Gabe and I are currently resting in our cozy little hotel in the small frontier town of Jiejinkou, just across the Heilongjiang River (Black Dragon River) from Russia to the north. The pic to your right is an aerial satellite view of this small (snowbound) town.

We took a very chilly stroll earlier today out on the ice at the river's edge right at sundown (345 pm!) where we could look across at the Russian forests to the north. No trees to block the Siberian wind, the sun going down in the middle of the afternoon, and millions of tons of ice in every direction. Do you feel cold yet?

(Did I mention it is cold here? I think it was already about 0 degrees when we went out on the ice, and will likely be at least a few degrees below zero at 730 in the morning when we board another bus to take us to our next destination...Double Duck Mountain.)

The second picture was taken just a few hours ago of some local guys I met this evening at the only restaurant I could find open at such a late hour (7 pm!).

The guy on the right is from the local people group that this region is known for, the apparently unreached "Hezhen" people. The Hezhen have traditionally been known as fisherman, even in the winter when they ice fish on the big river just a few yards away.

Click here to learn more about how to pray for the Hezhen!