Tuesday night

Another good day! Up around 7:30 and played around the flat until 10:30. Dan and Kolya went out to fix our cell phone, find out about the dolphin show and pick up Tide to wash more clothes. Christina and I did our nails. I know I said that she was not girly however she is full of contradictions. I asked if she wanted her nails painted, she said no. So I started taking off old nail polish on my toes, doing my own pedicure and then my fingernails. When I was filing my nails she began coming closer. She wanted her nails filed. She has very short nails but we filed both finger nails and toe nails. Then I painted my nails and she wanted her nails painted too. All the rest of the day we would compare our nails:) Yes, she is girly!!

Dad was trying to fix our cell phone and went to over 8 places. That does not seem strange except all the shops would give the directions to the next shop in Russian. BUT Kolya speaks Russian. So he lead Dan over the area and they actually got the cell phone fixed. It turned out that the charger needed replacing.

We get a lot of strange looks from people here when they realize that we speak only English and the kids speak only Russian. Yet we still communicate. Dan and I were buying new coats for Christina and Kolya. The girl just watched us talking with the kids, mainly by our short list of Russian words, motions and facial expressions. One girl helped us with Christina's coat and another girl helped us with Kolya's coat. Both knew that we were buying for America since we commented about it not really needing to be as heavy as here, etc. No one has directly asked us what is going on but a lot of smiles are on their faces!

After rest time, we kept that from the orphanage, we walked to the park and then had coffee and tea and some pastries. It is hilarious to watch the kids in new situations. They both had tea. It came in their own teapots. They had to examine the tea pot with the big tea bag hanging out it. They poured their tea and it ended up being 3 cups each. They usually put 5 sugar lumps or spoonfuls in each cup. They loved it! It was a very nice man who waited on us, smiled a lot, understood more English that he spoke and answered all their many questions about everything!

We went on to the Burnham's flat to hear the first ever concert or performance of Abigail and Emily Burnham and Shirley and Ruth Ann Martin's piano debut! They each did quite well and we had a fun time of fellowship for snacks afterwards.

Walking everywhere really is quite fun! We talk and laugh and hold hands and step in puddles and try not to trip on uneven pavement- that was me!. It really is nice to be close enough to everything from all the MTW missionaries' flats, mall, grocery store, church and so many restaurants that we could never eat at all of them!

I recommend highly going on several mission trips, getting to know the team in place, then adopting and being involved in the team fellowship with the believers! Not just the missionaries but the pastor and his wife, Anya Dudkina - friend and translator, Vica and Oleg, Jenya - Mary Saxon's seamtress friend, Sasha - girl who is now a young lady who became a Christian at the VBS 5+ years ago, Sasha - teenager who is now a man who loves Lex and Mary Williamson who brings neighbors to church, meeting new missionaries- many not MTW, and on and on and on. God has truely blessed us during this time of adopting not only with Christina and Kolya, and Jake and Erin being here, but in so many other ways. On short term mission trips you get a slim glance of how missionaries live, we are getting a broader look at how it works to live in a different land, culture and language!

Keep praying for us! Even as we went to bed tonight Kolya was upset about the bed. He wanted to sleep in the other bedroom where Christina was sleeping. I think I told you we have a girls' room with Christina, Erin and I, and a boys' room with Kolya and Papa with Jake on the couch. Tonight Kolya was upset and we really do not understand why unless he just wanted his own way. It could have been that or something that we did not get. Paul Martin was here so finally after a lot of work and calming Kolya down, we had Paul ask Kolya. Kolya would not talk to Paul so it is still unsolved. He did go to sleep in the bed he was suppose to sleep in the room with Papa. Please pray for peace for him and for our understanding!


In Him Alone,

Leslie