Friends can be found in Russia

Jen and Katarina...read below for Jen's description of Katie and other new friends.  It's been neat to see how God is using Jen to encourage these young girls. To God be the glory!

Jen's Blog:
Camilla: she is 14 years old and she loves to sing, she is currently a student. She has a sweet nature and she was the catalyst to my work here. She stopped me and asked me to sit and talk with her and another camper who I would later find out was Anatoly's daughter Sveeyeta. We sat in the craft room as she tried out her English speaking skills. We made it for a long while without a translator--awesome really. Camilla ran one morning with me!

Sveeyeta: Oh my, this little gal is a beauty inside and out. She sings in the Choir and she has an amazing voice. She studied English for 4 month so between she and Camilla we did pretty well communicating. Her profession is teaching and she looks every part of it. Like Kerry and Megan she is constantly smiling, she is very social, speaks in front of other with great ease.

Sveeyeta II: A diamond in the rough, just looking at her you might miss it--just watch her, take time to get to know her and find out who she is. She came to me later in my room and brought to me a card she had made from the craft project I brought. This girl can craft!!! I loved that she was the first to break the mold. She didn't do it MY way--she did it her way and it was different, unique, beautiful. I told her she was a girl after my own heart--she could break out of the mold and do something new. Amazing--I wonder if she realized that after she did it and I commented on it others followed...she's not the type to pay attention to that sort of thing but what a testimony to me--it's ok to BE YOURSELF!

Voladia: she is 13 years old but she looks like she is older. She smacks her bubble gum (by the way Sandy the Hubba - Bubba was a huge HIT! She carrys her backpack with her everywhere she goes and she sips out of a cameral lens cup. She is as spunky as her haircut. She hangs out in our room a lot. She, Megan and Anya went shopping the other day and brought back Russian peanut clusters. We are going back for more--O man are they good.

Katarina: I call her Katie but she really doesn't answer to this so I am trying to remember to call her Katarina. Instant friends when she marvelled at the stitching on our team flag - I asked her if she new how to sew she shook her head no but she threaded the needle like a pro - teaching me to fold it then feed it through the eye--later I found out she makes wool socks at a factory. She is so shy but when I opened up and told her I do crafts to keep busy because it helps with the feeling of loneliness she also opened up and told me that she is the only believer in her family and she doesn't have any friends in her area - please pray for this sweet shy girl that the lord with send her a friend.

Ira: This girl has a funky hairdo - I am not sure I can tell you what the color is (pink, blonde, brunette???) She beat the crap out of some eggs in one of our games and it made me laugh so hard my guts hurt. She is 21 years old and has been a dentist for 9 month -- it seems funny to me that she is a dentist and she has a chin peircing that can't be good for your teeth--I left that one alone. It seems this little gem repented on the last night of camp according to Anya's translation of her prayer. This morning she came to our room and asked to have her picture taken with the team. Pray the Lord will send water, fertilizer and sun for growth.

Tanya: This cute little thing is a 25 year old fashion designer/seamstress/decorator/missionary who wears pig tails just like my sister Nicole. She made Megan and I each an amazing card and she can braid hair - she did Megan's hair and everyone kept asking her is she was sure she wasn't Russian.

Volya: Is 24 years old and as cute as a bug. I thought she told me she was in charge of sewing at a factory my Mesh (Mishka) wasn't sure about that. She also is a missionary who has lived in the Tombov region now for 1 year.

Vadim: This guy kills me. Not sure how old he is but he reminds me of the Russian boxer "Ivan Drego" from Rocky 4 I think it is. He is an athletic, tall, buff, blonde who is a little puffed up you think when you first meet him. He was on the "yellow" our Olympic Champions. When we had our games he got irrate over two ball. Had much to say about things being not fair when Jim taught one of the girls privately how to shoot rubber bands for an advantage--too funny. He came into the craft room with his guitar, I asked him to play for me and his first song had a pretty melody but the lyrics were stupid and he was being cocky--all the girls left the craft room and told him he had ruined the mood of us all talking. I asked him to play me something christian so he went and got a worship book, he plays well, has an excellent voice--in walks Deema with some amazing harmony and suddenly people are coming back--the room in now full and we are singing praise songs--slavabogo!

Daniel: Oh Daniel--Rader's little buddy. I haven't read it but I'm sure Rader's post says it all. He's twelve and follows Rader around--little football and they were instant buddies!

Natasha: Wow, this girl has some dark places. She defiant. She is one of my morning runners. She came to my room with her portfolio and at the age of 15 she is already an amazing artist. Crazy good talent. She gave me a picture she had drawn and I will cherish it! She's an M&M--had outer shell but soft and good on the inside. I see it. I get it. I've been there. She left during one of Jim's barn burning sermons (as my mother would call it)--please pray for her!

Leeyena: She ran with me 2 mornings in a row. I don't understand how it happend but she came to my room one night and we got to talking and I asked if she went to church. She told me she did occasionally but that she found herself bored and at her age she said "a girls just got to have fun." I found myself telling her I remember that. Then I proceeded to tell her my real life woman at the well story--I think that's when the water works really kicked in and the sleep deprivation began. Please pray for this little heart--she sat attentive through all Jim's sermons.

Pasha - Is 13 years old and he trades chewing gum like baseball cards. I found out later he is Dirk's little buddy who broke his arm during summer camp.

Alec: 15 years old, sleeps so deeply he can't be woken up until and bottle of water is thrown at him which Sasha did during one of Jim's service. He can also shove more french bread in his mouth than I've ever seen and still say Chubby Bunny - the nurse in me saw the choking potental and prayer she didn't have to intervene.

Misha: (aka Meesh, Mishka our translator who lives with his parents which is not uncommon Russia if you are single. He has a dry sense of humor and was a rather serious character at first. Our team cured him of that with our Flag making skills and he has blossomed since. Megan endeared him to her with Junior Mints--at first he thought they tasted like toothpaste but after a second try he was licking the box.

Anya: this one I'm gunna keep to myself--let's just say I understand why Jim calls her "beloved".