how long has it been?

We have been using the same water company for the three years that we have lived here. I have been talking to the same girl for most of the that time when I place an order. Last Friday I called to place an order and this is what happened:

Me: I would like to order water
Her: ok, you live on ------
Me: yes, apartment number----
Her: Why haven't you ordered in the last three weeks?
Me: we were in America
Her: oh, a little vacation, huh? Did you get some rest?
Me: yes, thank you we enjoyed our time there!
Her: wonderful! As usual your order will be delivered before lunch tomorrow... that is two bottles right?
Me: yes, thank you!


Tom and I believe that we must be the only foreigners on their route. She knows me by voice! For those of you thinking that she is using a computer for all her information guess again... if someone else happens to answer the phone, they have to ask for all of our info. This gal is truly on the ball and has mastered the art of customer service!

weighing in!

Finally movement in the right direction!! I am down two pounds... walking and sweating in the hot Krasnodar sun is truly the best diet around :-)

a few more shots of the family!

Thought for Today

That insatiable longing for more that you feel, the emptiness you want those closest to you to fill, is put there by God so that He can fill it.
Stormie Omartian, from The Power of a Praying Woman


Instead of demanding more from your spouse, siblings, children or your friends... look to God. Only He can fill the emptiness in your heart of hearts.

Tanya’s Homemade Ranch Dressing

My friend Tanya made this dressing for those of us who were able to attend the PWF retreat in California… I gave it a try and it was a hit!

I made the dressing in the morning and was able to serve it with salad at dinner. Like Tanya said you can experiment with the herbs. I was out of fresh parsley but I had cilantro… and I liked the kick it added! I did go out to the market today and bought parsley so I can make another batch and compare them.


Tanya’s Homemade Ranch Dressing
1 c. mayo
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and let them sit for awhile (overnight is great, several hours is good), the garlic and herbs will infuse the mayo & milk and make it really good.

Tanya's Notes:
1. Garlic is the KEY to this recipe.

2. Fresh garlic is MUCH stronger than the chopped in a jar, and can be harsh, which is why I usually use the jar garlic -- I can serve it much sooner.

3. If you make this and it's too strong, either with garlic or the herbs,
just add a little more mayo and buttermilk to dilute, and let it set.
The ratio is 2 to 1 for mayo and buttermilk.

4. If this is too weak, just add more garlic or herbs.

5. Experiment with the herbs. I have fresh dill in the garden right now,
and I added it recently, and my family loved it. One recipe I have calls for oregano, another mentions marjoram (!?)

A tale of two brothers

It starts with Spencer looking over Nathan's shoulder
as he plays a video game!
















Then I get them to pose for a picture...

















Nathan is not ready to let
go of his brother!
















brotherly love?

















yep... brotherly love!!

weighing in!

I didn't want to post this today... according the the scale I was using in California I had lost weight while we were in America. But, my scale here in our apartment is telling me otherwise. I have to accept this as fact and move on... I am up four pounds and need to get outside and walk it off!!

we made it!

We are tired, hot and glad to be back in our own home!

Tom, Spencer and I slept quite a bit yesterday but we still have some catching up to do. We left California on the 22nd not knowing how we were going to get from Moscow to Krasnodar. But, we were all flexible on the how and the when so after we arrived at the Moscow Airport I went to the travel agency and asked about flights to Krasnodar... we were able to get tickets that day and were home four hours later!

We were picked up at the airport by Vladimir, the father of Spencer's friend Vlad. He drove us home and helped us carry our bags up four flights of stairs. We had to knock on our own door because someone had placed the slider on and our key wouldn't work. We were greeted by Lena P. who was making our dinner! It feels so good to have friends who are thoughtful enough to take care of small details like that. She cleaned the apartment after fixing dinner and left us with plenty of water and clean sheets.

Our internet was down yesterday so we are all taking turns catching up on email and current news... so if you are waiting for an email from one of us please be patient and we will answer as soon as we can!

Thanks for praying for us and may God richly bless you!!

back to Russia...

Our flight leaves early in the morning and we still need to run a few errands, do some laundry clean the condo and then finish packing! Please pray for us as we travel!!

weighing in!

Despite enjoying ice cream sandwiches with Nathan I managed to lose another pound this week!

Nathan is leaving tomorrow and it will be very hard to say goodbye to him... we have really enjoyed our family time this week. Remember to cherish your loved ones and show them how much you love them!!

Nathan is here!!!

We picked up Nathan on Sunday and we all just keep taking turns hugging him!!! I don't know if I will be posting much this week... I don't want to miss a minute of fun with my three favorite men, Tom, Nathan and Spencer!!

and for those who are wondering how the retreat went you can check out Christie's blog!
http://cricklsnest.blogspot.com/2008/07/pw-retreat-2008.html

weighing in

Normally I weigh in on Friday... but since I am at Joann's I weighed in yesterday. I am down a half pound but I will have to update my ticker when I get more time. My goal while here in America is not to gain weight!!

We are off to Solvang today, then on to the beach and then out to Magic Castle for dinner. It is just awesome to be here with my online buddies!

chillin with the girls!

I am at Joann's now using her computer while we wait for the other gals to arrive! This is the first Pastor's Wives Forum Retreat and I feel so privileged to be here. I met Joann and Christie last year and this year I am looking forward to meeting Tanya and Alena too!


Gotta go... Alena just got here!

Thought for today

"God's power is too precious and too powerful to be let loose in an unsubmitted soul".
Stormie Omartian author of The Power of a Praying Woman

If the power of God is not evident in our lives it is possibly due to our attitudes, our thought lives or our choices. Our restless souls can be likened to children wiggling in their seats waiting for the sound of the last bell for the school day.

My personal desire and the prayer of my heart is to be fully submitted to God so that He can fill me and use me for His purposes!

congrats to Spencer!!

Yesterday Spencer was able to log on and check his email.... he just found out that he has been accepted into YWAM's Discipleship Training School in Kiev, Ukraine!

He will be studying the Bible with students from various countries and the lessons are taught in both English and Russian.

We are very proud of him! He set this goal to attend the program two years ago when Tom taught a class there in Kiev and he finally realised his dream!

Of course Alida is lamenting the fact that Nathan will be in America and Spencer will be in Ukraine while she and Tom are in Russia. Our family of four will be spread out over three countries.

Spencer lovingly reminded Alida yesterday he "is not leaving the planet!"

we made it!

yeah, we have been missing in action for a bit but we did arrive here safely. We traveled for over 27 hours to get here and we have been sleeping, getting used to the time difference and trying to recover from the 30 hour train ride and the 27 hours on the airplane!

We have heard that it takes as many days to adjust to the new time zone as the hours of time difference from the place you traveled. We have an 11 hour time difference to recover from!!

I was able to pick up the van that was loaned to us today and now Spencer and I are at the library to check email and for me to post here!

Thanks for all the prayers!

big city grief!

Spencer and I went out by ourselves today to find a FedEx office and run a few other errands. It took us three hours including time spent on the subway, purchasing a map, reading the map, asking several people for directions as the loud roaring subway went by, and then finally deciding to go straight to the American Embassy and ask there for directions. The police officer guarding the gate for American citizens sent us straight there!!

There is a Russian proverb that says "your tongue can take you all the way to Kiev". We put that to the test today and it truly was amazing the number of people who were willing to stop and help us figure out where we were going... I think most of them were just relieved that I was asking in Russian!

After our morning adventure Spencer and I treated ourselves to lunch at TGI Fridays, one of the benefits of a big city, and just as we finished our meal Tom sent me a text message letting me know that he was awake and ready to see some sights! We met him at Red Square and went to the GUM (goom) to see all the exclusive shops... for those of you in Southern California it is somewhat like South Coast Plaza Mall, the high end side.

Outside in the square Tom pointed out the stone circle where Ivan the Terrible had people beheaded. It gave me an eerie feeling to walk up the stairs to look at it.

We just loved seeing the beautiful colors on the roofs of St Basil's and it trulywas an awesome feeling to stand in Red Square and admire the architecture and the grandeur of the Kremlin!

Please keep us in your prayers as we leave here in the morning for our flight to America. We will be flying through New York to LA!!

And "thank you" to all who prayed for our highschool friend with cancer... her surgery went well and they believe they got it all!

We are in Moscow!

We arrived here in Moscow late last night after a 27 hour ride on the train! It was an interesting cultural experience... most people just changed their clothes right out in the open. And there was a pregnant woman who sat in her underwear and t shirt for most of the first day. It was very hot so it was understandable! The train was very clean and they came through and mopped the floors, offered tea and took away the trash. Aside from the air-conditioning not working it was a a nice train!

Today we were able to make our way to the American Embassy and Spencer applied for his adult passport. The man who waited on him congratulated him on turning 18 and kept calling him Mr. Sharp!

Tom and I decided to have extra pages put into our passports. It was a free service and it took about a half hour to get it done. Our passports are good until 2014... but we were concerned about running out of space for the stamps they need to put in when you cross a border. If there is no room in your passport you can be denied entry!

weighing in!

It has been hot this week and I think all the ice cream I have been eating has caught up with me... I am only down a 1/2 pound!

We will be on a train to Moscow Saturday and Sunday so I will check in again here on Monday as soon as we find an internet cafe in Moscow. Sasha called to remind me that there will not be food or toilet paper on the train... oh joy! Now I have to make another trip to the market to get food for the trip and I need to pack some toilet paper!

to do list

Today we are trying to get as much as possible checked off of our to do lists! We have to get new passport photos taken and get all of our forms filled out for new visas, get all the laundry done, pack our bags, clean the apartment and get our place ready for our friends to live in while we are gone... all before we leave on Saturday!

We will go to Moscow first to apply for Spencer's adult passport and then we fly out of Moscow to LA on the 2nd of July!

Pray that all goes smoothly for us. Actually, writing that made me remember that I have a more serious issue that needs prayer. A friend of ours from high school wrote to tell me that she has uterine cancer. She will be having surgery soon. Please pray for her!

Thought for Today

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.

Nelson Mandela


When I read this quote this morning it brought tears to my eyes. I know that God is speaking very clearly to me about the importance of further study. Tom and I talked about me being his translator many years ago... I will continue working towards that goal. I will keep on trusting that God will honor my efforts so that Tom and I can work together to bring Healing and Recovery to the hearts of those caught up in addictions and life dominating hurts.

for reals...

I know that I said I was done last week after we gave our talks in class. But, I had one last thing to do today and that was my assessment. It was a long and grueling test, followed by an interview with the director of the school. I survived... and I am so glad that is over!

Arina told me that the two year course that my class just completed is like a Christmas tree and the Advanced Course would be the ornaments to decorate it! So in August I will start putting the trimmings my language tree!

Russia beat Netherlands 3-1!

It was a fantastic game!!

Russia beat the favored team to win a spot in the semi finals... our neighbors were up cheering, honking car horns, shooting off fireworks and even the police were in on the celebration using their sirens to cheer the victory as well!

It was not a restful night but we were excited to have watched the game and looking forward to see if Russia can go all the way!!! Russia's coach is also Dutch and he is known for taking teams further than they have gone in the past. He helped South Korea in 2oo2 and he helped Australia in 2006... so Russia knew what they were doing when they hired him!

Movie Quotes

Tom, Dima and I were out walking together the other day. Dima asked Tom if he was sure of the direction we were going. Tom looks my direction and says "yes, I'm positive"! And just that line is enough to make Nathan, Tom, Spencer or I laugh!

I realise that it might not mean anything to you but it comes from the movie Ferngully that Nathan enjoyed watching when he was little. The dialogue goes like this:

Are you sure?
I'm positive.
Only fools are positive.
Are you sure?
I'm positive!

weighing in!

Down 2 more pounds!!

My personal trainer, Spencer, has helped me with walking longer distances so I am getting more exercise which is a good thing. I used to believe that the words exercise and sweat were four letter words... and my mama taught me better than to use four letter words!

We made it!!!

Spencer and I did our sermons today and it went very well!

For Spencer it was his first time speaking in public, his first time doing a sermon and he had to do it in front of our classmates who have all graduated from seminary and he just finished high school last month! Tom and I are so proud of him!

I am grateful to be at the end of this phase of language learning. Two weeks ago I was ready to quit school... I was the oldest person in my class and I was feeling it. I felt like my memory was not as good as my classmates and that I was never going to remember which cases went with which verbs and what ending to use for nouns or adjectives even after studying for two years!

I am grateful to Tom, for not letting me give up, to Joyce, Stephanie and Sveta who prayed me through this year of school, and above all to God for bringing me to a place of acceptance about my capabilities. Our teacher told us today that since she has been at the school we are the second class to make it all the way to lesson 125!! I am so glad to have stuck it out to the very end!

I am grateful for the lessons I have learned along the way... not just about the language and the culture but also about myself. One lesson that I can share is that I had been shying away from talking to certain women here out of fear. Last fall I invited this person over and we talked about the fact that she had not been in my house the entire time we have lived here. I realised that my fear was affecting our ability to bond with the very people we came here to help. After that I made it a point to speak to her every week at church, and then we attended a 5 week Bible study together and even a concert! I found out later that she thought I didn't talk to her because I couldn't speak Russian. Not true! I was just afraid to make a mistake or look stupid!

Our church family is so patient and loving with us... I don't even understand why I was afraid in the first place!

Anyway, Spencer and I are done with the first level of our Russian language learning. I am chilling here in the apartment with my wonderful, supportive, incredible husband, and Spencer is out painting the town with his friend Vlad!

Thought for Today

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10

This is the verse I meditated on when I had my gallbladder surgery years ago... today it has been on my mind for my mother as she is experiencing some medical problems. I am waiting to hear the outcome of her procedure. Knowing that she is in God's righteous right hand is comforting.

Update:

I just received an email from my sister in law letting me know that my mother is doing well and does not need to have surgery... we are praising God for this wonderful news!

Pork Shashlik

Nathan called on Father's Day and we all got to spend time talking to him on the phone... it was wonderful and hard all at the same time!

Shashlik is one of Nathan's favorite Russian meals so when I saw this recipe I immediately thought of him!

This is one of the most classic Russian versions of shashlik (shish kabobs) and it is one of simplest and easiest recipes I have seen.

The meat is marinated in kefir... (kefir is like buttermilk)

Kefir is a fermented milk drink that originated in the Caucasus region of Russia and we are located not far from the Caucasus mountains.

Pork Shashlik in Kefir
1 kg lean pork (2.2 lbs)
6 onions
2 liters kefir (2 pints Buttermilk)
Salt
Pepper
Green parsley

Cut pork into cubes (5-6 cm). Slice onions. Place a layer of pork in a saucepan, follow with a layer of onion slices. Repeat layer by layer. Season each layer with salt, pepper and other spices. Pour in kefir and refrigerate overnight. Thread pork cubes onto skewers alternating with onions slices. Grill until light brown but still juicy.

You can find more Russian Recipes at: RusCuisine.com

give her five!

Congratulations to Sasha!!!

Sasha defended her thesis today and received the highest score possible! Grades here are given on a 1-5 scale with 5 being the best. We are so proud of this young woman... she is an amazing person, a great language helper, and an incredible friend! She fits in very well with our family and if we could adopt her as our own own daughter we would!!

and on day four she finished writing!

Spencer and I are working on our final talks for the last lesson at our language school!

Tom has been cheering us on, advising us on scriptures, and helping us anyway he can. He has been good about making me go outside for a bit each day and take a break from all the writing. Today he made dinner! Which was quite a treat!

On Monday Sasha will look over our talks and help us with correctly pronouncing everything... it still helps me to place accent marks over the correct stress in a word! Sasha has been such a blessing to us... she makes sure that we are the ones figuring out for ourselves how to say things correctly and gently corrects us to keep us on the right track. For only being 24 her patience and wisdom amazes me!

Please keep Spencer, myself and our classmates, Blythe, Donnie and Sarah in your prayers as we each speak on our chosen topics Thursday in class.

This past month has been rough at school and I have tried not to complain. Each lesson was progressively more difficult than the one before and at times it felt as if we went from middle school to university in one lesson!

We have been told that not every class makes it to the end as we have. And I don't know if I should be happy about that or not!!!

weighing in!

My fear for this week was that I would gain weight... that didn't happen. Instead, the needle on the scale is not moving at all. I must have offended it again and it is giving me "the silent treatment"!

at the bus stop

Spencer, Sasha and I went out to buy tickets to Moscow today... but we couldn't get seats on the train that we wanted. We were told to come back next week to see if any tickets would be released.

Spencer suggested that we go out to Ikea. Sasha had not been there yet so she agreed to come with us. On the way out there as I was looking out the window I saw an old bus stop for people who live out in the village. Instead of people standing there waiting for the bus there was a herd of about 15 cows laying there waiting.

I wonder where they were going?

Thought for Today

Today I have a quote from a book by our friend Karla.



"Obsession is a jealous master, and it prevents us from managing our lives".

Karla Downing, author of 10 Lifesaving Principles for Women in Difficult Marriages.



Is there something that you are obsessing over that is consuming your thoughts more than God? We cannot serve two masters. Work on taking captive every thought and making it obedient to The Master!

photo op!

There is a large botanical garden just up the street from our apartment building... Tom and I enjoy walking through this park whenever we get a chance.








This particular day we saw a few cars decorated for a wedding... I liked this one the best!!

finding crosses

My friend Sasha was looking out our living room window and noticed what she thought was a cross in the window of an apartment building across the field from our building.

Upon closer inspection it is not an actual cross but a reflection from the frame of the window onto the balcony door.

We love finding crosses like this... they are signs from God located in unexpected places!

weighing in!

This has been one of the most challenging weeks to be watching what I eat! I successfully managed to fight off the urge to "stress eat", which I have been known to do when we have a lot going on. And that lead to the loss of 1 pound this week!

Yesterday, we had an end of the school year barbecue and there was so much good food it was hard to restrain myself!! Don made a Key Lime pie, which is my favorite... I did acquiesce to one small sliver and really took the time to savor that treat!

Many years ago I realised that I am a binge eater... or at least I used to be. I would binge and then fast as a way to lose weight.

I very clearly remember the first diet I ever went on. I was 17 years old and needed to lose 20 pounds because I was a contestant in the Miss Wichita Pageant and the coach we had told me that I would do better in the swimsuit and evening gown events if I lost twenty pounds. I weighed 125lbs. and thought I was VERY overweight! So after talking with a few friends of mine I chose to eat every other day and I lost 20 pounds in two weeks.

Twelve years after that, in 1992 I read an article in the LA Times about bulimia. I always thought that bulimics were bingers and purgers. Wrong. Bulimics are also bingers and fasters... and that was me.

I can say honestly that for the past 16 years I have not fasted as a way to lose weight. I only fast if I feel that it is for a spiritual purpose. I am committed to eating when I am hungry and only normal sized portions. This is not always easy to do but I don't have to feel deprived of eating things like Key Lime Pie if I control the portion size. Healthy eating along with moderate exercise is something I can do as a way of life and not feel as if I am on a diet!

If you or anyone you know has problems with overeating or has a difficult relationship with food there is a 12 step group that can help... http://www.oa.org

Brain overload...

This week our class has moved into preparations for our final lesson. The men have to preach and the women are to give a Bible lesson. Our most recent assignment was to write a lesson on one of the 10 commandments.

Each of us spent time with our bibles, dictionaries working out our thoughts in Russian and putting them to paper. My classmates and I all agreed that this is very draining.

Personally, I felt physically drained when I was done with this assignment. I could not think, my arms ached and I just wanted to veg! Spencer finished typing his and he is off to bed... he said he felt weak and needed to rest.

It is amazes me that when we are called upon to use "maximum brain power" it affects us not just mentally but physically!

Thought for Today

Today's quote was found in a book that I have been reading during my daily commute to the language school. In Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge these words stood out to me this week:

"Security is not found in the absence of danger, but in the presence of Jesus".

Jeanine, missionary in Columbia


As I read these words I immediately thought of my signature at the bottom of my emails:
Safe in His Hands,

Live Language!!

One of the new verbs that we learned this week is one that means to reap, cut or mow. It is also used for shaking hands or for saying that a piece of clothing is very tight and is squeezing you!

Today I heard this verb used on the bus.

There was a woman behind me who was quite upset with the lady who sat down beside her. She accused her of squeezing! Her seatmate was quite indignant in her response to the accusation.... curtly replying she did no such thing.

Even thought I knew that both the ladies behind me were upset with one another... I was thrilled to have understood the conversation!!

how high would you climb?

"Alida come here and look at this!"

Tom called me to come over to our balcony... there were two boys up in the tree literally right outside our window. No big deal you might say. Except that we live on the fourth floor!!!

The tree is a cherry tree. One of the boys was stuffing cherries into his pockets as he climbed from limb to limb. The other one, Vladik, was eating them! We know who Vadik is because he introduced himself to Spencer shortly after we moved here. Vladik is an amazing boy. He has one arm and never lets that stop him from doing anything... even climbing 4 stories up a cherry tree!

Vladik is also the polite one... he yelled "hi" to Tom as he took a break from eating his cherries!