Lessons learned in Russia

If you haven’t already heard, I’m back. The entire Judson crew hit the ground in ATL on Friday complete with our favorite souvenir, the Russia crud! We hacked and sniffled the entire way home. Regardless, Russia was AMAZING! It was such an eye-opening experience to worship with people I couldn’t really communicate with yet know we were praising the same God in two different languages! It’s an experience I doubt I will ever be completely able to express in words!

So, I’ll use pictures and explain some of the important life lessons I learned in Russia! Here goes:

10. Russia, despite all you’ve heard, is a beautiful place!

9. When traveling abroad, take rest when you can get it, even if it’s in the middle of the Moscow Airport or on a pile of luggage in the aisle of a crowded, unairconditioned bus!

8. Monkeys wearing clothing can be creepy! (Creepy little monkey fingers combing through Bob’s hair! EEK!)

7. Chocolate is good in any language! (Cheers to the Russians in Sochi who devised an entire restaurant devoted to desserts!)

6. Jon Bon Jovi is cool all around the world! (Here’s me with his guitar in the Hard Rock in Moscow!)

5. Jon Bon Jovi may be cool worldwide, but Lenin is not, even though his likeness graces most cities in Russia.

4. First impressions are funny! Many people thought Stacy and I were sisters! 🙂

3. When you’re half a world away from home, it’s the little things that count. . .like Tara knowing that she and Kyle were watching the same World Cup soccer game thousands of miles apart, or realizing that friends and family members were praying for me as I endured an uncomfortable flight across the Atlantic that first day, or Phil reading an e-mail from home that touched us all.

2. You can learn a lot about yourself when you step out of your comfort zone and meet people who live in a different culture than your own. . .like the laughs and good times we shared wih Denis, our favorite translator. (Denis quotes: “In Russian, it’s Denis, but for you, Dennis.” “Denis never said ‘Stupid Americans;’Denis says crazy Americans.” “This is my special tea.” “In Russian, there is no translation for ‘whatever,’ but I like it so I use it. Whatever!” Denis on Michael W. Smith: “I like his music, but his voice. . .”)

1. All bathrooms are not created equal. If you’re used to cleanliness, sparkling countertops, gleaming porcelain, and shower curtains, take a good long look at your bathroom at home and wave good-bye, because you won’t be seeing anything like it until you get home again! (This is my bathroom in Sochi. I hugged my shower curtain when I got home!)