian and Russian. Bayassa only speaks Russian. You see during communist times there were some areas of Mongolia that were not allowed to speak their own language only Russian. If Sharon told us a story in English then Miga would translate for her husband into Russian. When Bayassa spoke to us then it had to be translated for Sharon by me or Miga.

After dinner on Monday Tom and I went for a walk by the river. We talked about the evening and he said the comment that really struck him that night was Sharon saying that she "didn't feel any cultural barrier with us" she felt "accepted and at at peace". Sharon has been a missionary for the past 12 years and has worked in Sri Lanka, Sweden, Australia, Switzerland, India and a few other counries I am most likely forgetting! She mentioned the need to continue to pray for North Korea and the spiritual oppression there. We talked about how amazing it was that Bayassa had three years of sobriety and found God through AA. He met Miga at his first Bible study... she showed him where the verses were because he had no idea how to look them up. They have been married for two years. In Mongolia there is a need for Al-Anon and Miga desires to see Al-Anon be as active in Mongolia as AA is. Please pray for all these dear people and the countries they represent. They are here in school specifically to learn about their own issues and how to help addicts/alcoholics and their families.

New words in Russian:

kachat= to rock
Loadka= boat
Sorit= to litter

New Words in Ukrainian:
sneezhnee= sale!
ploasha= square

Let's try this again!

We went back over to the Consult today and were not successful in our quest. Yesterday we were told that we need photos, copies of our passports, bring dollars and to fill out the proper forms for each one of us.

I was not told how much to bring so I tried first thing this morning to go and get what I thought would be the correct amount. After three crowded marzhutkas passed us... the fourth one stopped and Spencer and I fought our way on. We got to the ATM that normally has dollars and it was out of money. We came back to meet Lena who was going to show us how to get back to the Consult and went with her. We tried 5 different ATM's in that part of the city and none of them had dollars either. At each bank we found we asked for dollars and because I was using my debit card and not a credit card no bank would give me a cash advance. Lena made some phone calls and we were advised to try an ATM downtown. So ATM number 6 works. But I don't have enough in my account so I need an internet cafe so I can make a transfer. I finally get all the funds that the first guy told us we needed and we went back to the consult. We were told to wait in line for a different office. Once in there we find out that our documents are in order but it will cost 200 dollars more than what I was originally told. So of course I need more dollars!!!

We came home and have to go back again tomorrow. Hopefully, our visas will get processed in time so that we will be able to make our train connection on the 15th.


We found dollars here in this mall:
http://www.mandarin.kiev.ua/eng/


oh and my cellphone was stolen. What a wonderful day!

sightseeing

We went out sightseeing yesterday. The wireless internet connection was not working so I could not post about it. Here are some links to where we were:

http://www.kiev.info/culture/lavra.htm

http://www.microart.kiev.ua/

Of course we have photos and we can post those in two weeks when we get home.

Spencer and I went over to the Russian Consult to get the Visa process started. We were all made to wait outside the building and only two or three people were let in at a time. We saw them interrogate a woman and then refuse to give her entry beyond the entrance to the building. She had a backpack on and they searched it and looked at all her documents. We were trying to listen through a double paned glass door and could not hear what was being said. When they brought her outside she would not stop interupting the man who was trying to explain to her where she needed to go. She left very angry. We went in and came out with no problems. We are grateful for all the prayers that are helping us make it through this process without incident.

peaceful view

Staying on a boat is one of the most peaceful things we have ever done.

The guys and I are all enjoying just watching the activity out on the river. We have seen fishermen in boats and fishermen standing on the shore across from us, boat tours, people on jet skis and other house boats.

We ventured out briefly today to get griven... Ukrainian currency. We did a bit of shopping at the market and then came home. We had a celebrity sighting. But our guide was so excited about seeing him that she could not remember his name. He is a famous Russian singer. When she remembers who he is I will write more about him!

We found one of the 17 McDonalds in the city. Spencer was excited to see it. I am sure we will frequent it while we are here.

There is a great view of a church across the river. The Monastary of the Caves is underneath it. We will visit that site when we get a chance. We also hope to see the place where they did all the forced baptisms many years ago. There are museums and botannical gardens as well as a zoological garden to see. Tomorrow we have a student coming to pick us up who will show us the city. Spencer and I will have our cameras ready!

We know tomorrow is a Sunday and we had every intention of going to visit a Calvary Chapel until we found out how long the serivce lasts.... 3 hours! Maybe next week???

we are here!

The train trip went well.

We are here in Kiev and have already had dinner and gotten settled in our rooms.

Our time on the train was a close quartered journey... we had one coupe that the four of us shared. There was just enough room for each of us on our beds and for us to stand up and leave the room. Not really enough room to turn around!

Our accomodations here in Kiev are on a boat anchored on the Dniepe River. Tom and I have a beautiful room and the view is stunning.

I will write more when we get a chance.

Preparing to leave

Paying utility bills for next month
Confirming Slavic staying in our house
Saying goodbye to friends
Cleaning the house
Packing our suitcases
Finding Spencer's Medical Records
Calling to congratulate Olya on the birth of her second daughter, Yahna.

and so on!

We are just about ready to go. We are going to take the bus to the train station. This will be our first time getting on the bus with suitcases. But, we see this every Friday as the university students go home for the weekend.

This is where Tom will be teaching: http://www.ywamkyiv.org/content/view/28/5/lang,en/

Please pray for our safety as we travel.

Pray that we will be able to purchase return tickets for the 16th so that we can get back here in time to attend Marilyn Murray's Seminar on the 18th. (Russia does not sell roundtrip tickets)

Pray for Tom as he teaches; that the students are blessed and enriched by what he shares.

Clothes make the man... Free?

I was talking with Lena yesterday about how people dress in America. She mentioned that they went to visit some friends in Alexei's home town. This couple was surprised that Alexei was dressed like an American. Lena asked them how they knew that and they said they have American friends and that they have seen pictures.

The observation on how Americans dress is that Americans don't ALWAYS tuck in their shirts. Most Russians do. Americans just wear what they want and a lot of Russians dress identical to one another. Same type of shirt, pants and shoes. The thinking is that the American style of dress is 'svobodnayeh' or "free".

Interesting... when you think about how long America has been a "free" society in comparison to how long communism and it effects have lasted here in Russia.

Alexei didn't just see one state in America with Tom he saw four... and this was his overall impression of what he saw in reference to clothing. Americans are free!

The Picasso of Indian Art

I got an incredible gift from my inlaws today. Mom and Dad sent me a muscial dvd featuring the art of R.C. Gorman.










you can see a sample of what is on the dvd here:

http://rcgormangallery.com/publications/index.php
My favorite painting is of a woman looking at a butterfly on sunflowers.

I hope that you take the time to look at his work. A gifted artist deserves to be taken note of.






















You can purchase prints here:
http://rcgormangallery.com/index.php


Thanks Mom and Dad for the dvd. It was a great way to relax before going off to school and the first thing I turned when I got back home!

Getting laundry done

Here is Tom taking his turn. Most of the time Spencer does the laundry and Nathan does the dishes.

In the summertime laundry can be seen hanging off balconies all over the city. During the winter many people hang things on the radiator to get things dried quickly. I miss having a dryer each time I pick up a towel. Most of the time our house helper irons them to soften them up. But, when she doesn't... OUCH! They are hard and crunchy. I would also like the dryer to get the dog hair and lint off of things too.

Tom wanted to get a dryer when we were looking at washing machines but dryers are hard to find here. Maybe next year... or maybe we will just get used to hard,crunchy and hairy towels.

St. Petersburg's Cathedral Destroyed

St Petersburg’s Landmark Cathedral Destroyed by Fire
Created: 25.08.2006 20:57 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 11:58 MSK
document.write(get_ago(1156579139));
, 19 seconds ago
MosNews


A fire raged in a 19th Century cathedral in St. Petersburg Friday evening, bringing down the main cupola on top of the stately church in Russia’s former Imperial capital.The fire erupted in the early evening and burned through scaffolding beneath the soaring blue central dome of Trinity Cathedral, a duty officer at the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said.The central dome collapsed and one of five smaller cupolas surrounding it was also destroyed by the fire, St. Petersburg emergency department spokeswoman Lyudmila Rubasova said.Firefighters were trying to save the other three domes as emergency workers and church employees removed icons and other religious articles from the Russian Orthodox cathedral, which was built in 1835 and is considered an architectural monument. The fire was contained after 20-00 Moscow time, the Russian news agency RIA-Novosti reported. Hundreds of people gathered at the landmark site, which recently underwent restoration.An Emergency Situations Ministry Mi-8 helicopter was called in to tackle the flames, emergency services said earlier.

What a nightmare!

After a dinner of bar-b-que, cheese biscuits, veggies and rice ... (again with the food!) Tom and I went over to a meeting for the Axtirka rehab center team. It was good to see everyone again.

We heard tonight about a young bride, 19 years old, who had a miscarriage and had to have 2 d&c's because the first one was not done properly. However, both of the procedures were done without anesthesia. She is concerned about how the procedure was done and if she is able to have children in the future.

This is not an isolated incident.

We have friends who just recently had a miscarriage and she also had a d&c with nothing given for pain during the procedure or following the procedure. Her husband called this "a barbaric act" and could not believe that something like this could happen in 2006! She apparently begged for medication and said that she could pay. She was told that the anesthesiologist was busy and could not tend to her.

Heaven knows how many other women this has happened to in the smaller villages around the country. We have not heard of things like this here in Krasnodar. These stories are from a small village hospital. A nurse here in town gave the hospital wing where these women are staying some ibuprofen... at least they will get some pain relief tomorrow.

why does she talk about food?

Okay for those of you who have noticed all the food posts lately... I fell into a trap of posting while I was cooking or when I was hungry. And now Spencer is betting that I cannot go for ten straight posts talking about food. I did make a great salad for dinner. I found an Olive Oil Mayonaise at the market. I mixed it with some pasta, ham and peas. It was simple and quick and every last bit of it is gone!

Look at the sidebar and notice that I have a new blog listed. It is called Pray and Crochet. I didn't want to bore any of you with my crafts so there is a separate place to read about what I am doing and see the latest photos. I hope you take the time to visit if you can. I don't think that I have talked about food there yet!

Today at school Arina's bracelet broke. I just held out my hand and she handed it over. All the teachers know that Tom not only creates jewelry he also repairs it. He did a great job on it and will give it to her at school.

I have to let you in on a secret... I think our sons actually like each other. It is probably not cool to admit to liking your brother. Tonight Spencer was in Nathan's room getting some of Nathan's music downloaded onto his MP3 player. Nathan had a few songs that Spencer really liked. They were in the room being silly and Tom was in the hall on the computer. It was great to hear all three of them laughing and goofing off together. Just ask Tom to sing "panther of the opera" for you.

I am amazed at how God has drawn our family closer over the past year and 4 months. We had to learn to like being together all the time or kill each other. We chose not to kill each other. We would hate for anyone to have to bury all the bodies!

What gender is your watermelon?

Arina ( our teacher for August) was telling Judi and I that here in Russia watermelon was considered a berry because it has many seeds inside.

Judi told us about a woman who taught her how to pick out a sweet watermelon. She said that watermelons are either boys or girls.

Girls are sweet and boys are not. The sweet ones usually have a spot on the opposite side of where the vine was attached that is bigger than one that is not sweet. I personally haven't looked at a watermelon's bottom to see what gender it is!

However, Arina says this does not always work because she purchased a girl watermelon and it was not a sweet girl!

why can't I find cheddar anymore?

Just one brick of plain cheddar would make me happy. For some reason since returning from Rome my supermarket does not have plain cheddar cheese anymore. Yes, I could go to Metro. Or I could go over to the big market in City Center. But, this market is close to my house. I can walk over or send one of the guys...

The cheese in the photo is from Ukraine, my supermarket is well stocked with this kind. One side looks like cheddar but has a slightly different taste. All it says is "cheese duplet Ukraine". We do use it with crackers and sausage. Or on tacos if we have too.

We don't suffer here as some might think... but from time to time we do feel the need to whine about a thing or two. Otherwise, we wouldn't be honest about daily life here in Russia would we?

I am not lobbying for anyone to send us cheddar cheese. Spencer and I will just take a trip to the mall or I can go over to Metro (our Costco) with Joy or Olya.

***********************
Spencer medicine update: I got emails from an opthamologist in Moscow and Spencer's own doctor from California. They both suggest the same replacement medication so we feel comfortable making the switch. We are still going to have him seen and tested in Kiev.

Thanks for your prayers!

guests from Kirov

Meet Slava and Tonya from Kirov. Tom met them before they were married on his first trip to Russia. He spoke at a seminar at the church they attend. Tonya has been visiting with her relatives who live here in the Krasnodar region. They came over and spent several hours with us this morning before we had to go to school.

They both speak english. Tonya had the bigger english vocabulary. Tonya said "It is exciting to have a chance to practice English". She studied English and German in college for 6 years. But, she rarely gets a chance to use those languages.

We were telling them about our summer and how this was the first year we had ever been apart so long. Slava said 6 weeks was nothing. They were apart for 2 months and 2 weeks this summer. They are leaving this weekend for some alone time without their one year old daughter. She will stay with Tonya's mother.

It is our desire to go and visit the church in Kirov next year. When asked what the best time of year to come to Kirov is Tonya says "it depends on what temperature you like!" Tom and I think that means winter is out. But, Kirov only got down to -20 and here in Krasnodar we had -35!

Zhar Pizza

This pizza place is probably the one who does the most business with ex-patriates! (people from one country who choose to live in a different country).

I know there are families who get pizza every Friday. We used to do this regularly in California. Now, we order pizza when it is too hot to cook or for celebrations.

We were invited over by two different families on Friday (we could only handle one invite) And both were planning on Zhar Pizza! Tom and I went to Tim and Joy's and enjoyed pizza and the salads that Joy prepared. Spencer went over to Andrew's and had pizza over there. Nathan stayed home and had some quiet! He has had to keep his door open lately to cool down his room... so a night without his intrisuive family was a breath of fresh air for him!

You can get some of the standard toppings on your pizza here. Ham & mushroom, Chicken, Salami, cheese with tomato or you can try something like eggplant which is actually pretty good. There are somethings we cannot get like pepperoni and the chicken pizza is not the bar-b-que kind we used to get in California. But, at least we aren't suffering in a barbaric land with no pizza at all!

Sakhalin, Russia earthquake

I just read about this earthquake that happened the other day. It is on the opposite side of the country from us. This city is near Japan.


Powerful quake shakes Russia's Pacific island of Sakhalin
09:17

18/ 08/ 2006

VLADIVOSTOK, August 18 (RIA Novosti) - An undersea earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale has affected at least five towns on Russia's Pacific island of Sakhalin, local emergencies said Friday.

Seismologists said the quake happened at 2:40 a.m. local time (3.40 p.m. GMT Thursday) at a depth of five kilometers to the south of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the island's administrative center, which is 6,500 miles east of Moscow.

"According to the head of Emergency Situation Ministry's Nevelsk district department, windows were shattered in some buildings" the spokesman said. "No injuries or [serious] damage have been reported so far."

Powerful quakes have hit Russia's Pacific for years. A devastating earthquake destroyed the Sakhalin town of Neftegorsk of May 28, 1995 and claimed over 2,000 lives.

Over 1,200 people, including 542 children, were evacuated from the emergency zone after
a series of major earthquakes rocked the north of the Kamchatka peninsula this year. The first 7.8-magnitude quake on April 21 had an epicenter about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the town of Khailino, the strongest in the Koryak Autonomous since 1900 Area, and injured 31 people. It also damaged about 380 houses and 25 administrative facilities in four other towns.

According to research conducted by the International Institute of Earthquake Prediction Theory and Mathematical Geophysics, there is at least a 30% probability of an earthquake with a 7.2-magnitude or higher in the area of Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands before mid-December.

at the train station

Our latest cultural experience was had today at the train station.

Lena and I went to purchase train tickets for our upcoming trip to Kiev. We stood in two separate lines to see which one would move faster. As we were standing in line I was thinking of how best to phrase the question I needed to ask. The sentences in my head were long. I was thinking things like "Excuse me, can you tell me if you have tickets from Krasnodar to Kiev on the 31st of August?". Just as I had figured this all out in my head Lena said to me ...just say "menyeh Kiev". Literally that means "me Kiev". She told me what questions I would be asked and how to answer them. I got up to the front and repeated the phrase. When I asked for the date we needed her answer was "nyet" NO!

How could she tell me no? Tom is teaching in Kiev starting on the 4th of September. We have to get there! Lena stepped in and asked for several different dates... no. no. no! We left and were about to walk over to the bus station. Suddenly, Lena remembered that she heard on the news that sometimes you will be told no when they actually do have tickets. So we turned and went back in. Only this time we went upstairs to a different cashier. She had two upper berths available on the 31st and nothing else until the 7th. We left again. There is no bus to Kiev so that was out. We went to my house and Lena called a ticket agency.

Spencer and I got out the Atlas and were trying to figure out if we could take the bus half way and then the train the rest of the way. Tom, Spencer and I were brainstorming different options while Lena was working the phone. About four or five phone calls later Lena discovered there were 4 places available on the 31st in a compartment but, I had to go today! I gathered up our passports and went downtown. I told the woman that my friend had called and she remembered the conversation and started right to work on my tickets. Thank goodness we were finally able to solve our dilemna with only two trips around the city and a few phone calls.

Where does your rice come from?

This says "Rice from America."

I saw it at the supermarket and just had to buy it! Spencer thought it was funny that it says "from America" but everything on the package is written in Russian.

t shirts

As we journey to the bus stop we see many people along the way. Today we saw a store mannequin wearing clothes that did not match. While that was interesting it is absolutely boring in comparison to what we saw next. There was a babushka (grandmother) who was braless and wearing a t-shirt that said "Property of Frat House Sinners"

click here to see a copy of the shirt:
http://www.choiceshirts.com/item/k/a7010f/

I turned around to look at Tom and we both had to stifle laughter...
just another day in Krasnodar!

another scorcher!

It was too hot to move today. I heard it was 110 degrees in the shade!

The guys got out and went to school. Spencer brought home a watermelon... they are soooo sweet right now. Tom came home with a bag of fruit. Nathan came home with two popsicles. To each to his own I guess.

Our language helper is fascinated with insects. She has a bee, a wasp, a grasshopper and some butterflies. Today she caught a moth. She put it in a plastic bag and was waiting for it to die so she could add it to her collection. I think I will stick to collecting yarn! After our language session she went over to her brother's house with Spencer and she forgot her bag with the moth in it. When Spencer got home he accidently let the moth out and was trying to recapture it. Nathan was merciful enough to catch it and let it go outside the apartment door. For now it lives to see another day!