Natalie Anne Volpe: Kazakstan--1995

We finally got our visas for Russia, took the train from Warsaw to Moscow, and then flew to Novosibirsk, just on time for New Year celebration. Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of that time, except for the one of the huge doll someone gave me, named "Vania", who cuddled up in bed with me, along with Baby John and Baby Heidi. We only stayed about a month in Novosibirsk, and took the train to Almaty, Kazakstan, which became our home for the following 3 years.

These were 3 years of happiness where our family lived and worked together with young Eastern European. Mom and Dad were home-schooling us 3 kids and I learned how to speak some basic Russian, enough to talk to people and tell them about Jesus. Being the youngest, I became everyone's favorite and received so much love all around.

Aliosha my friend

This is a "get-well" note I wrote Aliosha, which he kept all these years...

Aliosha got me the biggest cuddle I've ever owned--bigger than me!

My favorite song at the time was: "My home's in Heaven, just waiting for me, and when I get there, how happy I'll be. My home's in Heaven, the rent is free, 'cause Jesus paid it on calvary." Apparently, I would sing it at the top of my lungs in buses and everywhere.

Home Schooling:

Coloring with Stephy

Look at the clown I made!

Cooking project with Stephy--I'm a chef!

Display of my art project

Home made bunny (with mommy)

For Science class, Mommy helped me plant an indoor garden: beans, sunflowers, etc.. and we got to eat them too!

My room, with Baby John and Baby Heidi art on the wall behind me.

My first sunflower, with my teacher Faithie

Play dough

Play dough art

Me and my sunflower

The best part of cooking was to eat it afterwards--I just loved tea parties!

One time, we had a "Hippy" party, so Stephy dressed me up accordingly--check out the cool expression I put on.

Yarn stitching art

Views of Kazakstan:

The typical yurt and horse

Lake Kapshigai

Excursion in the Tianshan Mountains with our Bible students

Making acquaintance with a baby calf with Luba at her datcha

Kapchigai again, in front of the amazing sand castle Jeremy, Peter and Luba built for me

Circus was a regular excursion for me

Do you like my crown of flowers?

Sledding in the winter outside our appartment building

Hiking in the beautiful Tian Shan Mountains

At the Almaty zoo

With Luba in Kapshigai in front of the famous sand castle

Enjoying a Russian meal at some friends' house

With Mr. Yi in front of the Chinese restaurant where he invited our whole team

Mommy used to fix my hair Russian-style, with ribbons galore

Peter, Dad, Mom and I wearing traditional Kazakh hats

Witnessing: I had so many witnessing experiences. I learned to sing in Russian, even though I couldn't keep a tune very well. I performed in skits and my brother even made puppets and a puppet theatre, which we would take to children hospitals and orphanages all over the city. We did volunteer work for the Children Foundation of Almaty, and did our best to bring love and joy to those who needed it the most. Communism was gone, but with it was also gone the support these institutions used to receive, and they were so thankful for whatever help we could give them.

Witnessing with Dana to these 2 ladies

Tim, Piotr and my brother Peter with 3 of the young delinquent boys they ministered to every week at the prison.

Singing at a children's hospital--check out the hairstyle!

Performing the skit of the "lonely chap" to orphaned children.

Distributing clothes to orphaned kids my age at the baby house

Sometimes I dressed up as a clown and gave out posters with Mommy at the park.

That's me with Mr. Yi and his two sons. Mr. Yi had just donated 300 irons to the baby house.

I'm sitting on big Piotr's lap next to Ivan and my brother Peter, with the teachers from the blind school who had prepared a whole table for us after we performed for the blind children.

Singing with Yana and Uncle Tim for hospitalized children.

Here I'm praying with this sweet Kazak girl from the blind school to receive Jesus (she could actually see a little bit)

Passing out posters at the park

At the children cancer hospital with Dana dressed up as a clown

With an old babushka at the senior citizen home where we performed to cheer up the lonely people

Giving posters to the abandonned children at the baby house

Me as a clown in front of our table where we offered audio visual products for children

Dancing with the orphaned children after our show

Performing the Heart Skit in the park with Tim and Dana

Singing "Baby Isus went to sleep"

Cheering up the nurses at a hospital

My best friend Medina, who prayed with me to receive Jesus.

"Long Live Love" is the title of the newspaper article that was written about us, shorly after we came to Kazakstan and had done a program for the Children's Foundation.

That's the first program we did in Almaty for the Children's Foundation, with Stephy at the guitar, Jane, Tim and big Piotr at the accordeon

Some orphaned children we witnessed to, who were so happy to receive our posters

When we went to Kapshigai, we would witness to people on the beach

That's my sister Stephy, singing for the abandonned kids at the Baby House

Another newspaper article about us

Collage

Our friend Sergey came to film our show--and he even let me look through the video camera! So fun!

Odds and Ends:

That's bye bye Kazakstan, the last pic taken in the airport, on our way to India. I'm wearing the beautiful outfit my grand parents sent me for my 5th birthday.

Our friend Erika came all the way from Austria to visit us. She did some wonderful activities with the children at the Baby House

Sweet Mr. Yi got these flowers for me after a performance.

That's our whole team, with Samuel and Evans

In Kazakstan, people put carpets on the walls, to keep the warmth during the harsh winters. It's real pretty, isn't it?

That's Peter and Esther's wedding. I am teary eyed 'cause I got so excited over their wedding that I had just fallen down and hurt my knee real bad...