There really is no place like home. Friends, it is so good to be back.
I've had my first full week back home, and the dust of arrival is just beginning to settle as I start looking towards departure. I still have a lot to do, but mostly, I'm trying to decompress. It was a busy summer!
So after all the transpired, camp to flood to studio to camp, I needed a break, but I'm already excited for the future and what's to come! Here's a quick run-down of my short-term and long-term plans:
-- On Oct. 7, I'll arrive (bleary-eyed) in Krasnodar and hop the bus or get a ride back to Novorossyisk.
-- I will move into or start looking for an apartment stat
-- In Novorossyisk, I'll begin preparing for winter English camp. I'm going to be the English program coordinator, which means I need to write the curriculum and try to find Americans to come serve at the camp.
-- On Dec. 15 I fly back to the US for Christmas and a new visa
Working at the camp will be a full-time job. For now I'm volunteering, but hopefully in January I will be returning as a camp employee with a work visa, which will let me stay longer.
I'm trying to be disciplined and not let myself work on camp while I'm on vacation, but I'm so excited about it I've even been having dreams about it! It's hard not to start working on it in my mind. And truthfully I'll need to gather materials while I'm here, but I have to keep the planning to a minimum or I won't get rested! It's very exciting.
If you want to hear about my trip in person, in detail, please join me at the Missoula Allinace Church at 9:45, where I'll be giving a presentation about my summer and answering questions live (click the link to find directions).
If you are interested in supporting my ongoing work in Russia, or would like to come volunteer at English camp, please feel free to email me at
j_blevins_mt@yahoo.com! I'd love to chat about how you can help!
Seriously, if English camp sounds like buckets of fun (which it is) and you want to help, contact me. You do not need to speak Russian, NOT ONE WORD! The English camp is happening January 2-6 this winter, and there would be time after camp for sight-seeing and fun in beautiful Novorossyisk on the Black Sea, and possibly in Moscow or St. Petersburg. It's a great way to see Russia and a really fun way to serve.
Thank you all for your prayers and support! I'll probably be quiet for the next couple of weeks but once I return to Russia, expect to hear from me regularly!
Пока ребята, Russian Jane
