July 18 - "Re-Entry" Day

Today was a confusing day. I didn't know how to feel. I was happy to be home, but sad to not be in Russia. I was happy to see my parents and my dogs, but missing my new foreign friends. I was really exhausted when I woke up, so I made my tea and headed to the couch to watch some of my shows I had set the PVR to record while I was away. But when it turned it on, it wasn't working, and after phoning MTS, and playing around with stuff downstairs, it turned out that the plug for the main PVR box had come unplugged, and therefore it did not record anything for the 3 weeks I was away. I cried over this. It is amazing how quickly we fall back into our old ways of caring about things that don't really matter!

Last night on the way home from the airport my mom told me that a member of her church (and my old church 29 years) had passed away suddenly from an aneurism. She hadn't wanted to text that to me, so she waited until I came home. The funeral was today, and I wanted to be there. So after my shower I got ready and went to the church. It was a very nice service with a nice reception to follow. I was so exhausted though, which made it difficult to have conversations with people!

I came home after the funeral to have a nap, but ended up going through my photos because I wanted to show them to my parents tonight. After having dinner with them, I plugged my ipad into their tv but it didn't work. So we came over to my place to do it, but as I was showing them my eyes were drooping and I could barely speak. We decided to save it for another night when I'm not so tired!

July 17 - Traveling Back to Winnipeg Part 2

So I ended up just staying put for most of my 8 hours in Toronto. It was too hard to pull around my luggage everywhere too walk around and look in the stores. I sat at this bar-height table that had a plug for every second chair and charged my ipad while texting and playing games. I bought I giant tea from Starbucks to sip while I passed the time.
Finally, I went through security, and then browsed in a bookstore for awhile. Then I grabbed a bottle of water and some chips to bring on the plane. The flight to Winnipeg felt long, even though it was only two and a half hours. Probably because its the home stretch...a little bit like Christmas morning. I tried watching "The Croods" but I kept nodding off. And Dimona...I definitely thought of you ever time the pet sang, "Da, Da, Daaaaaaa!" :)
After getting off the plane and walking into the terminal, I was hoisting my luggage down the stairs and looking down at the steps so I wouldn't fall. As soon as I reached the bottom of the stairs my mom was hugging me. I felt her before I saw her. My dad was at the belt looking for my checked luggage. It felt good to be home!
Next we went to my parent's house to get my dogs, Annie and Lady. They are always excited to see me, even if I've only gone to the bathroom. But this time...holy cow! It was crazy! Annie was her usual excited self, running around, barking, jumping at my legs, and then resorting to taking out her excitement on her favourite chew toy. Lady however, she was hilarious! She would climb all over me, run a lap around the living room which included jumping onto the couch and then off again, come back and jump all over me again, and repeat. This went on for several minutes. I couldn't even hold her - she was just too excited and squirmy!
Then we went to my place. I decided to leave the luggage outside until I was ready to deal with it, just in case there were any bed bug stowaways. Then I quickly showed my parents the snacks Alexey sent with me (some chocolate things with nuts and raisins in them, a chocolate bar, the waffle cookies with chocolate in the middle, and these thin waffles with caramel in the middle, all made in Yashkino). After they left I went right to bed, but brought with me the chips and dip I had asked my mom to pick up for me before I came home. It felt sooooo good to have some more familiar food!

Our Team - Reflections On My Beautiful New Family!

I realized that I've spent a lot of time writing about what we were doing on this mission trip, but I haven't talked about my team that much! They are such wonderful people, and I know I won't ever forget them!

Alexey: He was one if our team leaders, along with his wife Julia, and did an amazing job! He is such a kind and caring person, but also has a hilarious sense of humour! I guess you'd HAVE to, when working with a bunch of younger people and foreigners! I really enjoyed working with him, and would do it again in a heartbeat!

Julia: Our other leader, Julia planned the drama, songs, etc. She is such a joyful, fun-loving person, and you can't help but smile and laugh when you are in her company! It is also obvious that she has a heart of gold! I am sorry that she was only with us for the first few days, as she is 5 months pregnant.

Olga: Our personal translator and amazing new friend. I admire Olga so much! She had so much on her plate, with being a translator, a sort of "host" for us three foreigners, as well as a member of the team. I don't think she ever had a moment to herself, and there were probably so many times when she was pulled in every direction, especially when we would all be talking at her at once and needing translation! Olga has one of the most tender hearts I have ever seen, and she is a wonderful friend! She is quiet but funny, caring and so considerate. I am looking forward to continuing our friendship online until I can see her agin next summer (hopefully!).

Dimona: My new friend from Switzerland. She could speak fluent English as well, so that was really helpful in us becoming fast friends! Dimona always seems to be upbeat and cheerful. She is a ray of sunshine that always makes you feel better and even laugh. She is a kind soul, and it is obvious that she genuinely cares for other people.

Kristina: My new friend from Denmark. Kristina was the first friend I made when we met at the Novosibirsk airport. Right away she was sympathetic to the fact that I was homesick and feeling ill. She is absolutely hilarious - the jokes never stop when she's around! Kristina has an unwavering faith in prayer, which was refreshing and inspirational to me. I sometimes become a "doubting Thomas" in the area of prayer, and not only did I learn a lot from Kristina, but I saw prayer in action many times during our time together. She has taught me to have faith that prayers can be answered.

Lena: A girl with a heart of gold, and a contagious smile! Lena serves God and others obediently and quietly, never looking for recognition or anything in return. When you meet Lena, you know right away that Jesus is shining through her! I think she's the kind of friend that everybody needs in their life.

Arisha: My sweet, bubbly 14 year old new friend! Her love for children was always evident, as she would notice who needed a hand, a hug, a cuddle or just some guidance. Arisha is so fun-loving and wonderful to be around. She is so sweet, and has such a kind heart. She speaks honestly about the struggles of having non-Christian friends, and how she was inspired by others on the team when she saw us reading our Bibles, praying, doing devotions, etc, and wants to spend more of her time doing so as well. Arisha is also very enthusiastic about learning English, so we are hoping to do Skype sessions to help each other out! Then, next summer, we can actually speak to each other without a translator!

Alyona: Another wonderful young woman. She is 13 years old and has been waiting and waiting to be old enough to in OM. I was surprised to find out she was so young, as she has a maturity about her that says otherwise! Alyona's love for children is also obvious, and she was a wonderful member of the team! I thought it was also very touching that she is extremely concerned about her close friends because they are non-believers. I pray that she has opportunities to share God's love with them - they are lucky to have her as a friend!

Olesya: She was kind of like our team "mother". She was always thinking about everyone else first, making sure we had what we needed, and always helping where help was needed. She was really excellent in working with the kids, and started many fun games with them. I also had the opportunity to see her with her own children (when she let us four girls stay at her place after the bed bug incident), and she is an amazing mom! I hope Olesya knows what a beautiful woman she is - her eyes radiate the love of Jesus.

Andrej: What a hilarious and fun-loving guy! Andrej is always smiling and always having fun! He kept us laughing all the time! He made a great effort to communicate with us foreigners in English. Sometimes that resulted in laughter too! My favourite is that whenever he gives you something he automatically says, "You're welcome!" For example, I asked him if I could get the photos off of his computer, and when he passed me the computer he said, "Ashley - computer - you're welcome!" When we explained to him that in Canada you usually only say "you're welcome" after someone says "thank you", we learned that in Russian they always say "you're welcome" when they give you something. But we still liked to make fun of him for it during the rest of the trip!

Dima: Another hilarious guy! Dima was a little more difficult to get to know because he didn't speak any English, but we had a lot of fun trying to communicate! Dima has a hilarious laugh that can't help but be contagious. He likes to have fun and makes jokes, but he also has a deep side and loves talking about God. He led some really excellent devotions for our team. I was inspired when we were listening to George Verwer, and he went around the room and asked each of us what we do. While we all said things like, teacher, student, accounting, etc., Dima said, "I am a preacher of the Gospel". I would love it if that would be the first thing that came out of my mouth when someone asked what I do!

July 17 - Traveling Back to Winnipeg Part 1

Around 2:30 this morning I decided to lay down for a nap before having to leave at 4:00am. When my alarm went off at 3:45 I definitely did not want to get up!

It was sweet because a bunch of the girls got up with us to say goodbye again, even though we all said goodbye last night. 

So now I am starting off on my 30 hours of traveling home...I didn't want to leave Russia, but I also can't wait to get home. All of this travel time is TORTURE! :)

But all of this time also gives me a chance to reflect on this experience. 

One of the great things I learned was when I just arrived at OM in Novosibirsk. I was exhausted, not feeling well, and just all around cry baby-ish from the cancellations and delays in my trip. Kristina told me that she believes when Satan knows that something good is going to happen, he throws things in our way, trying to stop us. That really helped me to put all of the challenges throughout the mission trip into perspective. I no longer felt sorry for myself that all of these things were happening, but I felt absolutely wonderful that he could not stop me. So the flight problems, the yucky beds, the scary toilet and shower, the bed bugs, the outhouse in Yashkeno - all of these things could have made me have a miserable time, but because I know that with God I am stronger than that, I not only survived but thrived. I was constantly reminded of that saying: "Be the kind of woman who, when you get out of bed, the devil says, "Crap! She's up!"

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." - James 1:2-3, 12

Another valuable thing I've learned on this trip is that I can go anywhere in the world and find family in Christ. Language doesn't matter. Smiles are smiles, laughter is laughter, tears are tears, and God is God. I am amazed that even though we couldn't verbally understand each other, I still found amazing friends whom I love so, so, so much. And even working with the kids was great because they just don't care what language you speak! They just hang off your arm and love you right back.

One of the problems with short term missions, however, is that you form such amazing relationships and then you have to leave. It is neat that I have friends in so many different parts of the world, but that closeness is so hard to keep once you are apart. Hopefully thanks to email, Facebook and Skype I will be able to keep my new friends close! Myself, Olga and Arisha already have plans to Skype together. Olga will help me to learn more Russian, and I will help Arisha to learn more English. Her and I have vowed that by next summer when I come back I will be able to speak to her in Russian and she will be able to speak to me in English. I'm already quite surprised at how many words I know! I am definitely going to miss hearing the beautiful Russian language when I get home. 

OK, I just have to say...I am in the Moscow airport and really needed a chocolate fix. So I went to this coffee place and got a bottle of water, fruit leather, and this chocolate slice thing. I sat down to enjoy my lovely chocolate when my taste buds were insulted by the presence of...RAISINS! Who puts raisins in chocolate cake? Just saying. So alas, my chocolate fix was not what I had hoped. Woe is me. 

Now I am on the flight from Moscow to Toronto. It feels like it is never going to end! I thought that it must be almost over by now, only to realize I still have another 4 out of the 10 hours yet. The pilot just announced that we are flying over Finland right now! I keep trying to read, watch a movie or play games but I can't keep my eyes open! But when I go to sleep, it's only for a few minutes at a time. Grrr. I'll be looking forward to being in my bed tonight! 15 hours to go!

OK I just stood up at my seat to take a stretch, and noticed that there is a teeny weeny dog on the seat in front of me! It is so adorable. His owner is sleeping in the seat next to him, and on the puppy's seat there is a puppy pad (in case of accidents), a water bowl and food in a bag. He actually bought the seat for his dog! While I was standing looking at him, he did the classic turn arounds before having a poop on the seat. The owner is still asleep - if I had a plastic bag I'd just bag it up so that it doesn't smell, but I don't! Yes, I think about many strange things when I am traveling for so long! Haha :)

I wonder why the flight from Toronto to Moscow was only 8 hours, but it is 10 hours going back...

Now I'm sitting at the Toronto airport - I just had the most AMAZING roasted vegetable pizza! Oh pizza, how I've missed you!! I have an 8 hour wait until my short flight back home! What to do...what to do...

July 16 - Second Day of Debriefing in Novosibirsk

Today started off with breakfast at 9:00. There was cereal, toast, tost with melted cheese and tomatoes, cheese, fruit - a very yummy breakfast!
After breakfast we had devotion. Today was about how we are seated in Heaven with Jesus already, and what that means for us here on earth. Then we had quiet time to read our Bibles ourselves and pray.
Next we had to fill out an evaluation form of our experience with OM Russia, and then had a meeting with Colin, one of the OM Russia leaders. He talked about his journey to mission work, and the was one particular story that stuck out for me. He said that when he was eight years old, a man came to his school to talk about his experiences in India. The man said that he bought a pack of peanuts, cracked open one nut and threw the shell to the ground. Immediately a little boy ran up, grabbed the peanut shell off the ground and ate it. The man saw that the boy must be hungry, so he gave the boy all of his peanuts. Suddenly, a mob of children ran up to the boy and started grabbing at the package, trampling all over the boy. Colin said that it was that story that made him pray to God, at age 8, that He would use him to help people in the world. He went on to say that even though we were just here for a short term mission, one day one of the kids we worked with might say, "There was a day when a bunch of missionaries came and taught me about Jesus", etc. I appreciated that he told us this story because it gave some encouragement that we really did make a difference. And I hope that when school starts in September and I share my stories and photos with my students, that maybe it will touch them too, and make them want to do the same!
Then we had lunch followed by our last worship time. After that we sat in a big circle and shared our prayer requests. After each person shared his/her requests, we all prayed for that person "Korean Style" (where everyone all prays out loud at once, but in their own words). It was a really nest experience to share our needs with each other and have time to pray for each person individually.
The next thing on the schedule was souvenir shopping and then the ballet! Unfortunately the traffic was absolutely crazy, and we spent over two hours driving. Therefore, we didn't get to do any shopping, we just had to head straight to the ballet. The theatre was beautiful! It had paintings on the ceiling and a crystal chandelier. There we also statues all around the walls.

I don't know the name of the ballet because it didn't have an English translation - it was just the names of the two main characters. It was a love story about a 40 year old Russian sailor and a 14 year old American girl who fall in love. They get married but then for some reason they both die in the end. It was narrated and sung throughout, but it was all in Russian, so I don't really know what was happening. The music was really cool - it was a rock opera, so it was quite different that the usual ballet. The only strange thing was that it was not live music - it was recorded.
We got home around 9:00pm and then had dinner. The was homemade pizza, but it had sausage in it so I had some leftover spaghetti. We also had this cottage cheese square thing, ice cream, chips and watermelon. At 10:00 we started our Good Bye Party. It was really fun!

First they made me sing the song I sang st church on Sunday. After that we did some dancing to fun songs, and did this other fun line dance with partners. We were laughing so much! The second part of the party was a little more quiet. We all sat in a circle, and Olga had a ball of yarn. She tied it around her wrist and then threw it to someone else, saying things she liked about them. We each did the same until everybody had a piece of the yarn and a big web was created. I passed to Olesya - I was glad to have a chance to let her know how I felt about her because Olga was translating. I told her that I thought she was a beautiful woman and that I feel so blessed to have met her. She is always thinking about others first, and making sure we have what we need. She even opened her home to us four girls when we had nowhere to go, even though it meant she could possibly get bed bugs from us. I was happy to get a chance to tell her how much I love her!

The party wrapped up at 12:00am, and I still had to finish packing and have a shower. We all pretty much decided just to stay up later, and Dimona and I (who had to leave at 4:00am would just not bother going to bed. So we stayed up talking and having fun, and I had a nice chat with Arisha using Google translate!

July 15 - Day 1 of Debriefing in Novosibirsk

I had the BEST sleep last night! Luckily we got to sleep in since breakfast wasn't until 9:00, but even at 8:30 I didn't want to get up! It is really hot here too - it was pretty cool until the last couple of days. 

Breakfast was cheese, apples and bananas (and cereal, but I didn't want any). Next was devotions, but they wanted me to help lead the worship songs for our 10:00am worship, so I rehearsed with the worship team instead. Today was very exciting because George Verwer, the founder of OM, came to speak to us! After worship, he began telling us a bit of his story, and about some of the other ministries OM is doing. I liked when he said, "I know I can't please all people, so I just try to please God".

He talked about when he first came to Russia, and was smuggling Christian literature and Bibles in cornflake cereal boxes. He said everything went well and they did not get caught handing anything out. However, they came across one of their Gospel of John books, and found a butter smudge on it. They didn't want to hand that out, but also didn't want to flush it down the toilet. He ended up taking it back with him, which he said was really dumb. As they were driving down the highway, he threw the Gospel of John out of the window. By the time they had gone another 10 miles the road was blocked by police, the army, and other such groups. He was brought in for 3 days of interrogation for that.

They had many books here, and four of them were free to us, but they only had Russian ones left. That is because the Russian books are printed in St. Petersburg, so they are already here. He didn't want to bring any books in English with him, because he was arrested the last time he came to Russia for bringing in Christian literature to distribute. 

We also spent lots of time praying for the different ministries of OM, including AIDS education, abortion education, children and teen ministry, Ministry in India, etc.

Afterwards we had a big BBQ out in the yard, and then I went inside for a bit of quiet time. Then Kristina, Dimona and Lena came in, and we spent some time praying together about our own prayer requests.

Next we met in our teams and did some debriefing of the whole trip. We all had many positive things to say about our ministry and our team. I am still kind of processing everything - it's all happened so fast! I will have to do some more thinking before I share!

Then we had tea time, another worship service, and then our team shared with the other team about our mission, and vice versa. Then we had dinner (spaghetti & sausages), and had a bit of free time. They put on a movie for us this evening (John Carter), which we are watching right now, although I'm not too interested. 

Tomorrow we get to go to the ballet! I'm so excited! Time to head to bed!

July 14 - Yashkeno Church & Back to Novosibirsk

Today we woke up early because we had to pack everything up in the cars. I did not want to get up - I was so cold and didn't want to get out of my blankets! We had breakfast at 7:00, did our devotion, and then started packing and cleaning. We finished a lot earlier than we thought we would, so we had a lot of extra time. I practiced my song with Alexey, and then we practiced our group song.
The church service was 2 and a half hours long, but it didn't actually feel that long! We started off with some worship songs (in Russian), some prayers and welcomes, and then Marina (the pastor's daughter - she joined in our camp in Yashkeno) spoke about the work we were doing while we played a slideshow of pictures from the camp. Then I gave my testimony and sang "Show Me". Then Lena gave her testimony, and then Dima gave a sermon. We sang a bit more, and then Alexey gave a sermon.

After the service, we all had lunch (I had that milk rice again). Then we were called back into the sanctuary, whe the pastor expressed his thanks to us and called us each up one by one to give us a gift. When he called me he mentioned that Russia's hockey team was better than Canada. After I gave him a dirty look he said that when the Olympics start in Russia he will cheer for Canada too :) Haha. Us "foreigners" each received a comb made in Yashkeno - they are made of wood and are beautiful!
Then we said goodbye to everyone, piled into the cars and started driving. There are so many cows on the road all the time - it's really cool! We even drove by a mother pig with four little piglets following her across the road. Myself and the other four girls in our car squealed and "aaawwwwww-ed" over how adorable they were!
When we got to the river we had to wait about a half hour for the boat to take us across. We waded in the water a bit, and just enjoyed the scenery. There were tons of horses and some cows drinking out of the lake as well. Very cool.

Then we rode on the boat across the river and began the long drive back to Novosibirsk. I was feeling pretty sad that we were leaving. I loved Yashkeno so much. It is so natural and beautiful, and I loved the work we wre doing, our team members, and just the general atmosphere of working and living with other Christians.
We arrived back at the OM Center around 8:00pm and unpacked the cars. When I stepped into the show it felt so good to get clean! I scrubbed and scrubbed my feet, but I still couldn't get all the dirt off! Next we had dinner (I had a plate of tomatoes, red peppers and cheese). Then I went to bed and had some quiet reading time and went to sleep! (I am writing this entry a day later).