holidays & my apartment

well, we can't seem to get the internet to work on my computer at my apartment so I have to come over to the Powell's apartment.

there have been lots of church services. lots a tradition involved in church. I have to wear a a skirt or a dress and no jewelry. if a woman is married, she must wear a head scarf. there aren't many traditions involving men.

the youth meet on Friday nights at 6pm for a youth service. you start going when you are 15 and you can stay until you have kids. so the ages are quite varied. at the end of the service, I got to be in the "hot seat," where I tell about myself and they get to ask me whatever they want. they wanted to know about me, my family, me being a believer, my home church, what was different from America, etc. I even got asked what size shoes I wear, I'm not sure why, but I enjoyed it regardless.

Saturday, I spent the day with my host family. their son has a house on the Sea of Azov. his wife, Dasha, speaks some English, so it was nice to have her around to translate when needed. their other son lives in Moscow, but he and his wife are in town for a little while. I got to sit by the sea & it was beautiful. even though it was 90 degrees, there was a breeze and it felt magnificent.

yesterday was a holiday, the day the church was born, the day the Holy Spirit came. so the sermons were all about the Holy Spirit and Acts 1 & 2. a typical service lasts about 2 hours and there are 3 sermons by 3 different people. there are lots of songs and singing and poetry. a little different than a normal American service. I enjoy it, but its hard to pay attention when I don't understand any of it. after the morning service, I went with Jonathan to a nearby village to have church. they only had 2 sermons and I got to give my testimony, while Jonathan translated for me. there was another service last night. 3 more sermons, more singing, more poetry.  after service, everyone shakes hands and talks, like at home. I'm kinda a commodity. everyone wants to talk to me & say what English they know. I love it! technically, today is part of the holiday too. there was a service this morning. and tonight there will be a fellowship time with desserts.

food. lets just say there is no shortage of food. I feel like every time I turn around they are feeding me. after every meal there is hot coffee or tea and cookies. they want me to gain weight so people know I was fed well. my host family expresses worry to Heather and Jonathan because they are worried I'm not eating enough. I think I'm eating more than normal, but there is still food. oh well, maybe I'll get used to it and eat more, who knows.

a few pictures from my host family's apartment:

 the kitchen, complete with washer

view from one of the balcony's

my bed, actually a futon in the living room, which is my room for the summer

view from the kitchen window: if you look close, you can see the Sea of Azov in the background.

yes, that is a disco ball, and yes, it is hanging in my room.

just a few pictures. surprisingly I haven't taken a whole lot since I've been here. still, I'm loving it. I start officially learning Russian tomorrow. everyone tries to teach me a few words and phrases. it's going to be hard, but I know I can do it. that's all for now. we have church/fellowship/dessert time here soon.