We are writing to you on the first day of the second shift at Camp Iskra. We were sad to see the first session kids leave on Friday; there were lots of hugs, tears, and social media information exchanges. We can’t believe how fast the time has gone. After spending three whole weeks with our new Russian friends, it is hard for us to think about restarting with a whole new group. We are excited, however, to get started with the new kids, who already seem energetic and enthusiastic. Having experience with the Russian culture and having learned snippets of the language, we are feeling much more confident. In other words, we don’t feel like we are drowning in confusion and unfamiliarity, like we did three weeks ago. We are also excited to continue building relationships with the new counselors as well as those that have stayed from the last session. We have already witnessed God’s provision and faithfulness throughout the ups and downs of the last few weeks, including sickness, exhaustion, and miscommunication. At times it was difficult to continue being joyful and positive, but God has been faithful to our prayer request for team unity and has blessed our time together. When you spend three weeks deep in the forests of Russia with the same people and schedules, you learn to love the flaws, weirdness, strengths, and quirks of yourself and one another.
This past weekend we had an EXTREME excursion to Moscow. Everything in Moscow is “Russia Sized;” the streets, buildings, and underground metro system are massive and beautiful! We felt like little ants popping up here and there around the city. It was a weekend of firsts for all of us: we tried Kartoshkas (potato sandwiches) and blini (Russian crepes), went to Red Square (spoiler alert it isn’t actually red), and saw many stunning cathedrals like St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Cathedral of Christ the Redeemer. One of our favorite parts, however, was the complementary breakfast we had at the hotel Sunday morning. The food wasn’t anything particularly spectacular, but we all enjoyed the opportunity to eat whatever amount of whatever we wanted. It is safe to say that our stomachs may still be full from that breakfast 📷 Even though we only had 36 hours in the city, we moved at lightening speed and were able to pack in a lot of sightseeing.
We have had the opportunity of seeing many Russian Orthodox Cathedrals and two monasteries last weekend, which were all incredible. Our images and worship practices are different than that of the Russians, but we are realizing that God is bigger than these differences and we are all interacting with the same Creator. It is incredibly humbling and fascinating to see all the ways in which God exists apart from our understanding of him in the US.
Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts! All of your support is greatly appreciated. We continue to ask for prayer for team unity, health, and energy. It is our prayer that God would give us an incredible amount of love for the people in Russia, as well as patience, compassion, and endurance. God answered our prayers for nice weather; it is incredibly sunny this week! We are all working on being appreciative for the little blessings God has given us and feel grateful for the opportunity to be here and be examples of his love and faithfulness.
Shout out to Anne, our team member who went back to Michigan a few days ago. We are praying for your safe travels and hope you are having a great homecoming with your family 📷 Love you and miss you!
-Team Extreme
