After over a month of guests, family, friends, and random Russians sleeping in my room, it's finally back to just me and Kurt in our bunks. Though it already seems long ago, winter break was an amazing 3 weeks of fun. Christmas was spent in our home, with songs and gifts and delicious food. God gave us the sun for a full hour on Christmas day, which was a welcome sign of His love. Soon after, Steven Young, my good friend from Pettisville, came to stay with us for a month. We had one of the best months ever, even though 21 consecutive days of it were sunless.
Steven and I were so blessed to get to know the missionary kids who came home to St. Pete from college. They quickly accepted us as part of their group, and we often stayed up til 4 a.m. playing monopoly and watching movies. In fact, our schedule got so wacky that staying up all night for New Years seemed completely normal. New Years in the Palace Square was unbelievable. Watching Putin on the big screen count down to midnight was strangely awesome, and there was much shouting, singing, and dancing with friendly Russians.
We didn't get much time to restore our sleeping schedule, because Babochka's Winter Camp started on January 4th. We took a 3 hour bus ride north to a small, beautiful town called Sovetsky. The first day was all seminars and lessons for the staff, preparing us for the handicapped people who would arrive the following day. Steven and I heard a lot that day, and understood little. But it was amazing to see the energy and excitement that the staff exuded.
The next day, the campers arrived. The staff dressed like circus performers, and lined up and cheered for the campers as they were wheeled off the bus. The smiles were bigger than I'd ever seen. Steven and I rocked turbans and skirts (mainly made of towels...), and played guitar and ukulele as part of the comical and spirited procession. The fact that we went bare foot made for great conversation starters, since apparently if you're barefoot in Russia you'll surely die in your sleep. That prediction nearly came true, in fact, because that night Steven and I were surprised by a drunk Russian who broke into our room wanting a toilet and some sleep (that's a story for another time).
The four-day camp was like Heaven on Earth. The leaders had meticulously planned every minute, so everything ran like a well-oiled Porsche. The counselors were totally caring and loving to their assigned camper, and everyone had a truly great time. I was so blessed to be the music leader, and learned to love the songs as much as the campers did. I hardly know how to describe how much I learned from it all. Here's a cliche sum-up: "it was a life-changing experience that changed my life forever."
