Monday, December 21
It has been a long but good day. Today was my last day (morning) in Aseri. I said my goodbyes to everyone. They are so loving and generous. I will miss them all greatly! It is sad to leave, but I hope I will return again someday. They already pointed out which flat could be mine - my very own so that I could live there. It even has a view of the church! ;)
Snow started falling on Sunday - very lightly - and today it snowed very heavily. It is a winter wonderland here! So beautiful with all the trees covered in snow - and the roads too. But that doesn't stop life around here! In Tennessee terms it is a blizard. But today when we went to Tallinn, life was very busy. People walking here and there and everywhere. People driving. It gets dark so early that it was confusing to see everyone out and about at what seemed like late hours of the night - but was only like 5pm - work traffic.
I got to visit with some old friends in Tallinn today! What a wonderful treat! Larissa and her daughter Ira are such a joy! Ira just returned from China, so I got to see her pictures and catch up a little. Larissa's other daughter is studying in England. I got to talk to her via Skype. :)
I will spend my last 2 nights at Viktor and Raja's house in Kehra - just outside of Tallinn. Tomorrow I will go back into Tallinn - for a more sight-seeing day. I will enjoy that greatly. It will be a good last day. I hear the Christmas tree is beautiful in Old Tallinn Square!
Good night to you all! I love you dearly. May our Lord keep you safe as you travel this Christmas week!
-Rach
Monday, December 21, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Last day in Aseri
Sunday, Dec 20
Greetings all!
Today was my last full day in Aseri. It is amazing how the people we meet and fellowship with become such a big part of our lives. These brothers and sisters here are family - even when we do not always understand what the other is saying. I told the church this morning that although we do not speak the same language, it is amazing that because we have the same God, we can speak the same language in our hearts.
Church was good. We had another 2 hour service. Their is much singing, prayer, scripture reading, and people talking. Of course they wanted to hear me speak - it was basically a requirement. :) It's hard to get up and speak when the topic is "anything" and you have to pause after each sentence for translation. :) Although I would have rather just watched, I knew I must say something. God is good and He gave me something (I had time to prepare last night). Viktor was not at church because he had to work. He works 24 hour shifts and usually has Sunday off, but evidently he was in the hospital the Monday and Tuesday before I arrived. I cannot get more info than that - I even asked one translator, but she thought it might be rude to ask. I'll see what I can find out. I saw Viktor yesterday at the children's Christmas party - he looked very tired. I hope it is not my being here that is wearing him out. Please pray for him. It has been good that I have been in Aseri since Thursday and he at his home near Tallinn so that he could get rest.
A lot of kids from the after school program came again today for church - I think because I am here. This shows that a foreigner can help the church reach out.
I will spend the night in Aseri tonight and head to Tallinn tomorrow. I still have 2 days left before heading home. I look forward to having a service with you, my family at FUMC, and fellowshiping with you: (1) We speak the same language, and (2) you are dear to me. :)
I will sign off for now. Good night to you! (Actually good afternoon to you!) :)
- Rachel
P.S. - for those of you who wonder how I get internet: I have my Blackberry. It works and every night I have been typing these letters on it. Really I cannot wait until I have a normal sized keyboard again!! Viktor has internet and I will see if I can use his internet tomorrow! :)
"But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hands..." -Psalm 14-15a
Greetings all!
Today was my last full day in Aseri. It is amazing how the people we meet and fellowship with become such a big part of our lives. These brothers and sisters here are family - even when we do not always understand what the other is saying. I told the church this morning that although we do not speak the same language, it is amazing that because we have the same God, we can speak the same language in our hearts.
Church was good. We had another 2 hour service. Their is much singing, prayer, scripture reading, and people talking. Of course they wanted to hear me speak - it was basically a requirement. :) It's hard to get up and speak when the topic is "anything" and you have to pause after each sentence for translation. :) Although I would have rather just watched, I knew I must say something. God is good and He gave me something (I had time to prepare last night). Viktor was not at church because he had to work. He works 24 hour shifts and usually has Sunday off, but evidently he was in the hospital the Monday and Tuesday before I arrived. I cannot get more info than that - I even asked one translator, but she thought it might be rude to ask. I'll see what I can find out. I saw Viktor yesterday at the children's Christmas party - he looked very tired. I hope it is not my being here that is wearing him out. Please pray for him. It has been good that I have been in Aseri since Thursday and he at his home near Tallinn so that he could get rest.
A lot of kids from the after school program came again today for church - I think because I am here. This shows that a foreigner can help the church reach out.
I will spend the night in Aseri tonight and head to Tallinn tomorrow. I still have 2 days left before heading home. I look forward to having a service with you, my family at FUMC, and fellowshiping with you: (1) We speak the same language, and (2) you are dear to me. :)
I will sign off for now. Good night to you! (Actually good afternoon to you!) :)
- Rachel
P.S. - for those of you who wonder how I get internet: I have my Blackberry. It works and every night I have been typing these letters on it. Really I cannot wait until I have a normal sized keyboard again!! Viktor has internet and I will see if I can use his internet tomorrow! :)
"But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hands..." -Psalm 14-15a
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Children's Christmas Party
Dec. 19 - Saturday
What a great LORD we serve!
I've been here 1 week today - but at times it feels like months. It's sort of interesting when you travel so far away and get so caught up in the world that you are now immersed in, that when you pause and think of your "normal" life, it feels like eons ago. It makes you question your regular routine... which can be beneficial. I feel like I talk funny now too! Haha! I speak language they understand. Simplistic. Short sentences. Small words. :)
Today was good. I got up, walked to Ira and Damon's flat, ate breakfast, walked to the market with Ira, then went to the church to set up for the children's Christmas party. I was there all day.
It's funny how much we take for granite. For the past several days when Ira and I arrived at church, we had to build a fire to warm up the church - we did that first thing. Ira assigned me to cut out some figures for an activity today while she went to build another fire - in the kitchen stove. They use old Russian stoves if they don't have an electric one. So, Ira heated the stove with scrap wood. The paper she used to start the fire was torn pages from the children's coloring books - it was the only paper to be found besides a few other scraps. And I really appreciate our dishwasher at church. Try hand-washing all the dishes in cold water when it's less than 5 degrees outside! So sanitation? Well, I think if America wrote the law, they break it daily! I won't go into details. :) It's the culture though and I just follow along! :) It's a good break from so many rules that we place out there.
The party was wonderful! The kids are so well behaved. We started off by singing Christmas songs and some kids recited something (not sure what). Then the kids had a banquet waiting for them - the "potato" salad that I helped make (evidently the kids love it here - they all went for seconds), pickles, little hot dogs, bread, and juice. The kids ate then went to watch a movie - a movie about Jesus. The church borrowed a projector from Maxim and showed it on the sanctuary wall. I would guess about half of the children there do not go to church, so this was a great opportunity to have them hear about Jesus. Ira also told the story of baby Jesus' birth. After this, the kids went back into the classroom where the "banquet" tables were and there was fruit (bananas, apples, pears, and tangerines) and cookies and candies were. After this we gave the children candy to take with them. Ira gave marizipan and I brought candy from the states.
At the end, Ira told me that the kids really didn't understand the concept of "party." She said that they didn't really "get it." She told them it was Jesus's birthday celebration. She told me that they don't celebrate things in Aseri and so the kids don't have many parties.
One thing that I thought was sweet was how people dressed for the party. They wore their best dress and outfit. Some boys even wore a tie. I wasn't expecting this. When we have parties in America, we wear things that are comfortable and allow us to run and play games as children. It was sweet to see. One little girl was still wearing the same outfit that she wore all week though. I wish I could speak the language and get the full story without feeling like I would offend someone if I asked about the situation.
Afterwards, the teens and adults hung around and played UNO. It seems to be a favorite here! :) And I don't need to speak the language to understand - all I have done is learn the colors in Russian!
Well - I must sign off. I must give some talk at church and I have NO idea what about. So, I will spend time now working on that. Hope all is well at home. Love you all!!!
- Rach
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." - Eph.3:20-21
What a great LORD we serve!
I've been here 1 week today - but at times it feels like months. It's sort of interesting when you travel so far away and get so caught up in the world that you are now immersed in, that when you pause and think of your "normal" life, it feels like eons ago. It makes you question your regular routine... which can be beneficial. I feel like I talk funny now too! Haha! I speak language they understand. Simplistic. Short sentences. Small words. :)
Today was good. I got up, walked to Ira and Damon's flat, ate breakfast, walked to the market with Ira, then went to the church to set up for the children's Christmas party. I was there all day.
It's funny how much we take for granite. For the past several days when Ira and I arrived at church, we had to build a fire to warm up the church - we did that first thing. Ira assigned me to cut out some figures for an activity today while she went to build another fire - in the kitchen stove. They use old Russian stoves if they don't have an electric one. So, Ira heated the stove with scrap wood. The paper she used to start the fire was torn pages from the children's coloring books - it was the only paper to be found besides a few other scraps. And I really appreciate our dishwasher at church. Try hand-washing all the dishes in cold water when it's less than 5 degrees outside! So sanitation? Well, I think if America wrote the law, they break it daily! I won't go into details. :) It's the culture though and I just follow along! :) It's a good break from so many rules that we place out there.
The party was wonderful! The kids are so well behaved. We started off by singing Christmas songs and some kids recited something (not sure what). Then the kids had a banquet waiting for them - the "potato" salad that I helped make (evidently the kids love it here - they all went for seconds), pickles, little hot dogs, bread, and juice. The kids ate then went to watch a movie - a movie about Jesus. The church borrowed a projector from Maxim and showed it on the sanctuary wall. I would guess about half of the children there do not go to church, so this was a great opportunity to have them hear about Jesus. Ira also told the story of baby Jesus' birth. After this, the kids went back into the classroom where the "banquet" tables were and there was fruit (bananas, apples, pears, and tangerines) and cookies and candies were. After this we gave the children candy to take with them. Ira gave marizipan and I brought candy from the states.
At the end, Ira told me that the kids really didn't understand the concept of "party." She said that they didn't really "get it." She told them it was Jesus's birthday celebration. She told me that they don't celebrate things in Aseri and so the kids don't have many parties.
One thing that I thought was sweet was how people dressed for the party. They wore their best dress and outfit. Some boys even wore a tie. I wasn't expecting this. When we have parties in America, we wear things that are comfortable and allow us to run and play games as children. It was sweet to see. One little girl was still wearing the same outfit that she wore all week though. I wish I could speak the language and get the full story without feeling like I would offend someone if I asked about the situation.
Afterwards, the teens and adults hung around and played UNO. It seems to be a favorite here! :) And I don't need to speak the language to understand - all I have done is learn the colors in Russian!
Well - I must sign off. I must give some talk at church and I have NO idea what about. So, I will spend time now working on that. Hope all is well at home. Love you all!!!
- Rach
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." - Eph.3:20-21
Friday, December 18, 2009
Dec 18
If I have my days straight, it is Friday. :) when they pronounce that here they say "free-day". Although innocent, it's a nice concept to have a free day!
This morning I got up earlier and was ready by 8:30 to meet Ira and walk to the church. Daylight was just beginning and it was peaceful outside. Aseri is small enough that you do not need a car. You walk to school. You walk to the supermarket. You walk to your friend's house/apartment.
I like being here and staying in my own flat and walking places like the locals. Although I stick out like a sore thumb, I feel like I am participating in their lives somehow.
Anyway, we walked to the church to meet the guy who works for the telephone company that rents a part of the church building. I got to see that part of the church that I hadn't seen yet. It was neat to see and I appreciate the telephone guy for driving to Aseri to show me the building.
After Ira, a friend of hers (Natasha), and I prepared food for tomorrow's Christmas party for the children. I know how to make one of the salads now!! Ah-ha! I know what is in at least that one. :)
I also watched Ira make soup. Their soup is so good here. She fed it to at least 22 adults and children who came to the church! That's a record they said for the after school program. There is one girl at the after school program whose mom brings her and picks her up. I watch today as she dropped her daughter off, Ira was talking to the mom. The next thing I know the mom has her jacket and hat off and is eating a bowl of soup too. It was sweet to watch.
I know I talk a lot about the food - but it does seem that whenever I turn around we are eating again. And these people use it to fellowship! It's a grand excuse to hang out and enjoy each other's company. It reminds me of growing up and my parents having manditory meal times - it was our way of spending time as a family. How many of us get so busy that we forget the fellowship and just eat to make it through the day? Sure, I think Americans have parties and go out to eat together, but I still think it's a good reminder to us to fellowship with one-another and make time.
Christina, who will be 18 on Sunday, came and invited me to go sit in her music lesson. So we walked to the town music building and I sat in her private lesson. What a treat. Christina has a beautiful voice!
Then we went back to the church and hung out with the kids. They are sowing warming up to me and practicing their english and giggling at the same time. :)
For now I am resting. It is already dark outside and I will go to Ira and her husband, Damon's for dinner. Christina, Victoria, and Sasha will all eat too. After Christina suggested watching a movie - not sure what, when, or where. :) I'd be happy doing anything... Playing UNO again RUssian style is fun. :)
I've been thinking about the question that I posted from last Sunday: what can I bring to, or give, Jesus this Christmas. I think for me time is a big thing. What if I gave Jesus my time? I know I should already be doing this - but I am just as guilty as anyone for getting so busy - especially during the hustle and bustle of Christmas. What do we celebrate the season for anyway? He gave us life to enjoy - not get so busy we become numb to what He would have us see around us.
That's just my thoughts for now.
"But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus." - ephesians 2:4-7.
If I have my days straight, it is Friday. :) when they pronounce that here they say "free-day". Although innocent, it's a nice concept to have a free day!
This morning I got up earlier and was ready by 8:30 to meet Ira and walk to the church. Daylight was just beginning and it was peaceful outside. Aseri is small enough that you do not need a car. You walk to school. You walk to the supermarket. You walk to your friend's house/apartment.
I like being here and staying in my own flat and walking places like the locals. Although I stick out like a sore thumb, I feel like I am participating in their lives somehow.
Anyway, we walked to the church to meet the guy who works for the telephone company that rents a part of the church building. I got to see that part of the church that I hadn't seen yet. It was neat to see and I appreciate the telephone guy for driving to Aseri to show me the building.
After Ira, a friend of hers (Natasha), and I prepared food for tomorrow's Christmas party for the children. I know how to make one of the salads now!! Ah-ha! I know what is in at least that one. :)
I also watched Ira make soup. Their soup is so good here. She fed it to at least 22 adults and children who came to the church! That's a record they said for the after school program. There is one girl at the after school program whose mom brings her and picks her up. I watch today as she dropped her daughter off, Ira was talking to the mom. The next thing I know the mom has her jacket and hat off and is eating a bowl of soup too. It was sweet to watch.
I know I talk a lot about the food - but it does seem that whenever I turn around we are eating again. And these people use it to fellowship! It's a grand excuse to hang out and enjoy each other's company. It reminds me of growing up and my parents having manditory meal times - it was our way of spending time as a family. How many of us get so busy that we forget the fellowship and just eat to make it through the day? Sure, I think Americans have parties and go out to eat together, but I still think it's a good reminder to us to fellowship with one-another and make time.
Christina, who will be 18 on Sunday, came and invited me to go sit in her music lesson. So we walked to the town music building and I sat in her private lesson. What a treat. Christina has a beautiful voice!
Then we went back to the church and hung out with the kids. They are sowing warming up to me and practicing their english and giggling at the same time. :)
For now I am resting. It is already dark outside and I will go to Ira and her husband, Damon's for dinner. Christina, Victoria, and Sasha will all eat too. After Christina suggested watching a movie - not sure what, when, or where. :) I'd be happy doing anything... Playing UNO again RUssian style is fun. :)
I've been thinking about the question that I posted from last Sunday: what can I bring to, or give, Jesus this Christmas. I think for me time is a big thing. What if I gave Jesus my time? I know I should already be doing this - but I am just as guilty as anyone for getting so busy - especially during the hustle and bustle of Christmas. What do we celebrate the season for anyway? He gave us life to enjoy - not get so busy we become numb to what He would have us see around us.
That's just my thoughts for now.
"But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus." - ephesians 2:4-7.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Dec. 17
Thank you for your comments and words of encouragement! They mean a lot to me.
I am in Aseri again tonight. I seem to be traveling back and forth a lot. Aseri is about 80 miles (roughly) from Tallinn. It's about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Again we stopped on the way from Tallinn to Aseri at Viktor's house in Kerah. Raja made lunch - macaroni with meatballs and some sort of sauce. It was good. Of course they keep offering you more and more food and I have to turn them down because I am so stuffed. Then they offer you chi (tea) and/or coffee and when I only want water they look at me like I am crazy! :)
I arrived in Aseri sometime around 3:45ish and went directly to the church to work with the children at the after school program. Of course I cannot help with homework, but I can play memory (with the cards with pictures that are up-side down and you flip 2 at a time and have to remember where pictures are). I also could color and make crafts that Ira had planned. The kids also sang Jingle Bells in Russian. After I sang it in English while we made crafts and the kids had fun mimicking me - actually it was quite entertaining. They of course had no clue as to what they were saying!
It also struck me today how poor Aseri is. Yes, I noticed it before, but especially after spending 2 days in Tallinn - outside of Tallinn to be more exact. There is no comparison! No wonder so many people leave the small villages for work or to move there. The little girl - Marina - pictured to the right, has worn the same clothes all week. Of course its cold outside, but some apartments are chilly too. You generally cannot flush toilet paper in the toilets - you must throw it in the trash. Thry have gone from 4 markets in town to 2. There are now only 120 kids at the public school - I think there were over 200 early last year when I came. BUT the people are so warm and make you feel so welcome! They would give you the shirt off their back - and they have given me food and more food! I wonder sometimes if they can afford it - but I don't think they would want it any other way.
I am enjoying their company and feel so blessed to be allowed this opportunity to see how my brothers and sisters across the world live. It gives me a bigger picture of who God is - with my 'american-colored' glasses taken off for a moment to see the world differently. I ask our Lord to let me see with His eyes - for then and only then will I see what God will reveal.
Tonight a group of us ate at Tatianna's again. (And I do apologize for my spelling!) Tonight we had meat - maybe beef? - with some sort of cream sauce on rice. There were pickles and pickled tomatoes. Quite tasty. As always there is bread. Oh, I don't think I've mentioned the bread here? Yummy! That's the only word. It's sore bought sliced 'sandwich' bread, but oh so good and hearty. I don't really know how to describe it, but if you ever get to eat Russian bread, do it! For dessert she made these scone-type things. She said they are made from tomatoes. She also had swwets - cookies and candy. They like their chocolate here!!
Oh yea, for breakfast I ate my eggs sunny-side up. I liked them. :)
This Saturday the church is throwing a party for the children in Sunday School and the after school program. Ira and I will make preparations tomorrow. We are cooking and making some of the salad concoctions that they make. Let's hope the fish is not involved! :) At least I will learn how to make one salad. And when I say salad, I say that with no other word to describe this food. I look at it and couldn't tell you what is in it - or them (there are many concoctions). All I know is that you would have to see them to understand. They are not bad, just different.
Well, I need some sleep. Oh, and it is very cold here. When you walk outside your nosehair freezes. No joke. It is quite uncomfortable. And I even tried clearing my nse with a tissue, but any moisture makes it worse. :) haha.
God bless you my friends!
- Rachel
"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe." - Ephesians 1:17-19
Thank you for your comments and words of encouragement! They mean a lot to me.
I am in Aseri again tonight. I seem to be traveling back and forth a lot. Aseri is about 80 miles (roughly) from Tallinn. It's about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Again we stopped on the way from Tallinn to Aseri at Viktor's house in Kerah. Raja made lunch - macaroni with meatballs and some sort of sauce. It was good. Of course they keep offering you more and more food and I have to turn them down because I am so stuffed. Then they offer you chi (tea) and/or coffee and when I only want water they look at me like I am crazy! :)
I arrived in Aseri sometime around 3:45ish and went directly to the church to work with the children at the after school program. Of course I cannot help with homework, but I can play memory (with the cards with pictures that are up-side down and you flip 2 at a time and have to remember where pictures are). I also could color and make crafts that Ira had planned. The kids also sang Jingle Bells in Russian. After I sang it in English while we made crafts and the kids had fun mimicking me - actually it was quite entertaining. They of course had no clue as to what they were saying!
It also struck me today how poor Aseri is. Yes, I noticed it before, but especially after spending 2 days in Tallinn - outside of Tallinn to be more exact. There is no comparison! No wonder so many people leave the small villages for work or to move there. The little girl - Marina - pictured to the right, has worn the same clothes all week. Of course its cold outside, but some apartments are chilly too. You generally cannot flush toilet paper in the toilets - you must throw it in the trash. Thry have gone from 4 markets in town to 2. There are now only 120 kids at the public school - I think there were over 200 early last year when I came. BUT the people are so warm and make you feel so welcome! They would give you the shirt off their back - and they have given me food and more food! I wonder sometimes if they can afford it - but I don't think they would want it any other way.
I am enjoying their company and feel so blessed to be allowed this opportunity to see how my brothers and sisters across the world live. It gives me a bigger picture of who God is - with my 'american-colored' glasses taken off for a moment to see the world differently. I ask our Lord to let me see with His eyes - for then and only then will I see what God will reveal.
Tonight a group of us ate at Tatianna's again. (And I do apologize for my spelling!) Tonight we had meat - maybe beef? - with some sort of cream sauce on rice. There were pickles and pickled tomatoes. Quite tasty. As always there is bread. Oh, I don't think I've mentioned the bread here? Yummy! That's the only word. It's sore bought sliced 'sandwich' bread, but oh so good and hearty. I don't really know how to describe it, but if you ever get to eat Russian bread, do it! For dessert she made these scone-type things. She said they are made from tomatoes. She also had swwets - cookies and candy. They like their chocolate here!!
Oh yea, for breakfast I ate my eggs sunny-side up. I liked them. :)
This Saturday the church is throwing a party for the children in Sunday School and the after school program. Ira and I will make preparations tomorrow. We are cooking and making some of the salad concoctions that they make. Let's hope the fish is not involved! :) At least I will learn how to make one salad. And when I say salad, I say that with no other word to describe this food. I look at it and couldn't tell you what is in it - or them (there are many concoctions). All I know is that you would have to see them to understand. They are not bad, just different.
Well, I need some sleep. Oh, and it is very cold here. When you walk outside your nosehair freezes. No joke. It is quite uncomfortable. And I even tried clearing my nse with a tissue, but any moisture makes it worse. :) haha.
God bless you my friends!
- Rachel
"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe." - Ephesians 1:17-19
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Restful Day
Dec. 16: almost midnight
I seem to be keeping the late night hours here... not my usual routine. But I generally get to sleep in the mornings.
Today was a day of rest. It was a good day too. I have been at Maxim and Julia's house all day and hung out with Julia and their 2 kids for most of it. This evening Maxim, Julia, and I went into Tallinn and had a wonderful dinner.
It is one of the most popular resturants in Tallinn where you step back into medieval times. They use candles as lighting and the food is somewhat rustic. No coke or pepsi products - only tea, coffe, or water! I had a nice steaming cup of peppermint tea and siped while watching a monk walk by (okay - not a real monk, but the wait staff and entertainment wore costumes). My dinner was a delicious dish of wild berries, sour kraut, some kind of grain (or corn of some sort), and for the meat I had wild boar and elk... at least that is what i was told. After much discussion of the interpretation, I found out I was eating moose insead of the elk. It was all delicious either way!
Afterwards we came home and Maxim heated their sauna for Julia and myself. So we sat and relaxed for a while. It was wonderful. I will sleep well tonight.
"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long."
- Psalm 25:4-5
I seem to be keeping the late night hours here... not my usual routine. But I generally get to sleep in the mornings.
Today was a day of rest. It was a good day too. I have been at Maxim and Julia's house all day and hung out with Julia and their 2 kids for most of it. This evening Maxim, Julia, and I went into Tallinn and had a wonderful dinner.
It is one of the most popular resturants in Tallinn where you step back into medieval times. They use candles as lighting and the food is somewhat rustic. No coke or pepsi products - only tea, coffe, or water! I had a nice steaming cup of peppermint tea and siped while watching a monk walk by (okay - not a real monk, but the wait staff and entertainment wore costumes). My dinner was a delicious dish of wild berries, sour kraut, some kind of grain (or corn of some sort), and for the meat I had wild boar and elk... at least that is what i was told. After much discussion of the interpretation, I found out I was eating moose insead of the elk. It was all delicious either way!
Afterwards we came home and Maxim heated their sauna for Julia and myself. So we sat and relaxed for a while. It was wonderful. I will sleep well tonight.
"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long."
- Psalm 25:4-5
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Dec. 15: Midnight
Hello!
How nice it is to write in english and communicate so easily! : ) The Russian language is so difficult... but it's fun to hear others talk.
Tonight I am outside of Tallinn. I am staying at Maxim and Julia's (Maxim's wife) house with their 2 children. Maxim and Julia have a 2 year old boy and a 3 month old girl. The 2 year old can roll his R's and I just sputter my R's! haha!
Today I was in Aseri all day (until tonight). I went this morning to Aseri's public school where they were having a Christmas Fair. The kids and/or their parents made crafts and were selling them at the school. There is a picture to the right.
At Aseri school is the most interesting museum. Yes, a museum. It has most of the school's history and some cultural history artifacts in this place. There are everything from old school uniforms (during communist times), to old village artifacts, to gifts from other countries. There were also old Bibles, books, pencils, banners, computers... etc. I enjoyed it very much.
The rest of my day I spent at Aseri Church working at the after school program. There were about 7 boys and 4 girls that came. This program has only been announced and there are a few homemade posters around - and it is a new program. So if children come, it is on their own. They come to hang out, eat, stay warm, play, etc. There is nothing else to do in town. The local gym has been closed due to bad city financial planning. This is a neat outreach. Parents are curious and the church's hope is that they want to come to church on Sundays.
I am tired and wish to sleep now. I hope this post makes sense... I am writing in a mode of sleepiness and speaking in broken english. : ) Thank you for reading this blog. I pray that God touches your heart through it. I have posted a few pictures on the right.
Good night and many blessings -
Rachel
Hello!
How nice it is to write in english and communicate so easily! : ) The Russian language is so difficult... but it's fun to hear others talk.
Tonight I am outside of Tallinn. I am staying at Maxim and Julia's (Maxim's wife) house with their 2 children. Maxim and Julia have a 2 year old boy and a 3 month old girl. The 2 year old can roll his R's and I just sputter my R's! haha!
Today I was in Aseri all day (until tonight). I went this morning to Aseri's public school where they were having a Christmas Fair. The kids and/or their parents made crafts and were selling them at the school. There is a picture to the right.
At Aseri school is the most interesting museum. Yes, a museum. It has most of the school's history and some cultural history artifacts in this place. There are everything from old school uniforms (during communist times), to old village artifacts, to gifts from other countries. There were also old Bibles, books, pencils, banners, computers... etc. I enjoyed it very much.
The rest of my day I spent at Aseri Church working at the after school program. There were about 7 boys and 4 girls that came. This program has only been announced and there are a few homemade posters around - and it is a new program. So if children come, it is on their own. They come to hang out, eat, stay warm, play, etc. There is nothing else to do in town. The local gym has been closed due to bad city financial planning. This is a neat outreach. Parents are curious and the church's hope is that they want to come to church on Sundays.
I am tired and wish to sleep now. I hope this post makes sense... I am writing in a mode of sleepiness and speaking in broken english. : ) Thank you for reading this blog. I pray that God touches your heart through it. I have posted a few pictures on the right.
Good night and many blessings -
Rachel
Monday, December 14, 2009
A day in the life...
Dec. 14
Greetings from Aseri! It has been another good day.
I said my first sentence in Russian today. Okay - so it was "I drink tea" - but none the less it was in Russian! :) I also can count to 5 - excluding the number 4. I also can prounce 90% of the alphabet - the other 10 will take some time because I didn't know those sounds were possible - and they still aren't coming out of my mouth.
On a more serious note, I arrived in Aseri around 2:00pm. Viktor drove me and we went to the church. There we met up with some others, including the lady who teaches and works at the church for the after school program that was just started. Her name is Ira (prounced 'ear-ah'). We cleaned the church - I swept the children's Sunday school room. We also moved desks into another room. They do this every week - moving furnature and then having to move it again to have church. The facilites don't allow it to stay set up all the time - for church or for the after school program. This is why it is the dream of the church to remodel and make use of the whole building.
The church is in an old school building - over 100 years old. The church occupies about 40% of the building. Roughly 10% is rented to the telephone company - which I should be getting a tour of before I come home. The other 50% is the upstairs. There is so much potential. I cannot attach pictures at this time b/c of technology issues. I will bring pictures back for sure.
When I asked why do they want the after school program, the answer was multi-fold. First they said it is a huge outreach to Aseri. Currently b/c of the bad economic situation, Aseri (government) has no money and cannot provide the need. So, it is a need in the community. Second, the church already has a good reputation with the local government, so they would promote it to the kids. Third, it is a great outreach to the kids. A lot of alcoholism is in Aseri, along with a lot of broken homes. The next generation (the children) are the hope and the future of Estonia. Children are easy to reach and learn to trust the Church. Fourth, if the reputation of the Church is good, parents will want to come. During the Soviet oppression it was bad to go to church and a lot of negative ideas were planted in the people's minds about Christians. Furthermore, the last time someone was 'lord' over them and called itself their "savior' it was horrible to live with that oppression from Russia.
Those are most of the reasons for the after school program. Of course, the main reason is to bring glory to our Lord and tell the world about Him. I would ask that our church pray about supporting our Sister church in this project - if it is God's will. This can be with prayers, finances, and/or sending teams. Please pray and see what God's direction is.
The rest of my day was in fellowship in people's homes. Here in Aseri, everyone pretty much lives in flats (apartments). They are old communist built buildings with small apartments compared to America. It is so much fun to see where these people live and join in with them. A lady tonight made dinner for me - soup. It was so good. The best I could tell is that it had ham and pickles in it! :)
Well, I am signing off. Good night to you!
-Rachel
Greetings from Aseri! It has been another good day.
I said my first sentence in Russian today. Okay - so it was "I drink tea" - but none the less it was in Russian! :) I also can count to 5 - excluding the number 4. I also can prounce 90% of the alphabet - the other 10 will take some time because I didn't know those sounds were possible - and they still aren't coming out of my mouth.
On a more serious note, I arrived in Aseri around 2:00pm. Viktor drove me and we went to the church. There we met up with some others, including the lady who teaches and works at the church for the after school program that was just started. Her name is Ira (prounced 'ear-ah'). We cleaned the church - I swept the children's Sunday school room. We also moved desks into another room. They do this every week - moving furnature and then having to move it again to have church. The facilites don't allow it to stay set up all the time - for church or for the after school program. This is why it is the dream of the church to remodel and make use of the whole building.
The church is in an old school building - over 100 years old. The church occupies about 40% of the building. Roughly 10% is rented to the telephone company - which I should be getting a tour of before I come home. The other 50% is the upstairs. There is so much potential. I cannot attach pictures at this time b/c of technology issues. I will bring pictures back for sure.
When I asked why do they want the after school program, the answer was multi-fold. First they said it is a huge outreach to Aseri. Currently b/c of the bad economic situation, Aseri (government) has no money and cannot provide the need. So, it is a need in the community. Second, the church already has a good reputation with the local government, so they would promote it to the kids. Third, it is a great outreach to the kids. A lot of alcoholism is in Aseri, along with a lot of broken homes. The next generation (the children) are the hope and the future of Estonia. Children are easy to reach and learn to trust the Church. Fourth, if the reputation of the Church is good, parents will want to come. During the Soviet oppression it was bad to go to church and a lot of negative ideas were planted in the people's minds about Christians. Furthermore, the last time someone was 'lord' over them and called itself their "savior' it was horrible to live with that oppression from Russia.
Those are most of the reasons for the after school program. Of course, the main reason is to bring glory to our Lord and tell the world about Him. I would ask that our church pray about supporting our Sister church in this project - if it is God's will. This can be with prayers, finances, and/or sending teams. Please pray and see what God's direction is.
The rest of my day was in fellowship in people's homes. Here in Aseri, everyone pretty much lives in flats (apartments). They are old communist built buildings with small apartments compared to America. It is so much fun to see where these people live and join in with them. A lady tonight made dinner for me - soup. It was so good. The best I could tell is that it had ham and pickles in it! :)
Well, I am signing off. Good night to you!
-Rachel
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Day of Worship
Dec 13 -
What a day! I don't really know where to begin. It's after midnight here and I have just sat down by myself for the first time today.
I "stood up" (Viktor's way of saying "get up") around 8:30ish this morning, ate breakfast with everyone, and then left for church around 11:15am. It is about an hour and a half drive to Aseri from where Viktor lives. We arrived at church early and Christina began singing with the kids while people began to come in. Church starts at 2:00pm. I am with the Russian speaking Estonians.
Maxim came to interpret - and I was glad to have him for it during the service. Something that really impresses me with the Russian congregations is they fellowship all day! It reminds me of the first churches set up in Acts. "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" Acts 2:42. Russian churches worship for 2 hours - singing, praying, giving testimonies for that week, and preaching. THEN they eat a meal together at the church... they fellowship like that almost every Sunday! They truly love being with each other and I don't need to know the language to see that.
Something I "took away" from the sermon was 2 questions. Before giving the questions we were talking about the birth of Jesus and the gifts the wisemen bring. It was stated (and remember this is Rachel's rough translation from a translator) that this is where we get the Christmas celebration of Christmas - from God's gift of Jesus and from the gifts brought to baby Jesus. But, maybe we should look at it differently this year - and this is where the questions come in. At looking at what gifts were brought to baby Jesus, we should ask our self (1) what can I bring to Jesus this Christmas season? Obviously we cannot give to a baby, but we give to our Lord! What can we bring him?
The second question is: (2) with the gifts that God has given me, what can I do with that? We look at Matt.25:14-28 (the parable of the talents). God has given us gifts - are we using them? We may not see them 'doubled' here on earth, but we will see it in heaven when God says: "well done my good and faithful servant." The opposite part to that is that we do not use the gifts God has given us. Are you using what God has given you? Are you doing what God has asked of you? Are you listening to Him? If not, His will be done. Your talent will be taken and given to another. So, again, addressing the 2nd question: what are you doing with what God has given you?
My friends, we serve an amazing God! These questions are as real to us as they are our Estonian brothers and sisters!
I gave the church the letters from our congregation and they all were so happy. At the end Viktor hugged the letters and in his best english said 'expensive!" Those letters with your signatures means the world to them that you would think of them and love them that much. I also gave the childrens gifts. That brought many smiles! Thank you to Karen and the children for all you do - they loved your cards! I will present them with the money gift from our church and our children either Wed. night or Sun.
I also walked around with Viktor and Maxim to see what the vision is for the after school program. There is much work to be done and it will serve a great need! I will explain more in another letter and when I am back home - I feel it would be easier for you to see pictures and hear about it at one time.
After the many hours at the Aseri church,a group of us drove about 30 min to go and fellowship with another church (Artur is the pastor). They had already had their church service and were eating afterwards when we came in. They had many teenagers (well about 7 or so). We sat around and fellowshiped with them - then we had a snowball fight just before being called back in for a prayer service. Since we were there - and another pastor from a 3rd church was there too - Artur wanted us all to pray and listen to all 3 pastors speak. There is a young woman there who speaks wonderful english and interpreted for me (Maxim had to leave). It was a good time!
Well, I need to go to bed now. What a grand day. And tomorrow will be an adventure on its own: I go back to Aseri. That's pretty much all I know except that I will stay in a flat (a.k.a. An apartment. I don't know whose apartment. I don't know any details except that I've already been given a key. Hmmm... Guess I'll know more tomorrow. :)
Good night all. Thinking of you!
- Rachel
What a day! I don't really know where to begin. It's after midnight here and I have just sat down by myself for the first time today.
I "stood up" (Viktor's way of saying "get up") around 8:30ish this morning, ate breakfast with everyone, and then left for church around 11:15am. It is about an hour and a half drive to Aseri from where Viktor lives. We arrived at church early and Christina began singing with the kids while people began to come in. Church starts at 2:00pm. I am with the Russian speaking Estonians.
Maxim came to interpret - and I was glad to have him for it during the service. Something that really impresses me with the Russian congregations is they fellowship all day! It reminds me of the first churches set up in Acts. "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" Acts 2:42. Russian churches worship for 2 hours - singing, praying, giving testimonies for that week, and preaching. THEN they eat a meal together at the church... they fellowship like that almost every Sunday! They truly love being with each other and I don't need to know the language to see that.
Something I "took away" from the sermon was 2 questions. Before giving the questions we were talking about the birth of Jesus and the gifts the wisemen bring. It was stated (and remember this is Rachel's rough translation from a translator) that this is where we get the Christmas celebration of Christmas - from God's gift of Jesus and from the gifts brought to baby Jesus. But, maybe we should look at it differently this year - and this is where the questions come in. At looking at what gifts were brought to baby Jesus, we should ask our self (1) what can I bring to Jesus this Christmas season? Obviously we cannot give to a baby, but we give to our Lord! What can we bring him?
The second question is: (2) with the gifts that God has given me, what can I do with that? We look at Matt.25:14-28 (the parable of the talents). God has given us gifts - are we using them? We may not see them 'doubled' here on earth, but we will see it in heaven when God says: "well done my good and faithful servant." The opposite part to that is that we do not use the gifts God has given us. Are you using what God has given you? Are you doing what God has asked of you? Are you listening to Him? If not, His will be done. Your talent will be taken and given to another. So, again, addressing the 2nd question: what are you doing with what God has given you?
My friends, we serve an amazing God! These questions are as real to us as they are our Estonian brothers and sisters!
I gave the church the letters from our congregation and they all were so happy. At the end Viktor hugged the letters and in his best english said 'expensive!" Those letters with your signatures means the world to them that you would think of them and love them that much. I also gave the childrens gifts. That brought many smiles! Thank you to Karen and the children for all you do - they loved your cards! I will present them with the money gift from our church and our children either Wed. night or Sun.
I also walked around with Viktor and Maxim to see what the vision is for the after school program. There is much work to be done and it will serve a great need! I will explain more in another letter and when I am back home - I feel it would be easier for you to see pictures and hear about it at one time.
After the many hours at the Aseri church,a group of us drove about 30 min to go and fellowship with another church (Artur is the pastor). They had already had their church service and were eating afterwards when we came in. They had many teenagers (well about 7 or so). We sat around and fellowshiped with them - then we had a snowball fight just before being called back in for a prayer service. Since we were there - and another pastor from a 3rd church was there too - Artur wanted us all to pray and listen to all 3 pastors speak. There is a young woman there who speaks wonderful english and interpreted for me (Maxim had to leave). It was a good time!
Well, I need to go to bed now. What a grand day. And tomorrow will be an adventure on its own: I go back to Aseri. That's pretty much all I know except that I will stay in a flat (a.k.a. An apartment. I don't know whose apartment. I don't know any details except that I've already been given a key. Hmmm... Guess I'll know more tomorrow. :)
Good night all. Thinking of you!
- Rachel
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Arrived in Estonia
I have arrived in Estonia! And what a delightful day it has been. I only have a moment to write tonight, but I will fill in more details later. On my flight over I had a very interesting conversation with a gentleman that I sat beside. He is not a Christian, and we ended up talking about God for over 2 hours. As I was talking with him, I realized how much I love the Lord. It was a good reminder to me why I am on this journey. My heart broke for this guy beside me b/c he could not even define who God is. It was an opportunity to tell him how much God loves people. I pray that God will use our conversation to help this man.
When I landed in Tallinn, Estonia this afternoon at 1:55pm (6:55am EST) Viktor, the pastor of our sister church, along with 3 teenage girls (Christina, Victoria, and Tonya) were there to greet me with flowers! What a treat! We drove to Vikor's home where his wife Raja (pronounced Rye-a) was making lunch. The 3 teenage girls jumped in immediately to help her finish cook. It was fun to watch Viktor and Raja interact with these 3 girls from their congregation. They were like family. Well... the first meal began - and it was a spread - chicken, rice, cut up veggies, sliced solomi, and beans. Directly afterwards they brought tea cups in for hot tea and dessert - another spread. It was delicious! And such a blessing to be sitting around a table with people who barely speak english. It makes for good conversation - add in a little hand motions and dramatic facial expressions to get your point across! Funny! Oh, and yes, it does get dark around 3:30pm here... and it is pitch black - like middle of the night. That's going to be interesting. : )
After lunch Viktor drove the 3 girls and I to the local community center in the village where Viktor lives (it's not in Aseri - or Tallinn). There they had a big gym. The youth pastor from Tallinn's Methodist comes often and plays games with local childern in this village. Well... I jumped right in. I played my first game ever of floor hockey, then we played Russian style dodge ball, and finished with soccer. After 2 hours of running - I'm pooped to say the least.
We have sat around tonight and just chatted. Viktor played a little guitar. Christina sang a little. Good fellowship. And something that has stood out is that we pray together all the time. The 3 teen girls are having a slumber party at Viktor and Raja's house tonight, so before we all went to bed Viktor prayed with us. Of course I have no clue what he is saying, but even when we don't understand a language, things can be communicated. I really feel the presence of God.
Good night to you all. Will try to post pictures tomorrow...
Rachel
When I landed in Tallinn, Estonia this afternoon at 1:55pm (6:55am EST) Viktor, the pastor of our sister church, along with 3 teenage girls (Christina, Victoria, and Tonya) were there to greet me with flowers! What a treat! We drove to Vikor's home where his wife Raja (pronounced Rye-a) was making lunch. The 3 teenage girls jumped in immediately to help her finish cook. It was fun to watch Viktor and Raja interact with these 3 girls from their congregation. They were like family. Well... the first meal began - and it was a spread - chicken, rice, cut up veggies, sliced solomi, and beans. Directly afterwards they brought tea cups in for hot tea and dessert - another spread. It was delicious! And such a blessing to be sitting around a table with people who barely speak english. It makes for good conversation - add in a little hand motions and dramatic facial expressions to get your point across! Funny! Oh, and yes, it does get dark around 3:30pm here... and it is pitch black - like middle of the night. That's going to be interesting. : )
After lunch Viktor drove the 3 girls and I to the local community center in the village where Viktor lives (it's not in Aseri - or Tallinn). There they had a big gym. The youth pastor from Tallinn's Methodist comes often and plays games with local childern in this village. Well... I jumped right in. I played my first game ever of floor hockey, then we played Russian style dodge ball, and finished with soccer. After 2 hours of running - I'm pooped to say the least.
We have sat around tonight and just chatted. Viktor played a little guitar. Christina sang a little. Good fellowship. And something that has stood out is that we pray together all the time. The 3 teen girls are having a slumber party at Viktor and Raja's house tonight, so before we all went to bed Viktor prayed with us. Of course I have no clue what he is saying, but even when we don't understand a language, things can be communicated. I really feel the presence of God.
Good night to you all. Will try to post pictures tomorrow...
Rachel
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Dear Friends,
Our journey is moving us towards home. Currently, we are awaiting departure from Frankfurt and looking at our likely transport--a double-decker plane!!!!!! We are so grateful for your love and support. We are returning to you as changed people. In our efforts to share God's love with the people of Bulgaria, we have been blessed beyond measure. Our hearts are also burdened with the needs we have witnessed. We have learned to rely on God's strength. God has bound our team together. Waiting for departure, we speak about the children and excitedly talk about plans for next year. We look forward to sharing with you. See you very soon!
Our journey is moving us towards home. Currently, we are awaiting departure from Frankfurt and looking at our likely transport--a double-decker plane!!!!!! We are so grateful for your love and support. We are returning to you as changed people. In our efforts to share God's love with the people of Bulgaria, we have been blessed beyond measure. Our hearts are also burdened with the needs we have witnessed. We have learned to rely on God's strength. God has bound our team together. Waiting for departure, we speak about the children and excitedly talk about plans for next year. We look forward to sharing with you. See you very soon!
Leanne at the Frankfurt Airport shocked at our possible transportation... notice the double decks...
We delivered the baby blankets yesterday... here we laid them on the babies' beds.
Skip and a kid at the preschool home.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Last thoughts before heading home...
Good evening (or afternoon - depending where you are!). We have had another good day.
We spent the morning at a baby home. It is very touching to see all the kids. There are over 100 babies in this home. What is hard to see is all the beds... there were so many; it made it clear that it was not a day-care, but a home to these babies (ages birth to 3ish). They are so precious! We gave the baby home the blankets and quilts that you made. The care givers were very appreciative and even though the children cannot express it, we are sure they appreciate them too.
We ended the day by going into Sofia and sight-seeing and buying gifts and keep sakes. It's been a long day and we are heading to bed now. We must get up at 3:00am (8:00pm EST) to go to the airport. We each will leave a piece of our hearts here. Please continue to pray for these children.
God Bless!!
We spent the morning at a baby home. It is very touching to see all the kids. There are over 100 babies in this home. What is hard to see is all the beds... there were so many; it made it clear that it was not a day-care, but a home to these babies (ages birth to 3ish). They are so precious! We gave the baby home the blankets and quilts that you made. The care givers were very appreciative and even though the children cannot express it, we are sure they appreciate them too.
We ended the day by going into Sofia and sight-seeing and buying gifts and keep sakes. It's been a long day and we are heading to bed now. We must get up at 3:00am (8:00pm EST) to go to the airport. We each will leave a piece of our hearts here. Please continue to pray for these children.
God Bless!!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Words cannot express what we have seen, felt, and experienced over this week. These kids have given us so much and taught us so much about the love God has for all people. They are dear to our hearts!
Today we went back to the preschool home and told Bible stories, handed out Beanie Babies, and colored. We also marched around the room several times singing "Father Abraham" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes." The kids were a delight and we gave lots and lots of hugs.
Then we had a party!! A party for the handicap kids from Berk 4. They were sooooo very excited!! They dressed in their best clothes and shoes and were so well behaved. They sang "Jesus Loves Me" loud many many times - I know people sitting outside the restaurant could hear it too. It was amazing and these kids absolutely had the time of their life eating pizza and ice cream and drinking coca-cola! We also gave them treat bags w/ tooth brushes, pens, beanie babies, and a banana. We wrapped bandanas around their necks and just had a good 'ol time. A big thank you to the Crusader's Sunday School class for providing the funds for the party!!
We spent the rest of the afternoon saying goodbye to the kids at Berk 4 - lots of hugs and tears. They are so precious. We have lots of stories to share!
We leave in the morning and head torwards a baby home on our way back to Sofia. It will be difficult to leave Berkovitsa. It is beautiful here, but more than its beauty, the hearts of the ones we hold dear are here. Our God is so good. His ways are greater than ours.
Love to all.
Today we went back to the preschool home and told Bible stories, handed out Beanie Babies, and colored. We also marched around the room several times singing "Father Abraham" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes." The kids were a delight and we gave lots and lots of hugs.
Then we had a party!! A party for the handicap kids from Berk 4. They were sooooo very excited!! They dressed in their best clothes and shoes and were so well behaved. They sang "Jesus Loves Me" loud many many times - I know people sitting outside the restaurant could hear it too. It was amazing and these kids absolutely had the time of their life eating pizza and ice cream and drinking coca-cola! We also gave them treat bags w/ tooth brushes, pens, beanie babies, and a banana. We wrapped bandanas around their necks and just had a good 'ol time. A big thank you to the Crusader's Sunday School class for providing the funds for the party!!
We spent the rest of the afternoon saying goodbye to the kids at Berk 4 - lots of hugs and tears. They are so precious. We have lots of stories to share!
We leave in the morning and head torwards a baby home on our way back to Sofia. It will be difficult to leave Berkovitsa. It is beautiful here, but more than its beauty, the hearts of the ones we hold dear are here. Our God is so good. His ways are greater than ours.
Love to all.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Blessings and Burdens
Good evening friends! What a blessed day we have had! We spent the morning at a preschool orphanage in Georgi Damyanovo. We put shoes on 48 children! These preschoolers were so patient with us as we worked to match shoes to their feet. All were delighted, especially those children whose shoes lit-up when they stomped. We played with the children outside on the playground and could not find enough arms to hold them. It's clear that these children belong to God. They are precious and joyful and a delight to love.
After a lunch of deer stew and banana ice cream, we spent the afternoon at Berk 3 for our final visit. Midge finished-up her exams, and Tom completed checking eyes and provided glasses to the children who needed them. The rest of the team spent time with the children outside. Many of the children were coming back from school, and we did not have as many children outside with us as we have had in the past, and this provided us the opportunity to engage them on a more inidivudal basis. Skip and Jane shared the story of Jesus healing the blind man with the "cools kids," the teenagers who group to themselves. Charles showed that he could jump rope with the best.
After a lunch of deer stew and banana ice cream, we spent the afternoon at Berk 3 for our final visit. Midge finished-up her exams, and Tom completed checking eyes and provided glasses to the children who needed them. The rest of the team spent time with the children outside. Many of the children were coming back from school, and we did not have as many children outside with us as we have had in the past, and this provided us the opportunity to engage them on a more inidivudal basis. Skip and Jane shared the story of Jesus healing the blind man with the "cools kids," the teenagers who group to themselves. Charles showed that he could jump rope with the best.
Bryan played socceer all afternoon, and the rest of us colored, turned rope, and threw frisbees. I spoke with a 13-year-old girl, Alex, and she shared that her favorite subject was literature, and when asked what she liked to read, she responded that she enjoyed a famous Bulgarian author known for his poem about a child saying good-bye to her mother. What we are experiencing is challenging, is special, and is a tremendous blessing and burden simultanously. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for your prayers for our team and our mission. God is truly at work!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Slava na Boga!
Slava na Boga! (Praise the Lord)
Greetings from Bulgaria. We had an awesome day working through the hands of God. We had a split day with our team.
This morning part of the team headed to Belogradchik to tour the Roman fortress and stone formations.
Tom and Midge stayed back and performed eye and physical exams at Berk 3 (home for ages 6-18) this morning which included around 40 children and 10 adults with the eye exams.
This afternoon we spent our last day at the gypsy school. Our activities really touched the children because our attendance tripled in size over the past several days. The many smiles of the children are a true blessing for the work of God.
The picture above is of a young gypsy boy and me (Russ). He attended church on Sunday and all three days of school while we were visiting. I really love to see the smiles on their faces because each one was created by God. I personally have been touched each day of our trip and all the glory goes to God and his work. In the evenings our team meets for a devotion time and to share our personal experiences that have touched each of our hearts. Every second that we are with the children is a special time but moments such as the one above are forever heart touching because of God's grace. Love is powerful. Russ
Greetings from Bulgaria. We had an awesome day working through the hands of God. We had a split day with our team.
This morning part of the team headed to Belogradchik to tour the Roman fortress and stone formations.
Tom and Midge stayed back and performed eye and physical exams at Berk 3 (home for ages 6-18) this morning which included around 40 children and 10 adults with the eye exams.
This afternoon we spent our last day at the gypsy school. Our activities really touched the children because our attendance tripled in size over the past several days. The many smiles of the children are a true blessing for the work of God.
The picture above is of a young gypsy boy and me (Russ). He attended church on Sunday and all three days of school while we were visiting. I really love to see the smiles on their faces because each one was created by God. I personally have been touched each day of our trip and all the glory goes to God and his work. In the evenings our team meets for a devotion time and to share our personal experiences that have touched each of our hearts. Every second that we are with the children is a special time but moments such as the one above are forever heart touching because of God's grace. Love is powerful. Russ
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Extraordinary Day
What an extraordinary day! Again today we went to Berk 4 (the handicap home) in the morning and to the gypsy village in the afternoon.
Tom has jumped right in and been doing eye exams for 2 days now. Today, in the gypsy village alone, he saw 50 kids!! He also saw kids at Berk 4 - where he is quite a popular man... everyone wants glasses!
Midge and Emily did physical exams again today - saw lots of handicap children. Midge says that it is a great blessing to work with these kids, some of whom are not kids - some are as old as 40! Emily has been a great blessing helping with both eye exams (yesterday) and physical exams (today).
The children at Berk 4 have been really responding to music and joining in and opening up more. Their favorite song is Jesus Loves Me (which we have learned in Bulgarian!).
There are a lot of new children at Berk 4 - young ones. It is fun to watch the older kids at Berk 4 take care of the little ones. You can tell that they care for one another. Today Skip held a younger looking child (which turned out to be 13). The workers said that this child does not speak or respond to much - but as we were about to leave, Skip looked into her eyes and she smiled back. He said he didn't know what she was thinking, but that it was a joy to see her respond and to connect with her.
Russ has visited the cows and chickens at Berk 4. The kids love showing their animals off to the group. Charles has been walking with the kids; Debbie has been hugging and loving them; Bryan has had the privilege of playing the role of Jesus in all our skits; Jane and Leanne have been our narrators; Rachel loves playing follow the leader with 20 kids.
Midge writes: Rachel has been a great leader for the team and loves each of the children dearly.
At the gypsy village there were a lot more kids today. Jessie refreshed them on Tennessee again and the kids remembered a good bit. Again we took them outside to play and just ran around. We played follow the leader, frisbie, soccer, red light/green light, and jump rope. It was very hot, but it was worth all the sweat. We feel like we have connected with the kids. Tomorrow is our last day with the gypsy kids.
Judy and Paul (the missionairies) have been wonderful. It amazes us how God is using them. Their ministry over here is such a blessing to see and experience. They are loved by so many.
Our interpreters are great too! They work well with the children and are fun to be around.
Tomorrow most of the team will do a little sight seeing at an old Roman ruin... Tom and Midge will be staying in Berkovitsa and doing more exams at Berk 3 (the home for kids aged 6ish-18). Please continue to pray for the health of the team and our ministry here.
Our God is so good! He is doing amazing things! None of this would be possible (or worth it) without Him. All these children are so precious - pray that they see Jesus' love in us. They are often mistreated and lonely; they want to be loved so much. Pray for their comfort and for a hope that only comes from God.
We love you all!! Thanks for keeping up with us!
The Team
Tom has jumped right in and been doing eye exams for 2 days now. Today, in the gypsy village alone, he saw 50 kids!! He also saw kids at Berk 4 - where he is quite a popular man... everyone wants glasses!
Midge and Emily did physical exams again today - saw lots of handicap children. Midge says that it is a great blessing to work with these kids, some of whom are not kids - some are as old as 40! Emily has been a great blessing helping with both eye exams (yesterday) and physical exams (today).
The children at Berk 4 have been really responding to music and joining in and opening up more. Their favorite song is Jesus Loves Me (which we have learned in Bulgarian!).
There are a lot of new children at Berk 4 - young ones. It is fun to watch the older kids at Berk 4 take care of the little ones. You can tell that they care for one another. Today Skip held a younger looking child (which turned out to be 13). The workers said that this child does not speak or respond to much - but as we were about to leave, Skip looked into her eyes and she smiled back. He said he didn't know what she was thinking, but that it was a joy to see her respond and to connect with her.
Russ has visited the cows and chickens at Berk 4. The kids love showing their animals off to the group. Charles has been walking with the kids; Debbie has been hugging and loving them; Bryan has had the privilege of playing the role of Jesus in all our skits; Jane and Leanne have been our narrators; Rachel loves playing follow the leader with 20 kids.
Midge writes: Rachel has been a great leader for the team and loves each of the children dearly.
At the gypsy village there were a lot more kids today. Jessie refreshed them on Tennessee again and the kids remembered a good bit. Again we took them outside to play and just ran around. We played follow the leader, frisbie, soccer, red light/green light, and jump rope. It was very hot, but it was worth all the sweat. We feel like we have connected with the kids. Tomorrow is our last day with the gypsy kids.
Judy and Paul (the missionairies) have been wonderful. It amazes us how God is using them. Their ministry over here is such a blessing to see and experience. They are loved by so many.
Our interpreters are great too! They work well with the children and are fun to be around.
Tomorrow most of the team will do a little sight seeing at an old Roman ruin... Tom and Midge will be staying in Berkovitsa and doing more exams at Berk 3 (the home for kids aged 6ish-18). Please continue to pray for the health of the team and our ministry here.
Our God is so good! He is doing amazing things! None of this would be possible (or worth it) without Him. All these children are so precious - pray that they see Jesus' love in us. They are often mistreated and lonely; they want to be loved so much. Pray for their comfort and for a hope that only comes from God.
We love you all!! Thanks for keeping up with us!
The Team
Monday, May 11, 2009
A Fun Packed Day!
Greetings! We are doing well and having a wonderful time. We have had an amazing day - we have laughed and we have cried; we have sung and played; we have held hands; we have given numberous hugs away.
We began our day with Berk 4 (the handicap orphanage). What a blessing those kids/adults are. This orphanage houses small kids around age 6 to adults aged 35, and is probably the most loving and caring setting you could possibly imagine. The kids care for one another and for us. They give us gifts - when they have nothing. They are such an example of unconditional love. What beautiful hearts they have! With them we told the Bible story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 - Jane Frierson was narrator and had planned and prepared the lessons. Then we went outside to play. The main activity was the kids wanting to walk outside - which basically consists of walking around the building. The setting is absolutely beautiful w/ the Balkin Mountains surrounding them. We walked and walked and walked... =) and just showed we cared by holding hands, rubbing backs, and just smiling. They were also eager to introduce us to everyone at the orphanage and to help us w/ our Bulgarian speech!
We spent the afternoon at the gypsy school. Jessica Goddard had planned a Tennessee lesson for the children and she did a wonderful job! The kids were so interested in learning and even spoke some English words. We even taught them the Hokie-Pokie! It was so much fun!! The kids are a delight.
One neat story from the gypsy school: Midge Allum is doing physical exams. As she was finishing the exams for the day, she gave the school nurse a huge bottle of multi-vitamins that we brought with us to give away. The nurse started crying and said that she had asked (the people in charge - whoever that is) for some vitamins 2 weeks ago, but saw no hope in getting any... and here Midge handed her a huge bottle of 1000+ vitamins!! The nurse asked Midge how this was possible and Midge told her that it is because of God. What an awesome thing our Lord has done!!
Also, one of the orphans asked about Blain Potter - he came to Bulgaria last year - and the child remembered him by name and specifically asked for him! Even when we don't feel like we make any kind of impact or what seems like such a short period to us, these kids soak in every minute of it!! And yes, the kids remember each of the returning team members from last year and have accepted the new team members with big open arms. It is amazing how God uses our presence here, just spending time with these kids and just staring into their eyes to show how much we love them - this is more than they ever get!
Tonight our team did a devotional about keeping God before us. It's not about the work we do, but rather it is about our Lord! We realize that if we are going to make any kind of impact in this world, it is by God's grace and for His glory only! We must keep our eyes on Him and everything will happen as it should. Our God is good!! A quote from our devotional tonight:
"The lasting value of our public service for God is measured by the depth of the intimacy of our private times of fellowship and oneness with Him" - Oswald Chambers.
It's all about Him! And it is about our relationship with Him so that our ministry can be effective and for His glory!
Please continue praying for us. Tomorrow we have the same schedule (Berk 4 in the morning and the gypsy school in the afternoon). We ask specifically for you to pray for our day tomorrow - that we are rested and are able to place a lot of energy into the kids; pray that the barrier of language is broken down; pray that these kids see Jesus in us.
We are very tired and must go to bed now. Thanks again for your support and all you do!
P.S. - Tom and Rachel arrived safely late last night and are well... just tired. =)
We began our day with Berk 4 (the handicap orphanage). What a blessing those kids/adults are. This orphanage houses small kids around age 6 to adults aged 35, and is probably the most loving and caring setting you could possibly imagine. The kids care for one another and for us. They give us gifts - when they have nothing. They are such an example of unconditional love. What beautiful hearts they have! With them we told the Bible story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 - Jane Frierson was narrator and had planned and prepared the lessons. Then we went outside to play. The main activity was the kids wanting to walk outside - which basically consists of walking around the building. The setting is absolutely beautiful w/ the Balkin Mountains surrounding them. We walked and walked and walked... =) and just showed we cared by holding hands, rubbing backs, and just smiling. They were also eager to introduce us to everyone at the orphanage and to help us w/ our Bulgarian speech!
We spent the afternoon at the gypsy school. Jessica Goddard had planned a Tennessee lesson for the children and she did a wonderful job! The kids were so interested in learning and even spoke some English words. We even taught them the Hokie-Pokie! It was so much fun!! The kids are a delight.
One neat story from the gypsy school: Midge Allum is doing physical exams. As she was finishing the exams for the day, she gave the school nurse a huge bottle of multi-vitamins that we brought with us to give away. The nurse started crying and said that she had asked (the people in charge - whoever that is) for some vitamins 2 weeks ago, but saw no hope in getting any... and here Midge handed her a huge bottle of 1000+ vitamins!! The nurse asked Midge how this was possible and Midge told her that it is because of God. What an awesome thing our Lord has done!!
Also, one of the orphans asked about Blain Potter - he came to Bulgaria last year - and the child remembered him by name and specifically asked for him! Even when we don't feel like we make any kind of impact or what seems like such a short period to us, these kids soak in every minute of it!! And yes, the kids remember each of the returning team members from last year and have accepted the new team members with big open arms. It is amazing how God uses our presence here, just spending time with these kids and just staring into their eyes to show how much we love them - this is more than they ever get!
Tonight our team did a devotional about keeping God before us. It's not about the work we do, but rather it is about our Lord! We realize that if we are going to make any kind of impact in this world, it is by God's grace and for His glory only! We must keep our eyes on Him and everything will happen as it should. Our God is good!! A quote from our devotional tonight:
"The lasting value of our public service for God is measured by the depth of the intimacy of our private times of fellowship and oneness with Him" - Oswald Chambers.
It's all about Him! And it is about our relationship with Him so that our ministry can be effective and for His glory!
Please continue praying for us. Tomorrow we have the same schedule (Berk 4 in the morning and the gypsy school in the afternoon). We ask specifically for you to pray for our day tomorrow - that we are rested and are able to place a lot of energy into the kids; pray that the barrier of language is broken down; pray that these kids see Jesus in us.
We are very tired and must go to bed now. Thanks again for your support and all you do!
P.S. - Tom and Rachel arrived safely late last night and are well... just tired. =)
Saturday, May 9, 2009
WE HAVE ARRIVED!!!!!
Hello from warm and sunny Berkovitsa. The team has arrived safely with the exception of Rachel and Tom who are on their way from Chicago. Rachel had a small mishap in Chicago and injured her finger. The airline required her to go to the emergency room for treatment. Meanwhile she and Tom missed the flight to Munich. She is doing well and we expect them to arrive safely tomorrow. Please keep our team , the orphans, the Ridgeways, and the congregation of Rakovitsa(gypsy church) in your prayers. Thank you FUMC for giving us this opportunity to serve our Lord with gladness. All praise be to God.
Meeting at the Church
We gathered at the church on Friday morning to depart for Bulgaria. We are on our way!! What an exciting time! We will keep you up to date on all our happenings.
Today we will traveled approximately 20 hours to get to our final destination. We each have 2 50-lb bags plus our carry-ons to get through customs. Each bag is packed full with the generous donations from all of you back home. We have medical supplies, baby blankets, moon boots, socks, underwear, hats, hairbows, eyeglasses, beanie babies, clothing, and much, much more! We have truly been blessed by our gracious Lord! Pray that these gifts are life-touching to the kids we will encounter in Bulgaria.
We had a wonderful sending off, where our pastor, Scott Layer, prayed us off. Jack Kennerly was our wonderful bus driver who took us to the airport... thank you Jack!
Our God is a God of abundant joy. Continue to keep us in your prayers as we travel.
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MAY 2009: BULGARIA
