A Postcard from Estonia — Open Doors

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We visited Estonia this week and had a great visit. On every visit, more doors open and God reveals more relationships and opportunities to serve.

Our primary connection is with Artur and Valya Põld, pictured above as they prepared a GREAT salmon dinner for us. Artur is the pastor of a local Methodist Church and has a vibrant ministry. He is also a ‘deputy’ (an elected official) who is very active in the community, particularly with social services. He’s also he director of Camp Gideon, a Christian camp where we had a team last summer.

The purpose of our visit was to explore ways to establish a center for disabled children. A donor from the US has offered to provide start-up funds, so we had meetings with city administrators, the city architect and the future director of the center. You can read more here.

We are very thankful for and encouraged by the abundant life God has given us.

A Snapshot from Russia

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This is a classic picture. Olga and I had to go to a government office (yellow building). Several people were in line for the same office (the ‘line’ is pictured above). You might not know it, but the office was open at the time I took the picture.

We arrived an hour before the office opened. There is no waiting room, the officers don’t take people in the order they arrive, it’s not possible to take a number and know if you’ll be able to meet with the officers. So, we arrive early to be put on the ‘list’, a piece of paper held by one of the people waiting. Quite a few people arrived before us.

Russian government offices often are only open a few hours a week for people in any particular situation (people with our questions could only go there at specified times), and they are often understaffed. So, we waited in the rain for a few hours and never got into the building. Half a day spent waiting for nothing. . . .

Photographer to the Tsar

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It’s hard to believe these pictures are from 100 years ago —

“The photographs of Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863-1944) offer a vivid portrait of a lost world–the Russian Empire on the eve of World War I and the coming revolution. His subjects ranged from the medieval churches and monasteries of old Russia, to the railroads and factories of an emerging industrial power, to the daily life and work of Russia’s diverse population.

In the early 1900s Prokudin-Gorskii formulated an ambitious plan for a photographic survey of the Russian Empire that won the support of Tsar Nicholas II. Between 1909-1912, and again in 1915, he completed surveys of eleven regions, traveling in a specially equipped railroad car provided by the Ministry of Transportation.”

We start with a self-portrait:

Continue reading →

A Toast at Dacha

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Nine years ago on August 28 I proposed to Olga. We were at dacha (a Russian country house) celebrating her grandmother’s birthday.

A couple of days ago, we had another birthday lunch under the apple trees at dacha. Russians love to give toasts at special occasions. Orest Grooten, Olga’s grandfather, gives a toast to his wife:

And here is Orest walking back into the house.

Kirppisi!

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As a service to ministries and folks in St. Petersburg, here is a map of flea markets in Finland. I will constantly update the map as we find more kirppisi (actually, kirppikset), so check back as often as you will. And let me know if I need to correct or remove any listings. (Accuracy isn’t 100% guaranteed, since things change! Please let me know if I need to correct, add or remove any entries.)

I’ve noted, as often as possible, which kirppis is run by Fida International, the Missions and Development Organisation of the Finnish Pentecostal churches.

A Postcard from Finland — Finlandia!

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Olga and I are now in Finland. We’re here with Olga’s mother, Tanya, our ‘sister’ Violeta from Montenegro, and our good friend Natasha from Russia. Once again we’re staying at the little cabin by the lake, which comes complete with beautiful sunsets. (Just so you know — it takes us about 5 hours to drive here from our home in St. Petersburg; it’s not too far at all.)

This is Natasha’s first time out of Russia, and it’s been great fun to see her experience a new culture for the first time. She said she never imagined how people could care for the land so much. Her understandings of stewardship, order and beauty are being broadened. It is a beautiful country, and this is a great time of year to visit.

We’ve had quite a busy summer. I’ve been in Montenegro, Estonia and Russia, and I recently returned from a very quick trip to the US. Jet lag is my familiar friend.  The ministry has been rewarding and full of life. Olga has stayed closer to home and has had good time with family. We’re both very thankful to be together and able to rest a little.

New opportunities seem to arise all the time. We look forward to telling you more about them in the coming months. It seems that Estonia continues to present itself as a land of opportunity, and we are starting on a big project in Russia.

For now, though, we are content and happy to be here at Koppero.

Team Arrival!

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A team from St. James United Methodist Church in Athens, GA arrived today. We drove over to Dubrovnik, Croatia to pick them up. We’ll be in Podgorica, Montenegro for a couple of days and then head up to the mountains to run a youth camp all next week.

They are a great group and we’re looking forward to some good times together. I’ll post more news as we have it . . . .