Chapel today

The Whitefield students talked about their experiences during the Russia trip in chapel today. Of course photos are required! (Thanks Joshua for taking pix!)

Pictures: Friday Apr 11

One more day of bouncing around Moscow before we head home!

Changing money so we can buy some souvenirs with rubles:

Pulling a Von Trap family on the longest single escalator in the world:

Sara-Elizabeth seated outside the WWII memorial, with 1945 cut into the grass behind:
Holocaust survivors lay flowers at the foot of a monument:
Mr. McKinley speaks with a holocaust survivor/WWII veteran:
Steps leading to the hall of glory:
Ceiling of the hall of glory:

A class of Russian students hears Sara-Elizabeth speaking English and wants to interact and take photos:


SHOPPING!!

Group shot after dinner at Mu-mu's:
At night in Red Square:

Almost time to go home.....

Pictures Thursday Apr 10

Nathan evaluates the trip for Donna and Daryl:

Everyone loading up the bus for the trip to the airport in Rostov. It's time to head back to Moscow!

Rachel and Ashley goof off while waiting for the rest of the team to check in for the flight to Moscow:
Prayer before leaving our friends in Rostov:

Sergei's teary goodbye, LOL:

A covert photo of the Russian plane:

Natalie waits for our bus in Moscow:

Let's dig into some Papa Johns!
Leesha listens to Ashley share a testimony on our last night with the California team:

Goodbyes

OFF TO MOSCOW AND HOME!

Well, it's Thursday April 10 and time to leave Rostov. We're debriefing today and flying to Moscow. The California team leaves Moscow tomorrow and the Kentucky team leaves on Saturday. We don't have internet access in Moscow (that we know of), so this should be our last post from Russia, aside from one by proxy to let you know we've arrived safely.

A health update: Canaan's much better. Ashley's feeling a bit iffy but isn't letting it keep her down. Emily has a nasty cold and is a bit miserable but she's thankful it didn't happen earlier in the trip. Everyone else is just tired.

Our hearts are a bit tender from all the goodbyes. We've become attached to our new Russian friends.

Please keep in your prayers Sergei, Oxana, and the rest of the Russian team who run the Student Venture club here in Rostov. Many of them became Christians through the English camps, visits to the schools, and connection to the Student Venture club, and they've got a vision to reach the Russian youth for God's glory.

Thanks for your prayers and support. DASVEDANYA!!

Pictures Wednesday Apr 9

Visiting the schools...

















Girls who are friends often walk hand in hand.



Young students offer Amy gifts at Rosvitie:
















Teaching 3-year-olds Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes is a lot of fun:

















Another crazy camp game:














(A game of baby shark:)

They don't like stickers, what?

So, yesterday in answer to the question about differences in culture (see below), this is what I (Sara-Elizabeth) wrote:

Their personal receptiveness has been very different for me from Latin America. For example, here if I give a sticker to a child, they'll smile shyly and take it and proudly show off their ability to say "Thank you" in English. But that's about it. They certainly don't mob you and beg for more like in Latin America. It seems like even the children here know that Russians know what it means to suffer and aren't sure the future is going to be much different.

HA! Well, they showed us! Yesterday afternoon we went to a school in Rostov and discovered what fourth-grade Russian girls can REALLY do when they get wind of Disney princess stickers. See pictures below to see how Jackie progressively disappears under the mountain of Russian children. She practically had to throw me the bag of stickers so I could put it in my backpack so she could tell them she didn't have anymore! It was hysterical.

Differences in culture

WHAT HAVE YOU NOTICED DURING THIS TRIP ABOUT THE RUSSIAN CULTURE THAT’S VERY DIFFERENT FROM AMERICAN CULTURE?

Sara-Elizabeth: Their sense of politeness. If you want to exit a plane/train/bus seat, you have to jump in because usually they’re not going to let you out. And a car’s not going to let you walk in front of it. Also, if you’re in a line, you’d better make sure you stand really close to the person in front of you and make it really obvious you’re in line. If not, the next time you turn around, five people will have stepped in front of you.

Rachel: I’ve noticed that they have A LOT of PDA (public display of affection). Everywhere you look, people are hugging and kissing, (and I don’t just mean kissing, I mean practically eating each other’s faces off.) It’s really quite awkward. But, that’s just how they are. One gets used to it.
‘
Sarah: Um I think that the fact that they don’t smile like at all. It’s kind of weird sometimes.
Kendall: They drive like crazy! They are extremely aggressive. They go really fast because they don’t enforce the speed limit.

Natalie's Testimony

NATALIE, WHAT WAS IT LIKE SHARING YOUR TESTIMONY AT THE ASSEMBLY AT SCHOOL 6 IN ROSTOV?

At first, I was absolutely terrified. I had been thinking about what I was going to say all day but when I got up out of my seat to walk on stage, my mind went blank. My heart was pounding a mile-a-minute and couldn’t seem to swallow the lump in my throat. I was so scared about giving my testimony to so many strangers, and more than half of them didn’t speak English! But when Daryl asked me to share, the words just poured out of my mouth. And when I was done, it was like I was thrusted back into reality and walked nervously back to my seat. But I know God gave me the strength and courage I had prayed for. What I thought was amazing was that when the meeting was over, I asked my friends how I did and everyone I asked said the same thing. They said that when I got on and off the stage I looked terrified, but while I was speaking I looked confident and “professional.” Although I was scared at first, God gave me the courage and I feel that I have done what He had planned for me from the very beginning. Bottomline: GOD IS GOOD.