What My Life is Like (these days)

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So, what is my life like in my role at Stoneworks? Here’s a small look at recent events:

In late August, my family and I drove from Russia to Montenegro. For ten days, I was with a team from the US looking at some land (at left) we hope to purchase for a camp; I’ll write more about that in a separate post. I also spoke at the church, met with the church leadership and had extensive time with ministry partners. My sister-in-law and her family live there as well, so we had some good family time. Last week we returned from Montenegro. However. . .

In order to drive from Estonia into Russia one must reserve a time at the border crossing. When we arrived in Estonia a few days ago, after driving up from Montenegro (three days on the road), I went online to reserve a time but there were no available slots for several days. (I couldn’t have reserved a place earlier, because we weren’t exactly sure when we’d arrive in Estonia.)

So, the car and I were ‘stuck’ in Estonia while we sent Olga and Valerie (my wife and daughter) to Russia on a bus.

It was good to be in Estonia, since I was able to meet with Ursula Randlaine, the director of Sunbeam, as well as with Artur Põld and Andres Toome. I also delivered donations to Sunbeam: a laptop, a computer tablet, and some developmental materials. The mission team had carried them to Montenegro from various points in the US for me to deliver to Estonia (it can get complicated).

Since I will attend a conference in Finland this weekend, we decided it was best for me to stay in Estonia and take a ferry to Finland (which I did yesterday) rather than drive into Russia a few days behind my family only to immediately drive to Finland.

I’m spending today in a little cabin in Finland (no running water!). I have a decent internet connection and can do some work from here. Tomorrow I will drive 8 hours north to Rovaniemi, Finland (on the Arctic Circle) for a men’s conference with Yura Belonozhkin; next week Yura and I will go up into Finnmark, Norway to visit ministry partners. We will go all the way to the Barents Sea. From there we will cross into Russia and visit the Murmansk region before I head south to St. Petersburg (and home!).

In two week’s time, I will have traveled from the Adriatic Sea to the Arctic Ocean, all because of the relationships God has given us: our Living Stones.

Jesus promised that He would give abundant life, and I surely have received it.

“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”  John 10:10

Welcome

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In November of 2000, I (Mike) moved to Russia to help establish a Russian Charity named MIR.  A little over a year later I married Olga.  Later, the Lord gave us a wonderful daughter, Valerie. Over the years, God has led us and blessed us in many ways.

We have a home in St. Petersburg, Russia and spend time in the USA, Romania, Montenegro and Estonia.  I (Mike)have businesses in the USA and volunteer with Stoneworks International, a mission organization with projects in Europe. I also partner with churches in Uganda and Congo, so I travel a lot. I’m also the Technical Media Director for the Elisabeth Elliot Foundation.

We hope you’ll wander around here, learn more about us, have some fun and see evidence of the goodness of God.

Lessons Learned

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A friend, Shannon Taylor, recently posted an item that is a great encouragement to people who are leaving their home country to serve in Christian ministry:

Seven Years Later…

Today marks seven years from August 1, 2006, the day I boarded a plane and moved to Asia. What a ride it’s been – full of growth, challenges, adventures, tears and joys I never would have imagined! Recently I was asked for some advice by a young woman considering going into full-time missions. That got me thinking. So to commemorate seven years, here are 10 important lessons I’ve learned along the way.

1. BE FLEXIBLE. One can’t say enough about this when living cross-culturally in places where the western values of planning and preparedness don’t always reign. And it’s especially important in a developing country where politics is crazy, city-wide strikes are common, and you may or may not have electricity or water (which isn’t clean even when you do have it) at any given time.

2. LAUGH EASILY & OFTEN – ESPECIALLY AT YOURSELF. If you can’t do this, you’re gonna end up crying far too often… like when you accidentally say something really embarrassing when trying to speak in a foreign language, or when you have absolutely no idea what people around you are talking about, or when there’s no room on the bus and the driver tells you unkindly to climb on the roof, or when you’ve forgotten to bring your own toilet paper into the asphyxiatingly stinky squatty potty during a power outage (keep in mind frequent GI issues in such countries), and the candle inside goes out and it’s pitch black and there’s no water to flush or wash your hands (true story). Continue reading →

Antique Maps

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I ran across a very interesting website. The David Rumsey Historical Map Collection has overlaid several historical maps over Google Earth.

St. Petersburg is one of the cities covered, the map being from 1753.

Click HERE to see the maps.

A Postcard from the USA

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Well, it’s been too time since our last family update. Our apologies. Much has happened since we last wrote.

We are in the USA right now, and it’s been great to have time with our family in Athens, Georgia (that’s Mike’s Dad at left in the picture above) as well as meet with many friends and co-workers.

We have finalized the adoption completely! After finishing the Russian adoption, we did an adoption in the States. It’s a bit complicated, but I (Mike) did a ‘step-parent’ adoption; so we have adoption decrees in both Russian and English, and everything is all done. We now start another long process: we’ve filed the first round of paperwork to get Olga and Valerie US green cards. We do not intend to move to the States full time; we’ll continue to be based in Russia, but we feel that it’s time to get green cards for Olga and Valerie.

Valerie is doing great. Her English is improving all the time. She’s been taking dance and gymnastics classes in addition to her continued homeschooling and piano lessons. Olga is homeschooling Valerie and volunteering at a local gymnastics school teaching a Rhythmic Gymnastics class. My mother has had problems with her lungs for a few years; over a week ago she had to go to the hospital and is still there. She’s quite weak and is slowly recovering. Your prayers are appreciated.

Stoneworks is sending teams to Russia and Estonia, and we’re trying to put together a team to run a youth camp in Montenegro (anyone want to help?). I’ve been involved in board meetings; speaking at churches, schools and Sunday school classes; and meeting with mission teams and ministry partners. We recently hosted Yura Belonozhkin when he was in Athens visiting. Vladimir and Marijana Cizmanski from Montenegro are also here, and it’s been great to have time with them. I will attend an Estonian ministry conference next week, and we continue to make plans for the summer. Another big project may be starting up: we are looking at land for a camp in Montenegro and meeting with potential supporters here in the States.

The Lord continues to remind us: let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and give praise to your Father in heaven. He is the author and perfecter of our faith, the beginning and the end, the foundation and the capstone. We are thankful for the abundant life He has given us, and He is the source of every good thing. Soli Deo Gloria. To Him alone be the Glory.

News of Sunbeam

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Everything is in great shape at Sunbeam. I’m visiting Estonia for few days and just had a nice meeting there. The video below is of the Green Room, where most of the work has been done recently.

sunbeam feb 22 013 300x171 SunbeamGod has built a good team of leaders. I’m very happy to partner with board members Artur Põld and Andres Toome and Program Director Ursula Randlaine.

On Monday we’ll meet with parents and children, and we’re waiting for ONE MORE inspection before we get the CO: the government requires a sound test for decibels in the room. Of course, the room is super quiet and the kids will make more noise than anything in the room, but it’s another expense and will eat up time while we find a company to do the sound test.

We are also receiving bids on the work to finish the offices and therapy rooms. We hope to make a decision about that on Monday. If all goes as hoped, the offices will be all done in a couple of months. But, things always seem to take longer than we’d prefer. . . . .

Ursula said today that it’s been good for the process to take a long time and have many challenges. It’s helped the team grow closer to one another, and our faith has been built as we’ve depended more and more on the Lord for His guidance, wisdom and peace. It’s all good.

At the end of this video Ursula talks about a special table that was donated by a Norwegian ministry. You can see more pictures here.

 

A Postcard from Montenegro – Truly Significant

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I recently returned to Russia from Montenegro and Austria. I made initial contact with a ministry in Vienna and had a great time visiting Matt and Liz Eck. I hope one result will be a partnership between Stoneworks, Calvary Chapel-Vienna and the youth ministry in Montenegro.

The picture above is truly significant. While it may appear to be one of many such Christian youth meetings, it is much more than that. With a population of about 600,000 people, Montenegro has less than 200 Evangelical Christians. There are three main fellowships in the country, the largest being the Brethren Assembly in the capital city of Podgorica. On any given Sunday, perhaps 35 people will attend their service.

So here is why the picture above is so significant: twenty six teenagers attended the youth meeting a week ago. Twenty six! This is a VERY significant number of people for such a small church. Not all of the teenagers are yet followers of Jesus, but all have been invited to hear more about Him and all have willingly come. Some have been involved in the Brethren youth meetings for a few years, some are part of a Roma (gypsy) fellowship, some received Samaritan’s Purse shoe-box Christmas gifts and expressed an interest in the youth meetings.

Vladimir and Marijana Cizmanski have ministered there for many years; Violeta Pavetic, an early convert of Vladimir’s ministry, is now the youth leader. They are laying their lives down for Christ, and the fruit is the beautiful souls and loving relationships so evident in the meetings. As is always the case, challenges and difficulties accompany the expansion of God’s Kingdom. Please keep Vladimir, Marijana and Violeta in your prayers as they fight the good fight.

Olga and Valerie have their passports and visas, and we will arrive in Athens, Georgia on March 5. I’ll make a quick trip to Estonia next week and hope to give a great report on Sunbeam then; we are so VERY close to opening the program. We’re also beginning to plan the summer. We’ll host mission teams in Russia, Estonia and Montenegro, and we’ll have interns serving in Montenegro. It’s great to be a part of so much life and growth. The Lord is good to us.

Milestones

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The past two days have seen very significant milestones in our lives, and the transitions have been smooth and joyful as we move from one phase to the next. Now is a time of rejoicing and looking to the future.

We thank the Lord for His guidance and love as we turn the page on two significant parts of our lives:

First, we are VERY happy to announce that our adoption is final. Valerie is now officially a Cantrell! We received the final court order today.

Exactly two years ago, on December 28, we picked up Valerie from the orphanage.

When she came to live with us, she was three and a half years old and spoke just three words. For the past two years, Valerie has been under our guardianship but still a ward of the state.

No longer! She is now Valerie Evelyn Cantrell, a member of her forever family.

We are so very thankful for the many prayers and other support that people have given us over the years as we’ve dealt with lost pregnancies and infertility. It’s great to be a part of the body of Christ and receive blessings from God through His people.

Also, there are changes at MIR. Twelve years ago I moved to Russia as part of a team to open a Russian charity named MIR. Through this work I met my wife and have been blessed with abundant life.

For the past twelve years I’ve been the president and director of MIR. About four years ago I stepped down from the day-to-day leadership of MIR when I became the executive director of Stoneworks International, and a couple of years ago MIR started a transition toward having fully Russian leadership.

Last night we had a MIR board meeting and finished that transition. I have resigned my position at MIR and no longer have any official tie to the organization.

Sergei & Kristina Tovstopyat

The new chairman and director is my good friend Sergei Tovstopyat. Sergei has been on staff with MIR for a few years, and he’s been the Executive Director since September. You can read about Sergei here.

We’ve agree that I’ll be the ‘grand-dad’ and continue to advise and help as much as is needed, but Sergei now is the leader and carries the responsibility for the direction of MIR. I happily hand over this role to Sergei. He’s a good man who loves the Lord and is laying his life down for the gospel.

Many people deserve thanks for their years of service to MIR: Mark Browne was the visionary who started the process, and founding board members were Alexander Kotenkov, Maria Mikhaylova, Dimitry Rozet, Mikhail Moshkov, David Hulley and Dan Wilson. Other board members have included Lyle Thomas, Zhenya Koltakoff, Larry Heller and Arkady Bizyanov.

In my role at Stoneworks, I’ll continue to support MIR in every way I can.

I’m very glad that MIR will continue beyond me as Olga and I look forward to the next chapter in our lives.