Костёр – I love you! Костёр – Я люблю!

What an adventure!

Well after 21 days away from home in foreign places, and 16 days at camp Костёр in Russia, I think I can safely call it a real adventure.

There are a stack of things I can say I learnt while I was away. Here are a few of them:

• God can use even me
• Russian kids really want to hear the Gospel
• You cannot put a price on one changed life
• Squat toilets over a pit aren’t so bad if you give it time
• Borsh (борщ) is yummo, despite appearances
• I’m a gifted pine cone (шишки) shifter, with my lanky toes
• Long distance travel hurts your butt
• Mother taught us to keep elbows in at the table in preparation for eating food in claustrophobic conditions on international flights
• Schoolyard handball - Aussie-style - is destined for universal acceptance and Olympic Games inclusion
• It’s true as the Russians say – Russia has two problems, roads and fools (though I didn’t meet that many fools – just bad roads)
• Read the fine print… and re-read the large print
• Finland is like the country you see in fairy tale illustrations
• Russia 2009 is lookin’ good

I managed to write over 100 pages of journal entries. Sure, I’d love to type them all out and post them online – right after I finish my book on the Amplified Analysis of Inter-Galactic Lightspeed Travel, And Its Effect on Photosynthesis.

But seriously, I can’t seem to dig up the words I need to express my love for those lovable kids. Will He send me again? I’m ready…