A Postcard from Russia — Home Again

Leave a comment

Each month, MIR hosts a prayer meeting (above) attended by people who give their lives in Christian ministry. It was great to attend after missing the past few meetings. MIR is facing some challenges just now, so your prayers are appreciated. A friend once told me that choosing a life of ministry means choosing a life of poverty. There’s truth in this.

These saints refuse to pursue worldly wealth and achievement; rather, they lay down their lives in service. They serve orphans, print Christian literature, help local churches, manage projects, provide counsel, fix computers, minister to college students, and more. Our fellowship and prayers reminded me of the greatness and comfort of God’s kingdom; we are His family, united by His Spirit, even though we come from varied cultures and life experiences, speaking different languages. These are good friends and valued co-workers.

New opportunities are on our doorstep. For instance, we hope to help open a center for disabled children in Estonia. In Russia, we will hold a pilot Ecological Camp at Elama where a British ecologist will teach children about the beauty and diversity of God’s creation.

Now a closing thought from Olga: This year’s fall has been specially beautiful. I think I don’t remember such glorious October as we are having now. And even though the fall means that the nature is falling asleep, it hold a promise of new life in it. And for me that is what I feel. There is a promise of new life. God has something in store for us. And not only for us, but all of His children. His plans are good, His plans have a future. We may not understand this, we may not see it, but He does.

One Happy Russian

Leave a comment

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 Postcard from Estonia — Open Doors

Leave a comment

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

1 Comment

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. . . .