The First Day in Ulyanovsk

Hello again everyone!  What a first day in Ulyanovsk, Russia.  But first, here's the dawn of a new day at the airport in Amsterdam.  The aircraft walkway sign sums up our excitement, as we get ready to fly to Moscow.

The Netherlands has wind turbines everywhere.  Think of the Weatherford wind farm if it were along the North Sea. :)

Landing in Moscow.  It was gorgeous.

Here's something you don't see every day in the vending machine.

Finally on the streets of Moscow.

We caught a train from Moscow to Ulyanovsk.

These aspen trees are starting to celebrate autumn.

14 hours later, Pastor Nadya was waving to us through the window.  Then came the hugs from the host families.  Lauranne, Nancy and Sam know how to speak Russian.  They have been here before.  Jeremy, Susan and I do not speak Russian.  This is our first trip.  But we all understood the incredible love our Russian friends had for us at the train station.

Pastor Nadya's office.  The Ulyanovsk United Methodist Church.  Their brochure quotes Psalm 46:1 - "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."  It is beautiful, inside and out.

Pastor Nadya leading us in prayer.

The church's children's room.

A stunningly gorgeous Russian Orthodox church.  I'm snapping photos left and right while riding in a car, but can't take in all the beauty fast enough.

Lenin was born here, and this is Lenin Square.  It's where several churches were destroyed at the beginning of the communist era.

Next stop, the Volga River - the longest river in Europe.  At one point, you can't see the other side.  But we drove across the "new bridge" and back across the "old bridge" at a much closer connection point.

Pastor Nadya took us to a local art museum.  We're so grateful we had translators in our group to help us understand the tour guide.  Some of these paintings are hundreds of years old.

Next up, a library museum.  Some of the books were 500 years old.  You'll love the giant book and the tiny book (which has the four Gospels).

Before sunset, we're greeted by one of the locals.

One of Lenin's childhood homes.

 Finally, dinner at Teremok.  The food here is fantastic.  I'm eating more vegetables than I do at home!

Sunday is going to be fantastic.  We will have worship with Pastor Nadya, Jeremy will help with communion (he's learned how to say, "The blood of Christ" and "Peace be with you" in Russian), Susan will have a special lesson with the kids, we will bid on handmade crafts, and some of the women from the St. Luke's UMC - Ulyanovsk nursing home church will be there.  It's the only Methodist church in Europe that meets in a government-run nursing home.  Skype with you tomorrow!