Our time in the States is getting short! We are finishing the final items on our to do list and then we will be fully ready to go! We are both anxious to begin this adventure!
Philip and I would like to give a shout out of gratitude to the Relief Society members in the Hillview ward for donating so many supplies to us! We only had to buy 1 or 2 supply items after all of the donations we received. It truly was a blessing to us and we will use those supplies to the best of our abilities to bless the lives of the children in Voronezh Russia.
One big to do list item that we have completed (and our so grateful that we have) is the packing of our suitcases. Let me tell you, that was so stressful, and so NOT FUN!!!!!! Surprisingly, space was not an issue in packing, but weight was. Each of our suitcases weighs within 1 pound of the alloted amount. And because of the weight issue, we will be bringing the maximum amount of suitcases that we can. Philip and I each have 1 large suitcase for our clothing and shoes, 1 medium suitcase with supplies, 1 carry-on size suitcase with various personal items and supplies, and then a personal item of a backpack for every other random thing. That is 6 suitcases total! Ahh! How will the 2 of us move these 6 suitcases by ourselves? I'm not sure, but we will! We don't plan on bringing back 1 of the suitcases with us, so we will only have 5 for the return trip, and that should be much easier to manage.
Some of you may be wondering why we are taking the trouble to bring 2 suitcases of supplies with us instead of just buying the supplies there. Well, there are a few reasons. Much of our teaching will be done while doing activities for which we will need several arts and craft supplies and some of the supplies (like construction paper and marshmallows) do not exist in Russia, so if we want to use them (which we will) we have to bring them. Other supplies (like peanut butter and brown sugar) are really hard to find and really expensive, so we bring those as well. Is it a big deal for us to be responsible for all the supplies we will need while teaching? Yes it is, but we have volunteered to take part in this program and so should not expect everything to be handed to us. No one who volunteers for something should expect it to be easy. We have volunteered so that we can serve and learn and get a job done, and we will get that job done no matter what we have to do to complete it! This is an exciting challenge and one we look forward to experiencing!
Wish us luck and stay posted! The next time I write on this blog, I expect to be in Russia!
Philip and I would like to give a shout out of gratitude to the Relief Society members in the Hillview ward for donating so many supplies to us! We only had to buy 1 or 2 supply items after all of the donations we received. It truly was a blessing to us and we will use those supplies to the best of our abilities to bless the lives of the children in Voronezh Russia.
One big to do list item that we have completed (and our so grateful that we have) is the packing of our suitcases. Let me tell you, that was so stressful, and so NOT FUN!!!!!! Surprisingly, space was not an issue in packing, but weight was. Each of our suitcases weighs within 1 pound of the alloted amount. And because of the weight issue, we will be bringing the maximum amount of suitcases that we can. Philip and I each have 1 large suitcase for our clothing and shoes, 1 medium suitcase with supplies, 1 carry-on size suitcase with various personal items and supplies, and then a personal item of a backpack for every other random thing. That is 6 suitcases total! Ahh! How will the 2 of us move these 6 suitcases by ourselves? I'm not sure, but we will! We don't plan on bringing back 1 of the suitcases with us, so we will only have 5 for the return trip, and that should be much easier to manage.
Some of you may be wondering why we are taking the trouble to bring 2 suitcases of supplies with us instead of just buying the supplies there. Well, there are a few reasons. Much of our teaching will be done while doing activities for which we will need several arts and craft supplies and some of the supplies (like construction paper and marshmallows) do not exist in Russia, so if we want to use them (which we will) we have to bring them. Other supplies (like peanut butter and brown sugar) are really hard to find and really expensive, so we bring those as well. Is it a big deal for us to be responsible for all the supplies we will need while teaching? Yes it is, but we have volunteered to take part in this program and so should not expect everything to be handed to us. No one who volunteers for something should expect it to be easy. We have volunteered so that we can serve and learn and get a job done, and we will get that job done no matter what we have to do to complete it! This is an exciting challenge and one we look forward to experiencing!
Wish us luck and stay posted! The next time I write on this blog, I expect to be in Russia!
(Soon to be) From Russia With Love,
Jenepher & Philip
Jenepher & Philip
