On to SoCal

Sorry I haven't updated in a while! We did our last stateside service tonight. It has been an amazing experience. We have learned so much from these people. Church is such a sacred holy ground to them and they treat it as such. I think in American churches we have made church such a relaxed environment that we forget how sacred it is. They may have different traditional customs that we all don't believe in, but it's out of respect and honor for God and his house.

Last week we spent the night in another host home in Washington about 4 hours from where we were staying. We stayed with an amazing family who treated us like we were their own. The morning we left, the husband and his wife had breakfast with us as he told us their story. He had tears in his eyes as he told us about when he first knew she was the one. It was a beautiful sight to see him cry as he told us that he didn't love her that much when they first got married, but everyday he loves her even more and loves her now more than ever. What a powerful love they share. Later we said good by to our Seattle host home. Although we didn't see them much, we often got to spend time with their boys Vlad, who's 20 and Victor who I believe was 22. They were so kind and always treated us like sisters. We even had a little jam session where Vlad timidly showed us his progress on the guitar haha.

On Tuesday morning, we got to Portland and did a youth service. It was different from any of the other churches we had been to in a sense that there was more of a rebellious spirit among the youth. Honestly, other than the customs and traditions, it reminded me of an American church. It's sad that a rebellious spirit makes you feel at home. It was the first time that I had gone to a bathroom Slavic church and heard girls sneaking out of service and cursing. It was the first time one of our team members heard some boys talking about bringing pot. It was the first time that the youth were disrespectful and fooling around, talking most of the service.

The next day we had a free day on the waterfront in Portland before heading out to Salem. Today we got to Sacramento. It was funny because it was our last service, and the most important one, yet we felt the least prepared. Probably since we got there about 20 minutes before service started. But the Lord still moved in the service. It was my second night sitting out of singing because of a sore throat. Although I hate the times on tour when I can't sing, it's also my favorite because I get to watch my team lead worship. I've never been so proud.

Tomorrow we're headed to Cardiff's house, our head team leader's house in Southern California. I hear his mother is an amazing cook. I can't wait!

Sarah