Baptism in the forest

Olga

Leeza

Ruth

Lera

thought for today

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.
~e.e. cummings

Beautiful Olga

Olga and her new husband Arustam came by today to give us this photo of her... on the back Arustam wrote in English:

This is beautiful Olga.  O yes!!!

Humanitarian disaster looms as clashes claim over 100 lives in Kyrgyzstan

Russia to double the price of vodka

Russia doubles vodka prices to fight alcohol abuse

Russians are going to be paying more for their most popular beverage. According to Sergey Shatalov, Deputy Finance Minister, the minimum price for a 0.5 liter bottle of vodka will double over the next three years.

The Finance Ministry suggests that the current price for half a liter of vodka, which sits at about $3.00, will be raised to $6.50 dollars in 2011-2013. The prices will increase gradually over the period.

 “Vodka is not a necessity. It shouldn’t be cheap,” said Shatalov.

The measure will be part of a bill currently being drafted by the Ministry.

thought for today

If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.
~Colin Powell

20 days...

Today is the 8th and we leave here on the 28th... this time is going by much faster than we anticipated.

The TV was picked up today, most of our baking pans are gone, and all of the clocks in the house have been sold. I still find myself glancing at where the clocks used to be.

I know it will all come together but it feels as if there is so much yet to do and so little time to get it done!

How to call abroad

One would think that after five years of living abroad I would remember how to call from one country to another.  I don't.  Well, actually I know what numbers I have to start with to place a call to America.  But, when I need to make a call to Ukraine or somewhere else I have to use this website:

http://www.howtocallabroad.com/

All you have to do is fill in what country you are calling from and what country you are call to.  The internet has become my friend in this land with no Southwestern Bell phone book!

thought for today

Folks always say, "You come in this world alone, and you must leave it alone."  They ought to know better.  Because it isn't so.  It's not that way at all.  The child comes to life very much attached and stays attached and is mired all its life in a soup of relations.

River, Cross My Heart

by Breena Clarke

As we pack to move this soup of relations we are in feels warm, savory and comforting. Five years of building friendships and making connections seems like such a short time.  But, I am sure there will be much grieving ahead once we fully realize how much life and relationships here have impacted us.

why?

As our Russian friends read in the papers or hear on the news that their government is working to make things easier for people to come to Russia and do business or study they are struggling with the fact that our family and two others have been denied work visas.  We keep being asked why?

Maybe it is just a problem here in Krasnodar Krai, all of the workers at the OVIR's office are new and the contacts that people relied on before are all gone.  Maybe, what is said in the news and what happens here in reality are two different things.  So to answer the question Why? all we can say is 'we don't know'.

We know that we are being called to Belize.  Why?  Time will tell.

keep, trash, sell or give away

We finished another week of packing, saying goodbyes and retelling our story about how difficult it was to get this current visa. Tom was able to buy our plane tickets this week so now we know that our time here in Krasnodar ends on the 28th of June.

Just as we have been deciding what to keep, trash, sell or give away of our belongings we are also processing what we have learned here, what we will miss and what we will be glad to leave behind. In the midst of all of the change we are going through I, for one, am grateful for the things in our life that won't change.  

We know that our faith, the prayers of the faithful and our ties to one another have given us the strength to endure all that we have lived through and will carry us through this life no matter where in the world we live.

More terror: 7 dead after theater plaza bomb blast

thought for today

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.  Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

you know it's spring in Russia...

 when you hear kids playing on top of the metal garages!!  No mistaking that sound!

packing supplies

Tom went out looking for bubble wrap... there was none to be found.  However, he did receive an interesting piece of advice.  He was told to buy a TV because they come wrapped in bubble wrap!

How do you say rain?!

Let It Rain Undoubtedly you have heard that Eskimos have 50 words for snow, though it isn't true. Russian, however, does have at least 12 words for rain. Our language columnist explains.

packing up our paintings

Tom and I love to get at least one piece of art work each time we travel to a new country. We have ended up with a small collection of pieces from Cyprus, Ukraine, Italy, Turkey and Russia. Tom also painted a few things that we want to ship to America. To be able to take all of these items with us we have to photograph each piece, write a description, tell the value and where it was purchased. Then the photos have to be taken to the city historian to verify that they are not Russian artifacts so that they can legally be taken out of the country. Once he certifies them they have to be taken to at least two more offices for approval.

Tom has the photos done and will go to see the city historian next week. Hopefully this process will be uneventful!

thought for today

I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

all good things must come to an end

For the past five years we have lived happily here in Krasnodar, Russia. We would still love to live here but it is clear to us that it is time to move on.

During this last round of visa troubles while we were sitting in Turkey waiting, Tom was asked to run a rehab center in Belmopan, Belize.

We only have until July 1st on our visa so we have a lot to get done in just 6 weeks time. It is amazing to us how God has worked out all of the details to make this move. All of our big things already have a buyer including our apartment. This is further reassurance to us of God's hand not just in our life but in the lives of our friends as well. Those who needed a fridge are getting one, those who needed a larger place to live are getting one and so on. Blessings are being felt all around and we are so grateful to be a part of the process!

here comes the bride!

We were so thrilled to share is this special day... this was one of the reasons we needed to get back here to Russia. It was an incredible day and we are honored that we were able to take part in it!

back in Krasnodar!

We are so happy to be back in our own apartment with our own stuff.  Home is where your stuff is and we definitely feel at home here.

On the one hand things seemed different here but on the other hand so much was the same.  Getting through passport control took two hours this time.  They seemed to be rationing out the immigration forms and would only bring out a few at a time.  A few of the passport control workers decided it was their break time and left their stations while many of us were still waiting for forms. 

Life here in this part of the world is never dull and we wouldn't want it to be!!

thought for today

If you surrender to the wind, you can ride it.  ~Toni Morrison

Galata Tower

Spencer and I had time for one more tourist spot and we chose the Galata Tower also known as Christ's Tower or Lighthouse Tower you can read about it here:http://www.galatatower.net/english/

After the elevator takes you as far as it can go then you have to take the stairs!

The views from the top are to live for!! 


We leave tonight for Russia and should arrive very early tomorrow morning.  Our time here has had its ups and downs but we are truly grateful to have had this experience. Thanks to all for prayed for us!

At last we have visas!

We finally have our visas and will be leaving Istanbul tomorrow!! This has been an unforgettable experience and I am grateful for how it has impacted my life.

Over the past two months of our wait I began the practice of counting the endless gifts that God has blessed our lives with and my list and thoughts are kept here: www.aimingforaquietlife.blogspot.com

You can also join in the community

Visa update

Our visas are now on their way to us!  The FedEx tracker is saying they should be here by Friday at 8pm.  Finally, there is  a light at the end of this tunnel and it is not an oncoming train!

Thought for today

There should always be more waiting than striving in a Christian's prayer.

Evelyn Underhill

Krispy Kreme in Istanbul

If you are looking for a Krispy Kreme doughnut this is the mall to go to.  Yep, Subway sandwiches for dinner and doughnuts for dessert.  Worked for me!

New Mosque

Spencer and I visited Yeni Cami or New Mosque today. It was started in 1597 by Safiye, the mother of Mehmet III but was not completed until 1663 by Turhan Hadice, the mother of Mehmet IV.

Entering the courtyard the first thing that struck me was the men washing their feet before going in.  Only the men did this... not the women.

Every one has to take off their shoes to go inside.  Plastic bags were provided to carry your shoes around in.

this is a view of the ceiling

the men prayed near the front and the women stayed behind screens near the back.

close up of one of the wall tiles

Women prayed behind the screened wall on the left of the photo... the people walking around were tourists taking photos like me.

We exited from the side and came out to see more men using the fountains on that side of building to wash before going inside.

As we were leaving the call to prayer was sounding... which means we made it in and out before the crowd hit for prayer time!

Hiking on Heybeliada Island

Spencer and I went on a hike today through the woods on one of the Princes' Islands today. What an adventure! We spent time taking pleasure in the plant life, the cool sea breeze and following paths that gave us the views in the above pictures...enjoy!!

Thought for today

We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.

Joseph Campbell

Celebrating Children's Day

When we went out for a walk on Friday we were a little too late to see most of the Children's Day excitement.

However, we did see this little guy still in costume on our street.  The next day he was outside again playing in the same suit.  It reminded me of when my sons were little and one of them only wanted to dress like Batman.

Visa update

Our documents are en route to Washington DC. I cannot remember what plan this is... but it is well beyond A or B. Hopefully, we will have visas in hand to make our flight on the 7th of May.

Please continue praying for us, we are hoping to be back in Krasnodar in time for Tom to walk a fatherless young lady down the aisle on my birthday.

And as we wait I will be counting my blessings... you can read about that here: 1000 Gifts

tragic actor and his sidekick

thought for today

The reward of suffering is experience. -Aeschylus

another visa setback

Our teammates flew to Madrid, Spain to expedite our visa process. Why Spain? The Russian Embassy there had been favorable to many other expats living and working Russia. So we thought this was a sure thing. NOT.

Our friends were told no. This is the first time in five years that an Embassy is denying us because the paperwork says DC and not Spain. What? Our paperwork has said either DC or San Francisco each time we have gone though this process and we have never needed to go to either one of those Embassies to get this done.


They are making another appeal today but we do have back up plans in place. We may have to go back on simple tourist visas. We had hoped to be getting on a plane on Friday... but it looks like we will have to reschedule one more time.

At least we are getting to enjoy extended time with their 4 kids. After two days out and about in Istanbul we settled in today for a Cartoon Network Marathon!

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we wait.

Greenhouse Bookstore, Istanbul

I sent an email to the kind people over at the bookstore and she sent me great directions! We started at Taksim Square, took a bus to Besiktas, and from there walked over to board the ferry to Kadikoy. After a 20 minute ride you land at this station. This is the front of that building. With your back to this building walk to the crosswalk.






















When you are standing at the crosswalk you will see this building directly across the street. Walk to that building and take the sidewalk to the left (just follow the crowd!)






















You will see this Starbucks after you follow that pathway to the next street over... cross to where the Starbucks is and walk to the right of it. Follow that walking street up one 'block'.
























When you reach the intersection you will see this church. Turn right at that street. The street name is Murhurdar Caddesi but knowing that didn't help as there was no street sign there... just turn right at the church!


















Walk up that street until you get to Burger King and turn left.

























And although this photo is shot from other angle you will see the bookstore on the right side of the street about 8 doors up from Burger King!


















Enjoy your time there and trust me it will be worth the effort!!

A write up of the bookstore is located here... It is on the Asian side of Istanbul, and they have the largest selection of books English that we have seen so far. The bonus for us was the wide variety of Christian books. After spending 5 years shopping at a Christian bookstore in Krasnodar with only Russian books to offer this was a real treat to our souls!

Griffin??

Tulip time!!

thought for today

Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can. ~Danny Kaye

Burqa style

I love that even though this gal has chosen to wear a burqa she is still showing her personal style with her purple leather jacket and red shoes!

Sharp Travel Trivia

What do these islands have in common?

Catalina Island
The Big Island in Hawaii, the Kona side.
Cyprus
Princes' Island, Turkey


A. places the family has been
B. places that we wish we never had to leave
C. places where Tom has taken a nap
D.places where we have been given a free meal

Finally, some good news!

Our letters of invitation are on their way here to Istanbul. We are finally one step closer to getting our new Russian visas. It will be a 90 day visa and by the time we get back to Krasnodar one month of the three will have been used up. But we are grateful to have an answer and to finally feel as if this never ending vacation is coming to an end!

Istanbul Modern

If you get a chance to go to this museum in Istanbul... take it! We had a great afternoon there. It was a bit intimidating because there was so much to see. The cafe is a great place to hang out. The view of the Bosphorus from there is breathtaking. There are also a few benches inside the gallery along the back where you can sit and contemplate the art as well as the waves!

Thursdays are free so we hope to go back again and see the things we missed the first go round!

thought for today

"I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."
Robert McCloskey

Easter treats in Istanbul

It takes some leg work but you can find some goodies for kids and adults here to help make your holiday brighter.

We didn't try the chocolate bunnies...however, we found something very tasty and it reminded me of the bread and Easter eggs we had last year when we celebrated Russian Orthodox Easter with our friends Katya and Alexei!

it's Friday...but Sunday is coming!

I can hardly wait for Sunday! Happy Easter Everybody!!