July 13 - A Day at the Park

I had such a good sleep last night - I didn't want to wake up when it was time!! For breakfast we had bread with the honey from the woman at the orphanage. Then we did a one hour devotion, since we did not need to be at the park until 10:30. It was on Mark 11, and how we are to pray.
When we got to the park the guys set up the trampoline, and we started playing volleyball. I am worse at volleyball than I thought. Haha :) I also played badminton with a little boy, and a few games of frisbee with random people. Then we did some parachute games. It was so hot today, and not a cloud in the sky.

We wrapped up at 1:00 and walked back to the church. Most of us laid down for a little bit, and then we made lunch (buckwheat).
Next we went to the Banya again, and this time they had the fire going in the pot stove thing so it was REALLY hot in there! And they have branches of some sort of plants hanging from the walls, so between that, the fire smell and the wood of the walls it smells AMAZING in there. I really want one in my backyard. I would never come out!
After that, Kristina, Dimona and I walked to the store to get groceries, because we decided we'd make dinner for everyone tonight. Dimona wanted to make a meal from Switzerland, so we made this really great meal with potatoes, noodles, cheese, cream, garlic and onion. I made broccoli with feta cheese, pepper, garlic and green onion. For dessert we had vanilla ice cream, and I melted two chocolate bars made right here in Yashkeno on the stove. Kristina put cranberries on top of the ice cream and then I drizzled the melted chocolate on top. It was a great meal! It was funny when we were cooking, because we wouldn't let anybody come in the kitchen (we wanted it to be a surprise), so every time someone opened the door we'd yell, "NYET!!! It was pretty funny! I think after awhile they were scared to even RRY coming in! I'm going to have to make that potato/noodle dish when I get home - I loved it! It was funny because one of the things we have noticed is that nobody drinks when they are eating - they just have tea right after they finish. But we have also noticed that the food quite a bit more bland than what we are used to. But today, with all the spices we put in our food, everyone was jumping up from the table to get water in the middle of the meal! It was pretty funny! :)

This evening we are preparing for tomorrow, as we are in charge of the church service. Both Dima and Andrey are giving sermons, I am singing "Show Me" (with Alexey playing the guitar for me), Alyona is singing a solo (in Russian, of course), and all of us are going to sing "God Of This City" - half in Russian, half in English. It's only 9:00, but I am sooooo tired! Tomorrow we get up early to pack up all of our stuff and load the cars, then do devotion, and then have church. After lunch we will leave to go back to the OM Center in Novosibirsk. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I don't want to go back! I love it here in Yashkeno! I love all of the nature, the people, the Banya, and I don't even mind having to pee in a hole in the ground! It's a nice, relaxed way of living - getting water from the well, boiling it to use for dishes or washing, etc. I'm really enjoying it here. I think I was born in the wrong century!