Russia Mission Team Update 6/16, 17, & 18

June 16, 2012 Greetings from Russia!   Today's one-word summary for Sat., June 16th was ADVENTURE.   The morning hours started with rain.  Mim and I went to swim in the rain in the small town of Koltushe (about 1 km walk from the camp).   Early that morning the team from Petrasovosk (400 km north of St. Petersburg) arrived by train and we moved our sleeping accommodations to make room for 16 more people.  We are now living four to a room -- tight and cozy.   We took a bus into St. Petersburg where the team divided.  We went to see Katherine the Great's Summer Palace, located a 45 minute bus ride outside of St. Petersburg.  This palace was built in the 1700's but destroyed nearly completely during World War II.  The palace has some 48 rooms, of which about 25 are currently restored.  The palace itself is incredible, as are the palatial grounds and gardens.   At 6:00p, we went out to eat.  It took about 2 hours to get our food, but it was worth the wait -- Shaslik (marinated grilled lamb) with boiled potatoes.  The trip home was quite the adventure starting first with a bus ride to the metro, two transfers on the metro, and then a bus ride to Koltushe and then the 1km walk home.  It is 11:10p and still light, but we are tired from all the walking.   Tomorrow we attend church at St. Mary's and then begin the team training in earnest preparation for the children on Monday.   We are doing much better with jetlag, though Mim and I fell soundly asleep in the restaurant waiting for our food.  Evidently this is supported with photos.   Love you all.  We miss you. P. Jeff   June 17, 2012 Greetings from Russia!   Today's one-word summary is WORSHIP!   Mim and I awoke to rain and decided to go swimming again in the Koltushe Lake.  This time we were accosted by a slightly inebriated fisherman.  It was interesting, but we worked it out.   We attended worship in St. Petersburg near St. Mary's church at the English-speaking Lutheran church.  Attendance without our group would have been about 12 people.  Our group made it a packed house.   Pastor Leif talked about the cost of following Jesus.  Essentially, everyone of us is a missionary and on-call for the Lord.  We has the right and authority to decide where he needs to send us.  Mim and I talked afterwards about whether we were submissive to the Lord in this way, or had we grown complacent and comfortable.  It would be easy to tell the Lord we are not available for his assignments.  And those assignments come to us in opportunities to connect with people through our everyday lives.  It doesn't necessarily mean that we need relocate, but it might, if the Lord directs us.  As disciples, we are primarily missionaries.  We both asked the Lord to develop this mindset within us, that we are his missionaries to direct, guide, and send.  And, that we needed to be prepared in and out of season, ready at all times to be responsive to the Lord's will.   The service was held in the liturgy of my youth (Missouri Synod Lutheran).   All the hymns we sang were familiar, but I had forgotten how highly pitched they were.  My voice has changed.  I'm thankful for the diversity that we have at Good Shepherd.  It truly is a blessing to experience all three types of services: traditional, blended, and contemporary.  We had no communion.  The Missouri policy on communion prohibits them from distributing it to non-Missouri members.  It would have divided and the hurt the team, especially the one that is just leaving.  Again, I'm glad that we celebrate open communion at Good Shepherd.   Instead of shopping for souvenirs, we retired to a small cafe to discuss these things and to get out of the rain.   The bus - metro - bus transfers are always an adventure.  Our walk back to the seminary in the rain was marked by the challenge to avoid being splashed by cars driving through the pooled water on the roads.   As I write this, it is 6:13a in Utah.  Blessings on your day of worship and communion with the Lord.  We love you all.   P. Jeff   June 18, 2012 Greetings from Russia!   The one-word summary for today's events is CHILDREN!   Our camp finally began.  We have about 65 children.  About 20 more from last year, but with about 75% repeats from the previous year.  The camp runs much like a Vacation Bible School program:   . Opening Singing . Bible Lesson #1 (English Lesson #1) . Rotation #1 (Craft or Games) . Bible Lesson #2 (English Lesson #2) . Rotation #2 (Craft or Games) . Drama . Closing Singing . TEA   Many of the teachers have spent months preparing for the challenge of teaching English while teaching a Bible lesson.  Their dedication is inspiring.  Many of the teachers are retired professionals, who are devoting their time to mission work, several of which, are spending a month or two working in EEMN camps.   Amber was in great form as the craft leader for the camp.  The kids made bookmarks and place settings out of yearn.  Even the most energetic of kids were able to focus during this task.   Mim is a little sick today.  Stomach problems from the mystery meat that was served.  Diana, one of our translators, informed me that this had caused Pastor James trouble as well, least year.   Tonight's dinner featured boiled potatoes with dill weed served with a patty of mystery meat (Diana told me it is a kind of sausage from various animals parts).  The shredded carrots served in mayonnaise with garlic was my personal favorite.  And, of course, there is always the light brown, Russian Rye bread at every meal -- even breakfast.   We also moved into different accommodations at the seminary.  Where we were before was fine with bunk beds.  These new rooms are two to a room and feel more spacious.  We all felt we moved into the Hilton Hotel.  Of course, next week, in the villages, we will have no where as nice of accommodations as these.   The beds have mattresses thicker than 2 inches!  The bunk beds prior had only 2 inch mattresses and were on wooded slats.    Bill and Sally Moberly left camp this evening for Lativia.  So, we are in the capable hands of Eric, his young protoge, who is also the lead translator.  He is American, but he lived in Russia for five years.  His wife is Russia.  Eric is 30 years old.   I teach a class with 14 and 15 year olds.  We have 11 people in the class.  I am trying to engage them on an abstract conceptual level, which is a challenge.  Evidently, the Russian educational system focuses primarily on rote memorization.  The students learn what the teacher knows and memorizes this knowledge.  The American educational system is oriented to problem solving.  The instructor teaches the students how to learn.  A Russian student is fearful of making mistakes, since engagement is more performance of one's ability to memorize.  Thus, challenging the students to think abstractly is beyond their cultural mentality at this age.   So, we are learning together.   The theme for the week is the story of Joseph.  Today's lesson dealt with Genesis 37, the story of the mistakes that Jacob, Joseph, and his brothers all made, yet how God worked through all of them for good.   Please keep us in your prayers.  The weather has been very windy with periodic showers.  Some of our team members have developed coughs.  We need to stay healthy.   Love you all.   P. Jeff