Springtime in Siberia

Let’s begin with a little weather update. (This is for you Dad!)

The temperature regularly climbs into the 30s F during the day, though the nights are considerably colder. I’ve had a lot more Winds-days than normal, some of which have been pleasant while others (like today) have been rather miserable. Walking along the bank on the Angara this past Saturday, I was rather shocked at how much the river looked more like an ocean (the Artic Ocean to be exact!) with its dark, rough waters and chunks of ice breaking of off the shoreline and floating down the river. I kept expecting to see a glacier float by and a large chunks splash into the water :) Before it began snowing yesterday and continued today the roads had become completely clear of snow and ice, exposing a myriad of potholes, sink holes, and just simply bad roads. Road crews are working hard to fill and repave the major roads, a task I’m sure must be down every year around this time. Riding the bus is now more fun than ever! :)

 

Paul, my friend from South African with whom I go to church, has a heart for the children of Irkutsk. He’s in contact with all of the orphanages in the Irkutsk area and really is phenomenal at planning, coordinating, listening, and meeting needs. The orphanage closest to the university has an annual fundraiser called “Market Day” held in April. The children make crafts and sell them to the community over the period of two days. Using all of his contacts, Paul has set up a schedule where everyday four people plan a craft, purchase all the materials, and spend two-hours a week for a month helping the children prepare. My day is Thursday :) I had a hard time coming up with a craft, something fairly simple, with simple materials that might actually be worth buying :) I was racking my brain, but I just kept praying about it, and like always, God heard my prayer and brought to mind these ornaments we made as kids out of pencils and yarn. In a sewing store near my apartment I scored some great deals on colorful yarn! Finding a substitute for the pencils, however, was a different matter.  I checked out a few home improvement stores looking for dowels or anything similar.  After walking through the maze of the outdoor markets in the city center today, I went into a big shopping mall to get warm and get out of the wind. In a “padarok magazin” (literally a “present store”) while looking for something for Jacob (^^), I found these bamboo place mats, which once taken apart are perfect! Such a relief :)

 

I have been to this particular orphanage twice now. The staff is very friendly and don’t seem to mind that I can’t really communicate :) The children, of course, are such treasures and I will be praying for them for the rest of my life (as if I could ever get there faces out of my mind!). I will write telling how Craft Time With Candy goes at the orphanage, and will write more about what I’ve been up to; just wanted to assure everyone that I haven’t given up updating my blog. Until then!