God Moments: Paying the Bill

Written by Holly

Dealing with foreign currency always presents an interesting challenge. While we had prepaid most of our costs, there were a few things we had to pay in person in Russia-- including our meals and accommodations at the Camp in Voronezh. We were originally told that we should be prepared to pay in rubles, and given the lousy exchange rate if you buy rubles from the USA, I figured I would bring my ATM cards and withdraw the funds in Russia. I alerted my banks to the trip, checked my daily limits, and brought a total of four debit cards for four separate accounts so that we would have plenty of back-up options.

Despite this preparedness -- all four of my bank accounts were frozen. {sigh} I wasn't sweating yet. I figured we would get to camp, I'd call my banks and get things straight, and then withdraw the funds on Saturday when we went into town. We arrived at the camp and our friends notified us of a change in our plans: we would not be going back into town on Saturday. I shared our financial situation and they said, "Oh, paying in dollars would actually be better." 

If I had known that, I would have brought dollars with me! But I didn't. I still called my banks and had everything unfrozen, but we weren't anywhere near an ATM. Now, the organizers at the camp are friends and certainly would have given us the grace to get the funds on Sunday - but I wanted that to be a last resort.  (Funny note - at the ATM in Russia, I could choose to withdraw dollars or rubles!)

I sat down with VIP, shared the situation and said, "Does anyone have any dollars we can borrow to pay this bill?"

The singers immediately jumped in to help. I have $22 dollars! I have $100 dollars! I have $16 dollars! By the time we all emptied our pockets, we had enough to pay the bill. We wrote down all the singers' names so that I could repay the kids.

It felt like such a disciple moment! I had this wonderful image of the disciples pooling their funds and sharing what they had. It was truly a God-inspired moment, and I was grateful to the singers for their generosity and help.

God Moments: Paying the Bill

Written by Holly

Dealing with foreign currency always presents an interesting challenge. While we had prepaid most of our costs, there were a few things we had to pay in person in Russia-- including our meals and accommodations at the Camp in Voronezh. We were originally told that we should be prepared to pay in rubles, and given the lousy exchange rate if you buy rubles from the USA, I figured I would bring my ATM cards and withdraw the funds in Russia. I alerted my banks to the trip, checked my daily limits, and brought a total of four debit cards for four separate accounts so that we would have plenty of back-up options.

Despite this preparedness -- all four of my bank accounts were frozen. {sigh} I wasn't sweating yet. I figured we would get to camp, I'd call my banks and get things straight, and then withdraw the funds on Saturday when we went into town. We arrived at the camp and our friends notified us of a change in our plans: we would not be going back into town on Saturday. I shared our financial situation and they said, "Oh, paying in dollars would actually be better." 

If I had known that, I would have brought dollars with me! But I didn't. I still called my banks and had everything unfrozen, but we weren't anywhere near an ATM. Now, the organizers at the camp are friends and certainly would have given us the grace to get the funds on Sunday - but I wanted that to be a last resort.  (Funny note - at the ATM in Russia, I could choose to withdraw dollars or rubles!)

I sat down with VIP, shared the situation and said, "Does anyone have any dollars we can borrow to pay this bill?"

The singers immediately jumped in to help. I have $22 dollars! I have $100 dollars! I have $16 dollars! By the time we all emptied our pockets, we had enough to pay the bill. We wrote down all the singers' names so that I could repay the kids.

It felt like such a disciple moment! I had this wonderful image of the disciples pooling their funds and sharing what they had. It was truly a God-inspired moment, and I was grateful to the singers for their generosity and help.

From Russia with Love

From Russia, With Love By Katherine After 12 exhausting but incredibly rewarding days in Russia, the VIPs are finally heading home! Currently, we are sitting  in the airport terminal, awaiting our 10 and a half hour flight to Dulles, followed by a bus ride back to FUMC. The flight may be long and the jet lag may be great, but returning to Maryland to tell our parents stories of Russia is worth the wait. 

From Russia with Love

From Russia, With Love By Katherine After 12 exhausting but incredibly rewarding days in Russia, the VIPs are finally heading home! Currently, we are sitting  in the airport terminal, awaiting our 10 and a half hour flight to Dulles, followed by a bus ride back to FUMC. The flight may be long and the jet lag may be great, but returning to Maryland to tell our parents stories of Russia is worth the wait. 

Last Day in Moscow

It's hard to believe... the last note has been sung. We're packing our bags and preparing for the long journey home.

Today, VIP sang two concerts -- one in the morning at a retirement community and one in the evening at Bolshoi Hall (sponsored by the American Center.) As they have done consistently on this trip, the choir sang incredibly well and won over their audiences. Kalinka continues to be a hit, and the people for whom we have performed really appreciate our other Russian piece, "Skylark." They seem to really like all our music, and have commented on how "American" it feels. Fitting comments on this 4th of July!

VIP spent the afternoon purchasing souvenirs -- be on the lookout for a lot of Russian hats.

See you soon! 

Last Day in Moscow

It's hard to believe... the last note has been sung. We're packing our bags and preparing for the long journey home.

Today, VIP sang two concerts -- one in the morning at a retirement community and one in the evening at Bolshoi Hall (sponsored by the American Center.) As they have done consistently on this trip, the choir sang incredibly well and won over their audiences. Kalinka continues to be a hit, and the people for whom we have performed really appreciate our other Russian piece, "Skylark." They seem to really like all our music, and have commented on how "American" it feels. Fitting comments on this 4th of July!

VIP spent the afternoon purchasing souvenirs -- be on the lookout for a lot of Russian hats.

See you soon! 

The Lion, the Transformer, and the Choir

Hello from Moscow!
By: Holly

On this our one free night in Moscow, most of the VIPs are at the ballet. Those of us who opted to skip it are enjoying a quiet night at the hotel -- which meets a chance to catch up on email and this blog!

The highlight of today was singing at a children's rehabilitation hospital. We arrived just after 2pm to prepare for a 3pm concert but (as we have discovered throughout this trip), our start time had been changed and we needed to go on immediately. I'n about to adopt the motto: warm ups are for wimps.

Usually when we sing in a hospital, we sing in a lobby or multi-purpose room. We expected the same today but instead, we were ushered through a small door that opened up into a HUGE auditorium -- complete with a full stage, velvet curtains, and a grand piano. This auditorium was a notch above most school auditoriums, and our audience was already in their seats.

But a bunch of the VIPs HAD to go to the bathroom, so while they zoomed off to find the facilties, I wondered, "Eesh. What you do with an audience full of kids who are just sitting there, looking expectantly at you?" Mary Flora (who is a genius) taught us a clapping/dancing game with a Russian flair earlier this year. We played it again yesterday when the choir needed an energy boost so I decided we should break the ice and try teaching it to the audience. It was such a hit! The kids loved it. The VIPs headed down from the stage and partnered up with them. We modified a few moves for kids with limited mobility and within minutes, everyone was having a blast.

We started singing and were joined by a lion and a transfomer. Seriously. I guess the concert organizers wanted to make it a festive afternoon -- and nothing says "festive" like a man dressed as a lion (like a character at an amusement park) and another dressed as a transfomer. Never a dull performance when you're a VIP...

The audience, to their credit, stayed engaged with the music. And the characters sort of danced around and motioned to us. It was a hoot.

We did most of our program and the VIPs did an awesome job of rolling with my added directions. I added basic choreography to songs that have never had any, and with zero advance rehearsal - VIP executed the moves perfectly. They sang well, too! We did most of our program, focusing particularly on pieces with audience participation. They played instruments on one piece and clapped along to several others.

At the end, we gave every child a stuffed animal and left other gifts (soccer balls, crayons, coloring books) with the staff. The kids and staff were over the moon - and so were we!!! I've never seen the VIPs as smile-y as they were today. They were at the top of their game to an audience who just loved every second.

We had tons of people come up to us after the concert to thank us for coming and tell us how meaningful the performance was. We love these concerts!

The Lion, the Transformer, and the Choir

Hello from Moscow!
By: Holly

On this our one free night in Moscow, most of the VIPs are at the ballet. Those of us who opted to skip it are enjoying a quiet night at the hotel -- which meets a chance to catch up on email and this blog!

The highlight of today was singing at a children's rehabilitation hospital. We arrived just after 2pm to prepare for a 3pm concert but (as we have discovered throughout this trip), our start time had been changed and we needed to go on immediately. I'n about to adopt the motto: warm ups are for wimps.

Usually when we sing in a hospital, we sing in a lobby or multi-purpose room. We expected the same today but instead, we were ushered through a small door that opened up into a HUGE auditorium -- complete with a full stage, velvet curtains, and a grand piano. This auditorium was a notch above most school auditoriums, and our audience was already in their seats.

But a bunch of the VIPs HAD to go to the bathroom, so while they zoomed off to find the facilties, I wondered, "Eesh. What you do with an audience full of kids who are just sitting there, looking expectantly at you?" Mary Flora (who is a genius) taught us a clapping/dancing game with a Russian flair earlier this year. We played it again yesterday when the choir needed an energy boost so I decided we should break the ice and try teaching it to the audience. It was such a hit! The kids loved it. The VIPs headed down from the stage and partnered up with them. We modified a few moves for kids with limited mobility and within minutes, everyone was having a blast.

We started singing and were joined by a lion and a transfomer. Seriously. I guess the concert organizers wanted to make it a festive afternoon -- and nothing says "festive" like a man dressed as a lion (like a character at an amusement park) and another dressed as a transfomer. Never a dull performance when you're a VIP...

The audience, to their credit, stayed engaged with the music. And the characters sort of danced around and motioned to us. It was a hoot.

We did most of our program and the VIPs did an awesome job of rolling with my added directions. I added basic choreography to songs that have never had any, and with zero advance rehearsal - VIP executed the moves perfectly. They sang well, too! We did most of our program, focusing particularly on pieces with audience participation. They played instruments on one piece and clapped along to several others.

At the end, we gave every child a stuffed animal and left other gifts (soccer balls, crayons, coloring books) with the staff. The kids and staff were over the moon - and so were we!!! I've never seen the VIPs as smile-y as they were today. They were at the top of their game to an audience who just loved every second.

We had tons of people come up to us after the concert to thank us for coming and tell us how meaningful the performance was. We love these concerts!

Photos!!!

On Saturday, Maddie compiled a few photos from our trip. A lot has happened since then!

The choir performs the song “Kalinka” at a concert. This song seems to be a hit with most of our Russian audiences, who love to clap and sing with us.  

The choir, standing with audience members from our concert at the Christian University, where we stayed in St. Petersburg. In the picture, you can see some of the gifts that we gave to the Spring Center, which is run by Grace United Methodist church here in Russia. Representatives from the center are also with us in the photo.

A group of Russian youth from the camp here in Voronzh. When we arrived, they put on a talent show for us, which included dancing, singing, and a few skits.

Kyle took a minute to pose with this statue, which we all thought looked remarkably similar to him!

Photobomb! The senior girls and Holly kindly jumped into the Brought family photo in front of the Church of Our Savior of the Spilled Blood.

VIPs Charlie and Nick dash through a “trick fountain” in the garden at the Peterhof. The boys couldn’t get across fast enough, got caught in the spray, and ended up getting pretty wet.

Photos!!!

On Saturday, Maddie compiled a few photos from our trip. A lot has happened since then!

The choir performs the song “Kalinka” at a concert. This song seems to be a hit with most of our Russian audiences, who love to clap and sing with us.  

The choir, standing with audience members from our concert at the Christian University, where we stayed in St. Petersburg. In the picture, you can see some of the gifts that we gave to the Spring Center, which is run by Grace United Methodist church here in Russia. Representatives from the center are also with us in the photo.

A group of Russian youth from the camp here in Voronzh. When we arrived, they put on a talent show for us, which included dancing, singing, and a few skits.

Kyle took a minute to pose with this statue, which we all thought looked remarkably similar to him!

Photobomb! The senior girls and Holly kindly jumped into the Brought family photo in front of the Church of Our Savior of the Spilled Blood.

VIPs Charlie and Nick dash through a “trick fountain” in the garden at the Peterhof. The boys couldn’t get across fast enough, got caught in the spray, and ended up getting pretty wet.

Caroling in July

Caroling in July By Mary Brooke The church service that we attended this morning was one of the longer ones I have attended.  But it was one of the most amazing (and musically diverse). I sat next to a young man from Nigeria (who played the trumpet), sang along with Russian Methodists (Oleg was a rock star in a former life), and visited with friends from good old Dunkirk.  All while in Voronezh, Russia.   God is truly everywhere!  After lunch of beef, not chicken! (we were excited!), we went with Irina to a park to begin our caroling session.  It was a wonderful surprise to meet up with some of our friends from the camp who call this beautiful city home!  We spent the afternoon traveling from parks to monuments, gathering a crowd at each location.  It helped to have Russian friends to translate!  We sang, we talked, and there was even some dancing!   Our last two stops of the day were the sweetest-- ice cream at Baskin Robbins and a visit to a chocolate store that sells treats made in Voronezh.  Some of us bought some to share; don't worry, parents! We are now enjoying dinner back at the church with our Russian friends.  It has been such a joy to spend time with them.  It will be difficult to say goodbye, but we press on to Moscow tonight!   Here's to chocolate and friends, two of God's greatest gifts! Off to the station in less than an hour! With love, Mary Brooke 01 July 2012

Caroling in July

Caroling in July By Mary Brooke The church service that we attended this morning was one of the longer ones I have attended.  But it was one of the most amazing (and musically diverse). I sat next to a young man from Nigeria (who played the trumpet), sang along with Russian Methodists (Oleg was a rock star in a former life), and visited with friends from good old Dunkirk.  All while in Voronezh, Russia.   God is truly everywhere!  After lunch of beef, not chicken! (we were excited!), we went with Irina to a park to begin our caroling session.  It was a wonderful surprise to meet up with some of our friends from the camp who call this beautiful city home!  We spent the afternoon traveling from parks to monuments, gathering a crowd at each location.  It helped to have Russian friends to translate!  We sang, we talked, and there was even some dancing!   Our last two stops of the day were the sweetest-- ice cream at Baskin Robbins and a visit to a chocolate store that sells treats made in Voronezh.  Some of us bought some to share; don't worry, parents! We are now enjoying dinner back at the church with our Russian friends.  It has been such a joy to spend time with them.  It will be difficult to say goodbye, but we press on to Moscow tonight!   Here's to chocolate and friends, two of God's greatest gifts! Off to the station in less than an hour! With love, Mary Brooke 01 July 2012

News from a Shaking Bus

News from a Shaking Bus Written by Ashley on Sunday morning Right now, we Voices in Praise are traveling via bus on a narrow, rickety road through a vast forest on our way back to the city of Voronezh from Camp Kristall. We've had quite the adventure getting to the camp, to say the very least, but it has most definitely been worth it. Over the past day and a half, we have sang well,  had some (surprisingly?) good food, cheered, played, swam, worked, and, most importantly, met and formed some great connections in fellowship with many new Russian friends. Every person could tell one of many  stories of our interactions: about the picture drawn for them by a sweet little girl, the joy in finding out they shared tastes in music with one of the kids, or even the excitement of the intense Kristall/VIP combined soccer game. And as we met last night in devotional to discuss how things went before we continue on our journey, it was clear that we were part of a different, changed VIP. As much as this trip is meant to make a difference, whether small or gigantic, in the lives of the Russian people we encounter, it is one for us to grow as people of God. And we are most surely taking advantage of that remarkable opportunity. 

News from a Shaking Bus

News from a Shaking Bus Written by Ashley on Sunday morning Right now, we Voices in Praise are traveling via bus on a narrow, rickety road through a vast forest on our way back to the city of Voronezh from Camp Kristall. We've had quite the adventure getting to the camp, to say the very least, but it has most definitely been worth it. Over the past day and a half, we have sang well,  had some (surprisingly?) good food, cheered, played, swam, worked, and, most importantly, met and formed some great connections in fellowship with many new Russian friends. Every person could tell one of many  stories of our interactions: about the picture drawn for them by a sweet little girl, the joy in finding out they shared tastes in music with one of the kids, or even the excitement of the intense Kristall/VIP combined soccer game. And as we met last night in devotional to discuss how things went before we continue on our journey, it was clear that we were part of a different, changed VIP. As much as this trip is meant to make a difference, whether small or gigantic, in the lives of the Russian people we encounter, it is one for us to grow as people of God. And we are most surely taking advantage of that remarkable opportunity.