update from Russia

So things have been awesome in Russia so far. We have been here a week and a lot has happened. I only have less than 7 minutes to write everything so I'll do my best. I'm currently writing this from the Hermitage museum on Saturday. The kids that we work with are absolutely amazing and they are connected with us in amazing ways. One boy who is about 17 told me that I was his best friend, that he thought I was cool and that he will always remember me. He came to Russia from the Afghanistan area where his family has absolutely no money for food for him so his time at the halfway home is good for him and he really likes it. He thinks its nice to have food everyday, clean clothes and things like that. He came to Russia to find work but was picked up by the police here and brought to the halfway home. He leaves to go back on Monday.
There are many other kids that I can write pages about but i don't have enough time to type about them. I have about 3 minutes which is not nearly enough time.
Everything else has been awesome too. I was almost pick pocketed in the metro the first day we got here, but i noticed it and was able to save my wallet and money haha. Also I'm bummed that i forget to get everyone's addresses so i cant send out any postcards :( this also will be the only time i will be able to go online for the entire trip. so hopefully you guys will keep praying for my team for that we work though God and do his will. Thanks !!!

-Eric

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Russia.

I leave for Russia in less than 24 hours. Im pretty excited/nervous about it since its my first time out of North America. Its going to be amazing though, and i know God is going to work though my team in amazing ways. I know I'm gonna learn a lot from this trip, life is going to be a lot different on the other side of the world. Culture, food, activities, not to mention that Russia get about 3-4 hours or darkness each day this time of year. That will be fun getting used to. This summer should be interesting since I get back form Russia on June 2nd and my photography job up at Forest Home starts a few days after that. I hear jet lag is for pansies anyway, so I'll be good.... I hope.

Anyways this is the blog that I will be updating while I am in Russia,given that we find a internet cafe, that I will try and update at least once a week. So check back often, ill try to write as much as I can with as much detail as I can so you guys can get a good idea of what its like over there. However if by chance I cant get internet access at all while I'm there my team will have updates on this site http://www.calbaptist.edu/spiritual-life/international-service-projects/default2.aspx?id=7372 which will tell you about what all we've done so far. So thanks for reading, please pray for my team as we head into Russia to show people Gods love though our actions.

-Eric

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realization...

so i decided to make a new banner for this little blog and realised that i title my blag as a "photoblog" when i havent put any of my pictures up in ages.... so ill get back on that...

also recently ive been reminded on how faithful God is. Ive been stressed with fundraising for my Russia trip in my few weeks so ive been praying about it. Then recently I got enough donations to pay for more than 2/3rds of my trip when like a week ago i had way less than half of it. God has blessed me so much through this and hopefully because of it my team can be a blessing for the people we meet throughout Russia... just as they will be a blessing for us. I am still taking donations though, since i havent raised all of the money yet... so if you or anyone you know would be interesting in donating, let me know.
Hopefully I will have internet acess while im in Russia so I can update my blog from there. Thank you guys so mmuch for your prayers for my team this summer, please continue to pray for us while we are in russia so we can handel the culture shock and do Gods work. Thanks guys.

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Angelos Blog Assignment #3

It was three years ago this May that I met the most interesting person. It wasn’t really a formal meeting, more of a familiar feeling during a brief moment that this person and me passed me on the street.
I was in a hurry on my way to work at Jerry’s Antique Store when I felt a cool breeze on my face and decided to slow down, relax, and walk for a bit. I decided to sit on a rusty green bench along the sidewalk to people watch for a bit. I wasn’t too fond of my current job, and they haven’t paid me in a few weeks because not too many people want antiques anymore, so it was okay if I was a few minutes late. The few minutes that where spent here many people of all different backgrounds passed me. People watching is something that I love to do in my free time, during this I was able to eves drop on several conversations and heard about a girls new puppy, who she named Hurley, that she had gotten for her birthday a few days ago, then I heard a man briefly speak about his job and how it would help for him to get rich quick. I chuckled to myself when I saw a small lady running after her snow white German Sheppard who had gotten off its leash. Smells from the nearby doughnut factory filled my nose and made my stomach rumble, I decided that on the way to work I would stop by for some freshly baked maple bars.
This day seemed pretty normal for me. The sun was shining through a near clear sky, the breeze was gently brushing across my face the birds where chirping and the bees where buzzin. Could life get better? I think not!
That’s when this peculiar individual walked past my bench. He was middle aged, a little heavy set and had a small dog on a leash walking next to him. At first glance it seemed normal- just a person walking their dog. But then as this individual got closer, I could see that he was talking… but no one was with him… just his dog. It seemed as if he was talking in first and second person- as if there was another person walking with him engaging in a conversation. As soon as I heard this sentence come out of this stranger’s mouth I knew he was a wacko. “Who the heck are you going to listen to- the voices in you head or your best friend?”

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I thought this was funny.

25 things I hate about facebook
^^linkage

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Angelos Blog Assignment #2

How to get a tattoo, starting from step one.
Step 1- Think of the tattoo you want then ask yourself questions about the tattoo like- “what does this tattoo represent?”, “will I like this tattoo when I’m 85?” “is this something I want everyone to see daily?” and “does this tattoo stand for what I believe in?” Many times, people choose tattoos from a quick random impulse and get to live with that super cute dolphin on their neck for the rest of their lives. Don’t be that mistake, don’t be the person that has to wear long sleeves in the summer heat to cover a tattoo you got on a whim when you turned 18. It seems that lots of people tend to forget that tattoos really do last a lifetime. So with that in mind- choose wisely.

Step 2- Find a legit shop. Tattoos aren’t really the kind of thing you want to find a deal on. Chances are, the cheaper the tattoo, the higher you medical bills will be later on in life From what I hear, blood diseases certainly aren’t a walk in the park. So when you hear of free tattoos or hear of someone who will tattoo you out of his RV chances are that it’s a bad idea. Look around the Internet for shop if you have no friends that have tattoos. Once you find one online, look at all the artist’s work and decide if its quality or not. There are a lot of people who can grab a tattoo gun and call themselves tattoo artists, but there are even less who can actually do quality work. No one wants an ugly tattoo for the rest of their lives. Once you find the perfect shop, make sure they use sterile needles for every tattoo. Most shops will have an autoclave, which is a machine that will clean the needles perfectly for every use. Look into this for each shop so you don’t get more than a tattoo that lasts a lifetime.

Step 3. Save money and call ahead to get an appointment. If you find a good artist chances are they can fit you in the day you call. So find a date later in the week/month that will work for you and your artist. Bring enough money for the tattoo AND a tip. Tipping is important so that the artist will be happy working with you and will want to work with you again… and if you are lucky, the artist will see that you tip and may want to give you a discount on another tattoo sometime later.

Once you’ve completed these steps, you should have a rockin’ tattoo that you get to show of to your grandma and other friends! Take care of it daily because like teeth, if you neglect it, it will neglect you… and decide to fade away a look like a really ugly birthmark. Lotion is your best friend. You brush you teeth everyday (hopefully), so use lotion everyday. Welcome to the world of tattoos.

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bradley hathaway

so i discovered Bradley Hathaway back in high school and thought he was a pretty legit guy. He really is, Bradley is pretty much a urban poet that goes around and does his slam poetry inbetween sets at some christian rock shows. His stuff really hits home for a lot of people so you should take 3 minutes out of your life and listen to "the hug poem" that i found on youtube. Its one of my favorite poems of his. Watch it, its awesome.

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