Below is a journal entry from this past week in Russia (it's actually my only journal entry).
Russia Journal 1
It is freezing. The temps on the internet said it would be in the teens. I think the web was wrong. I thought you could believe everything that you read online. Anyway…
What a great couple of days! We arrived in our city late on Monday evening. Tuesday we went to Ivan’s house and got gifts ready to give the kids at the Orphanages. Here is what they are getting for Christmas-and they’re pumped to get it: 2 items of one of the following: a pair of socks, toboggan or scarf, a bottle of shampoo, tube of toothpaste, 2 apples, 3 oranges, a pencil and pen & for the smaller kids, a “vending machine” type toy, a candy bar and some got a tube of chap stick. I think the plastic bag the gifts were in was as valuable to the kids as the gifts themselves. It was a neat gift for the kids, but a little perspective here lets you realize that these are mostly necessities that we take for granted that these kids wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. These trips are always great to keep my perspective in check.
Russians drive like crazy people-many in really tiny cars-see above pic. Joel, who I can make scream like a girl when getting on entrance ramps on the interstate, wouldn’t make it here. Anyway, they’re even crazier on ice. We were involved in the first auto “incident” I’ve ever been party to here (and no, I wasn’t driving) in 5 years, which is pretty amazing in itself, but it was bound to happen. Our van and a new BMW x-5 got a little too close on a railroad crossing at the bottom of a huge hill and the mirrors “kissed”. Ivan could have picked a cheaper vehicle to smack. I don’t know who’s fault it was. I know who’ll end up paying for it though.
The Elvis shows were good. The students from the church here put on a really good Christmas show, and then I do “Elvis”. It’s an amazing thing, the relationship that the church has with so many of the orphanages. The government and the Orthodox church (which does not teach scripture, but saints, relics, made up stories about the saints, tradition, etc…) are putting pressure on the orphanage directors (like threatening jobs) to not allow them to do the work they are doing. Pray for Ivan and the church.
I fell on the ice tonight. It hurt. “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” “We’re sending help immediately, Mrs. Fletcher.” It was pretty funny.
We had a great night of prayer tonight, praying together for the ministry here around the table after dinner. I wonder if this is a little taste of what the New Testament church meetings were like.
After lunch this morning, Ivan and some others shared what it was like growing up in communism. They spoke of family members being arrested (and of a grandfather being executed) for faith in Christ. Ivan spoke of the harassment from teachers as a child to having an officer in the army waving a gun in his face, telling him he could kill him and no one would even bother him for doing so because he wouldn’t join the communist party. I wish you could have seen the look on his face as he shared. It was painful. It was the same look he had when sharing about the pressure now placed on them by the government as they continue their work in the orphanages here.
We’ll see what happens tomorrow!
Russia Journal 1
It is freezing. The temps on the internet said it would be in the teens. I think the web was wrong. I thought you could believe everything that you read online. Anyway…
What a great couple of days! We arrived in our city late on Monday evening. Tuesday we went to Ivan’s house and got gifts ready to give the kids at the Orphanages. Here is what they are getting for Christmas-and they’re pumped to get it: 2 items of one of the following: a pair of socks, toboggan or scarf, a bottle of shampoo, tube of toothpaste, 2 apples, 3 oranges, a pencil and pen & for the smaller kids, a “vending machine” type toy, a candy bar and some got a tube of chap stick. I think the plastic bag the gifts were in was as valuable to the kids as the gifts themselves. It was a neat gift for the kids, but a little perspective here lets you realize that these are mostly necessities that we take for granted that these kids wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. These trips are always great to keep my perspective in check.
Russians drive like crazy people-many in really tiny cars-see above pic. Joel, who I can make scream like a girl when getting on entrance ramps on the interstate, wouldn’t make it here. Anyway, they’re even crazier on ice. We were involved in the first auto “incident” I’ve ever been party to here (and no, I wasn’t driving) in 5 years, which is pretty amazing in itself, but it was bound to happen. Our van and a new BMW x-5 got a little too close on a railroad crossing at the bottom of a huge hill and the mirrors “kissed”. Ivan could have picked a cheaper vehicle to smack. I don’t know who’s fault it was. I know who’ll end up paying for it though.
The Elvis shows were good. The students from the church here put on a really good Christmas show, and then I do “Elvis”. It’s an amazing thing, the relationship that the church has with so many of the orphanages. The government and the Orthodox church (which does not teach scripture, but saints, relics, made up stories about the saints, tradition, etc…) are putting pressure on the orphanage directors (like threatening jobs) to not allow them to do the work they are doing. Pray for Ivan and the church.
I fell on the ice tonight. It hurt. “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” “We’re sending help immediately, Mrs. Fletcher.” It was pretty funny.
We had a great night of prayer tonight, praying together for the ministry here around the table after dinner. I wonder if this is a little taste of what the New Testament church meetings were like.
After lunch this morning, Ivan and some others shared what it was like growing up in communism. They spoke of family members being arrested (and of a grandfather being executed) for faith in Christ. Ivan spoke of the harassment from teachers as a child to having an officer in the army waving a gun in his face, telling him he could kill him and no one would even bother him for doing so because he wouldn’t join the communist party. I wish you could have seen the look on his face as he shared. It was painful. It was the same look he had when sharing about the pressure now placed on them by the government as they continue their work in the orphanages here.
We’ll see what happens tomorrow!
2 comments:
You're not supposed to tell everyone about me screaming on the onramp. geez!
It's okay. Only like 3 people read this, and they won't admit it. You're safe...
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