Waiting in a crowd

We went to the doctor again today. There's no end to the new things that we learn about culture.

Waiting in line is a Russian art form.

I don't mean waiting in line to buy something in a store. There are two forms of this: a traditional line and a 'whoever pushes to the front' form.

But waiting for the doctor is really an interesting adventure...

"who's last?" rings down the hall. There are no answers. "who's last for office 3? "Me!" comes the replay from down the hall. This person is also waiting for office number 2 and number 5, but is clever enough to occupy multiple lines at once to save time.

Amy and I try to only focus on the fact that we're behind the young man who WAS sitting in the seat across the hall from us. When he finally comes back, we know where we are in the line.

After only an hour of waiting,

...out like a lion

Yeah, so it's March 28...and winter has returned! UGH!! It's beautiful, but spring was pretending to return to us... and now she has fled once again.

waiting in slumber, for the children to come back

check out the layers of snow!

it's a bit deep in places


this is what folks wear to keep warm (and it's not really cold now)

The Doctor: made it almost three years...

I made it almost three years without having to visit the doctor here in Russia. But, the time has finally come. On Saturday I had a headache... big deal. But then the headache decided to focus behind my left eye... and then my eye turned quite red.

I laid down for a few hours and it got a bit better, but Amy was right that I should visit the eye doctor. So we looked up the word for ophthalmologist and off we went. The first place we went immediately sent us to a clinic and suggested first an ophthalmologist and then a neurologist.

So after going to three incorrect buildings/entrances, we found the correct place. We waited about 1.5 hours and were seen by the doctor. She complemented our Russian (which was nice, even though I didn't know the word for inflammation. But Amy (my brilliant wife! did know this word), so we walked away with prescription for antibiotics.

I'm a stupid, stubborn man sometimes, and didn't bother with any medicine. As our time with the interpreters on Saturday evening drew to a close, Amy noticed that my eye was red again. Sergei just happens to be 'married' to an ophthalmologist and called her. She sent me for the drugs and said that I have viral conjunctivitis. So, I guess I'm contagious and I've got pink eye... first time, and a cold that I've had for two weeks.
Please pray for wisdom and quick healing. We don't know if I'm really contagious or not, and we don't want to cancel any programs... but we'd rather not infect anyone either.

Interpreters...

So, tonight was a great night. On Saturdays we meet with the young people formerly known as interpreters (when we had a children's camp, we'd train young people to interpret for Americans at camp). Tonight we only had 2 guys come, both of them we've known for quite a while now. It always amazes me to see what God has in store for us (when we're clueless!). I had the opportunity to chat one-on-one with one of the guys. He's been reading the Bible in English and he has lots of questions. I was so blessed to share with him about the Holy Spirit and God's leading, why there is suffering in the world, good ways to study a passage of Scripture, how Jesus counts us His friends when we've accepted Him . . . etc. Praise God for opportunities like these. I'm so thankful for when they come up and need to remember them when "the going gets tough." :)

Our Tyumen

So here's a shot of the local store where we do our 'daily' shopping (we shop much more often here than in the States... too heavy to carry home otherwise).


And here is a tractor getting the snow off the streets... not a joke -> they actually take the snow out of the city so there's no flooding in Spring... no matter what there's flooding... and mud.

Apartment Cleaning

Well, this week is another full week, the exciting thing that's new and interesting is our afternoon plans for today. We're going to visit Jeff & Natasha Bain in THEIR apartment and help them with some initial cleaning. They took possession of their FIRST place together last week. The former occupants of the apartment were smokers, so Jeff went through and got rid of all the old rugs, they're getting a new couch and a few other things.

So we're headed over there today to help them scrub down the walls, floors, and whatever else needs to happen to get some of the smoky smell out of there!

The location of their place is perfect as it's close to Natasha's parents, and the birthing house where she'll have the baby.

Why is it that it's so much more fun to help someone else clean, than it is to clean your own place?

the birthday that keeps on giving!

My birthday was 2 days ago on Monday... but the celebration started on Thursday last week. Our guests, Kate Erickson and Sherry Young were leaving on Friday morning back for America and they decided to throw a surprise birthday party for me with Amy... they bought STEAK!

Needless to say, it was a surprise. I think I actually jumped when I got home from teaching. I bit too surprised maybe...

We had a lovely dinner followed by peanut butter frosting on chocolate brownies (Amy knows me SO well).

I received an email from my mom and dad this morning that reminded me that I'm officially the age that keeps on giving... you don't have to ever turn 40 actually... you get to be 39 forever now...

I don't feel like 39... but then again, I don't know what 39 is supposed to feel like. When I was a child 30 seemed so old, let alone something like 50 or 60... now none of the ages actually seems that old. My grandpa is 88 and he's always out with his friends (on New Year's until 3am!) I guess old isn't an age, but a concept.

So maybe I'll be something like 25 forever. That's about how old I feel... well, there are a few aches and pains sometimes (but most of those started for me in my twenties (thank you Michigan Marching Band).

Discussion Club - March

Amy leading D-Club

Here's Discussion Club - topic: birthday traditions (Amy planned this surprise for me and all of the members of D-Club brought Russian idioms to share with me... got a lot of learning to do!)

We had a good time, Amy made chocolate cake and peanut butter frosting! Yummy. Next week, we'll be talking about Happiness. What is it? Where does it come from? It's a great topic that will lead into the conversations that we long to have with everyone!

Please be praying - we're considering starting another English speaking group (our fourth), a specific group to study the word. We never anticipated having such a successful English ministry, but we want to meet the Lord where He's working.

Straws!

so I'm just a big kid. Doesn't matter that I grow older every day/year. I'm just a big kid. I love funny gadgets and little toys. Amy, being the amazing wife that she is, planned for this and thought it would be fun to give me a silly gift. She brought this straw construction kit from America for me.It's gonna be so fun to have kids one day and learn to share all my toys...

March 21....it's my birthday!!!

Oh Happy Day! Today is my birthday. It started off with a Skype call from my mother-in-law. They were ready and willing to talk to us on Skype! We've been trying to do this for over a week now. Their internet didn't work at first with Skype and the 21st of the Month is the day our internet resets. Well, I didn't pay this month, because I wanted to change our internet speed (from 4MB/sec to 5MB during the day and from 8MB/sec to 10MB at night --- for the SAME PRICE). So we had to not pay and go to the office and switch it... I had to write an 'announcement' of my intention to change the plan! LOL - I like the terminology sometimes.

So I'm using my birthday present RIGHT now! I got an apple wireless keyboard!!! It's SO cool. I'm enjoying it and my wife, of course, knows me perfectly... anything that helps my life be more productive is a GREAT gift. Today's Monday, so there's still business as usual - so we're going to have lunch together at this potato place we like and then we'll have Discussion Club tonight!

Our Tyumen: Central Market

Here's a photo of the Tyumen Central Market

PRC Visit

Kate and Sherry were with us for 2 weeks. It was an amazing two weeks. Here is a photo summary of some of the projects that haven't already been mentioned on the blog:

Speaking very frankly with our interpreters group

PRC conference

English Discussion Club (part of the beginner group)

Sherry is involved in puppet ministry in the US. Yulia has started doing this here in Tyumen. Can you believe that Julia sewed these puppets herself?!

BBQ Chicken pizza!!!

Amy is an incredible cook. She has some exciting ideas and she just makes them happen. She actually had to MAKE the bbq sauce to create this delicious pizza. This was dinner about a week ago. Last night she made shrimp scampi (mmmm! delicious.)

Charging up!

Well, that sad day has come. Kate and Sherry are heading back to America after a really fun and successful trip to Tyumen. As they head home, all electronics must be charged and restored to full power:This photo just got me to thinking about being charged up and the source of power. In the photo you'll notice that everything is connected to one source where the power actually comes from. There are many different ways to receive the power and many useful gadgets that use the power. Ebook readers, mobile phones, laptops, dvd players, music players, etc. There's a power strip that then connects to the actual power source in the wall.

What's your power source? I don't mean food and sleep or sunlight or anything like that, but what really gives you the power, energy, excitement to wake up, get up, and face the world each day. For me, that's God for sure. And there's multiple instruments that He uses (and in different situations) to charge me up: music, the Bible, church services, online sermons, books, my wife, accountability, prayer and the list just keeps going.

If we don't stay plugged in, we lose our charge. Without this charge, energy, zeal for life, how can we shine?

Conversation...

Here are some of my current students:

It's so interesting to see the group that has been pulled together... 2 unemployed, 2 students, a few office workers, an independent businessman and a cardiologist (an ultrasound cardiologist). I'm (Jeff) teaching a conversational English class at Tyumen State University. Amy's teaching a group as well, but they are different students. We'll see where things go!

Ekaterinburg with Kate & Sherry

Living the dream - Kate loves the movie Dr. Zhivago. She has long dreamed of traveling in Russia in a train and watching Dr. Zhivago... so on our way to Ekaterinburg to see the site where the Romanovs were assassinated. (in Ekaterinburg).
We had a great day seeing the sites... but the evening, things turned a bit. I had already started developing a cold, but Sherry started feeling very yucky. No details necessary, but we had a LONG train ride home and we were really glad to arrive back in Tyumen and that Sherry felt well enough the next morning.

the Flood of 2011...

Came home with Kate and Sherry and we were all about our business when Amy walked into our toilet room... in socks.

"Ew!" The floor's wet... We have this really cool squishy stuff on our floor that lets feel comfortable walking on the floor without shoes on (the floor is messed up in general in there).

So there was some kind of flooding (we still don't know what caused it).

Here are the photos of the clean up!

Snow and Flyering...

Well, we got hit hardcore with snow again. We keep thinking that it's spring and we're safe...

Here I am trying to open Jim's garage... it was successful, but not without some work breaking up the ice.Here's Sherry with the CEC guard dog, Silva

Kate & Sherry helping flyer for the PRC.

We did our Good Samaritan deed and helped this man get his car unstuck.

Inviting the gentleman to the CEC

Local market - - the real market, not a supermarket

Here's the local market... you have to ask for what you'd like and they hand it to you. Gotta make sure you've done your language lessons...

International Women's Day : March 8

Here's a shot of the ladies at dinner from International Women's Day. It's a big holiday here in Russia. Dan and I cooked for the ladies and we invited a couple of the single ladies from the CEC to celebrate the day.

Working in the library with Kate & Sherry

Because March 8 is a big holiday in Russia, the 7th and 8th are both NON-working days. Well, they were the first two days that Kate and Sherry were with us, so the four of us went to the CEC library to get some work done. It was a tremendous help for us in the library. We ordered all of the books in the library, joined 3 electronic and 1 paper list of books and checked for a series of errors as well. It was really incredibly helpful. Here's some photos.

Sherry checking for missing books

Kate also checking books

Sherry and the head library, Tanya

Because March 8 is a big holiday in Russia, the 7th and 8th are both NON-working days. Well, they were the first two days that Kate and Sherry were with us, so the four of us went to the CEC library to get some work done. It was a tremendous help for us in the library. We ordered all of the books in the library, joined 3 electronic and 1 paper list of books and checked for a series of errors as well. It was really incredibly helpful. Here's some photos.

Young ladies ministry

Amy has started meeting with a few of the young ladies from church. We're hoping this develops into a weekly or biweekly meeting. Their first meeting went really really well.

The stillness of early morning

No Amy and I don't have jet lag. But our guests do. Having arrived Sunday morning at 3am, KTe and Sherry were troopers today and stayed up past 9pm. We were all pretty beat, so we headed to bed before 10pm.

I have to be honest as a converted morning person, going to bed early is a beautiful thing. I'm not naturally a night owl, and in fact I usually start turning off at about 10pm.

So at 6:20am I was awake. I'm enjoying the stillness of early morning in a soviet era building. I hear nothing from my neighbors. No doors opening, no people talking, no babies crying, nothing. I can literally h the clock ticking in our living room.

This stillness is such a precious gift. I've been reading on the couch and just catching up with myself. Such a nice way to start the day.

It's a four day weekend national holiday in Russia, International Women's Day. It's like mother's day, valentine's day, sweetest day, etc all rolled into one holiday and it's a really big deal. The holiday is actually tomorrow. We're having a few people over and it's going to be really fun.

Today, we're taking advantage of the holiday and the ladies are going with Amy and I to the library at the cultural center for some serious English library work. (We're going to be combining FOUR separate library catalogs into one electronic catalog!

Our Tyumen: making water?

So, the water in Tyumen isn't really the best for use. We actually have a process by which we make our water drinkable.

Step 1: purify the water. The water comes through a special filter and we collect it in 5 liter bottles. We usually have 3-4 bottles of water on hand.Step 2: boil the water. Just a precautionary measure, but we make sure that any 'critters' are boiled out. This is our tea kettle 'Big Bertha.' She boils 3.2 liters of water!

Step 3: let the water cool off before we store it for drinking in 2 liter bottles.