King’s H.S. – Last day.

Today, we went to the transit center in the morning. Amy, Danny, Jazmine, Kierney and Lina started the day off with “The Redeemer” skit. We then split off into our groups. The teenage girls decorated journals and then decorated shirts and signed each shirt. The teenage guys did crafts and the boys at the transit center opened up and shared some of their stories. The little kids also did crafts.  All of the kids had big smiles on their faces when we gave them each some new shirts and gift bags. All of us were very sad to have to say goodbye. 😦  We have made friends and it was sad to leave, knowing that at will never see them again. We pray that God will protect them from harm. Too many of them have already experienced hate, abuse and abandonment.

After eating lunch, we came back home and debriefed our week. We also made a song/skit that basically summarized up our whole trip to the tune of twelve days of Christmas. Here are the twelve days:

On the first day of Russia, Kathy counted off. (We constantly have to count to make sure we haven’t lost a team member).

On the second day of Russia, Aaron broke the bed. (He jumped on Mrs. Warren’s or “Kathy’s” bed and the wood split in the middle).

On the third day of Russia, we ate some “yummy” fish.

On the fourth day of Russia, we met some crazy kids.

On the fifth day of Russia, Helle made a noise. Beeeell Dehhhhh!!

On the sixth day of Russia, Karen met a friend. (On the metro).

On the seventh day of Russia, we bought some souvenirs.

On the eighth day of Russia, no pockets in the Church. (Some of us put our hands in our pockets when we visited the Orthodox Church and apparently, that’s not allowed).

On the ninth day of Russia, Christian found true love. (The girls at the transit center loved him).

On the tenth day of Russia, we saw some dolphin tricks.

On the eleventh day of Russia, we made a stupid skit.

On the twelfth day of Russia, EVERYBODY’S RUSSIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then, unfortunately, we had to pack. We got to go out to a nice Italian dinner to celebrate our amazing trip together. Some of us chose to go to bed and others of us are deciding to stay up since we have to leave for the airport at 3 in the morning! We will see you all soon!

King’s High School Team (written by Jazmine, Helle and Karleigh)

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King’s H.S.- building friendships with the kids and teens!

Greetings, from Russia at 10:48 pm, as we finish packing all the presents for the kids.

Today was amazing in the transit center! It started off with a mimed skit called “King of Hearts” showing the masks each of us wear and the ability Jesus has to take away those masks. A lot of the kids enjoyed the skit as they could identify themselves with those characters.

In the teenage boys group, Randall gave his personal testimony. They all shared about their home life and talked about the future, making meaningful connections within the group. Amongst the teenage girls, a few of the girls opened up to some of us with heartbreaking stories. Tomorrow, I, (Jazmine) will be sharing a personal testimony with a few of the girls as well and I’m really excited/slightly nervous about it.

As for the adorable little kids, they did face painting and all the kids were transformed into  butterflies and super heroes!

Please keep the team in your prayers, especially for tomorrow as it is the last day with the kids. 😦  Thank you all for the support and prayer. Your support and constant prayer is very much appreciated. This has been a successful mission trip that created lasting relationships.

King’s High School Team (written by Jazmine)

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Hello from King’s Team!

Saint Isaac’s Cathedral is tall. And when I say tall, I mean, 261 stairs tall. What a lovely view of the entire city greeted us when we finally reached the top! In the cathedral itself, we were met with the same impressive architecture that greeted Russian monarchy for centuries. A Russian Orthodox service that was going on in part of the cathedral reminded all of us how shallow religion can be when it is ritually driven and not faith driven.

After Saint Isaac’s, we had lunch at Pizza Hut. Russian pizza is extremely different from American pizza and, let me tell you, we were thankful for that American pizza!

Finally, we picked up the kids from the Transit Center and, together, we went to see dolphins. Yes, dolphins. (Think Sea World on a somewhat smaller scale.) Although we couldn’t understand a single thing the MC was saying, it did our hearts good to see those children and teens smiling and laughing as the dolphins went through their routines.

We may be sleep-deprived, but we are having a marvelous time seeing all that God is doing here with us and in spite of us. Thank you for all of the prayer support you keep sending our way!

Sad to think of leaving, but looking forward to seeing you in a few days,

The King’s High School Russia Team  (written by Amy)

Hi Marlie, Thanks for the message. We love you! Mom and Kat

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King’s H.S. – halfway…

Update by 2 team members! 🙂

Today we took the metro to the Hermitage Museum. The metro was extremely crowded and we literally could not move inside. One of the team members made a new friend on the metro.

The Hermitage was amazing and we even got to see The Prodigal Son (Mrs. Warren was sitting on the floor staring at it forever). As most of you already know, we got to go on Facebook and/or email; which made everyone very excited!!

All of the children at the transit center were very thrilled to see all of us return again today. Jazmine taught the teenage girls a dance to “Single Ladies” by Beyoncé (Pam filmed it for whoever would like to see/laugh at the dance routine later). The teenage boys made leather checkerboards and they turned out fantastic which made Fred feel “relieved.” Mrs. Warren did hair wraps in the ecstatic little girls’ hair. The kids also finished off the day with a variety of different crafts. Quinn and Karleigh also played an intense game of Go Fish with two little boys.

We ended the day with a good devotion by Fred and nice little chats with Tatiana. 🙂

Sorry if this blog isn’t as up to par as Mrs. Warren’s blogging the other day. Love, sleep deprived Helle and Anna

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King’s H.S. – Day 2 with the kids!

Day 2 with the kids!

Fred:  God has blessed, is blessing.  High points mentioned in our evening devotions as a team, have included working/playing with the orphans, and some of the sights we have seen along the way.  King’s kids (and adults) and SunErgos kids are starting to connect, starting to communicate even without a translator, starting to want more time together to just talk; the initial reserve and awkwardness is melting (unlike the weather outside!) to smiles more and more.  What a blessing to give hope and hugs and laughter—to show each one is valued; and what a blessing to learn so many lessons from them, from the circumstances they endure!  Tomorrow, two of the teen boys are being sent to the town they are from; they don’t really want to go.  That means, that these past few days are all the chance we’ve had for input into their lives.  I was impressed again today—we need to always be ready to give answer for the hope within; we are His ambassadors—24/7… not just during office hours.  May the Lord bless the few faulty seeds sown to bear much fruit!

Kris:  Another great day in St. Petersburg….snow falling and the air is fresh.  Took the morning subway to the souvenir  shop and while on the train, a gentleman,  so excited to see that we were Americans proceeded to hand Isabelle a musical carousel… such a blessing to see them break out of their more somber nature while on public transit!  Had a great lunch at the Montana Café –The Russian version of the wild west was quite hysterical.  Totally enjoyed a real cup of coffee!  Back to the transit center in the afternoon allowed us to connect with the kids once again.  The little ones that my group is spending time with were so excited to see us and welcomed us with embraces.  Since we have a wide variety of ages, we need to be prepared with lots of activities that allowed each one with something to keep them occupied – which allows us to minister to each one individually.  One little boy, Egor, made 4 little chickens and wants us to come back tomorrow so he can make another one for his brother….so cute!  We ended the evening with the kids all participating in a “disco”…. Another way to break the barrier with song and dance and connect.  The Lord is present in all and we are so blessed to be here.  Miss you all and look forward to all your responses and prayers.   Love and kisses….to Mike and my girls.

Jazmine: Happy Birthday Dad! I would love to see the moon right now. I love you. And tell CJ I lost the game.

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King’s H.S. – “We met the kids today!”

Dear family and friends,

We met the kids! What a joy and an experience!

Quinn, Danny, Kierney, Lina, Katya:

The younger children surprised us; they abound in energy, and their moods change upon a whim. They are far less trusting, as they did not warm up to us nearly as quickly as we thought they would. Our crafts and games were fun to some, but others were unsure. The good news is that each child found his or her place in one of the choices we planned. Two of these little guys have been in the center for over two years: one came from a band of gypsies, and the other has seemingly no background, at least not one to be found. We pray the Lord will help us give them grace upon grace, as they trust that we do care for them; however, they clearly know our time here is temporary, so we understand the burden they must carry in sharing their little hearts. Two of the boys are only four!

Helle, Isabelle, Anna, Amy, and Jazmine:

The teen girls are so sweet; we have been surprised at their willingness to befriend us. They are open to all our plans, and they enjoyed the collages and bracelet making. They refused to keep the collages they made; they wanted us to keep them, so we would not forget them. Ours hearts melted; we were speechless. They have so little; yet, they were so giving to us. We left at lunch time today because they had an excursion planned, but our girls did not want to go on the outing; they wanted us to stay with them. We struggle in knowing what they have been through, but we are so excited that we have been given this opportunity to spend this time with them.

Randall, Christian, Isaiah, Aaron, Karleigh, Joclyn, and Matthew:

The teen boys were a bit skeptical when we brought out the thread and began to make friendship bracelets, but once our guys showed a keen interest, they joined in and made some pretty ‘sick’ (cool) bracelets. Mr. Van Gorkom’s idea of making wallets out of duct tape was a hit; they all participated in that idea. These gentlemen are a quiet bunch; we are humbled in our wonder at the harsh lives they have led, especially knowing they are the same age as we are. Physical sports provided a strong connection for us; we played dodge ball and monkey, and we all were competitive. We laughed, and we enjoyed our exercise.

We also toured the Spilled Blood Cathedral; the inside is designed with every major Bible story one can imagine created with small mosaic tiles. The detail is incredible, and the walls continue to extraordinary ceilings, stories high, every square inch filled with color, delicate intricacies, and marble. We could have walked through that building for hours and still missed a number of awe-inspiring depictions. Tatiana is well-versed in the plethora of historical places to show us; she knows her Russian history, and we are privileged to be learning so much. The weather was a bit warmer today; this evening however the snow fell, and the view was like Christmas outside our windows.

We love you; we miss you. We anticipate with great excitement the work the Lord has for us tomorrow. We covet your prayers, and we appreciate your notes so much!

Below are some messages from the team members! 🙂

Kathie Warren: Annie and Marlie, how are the kids?

Isabelle: Patricia and Skip…your prayers are much needed and welcomed. I love you sooo very much (mom and I love love love the outside news from real world…very helpful). Love much izzy bell and Kris ❤

Anna: I love you mommy and daddy! David I hope you’re doing more than playing xbox. Love, Anna B.

Pam: Hi Phil. Having a great time. The kids are precious and so special to be with them. All the King’s kids are also a joy to be with. Continue to say prayers for us that we can touch the lives of these children. I love you.  –Pam

Karleigh: Hi Mom and Dad, I miss you and love you and can’t wait to be home.  Tell Nick I say hi toooo! Please bring mine and Helle’s phones into the airport like inside right for when we get off the plane…we can’t wait! Thanks J Looking forward to being home! Love you! Love,  Karleigh.

Joclyn: Hey Mom and Dad! Love you and miss you and Mo and Jay.  Having so much fun here! See you in a couple days. Love, Joclyn

Helle: Gunnar, Heidi, Vehrs, Smarts, Grandma Johnson and Gunny: All you Hawaii people, I hope you are burnt to a crisp because it has snowed every day since we have arrived! Grandma, I’m really looking forward to that home cooked meal J And Gunnar, I hope you’re studying hard! Love you all!

Amy: Joe and Lisl (and anyone else who is reading this): St. Petersburg is a lovely city and I have loved getting to tour it. Also, after meeting our girls today, I can say that they are truly amazing and I can’t wait to get to know them better. Mom, your prayer sheet is a God send, sent straight for Heaven.  I love you all and I know Danny does too (even though he’s sleeping now, like I probably should be. J)  Love, Amy (and in spirit, Danny)

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Day 1 is finished! Tomorrow we meet the kids!

Today we experienced Russia! The snow, the ice, the wind, the drivers, the underground metro and the beauty of St Petersburg!

We started with learning about the Russian culture, which will help us to relate to the kids a little better. 🙂 Then we found out what to do and what not do! Being told that pedestrians do not have the right of way is one thing, but experiencing it first hand was another! 🙂 Learning about the underground metro and then riding it for the first time! Amazing and fun! And  a bit scary. 😉

We went to see Peter and Paul Fortress where Peter the Great started the city over 300 years ago. We saw where the Tsars were buried and where the political prisoners were incarcerated.  It was snowing and cold, but we had fun walking around and actually had a snow ball fight. 🙂

Tonight we met our interpreters and got ready for our first day tomorrow. We are excited to meet the kids and teens at the Transit Center! Please pray for our team, because the first day is always hard.

Thank you for all the comments! Everyone gets to read them and see that you send your love and prayers! Keep the comments coming! 🙂

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