Russia

Anna and I in Red Square, Moscow


My cubby hole on the train back from Novgorod to Moscow



Helen waiting for the train to Novgorod from Moscow



Training Center in Ramenskoye


I'm really thankful that the Lord gave me the honor of participating in the gospel trip in Russia this January. GMR 2007 went out to 50 Russian cities to preach the gospel. My assigned city was Novgorod (only 9 hrs by train), and my sister rode a 37 hr train ride to Krugan, Siberria. Our day started at 6:00 in the morning and ended at 20:00. Sometimes we walked 6 hour days passing out tracts to the seminars, and some nights we knocked on 50-100 doors to preach the gospel. The militia came and kept tight watch over us "foreigners." I really wished that our food portion was larger... BUT praise the Lord, He taught me how to coordinate with other members in the Body, and I just felt like I've gained more of Him.

The Russian brothers and sisters were really awesome. They really took care of us. At one point, when our passports were taken up by the local militia, I remember praying about it and going to sleep thinking "The brothers will take care of it. God is with us!"

Out of the 2.5 weeks in Russia, I saw the sun twice. The second time was really significant to me because that day I woke up and I really didn't want to go out to preach the gospel in the cold. The night before...my local team were cursed at for being foreigners and for being Christians while we were door knocking. It got really bad because Katya, a dear Russian sister, stopped translating what was shouted. We met with alcoholics...drunks. That morning I woke up, and I felt really defeated. But during our truth study, the Lord reminded me to have faith in Him. Preaching the gospel is not easy. A lot of people won't like you. They won't accept you. But we must go on with Him. Then the sun came out. He is light that shines in darkness. My team went out to a nearby market area to preach the gospel. I was able to preach the gospel to two Russians, who prayed and accepted Christ. The Lord is faithful!

If I given the opportunity to go again...I would in a heart beat.

Picture site

www.sunnyd.smugmug.com

Picture site

www.sunnyd.smugmug.com

Helen

Helen is back!!! I wonder if she thinks it's cold in Houston right now? Did she learn some Russian? or French? I'll find out more tomorrow.

Bunnies Don't Know How to Blog

I can beat Andrew at herding animals and hammering the rabbit's head.

How Not to get PROMOTED in ONE NIGHT

Last Thursday, December 14th, was our departmental holiday party at the Tropics, a local seafood restaurant. Jason was Sunny's +1, and Cary was mine. Now, my boss bought a shot for me before dinner. He was looking red so WE offered him a ride home. I was like YES...+1 pt for me.

The next day... I was told that I forgot about him...and he didn't have a ride home. I mean...I didn't even remember the next day. I walked in the lab. Jeff looked at me and started laughing. I said, "why are you so happy? still drunk?" He said, "no but you are probably in trouble. mwhahahhaha" Jeff=evil I mean my boss had to call his wife to come pick him up.

I'm so sorry HongLan. Sunny, Jason, and Cary...man WHAT Happened? Why didn ya'll say something yo?

THE EVIL WII

The evil WII sports is very addicting. BEWARE gamers. I am hurting everywhere from playing tennis, boxing, and bowling. It is not a good idea to play 5 hours straight. BEWARES....arg.

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Golfing at Riverside

Jason, Carey, Sunny, and I went golfing at Riverside. I've been to the driving range a couple of times but not to a real golf course. Played for 5 hours...8 holes. We all learned what we need to work on.



The funnest part was the golf carts. On the third hole, we saw some asians behind us. We joked that they were the dads. AND THEY WAS. They were walking. Isn't Sunny's dad cute? He has an umbrella and everything. He's my golf coach. HAHA

Yao is my BEST FRIEND

The picture says a thousand words. Yao and I are best friends. We can work through my broken chinese and his poor english...his tallness...my shortness.

Thank you Jason for the invitation!

MORE!

Fun Times

House UPDATE

THE FRAMES ARE UP!

UofH

Mike's Dorm Room


Sunny and I in the Dorm Quarters

We got to visit my brother at UofH. I bought matching sweatshirts for my proud parents. I cannot bear to wear UofH gear. HAHA

Vanhdy and Jenny also came! We played ping pong. Weird place to play ping pong, eh?

WEEKEND FUN

We had a lot of fun this weekend.

Saturday - Saturday morning, I had Russian lesson with Liu's wife Bing Bing. I bought Russian for Dummies and ... it was Russian for Dummies. They spell how things would sound in english instead of spelling it correctly in Russian. Bing Bing says that I need a new book. :)

Saturday afternoon, we had lunch with Howard and Lindsey HUANG!! It was super fun. Their house is very cute and classy. Lindsey is a vegetarian, so she made sauteed vegetables and pasta. I complimented with rosemary chicken. OH and we had zucchini bread for dessert with apple butter. AWESOME!

We then had plans to have dinner with Cary, Arthur, and Michael at El Patio, the best Mexcian restaurant in town. They were closed, so we ate at La Conchita. After that, the guys went to the Lin's house to watch the UT football game. I went home and watched the US OPEN Women's final. AND YES it was more important than the UT game! IT'S PRIORITY TO ME ARTHUR!!!!! Hee Hee

SUNDAY - A new Hispanic speaking family came to church. ...I realize that my Spanish is now very poor. It's time to brush up. It's hard juggling two languages man.

Finished up Sunday with golf at the driving range!

Tired Body

Saturday = Volleyball in H-town
Sunday = Basketball in H-town
Monday = Tennis in H-town
Tuesday = Tennis after work
Wednesday = Tennis after work
Thursday = Tennis after work

It all started out Saturday playing super spike Vball. Played till 12:00pm. Shoulder kinda sore from swinging my arm so much trying to spike.
The next morning we ended up playing bball, half court / full court and then crash from the 3 point line. My legs and back were so sore from trying to box out Vanhdy.
Then four days of tennis in a row. I think my right forearm's worn out. My tennis game steadily declined each day to the point where I couldn't hit a ground stroke anymore. Not to mention my legs felt like bricks.
Maybe i'll relax this weekend and watch UT beat OSU and hit a few golf balls. =P

House Update

I drove by the new house the other day and took a few snapshots.

Sometimes we forget the very person we most wanted to become when we were children...when the soul was simple and simply for God.

Mosquito

There was a mosquito in mom's room. It was so bad that I had to move out of her room. It was a little mosquito and anyone who's dealth with mosquito infestations know that the little ones are the most cunning ones. I was bitten twiice on the bottom of my foot, once on my ankle, once on my eyelid, and once on the palm of my right hand. Needless to say, one of my eyes looked as if someone's punched it. Finally, I gave up and moved out of my mom's room to mine. But periodically, there were bursts of "HELENA!! I hear it. I'm going to lay still...You come in and swat at it!" Of course after each of the outbursts, I ran back in her room, turned on the lights ,and swatted at small black moving dots abover her head. At 2 AM, the battle ended. Mom and I sat on her bed looking at each other. I was scratching the bottonm of my foot looking at her with one good eye, the other had been rendered usless by now. Her hair's all crinkled and messy. Mom bent over laughing. I made a face, stumbled back into my room, fell forward in a mound of disarrayed sheets, and passed out.

Katherine's Classroom

Ms. Steel at her desk


I'm reading in the cubby area.

I helped Katherine decorate and organize her new classroom this past Saturday. It was really nice. There's 18 desks for her 18 kids. In the top right corner, there's a reading cubbing area decorated in Hawaiian style. She left her mark with giraffe decors here and there. I haven't stepped in an elementary school in years. It was all very strange. There were posters with positive comments like "Do Your Best Today!", "Be Honest!", "Be Nice", "Be Helpful!". I couldnt help wonder if we all paid more attention to these little reminders when we were children, remembered them, and acted upon them grwoing up....we would all be better selves.