How 'mi doin'?

Taking ispiration from Mayor Ed Koch, I thought I'd review my progress on attaining my 2008 goals, which I posted here last December. I do this as a matter of accountability to all of you who support us in prayer and financially.

In this month's newsletter, I mentioned my hopes for producing a multiplying deiscipleship process to empower high-impact leaders with a broad base of discipleship skills, including counseling, coaching, and spiritual formation. This falls right in line with what I wrote last year - to "start immediately duplicating the knowledge God has given me by investing in others who can teach the class [Biblical Problem Solving] and grow into trainers of trainers themselves."

Not only did this happen when Ilya started teaching the class, ...

"My January, therefore, may be dedicated in part to working in parallel with one of my students to teach this class there [at a mission training school nearby]."

..., but I have also started counseling two other couples with leadership potential. The vision has expanded beyond counseling, however, and coach training will be coming in 2009. I am currently under mentorin by my team member, Bill O'Byrne, in spiritual formation, and I hope to be able to mentor others by next year.

"I have a list of pastors and other Christian leaders, including Orthodox, I want to meet and listen to next year to find out where the needs are and where I might find other open doors."

I had significant first-time meetings with at least 4 pastors and 3 missions leaders. I had one other good meeting with an Orthodox priest who is active in ecumenical relations. I am praying for more key contacts with Orthodox leaders in 2009. My goal is at least 12 new relationships with church leaders, and at least 6 new ministry leaders.

I hoped to expand my work at the Harbor in 2008, and God granted relationships with Yuri, which grew throughout the year (and continues), and with Nastya, a former program participant, whom I coached for a few months. Additionally, I began coaching staff members at the Harbor. The one I am currently working with, Sergei, sees the vision I had last year of:

"exploring both how coaching might be used for the whole staff and for how it could be used for the program participants themselves."

Not only is Sergei beginning to use principles from what we do together with Harbor residents, he is very interested in getting coach training himself. We are tentatively looking at starting a 15 week program in March if God grants a group of interested participants.

"Outside the Harbor, I feel the need to do some research into the other ministries and secular entities serving the orphans and street kids. The street kid problem is radically different from even a year ago, as it appears that the government has actually done something good for a change and established homes for them based on a European model that works fairly well. I need to know more."

I did some initial research, which I reported in my April '08 newsletter. Beyond this, I sent out a call to the missions community here and to my supporters at home. The result: 4 people here interested in helping (one soon left the field), and none to help long distance. I decided that there wasn't much need, or that God didn't have that as a priority for me for the time being.

"Barely 100 paces from our house is an orphanage for school-aged children. I intend to find a way to meet the leadership there and begin serving, to include bringing at least Diana and Lydia along over time."

Barely a week after I posted this, God supernaturally opened the doors to ministry there, and the rest is history. One hope I have for 2009 that I did not write about in my December newsletter is to get access to at least one family associated with that orphanage who would like to reunite with their child and to work with the family as a pilot project for what could be developed further. The main obstacle from my vantage point now is that such families almost don't exist from what I hear. They are NOT motivated to get their kids back! I hope this is not true.

My biggest disapointment of the year was the work with a Christian businesswoman that did not come to fruition.

"My aim is to see her company (her mission, really) have deeper penetration into the secular business community. The possibilities are tremendous."

After talking about these possibilities for some time, Colleen did not feel that God was leading her in the direction of a partnership. Perhaps God has another such partnership planned for me. Trouble is, I don't know of any others at this point. I pray He will show me.

All in all, I'd say God gave grace to more than surpass these goals. Makes me excited about 2009.

My reading list

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)

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 met a wonderful couple whom God called to add to their one biological child 19 others. Now that many are reaching their majority, they plan to take on another 20 over the next few years.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!