The days here seem to pass very quickly, which has been surprising to me and Jesse, too. The guys tend to work long hours here, so the ladies have several ways to stay busy throughout the day.
One of the wives here is Russian and goes to an art studio in town where she invited some of us to take classes. Over the last few weeks, I have been going with some of the other girls where the Russian teacher uses a specific technique to decorate all kinda of traditional treasures. She is a master at painting Matryoshka nesting dolls, and some are even on display at museums. I have just completed this egg which she will finish with shellac, but some people have already moved up to the dolls. Our teacher is so patient and tries to teach us new Russian words each week!
One amazing aspect of living on a compound here is the opportunity to serve others with our time and resources. I'm really thankful that God is using our time here to show us perspective and teach us how to love people better. Yesterday I went to a training facility in the city where ENL has set up a program for local Russian workers to learn English. Once they have received the necessary technical training and can pass a very difficult English exam, the men have an opportunity to work on the rigs and have well-paying jobs in the oil industry. Some of the ladies volunteer once a week by meeting with the students for an hour or two to go over their English skills--basically just carrying on a conversation and correcting grammar here and there.
A few of the men I talked to have been studying for over two years in order to pass this exam. Wow! So impressed with their determination--not only the fact that they can speak clearly, but also that they have a grasp of English grammar and rules that are difficult for some Americans. After 5 weeks of Russian class, I am still learning numbers and simple phrases. Turns out God does have a sense of humor after all because he knows that I am most effective serving others with my "gift of conversation." Haha :-)
Next week I get to go to a local soup kitchen to help nuns at the Catholic church serve some less fortunate people in Yuzhno. The ladies here take turns going once a week to serve and to wash dishes. There is also a family in town that runs an orphanage and transitional facility for teenagers. The expats here support them by holding fundraisers and collecting supplies, household goods, etc. to assist them. Some of our friends have been going each weekend to play with the kids, too!
Like my Bible study leader says, we are all here for a reason and not by accident. Hopefully over the next few weeks, we can find ways to effectively serve people and continue to be humbled by these experiences.
It is time to go shovel some snow and prepare for the snow storm coming this weekend!
Пока на данный момент,
Аллисон
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| Several of the completed Matroyshkas |
One of the wives here is Russian and goes to an art studio in town where she invited some of us to take classes. Over the last few weeks, I have been going with some of the other girls where the Russian teacher uses a specific technique to decorate all kinda of traditional treasures. She is a master at painting Matryoshka nesting dolls, and some are even on display at museums. I have just completed this egg which she will finish with shellac, but some people have already moved up to the dolls. Our teacher is so patient and tries to teach us new Russian words each week!One amazing aspect of living on a compound here is the opportunity to serve others with our time and resources. I'm really thankful that God is using our time here to show us perspective and teach us how to love people better. Yesterday I went to a training facility in the city where ENL has set up a program for local Russian workers to learn English. Once they have received the necessary technical training and can pass a very difficult English exam, the men have an opportunity to work on the rigs and have well-paying jobs in the oil industry. Some of the ladies volunteer once a week by meeting with the students for an hour or two to go over their English skills--basically just carrying on a conversation and correcting grammar here and there.
A few of the men I talked to have been studying for over two years in order to pass this exam. Wow! So impressed with their determination--not only the fact that they can speak clearly, but also that they have a grasp of English grammar and rules that are difficult for some Americans. After 5 weeks of Russian class, I am still learning numbers and simple phrases. Turns out God does have a sense of humor after all because he knows that I am most effective serving others with my "gift of conversation." Haha :-)
Next week I get to go to a local soup kitchen to help nuns at the Catholic church serve some less fortunate people in Yuzhno. The ladies here take turns going once a week to serve and to wash dishes. There is also a family in town that runs an orphanage and transitional facility for teenagers. The expats here support them by holding fundraisers and collecting supplies, household goods, etc. to assist them. Some of our friends have been going each weekend to play with the kids, too!
Like my Bible study leader says, we are all here for a reason and not by accident. Hopefully over the next few weeks, we can find ways to effectively serve people and continue to be humbled by these experiences.
It is time to go shovel some snow and prepare for the snow storm coming this weekend!
Пока на данный момент,
Аллисон
