Easter in Sosnovo!

Hi Everyone!

Well, if I look cold, I am - it's about 26 degrees and it had recently snowed! Now, if I look a little unhappy, it's because my son Sergey wasn't paying attention and we missed our stop. This train station is one stop north of where we are supposed to be! About an hour and 15 minutes later, we did arrive in Sosnovo, but only after a long hike, waiting for a Marchucka Bus that never came, and then finally getting a ride from a guy that felt we shouldn't have to work so hard to get someplace on Easter! He was a Christian, spoke some English, and had been to the United States! God provided a way for us! As we were walking, Sergey knew I was a little unhappy and really cold, so he tried to cheer me up by playing Russian Christian songs on his cell phone! I couldn't help but smile at his efforts. However, I felt like Mr. Bean on Holiday in Russia. How did we get stuck out here?! If you have seen the recently released Mr. Bean movie, go see it! I took my kids on Saturday and they all loved it!

We had a wonderful service in Sosnovo. I was able to meet the new pastor and talk with the day center director. At this point, it looks like we have two homes willing to put us up for a week, but now to get some more voluneteers.

After the service they had some food, tea, and fellowship. We met several people and some of the kids were there that will be part of the ministry in 3 weeks when our team arrivs. It's still coming together, but God's plans are revealing theselves.

The pastor wanted us to go with him to meet a couple of brothers that live on a pension and can't make it to church very easliy. They have had Muscular Dystrophy since childhood. We visited for a while and they seemed to realy enjoy the time together. After that the Pastor agreed to take us back to St. Petersburg by car.

Once we approached St. Petersburg, the snow really began coming down! It was like large sleet balls the size of peas! It stopped long enough for us to exit and head to the metro.

Tonight I received an e-mail from the Robison's, the couple who are adopting from St. Petersburg, and they will arrive on Friday and are staying in the same hotel! Our SAC team will get first-hand updates on their adoption progress of two brothers under 4 years old! We will likly see each other at breakfast and several dinners at the hotel! It will be exciting for all of us, but of course very exciting for Mike and Amy!

Well, it's almost midnight here on Easter Sunday. I hope everyone is having a great Sunday afternoon! Blessings to all of you and thanks SO much for your prayers while our SAC teams are out here in Russia!

In His Service,
John