Faith is NOT a Feeling!

As I was in a particularly dreary mood one day, my mom handed me an old paperback book. Its slightly worn cover bore retro font imposed on a photo of some daisies. Frankly, its aesthetics didn't wow me. It was old. Mom said, "Here, sweetie. I think you should read this." I thanked her, set it next to my bed, and continued to mope. Lesson 1: Don't judge a book by its cover. (Lesson 1b: Don't mope.)
The book was called Faith is Not a Feeling, by Ney Bailey. My mom told me that Ney Bailey was involved with Cru (I'm trying to get in the habit of calling it Cru rather than Campus Crusade, but I digress.) and she mentioned that she really liked the book when she read it way-back-when. However, I didn't feel like reading at the time. So, there it sat by my bed for a couple of weeks, until I got tired of Momma asking me if I had started reading it. Lesson 2: Listen to your mother.


Let me tell you, folks, that the book was a proverbial blow to the gut to read, as well as a giant sigh of relief. Ms. Bailey had me in tears in chapter one (and in subsequent chapters). She began the book with a story about a devastating flood in Colorado in 1976 that took the lives of seven Crusade staff women. Bailey narrowly escaped the floodwaters herself, and her response to the tragedy was supernatural- possible only by placing her faith in God and His word- and by learning from her past experiences and mistakes. Throughout the rest of the book, she shared intimate stories from her life of discovering to walk by faith. I dare you to find yourself up a copy. If I had a disposable income, I would buy tons of copies and give them out to my friends for Christmas. (It's the thought that counts, right?)

So, what is faith?

My Merriam-Webster app on my iPhone (I'm a nerd. I like words. Don't act surprised that I have this app.) has three different definitions that talk of allegiance, fidelity, trust, belief. While those definitions are perfectly acceptable for life, we're specifically talking about faith in God.
Ney Bailey wrote that faith is our choice. Faith is "a matter of taking God at His word."
Looking at the above words from ol' Mister Webster, specifically the first three, those words seem conditional: based on the performance of whatever you're putting your "faith" into.

• Allegiance: We ally ourselves with like-minded individuals. Allegiance can change as quickly as an opinion. (Or poor sports performance, for all of you fair-weather fans out there.)
• Fidelity: Our society is plagued with a lack of fidelity, especially concerning relationships and marriage. These days, I feel like we don't take that word seriously.
• Trust: "I trust you as far as I can throw you," is one of those good Southern phrases that we hear every now and then. Good trust depends on the constancy of the trustee.

On the "Christian flip-side," faith is about OUR action. Our choice. Why do I say that? Here's something Ney wrote, and then I'll expand with my two cents:

"If faith is a matter of taking God at His word, what does God say about His word? I found the answer in Scripture itself.

'Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words shall not pass away.' [Matthew 24:35]

'...The word of the Lord abides forever.' [1 Peter 1:25]

'The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.' [Isaiah 40:8]

"These verses were telling me that everything in life may change, but God's Word remains constant! His truth never changes."

Faith in God is different. God tells us countless times in the bible that His word is unchanging! One can even see this chronologically speaking, if one researches the accuracy of today's bible compared to centuries-old manuscripts. (That's a blog for another day...or go pick the brain of Josh McDowell and look through his books.) Fact is, God has promised us His constancy. So, the strength of faith is dependent more on us, the "trusters," rather than the Trustee. The Trustee has told us that He has 100% perfect, unfailing performance. What an awesome God we have to put our faith in!

FAITH is taking God at His word. How do we do this?

I loved peering into the life of Ney Bailey, reading about her personal ups and downs and how she learned to take the Lord at His word. I saw a ton of parallels in myself. I'm a woman. Women are "girly," for lack of a better term. We have lots of emotions, and I, like many, let those emotions run my life more than I'd like to admit. (Seriously, that's hard for me to admit, because I often pride myself in being a rational, logical person. In reality, I am often a basket case. Ask my best friends. Or Brent. Or my parents.) I can let conflicts get the better of me. I can easily give up on situations based on feelings of insecurity or doubt.
The absolute gem that I unearthed in the book was Bailey's simple example of a prayer:
"Lord, I feel...but Lord, Your Word says..."
I can't even tell you how many times I prayed that today in some instance or other. How do I feel? And what does God say about that in His word? Seek and you will find. God gave us a whole book of answers. A love letter full of faithfulness.

Faith is NOT a feeling. Faith is a choice. A habit of taking God at His word.

I want to make faith a habit. I have the bible, the Word of God, at my fingertips. (All the time, people. I have the bible on my phone, too.) Also, as a follower of Christ, the Holy Spirit lives inside me- I have THE voice of reason hidden in my heart. A wonderful Counselor.
God has made it simple for us to hear, but we must have the faith to listen and believe, instead of yielding to what our feelings tell (and sometimes yell at) us.

"...no matter how I felt or what I experienced, I could choose dependence on the Word of God as the unchanging reality of my life."

Quotes from Faith is Not a Feeling by Ney Bailey

Such is life.

I have been itching to blog for so long, it seems, and I really have no reason as to why I haven't...I've had plenty of time here and there to come up with something. BUT! Hello, friends! Welcome back into my crazy life! That's right, it's crazy. Let me give you a little update....

Alright. I don't even know where to begin...well, I'm home! I'm spending this semester back home in the lovely town of Flower Mound, working and taking a break from school. Big change. My time home has been pretty interesting. Ha. Through its upsides and downsides, I have really been encouraged by the Lord.
I've enjoyed being back with my family! Not only am I spending this semester back at my house, but my brother, David, is also home again. He graduated from UNT this summer (WOOHOO!) and is in search of a teaching job. Too bad our education system is pretty awful right now...but anyways, my parents went from being empty nesters to having their two youngest back at home! We are all busy with our own stuff, but it is really nice when we can all actually hang out together, even if it's just watching an episode of Modern Family (LOVE it.), or eating a meal together. (I've realized that I am super blessed to live in a household that has always made a point to eat supper together as much as possible. Go Mom and Dad!) Living at home again can also have its downsides: Dave and I are both used to living on a "college schedule," coming and going as we please, doing stuff on our own, etc. So, we've both been adjusting to living back under our parents' roof. We may be young adults, but Mom and Dad still have the say-so in what goes on in their house.
I think the most difficult part of taking the semester off is being away from my community. I went from having really intimate, Christian community while in Russia, to having very little support and very few friends nearby. My family is great, but they're only fun for so long! I miss my friends in Lubbock terribly; there's not much else to be said about that. I miss all things Cru: the big meeting, worship, ministry, and discipleship group. And I miss my home church! There's not a church like Redeemer around here, although there are plenty of awesome churches. It's been an adventure navigating through this season of life, trying to figure out how to plug in to things temporarily, without feeling half-hearted. In addition, I miss being in school. (Strange, right?)
I have been able to find a nice church to attend while here in DFW, and I work with really awesome people. (Seriously. I love The Container Store!) And I have some fun and encouraging people scattered here and there in the Metroplex that I can spend time with. It's been nice to see my bestie, Julia, at TCU, have coffee with the lovely Kesslie Gilbert, and giggle and talk about life with Mrs. Lori Montgomery! (Y'all are great!) Not to mention, several weekend visits from Brent have significantly brightened up my time here. I don't know how he can stand driving that far in a not-so-fuel-efficient pickup truck...I guess he likes me or something... :) God has definitely provided for me, and I'm very thankful.
So, want to hear the crazy part of my life as of late?? It is quite vexing and has been pretty darn aggravating to deal with. So, apparently I have some sort of mystery affliction, which is causing me to occasionally become lightheaded and feel like passing out. I get tunnel vision, my hearing becomes muffled, sometimes I feel like I'm gonna barf, and I usually have to go sit down somewhere so I don't, you know, faint and hurt myself. At any rate, it's not something I have enjoyed enduring. I will be going to my third doctor's appointment next week, and hopefully it will be more conclusive than the last two. It's a frustrating thing, and I want it to be fixed so my life will return to normalcy. Talk about having to trust that God has everything under control. There isn't anything I can do about it yet, so I'm leaving it up to Him to take care of me, and He always does.
Speaking of God, I really love Him! :) Even during the roller coaster of this semester at home, He has been so constant and so apparent in His love and provision. It's been an adjustment, after being in an environment of total reliance during Summer Project, to coming home and being somewhere "comfortable." It was easy for me to slip away from leaning on the Lord every day. However, I need Him now just as much as (maybe more than) I did while in Moscow. I'm still human and I still have a rebellious, selfish nature. Yielding to what God wants is more difficult to do when you're comfortable. I'm really glad that's a life lesson that I learned this summer. I'm still learning. I'll probably never stop learning this. It's something that I had heard many times in my life before project, but I have really experienced it now.
I've taken something else away from my time in Russia- I now find it easier to share my faith. That's not a comfortable thing to do, folks. I used to be timid about it, not wanting to offend people, or not wanting people to think I was weird. (Fact is, I am weird, so people just need to live with that.) Now, after being in a ministry setting where I shared the gospel with complete strangers, I don't find it so difficult to talk with my friends about God. Honestly, why not? He is the whole reason I exist: to bring glory to Him and to show people His love. I want to have real relationships with people, not just be another superficial friend, with which our society is filled to the brim. If I can't share the biggest, most important part of my life with someone, I'm not being me. And how can I expect them to be real with me if I'm not real with them? I want to model Christ in all I do, and that includes digging deep with people. Jesus didn't skirt around the big stuff. He taught about the important things. He got into people's business. He was real. If I can show that kind of relationship to someone who maybe hasn't experienced that before, what better way to point them to the love of Jesus? What a cool thing. :)

Thus ends my ramble. I really tend to just spill my guts out as I write. I tend to be wordy, I use lots of parentheses, and I like run-on sentences. I hope that's a good update for my far away friends, with whom I am really bad at keeping in touch. (Misty, especially, because you always ask for updates and this is long overdue.) Just remember that I very much enjoy letters and phone calls, even though I am not one to initiate. (Working on that.) And please pray for my health, that we'll soon find out what is going on and that it can be fixed quickly! Thanks, all!

"See to it that no one misses the grace of God..." -Hebrews 12:15
-Laura

Team Moss-Cow!

Well, I'm on a blogging roll, apparently. I have decided to paint a picture of my super-fantastic, absolutely ridiculous, incredibly gifted and encouraging team to all of you readers out there. I miss them a lot, even though it hasn't been very long since project ended. So without further ado, I introduce you to the 2011 Moscow Summer Project team!

Zach and Jamie Stephens.
Occupation: OU Campus Crusade staff
Skills: Shepherds, logistics management, previous experience in Moscow, being a cute couple, encouragement.
Favorite moments with Jamie: Bible studies, ministry at MGLU, the banya, team night at the flat.
Favorite moments with Zach: Day one ministry buddies, morning briefing, team night at the flat.
What I learned from the Stevenses: A Christ-centered marriage is a strong and beautiful thing.
Award: The Cool Parents Award. These two had to put up with our team's craziness and made sure we stayed out of trouble, but they stayed fun and hip while doing it. ;)

Jeremy Horton.
Occupation: College pastor, Wildwood Community Church
Skills: leader, iPad master, straight-talker, being American, previous experience in Moscow.
Favorite Moments with Jeremy: Ordering for him at Business Lunch, witnessing the MGU "running man," the cactus water song, my ministry team attempting to pickpocket him while walking around town.
What I Learned from Jeremy: It's perfectly okay to be straightforward when sharing the gospel.
Award: Jeremy, my ministry team named the courtyard at MGU, "Jeremy's Park." I feel like that's a pretty cool award, right?

David Powell.
University: OU
Skills: Metro navigation, balancing restaurant checks, speed-walking. not being in the girls' room.
Favorite Moments with David: Sitting next to him at TGI Friday's, plane buddies on the flight to Moscow, prayer walks across MGU, witnessing a proposal in the MGU courtyard, playing Fan Tan.
What I Learned from David: You don't have to be outgoing to be an excellent leader. (You were awesome, DLP!)
Award: Sleepy-Eyes Award. This guy was rarely, if ever, responsive until after his morning shower. ;)

Abby Coppedge.
University: OU
Skills: Negotiating with government officials, comfort, dealing with people occupying space on her bed with utmost grace, previous experience in Moscow.
Favorite Moments with Abby: Our day of "no plans," walking and talking together ahead of the rest of the team, singing high school choir songs together, speaking in "Russian" accents, giggling on the metro.
What I Learned from Abby: Relationships become more genuine just by asking deeper questions.
Award: Big Sis Award. Abby and I spent the vast majority of our trip in each other's presence (Holla!), and she was so amazing at looking after my welfare and the welfare of our whole team.

Stephen Pittman.
University: OU
Skills: Guitar and vocals, photographer/fancy camera owner, bargaining with Russians, intentionality.
Favorite Moments with Stephen: Chatting with Ignat, leading worship (that one time...ha.), watching Stephen go into artsy photography mode while traveling on the metro together.
What I Learned from Stephen: A passion for studying scripture.
Award: Costa Coffee Award. Stephen was all about coffee. Especially Costa Coffee. Pretty sure a large chunk of his per diem was spent at that establishment.

Steven Hudec.
University: OU
Skills: Charming Russian girls, words of encouragement, body guard for late night metro travel.
Favorite Moments with Steven: Elephant Love Medley duet with Brent, lunch with Dasha, Katya and Angelina, crossword puzzles, the tooth brush dance.
What I Learned from Steven: Even the goofiest of guys can have a sweet, sincere heart.
Award: Vogue Award. Steven strikes a (silly) pose every time he knows someone is snapping a picture of him. The picture to the right is one of few relatively normal shots I could find in my friends' Facebook albums.

Laura Peden.
University: OU
Skills: Scarf-wearing, moisturizer application, British accent, insightful bible commentary.
Favorite moments with Laura: Back rubs, chatting on Abby's bed, restaurant games, H&M, letting people make wishes in between the two of us.
What I Learned from Laura: We can delight in God's word every day!
Award: Best Smile Award. I mean, the picture right here just speaks for itself. :)

Kaleb Parks.
University: OU
Skills: Guitar and vocals, occupying Abby's bed during down time, toothpaste lending, metro napping, matching Jamie.
Favorite Moments with Kaleb: Singing "Lucky" together, language class with Sasha, talking about music, being Pizza Hut buddies.
What I Learned from Kaleb: Sometimes the best testament is being good friend.
Award: Morozhenae Award. I think Kaleb ate the most ice cream out of anyone during the entire trip. Magnum bars, McDonald's ice cream cones, McFlurries, milkshakes, coke floats, etc.



McCall Sanderson.
University: Texas Tech
Skills: Water conservation, conflict resolution, under-the-bed retrieval, Soularium.
Favorite Moments with McCall: Snuggling (that's right, folks. Snuggling.) in her bunk bed with Lauren and Laura, the banya, waiting for soup, H&M.
What I Learned from McCall: Good communication nips conflicts in the bud.
Award: Keepin' It Real Award. McCall is never afraid to speak her mind, and she often had us girls rolling in laughter from her bold statements.

Brian Gifford.
University: Harvard
Skills: The Russian language, prayer, blocking the sun's rays.
Favorite Moments with Brian: Hearing him yell (politely, of course) at the security officer when our group was separated in line at the Hermitage, shopping at Ismaylova, sitting at McDonald's with the other Techies.
What I Learned from Brian: Don't take Christian community for granted. Cherish it and seek it out!
Award: Best Laugh Award. This kid can bust up like no other. His laugh makes you laugh because it's so boisterous. Pretty fun :)

Brent Daugherty.

University: Texas Tech

Skills: Eagle Scout, metro napping, badgering Abby, ordering at McDonald's, learning Russian slang, teaching American slang.
Favorite moments with Brent: Watching him try to keep his balance on the metro, touring the Hermitage, crossword puzzles, shopping at Ismaylova market, plane buddies on the flight home.

What I Learned from Brent: When you're a leader, you have to let the Lord lead you.

Award: Song in My Head Award. Brent was constantly humming or singing a tune. Especially really weird things like Toni Braxton's "Unbreak my Heart."

Mark Osborn.
University: OU
Skills: Eagle Scout, British accent, the ability to make socks and Chacos look classy, escorting babushkas, gentleman.
Favorite Moments with Mark: hearing him order at McDonald's, joining in with Steven's and my tooth brush dance without hesitation, routinely wishing us girls a good night.
What I Learned from Mark: Chivalry is still alive and kicking, ladies. ;)
Award: Profound Statement Award. Mark would utter random, thought-provoking truths to our team, such as, "Hey, guys, can you believe that our bodies are made up of trillions of tiny cells?"

Lauren Young.
University: OU
Skills: Intentionality, hair braiding, befriending anyone, Magnum bar connoisseur, masseuse, garden hose engineer.
Favorite Moments with Lauren: carrying her flowers and her water bottle around after it spilled in her purse (in a church), shopping at Ismaylova, back rubs, girls' bible study.
What I Learned from Lauren: "They'll know we are Christians by our love."
Award: Creeper Photo Award: Just like it sounds. I mean, she took something like over 600 pictures. And she's good at getting candid shots.

Rachel Belth.
University: Cedarville
Skills: Personal chef, encourager, artsy photographer, Russian culture enthusiast.
Favorite Moments with Rachel: Fan Tan, touring the Hermitage, rooming together in St. Pete's, talking in the garden at Christ Our Savior, going to Red Square, sharing food at the Hard Rock.
What I Learned from Rachel: Everyone expresses love in different ways, and it's important to pay attention to that.
Award: Kind Heart Award. Rachel was always writing the girls notes of encouragement, and she was eager to serve anyone. Such a sweet person!



There you have it- a glimpse of the fifteen cool people with whom I got to spend much of my summer. We became a family! I'm so thankful for them. Lifelong friendships? I think yes! I can't tell you how much I gained from living in a Christian community. To have brothers and sisters around you, to build you up, to help you grow...it's a beautiful thing. I would recommend going on a summer project just so you could experience true and constant community like that. There's really nothing like it.

As iron sharpens iron,

so one man sharpens another.

-Proverbs  27:17

Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.

-1 Thessalonians 2:8

Thanks for a life-changing summer project, team.

Love,

"Sandy Pitts"

USA! USA!

Hello, everybody! I am back stateside! Happy Independence Day!
Once again, apologies for the tardiness of my blog posting...I still get that overwhelmed feeling when I sit down to write stuff because there's just so much information floating around in my brain. But, in light of my homecoming, and as a tribute to my country, I figured today would be a good day to bite the bullet and do some blogging! (With PICTURES. Courtesy of my team's photography...Lauren Young and Stephen Pittman, in this particular post.)
My team and I traveled home a little over a week ago, on the 23rd of June. We woke up at 2:30am (after going to bed two hours beforehand) and rushed to gather our belongings and haul them down four flights of stairs to the street. Everyone was sleep-deprived and on edge as we loaded into our taxi vans. I know I wasn't the happiest camper that morning. We got to Domodedovo Airport (I was so proud to be able to read its name in Cyrillic!) just as the sky began to lighten...you know, just before four in the morning. We shuffled through customs (Abby made it! Woohoo!), tiptoed through security, and plopped down on the floor near our gate. As we boarded our plane, I prayed for no airsickness for myself and my team members...
Well, right at about breakfast time, I barfed. It was NOT fun. I seriously don't recall vomiting since sometime back in high school. I hate it. I felt bad because I was sitting in between David and Lauren when this occurred, but it couldn't be helped. Lauren shifted into mommy gear and took great care of me. And David was quick to find me an extra barf bag in case I needed to hurl again, bless him. Okay, but enough about vom. Ew. Basically, I just felt pretty lousy during the first leg of our trip.
We had a layover at Heathrow, where at times, I caught myself trying to answer security personnel in Russian...whoops. By the grace of God, I found a bench without armrests that I could lie (Lie? Lay? I can never remember the rule...Eric?) across in order to recover before our last leg of air travel. I also had the pleasure of randomly meeting up with an old high school classmate, Derik, who happened to be passing through London at the same time our team was there. Small world! We had a nice chat and then it was time for my team to get to our gate. Apparently, our airplane was the plane to be on if you were traveling back from a missions trip. There was us, a group coming back from Kenya, another group traveling home from somewhere in Africa, and even four Mormon boys coming home from their 2-year missions.
Thankfully, the last leg of the flight was very pleasant. I had fun sitting next to and talking with Brent, was able to eat a decent amount of my food, watched True Grit and an episode of Modern Family (I'm a fan of British Airways, y'all.), and napped probably more than I did on the three previous flights to and from Moscow combined. I even managed not to toss my cookies!
As we landed at DFW and trudged our way through to awaiting family members, the sadness of leaving finally hit me. Summer Project had come to an end. Tears were shed as my teammates and I said our goodbyes and went our separate ways home. I'll always be thankful for this summer, and the many things that God taught me during my time in Moscow. What an incredible experience. :)

Okay, so since I've been back home for a week and a half, I have new lists of things I miss about Moscow, and things I am SO happy to have back at home! Drum roll!

I Miss...

My Russian friends! Sasha, Masha, Oleg, Katya, Tanya, just to name a few. I loved meeting and getting to know each and every one of the students I encountered. They were so much fun, and so very friendly to us! They showed us around the city, took us to yummy restaurants, laughed with us, played games, told stories. I loved being a part of their lives, even for just a little while. If any of y'all are reading this, I miss you and I hope we can stay in touch! :)

New Life staff! Thank y'all so much for your help and your encouragement to us while we were there! I am praying for you guys.

My SP family. Steve-O, Khleb, Plaura, B-Giff, McCall (hmm, no nickname...), Moz, Brenton, Gopher Girl, Rach, DLP, Abbs, Pittman, Jerms, and Jach and Zamie. It was a pleasure to live with all of you for a month. What a blessing to experience Christian community with y'all! :)

lamb shashlik at Ismaylova market

Russian food. I have been craving blinis and shashlik and pastries and sharma and yes, even kvas. Pretty ridiculous. I brought home a cactus water, but I'm saving it to drink in the fall. That's the plan, anyway....

The metro. Seriously, I miss Russian transit! I miss being able to walk to stores and restaurants, or just hop on the metro to get across town. Now I have to drive places. (Except I'm glad Nana [my car] and I have been reunited. She missed me.)

An example of a beautiful,
sunny Moscow day!

The WEATHER. It's. So. Hot. In. Flower Mound. I miss my breezy, low-to-mid-seventies Moscow weather. Even the occasional rainy days. It's a sauna outside in Texas, my friends. 95-100 degree weather. (35-38C)

Okay, as much as I really miss Moscow, 

there is no place like home. Yay, America!

I'm Glad To Come Home To...
My family! It's been great to come home to Mom, Dad, David, and my dog Roxie!
Giant glasses of ice-cold, fresh, clean, free-of-charge water.
Iced tea.
Momma's cooking. :)
Dr. Pepper. (We stumbled on cans of Dr. Pepper at a street vendor in Moscow for three American bucks a pop, but to have it for cheap and in unlimited supply in the States is quite a comfort.)
Virtually no exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke.
The English language in general. Speaking it, hearing it, reading it again.
Air conditioning.
Hot showers with good water pressure.
Not smelling people with awful body odor...(e.g. "Smelly Man" in our hostel, crowded metro cars)
Ample access to fruits and veggies.
Tex-Mex. Praise the Lord.
Fat Straws bubble tea! Holla!
My full-sized bed and space to store my stuff.
Christian and country music radio stations. :)

Well folks, that's all for now. But don't worry! I have a lot more Russian adventures to blog about. If you want to hear about any aspect of my trip in particular (hostel life, students, sights, my team, lessons learned, etc.), post a comment and I'll blog about it! That would help me decide what to focus on next. ;)

I just wanted to let everybody know that my team and I are home safe and sound. Thank all of you for your prayers and support throughout my trip! It wouldn't have been possible without y'all at home! God is so good.

In Christ,
     Laura

Nice to Meet You: Learning More Aboout God's Character

Hello again, readers! This week has already been crazy. Hopefully I'll be blogging again soon, because I have so much material to sort through. The following material is what I sorted through yesterday morning while sitting in my favorite little coffee shop. Hope it can be an encouragement to you!

I've had a whole lot of fun on this trip so far, but I think what has been even more exciting is how much I have learned about the character of the Lord. It's so cool to see how he has taught me so much in just a few weeks.

Omniscience:
I definitely have been amazed at seeing God's hand at work when I least expect it! Last Wednesday, Abby and I were discouraged because we weren't able to make any appointments with students we had met. We decided to go to the linguistics university to try to find new students to talk to. We ended up having a great conversation with two super sweet girls, and we even got to share the gospel! They were so excited to meet and talk with us. Even though we had no idea what our agenda was for the day, God did. He had some people he wanted us to meet. It was an encouragement to know that our "free time" was in his plan all along.
I also had a great day of rest yesterday. Our team had no appointments in the morning, so we spent it inside cozy Costa Coffee. (I really love it there.) As the morning went on, I realized how much I needed that time to myself in order to reflect and process everything that had been going on the past few days. It was sweet to know that God knew all along that I needed a quiet morning in a coffee shop, and he gave it to me!

Protection:
God has kept our team safe the entire time we have been here. How awesome! He kept Abby safe when she had to travel on the metro late at night when she lost her passport. We've had no serious injuries, either. It's really cool to be reminded how the Lord is always in control, even if we are in sketchy circumstances.
I have also appreciated how the guys on my team take the safety of us girls very seriously. They make a point to stay close by us when riding the metro. They also cheerfully offer to escort us on errands or appointments (even if that means sitting alone at Starbucks while I talk one-on-one with a new Russian friend, or going on a three-hour-long walk along the Moscow river with little engagement in conversation). Thank you, gentlemen! I know I can speak on behalf of the rest of the girls that we really appreciate your care for our well-being. We are blessed!

Work outside of my own efforts:
I can easily get caught up in a "performance" mindset when it comes to ministry; putting a lot of weight in my own actions rather than trusting God to work through me. The Lord has reminded me that I am merely His instrument, and I may not see the "fruits of my labor," but I can rest and know that His plan is greater than I can understand. We have encountered a couple of students in whom the Lord is already at work! We met a boy who lived with a pastor for a summer in the US, and he attended church during his whole stay. I met a girl who told me how she has recently begun to read the bible. DLP and Pittman met a guy who is a believer in Christ! It has been really cool to just meet students where they are and truly come alongside them in their spiritual lives. (Hello, Cru mission statement.) It's awesome to know that my encounters with these students are just part of God's plan for their lives. I'm grateful that God gave me the opportunity to plant seeds, even if I never personally see them grow. Pretty humbling.

Over all, I have especially learned to trust in God on a daily basis. It's hard for me to give parts of my life over to Him, because I want to stay in control of my life. But the truth is, I died with Christ. I have entrusted my life to the Lord, and His Spirit now lives inside me. And with that comes ultimate freedom! I am free to surrender my burdens to God and let Him work in and through me. Now, the life of a Christ-follower is no walk in the park, but it is a life of contentment. I can rest in any circumstance that comes my way because I know that God is in control, and I don't have to rely on my own human efforts. I can ask Him for the strength I need and He will give it to me. Zach read Ephesians 2:1-10 to us the other day, and it was a great refresher of the awesomeness that is the gospel. Go and read it, I dare ya. :)

Well, that's enough rambling for today. Please continue to keep my team and me in your prayers! This trip isn't about just us. It's also about the people supporting us at home. We are very grateful for you folks!

-Laura

How do you say....

Zdrasvutya! Hope everyone is doing well back in the States. My iPhone weather app tells me that y'all are experiencing some pretty hot weather over there. Well, Moscow (Mosk-oh, not Moss-cow.) has been sunny and pleasant at a relatively constant temperature of 73 degrees every day. (Yes, I'm rubbing it in.) I apologize for not updating this here blog for a while: every time I sit down at the computer, I feel overwhelmed with what I should write about. So, I thought I would blog in lists this time around. Hope you enjoy this! Maybe you'll learn something super interesting...

Fashion Trends in Moscow:

• Braids. French braids, standard braids, fishtail braids. Tons of girls wear beautiful braids in their hair. I have happily embraced this trend, as have my fellow female project mates. :)
• Parachute pants. No, I'm not kidding. They are definitely "in" here. I should've listened to you, Luke Williams, and bought a pair to wear around here...except I don't think I'd ever wear them at home.
• The mullet. Or more specifically, the Euro-mullet. Usually men sport this hairdo, but I have also seen some Moscovite women with mullets... Ay. Once again, a shout-out to my buddy Luke, who can actually pull off a nice-looking Euro-mullet.
• Shoes. I love them. Flats are "in" for girls, but I see tons of brave ladies walking around in ridiculously tall heels. I dunno how they do that in a big city. I LOVE the shoes that men wear here! They're a lot more classy than your average Nike or New Balance tennis shoes that most guys wear in the U.S.

Food:

• McDonald's? Seriously, folks. Russians love their Mickey D's. McDonald's is our little taste of America over here, and it's a quick (dangerous?) block away from the Napoleon (our hostel). You can get a moroshenae rajoke for 16 rubels, a steal over here, so our team frequents the restaurant for a little snack. The staff there just loves when we visit.... And, McDonald's here is much tastier than it is in the States. Don't ask me why, because I don't know.
• The Blini. Blinis are essentially crepes. They are delicious. I eat them very often, which may or may not be a bad choice, but I figure I should embrace Russian eating habits while I'm here. My favorite blini meal consists of a ham and cheese blini and a wild berry blini. So. Good.
• Shashlik. Shashlik is a Russian shish kebab, served with a piece of round flatbread. I tried my first bit of shashlik at Ismaylova market on Sunday! It also was the first time I've ever eaten lamb, to my knowledge. It was amazing. I can't wait to return to the market for more shopping and more shashlik. :)
• PASTRIES! Oh my goodness, I don't know how I will survive back in Flower Mound without eating pastries. There is a small pastry stand in our home metro station where I grab breakfast some mornings. You can smell the little treasures before the stand is in your line of sight. My favorites are apricot (which is a very popular fruit here) and lemon. Yummy.
• Cactus Water. It's this green juice that we all buy from our grocery store. Technically, it's cactus-lime juice. We can't really read the bottle, but it's very tasty. Very refreshing after a long day on campus.
• Business Lunch?! MSP veterans, Business Lunch has changed its menu to read, "Home Dinner." But we still call it Business Lunch. Essentially, you can get the meal of the day for 145 rubels, which is a great deal in Moscow. However, since we can't speak Russian, sometimes we don't know what we're ordering. However, I have never been disappointed in my meal. Pretty fun to try new Russian food!

Things I dislike:

• Pigeons. They are rampant at metro entrances, and especially like to fly right in front of Abby.
• Crowded metro rides. Speaking of the metro, have you ever been on a train where you had to stand with nothing to hold on to except for your friend's purse, and you are packed like sardines with Russian citizens, half of whom do not see the need to wear deodorant? No? Lucky you. That describes my metro ride to the linguistics university today. Suggestion: try to avoid rush hour on the metro.
• Cigarettes. Lots of Moscovites smoke. Now, it doesn't bother me a whole lot, but it is annoying to leave a coffee shop with your clothes smelling like an ash tray....

Things I enjoy:

• Long (not crowded) metro rides. I love riding the metro, despite the occasional cattle-drive feeling that you experience every once in a while. There is time to decompress, to listen to music, just to people watch. However, it is customary to sit quietly on the metro with un-crossed legs. Not much talking goes on. We Americans have difficulty blending into the crowd at times because we are loud and chatty.
• Architecture! There are beautiful, BEAUTIFUL buildings here in the city. I just love it. I think I owe it to my dad for being interested in what buildings look like. There is a lot of art-deco style art and sculpture around town, and a lot of old, traditional, onion-dome churches sprinkled here and there. Metro stations, in fact, have some beautiful mosaics and statues and murals here and there. They are so neat to discover!
• The weather. Holy Moses, guys. The weather here is glorious. I think my friends and I have thanked God every single day for the beautiful weather that He has provided us on this trip. We have yet to experience any rain, although it is in the forecast later in the week. Just sunshine and cool breezes. :)

Things I Miss:

• Ice. I've heard that Europeans don't like ice. Well, I miss it. I miss having a nice ice-cold beverage at meals.
• Dr. Pepper. Enough said.
• Warm showers. Although, I am learning to enjoy a nice tepid shower.
• Um, I feel like it's just a given that I miss my family. I haven't talked to my parents as much as I would like while I've been here in Moscow. Love y'all bunches!

I appreciate all of the people praying for me at home! It has been so amazing to see the things that God is doing here. I am learning tons about Russian culture, human nature (the fact that students here really are just like students in America), and a heck of a lot about myself. I've especially taken to heart that He is sovereign and He isn't surprised by anything that happens while we're here. It's a very comforting and humbling thing to realize. I hope to write more about my adventure soon!

Grace and Peace,

Laura

We Gonna Moscow!

Greetings, all! I am finally in the amazing city of Moscow, and I am already in love. Prepare for a novel of a blog, but these first couple of days have been action-packed!

I've barely been in this country for more than 48 hours and I feel like we have been here for a week. Want to hear about the crazy adventures I've been having?! Read on, my friends. It's been crazy.

After our international project briefing, Team Moscow headed to DFW airport. It was really strange to be 12 minutes away from my house awaiting this huge adventure before me.  I learned a lot about air travel, let me tell you what! Airplanes and Laura Sanderson do not mix. I took a Dramamine before we flew out, but I still got super queasy and dizzy as we took off. Then, not 2 minutes after we left the runway, we encountered the worst turbulence I have ever experienced. David (DLP) was sitting next to me and said that I turned white as a sheet. I survived the turbulence without having to reach for a barf bag, thankfully. DLP and I watched Return of the King on our tiny video screens, and Lauren and I giggled at our steward's adorable Irish accent (We flew British Airways. He said things like, "Cheers!") We flew to London and hit other bouts of turbulence here and there. Not fun, folks. To top things off, I managed to maybe doze for a half hour during our 10 hour flight. Yay! Thankfully, I was able to crash on a bench at Heathrow while we waited for our connecting flight to Moscow. The last leg of the trip was also a little bumpy, but I managed to keep my lunch in my tummy.
We finally made it to Moscow! We got into two vans and rode off to our hostel, the Napoleon. Moscow is absolutely beautiful. It's very green and there was lots of forest land between the airport and the big city. I pointed out the old Soviet Lada cars to my van mates (Steven Hudec, Laura Peden, Abby, and Brent). They're very box-like cars that are everywhere. I nonchalantly made the comment that you could play the "slug bug" game with them, and not two seconds later, I got an elbow in the ribs from Brent. "Box car blue!" (Think before you speak, Laura.) THAT was an enjoyable ride... We reached our destination and each had to lug our just-under-fifty-pounds suitcase up twelve flights of stairs. Okay, not really 12; we're on the fourth floor. Hello, Napoleon Hostel!
For all of you MSP veterans out there, the boys are bunking in Ekaterinburg and the girls are at the end of the hall in Vladovostok. I LOVE our room! It has some cheery purple wallpaper, and I picked the bed right next to our window. (Beautiful view!) The Napoleon is cozy. There are six rooms and one bathroom area to share with all of its guests. Two showers, two sinks, two toilets. Woohoo! Talk about team bonding on all levels. We all ate some snacks provided for us by the awesome Moscow Metro staff team, and then headed to bed. Everyone was exhausted.
Our first morning, we were escorted by Jessica (a staff member) to our first ride on the metro. What an experience! It was so interesting to see Moscovites in their everyday routines. Everyone on the metro sat or stood quietly, with stern expressions on their faces. We American kids stuck out like a sore thumb, but it's just something we'll have to get used to. We finally reached our stop for The Space. The Space is Crusade's (or New Life, as it is called here) office area and meeting place. We met the rest of Moscow staff and got to dig into God's Word a bit. What a great morning for casting our vision for project! We're bricklayers here. I'm so excited to see what God has planned for us.
We headed off to lunch in Red Square, with Dave Coates as our guide. He's a lot of fun, and he has a great knowledge of Moscow's history. We had our first lunch in Moscow at (drum roll) McDonald's! Familiar food, foreign language. I felt ridiculous trying to order my food. "Moshna pazhalsta cheeken macnuggets." But I survived!
Staff had planned an "Amazing Race" type tour of the city, and sent our ministry teams off with clues to find and explore different parts of Moscow. My ministry team is comprised of David, Abby, and myself. Steven Pittman will be joining us next week! Yay! The three of us navigated through various metro stops and got to have some fun adventures! Unfortunately, my McDonald's didn't agree with me very well and I sat out near the end of the competition with a tummy ache. It was still lots of fun. Abby and David are tons of fun. I am very happy with my ministry team, and I'm really excited for Pittman to be joining us soon!
We ate supper at a posh restaraunt (PECTOPAH in Cyrillic) in the mall and I had much better luck ordering my food! I ate my first blini! :) It's very similar to a crepe.
Once we got back to our hostel, we made a very unsettling discovery: Abby couldn't find her wallet, which also happened to contain her passport. We all prayed with her and contacted staff right away. Thankfully, things are taken care of now, and Abby isn't in any danger. What a great God we have! He knew that was going to happen, and he was completely in control of the situation.
When morning came, I got to become Jason Bourne. Abby needed to get an important document to Chris, a staff dude, and I was to meet him on the metro platform and deliver it. Sounds like something out of a spy movie, right?! It was actually pretty fun. Kaleb became my partner in crime, and we accomplished our mission with flying colors. :)
Briefing at the Space was even more refreshing than day one. Dave explained how we were going to be visiting certain campuses and what our mission was to look like. We want to be "cultural learners." I can't wait to head to campus next week! It will be a big step of faith to approach strangers and start conversations, but I need to trust that the Lord will place special people in our paths to meet and interact with. After briefing, Kim and Jessica (staff women) took us to Moscow State University, which is the most prestigious college in the country. I was blown away as we approached it: the building is incredible. I can't wait to show pictures! Our team split up into pairs to do prayer walks near campus and I partnered up with DLP. He and I walked and prayed for God to move at Moscow State, and for their small ministry to grow and build up new students in their walks with Him. We met up at the end of the road at a place called the Lookout. From the Lookout, you can see all of the "sister buildings" in Moscow. There are seven sister buildings that are built the same, six tucked around Moscow, and one that was gifted to Poland in Warsaw. Moscow State happens to be one of them. Simply breathtaking buildings. (There's a lot of amazing architecture here and I love it.) Okay, so honestly, I have tons more to write on this thing, and there's been another day of amazing activity. So this blog has to be continued. Hopefully I've left y'all at the edge of your seats. :) I miss my sweet friends and family back home! (But I'm having the time of my life over here!) Pray for continued safety and health and amazing things that only God can accomplish! Dosvidanya!