Survived the Russian Highway

Ok... this is a 2 lane highway... opposite directions. There are no lines. And you see cars on both side on the street heading the same direction. It gives a whole new meaning to the bumper sticker "God is my Co-Pilot"

Traffic Jam in St. Petersburg. They drive worse that we do in Wilmington!

Crossing the Neva River. VERY famous and beautiful river!

Kids on stage, waiting to perform for us on Russian Day

Russian Mail Truck!

Me playing with the kids in St. Pete

Very common at rest stops... well, their verson, that is. Basicallly it's an outhouse. And we it was smelling STRONG from where I was standing taking the picture.

Inside the "outhouse"

I didn't go. I waited.

A lady from the police (militia) came to talk to kids about safety. Traveling in pairs, looking before crossing the street, etc.

Chris and Austin wearing traditional Russian clothing

Chris, Austin, and me - in St. Petersburg

I FOUND NEMO!! Apparently, he is living in the St. Petersburg aquarium!

One of 1000 bridges in St. Petersburg. This was a small canal

Another view of the canal

Gas station

Entering St. Petersburg and city buses

Thay says "Stop" in Russian... But the lights don't work. Wonder why there's traffic problems???

More streets of St. Pete

Aquarium in St. Petersburg, Russia.

McDonalds!

Tiny, tiny, tiny highway. No room for error!!

Loading the bus to go to St. Petersburg (4 hour bus ride south of where we are living )

Back seat - Sergei, Alex, and Ann

Chris and Maxime (one of our translators) and Oksana and Vica peaking through behind the seatsScienic view of Russia from the bus

We passed an accident!

Max, Natasha, and Inga eating dinner (lunch)

The entrance to the school. Notice the chandelier.... that's small. They are in all offices!

Chris talking with the kids between classes

Me with Kate, Dasha, Oksana, Vica, Ana, Lina, and Tania

The highways in Russia aren't in the greatest condition. In America, we should NOT compain about our roads!!! Four hours in a bus.... hitting potholes at 60 mph......

It has rained a lot, and we were gone to St. Petersburg, so I'm a little late in posting this week. We had a great time! Chris, Austin, and I went with the translators and school administrators to St. Petersburg to the aquarium and around the city.

Today after school, they had "Russian Day" to show us how they celebrate their culture. They wore traditional dress, did dances, and gave us gifts. I uploaded a video on you-tube, and will post the link for you so you can see some of it. We still go to the market everyday, and they are so used to seeing us that the ladies pretty much know what we want. Chris and I are able to talk a little better, so it's easier to communicate well. A new adventure everyday! I am also running into more people from the Christian church a lot more. Their serious Russian faces seem to soften and they smile brightly, say ПРИВЕТ (pronounced Pryee-vyet), which is the Russian form of a warm, welcoming greeting. They only say this to people they know or like. It brightens my day :-)

Thank you for your patience when responding to updates and emails. I love hearing from you, but cannot spend as much time online as I'd like. Internet access is spotty and we have to pay for computer use. The school does not have a link.I will put ALL photos up when I get back home and send you all the link to the site. I have hundreds! Just no time to do it all now.Thank you for your support and prayers. PLEASE pray that we are able to talk to the adults and students. WE came here for a purpose and I want doors to open for those conversations.

Love you all!

Kim

Another week in the LDP

I bought Oregano and Basil. Had to 'spice' things up... hardi hardi har har...... :-)

See if you can figure out the names of these spices! I actually can name about half of them. Rosemary is near the bottom - РОЗМФРИН
Oragano is few containers above it - ОРЕГАНО
It's a difficult language!

View from the new balcony. Windows!! They LOVE windows in church! Isn't that amazing they can do that?!?!?

Locals singing at the Sunday service

Rebecca attempting to place an order. We gave up, and got coffee.

Little shops. No Wal Mart here!

This store sells bread, produce, meat, and beer. They all sell beer. (A lot of alcoholics around)

Inside the new building where the Christian Church is being built.

Vera and I played in the saw dust. She knew a little English.

Me with my Babushka! Her name is Gallia. We run to each other at least twice a day. She is the one I described in my story. She gives me candy :-)

Inside the meat market

Strolling through the outdoor market

Inside the bunker

Trenches on the Russian side from WWII. We were told to NEVER go to the other side of the river. There are A LOT of live mines over there. Families are chopping and stacking wood for the winter. It's brutal!

Home-made well!
Our shoes lined up at the door. It's so dirty outside that we try not to drag mud and dirt into our flats.

Chris, Aimee, and Rebecca enjoying Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

Nora, Sonya, Aimee, and Austin

WWII museum of Lodeynoye Pole

Monument at the other river. There's a quote from Stalin on the front from the 900 days war.

Dima, Liza, and their mother playing on the banks of the river.

Rebecca and I went to church Sunday, and it was amazing! Just like last week. They all recognized us and tried to talk. We were able to communicate with a few of the younger kids since they take a few English classes in the schools. I was able to record some video. Still haven't figured how to get it online. They sang "He Has Made Me Glad", "I Surrender All", and a few others that we knew! Some of the men wore Gideon pins. So its great to see our missions at work that came before us! My Babushka lady finally has a name! Her name is Gallia. She is adorable. I run into her a few times a day. It's kind of a joke now. In a city of thousands, I still see her as far away as an hour's walk from our flat. I get a lot of kisses from her. We talk. Have no idea what each other is saying. But we always smile, kiss, hug, and I've learned to say God Loves you, and Praise the Lord, so we say that over and over, along with "I Love You". She is my own personal Russian angel! She gives me sugar free candy. She doesn't speak any English, but through motions, I learned she is a bad diabetic taking insulin injections, and think her legs are too big (haha), so she buys bad rice cakes and sugar free candy. She always pets my head, plays with my hair, and touches my face. And I just stand there and let her, smile, and say a few Russian phrases over and over. I'm trying to learn more so I can talk to her!

We went to the cafe after the service. We spent a total of about 1 hour and 40 minutes walking there and back, so I needed food! I ordered a beef crepe. I GOT a greasy pork chop with grilled onions. Not sure how that happened.

Saturday, Chris, Austin, Aimee, and I went with a few people to the river. It's the sight where the Russians held off the German army during the 900 days war. The war trenches and bunkers are still there, and there is a museum (but it was closed).

Thanks again for your prayers and love. I don't think I can truly express my gratitude for your support. I am so lucky and blessed to be here living in Russia. Thank you for reading and following my stories. I also appreciate your emails!

Love you all,

Kim Rogers

КИМ РОДЖЕРС (my name in Russian!)






Kim