End of the Month News

For most of the new Russian friends here, Tyumen has not had a warm winter like this in many years; the weather has been nice, around 30-32 most of the time. Most of them do not remember a January this “hot” in a long time. I am enjoying it very much; but there is a possibility it will get really cold in just a few days. Well, I am just prepared for that too, I guess. I remember our first winter in Calgary, back in December 1996 – January 1997: we had an average of –37 for about five weeks in a row; that was cold, I tell you!

The down side for me, at least, is that I fell twice while walking on the streets. The last one was Sunday on my way to a meeting in the evening; I did not see a black ice spot on the walkway and fell on my back. I was afraid I had broken my left arm, but it didn’t; however, I am experiencing pain in my arm as well as in my neck. I am thankful that the pain is going away (even so slowly) but now I am feeling much better.

The ministry here is doing fine; I am enjoying every minute of it. The members of the Church are very nice people and, of course, much nicer to me, especially because of the language barrier. I can see how precious this Church is in the eyes of our Lord; I am glad of being part of its life even so for such a short time. Please continue to pray for us. We need your prayers and I know how important it is to have you backing us up here.

On the social side of things, I had the privilege of going to the Tyumen Philharmonic Theatre a couple of weeks ago; it was a very good experience indeed. The show was around Christian music, mostly J. S. Bach. I enjoyed a lot. Last Saturday we went to the circus in town: Tyumen has a permanent circus building and we went to see a Chinese troupe; it was amazing to see them perform incredible acrobatic features!

Hasta la vista!

Back in Russia

After 36 hours and three different countries, I arrived safely in Siberia. The snow was falling when the Aeroflot plane landed in Tyumen; it was could and I had lost one of my gloves… But inside my heart the joy of returning to this exciting city was present. Jim and Sally were there at the airport, sharing a warm sense of welcome. Yes, Moscow continues to be a beautiful city too, but Tyumen occupies a special place in my heart.

I am serious about learning Russian and I have found out that now the sounds of that beautiful language are easier to understand this time around. I hope by the time I return to the U.S., I will be able to speak a little bit of it. But until I am able to speak Tolstoy’s language, I am relying on a number of excellent coworkers for my work here. I am glad that Jeff, my new roommate, is quite fluent in Russian and he is already being a wonderful source of help.

Another blessing in disguise is that I am going to loose all the added fat that I gained during my last visit to Brazil and during the Christmas season. I don’t have a car for the entire three months of my stay here; my “chauffer James” will be back in the States soon. Thus, I have a lot of walking to do, besides the healthier food that we are enjoying here. Chances are that I will return home in pretty good shape. Besides, I love walking and we live about thirty minutes from the Cultural Center and the Church.