A
lot has happened! We went to the UK for two weeks in September. We
had to leave Russia in order to get a new visa. It was a rather long
process, but we received our visas! I want to share with you all about our trip, but first let me catch you up on what us girls did
before we left.
Before
we left for the UK we were finishing up our teaching. We made an
effort to see everyone before we left. We met three
Russian girls at English club who invited us over to dinner at their
apartment. One
of the girls, Svetlana,
I had talked to quite a bit. She loves to read and she works as the
secretary at the Pentecostal church in Tomsk. I was so excited to
have dinner with the girls. We brought cake with us and ate dessert
first. Hilary, Allie, and I
ended
up sharing our testimonies and life stories. Just as we started
eating the meal, Svetlana noticed smoke outside. At first, we thought
it was garbage someone had lit on fire. All of a sudden the room
started filling up with black smoke from the hallway. We realized
that the smoke was coming from inside the building. We could not go
out in the hall because the smoke was so thick. We ended up putting a
wet towel under her front door and we all went out on her balcony to
escape the smoke. Just
as we went out to the balcony the fire department came. We called
Oksana and she came with Emil. The fire was in an apartment on the second floor and
we were on the fourth floor. The fire was put out quite fast and
contained very well.
As soon as Emil and Oksana got there, we exited the building with a
fireman escorting us. It
was definitely an unexpected, cultural experience. (:
But
we were very safe, and did not feel scared. We got a lot of laughs out of it and Hilary, Allie, and
I grew stronger
as
a team that night. Praise
God!
Before
we left we finished up our classes and met some new students. We
helped out at English club with Jenny and Emil (I love helping
them!). We also stocked up on some souvenirs and said some goodbyes,
just in case we would not be able to come back. We had a lot of
people praying for us and God definitely put my heart at ease. I did
not feel the need to worry at all! God had it!
“Anxiety
does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its
strength.”
Isaiah
26:3 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.”
So,
off we went to stay in Horsham, UK. It is a small town an hour south
of London. Our secondary supervisor lives and works in London, so we
had a lot of people helping us. We met lots of people from the church
willing to help us. We stayed in a cute, little home in Horsham. The
family was traveling in the states, and offered to let us stay there.
We also got to do a lot of sight-seeing. Some friends from church
showed us around, and one family even cooked dinners for us. The food
was amazing! I had missed Mexican food so much (And yes, we did eat
at Chipotles in London)! For three days Hilary, Allie, and I went to
Edinburgh, Scotland. We were so in awe of God's creation. I have a
deep love for rainy and green places. Maybe I should just move
somewhere up North.
Some
things I personally enjoyed the most was walking through Edinburgh
Castle, climbing Arthur's Seat (an inactive volcano), and going on a
ghost tour of Edinburgh. I learned something about one of my favorite
books on the tour. William Brodie inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to
write "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde". By day, Brodie was a respectable
tradesman. He was the president of a cabinetmaking business, and he
was rather skilled in repairing locks. He socialized with the higher
class, and everyone had much respect for him. At night, however,
Brodie became another man entirely. He used his skill during the day
to
gain knowledge of his clients. He would copy their keys using wax molds. He
would steal the riches money and use it to live a second life of
gambling and pleasure. Brodies story became legend in Edinburgh.
About twenty-five years later, Stevenson wrote a crude play about
Brodie, which later he revised. This became the famous story of good
and evil residing in one man, known as "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde".
I'm going on a rant, but I started rereading Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and I love the imagery he uses to paint light (goodness) and darkness (evil). A man's ability to stand against darkness, while standing knee deep in it is impossible. Without grace all of our good works are like filthy rags. The Apostle Paul said "I don't understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate." But Paul knew that God is patient with us, in spite of what we do. How rich would God's love be without experiencing the evil in this world? I am in awe of how much God's wisdom flows over in love towards us. "For God has deemed it better to bring good out of evil than not to permit evil at all." - St. Augustine
We
did do quite a lot of sightseeing and Allie had family come up from
Germany to stay with us for a bit. While in the UK, we helped out at
Kingston University. We welcomed all the international students and
worked with the Connect UK club, which allows people to connect with
internationals. I met students from all over the world! I made some
good English friends who were working at Kingston as well. They took
us to get Chinese and were quite funny. Sometimes I hate moving
around so much, because I meet people I want to get to know so much
more. But I am still thankful that I even got to meet so many of the
loving people that I did meet, and hear some amazing stories of God's
work.
Overall,
the UK was a good break from teaching English. I am so grateful for the
experience! I am glad to be back in Russia. I realize now how much I truly love these people. Tomsk, Russia will always be a place I pray for and it will always hold a special place in my heart. The ability to adjust here, in a place so different, is all because of God. He watches over me and guides me through this. HE is always with me. Praise Him!
Now......enjoy the plethora of pictures I have for you!!!
e
Landing back in Siberia! It's officially fall...but winter is probably tomorrow. (:
No comments:
Post a Comment