Pizza Night – #2

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We had our second pizza night recently. Olga did a great job making the dough, and we used home-made sauce with Estonian cheese and Russian sausage.

Some friends carried over a pizza stone from the US for us, and that made all the difference. The pizza was so good that I forgot to take pictures of it (though I do need help learning how to use a pizza peel).

Valerie made her own little pizza, which turned out pretty well.

We were joined by Natasha and Anya, two young ladies who lived with us for a while. They are like family to us, and it was great to share the evening with them.

click on the thumbnails to see the full-sized picture

English in Our Flat

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Olga has been teaching English on Monday nights for quite a while. And now Valerie is helping!

The young man is Kostya Protasov. He was a heroin addict who lived as a thief and extortionist before becoming a pagan who sacrificed to the gods of the forest; as a result of his drug use he contracted HIV and Hepatitis C. He ended up at a Christian rehab center but got sick of it. This is what happened as he fled the center, waiting for a train to go to the city:

As I waited, the pictures of my empty past and dreary future filled my mind, and I heard a voice in my heart saying: “Go back to the center lest you die!” Going back to the center was 8 kilometers through the forest and my bag that I had to carry [was heavy], but somehow I made a decision to go back.

I went through the forest and felt the presence of God! His mercy, His tremendous love overwhelmed me! I thought of many of my friends who in their “search of truth” and trying different things in life did not reach the most important – Jesus and His Word that really sets free.

One of the center workers told me: when a man takes one step towards God, God takes ten steps towards him! The hunger to know Jesus burnt in my heart, the desire to live in fellowship with Him. He met me in so many ways and the things that were impossible for me before became possible! I once was lost in sin, but Jesus took me in and set me free from the chains of addictions!”

You can read his full story here, (scroll down the page a little).

Travel Warning

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The Government has issued a travel warning due to the bad winter weather.

They suggest that anyone traveling in the current icy conditions should make sure they have the following:

  • Shovel
  • Blankets Or Sleeping Bag
  • Extra Clothing, Including Hat And Gloves
  • 24 Hours Worth Of Food
  • De-Icer
  • Rock Salt
  • Flashlight With Spare Batteries
  • Road Flares Or Reflective Triangles
  • Full Spare Gas Can
  • First Aid Kit
  • Booster Cables

I looked like an idiot on the metro this morning . . .

😉

A Postcard from Russia (and Estonia)

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God has blessed us in many, many ways. Valerie has been with us just over a month and is doing great. She’s happy and healthy, talking more and is quite smart. Olga is doing great as a new mom, though there are challenges. And I am so thankful to have a daughter who runs to me when I come home. These are sweet days.

I’ve just returned to Russia from a trip to Estonia and will go back again in a few days. I’m on the road quite a bit just now.

In Estonia, we’ve made great progress on our plans to build a center for disabled children. Later this month the city council will vote on giving us a piece of land; the mayor has already pledged it to us, so we’re quite sure we’ll get the lot. This week we plan to register an Estonian charity that will own the land and run the center. I’ll be a founding board member. The architect continues to work on the design. An English charity just donated $3000 to help with start-up expenses.

It is all very good. And we are VERY thankful.

Gospel Bluegrass — It Is Well With My Soul

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This is great stuff. It’s interesting to hear the story behind the song, and be SURE to wait for the harmonies.

Some of you may not know that I played a lot of Bluegrass music in my younger days (not so much any more). There is something about it that really touches my heart.

I’ve recently discovered The Isaacs, a bluegrass gospel group. I’ll post several of their songs over the coming weeks. I start with It Is Well With My Soul:

Driving in Estonia

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I went for a drive in the Estonian countryside a couple of days ago. It is very beautiful this time of year.

(Our little car has been through Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Serbia, visited an Austr0-Hungarian fortress on the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic and now explores this frigid northland.)

First, a video of the drive on the old Royal Road (the main road 200 years ago), along the shore of the frozen Gulf of Finland:


The video was made at about noon. You can see how low the sun is in the sky.

This is how the day started:

I stopped at a waterfall on the Gulf —

Then I drove from Narva-Jõesuu to Narva —

I’m in Estonia working on a few projects — I’m helping coordinate mission teams that will visit this summer, and we are taking important steps toward building a day center for disabled children in Jõhvi.

Long shadows cast on the icy Gulf of Finland —