Russia
I’ve just arrived in Estonia after a very nice drive from St. Petersburg. I took a little video while I was in No Man’s Land on the bridge between Ivangorod, Russia and Narva, Estonia. Two fortresses face one another across the Narva river: on the Russian side Ivanogorod Fortress was built in the 1490s, to [...]
A friend in Estonia, Artur Pold, bought Valerie a bike last week. I took it to Russia with me a few days ago. We went for a walk/ride in the park across the street from our flat in St. Petersburg: We are so very thankful for the many good friends and great family we have [...]
You don’t see this every day – At dacha last week, a member of our family (who shall remain un-named) was cleaning the inside of the reservoir we use for the water system. (That’s our banya in the background.)
We are back in Russia after a great visit to the US. We arrived in St. Pete a little over a week ago. After battling jet lag, we are finally back on schedule. This weekend we are at dacha (rhymes with ‘gotcha’). A dacha is a Russian country house, anything from a hovel to a [...]
MIR and Stoneworks, the two organizations I serve, are helping a Russian named Alina as she becomes a foster parent. Alina participated in MIR’s New Family program a few years ago. Alina is partially supported by donors in the US, a family that hosted these children as part of MIR’s hosting program. This is one [...]
This WW2 tank was recovered in Ukraine a couple of years ago. I often reflect on how Russia and surrounding countries still bear the scars of war, literally. I drive past battle fields on the way to our camp in Russia; it’s easy to see shell holes, gun emplacements and bunkers along the roadway. Children [...]
I drove from Estonia into Russia this morning, crossing the border at 7am. It’s cold here now — about -20C (-4F) — and that makes everything beautifully frosty. On the road from Narva to St. Petersburg:
Olga has been teaching English on Monday nights for quite a while. And now Valerie is helping! The young man is Kostya Protasov. He was a heroin addict who lived as a thief and extortionist before becoming a pagan who sacrificed to the gods of the forest; as a result of his drug use he [...]
The Government has issued a travel warning due to the bad winter weather. They suggest that anyone traveling in the current icy conditions should make sure they have the following: Shovel Blankets Or Sleeping Bag Extra Clothing, Including Hat And Gloves 24 Hours Worth Of Food De-Icer Rock Salt Flashlight With Spare Batteries Road Flares Or [...]
God has blessed us in many, many ways. Valerie has been with us just over a month and is doing great. She’s happy and healthy, talking more and is quite smart. Olga is doing great as a new mom, though there are challenges. And I am so thankful to have a daughter who runs to [...]
