Suzdal, Russia

 We took Mom and Dad Gormong to the famous town of Suzdal last weekend.  Suzdal is famous for its  old cathedrals and beautiful Orthodox churches. 

Our field directors went with us...they were wonderful tour guides!  It was good to hear the history!

Thanks to Faith Wesleyan Church for the gift of sending Mom and Dad Gormong over for 2 1/2 weeks!  We have thoroughly enjoyed them!  We are sad to say our goodbyes tomorrow morning.

Blessings,

Philip, Kara, Adalynn, and Gwen

Dandelions and Hope

On Tuesday we went outside despite the cooler weather that rolled in with the rain earlier this week.  (It is actually hot and sunny today!)   I decided to try to get some pictures of the girls in the grass.  Well, Gwen was not impressed.  She made this face the whole time...with a little whiny cry to go along with it.  She clung to her little bunny and whimpered.  Gwen wanted nothing to do with grass, flowers, or picture taking!

When I was little I, my mom would put my sister and I on a blanket outside while she hung up the laundry.   We hated the grass, so we never moved from the blanket.  Daughter like mother I suppose!

While we were outside we met a dad and his daughter.  The little girl followed Adalynn around.  They played a little and I made small (what I could) talk with the dad.  The little girl was 1 and 2 months.  Her name was Nastya.  We have a friend who watches the missionary girls on Fridays.  Her name is Nastya too.  When I told Adalynn this little girl's name was Nastya, Adalynn looked at me really funny and said, "No it's not.  It is not Nastya!"  Hahha!

Picking "Russian flowers" as Adalynn calls them.  I am sure Adalynn will be delighted to know that dandelions grow all over the world! 

 

Dr. Jim Lo is here in Vladimir teaching a class at the Bible College.  Dr. Lo was one of Philip and I's professors from Indiana Wesleyan University back in the day.  I was able to go to class last night with the girl Vika from our small group!  It was a great class!  She really enjoyed it!  She has class the next two nights so she won't be able to go again.  She was disappointed about this, but again said how much she enjoyed the lecture.  Dr.  Lo had a great lecture and even shared the way to salvation which was so neat since Vika was there.  Dr. Lo even mentioned some stories from John, which is the book we had been studying together.  Throughout the lecture Vika would say to me, "I remember, we talked about this!"  Please continue to pray for her as she leaves in just a little over a week for the United States for 3 months.

Blessings,

Philip, Kara, Adalynn, and Gwen

Picnic

May 9th is Victory Day here in Russia!  It is a big celebration!  The holiday is from Sunday, May 6th through Wednesday, May 9th. (Russians worked on Saturday to make up for a working day so they can have a longer holiday weekend---more details on this interesting fact later)

Our friend A and her family invited us on a picnic today.  We were not sure what a picnic really involved.  I mean, when you think picnic you probably think a checkered table cloth, sandwiches, and a Frisbee, right?  Well, there were about 15 people at our picnic.  Friends of friends of friends.  It was a lot of fun!  Our friend, A, and her family picked us up and we all drove out to the forest (it was a woodsy area with empty places where you can have fires and camp).  Once we arrived, we waited for the rest of the people to join us. 

Gwen chilled in the baby carrier and the stroller.

 

The girls enjoyed the bubbles...

 

No, they are not playing American football and no, Adalynn is not getting ready to tackle little K!

 

 

When the rest of our group arrived, the barbeque began!  They grilled some sausage things, and we all ate them wrapped in this bread, like tortillas.  You could add some fresh dill, parsley, and green onions if you wanted.  Then there was some volleyball and soccer playing, and some more grilling of pork.  It was delicious!  My friend, A, and I basically watched our girls.  We also went on a walk and played on a blanket and talked.  Another lady there joined us as well because she is going to be a mom this fall.  Adalynn really liked her!  A is really interested in the church so we are excited to have her and her family join us for a service here soon.  

About 3 hours into our picnic, it began to rain and the girls all gathered in the car while it passed.  Then when it stopped, we all got out and ate some more!  Soon we started to hear thunder so we all quickly packed up and headed back to Vladimir. 

It was a good day!  The weather was perfect (besides the rain toward the end!), the girls were super, and Adalynn even went to the bathroom outside for the first time---like a real Russian kid!  We really enjoyed our time today!

 

Can you tell these girls had a good day?  This is a picture of them on the way home!

Blessings,

Philip, Kara, Adalynn, and Gwen

Moscow Trip

I went into Moscow on Wednesday to get Gwen's 6 month immunizations done at the American Medical Clinic.  She did great!  Cara B. went with me.  After the shots in the morning, we had the rest of the afternoon to walk around Moscow, shop, and drink Starbucks before catching the train back to Vladimir at 6pm.  The weather was beautiful!  I even got hot!

 

This is what Gwen did a few times throughout the day, which I was very thankful for!

Around the Kremlin, they were planting flowers galore!  There were rows of white, blue, and red...all for the holiday coming up on the 9th of May!  Here is a picture of the city (all women!) workers who were busy planting the flowers.  

Blessings,

Philip, Kara, Adalynn, and Gwen

Contacts...Not the Ones You Put in Your Eyes...

Well, the sun is out and spring has arrived in Vladimir!  The last few days we have been outside with light jackets and no winter boats!  The smell of the fresh air is amazing and such a welcoming scent.  I might start hanging my cloths outside on the balcony to dry!

This past week, I was able to go on a walk with a friend!  Philip helps out at an English club once a week on Thursdays.  This lady and her friend started this English club.  I met "A" last fall, but recently have been able to spend some time with her!  Her and her family came to our Easter celebration a few weeks ago.  It was great to meet her family!  She was interested in knowing more about our church!  We met in the park by our house and walked and talked for over an hour.  Then on Friday, she invited me to go shopping with her and her friend.  We went and ate lunch at a restaurant I have never been to before.  I had some traditional Russian salad and a soup made from pickles.  It was actually quite tasty!  Then we hit the mall and bought a few things for our kids...and maybe ourselves!  It was a lot of fun!  On Saturday night, she invited Philip and I to do something with her and her husband.  We quick found a babysitter and ended up enjoying dinner together at a local pizza place.  We all had a very enjoyable time.

Vika is still coming to our small group each week.  It has been nice to be in a regular rhythm of studying the Bible together.  She always asks questions.  She has recently mentioned that her parents are not very thrilled with her coming to read the Bible.  They think it is some kind of sect, which is what probably many older people may think.  But we assured her we are not, and even told her that the Bible we read together (the one she owns) is approved by the Orthodox church...this should put her parents to ease a little.  Anyway, keep praying for her.  She will leave at the end of the month to do a study program in the States.  Pray for Vika as she goes to live on her own in a foreign country.  Pray for her to meet some believers in her area so that she may continue in learning, seeing, and hearing about the Lord.

Tomorrow I will be going with our language tutor to get a free massage!  What?!  I know, right?  I must have the best tutor in the world...oh and the best husband in the world since he will be watching the girls...again:)  I'll let you know how it goes!

Thanks for your prayers for us.  We are continually seeking the Lord as He uses us for his purposes here in Vladimir!

Blessings,

Philip, Kara, Adalynn, and Gwen

p.s.  I mentioned so long ago (back in the fall)  that I met a mom on the playground named Yulia.  I happened to see her yesterday for the first time since returning in January!  I was happy to see her!  We briefly talked about the weather and how nice it was to be outside again.  I have seen her on the playground since, so I am excited to talk more with her.  Please pray for opportunities and boldness.

Warmer

Welcome Spring!  Finally, Vladimir is starting to see some warmer weather!  It was in the mid 60s yesterday and it was oh, so glorious!  The girls and I went with Philip to pay our bills---to the post office.  We weaved in and out of puddles, but mostly just enjoyed the beautiful weather!!!

 

This is what most cars look like these days...dirty.  All the mud, puddles, and rain just give people an excuse to not wash their cars.

This picture was taken outside the post office while we were waiting for Philip.  I thought it was a neat symmetrical picture, though I am not sure what it says, so hopefully it isn't something bad!

Gwen is living it up with no winter snowsuit, a light hat, lounging in the stroller, and a snack.  What a hard life of a 10 month old!

Peek-a-Boo!  In Russian people say, "Coo Coo"

Sister loving!  Adalynn was singing this song, "My best friend, Gwen is my best friend.  My best friend is my sisterrrrrrrrrrr!!!  Gwenie!!!!!!"  It was pretty cute!

Blessings,

Philip, Kara, Adalynn, and Gwen

Grace of Christ's Easter Celebration

We had a great turn out for our Easter outreach with Grace of Christ Church yesterday!  It was a great time of fellowship, food, and sharing of the Word!  We had almost 50 people attend, which was great!  We had many friends join us for this special celebration.  

We enjoyed some Russian food...

Brian shared a short message about the meaning of Easer...

Lena, one of the team leaders on our leadership team, read a poem about Easter.  We also shared in some meaningful worship songs.

The children played a game and did a version of Resurrection Eggs.  Gwen enjoyed the game as you can see!

 

 

Of course the babies were passed around and the children found adults to entertain them!

We had Anya and her family join us, which was really fun!  Anya is the woman who's English Club Philip helps out with each Thursday.  Hopefully this week Anya and I can get together with the kids!  It was great to meet her husband and daughter!

Thanks for your prayers and continual interest and investment in our lives and the ministry here in Russia!

Blessings,

Philip, Kara, Adalynn, and Gwen

Пасxa

Did you know that we have not celebrated Easter here in Russia yet? Actually we did celebrate with our family last weekend, but Russian Easter is this coming week (tomorrow). Easter is the biggest religious holiday here in Russia. Since Russia follows the Julian calendar, Easter falls on a different day than in America.  

Easter is a big and fun celebration for many Russians, both Protestant and Orthodox. They do color eggs here, but the tradition is to use onion skins.  They boil the onion skins and turn the eggs a brownish color.  (see picture of eggs on the plate below)  We opted to use food coloring because I wasn't up to boiling onion skins...this year--maybe next year!  They also sell these cakes that are pretty popular.  Usually they aren't very sweet, but more like bread.  Sometimes there are raisins in them...yuck, um no thank you.  I decided to buy some to try to make...of course I decided to buy the sweet kind!  

They turned out pretty good.  I even read the directions in Russian...but of course double checked everything to make sure I was reading correctly. Basically you just mixed in 2 eggs and 100grams of butter and put them in the oven.  I made some for some friends we will be seeing tomorrow as we celebrate Easter (Пасха).  Of course I tasted it, just to make sure it was worthy of giving as a gift.  No worries, it was!

Our neighbor, who likes to occasionally pound on our door and come right in our house, brought us an Easter cake this afternoon!  We were thrilled to receive the kind gesture.  We chatted in our kitchen for a few minutes.  Adalynn was eating chips (which was actually a treat at the end of her lunch) and our neighbor was telling us how unhealthy they are for kids.  Great, she is probably thinking, "Those fat Americans!"  Hahah!  

As you can see Gwen was all about the hard boiled eggs.  And no, the cake did not fall off the plate despite what the picture may look like!

Христос Воскрес!  Воистину Воскрес! 

(Christ is Risen!  He is risen indeed!)

Above is the greetings you exchange on Easter!  I think I like it better than Happy Easter!

Blessings,

Philip, Kara, Adalynn, and Gwen

Please pray for our outreach tomorrow afternoon!  Our church is having a dinner/tea!  We have invited many people!  Our friend, Anya and her family are coming, so we are really excited to share this special day with them!

Buses and Personal Space

Riding public transportation is actually not too bad.  If I think about leaving Russia, I actually think about how I would actually miss public transportation....in some ways, not all. Shocking, right?  Obviously there are some negatives about public transportation.  

Negative: It is really difficult to take 2 little girls anywhere with you if you have to take PT.  You have to carry them to the bus stop or take a stroller--which is really annoying in some sense because you have to figure out how to get the stroller on the bus along with yourself and the children.  You also have to keep them from squirming, crying, and talking in loud English (in our case singing in loud English). 

Positive: There is no taking in and out of car seats with big winter coats!

Negative:  The bus is crowded!  Sometimes you are so squished that you lose all sense of personal space.

Positive:  If you have children, someone usually gives up their seat for you--note:  always carry a child with you.

Negative:  Sometimes the trolly buses break down, and then you have to get out and walk to the next stop.

Positive:  You have no road rage because you are not driving!  I am never annoyed (ok, only once) at the bus because it is taking forever to get somewhere because I have no control of it.  I just sit and wait for the bus to arrive at my destination.  If we are late, we are late.  We can always blame the bus.  There is no being annoyed at the driver next to you or the driver who cut you off or ran the yellow light.  

Of course overall, I do enjoy getting into my car when back in the States and going anywhere I want in just minutes. 

Yesterday, I left the apartment to go to the art school again.  I left around 5:10pm.  I knew the buses would be crowded because it was "rush hour".  I prepared myself to lose my personal space.  I hoped on the 27 bus, and yes I lost ALL personal space and then some.  I am pretty sure my face was smashed to the glass and the person on the other side of the glass by the door had a pretty view for 2 stops.  Plus being crammed in a bus, traffic was busy too because everyone who had a car decided to go somewhere at the exact same time.  So, of course I was squished for an extra 10 minutes.

  I kept waiting for the lady who collects the money to come around.  I heard her money jingling in her pockets, but never saw her.  There was another couple standing by me who also needed to pay.  We all waited and waited, but there were so many people, and I had no idea how she was going to actually get through to the middle of the bus.  Finally, my stop came and I got off, still not paying.  I have no idea what I was suppose to do.  The couple got off the bus and went to the first door by the driver to pay.  I followed.  The lady just waved her hand and said something as the door shut and they drove away.  I guess I got a free ride.  I am still trying to decide if I am suppose to feel guilty for this act of "stealing" or not.  I'll let you know if they come looking for me.

Blessings,

Philip, Kara, Adalynn, and Gwen

Spring Puddles

 What?  Is that the road/ground you see?  Yes, it is true there is actually ground under all the snow.  I was beginning to think we were just walking on endless layers of ice and snow.  On Thursday it snowed.all.morning.  It was sad.  But today the sun was shining and the temperature got up to the 40s!  Yay!  When you stepped outside this afternoon, you could hear the steady dripping and gushing of melting snow from buildings.  It was a good sound.  

 

Here we are walking home from our Easter celebration with our Missionary Team.  We had a nice brunch at our field directors' house.  We did not get home until later in the afternoon, so Gwen was out like a light once we were on the bus.  

 

I told Adalynn she could actually step in the puddle.  She was beside herself with excitement because I am usually telling her to NOT step in the puddle.  It was a good picture moment, and we were just excited to not be walking on snow!

Happy Spring from Russia!

Blessings,

Philip, Kara, Adalynn, and Gwen

Spring!

Spring is on its way over to Russia! Yesterday it was quite a bit warmer out. Now when I say warmer, I am not saying 70s and 80s like in Indiana! It is warm enough that the snow is melting...soon the roads and sidewalks will be big yucky puddles. Oh the joys of spring in Russia. Oh, and did I mention that at night the puddles may freeze and then you have to enjoy sliding around on them during the early morning hours? Oh yes the price to pay to have warmer weather. I'll take it!
Yesterday after I spent all morning studying Russian and Philip spent all afternoon studying Russian, we decided we all needed a break! We took the girls outside for a walk around the apartment building and little play time on the slushy playground! It was fun and the girls enjoyed being outside. We even saw our neighbor outside with her dog. We said hi, talked about the warmer weather, how Adalynn can say some Russian words, and how tired Gwen looked!

This is Adalynn looking through the fence at the muddy road.

Sharing a swing!

Adalynn was "helping" push Gwen!

Blessings,
Philip, Kara, Adalynn, and Gwen