Threads

Jen and I were talking about how a friend is someone who helps you to see how the threads of your life weave together to make something beautiful.  We love how God wove together the threads of our first visit to the orphanage. So, in that sense, the threads are the members of the body of Christ, each a different color, but weaving together to make a beautiful product.

The ladies in Pocatello knitted over 300 hats, and today we got to give the first batch of hats away at the orphanage.  We needed an impromptu game, and God gave us the idea of stringing the hats on a piece of thread to make a "net."  We remembered a game that Kerry plays at Vacation Bible School where each team tries to throw their balloons over to the other side of the net, trying to have the least amount of balloons on their own side. We had a great stash of balloons that Sandy had purchased for our games.  Ladies who knitted all the hats, Kerry, Sandy, those who prayed for us today...thank you for being our beautiful threads! Thank you, Lord, for knitting us together in a beautiful way! 

P.S. I'm getting in trouble for not signing my blogs.  This is Megan, the "Blog Hog"--if it's not signed, assume it's mine.

The Story

We finally got the real story on how Raphael lost his finger. 

He said that it was shot off in a gun fight when he was a young man. He was living a criminal life, but God used that stay in the hospital to get his attention.  He talked about how he can look back now and see God's protection even when he was heading in the wrong direction. He is thankful that it is just a finger that he lost. The young men he was with are now dead or in prison. He had a grandmother who continually prayed for him, and God finally opened his heart to believe. It was so touching to hear him talk about how God continued to pursue him. How God used the circumstances of his life for His glory! (Jen notes: Cue the water works!) Now, Raphael is the pastor of the church in Michurinsk, a town about 1 hour from Tambov. This is the church that has had the neat impact on the Gypsies. The ladies at his church made us an amazing lunch today.  Raphael has been driving one hour from Michurinsk each day to pick us up.  So, today, he drove that stretch of road four times just to be our escort. What a servant!

Oh what fun it is!

A caroling we go! On our hour-long ride back to Tambov tonight we had a memorable sing-a-long. We had quite the range of artists from the Beatles (Hey, Jude!) to the Righteous Brothers (You've Lost that Loving Feeling!)  Finally, we landed on singing some hymns together...those were neat because the Russians have some of the same hymns in their language.  Raphael was probably glad to get these crazy Americans out of his van, but he claimed to have enjoyed the songs.  Photo and blog by Megan

Squatty Potty

Okay, Jim warned us about "squatty potties," but I've yet to see one on our trip. So, we all limited our fluid intake because today was the one trip where that type of toilet was the only option.  The whole team managed to make it until we got back to the church in Tambov...all except for ME!  The best part was that the door didn't work, so it was an open-air experience...the nice gal who showed me the restroom removed the chair while I used the restroom, so that little square in the floor is what you stand over.  And may I just say, that I chose a very tasteful angle for this photo.  Wish you were here! Love, Megan

Live action!

Reporting to you live from Tambov! As I type this, Anya is teaching the team how to play Dutch Blitz (It's after 8:00 PM here). Megan defected because she is losing, and she HATES losing! Anya is equally competitive, but Larry and Jim are breathing down her neck on the scoreboard.  She told Larry, "You don't look like you'd be very fast, but you're pretty good!" Anya is crazy fast, and Jim told us that we can't call this an official Russia trip until we've played this game with Anya and have seen her in high gear. So, everyone at home, go down to the store and get your own deck, we're looking for some competition when we get home.  (It's an American game...so, look for it with the card games.)

It Is Well

My mind races constantly here.  There is so much going on all the time that finding moments to be silent are in high demand.  Poor Megan had to have an allergic reaction in order to find rest.  She is doing much better today.  I finally slept last night.  God is so good.  I can't even begin to tell you how amazing He is.  I should be dead on my feet after three days of very little rest--He has supplied the energy to get out of bed and keep moving.  This morning it was time for a break.  I didn't run - I slept and it was glorious. 

I want you all to know that Russia is an experience.  Not at all what I expected.  I thought cold would be harder "to do"--thankyou perimenopause.  Don't go getting any wrong ideas--I am not planning on moving here - sunshine is one of my happy pills, my medication, my mood stabilizer.  Return maybe--hopefully in the summer months (we'll see what the Lord wants).  I have met so many amazing people and my eyes and heart have been opened to needs here. 

Let me tell you a secret though.  I have wanted to defect so many times on this journey.  I totally get you John Mark!!!!!  I have a new understanding/respect and I will defend you!!  I have had to talk myself back from the ledge of leaving so many times--you actually had the guts to say bag it--impressive.  My chant:  Don't be a John Mark, Don't be a John Mark, Do not be a John Mark!  I say this to myself when things get tough, when emotions run too deep, when words are spoken and can't be snatched back.  But.............oh, there is beauty in the staying.  There are moments where God smiles though the eyes of children, through the hugs of friends, through coming to understandings, to forgiving what you don't understand, to seeing the beauty in what you missed the first time around when you're looking at it again.

It is well, it is well with my soul!

Jen

Intangible but real

It's hard to quantify the value of a trip like this, but it's significant. It's hard to tell if it's more of an encouragement to the Russians that we invest in their ministry and come alongside to help, or if it's more significant for the Americans. More life changing for the Americans, for sure.

This is my tenth visit to Russia and sixth to Tambov, so I'm loving "seeing" it through the fresh eyes of Rader, Megan, Jen and Larry. Like the others who have traveled here with me, the impressions are vivid. This was the first time Americans have participated in Winter Camp, and the Immanuel's Child days are a whirlwind. I'll be back in my element when class begins next week. In the meantime it's usually one or two extemporaneous sermons a day (Megan's right, the most notice I've had was when I was asked to preach Sunday morning--at 11 PM Saturday night). In the last three days I've sung in public at least four times, which brings my total to five in the last 40 years.

A highlight of today was when we were the designated gift-distributors here at Truth Church. When we opened the packet of stars to give away, there were two piles. In the first I spotted several names I know: Mike Powell and Mike and (forgot your wife's name) Cummins and a few others from University Bible Church in Pocatello, the Sweet family from Twin Falls and several from Crossroads Bible Church in Burley. Then I looked at the second pile and found a batch from Heritage: Anita Downing, Marvin and Laray Hetrick, Sam and Michelle Day, and the most unlikely of all--we found more from our group . . . Larry and Sandy Howell and Marsha and me. I put a severe kink in the line of kids getting their gifts when I stopped the girl who got the first star with my name on it until we got a picture together. Then I was blessed to see all the stars that just say "Heritage Bible Church" because of all the money given through auctions and special projects. You have no idea how wonderful is your reputation over here!

The afternoon session was at Anatoly's church. They meet in the building of TELA (Tree of Eternal Life Association), the organization run by SEND missionaries which God used as the catalysts of the youth ministry in the region. Virtually all the kids of their church were present, plus a greater number from the neighborhood and from people they reach out to with their version of a food pantry. It was so crowded with kids and parents that all of Anatoly's family, Anya and I and few others left our seats and stood outside for the program. This is the church which need to get their own building built. The property is bought, the permits are secured, the foundation is finished, and now they need roughly $35,000. One of the highest priorities of the Russians in the region is to finish this building.

Lord willing, the people of our coalition can be used to raise the bulk of the funds and we hope to send a construction team this summer. It will be exciting to see God to exceeding abundantly beyond what we ask or think.

Saturday is our biggest day yet. We go to Michurinsk where we'll take the Immanuel's Child program to an orphanage of 50+ kids. After lunch there we'll visit the Gypsy fellowship. Watch for the report.

Today on the way back from his church Anatoly told us about the IC events that took place before we arrived, reaching several hundred kids in several cities. As busy as we are, we're actually getting to see less than half of the events. That shows you how sold-out to the cause of Christ these believers are.

By the way, the un-signed blogs are from Megan and Jen. I don't want anyone to think I'm that good at communicating.

As exciting as all this is and as much as I'm enjoying super-concentrated time with four members of the HBC family, I truly miss you all and look forward to being back home with you. Lord willing our team will make a life remote appearance in church Sunday at the end of the service. Amazing . . .

Numbers 6:24-26,
Jim