Friday with the Teens

We had a great day today with our middle school kids. We are studying the Fruit of the Spirit and today's lesson was peace. We had about 15 kids attend. The most exciting thing they did today was begin making scrapbooks of our summer together. We had lunch together, then played Wii and other games in the worship room, swam, rode ripsticks or played together outside. We were together from 9 AM until 6 PM. Enjoy the pictures.

Horseback Riding and Service Project

Every Friday this summer our teens are having special events and service projects. Today we went horseback riding at a riding club here in Gorlovka. The kids loved it. When we finished riding, we had lunch at the worship room. After lunch we painted the fence around the playground. The kids did a great job all day. We are studying the Fruit of the Spirit and today the lesson was "joy." The kids learned that there is great joy in having fun together and in doing a great job working together.

Teen Lock-In

We hosted our first lock-in with the new youth group last Friday night. They were incredibly excited about it. They stayed up until about 6 AM and then all crashed until 8 when we made them get up and clean the worship room. We played Wii, Play Station, many other games, had a devotional and, of course, ate half the night!

Neighborhood Service Project

A babushka in the building adjacent to ours has been working hard this spring to make her garden beautiful. Recently I asked her if she would like a fence like the one around our garden; of course, she was thrilled with that suggestion. Last weekend we built the fence and then the neighbors painted it. Our youth group kids helped me build the fence.

ABC Kids

Here are some recent photos from the ABC program. Thank you for continuing to bless their lives through your generosity.

Young Children's Class

Last Saturday morning Lora sent Lexi, Dima and I on a mission to find a frog and some tadpoles. It was an adventure, to say the least -and we came home with both. They were for Lora's class Saturday morning. Her topic was God created everything. It was a fun class and the kids really enjoyed the frog. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Spring Cleaning and New Projects

We have been very busy working in the neighborhood. We ordered a truckload of sand to use to refresh the sandbox - the kids love playing in the sandbox and in the left over pile of sand. We ordered a truckload of topsoil to add to the garden beds and to create a new garden area opposite the playground. We also ordered three truckloads of gravel - 15 tons - and spread it all over the place. (My back still feels that today!). It is looking great and we are so thankful that the neighbors are taking such pride in the neighborhood and are always willing to help out. Enjoy the pictures.

Sunrise Service and Easter Sunday

We had a great Easter Sunday in Gorlovka. We started with a sunrise service at "The Sea of Gorlovka" - a large pond on the edge of the city. We rented a bus and took 26 folks to the pond at 5 AM. This was the first time for this event, so we had no idea how it would go. Everyone enjoyed the service and we had breakfast together following at the worship room. We also had our regularly scheduled worship at 10 AM followed by a fellowship meal. There were many visitors for this event. At 2 PM we had two egg hunts, one for young children, hosted at Sasha's home, and one for the older kids at the worship room. I am posting separate posts with pictures about these events so please scroll down to see them.

Egg Hunt for Older Kids

The older kids had their Egg Hunt at the playground and garden area adjacent to the worship room. We had more than 40 kids attend! Although the weather was chilly and there had been rain in the morning, the event was a great success.

Egg Hunt at Sasha's Home

The little children had their Egg Hunt at Sasha's Home. The weather was cold and rainy and they hunted their eggs inside. Ira and Lora put together a great party for the kids. Enjoy the pictures.