pictures

I know I've left everyone hanging, and I'm sorry. I'm not really ready to give the reason just yet, but know that I do have a reason for not getting pictures up in a more timely manner.

I hope you love a few of these from camp, more are coming soon!

Alana

Dear Volgograd,

Here I sit, in the Houston airport. I'm just waiting for my flight that will take me back to the rest of my family. I'll be home for about 20 hours. Then it's off to the next thing.

The next thing is called VOICE. I get to spend the rest of my summer as a V2 student, working and loving Taiwanese students! I'm uber excited, even though at the moment that looks like me in much need of sleep :) So with another trip upon me, I will post one more thing from Russia before pictures take over.

Dear Volgograd,

It was like I couldn't get away from you. Almost like you were holding me there. But now I've landed in Moscow and I miss you.

I know why my sister loves you so much. Your heart is great, your people strong. You have not let disaster keep you from rising up again.

I just want you to know, I believe God blesses each land and city with something special. You, Volgograd, have been blessed with courage. Courage to begin again, courage to endure, courage to strengthen your hearts. Your courage is deep and it is lasting. Someday, I know your courage will give you the faith to believe. Someday, your courage will give you the faith to believe. Someday, your courage will give you the hope to love.

I know all this because I know the Giver of your courage. He is faithful and just, He will heal your broken hearts and never leave you alone. The Giver is Holy, perfect in every way, yet He loves you enough to have died for you. His mercy is that great, and the passion He has for you that consuming. Volgograd, every country I've been to has been fantastic, I would do every trip again. But not all of those places have made me long to return. You have taken a piece of my heart.

I love you because my sister loves you, but also because you are worth loving. Someday I hope to return. But if that day never comes, know I'm praying for you. I see you raising up as a city and being a strong and courageous haven for the broken, all for the glory of God!

Jesus loves you Volgograd, each and every one of you. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. You cannot come to the Father but through Him. God promises believers that He will give them the desires of their hearts. One of my desires is that you know Him. Really and truly know Him.

Love,

Alana

On the Way

As Uncle Larry says, "if you have time to spare, go by air." We waited in the plane, I would say at the gate, but in Vgrad you walk out the door, get on a bus with all the other passengers, ride out to the plane and climb on board. I'm not sure of the temperature today, close to 100 my guess, but plenty hot, none the less. They were having "technical difficulties" the flight attendant told us in her limited English and we waited for 1 1/2 hours. It is amazing, though, that we were only 40 minutes late into Moscow. :)

This country is still amazing to me. That's such a bland statement for such a vast and varied country, but really, finding the words to describe my feelings is too hard at this moment. (Maybe that's because it's almost midnight here.)

We found a true treasure in our extended family members here that just happen to live in a different culture and speak a different language. They live. They love. They have hurts and joys. They really aren't much different than most of us and I hope the biggest similarity is that it is evident that they love Jesus and are desiring to make a difference in this world.

Let's continue on...

Karen

The Return

And so we have come back from camp. There are no words to describe the wonder of what happened this last week. If I could pick one word it would be potential.

This last week was filled with potential. Students who have potential, potential for the future, potential for the Kingdom. It's like when God gave this idea for a camp for college students He was giving a wide open door.

Okay, so I know you all are probably waiting for someone else to update besides me, trust me their coming. I will be making Mom do one tomorrow ;) But I am writing stories and beginning to gather from the somewhere around 1000 pictures ones that you will fall in love with.

Much love to you all!

Rollie, Ann, Karen and Alana

Volgograd!

Here I sit, in my SISTER'S house! This is AMAZING!

I've already met the most amazing people, one of them being Katey, my sister's partner. We've seen the great sights, had lemonade with ice in it, talked about everything sisters get to talk about only when they are together, had coffee at one amazing coffee shop (and a fried banana!! yeah baby.)

Being with my sister is fantastic. Really I love it.

Tomorrow we are heading to church and then to camp. We wont have internet at all while we are camp, but updates will be written and they will be posted when we get back to town. Thank you so much for all your prayers, the big part of this trip starts tomorrow and we are so grateful everything you have. (I get to help sing in front of people... oh dear) Being here and seeing the excitement of the team is making us even more excited. I love it!

Much love to everyone who is somewhere else!

Alana

P.S.- Pictures will come--and there will be LOTS of them!

Moscow

We made it! And I have to say that it was completely uneventful. Much to the surprise of some of my traveling buddies, I do assure you (what can I say? my reputation proceeds me!)

Today is July 2, 2010. It's almost over for me, now that I've skipped ahead 9 hours. I'm in a new country, seeing it with new eyes. This place--Russia--is majestic my friends.

We arrived around 2 this afternoon, right on schedule and had no trouble at all getting through customs. We were met, as planned, by our taxi driver, and taken to the hotel. Then of course, I was hungry, imagine that.

And so with our trusty tour guide we set off, in search of food, knowledge, touristy places and ways to get over jet lag. It's been forever since I've been in this part of the world. When I walked off that plane, I felt weird seeing so many who look so much like me, and I felt like I needed to be saying what little I can in Chinese just because I can't understand what everyone else is saying.

I think me being gone so long from the Russia area of the world helped today. I was looking again. Yes, as soon as I stepped off the plane, cigarette smoke and people shoving at my backside reminded me exactly where I was. I did see way too many guys with too short of shorts on, and wonder how on God's green earth anyone could wear 6 inch hills for at least three miles--EVER! Culture differences always amaze me, and never do I mean any disrespect.

I saw buildings that were so amazing I just wondered at the people who built them, I walked on streets that were much older than my entire country. I looked at statutes of people who lived long before any of my traceable genealogy came into play and I saw things that can only be labeled as "the best".

But you see friends, no matter how majestic this country is, no matter how old the buildings or good the music is here, what I saw more than anything today was people. People who can't seem to smile, people who are looking for Someone. People who are living their lives without any regard for what they could be.

No matter how beautiful and great this country is, it doesn't always give purity to the people. No matter how old of tangible things you can find, or security inside of walled cities, that doesn't mean that love is present, or that eternity is truly safe. No matter how much looking for love through others, it will never fill the true void in so many hearts.

Today, I saw again with new eyes. I saw a different people, a potential filled people. I saw thousands of walking stories. I saw hundreds of searching eyes. I'm here, not because I'm better or more advanced, because I'm not. I'm here because I have been given a gift. I have been given Jesus. My joy is complete, and theirs can be too.

This adventure has gotten off to a huge start and we aren't even to Volgograd yet! Pray that our eyes will see the lives, the voids that are in them, and that we will be the light of Jesus that will fill all the empty places and give the greatness each one of them deserves. Because really, no matter how funny it is to be the "stupid" American who drops all their leader papers all over the floor, it's really not what I wish to be remembered by.

-Alana and the team

P.S. There are fire works going off outside my window. It makes me think of a land I love, so very much. A place where people have stories also.