Summer Favorites

Swimming as a Summer Sport

This is the pool we went to yesterday just to relax

I have never been a good swimmer. But this summer I was forced to use swimming as my form of exercise because of an injury that happened this Spring. 

I have completely fallen in love with swimming as a sport! Though I love the sweat of a good workout, I love the feeling of getting in the water and working hard and not even breaking a sweat ;)  Swimming is a great choice for summer sport, it cools you down for several hours and makes you forget about the heat and the pool I go to is outdoors which is a plus in the summer time, doesn't sound too fun for the winter, but hopefully I won't need it by then. 

This Journal 

(From my Sister Angela)

I love this little thing. I started writing goals in it when I got it and committed to writing at least a little bit everyday. I find that I get more creative when I have a cute journal to write in. That is very true with this one. Thanks for thinking of me and  knowing what I like Fanny! 

Les Miserables and Audio Books

After Grandma Angell (Curtis' Grandma) sent me the movie for my birthday I could not stop watching, listening, obsessing! I naturally was drawn to the novel, but I had a hard time imagining myself sitting through a book like that so I downloaded the audio book from librivox.org. I am on Volume 4 of this incredibly epic novel. But I am LOVING it! You should check out librivox too for a recording of basically any classic you can think of! I will probably continue to keep an audio book on my phone from now on since I love listening to this one any time I get a chance, even on the bus :) 

Friday Nights in the Cafe

The atmosphere is so great! The cafe is always buzzing and I love working behind the register with our amazing cafe staff. It is the one night that I get to put the apron on and work behind the bar and for now, I am loving it! 

Watermelon

It's the perfect summer snack and it is plentiful and cheap here! 

Green Wednesdays (Zelyonaya Creda) 

We spend about half of Wednesday every week doing maintenance work around our site together as a team. This really promotes team work and community which are core values of our organization. I am enjoying getting outside and painting with the different short term volunteers that have come through and also with our long term team members.

The Weather

I never expected to have a summer like this. The other day it was 66 F at noon! I couldn't believe it. It's been cloudy and breezy and perfect lately! I never thought that I would be so happy to have cloudy weather, but when you are expecting a summer of days over 100 degrees, this weather is so preferable! Generally it has stayed in the high 80's and low 90's which is not that hot compared to 100-110, which is the usual weather in June/July. It also cools down a lot at night which makes it super easy to sleep and is usually the biggest problem during these hot parts of the summer. The forecast continues to show these low numbers, I am one happy girl :) 

Our Drive in the Country

It just happened once, but it was amazing! The countryside here is beautiful and we had a view of the tienshan mountains to top it off. We drove out to do one of the life experience games, but it did us good to get out of the city and breath some fresh air and see animals running and playing. We have a creative Papa. 

Espresso

Did I mention that I love coffee? Espresso is so amazingly rich and creamy when it is first made and we roast our coffee fresh at the English Cup. Lately we received a Brazilian roast that is sweet and choclatey and perfect!

Last and definitely not least...

These Kids!

They are gorgeous and precious and such a joy to me! I can't wait to see them again tomorrow when we go back to the Children's Home! 

Leadership

Recently I found myself saying to Curtis that I wish I could just be a person who follows instead of someone who leads...

Leading is one of the hardest things. Leading in a cross-cultural environment can seem impossible at times.

But it's not, especially with Gsus. More specifically because His ways are higher than our ways.

His way says go lower to be lifted higher. His way says to be first you must be last. His way says serve the least of these. His way says if someone slaps you on one cheek turn the other cheek for them slap also. 

I was able to witness some of these truths in my own work. It was so very hard. But I got through it and did it His way and I am so very satisfied.

All glory to the king who makes it possible for me to work and even thrive in this sometimes foreign environment.