Reflection: Russia {and other ramblings}

What a week! My "baby" brother AJ turned 21 this week. I FINALLY caught up to the age of technology we live in and upgraded to a smartphone. I had a terrible stomach bug for three days this week- that hasn't happened since middle school! My Grandpa (who already doesn't have good health) is in the hospital again. There was a Royal Wedding (always enchanting to see those lovely events that take the world by storm) and there was a an unbelievably devastating wave of tornadoes that made its way through the Midwest and South. The Space Shuttle Endeavor was supposed to be launched for the last time today, but the launch was scrubbed. My Tampa Bay Rays are on a HOT streak and swept the Minnesota Twins this week. {I say this all so I can use this as a bookmark of sorts in the future for my personal reference in my blogging history.}

Onto the MAIN purpose of this post:

I love reflecting. In my 24 years, I've done an awful lot. I live such a blessed life! The Good Lord really has blessed me and given me so many neat opportunities to serve and to be served, to explore and to have adventure, to share and to see. One of the things I love most is looking back on my adventures and travels and reliving them.

With spring break season wrapping up, I was thinking about the spring breaks I've had over the years. Annually, I look forward to spring break, for the wonderful week off of school. Usually, my adventurous self does something fun! One of the most memorable spring break weeks was when I spent my break in Russia in 2007. As a Missions major at The Baptist College of Florida, I did get class credit for the trip. But it was about more than that. The trip was about sharing Jesus Christ's love with people who live in a cold, frozen, forgotten land in the rugged Ural mountains of Russia. To show young people that there was hope when they thought there was none. While most of our peers were soaking up the sun at the beach in sunny Florida, my teammates and I traded the sun and sand for clouds and snow. And it was totally worth it.

We fed teenagers living on the streets to get away from abusive, alcoholic parents. We told Bible stories and shared love and joy with kids in orphanages. We taught conversational English classes in some high schools and colleges. We prayer walked, encouraged some local Christian leaders, and we of course got some sightseeing and cultural experiences in, like straddling the border of Europe and Asia!

If you've never ridden a Moscow subway (and you're not claustrophobic), make sure you put it on your bucket list! You'll never experience anything else like it!

The Kremlin and part of Red Square in Moscow. (We had a day's layover in Moscow on our way to Ekaterinburg in the Urals, so we got a little sightseeing in.)

Our team and some of the homeless teenagers who live on and under the streets. We fed them hot soup and hot tea and talked to them, just trying to share the love of Christ. The two guys in the front row kneeling (wearing the black beanies and matching jackets) run a ministry that feeds these kids every week and builds relationships with them. Since we visited in '07, the ministry has exploded and they have seen many people come to Christ and have changed lives!

Here I am talking to some girls in one of our English classes. We circulated around the room to different groups, and they got to ask us all sorts of questions. They were all enthralled with our American lifestyles! Two of these three girls were teen moms.

Our team with a new friend! We were prayer walking, she heard us speaking English and stopped us to talk for a while! It was a great conversation!


If you have ever traveled abroad, gone on a mission trip, or had a fun adventure with family or friends, take some time to relive those moments! Look through a few pictures, daydream a bit about your fun time, and be thankful for the opportunity.

Memory Lane is now open!