Expectations and assumptions are often, if not always, incorrect. When preparing for our trip to Russia, we expected a cold reception from the locals, with hold-ups at the border lasting for hours through exhaustive interrogation, searching and distrust. When told we were camping in a field, we assumed this would be a lonely patch of grass, with some form of foliage for a toilet. When we thought of the church we were visiting, we expected a small, traditonal congregation of people meeting in a stuffy yet atmospheric building. When told we would spend half of our trip with host families, we expected the language barrier to result in pigs ears for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

How wrong we were.

The border was not easy, but merely an excessive amount of paperwork; the car was not torn apart, we were not yelled at by Russian guards and we were let through into Kaliningrad within two hours. On arrival, we naturally got lost and, even though we could not understand one another, locals were eager to offer help. The camp was incredible; set in the heart of a secluded wilderness, along a track with pot holes the size of our bus and bugs of a similar build, we were faced with a bright, colourful array of tents, flags and smiling people. It was like a music festival, except instead of excitement over the bands, the whole place was flooded in the Holy Spirit. We were given food and joined over one hundred Russian Christians in worship. And how does a supressed nation worship their saviour? With passion unprecedented. Church on Sunday was similar, with people desperate to praise their Father. The preach of an hour and a half was a little difficult to absorb though! As for our hosts; if I don't see food for a week, I'll be content! Natasha and her family were so welcoming and dealt not only with our needs, but those of a vommitting Tom Herring, who spent a night with his head in a bucket on our bedroom floor!

We spent our week with the aim of helping the people of Kaliningrad; we redecorated to massive bedrooms in the local children's centre, which was an epic task for such little time. What was inevitable though was that we were helped more by them than them by us. We came together as a team and saw God at work in an overlooked part of the world.

Expectations and assumptioons are often, if not always, incorrect. Only one remained true: I knew I would have an incredible time.