Power outage

Well it is 10 pm here and the power has been out since 6:30. We decided to try our first home cooked dinner at our apartment tonight since we found pasta and what we assumed was spaghetti sauce at the store last night. So we start boiling the water for the pasta (we used our bottled water since the water here is not drinkable-even though Boiling it would probably make it ok, we didn't dare risk it) not 2 minutes after I turned on the stove one of the managers came in and hung up a sign and started telling me something in Russian. When I told her I didn't speak Russian, she tried to tell me something about the light socket not working, and she told me the number 6:30. Well it was 6:20 and our water hand,t boiled yet, and at 6:30 the power went out just like she was trying to tell me. Luckily the water was boiling enough that we kept the lid on and managed to get our pasta to cook. Of course the one night we don,t eat out for dinner and the power goes out. After talking to a few people we learned that the city had been having issues and was shutting off the power to the city ( or at least our area) and from 10-11pm they would turn a generator on so we could get power for an hour and then it is supposed to go off again, for who knows how long. Crazy! Since Kris was in the middle of some work things when it went out he is hurrying to finish them on the laptop and I am in the community kitchen on the iPad for a minute because the wifi works better in the kitchen than in our room. Unfortunately I don,t have pictures on the iPad so depending on how long the power stays up, it might be a no picture post tonight....don't worry....if it is, I will post a video and pics tomorrow to make up for it. (updated:looks like I will have a minute to post some pics with this now)

I was thinking about some of the comments people had made on my last post about how we take so much for granted back home. This has been on my mind a lot while we have been here. We have so much to be thankful for and we often take it all for granted.

While we were in the kitchen eating our dinner tonight we were talking to a student here that speaks pretty good English. She had helped translate to us about the power situation and was asking us what we were doing here and where we were from. When we told her we were here adopting a little girl, she had the same facial expression that most people here do....pure shock....and then it turned to a little emotion. She just kept saying "thank you for doing this! It is so wonderful of you!" she told us that she lives 14 hours from here and that she has been here studying religion and she is graduating this Saturday.
When she found out I had 3 girls at home she kept saying "you look too young for that many kids...you look like you are 20" hmmm maybe I should stay here if everyone thinks I am so young...ha ha!

So we talked a little more about our family and hers and she said "oh this little girl is so lucky, not only is she being saved by you, she is going to America"


It just hit me again, the abundance of things we have to be thankful for. It does not make us any better than anyone else, it just means we have more required of us. "For where much is given, much is required".

(we tried a headband on her...it looked cute in the front but the back is a little too long and pushes it up)

I have always had a deep appreciation for our country, our freedoms, our conveniences, our families, our friends, our schools, our food, (the list goes on and on) before this experience, but it just reminds me to not take ANYTHING for granted.
To express gratitude for the things we have, and then to give of those things to others.
(this girl LOVES to clean! I am pretty sure they have her clean meticulously because she knows all the details of how to wipe crumbs into her hand!)

One of my favorite church hymns says:

Because I have been given much, I too must give;
Because of thy great bounty, Lord, each day I live;
I shall divide my gifts from thee
With every brother that I see
Who has the need of help from me.

Because I have been sheltered, fed by thy good care,
I cannot see another’s lack and I not share
My glowing fire, my loaf of bread,
My roof’s safe shelter overhead,
That he too may be comforted.

Because I have been blessed by thy great love, dear Lord,
I’ll share thy love again, according to thy word.
I shall give love to those in need;
I’ll show that love by word and deed:
Thus shall my thanks be thanks indeed.

We are so blessed and we have so much to give. Let's never forget that!