Psalm 23 recited by a two year old —
One Happy Russian
Olga (like most Russians) loves to hunt mushrooms. However, most Finns do not. So, while it can be hard to find mushrooms in Russia (since everyone is hunting mushrooms) there are a LOT of mushrooms in Finland.
We took the boat across the lake, and Olga hit the jackpot. Here is the evidence of her success (video and pictures):
A Snapshot from Finland
Moonrise over Pyhäjärvi.
We’re having beautiful weather here at Koppero.
Great Pictures
Here are some fun pictures I’ve come across. Enjoy!
(click on each photo to see a larger version)
Lovely Koppero
Here’s a video of the little cabin (koppero means ‘hovel’ in Finnish) where we stay when we visit Finland. You’ll see the main cabin, a smaller cabin and the sauna. It’s simple and a very real blessing.
And you see our little car, which has bravely been all over Europe, from Montenegro to Russia.
A Postcard from Estonia — Open Doors
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 the Baltic Sea
This morning I took the ferry from Tallinn, Estonia to Finland. Here’s the view of the Gulf of Finland just just as the Helsinki archipelago is coming into view.
A Snapshot from Russia
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
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:
A Toast at Dacha
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.
Mike and Olga Cantrell 