28 days to go until the big day!!!

Firstly we'll take this opportunity to wish all our friends a Merry Christmas and a happy new year.

As for an update on the lives of Cam and Sonja, Sonja left for the States on wednesday after 3 very fruitful months here in Russia, learning the language and taking on her new position in our office. The Lord has been so faithful to us in this time and a true testimony to our call to this city.

For those wondering about our schedule leading up to and surrounding the wedding, I will be in Russia until the second week of January, then fly via Singapore to Seattle for the wedding on the 20th. We will be in Seattle with Sonja's family for 2 weeks, then fly via Asia to Australia where we will be for my 3 month furlough through until April when we will pack up our bags again and head back to Russia.

We hope to catch up with many of you during this trip, so drop us a line if you'd like to catch up.

Once again many thanks for your support and prayers during the year, we couldn't do it with out you.

Blessings, Cam and Sonja

Big News and the Newsboys!

Cam got home from North Carolina last weekend and we went straight to a Newsboys concert here in St. Petersburg. The Newsboys were playing with 6 other Russian bands in a Christian Rock Festival here in the city. The venue that they played at was rather small, seated about 1000 people, but it was great to see them up close. I've only seen them before with about 10,000 other people. Cam has a loose connection with one of the members of Newsboys, named Paul Colman. Cam knows Paul's dad from church back home, and he's actually going to officiate our second wedding ceremony in February. So when Paul came out on stage to fix his microphone we called him over and started talking to him. He was amazed that there were Australians and Americans at the concert. After the concert we got pictures taken with the band and autographs. When we were leaving we saw the band standing at the front doors waiting for their bus and we stayed there and talked to them for another 45 minutes. It was so much fun!

It's 8 weeks to our wedding! We're trying to get a lot of details organized while we're over here. I'm traveling back to the states in 4 weeks. Crazy times!!

Cam and me with Paul Colman from the Newsboys

with Peter Furler (lead singer for the Newsboys)

Check out more pics on flickr.com/photos/camgibbons

November Update

It's been 5 months since we’ve given a blog update, but we’re still here. I (Cam) am writing this from Waxhaw, NC while Sonja is back working with SIL in Russia. Yes, since we last wrote lots of great things have happened. Sonja over the Northern Hemisphere Summer Returned to the States and joined SIL and then returned to St Petersburg in September to begin working in our office, supporting the Admin Team.
She is currently learning her position and also learning Russian to help her live in Russia. As for myself I have been busy with conferences traveling Europe for a month over summer and I am now in the US for 3 weeks of international meetings and workshops. Busy Busy Busy!!!

As for the wedding plans nearly everything is in place. With less than 3 months to the big day, the venue is booked, date has been set, Invites on their way and our tickets are purchased for or whirlwind world tour. The Australian party is currently in the works so stay tuned for more details.

A bit of an update

Ok, so sorry for the long silence, May has been a very busy month for both of us. Sonja has been working with Motorolla quite a bit and I have been busy getting an essay completed; Training a team in Central Asia and now we both are trying to wrap up our studies for the semester. This has all fallen in between hanging out with friends as they spend their last days here and lots of other activities.
As for wedding plans, not much as changed (because we haven't had time to). Sonja leaves in 3 weeks to go home for the Summer :( so hopefully we'll have some more news soon about what will be happening in January and February.

We've enjoyed the nice weather in the city and have included a couple pictures of our trip to Peterhof (a palace of Peter the Great's).

Thank you for all your warm comments that we have received. It's been fun to meet some of you through these comments. Also thank you for your encouragement and prayers during this time.

The Big News!!!

We’re Engaged!!!

The evening of April 20th, we walked down to Peter and Paul Fortress, before we went to our favorite Georgian restaurant for tasty shashlik (kabobs (U.S.)/kebabs (Aus), Georgian style). Cam was so excited all evening, and I didn’t understand why. He proceeded to tell me how much he loved me and handed me a card. In the card he professed his definition of perfect love and had an extra special question for me.
So there on the bank of the Neva river in front of the old fortress overlooking the beautiful city of St. Petersburg Cam Gibbons asked Sonja Barrett to marry him. And she said YES!
The plans as set so far are to be married in Seattle, WA on January 20, 2007. With a celebration to follow sometime in February in Australia. Please stay tuned for more details and exciting adventures to come.
We would like to give a special thanks to our friends and family who have supported us while we’ve been here, and have continually lifted us in prayer and encouragement. You are so much a part of our lives even though we are thousands of miles away. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we go through the engagement time and beyond...

The ring... details by cam.

Ok, so for those of you, who want to know details about the ring, let me tell you buying the perfect ring in Russia is not the easiest thing. Particularly when you need to learn terminology. But anyways after searching 30 or so jewellery stores I found the one to match THE ONE! White Gold is not common here, neither are simple rings, the Russians seem to like lots of flare to their rings. This American girl does not. The Ring, I'd like to think reflects her, hard to find, not complicated but beautiful and functional. Most importantly stands out from the crowd.

Profiles Updated!!!

Our profiles have been updated, so if you are wondering who Cam or Sonja are, take a look at the profiles section.

Watch this space for news coming soon...

The exciting news is on its way, stay tuned.