Dascha Visit

Path to Nena's Summer House




Brett and Leesh at the garden



Brett cutting wood for the fire




Nena and Leesh at the garden





Alicia's pretty flowers



Daschas and the water hole



Nena and Brett in front of Blue Lake (that's the name of it)



Side view of Nena and Ivan's Dascha. A quaint little place.

Pasca at Sumy Church

Julia and Vita at the Pasca table, getting the goodies ready


Brett and Leesh at our special "place of honor"-- note the Pasca Bread with the sprouting wheat wreath



The Pasca play. These are the kids from the Bible study they have each Sunday at Lena's house. They are neighborhood kids. This was a special day for them all to be at the church-house.

Pasca

We are week behind USA for "Easter", but it was PASCA here yesterday. So when someone in Russian says some greeting to you something about Christ and it's the Sunday after Easter in America, you're supposed to say to them "vayeesteno vas Chris". They said, "Christ is arisen" and you just said "surely arisen."

We took in the whole orthodox tradition of "Pasca". We went to the church at 11:30pm and these are some of the images we captured:




These are some of the priests in the procession. They marched out of the church, having left the "body of Christ" on the altar down front. The procession marched out and walked around the church three times (to represent the days of Christ in the grave).



They had military men holding the crosses, priests holding the icons and candlesticks, and the "main guy" was in charge of the whole program. We noticed that there are distinctions of hair among Orthodox clergy. The young ones (altar boys and young priests) have no facial hair and short hair cuts. The more intermediate priests may have mustaches or thin beards. As their expertise increases, so does their hair. The "second man" had a thick beard and medium length hair. The main guy wore bushy beard and long hair. All the women keep their heads covered and they do sing accapella.



These are the people who followed. I walked around once, and they were like sheep. There were little babushkas running past me to get closer to the clergy.

There is a holiday today and the whole week for some, following Pasca. They will be having picnics all over, going to the Forest.




More later... (and a few days late anyway) Love b and leesh

Midweek photo update

Sunset from the stairway of our apt



Brett at hard at work


Weekly Bible study at the church building


Nina and Sasha's apt

Tree painting before Easter Sunday

God's Teaching

God has been showing me so much since I have been here. I guess sometimes we have to find ourselves in circumstances and situations beyond what we have experienced before, in order to see things differently, to see and hear God differently, and to learn great lessons in our walk of faith.


I believe God chooses these times to teach us lessons that we may not quite grasp in any situation other than in the one we are currently in. God has taught Brett and me lessons in our relationship with each other that are indescribable. The situation here at the church and the way of life that we have found ourselves in has also cultivated so many lessons in my life. One of these great lessons has been to "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." This is such a familiar verse (Matthew 6:33) and it seems so basic and obvious, but this verse seems to come to me at different seasons in my life with new and renewed meaning. When I find things very confusing and challenging, I can easily find myself questioning everything. When I finally get away from this thought pattern and I remember Matthew 6:33 and other verses like Luke 12:24 (reminded to me by my husband) which says to remember that God finds us far more valuable than birds, which are fed without having to give it any thought or worry.


Life is so different in other parts of the world. This is their world and Brett and I have found ourselves in the middle of it. Despite many of the differences that I have been living in, God is still the same. He is evident when i look around; He is here as much as He is in West Virginia, Georgia, Louisiana, wherever. People need God and we are dead without Him. This is the message that everyone needs to hear. The Lord sends us out to spread His message of Love, Grace, Forgiveness, Joy......

(alicia)