Emmanuel

We’re back in Smolensk after a month and a half long visit to the States. 

It is always hard to leave home (USA) - 

• to hug and kiss my aging parents at the airport security check,  
• to bid farewell to the strong Southern sun and clean water (all the time,) 
• to say good-bye to Chick-Fil-A and Mexican food restaurants.

It is always great to come home (Russia) - 

• to my dear husband, 
• to my wonderful Brothers and Sisters at church, 
• to snow and ice and cold, 
• to fresh eggs and wonderful sour cream. 

As you see, there are so many mixed feelings - and combine all that with jet lag and the inevitable culture shock (yes, even after all these years) - our family always goes through a rough first couple of weeks "re-entry time." 

This year was especially difficult:

  

No snow or cold to greet us this Dec, 

only cloudy skies, dirty streets, 

and grouchy worn people who had lived thru the month of Nov with absolutely no sun.  

My sweet husband was one stressed-out man.  

There was very little business and no money in the 3 jobs he usually works . . . no in-come and no prospects. 

I have to be honest, I thought many times about getting back on a plane  - - - it was a scary time.

I decided to be honest about our problems and my fear and posted them on Facebook.  The outpouring of concern, support and prayers was exactly what I needed.  It was “virtural” medicine for my soul - my friends were the medicine.

And, this was fast-working medicine!  

That week my husband got a great job tip/opportunity.  His spirits lifted - which eased all of us.  After a couple of days I said to him,  “I just want to thank you for these past few days.  It has been so much FUN to live with you!”  He looked at me a little funny with his shy little half-smile.  We both knew there had been a big change.  

This week Anton starts the trial period in a new job.  It is not quite the job he was promised and so, we are a little disappointed, but it is a JOB and he will be making a bit more than he made before.  For all this, we are thankful!  

I want to say a big THANK YOU to all my friends on Facebook for their prayers and support.  God used you and your prayers to bring us hope, healing, and change!  For all the things Facebook may be, to many of us it is a way to connect in Love. 

I am thankful for this gift, for this time!

And, so, now we enter the Christmas season - - knowing that God is WITH US.  

Emmanuel is here and He lives and works in His People. 

I want to know Him and hear Him and follow Him this year . . .  

                    I’ve got so much to learn . . . 

Our Village - Selifonovo

We’re building our new house in Selifonovo.  

It is located on the Smolensk “loop,” about 10 minutes outside of town.  There is a large cemetery that sits on a hill overlooking the village.  We have a bus stop and in summer there are 3-4 buses that run - in winter, less, but I’m not sure exactly.  

Right now there are about 30 houses in the village.  It is typical for this part of Russia, so I thought I would show you a few pics of our neighbor’s houses and the surrounding area.  Ready for a tour?

At the crossroad - the house on the left seems to be fairly new.  

Notice the row of fruit trees in the front?  Every house in Russian has fruit trees - it is such a great way to use the land.  Why don’t we have more fruit trees in our yards in the States?

The view behind that house and on down to Smolensk.

There is no store in our village - but every week a “traveling store” van comes and sells bread and other staples.  We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of this process.  

See the Babushkas there lining up to the right of the van’s open doors?  

Hey, maybe this would be a good business for us to start . . . a little store.  Hmmm?

Another house not far from ours.  I love the light blue!

And another - this one is a mixture of the old wooden style and the new favorite - brick.  

Do you see that little room at the front of the house - looks like an add-on?  It is the “mud room” - where you take off your boots and shoes, leave your coats.  In the village it is usually not heated . . . 

This one is a bright blue - with yellow trim around the windows.  Love it!

An example of a very traditional Russian wooden village house - green with some painted wooden carvings around the windows.  And, look at the charming wooden fence!

I see these all the time in villages here.  Our neighbor, who is around 70 yrs old, and his wife ride to town on the motorcycle - he drives and she rides in the side car!  

It’s a great way to get around!  

The other new house going up in Selifonovna.  The guy building this house is about our age - he is a retired “tax police” officer, a really hard worker, and a very helpful neighbor. His name is Sergei and he has laid every brick (of an all brick) of his house himself.  He has given us lots of advice as we deal with the land administration.  

Really thankful to God for him!  

I hope we can be friends!

This picture was taken one day after the rain - 

God gave us a rainbow right over the cemetery! 

We have a cow who lives nextdoor!

And a couple of ducks on the pond just behind our lot.

Roosters and chickens run the roads.  

Sophi chased this rooster, yelling, 

“Animals are afraid of people, Mom!”  

I don’t know, I’ve heard stories of mean roosters who aren’t afraid and who chase people!  

I guess she’ll learn . . . 

And we have hay for feeding the animals . . . 

All of this, and Smolensk is not far away!

I am thankful for our village.  
The people here have been nice and very helpful.
  

I so want to make friends with everyone and be a servant in this place.  

Will you join me in praying for the people God has given us to serve here?  

Ask Him to give us good relationships with our neighbors.


Ask God to Love Selifonovo through us!

Thank you!

Oh, that Russian MUD!

Between the time we dug the foundation and the time the cement trucks arrived - 

IT RAINED!  

Not just a little sprinkle but a huge summer thunderstorm downpour . . . all night!   

The next day Anton and Igor, our builder, checked the damage.

And decided to let the concrete pour!  

And it did!  


The first truck was no problem . . . but, then, the second truck

Got STUCK! 

It was really interesting to watch all those men discuss how to get a fully loaded cement truck out of the Russian mud!  

First they tried using the backhoe to pull the cement truck out . . . 

That didn’t work.

Then they got the idea to use the scoop on the backhoe . . . pour the concrete from the truck to the scoop, let the backhoe fill in the foundation 

until the truck was empty and could make it out of that MUD!

And, that, my friends/druzya, worked!

And everyone kept smiling!

Let the Building Begin!

We did it!

We have officially started a major building project . . . 

We are building a house in a Russian village!  

(good night, just read that sentence . . . are we CRAZY!?)

So far:

trucks have gotten stuck

supplies have arrived late, 

money is flowing, 

tempers are flaring, 

exhaustion has set in 

. . . and it’s only been 2 weeks!  

Here is my dear husband: 

in over his head, 

floating in a sea of new information, 

struggling to keep it all in balance, 

checking the markings for our foundation.

Here are Andrey and Igor, our son and father building team, 

with Anton - anticipating that first “dig.”

I just had to take a picture of this wonderful machine.  

It was the "king of the field" that day and the driver, in my opinion, has one fun job!  

He just swings that seat around to whatever gadget he needs at the time: 

- need to dig? 

- need to push something?  

No problem! 

I LOVED IT!  

I asked Anton if we could get one for our land - 

he looked at me 

. . . let’s just say it’s best not to joke around with a 

stressed-out guy on a tight budget!

Here is the pic I took of our building team’s car. 

Well, ok, really of the license plate.  

I felt a little guilty doing it - Igor was a pastor and a missionary. .  . I am of little faith!

Here are the trenches - I know nothing about foundations - but these holes looked so flimsy to me, like anyone or any thing (like RAIN) could crash them in  . . . I was right!  

Stay tuned for the rest of that story . . . 

Sophi always has a blast at The Land.  

This is what we need to keep in mind as we build - 

our Sweet Sophia and the brothers and sisters God will give her . . . 

              country life will be so much fun for them!  

“Kasha” - the Russian Building Block

Kasha is the food Russians are raised on - all kinds of it:  oat, corn, rice, buckwheat . . . and the list goes on.  

I don’t know why we don’t have such a love of “meal” in the States. My memories of it as a child were, of course, of oat-meal as a breakfast food.  Kids my age made faces when it was passed their way and joked about the clumpy cold clods they had that morning for breakfast.  And, we NEVER had a “porridge” of any kind for lunch or dinner - UGH! BLECH!  (well, unless you can count grits as a porridge - I don’t know, can you?!  Maybe . . . hmm . . . )

In my new life, as a “part-Russian,” I have learned to love all kinds of “meals.”  

My favorite is buckwheat - a dark wonderful side for beef!  YUM!  But, I also love my husband’s morning oat-meal - with grated apple and lots of brown sugar.

Sophi loves “kasha!”  She would eat it every morning . . . but we try to vary the menu a little every few days!   

Eggs, cereal, oat-meal . . .  .what’s your breakfast food of choice?

“Mom, I need to talk to God.”

Lately, Sophia will tell me, out of the blue, 

“Mom, I need to talk to God.”  

The first time it happened I said, 

“Ok, let’s pray.”  

But, Sophi corrected me and said, 

“No, I want to pray by myself.”

  

And, then, she went off and I saw her lips moving, eyes opened - praying.  

When she came back I asked her what she said to God.  

Her answer blew me away. 

She said, 

“I asked Him to help me to obey, cuz I can’t do it by myself, Mom.”  

Just so matter-of-fact . . . so assured . . . . then she went on to play, leaving me with my jaw on the floor.  

Since then, she has done this several other times.  

Once in the car, I was driving and suddenly she said, 

“Mom, I need to ask God to help me.”  

And, then she did.  

The latest was today, at Mother’s Day Out.  

We were getting ready for snack and I called Sophia to come wash her hands.  

I looked and there she was, sitting in one of  the sanctuary chairs, looking forward, lips moving.  

She told me later, 

“Mom, I had to ask God to help me not say bad things.”  

I’m not sure what to make of all this.  

The believing part of me is so happy for her and thankful to God - ‘cause she “gets it” - at 3 years old, she understands her great need for God!  Her father and I have prayed since before she was born that God HImself would be her Teacher.   Here is the evidence!  Praise Him!

The Pharisee part of me wants to pull her in, talk with her, make sure she understands that when she prays she is talking with the Creator of the Universe, not Santa or "some nice man."  

She can’t possibly really be talking with God - can she?  

I mean, I’m her mom and have been around a LONG time and half the time I’m unsure about my conversations with God.  Goodness . . . 

God is my daughter’s Teacher.  

It all comes down to faith:  

- Sophi trusting God will hear her and answer her calls for help.  

- Me, trusting the Creator of the Universe, Whom I can’t see and am just learning how to hear, to teach my daughter - Spirit to spirit.  One of my first lessons in letting go.

“Please, God- Father - Papa, continue Your Work in my daughter and in me.  We are Yours!   How I love You.  Every day I love you more and more.  Teach us to live in Your Love and not fear!”