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).