Real Russian pancakes February 17, 2012

This has been a great week for HZUM team and Ivanovo grads: meaningful visits, fun and informative activites, relational time with the youth, staff and interpreters and quick immersion into Russian culture, including through home-made Russian food. Don, Tatiana and Antonina cooked borsch, stew, pancakes, manty (large meat raviolis) and cabbage pies.

If you’d like to have a little taste of Russia, here’s a recepie for pancakes:

 

 

 

 

You’ll need: 1/2 litre of milk from a Russian cow, 50 gr of butter made of milk from  a Russian cow, 50 gr of sour cream made of milk from a Russian cow, 3 eggs from a  real Russian chicken, 280 gr of flour (Russian?), 1 or 2 (depends on how sweet your tooth is) tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 3 tablespoons of oil.

Here’s what you need to do: mix the eggs, salt and sugar in a bowl. Then stir in the milk and flour. Your dough should be thin and smooth (no chunks are allowed).  Feel free to use a mixer for this purpose. Add the oil into the mix and leave for 15 minutes. Take a pan, heat it up and add a little oil. Pour 1/2 to 1 full ladel of dough in the center of the pan and spread it quickly across the surface. Once the pancake is brown on one side pick it up with a spatula and flip it over to brown the other side.  Enjoy your pancakes with butter or sourcream. They’re also great with honey or jam.

 

 

 

And there was the time for gifts.. of course. Friendships that grew during this week through serving the ones He loves was the best gift of all.

Dip of Faith February 14, 2012

Have you ever dipped into icy cold water in the middle of an abnormally cold winter? Me neither! Who in the world would do such a thing, you’d ask? Every winter, on Epiphany Day in January, many Russians choose this extreme way to be baptized. It takes Faith to do it, no doubt! A couple weeks ago eight grads from the Ivanovo Ministry Center led by our coach Valery took that dip of Faith in the Ivanovo City park. And if you think that one dip is enough you’re wrong! The tradition calls for three submersions, and our Ivanovo young men didn’t fall short of the challenge. There are several rules to be observed before performing this dangerous act, including making sure one is healthy enough, choosing the place wisely, changing into dry clothes immediately, and most importantly, DO NOT go in the water without a prayer. I admire the faith that our Ivanovo young men showed that cold day. By God’s grace they’re all healthy today.

And then Americans came… February 8, 2012

When we talk with orphans, so often they tell the story of their life at the orphanage as a time of no hope, emotional trauma, and worries about a bleak future. But at some point their eyes brighten up as they say; “And then the Americans came… “ and after that their story is filled with examples of how they were encouraged, supported, and how their lives were changed. So if you ever wonder what impact a simple Missions trip can make in the orphans’ lives, let me assure you that it’s more than you can imagine. Here’s what Natasha from Kostroma wrote to me recently: “I want to thank you for the Hope that lives in my heart! Thanks to you and to what you and my other American friends do for me and people like me, my life has changed forever. My life has turned for the better. I’ve moved into a room in a nice apartment. I spend my evenings reading, watching movies, praying and listening to Jason Upton. Thank you for your prayers and for believing in me! When you come to Russia you bring light and warmth! Please come visit me next time you are in Russia.” So, keep coming to Russia to share your hearts with orphans. Even if a story begins darkly, the very spirit of your willingness to engage will surely open up the conversation to new and hopeful ideas.