STRATEGIC ANGEL CARE

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY - TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE

2011-02-14T04:36:00.000-08:00

“You must love me twice as much!”

Vera and Valodia (Vova) Simonova were married February 12, 1997 in Saratov, Siberia, Russia. Vova bought her a gold wedding band that to him looked so terribly small – unfortunately Vera’s finger was still smaller, so the ring he put on her finger that day could easily slide over the knuckle.

In April they traveled to Vera’s family home in another area of Siberia. While there, she went out to the strawberry patch at the back corner of her brother’s home to pick berries. Later that same day she realized that her ring was gone! Everyone searched through the strawberry patch, in the trash, everywhere they could think that she had been. But the ring was gone.

Ten years later, in 2007, Vera’s brother had to pull up all the strawberry plants in order to lay new water pipes for his home. While doing the work, he searched for the ring that had been lost so long ago, but was unable to find it. Then, in the summer of 2010, he decided to add on to the back of the house and began digging a deep hole to put the pilings for the new foundation. He dug deeper and deeper, and suddenly saw the wedding band that had been lost 13 years earlier. He ran to his sister’s house and she called Vera and said, “You will never guess what lucky thing happened today!” Of course Vera could not even guess what had happened, and her sister told her that her ring had been found.

When Vova’s sister came to visit this past New Year 2011, she brought the ring to St. Petersburg. During a ceremony to renew their vows Vova put the ring back on Vera’s finger and told her, “Now, you must love me twice as much because you have two wedding rings.”

This is truly a story of a miracle, but let me share one more Vera/Vova miracle story. When they were married the doctors told Vera that because of a hereditary problem she would never be able to bear children. They continued to hope that the doctors were wrong, but it seemed that they would be just a family of two. Then Vera and Vova both accepted Jesus as their Savior and began to dedicate their lives to Him to be used in His plan in His time. Shortly after becoming Christians they received a miracle, when Nakita was born on October 31, 2000. Their second son, Sasha, was later born on June 10, 2004. So God’s miracle to His new children was to give them two wonderful boys of their own. And God continues to bless them as he adds one foster girl after another to their blessed home.

Please pray for Vera and Vova as they continue to minister to orphans in St. Petersburg, and as God continues to grow their family (even growing it through their hospitality to American missionaries like myself).

To My Family in Russia with Love,

Nancy

FINDING TRACTION

2011-01-17T00:39:00.000-08:00

We’ve all seen snow and ice – well granted, in Louisiana (LA) we haven’t seen much of it, but what we have seen we quickly learned has a great potential for danger. Walking in snow in the past for me has been a pretty slushy endeavor, but here in St. Petersburg (StP), it’s kind of like walking in grey sand. Of course it’s dirty (that accounts for the grey), but when you step on it, it’s like sand because you just kind of sink down and it shifts around your feet – of course that provides for a good cardio-workout. But beware, underneath that “shifting sand” is the greatest danger – black ice!

When I walk in LA I take nice, long, swift strides – my students used to complain all the time that I was walking too fast. But here, I’ve learned to do what I call the Penguin Shuffle. No more long strides, pushing off each step with my toe, but instead, flat-footed, small plods – just pick ‘em up and put ‘em down – don’t try to push off on anything! I also quickly learned to beware of “clear” sidewalks, because what looks clear to my naïve LA eye may actually be slippery, dangerous ice. So instead I’ve learned to search for the edge of the walk, where light coverings of snow provide for traction – I think you’re getting a clear picture now – me doing the Penguin Shuffle, head down, just glancing up enough to keep my bearings as I move from place to place. A little snow on the side is a good thing – of course too much snow (like anything else in life that appears to be “good”) can also be a hazard – I don’t want it getting into my boots and causing me to walk around with cold feet all day.

As most of you know, I was raised in a wonderful Christian home – the first stories and songs I learned were from the Bible. So luckily I’ve had the “traction” of Christian principles to always fall back on throughout my life. Of course, that’s not to say that I haven’t often wandered off into the deep snow and gotten my feet cold and wet, but luckily I’ve always had that well-established history of God’s Word that was so loving taught to me at an early age to fall back on and to help get me back on track.

This journey during the cold of winter (oh, by the way, it’s -20C here today – that’s equal to -4F) has been an adventure for me, but each time I slip I have a chance to thank God for His protection as He keeps me upright and still traveling on.

From Russia With Love,

Nancy

Irina and Natasha

2011-01-12T00:30:00.000-08:00

On Friday, Jan. 7 (Russian Christmas!) I had the opportunity to meet Irina who does a ministry with women in one of the prison colonies here in St. Petersburg (StP). If the translation was correct, when someone is arrested, then they are held in a colony in the city where they were arrested. They can stay there from 3 months to 3 years, depending on the length of the process of getting to trial. Each cell, which is designed for 15 prisoners, can hold from 15 to 50 women – usually 40-50 rather than just 15.

Irina began this ministry many years ago and visits not only the colony, but the large women’s prison outside of the city and the prisoner hospital here in StP Over the years she has had the opportunity to lead many women caught in the seemingly hopeless cycle of drugs, prostitution, and jail to know Christ. She has even at times taken some of these women into her own home in order to help them find a new life.

Irina met Liza (my translator) and I at the bus stop and walked with us to her apartment. I thought that we were going to meet with her to get to know more about her ministry and to see what kinds of hygiene items we could help to provide for the women. Of course, God had other plans. On the walk to the apartment (through what seemed like outer Siberia with all the deep snow between the many apartment buildings) she began to tell us about Natasha, a young woman who was currently living with her.

Natasha has been in jail 9 times in her 29 years of life and has spent the majority of her life in prison. She had met Irina many times over the years and had made a nice friendship with her. Natasha was released from prison last spring and by September found herself in a very desperate situation. She called Irina and told her that she was dying and could Irina help her. Irina immediately said, “Yes!” and went to meet her. Irina said that Natasha was just skin and bones and very dirty – she had been living in the sewers of StP since her release. The immediate concern was getting her cleaned up and fed.

The first few weeks went well as Natasha ate, bathed, and slept most of the time. She also went to church with Irina and in every service would weep in despair at the seemingly hopeless situation of her life. During one of those services she told Irina that she wanted to have Jesus in her life and they went down to the altar together to pray. Irina said that just a few weeks after that prayer time it seemed that Natasha’s attitude began to change. She became rebellious and began to argue all the time with Irina and her two children (ages 21 and 25) who still live with her. She no longer wanted to go to church and other than going to her job at an alterations shop, would not even get out of bed. Irina warned us that we were going into a home where it seemed an evil spirit had come to live.

We entered the apartment and were introduced to Irina’s two children. Zhenya, her daughter, told us that Natasha had gone in to take a shower and refused to come out because Irina had invited guests to the home. Irina kept going to the bathroom door and telling Natasha to come out. When she did finally emerge, she went into Irina’s bedroom and shut the door. After some time Irina finally told her she MUST come out and meet the guests of the home if she planned to stay in the home. When Natasha finally came to the dining table, she sat down, pulled both of her knees up to her chin, and glared at Liza and I with the most evil eyes I have ever seen! (I asked Natasha if I could take a picture and she said "No!" so there is no picture at this time for me to show you what she looks like.)

Irina continued to talk about her ministry and we continued to talk as if Natasha was not there. As I talked about myself and some of my experiences in StP, she began to open up – she put down first one foot and then the other, and then she even pulled her chair closer to the table and began to ask a question or two. Once I saw that she was losing her anger, I began to ask her about her new cat and about her job. It seemed that she had finally seen me as just a person, not some stranger who was coming to upset her life.

After visiting with them for a couple of hours, I told Irina and Natasha that we needed to leave, but that I would like to purchase some hygiene items for the women at the colony. Irina began to give me a list of items needed and I asked Natasha if she would be willing to go shopping with me to help purchase the correct things. She said, “Yes” and even agreed to let me buy something for her (she only has one set of “house” clothes and one outfit to wear outside).

Irina asked if I would pray for her, her ministry, and her home before I left and I immediately agreed. We stood around the table, held hands, and I prayed. I could hear sniffling from across the table where Natasha was standing and when I ended the prayer she covered her face with her hands and began to weep. Irina hugged her and whispered in her ear, “I love you and now you see that others can love you also.” Natasha nodded and wiped away her tears.

I was surprised to see Natasha pulling on her boots and coat as we were getting ready to leave. It seems that Irina had asked her if she would walk us to the bus stop and she had agreed – without any argument. We chatted as we walked to the bus, confirmed our plans to go shopping, and then we hugged as we parted. As Liza and I rode the bus back home, she looked at me and said, “Nancy, it was amazing to see the change that came over her! She went from a very angry woman to a mild spirit who held hands and hugged us.” I told her, “Yes, it is amazing what a little love from God and those who love Him can do in a person’s life.”

Please pray for my next visit with Natasha. She is to meet us Monday, Jan. 17 to go shopping. Pray that she will follow through with her agreement to meet with me, and that God will give me the right words to say to her to help lift her spirits and hopefully influence her attitude toward Irina, her home, and Natasha’s relationship with God the Father.

From Russia with Love!

Nancy

Light of Hope Ministries (with a side visit to Life Shelter for Street Kids)

2010-04-22T22:46:00.000-07:00

About 6 weeks ago Marina Topoltseva (on the R in picture below taken at Tres Amigos restaurant - our fav Mex eating joint!!), the director of Road of Life Ministries in St. Petersburg, and my Christian sister since April of 2004, wrote an email to me about a new ministry begun by her church here in StP. It is a ministry for single moms who have struggled to keep their families together, is called “Light of Hope” (LOH), and it immediately touched my heart. As I shared her email with my fellow church members at Emmanuel Baptist in Ruston, we all felt touched to try to do something special for these young women. I am so blessed to be a part of a church that truly feels God’s call to missions – a church family that is always willing to go the extra mile, even during these tough financial times, to give a little extra for someone in need on the other side of the world. I love y’all so much!!!

Anyway, I brought extra money to help provide clothing for these young women and their children, and to help support this new ministry. I didn’t know who the ladies were or how old they were; didn’t know any of their names or the names of their children or how old the children were; but I knew that God had laid their needs on my heart and the heart of my church, so I just came, ready to help in any way I could during my short time in StP.

On Tuesday, April 20, our team visited at the Life Shelter for Street Kids at their new home. I had met their director, Irena, last year when they were living in a very old apartment and were constantly being harassed by the landlord and were unable to meet the demands of the fire department because of building code violations. But now they are in their new home and it is beautiful!! – a brand new apartment complex where they have been able to purchase a 3-apartment suite and turn it into one large “home”. A special treat was meeting a social-worker-trainee named Tanya (3rd from L), who is also assistant counselor at LOH.

Tanya shared with us her testimony that went something like this: She was addicted to drugs from a very young age and had her first child, a boy, when she was a teenager. Her mom took the boy to raise because Tanya was in no shape to do it herself – luckily through forgiveness and love, her mom is now allowing Tanya to reestablish her relationship with her son. Tanya continued on her downward path, had a second child, a little girl, and reached her “bottom” when she became so ill she almost died, and was diagnosed with HIV. During her hospital stay, a ministry team came from a church, and through their efforts and God’s great miraculous power, Tanya was saved. She quit drugs, got her daughter into school, attended church and through that church met Alla (the counselor at LOH) who gave her a room to live in at her own home while Tanya gets herself ready to truly be a mom and productive member of society. During this time of “new life” Tanya has had to show how much God has changed her, as she struggles to reclaim the family she lost during those years of drug addiction. As she shared her story, we cried, she cried, and we all felt deeply how God can take a life of ruins and turn it into a bright, shining example of His work, His power, and His commitment to each of us, His children.

It was a wonderful surprise to meet Tanya at the Life Shelter, to hear her testimony, and then to know that we would see her again later Tuesday evening at LOH. And what an evening it was!! This ministry was begun by Alla, who is the mother of three older children who still live at home, but whom God has called to full-time ministry with these young mothers – and not only has He called Alla, but her daughter Nastya as well – this is a family committed to sacrificing to meet the needs of others God has placed in their lives!!! And Alla has opened her home to Tanya so that she can be used by God as she shares her story with these young moms – many of whom share Tanya’s past struggles.

The LOH apartment is on the 5 floor of a walk-up in downtown StP, and has been heavily damaged by the large amount of snow that accumulated this past winter. The electricity is out in the entry way and front bedroom (in which 3 mothers and their 3 children stay), and there is rain damage to many of the walls of the apartment. There is one other large bedroom which also has 3 mothers and their 3 children (2 of whom are in baby beds), and one smaller bedroom where Alla stays. Then there is the living room and kitchen/dining area. It is a large apartment, but in very bad condition, so Alla is hoping it will only be temporary for them.

I’d like for you to meet each of the moms and their children who live at LOH:

One of the first sweeties we saw was a little dark-haired toddler named Dasha. She was running around and when Alla picked her up so we could say “Hi” to her, she began wiggling her eyebrows up and down and blinking – that’s “sweet eyes” in Russian!!! Of course we all immediately fell in love with her!! Dasha’s mom is currently in the hospital and is in the final few months of her pregnancy with her second child, so I think we each got a chance to hold her. She is pictured here with Marina, the director of Road of Life Family Homes.

Vika was a resident at Dorm 35, but I had not met her on former trips to StP. She has a 14 month old daughter named Vera. We didn’t hear Vera make any sounds during our whole evening at LOH and I can tell by looking at her that she probably has several mental and physical problems, possibly as a result of Vika’s former drug/alcohol problems. We did not get a chance to hear Vika’s story, so much of this is assumptions made by the team by our observations (as is the case with several of these young women).

Another darling toddler was Victoria, soon to celebrate her 1st birthday on April 23. Of course we all loved her sweet, chubby face, and her curly hair – the hair reminded me much of my daughter Rebecca’s hair at that age. Victoria’s mom is Larissa.

One young woman who did share some about herself was Tanya, who has a son who is 8 years old and lives with his father in Finland. Living with her at LOH is her daughter Sofia who is 3 years old, and Tanya is pregnant with her third child that is due in October.

Yulia (in her late 30's and married to a drug addict) is the mom of the only boy we met at LOH, Fedya, who is 3 months old. Yulia was very quiet during our visit, but I could see that her eyes followed me and watched me very closely while we were there, and especially while I lead in a short devotion. After we had finished with the craft project that Anne had brought for them, Yulia came up to me and presented me with a gift of a necklace with a pink heart pendant. It never ceases to amaze me that these “orphans” are always willing to give away their possessions to me – it may not have much value with regard to money, but this is a gift that I will always treasure, because it was a sacrifice for Yulia, the giver.

The final resident at LOH is Svetta and her 5 year old son Dima, but they were not at home when we were there, so we missed getting to meet them, and we have no pictures of them.

We were also excited to get to meet Tanya’s (assistant counselor) 3 year old daughter, Eliza, who is a real cutie. Talk about a ball of energy, that’s Eliza. Again, we’re not sure if it is a result of Tanya’s drug addiction when she was pregnant with Eliza, or just hyperactivity, but Eliza is a live wire and very destructive. She had to be taken from the room twice during our visit to be disciplined. (I think maybe God is telling me I need to read more on the results of drug-addictive pregnancy so I can understand more about its affects on the children born during that time.)

On Wednesday we met Alla and Tanya to give them the money donated by Emmanuel and to begin shopping for the food, clothes, and items for the apartment that they need. At first Alla didn’t want to take the money, but wanted instead to shop and let me pay for evening so that I would have a receipt. But I explained to her that God had called her to the ministry at Light of Hope and that just as her church and her pastor trusts her with these young lives and their welfare, I trust her to use the money donated to help with the needs of LOH and its residents. As I said to her, “We give this money to you for you to use for God’s work. So you don’t answer to me for how you spend it, you answer to Him!” Alla gave me a final hug and again said how grateful she was to our church family, and asked that we pray for each of them every day; and I promised her that we would!

From Russia with Love!
Nancy

Evening Devotionals

2010-04-20T21:09:00.001-07:00

Some of my most cherished times are the devotional times spent with our friends and family at Road of Life and other ministries God has placed in my life. Because my St. Petersburg "family" has grown so much over the years (which is a GOOD thing), we now have to pretty much do these on an individual, home-by-home basis. So I'll use this opportunity to introduce you to my family!

Tuesday, April 13:

Road of Life Vladiminskaya Apt.

(Front L/R) Vera [counselor], Jonathon, Nancy, Anne, Sasha
(Back L/R) Anya, Vova [counselor], Rita, Sasha and Nakita [Vera/Vova's sons], Nadya, and Katya

Vera and Vova are in their fourth year as ROL counselors, and they are truly two of God's helpers in StP. They are always willing to open their home to those coming to StP to do ministry and on a previous trip I lived with them for 2 weeks. I will always cherish the mornings spent with Vera, drinking a cup of coffee and eating a piece of chocolate after everyone had left for the day. These times were especially fun since Vera doesn't speak much English and we all know I speak little Russian; but lots of hand motions and laughter made our time together very special. Vova is our main "taxi" driver as he transports us to and from the airport and helps to haul all of our luggage - we kept him extra busy this trip, and he always served with a smile. He is our St. Petersburg Prince!

Friday, April 16:

Road of Life Frunzenskaya Apt.

(Floor) Jonathon Furr
(Front L/R) Nancy, Losha, Anne, Larissa and Nina and Artur [Nina and Artur are counselors, and Larissa is Nina's mom - all originally from Armenia], and Pasha
(Back L/R) Anya, David [Artur/Nina's son], Volodya, Sasha, Karina [Artur/Nina's daughter], Marina, and Dima

This is the boys' home where Jonathon lived during his "extended" mission trip to St. Petersburg. All of these people (except Losha who has graduated from Road of Life and is living in his own apartment) live in a 4-room flat - just "comfortable" by Russian standards. Artur and Nina have been counselors with ROL for 2 years, and when Artur prays it is truly like God has stepped into the room!! I don't understand his words because he is praying in Russian, but I certainly understand the "meaning" of his words, and I am usually in tears by the time we all say, "Amen". I grew up in a family of preachers - my grandfather, Ben Joyner; my dad, Larry Joyner; and my uncle, Guy Murphrey, and I've heard some true men of God pray in my life, so I can tell you that Artur is truly a "lay"-preacher as he ministers to the young men who live in this home.

Sunday, April 18:

ROL Graduates at our home on Bukharestskaya

Sitting around the coffee table working on a mind puzzle set up by Losha (from L/R): top of Jonathon's head, Nelly (just returned that afternoon from a week of ministry with John Neese as translator in Estonia), Nancy, Anne, Ira (single mom who brought her 3-year-old son Danya), Katya, Little Anya, Marina (director of ROL), Losha.

Our devotion time, mind puzzle time, and farkle-playing time ran a little long, and we forgot to take a group picture, but our evening spent together was wonderful. We were loud, but a good time was had by all. I made gumbo and Anya made guacamole, so the food was really good!

Marina had called Ira earlier in the day, but Ira said she didn't have the money to get to our apartment, so Marina told her to dig around and find enough money for the metro ride (19 rubles, or about 65 cents) to Electrocila and there Misha and Losha would meet her and pay for the tram ride (another 19 rubles). As Ira was getting ready to leave, Marina and I paid Misha the money he had paid for the tram ride over, and then gave Ira 1000 rubles (about $35) so that she could have money to get home - and then go to the grocery on Monday to buy food. It was sad to watch as she a little Danya ate dinner because Marina said many times Ira will go without eating so that Danya can have food to eat. Please pray for this single mom who is struggling to give her son a better life than she has had.

Monday, April 19:

Road of Hope Ministry home

(Front L/R): Aleona (born in St. Petersburg, but mother living in India - she is studying at the university in StP), Luda (I met her 2 years ago at dorm 70), Anne, and Nancy
(Back L/R): Anya and Natasha (counselor)

Road of Hope ministries is run by Pam and Gary Amstutz from Ohio, who had served as Road of Life counselor 2 years ago. Pam and Gary now live in Siberia and Natasha is the counselor for their StP home. Aleona and Luda live at this apartment full-time, but on the weekends 4/5 girls come from Orphanage #51 which is nearby. Natasha just celebrated her 29th birthday, and is truly a young woman committed to doing God's work wherever He may lead her. It has been a joy knowing her these past 2 1/2 years, and especially watching her English improve as she has worked so hard to master our language.

Tuesday, April 20:

Light of Hope Ministry for single moms

(Front L/R): Yulia and her 3 mo. old son Fedya, Tanya (asst. counselor) and her 3 yr. old daughter Eliza, Tanya (holding Dasha who is 2 yrs. old and her mom is in the hospital), Nancy (holding Sofia, Tanya's 3 yr. old daughter), Anya, Svetta (asst. counselor), Alla (counselor and founder of home, holding Vera, the 14 mo. old daughter of Vika), and Marina

(Back L/R): Anne and Vika (Vera's mom).

Not pictured were Larissa and her 1 yr. old daughter Victoria (who was a little cranky and in need of a short nap).

I will write more about this ministry and the ladies living in this home on a separate blog, but let me tell you that this was one evening that I won't ever forget. They each have such a sweet spirit and we all thoroughly enjoyed our time spent together. Anne helped the girls make a card with a gold or silver cross on it, and the ladies loved it; while Anya and I played with the little ones - I got in some practice for hopefully some day being a grandma!! This is the ministry site that Emmanuel Baptist Church has donated extra funds to help support during my trip, so we are taking Alla, the counselor, and her daughter Nastya, who is her assistant counselor, shopping today to buy clothes for the moms and babies, and some other items needed for their home. By the way, their home is on the top, 5th floor of an apartment building that has received heavy damage due to the excessive snow fall from this past winter - some of the damage includes loss of electrical power to one room and the entry-way because of water shorting out the lines. But they continue to manage and are thankful for a safe place to live. Keep them in your prayers!!!

I know that part of my ministry while here in St. Petersburg is to lead these families in devotion and/or Bible study, but I always find that as I minister to them, they continue to bless my heart in so many ways. They live together, fight together, and love together, just like any family in America would, but ultimately they all try to be the person God intends for them to be, and that's when I truly receive a blessing from them.

Keep all of my Russian family and us in your prayers!

From Russia with Love!

Nancy and the team

Camp Elema (El’-ah-ma) - "Camp of Light" in Finnish

2010-04-18T04:31:00.001-07:00

In the spring of 2009 (if my memory hasn’t failed me – and many of you know that happens quite frequently now), a camp, Elama (Finnish for "Light") was purchased by a Christian organization from the U.S. The sponsoring agency for this camp in St. Petersburg is MIR (the charity organization that helps us secure our visa’s, letters of invitation, etc.), which is headed up by Mike Cantrell, an American living most of the time in StP. Last fall I was made aware of this camp and the needs they had in preparing the camp to be used for Christian camps during the summer; so my church, Emmanuel Baptist Church of Ruston, very generously gave money for paint and to help purchase a riding lawn mower for the upkeep of the property. On Saturday, April 17, my team, along with John Bull (2-yr. missionary in StP) and Sergey (employed by MIR), traveled to the camp for a work day.

We met at Parnas metro stop at the end of the blue line – note the “illegal” photo I took of my 3 other team members on the last leg of that journey (L-R Sasha, Anya, Anne), since we were the only 4 people in our car or the surrounding cars - I say "illegal" because you are not allowed to take pictures on the metro. From Parnas we traveled 2 hours outside of the city to the camp – passing the mostly still frozen Gulf of Finland, and several beautiful lakes. The last leg of the journey was a dirt road that reminded me of many old dirt roads back home – in much need of a good grading. When we arrived at the camp we were greeted with many acres of snow-covered land – most of which is a part of a national forest that was created after Russia took the land from Finland at the end of WWI. I was excited to find out that because of the large riding lawn mower we had helped to purchase, they were going to be able to maintain trails throughout a large portion of the national park property for the camp participants to enjoy.

Anne Brashier and I were put to work in building 2, and Anya soon joined us as we cleaned out the rooms, boxed up the miscellaneous stuff found there, swept, mopped, and then scraped paint, all to help prepare for a team from Georgia that is coming in two weeks to stay at the camp and do painting and construction projects. Sasha Newman joined John Bull as they began scraping the exterior of building 3. Sergey in the meantime was finishing constructing a stove in building 2 so that people could use the buildings in the fall/winter/early spring months when the cold is really set in.

After two hours of work, we broke for lunch, which John and Sergey prepared over an open pit – yum, Russian bar-b-que! The main part of the meal was pork shashlie (shish-ka-bob), and there were also hot dogs, chips, fruit, etc. After we ate the wonderful meat (using our fingers – messy and WONDERFUL!!), we made smores from the fixings I had brought from the states – you can’t get graham crackers and marshmallows here (again, very messy and yum!). Everyone enjoyed the meal and then we went back to work for the remaining time.

About 4pm we left to return to the city. We all smelled like smoke, some of us had wet feet from walking in the snow and mud, and we were all worn out, but boy we felt good! We had spent a day working to prepare a site for God’s ministry in the company of fellow Christians who also enjoy working for our Lord. What better way to spend a beautiful spring day? It reminded me of the mission trip our church took to Poydras, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana last summer – we painted the children’s wing of a church damaged during Hurricane Katrina – and enjoyed the hard work and time of fellowship together.

Much of what we do here in StP is about building relationships with the hurting, needy children; but sometimes God lets us get in a get our hands dirty doing something really difficult and physical. As we left the camp, I told Anne and Sasha – “You two have seen and done things today that no other ministry team that has come with me has seen or done – enjoy the fact that God has used you in a special way!”

From Russia with LOVE!
Nancy and the Team

The Devil’s in the Details

2010-04-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

Anyone who’s been on a mission trip knows that flexibility is a key word during the experience. I can plan for months, and with Anya’s (my Russian daughter and translator/assistant) help connect with different groups that we will minister with. But when it comes right down to it, all my plans usually are for naught! That has really been true this trip – it’s not been like any other I’ve been a part of – lol.

The first adjustment had to be made as soon as we arrived in the apartment where Anne, Sasha, and I would be staying with Anya, and we realized we were one bag short. I don’t know how this happened, because Jonathon Furr and I both counted all the bags to be sure we had everything, but we missed one that we were bringing for John Neese to use on his mission trip next week in Sosnova. So we immediately call Vova (our dear friend and driver) who comes back and picks up Anya and I to take us back to the airport. Of course once we arrive we find the bag, but discover that it was not checked in under my name, but under Sasha’s name and she would have to bring her passport to claim the luggage. No problem, Vova agrees to make a THIRD trip to the airport with us after church on Sunday. So Anya and Sasha go to the airport to claim the luggage, but when they get there they are told that no, it was not checked under Sasha’s ticket, but under Anne’s. So Anya calls us, and Eliza (another one of our Road of Life girls who has worked as translator for us many times) takes Anne to the airport. After two more hours and countless conversations with officials at Lufthansa, Anya and Anne are informed there will be a fine of 4000 rubles (about $115). They pay the “fine” and collect the luggage. Finally we are all back home, and all bags have been secured.

Jonathon had come home with us Sunday afternoon because Anya was going to fix dinner and we were going to talk over our plans for the week. We completed our meal, talked everything through, and Anya and Sasha left to take Jonathon to the metro station so that he could return to his apartment several minutes away. When they left the metro station they walked across the street to catch the tram back to our apartment, but no tram came. It was about 10:30 pm by this time, and evidently the tram service stops early on Sunday night. So Anya had to ask some of the others who were also waiting in vain for which bus would take her to our apartment. After waiting and searching, they finally arrived home about 11:45 pm!! A trip that should have taken 40 minutes had turned into 1 ¾ hours!! They were both cold and exhausted, but glad to be home.

Luckily Monday was a pretty uneventful day. We went to Child in Danger (CID) shelter to begin our week of ministry with the 14 kids who are there at this time. It was wonderful to see Masha, the assistant director, and three of the children I had known from last year’s trip. We had a great day and returned home excited about the coming week.

Anya got a call from MIR (the charity organization here that officially registers us when we arrive) that she needed to pick up our passports on Tuesday afternoon at 1pm. I had specifically planned no morning activity on Tuesday so that we could all sleep late and recharge our batteries. After eating a late breakfast and visiting for a few minutes, Anya looked up at the clock and realized it was noon and she was to be across town at MIR at 1pm. So she begins dashing about the apartment, getting ready to leave. Luckily, as she was headed out the door she remembered that the cost of registering the passports was 900 rubles and came back in for the money. Anne, Sasha, and I ate lunch and then began getting ready to go to CID. As we were leaving, I looked on the board by the door to see if the key was there, but it wasn’t. So I told them that Anya had taken the key and we would just close the door and it would lock automatically. We had a wonderful afternoon at CID – beautiful spring weather and playing outside with the kids followed by a craft time and Sasha sharing her story of adoption from Russia when she was 9.

We left CID and headed to Vera and Vova’s family home for an evening of fellowship and Bible study (after first getting on the wrong tram and being told we had to take a bus). When we got off the bus I realized we were at the stop where my favorite bakery was – they have the greatest baguettes – so we went inside to buy some bread. As we were sitting there I told Anya that we had to leave the outside door to the apartment open when we left because she had the key. Of course she looked at me confused and said, “I don’t have the key.” After a lengthy conversation and realizing that she was NOT kidding, we knew we were locked out – and Marina, who owns the apartment, is in Kazakstan visiting her family and won’t be home until Friday. We went on to Vera/Vova’s and as we were visiting, we told them the problem. Vova said he had some old keys and maybe we could get one to fit; Katya, Vera/Vova’s adopted daughter, said to talk to the neighbors and try to get through the window leading to the balcony of our apartment. After Bible study Vova and Katya brought us home and Katya and Anya, after some fast talking, convinced a neighbor to help them break the window to the balcony so that they could get in. Another harrowing experience, but at least no one called the cops and we weren’t “homeless”!!!

During our wait to see if they could get the neighbor to cooperate, Anne said, “Boy, the devil sure is busy isn’t he?” And I said, “Yes, God must have something great planned for that old devil to be after us so.” So keep us in your prayers as we try to persevere!! We are loving our ministry at CID and look forward to dinner with the John Bull family (missionaries here for 2 years) on Thursday evening, and Bible study at the Frunzenskaya apartment where Jonathon is staying on Friday night before he returns home on Saturday. We are all healthy and happy to be experiencing all that God has in store for us!

From Russia with Love!
Nancy

“Go Ye Therefore”

2010-04-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

Jesus said, “Go!” and we have taken Him at His word – and we have now arrived! As anyone who has ever traveled internationally can tell you, it’s a tough trip, but I personally feel totally alive when I arrive in Russia – even after a 19 hour trip. Everything went according to plan on the journey – our flight left DFW on time (and we were all there and checked in on time); we arrived in Frankfurt, Germany on time (and enjoyed the 5 hour lay-over with John Neese and his team of Martha and Tony Leone who were traveling on to Estonia for a week of ministry); and arrived in St. Petersburg on time. Unfortunately I miscounted the luggage upon our arrival and we left a piece behind – so we have to go back today (Sunday) and retrieve it.

Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t particularly like inside animals – and especially don’t care much for cats – mostly because I’m allergic to them and that hair just gets everywhere! Well, on our 3 hour flight from Germany to Russia there was a lady with a cat in a carrier on board the plane with us, and that cat howled from the moment it came on board till well after we had picked up our luggage in St. Petersburg! I can still close my eyes and hear that Siamese-type “yowl”! Every one of us who could grabbed our earbuds and tried to zone out; others just suffered through. At one point Anne Brashier and I were wondering if anyone would notice if we flushed him/her down the super-sonic toilet!! I must beg the forgiveness of all my cat-loving friends (especially you, Becky Brown), but GIVE ME A BREAK – put him/her in the luggage compartment and give the rest of us a break – lol!

Our cast of characters:
Well, there’s me, Nancy Durrett, the intrepid leader. This is my 10th mission trip to St. Petersburg and my 6th as team leader. It always amazes me that I can feel so drained and almost totally exhausted on the leg of the trip from Frankfurt to St.P and then as soon as I touch down and we start loading luggage into Vova’s van and driving into the city it hits me, “I’m HOME!” I have so many that are truly a major part of my life that live in this beautiful city, and it always feels like a homecoming to me. I am tired, but full of anticipation, and can’t wait to get to church this morning and then begin our ministry at Child in Danger Shelter on Monday. “God bless us on our journey – keep us strong – keep us safe – and use us to bless the wonderful souls You put in our path during this amazing journey.” Amen

Jonathon Furr is making his third mission trip to St.P. He is from Lewisville, TX and also went with a group from his church to minister to people at the Winter Olympics in Victoria, Canada this past February. I can take credit for putting Jonathon in touch with his “arts and crafts side” on his first mission trip to Russia and though he swears he lost his “man card” on that first trip with me, he still looks pretty rough and ready to me. Jonathon is living at the Road of Life Boys’ home at Frunzenskaya this week. So keep him in your prayers as there is no official translator with him there, although Karina (16) and David (13), the children of the Christian family counselors, have been taking English lessons for two years, and are getting really good at communicating.

Note from Anne Brashier (team member from Downsville, LA):
This is my first mission trip and wow! Has it started out great! I have not only met some very interesting people from Ruston and Dallas, but have met some extraordinary people here in Russia. We all went to church this morning where John Bull preached a very powerful sermon. The church service was held in a hotel, as they do not have individual church buildings in Russia, like we have at home. The service and the members were all so inspiring. The apartment where we are staying is so nice and comfortable. Our interpreters are exceptional. Please continue to pray for all missionaries, as the power of prayer is great. I have to thank Nancy for asking me to accompany her on this trip. Isn’t it great when good comes out of an error or oops (“OY”) in Microsoft excel? This is what Nancy said when she was teaching me computations on the program “Excel”. I asked her what that meant, and she said it was Russian for Oops! or I made an error. Then the discussion began about her trips to Russia, at which time she invited me to join her on this mission trip. I had been wanting to do mission work for a very long time, but always had an excuse. I think God placed Nancy there with me that day, for me to finally answer his calling. I pray God will use us all to our fullest abilities.

Note from Sasha Newman (team member from New York):
Well the trip is nice but so much to see and do. I am glad I came and am getting to practice some of my Russian with Anya and the other girls from Road of Life Family Homes. I like the apartment where we are staying, and Anya is such an awesome helper. She rocks ‘cause she helps us a lot. Well looking forward to more things on our way on this trip.

Note from Jonathan Furr (3x StP trip participant):
Well, after another long, sleepless flight (except for the 3 hour flight from Frankfurt to St. P where I got an exit row seat) we arrived in St. Petersburg ready for a long night of sleep. When I arrived at the Fruzenskaya apartment, where I would be spending the week, I was surprised to find a large group of people there. The family at the home was having a sleepover for their son and his friends. After watching the end of a movie in Russian I decided it was time for me to head off to bed. After I had bedded down I thought I would go let my host family know I needed to meet up with the rest of the team at 10:45 the next morning for church. As I was walking out, the host family came in to set up all the rest of the beds for everyone else who was sleeping there. So, I was destined to stay up for a few minutes. After about 15 minutes of waiting, I was finally off to sleep. I got a good night of sleep only occasionally interrupted by the sounds of the boys rough housing.

Two of the boys that were sleeping over were Losha and Misha who I had met before on my previous trips. It was good to see them again. In the morning, Losha nearly tore my arm off arm wrestling. I think he wanted a rematch since I always beat him last time I was here (consequently causing shoulder problems for the following few months). Maybe this time since he won the first one he will see fit to let me keep my arm.

At church today we got to see John and Karen Bull and their family. The Bulls went with us on the first mission trip I went on here in Russia and as a result of that trip, they moved here. I am hoping to get to talk to them a little more this week to catch up. That is all for now. End transmission.
From Russia with Love!
Nancy and the Gang

The Anticipation (and packing) Begins

2010-04-05T09:41:00.000-07:00

So many last minute things to do!! But I know it will all come together, because I know that God has great things in store for us in St. Petersburg.

What you need to know:
Our team will be made up of myself, Anne Brasier (first time trip participant from Downsville, Louisiana), Jonathon Furr (this will be his third trip to St.P), and Sasha Newman (adopted from Russia when she was 9 - this is her first trip back to her homeland).
During week one we will be doing daily ministry at Child in Danger Shelter Monday-Friday, ending on Friday with a movie day (we'll get to watch the new Chipmunks movie in Russian - now THAT is fun!).
Also during week one we will be having nightly Bible study with the families of Road of Life Ministries and having dinner one evening with our dear friends, John and Karen Bull (missionaries to St.P).
During week two Sasha will join John Neese and his Russian son Sergei for ministry in Sosnova (a village north of St.P), while Anne and I will be going to Orphanage #27 (also in a village outside of St.P) and doing ministry with a new family home that houses 6 young women who are pregnant. God has given us a wonderful opportunity to join in the ministry to these young women and their Christian counselor, Alla, and I can hardly wait to get to meet them all and begin developing a Christian family relationship with them (and sharing with them that there truly are no orphans of God!!).

Keep us in your prayers as we begin our journey, and watch this blog for more information during our two weeks in St. Petersburg, Russia.

From Ruston (headed to Russia) with Love!
Nancy

Thank's for Your Prayers

2009-04-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

Anya had her inteview today at the U.S. Consulate. She had been really nervous and we have all be in constant prayer for her. The interview went very well and she was accepted for travel to the U.S., but we have to fill out a new application form that they have requested. I will work on that when I return to Ruston next week.

At right: Anya with Mark (son of John and Karen Bull - missionaries from Plano, TX), Susha, and Karina at Child in Danger Shelter.

During her year-long stay, Anya will be making mission trips to south Louisiana and the Yucatan, will be helping with VBS at Emmanuel, and will be doing volunteer work at the Daycare at Emmanuel, along with doing speaking engagements whenever asked. She will also be spending Christmas at Disney World with a missionary friend from Ohio and her family; and will travel with my family to Branson this summer. Lots of fun things to do and see!!

We are all so excited to have this opportunity to help her with her English language to better help her as a translator for mission teams in Russia, and we are looking forward to her being an important part of our families - church and home!

Thank you God for Your mighty power and blessings.

From Russia with Love!
Nancy

The Week in Review

2009-03-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

Our week did not begin well as we were unable to minister at the Deaf Orphanage (O20) on Monday. A team of health inspectors was there and one of the nurses had apparently had a bad experience with some Americans who were Jehovah's Witnesses and they took cross necklaces from some of the children. She called us unhealthy Americans and said we could not be trusted. Svieta (the sign language translator) talked with the director and the inspectors, but could not convince them of their error. The director did agree however to let me present my official documents from MIR (the charity organization that sponsors our trips here in St.P) and she would review the matter. MIR put the package together and Svieta will deliver it on Tuesday. Please pray that I will be able to go to O20 on Friday, April 3.

One good thing that came out of Monday was that one of the former students, Zhenya, was visiting and he spent part of the morning with us. As we left the orphanage about 12:30, he walked out with us. We got to Marina's car and she suggested we go to a German restaurant near by to eat lunch, and we agreed. When we arrived at the restaurant and stepped out of the car, Zhenya was walking up the sidewalk. I asked Svieta to invite him to join us for lunch and he was thrilled. He is a sweet young man and a good friend of Losha (one of our boys at the Frunzenskaya apartment of Road of Life). He is pictured here with Zvieta.

Because we were not going to be allowed to go back to O20 on Tuesday, Anya called Child in Danger (CID) shelter and asked if we could come on Tue/Wed/Thur, adding a day to our ministry there. Masha, the assistant director was thrilled and said of course, please come. We arrived at 1:30 and began playing with the children around 2pm. We played games, did arts and crafts, did a "food" project with candies to make caterpillars, and then watched a movie together.

There are currently 15 children at CID and only two of them were kids that I had known from before. John and Karen Bull and their four children joined us for our day at CID. It was great fun as we met the new children and renewed friendships with the kids and counselors from previous trips.

On Wednesday we arrived at CID after lunch and went with 15 kids and 2 counselors to the circus. It was the "Birthday of the Clowns" and was wonderful! Only 2 of the children had ever been to a circus before and it was a big hit. I had brought glow-in-the-dark bracelets for each child and some candy for snack; and of course CID had sent apples for the kids to snack on during intermission. The only "low" point was the guy with the snacks, crocodiles, and other animals. I think Maxim, the CID counselor, thought I was going to crawl in his lap when one of the snakes started climbing up the ring wall. Luckily the crocs' mouths were taped shut and the one stalking the emu was unsuccessful in his "kill". As they say in Russia, "Oy!"

Unfortunately the circus ended at 5:30 - the middle of RUSH HOUR! When we entered the Nevsky Prospect metro line there must have been 10,000 people in there - ask Adam, I'm not exaggerating! We managed to stay together pretty well, until everyone got through and we realized we were missing Ura. Luckily he appeared at the front of the crowd after a few minutes and we were back on track. It was a jammed up, scary adventure for me, but it is their "normal" so they didn't seem to think anything of it.

Thursday was another adventure with the CID kids as we went to Ikea mall to go ice skating. It was not too terribly crowded and they had a great time. We had one little 5 year old, Karina, who was not allowed to skate, but Ikea has a children's play room and Anya took her there to play for an hour and she was very excited. We ate lunch at McDonald's (the doctor at CID had told me no sodas or cold water - I don't understand the water thing - I think they believe that cold water does something bad for you - man, are those of us who live in the South in trouble!) and the kids were thrilled with their happy meals. We then exited by the carousel and let the little ones ride. (Pictured here are Adam and Nastya - she is 16 and attends art school.)

Friday and Saturday were touring and shopping days for Adam and I, followed by Road of Life (ROL) family activities each night. Friday night we met at the Frunzenskaya Boys' apartment with the current residents and counselors of ROL. I did a devotion on The Folded Napkin, about how Jesus folded the cloth covering his face in the tomb, which by Jewish tradition meant that the "master is coming back." Part of the devotion included Adam doing some decorative napkin folding - and then of course the tests began - all of the boys at the apartment tried to fold the napkins as Adam had shown, and then raced each other. It was great fun.

After the napkin devotion, Adam and Dustin Clark (from Alabama, who had gone to StP with me a year ago and was back for a week-long visit) shared about their lives, their faith, their goals. Adam is a sophomore at Ouachita Baptist Univ. in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, and his girlfriend attends Samford University in Alabama. Dustin graduated from the Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham last summer, is currently employed as a civilian with the US Army as an engineer, and his girlfriend also attends Samford U. Adam and Dustin both lived at the ROL apartment this week and were pleasantly surprised to find that their two girlfriends not only lived close to each other, but had had a class together. It's still a small world!!

This is the group picture taken on Friday night - we now have to split the meetings to get everyone into the same place. That's why I met Friday night with current residents/counselors, and Saturday night with graduates.

Saturday night we had a bowling outing with the graduates of ROL followed by dinner at the food court. It was a great time, and all but two of the grads who live in StP were able to attend - Nelly and Liza are still in the US. Each of the grads shared what they are doing and their hopes and goals for the future. It was wonderful seeing them all again. Marina Topol (director of ROL) and I are talking about putting together an email newsletter to let all of you know how the kids are doing and how you can pray for them.

I stayed at the Frunzenskaya Boys' apartment on Saturday night to accompany Adam to the airport on Sunday morning. FYI - Russia changed to daylight savings time last night - so Adam and I have "survived" two of those this year thank you very much! It was a pretty emotional time for Adam because he had grown so close to the two boys who live at the apartment, as well as Meisha, a ROL grad who had come to help translate during the week. I was really proud of him though - he managed to get out of the apartment and even hug me at the airport with no tears. I'll be interested to here if his flight home was still "tearless"!

I will post Adam's thoughts and memories with you when he gets back and hopefully readjusts to "normal" life at OBU - and takes a week or so to get over the jet lag!

I have one more week here in StP and look forward to going to CID on Tuesday afternoon, Dormitory 70 on Tuesday night, the Road of Hope Friday. Also, a new adventure for me - Marina's church has opened a shelter for street kids and she is taking me there on Thursday - at last, a place where I can talk openly about God and His Son without worrying about someone asking me to leave!!!

From Russia with Love,
Nancy

CHANGE

2009-03-23T00:05:00.000-07:00

We all know that change is inevitable and change is a word thought of a lot here in St. Petersburg – change in economics (I got the highest rate of exchange for my dollar in 5 years at 33 rubles/$), change in the city skyline (I counted 14 new buildings around the airport, on the way into the city, and especially in Pushkin – a city south of St.P), and change in the people (even some of the “older” people looked different on the metro yesterday – people actually looked at each other and not the floor).

We picked Eddie and Cindy Williams and Cindy’s daughter Ashley up at the airport Sunday afternoon and took them to Pushkin to stay at the SOS Orphanage, and Cindy couldn’t believe how much everything had changed in the two years since she has been here. And even Eddie had a little trouble trying to figure out how to get to the orphanage because everything seemed different.

At the worship service at 21st Century Church yesterday I noticed other changes – one of the young women who works with street kids had a more conservative hair style; Dimitri (the associate pastor and wonderful musician) was absent and I was told that he only gets to attend his home church a couple of Sundays each month because he is so much in demand to preach and sing at other churches and conferences; and Adam Wheat (my fellow team member, son of our associate pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Ruston, and sophomore at Ouachita Baptist in Arkadelphia, AR) commented on what a change it was from church “back home.” He said that even though the service lasted for 3 hours, from 11 a.m. until a little after 2 p.m., no one seemed to mind and even hung around afterward to fellowship with other church members. His comment to me – “It was nice to see that these people didn’t bring all the ‘stuff’ with them to church that at home seems to make them so anxious to get out, get home, get to lunch. They just came to worship and enjoy their time with the Father.”

The main emphasis on the service was fire – Luke 3:16, “…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” And they sang a song I had not heard, “God Wants You to Burn.” Now that can sound really bad if taken out of context – God does NOT want you to burn in an eternal hell, but He DOES want you to burn with a passion to share His Word and His Son with everyone you see and know. The pastor talked about the many different people who attend their church – some with wild hair, iron studs in the ears and on their faces, and well, just “different.” He told the story of one young man who came to church with hair done in big pointed spikes sticking out all over his head; and the pastor said he just couldn’t help himself – he had to ask “How do you get your hair to do that!” and the young man replied – “I wet it, put gel in it, and go to the metro to wait for the next train to come along with its great, mighty wind. And ‘poof’ instant spikes!” The pastor said, “Oh, style by metro!” Then he laughed and said maybe some of the congregation should try that. Marina Topol, who was translating for us, asked Adam if we had a metro back home and he and I both chuckled as he said no; so she told him he would have to try it here before he returns home.

Yes, there has been much change in StP, but as much as some things change, many more stay the same. The Road of Life family members still love each other with all their hearts and welcome us into their homes with graciousness and warmth. Those same families make room in their homes for children in need – the Frunzynskaya home where Adam is staying now has two young men who are deaf living with them full time – Losha and Nakita – and one young man who visits on the weekend who is going blind – Sergey. These are the young men that no one wants to bother with – that many consider stupid and even frightening. But the Christian parents at this ROL home, Artur and Nina, just stretch their arms out wider and take in all who will come. Their family of five (Artur and Nine, their two children, and Nina’s mother) live with the two permanent residents (Losha and Nakita) and this week have welcomed two Americans into their home – our Adam and Dustin Clark from Alabama. And a ROL graduate of that home, Meisha, has also come to stay to help translate – not only Russian, but sign language as well. As Adam said on Sunday, “It is a little overwhelming.” But I know that as Adam gets into the swing of things, he’ll be hard-pressed to let go and return home – they are already laughing and having a great time finding the differences between American sign language and Russian sign language.

Keep us in your prayers as we begin our ministry at the Deaf Orphanage and at Child in Danger shelter this week. And remember that even though you are on the other side of the world, you are still in our hearts and minds as well.

From Russia with Love!
Nance (and Adam)

Final from Russia

2008-04-24T20:51:00.000-07:00

Well, it's finally here - my last day in Russia - my birthday. This is a cool birthday - I was born in 1954 and I'm 54 today!

I spoke at a public school on Wednesday and the kids were great. One young lady said, "You are kidding about being old, right?" I said, "No, I'm about to celebrate my 54th birthday." She said, "No way! My mother is 40 and she looks lots older than you!" So the answer is - yes, coloring your hair helps, but the greatest key is your heart - you're only as old as you are at heart - of course that's scary, because at heart I'm 21 - and do I really want to go through all this again!?! Oh, another student asked what I liked most about Russia and I said, "The chocolate!" They all laughed, and then Wednesday afternoon, Natasha, the assistant counselor at Child in Danger, whose son was in the class at school, brought me a dog puppet that was stuffed full of all kinds of chocolates! Wow!

The kids at Dormitory 70 (photo at right: Me, Natasha and Luda standing; Tatiana, Anya, Nadia, Ilya, Masha, and Lucya seated) were great Thursday night, and Ilya sang a Spanish love song to me and Pam. He is so funny. We started my first night at the dorm with a kiss to the cheek. The second week, it was both cheeks; the third, three cheeks - are you getting the picture here? Last night we lost count, and the counselor started making loud smacking sounds, and the whole place was rolling in laughter (that's better than crying, right?).

Tatiana, the head counselor of the whole dorm, gave me a really cool birthday present, and Luda, one of the girls that is thinking of coming to live at the family home, gave me a silk screen water color that she painted in class. She is studying to be an artist, but is very shy about her work. She is really talented, and I pray that she will be a great success in whatever she does.

Valya, who has returned from her mission trip to Africa (see blog below), cut Masha's and Ilya's hair last night, so we were having "make-over" time as well as English lessons. And Nicola (pictured above), an American who has taught English at one of the universities here, brought Easter eggs for everyone and shared her testimony. After the testimony, which was really amazing, Tatiana said she could not believe that the young woman standing in front of us could have been an alcoholic and drug user during her teens and early twenties. Tatiana then said, "It is amazing what God can do in someone's life. You are a testimony to His great work." Wow!

Today will be a busy day as I move my luggage to Vera and Vova's for transport to the airport at 3:30 a.m. tomorrow morning. They are also planning a birthday bash there tonight; and I will have tea this afternoon at Natasha and Little Anya's new apartment. I got my suitcases packed last night, and yes, all you chocolate fans, one is full of candy - oh, and some really amazing teas I discovered this trip. So pray that no hungry, thirsty luggage inspectors check me out too closely!

God bless you, and keep me in your prayers. Also, Greg, Susan, and Jonathon Furr will be leaving Saturday morning about 10:30, and Patty Adams hopes to get a flight out on Saturday as well (she flies standby because her hubby is a pilot and she gets really cheap tickets, but has to fly standby, so we're never sure when she's coming or going - that didn't sound good!) so keep them lifted up as well.

From Russia with sadness,

Nancy

Saying “Goodbye” to Dormitory 35

2008-04-23T23:24:00.000-07:00

I know it’s been a few days since I last wrote, and this event took place on Monday night, but it is hard for me to talk about (or write about) these experiences – I’m just too emotional right now. Part of it is that I’m physically and mentally tired (okay, I admit it, I’m exhausted!), and part of it is that, as we all know, it is hard to say “Goodbye.” It’s hard when you’ve only been on the mission field for one week, or two; but it’s especially difficult when you’ve been here for six weeks – I can’t imagine how those who have been here for a whole 9-month school term will do it! You spend so much time with the same people that they become like family; you travel to the same ministry sites each week and those kids become like family; your family just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and it gets harder and harder to tell them goodbye that last time.

Dormitory 35 is one of the most awful sites I have ever seen in St. Petersburg, and I’ve seen some pretty bad ones. These kids are not even on the “ladder” of anyone’s thoughts – forget the bottom rung, they’re not even standing close to the ladder itself! They have nothing. There are three young people to each room that has three single beds, two or three straight-back chairs, and one desk. Many of the kids are disabled, either physically or mentally, and no one cares whether they wake up in the morning, or whether they return home at night. More than half of them will simply, as Lucya says, “Be disappearing.” They just vanish, and no one looks for them. They just hold the bed open for a few months and then give it to someone else.

All Russian citizens have a room allocated to them – many are from family inheritances; i.e. the family has a set of rooms and one is designated for the child when he/she graduates from school. All of these kids at Dorm 35 have those rooms allocated to them, and people who like to take advantage of uneducated people drive up in their shiny black cars, hold out a bag of money and a piece of paper, and tell the kids, “Hey, just sign this paper and sell me your room; then you can have this bag of money!” Of course, the kids don’t count the money, they don’t seek legal counsel (they don’t even know what that is!), and suddenly they have lost their inheritance, and when they graduate from the dorm they have no place to go.
Little Losha (pictured here in his "new" clothes that were donated by a local church) is one of those people. He came to the family home over a year ago, but was so addicted to his cigarettes (and lying), and so enjoyed his independence, that Marina Topol, the director of Road of Life, had to send him back to the dorm. She and others had thought that once Losha got back to the dorm he would want to return to the security of the family home, but it didn’t work out that way. You see, orphans don’t look at the world like those of us who had the security of a family and home do. They see you, you take them in, they begin to trust you and love you and depend on you, and then when something goes wrong and you punish them, they see it as another abandonment, someone else throwing them away.

Losha will graduate this spring from the dorm and he has no place to go but to a social hotel. This is like a hostel and is where ex-convicts go to live when they get out of prison, where prostitutes live and do business, and where drugs are the norm. On Monday night, Lucya asked Losha would he please return to the family home and he said, “No. I want to live at the social hotel. It will be an adventure.” I think he’s scared – I know I would be – but he’s afraid to again put his trust in us. He sees his being returned to the dorm as our failure, and maybe it is.
Losha, Olga (pictured above with Lucya), and Natasha (pictured below) walked us to the metro from the dorm, because they wanted to be with me as long as they could since it was my last night with them. Losha had sat beside me all evening, tickling me, trying to make me laugh; hugging me at unexpected moments; just making a general nuisance of himself (and I loved every minute of it!). As I stood in the metro saying goodbye to these three precious young people, I grabbed Losha, hugged him, and then placed my hands on each of his cheeks and said, “I love you! We all love you! I will miss you. Do you understand that?” He said, “Yes.” I then told him, “Quit smoking those awful cigarettes because they are killing you in here (I pointed to his chest).” He smiled and nodded; and then I told him, “And beautiful Christian girls don’t like to kiss handsome men with bad cigarette breath!” He again smiled, nodded, and hugged me one last time.

My main rule is that I don’t cry in front of the kids. I want them to remember all of our time together as happy times. That’s why I carry tissues in my pocket the last week; why I cry on the escalator going down to the metro train; why I cry myself to sleep each night. It’s an emotional time, and it’s going to get harder each day. Tonight (Thursday night), I have to say goodbye to the kids at Dormitory 70 – another tough one! Then Friday night I have to be happy as we celebrate my 54th birthday and then cry myself into exhaustion on the plane Saturday as I return home.

Saying “Goodbye” here on earth is hard – isn’t it wonderful that we will never have to say “Goodbye” in heaven! Once we get “home” we’ll be there forever and ever, never having to shed a tear, or wave goodbye, or hug a child for perhaps the last time. Thank You, Father God for the blessings of this trip, and I will always be thankful for the precious lives your have let me be a part of.

From Russia with Love,
Nancy

Thanks, Karen

2008-04-21T05:17:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take a minute to thank Karen Bull for her faithfullness to read the blog and make comments. So often when you post or publish something like this, you are never sure if anyone is out there reading it! Karen has always made a comment or asked a question, so I know that she (if no one else) is reading along and enjoying my journey.

It's good to have faithful, Christian friends, and we can all look forward to her blog when she, her husband John, and their four children come to St. Petersburg to live as Road of Life counselors next September. TALK ABOUT A CHALLENGE! They will need your prayers for sure!

Nancy

Winding Down – 10-9-8-7-6...

2008-04-20T21:06:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to believe my time in St. Petersburg is almost done. I have missed everyone back home, but it is going to be so hard to say “Goodbye” this week. So many special people have helped to make this trip a memorable one. Of course, I couldn’t have done any of God’s work without the help of two great translators – Lucya and Anya. I have known them both for over four years, and feel that they are two of my daughters. We talk to each other like mother/daughter, and share many thoughts with each other. I will truly miss them, and the light that they have been in my life these past weeks.

Anya has been offered an internship with the Childrens’ Ministry at Second Baptist Church in Humble, Texas, and we will have more information on that in the next few weeks. Pray that she will see God’s will for her life, as she seeks His guidance in this decision as to whether or not to live in the US for the summer. (Photo: Me, Liza, and Anya at Child in Danger)

Lucya (pictured with Roustik from Child in Danger) is beginning her own ministry, separate from Road of Life. It has been a hard decision to make, but circumstances that were ordained by God have made it easier for her to see His will in many things that have happened over the last few months. As she has spent many hours in Bible study and prayer, God has shown her His great plan for her. She will begin to do work searching for the children to become a part of the transition/family home ministries that are available here. She has so many wonderful contacts and God is opening so many doors that will allow her to see those young people who are in need, and hopefully have a home to place them in. She will be working closely with both Road of Life, based here in St. Petersburg, and also with Reflections of Hope, the ministry that sponsors Gary and Pam Austutz out of Ohio. It is her prayer that God will continue to place the desire in the hearts of Americans to help sponsor more of these homes, so that we can help to save many of the young people who are disappearing each year.

Meisha, who will graduate from ROL this May, shared in his testimony this past weekend how when he graduated from the orphanage and was offered a place at ROL, he declined, because he wanted to live in the dormitory with his friends. But over the next year, as he watched more and more of them simply disappear, never to be heard from again, he realized that suddenly he was alone more and more, and he sought out the safety and hope that was available through ROL. Please pray for the counselors, sponsors, and residents, as well as the transition and family home ministries, that God will continue to provide for more living quarters for them, and for more counselors to come to help teach them how to be productive, Christian men and women.

From Russia with Love,
Nancy

A True Servant

2008-04-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

My paternal grandmother, Mama Jewel, was a real stickler about certain things – you take a bath everyday, you honor God and say your prayers, and you try to find some way to serve others. She taught all of us the value of helping others, whether it was opening a door for an older person, or helping someone who had dropped something at the grocery. We were all taught to look for opportunities to serve, because she believed servanthood and sainthood were almost one and the same thing! Mama Jewel would have loved Vera!

This past Friday night we traveled outside of St. Petersburg one hour by bus to a resort on the Gulf of Finland (I would tell you its name, but I can’t spell it and you couldn’t pronounce it anyway!). Most of the Road of Life family attended (there were 28 adults and 2 children), and we invited several young women who are prospective, future family members – Vera was one of those guests.

I first met Vera on a Monday night after my first visit to Dormitory #35. When we left the building to start our walk to the metro, Vera was there waiting for us. She was always faithful to wait for Lucya and the team and walk with us to the metro. Last Monday night, the night that we brought little Marina home with us, Vera saw that we had extra bags to carry, and a child to watch over, so she decided to come all the way home with us. We offered her some soup for dinner, a quick cup of tea, and then she left to head home to the dormitory. On Thursday, she called Lucya and asked if it would be okay for her to come with us on our retreat, and Lucya told her definitely YES. Vera, along with several others, met us at a northern metro site and we made the one hour trek to the resort.

Throughout the evening, and all day Saturday, every time I turned around, Vera was there – ready to take out the trash, sweep the floor, help serve tea to anyone entering the room. When we started home Saturday evening, she told Lucya that she was going to travel home with me because I had a tote bag to carry and she didn’t want me to have to carry my purse and the bag. I told her that I could make it, but she said, “No, I want to help you. You have done so much for me this weekend.” So I invited her to spend the night with us (Masha, a young girl from Orphanage 6 was also planning to spend the night). Her first reaction was no, because she had forgotten to bring her house shoes, and no one enters a Russian home without slippers on. She said she would go to the dorm and get them, but I told her we had plenty of slippers and to just come on home with us.

On Friday night, when I asked Vera if she would like to come live at the family home, she said, “Yes, I would love to live in the family home with these people, but I can’t.” I asked her why she couldn’t and she told me about a young man at Dormitory 35 who is crippled and moves very slowly, and she feels that God wants her to help this young man. She told Lucya, “If I leave, who will help him? He depends on me. I will visit the family home when you will invite me, but I cannot come live there as long as someone at the dormitory needs me.” I told her that God had given her a true gift – the gift of serving others – and she told me, “Yes, I have felt the need to help others for 10 years. I want to always help others.”

I fully expect that the next time I look up the word “servant” in the dictionary I’ll see a picture of Vera as an example!

From Russia with Love!
Nancy

There are all kinds of orphans.

2008-04-14T15:07:00.000-07:00

God has truly blessed us tonight. He has given us Little Marina to come to stay with us for the next three nights (a three-night-orphan is still an orphan, and we have made her a part of our family). You may remember the story of Natasha that I told you – she is the tram driver who was involved in the accident written about below where the 23 year old died. You can imagine the psychological stress that Natasha has been under for the past three weeks, and last Monday night she asked Lucya, “Will you take my daughter Marina?” At first Lucya did not know how to respond, and she told me about it the next day. We have continued to pray, and God orchestrated not only for Marina to come and stay with us for the next three nights, but to join us in our ministry this week at Hospital #15 and Child in Danger.

We had originally planned to be at Fuydor Shelter for Homeless Children, and it would not have been safe to take Marina there, but God already had a plan in action for us not to go to Fuydor, but to do Hospital 15 and CID instead. At these two places Marina will just be another child joining in the games, singing, and making crafts.

As I am writing this, she is in a bubble bath with a crown of bubbles on her head. She has laughed more in the last two hours than probably in her entire life. When we first met her last Monday she was withdrawn and would not even smile when offered candy. All of you who know Lucya know that if she cannot get a child to smile, then no one can! It seemed hopeless to us. Tonight, I presented Marina with a small backpack with colored pens and two coloring book – she and Anya made quite a bit of progress in their coloring tonight! But even then, a quiet thank you, but no smile.

At first she cried when her mother said that she would stay with Lucya, but when we got home and Marina met Sarah (the cat that belongs to our Marina), she began to run and play, just like a normal 5 year old. And Nadezda, the director at CID, has said that she will have a psychologist visit with Marina tomorrow and that Natasha can bring her anytime that she needs some rest, and Marina will be welcome there. We thank God that he has placed this special child of his in charge of Child in Danger – Nadezda is truly a special lady!

It is wonderful that God has placed Christians here ready to serve, ready to take in a child, ready to give a mother a “vacation” (even if it only means a couple days of rest). We thank God for the chance to love this sweet child, and we ask that you pray for her and her family, just as we prayed with Natasha when she left our home tonight – leaving behind her most treasured possession for us to guard and keep.

By the way, when Lucya put Marina to bed, Marina said, "Can I tell you a secret?" And Lucya replied, "Yes, of course." Marina then told her, "My mama beats me. Sometimes when I am bad she grabs me a throws me against the wall." Lucya asked her, "What about your papa?" and Marina replied, "No. He punishes me, but he does not hit me." Please pray for Marina and her family, and that God will help us to find help for Natasha.

I always said when I was a young adult, before I had children, that I could never understand how a parent could hurt a child. Then, after I had my own, and would find myself so tired, and so frustrated, that many times I had to leave the room and go be by myself to pray, "God, please do not let me lift my hand to my child! Help me, Father! Help me!" That's when I realized that I was one of the lucky ones - I had a Heavenly Father to turn to who would help me through those times. And because of His grace and His mercy, I never did give in to the temptation to take my frustrations out on my children. I also knew that for every time God helped me through that time, there were millions of mothers who did not have Him to stay their hand, and their children suffered. Thank you, God, for being my loving Father!

From Russia with Love!
Nancy

It doesn't get any better than this!

2008-04-13T21:55:00.000-07:00

What a mighty God we serve! As you know, we have been sponsoring a movie night for the older kids at Child in Danger Shelter (CID) for the past few weeks. This past Friday night we took them to a Christian hip hop concert lead by the youth leadership at New Generation Church. The kids loved it! And the best news - four of them accepted Jesus during the concert! Sasha and Vashya (picture), both boys, about 11/12 years of age, raised their hands when asked if they had prayed for the first time; but they were too shy to go forward and be recognized, so Galya (she dresses in baggy clothes, her hair is many different colors, and she has several body piercings - these are all outward appearances - who loves God and ministers to street people) went over to them and talked briefly with them, inviting them back next Friday night.

Liza, a precious young girl of 12, told Lena that she was praying the prayer until Victor said "...and give me a new heart, oh God" at which time she said she stopped because she didn't think she needed to go that far - she said her heart beat just fine and she didn't think she needed to get a new one. Lena explained to her what he had meant and Liza laughed and said, "Oh, well, then, yes, I want THAT new heart!" Sometimes we forget that the Christian phrases we use are like a foreign language to people who weren't raised in the church.

The fourth new Christian was Katya. She will graduate this year from high school and wants to be a doctor. She is very smart, and she and Lena seemed to really make a connection when we went bowling the first week I was here. Katya did not hesitate to go forward when Victor asked who had accepted Jesus, and she wants to go back to youth night each Friday night and attend church with Lena and the other ROL kids. Katya will also go with us this coming weekend on a retreat that we are having for the ROL family and some prospective new family members.

Sunday was a great day as we got to be a part of Losha's baptism. Losha is the deaf resident at the Frunzenskaya apartment and he and Meisha (the other resident at Fr.) attended a retreat this past weekend at Vineyard Church. A group of 6 of us traveled the one hour bus ride to be there for worship services and the baptism on Sunday. We are so proud of Losha and know that God is going to do great things through him in the deaf community here in St. Petersburg. So keep him in your prayers.

God is good and keeps blessing and blessing! Pray for Greg, Susan, and Jonathon Furr who arrived on Saturday and will minister with me this week here in StP, and then will travel to Sosnova with John Neese next week to work at the orphanage up there. They will have a busy two weeks, as will I, as I get ready to wind down this trip.

From Russia with love,

Nancy

Road of Life Grads

2008-04-11T02:39:00.000-07:00

When I first met the Road of Life family, Lucya was the counselor at the Frunzenskaya apartment. There were three girls living there with her: Anya Tall, Natasha, and Little Anya. Most of you know Anya Tall (seated, second from left), as she was able to spend Christmas with me in the US. She just completed an advanced English course and is working two days a week at Hospital #15. She has also been helping to train Natasha (seated, left) and Little Anya (standing) to work at the hospital. During my first week of ministry, she, along with Lucya, acted as translator for Dustin and I, and did a great job.

Anya lives in a communal apartment with six other neighbors, the closest being next door, and Anya calls her Grandma. I was able to meet this sweet lady who watches over our Anya this past Wednesday night when I went to visit Anya's apartment and have dinner with her. We also experimented with making homemade guacamole, and it was a great success! Anya has also become very involved in our ministry at Child in Danger Shelter, as our apartment hosts the older residents at CID for movie night on Fridays. The kids have enjoyed it, and we have all received a blessing from it as well.

Natasha is very quiet, and always seemed to me to be an observer - she sits back and quietly watches everyone and everything, and I think she has a true gift of discerning truth and the needs of others. She and Little Anya recently lost their apartments through a set of circumstances that are too deep for me to go into; but just to cut to the chase - God answered our prayers and provided them with an apartment for the two of them and their friend Katya, in a good location with good neighbors. We had prayed about this situation during the first week I was here, and during my second week, God showed up with the money to help find a good apartment - just like he ALWAYS does!

Natasha and Little Anya are both being trained at Hospital 15 for work there, and are kept busy all the time. I attended the International (American) Church with them last Sunday, and hope to get a chance to see their new apartment before I leave. Cindy and Eddie Williams had donated a large trash bag full of towels and bathroom accessories, and Natasha and Little Anya are excited to get those items to help furnish their new apartment.

Photo taken after church, Sunday, April 6 (Back, standing: Max, Nancy, Liza, Nelly, Anya Tall, Sasha; Front: Vika, Tyson, Meisha, Lucya, Natasha, Little Anya)

Continue to pray for these three young women, our first graduates from ROL, as they continue to seek God's will in their lives. Anya Tall may have an opportunity to do an internship with a church in Houston with their Children's Ministry this summer, so pray that we will receive word on that soon and that her visa application will be granted. Also, pray for Natasha and Little Anya as they adjust to new living conditions and their new jobs.

From Russia with Love!

Nancy

It's a GIRL!

2008-04-10T01:29:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, April 9 at 6:00 pm, Vera and Vova became the proud parents of a girl! Her name is Katya, she weighs about 97 pounds, and is a little over 70" long (that's 5 feet for the mathematically challenged ones!). No, she is not a newborn to the world, but she is to Vera and Vova. We call her Little Katya and she has been a member of the Road of Life family for over a year and is 16 years old. (Don't she and Vera look like mother and daughter in this picture!)

Vera took Little Katya into her home even though she is not a graduate orphan, and immediately began work on adopting her. After a year of struggling with paper work and government officials, it is done! Yesterday Vera met with the last group and the documents are all in order - Katya is now officially a member of the family, joining her two brothers, Nakita and Sasha.

Also living at Vera's apartment is Katya, who will graduate this May from ROL. She is a gorgeous brunette and shyly speaks some English. Vera shared her testimony regarding Katya two weeks ago at our weekly prayer meeting of the ROL counselors. She told how she struggled with Katya and her attitude the first few months that Katya came to live with them. It seemed to be one battle of wills after another, one punishment after another - nothing seemed to work! Then Vera said that the Lord revealed to her during her daily prayer time that SHE was the problem, not Katya. God instructed Vera to love Katya just as she was - not to try to change Katya, but to try to change herself - to basically as my grandmother used to say, "Kill 'em with kindness! It relieves your stress and drives them crazy!" And it worked. Suddenly Vera was hugging Katya more, telling her how special she was, complimenting her on the good things she did, rather than harping on the bad. God changed them both, and now Katya is a confident, loving young woman, and has even brought her sister Nadia into the home, and hopefully Nadia will become a ROL resident as well.

Vova is an assistant building contractor on one of the major buildings being built in St. Petersburg. He is a wonderful father, not only to his two sons, Nakita and Sasha, but the girls that God has placed in his home. When the Nevsky apartment was bought in the summer of 2007, Vova committed himself to doing most of the renovation work himself. He worked all that summer - no A/C and sometimes no electricity - stripping down walls and rebuilding them, renovating plumbing, everything. Now the apartment is beautiful and almost finished. It is a home that he can truly be proud of - not only its physical appearance, but its loving, Christian foundation as well.

Living with this wonderful family is Tyson, a young man who is from Texas and who will be entering medical school in the fall in the U.S. His family, after he and his younger brother were approaching their teens, adopted three children from Russia, so he has had Russia in his heart for years. He graduated from college last fall and decided to come live in St.P to study Russian intensively for the spring.

Tyson is a wonderful, Christian young man and helps with our English classes at dormitory #70, teaching a group of boys. He also plays the guitar and leads the fellowship time on Saturday afternoon at Vera's apartment. He plans to return home to San Antonio in July.
(Seated: Vova, Vera, Sasha, Katya, Tyson, Nakita; standing: Little Katya)

Please keep this family in your prayers, and send up an extra "Thanks" to God for all He has done to bring this family together.

From Russia with love,
Nancy

Boys' Home Residents

2008-04-06T21:39:00.000-07:00

Gary and Pam Austutz are from Ohio and are currently the counselors at the boys' apartment. God has truly given them a heart for orphans as they visit different orphanages and dormitories.

They also have opened their own apartment for graduate orphans that hopefully will be up and running soon. They are currently working with Natasha and Valya to get the paperwork completed and everything in order. Please pray for them and their ministry, Reflections of Hope.

There are two young men who live with Pam and Gary. Meisha is in his second year at ROL and will graduate this spring. Meisha loves to cook and dreams of becoming a chef. When I arrived on Saturday, March 15, Meisha was a part of the welcoming committee - even though he missed the annual Christian ball that was being held that evening. He said it was more important for him to meet Dustin and I at the airport (and yes, I gave him an extra hug!).

Please pray for Meisha because when he graduates he has no place to live. He has a communal apartment that is assigned to him, but his sister, her husband, and their new child, have taken the apartment and told him not to return. Our fear is that they would hurt or kill him in order to get the apartment, so ROL is working on finding a place for Meisha to live - as safely as possible. The courts could force his sister to give back the apartment, but there would be no way to guarantee his safety.

The other young man who resides in this apartment is Losha. He is a graduate of the deaf orphanage and became a Christian last fall after God restored part of his hearing. He is an amazing young man and I can see such a difference in him from last fall. Though he's a big, strong man, he is also gentle and caring for others. I know that God is going to do great things through him as he continues to study The Word. Pam said that many times she will come into the room and he is studying his Bible - so eager to learn all that God has to teach him.

Please pray for Losha as he continues his Christian growth, and that the next counselors for the boys' apartment will be as loving and caring as Pam and Gary have been.

Gary and Pam leave May 6 to return to the states. At that time, Losha will go to live with a couple from Marina Topol's church, and hopefully will be able to stay with that family until he graduates next May. It is also hoped that at least one other boy, possibly two, will also move in with this family. Please pray that God will touch the hearts of this couple that they will come to love our boys as we do.

From Russia with love,

Nancy

Meet the Gang!

2008-04-02T19:38:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has been on a mission trip with SAC since the fall of 2005 is probably acquainted with Lucya (and I shared some about her in an earlier blog). Well, this is the Lucya that most people know and remember:

But this is Lucya on too much chocolate on April Fools' Day (not a good combination!):

I am currently staying at the Road of Life Family Home at the Electrocila metro station (that's not really true since it is a 20 minute tram ride from the metro to our home, but it's the best way to tell someone where we are!). The family counselor here is Lena, a native of Belaruse who came a few months ago to help out with translation for ROL. It has really been a joy getting to know her and little bit about her country.

This is Lena with Katya, one of the teens from Child in Danger shelter.

Also in our apartment are two young women. Ira will graduate from ROL this May and will then go to live with another of our graduates. She is quite active with school, church, and her friends, and loves to talk! This picture was taken Saturday, March 15 at the Christian Ball that was sponsored by one of the churches.

Also in our home is Yulia. She has been a resident for less than one year and came to us from Dormitory #35 where she had been classified as disabled - meaning the teachers thought she was uneducable, and she also has a speech problem and some physical problems. She is a very loving child with some special needs, and has had a hard time adjusting to Lucya's leaving the home. But like most young people, she is resilient and we pray for God's blessings for her.

Yulia is on the left, along with Natasha from Dormitory #35.

I'll introduce you to more of our "family" tomorrow.

Keep us in your prayers!

Nancy

Pray for Natasha

2008-03-31T21:04:00.000-07:00

Natasha is a Christian friend who translates for us at Dormitory 35 on Monday nights through a charity organization here. She translates what we say in English into Russian and then into sign language - you see, she is a translator for the deaf residents. She shared a bit of her testimony with me last week and it was quite moving - she will share with the dorm kids next Monday night.

She was in an automobile accident when she was 17 and lost her hearing. Through several surguries and much prayer, she was restored to almost all of her hearing. She is the first semi-deaf person to be hired as a tram driver in St. Petersburg.

(She is in the red-striped sweater on the left at the back.)

Last night she shared the following with us: On Saturday morning (she has to be at work at 5am) a 23 year old young woman dashed across the street to try to catch the tram, ignoring the fact that she did not have the right of way and was crossing against the light; was hit by a car (and all of you who have been here know that these people drive like they're participating in the Indy 500) and was thrown under Natasha's tram. The car also lost control and hit the tram, causing the window behind which Natasha sits to shatter, cutting her arm enough to require several stitches.

The young girl died as a result of the accident and, as you can imagine, Natasha was devastated. Even through the police assured her that she was not at fault, and that the girl was most likely dead before the tram ran over her, Natasha didn't feel like she could drive her shift on Monday morning. When she went in to ask for a couple of days off to get over the accident, her employer informed her that if she went home, she need not come back, because she would be without a job. His exact response was, "This is not my problem, but your problem" (we hear that a lot here - it is always the problem of someone else). So Natasha drove her route on Monday, and by the time she got to us last night, she was exhausted and wanted us to pray for her. She was so mentally exhausted, she had to relate the story in Russian because she didn't feel like she could tell the complete story in English.

Please pray for Natasha as she struggles through the next few weeks - a prayer of healing for both her body and her mind.

From Russia with Love!

Nancy

Smelly Feet

2008-03-30T05:02:00.000-07:00

Now, I know that any of my family members who read the above title are thinking, "We know who she's talking about!" That's because both my daddy and I have really smelly feet. I have, as an adult, learned how to better take care of my feet so that they don't smell as bad, but boy, it sure is a lot of work!

The custom in Russia is that when you enter a home, you immediately take off your heavy coat and your shoes. You then put on slippers, or just parade around in your sock feet if you don't have any, before entering the house. Then, if you enter a room with a rug or carpet, you take off the slippers and wear only your socks. So you can see where smelly feet might be a problem! You walk into a room full of people and suddenly, people are passing out from the smell!

This morning in church, the deacon who gave the offering sermon (it lasted almost 20 minutes, by the way!) told an anecdote about the smelly feet, and it went something like this: A man walked into the doctor's office and said, "Doctor, you must help me!" The doctor looked at him and said, "Why, what is wrong?" The man took off his shoes and threw his feet forward and begged, "Please, you must help me with my smelly feet!" The doctor looked at his feet, then let his eyes travel up the man until he looked the man in the eye, and the doctor replied, "What can I do? Do you see from where they grow?"

The moral of the story: if your whole body is unclean and smelly (including your attitude), how can you help but have smelly feet!? After all, all things are controled by gravity and are seeking the lowest place to reside!

The deacon further talked about the baggage that we all carry - things left to us by our ancestors and how we look like and act like our parents, grandparents, etc. He then made a disturbing suggestion - if you come from a family of unbelievers, and YOU are the first Christian in your family, then all the Christian "baggage" begins with YOU! You are the one who will set the path that your children and your children's children will follow - you are the pathfinder and you must set a good course. Wow, what awesome responsibility; and how thankful I am for my father and grandfather, both of whom were/are wonderful Baptist ministers. They charted my path, and made my way so much easier - Thanks Daddy - Thanks, Papa Ben!

Don't forget to wash your feet - you never know when someone will ask you take off your shoes to protect their clean floor! And watch your path - others will follow after you - you don't want to leave any trash behind, now do you?

From Russia with Love!

Nancy

It ain't Hollywood, but it's fun!

2008-03-28T23:42:00.001-07:00

Last night we began a new "ministry" for the Road of Life (ROL) family home that is stuck off down here in southern StP (hence the "ain't" - you know southern, redneck, yeah, you've got it!). This apartment is not easily accessible from the rest of the city or the members of ROL, so we don't often host events. However, it is only a 15 minute tram ride from Child in Danger Shelter (CID), where SAC has been doing ministry for about 6 or 7 years.

To help build a strong relationship between ROL and CID, we decided to start a movie night on Fridays for the older kids at CID, and last night was our first adventure. Anya Tall (my Christmas visitor) has the movie Alvin and the Chipmunks, so she brought it for us to see; Lena (our house mother here) bought popcorn (my favorite!); and I went to CID to get the kids. There were 6 of them who had a "clean" record without any discipline problems for the week and they, along with their counselor Maxim, came to spend the evening with us.

We began with the movie AND POPCORN, which was a great hit. Then we played a new game I had brought on this trip called "Stacker Uno" which is much like the card game Uno, but using plastic cubes that are stacked in a tall tower (something like Jinga or is it Ginga??). Boy, these kids are real strategists and really competitive, and we had a lot of fun with it. We finished with dinner and a name game to help us all remember each other better.

One of the girls, Aleona (bottom row with hood - she hates having her picture taken and this is the only one I have of her), came into the kitchen and sat down to talk. She was sent away by her mother because they could not get along, and because she has a lot of health problems that cause her to be in and out of the hospital frequently. She told us that she had never seen an apartment like ours, and she had forgotten what a "home" looked and felt like. I don't know why this caught me at a weak moment, but I had to leave the room and let her finish her conversation with Lucya, because I didn't want her to see me cry. The loss of a mother, the loss of a home, and traveling from hospital to shelters for the past few years, with no place to call her own! It just became too much for me. Just imagine how unbearable it must be for her!

Please pray for Aleona and the other children and staff at CID. Also pray for us as we continue this new contact with the kids and that perhaps through the church families of our ROL family we can help find foster homes for some of these kids who do not quite "fit" into the orphanage profile here.

Oh, and pray that we can find another good movie for next Friday night! We told them that this would be a weekly event (and we are hoping that some of the girls can spend the night next Friday), but they must not get into trouble because we wanted to see each and every one of them back next Friday night. There were smiles all around as they left, and even Maxim (the counselor) said he was looking forward to next week!

From Russia with LOVE!
Nancy

Pray for Valya

2008-03-28T04:32:00.001-07:00

Pam and Gary Amstutz from Ohio are counselors in the Boys’ Family Home for Road of Life (ROL). They also are a part of a ministry called Reflections of Hope that also ministers to orphans in Russia. As they have served ROL this year, they have also allowed God to provide for them an opportunity to open a transitional home (TH) through Reflections; and have been blessed to have two beautiful, Christian young women to be their counselors at that home – Natasha (from Siberia, who knows little English, but is trying, and who always greets me with the phrase, “Nancy, I love you!”) and Valya (from St. Petersburg, who sounds more American than Russian when she speaks English).

I have truly enjoyed getting to know these two young women over the last two weeks, and spent the night with them at their TH last night. After we had enjoyed some “girl” time together, Valya asked if she could practice the mime routine that she is to do while on her upcoming mission trip, since she had not done it in front of an audience in several months. Of course, I was thrilled – always up for a little entertainment!!! When she began to play the song and translate the words in Russian to Natasha so that she would understand the meaning of the gestures, I was excited to hear that it was Ray Boltz’s “Watch the Lamb.” I love this song, and if you have never heard it, stop now, go to any tunes website and listen to it – it truly depicts the story of Easter and reminds us that we should stop to watch the One who died for us.

I have included two pictures here, but of course stills cannot truly depict the beauty of the piece, or the expressiveness of the mime work that Valya did. She has promised me that we can video it while I am here so that I can bring it home and show it to you. Otherwise, she’s going to have to fly over to the US so you can all see it – I would LOVE that too!

This was also a special evening because Valya, who attends Bible college here in StP, leaves Saturday morning for a three week mission trip to the Congo in West Africa. It will take her three days travel to get to the village where their mission team will be trying to help a local pastor stop the influence of witchcraft over the people there. It will be hard work, but I know that Valya is up for the challenge, and we had a chance to have a special prayer for her this morning before I left their home.

Please pray for Valya as she serves God on this mission trip; pray for Natasha as she serves alone in the Reflections TH; and pray for all of us as we reach out to the orphans of StP to hopefully lead them to love us and want to come and join our families!

From Russia with Love!
Nancy

“Don't forget about us, Nancy”

2008-03-26T00:03:00.000-07:00

It is hard to get any teenager to trust you, but to get a Russian, orphan teen to trust you is really a difficult undertaking. I don’t know why God has given me a gift for touching these young adults, but they seem to be drawn to me. I often don’t remember much about the visit or the time we spend together, and sometimes I come away afterward and wonder was it a meaningful evening for them. Then, someone or something touches you in a way that you cannot begin to explain or comprehend or even imagine. Such an event happened Monday night at Dormitory #35.

I met Tanya a week ago. She came into the meeting to see “the American who is visiting.” She didn’t stay but a few minutes, asking a couple of questions, before she and two of the other girls left to go to dance class. She looks like a dancer – tall, beautiful, graceful. She also looks like a model – thin and elegant in her carriage.

Well, this past Monday night we talked a little about occasions when you might want to give a card – sharing what events are important in their lives and whether or not we celebrate these in America. Afterward, I gave them card with a piece of craft foil on which they could draw and color their own designs. Some of them struggled with how to begin, but Tanya grabbed her paper, came and sat by me on the bed, and immediately began to draw. It was a funny little cartoon character that she surrounded with hearts. After she had finished, she went over to Valya (counselor for Reflections of Hope Transitional Home and a former orphan herself) and asked Valya to help her write in the card.

After a few minutes of whispering back and forth, and several corrections, Tanya walked over, sat down beside me, and presented me with the card. I was so shocked – I guess I thought they would want to give the card to someone here in Russia who was special to them. Here is what I found inside the card:

“Nancy! Don’t forget about us Nancy and I wish to you all best!!! From Tanya”

I hugged her, thanked her, and assured her that I will never forget her; and I told her how special she had made the evening by presenting the card to me. I will cherish it always! These are the nights when I return home and cry myself to sleep!

Pray for Tanya and the other young adults at Dormitory #35, because these are the ones who have been classified as handicapped, whether physical (many are crippled, deaf, etc.) or mental (many are labeled as educationally handicapped). But despite all the labels that are placed on them, they are just kids yearning for someone to remember them, and I will do that for sure!

Nancy

Love at First Sight

2008-03-24T23:41:00.000-07:00

I am not a poet, so I know that when I try to describe Lucya to you words will probably fail me. I call her the Pied Piper of Orphans, but that isn't really true. She's the Pied Piper of EVERYONE. When a child meets her, he is naturally drawn to her infectious smile. When a director or counselor at an orphanage meets her, he is drawn to her sincere love for orphans. When a missionary meets her, he is drawn to her sense of service - always giving to others before herself.

Now don't get me wrong - she's not perfect (but then who of us is). I told her on Saturday that she has one major fault, and that is that she hates to tell anyone "No" or to hurt anyone's feelings. So as we all know, that can get her in trouble sometimes. I told her that sometimes we have to hurt someone a little up front to keep from hurting them "big time" later on.

She is young, only 25, and she has a lot to learn; but the things she knows already could fill a book. I think her gift comes from experience - the experience of being an orphan, of growing up in an orphanage and feeling the sense of hopelessness that many of them feel.

Isn't is great that God takes our experiences - especially those that have been traumatic in our lives - and makes a blessing for others out of them? Lucya is a blessing - to me, to orphans in StP, to administrators, to everyone she meets. Please pray for Lucya as she faces some major changes in her life. God has great and wonderful plans for her, and she is here, awaiting His instructions, ready to do what He says, go where He leads.

Are you ready to do, go, be what God wants of you, for you?

Nancy

Christ is Risen! (but not in Russia)

2008-03-24T03:52:00.000-07:00

I wish someone would explain (in language I can understand) why we celebrate Easter in America usually one week earlier than they celebrate it in Russia. Last year was the exception, both countries celebrated at the same time - that was a first for me, but it sure made it easier to remember. This year we celebrated Easter this past weekend, but they won't celebrate Easter in Russia until April 27! Do you know what that means? I won't get Easter this year! The ROL family has promised that we will celebrate my birthday (April 25) and Easter at the same time, just before I head home, and have even promised some died eggs to make me feel better.

Yesterday, when I arrived at All Nations Christian Center (ANCC) for church, I greeted Lucya with the traditional Russian Easter saying "Christ is risen!" and she immediately replied "He is risen indeed!" Then she gave me a bewildered look and said, "But He didn't rise today." And I told her, "Oh, yes He did. He arose in America!" We both got a good laugh out of that, because of course, He didn't/doesn't arise in either.

ANCC is a wonderful congregation made up of mostly university students from all over the world. During the service, which was done in English and translated into Russian, I could hear translators around the room translating in Italian and other languages that I could not recognize. What a wonderful way to worship - all people, all languages - coming together for one purpose - to worship God.

The guest speaker at ANCC was an Englishman who currently resides in Scotland who was simply called Mr. Brian. He spoke on the peace and rest we find only when we come into the presence of God. He also reminded us that all too often we like to say, "I can do it!" And the devil loves that saying. What the devil doesn't want is for us to say "I can do it with God!" We must always remember the source of our strength, the source of our peace, the source of our rest - it can only be found in God.

We left church and went to lunch at Natasha and Valia's apartment on Nevskey Prospekt. They had hosted a number of children from Orphanage #51 over the weekend for visits and three of those children had gone to church with us. On the metro, in route to their apartment, one of the children, Laila, run to sit in an empty seat across from me and Lucya. She then saw an elderly "grandmother" (babushka) standing beside her seat; so she jumped up and offered the woman the seat. The woman motioned for Laila to sit back down and told her that God had blessed her with good, strong legs, and she preferred to stand on them as long as she could to honor Him. We all laughed and suddenly she turned to me, pointed her finger, and said "Who are you?" Lucya told her I was American/Engliski and the woman broke out into a big, toothless grin, and began to shout at me - "God has blessed you. I see God in your face. You are a blessing to these children. You are a blessing to me. God will use you." And on and on - and with each statement she was pointing her finger at me and getting closer and closer, and louder and louder. I just kept nodding and say, "Thank you. God bless you."

When we got off at the next stop, Valia came running over to me to ask if I was okay. I told her, of course, I was just receiving my second blessing of this wonderful Sabbath day - the first from the worship service, and the second from this unknown babushka. At first the experience was a little frightening, but then, as she shouted at me, and Lucya translated each phrase, I began to feel a sense of peace - she was truly offering me a blessing, and I certainly appreciate it.
I hope you received a blessing on Easter morning - and the rest of the day for that matter! I was thinking of you and your services, as you sang about our Risen Savior. Continue to remember us in your prayers.

We will minister to the young people at Dormitory #35 tonight, and will again be at Dormitory #70 on Thursday.
From Russia with love,
Nancy

It's more than just bowling!

2008-03-24T01:42:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday night, March 19, we took a group of eight teens from Child in Danger Shelter (CID) bowling. Bowling is fun, but when we take these kids bowling we also invite the Road of Life (ROL) residents and counselors, and the counselors have an opportunity to meet kids with whom they begin to build relationships, inviting them to come visit their home for a party, then inviting them to church, and ultimately inviting them to come live at ROL. I love to bowl, but when we bowl in St. Petersburg (StP), we're bowling for more than just points - we're bowling for kids' lives!

ROL does this all the time. The homes are constantly inviting orphans from wherever they can find them to come and visit, come and play, come and let us love you. It all starts with building those relationships, and then when you've got them hooked - got them loving and trusting you - then you share Jesus with them. Trust is a big thing anywhere, but it's really the foundation of relationships in Russia. These kids don't trust just anybody, and you really have to work at it.

There are several kids at CID that I really feel God is leading us to - kids who would perhaps have a better chance at a better future through ROL and the family environment here. Please pray that God will give us not only the desire to win the trust of these kids, but the courage to step up and really get to know them, and bring them into His family.

From Russia with love,
Nancy

We Have Arrived!

2008-03-16T13:14:00.000-07:00

Well, we are here - even all our luggage arrived - PRAISE GOD (Slava Bogum)!! Dustin had a 12 hour layover in New York City - decided to take a trip to Time Square - had a good time seeing some sights rather than sitting in airport. I was not so lucky - it took me five airports and four planes to get here. But, I AM HERE - you can't stop me now!

We were greeted at the airport by Vica, SAC's administrative assistant for this trip (and a friend of mine for 4 years!), Marina Topol (director of Road of Life), and some of our ROL family - Meisha, Anya (Little, not the Anya that was with me over Christmas), Natasha, Nelly, Sasha, and Oksana. Delivery of all materials went well, and we were home by 8pm. I was in bed by 10:30!! Had a great night's sleep.

Church service today was wonderful at New Generation Church. Pastor Demetri preached on the Holy Spirit, the authority of Jesus, and Jesus' command to us to be a witness. What did God touch my heart with today? Just that I have a witness that only I can give - my experience with accepting Jesus, what God has done in my life, how Jesus is MY savior. You cannot give my witness and I cannot give yours. So, bottom line, if YOU do not give YOUR witness, it WILL NOT be given. It's up to you - will you share your witness, your story, or will you be silent? How sad to think that after all God has done for us, we might not be willing to witness to others about those blessings.

He also reminded the people of what their forefathers had done for them - how many had died because they said, "Yes!" when asked by the communist government if they were Christians. They were willing to witness, even in the face of death. What a mighty heritage the Christian church in this country has for speaking God's name. I have never had to face death for Him, nor my forefathers in America; because America was established to prevent that from happening. How unfortunate that America is now moving more and more toward silencing God's word.

Pray for us as we begin our ministry. Monday through Wednesday we will be at Orphan Hospital #15 and Child in Danger Shelter for Orphans during the day, and will also be doing ministry in the evenings at several different sights. So when I leave home in the morning at 8:30 am, I will not see the front door of this home until 10:30 pm! It's a long, hard day, so keep us in your prayers. Also, pray that when the opportunities arrise, we will speak out with boldness to proclaim that Jesus is Lord! Praise Jesus (Slava Jesus - pronounced hey-soos, like in Spanish)!

I love you all and you too are in my prayers!

From Russia with Love! Nancy

2008-03-14T01:37:00.001-07:00

I wanted to share one quick thought with you before I begin my journey today (it's 3:45 am on Friday, March 14 and I can't sleep because I'm so excited about leaving!).

Marina Topol, the director of Road of Life Family Homes (ROL) and I had talked last fall about trying to do something special for the residents and graduates of ROL. She had suggested an overnight retreat to a camp outside the city. When we estimated the cost of the retreat it came to between $800-$1000 for the 30 of us to attend. That seems like a lot of money to me, but to God, it was just a drop in the bucket. Almost before Dr. Hawley, my pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Church, could contact the missions committee about my using that amount out of the Russia Missions Fund, a donor came to him with $1000 for me to "do something special" with.

Since December of 2006, there have been several large donations given to this fund for specific use in Russia missions, and God continues to bless us as we have helped to fund the renovations at the new apartment for ROL, and now have the opportunity to spend this special time with these wonderful, Christian young people.

We plan to leave on Friday, April 18 to spend the night at the camp, then spend the day together on Saturday, returning home Saturday night so that we can all be in our home churches on Sunday mornng. This will be another opportunity for your prayerful support, as I will be leading two devotions - one on faith and one on prayer.

So mark your calendar - and don't forget the 9-hour time difference!

Your not-so-well-rested-but-ready-to-go missionary :) Nancy

Jump Start

2008-03-12T06:45:00.000-07:00

It's time to jump into a new mission trip to St. Petersburg! I've got a spring in my step and spring in my heart - now all I need is a spring in my hair! Don't you love spring with all this wonderful wind! I know it's blowing in a new season, but it's also blowing all the pollen and stuff around, and it's reeking havoc with my hair! Oh, well, no time to worry about that, it's time to pack and repack to try to get everything to fit into those two suitcases that cannot weigh over 50 lbs. each. Talk about a challenge!

Oh, did you hear about the snow we got here in the Deep South!? It was wonderful - it didn't mess up the roads, but was just beautiful - even if only for 24 hours. I know the kids in St. Petersburg will get a hoot out of our "snow storm" - especially since they live in 3-foot-deep snow and ice throughout the winter season, with temps hovering around -10 to -30 degrees F. Like everything else, snow is relative to your environment.

Okay, enough about the weather (and my hair). My first team will be made up of myself and Dustin Clark from Huntsville, Alabama. Dustin will be familiar to you since he was also a part of my fall team last November. As soon as he got home, Dustin contacted me and said, "Ms. Nancy, will you take me back to Russia during spring break?" Of course, I said "YES!" And the rest, as they say, is history. So Dustin and I will have a busy week. Below is our schedule for the week:

Mon., Mar. 17 - Wed., Mar. 18:
morning at Hospital #15; afternoon at Child in Danger Shelter

We will be working each evening with young adults from both Dormitory #70 and #35. These dormitories are for kids ages 17-23 and are multi-story buildings that hold between 300-500 kids. We will be doing a large group activity on Tuesday night with about 135 kids at Dormitory #70, so keep us in your prayers. We, as Americans, are not allowed to share Christ with these kids while in the state-run facilities, but once we make friends with them, we invite them to small group fellowships at the Road of Life Family Homes where we can do Bible study and invite them to attend church with us.

Lots of opportunities for fun, fellowship, and making new frends, especially since I will be there for six weeks.

It is Finished

2007-11-30T05:02:00.001-08:00

It always seems that the time for my flight to St. Petersburg will never arrive, and then suddenly it does, and I get here, and before I can turn around good it’s over. I was so excited to get to spend two weeks this trip and thought that I would have lots of time to enjoy everything and everyone. But of course, that was not the case.

The second week was full of evening Bible studies and visits with friends, and it seems to speed by quicker than I could ever catch up. But what a blessing to get to sit down to a relaxing meal, or attend a birthday party, or go shopping (on the coldest, windiest day!) and have tea.

Monday and Tuesday afternoons were spent at Orphanage 14, and though it seems that this will complete our work at this orphanage, we pray God’s blessings for them. We have made some dear friends and I got to spend time with two of the kids that were in my group from previous trips – Tolya and Anya. I was especially pleased to see Anya and get to visit with her for a few minutes. She also sang a solo at the performance they did for us on Tuesday afternoon. What a beautiful, young, Christian woman – I know God has big plans for her. My prayer is that she will be able to reside at one of the transitional homes, and would love to see her placed at Road of Life.

On Thursday night I visited Dormitory 70 and had a chance to do a Christmas arts and craft project with eight of those girls. They had a great time and practiced their English during the project. We then had tea and two other residents came by. This dormitory is full of graduate orphans ranging in ages from 17-23 – there are 500 residents there – and the only Christian ministry that is meeting with these kids is Road of Life. They are using English as a second language lessons to get their foot in the door and the counselors are very receptive; the director even had her assistant come and take our picture last night, and she plans to visit all three of the ROL homes in the next few weeks. Please pray that God will open doors for us to reach more of these kids – I truly felt my heart beat faster at the possibilities for ministry here.

Marina Topol (director of ROL) and Vera (house mom for ROL) have been visiting the deaf orphanage here in St. Petersburg and are planning a birthday party for one of the children. Marina says that these children are desperate for someone to love them, and she and Vera love the time they spend there. Please pray that God will send Christians with a heart for deaf ministry to help them.

Speaking of deaf ministry – Lotia is one of the boys at the Frunzenskaya family home and he is totally deaf. Dave Handley, one of our team members for this trip, did some research on-line and found a Christian mime organization that is excited about sending materials for Lotia to get involved in a mime group here in St. Petersburg. Pray that he will get involved with this ministry and use his talents for God – and a special thanks to Dave for taking the time to research this for him.

Well, the partiers are arriving and it’s time to get ready to say goodbye. There will be no sleep at this house tonight, and our van pulls out at 4AM for the airport, so no sleep. Pray for our journey home and lots of sleep time once we arrive!

Das vee danya (goodbye) and see bogum (go with God).

Nancy

Leave it to Zhenia

2007-11-26T23:52:00.000-08:00

It is a typical day at Orphanage 14 – everyone is late getting there, we’re trying to make sure we have everything we need for the afternoon before leaving the resource room, and finally we decide to begin, even though we don’t feel prepared. Reyisa (the head counselor at O14) takes us downstairs to the large assembly room and twelve children between the ages of 9-12 begin showing up one or two at a time. We introduce ourselves to each one as he/she arrives, and then starts the frustration. We are a small group in a large room, so everyone begins running and chasing each other, knocking each other down; and when we finally get them back together, they begin to hide behind the curtains at both the front and back of the room while we are trying to do an activity. We try to gather them together for a craft project and it is impossible. We are three Russian adults and three American adults, and we have lost total control!

Finally Dasha (SAC’s administrative assistant), goes to get Reyisa who tells her there is a counselor present. Dasha informs her that no, there is no one with us except the kids. So Reyisa comes down and gets the psychologist, who tells me that these children are not right in the head and they are not able to learn or do crafts; that we must do one small activity only and then just play games with them. The psychologist then informs me that we can only have the children for one hour because they must do homework. I respectfully thank her for the information and assure Reyisa that we will be through by 4:30 p.m. and will plan to only be with the children on Tuesday from 3:30-4:30.

As I turn back to the activity we were doing before being interrupted, I notice that they are all almost finished making their angel photo holders (It is a craft project and they have all done a beautiful job of it – don’t tell me they can’t do it. If you give them slow, clear instructions – of course they can do it.) So I ask the group, “Why do you think Nancy brought an angel photo holder?” They all shout, “Because it is Christmas season!” I reply, “Yes, but why do we think of an angel at Christmas? Can anyone tell me the story of Christmas and why the angel was important?” There is silence for a moment, and then Zhenia raises his hand and then, through Rouslan, one of the translators, begins to share: “Jesus was born in a barn. The angel told the shepherds. The shepherds came and worshiped him. But that is not the end of the story. He grew to be a man. He was a kind man. He healed people and taught people how to be good people. And then they killed him. But that is not the end of the story. He did not stay dead. He came from the grave and lives today.”

I asked him, “Zhenia, do you believe that story, all of it?” And he looked up at me and said, “Yes. God tells us and it is true.” I gave him a hug and thanked him for sharing the story, and then the counselor came to get the children. Rouslan looked at me and said, “You see! You think no one is listening, but even if only one hears, it makes it all for the best. I remember as a child I sat through Bible stories and played and did not pay attention; but as an adult, those stories come back to me and I remember, and God reminds me what is right.”

So despite the frustration and the powerless feeling of being shutdown at every turn by the administration at Orphanage 14, I know that God is still in control. He will get His word out, no matter what they try to do to stop it. And though I know that we will face the same problems today, and even though they have cut out time from two hours to one, we will go – if for no one else but Zhenia! Thank you, Lord, for the Zhenia’s and Rouslan’s of the world!

Bibles for ROL

2007-11-26T23:16:00.000-08:00

After our SAC mission trip in the spring of 2007, Susan Furr and I began to dream of a way to coordinate Bible study with the residents and graduates of Road of Life Family Homes (ROL) from back home in the U.S. After much praying and searching, God opened the doors for Susan’s mom’s church to help with this project by purchasing the John McArthur study Bibles that have been translated into Russian. Finding the source was easy, and the ladies came through with the money – then began the journey of the Bibles as we attempted to get them to St. Petersburg.

Problem No. 1 – each Bible weighs 3 lbs. each, so there was no way we could carry them over, and shipping was way out of our price range. So with further searching, Susan found a printer in Russia and a way to order the Bibles in St. Petersburg and have them shipped directly to a bookstore in the city. Sounds easy, right – well, we’re dealing with Russia, so NO!

Problem No. 2 – transferring the funds from the U.S. to Russia and then into the right hands to pay for the Bibles. Enter Dawn Ministries and Becky’s team – they ordered the Bibles, convinced the bookstore that there was really no need for a deposit, and asked to have them by November 17.

Problem No. 3 – now the funds were in Russia, the Bibles were in St. Petersburg at the bookstore, so who gets the money, makes the payment, and to whom do they make the receipt!!! As they say in Russia, “Oy!” After several calls between Becky at Dawn Ministries, some guy named Max, me, and Marina Topol, director of ROL, the payment was made, the receipt filled out (I guess it’s correct – it’s written in Russian, so how would I know?), and now all we had to do was pick them up.

Problem No. 4 – 22 Bibles weighing 3 lbs. (that’s 66 pounds for those of you who can’t work those big problems without your fingers and toes) each being transported by HAND from the bookstore to the ROL apartment at the Frunzenskaya metro stop. So off go Meisha (I’d say he’s about 5’6” and weighs 150 lbs.) and Big Locya (deaf 20 year old, 6’, 285 lbs.) who haul them back, making two trips to get them all to ROL.

Do you see why I love these kids! They haul 66 pounds of Bibles and then ask is there anything else they can do. They don’t complain or whine about it – the job is presented, and they do it. Oh, and speaking of carrying – they won’t even let me carry my own bag when I’m here – “Nancy, no, you must let me carry, it is too much!” I hear this all the time – these kids truly have the hearts of servants – all they want to do is help in any way they can – and I thought I was the one doing the ministering.

On Monday night, November 26, I began the small group Bible studies in which I gave out the Bibles and then showed them how to use them in their own personal study time. What a wonderful gift, and we are all going to read the Bible through together beginning January 1, 2008. There is a calendar in each Bible and when Susan Furr and I return to St. Petersburg in the spring, we will all be in the same place, studying the same part of the Bible. I hope Susan doesn’t make our homework assignments too hard!

God bless the ladies of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Jasper, Texas for their generosity in providing this wonderful gift to all the kids at Road of Life Family Home!

“Nancy the Navigator"

2007-11-26T12:07:00.000-08:00

There is really no way to describe traffic and drivers in St. Petersburg, except to say miles of cars inching forward during rush hour and mass confusion. The traffic lights show a yellow caution light both prior to the light turning from green to red, and also prior to the light turning from red back to green. The first (green/yellow/red) caution light means – accelerator to the floor, can my car really do 0-60 in 1.5 seconds, and try to get through before the light turns red. While the second (red/yellow/green) caution light means – I get to start through the intersection on yellow, why should I wait for the green light, even through there are people in the crosswalk and cars still there who are checking out their warp drive to try to get through! In other words, mass confusion – oh, and my description cannot even show you what it really is like!

St. Petersburg was built on a swamp and was originally designed to be a city of canals. There are 77 bridges in the city and the side streets are narrow (kind of like New Orleans). It is a city whose mass transit system is outstanding – their subways (they call it the metro), trolleys, and busses move about 5 million people a day all around the city. The bad news is that as “western” prosperity has come to non-communist Russia, so has the “car in every garage” mentality, so a city that has lived by its mass transit, now is in constant grid lock with roads filled with cars. Oh, and did I mention that most of the streets don’t have lane lines? If the two lanes going your direction are full and you are in a hurry, just create a third lane from the on-coming traffic side – of course, it’s Russia, it’s okay, everyone understands!

I tell you all of the above to set the stage for the great adventure that we enjoyed on Tuesday evening. Marina Topoltsova (40+ year old director of ROL) came to Fuydor on Tuesday afternoon and planned to take us in her car (she’s had her driver’s license for 2 years now) to our evening meeting with the kids from The Harbor. As we get into the car, I in the front with Marina, and Dave, Dustin, and Lucya (assistant director of ROL and my Russian daughter) in the back, Marina asked me where we are going. Of course I think she is joking, but no! So she calls a friend to get the address and directions to the apartment (don’t they know you can Google these things and get directions before leaving home! Maybe that doesn’t work in St. Petersburg). She then informs me that I will be her navigator to help her find the place! “We are here, and we are going there,” she says as her finger moves across pages 2 and 3 of the 40-page map book of St. Petersburg, then she flips over to pages 28-29 so that I can see a more detailed map of our final destination area, although she says “We will really be here (pointing to 2 inches below the bottom of the page into thin air) when it is time to turn, but we will end up here, and the apartment is here.” All the time she is pointing, pointing, pointing, and smiling at me with encouragement. Oh, did I mention the map is in Russian – ah, now you get the feeling of panic that was beginning to set in!!! But I have to hand it to my two male team members – they never said a word – of course the fact that their eyes were closed and I could hear murmurs of prayers coming from the back seat might have been a clue as to why they were so quiet!

So being the wise woman that I am, I handed the map to Lucya who takes the map, has a short conversation in Russian with Marina, and off we go. Of course, we don’t get far before we hit the traffic jam. But we decided to use this time to allow Marina to get to know my team mates a little better. But then we came to a traffic circle and during the confusion of Lucya saying, “No, you need to go there!” and pointing to turn left when we were over to the right, but no problem, Marina puts on her flashers and begins cutting through traffic! After a few blocks Marina informs us that she thinks she is going the wrong direction, and Lucya agrees, handing me the map. Now Marina gets serious and pulls out a fold-out map that is written in English (“Thank you, Lord!”) and again shows me where we started and where she thinks we are now. Of course it doesn’t help much because there are very few street signs in St. Petersburg - only the important ones are marked.

Some day when you have some time I will give you the fine details, but to make a long story short, we turned around, headed in the right direction, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Of course by this time it is 7PM, and I’m desperately needing a bathroom - and everyone is hungry. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I don’t eat at McDonalds except for breakfast, so you will understand how desperate I was when I tell you that I suggested we eat at McD’s so I could get to a bathroom! Anyway, we ate dinner and then were back on the road.

After a few blocks, we dropped off Lucya so she could walk the short distance home, and I began seriously looking for the next street when we would be turning (you know, the one that was 2 inches below the bottom of the page!). Unfortunately when the time came to turn left onto this street there was a no left turn sign and as Marina slowed to try to decide what to do, all horns began to blow, so she had no choice but to go straight. Even more unfortunate, going straight took us over a railroad bridge and out of the city! (Positive thought here – Dustin looks around and for the first time speaks from the back seat – “Hey, this looks familiar. I think this is the way we went to the camp I worked at two summers ago.” Not so positive thought – summer camps are usually located 20-30 miles outside the city!)

Now we are on a four-lane highway with forest all around and a barrier between us and the oncoming traffic (Nancy, “How far is it to Moscow, and do we have enough gas?”). Of course, being the always positive American, I say, “Don’t worry, we will just look for a cross over and turn around.” Not so positively, that cross over came 20 kilometers (that’s 12.5 miles to us non-metric folks) down the road. Of course, all this time the people from the Harbor are calling because we are over an hour late and I’m trying to talk on the phone to them while searching for the elusive crossover!

Okay, long-story-short, we turned around, made the correct turn, found the correct building number (after Marina talked to three different people to help point to it), correct apartment number, and arrived at the Harbor! All in only 3 hours 45 minutes – I could have driven almost to Dallas in that time!!!! But arrive we did, and we spent the next hour visiting with the girls and boys from the Harbor. We were all disappointed that the time was short, but it was a good time spent together and affirmed for Marina and I that we want to try to plan times when the Harbor kids and the ROL kids can get together and enjoy some good old Christian fellowship.

And it was an especially wonderful time for me, because three of my kids that I had known since April 2004 from Orphanage 14 were at the Harbor – Santa Sasha, Denis, and Yana – and I got to pet Sasha’s rat, whose name is Squeaker – although I can’t even pronounce the Russian word for that.

Although the evening was frustrating and full of anxiety, it was also amusing and full of fun. You never know what adventure lies ahead and through it all I had the confidence to know that whatever may happen, I don’t have to worry, because the real navigator in our lives is God, and He knows all of the maps and will guide us through. And praise His name – he even reads Russian!

Nancy Durrett
SAC Team Leader
Russia, Nov. 2007

We've Arrived!

2007-11-26T11:55:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful week we have had! From the moment we walked into the airport and were greeted by six bright, smiling faces, we have been walking on air! Marina Topoltsova, director of Road of Life (ROL) Family Homes, and four of the girls from ROL, along with SAC’s St., Petersburg Program Director, Dasha, were there to meet us, and presented me with flowers and my favorite bar of chocolate candy! Oh and we were greeted with a winter wonderland of snow and ice. We ain’t in Ruston anymore!. Then it was off to deliver resource materials to Fuydor Children’s Shelter, followed by dropping off Dave and Dustin at their apartment, and finally me at my ROL home for the next two weeks.

Just to give you the highlights for the week – we ministered to 9 teenagers and 12 younger children at Fuydor Shelter for street kids Monday through Wednesday all day. We had 32 present at our large group meeting with ROL on Monday night. On Tuesday we met with 8 girls and 8 boys from the Harbor Transitional Homes. On Wednesday we went bowling with 9 guys from the Boys’ Harbor and 6 guys from Boys’ ROL Home. Thursday was busy as we held a traditional Thanksgiving celebration on Thursday night for 29 kids!

The only disappointment for the week – there were no children at Orphanage 14 when we arrived on Friday. Buckner, a ministry agency from the U.S., had come that day and taken all the children on an excursion – without prior scheduling with the administrators, who happened to be in a meeting all day and did not get back to the orphanage until 2pm. Rayisa, the children’s director, was very upset and apologized, but there was nothing to do. So my team (2 translators from Logos Church, 2 girls from ROL, SAC’s Dasha, and my 3-member team) left and went to a coffee shop before going home for the evening.

We are never assured of anything in life, and when on a mission trip the key word is always “flexibility,” but God always blesses us, even in our disappointments. Though we didn’t have time with the kids at Orphanage 14 on Friday, we look forward to the time we can spend with them on Monday and Tuesday of next week. So pray for us! We will be at Orphan Hospital #15 on Monday and Tuesday mornings next week, followed by Orphanage #14 in the afternoons. We will also be doing small group meetings with the ROL family throughout the week.

Love to all!
Nancy