1 Down 1 to Go

The last three weeks have really flown by, and I cannot believe that I have finished my first semester as an English teacher. It really has been so much fun so far. I am so happy that I have had this opportunity, and I am looking forward to next semester.

I mostly focused on Christmas for my last lessons. So many of my students are really facinated by the holiday. New Years is a more important holiday here in Russia. That is when they give presents and visit with family. Teaching about Christmas has been a great opportunity to share my faith. Even though there are non-Christian aspects of the holiday, many traditions come back to the basic Christmas story. In some of my classes we read the Christmas story from Luke. After we finished, one of the students, a vehement atheist, let me know that he was not impressed and told me that the same story existed in Russia. It was a great opportunity to focus on what the angels say to the shepherds, "Great News that will be for ALL people."

Carolina and I also had the opportunity to go bowling with a few of our students last weekend. It was lots of fun to hang out with students that we had not really socialized with outside of class before.

We have a very long vacation, almost 6 weeks, coming up. Carolina will be gone for about a month of that time, and I wil be staying here in Vologda. Please pray that I am able to keep my spirits up, and that I won't be lonely. Please pray that I will take this opportunity to develop deeper relationships with my students and friends here. I also am still very much in need of financial assistance. If you can help, even a little bit, I would be blessed.

Thank you for your prayers and support
Because of Christ

A Tallinn Thanksgiving

I am back from a wonderful trip to Tallinn, Estonia. It was great to get together with the boys of St. Pete, and just go relax. Tallinn is one of the most beautiful places I have been to, and it was nice to go somewhere that is so different from anywhere I had been before. I must admit I went through a mini-culture shock when I arrived. Things are so different from Russia, even though I was only a few hours away. For one thing, everything seemed so inexpensive to us. Carolina and I stoked up on things like shampoo and razor blades that are so expensive here in Russia. On our first day we went to a grocery store to shop for our Thanksgiving meal. I was expecting a small market like we have here. Instead I got a full fledged grocery store. It was very Wal-Martesq. We were overwhelmed by how inexpensive things like fruit and meat were. There were also such rare delicacies as tortilla chips and salsa (Carolina stocked up). I bought a jar of pesto to liven up the pasta here! The people were also very friendly. It was also nice to be able to speak English with everybody. The boys in St. Pete do not stick out as much, because St. Pete is a more international city. Here in Vologda though, Carolina and I are the circus freak show. I had really stoped noticing it until I went away.

None of that should make you think that I am enjoying my time here any less. It was just nice to have a break, and to do something a little different. In fact, I am very excited about the lessons I have planned for the rest of the semester (about 2 1/2 weeks). It was great to see all my students when I got back. I was encouraged that they seemed to be excited to see Carolina and me as well. I am loving this job more and more as the days pass. I am also encouraged by the progress my students really seem to be making. I am glad that there seems to be no permenate damage to them as a result of my teaching.

Thank you so much to all of you who are supporting my prayerfully and with monetary donatins. I still am raising funds. If you would like to contribute financially please go to TeachOverseas.org. There are more details in earlier posts.

Thanks again
Because of Christ

Cupcakes and James Bond

I am sorry that I am not a very faithful blogger, but a lot has happened though since my last blog about a month ago! We had a Halloween party for our students, and we had a really great time. We played games, had a costume contest, told ghost stories, and of course ate lots of sweets. I made cupcakes with chocolate frosting and orange sprinkles, and the students were so impressed. They did not know what cupcakes were, and they were shocked that I was able to make them from scratch at the profilac! We are planning a Thanksgiving diner as well. We will have chicken instead of turkey though, because it is next to impossible to find a turkey here. We are also going to have the traditional Thanksgiving foods, and lots of pie! We are going to celebrate on the 21 of November though, because Carolina and I are going to Tallin, Estonia to spend Thanksgiving with the other American teachers. Please pray for our travels.

I also have had the chance to participate in many cultural events over the last month. I went to an Alexander Benois art exhibit with some of my students. There was also some traditional Russian folk art and inconography. We also went to go see the newest James Bond movie. It was fun, because it was all in Russian. Thankfully the plot was easy to follow, and I was surprised that I was able to understand more Russian than I thought I would. There was also a seen that takes place in Kazan, Russia. I was really excited to see a place that I had been.

I have been very busy, but I am still having a great time teaching and hanging out with my students. Please pray that I will continue to enjoy my time here. Also, pray for our students and the progress they are making in their English and in their understanding of God and Christianity.

Because of Christ

Hallelujah Rips Through My Veins

Hey y'all,

God has been doing some exciting things here in Vologda. We have been having regular Bible study now for about three weeks. We are so blessed that we are allowed to meet at our University. There are about ten students that come regularly, and many of them are guys. That is such an encouragement, especially here in Russia. Last Sunday one of our students, Julia, came to church with us! She seemed to enjoy it, and she had many questions for our pastor. Please pray that she will want to continue to attend. Also, we had a breakthrough with another student, Ann. She came to the Bible studies as an atheist. While she has not made a committment yet, she is at least open to the idea of God now and has begun to dig in on her own.

This has been a real encouragement for me. I tend to be a skeptic sometimes. I like to prepare myself just in case nothing happens. Carolina is just the opposite though. She never doubts that something will happen. It has been a good lesson for me in faith and obedience. I am learning so much every day about how great God really is. As I study the word I am daily amazed by God's grace and his might. I am so blessed!

Because of Christ
Rachael

I have included a picture of our first Bible study!
Also, thank you to Mat Karney for the title of this post.

So Long...

Sorry it has been so long y'all!

I have been very busy since coming to Vologda. I have been teaching now for two weeks, and everything is going really well. I love my students, and they all seem very eager to learn. It has been a little bit difficult figuring the whole teaching thing out, but I think I am finally starting to get the hang of it! These first two weeks have really been a time of testing to see what things work and what things may be to confusing or difficult. I am sure it has been hard on the students, but I think I now know what should work for each group.

Everyday I am loving teaching and this city more and more. I am starting to make really great friends here. We have already started having people over for tea and movies. It is exciting to be building all of these new relationships. I have had a chance to explore the city more and it is absolutely beautiful. Carolina and I were able to visit the Kremlin and go to the Volodga museum with our new friend Irina. Everyone has been so nice to us here, and the transition so far had been great. I know things may get harder, but for now I am thankful that everything is going so well.

We are going to start a Bible study this Saturday, so please pray for that. Also, I still need funds you can donate by credit card or paypal at TeachOverseas.org.

I have also added some pictures. The first is a group photo of all the teachers teaching in the former Soviet Union. The second is the University where I teach. The third is of Carolina and me at the eternal flame in St. Petersburg.

Thank You
Because of Christ
Rachael

Home Sweet Home

Hey everyone!

We are finally here in Vologda! I am so excited to start teaching. Our classes start Sept. 8. We will begin testing tomorrow though. This town is great, and so far everyone has been nice. I will have pictures up soon, and hopefully some interesting stories once I finally start teaching!

Until nest time,
Because of Christ.

Here We Go Into the Wild Blue Yonder...

Well I am here in St. Petersburg. In a couple of days we will travel by train to Vologda. There was quite an adventure getting here. We were scheduled to fly from LAX to Chicago to Vienna to St. Petersburg. Everything was fine until part of the way through our flight to Vienna. Another passenger started getting violent, and they had to restrain him. Because of that we had to make am unscheduled stop in Amsterdam. We took so long that we missed our connection to St. Petersburg. There were no more direct flights, so we had to backtrack to Munich to get a connecting flight to Russia. We finally made it to the airport a little after midnight local time, but we didn't get to the flat where we are staying until about 2:30 am. Even though it was a long two days, it is such a blessing that we made it here safe and with all our luggage.

Thanks for your prayers and financial support!

Because of Christ

Hotel California

I have been in Pasadena, CA for almost two weeks now. It has been great, but very busy! We have training sessions in TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) every morning from 9am-noon. After the lunch break we have sessions in culture and language. We also have practicum every night at 7. It has been challenging, but also encouraging to practice teaching with real students.

I am so thankful to be a part of an organization that is so filled with the Spirit. It is a blessing to be able to worship and grow with other believers. I am making great friends with all of the people who are going to the former Soviet Union. It is also so, encouraging that my teaching partner and roommate, Carolina, and I are bonding. It is a scary thing to move to a new country and live with a stranger, but I think we will do well together.

I have a little over two weeks left in training, and then I will leave for Russia.

Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support!

Because of Christ

Rachael

Leaving for California

Today is my last day at home in Georgia. I leave for California first thing in the morning. I am really excited, and I am nervous at the same time! I am excited to begin teaching, and I can't wait to get back to Russia. It is a place that I love dearly.

As often as I can, I will send updates from training in California. Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. I still need about half of my funds. If you would like to donate on my behalf please make checks out to ESI and mail them to Educational Services International at 444 E. Huntington Drive Suite 200 Arcadia, California 91006. Please do not write my name in the memo line, buy write account number 208097. You can also use paypal or a major credit card to make donations online at www.teachoverseas.org/contribute.php.

Thanks again for your continued prayer and financial support!

Until next time
Because of Christ

Russia in a Week

Hi everyone!

This is my first blog for my trip to Russia. I think this will be the easiest way to keep everyone up to date on everything that is going on in this new adventure. Well I leave in just about a week to go to California for training. I am very excited, but I am very nervous as well! I will be in Cali for about a month, and then I will head to Vologda, Russia. I will be East of Moscow and St. Petersburg (about a 7 hr. train ride from each city).

There have been some major blessings already as I have prepared for my trip. My church has graciously agreed to give me about half of the funding I need. This is such a blessing, since that means I have less money to raise. I have been short in finances for everything that needs to get done before I leave, but two Sunday's ago I had a miracle. The youth pastor at my church just gave me $100 that I desperately needed. He had no idea that I needed the money, he just felt impressed to give it to me! Praise God for little miracles.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support as I go on this incredible journey!

Until next time.

Because of Christ