Hey friends
John gave me a call at 1:45 our time. He appologized for Brandon missing his call to us last night. I guess the satalite phone was promised to work 85% of the time and is giving about 10%. They can see the satalite go over head often but because of cloud coverage they can't make it work. They are also in an extremely remote area now that they are off the mountain. Also the guys are not always together and have split up into groups in town. He isn't always with the guy whose time it is to call, as was the case last night for Brandon P.
Here is the scoop.
They chose not to go to the Black sea due to a couple of reasons. Reason #1 they took an extra day on the mountain due to the time it took to get down. Reason #2 it takes 2 days to travel to the Black sea. Reason #3 they were invited to stay and eat with the families of their mountain cooks. This was an amazing opportunity. One of their translaters said that he had been in Russia for 3 years and has never been invited over for dinner. They have been invited into two homes now. One of the women commented on how happy she was to see what good the guys were doing there. Their hearts are being softened as they touch others and impact lives.
The dance was awesome last night. There were over 1000 people in attendance. This is a cultural event dated back 300 years. It was the place young men and women would meet one another. The russian people were dressed in traditional garb (including their mountain cook) and danced, without touching one another as a way to meet.
Our Brandon P. took the opportunity to dance along with the men. He was met with much laughter. (That doesn't surprise us)
The community service projects went well. There were 500+ kids in attendance. They are due to play some basketball later. (Hopefully they will do better at B-ball than they did at soccer)
There was another highlight that some of the guys were able to participate in. Leaf, Brandon A., Joey, John and Bryce were able to go to an orphange. ( The others stayed to do laundry and take naps) They weren't able to all go due to the size of their group. They orphans are 4-years-old and are raised by women. When they saw the men, they cried. They never see men. It was very emotional for the guys. The children had all been abandoned and it was sad.
All the guys are doing GREAT!! They are all healthy and feeling well. Exhausted, but well. Brandon P. said he is going to need a vacation after this is over. They are staying busy.
Now for the next few days, it will be nearly impossible to guarantee the satalite phone will work. After today, there will not be any translators to help John with the pay phone situation. He may not be able to reach the parents he was scheduled to call. He apologizes for this but it is unavoidable.
Know they are ALL thinking of their families. They send their love.
Expect great things in the future out of these young men and their life-changing adventure.
Families:
I talked to John about getting the group together for dinner to share their thoughts with all the families while they are still feeling the excitement. We are considering Monday night, June 18th at our house at 6:30 pm. I know my parents wanted to come too. Feel free to invite any grandparents that want to come. Let's do a pizza party. It is easy. Everyone could bring $ for pizza and bring a 6pack of soda.
Any sooner, they are going to be exhausted getting over jet lag, and that weekend is Father's Day.
Then, after the video has been assembled and edited (could be a while he has filmed hours and hours) we will get together again to view it. (Maybe at our church to fit everyone in with a big screen)
Email me to let me know if you are able to come and how many will attend.
p.s. John may or may not be able to be there but told me to go ahead and do it. (I leave that Wednesday for a week long trip)
Waiting with anticipation for their return,
Randy and Lynette Pickering
John gave me a call at 1:45 our time. He appologized for Brandon missing his call to us last night. I guess the satalite phone was promised to work 85% of the time and is giving about 10%. They can see the satalite go over head often but because of cloud coverage they can't make it work. They are also in an extremely remote area now that they are off the mountain. Also the guys are not always together and have split up into groups in town. He isn't always with the guy whose time it is to call, as was the case last night for Brandon P.
Here is the scoop.
They chose not to go to the Black sea due to a couple of reasons. Reason #1 they took an extra day on the mountain due to the time it took to get down. Reason #2 it takes 2 days to travel to the Black sea. Reason #3 they were invited to stay and eat with the families of their mountain cooks. This was an amazing opportunity. One of their translaters said that he had been in Russia for 3 years and has never been invited over for dinner. They have been invited into two homes now. One of the women commented on how happy she was to see what good the guys were doing there. Their hearts are being softened as they touch others and impact lives.
The dance was awesome last night. There were over 1000 people in attendance. This is a cultural event dated back 300 years. It was the place young men and women would meet one another. The russian people were dressed in traditional garb (including their mountain cook) and danced, without touching one another as a way to meet.
Our Brandon P. took the opportunity to dance along with the men. He was met with much laughter. (That doesn't surprise us)
The community service projects went well. There were 500+ kids in attendance. They are due to play some basketball later. (Hopefully they will do better at B-ball than they did at soccer)
There was another highlight that some of the guys were able to participate in. Leaf, Brandon A., Joey, John and Bryce were able to go to an orphange. ( The others stayed to do laundry and take naps) They weren't able to all go due to the size of their group. They orphans are 4-years-old and are raised by women. When they saw the men, they cried. They never see men. It was very emotional for the guys. The children had all been abandoned and it was sad.
All the guys are doing GREAT!! They are all healthy and feeling well. Exhausted, but well. Brandon P. said he is going to need a vacation after this is over. They are staying busy.
Now for the next few days, it will be nearly impossible to guarantee the satalite phone will work. After today, there will not be any translators to help John with the pay phone situation. He may not be able to reach the parents he was scheduled to call. He apologizes for this but it is unavoidable.
Know they are ALL thinking of their families. They send their love.
Expect great things in the future out of these young men and their life-changing adventure.
Families:
I talked to John about getting the group together for dinner to share their thoughts with all the families while they are still feeling the excitement. We are considering Monday night, June 18th at our house at 6:30 pm. I know my parents wanted to come too. Feel free to invite any grandparents that want to come. Let's do a pizza party. It is easy. Everyone could bring $ for pizza and bring a 6pack of soda.
Any sooner, they are going to be exhausted getting over jet lag, and that weekend is Father's Day.
Then, after the video has been assembled and edited (could be a while he has filmed hours and hours) we will get together again to view it. (Maybe at our church to fit everyone in with a big screen)
Email me to let me know if you are able to come and how many will attend.
p.s. John may or may not be able to be there but told me to go ahead and do it. (I leave that Wednesday for a week long trip)
Waiting with anticipation for their return,
Randy and Lynette Pickering