Day 8-11 Second week.

Day 8: Monday 26 May 2013: Well… let me say the beginning of this day was quite interesting I got up and got ready as normal and when we began eating breakfast and got ready to walk out the door to take our long trip to the school on the opposite side of town (literally) the unusual happened to me. I had some type of meat and just as we were leaving it did not settle well… Which is different for me but something that I have had to understand when I have been here. My parents were right about not eating a lot of meat here…. but all is well now…Second day of Russian school in the morning, which we learned a lot from numbers, to type of meals, to professions to say the least. At school that morning we met some Americans that had come in this past weekend to begin their summer studies here at the university. But they are in their own program we just attend the school to take Russian.  After class we then ate in the cafeteria again and then around 215 we all headed from the school to meet a brother from the church at a metro station near Christ the Savior Cathedral. Benji walked with us and showed us around the cathedral, one thing that I have learned is that for us to connect with the brothers and sisters here is through seeing something that they are so proud of. Benji is a native of Uganda, and studies here in Russia and showed us around the town. The temple was breathtaking and truly something that has allowed me to think a lot about the belief of the Orthodox Church. One thing that we as a team have come to an understanding of is that we don’t want to be seen as tourists but as part of the church just serving, but we are connecting in the ways that they see best fit for us to learn. Monday evening we went with another brother who is just slightly older than the team but still in his studies at the university here but will finish in December. Nikita, took us to the famous Gorky park here in Moscow, let me tell you this is now one of my new favorite places of all times, with pianos in front (YES, I DID START GETTING SUPER EXCITED WHEN I SAW THAT)  I absolutely love this park full of green and lively people, riding bikes, rollerblading, RUNNING and just enjoying the life here in Moscow. We found out that Will Smith and his son were somewhere near us in the park which we found out after we left which bummed us, (but apparently a few of the team said they saw them…) After walking around for a little bit we had some tea, and I had puez (pinecone tea) which was quite unique but surprisingly very good. Then there was the long trek back with Steph to the house, but Nikita lives near where were staying and since it was late got a taxi and went back with us to the house since it was quite far and buses and stopped running.

28 May Tuesday: Brothers meeting in the evening but in the morning after being able to sleep in Steph and I came to the office around noon and we all went to what we thought was the monestary but come to find out it was the cemetery on the grounds but spent about an hour there looking at the memorials and trying to take it in, because at that point we all though that was the monestary until the next morning… But, after walking about fifteen minutes back from the ‘cemetery’ to the little market to get some snacks and then came back to have team time here at the office, and spent time together until the brothers meeting that evening. Which we had some spaghetti noodles with some type of stew type of sauce which was quite delicious, and then one of the brothers drove Steph and I back to the house. The brothers meeting is like an elders meeting but here they do not have elders just a brother’s council which is a group of men who were chosen and are looked upon in the church. This specific meeting they just explained to us what the council was and how they did the church but we also were able to give ideas and share our opinions that they asked us to come up with.

                                                                                                                                                    

29 May Wednesday. Four of the five boys came to pick up Steph and my luggage at the place where we were staying and then we ate pizza that we had gotten at the small market , and some kinder chocolate bars which were delicious, and then we all came back to the church and created crafts for the childrens party this weekend, and then around 630 we headed out to the pastors house for a devotional which Joseph spoke about being new in Christ, and then the four of us (two guys had been staying at the pastors house) came back to the church sicne we were exhausted and went to sleep. But at the devo before the actual devotional was a meal of plove (which is basically fried rice with turkey) and then the devotional was held which truly allowed us to think and answer some questions that had recently been stirring inside of me.

30 May 2013 Thursday: Instead of going to school today which we had originally planned, last night after the devotional we were called and told that we were not going to school and going to Mila’s (pastor wife) school an autistic school, which is quite up my ally. Which we went today and we all walked with the twelve kids (the staff too which a total of about 15 adults or so including the team) about twenty minutes to the park and then even walked over Gorky park on the bridge there and then went back to this one part of the park where we played games, and had a picnic. These kids were absolutely precious and I adored each one and there are so many stories I can share at a later time but I have journaled them instead. Now we all have come back to the office studying our Russian and continuing to prepare for the childrens party this weekend before having a small fellowship with two of our Russian brothers and sisters tonight.