We hosted our first party tonight and ended the evening with a boys versus girls showdown!!! Since the boys had demonstrating grace, we took competition to a whole new level!! Let’s just say…victory was sooo sweet!!! Way to go girls!!!
We are thankful that Keith can use a friend’s bike to go riding with Gid! They had a blast together!
Our apartment has fabulous storage, lots of mirrors and great ways to organize (and hide!) all of our junk!!! From coats to linens, extra kitchen supplies, the kids clothes, holiday decorations and even a bathroom vanity…it is all tucked away in these closets!
So far, most of our St Petersburg adventures seem to begin or end on this street. It has everything that we love…sushi, coffee, DVDs, a great camera store, street entertainment and lots of people!
Monday, we leave the comforts of our clean home, high speed internet, comfy beds, familiar foods, Wii, English movies and so much more to spend 8 days at an orphanage 3 hours east of St. Petersburg. Pray that we would be grateful, teachable, humble, the kids would adjust well (and love the food or at least not starve to death!) and we would build fabulous relationships as we share with them the love of Jesus. We have heard that the orphanage is so poor some kids must share shoes...and I am grieving the loss of being temporarily without the comforts we have grown to consider necessities!!! :-)
Gideon: My heart is pumping. What does that mean?
Emme: That you are still alive!!!
Emme: Mommy can’t blow up the balloon…she has bad breath!
Emme: I am starving…see my stomach!!!
Gideon seems to be having a tough time adjusting. He loves routines and predictability. He is full of emotion, thoughts and worries. He seems to become angry, sad or disappointed easily. I want to fix the situation, make him happy, take away his worries and make his life perfect…but I can’t. Life is full of disappointment…especially in Russia. Please pray for Gideon. When he is sad…so am I. When he is frustrated…so am I. When he is unhappy…so am I. Pray that God would fill him with joy, peace and contentment. Pray that he would love his life in Russia and understand our purpose for living here. Pray that I would be able to let go and trust God to be all Gideon needs, to protect him, love him and change him according to His will…not mine!
Gideon and Emme will be attending IA this year. It is an English speaking Christian School that is only about 20 minutes from our apartment. We took the kids on a tour today and loved it!!! Please pray for the kids (and mommy) as they adjust to a new school, new teachers, new friends and a new schedule!!!
We made our third trip (in three weeks!!!) to IKEA for a few final purchases for our apartment. Our trip included a yummy lunch at the Mega Food Court (including McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Subway, Sbarros, Baked Potatoes and so many other fabulous options) and ice cream from Baskin Robins!!!
After purchasing our new bikes, we went to celebrate at a gorgeous car-free island! We had a blast and only one minor wipe-out!
