Doris and I have been home for a week... Our bodies are having a difficult time adjusting to a new time zone... However, I'm pretty productive in the middle of the night... What is difficult for me is my heart is now in two places... Doris and I are Americans... We love our country and its many benefits... We love being with our families and friends... Friday we drove to the Lake of the Ozarks to visit Doris' mother and had an enjoyable afternoon catching up and sharing the many photos we took in Russia... We will be driving to Lawrence, Kansas, for Thanksgiving with my mother and Aunt Polly... Life in the US is pleasant... Water always comes from the tap... The garage opener opens my garage door as I come around the corner... Many in Russia don't have garages...
Doris and I love the people in Russia... They remind me of the men and women who homesteaded Kansas... Pioneer people who through hardship prevailed and built a home and a state... The Russian people have suffered through much, most of the suffering brought about by their own government... They have not given up, there is still a spark of life and it is that spark that Doris and I want to blow on until it is a flame and then a fire...
We think of our clients who a thirsty for help... Most of all they want someone to offer them hope in the midst of doubtfulness... I'll encourage Doris to add a few more thoughts before we put a cap on this trip...
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Nearing the End - Nov 12
We are nearing the end of our work in Russia. We have spent the past 4 weeks here working with the elderly, and organizations that provide care for developmentally disabled children, HIV+ mothers and their children and a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center.
Every time we come we love the Russian people even more. We wish you could be with us to understand the many hardships they go through just to live. This morning there was no water in our apartment – this meant no coffee and no bathroom. Now we know this can be a regular occurrence here. There have been many times when we’ve not had water.
But, still, maybe water is not the most important issue. Loneliness, lack of love and rejection are the hardest. Let me give you an example. My niece Cassidy-Rae has cerebral palsy. She's already had a number of operations. She requires intensive physical therapy and bolus feedings through a feeding tube into her stomach. Despite her physical challenges, she is rich in love. I've seen a number of kids in Russia and in America who haven't a tenth of the affection and real care afforded to Cassidy-Rae. This trip out, I was privy to more stories from women who had been through the uglier underbelly of Soviet life, as in exile, beatings, and loss of relatives to shooting or Gulag. Three stories in particular ended with a version of "God is good". I was sharing one story with a lady last night, who responded, "I could never forgive that." At this point, as you can tell, Bob and I are home. I'm posting what Bob had written overseas. Please take time to read the entries. I'll take one more post (later) to share that dynamic story of a woman who forgave because God had forgiven her so much.
Until later...
Every time we come we love the Russian people even more. We wish you could be with us to understand the many hardships they go through just to live. This morning there was no water in our apartment – this meant no coffee and no bathroom. Now we know this can be a regular occurrence here. There have been many times when we’ve not had water.
But, still, maybe water is not the most important issue. Loneliness, lack of love and rejection are the hardest. Let me give you an example. My niece Cassidy-Rae has cerebral palsy. She's already had a number of operations. She requires intensive physical therapy and bolus feedings through a feeding tube into her stomach. Despite her physical challenges, she is rich in love. I've seen a number of kids in Russia and in America who haven't a tenth of the affection and real care afforded to Cassidy-Rae. This trip out, I was privy to more stories from women who had been through the uglier underbelly of Soviet life, as in exile, beatings, and loss of relatives to shooting or Gulag. Three stories in particular ended with a version of "God is good". I was sharing one story with a lady last night, who responded, "I could never forgive that." At this point, as you can tell, Bob and I are home. I'm posting what Bob had written overseas. Please take time to read the entries. I'll take one more post (later) to share that dynamic story of a woman who forgave because God had forgiven her so much.
Until later...
Tues, Nov 11 in Asbest
Tuesday – November 11, 2008
This is the next to the last day in Russia… We leave on Thursday in the middle of the night… Yep, we leave Asbest at 2:30 am, in order to make it to the Yekaterinburg airport for our 6:30 am flight to Moscow…
Yep, it is snowing and snowing and snowing… Also there was no water in the apartment… Bruce and I walked to the office and I had some coffee and warmed up a bit before getting busy… It is now lunch time so I can goof off for a few minutes before finishing some projects… I need to work with Zhenya on some performance evaluations on his next key managers… Now this could be an interesting meeting…
UMMMMM – now for a second cup of coffee…
This is the next to the last day in Russia… We leave on Thursday in the middle of the night… Yep, we leave Asbest at 2:30 am, in order to make it to the Yekaterinburg airport for our 6:30 am flight to Moscow…
Yep, it is snowing and snowing and snowing… Also there was no water in the apartment… Bruce and I walked to the office and I had some coffee and warmed up a bit before getting busy… It is now lunch time so I can goof off for a few minutes before finishing some projects… I need to work with Zhenya on some performance evaluations on his next key managers… Now this could be an interesting meeting…
UMMMMM – now for a second cup of coffee…
Monday, Nov 10
We enjoyed worship service at Love of Christ Church in Asbest. Kostya Lyubimov led the worship; it was as dynamic as Kostya's personality. I spoke with the mom of a young woman that some of us CFC'ers had prayed for some years ago; Larisa eventually succumbed to brain cancer, but it's still a beautiful story.
Monday, Nov 10
Well the Jayhawks lost, the Chiefs lost, and it is cold and snowy here in Asbest…Today Doris and I have a meeting with Zhenya and the top management group to discuss performance management systems… This included a BARS performance evaluation format and a goal setting form that asked for goals and a documentation of results… Zhenya wants to place more emphasis on achieving results in the future… On Thursday we start home… I think we are all ready to be back in Columbia with all the conveniences that our homes have…
We also visited the plastic recycling project… The machines were down for maintenance but we had an opportunity to talk with the director and some of the employees… They need help up-grading their equipment and some contracts for obtaining and selling plastic…
Where we are staying has wool blankets and for the past week I have continued to wake up itching… Last night I didn’t use the wool blanket and did just fine…
So much for Monday…
Monday, Nov 10
Well the Jayhawks lost, the Chiefs lost, and it is cold and snowy here in Asbest…Today Doris and I have a meeting with Zhenya and the top management group to discuss performance management systems… This included a BARS performance evaluation format and a goal setting form that asked for goals and a documentation of results… Zhenya wants to place more emphasis on achieving results in the future… On Thursday we start home… I think we are all ready to be back in Columbia with all the conveniences that our homes have…
We also visited the plastic recycling project… The machines were down for maintenance but we had an opportunity to talk with the director and some of the employees… They need help up-grading their equipment and some contracts for obtaining and selling plastic…
Where we are staying has wool blankets and for the past week I have continued to wake up itching… Last night I didn’t use the wool blanket and did just fine…
So much for Monday…
Friday November 7 in Asbest
On Wednesday, Nov 5, we caught the tail end of the vote counting process at the American Consulate in Ekaterinburg. Doris enjoyed talking to a group of young, bubbly Russian University students who had been invited to the Consulate to discuss the electoral process. Afterwards we had the pleasure of meeting a representative from the U.S. Consulate in Ekaterinburg, Chris Istrati and his wife Melody. Melody had grown up as a missionary kid, so it was special for Doris to have a few minutes with her.
That evening we traveled to Asbest where the four of us stayed in the apartment of a church member, Valentina Phillipovna (which means her daddy's name was Phillip, if you're wondering). Mindy and Bob had seminars the next day on social mapping and teamwork, respectively. Thursday we had more seminars.
Friday, Nov 7
We spent the morning discussing our future work… Now maybe that may sound crazy based on all of our projects but we’re learning more and more what God would have us do and how He would want us to do it…
We went to the rehabilitation center this afternoon and then returned to Asbest where Bruce held the initial session on business planning. While we were at the rehabilitation center we had a heart to heart discussion with Zenya regarding our role at Salvation… We told him that workshops alone were a waste of his time and ours, because they didn’t end in results… He said then you need to do what is best for us and so we plan to share with him a performance management plan which his management team can use to improve performance throughout his organization…
We then discussed the possibilities of a group of parents and children from Christian Fellowship Church in Columbia coming to Asbest… Zhenya suggested an all- city celebration to be held in a city park… Face painting, clowns blowing up interesting balloons, other games and activities for children where some of the ideas shared… I’m sure when we return to Columbia a group of people can think of even more activities… We would need to start training people now to be ready for such an event next summer…
We ate dinner at 9 pm and staggered into bed… Saturday will show up soon…
That evening we traveled to Asbest where the four of us stayed in the apartment of a church member, Valentina Phillipovna (which means her daddy's name was Phillip, if you're wondering). Mindy and Bob had seminars the next day on social mapping and teamwork, respectively. Thursday we had more seminars.
Friday, Nov 7
We spent the morning discussing our future work… Now maybe that may sound crazy based on all of our projects but we’re learning more and more what God would have us do and how He would want us to do it…
We went to the rehabilitation center this afternoon and then returned to Asbest where Bruce held the initial session on business planning. While we were at the rehabilitation center we had a heart to heart discussion with Zenya regarding our role at Salvation… We told him that workshops alone were a waste of his time and ours, because they didn’t end in results… He said then you need to do what is best for us and so we plan to share with him a performance management plan which his management team can use to improve performance throughout his organization…
We then discussed the possibilities of a group of parents and children from Christian Fellowship Church in Columbia coming to Asbest… Zhenya suggested an all- city celebration to be held in a city park… Face painting, clowns blowing up interesting balloons, other games and activities for children where some of the ideas shared… I’m sure when we return to Columbia a group of people can think of even more activities… We would need to start training people now to be ready for such an event next summer…
We ate dinner at 9 pm and staggered into bed… Saturday will show up soon…
Saturday, November 1, 2008
seminar
Oops, I guess Bob is too tired to write as well. Today we had all day seminars on leadership for participants from not for profits (and a couple government organizations) who are mostly involved with HIV work, drug & alcohol treatment, and prevention work among sex workers. I'm afraid I didn't have high expectations for them, but was pleasantly surprised to be wrong and repented on the way home for my wrong attitude. I, who am usually optimistic, did not have high hopes this time, and am finding my expectations (gloriously) unmet. Tomorrow Mindy will be doing a series of seminars in the sphere of social work and fundraising. After we're through, I'm certain Bob will be ready to post a blog on life as a seminar leader.
Doris
Doris
Nov1: Tired but doing fine
Bruce and Mindy arrived last night around 7p. Prior to that Bob and I visited my with old friends. After dealing with beaurocratic issues that drug out five hours, Bob was especially pleased to find that Nadia had fixed us borsch and homemade chebureki. Chebureki can not be described, only enjoyed, but they involve meat, spices and a very thin pastry shell. We had a very nice time with Nadia, Zina and Lilya, remembering old home group meetings and catching up with one another. Nadia and I had originally started that home group together. Although all those in the home group are in different churches and even cities, Nadia has been the mama\friend glue holding them together and encouraging them through some ugly decisions. It seemed to me the perfect picture of the church in action.
Bob and I are very grateful for our warm reception in Ekaterinburg this time. This is the easiest trip we've had. We're also pleased with the changes we've seen in Transformation Church. I suppose that, if you just keep putting your feet one after another long enough by faith, even when the road ahead isn't clear, you'll eventually see on the other side that God had a marvelous plan for the seeming chaos you were walking through. The church has a very sweet spirit about it.
I'm going to let Bob write now!
Doris
Bob and I are very grateful for our warm reception in Ekaterinburg this time. This is the easiest trip we've had. We're also pleased with the changes we've seen in Transformation Church. I suppose that, if you just keep putting your feet one after another long enough by faith, even when the road ahead isn't clear, you'll eventually see on the other side that God had a marvelous plan for the seeming chaos you were walking through. The church has a very sweet spirit about it.
I'm going to let Bob write now!
Doris
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Tuesday, Oct 28th
Tuesday
Today is Tuesday, our last full day in Ryazan… It seems we just arrived and now we’re on to the next phase of our work… We held our last session of the senior center this morning and, with a little sadness, said, “Good bye” to the seniors who had come to spend their time with us… Doris and I danced as they serenaded us with some Russian songs… They got into the act when the music turned upbeat and they danced and twirled and waved their hands in the air and laughed and laughed… Is the Kingdom of God in our midst??? We are so thankful to Christian Fellowship Church and the Elders, who helped to fund this project… They have covered us with their love and prayers and if it were not for these things we would have not succeeded in this experiment…
Last night we received a call from a business person from Ryazan… Igor has been in the church for years and is involved in business development for his company which both produces and markets construction equipment. He was looking for contacts in the States, either, products that could be sold in Russia or produced and marketed there. Bob may be contacting some of you!
We basically packed last night, but now we’re doing the final packing and final phone calls to tie off this part of the trip and prepare for the next leg as afternoon slips away into evening…
The seniors overwhelmingly enjoyed the program. They enjoyed relating to us and among themselves, singing songs from their younger days, and doing light exercise (in that order). I (Doris) was surprised. This group seems to be a lonelier group than others. The majority were widows living separately from their children. One woman, Galina, had lost her husband and daughter eleven years ago. Her grandchild lives in the Ukraine. For her and her companions at our table, being able to relate to people who were kind to them was very sweet. Galina left her home at 7am this morning, but, because of traffic jams, arrived a little after 9a. In a car without traffic jams it would have taken about 20 minutes. It’s painful for her to have to ask young, healthy people sitting in seats for elderly and pensioners to allow her to sit there. This morning’s meeting was a place of peace for her.
Today is Tuesday, our last full day in Ryazan… It seems we just arrived and now we’re on to the next phase of our work… We held our last session of the senior center this morning and, with a little sadness, said, “Good bye” to the seniors who had come to spend their time with us… Doris and I danced as they serenaded us with some Russian songs… They got into the act when the music turned upbeat and they danced and twirled and waved their hands in the air and laughed and laughed… Is the Kingdom of God in our midst??? We are so thankful to Christian Fellowship Church and the Elders, who helped to fund this project… They have covered us with their love and prayers and if it were not for these things we would have not succeeded in this experiment…
Last night we received a call from a business person from Ryazan… Igor has been in the church for years and is involved in business development for his company which both produces and markets construction equipment. He was looking for contacts in the States, either, products that could be sold in Russia or produced and marketed there. Bob may be contacting some of you!
We basically packed last night, but now we’re doing the final packing and final phone calls to tie off this part of the trip and prepare for the next leg as afternoon slips away into evening…
The seniors overwhelmingly enjoyed the program. They enjoyed relating to us and among themselves, singing songs from their younger days, and doing light exercise (in that order). I (Doris) was surprised. This group seems to be a lonelier group than others. The majority were widows living separately from their children. One woman, Galina, had lost her husband and daughter eleven years ago. Her grandchild lives in the Ukraine. For her and her companions at our table, being able to relate to people who were kind to them was very sweet. Galina left her home at 7am this morning, but, because of traffic jams, arrived a little after 9a. In a car without traffic jams it would have taken about 20 minutes. It’s painful for her to have to ask young, healthy people sitting in seats for elderly and pensioners to allow her to sit there. This morning’s meeting was a place of peace for her.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Senior Stories
Friday
Today we have session two of the senior center… We have singing and games on the schedule along with an opportunity for the seniors to vote in the US Presidential Election. (The outcome was 24 Obama and 1 McCain… Boy -- the power of the Russian news.)
They enjoyed the singing and after tea and rolls we played Pictionary and Scrabble and some of the men played chess… I made the Pictionary game easy so they would not get discouraged while playing… They really got into the game and some will make up their own versions of the game to play at home.
We had coffee/tea after words with our dear friend Armenui. She is the one who keeps our work glued together. She is better than Radar as an office assistant… No detail gets past her sight.
We spent the rest of the afternoon goofing off and then Doris went to a friends home for the evening while I sis some other work and watched part of a tennis match… They don’t have the sports I enjoy here…
Saturday
A day off??? Well we went to Nashi Deti (Our Children) for a fall play… We have videos and plenty of photographs to share when we get home… Doris was in her element talking with the mothers and children… These children all have some form of a developmental disability, which is a big problem in Russia… They are often thought of as less than human sometimes… Our friend and client Natalia is doing a great job trying to change this attitude here in Ryazan… There were maybe 30 children in the play…
Next we went to George and Jill’s for a late lunch… They pastor a church in Ryazan… They are from the US but, after more than 10 years, have adjusted nicely to Russia… We talked about things happening in their church and the projects we’re working on here in Ryazan… It was a fine day for us… After that we spent some time with Natalia, her husband and two children… Sasha is their son who has cerebral palsy… I gave Sasha a gift – a KU stocking cap with a big Jayhawk on it… We rode the bus home and fell into bed…
Sunday
Armenui is coming for breakfast at 9:00 am… Off to church… We greeted the church on behalf of our Pastor and the Elders of Christian Fellowship Church in Columbia… I’m going to ask Doris to take it on from here… One additional thing I want to say is the church in Ryazan has loved us more than we could ever hope for… They have bent over backwards to make our stay here fruitful… It is a testimony to the love of Christ Jesus that lives in them…
We had lunch with Doris’s old friends--Vitaly, Inga, their children and Vitaly’s mother. We had fried chicken and salads and all kinds of good stuff… It was so fun to be with these dear people…
Monday
This morning we started our second group of senior center meetings… A whole new group of people attending… What fun it is to love on these people… They are so appreciative of our efforts… I think Doris may have found a woman in the Ryazan church that we may be able to work through… She is already caring for thirteen seniors in the church, originally providing monthly food supplies and meals out of her own funds… Later today, we went to a nursing facility and showed them our PowerPoint presentation about life in Columbia… They had many questions regarding life in the US… We, of course, had an opportunity to visit with the dear 97 year old woman that we made friends with back in the spring. (Her picture is on Doris’s facebook.) We are reviewing for tomorrow’s meeting and packing for our trip to Yekaterinburg on Wednesday… We certainly believe God is in this effort… The people just soak up every bit of kindness shown to them… We hope you will consider how you might help us with this work… We can assure you that everything you can do will go directly to a person who has a tremendous need…
Bob…
It’s no secret that I enjoy relating with people the most. A few hours with old friends, although physically exhausting depending upon how many of these meetings I have in a row, is emotionally energizing. No matter how much one loves leading larger meetings, it’s still exhausting, especially with a new group every couple days. The laughter and “a-ha!” moments make it worthwhile for me, as do the opportunities to stop and just listen to stories. Bob and I promised we wouldn’t talk about God in four of the meetings so that the social services director who’d sent us a group of people to fill out our meetings wouldn’t have problems with her boss. So Bob and I have been praying for a way to offer hope to people (many of the elderly suffered deeply in the war and from famine) within these restrictions. Today when we asked the group to share the joys of growing old, one woman responded about the peace she had from going on trips to Orthodox Holy places. The group discussed that, although the body is getting weaker with age, with age comes more free time and a concern for spiritual growth. From there, we moved onto issues of how to love our neighbor as our self.
One of the special moments in the nursing home was a conversation with four women at the end of the program. One woman, Maria, who was born in ’31, spoke of her dad having been arrested and family sent into exile because he complained to Stalin about the collectivization that caused an artificial famine in the area. In her words, thinking back to that picture of seven children starving under the Christmas tree and realizing that now she is full because she survived, she realizes that she has been given a precious gift. The family were believers (I’m assuming Orthodox), and, because of what they had been through and their roots, the Communist system never could root it out of them.
Another quite bright woman was in the nursing home of her own choice. Her son was busy with his family and couldn’t make room for her, so she moved into the nursing home. She reads everything about politics and current events that she can.
A third woman, Valya, age 63 and healthy, insisted she didn’t want to be in the home, although she said she was treated well. Her youngest son was murdered in ’91 (probably business-mafia related). Her older son died later. Then a beam in their (probably older) home broke; a month later her husband died. She was left without resources to restore her home (in absence of home insurance, which is not the norm for the majority of Russians). Her hope (and prayer request) is that someone would decide to develop the land, buy her home (and her neighbors homes) and give them apartments in return.
Although the stories are sad, we parted laughing and hugging one another, because these women really are glad just to be alive. Part of our job is to confirm to them how precious life is, how valuable they are, and how close God is to help.
Tonight when I was speaking with Karina, the lady from the church Bob mentioned above who cares for seniors in the church, I was amazed. She has much less money than the majority of us, but had been making care packages—staples, such as cooking oil, rice, sugar, soap, etc.—for the elderly and often inviting a group of 13 to her home for a very nice meal. She insists that they remain seated while she serves them, saying that she wants to honor them. When her money ran out, the pastors’ wife found funds from friends to cover this. I asked Karina why she does this; she answered, “I don’t know. I just love old people.” I told Karina we would pray for her and her husband Samuel. Life isn’t easy here, but I’m always amazed (and challenged) by those who have little according to most of our standards but still give out so much.
My apologies for the length, but I wanted to honor these people.
Doris
On to Tuesday…
Today we have session two of the senior center… We have singing and games on the schedule along with an opportunity for the seniors to vote in the US Presidential Election. (The outcome was 24 Obama and 1 McCain… Boy -- the power of the Russian news.)
They enjoyed the singing and after tea and rolls we played Pictionary and Scrabble and some of the men played chess… I made the Pictionary game easy so they would not get discouraged while playing… They really got into the game and some will make up their own versions of the game to play at home.
We had coffee/tea after words with our dear friend Armenui. She is the one who keeps our work glued together. She is better than Radar as an office assistant… No detail gets past her sight.
We spent the rest of the afternoon goofing off and then Doris went to a friends home for the evening while I sis some other work and watched part of a tennis match… They don’t have the sports I enjoy here…
Saturday
A day off??? Well we went to Nashi Deti (Our Children) for a fall play… We have videos and plenty of photographs to share when we get home… Doris was in her element talking with the mothers and children… These children all have some form of a developmental disability, which is a big problem in Russia… They are often thought of as less than human sometimes… Our friend and client Natalia is doing a great job trying to change this attitude here in Ryazan… There were maybe 30 children in the play…
Next we went to George and Jill’s for a late lunch… They pastor a church in Ryazan… They are from the US but, after more than 10 years, have adjusted nicely to Russia… We talked about things happening in their church and the projects we’re working on here in Ryazan… It was a fine day for us… After that we spent some time with Natalia, her husband and two children… Sasha is their son who has cerebral palsy… I gave Sasha a gift – a KU stocking cap with a big Jayhawk on it… We rode the bus home and fell into bed…
Sunday
Armenui is coming for breakfast at 9:00 am… Off to church… We greeted the church on behalf of our Pastor and the Elders of Christian Fellowship Church in Columbia… I’m going to ask Doris to take it on from here… One additional thing I want to say is the church in Ryazan has loved us more than we could ever hope for… They have bent over backwards to make our stay here fruitful… It is a testimony to the love of Christ Jesus that lives in them…
We had lunch with Doris’s old friends--Vitaly, Inga, their children and Vitaly’s mother. We had fried chicken and salads and all kinds of good stuff… It was so fun to be with these dear people…
Monday
This morning we started our second group of senior center meetings… A whole new group of people attending… What fun it is to love on these people… They are so appreciative of our efforts… I think Doris may have found a woman in the Ryazan church that we may be able to work through… She is already caring for thirteen seniors in the church, originally providing monthly food supplies and meals out of her own funds… Later today, we went to a nursing facility and showed them our PowerPoint presentation about life in Columbia… They had many questions regarding life in the US… We, of course, had an opportunity to visit with the dear 97 year old woman that we made friends with back in the spring. (Her picture is on Doris’s facebook.) We are reviewing for tomorrow’s meeting and packing for our trip to Yekaterinburg on Wednesday… We certainly believe God is in this effort… The people just soak up every bit of kindness shown to them… We hope you will consider how you might help us with this work… We can assure you that everything you can do will go directly to a person who has a tremendous need…
Bob…
It’s no secret that I enjoy relating with people the most. A few hours with old friends, although physically exhausting depending upon how many of these meetings I have in a row, is emotionally energizing. No matter how much one loves leading larger meetings, it’s still exhausting, especially with a new group every couple days. The laughter and “a-ha!” moments make it worthwhile for me, as do the opportunities to stop and just listen to stories. Bob and I promised we wouldn’t talk about God in four of the meetings so that the social services director who’d sent us a group of people to fill out our meetings wouldn’t have problems with her boss. So Bob and I have been praying for a way to offer hope to people (many of the elderly suffered deeply in the war and from famine) within these restrictions. Today when we asked the group to share the joys of growing old, one woman responded about the peace she had from going on trips to Orthodox Holy places. The group discussed that, although the body is getting weaker with age, with age comes more free time and a concern for spiritual growth. From there, we moved onto issues of how to love our neighbor as our self.
One of the special moments in the nursing home was a conversation with four women at the end of the program. One woman, Maria, who was born in ’31, spoke of her dad having been arrested and family sent into exile because he complained to Stalin about the collectivization that caused an artificial famine in the area. In her words, thinking back to that picture of seven children starving under the Christmas tree and realizing that now she is full because she survived, she realizes that she has been given a precious gift. The family were believers (I’m assuming Orthodox), and, because of what they had been through and their roots, the Communist system never could root it out of them.
Another quite bright woman was in the nursing home of her own choice. Her son was busy with his family and couldn’t make room for her, so she moved into the nursing home. She reads everything about politics and current events that she can.
A third woman, Valya, age 63 and healthy, insisted she didn’t want to be in the home, although she said she was treated well. Her youngest son was murdered in ’91 (probably business-mafia related). Her older son died later. Then a beam in their (probably older) home broke; a month later her husband died. She was left without resources to restore her home (in absence of home insurance, which is not the norm for the majority of Russians). Her hope (and prayer request) is that someone would decide to develop the land, buy her home (and her neighbors homes) and give them apartments in return.
Although the stories are sad, we parted laughing and hugging one another, because these women really are glad just to be alive. Part of our job is to confirm to them how precious life is, how valuable they are, and how close God is to help.
Tonight when I was speaking with Karina, the lady from the church Bob mentioned above who cares for seniors in the church, I was amazed. She has much less money than the majority of us, but had been making care packages—staples, such as cooking oil, rice, sugar, soap, etc.—for the elderly and often inviting a group of 13 to her home for a very nice meal. She insists that they remain seated while she serves them, saying that she wants to honor them. When her money ran out, the pastors’ wife found funds from friends to cover this. I asked Karina why she does this; she answered, “I don’t know. I just love old people.” I told Karina we would pray for her and her husband Samuel. Life isn’t easy here, but I’m always amazed (and challenged) by those who have little according to most of our standards but still give out so much.
My apologies for the length, but I wanted to honor these people.
Doris
On to Tuesday…
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Catch Up
Sunday
5:45 am and we’re up and getting ready to head to the airport. At
5:45 am we arrived and it was a mad house of people everywhere.
We stood in the wrong line for 30 minutes and then in the right line
for an additional 45 minutes. We thought we would never make it
on time for our flight to Moscow. SO we began praying and the
line sped up and both we and our bags made it. Our friend and
client Natalia and her husband were there to greet us an bring us to
Ryazan. We of course stopped at the Mc Donald’s on Highway
M5, which has now become a tradition when they pick us up.
We spent the evening with George and Jill and some other friends.
About 1 am we crashed into bed. Will write more later.
Tuesday
Monday we spent doing some management training for Natalia’s
managers and supervisors. They are eager to learn everything they
can to help their employees. The pay is so low that it really causes
a problem in retaining personnel. We will work more with them
today. We also want to visit with some of the older people who
live at the facility today, especially the lady we met the last time
we were here.
It seems as if the enemy is everywhere regarding this project of
creating a senior center. Every time we turn around there seems to
be some roadblock in the way. However, God seems to remove
them one-by-one as we work our way to Thursday and the first
session. What is sometimes frustrating is the people we thought we
could depend on throw up roadblocks as well.
If God were not for us we might really be discouraged at times. It\
is easy to be angry but I have decided to be patient and depend on
God to be my champion.
Will write more later after the Tuesday meetings.
Thursday
We help our first senior center meeting and it went very well. The
people were so excited and appreciative of our efforts. We began
the morning with a getting acquainted activity followed by Gallia
who is a nurse, leading the participants in a light exercise program.
Bob brought a PowerPoint presentation of Columbia and our
families which fascinated the people. They are always eager to
learn everything the can about the United States. They wanted to
know if we had children ourselves and then why not. We then had
tea and rolls and some discussion about the joys and difficulties of
growing old. They were fascinated by the fact that my 86 year old
mother still drives and lives alone. We then had a woman from
another organization (PhD person) do a presentation on growing
self esteem as a senior. That also went well. Tomorrow we will
have the same group and we have a fun day planned. Tomorrow
will be Grandparent’s Bragging Day, plus we will let them
participate in the US Presidential Election. Will report the results
tomorrow. So far the trip at times has been so hard we have wanted
to give up. However, every day we have seen God work miracles
and overcome the crazy things that seem to happen to frustrate us.
Please keep praying for our time here. I think God is going to do
something really terrific in Ryazan. Doris and I wish our mothers
were here to enjoy the Russian seniors. They are very special to us
and we spend much time praying for them even though there are
some who don’t want us to include anything spiritual in our
programs. The Holy Spirit won’t be stopped.
Catch you tomorrow.
5:45 am and we’re up and getting ready to head to the airport. At
5:45 am we arrived and it was a mad house of people everywhere.
We stood in the wrong line for 30 minutes and then in the right line
for an additional 45 minutes. We thought we would never make it
on time for our flight to Moscow. SO we began praying and the
line sped up and both we and our bags made it. Our friend and
client Natalia and her husband were there to greet us an bring us to
Ryazan. We of course stopped at the Mc Donald’s on Highway
M5, which has now become a tradition when they pick us up.
We spent the evening with George and Jill and some other friends.
About 1 am we crashed into bed. Will write more later.
Tuesday
Monday we spent doing some management training for Natalia’s
managers and supervisors. They are eager to learn everything they
can to help their employees. The pay is so low that it really causes
a problem in retaining personnel. We will work more with them
today. We also want to visit with some of the older people who
live at the facility today, especially the lady we met the last time
we were here.
It seems as if the enemy is everywhere regarding this project of
creating a senior center. Every time we turn around there seems to
be some roadblock in the way. However, God seems to remove
them one-by-one as we work our way to Thursday and the first
session. What is sometimes frustrating is the people we thought we
could depend on throw up roadblocks as well.
If God were not for us we might really be discouraged at times. It\
is easy to be angry but I have decided to be patient and depend on
God to be my champion.
Will write more later after the Tuesday meetings.
Thursday
We help our first senior center meeting and it went very well. The
people were so excited and appreciative of our efforts. We began
the morning with a getting acquainted activity followed by Gallia
who is a nurse, leading the participants in a light exercise program.
Bob brought a PowerPoint presentation of Columbia and our
families which fascinated the people. They are always eager to
learn everything the can about the United States. They wanted to
know if we had children ourselves and then why not. We then had
tea and rolls and some discussion about the joys and difficulties of
growing old. They were fascinated by the fact that my 86 year old
mother still drives and lives alone. We then had a woman from
another organization (PhD person) do a presentation on growing
self esteem as a senior. That also went well. Tomorrow we will
have the same group and we have a fun day planned. Tomorrow
will be Grandparent’s Bragging Day, plus we will let them
participate in the US Presidential Election. Will report the results
tomorrow. So far the trip at times has been so hard we have wanted
to give up. However, every day we have seen God work miracles
and overcome the crazy things that seem to happen to frustrate us.
Please keep praying for our time here. I think God is going to do
something really terrific in Ryazan. Doris and I wish our mothers
were here to enjoy the Russian seniors. They are very special to us
and we spend much time praying for them even though there are
some who don’t want us to include anything spiritual in our
programs. The Holy Spirit won’t be stopped.
Catch you tomorrow.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Saturday
We sleppt in again and then went on a tour with Mark... Went to the Spice Center and then took a cruise along the Bosehorus Straits... Saw many beautiful mansions that were built by various sultans over the years...
It is off to Moscow tomorrow morning and then on to Ryazan and back to work for us... Please be sure to pray for our work, because it is bigger than our abilities to handle... Mindy and Bruce will soon be joining us in Yekaterinburg...
It is off to Moscow tomorrow morning and then on to Ryazan and back to work for us... Please be sure to pray for our work, because it is bigger than our abilities to handle... Mindy and Bruce will soon be joining us in Yekaterinburg...
Friday, October 17, 2008
YIKES
While walking through a small business area we came upon a knife fight between a woman and a man... There was much yelling and screaming going on and everyone was watching until the man dragged her to the ground then some other men broke it up.. Now that didn't stop the yelling and screaming... We had some lunch at a small bakery,,, We will spend the evening with Bob's son Mark... more later...
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Istanbul
What a grand city... Modern as today and ancient as the 7th century... Went to see Hagia Sophia, a magnificent building that I studied in History of Architecture many years ago at KU... We walked through the old portion of Istanbul and zig zagged through what seemed to be a million street venders... Our bodies seem to have adjusted to our new time zone... In our modern world we can move much faster than is sometimes healthy for one's body... Friday we plan to do some work as well as play... I need to send some information to BCFPD... Doris wants to add some additional words...
(Doris says:)
At Hagai Sophia, I was most stunned by the seeming lack of Christian mosaics at Hagai Sophia; the majority of the mosaics were plastered over by earth-toned plaster (which originally seemed gay-colored, but, later, in comparison to the stunningly detailed gold mosaics, appeared dull and coarse). It makes me want to live out my life in real (golden) godliness rather than in plaster.
Bob and I are appreciating the opportunity to spend time with Mark. I feel I've been on work mode so long and have been begging the Lord for refreshment for my mind before arriving in Russia. Fortunately Mark knows the way around Istanbul and can recommend places for us to see while he's at work.
(Doris says:)
At Hagai Sophia, I was most stunned by the seeming lack of Christian mosaics at Hagai Sophia; the majority of the mosaics were plastered over by earth-toned plaster (which originally seemed gay-colored, but, later, in comparison to the stunningly detailed gold mosaics, appeared dull and coarse). It makes me want to live out my life in real (golden) godliness rather than in plaster.
Bob and I are appreciating the opportunity to spend time with Mark. I feel I've been on work mode so long and have been begging the Lord for refreshment for my mind before arriving in Russia. Fortunately Mark knows the way around Istanbul and can recommend places for us to see while he's at work.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
It's Tuesday - Long Flight Day
Good Morning...
We tried sleeping and that didn't work, ao we got up and read some scripture and prayed and then headed for the coffee pot... Much can happen when you add prayer and coffee... We are excited to visit Mark... We have promised ourselves that our time in Istanbul will be for vacation purposes instead of work... Doris has mentioned we will be in Istanbul about midnight our time in Columbia... YUMMMMMMM the coffee is good this morning... We stayed at the Pear Tree in St. Louis... For those of you traveling from St. Louis and have an early morning flight I would recommend it... The breakfast is really a breakfast and not a roll and piece of fruit... Well must run...
Bob...
We tried sleeping and that didn't work, ao we got up and read some scripture and prayed and then headed for the coffee pot... Much can happen when you add prayer and coffee... We are excited to visit Mark... We have promised ourselves that our time in Istanbul will be for vacation purposes instead of work... Doris has mentioned we will be in Istanbul about midnight our time in Columbia... YUMMMMMMM the coffee is good this morning... We stayed at the Pear Tree in St. Louis... For those of you traveling from St. Louis and have an early morning flight I would recommend it... The breakfast is really a breakfast and not a roll and piece of fruit... Well must run...
Bob...
Monday, October 13, 2008
The Journey Begins
Bags packed and now in a few minutes we'll be on our way to St. Louis. Becky has come and now is the time to load her pickup and head east... We'll catch up with you in Istanbul...
Monday Morning
I have meetings this morning... We are cleaning house so we will have a clean house when we return... There will be a woman living in our home while we are gone... Just in case anyone wonders if there will be some one there to watch the house... Doris is not feeling well this morning... Her nose is stuffed up and her ears are plugged up... Well off to William Woods University and then to Flooring America...
Bob...
Bob...
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Suitcase from Hell
Suitcases are really alive... They conspire against the traveler and cause tensions that make one want to go out to Scott Blvd, and chase cars. When flying the fewer bags the better is the idea, but when traveling to three distinct climates where does one pack his winter coat while flying to Istanbul... Doris promises all is under control... That's like saying the check is in the mail... Doris has gone to do some more shopping... Can you gobble that up suitcase??? Let's see - underware - check, tooth brush - check, socks - check. my KU shirt - check... Looks like the important stuff is in... Come back for an update later tonight...
Bob...
Bob...
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Pressure
Pressure is coming at us from every direction... I can feel the tension, it is thick and it laughs at us as we try to finish all the tasks that need to be done as we prepare to leave... I was working in the litchen and Doris told me the Bradley's kitchen light was not working... Just one more thing to fix before leaving... It was a light bulb praise God and not something more serious... If you are praying for us please pray that Sunday will be a day of peace around here...
Bob...
Bob...
Packing
This is the most frustrating part of the trip... Well in Instanbul it will be hot and by the time we get to Yekaterinburg it will be freezing and snowy... Who chose this time of the year??? Well it snowed on us in May so why not now??? We have prepared to work with senior citizens in Ryazan... This is a passion with me... When we have met with them we have heard three major issues - 1. they are lonely - 2. They want to be wanted. - 3. They need affection... Our Senior Center test will have a program that addresses each of these issues... One of the days we plan to have grandparent day... I already have photos of Noah and Samuel al ready to share with the Ryazan seniors... Maybe I'd better take a photo of Taylor too...
Make sure you pray for us because the flights are long and tiresome... Also, Doris and I believe the things we have planned are beyond our ability to accomplish without the power of God...
Peace and joy...
Bob...
Make sure you pray for us because the flights are long and tiresome... Also, Doris and I believe the things we have planned are beyond our ability to accomplish without the power of God...
Peace and joy...
Bob...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
