I miss Russia!!

So this really wont make any sense to anyone that didn't go to Russia with me, but I was looking at these today and they still make me laugh extremely hard. Oh goodness what good times in Russia. To my russia team I hope you enjoy going down memory lane!! I sure did.

The Quote Book

“Woudn’t it be great to be a cow?”

-         Kirsten

“I lose me left eye everyday.”

-         Kirsten…again

“It’s great they have baby baths in the bathroom.”

-         Abby

“I am God.”

-         Rachel

“So we should show our boobs?”

-         Kirsten

“A bird just hit me in the eye!”

-         Michelle

“How is your black tea?”                        -Rachel

“Salty…”                                                -Kelsey

“Is that Russian walking distance?”

-         Michelle

“Now it probably has Rachel’s butt flavor.”          -Abby

“Your butt has a flavor?”                                   -Michelle

“I don’t know-I’ve never tried it.”                                    - Rachel

mymom@cedarville.edu

-         Michelle

“So these two albino squirrels in my neighborhood…”

-         Michelle

“Eeny meeny miny moe, catch a redneck by its toe.”

-         Zhenya

“Wanna see my negro lips?”

-         Zhenya

“That’s what you do when you’re teeing off- you pretend there’s a stick up your butt.”

-         Kelsey

“I think leg hair in Russia grows faster than leg hair in America.”

-         Kirsten

“It’s Memorial Day in the USA!!”

-         Kirsten’s mom, otherwise known as Janna McCanna

“Adding logs!!”

-         Abby

“Do Russians get their tonsils taken out?”

-         Sarah L.

“Preevyet! I’m Carol!”

-         Sarah B.

“Onee monee pai yo!”

-         Michelle and Kirsten

“That’s sacireligious.”

-         Kirsten

“Ugh- What is this??!!”

-         Abby, after taking a gulp of rubbing alcohol from a 

       water bottle that she thought contained water

“As long as you don’t press your breasts against the glass, I think you’ll be OK.”

-         Sarah L.

“Fly to US?? Ohhhhh…U.S.”

-         Michelle

“I’ve been Benadryl – free for 24 hours!”

-         Sarah B.

“Rick, Rick, he’s our man. If he can’t show us monuments, nobody can!”

-         Kelsey

“Spendin all your money on me and spending time on me…”

-         Zhenya

“You’re not fat until your ankle fat hangs over your feet.”

-         Sarah L.

“It just takes strategy.”

-         Sarah B., in reference to taking a cold shower during                 one of the “no hot water” periods

“He’s a 48-year old bachelor- I’m sure he’s used to being alone.”

-         Anonymous

“Yeah I farted…ya jealous?”

-         Sarah L., a.k.a. Amy Poehler from SNL

“I fart on myself all the time.”

                                                            - Kelsey (did I really say that??)

God always has a reason to everything!

God is absolutely amazing!! "Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? Who can declare all His praise?" Psalm 106:1-2

God has shown me a lot lately about his timing and reasoning. I want to share with you want I am beginning to understand a little better.

No doubt about it, problems will come your way. God will see to it personally that you grow. He will allow the storms, to send your roots deep into the soil of His Word. We pray more in the midst of problems, but it's been well said that you will see more from your knees, than you will on your tip toes. (I like that quote!)

A man once watched a butterfly struggling to get out of its cocoon. In an effort to help it, he took a razor blade, and carefully slit the edge of the cocoon. The butterfly escaped from its problem ... and immediately died.

 It is God's way to have the butterfly struggle. It is the struggle that causes its tiny heart to beat fast, and send the life's blood into its wings.

Trials have their purpose. They make us struggle — they bring us to our knees. They are the cocoon in which we often find ourselves. It is there that the life's blood of faith in God helps us spread our wings.

Faith and thanksgiving are close friends. If you have faith in God, you will be thankful because you know His loving hand is upon you, even though you are in a lion's den. That will give you a deep sense of joy, and joy is the indicator of the depth of faith you have in God. Let me give you an example.

Imagine if I said I would give you one million dollars if you ripped out the last page of today's newspaper, and mailed it to me. Of course, you don't believe that I would do that. But imagine if you did. Imagine if you had knowledge of more than 1,000 people who had sent in the page, and every one received their million dollars — no strings attached. More than that. You had actually called me, and I had assured you personally that I would keep my word. If you believed me, wouldn't you have joy? If you didn't believe me — no joy.

The amount of joy you have would be a test as to show how much you believed my promise.

We have so much to be thankful for. God has given us "exceeding great and precious promises" that are "more to be desired than gold or million dollars" Do yourself a big favor — believe those promises, thank God continually for them, and "let your joy be full." God has done amazing things let all try to thank and love him more! I really want to work to love him more everyday!!

                                             God's wonderful promises are greater than we ever expect,

                                                                         Michelle

 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds and creatures of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Matthew 6:25-27

Love...

Just the way I am

I AM LOVED, JUST AS I AM!

A real update of Russia...

Wow, I got back from my trip to Russia a little over a week now, and I still can’t even begin to explain it all in words. I do know that it was one of the most amazing experiences that I have had so far in my life. God certainly had a plan when we placed my team together for Russia, and I feel so honored and privileged that God aloud me to be a part of his work. God taught me a lot on this trip, and I’m excited to tell you all about it.

As most of you know, I have lived in West Carrollton, Ohio for all nineteen years of my life. I always knew about God’s omnipresence, but it was a hard thing to grasp when your whole world is in one small area. Russia opened my eyes to the knowledge of that illustration. The most remarkable incident was when we would be in a church service with the Russians and got to listen to them singing praises to the Lord. Sometimes they would sing songs that we knew in English, and then there we all were singing to the same Lord, the same words, but in different languages, and yet God understand it all.  The Russians that we worked with had such an incredible love for the Lord, and it showed that God truly loved everyone in the world and not just everyone in my little world. I knew that idea was true before I went to Russia, but it is a hard thing to comprehend before you actually go and see it for yourself. I learned this lesson after being in Russia for only three days; but God wanted to show me more than just that.

After getting adjusted to the eight hour time difference, we started our ministry in the schoolyards. Every evening we went to a schoolyard to play with the kids and build relationships with them so that we could help get them get connected to the Russian youth group and to also be witnesses to them. We would then do a program at the schoolyard that consisted of songs, skits, and testimonies. To keep this part of the story short, I made a lot of good friends there; they are wonderful kids, and I miss them so much. There is one girl I met at the schoolyard that I would love for you to keep in your prayers. Her name is Yulya; pronounced in English it would be Julia. I talked to her almost every day while I was in Russia. She never accepted the Lord, but I know God will continue his work on her even if I’m not present. I miss Russia more than I thought I would; although I know it’s because Yulya kept a part of my heart when I left. Through the meeting of Yulya, God taught me how important it is to let God have complete control.

However my team did not always have a fun and easy time. One day at the schoolyard we were interrupted by the police during one of our programs. It was definitely nerve wracking for a few moments. The police wanted to take us to jail, but one of the Russians we worked with talked to the police and it turned out that we were not send to jail. Unfortunately the police did inform us that we could not continue that night and when we came back we were not allowed to share testimonies or scripture. We did get a little scared, but we all praised God that it didn’t end any worse and that we could come back again. That challenges reminds me to not take for granted the freedoms of assembly and expression we can enjoy here.  Another incident that we encountered involved almost losing our baseball bat that we brought with us to play with the kids. Some older teens ran off with it and one of the Russians had to run to get it back. Thirty minutes later he came back with the bat, but also a ribbed shirt, bruises and a black eye.

Through all the hard times and the fun and exciting times God showed me so much that I’ll never forget. It was defiantly an experience of a life time. I thank you all for your prayers that made it possible for me to go. This trip would not have been the success that it was if it for that. Thanks so much for being a part of the work that was done in me and in Russia.

Edit: Can someone explain to me why it's not all in the same font...