4000 miles...nine days...Trains, buses and automobiles

There was no way we could have ever guessed it would take this amount of time; believe it or not, this was our adventure for the summer AND how we traveled to get our new mini-van! Why so far away, you may ask? We searched the internet and newspapers in this area for months!! The prices were just way out of our range. We have a friend/fellow worker that lived in a region west of here who was selling her van...hence the title to our 'road trip'.


 It began with a two hour drive to the city then a 40 hour train ride. After spending a night at the train station in the city of Novosibirsk, (They have great hotels there with hot showers and comfortable beds!) we embarked on an eight hour bus trip to the city of Gorno-Altaisk. This region is incredibly beautiful, surrounded by mountains with great rivers in it's valleys! (Some of the best white-water rafting/kayaking in the world.)  The roads are good in this area so this part of the trip was smooth and restful. (You'll understand later why this comment is important!)    Days one and two of our trip....

Train station in Ulan Ude  (40 hrs. our next stop)

Train station in Novosibirsk (has a great hotel)

Bus to Gorno-Altaisk... eight hours to go, 
almost where the van is located.

 I (Laura) am not sure how long it takes in the US to transfer a title, get temp. tags and get car insurance. It took an entire day...9am to 5pm of waiting in lines, running to other offices, coming back to the original line, and being told around 4pm that you would have to return the next day! This is where a huge answer to many prayers took place...Kevin was standing in the hallway talking with others who were 'waiting' when the Asst. Director of the department walked by and heard his comment about the amount of time it was taking. (There was one person doing all the work and at least 50 people waiting) The next thing we knew the A.D. took our paper work and handed it to another women...told us to standby and everything would be ready by 5pm that day! (not the next) We were amazed and very grateful...this was just day one in our journey back home.  End of day three....

Our new van!!  2000 Honda Odyssey 4WD

  We were told by our friend who sold us the van that we would need to replace the springs and tires on the van before heading out on our return trip. (These parts are quite often in need of replacing because the roads are so bad here.) Thus, we began the 'hunt' for Honda parts in a not so large city. After hours of searching, another friend of ours suggested the next city over.....it was larger and would most likely have what we needed. We drove an hour + to the next city, found the parts, found a place to do the repairs....wrong parts! After hours of running and waiting, we returned to our friend's home and decided to try again the following day...this is now day four.
  Day five....returned to the garage with another set of parts...they couldn't begin work until after lunch, so we drove around a little and found a great coffee shop with free WiFi so we checked our emails and let our families know we were OK and alive. Returned to the garage and they began working on the van around 1pm...finishing around 8pm! (They did a great job, just had slow workers with lots of breaks.) We found a hotel down the street, spent the night and started out the next morning for home - finally!!
 Day six....we were finally on the road...the van is amazing and it was awesome to be heading home. The day started out sunny and warm, great for driving...our first stop would be back to Novosibirsk where they have an Ikea store. The prices and choices are great so we 'had' to  stop and find a few things for us and others as well. Although is was now raining and we weren't exactly sure where we were going, we found the store....shopped, had lunch, shopped, had coffee and headed out for what we thought would be a few more hours on the road. We quickly realized there weren't a lot of roadside motels and drove until almost 11pm in the rain..on two lane highways. Kevin decided it was time to stop when he saw four lanes of traffic on a two-lane road and cars passing each other when there was no sane reason to do so! We found a great place to sleep for the night and began the long drive early the next morning.
   Days seven, eight, and nine are all the same....the roads we thought would be some of the best were some of the worst we had ever seen! We would come upon a section of new highway that was awesome, four lanes with lines ...no potholes where you could lose your car...we felt like we were driving in the US...then just as quickly as they began...it would end. Back to two lanes and often they were too bad to drive any faster than 40mph!  There was even a stretch of road where we traveled an amazing 12 miles and it took us 2 hours, we are just glad it was not all that bad. We had been told that we should expect trouble with the police and maybe even bandits on this trip. Our Father is soooooo wonderful...we were only stopped once (it was 1am and they were checking everyone's documents) and NEVER had a problem with folks along the way. In fact, we met great people and were helped whenever we thought we were lost or looking for something specific. It's definitely a trip we'll long remember and one we're not likely to take again.

Road side stop...food and clean toilets..Yay!

Wheat fields for miles.........

Some of the better paved highways!

                                           This became a familiar sign for us to see, it means bumpy road ahead.

The 'not -so-great' part of the roads we traveled.
This was the second worst section, we couldn't take
pictures while driving on the worst road!

This ran through a small town and turned out to be the
main federal highway ...we had thought we were lost!

Typical gas station.

Getting close to home...first site of Lake Baikal,
only 6 hours to go!

Kevin eating shisk-kebob or shashlik (as it's called
in Russian) no matter the language...it's DELICIOUS!

We're back home and busy with getting study groups started and finishing projects before the real cold weather sets in. Kevin celebrated his 49th on August 26th so we decided to take the day, head to the river and eat his favorite food. (Well, almost everything is his favorite, but this is fun to do as well.) We have many more stories to share and will be updating the blog again in a week or so. I must get back to preparing lessons and canning the vegies from the garden!
  Joyfully Serving in Siberia,
         Kevin & Laura

                                          

Party for the dead....

    A dear friend and young widow came over for tea. She had also come to cut hair but Laura could tell she had something on her mind...."Friends and family are asking me why I'm not have a 'memorial party' for my husband's birthday!" (Four years ago, this girl's husband and brother had gotten into a fight while drinking and the brother stabbed her husband to death!) The culture here expects several 'memorials' actually; the first on the day of the funeral, then at 40 days after the person's death, then again a year later. These 'parties' are for a time of remembrance and most importantly...drinking. We had never heard of remembering someone on their birthdays, but apparently it's also a practice in the area and another opportunity to gather, remember, and drink. Wait...this isn't all depressing....our friend asked the question because she wanted to know what we should do as Christians. In all the years we've lived here, we don't think we've had this question before. However, it was a chance to talk about death and what we know to be true as Christians.
     Julie lives in the same building as our friend we mentioned above. We've shared a little about her in the past...her husband had been responsible for the death of their five year old son. It's been difficult at best for Julie, but she has grown so much in her understanding of the Bible and her faith is amazing. At a recent visit, she was sharing how something so horrible - losing her son - could be taken and used for something good! What is so good you ask???? Through this experience, she as well as her daughter, and mother have made decisions to follow the Lord and her younger sister is very close!! This was a family where drinking was a huge part of their lives. How amazing to see lives transformed so drastically.

Julie and friend....

     So far, this summer has been filled more with great opportunities for conversation and not so much with projects. We are truly enjoying the time of fellowship and having opportunities to sit and talk with folks who have been quite interested in who we are and why we're here. We were able to complete two small projects for the fellowship's building were a new window and a small drain field for the kitchen. (We're hoping for running water this year!) The window will allow light and fresh air in for our children's room. We have 15 or more kids attend services each week to sing songs, play games, hear stories and learn verses! This room will be a huge asset to the fellowship's meeting place.

Digging the drain field...

Our little helper Luke...he fit in the hole better than the big guys!

Preparing to cut through logs for a new window...

Next step...getting the window to fit properly.

For some reason, the camera didn't work when the window was finished...you'll just have to check in next time for the finished product!

    Going though our pictures I found the following and just had to add them to the update....Most items needed can be bought here in the village, however, the price is 20% higher. When there's an opportunity to go the city, we all pile in a truck, buy the bigger items and load the truck as much as possible. You never know what you'll be bringing back to the village.....

Feed for the animals, cement, and bikes.....still some room left!

The fellowship has lunch together once a month after Sunday services...there's always plenty of food and fellowship and the property has lots of running space for the kids......

Not close to a lake or ocean??? Make a raft anyway!!!

 
There's more to share....but we'll save that for next time. With humble hearts we say, "Thanks", to all who take the time to read our blog and  for the faithful support and prayers. We pray you are blessed and encouraged through these pictures and updates.
   Kevin & Laura





Talent is God-given; be thankful.
Praise is man-given; be humble.
Conceit is self-given; be careful.
                           Dave Driscoll

Back in Russia.... JULY 2011

We're finally in Russia!
(I, Laura, must confess that I wanted to use an old Beatles' song here...but decided to let it go :0 )
  We really can not believe this is July already!!!  The month of June came and went before we could catch our breath! As you can see, we arrived into Russia on the 2nd of June. (We had an extended stay in  Mongolia because we couldn't get tickets for the train back into Russia.) After a few days  of waiting, we took the train into Ulan Ude. We were greeted by our fellow worker and good friend Doug around 9am....made a lot of stops in the city, (we buy our groceries and bigger items there because the prices are better)....then off to the village we drove....arriving home around 11pm!
   We share a garden with the family that watches our fellowship building and were pleased to see that much of the garden had been planted. (It's usually done by the first week of June.) However, Kevin had wanted to plant more vegetables than potatoes this year so we set out for the garden and filled in all available space possible to plant corn, peas, three kinds of squash, green beans, carrots, tomato plants and sunflowers for the seeds. Hopefully we'll have good weather this year with some rain.
  Not to get too comfortable with summer life; we quickly realized we had less than one week to get ready for guests arriving from the States. They would be in Siberia on the 10th! (Remember, we've been back in Russia only a few days now...it's now around the 5th of June.) Our pastor from Sarasota and a dear friend of ours were coming to encourage and meet with leaders of the fellowships in the city and encourage the folks here in the village. After delays and a missed flight in Moscow, our guests arrived safely on the 11th....they were quickly fed and showered, then were off to speak at not one, but two different meetings and met with leaders afterwards! (All this after being up for about 48 hours!)

They were able to spend some quality time with many of the fellowship leaders in the city and the fellowship in our village.  It was an awesome time for ALL the folks here as well as a huge encouragement for our pastor and friend!

First stop in Ulan Ude......

Second stop in Ulan Ude....

Leader's meeting......end of day one!

Seminar held in Ulan Ude with many fellowships.

Seminar held in village

Day trip to Baikal to see the camp

Building a new 'mess hall' for the camps!

A new port being built on Baikal...if you look closely,
you'll see a great symbol on the fence........

Our guests left on the 21st of June and we began to settle back into life in the village. What does that look like? Meeting with folks to help settle differences correctly, discuss summer plans and projects, catching up on things that have happened the last six months, (drinking a lot of tea) helping a single mom with her two yr. old son....a drunk had grabbed him by the arms and shook him so hard it broke one arm....and so on. Our life here is never boring and through it all, we also learn so much from the Father and those around us!

On the 29th, we celebrated our 26th anniversary at home. We had hoped to have a vehicle by now, but that has become yet another story. Soooo...we bought the next best thing, especially for out here in the village...

Our transportation for now.....no gas required :)

We are thankful for:

• safe travel on the return to Russia
• a great time of encouragement through the seminars and meetings with our friends from the U.S.
• our home, neighbors and friends in the village
• ALL who so faithfully stand with us in the work here in Siberia

We ask that you remember these needs:

• a vehicle ( we came with what we felt was enough cash and find prices have risen!)
• wisdom as we make plans with the fellowship for growth
• to love those around us (even the drunks)

We are getting the food ready for our 4th of July party....we pray you all enjoy your holiday as well and please remember those who give so much so that we in America can remain so free!

Kevin wanted to add this quote......Be Blessed,

   Kevin & Laura

A quote we heard not long ago...wish we knew who said it...but it is worth thinking about...

"The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing"

Almost there!!!!

Greetings from Mongolia,
 home to Genghis Khan and lots of wind, sand and a very dry climate! This trip has been adventurous to say the least. It began with our flight from Tampa, FL to California....sounds easy, however, there were hailstorms in TX which damaged several planes, one of them was ours. Thus began the adventure....with much prayer and almost begging the person at the ticket counter; we were finally put on a flight through Cleveland to L.A. That wasn't so bad in the end as we were only two hours later than originally planned. (They had wanted to put us on a flight the following day.)
  We enjoyed our short time with Joshua and sadly said our goodbyes then set off for Beijing, China at 2AM. This part of the trip was uneventful and we both actually were able to sleep on the flight. This is where the real fun began :) Our layover in China was to be two or so hours then onto Mongolia. As we were making our way to the boarding area, we realized that our flight had been postponed....until 8pm that evening. The Beijing airport is enormous and beautiful, but 12 hours more didn't sound too thrilling to us! The reason for the delay was high winds in Mongolia...not unusual, so we were grateful for the delay. We'd like to give credit to Air China for then taking the folks from our flight over to a hotel for the day and feeding us lunch! (Not so sure that would happen in the US these days.) We were taken back to the airport that afternoon and loaded onto the plane on time...however, several passengers had some sort of visa and/or ticket problems so we sat on the tarmac for an hour while everything was sorted out. We did eventually arrive in Mongolia...only 15 hours later then planned :) WHEW....
 
We have train tickets for Russia and will travel on Thursday arriving in Russia Friday morning! After which we have a two hour car ride to our home in the village!!!  It's never boring when travelling half way around the world.

We can never say THANK YOU enough to ALL who made our time in the U.S. so amazing! To our family...WE LOVE YOU and miss you already....you are all so amazing also, sacrificing the most as we live and work so far away; THANK YOU!! We are humbled and honored to know that so many of you pray often for us and the folks we work with. We are truly blessed!!

An update on our sons: Joshua has found work and so will be staying in California - his new home. He's obviously excited to have found work and excited with another new stage in life.   Corey is not deploying...medical reasons kept him in the States for now so he'll remain at Ft. Carson. It's nothing serious so we're not certain if he'll deploy at a later date or not.

Saying goodbye to Corey as he heads back to Colorado.

Burgers on the grill in California with Joshua and family!

On the plane to Beijing!!!

Breakfast in the Beijing airport....

Kevin in Mongolia...finally! Gotta love the traffic here

Next update will be from Russia...Wanted to leave you all with a quote from Robert Louis Stevenson....

"The best things are nearest: breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of God before you"

May 2011

Hey Ya'll  (That is southern for Hi)

Wow it has been a while since our last posting...sorry for that but we know we have visited many of you.  Laura (our communication's director)  decided to take her summer break early :)
We looked at the last months and figured we've driven 13,000+ miles since Jan. 8th and driven to or through 16 or more states! WHEW.... We've spoken at so many fellowships, home groups and youth groups, we've lost count...we were in a different place every weekend from the middle of March to the first weekend in May!! HOWEVER, we have been soooo blessed! Visiting with old friends and meeting many new folks; hearing incredible stories of His grace, mercy and of healing. THANK YOU to all who shared their time and homes as we made our way across the country!
   We were able to get out of the snow in MO back in February...then it was off to FL for two weeks... then back on the road again for PA,MA, NC then back to FL.  Here are just a few pics along the way..........

                                                   Ahhhhh...Florida sunshine and beaches!      
                   

Kevin swimming in February...brrrrrrr

As you can see....my crazy husband wanted to be the first in the neighborhood to say he could get into the pool in February! He did remind me that is was still much warmer than when he swims in Lake Baikal. (The lake gets a warm :) 56 in summer)                                                
We wrote back in February about our time of training in MO...we drove back to FL for a speaking engagement/conference...then it was on the road again with Mass. as our destination. (Thankfully with time in PA to spend with Laura's family!)

                                                  Weekend conference in Florida.

On the road...rest stop in NC

Beautiful trees....signs of Spring!!!                                                                                                                                                        At least we thought it was Spring, until we reached PA and MA and saw, you guessed it...more snow and cold weather!   Guess folks didn't want us to miss out on that Siberian winter :) !!   We loved it!
The temperatures never dropped below 0 degrees!

                                                                      Finally in Mass.          

                                                               Fellowship in Mass.  
We were so blessed and encouraged as we were able to visit with friends and family and meet many new people. Love you guys!!!

                                     Kevin and our nephew on the battlefield in Gettysburg.

                                             Visit with Laura's folks in PA.....Yeah!!!
There is so much to share; this update could go on for days :) Just know that it was extremely busy but very fruitful. We were blessed beyond measure and hope that others received as much from us. We'll finish the journey next week....so please come back for a visit!
We are in the packing process and Laura is trying to stay out of  "panic mode." Thanks to all who have been so generous with their time, finances, places to rest our weary bones, great food, and wonderful fellowship!
We love you all and are honored to have been given this time in the U.S. We're here another week, so call or write....we may have a few minutes to see you!
     Love In Him,
   Kevin & Laura
       

                                             

Clear skies...for now

We promised more pictures .....hope you enjoy them! Today is the first day we've had sunshine since Tues. morning. Which means warmer temperatures...also means when the sun goes down, we'll have ice..yikes! Thankfully, we were able to get out of the area yesterday and take a two hour drive to find the FEDEX office that had a package we've been waiting for. Seems they didn't want to risk trying to get into where we're staying. [Quite hilly and the roads hadn't been cleared very well yet. Did we say we were in the middle of nowhere and took a right? :) ] In any case, we know many of you also experienced the megastorm and we pray all are safe and warm!

                                                             Monday's snow storm...
                                                

                                                              Tuesday's cleanup...

                                                          Not our car....we hope :)

        Our humble abode...cute little one bedroom apartment with a toilet, however, the shower is down the street a few hundred feet. It's kind of like camping...

                                                Lake view ....at least there was a lake on Mon.

                                        Training center facility...chapel and classes are held here.                                      

                                                           My handsome hubby.

        As you can see, we're surrounded by hills and trees....truly a beautiful place, even in two feet of snow. We will be leaving this coming week and heading back to Florida. Please keep us in your prayers and we travel and for the little time we have here. It has been a huge blessing, not only for us but for the work. We look forward to seeing more family soon and many friends in the coming months.
     Until They Know
      Kevin & Laura