"I am your Coffee."

*My Dad is so smart. For years and years he has made PB&J sandwiches- his way. One of my childhood memories of him 'making dinner' took place on a particular Sunday night when I was about 4 or 5 and he made me a sandwich. You know how kids say, "That's not how ______ (Mommy) does it!" This was true of my Dad's 'cooking'. He always mixes the peanut butter together with the jelly in a bowl before hand. Not so that it is all blended together like muck though. Then he'd slap it on one side of the bread, fold it over, and wa-la, Katie's dinner. So you fastforward to the present and a few days ago Dad was in the kitchen making a PB&J. I commented on how he did it "his way". It's like his trademark, his strange little way of making it. So I asked him why he did it like that. And his reply was so obvious that it put me, the PB&J guru to shame for not thinking of it before. "The jelly doesn't drip out." My Dad is so smart!

 (What's up with the hair here?)

*"I am your coffee." My ASL instructor, in reference to the fact that my class is a night class (go Katie go), and that we wouldn't need to drink any coffee or need help to stay awake during it. The instructor is deaf, hilarious, and was described by a former student of his as being hyper. Should be fun.

Yah, so I got into the class, which is a small miracle in itself! (I choose not to take things for granted...) It has been full for the last, oh, 4 months and I had to go that first night of class and have the instructor sign a Permit to Enter for me. Which he did.  Happy Katie. Anyone have any deaf friends out there for me to meet? I need more interaction/practice...

*Always check your blind spot while driving. I got 'blind spotted' by another driver last week, but nothin' serious- a couple itty-bitty dints and scrapings where the hubcap and tire met my door. A little red to show what her color was. The SUV's color. I think God has a sense of humor- I was looking at my door and thinking, "Welp, it won't rub off. Hmmph. At least I could have had tred marks to show for it..." (Katie, it's not like a tractor hit you or something...) And then I realized that there is kind of a wheel shape there- the hubcap ground away in the center and then tire rubbing a ring around that. So that made me happy. In a round about way (no pun intended :o)

*A curiousity question, sparked by myonlyfriendinmichigan tonight... What was your worse babysitting experience? I would have to say that mine may have been when I caught the 2 year old (or was she 3 then... there are 9 kids in the family so I don't even remember which kid it was) in the upstairs bathroom, sitting on the sink in front of the mirror, drinking baby shampoo out of the shampoo bottle. So I called posion control and they assured me that she would be OK, just don't move her too much. She was burping up bubbles! Not literally, but when she burped it smelled like shampoo. Poor thing. Her eyes were watering and I wouldn't have been surprised if shampoo had come out of there too. I told her mom about it and she was like, "Oh, we're on a first name basis with poison control. I've even called them for Annie (the dog). They're really nice." I love that family!

Playtime

Welp, in an effort to show off some pictures and give a small idea of our camp in El'na... I'm going to be lazy. Just a quick cut and paste from an e-mail I sent preciously (but you don't have to know that do you?!)

(Zhenya and Yana... the face painted pictures are during a group game of Capture the Flag)

One of my favorite things to do with the kids was play in the front courtyard or just sit with them there, watching the chaos and marveling that no one got injured. It was always entertaining.

(Sonya manuvering through the Web)

This was where badminton, jump roping, and games of catch usually commenced, along with a bicycle or two, maybe a soccer ball, many squirt guns, and sometimes trashcan liners filled with water. If it had just rained then add in puddle jumping. Throw 15-25 kids in that mass and you’d marvel too!

(THE favorite passtime)

They LOVED the long, heavy duty jump rope the MTC has had for years- so much so that by the end of the first week I was duct taping most of it because it was fraying to pieces. Hehe, it was also a terrific way to wear down their energy! I don’t even know if we brought that back home- it was such a mess of frayed rope and shredded tape. Also smelled like ~ick~ because the kids would play with it right after the rain, which means puddles and wetness. Oh well, it lived a good long life. (Eight years or more, only to die in three short weeks…)

(Some of the kiddos demonstrating how huge the tree was)

Somewhere around the third week of camp the kids discovered the roller blades. Not sure where they came from, or why they weren’t such a hot item earlier, but they went all over in them- outside, inside, down the hallways, in the bathrooms.

(Yikes- in jail)

These were some of the most resourceful children I have ever been around. A couple days right in the middle there it was really scorching hot. Suddenly the water guns started popping up all over the place. I’m sure the storeowners had to order more for their inventory when our camp ended.

For those kids who didn’t purchase a water gun, a 2-liter with holes worked great- the plus side, it holds more water; the down side, it can’t shoot as far. Wait, I take that back… it can be thrown as far, it just takes more effort :o) If 2-liters weren’t in a child’s possession, then a pitcher from the kitchen- or from wherever they found it- would suffice just fine. But the absolute most creative prize (which I mentioned previously) was The Trashcan Liner. That holds the largest capacity of water, and though extremely unstable during transport, it is guaranteed to instantly and completely soak the intended victim. Hopefully a victim not inside the school.

(Nastya)

There... and back again

Familiar Faces...

Mrs. Moeller, Sarah, and Mr. Moeller

Lena Rebrova (l) and Shafa

Da girls (our last night in Russia)- Katya, Tiffany, Anya, Sarah, Katie, Olga

Angelina and mommy :o)

More to come...

Four Days

So why exactly am I returing to Russia? Summer kids camps! Not the exact same that I went over for last year, but a similar set up.

*This year the camp will be held in a tiny town called El'na, about 2 hours from the Belerous border.

*The town of El'na has had Christian summer camps held there for the past 18 years, directed, I believe, by a local pastor.

*There will be 80-100 kiddos there (about half from El'na and half from Moscow) and we will be living with them 24/7 for three weeks straight! Yikes.

*This is not an 'American' camp- we will be joining and working alongside some Russian youth as we interact and teach the kiddos. We will be using much of the same curriculium we used for the two summer camps in '07. They have a Russian cook to feed us authentic Russian food , a Russian nurse to pour that green batadine stuff on any wounds we may encounter, and a local banya (bath house) in which to bathe a couple times a week. We will be sleeping in the schoolhouse and walking to church on Sundays.

Another gal and myself booked our flights together and we'll fly out of O'Hare on the afternoon of the 30th, and return early afternoon on July 29... if we make our 60 minute connection in Sweden on our return flight. You really can't be beggers and choosers when you book a ticket 9 days before departure! I don't know if there will be internet connection while in El'na, but I will try to write something once I arrive in Moscow! Please pray for us- for safety, endurance, and for the joy of the Lord to shine through us. Thanks!

Eight Days...

Returning.

June 30, 2008.

For 29 days.

More to come.