Florida Fun

Our week in Florida went by fast! We began with home stays in Tampa- and a trip south to Sarasota for an afternoon at the beach and a performance in the evening. On Tuesday we headed north to Jacksonville where we were hosted by another large Slavic church. Just one performance in Jacksonville and a free day to explore the city- including St. Augustine- America's oldest, longest inhabited city (apparently I slept through history class, as this was new information for me.) The kids are doing great so far, especially considering all the time on the road and the fact that we have been living in several different families. It obviously helps that we have been staying in the homes of Russian and Ukrainian immigrants, so language has not been an issue.

So far we have had 4 performances of The Old Russian Shoemaker...so that leaves 16 more to go! Whew!! I'll be singing these songs in my sleep by the time we are done. We made the trek from Jacksonville to Atlanta yesterday-- talk about a temperature difference!! Time to dig out those winter coats we had tucked away. It's Atlanta till Monday and then we pack up again to head to Asheville, NC. I'm beginning to feel like a true roady...just with 11 children in tow! We are continuing to praise God for this opportunity we have been given to share about our ministries and to expose these kids to families and a special holiday experience. We have been so blessed by the people we have met.

These are two of my favorite pictures from our time in Florida. This is the first Santa I've ever seen on the beach- in a Hawaiian shirt at that. And with the sign...I'm still trying to figure out what it means to molest an alligator?

Now on to Atlanta....

With my sweet Oksana on the 6 hour bus journey...