Another week has gone by and we are in
full gear! This past week Hilary, Allie, and I have readjusted to a
busy schedule here in Tomsk. We started our English classes on
Tuesday and Thursday nights. We have learned that instead of formally
teaching English, it is better to play games and have discussion. In
this way, the Russian people still learn English, and we can become
friends as well. In Russia, there is usually a strong distance
between the teacher and the student. We have been making some new
friends since being back. We met a couple last weekend at English
club on Saturday nights. We invited them to dinner and had Taco soup.
We ended up having a GREAT time! They agreed to come over on Monday
nights to teach us Russian for a couple hours. We are excited for our
first Russian lesson with our new friends Kate and Ivan tomorrow. It
has been somewhat difficult getting back into speaking Russian, after
traveling to England. I so enjoyed the English accents!! But we are
still having our weekly Russian lessons, and hope to get back on
track with our Russian speaking skills.
This Friday we had discussion group at
our apartment with Emil. We help Emil and Jenny, a Christian couple,
with English Club on Saturday nights. Last Saturday we spoke about
culture shock, our trip to England, and we played games. At the end
of club, we handed out “question slips”. Everyone was asked to
right a question they would be interested in having a discussion
about. From those questions, we have now formed a discussion group in
our apartment on Friday nights. This past Friday we discussed how
English has become the international language and how it helps
mankind answer universal questions. We also discussed differences
between Russian culture and American culture. It was funny, because
many of the Russians wanted to know what we would bring from America
to Russia if we could. Hilary, Allie, and I all agreed that one thing
we would love to bring is SMILES. All the Russians thought it was
really funny. Russians smile if they have a reason to smile and our
dear friends at English club are the nicest people. But out and about
on the streets people do not smile at you. The store clerks barely
acknowledge you, which has taken some time to get use to. But we have
been told that in many places up in Northern Tomsk, if you smile and
laugh on the streets, you run the chance of getting beat up. In the
poorer communities you will be heavily questioned for why you are
happy. You might be asked “Why are you happy? What is there to be
happy about?”. The discussion was very vibrant and I enjoyed the
laughter. This next Friday we will be discussing the meaning of life
and some very heavy topics. I was really encouraged by the people
that showed up to discussion group. There were fourteen Russians in
total. Most of them were from Kazakhstan. I am praying that these
discussion groups will help us build meaningful friendships and that
it will open people's hearts to Christ.
Today, we celebrated Canadian
Thanksgiving at Evangel Church! It was a big harvest celebration. The
whole church was decorated with autumn colors and everyone had
brought a TON of food for a HUGE FEAST! There was singing, poetry,
games, and a sermon from our dear friend, Peter. He talked about
sharing our harvest with other people. God has given us many things,
but we need to share it with others. There was also a couple who did
the most precious skit ever!! She was a happy tree and he was a sad
tree that hated everything. She kept saying, “Ya le-blue 'this'”!
Which means I love...! She had green leaves and his leaves were
brown. She encouraged him to try and love the sun, rain, and life.
She shared her happiness with him and he ended up becoming a green tree
also, full of joy and thankfulness!!
We also gave a presentation on the
history of Thanksgiving and how it is celebrated in America. We ended
up spending almost the whole day at church! God has been showing me
how much I truly have to be thankful for! I am encouraged by the
hearts of God's people around me. I'm grateful for God's pleasure in
Christ and how I can truly rest in His promises. I do what is right
and obey the Lord, not to seek favor with Him, but because He is
worthy and has declared me righteous through Christ. No matter what
situation I am in, no matter how lonely I feel in Siberia, God is
still good! He never changes and He is always with me. His love for
me astounds me and all I can say is THANK YOU!
We will be starting our full week
tomorrow of classes and social activities. We are having a movie
night this Friday at church (Watching “The Ultimate Gift”) and we
are holding a discussion group that same night in our apartment.
Please pray for Hilary, Allie, and I to have strength and for the
young Russian people to see Christ in us. I'm praying for an open
heart for what God can do. Thank you all for your prayers and love.
(: Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!
P.S. It has been snowing! A lot here! SNOW! (: I'm excited for ice skating, sledding, snowball fighting, Snowman making, and Christmas movies with our Russian friends! Do you wanna build a snowman!? YESSSS!!! Lets go!
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