for every step of life

I went to church with Laura last Sunday. It's a Russian-Korean church. It was....interesting. I'll leave it at that. I didn't understand much, but Laura bought an Orthodox prayer sheet at one of the metro kiosks and translated it for me to meditate on during the service. This is it here:

Ikos 1

I was born into this world a weak and helpless child, but your angel spread his "light" wings to guard my cradle. Since then, your love as shined on all my ways, wonderfully leading me to the light of eternity. I praise the generous gifts of your Providence which have appeared since the first day and up to now (to this day). I thank you and call out (to you) with all who know you.
Glory to you, who has called me to life.
Glory to you, who has revealed to me the beauty of the universe.
Glory to you, who has opened up before me heaven and earth as an eternal book of wisdom.
Glory to your "eternalness" amidst a temporary world.
Glory to you for your secret/mysterious/hidden and obvious/evident mercies.
Glory to you for every sigh of my breast.
Glory to you for every step of life, for every moment of joy;
Glory to you, God, forever.

After church Laura and I went to Novodevichy Convent for the day. It was 70 degrees outside, the warmest it's been since I've been here. Absolutely beautiful. We sat on the steps of the Smolensky Chapel and baked in the sun for two hours, just talking, watching a few nuns here and there, and tourists. It was one of the best days I've had so far. Just sitting inside the peaceful walls, soaking up sunshine.

Smolensky Church inside the convent.

I can't remember which one of the buildings Tsarevna Sophia Alekseyevna was locked up in, but her brother Peter the Great forced her to take the veil because she was a threat to his power. To "torture" her, he had dead bodies suspended outside of the window of her room in which she was locked. Creepy! As Svetlana, my Russian teacher says, "Russia's peaceful times were when the women ruled. You never hear about them, but they brought peace to Russia."

Door inside the outer wall.

Orthodox nuns and monks look very different from Catholic nuns and monks. They all wear black, head to foot. No white at all. No cappuccino brown.

-----

This week I said goodbye to my students. It was hard. Grace, one of my seventh grade girls (she's in the grey and yellow outfit next to me), wrote me the sweetest letter, and she gave me a Korean "cell phone charm." Haha. Something she said in her letter really encouraged me; I'm not sure why because it was so simple, but I guess it's the simple things in life that move us. She said, "In Jesus I know you will find yourself in the best place where you could be."

This is Tony. I haven't talked much about him. That's because he's quiet and likes to keep to himself. He's half-Russian, half-Zimbabwean, but English is his first language. However, he has this amazing African, British, and Russian accent going on. (He went to school in England for awhile.) So, he's definitely a unique and really cool kid.

This sixth grade. I love how the American boys are adopting the Asian peace sign picture fad.

I LOVE this picture! They are so funny, all crammed into the cafeteria window. L to R: Jin-Young, Ho-Jin, David, and Kang-Wook.

The eighth grade.

I almost felt blasphemous taking this picture. I want to remember her though. Every day she is at this corner near the metro. I have seen her daily for months now, and she is a part of my time in Russia even though she doesn't know it. I don't want to her forget her, her little white money bag, and her icon of Jesus.

-----


On Thursday I went on an unexpected boat ride on the Moscow river. It started at a metro which I can't remember the name of, but it translates Sparrow Hill. Then we went all the way through the center of the city. It was a chilly and cloudy day.

Russians HATE this statue. A few years ago there was a plot to blow it up. Haha...

Passing the Kremlin...

Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

----

Something I am going to miss about Russia are the numerous flower shops. They are EVERYWHERE! And many of them are open 24 hours a day.

---

Soon I will post about the amazing day I had today at Sergiyev Posad with Svetlana, her husband Igor, and her son Vasya. And of course their giant of a koshka, Dimok (Smoke).

I will post more pictures of Novodevichy on Facebook soon.

Love,
Meredith