For the first time in what seems like years, I am able to commit to the value of ongoing growth and self-feeding. Of course a man's library is about a personal matter as they get, so no one will like everything I do. Nonetheless, I've got some great books I'd love to have you check out. Here are highlights of what I have read in our first year and a half in Russia:
Note: I wanted to get this published, but come back for some annotations and links)
The Heavenly Man (Paul Hatthaway)
The Shack
Epic (John Eldredge)
The Final Quest (Rick Joyner)
Crime and Punishment (Dostoyevsky)
The Gulag Archipelago (Solzhenitsin)
Heaven (Randy Alcorn)
The Master and Margarita (Bulgakov)
Sub-merge (John Hayes)
Black Earth (Andrew Meier)
The Rest of God
Deceived? Who Me? (Craig Hill)
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Promoting Russians in adoptions
I went to a wonderful conference on Nov. 14-15 by a group called "Light of Love" promoting a reversal of the unusually poor trend in Russians taking orphans into their own homes. This ministry focues on reaching Christians, by far the most capable (in general) of providing the kind of homes that orphans need without much training or oversight. Some of the ideas discussed included:- how realistic it would be to eliminate orphanages in the Ukraine. If every church found 4 families to take in kids, all orphans would be accounted for.
- the vision of starting a nationwide reality show about the positive side of foster care and adoptions;
- efforts to actually return orphans to their families, which almost never happens;
- pairing foster parents with biological parents as mentors;
I also met a psychologist who was more than excited to meet me and, though herself not a Christian, she works for Bethany Christian Services to help work with families who are preparing for foster parenting or adoption. She expressed great interest in having me train psychologists in Biblical counseling. Pray for me as I pursue this lead.
The big idea I left with was, is God calling me to be a part of helping get orphans into Christian homes, or back into their biological (now transformed by Christ's love) homes? Pray for me as I seek His leading in this question.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Mother's report
I wrote my August newsletter as an interview with my mother, who had visited here that month. Now that she has had time to reflect more on her time here, she has written a report that she gave me permission to post here.
The Missions Committee asked me to give a brief sketch of what I learned during my visit with Lyle and his family in Russia. That is a difficult task considering that every day was packed from morning till night with unbelievable experiences. However, I want everyone to know one thing above all else: these five people are happy, healthy, and content with where God has led them to serve.
Even Lydia, age 10, who had the hardest adjustment initially, has accepted that she has an important contribution to make in her witness with new friends. Art classes, her favorite new activity, have given her a new focus.It is almost impossible to realize that the boys, ages 6 and 4, have not lived there since birth. They love school, where they speak only Russian; and they are excited by each new experience. Simon, the four-year-old, recently found his services to be needed as interpreter for two new American boys in his class. Both are very compassionate toward people on the streets who are forced to beg in order to survive, and I saw them give up their spending money on several occasions. Lyle and Diana both feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment in their work with orphans and church leaders. When I asked whether there had been any point at which they had experienced second thoughts about their decision to be where they are, the answer from each of them was an emphatic NO!
I met a number of their devoutly Christian friends, and it was gratifying to see how they are all witnessing at every opportunity. It is not easy, as many Russians are not open to new relationships. They will pass you on the street and neither look nor speak. In Lyle's own neighborhood it has been an uphill battle to get people interested in socializing. Even the children are unpredictable, being friendly one day and cool the next. One interesting observation, however, is that the elderly seem to warm up to you in public places (on streetcars etc.) when you have children with you.
In a nutshell, St. Petersburg is a city of contradictions. The main part of town is filled with exquisite, historic palaces, museums, and government buildings. With canals running throughout, it is truly picturesque. Many in the U.S. think of Russia as a gloomy and oppressive place, but this is not true today ( with notable exceptions) One thing that took me by surprise is an odd mix of the super modern and the antiquated. For one example, some of the streetcars look and sound like they might not make it to the next block, while many of the buses are quite new, sleek, and equiped with technology I'm not sure we even have here. Since the people have latched onto Western customs in recent years there are stylish and very expensive clothes, jewelry, and home furnishings in the shop windows. However, the typical young woman you pass on the street is more likely to be "over-dressed" in an outfit that is cheap and flashy.
Another change in recent years is the abundance of goods everywhere. There is a local market near Lyle's apartment where some of the best fresh produce is sold. Oddly, most of it is imported from other European countries. Some items were more tasty than anything I've had here at home. There are many individual vendors who specialize in different types of produce. Lyle has made friends with all of them and they seem to enjoy giving him something extra with his purchases. They represent the exception to the typical "unfriendly Russian stranger". We hear a lot of complaint in this country right now from some who say they have been forced to work extra hours to make ends meet. Each of these vendors works 12 or more hours a day, 7 days a week. It is a rare thing for them to take a day off.
Another store, called the O.K. is larger than any Super Wal Mart you can find. One whole wall is nothing but vodka. This is symbolic of a major gloomy side to Russian life. Alcoholism is epidemic and especially evident in the subway stations and tunnels. One challenge for missionaries is to try to steer teenagers into a life without addiction. The other major concern is that many of the elderly cannot get by on the pathetic government pension they receive. They see no choice but to become beggars. Again, you see them more often in the subway areas. First they carry their meager belongings with them and sell what they can. After these are gone they simply hold a basket out for donations. Lyle has made friends with some of the poor who are regulars and is trying gradually to provide some assistance in whatever form might be beneficial. His children are getting a real lesson in what it means to be compassionate and unselfish.
This merely scratches the surface, but I would be happy to elaborate at any time you might have questions. Meanwhile, I want to say again how grateful Lyle and all our family are for the prayers, correspondence, and financial support which has come from many of you, and for his "adoption" as a missionary of his home church. He and Diana are committed to being deserving of your trust. Please continue to keep them in your prayers, that God's plan can be realized.
The Missions Committee asked me to give a brief sketch of what I learned during my visit with Lyle and his family in Russia. That is a difficult task considering that every day was packed from morning till night with unbelievable experiences. However, I want everyone to know one thing above all else: these five people are happy, healthy, and content with where God has led them to serve.
Even Lydia, age 10, who had the hardest adjustment initially, has accepted that she has an important contribution to make in her witness with new friends. Art classes, her favorite new activity, have given her a new focus.It is almost impossible to realize that the boys, ages 6 and 4, have not lived there since birth. They love school, where they speak only Russian; and they are excited by each new experience. Simon, the four-year-old, recently found his services to be needed as interpreter for two new American boys in his class. Both are very compassionate toward people on the streets who are forced to beg in order to survive, and I saw them give up their spending money on several occasions. Lyle and Diana both feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment in their work with orphans and church leaders. When I asked whether there had been any point at which they had experienced second thoughts about their decision to be where they are, the answer from each of them was an emphatic NO!
I met a number of their devoutly Christian friends, and it was gratifying to see how they are all witnessing at every opportunity. It is not easy, as many Russians are not open to new relationships. They will pass you on the street and neither look nor speak. In Lyle's own neighborhood it has been an uphill battle to get people interested in socializing. Even the children are unpredictable, being friendly one day and cool the next. One interesting observation, however, is that the elderly seem to warm up to you in public places (on streetcars etc.) when you have children with you.
In a nutshell, St. Petersburg is a city of contradictions. The main part of town is filled with exquisite, historic palaces, museums, and government buildings. With canals running throughout, it is truly picturesque. Many in the U.S. think of Russia as a gloomy and oppressive place, but this is not true today ( with notable exceptions) One thing that took me by surprise is an odd mix of the super modern and the antiquated. For one example, some of the streetcars look and sound like they might not make it to the next block, while many of the buses are quite new, sleek, and equiped with technology I'm not sure we even have here. Since the people have latched onto Western customs in recent years there are stylish and very expensive clothes, jewelry, and home furnishings in the shop windows. However, the typical young woman you pass on the street is more likely to be "over-dressed" in an outfit that is cheap and flashy.
Another change in recent years is the abundance of goods everywhere. There is a local market near Lyle's apartment where some of the best fresh produce is sold. Oddly, most of it is imported from other European countries. Some items were more tasty than anything I've had here at home. There are many individual vendors who specialize in different types of produce. Lyle has made friends with all of them and they seem to enjoy giving him something extra with his purchases. They represent the exception to the typical "unfriendly Russian stranger". We hear a lot of complaint in this country right now from some who say they have been forced to work extra hours to make ends meet. Each of these vendors works 12 or more hours a day, 7 days a week. It is a rare thing for them to take a day off.
Another store, called the O.K. is larger than any Super Wal Mart you can find. One whole wall is nothing but vodka. This is symbolic of a major gloomy side to Russian life. Alcoholism is epidemic and especially evident in the subway stations and tunnels. One challenge for missionaries is to try to steer teenagers into a life without addiction. The other major concern is that many of the elderly cannot get by on the pathetic government pension they receive. They see no choice but to become beggars. Again, you see them more often in the subway areas. First they carry their meager belongings with them and sell what they can. After these are gone they simply hold a basket out for donations. Lyle has made friends with some of the poor who are regulars and is trying gradually to provide some assistance in whatever form might be beneficial. His children are getting a real lesson in what it means to be compassionate and unselfish.
This merely scratches the surface, but I would be happy to elaborate at any time you might have questions. Meanwhile, I want to say again how grateful Lyle and all our family are for the prayers, correspondence, and financial support which has come from many of you, and for his "adoption" as a missionary of his home church. He and Diana are committed to being deserving of your trust. Please continue to keep them in your prayers, that God's plan can be realized.
Monday, November 24, 2008
A necessary goose chase
The boys and I had just started on our way home from school (11/7) and got out of the tram (the street car) to enter the Metro. I suddenly realized that Kerith's backpack was not in its mandatory (on his back) location. The tram was just ahead of us, and we dashed to try to get its attention or beat it to the next stop. Despite how slow they go, this was rush hour, and there were too many obstacles between us and it. With all his school books, homework, and an article of clothing or two, defeat was no option, but I had no clue how to track it down.Think fast, man!
As we watched it chug off over the bridge across the Neva and into the sunset, I followed the only plan I could think of: we made our way across the street and began to hail a car. Around here, people "vote" for cars all the time by holding out their arm (not just the thumb) and private car owners earn an extra few rubles by taking people with them if they are going in the same general direction. Yet no one was stopping! I pulled the boys out from the curb with me where I was in the road to increase the sympathy factor, but it must have taken me 3 minutes and over a hundred cars before one finally stopped.
Our man wasted no time and flew across the bridge. I still hoped the tram was not far ahead and easy to catch in the heavy traffic, but, alas, I had lost track of how long I had waited. We got to the other side and followed the tracks to the right, and then did a full stop. The tracks split, and I had never noticed the number of the tram, otherwise I could follow the route on my transportation map. We sat there for a minute while I studied the map and guessed which direction it might have gone before finally taking a guess: go right again.
It was another 10 minutes of stop-and-go traffic before we saw any tram at all, and all I could verify was that it was the right color. The boys were doing well, but stressed. Simon quietly whimpered, wanting to go home. The tram was turning around at its end point, and our man pulled over at the next stop. To my amazement, he offered to wait while I checked to see if it was the right one.
Praise be, it was the correct tram, and the conductor was sitting with Kerith's backpack, stupefied that we had caught up with them. We jumped back in the car with a huge load off our shoulders (but a good load back on Kerith's). For some reason, I pulled out the map again to check the number's route (69). The blood left my face as I realized that the 69 should have turned to the left! The map was wrong, or this tram was off route.
This was too much to handle. Why was this guy being so nice? Why did he not want to take off as soon as he had got us to the backpack? In fact he took us all the way back to where we started, and I had to press him to admit that he had now missed the appointment he was going to before helping us, and so he was just heading back.
I studied his face carefully, wondering, is that regular skin, or are we being escorted by an angel? I listened to the music on the radio. Nope, not a Christian station, but, hey, angels could listen to cool music too, I suppose. In the end, he did take what I thought a modest payment for his time and gas. I decided angels don't need money.
But he sure was sent from God.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Going to sleep God's way
This story begins back this summer in Germany where we had the blessing of time to hang out with Tobias and his wife for long nights to talk about whatever topic God brought up. On one such night I mentioned to Tobias that I had been an effective hypnotist once upon a time. His question to me was, "Have you ever asked God to take away your ability to do that?" I had never considered such an idea, nor did I know how to respond. He pressed me to consider that I had received an impartation that needed to be cut off. I had to admit that, upon reflection, the essential spirit behind it was control/manipulation. Even Diana didn't feel like that was a real issue for me.Coincidentally, I offered, I had actually used some of the knowledge from the techniques to assist Lydia in going to sleep a few weeks earlier. Mind you, I pointed out, I just used the relaxation techniques rather than actually suggesting that she would become hypnotized or be under my control. The point was, Lydia had been struggling for some months, and I used what I knew to help her, and it worked like a charm, as it were. She was out before I finished.
Tobias' response was that I was not only not depending on Christ for Lydia, but I was actually drawing from a foreign influence. It's not the real thing, but it's the same idea in a lesser form. His arresting question was, "You want to walk in God's power and authority, so how can you simultaneously walk in another authority and spirit?" We prayed, and I let go of everything related to this influence we could think of. I must say, I was under conviction to do this, but not feeling the depth of it or how or why it was SO important. Tobias felt that it was a major spiritual breakthrough in my life.
Fast forward to our return to St. Petersburg. Lydia hadn't had any trouble with sleep in Germany, and she never had before we moved to Russia. Diana also has had frequent problems herself. We really think it's something in the air pressure or something. Many locals take that position. Nonetheless, it was only a matter of time before Lydia came asking for help again. I told her I wasn't going to do what I had before anymore and explained a bit why. We prayed instead, and I asked God to show her what he was going to do to help her go to sleep. He told her to tell herself stories, which she started doing with tremendous success. She got into some creative things like visualizing heaven (and one night even hell!), and it's been phenomenal ever since (she has posted about it here). It's evolving more and more into a two-way conversation with Him that is enriching her relationship with Him in marvelous ways.
There have been a couple of times when she came out asking for help, but God had given me a hint in advance, and I was ready. The first time, I knew it meant she needed to go back and ask for a new approach, which he gave. The second time, it meant it was warfare to take it away, and the third was to teach her to do it without me. Pretty cool, huh?
So we're running about 4 months now with success in falling asleep, but that's really not even the issue anymore. Do you see how a worldly system may have the desired effect yet be the wrong solution? Life isn't about solving problems; it's about knowing the Problem Solver. Our problems should draw us closer to God. Isn't that why Jesus suggested that we could find our life and yet lose it? Some problems can't be solved without God, but He has also built the world in such a way that cooperating with the created order will help relieve our pain. But we risk winning the battle and losing the war this way.
Winning the war is enjoying God's company forever; I'm glad Lydia is getting an early start.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Vending for the Harbor
As I posted before, I have been working on an exciting project to combine business and leadership development with a local Christian business owner. Now that CRM's Enterprise International is interested in the project, it has slowed us down, but only for the good. They are really helping us make this a great project, and we are still hopefull that they can chip in some funds before the end of the year to help sponsor a few leaders.
The latest development is a way we have found to be able to work in the Harbor so that it can be blessed and get me more involved at the same time. The idea is to sponsor several of their staff members by having them service vending machines as part of their work week. They would work fewer hours at the Harbor because of this and so that they would be able to participate in our leadership development coaching. Not only would they be able to earn more money than they do now, the Harbor would be saved the expense of ongoing overhead from staff salaries. Pray!
Update: The project made it all the way to Enterprise's final step before funding it. The issue turned out not to be lack of funding, but their lack of ability to manage the project with so many other projects worldwide in process. What is really needed is for a person to come live here specifically devoted to business development under Enterprise. Let's pray!
The latest development is a way we have found to be able to work in the Harbor so that it can be blessed and get me more involved at the same time. The idea is to sponsor several of their staff members by having them service vending machines as part of their work week. They would work fewer hours at the Harbor because of this and so that they would be able to participate in our leadership development coaching. Not only would they be able to earn more money than they do now, the Harbor would be saved the expense of ongoing overhead from staff salaries. Pray!
Update: The project made it all the way to Enterprise's final step before funding it. The issue turned out not to be lack of funding, but their lack of ability to manage the project with so many other projects worldwide in process. What is really needed is for a person to come live here specifically devoted to business development under Enterprise. Let's pray!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Uno means "more than one"
The card game Uno is fast becoming a favorite over at the orphanage down the street. After we tackle the English homework, we play cards. Lydia loves to help too, and she even has helped with the homework by listening to the kids read their texts.
I (Diana) brought Uno because most Russians already know it, and to play "in English" requires colors and numbers, but not much more. I figured that Uno would hold their attention for only a couple of sessions. But, as in so many situations with these orphans, I was wrong. Not only do they request Uno each week, but we also end up talking about more personal issues as the game progresses.
The boys' group made a rule that Lydia and I will play in Russian, and they will play in English. I countered with a rule that if any of them speak in Russian, they must take a card for every Russian word uttered. Little English knowledge + no Russian rule = very quiet room. We laugh about that equation. My card shuffling techniques bumped me up the respect ladder a rung or two as well. I just might be training casino dealers now!
Updates:
Andrei continues to open up about his background and current interests. He's curious about me too. Consequently, I know him the best of the boys. He may be only one in that group that wants to relate, but Uno is a big number to God.
Masha has acted more somber and depressed in the past few weeks. She hangs around after her session and seems to want to talk more. The kids are on fall break next week, and orphans with a family member will leave for a few days. Masha has nobody. I asked if she wanted me to come back next week just to hang out. She readily agreed. Uno.
Natasha, the breakthrough from a few weeks ago, continues to try to speak English, and our trust is building. She also will not go to any relatives next week, and I plan to meet with her as well. Uno.
The director has given us permission, for the first time, to actually take Masha and Natasha out for a while, so we are excited to see how God will work when we have more time with them outside the home.
Uno at a time.
I (Diana) brought Uno because most Russians already know it, and to play "in English" requires colors and numbers, but not much more. I figured that Uno would hold their attention for only a couple of sessions. But, as in so many situations with these orphans, I was wrong. Not only do they request Uno each week, but we also end up talking about more personal issues as the game progresses.
The boys' group made a rule that Lydia and I will play in Russian, and they will play in English. I countered with a rule that if any of them speak in Russian, they must take a card for every Russian word uttered. Little English knowledge + no Russian rule = very quiet room. We laugh about that equation. My card shuffling techniques bumped me up the respect ladder a rung or two as well. I just might be training casino dealers now!
Updates:
Andrei continues to open up about his background and current interests. He's curious about me too. Consequently, I know him the best of the boys. He may be only one in that group that wants to relate, but Uno is a big number to God.
Masha has acted more somber and depressed in the past few weeks. She hangs around after her session and seems to want to talk more. The kids are on fall break next week, and orphans with a family member will leave for a few days. Masha has nobody. I asked if she wanted me to come back next week just to hang out. She readily agreed. Uno.
Natasha, the breakthrough from a few weeks ago, continues to try to speak English, and our trust is building. She also will not go to any relatives next week, and I plan to meet with her as well. Uno.
The director has given us permission, for the first time, to actually take Masha and Natasha out for a while, so we are excited to see how God will work when we have more time with them outside the home.
Uno at a time.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Deeper relationships at the orphange
Three weeks ago I resumed my English tutoring at the orphanage down the street. Last school year's experience held some beautiful moments with these teens, but there were as many difficult times managing the dynamics in the group as well. Even though my Russian is much improved, I knew that if I were to be effective and really get to know these kids, I needed to divide and conquer.
The director allowed me to teach "one-on-one" in smaller blocks of time per my suggestion. It just wasn't as effective in a group setting, I said. The one-on-one quickly became two-on-one, and then when I arrived the first day, they snuck three-on-one with the boys, but who's counting. The smaller groups have worked extremely well, and in just three weeks, I have learned more about these kids and experienced some breakthroughs in our relationships. Lydia continues to join me, and with the smaller groups, can participate more.
Here are three snapshots.
Masha: You might remember Masha from a previous blog of mine. She's 13 with a dark affect and sour attitude towards any authority or academic subject. Masha is still dark, but she and I came to an understanding and parted in May as "friends". We picked up right where we left off, and now she has even decided to try speaking a little English. She cracks a smile every now and then and seemed to appreciate my offer to find her the lyrics to the English rock songs she listens to on her MP3 player. Masha hangs around after her lesson and sometimes returns later. She and Lydia are becoming well acquainted too.
Andrei: I secretly hoped the director had other boys in mind for this year. But no, Andrei, 14, was the first face I saw. He was lewd and rude when I first met him last winter, but removing girls from the situation has allowed him to focus on his English homework and give him the freedom to ask me questions about myself and Lydia. Andrei is a tough nut. He reeks of cigarette smoke, talks about drugs and beer, and handles himself like he's ready to fight. But, as I approached the orphanage on week 2, Andrei ran up to me and waved with a shy smile. Progress.
Natasha: I was wrong. Natasha, 14, is reachable! Up until today, I thought Natasha and I would make little, if any, progress in English and in our relationship. Her body language screams apathy and "bug off!". When her lesson partner Anya did not show up today, I had 30 minutes alone with Natasha, and those 30 minutes started out like all others:
Me: How are you today, Natasha? (English)
N: gives quizzical look
Me: How are you today? (English)
N: flops down in a chair and buries head in arms
Me: How are you, Natasha? (now in Russian)
N: terrible!
Ready for the miracle? Today Natasha and I parted with hugs and smiles! How did this happen?
We started the English homework (safety tips for parents, of all things) and after slogging through phrases that she can only parrot and does not understand ("Put the knives away after use"), we started really talking. Okay, it was in Russian, but after "Cover all electrical sockets", can you blame us?
We learned that we are both only children, and that we both always wanted an older brother. Natasha started to lighten up. I ventured to ask about her mom and dad, since most of these kids are social orphans and usually maintain some kind of visitation. As crusty as Natasha can be, she opened up about her family revealing that her mother was killed (with N there) and her father is a drunk. She only sees him sometimes, but she is fond of her grandmother. I queried her about who she looks like, and Natasha offered to show me her mother's picture next week. I was touched to say the very least.
When I ended our session, Natasha seemed -- softer. I gave her a quick one-armed hug, but she leaned into me and hugged me back with both her arms around my waist. She waved me a sweet "little girl" wave before heading down the hall. I shut the door to the room and cried.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Pastor Yuri Dimitriev
One of my roles here is to serve as a sort of liaison for a US ministry that supports pastors from the St. Petersburg area. Russians Reaching Russians looks for promising leaders, particularly church planters from among the Russians, and invests in them, including financial support and advise. They also send periodic teams over to help these churches. Since seeking and investing in leaders is part of my mission here, it was an obvious fit to work together.
My current task is to merely meet with several of their promising pastors and find out what they are doing, how they are doing, and what needs they can identify. Their two point men are Igor Sokolov, pastor of the church we attend, and Vladimir Osipov, pastor of a church in Pushkin where I served earlier this year helping Ilya Alyoshin (another RRR suported pastor) teach Biblical Problem Solving in their missionary school (which I wrote about in an earlier newsletter).
I met a third pastor, Yuri Troyanov, founder of a church to the east of the city, earlier this year, and it also turned into an ongoing relationship - with me coaching him on a weekly basis.
My fourth pastor came on August 28-29 with Yuri Dimitriev, who planted a ch
urch in Luga, 2.5 hours south of the city. We were going to meet here, but he invited me to come down and see his operation first hand, which I decided was a much better idea. He took me down in his van, and we got to know each other on the way, although communications were hindered by the noise of the roads which were so bumpy and pock-marked that I pitied his van immensely.
We have a lot in common. His two kids are almost the same ages as two of ours. (I stayed overnight with his family (left), including pregnant wife Natasha. He has done a lot of work in building bridges between congregations in the city, and he understands how hard it is to get real cooperation. He has a big vision for his church, but he also values teamwork, delegation, training leaders, and empowering
the calling of those in his care. Although RRR supports him, he also runs a business (left) repairing and refurbishing cars, and, true to the values just mentioned, his two right-hand men are his two associates at the church. So he mentors them in business, leadership, and Jesus all at once.
He asked me to preach at the evening service (with three days notice), and moved it from Wed. to Thursday to accommodate my arri
val. I was nervous, not only for the sake of the language, but also since I don't consider myself a public speaker, and I didn't know what to talk about. But God was good, and a couple of hours out it finally all came together in my head (after much prayer), and I hit upon my subject: teaching how to pray for each other, using some of the material I already had in hand from the Biblical Problem Solving class and a way to categorize prayers so that people could see that they almost never address the heart issues of the person requesting prayer. Yuri graciously let me lead the talk more like a seminar than a sermon - more my style. They seemed to be blessed (right) and thanked me, asking me to come back. Moreover, I enjoyed everyone there. They seemed open, warm, and mature in their faith.
The church has just built a building that they have recently moved into, though not complete. Moreover, it is only accessible by a muddy path through a field to the rear (right). Since it is outside the town, we first had to go around and pick most everyone up and bring them. Pastors have to play a lot of roles here!
Their mission to the community includes a ministry to drug addicts. Five men have been living in the attic of the church building over the last year, helping build the structure and farm the land around it as a part of their rehabilitation (left). The program is unusually simple. Participants get up and join the church for prayer each morning at 7am (did you catch that - the whole church gathers for prayer every morning!). Afte breakfast, they work all morning and all afternoon. Evenings are free for "self study," which means they can read any of the Christian literature in the church library. There is no formal education or teaching. Their method is work, closeness to the life of the church, and lifestyle mentoring through having mature men with them much of the time to guide and shepherd.
Their success is already visible. The guy above was their first convert. He was a wealthy Muslim from Dagestan, but Jesus has made such a difference in his life that his wife and three kids (feom whom he had been separated for two years) have moved up to Luga to join him. She is now attending church, and though she has not yet made a decision for Christ, she is open to it. He now is the apprenticing to lead the program. I was very moved to see their young children reunited with dad and now being raised to know the One who saved them all.
The meeting lasted until about 10pm, then we made two trips into town dispersing folk to their homes, interrupted by a man who needed his van pulled down the street. You don't see tow trucks much here, but it's not uncommon to see a car pulling another with a rope, and it's not illegal. So we tugged this guy a few hundred yards to his house, but it was a struggle, to say the least, his van being much larger than ours. In the morning we found the cost of being a Good Samaritan: the transmission had come out and literally dropped about 18 inches. In God's good humor, Yuri ended up being thankful; he had needed to replace a part that required removing the transmission, and that was so much trouble he hadn't done it yet. He didn't think there was any permanent damage, so it was a blessing. Go figure.
We stayed up late talking about church, leadership, his dreams, and his needs. So what would he like to have from a visiting team of American Christians?
My current task is to merely meet with several of their promising pastors and find out what they are doing, how they are doing, and what needs they can identify. Their two point men are Igor Sokolov, pastor of the church we attend, and Vladimir Osipov, pastor of a church in Pushkin where I served earlier this year helping Ilya Alyoshin (another RRR suported pastor) teach Biblical Problem Solving in their missionary school (which I wrote about in an earlier newsletter).
I met a third pastor, Yuri Troyanov, founder of a church to the east of the city, earlier this year, and it also turned into an ongoing relationship - with me coaching him on a weekly basis.
My fourth pastor came on August 28-29 with Yuri Dimitriev, who planted a ch
urch in Luga, 2.5 hours south of the city. We were going to meet here, but he invited me to come down and see his operation first hand, which I decided was a much better idea. He took me down in his van, and we got to know each other on the way, although communications were hindered by the noise of the roads which were so bumpy and pock-marked that I pitied his van immensely.
We have a lot in common. His two kids are almost the same ages as two of ours. (I stayed overnight with his family (left), including pregnant wife Natasha. He has done a lot of work in building bridges between congregations in the city, and he understands how hard it is to get real cooperation. He has a big vision for his church, but he also values teamwork, delegation, training leaders, and empowering
the calling of those in his care. Although RRR supports him, he also runs a business (left) repairing and refurbishing cars, and, true to the values just mentioned, his two right-hand men are his two associates at the church. So he mentors them in business, leadership, and Jesus all at once.He asked me to preach at the evening service (with three days notice), and moved it from Wed. to Thursday to accommodate my arri
val. I was nervous, not only for the sake of the language, but also since I don't consider myself a public speaker, and I didn't know what to talk about. But God was good, and a couple of hours out it finally all came together in my head (after much prayer), and I hit upon my subject: teaching how to pray for each other, using some of the material I already had in hand from the Biblical Problem Solving class and a way to categorize prayers so that people could see that they almost never address the heart issues of the person requesting prayer. Yuri graciously let me lead the talk more like a seminar than a sermon - more my style. They seemed to be blessed (right) and thanked me, asking me to come back. Moreover, I enjoyed everyone there. They seemed open, warm, and mature in their faith.
The church has just built a building that they have recently moved into, though not complete. Moreover, it is only accessible by a muddy path through a field to the rear (right). Since it is outside the town, we first had to go around and pick most everyone up and bring them. Pastors have to play a lot of roles here!
Their mission to the community includes a ministry to drug addicts. Five men have been living in the attic of the church building over the last year, helping build the structure and farm the land around it as a part of their rehabilitation (left). The program is unusually simple. Participants get up and join the church for prayer each morning at 7am (did you catch that - the whole church gathers for prayer every morning!). Afte breakfast, they work all morning and all afternoon. Evenings are free for "self study," which means they can read any of the Christian literature in the church library. There is no formal education or teaching. Their method is work, closeness to the life of the church, and lifestyle mentoring through having mature men with them much of the time to guide and shepherd.Their success is already visible. The guy above was their first convert. He was a wealthy Muslim from Dagestan, but Jesus has made such a difference in his life that his wife and three kids (feom whom he had been separated for two years) have moved up to Luga to join him. She is now attending church, and though she has not yet made a decision for Christ, she is open to it. He now is the apprenticing to lead the program. I was very moved to see their young children reunited with dad and now being raised to know the One who saved them all.
The meeting lasted until about 10pm, then we made two trips into town dispersing folk to their homes, interrupted by a man who needed his van pulled down the street. You don't see tow trucks much here, but it's not uncommon to see a car pulling another with a rope, and it's not illegal. So we tugged this guy a few hundred yards to his house, but it was a struggle, to say the least, his van being much larger than ours. In the morning we found the cost of being a Good Samaritan: the transmission had come out and literally dropped about 18 inches. In God's good humor, Yuri ended up being thankful; he had needed to replace a part that required removing the transmission, and that was so much trouble he hadn't done it yet. He didn't think there was any permanent damage, so it was a blessing. Go figure.
We stayed up late talking about church, leadership, his dreams, and his needs. So what would he like to have from a visiting team of American Christians?
- a team who would help disciple the guys in the rehab program. He feels that they would respond well to outsiders caring enough to build relationship and take the time with them.
- a team could help with their evangelization. The idea would be to pass out offers to rent the Jesus film. Give those who want to see the film a copy, and when you pick it up, start a conversation about what they saw.
- spend time, again in informal settings over time, with some of the new members of the church and those who are just visiting but not yet made a decision for Christ. They idea is to disciple them and help them experience relationship and the love of Jesus.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Visa Victory
Barring any surprises, God appears to have given us wonderful resolution to our visa woes. As I reported recently, we had decided to taken an open mind to all possible options and allow God to do the choosing for us. After a process of elimination (indeed in one case heart-wrenching for Diana), God made it quite clear that what was left was not just the best of the options, but was actually the place where He was indicating His blessing. To explain:
We had wanted to avoid the option of staying on a student visa for two reasons. First, we were very happy with the tutor we have been going to, and to give her up would not only be giving up a wonderful teacher, but also a key link for us to all things Russian. Ludmilla is always a prime source for teaching us about Russian culture, and she has a keen heart for the injustices of society that she has imparted to us.
Second was the cost. Going this route will cost a lot more than private lessons - about $10,000 for one year, plus about an extra $4000 in visa costs.
After appearing to not be possible, God eventually worked it out for Ludmilla to come under the auspices of the agency that will issue the student visas (the Swiss Center). Not only do we get to keep her, she ended up thanking us, as she will get paid a little more, get access to other students, and earn more towards a larger retirement income. Win, win, win!
A bonus came out of what also looked initially like a setback. The school run by our church that the boys go to was kicked out of its location less than two weeks before the start of classes. God provided an alternative very quickly, but this meant taking the boys much further away from home than last year. I had even bought a cool vehicle, called a Kinder Car (right) that I had
started taking them to school in that cut the ride down to 20 minutes - and through a park! Now we have to sit on the Metro and take nearly an hour one way to school.
But wait! The metro where the school is now is close enough to Ludmilla that we won't even have to get back on the metro to get there. So all we have to do is drop them off (I on Tuesdays and Diana on Thursdays), go to Ludmilla for about 4 hours, then return to the school to pick up the boys on the way home. It is actually easier than going to the old location!
That leaves the money, which we did not anticipate in our budget. But trusting God for $10,000 (we expect to find another solution for next year) seems like a walk in the park compared to everything else we've had to trust Him for to this point.
If you feel led to donate towards this need, by the way, you can click here, with our deep thanks.
We had wanted to avoid the option of staying on a student visa for two reasons. First, we were very happy with the tutor we have been going to, and to give her up would not only be giving up a wonderful teacher, but also a key link for us to all things Russian. Ludmilla is always a prime source for teaching us about Russian culture, and she has a keen heart for the injustices of society that she has imparted to us.
Second was the cost. Going this route will cost a lot more than private lessons - about $10,000 for one year, plus about an extra $4000 in visa costs.
After appearing to not be possible, God eventually worked it out for Ludmilla to come under the auspices of the agency that will issue the student visas (the Swiss Center). Not only do we get to keep her, she ended up thanking us, as she will get paid a little more, get access to other students, and earn more towards a larger retirement income. Win, win, win!
A bonus came out of what also looked initially like a setback. The school run by our church that the boys go to was kicked out of its location less than two weeks before the start of classes. God provided an alternative very quickly, but this meant taking the boys much further away from home than last year. I had even bought a cool vehicle, called a Kinder Car (right) that I had
started taking them to school in that cut the ride down to 20 minutes - and through a park! Now we have to sit on the Metro and take nearly an hour one way to school.But wait! The metro where the school is now is close enough to Ludmilla that we won't even have to get back on the metro to get there. So all we have to do is drop them off (I on Tuesdays and Diana on Thursdays), go to Ludmilla for about 4 hours, then return to the school to pick up the boys on the way home. It is actually easier than going to the old location!
That leaves the money, which we did not anticipate in our budget. But trusting God for $10,000 (we expect to find another solution for next year) seems like a walk in the park compared to everything else we've had to trust Him for to this point.
If you feel led to donate towards this need, by the way, you can click here, with our deep thanks.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Summer work project?
Let me through out an idea for a summer team project that some may want to consider for next year. This is from a ministry here that almost everyone who works with orphans works with. They organize a lot of projects and generally help facilitate ministry for other ministries.
The following is from a note from the director about Camp Elama.
Elama -- Camp Life In previous postcards we've mentioned the camp we have use of: we've named it Elama, the Finnish word for Life (pronounced EH-lah-mah). Before 1939 it was a Finnish health resort, after the war it was a Russian children's camp before closing about 25 years ago. We're slowly bringing it back to life, and this is the first of several years of rebuilding that are needed. Still, the fruit of this summer has already 
surpassed our hopes. In addition to a few Christian families that are living there all summer, in July we hosted two camps run by a local church. First was a children's camp with 80 participants and then a youth camp with 100 participants. Since we don't have much decent housing, the campers stayed in tents. Even the kitchen was under a tent, and the picture at left is of the 'dining hall'. The church did a great job of improving the land -- clearing the swimming area, building outhouses, clearing trash, they even built a dock in the lake. A pleasant surprise is that some neighbors are quite enthusiastic about having the camps there. Several attended meetings when the children sang or presented programs, and now they have started bringing us fresh milk, eggs, and v
egetables. At right is one of the girls with fresh milk brought to us by a neighbor. Later this month, we'll host a week-long church camp for thirty children and other groups will have picnics. Elama is available free of charge to all. This summer we've installed the beginnings of a water system (we now have one sink with running water), we've begun repairs to several buildings, obtained a couple of small refrigerators (donations), purchased tools, cleared away a lot of trash and scrub brush, and swatted a lot of mosquitoes! 
We ran out of money for this summer, so some tasks (painting, roof repair, heating, a new well, etc.) will have to wait until later. There is still very much to be done. Groups from the US and the Netherlands have expressed interest in sending work teams. An architect in the US has agreed to help design a pavilion/summer kitchen that we hope to build next May. There is a lot of activity and many opportunities. Elama is coming to life, just as we had hoped. As you can see, their attitude of service to the Christian community is wonderful. Anyone can use the camp any time for free. The only rule is "leave it better than when you came."
I am working on some other kinds of projects too, but let me know if this interests you.
The following is from a note from the director about Camp Elama.
Elama -- Camp Life In previous postcards we've mentioned the camp we have use of: we've named it Elama, the Finnish word for Life (pronounced EH-lah-mah). Before 1939 it was a Finnish health resort, after the war it was a Russian children's camp before closing about 25 years ago. We're slowly bringing it back to life, and this is the first of several years of rebuilding that are needed. Still, the fruit of this summer has already 
surpassed our hopes. In addition to a few Christian families that are living there all summer, in July we hosted two camps run by a local church. First was a children's camp with 80 participants and then a youth camp with 100 participants. Since we don't have much decent housing, the campers stayed in tents. Even the kitchen was under a tent, and the picture at left is of the 'dining hall'. The church did a great job of improving the land -- clearing the swimming area, building outhouses, clearing trash, they even built a dock in the lake. A pleasant surprise is that some neighbors are quite enthusiastic about having the camps there. Several attended meetings when the children sang or presented programs, and now they have started bringing us fresh milk, eggs, and v
egetables. At right is one of the girls with fresh milk brought to us by a neighbor. Later this month, we'll host a week-long church camp for thirty children and other groups will have picnics. Elama is available free of charge to all. This summer we've installed the beginnings of a water system (we now have one sink with running water), we've begun repairs to several buildings, obtained a couple of small refrigerators (donations), purchased tools, cleared away a lot of trash and scrub brush, and swatted a lot of mosquitoes! 
We ran out of money for this summer, so some tasks (painting, roof repair, heating, a new well, etc.) will have to wait until later. There is still very much to be done. Groups from the US and the Netherlands have expressed interest in sending work teams. An architect in the US has agreed to help design a pavilion/summer kitchen that we hope to build next May. There is a lot of activity and many opportunities. Elama is coming to life, just as we had hoped. As you can see, their attitude of service to the Christian community is wonderful. Anyone can use the camp any time for free. The only rule is "leave it better than when you came."I am working on some other kinds of projects too, but let me know if this interests you.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Kerith speaks -- an interview with Mom
Mom: Today was "Pervii zvonok" (First Bell). What was that all about?
Kerith: I was going to 1st grade. It was fun. I saw all my friends, and I was relieved that I saw them again. This was because the celebration had started today. First graders go to second, and all the grades are changing. I loved it.
Mom: What happened at the celebration?
Kerith: We had a little ceremony at the school, and we had some tea, candy, and cake. It was awesome. Yummy!
Mom: Tell me about the ceremony.
Kerith: We sat with our teacher, Tatiana Vladimirovna, and every class had to walk to the microphone and call out their name. I was going to just say a grumble when it was my turn for the microphone, but I managed to get out my name. There was a skit with Max, Artyem, the principal, my teacher, and all the teachers. We sang songs.
Mom: The kids all brought something to the ceremony. What was it?
Kerith: Flowers to their teachers. I had an orange one. My friend Nicholas had a pink one. (His was bigger than mine.) A new first grader was named Smile. (Which is a crazy name. I don't know why his parents named him that.)
Mom: What are you looking forward to the most in first grade?
Kerith: At recess always meeting Simon and seeing Anna Mikhailovna, my Kindergarten teacher.
Mom: What was different today than the first day of school last year when we had first arrived in Russia?
Kerith: We had a different school. The building where we were needed the third floor, so we had to move. I couldn't speak one speck of Russian when we first came to Russia. Today I could speak almost as much as a Russian needs to speak. I understand what the ceremony meant.
Mom: Is there anything else you want to say about today?
Kerith: Today is Switch Day. I'm going to First Grade. Simon has a couple new friends in Kindergarten, and Lydia signed up for Art School. Everybody is changing where they are supposed to go to.
I think I'm done. BYE!!!
Kerith: I was going to 1st grade. It was fun. I saw all my friends, and I was relieved that I saw them again. This was because the celebration had started today. First graders go to second, and all the grades are changing. I loved it.
Mom: What happened at the celebration?
Kerith: We had a little ceremony at the school, and we had some tea, candy, and cake. It was awesome. Yummy!
Mom: Tell me about the ceremony.
Kerith: We sat with our teacher, Tatiana Vladimirovna, and every class had to walk to the microphone and call out their name. I was going to just say a grumble when it was my turn for the microphone, but I managed to get out my name. There was a skit with Max, Artyem, the principal, my teacher, and all the teachers. We sang songs.
Mom: The kids all brought something to the ceremony. What was it?
Kerith: Flowers to their teachers. I had an orange one. My friend Nicholas had a pink one. (His was bigger than mine.) A new first grader was named Smile. (Which is a crazy name. I don't know why his parents named him that.)
Mom: What are you looking forward to the most in first grade?
Kerith: At recess always meeting Simon and seeing Anna Mikhailovna, my Kindergarten teacher.
Mom: What was different today than the first day of school last year when we had first arrived in Russia?
Kerith: We had a different school. The building where we were needed the third floor, so we had to move. I couldn't speak one speck of Russian when we first came to Russia. Today I could speak almost as much as a Russian needs to speak. I understand what the ceremony meant.
Mom: Is there anything else you want to say about today?
Kerith: Today is Switch Day. I'm going to First Grade. Simon has a couple new friends in Kindergarten, and Lydia signed up for Art School. Everybody is changing where they are supposed to go to.
I think I'm done. BYE!!!
Can we pray for you?
Without the faithful support and prayers of a whole lot of people, not only would we not be here, but we would have not chance of thriving in the assignment God has for us. We send everyone on our mailing list news every month that includes prayer requests, and I send a small group of intercessor more specific updates and needs. It's such a blessing to hear back from you how God has prompted you to pray for us.
Now, we can turn the tables! I carry a list around with me that I refer to periodically of prayer needs, including local issues here and requests from friends and family at home. Not only do I want to formally ask for your needs, but our sending agency, CRM is asking for your prayer requests too! Here is an excerpt from their recent letter to us:
It is with great joy that we invite you each to participate in the CRM Day of Prayer on October 2, 2008. Each year CRM staff all over the world set aside one day to intentionally pray for the organization and for our financial supporters. Our donors minister to us so graciously through their prayers and financial resources, and we desire to bless them through interceding on their behalf. We invited your donors to send us their prayer requests, which we will be passing along to you.
Henri Nouwen puts it well—prayer is indeed like breathing. In this modern age of omnipresent cell phone devices, the widespread disease of perpetual business, and little patience for that which cannot be microwaved, it can be a struggle not to relegate the place of prayer to a Sunday ritual or those situations when nothing man has made seems to work. It is essential to regard prayer is a sacred gift given to us by our Heavenly Father, and to make space for our core beliefs about prayer to translate themselves into daily practice. Prayer is breath—it is vital for every moment of life—and works to put us into right relationship with God, by defining our place as a Created being depending upon the provision of our uncreated Creator.
So send them over - either to CRM (Jamie Rosenberry) or us directly. If the former, then you get the blessing of having a bunch of serious pray-ers taking your needs to the throne. They will forward them to us. It will be an honor to lift you up on the 2nd.
Now, we can turn the tables! I carry a list around with me that I refer to periodically of prayer needs, including local issues here and requests from friends and family at home. Not only do I want to formally ask for your needs, but our sending agency, CRM is asking for your prayer requests too! Here is an excerpt from their recent letter to us:
It is with great joy that we invite you each to participate in the CRM Day of Prayer on October 2, 2008. Each year CRM staff all over the world set aside one day to intentionally pray for the organization and for our financial supporters. Our donors minister to us so graciously through their prayers and financial resources, and we desire to bless them through interceding on their behalf. We invited your donors to send us their prayer requests, which we will be passing along to you.
Henri Nouwen puts it well—prayer is indeed like breathing. In this modern age of omnipresent cell phone devices, the widespread disease of perpetual business, and little patience for that which cannot be microwaved, it can be a struggle not to relegate the place of prayer to a Sunday ritual or those situations when nothing man has made seems to work. It is essential to regard prayer is a sacred gift given to us by our Heavenly Father, and to make space for our core beliefs about prayer to translate themselves into daily practice. Prayer is breath—it is vital for every moment of life—and works to put us into right relationship with God, by defining our place as a Created being depending upon the provision of our uncreated Creator.
So send them over - either to CRM (Jamie Rosenberry) or us directly. If the former, then you get the blessing of having a bunch of serious pray-ers taking your needs to the throne. They will forward them to us. It will be an honor to lift you up on the 2nd.
Friday, August 22, 2008
War and Russia's destiny
It was just a conversation with Pastor Igor during our weekly coaching session, but it seemed so packed full of juicy food for thought that I feel compelled to post a synopsis of it.We started out talking about the war with Georgia, as I was interested in his input on what is going on from the perspective of a Russian and a pastor. He gave me some history, most of which I had gotten by now, explaining that South Ossetia had achieved and maintained a de facto independence since a conflict in the early 1990s. Although they are technically part of Georgia, they use the Russian ruble and Russian passports yet claim independence despite the fact that no one, including Russia, has recognized their sovereignty. Abkhazia is in almost exactly the same boat, and now they are formally asking to be recognized.
What concerns Igor is black and white thinking that paints Russia unilaterally as the aggressor and ends up distancing them from relationship with the West. The danger here is seen in the recent visit from the President of Syria, who compared what is going on in Ossetia with their relationship with Israel. So what kind of bedfellows could this produce if we let things get worse between the West and Russia?
Igor admitted that biblically we know that things will get worse before they get better, so we can expect more wars and collaborations between countries that share only evil as their goal. Is Russia a part of that end-time scenario? It would appear that Russia does figure into biblical prophecy (certainly more than America does), though Igor does not spend much time trying to figure it out. He got a little turned off by all the Christians who used to call the USSR the Anti-Christ. "The Kingdom is not defined by geography or politics. Jesus said, 'the Kingdom of God is within you' (Lk. 17:21). So why shouldn't the Anti-Christ be more about the fact that there will be people all over the world who are given over to the agenda of the Enemy?" He cited examples of leaders in the US who had prophesied things about the USSR in this connection that never came to pass.
We continued the topic of prophecy as I asked what he thought about Rick Joyner's prophesies about the coming harvest and Russia's destiny. I myself had heard about him and his ministry for years but had never read a word of his until Tobias gave me some things to read. His book, the Harvest, is an exciting read, and even if it is not true, it rings true in the sense that the principles behind what would be involved as events unfold are all totally biblical. Igor was once again cool towards Joyner, mostly because he became a sensation over here some years back, and people got so into everything he wrote that Igor knew it was a distraction.
Igor did have one prophecy about Russia he mentioned to me that excited his imagination: that of Hudson Taylor. You will be reacting the same way as I at this point:
- Hudson Taylor - on Russia? He was in China!
- Hudson Taylor - a prophet? Wasn't he a pretty standard B flat evangelical?
“I have seen a vision. I saw in this vision a great war that will encompass the whole world. I saw this war recess and then start again, actually being two wars. After this, I saw much unrest and revolts that will affect many nations. I saw in some places spiritual awakenings. In Russia, I saw there will come a general all-encompassing, national SPIRITUAL AWAKENING so great that there could never be another like it. From Russia, I saw the awakening spread to many European countries. Then I saw an all-out awakening, followed by the Coming of Christ."
God had showed him this vision as he was speaking, and though he doubted it the first time, God showed it again, and he felt compelled to speak it.
I was astounded. I had had no knowledge of this word. How can we not take it seriously given:
- its source, a man of universal repute
- its subject, so obviously a prediction of both world wars and the various national conflicts since then
- its focus on Russia, obviously the point of the whole prophesy. That is, the prophecy about the wars is only meant to confirm the validity of the word about Russia.
And so Igor elaborated by explaining how St. Petersburg is really set apart and isolated from the rest of Russia. All of Russia's churches look to Moscow for leadership, but St. Petersburg is an island to itself. This is rooted in pride. Alexander Pushkin, Russia's voice of their soul, put it:
"I lifted up my head in pride, above Alexander's column." This monument in Palace square here, as you can see from the picture, has an angel with a cross at the top. In other words, Petersburgers have a particular bent towards elevating self above God, more than Russians in general.
I commented, "Then the solution will have to be a form of humiliation that God uses to humble them before they can move into His destiny." Igor agreed, adding that it has already happened to some extent, though it will likely require more. I thought he was referencing the blockade during WW2 which had killed so many. No, he meant the fact that during the 1990's the city had gained a reputation nation-wide as Russia's criminal capital, with many highly visible and terrible murders taking place regularly. This was a disgrace to the residents, but Igor saw it as an attempt by the Enemy to thwart their calling, so he and many others prayed very mightily against it, and God answered. Now the city is relatively peaceful.
Wow. I feel like God may be showing me a part of the big picture as to why I am here. I have often wondered why I would be in such a spiritually difficult place, because I want to be where God's action it. So now I have a sort of visionary pick-me-up!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
My son, the Lego theologian
Just when you think your kids aren't thinking about anything loftier than turning a bunk bed into a fort, they come up with the most amazing thoughts on life. Take Kerith. He's a child of tremendous intellect, but also tremendous range of emotion (blessedly, usually joyful). So he loves to figure things out, take them apart, and understand how they work. But he also is our sensitive one, who can get very concerned and upset over the pain he sees in others. He can't stand to pass a beggar by without asking for money to give them, which he does with a blessing.
He's also becoming quite the prayer, waxing eloquent at bedtime about the virtues of God and the plight of mankind. His prayers can be some profound reflections on life and eternity. Simon once patiently waited him out for several minutes and at the conclusion lamented, "Kerith, you pray so long, and I need to go to bed!" - the only time I've ever heard him insist on the need to sleep.
So out of nowhere the other day, he comes up to me at the computer and shows me this object he had made from Legos:
He then proceeded to tell me it's symbolic meaning, which I managed to capture on film:
Sure it's a bit down on life at times, but what I appreciate about Kerith is his well-developed sense of human fallenness. God has time to work on the rest with him.
P.S. I've gotten my first concerned comment, the effect that Kerith may be "upset and troubled." So here is my response: As I think about what may motivate this kind of concern, it seems to me that had he talked about life being all peaches and cream, God is good, we are so blessed, and the like, then everyone would praise him for his great attitude and outlook on life. What I would see in such a philosophy would be an unbalanced Pollyanna worldview that is clueless about the extent to which sin and the Enemy have invaded this world.
Is life "terrible" as Kerith says? Of course not, at least not overall, because we have a Saviour who is victorious over sin and death. Apart from that, however, life is terrible. And coming to a country like this, you can't help see it much more obviously than you can in the States. We've lost count of all the drunk folk we've seen sprawled out and bleeding on the streets. We have one who lives close to us. And many countries are much better exhibits of the devil's handiwork. So Kerith is adjusting to that reality. Moreover, Kerith is in a phase right now where he is keenly aware of his own sinfulness and his inability to overcome his weaknesses alone. This perspective clearly influenced what he said in the video, and this I applaud. Did he not, however, show a clear understanding that God is the only one who can get us to the "top"? That's grace.
Maybe another kid who said this could be troubled, given different circumstances. Their grandmother came to visit this month, and her assessment of the kids was this: "I've been very relieved and blessed to see them thriving so well. The adjustment and their language acquisition that they have made has been phenomenal. I believe they are happy and content."
'Nuff said.
He's also becoming quite the prayer, waxing eloquent at bedtime about the virtues of God and the plight of mankind. His prayers can be some profound reflections on life and eternity. Simon once patiently waited him out for several minutes and at the conclusion lamented, "Kerith, you pray so long, and I need to go to bed!" - the only time I've ever heard him insist on the need to sleep.
So out of nowhere the other day, he comes up to me at the computer and shows me this object he had made from Legos:
He then proceeded to tell me it's symbolic meaning, which I managed to capture on film:
Sure it's a bit down on life at times, but what I appreciate about Kerith is his well-developed sense of human fallenness. God has time to work on the rest with him.
P.S. I've gotten my first concerned comment, the effect that Kerith may be "upset and troubled." So here is my response: As I think about what may motivate this kind of concern, it seems to me that had he talked about life being all peaches and cream, God is good, we are so blessed, and the like, then everyone would praise him for his great attitude and outlook on life. What I would see in such a philosophy would be an unbalanced Pollyanna worldview that is clueless about the extent to which sin and the Enemy have invaded this world.
Is life "terrible" as Kerith says? Of course not, at least not overall, because we have a Saviour who is victorious over sin and death. Apart from that, however, life is terrible. And coming to a country like this, you can't help see it much more obviously than you can in the States. We've lost count of all the drunk folk we've seen sprawled out and bleeding on the streets. We have one who lives close to us. And many countries are much better exhibits of the devil's handiwork. So Kerith is adjusting to that reality. Moreover, Kerith is in a phase right now where he is keenly aware of his own sinfulness and his inability to overcome his weaknesses alone. This perspective clearly influenced what he said in the video, and this I applaud. Did he not, however, show a clear understanding that God is the only one who can get us to the "top"? That's grace.
Maybe another kid who said this could be troubled, given different circumstances. Their grandmother came to visit this month, and her assessment of the kids was this: "I've been very relieved and blessed to see them thriving so well. The adjustment and their language acquisition that they have made has been phenomenal. I believe they are happy and content."
'Nuff said.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
2 cents' worth on the war in Georgia
The extent of my contribution to the discussion on the conflict between Georgia and Russia is limited since it's so far away. I'll start with an excerpt from an email from our friend David (whom we visited in April) who is from Tbilisi and was there recently. I appreciate the balance.
So much for trying to come to Russia this august :) who would have imagined we would be fighting by now?... Even though I do blame our Government for getting us into this mess, Russia has still overstepped big time and their soldiers is behaving as barbarians - who they are by nature anyway.... Have leveled many towns and villages to ground, blew up all airports, roads, bridges, factories, set national parks on fire, sunk ships, destroyed ports....100,000 people displaced from homes...put us back in the 90s for sure...4000 people have died on our part in just one week... And due to the weapons used, families cannot make out their own perished relatives.... It is a very sad situation.
US and European support has been surprisingly strong for us and hopefully will force Russians to start withdrawing soon. But the scars are there for good this time and will take a long time too heel.... Also the propaganda on Russian TV has infected the russian population as well this time which has for the first time created tention not only on the political but also on the civilian level...
My addendum to the propaganda question: Although you hear the opinion here that this war has been no good for either side, the main thrust in the media is supporting the poor refugees from South Ossetia. The secondary theme seems to be how the American press is so down on Russia now.
For example, I have an article entitled "Ossetian girl outflanks the Sharks of the Airwaves: American Propaganda brings more confusion" from a paper about a Fox News piece ("one of the most aggressively inclined news channels in the US towards Russia") about an interview with Amanda Kokoeva and her aunt. You can judge for yourself the slant from the video. The video
has become a lightning rod for discussions about truth in media. YouTube apparently reset its counters after viewing got close to 300,000 times.
The Russian article ends with a blatant lie, stating that Shepard Smith ends the program stating, "That's the kind of thing Russians do," when his actual comment was, "There are gray areas in war." I can't see how that could be an interpretation error.
The image on the right is from the major paper Arguments and Facts and reads, "Why America raised Saakashvili." It is now common opinion, started by Putin himself, that this all originated in the U.S. to get McCain elected.
So much for trying to come to Russia this august :) who would have imagined we would be fighting by now?... Even though I do blame our Government for getting us into this mess, Russia has still overstepped big time and their soldiers is behaving as barbarians - who they are by nature anyway.... Have leveled many towns and villages to ground, blew up all airports, roads, bridges, factories, set national parks on fire, sunk ships, destroyed ports....100,000 people displaced from homes...put us back in the 90s for sure...4000 people have died on our part in just one week... And due to the weapons used, families cannot make out their own perished relatives.... It is a very sad situation.
US and European support has been surprisingly strong for us and hopefully will force Russians to start withdrawing soon. But the scars are there for good this time and will take a long time too heel.... Also the propaganda on Russian TV has infected the russian population as well this time which has for the first time created tention not only on the political but also on the civilian level...
My addendum to the propaganda question: Although you hear the opinion here that this war has been no good for either side, the main thrust in the media is supporting the poor refugees from South Ossetia. The secondary theme seems to be how the American press is so down on Russia now.
For example, I have an article entitled "Ossetian girl outflanks the Sharks of the Airwaves: American Propaganda brings more confusion" from a paper about a Fox News piece ("one of the most aggressively inclined news channels in the US towards Russia") about an interview with Amanda Kokoeva and her aunt. You can judge for yourself the slant from the video. The video
has become a lightning rod for discussions about truth in media. YouTube apparently reset its counters after viewing got close to 300,000 times.The Russian article ends with a blatant lie, stating that Shepard Smith ends the program stating, "That's the kind of thing Russians do," when his actual comment was, "There are gray areas in war." I can't see how that could be an interpretation error.
The image on the right is from the major paper Arguments and Facts and reads, "Why America raised Saakashvili." It is now common opinion, started by Putin himself, that this all originated in the U.S. to get McCain elected.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Brushing up against a dream
Our eyes got bigger and bigger as Tobias and Katarina, the missionary couple with whom we spent our time in Germany, told us about the ministry that provided their covering while in St. Petersburg. Because of our interest, and because of their relationship with the Harbor (now without a contact person in the wake of Tobias' and Katarina's departure from St. Petersburg), they agreed to meet us and show us their operation.
In English they are known as the Reichenburg Foundation. Started in the late 60's (like every good community!), this one grew and prospered until it had over 100 members who dedicate themselves to each other and to the ministries that the community supports and promotes. No, they don't live together, but they all live in one town, Reichelshiem, population 6000. The community owns all the property, including the houses, a large guest and conference center, a medieval farmhouse (see picture), and their crown, the town castle, dating back to the 13th century. Members serve in one or more of the various ministries of the community in exchange for free housing and minimal living expenses.
Among their ministries:
Let me give you one example of how cutting edge their outreach is to youth: they developed a living exhibit of the life of Moses that had gone on tour around the country. One person at a time goes through the exhibit, wearing clothing representing various stages in Moses' life. The purpose is not merely to show the life of Moses, but to help the young person wrestle with questions of identity and purpose through living vicariously through Moses. So at one point they are invited to place labels on themselves representing various attitudes towards themselves. Throughout the exhibit are trained workers available to counsel or pray with the participant. People emerge overcome with emotion by what they have experienced, and the lines reach up to three hours to get in.
For my money, the keys to their success are tied to their commitment to each other and their commitment to their vision, all under the banner of seeking God in everything. So why is that so hard to duplicate? Sounds crazy to write it this way, but I think it is really hard to find people who are willing to give up what it takes to really seek God individually and corporately and really work together for a common goal. Can you imagine a 100 member church accomplishing this much?
Synergy, my friends. I am convinced the Body of Christ has not begun to realize its potential impact because of our unwillingness to be built into one another as a collective whole. And yet here I work pretty much on my own. I knew that coming in here, but the tension between my desire to function in community and my conviction that we are called here is pretty large right now.
All I can say is, if God ever closes the doors to Russia, we just may have our next stop.
In English they are known as the Reichenburg Foundation. Started in the late 60's (like every good community!), this one grew and prospered until it had over 100 members who dedicate themselves to each other and to the ministries that the community supports and promotes. No, they don't live together, but they all live in one town, Reichelshiem, population 6000. The community owns all the property, including the houses, a large guest and conference center, a medieval farmhouse (see picture), and their crown, the town castle, dating back to the 13th century. Members serve in one or more of the various ministries of the community in exchange for free housing and minimal living expenses.
Among their ministries:
- conferences and training on issues related to strengthening and preserving the family
- Jewish/German reconciliation
- Youth outreach and evangelism - cutting edge methods I'd never heard of
- youth work projects the bring together Christian youth worldwide each summer to serve in various places around the world and simultaneously build community
- Legal advocacy about family-related issues
- publishing journals on youth and family issues
- educational materials on biblical counseling
- one year internships for youth
Let me give you one example of how cutting edge their outreach is to youth: they developed a living exhibit of the life of Moses that had gone on tour around the country. One person at a time goes through the exhibit, wearing clothing representing various stages in Moses' life. The purpose is not merely to show the life of Moses, but to help the young person wrestle with questions of identity and purpose through living vicariously through Moses. So at one point they are invited to place labels on themselves representing various attitudes towards themselves. Throughout the exhibit are trained workers available to counsel or pray with the participant. People emerge overcome with emotion by what they have experienced, and the lines reach up to three hours to get in.
For my money, the keys to their success are tied to their commitment to each other and their commitment to their vision, all under the banner of seeking God in everything. So why is that so hard to duplicate? Sounds crazy to write it this way, but I think it is really hard to find people who are willing to give up what it takes to really seek God individually and corporately and really work together for a common goal. Can you imagine a 100 member church accomplishing this much?
Synergy, my friends. I am convinced the Body of Christ has not begun to realize its potential impact because of our unwillingness to be built into one another as a collective whole. And yet here I work pretty much on my own. I knew that coming in here, but the tension between my desire to function in community and my conviction that we are called here is pretty large right now.
All I can say is, if God ever closes the doors to Russia, we just may have our next stop.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Those elusive visas
As I wrote before, the freedom with which foreigners in Russia can obtain the right to live here has been severely curtailed since we arrived a year ago. What many are now doing are either becoming students (of Russian) or looking for a work permit (often by teaching English). Since neither of these fit my need or calling, I have avoided going in that direction. I don't want to force a square peg into a round hole just to stay; I believe God has creative solutions for those who wait on him.
A work permit doing coaching and coaching training fell through. With barely a month to go before we had to leave, we had to move fast, and the only option was a three-month "cultural exchange" visa. These kinds of visas are easy to get, but the expense and trouble of getting any visa is enough to make you cringe at doing them so often.
So how did we end up in Germany? Several months ago, knowing we would have to leave in
July, we started looking for an affordable place to stay in Europe while we waited for the visas to be sent to and processed in the U.S. After looking high and low, the answer was under our noses. Tobias and Katarina, new friends, colleagues, and Harbor volunteers, offered us, free of charge, a country house owned by well-to-do friends of theirs who make it available for people in ministry. It was too perfect. We needed to rest after so long in moving so fast. Even our staff conference last year was not really rest. So we got the best of both worlds - rest in a beautiful place (check out the view from our porch) and a place to wait for visas.
Back to the search for a long-term solution, almost immediately after the first visa door closed, Diana got offered a position at the International (Christian) Academy teaching high school writing with a work permit. Sounds good, and she was excited, but it takes her away from homeschooling and learning Russian. Moreover, the wild card is that the school doesn't even have the ability to invite teachers yet. What if they get turned down, as happened to another private school recently that was trying to keep their German teacher (Tobias, the missionary we stayed with in Germany)?
They also want me, as part of the deal, to teach a Bible class and be available one day a week to substitute. I could enjoy the experience, but it's not dead center of my calling.
It's not like I'm not open to being a student or a teacher or working somewhere else. It's just that I want to do what God wants. Please pray for direction, because we can make us some logical paths, but we want God's path alone.
I dropped in on an legal firm yesterday (July 30) that works with foreigners. They offered a kind of work permit that would be great if it's for real. Now I have to find out if it really is, but I've learned to keep my skeptical glasses on here. So many try to skirt the law to make things work.
Update, August 13th: Every step of the way right now is a new test in faith. I tried to encourage Diana with this fact today, pointing out that it took Abraham over a hundred years to get to the point where God could really trust him with His greatest task. "We don't have that long," she responded. "I expect not," I agreed. "But He has us on the crash course right now." Diana, ever unsure, mused, "or maybe a remedial course."
Yesterday, I spoke with an old-timer. He pointed out that though the legal firm may be doing things right, from a formal legal sense, the problem comes when (if) they ask you at the border what the nature of your work is with the company. This puts you in the position of essentially having to lie to keep from being kicked out. Doesn't seem like the Christ-honoring thing to do.
Last night I spoke with a friend from Richmond who planted an idea I'd already had: to offer the firm real services in exchange for the visa.
Today, we met with another missionary whose information on these types of agencies is that they are quasi-legal at best, fronts for government investigation at worst, since they mainly serve illegal immigrants from former Soviet republics.
Teaching at the International Academy has its own problems, even if we felt called. Latest word is that they won't get permission to grant work permits until at least several weeks after our visas end, assuming they get it at all. But the director is going to call any day now and ask for an answer. Should we still say yes and then hang out in Germany a couple of months again?
In short, options are running very thin. I know that these are the times that God gets to show up in power and in a way that only He gets the credit. So this is the kind of moment we are needing now.
Update, August 20th: I had been feeling more and more certain that work through the I.A. was not what God was calling us to. We had phone calls the other day with our director and his director, and they were both (independently) clear that, of the options on the table, getting a student visa was the best one. The director of the school forced our hand the next day, and Diana had a wonderful conversation with her, despite the fact that she was realizing the need to let that opportunity go. They both realized that there was something of God calling them together, but it was not for now, at least not as intensive as originally planned.
Having let go of the teaching prospect, Diana came to be excited about the possibilities of being more focused on her language development. Actually the terms of the language school we would use would require us each to take about 4 hours a week of private lessons. If this is where we end up, then we would be content, since it so clearly would support and not detract from why we are here. Even I need to grow in my language. The main disadvantage is the tuition costs. We would be looking at an additional $10,000 of need over the course of this coming year.
We actually don't have to decide quite yet. We just had to let the school know where we stood with them. This leaves us in some limbo, but that's a good place for God to work on us and work everything else out for His glory.
A work permit doing coaching and coaching training fell through. With barely a month to go before we had to leave, we had to move fast, and the only option was a three-month "cultural exchange" visa. These kinds of visas are easy to get, but the expense and trouble of getting any visa is enough to make you cringe at doing them so often.
So how did we end up in Germany? Several months ago, knowing we would have to leave in
July, we started looking for an affordable place to stay in Europe while we waited for the visas to be sent to and processed in the U.S. After looking high and low, the answer was under our noses. Tobias and Katarina, new friends, colleagues, and Harbor volunteers, offered us, free of charge, a country house owned by well-to-do friends of theirs who make it available for people in ministry. It was too perfect. We needed to rest after so long in moving so fast. Even our staff conference last year was not really rest. So we got the best of both worlds - rest in a beautiful place (check out the view from our porch) and a place to wait for visas.Back to the search for a long-term solution, almost immediately after the first visa door closed, Diana got offered a position at the International (Christian) Academy teaching high school writing with a work permit. Sounds good, and she was excited, but it takes her away from homeschooling and learning Russian. Moreover, the wild card is that the school doesn't even have the ability to invite teachers yet. What if they get turned down, as happened to another private school recently that was trying to keep their German teacher (Tobias, the missionary we stayed with in Germany)?
They also want me, as part of the deal, to teach a Bible class and be available one day a week to substitute. I could enjoy the experience, but it's not dead center of my calling.
It's not like I'm not open to being a student or a teacher or working somewhere else. It's just that I want to do what God wants. Please pray for direction, because we can make us some logical paths, but we want God's path alone.
I dropped in on an legal firm yesterday (July 30) that works with foreigners. They offered a kind of work permit that would be great if it's for real. Now I have to find out if it really is, but I've learned to keep my skeptical glasses on here. So many try to skirt the law to make things work.
Update, August 13th: Every step of the way right now is a new test in faith. I tried to encourage Diana with this fact today, pointing out that it took Abraham over a hundred years to get to the point where God could really trust him with His greatest task. "We don't have that long," she responded. "I expect not," I agreed. "But He has us on the crash course right now." Diana, ever unsure, mused, "or maybe a remedial course."
Yesterday, I spoke with an old-timer. He pointed out that though the legal firm may be doing things right, from a formal legal sense, the problem comes when (if) they ask you at the border what the nature of your work is with the company. This puts you in the position of essentially having to lie to keep from being kicked out. Doesn't seem like the Christ-honoring thing to do.
Last night I spoke with a friend from Richmond who planted an idea I'd already had: to offer the firm real services in exchange for the visa.
Today, we met with another missionary whose information on these types of agencies is that they are quasi-legal at best, fronts for government investigation at worst, since they mainly serve illegal immigrants from former Soviet republics.
Teaching at the International Academy has its own problems, even if we felt called. Latest word is that they won't get permission to grant work permits until at least several weeks after our visas end, assuming they get it at all. But the director is going to call any day now and ask for an answer. Should we still say yes and then hang out in Germany a couple of months again?
In short, options are running very thin. I know that these are the times that God gets to show up in power and in a way that only He gets the credit. So this is the kind of moment we are needing now.
Update, August 20th: I had been feeling more and more certain that work through the I.A. was not what God was calling us to. We had phone calls the other day with our director and his director, and they were both (independently) clear that, of the options on the table, getting a student visa was the best one. The director of the school forced our hand the next day, and Diana had a wonderful conversation with her, despite the fact that she was realizing the need to let that opportunity go. They both realized that there was something of God calling them together, but it was not for now, at least not as intensive as originally planned.
Having let go of the teaching prospect, Diana came to be excited about the possibilities of being more focused on her language development. Actually the terms of the language school we would use would require us each to take about 4 hours a week of private lessons. If this is where we end up, then we would be content, since it so clearly would support and not detract from why we are here. Even I need to grow in my language. The main disadvantage is the tuition costs. We would be looking at an additional $10,000 of need over the course of this coming year.
We actually don't have to decide quite yet. We just had to let the school know where we stood with them. This leaves us in some limbo, but that's a good place for God to work on us and work everything else out for His glory.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Living with our Landlady
We had an interesting start to our relationship with Julia. We wrote about her in an earlier newsletter:
After meeting her the day before, Julia and I met at her bank to sign the paperwork. Since nothing in Russia is quick, we had plenty of time to talk and get to know each other.
Julia mentioned that she had been getting nervous about being able to find good renters. (She actually immigrated to the U.S. - a big part of her puzzlement over why we would do the opposite.) Her two months here would end in less than a week. Now more comfortable discussing matters of faith, I said, "that must mean God sent us to you, and you to us."
"Absolutely," she affirmed. "Yesterday morning before you arrive, I went to visit Ksenia Blazhennaya about this to beseech her help." She was surprised I hadn't heard of Ksenia. "Even Laura Bush came to visit her when she was here!"
My curiosity peaked. How could I have missed knowing about such a revered person here?
"So where is she?"
"She's in the Smolensky Cemetery," Julia replied.
"Oh, so she's dead, you mean."
That's when I got Ksenia's story -- my head swimming the whole time.
Julia gave me not only the grand tour and introduction to her apartment, but also as much of her little microcosm as she could show me in three hours. We walked to a nearby cemetery, in the midst of which was her own church. Now she began to open up more about her own history and faith.
Through the love and prayers of the former priest of this church, Julia had a dramatic conversion to Christianity eight years ago. This man was apparantly such a spiritual father to the community that literally thousands came to Christ through him. Julia's own daughter, born the very hour of his death, is named after him. Moreover, she also credited his influence in the restoration of her marriage two years ago after years of divorce.
Our conversation continued:
"So this school you want to take your boys to, what kind of a school is it," she wondered.
"Christian," I answered, simply.
"But what kind of Christian?" she pressed.
"It's not one kind," I replied. Even though it was formed out of one church, I didn't want her to pigeon-hole it. "The beauty is, the teachers come from many different streams."
"Which ones? Does that include Orthodox, Catholics?"
"No, well, they are pretty much all Protestant," I backpeddled.
By this time we were walking with a friend of hers Julia recommended as a babysitter. So the conversation turned into a Q & A on Protestantism, which they had no clue about. I highlighted the brief history of the schism between East and West in 1054 and then between the Catholics and Protestants 500 years later. They seemed to appreciate much of what I said, especially my assertion that a foundation of Protestantism was a desire to return to a more biblically-based form of church, approaching the simplicity of Apostolic times. This agreed with their distaste for these "new sects." My statement that salvation (and all of life) were a gift of God through Christ also met with a wholehearted endorsement.
Arrival at our destination cut this conversation short, but I later told Julia I was already sad to see her leave after just meeting. Would that we could build on what we had just experienced!
Fast forward to June. She wants to come with her husband and two children to live with us for the month of July! Even if we were best buddies, this would send Diana to her grave. Thankfully, we leave for Germany on July 2nd for three weeks. In her two days with us, however, she managed to stress the dickens out of us, accusing us of:
Update July 26th: After spending time in prayer, not only about the situation, but also for Julia herself, we returned yesterday and met with Julia today. She could not have been more pleasant, brought up none of the yucky stuff, and informed us that they had decided not to raise the rent. Praise God! Our Realtor is amazed and thinks she could get more than twice what we pay!
After meeting her the day before, Julia and I met at her bank to sign the paperwork. Since nothing in Russia is quick, we had plenty of time to talk and get to know each other.
Julia mentioned that she had been getting nervous about being able to find good renters. (She actually immigrated to the U.S. - a big part of her puzzlement over why we would do the opposite.) Her two months here would end in less than a week. Now more comfortable discussing matters of faith, I said, "that must mean God sent us to you, and you to us."
"Absolutely," she affirmed. "Yesterday morning before you arrive, I went to visit Ksenia Blazhennaya about this to beseech her help." She was surprised I hadn't heard of Ksenia. "Even Laura Bush came to visit her when she was here!"
My curiosity peaked. How could I have missed knowing about such a revered person here?
"So where is she?"
"She's in the Smolensky Cemetery," Julia replied.
"Oh, so she's dead, you mean."
That's when I got Ksenia's story -- my head swimming the whole time.
Julia gave me not only the grand tour and introduction to her apartment, but also as much of her little microcosm as she could show me in three hours. We walked to a nearby cemetery, in the midst of which was her own church. Now she began to open up more about her own history and faith.
Through the love and prayers of the former priest of this church, Julia had a dramatic conversion to Christianity eight years ago. This man was apparantly such a spiritual father to the community that literally thousands came to Christ through him. Julia's own daughter, born the very hour of his death, is named after him. Moreover, she also credited his influence in the restoration of her marriage two years ago after years of divorce.
Our conversation continued:
"So this school you want to take your boys to, what kind of a school is it," she wondered.
"Christian," I answered, simply.
"But what kind of Christian?" she pressed.
"It's not one kind," I replied. Even though it was formed out of one church, I didn't want her to pigeon-hole it. "The beauty is, the teachers come from many different streams."
"Which ones? Does that include Orthodox, Catholics?"
"No, well, they are pretty much all Protestant," I backpeddled.
By this time we were walking with a friend of hers Julia recommended as a babysitter. So the conversation turned into a Q & A on Protestantism, which they had no clue about. I highlighted the brief history of the schism between East and West in 1054 and then between the Catholics and Protestants 500 years later. They seemed to appreciate much of what I said, especially my assertion that a foundation of Protestantism was a desire to return to a more biblically-based form of church, approaching the simplicity of Apostolic times. This agreed with their distaste for these "new sects." My statement that salvation (and all of life) were a gift of God through Christ also met with a wholehearted endorsement.
Arrival at our destination cut this conversation short, but I later told Julia I was already sad to see her leave after just meeting. Would that we could build on what we had just experienced!
Fast forward to June. She wants to come with her husband and two children to live with us for the month of July! Even if we were best buddies, this would send Diana to her grave. Thankfully, we leave for Germany on July 2nd for three weeks. In her two days with us, however, she managed to stress the dickens out of us, accusing us of:
- opening one of her rooms (which we did to put her stuff in it that she had left all over the apartment). But not content to get an apology, she couldn't stop going on and on and on about it, asking me to explain our reasons for doing it and then tearing into me again as though my reasons amounted to a retraction of my apology.
- taking her stuff from another room for our use (when she had actually left the stuff for us). Again she kept going on about it, unwilling to allow any possibility of her memory being wrong.
Update July 26th: After spending time in prayer, not only about the situation, but also for Julia herself, we returned yesterday and met with Julia today. She could not have been more pleasant, brought up none of the yucky stuff, and informed us that they had decided not to raise the rent. Praise God! Our Realtor is amazed and thinks she could get more than twice what we pay!
Yuri
Yuri describes himself as the only Christian to survive the only Christian orphanage in the city. I have heard from other sources that this orphanage turns kids away from the Good News though their methodology, which is sad. Though still an exaggeration, there is no question that God has a special hand on Yuri.
Providence sent Yuri to this orphanage at the age of 11 - unusually late - with his sister (6). He knows nothing of his father, and he only sees his mother once or twice a year even though she lives here. The institution did give Yuri a good background in English; he was in my English class this past fall, standing head and shoulders above the rest of the class. We would love to show you a picture of Yuri, but as a resident of the Harbor, we can't do that. When we reshuffled placements at the end of the year, Yuri ended up as my sole student, and we excitedly agreed to have him come over weekly for lessons.
Just these simple changes made a world of difference in our relationship. Wednesday evenings became an opportunity to let Yuri build a relationship with our whole family. We feed him our strange Americal diet. (He discovered that he really does like beans, for example.) We plays games together and joke around. He shares things from his web page (the Russian equivalent of MySpace).
English lessons quickly evolved too. Since we can talk about more than Dick and Jane, I started asking some penetrating coaching questions and having him do some homework that would lead to conversations about life and purpose. Where we have landed surprised me: Yuri is really motivated to know what it means to be a godly husband. Well, why not? What modeling did he have? And this happens to be one of my biggest passions, having written an in-depth study for husbands back in 2006. God planned this connection well.
Our relationship is somewhere between English tutoring and old-fashioned mentoring. We use my study as a launching point for discussion and getting to his own "heart of the matter."
Even though Yuri is a 19-year-old student at a local technical college in chemistry, he longs to be in youth ministry. Pray for him, that God would release in him the faith and vision for a bold life of leadership in whatever field God sends him.
Providence sent Yuri to this orphanage at the age of 11 - unusually late - with his sister (6). He knows nothing of his father, and he only sees his mother once or twice a year even though she lives here. The institution did give Yuri a good background in English; he was in my English class this past fall, standing head and shoulders above the rest of the class. We would love to show you a picture of Yuri, but as a resident of the Harbor, we can't do that. When we reshuffled placements at the end of the year, Yuri ended up as my sole student, and we excitedly agreed to have him come over weekly for lessons.
Just these simple changes made a world of difference in our relationship. Wednesday evenings became an opportunity to let Yuri build a relationship with our whole family. We feed him our strange Americal diet. (He discovered that he really does like beans, for example.) We plays games together and joke around. He shares things from his web page (the Russian equivalent of MySpace).
English lessons quickly evolved too. Since we can talk about more than Dick and Jane, I started asking some penetrating coaching questions and having him do some homework that would lead to conversations about life and purpose. Where we have landed surprised me: Yuri is really motivated to know what it means to be a godly husband. Well, why not? What modeling did he have? And this happens to be one of my biggest passions, having written an in-depth study for husbands back in 2006. God planned this connection well.
Our relationship is somewhere between English tutoring and old-fashioned mentoring. We use my study as a launching point for discussion and getting to his own "heart of the matter."
Even though Yuri is a 19-year-old student at a local technical college in chemistry, he longs to be in youth ministry. Pray for him, that God would release in him the faith and vision for a bold life of leadership in whatever field God sends him.
Vadim and Vending
I have a lot of stories that are still in the percolation stage, meaning I don't yet have enough to report on that would make it worth reading. This is a story that isn't ready for prime time, but I have to share what has been happening to date here on my blog.
God connected me with Vadim through one of my prayer partners back in Richmond. She had read an article about him in the Fuller alumni magazine and sent it to me. I could tell he was one of those "must meets" right away - a seminary graduate who had decided to open a business instead of a church. On our very first meeting at his coffee shop he was already sharing his vision for supporting missionaries with his second business - coffee vending machines. It was a neat idea, since it is both profitable and takes very little time. But I was more interested in the man behind the idea - a calm, mature believer who uses his business to disciple his employees and manifest Kingdom principles. That may not sound too radical to some, but in Russia, it's an anomaly.
Before long I was doing my newtorking thing: I introduced Vadim to Colleen and Igor to see what magic could happen, and they all hit it off. We started working on a project to start a new Christian business forum for networking and training of Christians for business ownership. That project is in an uncertain status at the present, but the vending for missionaries kept coming up in my conversations with Vadim. (Mind you, we are talking about supporting Russian leaders, not foreign missionaries.)
I had already had a powerful meeting with some of the leadership of CRM's Enterprise International, which starts businesses where CRM is located to support local missions. These guys had come to St. Petersburg in December to meet someone else and had had no idea that our team was here. God corrected that oversight at the last minute, and I got to share my vision with them.
The problem was that they were already pulled in too many directions to do anything for us just yet. But the more I talked with Vadim, the more I wanted to get these guys involved. Finally in June Vadim and I came up with a plan to set up a mission that would focus on finding, supporting, and training leaders, with his business as one of the ways that those leaders would be supported while in training. When I shared the vision with Steve Hall of Enterprise, the response was more enthusiastic than I had anticipated. What shocked me was that I was so worried about how to create a ministry model that would fly with supporters. Steve told me that all that was important to find the capital we needed was a good business model. The potential supporters already know and trust CRM well enough to expect that the ministry model will be solid. Another affirmation that I am associated with the right team (CRM).
Update, October 3rd. We have met with a lawyer about whether to go for-profit or nonprofit, and although both are possible, it looks like we will go for-profit (called "commercial" here). I spoke again with Steve today and things are coming together. Even though we have some details to work out in the exact business structure and how we will compensate Vadim for his time in training the missionaries, He has everything he needs to go to the board of E.I. next week (meeting Tuesday Oct. 7th through Friday) to ask them to consider making this project a priority for the upcoming fiscal year. This is really exciting to say the least, since, apart from the research I have provided from this end, Steve has done most of the work needed to formalize the plan for the board, freeing me up to concentrate more on the ministry side of the planning.
Best case scenario: the board calls this project a "needs to happen" and pulls budgeted funds our way. Steve comes and does his due diligence and finalizes plans here in the next several weeks, and we are up and running by the end of the year.
Worst case: the project falls below the fundable priorities, but we could still raise funds from outside of CRM. Indeed Steve has some donors interested in funding this project. Steve feels, however, that my ability to serve this project at least temporarily wearing the business director hat bodes well for its prospects this week.
Thanks for praying this week.
This thread continues here.
God connected me with Vadim through one of my prayer partners back in Richmond. She had read an article about him in the Fuller alumni magazine and sent it to me. I could tell he was one of those "must meets" right away - a seminary graduate who had decided to open a business instead of a church. On our very first meeting at his coffee shop he was already sharing his vision for supporting missionaries with his second business - coffee vending machines. It was a neat idea, since it is both profitable and takes very little time. But I was more interested in the man behind the idea - a calm, mature believer who uses his business to disciple his employees and manifest Kingdom principles. That may not sound too radical to some, but in Russia, it's an anomaly.
Before long I was doing my newtorking thing: I introduced Vadim to Colleen and Igor to see what magic could happen, and they all hit it off. We started working on a project to start a new Christian business forum for networking and training of Christians for business ownership. That project is in an uncertain status at the present, but the vending for missionaries kept coming up in my conversations with Vadim. (Mind you, we are talking about supporting Russian leaders, not foreign missionaries.)
I had already had a powerful meeting with some of the leadership of CRM's Enterprise International, which starts businesses where CRM is located to support local missions. These guys had come to St. Petersburg in December to meet someone else and had had no idea that our team was here. God corrected that oversight at the last minute, and I got to share my vision with them.
The problem was that they were already pulled in too many directions to do anything for us just yet. But the more I talked with Vadim, the more I wanted to get these guys involved. Finally in June Vadim and I came up with a plan to set up a mission that would focus on finding, supporting, and training leaders, with his business as one of the ways that those leaders would be supported while in training. When I shared the vision with Steve Hall of Enterprise, the response was more enthusiastic than I had anticipated. What shocked me was that I was so worried about how to create a ministry model that would fly with supporters. Steve told me that all that was important to find the capital we needed was a good business model. The potential supporters already know and trust CRM well enough to expect that the ministry model will be solid. Another affirmation that I am associated with the right team (CRM).
Update, October 3rd. We have met with a lawyer about whether to go for-profit or nonprofit, and although both are possible, it looks like we will go for-profit (called "commercial" here). I spoke again with Steve today and things are coming together. Even though we have some details to work out in the exact business structure and how we will compensate Vadim for his time in training the missionaries, He has everything he needs to go to the board of E.I. next week (meeting Tuesday Oct. 7th through Friday) to ask them to consider making this project a priority for the upcoming fiscal year. This is really exciting to say the least, since, apart from the research I have provided from this end, Steve has done most of the work needed to formalize the plan for the board, freeing me up to concentrate more on the ministry side of the planning.
Best case scenario: the board calls this project a "needs to happen" and pulls budgeted funds our way. Steve comes and does his due diligence and finalizes plans here in the next several weeks, and we are up and running by the end of the year.
Worst case: the project falls below the fundable priorities, but we could still raise funds from outside of CRM. Indeed Steve has some donors interested in funding this project. Steve feels, however, that my ability to serve this project at least temporarily wearing the business director hat bodes well for its prospects this week.
Thanks for praying this week.
This thread continues here.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Now for something completely different...
These pictures need little comment. You laugh at them. We cry.
(Click on any to enlarge.)
The first set I call Russian Feats of Transportation:
The next set is called Building Blunders:
Offices of the Russian State Construction Company, no joke
Followed by Shame on Russia:
And lastly, Only in Russia:
This is not abuse. This is life.
Just a little higher, PLEASE!
At least they are trying to be safe.
Granny tan
The sign reads: "This is our favorite store!"
So much for Church and State
(Click on any to enlarge.)
The first set I call Russian Feats of Transportation:
The next set is called Building Blunders:
Offices of the Russian State Construction Company, no joke
Followed by Shame on Russia:
And lastly, Only in Russia:
This is not abuse. This is life.
Just a little higher, PLEASE!
At least they are trying to be safe.
Granny tan
The sign reads: "This is our favorite store!"
So much for Church and State
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