How cold is it in Moscow at this time of year?

Zhenia sent me pictures of a park in Moscow so that I would have an idea of how it is right now. The pink and blue sky is so beautiful, and a walk in the park looks nice. I put this picture on my computer as the background for the desktop. When I look at it in the morning, I am convinced it is a sunrise, but when I look at it in the late afternoon, it appears to be a sunset. That's a bit odd, isn't it? Or is this definitely a sunrise? Maybe it shows that a point of view affects how something is perceived.

One of my favorite verses is Psalm 110:3:
      Your people will offer themselves willingly
            In the day of Your warfare,
            In the spendor of their consecration.
      Your young men will be to You
            Like the dew from the womb of the dawn.

Here is another picture of a clear sky.

Irina is in the next picture, enjoying her walk in the park. See her big smile?
She is clearly warm enough to enjoy the beauty of the snowy day.

So, tell me, what led to the trip to Moscow?

The first time I went to Moscow was on a trip in 2004 with Mom, John, and my brother Jerry to Russia. We were in St. Petersburg while the training was going on in Moscow, and when we got to Moscow, the training was over and many of the saints had taken off.

Not much to see in the hall, so we toured some of the places that look just like the Living Stream office at home. Below is a picture of the shipping section. Definitely a familiar look, and what was soooo amazing is that it smelled like the Living Stream. I'm not kidding...the stacks of books have a very definite odor, an aroma of wonderful paper and ink and the ministry of the word. Sometimes I walk through the stacks in Building 3 while I am praying with a sister on the phone, and the smell is nice.



We were shown the office where proofing is done, so it was very tempting to sit in one of the chairs, and imagine...

...what exactly? Was I imagining that I would come and sit at one of these desks? Perhaps so, but I remember doubting it, actually. Mostly I think that I was just sitting there with a smile. It is kind of a big smile, I can see now as I try to look at this picture with some objectiveness. And the person here does not exhibit much awareness of what happens when a person opens to the possibilities.
Clearly an American has wandered into the office in Moscow. I have read that Americans can be spotted in European countries because of the goofy smiles. I try not to do it, but I'm sort of culturally programmed.

But in one of the offices, there was one sister still working.

And she is smiling, so I expect that I will be able to experience Christ and the all-fitting life that has so much joy that smiles show through, no matter what the culture. Notice the year on the calendar--2004!

Thank you, Mollie!

Mollie came for the training and stayed with us, so she has been seeing how much preparation I still needed for spending February in Moscow. Concerned that I wasn't able to get wool socks at the nearby Sears and the socks that I had ordered online were out of stock, she sent me some wool socks and furry things to insert in the bottom of my boots from England. How cool to get a package from the UK. It turned out that the day I got the package from Mollie, I got a letter from Elaine Day in Romford. How wonderful to be connected to the saints in my home away from home.

Thank you, Mollie!

Thanks to Judy Karr!

Judy has lent to me her coat that she wore in Russia, and ... a real fur hat. She also encouraged me to get some boots and long underclothes. I'm not sure why they are considered long and not simply warm. Anyway, I am happy that she did that last November because it prompted me to figure out what I was going to need to stay warm. Here in Anaheim pretty much through all of December it was unusually freezy cold (mild chilly day by Russian standards). So I got the boots and long things and wore them in our office because I sit by a window. It has really helped this Texas gal to learn how to be warm enough in Sunny Southern California in preparation for February in Moscow, Russia. Ha ha, thanks, Judy, for encouraging me to be prepared. Your years of living in Russia have been put to use.

Judy, thanks so much!

Already missing you...

Today I am setting up a blog so that I can communicate with you all. Perhaps the details of this experience are best expressed in paragraphs rather than tweets!