Earlier this month Olga and I went to Estonia. Our good friend Anya Kazak went with us. Anya has never been out of Russia, so this was a thrilling event for her. She loves medieval history and Tallinn was a joy. It’s a very well-preserved medieval town. We really like it there.
Olga and Anya walked the city while I did some work back at the flat.
Here are a few pictures from their stroll around the Old Town of Tallinn:
(click on the thumbnails to see the full-sized image)
I’m a dog person, and this video is inspiring —
Yesterday was my 50th birthday. I give a big “Thank You!” to all who sent birthday greetings recently. I have been really touched by all the kind words.
Ten years ago, on my 40th, I was alone in a flat in St. Petersburg. I had moved to Russia a couple of weeks before and no one was there to celebrate with me.
I remember thinking that my 40th birthday should have been somehow more ‘eventful’, but looking back I see that it was an appropriate way to start my life in Russia — alone, with an unknown future ahead.
Ten years later, I celebrated my birthday surrounded by new family and friends in my new home. Several generations were in attendance, from Olga’s grandparents to the twin daughters of our good friends Sergei and Christina.
Olga cooked GREAT Mexican food (home-made tortillas, fajitas, refried beans, rice, guacamole), and Olga’s grand father played the piano; the very piano he started playing more than 80 years ago.
I am very thankful for this life. God is very good.
And I look forward to the next chapter —
click on thumbnails to see full-sized pictures
A fat cat in a pot:
Olga and I have spent some time in Estonia recently. Dave Hulley (seated at left, below), the board chair of Stoneworks International, was here to learn about our new work. It was good to introduce him to our many new friends in Estonia; Dave then spent time Russia visiting with folks there. This weekend leaders from a ministry in the UK will meet us in Estonia to learn more about our projects and how we partner together.
We are in a planning stage for a few upcoming projects in Estonia. I met with Artur Põld (seated in front, below) to discuss the center for disabled children we plan to start in Jõhvi, Estonia. The original lot we hoped for is not available, but we looked at other properties and talked about various aspects of the project. In addition to discussions about the building and legal issues, I’m helping coordinate experts in the USA who will help plan programs for the children, and the architect has begun preliminary planning. I’ll meet with the architect on Monday.
We also visited Camp Gideon (above, note the beautiful Gulf of Finland in the background) and spoke about short-term evangelical mission teams that will serve there in July and August.
The very best part of the trip has been the deepening of relationships. We had a very good time of prayer with several members of the church (below). It is very good to walk with people and see how God is working in their lives. Most of all, we’re thankful for the good relationships God is giving us.
This is something I’ve thought about fairly often but could never really visualize, until now.
Below are two Sun Path Diagrams, one for St. Petersburg, Russia and one for Athens, Georgia, my home towns. They show the sun path and sunrise and sunset on the longest and shortest days of the year. (I got them here.)
Here’s the key — the Green line is the path of the sun on the June 21 (the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere); the Blue line is the path of the sun on December 21 (the shortest day). The Orange line is for November 9, 2010.
Saint Petersburg:
So you can see a few interesting things —
In St. Pete on June 21 sunrise is at 4:35am (rising in the NE) and sunset is at 11:26pm (in the NW). The sun at its height is at about 50 degrees. Look at the path of the sun. It’s really amazing, so very different from what I grew up with (below).
On December 21 sunrise is 10am (in the SE) and sunset is at 3:54pm (in the SW). With the sun only about 8 degrees above the horizon max. That doesn’t give much sunshine!
And for fun here is Tulcán, Ecuador, VERY close to the equator:
And here is Inari, Finland, in Lapland, above the Arctic Circle:
The sun doesn’t rise on December 21, and it doesn’t set on June 21. Very cool. I’d love to go there sometime.
I chopped some firewood today. It was good to be in the cold air doing some physical work.
I know of a small hunting cabin in the Adirondacks that has a sign over the fireplace: “He who cuts his own wood is twice warmed”. In Finnish it’s “Ken omat puunsa pilkkoo, sen tulee kahdesti lämmin”.
I experienced that truth today. I was warm chopping it and now I’m warm by the fire.
I know it’s a bad picture; sorry about that.
This was the view outside this morning here in Finland — wet snow, but it didn’t stick.
Ten years ago, I left the U.S. on November 2 and arrived in Russia on November 3. I did not know how long I would be in Russia. All I knew is that I was to be part of a team to start a Russian charity (now known as MIR) and help run it for a while.
Over this past decade, God has been teaching me lessons. Some of which I’ve learned and some of which He continues to teach, to get them through my thick head. I am, even at my age, still a child in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Here are a few thoughts as I reflect back — Continue reading
I’m a sucker for a cute mutt. You can see more animal fun here.
This doggie was confused by the escalator:
Mike and Olga Cantrell 