It's not 101 anymore!! It actually feels quite good now. According to the locals, this is what it's supposed to feel like! We had another early morning with devotions and service at 8am, then jumped right into culture and teaching sessions. We are learning more and more about our teammates which will make the transition into Russia a lot easier. I really do have a great group to teach and minister with. We all have special gifts and talents that meshes well together. The 4 of us will be in Lodeynoye Pole (pronounced Low-dean-ya Poe-lay), 2 guys, and 2 girls. We are staying in traditional Russian flats. I'll find out more about what that means when I get there!
We are also finding out how hard it is to get into Russia. No one can just decide to go there on a whim, grab their passport, and book a flight. NOT allowed! You have to be invited by a reputable company in the country to show your legitimacy and reason for travel. Putin is slowly changing the free will of travel into and out of the country. A veteran teacher with TeachOverseas discussed this with 2 of us at breakfast this morning. That's why we got a "teacher's visa" - because they are permitted at the request of the Russian government schools. Religious working visas used to be allowed but are slowly not anymore. Hence, the organization tried to show 'teaching English to Russians' as their main focus, even though they are a VERY Christian based organization. There will be opportunities for witnessing and serving once we meet the families in their homes. So please continue to keep us in your prayers and we begin our journey. Pray that the Russian government will still allow our visas and will not find that we are there for the wrong purpose (according to them... even though God IS the RIGHT purpose!)
Thank you again for your interest, love, and prayer. It's amazing how I can feel the power of prayer, even across the miles. Love you all!
Love in Christ,
Kim
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