When the lyrics were in my head the other day, I thought how I wanted to make sure that I dedicated a page on my blog to "serving." Serving has always brought me goodness, whether it's been as simple as sending a note of encouragement to a friend or going on a mission trip to Russia, serving takes the focus off of myself and allows me to pour out my gifts and talents to help others.
In 2007, I had an amazing opportunity to take a mission trip to Vladimir, Russia to serve with an organization known as GAIN. Below is a very lengthy account of my time in Russia and I've documented it here as it's something I never want to forget. The experiences I had in Russia in and the people I met truly brought goodness to my life. Enjoy!
My trip to Western Russia with GAIN took place on June 15, 2007 through June 25, 2007. At this time in my life I was working in the public school system and had a "Summer Break Session" that allowed me to go on the trip without having to miss work.
June 15, 2007
I arrived at the airport around lunch time with my suitcases in hand. GAIN had sent me a box to carry over to distribute as humanitarian aid. Being able to use my "2nd" suitcase as a "ministry" suitcase, helps save GAIN alot of money and usually ensures that it will arrive at its destination. It's definitely a blessing that each passenger was able to carry with them a ministry suitcase. I met up with Dave and Mickey Stahl in the morning.
Our plans were to fly from RDU to JFK. At JFK we would meet up with other team members and then fly on to Moscow. Little did we know that God had different plans in store for us. Our flight was delayed at first. We boarded and after being in the air for about an hour, the pilot came on the speaker and told us that we would be landing back at RDU in 15 minutes. I had been asleep so I didn't know what was going on. Come to find out we had alot of turbulance and our plane had mechanical problems. Of course that left the Stahl’s and me frantic. We were not able to catch another flight to JFK that night, which left us unable to meet up with the rest of the team. I went home for the night, frustrated and questioning if I should even continue on with the trip. I knew though that God had a purpose and reason for this happening and I just had to trust Him with the outcome.
June 16, 2007
Dave and Mickey and I arrived at 5:00 in the morning to try another flight to JFK. We made it in one piece to JFK with about 6 hours to spare! We didn’t want to risk missing another flight. There we sat for hours in the airport. Aeroflot, the airline we were flying didn’t even open its counter for a good 4 more hours. I’ve never seen the JFK airport so empty.
After breakfast, we sat in some chairs to people watch. I fell asleep for awhile, only to wake up to a baby crying. It was at this moment that God showed me His purpose for us missing our original flight. Sitting beside us in a few chairs were Banmi, her son Eric and her husband. They were flying back to Africa. They had come for a few months to visit relatives in Fayetteville, NC. Mickey and I explained to Banmi that we were going to Russia with GAIN to minister to children. I took out my pictures that show my testimony and Mickey did the same. Banmi was very interested in our conversation so we showed her the gospel bead bracelet that we use to tell the Gospel. At first I got nervous because I had never explained it to someone face to face. Mickey helped lead the conversation as we talked about each bead. Little did we both know, but Banmi is saved! She would often finish our sentences for us. Praise God! It was so encouraging to hear her love for the Lord and to know that her adorable son, Eric is being raised by a Christian mother. We were unable to talk to her husband about his spiritual life. We did discuss with him who and what GAIN does. He pleaded for an organization like GAIN to come to his city. He said they would be honored to host people and the need is so great. Please keep this family in your prayers and that the area in which they live will be reached by Christians. I've emailed the family since being back home and just recently heard back from them!
After leaving the Patience's, we finally boarded Aeroflot which would take us to Moscow in 9 hours.
June 17, 2007
Dave, Mickey and I finally arrived in Moscow around 3:00! It was relieving and exciting to have my two feet on Russian soil for the first time in over 18 years! When we arrived in Moscow, we learned that our team had already departed to Vladimir, which was our "break out city" for our week. Vladimir is where we would do our ministry work. So it was told to us that we would be riding with Alisher on a public bus to Vladimir. We couldn't have asked for a better travel companion to Vladimir.
Alisher helps GAIN out when teams arrive. On our bus ride, Alachir shared with me his testimony and how he has led others to Christ. Alisher is applying to grad schools here in the US. Please pray that God will open that door for him if it is His will. It was neat to learn that he loves The Beatles and different American bands. He plays in a Pop band and a Christian band. Later, when we returned to Moscow, I was able to communicate more with Alisher and get a glimpse of where he lived and the gift of music that God has blessed him with. I praised God for sending me the encouragement from Alisher who loves the Lord and has a passion for leading others to Christ. Stepping into many "unknowns" upon my arrival, it was comforting to have someone to give me an idea of what lied ahead of me.
As we rode in the bus through the countryside, I witnessed God's beauty in His Creation. I've never seen such beautiful countryside. In contrast though, I also saw poverty stricken areas admist the beauty of the land. It immediately hit me, that I was entering an area that would humble me to be ever so grateful for what I have. It also hit me how all of these people in the bus, spent 4 hours each day riding from Moscow to Vladimir to make very little wage. Here I complain at home about having to drive 30 minutes to work! I realized quickly that my eyes were going to be opened to things I have never seen before or experienced. I prayed that God would prepare me for what lied ahead.
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Before I introduce the team and the ministry sites, I wanted to tell you a little bit about Vladimir.
Our ministry opportunites were done in Vladimir. Vladimir is about 115 miles northeast of Moscow. It's one of the oldest cities in Russia. A little history lesson taken from www.vladimir-russia.info/ ....the city was founded in either 990 or 1108 and once was the capital of Russia. Vladimir is known for it's Golden Gates and its many cathedrals.
Our ministry opportunites were done in Vladimir. Vladimir is about 115 miles northeast of Moscow. It's one of the oldest cities in Russia. A little history lesson taken from www.vladimir-russia.info/ ....the city was founded in either 990 or 1108 and once was the capital of Russia. Vladimir is known for it's Golden Gates and its many cathedrals.
While in Vladimir, we worked alongside a ministry called, Mercy Ministries. (http://www.mercyrussia.com/) Mercy Ministries provides help to orphans, children/teens at risk, a baby rescue and families in need. We had the privilege of working with the president of Mercy Ministry, Sergei Sokolov..an amazing man of God! He helped open the doors to the ministry sites we entered and provided us with a wonderful staff of translators throughout our time in Vladimir. Here I am with Andrew and Sergei. Sergei is the one in the hat.
At each site we were able to take humanitarian aid and what is known as CarePacks. Below are some children looking at their CarePacks. CarePacks usually included pencils, pens, colored pencils, crayons, notepads, rulers, erasers, pencil sharpners, stickers, toothbrushes, hair comb, hankerchiefs, Beanie Babies, etc. The CarePacks were assembled by our team at a church prior to our days of ministry. Unfortunately with our plane flight mishap, the Stahl's and I were unable to participate in this process. The kids LOVED the CarePacks and you immediately saw a smile on their face when they opened the bags. Also we gave each person the book, More Than a Carpenter by James McDowell and the New Testament or bible stories.
Here's some aid that was given at the sites and also the aid that we took to a Social Service Center. The aid we took to these sites included many different things based on the needs of the sites. Some of this things included: laundry detergent, sports equipment, clothes, games, books, water heaters, cleaning supplies, etc.
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On to what we did at each site.......
Each site of course provided us with different opportunities to minister. We learned quickly that what we planned often got changed...the famous term for this became that we learned to "flex." Some sites we were given a performance by the children which included dancing and or singing. Sometimes we then gave a group performance of singing and some of our team members were brave enough to dance for the children. Let's just say that I wasn't one of the brave ones!
At some sites we were fortunate to break into small groups. My small group had four people: Megan, Linda, Me and Jaye.
The number of children in our group spanned from 8 to 20 depending upon the site. Each member in our small group got the opportunity to present pictures we had brought from home, the gospel bead bracelet and our testimonies. The pictures we brought from home included our family, hobbies we enjoyed, our church or other pictures that allowed us opportunities to begin to talk about God.
Here are the four pictures I took with me. One is of my brothers and sister in law. The other is of my friend, Holly, who helped me come to know the Lord. The picture of the butterfly explained my love of photography and how I became a "new creation" when I accepted Christ. Lastly is a picture of Christ that I used to talk of the hope and forgiveness I have experienced through accepting Him.
The gospel bead bracelet is how we presented the Gospel to the children/teens and adults that we came in contact with. It was a clear explanation of what happens in your life when you accept Jesus Christ into your heart. The gospel bead bracelets were made from a piece of leather strap and beads in the colors of black, red, white, blue, green and yellow. The bracelet also had a butterfly shaped bead.
Black Bead: represents the sin in our lives. Sin is all the bad things we do in life like lying, cheating, stealing, etc. Sin seperates us from God.Red Bead: represents Jesus' blood and His love for us. Jesus is God's only son. God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.
White Bead: when we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts, we are forgiven of all our sins. Jesus' shed blood washes away our sins and makes us white as snow.
Blue Bead: When we accept Jesus into our hearts as our Lord and Savior, God promises to put the Holy Spirit into our life. This bead symbolizes the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Green Bead: represents growth. Just as a flower needs water, minerals and sunlight to grow, we as Christians need four things in order to grow in our spiritual walks with the Lord. We need to read God's Word. We need to pray. We need to be in fellowship with other Christians and we need to tell others about Christ.
Yellow Bead: represents heaven. When Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, He purchased a place for us in heaven. When we accept Jesus, God promises that one day when we die, we will spend eternity with Him in heaven.
Butterfly Bead: represents becoming a new creation. Just as a butterfly starts out life as an ugly worm and later turns into a beautiful butterfly we also become new creations in Christ when we accept Him into our hearts.
The gospel bead presentation ended with an opportunity for those who felt God's calling, to pray and accept Jesus Christ into their hearts. Here's Rita, a young girl, who did pray to accept Jesus! Praise God! When we later had tea at this site, Rita was talking with her peers about what each bead stood for!
After we presented the gospel bead bracelet, a member or two of our small group would give their testimony. Following the testimonies, we often had time to play games with the children and sometimes take them outside to play. One neat thing, along with the bead bracelet is that cooks at each site were given gospel aprons which contained pockets in each of the colors on the bead bracelet. Each pocket contained an explanation of that color. The cooks were so grateful for these aprons!
After we presented the gospel bead bracelet, a member or two of our small group would give their testimony. Following the testimonies, we often had time to play games with the children and sometimes take them outside to play. One neat thing, along with the bead bracelet is that cooks at each site were given gospel aprons which contained pockets in each of the colors on the bead bracelet. Each pocket contained an explanation of that color. The cooks were so grateful for these aprons!
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June 17, 2007 continued...
We arrived in Vladimir around 7 this evening. How relieving it is to be in the city I will be ministering in after spending so many hours traveling. The hotel serves not only as a hotel but also as a school for adults and some other offices. When we arrived, dinner was left waiting for us. I was immediately brought back to when I visited Russian at 8 years of age....potatoes and bread at every meal! By this point though, all I wanted was to meet everyone! I got to meet my roommate Sacha. She is a recent college grad from Maryland. I had corresponded with her previously through email so it was nice to get to put a face to words. God could not have paired me up with a better roommate! Sacha is a woman who loves the Lord and it's so evident in her daily walk. She has a heart to be a missionary and I got the honor and privilege to see how God has blessed her with this desire. It was encouraging to be able to spend 10 days with her and share our testimonies and our walks with the Lord. She also knew alot of Russian which definitely helped since I only knew a few phrases!
After meeting Sacha, I had the opportunity to meet with my small group for a brief amount of time. It was a bit intimidating to walk into at first because my small group had already planned out the next day's agenda for the orphanage we were visiting. I had no clue what was going on. I felt like I had missed out on some "bonding time" that had occured before I got there, but it didn't take long before everyone welcomed me and I felt like part of the family. Here's a picture again of my small group from Left to Right: Megan, Linda, Me and Jaye.
After meeting with my small group I was able to get settled. The immediate thing I noticed when I returned to my room was that it was still light out at 11 at night! This would take a little bit of adjustment. We kept our room windows open all night because of the heat and after midnight I could hear people talking and walking down the street outside our room. Who knows what that do at such an hour. Our plans for tomorrow are to go to an orphanage and also get to go minister in families' homes who are poverty stricken.
Prayers for travel and safety were answered!
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Meet The Team..
Now that we've made it to Vladimir, it's time to introduce the team!
June 18, 2007
The orphanage was out in the country. It was a very large yellow building that dates back to the late 1800's. The building itself was extremely clean and the room we went into was well kept. The Souzdal Orphanage houses children with mental problems, though it was never described what these problems include. The children typically stay at this orphanage until they are 7 and 8 and are able to be put in a normal school. Today at the orphanage there were 21 children around 3 and 4 years of age. Many children were not there due to it being the summer and many were off at camp. We met with the director of the orphanage.
We were only allowed in one room of this orphanage. In this room there were 4 caregivers for 21 children. The kids performed some songs for us.
The director wanted us to put on a "talent show." This was told to us last minute so no one had anything prepared. Two of our translators performed a skit talking about how God creates each of us to be special, just the way we are. Two members of our team danced. Then all the kids and most of our team, including myself, did the chicken dance! The kids were having so much fun. The boy pictured in the yellow, let me hold him the whole time we danced. I started spinning in circles and he wouldn't stop laughing. It made me so happy to make him laugh!
Here's Andrew with one of the boys at Souzdal. This boy loved all the attention he was getting.
Here's Sarah with a little girl who has Down's Syndrome. This little girl LOVED to dance! She was so sweet.
When we stopped dancing, we were hoping we could break into small groups and talk with the kids. Instead the caregivers had the kids change clothes and we took them outside to play. Our team waited outside for the kids. The kids came out in layers of clothes. You would have thought it was winter, but it was in the high 80's. We found out that the Russians always dress the children very warmly because they think that prevents them from getting sick. When we were outside, some of the kids played in the playhouse. Jaye made balloon animals and some of the kids did facepainting.
The majority of the time when we are outside, I sat with one boy who was hiding under a table.
When I first say him under the table and played "peek-a-boo" with him, he just kept hiding. I sat on a bench above him and blew bubbles. He was laughing but never talked. After about 30 minutes, he finally got out from under the table and sat on the bench beside me!! He wouldn't stop smiling and wouldn't stop putting things in his mouth. Notice his heavy sweater. One of the caregivers noticed him put a rock in his mouth so she immediatley took him away. I went and played with a few other kids and then went back to this boy. He was standing beside his caregiver and I was able to get him to come sit beside me. I never did hear him speak. When it was time to leave, I wanted to rescue him so bad. I'll definitely miss this little boy.
After leaving the Souzdal orphanage we spent some of the afternoon touring around Souzdal.
June 19, 2007
This morning we visited Sanatorium #2 in Vladimir. It housed 105 children, ranging in age from 3 to 8 years old. It was an institution for children who have developmental delays, speech problems, sleep problems, etc. The director said that the children typically stay there for 2 months and then get re-evaluated.
When we approached the building I didn't know what to think because the building seemed very run down. To my surprise, on the inside, it was remarkably clean and bright. The center had 2 classrooms, a massage room, an exercise room, an electric shock room, a speech room, water therapy, and a psychiatry room. Very impressive facility! The electric shock room threw all of us off guard. When we were touring the facility the director said that they do electric shock to help children who have sleeping problems. The children receiving this type of therapy were awake. The center also had a doctor, psychiatrist, social worker, nutritionist, speech therapist, etc.
The director also told us about how they do music and art at this center and that they have a fairytale/drama room. The children sang songs for us, danced and performed a fairytale for us.
We then took the children outside to play. We had about 12 children in our small group. The children loved playing with bubbles and playing tag. We were able to share our photographs and give them bead bracelets.
With the work experience I have done and the populations I have served here in the US, I really felt a strong tie to this center, which made it hard to leave.
June 19, 2007 continued....
This afternoon we went to the Center of Social Rehabilitation for children in Seslavskoye. There were 40 children from the ages of 4 to 14. We didn't get to tour the facility and the director did not tell us anything about the center except that these children came from parents who had problems. Our team put on a drama presentation about the Good Samaritan. Our small group had about 12 girls and 1 boy who were around 8 or 9 years old. I was able to share my pictures, Meg did the gospel bead presentation and Jaye prayed with the children. There were a few children in our group who prayed to receive Christ; including Rita! We also played Duck, Duck, Goose and did the song "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" with the children. It definitely warmed my heart to hear the children laughing and see them smiling.
Please pray that the seeds we planted at the Center of Social Rehabilitation will continue to grow through God's faith and His love!
June 20, 2007
After we left the Mercy Ministry House our team went to two new sites. Half of the team went to a Center of Temporary Isolation of Minors--Deliquents and half went to the Rehabilitation Center for Children under 18 years old. Jaye, Sarah, Dema, Zooana, Olya, Natalie and me went to the Rehab Center. The Rehab Center houses children from the ages of 3 to 18 years old. It started about 4 years ago. The Center is for children whose parents are typically battling some sort of addiction, are abusive and cannont provide their child with a stable, permanent residence. The children usually stay at this center for 2 months. The director said that over the past year, 35 children had voluntarily come to the center because they knew they could get help there and feel safe. We toured the very small facility and then we were introduced to the children. We played a game to spark spiritual conversations and I was able to give my testimony at this site.
White Bead: when we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts, we are forgiven of all our sins. Jesus' shed blood washes away our sins and makes us white as snow.
Blue Bead: When we accept Jesus into our hearts as our Lord and Savior, God promises to put the Holy Spirit into our life. This bead symbolizes the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Green Bead: represents growth. Just as a flower needs water, minerals and sunlight to grow, we as Christians need four things in order to grow in our spiritual walks with the Lord. We need to read God's Word. We need to pray. We need to be in fellowship with other Christians and we need to tell others about Christ.
Yellow Bead: represents heaven. When Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, He purchased a place for us in heaven. When we accept Jesus, God promises that one day when we die, we will spend eternity with Him in heaven.
Butterfly Bead: represents becoming a new creation. Just as a butterfly starts out life as an ugly worm and later turns into a beautiful butterfly we also become new creations in Christ when we accept Him into our hearts.
The gospel bead presentation ended with an opportunity for those who felt God's calling, to pray and accept Jesus Christ into their hearts. Here's Rita, a young girl, who did pray to accept Jesus! Praise God! When we later had tea at this site, Rita was talking with her peers about what each bead stood for!
After we presented the gospel bead bracelet, a member or two of our small group would give their testimony. Following the testimonies, we often had time to play games with the children and sometimes take them outside to play. One neat thing, along with the bead bracelet is that cooks at each site were given gospel aprons which contained pockets in each of the colors on the bead bracelet. Each pocket contained an explanation of that color. The cooks were so grateful for these aprons!
After we presented the gospel bead bracelet, a member or two of our small group would give their testimony. Following the testimonies, we often had time to play games with the children and sometimes take them outside to play. One neat thing, along with the bead bracelet is that cooks at each site were given gospel aprons which contained pockets in each of the colors on the bead bracelet. Each pocket contained an explanation of that color. The cooks were so grateful for these aprons!
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June 17, 2007 continued...
We arrived in Vladimir around 7 this evening. How relieving it is to be in the city I will be ministering in after spending so many hours traveling. The hotel serves not only as a hotel but also as a school for adults and some other offices. When we arrived, dinner was left waiting for us. I was immediately brought back to when I visited Russian at 8 years of age....potatoes and bread at every meal! By this point though, all I wanted was to meet everyone! I got to meet my roommate Sacha. She is a recent college grad from Maryland. I had corresponded with her previously through email so it was nice to get to put a face to words. God could not have paired me up with a better roommate! Sacha is a woman who loves the Lord and it's so evident in her daily walk. She has a heart to be a missionary and I got the honor and privilege to see how God has blessed her with this desire. It was encouraging to be able to spend 10 days with her and share our testimonies and our walks with the Lord. She also knew alot of Russian which definitely helped since I only knew a few phrases!
After meeting Sacha, I had the opportunity to meet with my small group for a brief amount of time. It was a bit intimidating to walk into at first because my small group had already planned out the next day's agenda for the orphanage we were visiting. I had no clue what was going on. I felt like I had missed out on some "bonding time" that had occured before I got there, but it didn't take long before everyone welcomed me and I felt like part of the family. Here's a picture again of my small group from Left to Right: Megan, Linda, Me and Jaye.
After meeting with my small group I was able to get settled. The immediate thing I noticed when I returned to my room was that it was still light out at 11 at night! This would take a little bit of adjustment. We kept our room windows open all night because of the heat and after midnight I could hear people talking and walking down the street outside our room. Who knows what that do at such an hour. Our plans for tomorrow are to go to an orphanage and also get to go minister in families' homes who are poverty stricken.
Prayers for travel and safety were answered!
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Meet The Team..
Now that we've made it to Vladimir, it's time to introduce the team!
Mickey and Dave
Sarah
Megan
Bev and Linda
Zo (Sarah's Mom)
Me and Jaye - Jaye is on staff with GAIN and was our co-leader for the trip.
Andrew
Dima (One of our Translators) and Sergei (President of Mercy Ministries)
Tim (Leader of the trip)
Sacha (My roommate) and Lena (Trip Coordinator and Translator)
Faith
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------June 18, 2007
Welcome to Ministry Day #1
I woke up this morning for a prayer meeting at 7:30. Then it was on to breakfast at 8. Breakfast usually varied between yogurt, bread, Russian "pancakes", meat and cheeses, or Cereal. After receiving announcements about the agenda for the day, the group gathered around 9 and we packed in the vans. Our first ministry site would be the Souzdal Orphanage. 
June 19, 2007
This morning we visited Sanatorium #2 in Vladimir. It housed 105 children, ranging in age from 3 to 8 years old. It was an institution for children who have developmental delays, speech problems, sleep problems, etc. The director said that the children typically stay there for 2 months and then get re-evaluated.
The director also told us about how they do music and art at this center and that they have a fairytale/drama room. The children sang songs for us, danced and performed a fairytale for us.
June 19, 2007 continued....
June 20, 2007
Today was a "flex" day. We were scheduled to go to a boarding school but the site cancelled. Instead we got to go into a home that had previously been visited by interpreters from Mercy Ministries. It was a very humbling experience and honoring at the same time, to be let in to someone's home. The Russians always provided great hospitality and enjoyed our company, as we did theirs. I had prayed before the trip for divine appointments where team member's could share their testimonies. It was in these "home visits" that this prayer was answered! This morning at the last minute, I was moved from one small group to another. It turns out that God had a plan and was in control! The lady I had switched with, went to a house where her testimony fit so similar with the woman in the house! So that was encouraging to hear.
My group went into a house with a mother who had 3 kids and also had a few of their cousins living there. Her husband was out trying to find a new place for the family to live. Their flat had 2 rooms from what I could see: a kitched area and a living area/bedroom. Since we only had one interpreter with us, we did struggle with a language barrier. We were unsure of their religious views or walks.
One of our team members though was able to engage in a really meaningful conversation with the mother. Tim and I tried communicating with the children but it was very difficult. There was an answer to prayer though! Before leaving the house, we prayed with the family; especially for them to find a new place to live quickly. A day or two before we left Russia, Mercy Ministries notified us that the family had found a new place to live! God is good!! Here's a picture of a building of "flats" that I typically saw in Vladimir.
After leaving this family, we went on to have lunch and an older couple's home. This lunch truly touched me. The couple were in their 70's. The cutest couple. They actually had became new believers through their grandchildren. It was neat just to hear that even though this couple was older, they still were presented the Gospel through their own family members! They served us an amazing lunch. They showed us pictures of their baptism and of their family. They told us that one of their joys was singing so the husband and wife sang for us! He had just turned 70 so he was holding up his birthday card.
On a random note....on the way home, our van passed a wild strawberry stand so Jaye and I decided not to pass up the opportunity for fresh fruit! These were probably some of the best strawberries I have ever had!
This afternoon, we visited the Center of Social Help from Families and Children. There were about 60 children. We were expecting to be able to meet with families there but instead we just met with the children. The ages ranged. Our team sang some songs for them. Our small group ended up having 29 children that ranged in age from 12 to 17. We were not expecting so many children in such a little space of room. We were able to play a bunch of games with them. It was neat how the language barrier was no hinderance when it came to having fun. I nervously shared the gospel bead bracelet at this site. It was God who gave me the words to speak and boy did He bring me out of my comfort zone! Another answer to prayer! Following our time with the children, the director of the facility graciously offered us tea and coffee...to my surprise we had this privilege at many of the sites we visited!
Later that evening, we returned to Vladimir and we were able to go to a service at the Emmanuel Church. It's very interesting to go to a church service when you can't understand a single word of what the pastor is saying!
That concludes another day of ministry in Russia!
June 21, 2007
Today started out as an adventure. Our team broke into groups. I was in a group with Jaye, Linda and Andrew. We went to a market, which was made up of some outside stands and then 2 other big buildings. The main market building had 2 floors. There was an open meat market, fresh flowers, fresh cheese being made, candies, clothes, shoes and a coffee shop. The other building was all fruits and vegetables. We were given a list of items to buy and we had to go around the market and do our best at ordering the items in what little Russian we knew. It's was alot of fun and we looked pretty silly I'm sure...especially when you are trying to order milk and the only thing you know to do is to pretend you are milking a cow. Of course the Russians just laughed and didn't know what we were doing. Finally a man came by who saved the day and got us the milk we needed. We gathered all of our picnic items and went to a location where Mercy Ministries is building an orphanage house.
It's really an amazing opportunity that Mercy Ministries has been given. They are building this house that will eventually hold up to 12 orphans. These children will live in this house with a Christian family or married couple. Mercy's hope is to be able to buy the surrounding area of land and build a community of houses! GAIN was able to provide insulation for the whole house so we all helped carry it into the house. Please pray that Mercy Ministries will be able to finish the construction of the house and that they will be able to win the bid for the purchase of the surrounding land.
Please pray that Mercy Ministries will be able to get a construction team who will be able to complete the rest of the construction fairly quickly. Pray that God will bring just the right family or couple to live in this house and pray that He will hand pick the orphans He desires to live there. Also pray that Mercy Ministries will be able to win the bid to get the surrounding land around the house.
After we left the Mercy Ministry House our team went to two new sites. Half of the team went to a Center of Temporary Isolation of Minors--Deliquents and half went to the Rehabilitation Center for Children under 18 years old. Jaye, Sarah, Dema, Zooana, Olya, Natalie and me went to the Rehab Center. The Rehab Center houses children from the ages of 3 to 18 years old. It started about 4 years ago. The Center is for children whose parents are typically battling some sort of addiction, are abusive and cannont provide their child with a stable, permanent residence. The children usually stay at this center for 2 months. The director said that over the past year, 35 children had voluntarily come to the center because they knew they could get help there and feel safe. We toured the very small facility and then we were introduced to the children. We played a game to spark spiritual conversations and I was able to give my testimony at this site.
After leaving the Rehab Center for Children, Jaye, Megan and I went to Olya's (one of our translators) house for dinner. It was quite an uplifting and encouraging time. Olya and her adopted daughter, Katia ate with us, as well as another Olya and her friend, Nina. We talked about our ministry day and we each gave our testimonies so that was really neat. Nina talked about the persecution she has experienced because of her faith and she is only 18. After dinner, Olya played the piano for us. We sang hymns and songs in Russian and English. It was neat to hear how languages could collide to form such a beautiful sound. They taught us the song "Sing Halleluiah" in Russian. It really touched me that I could come overseas and share a meal in the home of a belieiver and be able to worship and praise God together.
June 22, 2007
Today we went to the baby house in Vladimir. The baby house serves as a home to 108 babies from birth to 4 years of age. I didn't know what to expect today, but I knew it would be a difficult visit emotionally. When we drove up to the site, I could see the cribs and children standing in their cribs. It's then that my heart starting sinking. How could such beautiful babies be left without parents to care for them?
Once we entered the building, we broke into groups and our group got to tour the facility. We all had to put on blue booties over our shoes. I was once again amazed at the cleanliness of the facility. The director gave us an in-depth tour and talked about the on-going needs of the facility..the need for medication and diapers is huge. The Baby House only has a few cupboards of medications for over 100 babies. The government only gives orphanages $1 per day for all of their needs. Please pray that the government will allow orphanages to receive more funding for medications.
After the tour, we got to go in three different rooms to see children. In the first room, I took on to a little girl. I don't remember her name. She had crossed eyes and the caretaker said that she has Down's Syndrome. Alot of the children in this facility had physical and mental handicaps. This child had a pacifier in her mouth that she wouldn't let go of until the last 5 minutes I was there! She was so precious. She wasn't strong enough to hold up her head yet. I did not want to let her go.
In the next room I was yet again drawn to another girl with Down's Syndrome.
When we entered this room the children were getting ready to eat so we didn't get to spend alot of time with them.
In the very last room we went in, we got to see older children who were 2 through 4 years old so I got to build with blocks with this girl.
It was hard leaving the baby house today and wondering how many of those children would be adopted. When we were there, in some of the rooms, the caretakers told us that babies are adopted from this orphanage...one was going to France and one to the US. Pray that each of these children will be able to be raised in a loving home outside the walls of an orphanage.
After lunch we went to the Vladimir Regional Center for Families and Children. It has over 40 children and 30 adults. Unfortunately this site was a short visit. Their "folk group" children performed a dance and song. Their outfits were beautiful! Here are two of the girls with their CarePacks that we gave them.
We were unable to do any presentations with this group. For some reason, after we handed out the CarePacks everyone left the room. We were able to minister though through providing the center with items they requested.
June 23, 2007 through June 25, 2007
These last few days were spent traveling back to Moscow and having some sight-seeing opportunities in Moscow. On July 23, 2007 we packed up and left Vladimir. We took a bus tour around the city before driving 4 hours back to Moscow. It was difficult to leave Vladimir. I so wish I could have stayed there for longer than 10 days. We arrived in Moscow around 3:30 and we had the afternoon to spend more time together as a team. We went on a river boat tour of Moscow. Here are some pictures from that tour:
On June 24, 2007 we went to tour the Red Square and the Kremlin. I was brought back to the days when I visited Russia in 1989, but this time the sights were more vibrant and clean!
On July 25, 2007 we packed our bags and boarded the plane for a 9 hour trip back to the United States. Needless to say, it was hard to leave Russia. It was a place where God truly taught me how to have faith and trust in Him. I was able to see prayers answered and share the Gospel to many children. My prayer is that the seeds that were planted during our trip will be sown as Mercy Ministries and other groups continue to work at these sites. I can't express what it meant to go to a foreign country and express God's love through our services and aid that we provided. I've grown in my walk with the Lord and have learned more about His sovereignty. I'm grateful for each and every one of you who supported me on this journey. I will carry these memories with me forever! God bless!
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