A Postcard from Norway

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Since my last postcard I’ve covered some ground. After leaving Estonia, I took the ferry to Helsinki and spent two nights at Koppero. From there, I drove to Rovaniemi, Finland (on the Arctic Circle) to attend a men’s conference with Yura Belonozhkin. He brought a team of 16 men from Russia to the conference, and I was very glad to meet them and also meet brothers from Norway and Finland.

From there, Yura and I drove up into the Finnmark region of Norway. We visited several ministry partners as Yura planned for future ministry. For instance, he is planning a men’s conference/camp in Lakselv, Norway to be held in May, which I hope to attend. From Lakselv we drove to Vadso on the Varanger peninsula (past several fjords, above) and met other ministry leaders. Then, we drove into Russia, to Murmansk, and from there I drove south to home! It was very good to have time with Yura as we drove those long, beautiful distances. It’s ALWAYS good to have personal time with brothers and sisters in Christ.

I’m now safely, happily at home. Valerie has started her ballet and piano lessons; Olga spent the last few days juicing and canning apples from dacha; and I’m getting caught up on emails and updates. I just bought tickets to travel to the USA for a Stoneworks board meeting. (I used frequent flyer miles, so the flight is only costing $153!) I’ll be in the States for about 2 weeks, mostly in the Athens, GA area, in early November. (This seems to be a season of travel for me. . . .)

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. – Luke 6:36

Pictures from Norway

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I recently attended a men’s conference in Rovaniemi, Finland. After that, Yura Belonozhkin and I drove up into Finnmark, Norway to visit some ministry partners. Yura is expanding his mens’ ministry into northern Norway, and he wanted to meet with some pastors to arrange future conferences and camps. (There will be a great camp in late May, if any men are interested. . . .)

We took quite a few pictures and some video as we were driving around the fjords and across the tundra. Most of these pictures were taken on Laksefjord and in that region — on the Arctic Sea, far above the Arctic Circle. (And a day later I drove through snow.) Continue reading →

What I’m Reading

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I thought some people might be interested to see what books I’m reading these days. I’m in various stages of completion on the following:

– The Reason I Jump, by Naoki Higashida. Written by a Japanese autistic teenager, it’s a wonderful, and very helpful, look into the person ‘inside’ an autistic body.

– The Secret of the Kingdom, by Mika Waltari. Written in 1961 by a Finn, this novel set in the time of Jesus follows the life of a young Roman named Marcus Manilianus; in the style of a series of letters from Marcus to a friend.

– Mannerheim, by Jonathan Clements. I’m very glad to learn more from this biography of such a pivotal figure in Finnish history.

–  At Day’s Close: Night in Times Past, by Roger Ekirch. A very interesting look at night and darkness throughout human history.

– How to Pray, by R. A Torrey. I believe the Lord is calling me to a renewed focus on prayer and intercession.

– Orthodoxy, by G. K. Chesterton. It’s good to read a book that I’ve heard much about over the past many years. Chesterton was a friend of George Bernard Shaw, though very different in worldview and perspective; they had a great debate, with Hilaire Belloc presiding, on the topic of Do We Agree.

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.