The people that got us through

Not sure if that Russian in the title will work or not. Of course it took me a while to type it. A little hunt and peck on the keyboard here.

This will be our last post from beautiful Far East Russia. We rode the trolly bus down to the little cafe and then did the last bit of souviner shopping. A few matroyskas as some gifts. We walked back to the hotel and took a few last photos and video. I have just a little bit of packin to do and it is only 11:20 am. Lena and Andrei don't come to get us until 2:00.

Last night we had a cab adventure. We were invited to the Catholic Church in town to see a choral concert. Suzanne has been in contact with Father Joe, the priest here. His lawyer friend called us a cab to take us from the hotel to the church and then he called a cab to take us back. A white knuckle ride to say the least. The concert was fantastic. Father Joe brought in an organist from central Russia to play. There was also a Mezzo Soprano and a Soprano Soloist. A string quarted from the local philharmoic and a young women's choir (8 members.) The did a wide variety of music. All of it was amazing. We were able to snap a few photos of the inside of the church, which is a renovated barracks. D also got a photo of the Soprano in all of her bling! Well worth the scary cab ride.

I would like to second D's parent's comment about the support. I want all of our readers to know how much we truly appreciate you. Your support has been nothing short of astounding. There is no way we could have gotten through these last 11 months without you. The highlight of our day (besides visiting Pickle) has been to rush up the 5 flights of stairs to the internet closet to read all of your comments. Our journey is not over yet. We still have just a little way to go. Please contine to pray for us and especially for Pickle. You are all in our daily prayers too.