7 Quick Takes Friday, December 31

~1~
We have Russian guests here with us for our Bible Conference week.  They treated us to a home-made Russian meal this week.  The star of lunch was Borscht.
 ~2~
Borscht, I learned, from watching- has beets, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, onions, tomatoes and a kind of meat.  Our friends put in steak.  We went to the grocery store to stock up on ingredients.  I had to admit that I have never ever purchased beets.  I wasn't even sure what they looked like.  Really.   My Russian friend grated the tomatoes and beets.  I never thought of grating tomatoes before. Ever.
I liked the borscht, it was very, very good.  Amie liked it, but was a bit disappointed to realize it was not watermelon soup...as she assumed from the pink color.  Borscht is very pretty.
~3~
We also were treated to a dish that translates as "fish under a blanket".  It was kind of like egg salad on top, with sardines underneath.  The sardines kind of killed it for me.
Pretty, yes.
 
~4~
Bible conference week is so full- there is almost too much to take in.  A favorite truth I enjoyed this week is this:
"Christ as God's sure mercies is the reality of all that God is and of all that God has given us; God's salvation, God's righteousness, God's justification, God's forgiveness, God's redemption, God's riches, and all God has and will do have been covenanted to us" -Isa 55:1-4; Acts 13:34-35

~5~
My friend, known as Graceful mom here on the blog, is visiting the States from Singapore.  It was so good to visit with her today.  I so desperately miss visiting and just hanging out with her.  
~6~
Our new Russian friends have worked every day with Meg with her Russian studies.  Most days, they worked twice a day on it.  I am so grateful for this.  I think she has done a semester's amount of work in one week.  They've invited us to visit too, I am hoping to send her next summer.

~7~
The song that to me, defined my 2010
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
-Oh how he loves us, David Crowder Band


Happy New Year, may you be blessed richly.

*7 Quick takes Friday is hosted at Conversion Diary!