Looks like it's been a while since I've posted! I've gotten into the full swing of my sophomore year of college (I should say second year, because I'll be a junior by December!!) and between my full-load of credit hours, my extracurriculars, and my own crazy life, I just haven't been blogging too much!
However, this past Sunday was a really neat experience for me! First of all, it was a three-day weekend. Those are always fun!! More importantly, though, I was able to give a presentation at my dad's church in Des Moines, Iowa. The church there had supported me while I was on my trip, and I was really excited to be able to return to this small, loving family and share what God did in Russia!
First, as I was talking to a member's visiting parents, we were chatting about where they were from, where I went to school, what I was going into... Typical small talk with a college student! I was talking to the father, and he said that he and his wife sponsor an orphanage in Saint Petersburg! I got pretty excited and asked who they did that through, and he said Pastor Reehl! Oh man, I was excited! They were unable to stay for the presentation, but I was able to give them my contact information. Their church in Gretna, Nebraska is working on mission work out of their church, a new program. They said that Reehl has spoken, but they'd like me to come and speak some time! What an awesome outreach! After that, I gave my presentation to the Bible study group.
It was a difficult presentation, though not any different from my previous ones. As soon as I hit the spots where I talk about the special needs kids... I just lose it. I can't help it. That has become even more meaningful since my Special Education class this semester. I have yet to get through that section without choking up.
Afterwards, I learned that one of the parishioners had taken four years of Russian in high school. (I'm so jealous...) We talked to her a bit, and she said she'd love to go on the trip! I gave her Reehl's number, and she could potentially be going on this summer's trip!
The outreach that I was a part of this past Sunday blows me away. I was sharing with one of my friends, and she told me "Steph, God is using you in so many ways!"
She's right, but what a humbling comment! I have to go back to my favorite quote from Kisses from Katie: "I am blown away that my God, who could do this all by Himself, would choose to let me be a little part of it!" Every day, whether or not we realize it, we affect someone's life. Whether it's our roommate, our best friend, or a random stranger who we smile at as we walk by. We have the power to change someone's life, for better or for worse.
Keep in mind, God's using you, too. Every day, every moment, you are His child, a witness of Jesus' ultimate love and sacrifice. With that in mind, God bless you as you go out and spread his joy, love, and peace with those around you.
God bless you in all that you do!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Sunday, September 2, 2012
When the Door Closes... And I'm on the Side Facing the Whole World
Often times, God puts our hearts at rest in ways that maybe we didn't see coming, or that we didn't want to come at all. Often times, questions plague us, distract us from daily work, from friendships, from family time, from homework, from anything that we should be doing besides thinking about our issues.
In my case, I was dealing with something that left me with a sense of insecurity, uncertainty, confusion, and many other feelings that, I'll be honest, I just did not need in the middle of my first week of sophomore year of college. I kept asking for an ultimatum, an end to the things that were rolling around in my brain, a sure answer to the questions that I kept asking of myself and sometimes other people.
Last night, by the grace of God, it came. Now, I've said that I strive to make this blog about my mission that has been given to me by God. This mission is often affected by other things life offers. Things like relationships. To keep things short, I just got out of a relationship that I thought would follow me to my mission in Russia, that I thought would be beside me for the rest of my life. But sometimes, even if you have your life planned out, God steps in, especially if He's not a big enough part of it. I see now that He was not in the center but on the outskirts of my first relationship, and I thank Him that He pulled me back to His side, though it was painful to have to be pulled way from my guy.
Any way, in favor of keeping things short, God finally gave me time to talk to this someone, this someone who is now a great friend of mine, who supports me, talks with me, seeks me out for advice, and is exactly what I would want in a great friend. Last night, I was shown just how great a friend that he is, and that he will continue to be. God put my wandering heart at rest, gave me peace in this newly established situation, and I am forever grateful.
Maybe it's not the outcome that I wanted. However, sometimes God shuts us out of "rooms", if you will, that we've gotten too used to. When we realize that door has been shut, we don't even take the time to look at the next room He's put us in. Instead, we turn around, too scared of the new section. We start banging on the door, crying and begging to be let back in to the "norm", the situations that we're so used to, that maybe we've fallen in love with.
And God gives us time. He never pushes us faster than He thinks we can go. But slowly, gently, He wipes away the tears, puts His hands on our shoulders, and turns us around. That's when we see it: the world behind the door. What He shuts us out of is only a small portion of our lives, is only a room that we walked through. When we clear our heads and take a look at the new place that He's "shut us into", we see new people, new opportunities, new situations, new passions, new needs, new successes... The list is completely endless.
Take it from a girl who took two months to see that big, open world. If God has recently shut a door in your life, stop trying that locked handle. Stop pounding on the door. If it's meant to be reopened, God's got the key, and He knows when the best time to reopen will be. Trust in your heavenly Father. He will not ever lead you into a new "room" that He doesn't think you can handle, with His grace.
Blessings on all that you do!
P.S. - A shout-out to my overseas readers! Blogger lets me see where my audience is spaced out, and I have readers from the U.S. (obviously,) but I've also got some readers in China, Germany, and my strongest audience is in Russia!! So God bless you! Thanks for reading!! :)
In my case, I was dealing with something that left me with a sense of insecurity, uncertainty, confusion, and many other feelings that, I'll be honest, I just did not need in the middle of my first week of sophomore year of college. I kept asking for an ultimatum, an end to the things that were rolling around in my brain, a sure answer to the questions that I kept asking of myself and sometimes other people.
Last night, by the grace of God, it came. Now, I've said that I strive to make this blog about my mission that has been given to me by God. This mission is often affected by other things life offers. Things like relationships. To keep things short, I just got out of a relationship that I thought would follow me to my mission in Russia, that I thought would be beside me for the rest of my life. But sometimes, even if you have your life planned out, God steps in, especially if He's not a big enough part of it. I see now that He was not in the center but on the outskirts of my first relationship, and I thank Him that He pulled me back to His side, though it was painful to have to be pulled way from my guy.
Any way, in favor of keeping things short, God finally gave me time to talk to this someone, this someone who is now a great friend of mine, who supports me, talks with me, seeks me out for advice, and is exactly what I would want in a great friend. Last night, I was shown just how great a friend that he is, and that he will continue to be. God put my wandering heart at rest, gave me peace in this newly established situation, and I am forever grateful.
Maybe it's not the outcome that I wanted. However, sometimes God shuts us out of "rooms", if you will, that we've gotten too used to. When we realize that door has been shut, we don't even take the time to look at the next room He's put us in. Instead, we turn around, too scared of the new section. We start banging on the door, crying and begging to be let back in to the "norm", the situations that we're so used to, that maybe we've fallen in love with.
And God gives us time. He never pushes us faster than He thinks we can go. But slowly, gently, He wipes away the tears, puts His hands on our shoulders, and turns us around. That's when we see it: the world behind the door. What He shuts us out of is only a small portion of our lives, is only a room that we walked through. When we clear our heads and take a look at the new place that He's "shut us into", we see new people, new opportunities, new situations, new passions, new needs, new successes... The list is completely endless.
Take it from a girl who took two months to see that big, open world. If God has recently shut a door in your life, stop trying that locked handle. Stop pounding on the door. If it's meant to be reopened, God's got the key, and He knows when the best time to reopen will be. Trust in your heavenly Father. He will not ever lead you into a new "room" that He doesn't think you can handle, with His grace.
Blessings on all that you do!
P.S. - A shout-out to my overseas readers! Blogger lets me see where my audience is spaced out, and I have readers from the U.S. (obviously,) but I've also got some readers in China, Germany, and my strongest audience is in Russia!! So God bless you! Thanks for reading!! :)
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Blessed to be a Blessing
Life.
Never simple, never perfect, never crystal-clear. We never have everything we want, we never have all the people we love within hugging distance, we never have all the money we think we need.
And yet, through it all, there's God. God. My miraculous, loving, omnipresent Father, never leaves me, never deserts me, never walks away.
My God offers me tough times, times to fully rely on Him, times where I have no other choice but to lift my hands up to the stars and say "God, this has to be You, because there's no physical way I'll be able to do it on my own."
"Blessed to be a blessing." What a great theme for a school year! Here at Concordia, the focus, at least for the first three days, has been that quote. We've heard some wonderful speakers, one on her own mission trips this summer, one on how "genius" simply means helper, and that we can all be geniuses. But they all tie in: How blessed we are to be blessings.
That turned my thoughts to Russia immediately during the first two days of chapel. How blessed I was to be a blessing to the children and the patients who I reached out to! But tonight, I was reminded of my own belief in witnessing where you are, where God has put you.
So many people who I know and love have come to trust me with their issues, their ups and downs in life. How blessed I am, to be approached and trusted by friends who are struggling. As I prayed with a friend tonight, we finished up and did what any two confused and wandering girls would do: held each other and cried. Not necessarily totally out of sorrow, but maybe because when all the emotions in the world get mixed together, tears are the result.
When we had finished, she said "I'm sure that God has sent you tonight to help me." What a powerful, wonderful, and totally moving statement. That's when I remembered, "blessed to be a blessing." I am blown away by the number of times God uses me, as I said earlier in my Russia journals, to reach out, to be the hand at the end of His arm. All the glory to God! I praise Him and thank Him for the wonderful friends I have, not only to reach out to and to pray with, but who I know, in a heartbeat, would do the exact same things for me, when I need them.
God the Father has truly blessed me, continues to bless me, on a daily basis. I can not express, in words, how amazed I am at His constant love, His never-ending mercy, His compassion that extends further than I can ever understand. I look forward to the day when I can sing about His grace and love and wondrous might forever in heaven.
Blessings on all that you do!
(And may you be "blessed to be a blessing.")
Never simple, never perfect, never crystal-clear. We never have everything we want, we never have all the people we love within hugging distance, we never have all the money we think we need.
And yet, through it all, there's God. God. My miraculous, loving, omnipresent Father, never leaves me, never deserts me, never walks away.
My God offers me tough times, times to fully rely on Him, times where I have no other choice but to lift my hands up to the stars and say "God, this has to be You, because there's no physical way I'll be able to do it on my own."
"Blessed to be a blessing." What a great theme for a school year! Here at Concordia, the focus, at least for the first three days, has been that quote. We've heard some wonderful speakers, one on her own mission trips this summer, one on how "genius" simply means helper, and that we can all be geniuses. But they all tie in: How blessed we are to be blessings.
That turned my thoughts to Russia immediately during the first two days of chapel. How blessed I was to be a blessing to the children and the patients who I reached out to! But tonight, I was reminded of my own belief in witnessing where you are, where God has put you.
So many people who I know and love have come to trust me with their issues, their ups and downs in life. How blessed I am, to be approached and trusted by friends who are struggling. As I prayed with a friend tonight, we finished up and did what any two confused and wandering girls would do: held each other and cried. Not necessarily totally out of sorrow, but maybe because when all the emotions in the world get mixed together, tears are the result.
When we had finished, she said "I'm sure that God has sent you tonight to help me." What a powerful, wonderful, and totally moving statement. That's when I remembered, "blessed to be a blessing." I am blown away by the number of times God uses me, as I said earlier in my Russia journals, to reach out, to be the hand at the end of His arm. All the glory to God! I praise Him and thank Him for the wonderful friends I have, not only to reach out to and to pray with, but who I know, in a heartbeat, would do the exact same things for me, when I need them.
God the Father has truly blessed me, continues to bless me, on a daily basis. I can not express, in words, how amazed I am at His constant love, His never-ending mercy, His compassion that extends further than I can ever understand. I look forward to the day when I can sing about His grace and love and wondrous might forever in heaven.
Blessings on all that you do!
(And may you be "blessed to be a blessing.")
Saturday, August 25, 2012
So Much Junk
Every time that I pack, be it for a short vacation with my family, a week with my dad, a summer at camp, or a year at college, I always have to look at the things that I've piled together and say to myself, "Holy guacamole, I've got a lot of junk!"
For some reason, I always pack more than I need. Freshman year was a sad example of that... I moved into my first dorm ever and realized that I had brought childhood dolls, clothes for the wrong seasons, enough pairs of shoes to cover the British army's feet, and enough pillows to make another bed out of. I recanted my dolls and let my mom take them home to be stored away, but everything else I kept, mostly because "I just don't know when I'll need it!"
I have to look at this as some form of insecurity. Why is it that people, (mostly girls, for some reason,) can't seem to let go of worldly possessions? Girls like to shop as a past-time. (Guys, if you're out there and like to shop to kill time, I'm not judging. Just stereotyping.) We end up socializing with each other and coming home with way more than we can afford, let alone than we need. And yet, at least for me, I keep going back, keep shopping on the internet (which has really become too easy of a way to spend money, in my opinion,) and the "junk" that keeps getting boxed up every school year continues to grow.
This summer, God opened my eyes to so much need, in the eyes of Russian orphans, Santa Fe homeless people, RFKC children. These people have all been given a life, a chance. And either life's been more cruel to them than the average person, or they've thrown it away. No matter what the case may be, they're still needing, still worse of than I am.
Those faces all crossed my mind as I was packing up my things, as I was looking in dumb-struck awe at the number of boxes I had piled up, things that I was going to need to fit, with the help of a miracle, into my side of a dorm room. I tried to pick out things that I didn't need, didn't use, and that, let's be honest, would never probably leave their hangers again, at least while in my possession. Even after I cleaned out all these unnecessary things, here I am on pack-the-car day, and my mother's cross-over is packed with the "big things", and I'm in the process of filling my tiny Dodge Neon with what's left, praying it will all fit.
I'm not trying to look down on people who have materialistic things, because I know that many of us (including my own self!) not only have them, but treasure many of the things we have bought or been given. I simply mean to reflect on how much importance we place on things that, in reality, will mean nothing, absolutely nothing, once we are able to gaze upon the loving face of our Savior in heaven. Glory be to God, who gives us Jesus and his ultimate sacrifice so that we have something, something so incredibly precious, to look forward to other than boxes of clothes and Disney movies. ;)
Blessings on all that you do!
For some reason, I always pack more than I need. Freshman year was a sad example of that... I moved into my first dorm ever and realized that I had brought childhood dolls, clothes for the wrong seasons, enough pairs of shoes to cover the British army's feet, and enough pillows to make another bed out of. I recanted my dolls and let my mom take them home to be stored away, but everything else I kept, mostly because "I just don't know when I'll need it!"
I have to look at this as some form of insecurity. Why is it that people, (mostly girls, for some reason,) can't seem to let go of worldly possessions? Girls like to shop as a past-time. (Guys, if you're out there and like to shop to kill time, I'm not judging. Just stereotyping.) We end up socializing with each other and coming home with way more than we can afford, let alone than we need. And yet, at least for me, I keep going back, keep shopping on the internet (which has really become too easy of a way to spend money, in my opinion,) and the "junk" that keeps getting boxed up every school year continues to grow.
This summer, God opened my eyes to so much need, in the eyes of Russian orphans, Santa Fe homeless people, RFKC children. These people have all been given a life, a chance. And either life's been more cruel to them than the average person, or they've thrown it away. No matter what the case may be, they're still needing, still worse of than I am.
Those faces all crossed my mind as I was packing up my things, as I was looking in dumb-struck awe at the number of boxes I had piled up, things that I was going to need to fit, with the help of a miracle, into my side of a dorm room. I tried to pick out things that I didn't need, didn't use, and that, let's be honest, would never probably leave their hangers again, at least while in my possession. Even after I cleaned out all these unnecessary things, here I am on pack-the-car day, and my mother's cross-over is packed with the "big things", and I'm in the process of filling my tiny Dodge Neon with what's left, praying it will all fit.
I'm not trying to look down on people who have materialistic things, because I know that many of us (including my own self!) not only have them, but treasure many of the things we have bought or been given. I simply mean to reflect on how much importance we place on things that, in reality, will mean nothing, absolutely nothing, once we are able to gaze upon the loving face of our Savior in heaven. Glory be to God, who gives us Jesus and his ultimate sacrifice so that we have something, something so incredibly precious, to look forward to other than boxes of clothes and Disney movies. ;)
Blessings on all that you do!
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Talking To My Shadows
Today has been an awesome reminder of how blessed I am, how much God has given me! Today, I was reminded of the awesome support group that I have at home. Not only do I have friends and family who are with me to comfort me through every trial, to laugh with me through every high point, and to just sit and talk during the "normal" moments, but I've got a great church family, a collection of teachers still looking out for me, and a community that prays for me and checks up on me.
This morning, I had the extreme pleasure of hearing my interview with My Bridge Radio aired! I had taken off work for a presentation (more on that in a minute,) so I was able to be home for it! I'm going to be honest, I like hearing myself talk. Honestly, I think we all do, to a degree. It's probably a great downfall of mine... None the less, though, I really enjoyed hearing my radio conversation from everyone else's perspective, not just my own. Stan and Gordon, the morning radio hosts, were so much fun to talk to, and they really made me think about why I went on the trip, why I'm going again, and what impact these trips are serving for both me and the people who I meet! My mom was listening with me, and commented on how my 2012 trip quite possibly will never stop impacting people. She said "What if someone knows Pastor Reehl, and never thought they could go on the trip until they heard your interview??" All the glory to God, should someone be able to go on the trip after being inspired by my interview! It is my Father in heaven who gives me the words I speak, the experiences I share, the stories I write and tell.
(By the way, here's the link to the interview, if you'd like to listen:
Steph's Interview with My Bridge Radio)
Following the radio show, I began to prepare myself for possibly my most challenging presentation thus far: going back to my own K-8 Lutheran school to share my experiences with the students in chapel. It's one thing to talk to adults about where I've been and what I've done, how much the special-needs orphanages impacted me, how angry the Russian government made me when I walked into Hospital 8. However, it's a completely different "game", if you will, to talk to kids as young as 5 and as old as 13 or 14. I was really nervous about the whole thing, the new presentation, talking to kids who I've watched grow up (tell you what, if you ever need to feel old, just watch the babies you rocked to sleep file into the chapel with their kindergarten class...)
However, when I got there, the Holy Spirit did His thing, as always. I was able to share with the kids a few pictures from the orphanages that really impacted me, some of the Russian orphans who left their handprints on my heart, and some of the moments that will never leave me. My audience was very respectful, and I believe that God helped me get my message across!
The coolest thing, though, about getting to talk to the kids was knowing the whole reason behind my being invited there. They are planning on giving their first-semester chapel offerings to help a program that buys Sunday School materials for kids in Russia! Isn't that amazing?? God blows my mind, pretty much on a daily basis, but today's just been kind of full of explosions... First, My Bridge Radio picks THIS summer to do a theme on "Reaching Out to the Ends of the Earth", and I'm able to contact them and share with them about my mission trip! Then, my old school chooses to send their offerings over to Russia, and I'm able to share my experiences with kids who are the age that I was when I first decided I wanted to go to Russia on my first missions trip!
God reaches out, in so many ways, ways that I think often go unnoticed by us mere human beings. But the times when we do notice, I think those are the gifts that are meant to be kept, treasured. Watching the kids react at the pictures of Hospital 8, or seeing the curiosity grow as I shared about the lives of Russian kids, just makes me wonder, if somewhere in my audience today, was there a little girl, say maybe 9 or 10, who thought to herself "...Gee, I wonder if I could go to Russia some day..."
Blessings on all that you do. :)
This morning, I had the extreme pleasure of hearing my interview with My Bridge Radio aired! I had taken off work for a presentation (more on that in a minute,) so I was able to be home for it! I'm going to be honest, I like hearing myself talk. Honestly, I think we all do, to a degree. It's probably a great downfall of mine... None the less, though, I really enjoyed hearing my radio conversation from everyone else's perspective, not just my own. Stan and Gordon, the morning radio hosts, were so much fun to talk to, and they really made me think about why I went on the trip, why I'm going again, and what impact these trips are serving for both me and the people who I meet! My mom was listening with me, and commented on how my 2012 trip quite possibly will never stop impacting people. She said "What if someone knows Pastor Reehl, and never thought they could go on the trip until they heard your interview??" All the glory to God, should someone be able to go on the trip after being inspired by my interview! It is my Father in heaven who gives me the words I speak, the experiences I share, the stories I write and tell.
(By the way, here's the link to the interview, if you'd like to listen:
Steph's Interview with My Bridge Radio)
Following the radio show, I began to prepare myself for possibly my most challenging presentation thus far: going back to my own K-8 Lutheran school to share my experiences with the students in chapel. It's one thing to talk to adults about where I've been and what I've done, how much the special-needs orphanages impacted me, how angry the Russian government made me when I walked into Hospital 8. However, it's a completely different "game", if you will, to talk to kids as young as 5 and as old as 13 or 14. I was really nervous about the whole thing, the new presentation, talking to kids who I've watched grow up (tell you what, if you ever need to feel old, just watch the babies you rocked to sleep file into the chapel with their kindergarten class...)
However, when I got there, the Holy Spirit did His thing, as always. I was able to share with the kids a few pictures from the orphanages that really impacted me, some of the Russian orphans who left their handprints on my heart, and some of the moments that will never leave me. My audience was very respectful, and I believe that God helped me get my message across!
The coolest thing, though, about getting to talk to the kids was knowing the whole reason behind my being invited there. They are planning on giving their first-semester chapel offerings to help a program that buys Sunday School materials for kids in Russia! Isn't that amazing?? God blows my mind, pretty much on a daily basis, but today's just been kind of full of explosions... First, My Bridge Radio picks THIS summer to do a theme on "Reaching Out to the Ends of the Earth", and I'm able to contact them and share with them about my mission trip! Then, my old school chooses to send their offerings over to Russia, and I'm able to share my experiences with kids who are the age that I was when I first decided I wanted to go to Russia on my first missions trip!
God reaches out, in so many ways, ways that I think often go unnoticed by us mere human beings. But the times when we do notice, I think those are the gifts that are meant to be kept, treasured. Watching the kids react at the pictures of Hospital 8, or seeing the curiosity grow as I shared about the lives of Russian kids, just makes me wonder, if somewhere in my audience today, was there a little girl, say maybe 9 or 10, who thought to herself "...Gee, I wonder if I could go to Russia some day..."
Blessings on all that you do. :)
Friday, August 3, 2012
My Surreal Summer, Overflowing With Gifts
It's August 3rd, already! The next 23 days are going to fly by, and before I know it, I'll be starting my sophomore year in college. (Maybe that doesn't terrify anyone else like it terrifies me...) On the way home from the Grand Canyon the past 19 hours, I had a lot of time to think, mostly about my summer, my first summer coming home from college, getting a job, and almost living on my own. I've had so many "God moments", so many times where I have just taken a step back and said "Holy cow, this is ME!! I am the one living this life!"
First off, my summer in general is just a huge blessing. The fact that I'm able to come home and see my family and get a job because I'm that close to school is a gift from God. I was able to meet my two cousins' new babies, only weeks after they were born! That was a huge privilege, and a great way to spend my time at home before I left for Russia.
Russia. If you've been reading my entries, then you know what an amazing experience I had, what an awesome, long-awaited gift from God that trip was! Even now, almost three months later, I still can't believe that I have actually been to Russia. That trip had so many eye-opening moments, so many "God-is-so-totally-in-control-that-it-blows-my-mind" moments, and I still can't quite grasp that I was able to experience them. Moments like giving Valerie his Bible, or meeting a family of kids who are still together in an orphanage, or stepping into the Baltic Sea, or looking at my passport and knowing that I've visited four new countries. Moments like that don't come very often, at least in my life, and now I've experienced them!
Coming home from that, I was able to work, all summer. In today's economy, it was a huge gift to have a full-time job, coming straight out of a first year of college, and that job will help me get back to Russia next summer! (AAAAAAAH!!! RUSSIA AGAIN!!!!!)
There are little moments in my summer that simply can't all be recorded. Time with my family, teaching moments from God, catching up with high school friends, getting to see friends from out of town. Little things like that, that I take for granted! God has given me so much, and I have so much more than many people... I often forget that, often find little things to complain about. And it was my trip to the Grand Canyon that kind of hit home for me, how much I really have to be thankful for.
We drove through (let me count...) four states, two of which were new to me. Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. In the final two, we saw a lot of need, need that doesn't often come to our minds when we think of America and how well-off we all are. I saw homeless people in Santa Fe, we drove through many, many desolate Indian reservations, and saw several people in need of something more. It kind of hit me, then, just how much I have. I have a car to travel through four states with. I have a family to go on vacation with. I have the means to stay in a hotel and go inside the Grand Canyon National Park. I have a healthy body to hike into the Grand Canyon. I have medicine to help cure the stupid head cold I got. :)
It just kind of hits, when you're standing over the biggest "hole" in the United States, how awesome God is, how powerful He is, how in-control He is. One of my biggest struggles is entrusting all my problems, my worries, my concerns to our Heavenly Father. But after this road trip, after my little moments with His precious children, after my two-week, long-awaited mission trip, it becomes easier for me to see: We serve an awesome God, one who is worthy of our praise, our trust, our worship, our everything. To God be the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Blessings on all that you do!
First off, my summer in general is just a huge blessing. The fact that I'm able to come home and see my family and get a job because I'm that close to school is a gift from God. I was able to meet my two cousins' new babies, only weeks after they were born! That was a huge privilege, and a great way to spend my time at home before I left for Russia.
Russia. If you've been reading my entries, then you know what an amazing experience I had, what an awesome, long-awaited gift from God that trip was! Even now, almost three months later, I still can't believe that I have actually been to Russia. That trip had so many eye-opening moments, so many "God-is-so-totally-in-control-that-it-blows-my-mind" moments, and I still can't quite grasp that I was able to experience them. Moments like giving Valerie his Bible, or meeting a family of kids who are still together in an orphanage, or stepping into the Baltic Sea, or looking at my passport and knowing that I've visited four new countries. Moments like that don't come very often, at least in my life, and now I've experienced them!
Coming home from that, I was able to work, all summer. In today's economy, it was a huge gift to have a full-time job, coming straight out of a first year of college, and that job will help me get back to Russia next summer! (AAAAAAAH!!! RUSSIA AGAIN!!!!!)
There are little moments in my summer that simply can't all be recorded. Time with my family, teaching moments from God, catching up with high school friends, getting to see friends from out of town. Little things like that, that I take for granted! God has given me so much, and I have so much more than many people... I often forget that, often find little things to complain about. And it was my trip to the Grand Canyon that kind of hit home for me, how much I really have to be thankful for.
We drove through (let me count...) four states, two of which were new to me. Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. In the final two, we saw a lot of need, need that doesn't often come to our minds when we think of America and how well-off we all are. I saw homeless people in Santa Fe, we drove through many, many desolate Indian reservations, and saw several people in need of something more. It kind of hit me, then, just how much I have. I have a car to travel through four states with. I have a family to go on vacation with. I have the means to stay in a hotel and go inside the Grand Canyon National Park. I have a healthy body to hike into the Grand Canyon. I have medicine to help cure the stupid head cold I got. :)
It just kind of hits, when you're standing over the biggest "hole" in the United States, how awesome God is, how powerful He is, how in-control He is. One of my biggest struggles is entrusting all my problems, my worries, my concerns to our Heavenly Father. But after this road trip, after my little moments with His precious children, after my two-week, long-awaited mission trip, it becomes easier for me to see: We serve an awesome God, one who is worthy of our praise, our trust, our worship, our everything. To God be the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Blessings on all that you do!
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| Colorado River |
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| Overlooking the Grand Canyon |
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| Grand Canyon |
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| Small, Beautiful Part of the Grand Canyon |
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Welcome Home, and Goodbye
Friday. Friday always hits me hard, because I'm just drained. Emotionally, physically... It's a hard day to get through, but it always has its ups to go with its downs.
The schedule didn't change until after lunch, when we packed up and the kids wrote their "Dear God" letters and their "Why I Like Camp" letters. Sometimes, reading those can really send it home, why we do camp, why we reach out to these kids.
Afterwards, the kids got to look at pictures and listen to camp music while we waited for the bus to get there. We also had our "graduation" ceremony, where we give our 11-year-olds their final departing gift, because they're officially too old to rejoin us at RFKC. This year, Miguel graduated. This was his first and last year at RFKC, but we know, and I'll share more a bit further down, that God did some amazing things in his life while he was at camp. April also graduated. This little girl has been to camp each of the 5 years that Columbus has been hosting it. Leaving was hard for her, which is completely understandable. She's really come to love it, even she'd never come out and say it. April's a sweet, loving little girl, and she'll definitely be missed next year.
By this point on Friday, I've normally broken down at some point, had a moment that just drives home why RFKC is in existence. I hadn't had it yet, and I thought I was going to actually leave camp in one piece. And I almost made it! Well, the moment actually came when we left camp.
Often, the kids start breaking out of their shells, and they start talking on Wednesday or Thursday. Often times, as happy as we are that the kids have reached a comfort spot with us, it's the stories they share that break us to pieces. A counselor friend of mine shared a story with me about one of her little girls, a little, tiny angel who had been hurt, and she was so scared to tell her mom about the injury, that by the time her mom knew to take her to the hospital, the injury was already healed over, and her vocal chords were affected by it. The little girl had been 4.
FOUR.
And she went back to that same home. That's when I broke, and I remembered where my kids were going, where they had come from. I can normally hold back my emotions until after the kids leave. I couldn't do it this year. I was crying before they even got off the bus. I think a lot of kids were confused, as most the counselors were emotional. The kids who were going back to great homes were even more confused. They couldn't understand what was going on, and for that, I'm grateful. But it was the kiddos who clung to the counselors instead of the parents or guardians. It was the kids who cried as they walked away, and all we could do was sit there, and hope that they were going to a good place.
And it's at that point, that point where all I can do is sob, and give one last hug, and tell these kids that I love them, that I have to release them into God's hands. Not that He doesn't already hold them. But there's literally nothing more I can do. We have a just and loving Father, whose Son said "Let the little children come to me." He invites the smallest, most fragile child into His loving arms, and praise God! He wants to hold on to them, and take care of them like no other parent, good or bad, could even imagine.
After the kids left, we shared our favorite memories of them, moments that moved us, moments that we know will stick with us and the kids forever. We also read the letters from the kids, and Miguel's was the most powerful. He thanked God for Jesus, for the cross, for raising Him again. He thanked God for camp. And he thanked God for being taught how to talk to Him. Miguel had never even heard of Jesus' name before camp.
That's why we do this. That's why we keep reaching out to sometimes-frustrating kids. God is always moving, and we can only pray that He would keep those tiny seeds alive in the hearts of our 24 kids. We pray that He will make those seeds burst and grow with such ferocity, that the kids know that it could be nothing else by His amazing power and love. I keep these kids in my prayers, hoping that this one week a year makes a difference in their lives. I can only pray that the other 51 weeks out of the year don't make my sweet little angels bitter, angry, or upset with the world. And someone, I know that God's everlasting love will shine through, and that these kids will start to see him in every aspect of their lives.
Blessings on all that you do!
The schedule didn't change until after lunch, when we packed up and the kids wrote their "Dear God" letters and their "Why I Like Camp" letters. Sometimes, reading those can really send it home, why we do camp, why we reach out to these kids.
Afterwards, the kids got to look at pictures and listen to camp music while we waited for the bus to get there. We also had our "graduation" ceremony, where we give our 11-year-olds their final departing gift, because they're officially too old to rejoin us at RFKC. This year, Miguel graduated. This was his first and last year at RFKC, but we know, and I'll share more a bit further down, that God did some amazing things in his life while he was at camp. April also graduated. This little girl has been to camp each of the 5 years that Columbus has been hosting it. Leaving was hard for her, which is completely understandable. She's really come to love it, even she'd never come out and say it. April's a sweet, loving little girl, and she'll definitely be missed next year.
By this point on Friday, I've normally broken down at some point, had a moment that just drives home why RFKC is in existence. I hadn't had it yet, and I thought I was going to actually leave camp in one piece. And I almost made it! Well, the moment actually came when we left camp.
Often, the kids start breaking out of their shells, and they start talking on Wednesday or Thursday. Often times, as happy as we are that the kids have reached a comfort spot with us, it's the stories they share that break us to pieces. A counselor friend of mine shared a story with me about one of her little girls, a little, tiny angel who had been hurt, and she was so scared to tell her mom about the injury, that by the time her mom knew to take her to the hospital, the injury was already healed over, and her vocal chords were affected by it. The little girl had been 4.
FOUR.
And she went back to that same home. That's when I broke, and I remembered where my kids were going, where they had come from. I can normally hold back my emotions until after the kids leave. I couldn't do it this year. I was crying before they even got off the bus. I think a lot of kids were confused, as most the counselors were emotional. The kids who were going back to great homes were even more confused. They couldn't understand what was going on, and for that, I'm grateful. But it was the kiddos who clung to the counselors instead of the parents or guardians. It was the kids who cried as they walked away, and all we could do was sit there, and hope that they were going to a good place.
And it's at that point, that point where all I can do is sob, and give one last hug, and tell these kids that I love them, that I have to release them into God's hands. Not that He doesn't already hold them. But there's literally nothing more I can do. We have a just and loving Father, whose Son said "Let the little children come to me." He invites the smallest, most fragile child into His loving arms, and praise God! He wants to hold on to them, and take care of them like no other parent, good or bad, could even imagine.
After the kids left, we shared our favorite memories of them, moments that moved us, moments that we know will stick with us and the kids forever. We also read the letters from the kids, and Miguel's was the most powerful. He thanked God for Jesus, for the cross, for raising Him again. He thanked God for camp. And he thanked God for being taught how to talk to Him. Miguel had never even heard of Jesus' name before camp.
That's why we do this. That's why we keep reaching out to sometimes-frustrating kids. God is always moving, and we can only pray that He would keep those tiny seeds alive in the hearts of our 24 kids. We pray that He will make those seeds burst and grow with such ferocity, that the kids know that it could be nothing else by His amazing power and love. I keep these kids in my prayers, hoping that this one week a year makes a difference in their lives. I can only pray that the other 51 weeks out of the year don't make my sweet little angels bitter, angry, or upset with the world. And someone, I know that God's everlasting love will shine through, and that these kids will start to see him in every aspect of their lives.
Blessings on all that you do!
Thursday - Prom Dresses, Suit Coats, and Rain
Thursday at RFKC was our birthday party day, and this, by far is always my favorite day out of the entire week!! :)
We started off doing our normal, every day activities, and the kids who had been at camp before were trying so hard not to tell the new kids what was going to happen that night!
When the girls left to go swimming, the staff started to clear out our main building and we put up tables, hung dresses, set up nail and hair stations, and then waited for the princesses to arrive! (All while the boys got to practice their hand at BB guns!)
When the girls came in, and saw the prom dresses galore, saw us waiting for them at the hair and makeup stations, and saw the sparkling tiaras, their faces lit up with a surprise and joy that just never gets old for me. Before they could even begin to express all the excitement that they were holding, dresses started flying, hairspray started going, and their were smiles and "Ooos" and "Aaahs" all over the place. Music was playing in the background, glitter flew through the air, and the beautiful, shining daughters of God began to discover their true beauty.
This year, my sister and I donated old dresses to RFKC. Among them were our bridesmaid dresses from my dad's wedding, my two high school prom dresses, and a random dress that we had picked up at Good Will but only ever used for dress-ups.
As the girls started sorting through the dresses, one little girl named Edna seemed a bit at a loss for which dress to try on. I brought out my senior prom dress, and showed it to her, told her that it was mine, the one I had gotten prom queen in. Her face lit up, and she looked at me and said "Can I really wear it??" Oh, it broke my heart, but in a good way. I helped her lace it up, and for the next half hour, she was showing everyone her "prom queen dress". Now, how much better is that moment than that dress hanging in a closet for the next 30 years??
All but one dress was used by the girls, and they all looked absolutely stunning, in all the different dresses. I loved watching the more shy collection of girls begin to breakout and bloom under the praise of staff members and fellow princesses.
Once everyone had their hair done up, their nails painted, and their makeup on, we announced that the "carriage" (or haywagon,) would be coming around shortly, so naturally, we must practice our princess wave! My dear friend Camille, who has always been and always will be a princess at heart, demonstrated just exactly how a princess waves! (Elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist, touch the pearls, blow a kiss!) Our tiny little girls were waving and waving, with all the grace in the world. Camille ended her moment by reminding them that, even without the dresses and the hair, they're always princesses, because they're daughters of the King. I cried. :)
We took some pictures, and then we were helped onto our carriage! We waved at the trees and the cabins as we drove by them, and the girls got more and more antsy as we approached the waiting boys. (This was my favorite part!!) When the wagon came, all the boys, campers and staff, began to clap and cheer, and then, as the girls got off, they all bowed to us, and said "Good evening ladies!" and our 12 little princesses all practiced their curtsies as they went through the doors, where the full-time summer staff was dressed and cheering for the entering royalty.
At dinner, the girls were all so patient as they waited for their drinks and their meals. As we sat there, talking about all the perks of being princesses, one of the littler girls, Amelia, pointed out the window and said "God sent us a birthday present!!" Outside were the few precious drops of rain that our little kiddos had been praying for all week. The whole camp cheered, and the girls sitting at my table quickly bowed their heads and thanked God for the "best birthday present ever!" These little girls, who have been dressed in froof and sparkles and bright colors, the majority of whom know that we're about to go and open toys and other fine presents, are thanking God for the gift of rain drops. It really just was one of the moments that you never forget.
After dinner, the kids all performed in a talent show before they opened their gifts. Opening gifts is the best part of all, in my opinion. So many exclamations, so much thankfulness, and for the simplest things! One little girl received a pencil case, pens, and a notepad, and was so happy because "Now I can save my mom money when I go to school!" These simple things, that together, probably cost less than $5.
It's moments like that when I get snapped back into reality, and I have to remember that these kids are at camp for a reason. They aren't just "normal camp kids". They're kids who have dealt with a lifetime of worry and trouble in less than 12 years. And often times, the realization just hits me, when I look at these kids who I fall in love with, and wonder what they're going home to.
We started off doing our normal, every day activities, and the kids who had been at camp before were trying so hard not to tell the new kids what was going to happen that night!
When the girls left to go swimming, the staff started to clear out our main building and we put up tables, hung dresses, set up nail and hair stations, and then waited for the princesses to arrive! (All while the boys got to practice their hand at BB guns!)
When the girls came in, and saw the prom dresses galore, saw us waiting for them at the hair and makeup stations, and saw the sparkling tiaras, their faces lit up with a surprise and joy that just never gets old for me. Before they could even begin to express all the excitement that they were holding, dresses started flying, hairspray started going, and their were smiles and "Ooos" and "Aaahs" all over the place. Music was playing in the background, glitter flew through the air, and the beautiful, shining daughters of God began to discover their true beauty.
This year, my sister and I donated old dresses to RFKC. Among them were our bridesmaid dresses from my dad's wedding, my two high school prom dresses, and a random dress that we had picked up at Good Will but only ever used for dress-ups.
As the girls started sorting through the dresses, one little girl named Edna seemed a bit at a loss for which dress to try on. I brought out my senior prom dress, and showed it to her, told her that it was mine, the one I had gotten prom queen in. Her face lit up, and she looked at me and said "Can I really wear it??" Oh, it broke my heart, but in a good way. I helped her lace it up, and for the next half hour, she was showing everyone her "prom queen dress". Now, how much better is that moment than that dress hanging in a closet for the next 30 years??
All but one dress was used by the girls, and they all looked absolutely stunning, in all the different dresses. I loved watching the more shy collection of girls begin to breakout and bloom under the praise of staff members and fellow princesses.
Once everyone had their hair done up, their nails painted, and their makeup on, we announced that the "carriage" (or haywagon,) would be coming around shortly, so naturally, we must practice our princess wave! My dear friend Camille, who has always been and always will be a princess at heart, demonstrated just exactly how a princess waves! (Elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist, touch the pearls, blow a kiss!) Our tiny little girls were waving and waving, with all the grace in the world. Camille ended her moment by reminding them that, even without the dresses and the hair, they're always princesses, because they're daughters of the King. I cried. :)
We took some pictures, and then we were helped onto our carriage! We waved at the trees and the cabins as we drove by them, and the girls got more and more antsy as we approached the waiting boys. (This was my favorite part!!) When the wagon came, all the boys, campers and staff, began to clap and cheer, and then, as the girls got off, they all bowed to us, and said "Good evening ladies!" and our 12 little princesses all practiced their curtsies as they went through the doors, where the full-time summer staff was dressed and cheering for the entering royalty.
At dinner, the girls were all so patient as they waited for their drinks and their meals. As we sat there, talking about all the perks of being princesses, one of the littler girls, Amelia, pointed out the window and said "God sent us a birthday present!!" Outside were the few precious drops of rain that our little kiddos had been praying for all week. The whole camp cheered, and the girls sitting at my table quickly bowed their heads and thanked God for the "best birthday present ever!" These little girls, who have been dressed in froof and sparkles and bright colors, the majority of whom know that we're about to go and open toys and other fine presents, are thanking God for the gift of rain drops. It really just was one of the moments that you never forget.
After dinner, the kids all performed in a talent show before they opened their gifts. Opening gifts is the best part of all, in my opinion. So many exclamations, so much thankfulness, and for the simplest things! One little girl received a pencil case, pens, and a notepad, and was so happy because "Now I can save my mom money when I go to school!" These simple things, that together, probably cost less than $5.
It's moments like that when I get snapped back into reality, and I have to remember that these kids are at camp for a reason. They aren't just "normal camp kids". They're kids who have dealt with a lifetime of worry and trouble in less than 12 years. And often times, the realization just hits me, when I look at these kids who I fall in love with, and wonder what they're going home to.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
My Heroes Don't Wear Capes... Most Days.
Today was absolutely amazing. Just kind of blows my mind when I think all the way back to 6:30 AM this morning, and look at today, now. Seems like two days packed into one!!
Our friend Katie recovered nicely, but not enough to be able to return back to her kiddos today. That being the case, Penelope and Patricia still needed a counselor for the day. I jumped in right after staff meeting, and so fulfilled my first official day as an RFKC counselor!
Pause. To all of you who have EVER been an RFKC counselor, you guys have officially become my heroes. I don't understand how it is that you do what you guys do. My co-counselor, Kristen, is such a sweet, loving, smiley girl, and she never loses patience, she never says anything sharp to the girls, and she commands their full attention effortlessly, it seems!
I don't want to make it sound like today was horrible, because it wasn't. It was an awesome experience to be a "foster counselor", as Miss Penelope dubbed me. (Isn't that like the best title ever??) I was able to get to know them a little better, hold their hands all day long, swim with them at the beach, make baby dolls out of clay with them, hang out with them during their rest time (where I was able to explain how to reference Biblical texts to one of Kristen's girls,) and overall, we just had a really amazing day, getting to learn about each other!
The girls definitely missed Katie, though, and it was such a God-send that by dinner, she was able to resume her counselor position! It was about that time that I felt myself slowly losing patience, and Katie was sent back at the most opportune time!
Over and over today, I kept thinking of when God says "My grace is made sufficient in your weaknesses." And how true that was today! My weakness was my low patience level today, and God's grace shown through like a precious jewel. He showed me, through my two little girls, how much He continues to love us, even when we fail at our daily tasks, or when we fail to love others unconditionally. Not only does He forgive us and give us His steadfast love, but He also gives His abundance of love where we fall short. Not that we should start loving people less, but isn't it comforting to know that, even on days when we aren't showing the kind of love we ought to be, that we have an awesome and amazing God filling in the spots, to a point where can't even comprehend how much love is given?? YAY, GOD!!
Today was a success, in my mind. New relationships were built, new boundaries were challenged and overcome, and God was shown as a powerful Father in all things. Praise God for the wonderful things He does on a daily basis! On that note, praise God for sleep!! ;) Goodnight, prayer warriors!!
Blessings on all that you do!
Our friend Katie recovered nicely, but not enough to be able to return back to her kiddos today. That being the case, Penelope and Patricia still needed a counselor for the day. I jumped in right after staff meeting, and so fulfilled my first official day as an RFKC counselor!
Pause. To all of you who have EVER been an RFKC counselor, you guys have officially become my heroes. I don't understand how it is that you do what you guys do. My co-counselor, Kristen, is such a sweet, loving, smiley girl, and she never loses patience, she never says anything sharp to the girls, and she commands their full attention effortlessly, it seems!
I don't want to make it sound like today was horrible, because it wasn't. It was an awesome experience to be a "foster counselor", as Miss Penelope dubbed me. (Isn't that like the best title ever??) I was able to get to know them a little better, hold their hands all day long, swim with them at the beach, make baby dolls out of clay with them, hang out with them during their rest time (where I was able to explain how to reference Biblical texts to one of Kristen's girls,) and overall, we just had a really amazing day, getting to learn about each other!
The girls definitely missed Katie, though, and it was such a God-send that by dinner, she was able to resume her counselor position! It was about that time that I felt myself slowly losing patience, and Katie was sent back at the most opportune time!
Over and over today, I kept thinking of when God says "My grace is made sufficient in your weaknesses." And how true that was today! My weakness was my low patience level today, and God's grace shown through like a precious jewel. He showed me, through my two little girls, how much He continues to love us, even when we fail at our daily tasks, or when we fail to love others unconditionally. Not only does He forgive us and give us His steadfast love, but He also gives His abundance of love where we fall short. Not that we should start loving people less, but isn't it comforting to know that, even on days when we aren't showing the kind of love we ought to be, that we have an awesome and amazing God filling in the spots, to a point where can't even comprehend how much love is given?? YAY, GOD!!
Today was a success, in my mind. New relationships were built, new boundaries were challenged and overcome, and God was shown as a powerful Father in all things. Praise God for the wonderful things He does on a daily basis! On that note, praise God for sleep!! ;) Goodnight, prayer warriors!!
Blessings on all that you do!
"God Doesn't Need Anybody, But He Picks Us For His Team!"
Hey, friends! Oh man, I'm so grateful for all of you reading this right now who have been praying for me and for my camp experience. Prayer warriors, I've got some stuff for you guys!!
Yesterday we came to camp, and man, were we excited! STILL ARE!! God's already been doing some awesome stuff in our lives, in the lives of our campers... Oh man. Great, great week. But let's start with yesterday. :) :)
We received a call saying that we weren't going to get two of our campers. (This is the day before the kids come to camp.) Their mom sent them away, down to Mexico, to live with some relatives, and didn't tell anyone that they would be gone. Please keep those two kiddos in your prayers! Their names are Angelina and Jeremiah. They must be pretty scared, to have their lives completely switched upside down, being in a different country, and away from their mom.
God's grace was made absolutely perfect in this situation, which comes as no surprise. :) Our fearless leaders were able to contact people, and within the hour, we were able to sign Norma and Miguel up for camp! Now, you know that in a situation like that, God's not going to just sit back and let something ordinary happen!! Just tonight, as we were putting the kiddos down for bed, Norma was reading her brand new Bible (we give all the campers one,) and asked one of the relief staff if she could ask questions. She wanted to know what "made in God's image" meant, what an altar was, who David was... The questions were endless! As I sat there, watching this child take in all the information (AND SAY "THAT'S COOL" AT THE END OF EVERY EXPLANATION!!!!) I just started to pray and praise! Look at what God is doing!! Yes, it's a huge sham that Angelina and Jeremiah had to go through so many changes, and that we couldn't do an outreach to them. But look at the work that God is doing in Norma's life, within the first 24 hours of camp! I pray that the questions keep coming, that she learns SOOO much about God while she's here, and that her curiosity and passion continue to grow after she leaves us, leaves this place. Oh man, it gives me "God bumps". ;)
Amidst all the joy and gratefulness, however, we do still have some struggles, that only God will be able to get us through. First of all, we have a new guy this year named Justin. He's not technically autistic, but during his first 3 years of life, his birth parents treated him like a newborn. When he was adopted by his current loving and Christ-centered family, he couldn't walk, talk, feed himself, or anything that a fully-developed toddler should be able to accomplish. As a result, he is developmentally behind by many years. Such a sweet, loving boy! He wanders constantly, which is a main concern, since he doesn't tell his counselors when he leaves. So keep this boy in your prayers. Ask God to help us to reach out to him, to help us to show him love, respect, grace, and maybe a few social rights and wrongs, while we're at it. ;)
Tonight, we had a counselor who fell rather ill. It's not something that can be easily fixed, but only "rested away". As a result, she will have to take at least tomorrow off. It's possible that she may have to leave for the rest of the week, but we pray fervently that she can come back to us! She loves her two little girls, and she would give the world to be able to be with them as they learn more about God!! So please pray that Katie would heal, that her pain would be gone, and that she can go back to her girls.
In Katie's place, there needs to be a counselor to lead these two little gals. That's where I've been asked to step in. Even though this is my 3rd year at RFKC, I've always been a staff member, never a counselor. I somehow knew that would change soon... It was almost as though I was getting too comfortable in my staff position, and God often challenges us, so that we can learn to depend and lean more wholly on Him! So tomorrow, I will begin to sub for Katie, until we can determine whether or not she can take her job back. Please keep me in your prayers as I venture into this new role! I will be with Patricia and Penelope, and my "buddy" counselor has Madyson and Julissa. The last three girls I mentioned are all very high maintenance, and they all crave wholesome, loving attention, which is often hard, when it's one counselor to two campers. Patricia is a quiet girl, and so we continue to pray that not only do the 3 girls receive the good attention that they crave and need, but that Patricia is not excluded due to her quiet demeanor.
Finally, in a note completely separate from RFKC, please keep my friend Mackenzie in your prayers. She's on a mission trip to Peru right now, and she, too, fell ill today. She was sent to a hospital, and they determined only a few hours ago that it must be a bladder infection, and so she's been given antibiotics to help fight both that and the fever that she's been battling. At this point, they've told her that she needs to stay in the hospital for three days. Pray that God would use this to His glory, that she would be able to continue to minister His Word to whomever she may meet!!
Prayer warriors, hopefully, through this post, you can see just how much of a blessing you are! It's people like you that I can turn to and know that you will keep us in your prayers, and that God will hear many voices of many people, raised to Him in endless praise and thanksgiving, as well complete trust and faith. Thank you all, so much, for what you do! God bless!!
Blessings on all that you do!
PS... My friend Tabitha comes home from her month-long mission trip to Uganda tomorrow!!! Prayers for her too!! :)
Yesterday we came to camp, and man, were we excited! STILL ARE!! God's already been doing some awesome stuff in our lives, in the lives of our campers... Oh man. Great, great week. But let's start with yesterday. :) :)
We received a call saying that we weren't going to get two of our campers. (This is the day before the kids come to camp.) Their mom sent them away, down to Mexico, to live with some relatives, and didn't tell anyone that they would be gone. Please keep those two kiddos in your prayers! Their names are Angelina and Jeremiah. They must be pretty scared, to have their lives completely switched upside down, being in a different country, and away from their mom.
God's grace was made absolutely perfect in this situation, which comes as no surprise. :) Our fearless leaders were able to contact people, and within the hour, we were able to sign Norma and Miguel up for camp! Now, you know that in a situation like that, God's not going to just sit back and let something ordinary happen!! Just tonight, as we were putting the kiddos down for bed, Norma was reading her brand new Bible (we give all the campers one,) and asked one of the relief staff if she could ask questions. She wanted to know what "made in God's image" meant, what an altar was, who David was... The questions were endless! As I sat there, watching this child take in all the information (AND SAY "THAT'S COOL" AT THE END OF EVERY EXPLANATION!!!!) I just started to pray and praise! Look at what God is doing!! Yes, it's a huge sham that Angelina and Jeremiah had to go through so many changes, and that we couldn't do an outreach to them. But look at the work that God is doing in Norma's life, within the first 24 hours of camp! I pray that the questions keep coming, that she learns SOOO much about God while she's here, and that her curiosity and passion continue to grow after she leaves us, leaves this place. Oh man, it gives me "God bumps". ;)
Amidst all the joy and gratefulness, however, we do still have some struggles, that only God will be able to get us through. First of all, we have a new guy this year named Justin. He's not technically autistic, but during his first 3 years of life, his birth parents treated him like a newborn. When he was adopted by his current loving and Christ-centered family, he couldn't walk, talk, feed himself, or anything that a fully-developed toddler should be able to accomplish. As a result, he is developmentally behind by many years. Such a sweet, loving boy! He wanders constantly, which is a main concern, since he doesn't tell his counselors when he leaves. So keep this boy in your prayers. Ask God to help us to reach out to him, to help us to show him love, respect, grace, and maybe a few social rights and wrongs, while we're at it. ;)
Tonight, we had a counselor who fell rather ill. It's not something that can be easily fixed, but only "rested away". As a result, she will have to take at least tomorrow off. It's possible that she may have to leave for the rest of the week, but we pray fervently that she can come back to us! She loves her two little girls, and she would give the world to be able to be with them as they learn more about God!! So please pray that Katie would heal, that her pain would be gone, and that she can go back to her girls.
In Katie's place, there needs to be a counselor to lead these two little gals. That's where I've been asked to step in. Even though this is my 3rd year at RFKC, I've always been a staff member, never a counselor. I somehow knew that would change soon... It was almost as though I was getting too comfortable in my staff position, and God often challenges us, so that we can learn to depend and lean more wholly on Him! So tomorrow, I will begin to sub for Katie, until we can determine whether or not she can take her job back. Please keep me in your prayers as I venture into this new role! I will be with Patricia and Penelope, and my "buddy" counselor has Madyson and Julissa. The last three girls I mentioned are all very high maintenance, and they all crave wholesome, loving attention, which is often hard, when it's one counselor to two campers. Patricia is a quiet girl, and so we continue to pray that not only do the 3 girls receive the good attention that they crave and need, but that Patricia is not excluded due to her quiet demeanor.
Finally, in a note completely separate from RFKC, please keep my friend Mackenzie in your prayers. She's on a mission trip to Peru right now, and she, too, fell ill today. She was sent to a hospital, and they determined only a few hours ago that it must be a bladder infection, and so she's been given antibiotics to help fight both that and the fever that she's been battling. At this point, they've told her that she needs to stay in the hospital for three days. Pray that God would use this to His glory, that she would be able to continue to minister His Word to whomever she may meet!!
Prayer warriors, hopefully, through this post, you can see just how much of a blessing you are! It's people like you that I can turn to and know that you will keep us in your prayers, and that God will hear many voices of many people, raised to Him in endless praise and thanksgiving, as well complete trust and faith. Thank you all, so much, for what you do! God bless!!
Blessings on all that you do!
PS... My friend Tabitha comes home from her month-long mission trip to Uganda tomorrow!!! Prayers for her too!! :)
Thursday, July 19, 2012
My Mission in Nebraska
Hello, dear friends!
I have a few prayer requests, for those of you reading. First of all, I have a classmate from Concordia who took her own life yesterday... For someone to be experiencing that much hurt, that much hopelessness, is a difficult thing to grasp. Please keep her family and her friends in your prayers, and continue to thank God for the impact she had on so many people while she spent her 20 years here on earth.
My second prayer is for my upcoming mission work that I'll be doing this next week. As much as I love Russia, and am SUPER excited to go back, I have always, always been a big believer in "being where you are". By that, I mean, look around you. Everywhere you go, you see a need.
For instance, I work on an apartment maintenance crew. (I'm adding a third prayer request in the middle of my second one, here... Be patient.) We were painting windows, and had to ask the tenants to open up their windows. It's amazing how much you can learn about people, just by opening their windows... In one apartment, there was a brand new baby boy, couldn't have been a week old. His mom and... Well, a man, I can't even begin to guess how involved he was in the lives of these two people... Were in an argument, one where he was mostly yelling. When the newborn started to cry, the man started to yell at this new baby!!! Right there, there's a need, in Nebraska, for Jesus' love, for His salvation and grace!
That's what I mean by "being where you are". Look around you. To quote Pastor Reehl, "Does everybody in your town know Jesus and how much He loves them? Then you have a mission!" Any way, now that I've ranted on that subject, my mission that I ask you to keep in your prayers is called Royal Family Kids Camp. This program is an outreach to children who have experienced abuse or neglect before in their lives. We get 24 children, ages seven to eleven, for a week. During this week, we focus on teaching them about God's true love for the, about their true importance to their Savior. We also try to show them what a loving, heavenly Father looks like, which is a huge struggle, since most of them have never known such a thing as a loving father.
So my request to you now is that you would become a prayer warrior for these kiddos, starting now!! :) It's Thursday, and we get to see their smiling faces on Monday! I'll bet they're getting nervous, and their parents are probably even more nervous, especially if the kids haven't ever been to camp before. Please pray for bravery and confidence as some of them step out to try something new. For our returning campers, pray for them to remember us! Overall, pray that God's love is constant and shining, and that He touches soooooo many little lives during this next week. I'll try to keep you updated on what's going on. Thank you so much for all that you do for God's children! You are a true blessing!! :)
Blessings on all that you do!
I have a few prayer requests, for those of you reading. First of all, I have a classmate from Concordia who took her own life yesterday... For someone to be experiencing that much hurt, that much hopelessness, is a difficult thing to grasp. Please keep her family and her friends in your prayers, and continue to thank God for the impact she had on so many people while she spent her 20 years here on earth.
My second prayer is for my upcoming mission work that I'll be doing this next week. As much as I love Russia, and am SUPER excited to go back, I have always, always been a big believer in "being where you are". By that, I mean, look around you. Everywhere you go, you see a need.
For instance, I work on an apartment maintenance crew. (I'm adding a third prayer request in the middle of my second one, here... Be patient.) We were painting windows, and had to ask the tenants to open up their windows. It's amazing how much you can learn about people, just by opening their windows... In one apartment, there was a brand new baby boy, couldn't have been a week old. His mom and... Well, a man, I can't even begin to guess how involved he was in the lives of these two people... Were in an argument, one where he was mostly yelling. When the newborn started to cry, the man started to yell at this new baby!!! Right there, there's a need, in Nebraska, for Jesus' love, for His salvation and grace!
That's what I mean by "being where you are". Look around you. To quote Pastor Reehl, "Does everybody in your town know Jesus and how much He loves them? Then you have a mission!" Any way, now that I've ranted on that subject, my mission that I ask you to keep in your prayers is called Royal Family Kids Camp. This program is an outreach to children who have experienced abuse or neglect before in their lives. We get 24 children, ages seven to eleven, for a week. During this week, we focus on teaching them about God's true love for the, about their true importance to their Savior. We also try to show them what a loving, heavenly Father looks like, which is a huge struggle, since most of them have never known such a thing as a loving father.
So my request to you now is that you would become a prayer warrior for these kiddos, starting now!! :) It's Thursday, and we get to see their smiling faces on Monday! I'll bet they're getting nervous, and their parents are probably even more nervous, especially if the kids haven't ever been to camp before. Please pray for bravery and confidence as some of them step out to try something new. For our returning campers, pray for them to remember us! Overall, pray that God's love is constant and shining, and that He touches soooooo many little lives during this next week. I'll try to keep you updated on what's going on. Thank you so much for all that you do for God's children! You are a true blessing!! :)
Blessings on all that you do!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
May 28th - Day 7
Today we went to two orphanages, Priozersk 1 and Priozersk 2. The first one is for mentally handicapped children. We only met kids who were mobile, though some were much more independent than others. We didn't meet any bed-ridden kids. I adopted a sweet girl named Irene who was in a wheelchair. She was a sweetheart who immediately called me Mamma. I helped her blow bubbles for several minutes before we had to leave.
The only thing I disliked about today's first orphanage was the hygiene. The children seemed clean, but not by the standards we would expect in such an establishment. On the upside, the staff was very friendly, both to us and the kids. They seem to really love their job.
At the second orphanage, we gave away several Bibles. I gave one to a girl named Luva. She was very shy, but her friend began to follow me everywhere. She and I ended up hanging out the rest of the time I was there. Her name is Anya, and she's super sweet, and loves to give hugs. I decided to adopt her as well!
Today's major downside was trying to look at my pictures after we left the 2nd orphanage, only to discover that my camera or memory card deleted all but six pictures. I lost pictures with my family, pictures with my friends and the orphans, and pictures of Russia itself. It was definitely hard to swallow, but I have amazing friends on this trip who are willing to send me all their pictures. [Side note: I was able to retrieve my pictures recently! I didn't get all of them back, but I did get some important ones that I am so very grateful for!! Praise God!]
I've figured out why it's so hard for me to leave these kids behind, other than their innocent smiles and their sweet dispositions. Every person in their life has left. They're in these orphanages because their parents were incapable, inconsiderate, or simply died and left their children with no other option.
The staff members, who the kids take into their hearts and learn to love, don't stay around forever. Even the kids they live with are never constant, getting moved from orphanage to orphanage or growing up and leaving. And then we come in, offering Bibles, gifts, smiles, and hugs. These kids, like Anya, fall completely in love with us, only to have us leave within an hour, or less. They have nobody constant in their lives. Everybody they know leaves. I simply can't wrap my head around growing up in that kind of environment.
The other thing that bothers me is the future of the kids at the mentally-challenged institutions. I've seen kids who have to be held up to walk, who can't see, who can't walk, who have no way to feed or clothe themselvs. Once they turn eighteen, they get put in what Pastor calls "human warehouses". They get put in these facilities, and then they lay there until they die. One of the reasons the average human life expectancy is so low is because they average in the people who go to the warehouses.
All these kids that I'm falling in love with at the handicap orphanages, they have no idea, no choice, no control over their future. They're already doomed, even happy, smiling, huggy little Irene. She has no idea. And I feel so powerless to stop it! All I can do is make her smile for a few minutes, and then walk away. This is where we have to leave the rest to God! We have no other choice. We can't change this country. We can only change one life at a time, just like in the Starfish Story:
While walking on the beach one day,
I saw Starfish by the shore.
And everywhere I looked, it seemed,
I saw a thousand more.
Then what to my surprise appeared?
A boy of nine or ten;
and as the Starfish washed ashore,
he threw them back again.
I smiled at such a futile task to save the population.
"One fish won't make a difference, son. You can't change this situation."
He stooped and picked up one more fish, then looking right at me,
"I can make a difference for this one, sir," and returned it to the sea.
So I went and gathered all my friends, my brothers and my cousins.
We joined in with that little boy and saved Starfish by the dozens.
There are many to be rescued - many "Starfish" on life's shore.
Let's make a difference like that lad - by saving just one more.
--C.A. Milbrandt
That's about the only thing that keeps me going, is thinking about my four "starfish" that I've reached out to, how I can only hope that those smiles will stay engraved in my mind. I can only pray fervently that the kids at the handicap places will meet a better fate than what the government has planned for them. I can only remember that our wonderful, almighty Abba (Aramaic for "daddy",) is a just and loving God who will never leave His children, who will never forsake them. I have to give my four little girls to Him, or spend the rest of my life worrying myself sick over where they are or how they're doing. God knows where they are. He will always take care of them, and I can only pray that we can be a true family in heaven, with Him.
"Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him... Fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out." --Romans 12:1-2, MSG
"One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few." --Anne Morrow Lindbergh
The only thing I disliked about today's first orphanage was the hygiene. The children seemed clean, but not by the standards we would expect in such an establishment. On the upside, the staff was very friendly, both to us and the kids. They seem to really love their job.
At the second orphanage, we gave away several Bibles. I gave one to a girl named Luva. She was very shy, but her friend began to follow me everywhere. She and I ended up hanging out the rest of the time I was there. Her name is Anya, and she's super sweet, and loves to give hugs. I decided to adopt her as well!
Today's major downside was trying to look at my pictures after we left the 2nd orphanage, only to discover that my camera or memory card deleted all but six pictures. I lost pictures with my family, pictures with my friends and the orphans, and pictures of Russia itself. It was definitely hard to swallow, but I have amazing friends on this trip who are willing to send me all their pictures. [Side note: I was able to retrieve my pictures recently! I didn't get all of them back, but I did get some important ones that I am so very grateful for!! Praise God!]
I've figured out why it's so hard for me to leave these kids behind, other than their innocent smiles and their sweet dispositions. Every person in their life has left. They're in these orphanages because their parents were incapable, inconsiderate, or simply died and left their children with no other option.
The staff members, who the kids take into their hearts and learn to love, don't stay around forever. Even the kids they live with are never constant, getting moved from orphanage to orphanage or growing up and leaving. And then we come in, offering Bibles, gifts, smiles, and hugs. These kids, like Anya, fall completely in love with us, only to have us leave within an hour, or less. They have nobody constant in their lives. Everybody they know leaves. I simply can't wrap my head around growing up in that kind of environment.
The other thing that bothers me is the future of the kids at the mentally-challenged institutions. I've seen kids who have to be held up to walk, who can't see, who can't walk, who have no way to feed or clothe themselvs. Once they turn eighteen, they get put in what Pastor calls "human warehouses". They get put in these facilities, and then they lay there until they die. One of the reasons the average human life expectancy is so low is because they average in the people who go to the warehouses.
All these kids that I'm falling in love with at the handicap orphanages, they have no idea, no choice, no control over their future. They're already doomed, even happy, smiling, huggy little Irene. She has no idea. And I feel so powerless to stop it! All I can do is make her smile for a few minutes, and then walk away. This is where we have to leave the rest to God! We have no other choice. We can't change this country. We can only change one life at a time, just like in the Starfish Story:
While walking on the beach one day,
I saw Starfish by the shore.
And everywhere I looked, it seemed,
I saw a thousand more.
Then what to my surprise appeared?
A boy of nine or ten;
and as the Starfish washed ashore,
he threw them back again.
I smiled at such a futile task to save the population.
"One fish won't make a difference, son. You can't change this situation."
He stooped and picked up one more fish, then looking right at me,
"I can make a difference for this one, sir," and returned it to the sea.
So I went and gathered all my friends, my brothers and my cousins.
We joined in with that little boy and saved Starfish by the dozens.
There are many to be rescued - many "Starfish" on life's shore.
Let's make a difference like that lad - by saving just one more.
--C.A. Milbrandt
That's about the only thing that keeps me going, is thinking about my four "starfish" that I've reached out to, how I can only hope that those smiles will stay engraved in my mind. I can only pray fervently that the kids at the handicap places will meet a better fate than what the government has planned for them. I can only remember that our wonderful, almighty Abba (Aramaic for "daddy",) is a just and loving God who will never leave His children, who will never forsake them. I have to give my four little girls to Him, or spend the rest of my life worrying myself sick over where they are or how they're doing. God knows where they are. He will always take care of them, and I can only pray that we can be a true family in heaven, with Him.
"Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him... Fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out." --Romans 12:1-2, MSG
"One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few." --Anne Morrow Lindbergh
First Presentation: Done!
Well, I just finished up my very first presentation! It was an awesome experience. I had a small group of ladies, a local Lutheran Women's Missionary League that was meeting and invited me to present during their meeting.
I went into my presentation unrehearsed, which was on purpose. I wanted them to feel the same impact that I felt, and the emotions felt on the trip were unplanned. Maybe that doesn't make sense, but to me, a rehearsed speech was just too formal. I had a Powerpoint to share, and then from there, I trusted God to lead me through, to hit the high points that left me with an impression, and the result was wonderful!
Prayers for my community this evening: Yesterday, we lost a young man, in his 30's, to a farming accident. He leaves behind a wife and two young boys, and a loving family. It was his church that I presented at tonight. Please pray for his family, as they struggle with the grief of losing a loved one, but also seek the joy in knowing that he is now forever with our loving Savior.
Thank you for your continued prayer and support, and may God bless you in all that you do!
I went into my presentation unrehearsed, which was on purpose. I wanted them to feel the same impact that I felt, and the emotions felt on the trip were unplanned. Maybe that doesn't make sense, but to me, a rehearsed speech was just too formal. I had a Powerpoint to share, and then from there, I trusted God to lead me through, to hit the high points that left me with an impression, and the result was wonderful!
Prayers for my community this evening: Yesterday, we lost a young man, in his 30's, to a farming accident. He leaves behind a wife and two young boys, and a loving family. It was his church that I presented at tonight. Please pray for his family, as they struggle with the grief of losing a loved one, but also seek the joy in knowing that he is now forever with our loving Savior.
Thank you for your continued prayer and support, and may God bless you in all that you do!
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Reflection
Here I am, with my posts from the trip finally up! (I do apologize for the delay...)
Any way, looking back through my entries, through my pictures, I realize how much as changed since that trip, and how much that trip affected me completely.
Since that trip, I have decided that I would love nothing more than to finish my education and move to Russia (not necessarily right away, but at some point,) to become a full-time missionary over there. I would love to be able to teach a school in Russia. Actually, my dream, though it sounds ambitious now, is to direct my own orphanage. I would love to be able to run an orphanage, teach there, and do other outreaches in a Russian community.
Other ideas I have would to be a translator, like Nicoli and his wife. They have no kids, but instead, have taken on the 1300 kids that they work with. Nicoli told us that they don't have their own kids, but they can love on 1300 kids who have never known what love really is. Now doesn't that sound awesome? I would love that job.
I would also love to start a Royal Family Kids Camp in Russia. RFKC is a camp for abused and neglected kids that was started in California, and has spread across the states and is now interntational. I would love, adore, to start that outreach in Russia. The only thing is, most kids are in the orphanages because of the same reasons that RFKC exists, so it's almost as though the orphanages were their own version of camp. Which brings me back to wanting to direct my own orphanage! :)
Honestly, right now, the idea is terrifying. I don't know more than a few words of Russian, I've been to only a few oblasts (their version of states) in the country, and I've certainly never been over there by myself. The idea of leaving the comfortable life that I have in the United States absolutely scares me to death.
And then God steps in, and I remember that His will is perfect, His love is flawless, and His presence is never-ending. If God is calling me to become a full-time missionary over there, then He will take care of my every need, and provide even more than that, and what else can I ask for?
I am planning on going back to Russia in a year! I loved it so much, I couldn't stay away! So again, I ask for your prayers as I begin to fundraise again, begin to think of seeing my kids who I "adopted", and ultimately continue listening to God as He spells out His plans for me.
Thank you to all of you who have supported me, in any way at all. You have been an amazing part of my life, and I pray that you'll continue to support me as I continue on my journey. :)
God bless you in all that you do!
Any way, looking back through my entries, through my pictures, I realize how much as changed since that trip, and how much that trip affected me completely.
Since that trip, I have decided that I would love nothing more than to finish my education and move to Russia (not necessarily right away, but at some point,) to become a full-time missionary over there. I would love to be able to teach a school in Russia. Actually, my dream, though it sounds ambitious now, is to direct my own orphanage. I would love to be able to run an orphanage, teach there, and do other outreaches in a Russian community.
Other ideas I have would to be a translator, like Nicoli and his wife. They have no kids, but instead, have taken on the 1300 kids that they work with. Nicoli told us that they don't have their own kids, but they can love on 1300 kids who have never known what love really is. Now doesn't that sound awesome? I would love that job.
I would also love to start a Royal Family Kids Camp in Russia. RFKC is a camp for abused and neglected kids that was started in California, and has spread across the states and is now interntational. I would love, adore, to start that outreach in Russia. The only thing is, most kids are in the orphanages because of the same reasons that RFKC exists, so it's almost as though the orphanages were their own version of camp. Which brings me back to wanting to direct my own orphanage! :)
Honestly, right now, the idea is terrifying. I don't know more than a few words of Russian, I've been to only a few oblasts (their version of states) in the country, and I've certainly never been over there by myself. The idea of leaving the comfortable life that I have in the United States absolutely scares me to death.
And then God steps in, and I remember that His will is perfect, His love is flawless, and His presence is never-ending. If God is calling me to become a full-time missionary over there, then He will take care of my every need, and provide even more than that, and what else can I ask for?
I am planning on going back to Russia in a year! I loved it so much, I couldn't stay away! So again, I ask for your prayers as I begin to fundraise again, begin to think of seeing my kids who I "adopted", and ultimately continue listening to God as He spells out His plans for me.
Thank you to all of you who have supported me, in any way at all. You have been an amazing part of my life, and I pray that you'll continue to support me as I continue on my journey. :)
God bless you in all that you do!
June 6, Final Day
I apologize for slacking off on writing for the past two days! On Monday, the 4th, we stuck pretty close to the Lake House. First we went to Valmirez, where we were supposed to be able to see the inside of an old church, shot through with canons! We could see the canons on display from the outside, but the church is closed on Mondays. :(
We got some final shopping in while we were there, and I got a pretty sweet witness ring that displays a cross, an anchor, and a heart. I'm pretty excited about that! We also picked up boxes of fruit for our final orphanage visit of our mission trip.
We went to Skongoli, which is supported by Mark and Suzanne Jagels of Davenport, Nebraska. We were able to tour the very up-to-date facilities, and I gave a Bible away to a young boy named Alexander.
The particular orphanage has a very special building, specifically for young mothers and their babies. When we were there, they were housing 3 mothers, one who was 22 and named Natalie, and the other two were only 15 and named Mairia (pronounced Myra) and Olga. Mairia was deaf, and she had a 10-day-old baby. She had to have a live-in assistant to help her because she couldn't hear her baby cry at night. This young girl was who I was able to give a Bible to! Although shy, she seemed very happy!
We went into Cesis and we toured an old castle from the 13th century! It was exactly what I pictured when thinking about an old European stone castle! It was absolutely amazing! I've always wanted to see a castle, and I even got to go in the dungeon of this one! That was the highlight of my "cultural experiences" on this trip!
Yesterday, our last day in Europe, was our day off. We stayed at the Lake House and some went row-boating, some watched movies, some napped, some did everything! It was good to take a breather and prepare ourselves for about 25 hours or so of traveling.
At dinner last night, our driver and his family made up a bit of a celebration for us, with homemade cake and some champagne! As we went around the table, we individually talked about why we were on this trip, what our highlights were, and a few of us shared how this trip affects our futures.
It really got me thinking, back to how I got to where I am. It started nine or ten years ago, when I first move to the Deshler area in Nebraska. Pastor Reehl came to my church to share the mission and his experiences with my congregation. I knew, with no hesitation, that I wanted to join on one of his trips, wanted to share the same passion and joy that he had for these people in relatively poor conditions compared to our own in the United States. I would learn, in May of 2012, that this was God planting a seed in my heart, one that had and has the potential to grow into full-time mission work.
When I first had the ambition to go, I was about 10 years old and had no money to even consider trying to pay my way to Russia. The desire remained and grew for several years, however, and finally found a solution in 2011.
I had a friend at school named James, but hadn't really hung out with him much. There was one day when he was talking with me and some mutual friends, and began talking about his mission trip to Russia! I told him right away that had always been my dream, to visit the country and spread God's love and Gospel.
James told me all I needed to do was secure a spot, but at the time I had $10 to my name and no job, plus I was a freshmen in college. I laughed off the idea, sure that it wouldn't work.
James didn't give up on me, though, and praise God that he didn't! He even went so far as to call Reehl for me to see if there was still a spot open . From there, God made everything fall perfectly into place, in a way I feel I can only describe as miraculous.
Once my spot was secured, I called Reehl personally to find out details. (I was still skeptical that it would actually work at this point. I'm not really sure when I started to believe it would work!) Reehl suggested to me that I contact my own pastor so that I could get help with fundraising for my $3,500 trip. Pastor B.J. Fouts was very helpful, and I am so grateful to him for all the help and support he gave and helped find for me!
Right away, we had ideas in place the the congregation informed of the trip, and with everything in action, I never was in fear that I would not make my fundraising goals. God was simply amazing, and the funds poured in until I not only was able to pay for my trip, but was able to generously gift a total of $400 to organizations in need. I have no choice, and, more importantly, no other desire than to thank and praise God for all that He did for me! He provided the way and the means for me to be able to serve Him in a different culture, and I am honored.
I have to laugh at God's sense of humor... In my journal I have quotes and verses to top off each page. I read these two pages' inspirations, and this is what they say: "God will not send us out on any journey for which He does not equip us well." -- Alexander Maclaren; and "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." -- Philippians 4:19 NKJV
Our God HAS provided, in every area of need and want. I praise Him! What else can I do? "Praise the Lord, oh my soul! Praise His holy name!" Our God blows my mind away, really and truly.
And now that we're in an airport, headed back to our beloved family and friends, I can sit here and truthfully say that I feel like all the support I got, from money to prayers to good wishes, payed off! My highlight of my trip is this: It's walking into an orphanage, filled with children who have no family, and watching faces light up at the sheer sight of someone who is filled with hugs. It's walking into a room filled with handicapped, socially outcast children and watching loving caretakers pick up the kids and give hugs and kisses. It's feeling ten pairs of small hands tug on my shirt tail, and the ten corresponding faces all clamor for a shot with my camera. It's the simple joy of chasing soap bubbles and listening to small voices join together in laughter. It's handing a Bible to an old, worldly-broken man who bursts into tears after I hand him a Bible, and hoping that someday his body will be perfect and healthy in heaven.
It's knowing that places like Skongili are helping mommies like Mairia, Natalie, and Olga. It's holding little girls like Alona and Zhania in my lap and knowing that, even though they've been through trials that inhibit their natural, child-like laughter, I've made them smile and left them with what is hopefully a better idea of Jesus' love. It's all these things, but overall, its' the knowledge that none of those moments, none of those impacts, are me, are my work. They are the hand of the Lord, our precious and holy Father, who cares for all His children, from blessed (overly-so, in my opinion,) Americans to Russian, parentless children, to baby burn victims, to elderly, poorly cared-for beggars. He extends His arm to "the least of these", and sometimes, He uses people like me to reach out, to be the hand at the end of His arm.
All that being said, where do I go now? Only God knows with absolute certainty where I will be and what I will be doing in my future. The gateways for mission work have always been open, whether or not I've known it. I see this trip as the light shining in through the entryway.
"True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction." --Psalm 23:3 MSG
"Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow." -- Psalm 25:4 NLT
"Life begins each morning... EAch morning is the open door to a new world - new vistas, new aims, new tryings." -- Leigh Mitchell Hodges
We got some final shopping in while we were there, and I got a pretty sweet witness ring that displays a cross, an anchor, and a heart. I'm pretty excited about that! We also picked up boxes of fruit for our final orphanage visit of our mission trip.
We went to Skongoli, which is supported by Mark and Suzanne Jagels of Davenport, Nebraska. We were able to tour the very up-to-date facilities, and I gave a Bible away to a young boy named Alexander.
The particular orphanage has a very special building, specifically for young mothers and their babies. When we were there, they were housing 3 mothers, one who was 22 and named Natalie, and the other two were only 15 and named Mairia (pronounced Myra) and Olga. Mairia was deaf, and she had a 10-day-old baby. She had to have a live-in assistant to help her because she couldn't hear her baby cry at night. This young girl was who I was able to give a Bible to! Although shy, she seemed very happy!
We went into Cesis and we toured an old castle from the 13th century! It was exactly what I pictured when thinking about an old European stone castle! It was absolutely amazing! I've always wanted to see a castle, and I even got to go in the dungeon of this one! That was the highlight of my "cultural experiences" on this trip!
Yesterday, our last day in Europe, was our day off. We stayed at the Lake House and some went row-boating, some watched movies, some napped, some did everything! It was good to take a breather and prepare ourselves for about 25 hours or so of traveling.
At dinner last night, our driver and his family made up a bit of a celebration for us, with homemade cake and some champagne! As we went around the table, we individually talked about why we were on this trip, what our highlights were, and a few of us shared how this trip affects our futures.
It really got me thinking, back to how I got to where I am. It started nine or ten years ago, when I first move to the Deshler area in Nebraska. Pastor Reehl came to my church to share the mission and his experiences with my congregation. I knew, with no hesitation, that I wanted to join on one of his trips, wanted to share the same passion and joy that he had for these people in relatively poor conditions compared to our own in the United States. I would learn, in May of 2012, that this was God planting a seed in my heart, one that had and has the potential to grow into full-time mission work.
When I first had the ambition to go, I was about 10 years old and had no money to even consider trying to pay my way to Russia. The desire remained and grew for several years, however, and finally found a solution in 2011.
I had a friend at school named James, but hadn't really hung out with him much. There was one day when he was talking with me and some mutual friends, and began talking about his mission trip to Russia! I told him right away that had always been my dream, to visit the country and spread God's love and Gospel.
James told me all I needed to do was secure a spot, but at the time I had $10 to my name and no job, plus I was a freshmen in college. I laughed off the idea, sure that it wouldn't work.
James didn't give up on me, though, and praise God that he didn't! He even went so far as to call Reehl for me to see if there was still a spot open . From there, God made everything fall perfectly into place, in a way I feel I can only describe as miraculous.
Once my spot was secured, I called Reehl personally to find out details. (I was still skeptical that it would actually work at this point. I'm not really sure when I started to believe it would work!) Reehl suggested to me that I contact my own pastor so that I could get help with fundraising for my $3,500 trip. Pastor B.J. Fouts was very helpful, and I am so grateful to him for all the help and support he gave and helped find for me!
Right away, we had ideas in place the the congregation informed of the trip, and with everything in action, I never was in fear that I would not make my fundraising goals. God was simply amazing, and the funds poured in until I not only was able to pay for my trip, but was able to generously gift a total of $400 to organizations in need. I have no choice, and, more importantly, no other desire than to thank and praise God for all that He did for me! He provided the way and the means for me to be able to serve Him in a different culture, and I am honored.
I have to laugh at God's sense of humor... In my journal I have quotes and verses to top off each page. I read these two pages' inspirations, and this is what they say: "God will not send us out on any journey for which He does not equip us well." -- Alexander Maclaren; and "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." -- Philippians 4:19 NKJV
Our God HAS provided, in every area of need and want. I praise Him! What else can I do? "Praise the Lord, oh my soul! Praise His holy name!" Our God blows my mind away, really and truly.
And now that we're in an airport, headed back to our beloved family and friends, I can sit here and truthfully say that I feel like all the support I got, from money to prayers to good wishes, payed off! My highlight of my trip is this: It's walking into an orphanage, filled with children who have no family, and watching faces light up at the sheer sight of someone who is filled with hugs. It's walking into a room filled with handicapped, socially outcast children and watching loving caretakers pick up the kids and give hugs and kisses. It's feeling ten pairs of small hands tug on my shirt tail, and the ten corresponding faces all clamor for a shot with my camera. It's the simple joy of chasing soap bubbles and listening to small voices join together in laughter. It's handing a Bible to an old, worldly-broken man who bursts into tears after I hand him a Bible, and hoping that someday his body will be perfect and healthy in heaven.
It's knowing that places like Skongili are helping mommies like Mairia, Natalie, and Olga. It's holding little girls like Alona and Zhania in my lap and knowing that, even though they've been through trials that inhibit their natural, child-like laughter, I've made them smile and left them with what is hopefully a better idea of Jesus' love. It's all these things, but overall, its' the knowledge that none of those moments, none of those impacts, are me, are my work. They are the hand of the Lord, our precious and holy Father, who cares for all His children, from blessed (overly-so, in my opinion,) Americans to Russian, parentless children, to baby burn victims, to elderly, poorly cared-for beggars. He extends His arm to "the least of these", and sometimes, He uses people like me to reach out, to be the hand at the end of His arm.
All that being said, where do I go now? Only God knows with absolute certainty where I will be and what I will be doing in my future. The gateways for mission work have always been open, whether or not I've known it. I see this trip as the light shining in through the entryway.
"True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction." --Psalm 23:3 MSG
"Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow." -- Psalm 25:4 NLT
"Life begins each morning... EAch morning is the open door to a new world - new vistas, new aims, new tryings." -- Leigh Mitchell Hodges
June 3rd, Day 13
Today we were able to attend a beautiful Lithuanian church service. The pastor is a director for the next door orphanage, so that's why we didn't attend an English service. The church was beautiful, with unique, expressive stain-glass windows. The church, like many in the Baltic States and Russia, was taken over in Soviet times and turned into a skating rink/movie theater. (Other churches were turned into gyms, swimming pools, or basketball courts.) Any way, the change is extraordinary. The congregation and its leaders have worked hard to restore the church.
When church (and another beautiful communion service,) were complete, we had lunch at the orphanage and then got to play with the kids. Somewhere, 5 Lithuanian kids are running around with Deshler High School shirts!! ;)
Another note of thanks to my sponsors: I was able to give another $200 donation, this time to the farmhouse orphanage. They expressed a need for money for their transportation expenses, and I still had many gifts to give. So thank you, so much, to the people who gave me and these shelters so much support!
There were many laughs in the van today, so our long car ride was actually fun! It's hard to believe that a trip I've waited for half of my life is nearly over! What an amazing, awesome experience it has been! Tomorrow we're visiting at least one more orphanage, and Tuesday, our final day here, will be a rest day for us. We leave the lake house at 2:00 AM on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, and I'll be back on American soil very soon!
"The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road. The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy." -- Psalm 19:7-8 MSG
"Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way." -- Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
When church (and another beautiful communion service,) were complete, we had lunch at the orphanage and then got to play with the kids. Somewhere, 5 Lithuanian kids are running around with Deshler High School shirts!! ;)
Another note of thanks to my sponsors: I was able to give another $200 donation, this time to the farmhouse orphanage. They expressed a need for money for their transportation expenses, and I still had many gifts to give. So thank you, so much, to the people who gave me and these shelters so much support!
There were many laughs in the van today, so our long car ride was actually fun! It's hard to believe that a trip I've waited for half of my life is nearly over! What an amazing, awesome experience it has been! Tomorrow we're visiting at least one more orphanage, and Tuesday, our final day here, will be a rest day for us. We leave the lake house at 2:00 AM on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, and I'll be back on American soil very soon!
"The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road. The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy." -- Psalm 19:7-8 MSG
"Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way." -- Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
June 2, Day 12
Today we did a lot of driving, an we are staying in Lithuania at a hunting lodge. We went to a church service/concert at Lithuania's largest Lutheran church. The Lithuanian bishop was the leader of the service!
We are in fellowship with this church, so we took communion with them. Even though everything was said in Lithuanian, I was moved when we were given personal absolution before the Sacrament was given to us. This might sound silly, but it was something about hearing the words in a foreign language that made me think about how we're forgiven, no matter what country, or what language we're in, we're forgiven. All across the board. God loves us the same, (and He sent His Son to die for us the same,) as He does for His Russian children, and His children in the Baltics.
We worship the same God, look to the same cross, and take the same Body and Blood as people all over the world! Knowing that, I not only want to find these people, but add so many more to the mix!
After dinner at our lodge, we met up with the youth group from the church, about ten kids. We got to know them through a few games. The coolest part for me, though, was at the end. One girl asked us if we knew any church songs, and a group formed where we were listening to some English songs they knew, singing some that we knew, and joining in together on the ones that we all knew! The girls had lovely voices, and would start harmonizing once they knew a tune. It's a wonderful experience, to praise God with a blend of cultures and voices, another great reminder that we all love and serve the same God.
We are in fellowship with this church, so we took communion with them. Even though everything was said in Lithuanian, I was moved when we were given personal absolution before the Sacrament was given to us. This might sound silly, but it was something about hearing the words in a foreign language that made me think about how we're forgiven, no matter what country, or what language we're in, we're forgiven. All across the board. God loves us the same, (and He sent His Son to die for us the same,) as He does for His Russian children, and His children in the Baltics.
We worship the same God, look to the same cross, and take the same Body and Blood as people all over the world! Knowing that, I not only want to find these people, but add so many more to the mix!
After dinner at our lodge, we met up with the youth group from the church, about ten kids. We got to know them through a few games. The coolest part for me, though, was at the end. One girl asked us if we knew any church songs, and a group formed where we were listening to some English songs they knew, singing some that we knew, and joining in together on the ones that we all knew! The girls had lovely voices, and would start harmonizing once they knew a tune. It's a wonderful experience, to praise God with a blend of cultures and voices, another great reminder that we all love and serve the same God.
June 1, Day 11
We drove to Latvia last night, and we are staying with our driver and his family in their gorgeous lake hosue. On the way here, we were able to stop and step in the Baltic Sea! It was such a wonderful, beautiful piece of creation!
Today we are going to Madona to see an Orphan Grain Train station, and the Svoniki Orphanage, out in the country.
Later: We were served a lovely, tasty tea at the first stop we went to, and we were able to explore the pastor's property, which is some 400 years old. It was really nice, and then we went to see where the congregation stores their shipments from Orphan Grain Train before we left for the orphanage. The orphanage we visited was started by a Canadian pastor who bought a farm house and began to rescue children who were running away from drunk, abusive paretns. He's turned the establishment into more a family home than anything else. They have 12 permanent kids, and then 12 more that come in after school and on weekends. The kids run free, but have responsibilities with the farm's animals, such as feeding and cleaning out pends. I really liked it, and the kids were all happy, and seemed to really enjoy living there. We had an overall very nice time, and we enjoyed our rainy day out.
"Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart; a wise person draws from the well within." -- Proverbs 20:5 MSG
Today we are going to Madona to see an Orphan Grain Train station, and the Svoniki Orphanage, out in the country.
Later: We were served a lovely, tasty tea at the first stop we went to, and we were able to explore the pastor's property, which is some 400 years old. It was really nice, and then we went to see where the congregation stores their shipments from Orphan Grain Train before we left for the orphanage. The orphanage we visited was started by a Canadian pastor who bought a farm house and began to rescue children who were running away from drunk, abusive paretns. He's turned the establishment into more a family home than anything else. They have 12 permanent kids, and then 12 more that come in after school and on weekends. The kids run free, but have responsibilities with the farm's animals, such as feeding and cleaning out pends. I really liked it, and the kids were all happy, and seemed to really enjoy living there. We had an overall very nice time, and we enjoyed our rainy day out.
"Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart; a wise person draws from the well within." -- Proverbs 20:5 MSG
May 31 - Day 10
11:00, Estonia time - We just finished up with an amazing, inspirational experience. We went to visit Bethel Church in Tallinn, Estonia's capital. The woman we met with is named Miriam. What a wonderful outreach she has going! The church is partly a shelter for children whose home lives are awful. Parents are on drugs, negligent, and often times abusive. The program at Bethel Lutheran provides kids with a home, much like an apartment that houses four or six kids. They get a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, and a dining room with furniture and utilities. The kids learn how to cook, clean, take care of themselves, and live on their own, with supervision.
The biggest part of this outreach is education! In order for the kids to stay at Bethel, the have to stay in school, do well, and behave properly. IF they do this, get are able to stay, and they get an allowance for food, clothes, ect. Part of the shelter's outreach is teaching the kids how to spend the money wisely.
Even thought he shelter is part of a church building, the kids are not forced to go to church. The environment is very open and inviting, but never forced. The staff use their own lives, their own choice, and their own actions to initially minister to the kids, and invite them to daily open Bible studies.
As a gift to this woman who works so hard and as an outreach to this wonderful mission, I was able to give a $200 donation, thanks to the many gracious donations that were made to my trip.
A quick note of thanks, to God, my church family, and the other loving people who reached out to me: You not only made this trip possible, you made it wonderful. You have provided fruit, toys, hair ties, sketchbooks, and books to orphans. You provided the means to reach out to an Estonian shelter. You have provided me with a way to see God at work overseas. I thank you for all that you have done, for me, and for God's needing children.
"The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul... The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living." --Psalm 19:7-8 NLT
"God, your God, carried you as a father carries his child." -- Deuteronomy 1:29 MSG
The biggest part of this outreach is education! In order for the kids to stay at Bethel, the have to stay in school, do well, and behave properly. IF they do this, get are able to stay, and they get an allowance for food, clothes, ect. Part of the shelter's outreach is teaching the kids how to spend the money wisely.
Even thought he shelter is part of a church building, the kids are not forced to go to church. The environment is very open and inviting, but never forced. The staff use their own lives, their own choice, and their own actions to initially minister to the kids, and invite them to daily open Bible studies.
As a gift to this woman who works so hard and as an outreach to this wonderful mission, I was able to give a $200 donation, thanks to the many gracious donations that were made to my trip.
A quick note of thanks, to God, my church family, and the other loving people who reached out to me: You not only made this trip possible, you made it wonderful. You have provided fruit, toys, hair ties, sketchbooks, and books to orphans. You provided the means to reach out to an Estonian shelter. You have provided me with a way to see God at work overseas. I thank you for all that you have done, for me, and for God's needing children.
"The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul... The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living." --Psalm 19:7-8 NLT
"God, your God, carried you as a father carries his child." -- Deuteronomy 1:29 MSG
Thursday, July 5, 2012
May 30 - Day 9
10:20 AM - We just got done visiting Joe's family's orphanage, Kingasepp. It was a nice place, filled with funny, smiling, loving children! Of course, I again adopted kids into my heart and prayer list. 3 of them, all siblings, and all five or younger. The sisters are Zhanya, Nastia, and the boy is Valera. They were all super cute! Zhanya and I hit it off pretty quick, smiling and cuddling for a good while. She never stopped smiling! Never did get a giggle out of her, but her eyes and her face were constantly smiling. I love her! She's so cute! I did not regret leaving her at her current home, because the staff is friendly, and the rooms are bright and full of laughter.
This orphanage was the most fun to visit, since we got to spend so much time with the kids! It was a great way to start off our day and our second week overseas! Today we are leaving Russia, which leaves me with mixed feelings. I'm tired of the bland food; the dirty, graffiti-covered, run-down buildings. I wish the people here would smile at me, and that the homes in the country gave me a feeling of relaxation and hope, not of despair.
On the flip side, the kids, the patients, the directors, the memories, and the overall experience in Russia have been all together more than I would have ever thought or hoped for. I have learned so much about this country, this mission, these people, and a little bit more about how God is working through me, and maybe an idea of His plan that He has in store for me. I really look forward to the Baltic States, but Russia has been an awesome experience, indescribable, really, and somehow, I know I'll be back.
12:25 - Ivangorod was our last Russia orphanage that we visited. Right now we're at border control between Russia and Estonia. We could be here for several hours, or only half an hour. It all depends on the officials.
Any way, Ivangorod is home to many children who have Down-syndrome or Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. We were entertained by eight or so kids, and they performed four songs for us, and then we played with them for a while before we had lunch. (By the way, Pastor had me taste raw salmon... Not too bad, actually!) We got to go play with some groups of little kids before we had to go. It was a really great experience! Today was really great for a final Russian orphanage visit.
Yesterday, I left out a pretty important part of my day, not on purpose, but just because I was exhausted. We drove past an orphanage that has 400 kids in it, the majority of whom are bedridden because of mental or physical handicaps, or both. We were unable to go in because we got there so late, but we were looking at pictures of the kids who live there. Between the pictures and the stories, it sounds like these kids deal with some pretty serious birth defects, some from alcohol, smoking, and/ordrugs. I was moved to think of my little friend Bethany, and her life now.
Bethany Rose Rehbein is a six-or-seven-year-old girl who is full of smiles, loves music, and likes to dance. However, Bethany deals with many issues, much like the kids at the Pavlosk orphanage. Her birth mother did not take care of her during pregnancy, and Miss Bethany has a brain half-filled with water. This sweet angel can't walk, talk, move her body with adequate control, and she's losing her ability to see. The doctors gave her a year to live when she was one-year old, maybe less. Today, seven-year-old Bethany is learning to use a walker to move around, thanks to her wonderful adoptive family.
I couldn't help but think about Bethany yesterday, and where she'd be if she had been born in Russia. She wouldn't be 7 today, I can guarantee that. Bethany Rose didn't choose to be born like that. She also didn't choose to be born in America, but by the grace of God, she was, and she was and is still loved by the people surrounding her.
The kids in Pavlosk didn't have any choice, and Russia is not kind to the wonderful lives that fill that orphanage. On the same idea, I had no choice. I did not choose to be born to a loving family, in a qualified hospital, as a healthy child. And yet, here I am. God made me able, strong, and willing. I believe that the best way to praise Him for the gift of my health, is to reach out to those like Bethany, those like the Pavlosk residents. We can only give those children to God, and in turn, give them the love that God would have us share.
"Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you." --2 Corinthians 13:11 NLT
This orphanage was the most fun to visit, since we got to spend so much time with the kids! It was a great way to start off our day and our second week overseas! Today we are leaving Russia, which leaves me with mixed feelings. I'm tired of the bland food; the dirty, graffiti-covered, run-down buildings. I wish the people here would smile at me, and that the homes in the country gave me a feeling of relaxation and hope, not of despair.
On the flip side, the kids, the patients, the directors, the memories, and the overall experience in Russia have been all together more than I would have ever thought or hoped for. I have learned so much about this country, this mission, these people, and a little bit more about how God is working through me, and maybe an idea of His plan that He has in store for me. I really look forward to the Baltic States, but Russia has been an awesome experience, indescribable, really, and somehow, I know I'll be back.
12:25 - Ivangorod was our last Russia orphanage that we visited. Right now we're at border control between Russia and Estonia. We could be here for several hours, or only half an hour. It all depends on the officials.
Yesterday, I left out a pretty important part of my day, not on purpose, but just because I was exhausted. We drove past an orphanage that has 400 kids in it, the majority of whom are bedridden because of mental or physical handicaps, or both. We were unable to go in because we got there so late, but we were looking at pictures of the kids who live there. Between the pictures and the stories, it sounds like these kids deal with some pretty serious birth defects, some from alcohol, smoking, and/ordrugs. I was moved to think of my little friend Bethany, and her life now.
Bethany Rose Rehbein is a six-or-seven-year-old girl who is full of smiles, loves music, and likes to dance. However, Bethany deals with many issues, much like the kids at the Pavlosk orphanage. Her birth mother did not take care of her during pregnancy, and Miss Bethany has a brain half-filled with water. This sweet angel can't walk, talk, move her body with adequate control, and she's losing her ability to see. The doctors gave her a year to live when she was one-year old, maybe less. Today, seven-year-old Bethany is learning to use a walker to move around, thanks to her wonderful adoptive family.
I couldn't help but think about Bethany yesterday, and where she'd be if she had been born in Russia. She wouldn't be 7 today, I can guarantee that. Bethany Rose didn't choose to be born like that. She also didn't choose to be born in America, but by the grace of God, she was, and she was and is still loved by the people surrounding her.
The kids in Pavlosk didn't have any choice, and Russia is not kind to the wonderful lives that fill that orphanage. On the same idea, I had no choice. I did not choose to be born to a loving family, in a qualified hospital, as a healthy child. And yet, here I am. God made me able, strong, and willing. I believe that the best way to praise Him for the gift of my health, is to reach out to those like Bethany, those like the Pavlosk residents. We can only give those children to God, and in turn, give them the love that God would have us share.
"Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you." --2 Corinthians 13:11 NLT
May 29 - Day 8
1:35 PM - we just got done touring Volvoso, the orphanage that my church sponsors. What an amazing experience! Our interpreter, Alla, just informed us that they've had several kids who have been sent away to live with families, but have run away to come back to our orphanage. We met the director, Olga. Unfortunately, a bunch of kids were at school or taking a nap, but it was awesome to see the establishment!
Pastor says that they've redone everything since he's been coming here, some eleven or so years ago. They have new tiles, curtains, paint, carpet, TV's, stereos, and a computer. They even have mostly even stairs, which was a treat. They've got nice couches, a big, well-stocked kitchen, up-to-date, laundry facilities, and they're getting a new roof and a room especially for laundry.
Today I purchased the fruit for the orphanage, bananas, apples, and oranges, one box each. I gave away my Bible to a girl named Rigga, who was able to thank me in English, also a treat!
It was very refreshing to see such an up-to-date situation. The director was very nice, the building and its contents were very impressive, and the kids were friendly, and I loved it! Maybe I'm biased, but that was the best orphanage we've seen, by far! Praise God!
The success of our orphanage is due to our director, Karen says. We've had the same director for all 11 years of the orphanage's existence. She works hard to find funding for her kids, for example, one bus that the school uses was provided by the Rotary Club in Norfolk. She works super, super hard to make sure that her kids, all 40 of them, live in the best place possible.
Pastor says that they've redone everything since he's been coming here, some eleven or so years ago. They have new tiles, curtains, paint, carpet, TV's, stereos, and a computer. They even have mostly even stairs, which was a treat. They've got nice couches, a big, well-stocked kitchen, up-to-date, laundry facilities, and they're getting a new roof and a room especially for laundry.
Today I purchased the fruit for the orphanage, bananas, apples, and oranges, one box each. I gave away my Bible to a girl named Rigga, who was able to thank me in English, also a treat!
It was very refreshing to see such an up-to-date situation. The director was very nice, the building and its contents were very impressive, and the kids were friendly, and I loved it! Maybe I'm biased, but that was the best orphanage we've seen, by far! Praise God!
The success of our orphanage is due to our director, Karen says. We've had the same director for all 11 years of the orphanage's existence. She works hard to find funding for her kids, for example, one bus that the school uses was provided by the Rotary Club in Norfolk. She works super, super hard to make sure that her kids, all 40 of them, live in the best place possible.
May 27th - Day 6
Late at night: Today was filled with culture, and we were able to relax and learn. We started off by going to an English-speaking church, led by Pastor Leif Camp. It was wonderful to hear strangers speak English, and to sing hymns. Our group has some talented singers! The church is in an old basement, but is in fellowship with the LCMS, so we were able to take Communion, which was also very exciting! Afterwards, we ate a small lunch before going back to the market. Some people went to the Hermitage, which is the second-biggest art museum in the world, second only to the Louve. Alyssa, Courtney, Natalie, Carter, Michael, and myself were accompanied by our interpreter's wife, Valentina, on a boat ride that went around the city. There was such a variety of architecture! It was a beautiful ride. When we got back, we rested for a bit before going out to eat for dinner.
We went on our daily walk when we got back, and fed a bunch of cookies to a bunch of pigeons! They were eating out of our hand by the end.
On the way back we stopped by the Super Market, and Michela had the guy (who looks like an undercover body-gaurd,) tell her that she was trying to steal the half-downed water bottle in her bag! This wasn't true, of course, but he still made us pay for it. Again. We're not going back to that one again.
We got back and just all hung out for a few hours, which was really really nice! tomorrow we go to 2 orphanages, one of which Michael's church sponsors. On Tuesday we get to meet my church's kids! I am sooo excited for that opportunity. This experience has and will continue to be absolutely amazing, praise God!
We went on our daily walk when we got back, and fed a bunch of cookies to a bunch of pigeons! They were eating out of our hand by the end.
On the way back we stopped by the Super Market, and Michela had the guy (who looks like an undercover body-gaurd,) tell her that she was trying to steal the half-downed water bottle in her bag! This wasn't true, of course, but he still made us pay for it. Again. We're not going back to that one again.
We got back and just all hung out for a few hours, which was really really nice! tomorrow we go to 2 orphanages, one of which Michael's church sponsors. On Tuesday we get to meet my church's kids! I am sooo excited for that opportunity. This experience has and will continue to be absolutely amazing, praise God!
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
May 26th - Day 5
12:10 PM - We just walked out of the hospital, if you want to call it that. Emergency exits that are falling apart, narrow doorways, peeling paint, mildew-infested rooms, smoking doctors and nurses, buckets that serve as toilets. We get in the van and have the extravagance of using alcohol and lotion to clean out our hands, while they sit in there, covered in God-knows-what, living in what HAS to be a germ-infested environment.
Most everyone in there still managed to smile and thank us for our fruit and Bibles.
I have away one Bible to a guy named Valerie. He's laying in bed, I have no idea with what illness. He helped us spell his name so I could write it in his Bible, and seemed very grateful. When we told him goodbye, he couldn't get out the word "dasvadanya" before he started to cry. I don't know why. Maybe because of joy over his new book, or maybe because we were able to stand up and walk away from that horrid place. Their stairways are dark, narrow, and awfully, awfully dilapidated. Nicoli says the state has more than enough assets to fix that place up, but instead they spend it on palaces and mansions. I hate it. I hate the "value" of the human life in this country. They throw away everybody, from babies to young women to the elderly. The thing about where we just went was that those people understand at least a little bit of why they are where they are. The burn victims we're going to see next are children, who may not be old enough to understand the world "burn". Hopefully the care there is better...
Later: Hospital 8 was significantly worse than the burn center. The place we visited is not its own hospital, but rather a ward in a very large hospital. The environment was much more colorful and inviting, at least to the best that I've seen in Russia. We handed out Bibles, bananas, and candy to the patients that we met, as well as their parents.
Most everyone in there still managed to smile and thank us for our fruit and Bibles.
I have away one Bible to a guy named Valerie. He's laying in bed, I have no idea with what illness. He helped us spell his name so I could write it in his Bible, and seemed very grateful. When we told him goodbye, he couldn't get out the word "dasvadanya" before he started to cry. I don't know why. Maybe because of joy over his new book, or maybe because we were able to stand up and walk away from that horrid place. Their stairways are dark, narrow, and awfully, awfully dilapidated. Nicoli says the state has more than enough assets to fix that place up, but instead they spend it on palaces and mansions. I hate it. I hate the "value" of the human life in this country. They throw away everybody, from babies to young women to the elderly. The thing about where we just went was that those people understand at least a little bit of why they are where they are. The burn victims we're going to see next are children, who may not be old enough to understand the world "burn". Hopefully the care there is better...
Later: Hospital 8 was significantly worse than the burn center. The place we visited is not its own hospital, but rather a ward in a very large hospital. The environment was much more colorful and inviting, at least to the best that I've seen in Russia. We handed out Bibles, bananas, and candy to the patients that we met, as well as their parents.
The hospital provides only the medicine and the actual bed. Family members are responsible for sheets, changes of clothes, care giver, and I believe food, but I may be mistaken on the last one.
Most parents were happy to have their burned child receive the gifts and attention from us, but a few were hesitant, which is understandable. We met kids who were a variety of ages, from 8 months to 16 years. The majority of the accidents were from spilling unattended hot water on themselves, but one little girl had pulled a hot iron onto her arm.
As opposed to the obvious pain and suffering witnessed in Hospital 8, the children at the burn center were not in much pain, were well-attended to, and were living in clan-smelling environments.
One room had two older girls in it, and both of them were happy, all smiles, and loved talking with us. I gave a Bible to the younger girl, whose name was Eugenia. She was adorable! All of us felt relieved and a bit more hopeful of Russia's healthcare after we saw that hospital. However, compared to the places we go for care in the U.S., it was still a wanting place.
After we were filled with so much joy and hope from meeting recovering and happy patients, our group was in a fine mood! We were able to go to the market, right outside the famous church "Our Savior on the Blood". We learned what it really means to bargain with someone, and determine the actual value of something. Our main concern was our belongings, however. The market area (not necessarily the market itself,) is known for the thieving gypsides. Thankfully, our group didn't go through that, and we all go some awesome souvenirs! I got myself a scarf, my sister a nesting doll and "Love From St. Petersburg" t-shirt, and my mom a beautiful nesting doll set that depicts the life of Jesus!
Last night the group stayed up late and played cards until about quarter 'till one, and we walked down to the nearest bride so we could watch it open. The bridges separate and lift for barges, yachts, and cruise ships to get through at a time when cars are less thick in the streets. [Side note: The group managed to get a glimpse of a Russian mafia member. At 1:00 AM. In St. Petersburg, Russia. Not the best moment of the trip, to be sure.]
It was a glorious day, one that will leave people and places forever imprinted on my heart.
May 25th - Day 4
4:15 PM - What experiences we've had today! We started at the baby orphanage in Tihkvin. We were only there for a very short while, about long enough for me to give away a snowsuit to a small three-year old boy. He was so happy! We got a tour of the building, but didn't get to hold anybody. :( That was super hard for me to deal with.
Afterwards, we went to Efimovsky, the orphanage sponsored by Alyssa and her family. We were able to experience their end-of-school ceremony, where we were greeted by all the children! The presents we handed out were accepted with an over-abundance of joy and "thank-you"s. It was absolutely amazing! At one point, someone called me "Momma". I didn't get their name, but I wanted to take them home with me. We ate a fantastic lunch, and we were able to talk with the kids while they ate, as well as hand out bracelets.
They were so happy and joyful, to see us, to receive presents, and to simply eat their lunch. There was so much joy! While we were meeting kids and talking to them, one little girl was especially enthusiastic about getting my attention. Even though she was only six or seven, she understood that there was an extreme language barrier between us. She used enough gestures that I could understand that she was thrilled to eat, and that she was very grateful for her fruit and bubbles.
At one point, I was very, very excited to realize that she had asked me what my name was! ("Kahk za vut" means "what is your name?") I told her I was Stephanie, and then returned the question, to which she responded "Masha". She and I talked for several more minutes, not once knowing exactly what the other one was saying. I've decided that she can be mine. :) We started "adopting" children, and we already love them, only to leave them behind in short moments. Michael and Alyssa co-adopted another little girl named Masha at Efimovsky. :)
This orphanage blew my mind, mostly because of the joy that they express. They have each other, their staff, and the occasional loving visiting missionary group. Smiles were everywhere! I could have stayed there forever. Masha will be imprinted on my heart forever, and maybe someday we'll meet again.
At the third orphanage, Anisimovo, I "adopted" a second little girl named Alonya. She was a tiny, tiny 2-or-3-year-old, who refused to smile at us. She hid behind an older girl until I went and picked her up. I started by pulling her onto my bent knee, but then I sat down, crossed my legs, and pulled her into my lap, and she still wouldn't smile, even when Alyssa started to tickle her. I'm not sure why she wouldn't smile. She sat quietly and willingly in my lap, leaning her head on my shoulder. I hated leaving her. If I could, I would have her sitting on my lap right now, on the way back to our hotel.
When we were leaving, we were in front of the kids, and I looked back at her and smiled, waved, and said "dasvadanya!" and she finally broke into a huge grin. That smile alone was worth my entire day, right there. What a beautiful, beautiful little girl! I've claimed her, fallen in love.
11:35 PM - We went to dinner, after our 3-or-so-hour ride, at the mall outside the city. It blows my mind that the place looks identical to our own malls back home, yet people are going home to broken down apartment buildings and shacks that they call home. Unbelievable, what the people build and repair and what they allow to deteriorate.
When we got back, we went on another walk, with the intent of feeding the birds again. Unfortunately, they had roosted for the night. We DID find an old fire station that is now a museum, and a private yacht docked on the river. We all took pictures by it, and we're going to claim that either the group rented it to get to the orphanages, or that it belongs to one of us. ;) We had a great walk. We stopped in a super market on the way back, and I purchased some greatly craved milk. I've only been served cream as my dairy option, so I was craving some good milk!!
Tomorrow we're going to two hospitals, one for the elderly homeless (Pastor says it's the most deplorable hospital we'll ever see,) and another one for child burn victims. I think both will be extremely hard for me to experience, mostly because I have a hard time seeing other peoples' suffering.
In the book "Kisses from Katie", she talks about God removing the disease, the filth, and all other impurities from her eyes so that she only saw the kids that needed to be hugged, held, played with, and rocked to sleep. I pray, fervently, that God would bless me in the same way tomorrow, so that I can spread His love and joy to the hurt and helpless that we'll meet.
I'm praying for my two little girls tonight, Masha and Alonya. It's not at all impossible to meet with them again some day, and I sincerely pray that I will, and that Alyssa and Michael will meet their little Masha again some day, too.
Afterwards, we went to Efimovsky, the orphanage sponsored by Alyssa and her family. We were able to experience their end-of-school ceremony, where we were greeted by all the children! The presents we handed out were accepted with an over-abundance of joy and "thank-you"s. It was absolutely amazing! At one point, someone called me "Momma". I didn't get their name, but I wanted to take them home with me. We ate a fantastic lunch, and we were able to talk with the kids while they ate, as well as hand out bracelets.
They were so happy and joyful, to see us, to receive presents, and to simply eat their lunch. There was so much joy! While we were meeting kids and talking to them, one little girl was especially enthusiastic about getting my attention. Even though she was only six or seven, she understood that there was an extreme language barrier between us. She used enough gestures that I could understand that she was thrilled to eat, and that she was very grateful for her fruit and bubbles.
At one point, I was very, very excited to realize that she had asked me what my name was! ("Kahk za vut" means "what is your name?") I told her I was Stephanie, and then returned the question, to which she responded "Masha". She and I talked for several more minutes, not once knowing exactly what the other one was saying. I've decided that she can be mine. :) We started "adopting" children, and we already love them, only to leave them behind in short moments. Michael and Alyssa co-adopted another little girl named Masha at Efimovsky. :)
This orphanage blew my mind, mostly because of the joy that they express. They have each other, their staff, and the occasional loving visiting missionary group. Smiles were everywhere! I could have stayed there forever. Masha will be imprinted on my heart forever, and maybe someday we'll meet again.
At the third orphanage, Anisimovo, I "adopted" a second little girl named Alonya. She was a tiny, tiny 2-or-3-year-old, who refused to smile at us. She hid behind an older girl until I went and picked her up. I started by pulling her onto my bent knee, but then I sat down, crossed my legs, and pulled her into my lap, and she still wouldn't smile, even when Alyssa started to tickle her. I'm not sure why she wouldn't smile. She sat quietly and willingly in my lap, leaning her head on my shoulder. I hated leaving her. If I could, I would have her sitting on my lap right now, on the way back to our hotel.
When we were leaving, we were in front of the kids, and I looked back at her and smiled, waved, and said "dasvadanya!" and she finally broke into a huge grin. That smile alone was worth my entire day, right there. What a beautiful, beautiful little girl! I've claimed her, fallen in love.
11:35 PM - We went to dinner, after our 3-or-so-hour ride, at the mall outside the city. It blows my mind that the place looks identical to our own malls back home, yet people are going home to broken down apartment buildings and shacks that they call home. Unbelievable, what the people build and repair and what they allow to deteriorate.
When we got back, we went on another walk, with the intent of feeding the birds again. Unfortunately, they had roosted for the night. We DID find an old fire station that is now a museum, and a private yacht docked on the river. We all took pictures by it, and we're going to claim that either the group rented it to get to the orphanages, or that it belongs to one of us. ;) We had a great walk. We stopped in a super market on the way back, and I purchased some greatly craved milk. I've only been served cream as my dairy option, so I was craving some good milk!!
Tomorrow we're going to two hospitals, one for the elderly homeless (Pastor says it's the most deplorable hospital we'll ever see,) and another one for child burn victims. I think both will be extremely hard for me to experience, mostly because I have a hard time seeing other peoples' suffering.
In the book "Kisses from Katie", she talks about God removing the disease, the filth, and all other impurities from her eyes so that she only saw the kids that needed to be hugged, held, played with, and rocked to sleep. I pray, fervently, that God would bless me in the same way tomorrow, so that I can spread His love and joy to the hurt and helpless that we'll meet.
I'm praying for my two little girls tonight, Masha and Alonya. It's not at all impossible to meet with them again some day, and I sincerely pray that I will, and that Alyssa and Michael will meet their little Masha again some day, too.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
May 24th - Day 3
8:45 AM - First night was WONDERFUL! I slept like a rock, white night or not. I managed to get in a whole seven hours! I was even able to turn on our Russian TV and figure out the weather for the day. I'm starting to feel at home. Breakfast was wonderful, and Pastor started off our mission off with Psalm 121. Today we're going to two orphanages, one for mentally handicapped children, and then one afterwards that is simply an orphanage. We filled up our bags with gifts for the kids, and I'm really excited to experience that! We're also all wearing crosses that we will give away to a child of our choice. We're driving to our first destination, watching children walk or be walked to school, and it's almost 9!
[Note: Russians don't start their day until 10, similar to how we start our days at 8.]
1:30 PM - We just finished up our first visit to an orphanage, Szhilgorodok, which St. Peter's in Davenport, Nebraska helps to sponsor. This orphanage is for children ages four to eighteen who have any mental handicaps. The staff served us a very nice lunch in the administration building, and then we met the kids. The first room had younger children, who were in need of help, but were also partially capable on their own. I made a couple of new friends who loved holding hands, getting presents, and having their backs rubbed. The next room we went into was for children who have to stay in bed their whole life. I made a friend in that room, and I will never forget how hard that child worked to turn over, just so I could hold their hand and they could see my face. The smile on that face was more powerful than any drug could ever be in making me smile and feel God's pure joy.
Finally, we met the orphans who were more capable of taking care of themselves. We met many smiles and grateful faces as we walked through the classrooms. The older, most capable boys (I either didn't meet any girls, or everyone had their hair cut short due to lice,) live in a brand new building and have all sorts of classrooms. They have an auditorium, a "fantasy room" that is in the works for becoming a therapy center, as well as a small pet room! We got to play soccer with the older kids, and we met Courtney's friend, Volvo. He is a very enthusiastic soccer player! We met another boy who was dressed up in a suit, and his name was Surggio. When we asked why he was so dressed up, he replied that he had a date! He seemed very pleased! :)
There were many faces that I won't be able to put names with, but it gives me comfort to know that our loving Father knows all their names, and that He loves them.
10:25 PM - Whoosta! What a day! After our first visit, we went to Lopuhinka. This orphanage was an old school that has been transformed. It's been an orphanage for many, many years, but they didn't start to restore it until about five or ten years ago. We handed out presents there, and got to play with the kids for a while. They were still in school, though, so we didn't stay for very long. We got back into the city, and Nicoli [our translator] took us sight-seeing at Peter the Great's summer palace. They have over 150 fountains running over many acres that overlook the Baltic Sea. Beautiful view, absolutely breathtaking. We walked around for a good two or three hours. We'll sleep good tonight! On our way back, we had to stop to exchange our dollars for rubles. The exchange rate is the highest it's ever been, and we got a little over 310 rubles for each 100 dollars we exchanged. While we were waiting for Uris [our driver] to come back from the exchange, we realized we were outside of a store that carries a brand called "The Nebraska"! Unfortunately, they were out of stock in that brand, but we thought it was pretty cool!
We went to dinner after that, at a places that translates to the English word "teaspoon". They serve pancakes there with various toppings and fillings. Super good! We had some hassle ordering, since our meals were about 100 rubles, but we only had 1000 ruble bills from the exchange place. We got it all figured out, but over here, Russians don't like to make change. They want you to do it for them.
After dinner, Alyssa, Karen, Michela, Michael, Carter, and I all went on a walk. I love walking with Karen for two reasons: 1) She has so much information about the area and 2) she knows where she's going. We went right down to the river and I started to pretend to through bread crumbs to a pigeon to see if he'd come closer. This ended up attracting a crowd of pigeons, who started eyeing my hand that was supposedly housing food. They didn't get real close until Michael started crumbling chocolate and throwing it at them. It had a cookie in the middle, so then, we had not only a crowd, but a significantly less shy one! We had fun. Tomorrow we're going to take them some crackers and see how many we can get.
On the way back, we experienced kind of a culture shock. I was trailing the group a bit, taking in all my surroundings, when I heard some shouting. Across the street, there was a lady yelling the Russian word for no at a man (presumably her husband,) and pushing him backward, or at least trying to. The guy was twice her size. He was holding a toddler and shoving her back with his free hand. I told Karen, and we stopped to watch, because realistically, we couldn't do anything else. In Russia, it is completely legal for a husband to beat his wife, and if someone had stepped in, WE would have been the ones who would have gotten in trouble. He started pushing her toward the street, but then they walked back to the apartment complex, and he shoved her out of our sight, after putting the kid down. We could hear the baby crying for a while. We weren't the only ones who saw, but we were the only ones who stopped. Karen says that the complete lack of religion for eighty years led to the devaluing of the human life, which lead to mass amount of orphanages, still here today, and situations like the one we saw. We may not be able to change the law, but we can change the kids we meet, and maybe change their kids' futures. We can only pray that God's perfect will and timing take place.
Something else I wanted to mention was the Christmas gifts. Karen was talking about Nicoli and his wife, and how every Christmas, they go to the orphanages dressed as the Russian version of the "Clauses" (Mr. Frost and the Snow Princess,) and get the children toys if the sponsors have provided money for a Chrstimas. It costs as little as $500 to give each individual orphan a Christmas present to call their own. I think that sponsors and potential sponsors should know that, because it is NOT that hard to give someone a Christmas like we experience in the USA.
[Side note: to sponsor an orphanage of your own, it cost as little as $250 a month!]
Something else I wanted to mention but forgot is the villages. Once we leave the city on our little van, we hit buildings that are best referred to as shacks. Boards and tin cover any holes, fences that are made of crude sticks, grass grows high in front yards, and windows may or may not exist. Electricity is nonexistent in 70% of the homes, and water from the ground (which, by the way, is the source of the "dead goldfish" smell I mentioned earlier,) is drawn from a community well, or perhaps one that is shared with nearby neighbors. Cars barely exist in the villages; Daily or bi-daily buses provide transportation to the city. There are no grocery stores or super markets int he village, only makeshift markets set up by the local people. It's becoming pretty evident that, yes, the orphans are in need of our help, but so are the other people of Russia! Unless I'm mistaken, the living conditions are a result of Communism, which this country has yet to recover from. Oh, and here's a fun fact: We drove past one of the Russian president's 20 houses today. When I say "house", I mean mansion, with enough "yard" to build two more mansions on. And the villagers are selling tulips to try and feed themselves. Just something to think on. Oh, more on that 70% without electricity: That's across the country, and those same people are without running water. Also, the average life expectancy in Russia: 46 years old.
[Note: Russians don't start their day until 10, similar to how we start our days at 8.]
1:30 PM - We just finished up our first visit to an orphanage, Szhilgorodok, which St. Peter's in Davenport, Nebraska helps to sponsor. This orphanage is for children ages four to eighteen who have any mental handicaps. The staff served us a very nice lunch in the administration building, and then we met the kids. The first room had younger children, who were in need of help, but were also partially capable on their own. I made a couple of new friends who loved holding hands, getting presents, and having their backs rubbed. The next room we went into was for children who have to stay in bed their whole life. I made a friend in that room, and I will never forget how hard that child worked to turn over, just so I could hold their hand and they could see my face. The smile on that face was more powerful than any drug could ever be in making me smile and feel God's pure joy.
Finally, we met the orphans who were more capable of taking care of themselves. We met many smiles and grateful faces as we walked through the classrooms. The older, most capable boys (I either didn't meet any girls, or everyone had their hair cut short due to lice,) live in a brand new building and have all sorts of classrooms. They have an auditorium, a "fantasy room" that is in the works for becoming a therapy center, as well as a small pet room! We got to play soccer with the older kids, and we met Courtney's friend, Volvo. He is a very enthusiastic soccer player! We met another boy who was dressed up in a suit, and his name was Surggio. When we asked why he was so dressed up, he replied that he had a date! He seemed very pleased! :)
There were many faces that I won't be able to put names with, but it gives me comfort to know that our loving Father knows all their names, and that He loves them.
10:25 PM - Whoosta! What a day! After our first visit, we went to Lopuhinka. This orphanage was an old school that has been transformed. It's been an orphanage for many, many years, but they didn't start to restore it until about five or ten years ago. We handed out presents there, and got to play with the kids for a while. They were still in school, though, so we didn't stay for very long. We got back into the city, and Nicoli [our translator] took us sight-seeing at Peter the Great's summer palace. They have over 150 fountains running over many acres that overlook the Baltic Sea. Beautiful view, absolutely breathtaking. We walked around for a good two or three hours. We'll sleep good tonight! On our way back, we had to stop to exchange our dollars for rubles. The exchange rate is the highest it's ever been, and we got a little over 310 rubles for each 100 dollars we exchanged. While we were waiting for Uris [our driver] to come back from the exchange, we realized we were outside of a store that carries a brand called "The Nebraska"! Unfortunately, they were out of stock in that brand, but we thought it was pretty cool!
We went to dinner after that, at a places that translates to the English word "teaspoon". They serve pancakes there with various toppings and fillings. Super good! We had some hassle ordering, since our meals were about 100 rubles, but we only had 1000 ruble bills from the exchange place. We got it all figured out, but over here, Russians don't like to make change. They want you to do it for them.
After dinner, Alyssa, Karen, Michela, Michael, Carter, and I all went on a walk. I love walking with Karen for two reasons: 1) She has so much information about the area and 2) she knows where she's going. We went right down to the river and I started to pretend to through bread crumbs to a pigeon to see if he'd come closer. This ended up attracting a crowd of pigeons, who started eyeing my hand that was supposedly housing food. They didn't get real close until Michael started crumbling chocolate and throwing it at them. It had a cookie in the middle, so then, we had not only a crowd, but a significantly less shy one! We had fun. Tomorrow we're going to take them some crackers and see how many we can get.
On the way back, we experienced kind of a culture shock. I was trailing the group a bit, taking in all my surroundings, when I heard some shouting. Across the street, there was a lady yelling the Russian word for no at a man (presumably her husband,) and pushing him backward, or at least trying to. The guy was twice her size. He was holding a toddler and shoving her back with his free hand. I told Karen, and we stopped to watch, because realistically, we couldn't do anything else. In Russia, it is completely legal for a husband to beat his wife, and if someone had stepped in, WE would have been the ones who would have gotten in trouble. He started pushing her toward the street, but then they walked back to the apartment complex, and he shoved her out of our sight, after putting the kid down. We could hear the baby crying for a while. We weren't the only ones who saw, but we were the only ones who stopped. Karen says that the complete lack of religion for eighty years led to the devaluing of the human life, which lead to mass amount of orphanages, still here today, and situations like the one we saw. We may not be able to change the law, but we can change the kids we meet, and maybe change their kids' futures. We can only pray that God's perfect will and timing take place.
Something else I wanted to mention was the Christmas gifts. Karen was talking about Nicoli and his wife, and how every Christmas, they go to the orphanages dressed as the Russian version of the "Clauses" (Mr. Frost and the Snow Princess,) and get the children toys if the sponsors have provided money for a Chrstimas. It costs as little as $500 to give each individual orphan a Christmas present to call their own. I think that sponsors and potential sponsors should know that, because it is NOT that hard to give someone a Christmas like we experience in the USA.
[Side note: to sponsor an orphanage of your own, it cost as little as $250 a month!]
Something else I wanted to mention but forgot is the villages. Once we leave the city on our little van, we hit buildings that are best referred to as shacks. Boards and tin cover any holes, fences that are made of crude sticks, grass grows high in front yards, and windows may or may not exist. Electricity is nonexistent in 70% of the homes, and water from the ground (which, by the way, is the source of the "dead goldfish" smell I mentioned earlier,) is drawn from a community well, or perhaps one that is shared with nearby neighbors. Cars barely exist in the villages; Daily or bi-daily buses provide transportation to the city. There are no grocery stores or super markets int he village, only makeshift markets set up by the local people. It's becoming pretty evident that, yes, the orphans are in need of our help, but so are the other people of Russia! Unless I'm mistaken, the living conditions are a result of Communism, which this country has yet to recover from. Oh, and here's a fun fact: We drove past one of the Russian president's 20 houses today. When I say "house", I mean mansion, with enough "yard" to build two more mansions on. And the villagers are selling tulips to try and feed themselves. Just something to think on. Oh, more on that 70% without electricity: That's across the country, and those same people are without running water. Also, the average life expectancy in Russia: 46 years old.
Friday, June 8, 2012
May 23rd - Day 2
2:10 AM, USA Time: Well, so much for deep sleeping in the air. The three-or-so hours I got were DEFINITELY better than none! Thank God I'm still a young and physically flexible college kid! We're starting our trek over Europe, about to go over Britain. Unfortunately, I can't see any of it due to the total cloud cover we're flying over. We have about one hour and twenty minutes until our landing. We're going 542 mph, 72 mph tailwind. It's -80 degrees F outside and we're 38,802 feet up. I wish I had gotten the statistics when we were straight over the ocean, but no matter. I'm going to attempt to finish my Soduku from supper...
Amsterdam time: 9:55 AM. The adjustment begins! I'm going from nearly 3 AM to nearly 10 AM. After a 2-hour layover here, we have approximately a 3-hour flight, and then we're done with air time for two weeks!
11:24 AM - Waiting for the last flight today in Amsterdam! There are so many different people in this airport. Today's lucky find: a British pound! I'll be adding that to my foreign coin collection. I'm rather amused by the current argument between a lady and airport staff in front of me...
11:50 AM - Got through Amsterdam security, with almost no issue! I set something off and got patted down, but I'm not carrying anything, so I was good to go. Courtney and Carter are definitely an interesting sibling pair to travel with, but also fun. There is, again, a large variety of people traveling with us, and I so badly want to know all their stories, just as I am sure someone is wondering about the story of our group. About 20 minutes until we board our last flight! "I am blown away that my God, who could do this all by Himself, would choose to let me be a little part of it!" - Kisses from Katie
5:37, Saint Petersburg time!! We're here! Well, we're on the ground, any way. Evidently there are problems at Passport Control; so we're just chillin' on our plane. Very anxious to get off! As for the time difference, we've hit nine hours! It's currently 8:38 AM in Nebraska, but I seem to be adjusting fine! Nothing a quick sleep won't help. Saint Petersburg is a HUGE city, Karen estimated about 2 billion people. I tried to get pictures of it while we were flying in. [Side note: I did get pictures of the city, but my camera later deleted my first week of pictures, so I no longer have pictures of the city from the air.]
8:35 - We're settled in! I'm rooming with Michela in a very apartment-like room, and we're super excited to live here for a week! We have a meeting in a few minutes before we go to eat at "Pizza Ollie's", which is evidently pretty good! So much history on the drive to our beautiful hotel! We've only found one downside so far, and that is the water. The best way to describe the smell is "dead goldfish". No drinking tap water here! Today's interesting fact: There are 430 bridges in St. Petersburg!
11:45 PM - We're getting broken in to the culture pretty fast! After eating out, (which was an entertaining experience, trying to order from a Russian menu,) we went on about a five-block walk with Karen. There were so many visual contrasts that I saw or were pointed out to me. First, the buildings. The majority of them look old, but not abandoned. The ones that look the worst, however, are normally sitting within a block of, if not net to, brand new buildings! The second thing I noticed was color. The buildings come in a variety of colors, but the people tend to wear neutrals or black on their clothes. Not everybody, but a great deal. The people here fascinate me. I want to know all their stories! Even though we were walking through a graffiti-covered neighborhood, everyone was dressed nice and fashionably. They didn't fit their environment at all. The graffiti reminded me of the third contrast I saw today, which was the walls standing above fairly new sidewalks. When Pastor Reehl lived here, the walls were paint-free, but the sidewalks were all torn up! Nobody here smiles when we pass, let alone look you in the eye. I feel like there's a great deal of pain in this city, but from what, I'm not sure.
We went to our first Russian market on the way back! Learned a bit about the rubbels system. I ended up buying juice and tea. That was a strange environment inside the supermarket. I felt like we'd taken a trip into the 50s or 60s. Even our cashier had bright blue and gold makeup, and gold teeth! All of them! She was intriguing, for certain.
It's hard to believe it's almost midnight. We're experiencing "white nights", which means the sun never fully goes down. I'm a college kid, so thankfully I can sleep at the drop of a hat. Now that I'm showered, that sleep thing sounds rather appealing! :)
Amsterdam time: 9:55 AM. The adjustment begins! I'm going from nearly 3 AM to nearly 10 AM. After a 2-hour layover here, we have approximately a 3-hour flight, and then we're done with air time for two weeks!
11:24 AM - Waiting for the last flight today in Amsterdam! There are so many different people in this airport. Today's lucky find: a British pound! I'll be adding that to my foreign coin collection. I'm rather amused by the current argument between a lady and airport staff in front of me...
11:50 AM - Got through Amsterdam security, with almost no issue! I set something off and got patted down, but I'm not carrying anything, so I was good to go. Courtney and Carter are definitely an interesting sibling pair to travel with, but also fun. There is, again, a large variety of people traveling with us, and I so badly want to know all their stories, just as I am sure someone is wondering about the story of our group. About 20 minutes until we board our last flight! "I am blown away that my God, who could do this all by Himself, would choose to let me be a little part of it!" - Kisses from Katie
5:37, Saint Petersburg time!! We're here! Well, we're on the ground, any way. Evidently there are problems at Passport Control; so we're just chillin' on our plane. Very anxious to get off! As for the time difference, we've hit nine hours! It's currently 8:38 AM in Nebraska, but I seem to be adjusting fine! Nothing a quick sleep won't help. Saint Petersburg is a HUGE city, Karen estimated about 2 billion people. I tried to get pictures of it while we were flying in. [Side note: I did get pictures of the city, but my camera later deleted my first week of pictures, so I no longer have pictures of the city from the air.]
8:35 - We're settled in! I'm rooming with Michela in a very apartment-like room, and we're super excited to live here for a week! We have a meeting in a few minutes before we go to eat at "Pizza Ollie's", which is evidently pretty good! So much history on the drive to our beautiful hotel! We've only found one downside so far, and that is the water. The best way to describe the smell is "dead goldfish". No drinking tap water here! Today's interesting fact: There are 430 bridges in St. Petersburg!
11:45 PM - We're getting broken in to the culture pretty fast! After eating out, (which was an entertaining experience, trying to order from a Russian menu,) we went on about a five-block walk with Karen. There were so many visual contrasts that I saw or were pointed out to me. First, the buildings. The majority of them look old, but not abandoned. The ones that look the worst, however, are normally sitting within a block of, if not net to, brand new buildings! The second thing I noticed was color. The buildings come in a variety of colors, but the people tend to wear neutrals or black on their clothes. Not everybody, but a great deal. The people here fascinate me. I want to know all their stories! Even though we were walking through a graffiti-covered neighborhood, everyone was dressed nice and fashionably. They didn't fit their environment at all. The graffiti reminded me of the third contrast I saw today, which was the walls standing above fairly new sidewalks. When Pastor Reehl lived here, the walls were paint-free, but the sidewalks were all torn up! Nobody here smiles when we pass, let alone look you in the eye. I feel like there's a great deal of pain in this city, but from what, I'm not sure.
We went to our first Russian market on the way back! Learned a bit about the rubbels system. I ended up buying juice and tea. That was a strange environment inside the supermarket. I felt like we'd taken a trip into the 50s or 60s. Even our cashier had bright blue and gold makeup, and gold teeth! All of them! She was intriguing, for certain.
It's hard to believe it's almost midnight. We're experiencing "white nights", which means the sun never fully goes down. I'm a college kid, so thankfully I can sleep at the drop of a hat. Now that I'm showered, that sleep thing sounds rather appealing! :)
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