Welcome to Russia

PICS FROM DAYS 1-3

Let me first off say that while you are welcome to read this, (and all my posts on Russia) some will be really long, and more so that I can look back and remember. I don't expect what I write to be as interesting to you as it is to me. So, if I give a lot of details, which I almost always do, it's so that when I look back in a year or more, I can remember much better. They are not with the intent to bore you or overload you with info. :) Thanks for understanding!

Friday, June 15, we left for the airport, everything went fine, we got to JFK,

then found our GAiN group and just sat around and talked with them until our flight left for Moscow.

It finally did (I think an hour later than scheduled) so we took off for Moscow.

Nine hours later we arrived at the Moscow airport and it was so different than I expected. (But the day we left we were in a different part of the airport that looked much more like an airport) It wasn't really bad, just different.

It was like the basement of the airport. We got through Passport control/Customs very easily, thank the Lord. Then we left for the hotel for dinner, some orientation, and sleep.

This hotel had the craziest, coolest elevator. It was old, noisy, and just a cool experience.

The next morning, we split up (in the hotel were 3-4 groups I think, some going to Kurske, some Siberia, I think somewhere else, and then our group, 14 of us, going to Vladimir) into our city groups and just got to know each other and then we got our luggage ready to go for when our bus came to pick us up. In walks an American named Andrew, and then a guy named Sergei. (This isn't the best pic of them, but the only one I think I have of just the two of them)

They were both with Mercy Ministries and would be with us the whole week, so we had the 4 hour bus ride to get to know them. That was great. They gave us a little tour,

but mostly just let us talk and get to know each other more, practice our presentations and gospel bead bracelet presentations, etc. We stopped to use the facilities on the way. That was another interesting experience. They were built into the ground and you had to pay to use them.

We then arrived in Vladimir, dropped our stuff off at the hotel,

got some dinner, and then headed to Immanuel Church for a tour

and to assemble care packs for the week. That was scheduled to take us two nights, but we got it all done that first night. That was great.

I think that is enough about the first few days. I know at this point it isn't very interesting, but we didn't really get into ministry until the following day, which I'll post about soon.