Pleasantly Surprised

Ordzhonikidze is a small town on the East coast of Crimea and the landscape is beautiful. We arrived there Wednesday night around 11pm after an eight hour bus ride. We were all tired and went to bed shortly afterwards. We drove down with Jay Don and Mary Lee, 4 other American missionaries who helped organize and fund the conference, and 3 orphans. We were put up in a local motel that was quaint. It gave us privacy but had a few let downs. Thursday was a free day for us to explore the town and recover from the long drive. Laurie and I spent our time walking and hiking. The area has many hills and peaks to discover from which you can take beautiful pictures.



Then on Friday the conference began. The costs of the conference are covered by Eastern European Missions (EEM). EEM produces a weekly local television program on faith. Often they have people who call in to their response center asking questions. So this conference in Crimea is an annual event in which EEM tries to bring together many of the Christians around the Ukraine along with many of these people who have called in to their response center. The goals of the conference are to be evangelistic in answering questions and encouraging faith in those who are searching for Jesus and also to equip existing believers with resources and encouragement to start home churches so the Word of God can spread even further.

Saturday was the giving of resources and baptisms. For about an hour Sasha would talk about a book, CD or Bible and then they would hand them out. I was quite impressed. There was a lot of good resources that were available for anyone who wanted them. Then watching the baptisms in the Black Sea was very interesting because the locals were very interested in what was going on. As the twenty two people were baptized I could see people coming up and asking others about the event. It was a good warm day and the sea was all calm and perfect. I was happy to be apart of that.


The speakers did an excellent job in reaching both new and seasoned Christians through their messages. Or I should say that God did an excellent job of reaching out to these people. I know it was God speaking through these other men because one of the main speakers got quite sick and was unable to do much of his sessions. So other speakers had to jump in and fill his spots. Jay Don spoke three times on the weekend and was only originally scheduled to do a Q & A session. Nevertheless he did an excellent job of bringing Scriptures to life in a new way even with the short notice.



Here's a funny moment from the weekend. So what's the last thing you would ever expect to see at a Christian conference? A grandma in her bra!?!?! Well, that was one embarrassing surprise. Laurie and I sat down in the auditorium for one of the talks. In front of us was a mother and grandma we knew from a congregation we have visited before in Donetsk. The next thing I see is the grandma taking off her sweater and revealing her bra! I then quickly realized that she was hot and was trying to just take off her sweater but her under shirt was stuck to her sweater. I turn to Laurie, put my hand to the side of my face to shield me from her exposure and say to Laurie, “I can't help her, I...I can't help her.” After a few seconds of this the grandma puts her sweater back down but her daughter turns to her and says, “what are you doing?” She then helped her mom take off her sweater and then they turned around and looked at us. I said, “better, yes” and then we all burst out laughing pretty hard. She was so embarrassed but laughed at herself with us.

Next Sunday we will be traveling once again. Laurie and I with the Rogers will go visit a congregation about two hours away located in a small village. Afterward we will go and see one of the graduates of UBI and his work. He started a drug/alcohol rehab center and is doing great work there helping many men and women recover.

Good Conversations

This is Olga and her new washing machine. Back in May the Rogers and us went and visited with her and her coworkers. She is the director of a sanatorium that is about an hour south of Donetsk. Back then she asked if we (Church of Christ) could help buy them a new industrial sized washing machine because their two older ones (over 25 years old) had recently broken and they couldn't get parts for them. They had been washing all the staff and kids clothes along with the 80+ bed sheets by hand. When Jay Don said we would be able to help they were quite excited. So the ladies did their research and found a company in Poland that build good machines for a decent price and bought from them.

When we went and visited last Tuesday, they were soooooo appreciative and happy. They told us over and over again that no one would help them at all except us and they were so thankful that we would visit them. They showed us the machine, went over receipts and such and then served us a lovely meal. Jay Don informed them that much of the money spent on this machine came from donations from the Calgary Church or Christ. Olga told Laurie and I over and over again how appreciative we were and that we had to pass on her thanks. So I want to say 'Spaseeba Bolshoi' to everyone at the Calgary Church of Christ. We are getting a first hand experience of enjoying the company and food of all those you are blessing. And it is good food and good company. During our meal with Olga and some of her staff they kept on telling us of how thankful they are for Christians. They told us they know God is with us because we are helping them and others. Olga then totally opened up and shared her frustrations and confusions of religion. Jay Don did a good job explaining that we just try and follow Jesus and the Bible and not traditions. Unfortunately though traditions sometimes interfere with following Jesus. She had many questions and we spent an hour or so discussing faith and prayer and such. Time well spent in my books. Afterwards, Mary Lee told us that they have been working with that sanatorium and those staff members for 8.5 years and this was the first time they have really opened up to deep faith conversations. Thankfully, God is patient and keeps working on hearts even when we don't see it.

The rest of our week was fairly quiet. I had some free time to work on my assignments. Not done yet though. Laurie and I took on another project for Jay Don that is keeping Laurie happy. A Church from Texas...I think, donated some money to buy toys for an AIDS hospital. And we are in charge of buying the toys. We have visited fives shops and spent all our money so far but Jay Don mentioned that he might have more money for us so we may get to buy more soon. Personally, I don't like spending money (Laurie calls me cheap) but when it is someone else's money... I'm finding it not that hard.

We have also had our friend Nazar over a couple of times this week. He is an 18 year old boy who grew up in orphanages here. We met him through the church we attend. He was baptized there just shortly before we came to the Ukraine. He is still fairly new in his faith and has many questions. And his living situation with other orphans doesn't always provide the best influences for him. But lately he has been starting to ask us more and more questions about Bible passages and concepts. It's exciting to see him growing in his faith. And it's a challenge to us to try to figure out how to answer some of his questions with our limited Russian skills. But thankfully between his Russian Bible and our English Bible we have been able to show him passages that answer some of his questions.



Sunday was an interesting day in that all the Churches of Christ in Donetsk came together for a service at the downtown drama theater. This is quite an extravagant theater so it was a pretty special event. It was packed out and they fund raised over 5000 Hryvnia for an orphanage, so it was all good.



Now we are getting ready to head to Crimea one more time. This time we are going with the Rogers and others to attend a conference of some sort. I don't know the details but I have been told there will be around 500 people there with lots of speakers and such. So I don't really know what to expect but hope it will be a time of learning and worship.

A change in plans

About a month ago Alexander, a preacher from Mariupol asked me if Laurie and I would be interested in going there on a regular basis to follow up on an English program that was started there this summer by a short term missions team. We couldn't give a quick answer at first since we are involved in other activities in Donetsk. We decided that we could go once or twice before we head back to the homeland and planned to go for the weekend of Sept. 12-13 to teach English. Alexander though was away doing camp ministry for a awhile. When he got back and talked to our friends Yacov and Alona who are our connection to him we discovered he had a different plan for us. He now wanted me to teach a Saturday youth class and to speak in the service on Sunday. Oh...we were told this on Tuesday and we planned to leave for Mariupol on Friday afternoon. Well, it wasn't what I was expecting but hey, its an opportunity to share Jesus with others and so I'm glad to do that.

Mariupol is almost a two hour bus ride south of Donetsk. It has a population of around half a million and has lots of industry there. Its located on the coast of the Azov Sea and we have been told that the water there has changed because many of the factories use this sea for cooling water. The water looked pretty nice to us though.



The Church of Christ in Mariupol is blessed to have their own building. It used to be a kindergarten school so it is quite big with a large playground area. A portion of the second level has been made into an apartment. This is where Alona and Yacov and their daughter Masha live and also where we stayed for the weekend. This was really nice as we didn't have to account for commuting time all weekend. We just had to walk down a flight of stairs.



They are also using about half of the building as a transitional living center (TLC) for orphans. Many orphans that graduate from school are left on their own to adjust to adulthood. But statistics show that many of these teens/young adults struggle to have a healthy lifestyle once they leave orphanages. So this TLC is helping them to learn life skills and have healthy support available for their transition.

On Saturday we were Alexander's guests ... its funny because he is known as the preacher with a beard. He had us over for lunch and visits. Yacov and Alona's daughter Masha was with us and Alexander's grandson also joined us. The toddlers kept things interesting. I find it funny that no matter what culture you go to toddlers all act the same. They think everything is theirs and if you are having fun with something they want what you have.

That evening they had a youth class and I was the guest speaker. I shared my life story with them and then held a group discussion. Afterwards we had tea, snacks and visited. And had fun outside with the boys playing volleyball.



Yesterday was a long day for us. We slept in a wee bit but needed to be ready by ten for service. The service is organized into two parts. Singing and a sermon in the first hour and then more singing, testimonies, communion and a short sermon in the second hour. I spoke first and believed I held the majority of their attention for 30+ minutes which is an achievement for any speaker so I was happy with that.

After the service we visited with some of the members there and the next time I looked at my watch it was 2 o'clock. It was Yacov's grandpa's birthday so they went to have family time with them. Laurie and I stayed behind to have a nap and relax. By the time we had the place cleaned up and everything packed it was 8 and the last bus usually leaves at 9 so we were in quite a hurry. We did end up catching the last bus to Donetsk at 920 and this got us into Donetsk at 11.

On another note we have good news our friends Vova and Lena are doing better. Lena came home last week and I think is doing better. We don't know for sure because we haven't seen them for awhile. We have been busy this past week with being guests, hosting or preparing for the Mariupol weekend. This week I am hoping to do some “homework” but like every other week there seems to be something more urgent to work on or prepare ... so we'll see what this week brings.

Food, food, and more food ...

Hi, it's Laurie this time. Bruno is off at UBI and I decided to take over the blog this week. I think I have had a more interesting week this week than Bruno ... or at least a more tasty one. For the past three weeks I have been attending ladies class at UBI. This term ladies class was on hospitality. It is a pretty easy class because it is the first one of the year. We learned about Biblical principles on hospitality and some good tips from the female staff at UBI and some guests from churches, but I think one of the main objectives of the class is also just to build a closer community among the women at UBI. And I think the class was a great success! For the last three days of the class we simply cooked, decorated, had fun and fellowshipped together.



We were divided into two teams so on Wednesday the first team cooked and decorated and served the rest of us a delicious little meal of fruit salad and banana bread. Then on Thursday that team sat back and relaxed while my team decorated and cooked for them. I wasn't too much help for my team as they had decided to do a traditional Ukrainian theme for their meal. I had very little idea about what that was so I let them handle it and mostly just ended up being their cheerleader. I am very proud of how well they did.



Thursday, of course, was my wonderful husband's birthday. So we celebrated in true Ukrainian fashion. Meaning that the birthday person has to throw their own party and buy their own cake. Bruno announced in chapel that everyone was invited to join him at the first morning break for cake in the kitchen. Then we ran with Vova to the market to buy some cakes. We got it all cut up and dished onto plates just in time for the break. And then we had a nice time just visiting with everyone for a while. Sasha Maluga, one of the teachers, made a nice speech thanking Bruno for all his help around UBI and presented him with a Shaktar hat and scarf. (That's the Donetsk soccer team for anyone who didn't know.) And a couple of other students gave him little gifts as well.

Then in the evening we had a quiet celebration with a movie and a good Alfredo pasta meal for my Italian husband. We finished it off with an ice cream cake I had made. I was about ready to burst by the end of the day. But it was all so tasty.

On Friday, we finally let the boys in on the fun and food. They had been quite jealous on Wednesday and Thursday when all the girls were eating without them. So on Friday both the teams joined together and cooked a wonderful meal for the whole school. The girls had gotten together and planned a great meal, but were having a tough time coming up with a dessert idea. I jumped in and offered to make apple crisp for dessert.



It was a lot of fun with all of us working together in the kitchen. We were so busy with the food that we almost forgot about decorating the room in some fun way. Marina was quick to solve that problem when she ran outside to gather some leaves. We borrowed a few other decorations from Mary Lee's office and ended up with a very festive fall kitchen. And in the end we had a school full of well fed students who ran off to write an exam and ... a very dirty kitchen for Bruno, Mary Lee and I to clean. Oh well, we had a good visit while cleaned.

On Saturday we had a small English class with only 3 students. But they were students that we are pretty close with and we had fun playing a Pictionary type game with them. Afterwards, Nazar walked home with us and was asking if he could come visit us soon. He asked if Sunday or Monday would be better. Bruno has been feeling a little worse this week so he's been quite tired again. Bruno went to say that Monday would be best but in his tiredness he got his Russian words mixed up. Instead of saying, “Paneedeelnik lootchye” (meaning, 'Monday is better') he said, “Parasonic lootchye” which means 'pork is better.' Nazar and I had a good laugh about that one.

Bruno was on for preaching in the second hour on Sunday. He spoke about prayer and shared the story about praying for a 50 kopeckee on our way to Amstore many months ago. (We wrote about it in our March 15th entry if you want to read it again.) Well, when he shared this story there started to be a little bit of a giggle in the congregation and then more people started giggling at his story. This may not sound like a big deal, but we have been here almost 7 months and I don't think I have ever heard that before. Ukrainian culture is very reserved and it is very abnormal to smile in public (even in church) and especially strange to outright laugh. This is one of the cultural results that carries over from communism. Gradually the younger people are becoming more and more expressive in public, but change takes time. So to hear an audible chuckle throughout the church congregation was such a nice treat. I'm so thankful that God invented laughter. It's one of my favorite things in life.

Oh, I forgot to share a story from Wednesday. I went with a visiting American teacher, Tyetseeya and Katia to the TB hospital for a visit. In one room there was one little child alone in a crib. So I snuck in there and started tickling her tummy. She smiled and giggled at me especially when I told her in Russian that she was beautiful. I played with her for a few minutes and then waved and said 'Paka' (goodbye) as I started to walk to the door. She started crying so of course I went back to play with her some more. A nurse came in then and through our translator explained to me that she was recently dropped off at the hospital by the militia. She is a newly abandoned baby so I am guessing she didn't like it when I said goodbye. The next time I had to leave the room I didn't say goodbye, but I did leave a little piece of my heart with her. Isn't she cute?



On another note, we would like to ask you to join with us in prayer. If you have been following our blog you know that Vova and Lena are good friends of ours. They are expecting a baby that is due about the end of November. On Thursday evening Lena started having pains in her back and stomach and they called an ambulance to take her to the hospital. So far she seems okay and so does the baby, but the doctors say there is a chance the baby may come early. Lena is still in the hospital and we went to visit her yesterday and she is able to walk around and all. She is just very uncomfortable and at times in a lot of pain. With the language barrier it is hard for us to understand exactly what is happening, but please add her and her baby to your prayers. Hospitals here are not well equipped to handle premature babies so the longer she can carry the baby the better.