Novgorod Again!

We're reaching a point in the year that for us is always wrapped up in traditions as well as completely new experiences. 

As in the past two years we again did our Odyssey soap  sculptures. The two below were our best. The one on top is of Odysseus as an old man and was done with an amazing amount of skill (look at the hands and arms!). The one below was cleverly made in pieces that fitted together and is of Odysseus as a warrior. 

Time arrived for our every-other-year field trip to Novgorod. It was a two and half hour van ride but we finally arrived to cold rainy weather. The students were happily busy buying mittens and socks to combat the cold. Matthew had underdressed and looked about ready to freeze to death which was very sad. 

But at long last we started our tour which started at this square that had once been a market and where several different churches had been built by different merchants and traders. 

Whereas last time the guys were encouraged to run around the church three times in hopes of quickly finding a wife, this time the girls were encouraged to do so. More than usual participated, partially due to hopes of warming up. :-)

We then toured the museum and since Novgorod is credited as being the birth place of Russia it was interesting to see the early artifacts and how people would have lived and traded then. 

Of course we saw the monument, but we got a more in depth explanation of figures on it which I enjoyed. 

The top ring consists of important figures like Peter the Great facing in the direction they took the most interest in (in Peter's case, the West). Below them are other figures from their time. In the picture below you can see Pushkin (the fellow with the rockin' sideburns) and Gogol to the right of him. 

We also saw St Sophia Church which is the oldest stone church in Russia. Matthew had lost the cross he wears the week before and so he was able to buy a new one here.

Something new for all of us was walking along the walls of the fortress. Below we have most of our lovely group. 

The walls facing back toward the city 

At this point we finally had some nice warmer weather and the sun even came out for us. 

Our complete group!

As far as other school related events, the play is drawing steadily closer (3 weeks!) and both Natalie and I have been pleased with how well things are coming together. Today we had a rather amusing practice since three of our leads were sick but even then things went well which is very encouraging. 

Matthew is done in spirit with his applications for grad school. He has finished everything he has needed to do and is now just looking everything over before submitting them. This strikes me as being a bit like our coming to Russia four years ago in that I'm hardly able to believe that it is actually happening. 

I recently read a quote by C.S. Lewis that I felt really spoke to where I am in this entire process right now: "We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be." I don't doubt that this is what we should be doing but the pain of leaving our students and friends here and starting somewhere completely new all over again is often overwhelming. It is always something to be praying for as we move toward saying goodbye this year. 

But it is also important to be present now while we are here and we definitely thank God for the time we have been given here. Thanks for all of your prayers and support. 

Fall Break!

I am now writing this from the tail end of fall break. The weather has declined into mostly rainy since our last post of pretty fall colors, but break was good nonetheless. 

To catch everyone up on what has happened between now and then...

We've rented our space for the play. It's a lovely dance hall with a lot more space than last year though we will actually be in the exact same building as last year. The convenience is too good to pass up! Things are creeping closer but it looks like we should all be ready!

We recently had our first youth group as well and that was a lot of fun for Matt and me. Games included Human Sculptures with the categories being movies. (Above: High school musical; Below: Harry Potter!) We talked about fear and were able to have some really good discussions with our students. 

Matt's room has been collecting student artwork this year. He told his classes early in the year that he likes Angry Birds (which he does not play; he just likes looking at them) and so one particular student has been drawing a new Angry Bird for him every week. Other artwork presented refers to different comments he's made in class. :-)

International Day was quite the event this year! It all started off with a concert of songs from different countries and the band performing pieces from different movies. 

The costumes were also more elaborate this year and Matt and I always enjoy looking at the variety!

There were also themed rooms with different activities going on in them for different countries. 

The American room had square dancing (my favorite room).

And the Russian room had a game with wooden blocks and a stick you roll at them. 

There was also a photobooth upstairs.

(We're so cute!)

One of the best costumes we saw was the Royal Family (above)! There's Prince William, Kate, and baby George! 

We hadn't been to a hockey game in ages so we took the opportunity this break. We had amazing seats just two rows from the goal again.

In the picture below is one of my favorite parts of the games. If you look right above the camera there's a little girl who comes to every game and knows every single cheer. It's very cute to watch her doing the routines perfectly with the cheerleaders. 

Other fall break activities included a lot of baking (me), working on grad school apps and letters (Matt), and just being able to relax. 

Current prayer requests:

• Matt is finally getting to the point of sending in applications to different schools. There's about a dozen he's submitting applications to and we will not know anything until the spring. Pray that things come together and that it's clear what we should be doing next. 
• The play is a lot earlier this year and so there is the same amount that needs to be done but less time to do it in. Pray that everything comes together quickly and well!