Two crazy months

It's been a crazy 2 months, so I decided to combine my December and January newsletters into one which you'll find attached.

Read about My Christmas Adventure in Slovenia, How Life is Anything but Dull in Russia, English Movie Nights and much more!

I'm continuing to raise support for the upcoming months. Please prayerfully consider supporting my ministry to the Fisher and Lovell families as well as my continuing ministry to Russian students through the English Language. You'll find a document attached detailing how to give. Thank you to each of you who faithfully give each month. Without you I would not be able to continue my ministry!

If you are looking to give, but aren't sure what finances are needed or would like to give to a special project, please let me know. There are many ways you can be involved in my work here in Southern Russia.

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One of my 2^nd graders asked me the other day if I still had freckles on the iris of my eye. I was a bit confused at first and then remembered back to a lesson a few weeks prior when we discussed the eye and the various parts and then looked closely at each other’s. My students were amazed to discover that I have several freckles in both my eyes. It’s nice to have small reminders of how we each are uniquely created and loved by our heavenly father; plus, I’m pretty cool now! 

This past month of teaching has gone really well and I am grateful that the kids and myself were able to jump back into our routine so quickly after break. I’ve really enjoyed my time teaching Astronomy and Geography and being able to tailor the curriculum to each student. The kids are all enjoying our weekly lessons on the United States and are currently learning the state location, abbreviation, and capitals. Not an easy task for MK’s who have spent little time in the states and who have a hard time identifying with certain characteristics, but one that peaks their curiosity. It’s made me long for rodeos and back-yard BBQ’s.  

I am well on my way to filling up a list titled “If it’ll happen to anyone, it’ll happen to Vangie.” As if getting taken out by a log truck last year wasn’t enough, adventure in my life has become a daily occurrence it seems. I was watching the Fisher kids, while Matt and Terri were out of town, and as Jonathan and I were playing a game in the kitchen we noticed an interesting sound coming from under the kitchen sink. Upon investigation we discovered a leak that was beginning to rapidly spread as the clay coating around the hoses was coming loose. Soon we were battling a flood, with the three kids ringing out soaked towels, and me trying to locate a water shut-off value. Not easy to find with Russian plumbing. We finally ran next door and asked the neighbors to come over and help out. They found the water pump, which shut off the water, and we spent the next hour mopping up the flood. It was one of the moments that needed to be on camera and one of those incredible Russia memories. 

My holiday travels were just what I needed. It was so good to be back in Europe and have the chance to explore new places. Ellie and I had a blast exploring her new home of Koper and several of the cities further south on the Slovenian coast. It was absolutely gorgeous and wonderful to be back by water and mountains once again. I even was blessed with the opportunity to surprise Karis, one of the girls from Blauen dorm, in her hometown of Trieste, Italy. Her mom and I had secretly arranged this surprise for weeks and Karis was shocked! It was so good to see her and her family and spend a few days seeing their city and hearing more about their ministry. I must admit, I was a bit of a history junkie while we were there because the Americans had a very important role in freeing the city of Trieste; of course I shared all this new found knowledge with Jonathan who is a huge WWII buff. 

Terri and I took the kids ice-skating after school one Friday. Luckily, ice-skating is easy to do in Russia and cheap too! You just have to pay for the cost of renting skates and the ice time is free. Most malls have a small skating rink indoors which is open all year long. It is certainly an activity Russians take very seriously, but we soon learned the skates are rarely sharpened and the Zamboni driver must take a lot of breaks. 

Our English Movie Nights have been going so well! We’ve watched Elf, The Italian Job and Sweet Home Alabama in recent weeks and have been hovering right around 7-18 people each night. Jenny, Kim, and I have been having a great time figuring out how to explain American phrases and street slang. There have been moments where the 3 of us have even been stumped and we’ve had to consult outside sources. It’s amazing to see the excitement in everyone’s eyes after the movie when we begin our English lesson and we are really forming some great relationships with the students. 

We’ve been having some unusual weather here in the south. We spent most of this past week with below zero temperatures combined with snow on days when it warmed up. It has made for some very cold nights in my apartment as my heat is often on the fritz and Russian construction is just not as sound as it should be. I’m certainly not looking forward to the mess that will be created once everything melts, but for now it is nice to once again enjoy a Winter Wonderland. 

Thank you for your prayers regarding my holiday travels; everything went great! I’ve got another Visa trip coming up February 16^th-21^st and would request your prayers for my travels. I’ll be flying along with the Fisher family to Moscow and then on to Kiev, Ukraine and will be traveling via train (24hr.) on our return trip. Please also pray for the processing of our Visas in Madrid, Spain. 

The Visa situation here in the South is still very difficult and uncertain. Please pray for the Lord’s guidance as our leadership makes some decisions about our team remaining here in the future. Our southern team has shrunk in recent months and now consists of the two families I work with, the Fisher’s and Lovell’s, and Don Plummer.