Jonahs cowboy birthday

In honor of our beloved country of origin we had a cowboy birthday party for Jonah, (who is now 7) with all the favorite American fixin's , grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and settlers baked beans! The young cowpokes enjoyed our tribute to the pride of America and well... I enjoyed the priviledge of creating a fun party with the help of my tried and true side kicks, Haillie and Noah. After years of studying under my expertise... my older pups help me out with all the preparations, which makes the whole thing much easier for me and fun for them too.Mark helped me make this lasso game.




























The kids brought there swim gear and we played a few water games. The weather was perfect for this.









Noah helped make this squirt gun game. Here they are ganging up on the bad guys.




















The cake was made by Noah, with Haillie's help and decorated by me, also with Haillie's help (that cake decorating class she had is sure paying off!). It was a horse for the birthday cowpoke who only has a very uncooperative Labrador.
















He got more gifts then he should have. Most came from his generous siblings that gave him some of their own things plus bought him new things!




















This is Jose, who is wanted for stealing candy! The cowpokes are ready and very willing to retrieve the candy! I gotta say I enjoy creating these pinatas, how sad when I don't have reason anymore. Ya, I know Jose is smoking!...I do not promote smoking but, doesn't the cigarette make him look bad??.. he is a bad cowboy... and we did hit him with a stick!




















Here is a picture of the candy stuffers. He was very heavy! I love this tradition! I will have to pass it on to my Russian friends:)



















Well the end to a great day! Give the kids candy and send them home just as the sugar is hitting there systems. As for our kids?? We just locked them outside until bed time:)
Yep! that is our life, full of creating together and enjoying the simple life
Jonah, we love you! You are a fun loving, sensitive, compassionate, passionate, little boy that keeps us smiling mostly because if we aren't you make us!

noah

My boy turns 11 today! I just can't hold onto time, I would like to sometimes, just to savor it. This year Noah has really taken off in his reading. I find him at night and in the morning reading his bible or some great book. I am so thankful for Noah! He is witty and clever, compassionate, loving, adventurous, God-fearing, tough, tolerant, and obedient. Some fun info about him is that he is very clumsy but seems to always land on his feet. I remember one time when he was 2, we were walking through the mall and he walked right through 1 of those advertisement displays that was sitting in the middle of the hall, the cardboard insert lay on the floor and he just got up and kept going! Everyone around were very amused with that. Just recently while we were in Hungary ice skating, if you can imagine Noah traveling as fast as he can and doing flips and getting up while bystanders stood in disbelief laughing. My favorite quote from him was when he was 4 and said, after we had just read out of our bible story book about Moses, "Mom, pray for my ears." Me: "Why, do they hurt??", Noah: "No, I just can't hear God talking to me." He has always been so sensitive towards God and towards others. Always willing to give the best to someone else, to share what he has, to help when someone is in need. One more story. When he was in 1st grade, the teacher said at one of our parent-teacher meetings, "When I imagine Jesus as a kid, I think of Noah."!!! Wow, that will be hard to live up to but a good goal for all of us:) He of course is not Jesus and can get into some good arguments with his siblings but in the end they are best friends, what more could I ask for!
For his birthday we had these boys from school over. It was a sleep over and so it got pretty rowdy at times. Mark played Dragon Raid with them. This is a christian, discipleship, role playing game that makes them work as a team. They loved it and Mark got to share with them in the game about prayer.

Angel of Grozny

I just finished this book after having to put it down several times because the content was so disturbing. It is a vivid and raw portrayal of the effects of the Russian-Chechen war along with the fear, propaganda, injustices, and innocent victims. It confirms all we have heard and experienced here, (Russia) but truth in print proves to be more disturbing. I encourage you to read this, it will help you understand life in Russia and the forgotten children who are victims of the on going Chechen-Russian conflict.
The author is a jounalist and so I understand that sensationalism is a part of the job, but most of what she writes is just pure facts of what she has experienced. I found that she has been accurate in here description of Russia. In the end she let's you draw your own opinions and shows the injustices and ugliness on both sides.
It is an excellent book and I am more passionate then ever about our efforts to reach these children and forever changed by their stories. We have to give hope to the hopeless.

School is Out!

Last week was the end of the school year. We had a year full of adjustments including a huge move from St. Pete to Krasnodar and from being home-schooled to attending a new school that was just started last fall for ex-patriots and English speaking Russians.
There were many hi-cups through the year, which was to be expected for the first year and so with grace we endured,and in the end the kids came through with more knowledge and character growth which is always our desire. I am proud of their accomplishments and captured a few pictures of the last day of school where they were presented with awards.

Noah is seen here with the famous, Mark Broberg, downward grin, as his teacher, Mrs. Williams, praises him for the most improved in penmanship, saying, it was really something beautiful!


















I couldn't help but add in these other "Broberg" faces..biting his tongue and making a funny face because he is a little embarrassed at the attention. He also got awards for most tolerant, because he is always accepting of everyone and takes what discipline is given even when misunderstood. He is a sweet boy to the core! Way to go, Noah, we are proud!

























Haillie got awards for A,B honor roll for the quarter( which wasn't her first time), most improved in bible, and most responsible. I am so proud of her hard work and efforts to do all her work well and get it back on time. She is obviously a first born and takes her tasks seriously! Good job Haillie, keep it up!
Mr. Williams, presents my beautiful but camera shy girl, with her award.















This is the junior high girls leading worship for the service. We are so thankful for the friends that have been made through the school and the support we feel from our ex-pat community! I also want to thank the Staff at KIS (Krasnodar International School) for all their time and hard work to make the year a success.

Cossacks

May is a big Praznik (holiday) month for Russia. Starting with May 1st which is Labor Day, and is celebrated by parades and of course, fireworks. This year Memorial day was in May also. It is usually recognized the Monday after Easter and is a day when Russians go to the graveyard and put flowers on their deceased parents graves and say special prayers, which often ends up being a family reunion at the grave sites, with food and drinks. Then a very big celebration for Russia is Victory Day on, May 9th, signifying the victory over Nazi Germany, in 1945, in World War II. It is an important military marker as well as a time of sorrow, remembering those who died during the war.
A military parade is organized along with demonstrators. We have in the past gotten pictures of the demonstrators with there signs of Stalin and Soviet flags. But this time we captured the pride of the well known Cossacks. They are known for there help in times of War and were assembled in Krasnodar Krai region as border protectors during war times. Their origin comes from Polish and Russian serfs and independent Tatar people. Their military careers, for boys, starts when they are born, when it is said that the fathers put a weapon in their hand, and continues through their life; training with weapons and learning, as in the past, to ride and fight on horses.
The Russians in general have pride, but the Cossacks seem to have even more. In these pictures they proudly display their war medals and Cossack gear.










































children in their Cossack uniforms.








Young Cossack girls hamming it up for the camera.

















Today the Cossacks still patrol borders and are always ready for the command to take up arms. They currently protect the Georgian border and Caucasus borders. They still uphold the reputation of being a strong force that takes their job to the extreme, and will fight to the end.





Here is a small boy that is dressed in his Cossack uniform ready for a life of fighting.

"1 of these things doesn't go with the other...."

Well we had bunnies for Easter and then our love starved dog, Jack, kept messing with them and they ended up all running away. The main problem was that the bunnies had no cage. Mark is the bunny initiator, I just fell in love with them and got mad/sad when they ran away. So my request was that there would be no more bunnies until the proper cage was bought. So Mark bought some material to make the cage but he came up just a little short of material to finish it off. He went ahead and bought the bunnies.
To my horror we found Jack inside the cage with the bunnies! He doesn't hurt them just licks them until the are raggedy! He obviously needs some friends!
His new theme song, dubbed by our friend Tim Gardner and taken from Veggietales is, " the bunny, the bunny, Oh, I love the bunny!" Don't worry we are keeping them separate. No more bunny dreams for Jack!

Христос Воскрес! Christ is Risen!

Sunday was Easter. A celebration that all the Russians observe. The tradition is to greet everyone with these words, "kreestoc voskress!" Christ is Risen! Which then would be returned with "voeestenoo voskress!" He is Risen Indeed! As I was on my way to church my heart was fluttering with anticipation of attending a church service where our whole church congregation could be together. This has not happened since the summer when the city officials banned the church from meeting on the land they were renting. Since then we have been meeting in home church groups all over town, separately. We have had about 4 services for special occasions in a cultural center that cannot seat all of the people so we had to have 2 back to back services, for these times. This week the church rented a horse track stadium not far from where we live that could hold the whole congregation. On our way to church we had to drive on the road that was directly in front of the stadium to get into it. At the sight of the stadium, already full with thousands of people, my excitement and emotion could not be contained and tears filled my eyes! As we drove up, lining the roads were ushers, directing and greeting with the Easter chant.

Although the weather forecast was 70 percent chance of rain, by the time we got into the stadium the rain had ceased in answer to the prayers of a believing congregation! The Pastor stood up and shouted 3 times as is the tradition, "Kreestos Voskress!" the congregation shouted in reply 3 times, "Vo eesteenoo Voskress!" The presence of God overwhelmed me and the sight of 4000+ people standing with up raised hands shouting praises with passion and inhibition to their Risen living God, brought more tears, as I joined in to worshiping my God with abandon!





Many prayed the salvation prayer for the very first time! Even in the midst of threats and persecution the body of Christ thrives, believes, grows, loves, forgives, and presses on! Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ!
It did not rain the rest of the day and we enjoyed fellowship with our friends the Behimers and Herringtons. It was a good day! We had good food, fellowship, and bunnies too!
Remember the body of Christ here as the future here is uncertain and opposition grows.