Here is an article from Mia Hayrinen a Finnish short-term volunteer partnering with MIR this summer ~

This is me, Mia Hayrinen, 23 years old,  from  Finland.

I study Russian language as my major subject at the University Turku in Finland.Pedagogy and Finno-Ugric languages are my minor subjects. My Master’s degree studies take altogether six years, four years are behind, two more years are to come. I spent five months studying abroad in St.Petersburg at the university of Herzen. That was in the Spring 2008.

My first time in Russia was in 2002. I was 15 years old that time attending one of the children’s camps in Zelenogorsk with a missionary group from Finland. After that trip I started taking classes in Russian in high school each summer traveling to Russia for couple of weeks, again with a missionary group to attend the children’s camps. Each time something new happened in my heart. During the year we also visited the orphanages once per year. I also had an opportunity to visit the orphanages couple of times while studying in St. Petersburg.

Jesus says: “Whoever takes one of these little ones to oneself takes me.” I have experienced this. By feeling the love of God for the orphans I have understood God’s love better for me too. His presence is there where his will is done.

The time I studied at St. Petersburg 2008 I prayed God to help me connect the people who work with the orphans in this city.  God answered my prayer and I got to know Mike and Olga Cantrell and the organization MIR. With Mike and Olga I first visited the camp Elama. Mike shared the vision, that he had for the place and I got exited; I could almost see how it would be after few years.

Now after two years I am working two months as a voluntary worker for MIR in St. Petersburg getting some good experience about the work that the people of MIR are doing. After two years I see that a lot of work has been also done at camp Elama.

One week before coming to Russia God gave me a song in Finnish, that touched my heart. The idea of this song is this.

I pass a group of people

I pass a little boy

I don’t feel anything in my heart

I pass a group of people

I pass a little boy

You tell  me Whoever takes one of these little ones in takes me in

Now I can see

How much there is

Love for this little one

Heavens are full of love

Full of love for him

I pass a group of people

I pass a little boy

No One has ever looked straight into his eyes

No One has ever seen him in the ground

I pass a group of people

I pass a little boy

You ask me Would you look at this boy?

Now I can see

How much there is

Love for this little one

Heavens are full of love

Full of love for him

I am looking forward to see and learn more from those who have worked with children for a long time already here in St. Petersburg.

- Mia

No related posts.

St. James’ building team has successfully completed the summer pavilion building project at camp Elama. In spite of weather change, mosquito bites, health issues, struggles with the local saw mill it is done and done! As John Bull formulated it at good bye dinner, Allen Amason  as a team leader and Mike Cantrell as a visionary put together a group of “good people” who honored God not only in the amount of work being done but also in the way they treated each other and everyone around them.

This pavilion is 100 square meters and will seat up to 150 people once the seating spots are available. The smaller building is summer kitchen. The picture shows it in progress of being built.

A lot of things were  done for the first time: the first team of foreign volunteers actually staying in the camp through the week. The first team I’ve hosted at Elama without Mike and Olga. The first new building being build from scratch.New Elama pouring out all over. A great house-warming event for the new summer season, a very smooth and natural way for me to accept Elama as a part of MIR’s work and take more ownership over it.

This building project was a wonderful way of integrating many different ministries around children camp ministry. Through the time such ministries and group of people as St. James, Street Cry, Crimson Sales, MIR, Love Russia, Bethel Rehab Center,  Christ to the World Church put the efforts together to make it all happen. Some were actively involved in building, others were facilitating different parts of the process directly or indirectly.

What really mattered in the midst of all that was happening was it all served the final goal of getting ready for children camp sessions in July.

As Allen summed it up: “This is the way it is supposed to be”.

Related posts:

1. Camp Elama
2. Mia’s Story
3. Visiting Teams

US Ambassador John Beyrle with his father Joseph Beyrle on Red Square after the parade May 9, 2004, Moscow.

“This weekend I will celebrate Victory Day with you. This day is of particular importance for me, because my father served in the Air landing in the United States Army during the Second World War. He was captured by the Germans, fled in late 1944 and joined one of the Red Army troops which was advancing on Berlin. Then he was injured and while in the hospital he met with Marshal Zhukov, who ordered to issue him a document to travel to Moscow. From Moscow my father returned to the U.S. – long after his funeral in his hometown in Michigan.

My father told me a lot about how Russia suffered greatly during the Second World War and the courage of Russian soldiers, with whom he fought. I also learned from him and he read a lot about what Russia and America could achieve by acting as allies. Victory in the Second World does not belong to any one country. It was the result of the great alliance of countries that were able to overcome their differences for a common goal – the defeat of Nazi Germany.

The main lesson of those events for me personally is that we can achieve much more when combine our efforts, than when we confront each other. If we combine our strength, our imagination and our courage, nothing will be impossible for us.

Our best memorial to veterans of World War II – is the creation of new partnerships that will peacefully resolve any conflicts, build a more prosperous and equitable society and rid the world of the threat posed by nuclear weapons. This is at least a worthy goal for the current generation of Americans and Russians than the defeat of fascism was for the generation of our fathers and grandfathers.

If you want to know more about the military fate of my father, on Thursday at the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War on Poklonnaya Hill opened a small exhibition. There is also a resource in English and Russian devoted to his life. I hope you will visit this exhibition and you tell me about your impressions”.

Related posts:

1. Artem Saveliev send back home to Russia

Thousands of Americans are watching the consultations in Moscow with anxiety and anticipation: those who already have brought orphans from  Russia,and those who are still dreaming to do it. They are confident that        each child has the right to love and be loved, especially if he or she has  already experienced pain, cruelty and injustice at the very beginning of his  little life. History 7-year-old Artem Saveliev, thrown on a plain by his  American  mother doesn’t go away from the pages of American  newspapers,  it is broadly discussed on television and radio. The petition in two  languages, Russian and English, addressed to the presidents of Russia and  the U.S. is signed by 26 thousand people inseveral days. Its authors, a Washington public organizations ask not to terminate the right from Americans to adopt young Russians due to the drama with Artem Saveliev.

Why would Americans care so much about our children, and why would this story arise such emotions in the USA? Answers to these questions can be found, for example, in the Smith family, who, like many others, have signed a petition to the President. In addition to their own child, they have adopted 6 more from the United States, Uzbekistan, and 4 of which came out of Russia.

Why would Joyce and Mark need all that? They are simply of those people who decide for themselves clearly one day- “if not us, then who?”. Now they are just as clearly can explain what happened to the woman from Tennessee, who left Artem Saveliev.

Girls and boys from the orphanages had once presented Joyce and Mark with all the hardest lessons that could easily make up the encyclopedia of difficulties in adoption – conflict, runaways, aggression. But the answer to that was love and ultimate goodness, multiplied by patience and years of work.

Joyce Smith: “Often it seems that everything is falling apart. But we must realize that adopted children are very scared at first – they are in another culture, they learn a new language, the food is different, smells are different! Yes, generally everything else is so different, I know what I felt when I was in Russia – everything was different. And it’s me, an adult, but now imagine what the child feels. “

8-year-old girl from Kostroma, enjoys the most how her mom and sing a song about a little star. Three years ago, David and Elizabeth decided that they probably have everything to make happy a child that feels the most miserable in the whole world.

For 3 years in America, Milana went through five successful operations and gained vision, whole her parents gained the conviction that every child should be in a family. But why would they sign a petition to
President asking not to prohibit the adoption in Russia into American families?

Elizabeth Dzhaffin: “This is our problem too, because our daughter is from Russia, it is – part of our family, and Russia is a part of her,so Russia is a part of us.”

David Dzhaffin: “And we want people in Russia to know that lots of Americans disapprove the woman from Tennessee, we feel that it was an absolutely wrong thing to do. If you take a child, you should solve all the problems. This is how the world is made. It’s not a car you’re buying that you return if its transmission is not working. It’s your job to take care of the children while they grow. “

The story of Artem Saveliev is not the first accident with adopted
children from Russia. Of course, the fact that out of 60,000 children adopted during nearly a quarter of a century,17 kids were killed is not a reason to be careless about it.

In order to exclude tragidies from the dry statistics and protect the life of each child, the commission of State Department brings their proposals to Moscow. Thomas Difilipo, one of the main experts in the
country on the subject, is sure that the U.S. side will make every effort to save the situation.

Difilipo Thomas, president of Joint Council of International Service for children in the State Department: “We are working hard to tighten the standards for adoption agencies that work with the Russian side.
It does not freeze the adoption process and it is an improvement so more children may have a new family, and that will be completely safe for them. ”

Steve and Christine fly to Moscow. They are in total confusion. At the coffee shop of the New York airport – photos of four of their children who were already adopted from different countries. The fifth
one, Valera, was to come from a children’s home in Nizhny Lomov. They had hoped to return with him.

Christine Jack: “It was a moment of pain. We have learned from the news about the suspension of adoptions. We needed to understand what was happening, I called Steve horrified.”

Stephen Jacque: “We started thinking, what to do, all of the Valera’s the documents are submitted and we have tickets in hand.”
Steve and Christine would like to think that the 14-year-old Valerie does not know about the possible difficulties. It is enough that he knows how he was found in the snow with frozen hands at the age of 2. And now he knows that soon parents will come after him. It’s not the loss of twenty thousand dollars they are concerned the most at this point The when they sign the petition to the two presidents. They do it because the act of one woman messed up the possibility of thousands of Americans to adopt someone they are ready say to:

Christine Jack: “I love you.”
Stephen Jake: “You are my son.”

Related posts:

1. Artem Saveliev send back home to Russia
2. A letter to an Orphanage Director
3. …”The Rest of the Story”

In 1991, Valera’s father took him, at about the age of 5, to tag along for a day’s work on a farm to chop wood. This had become a normal part of Valera’s life as mom was now at home with his toddler sister. On these days, Valera would entertain himself while his dad plowed fields, watered farm animals, sheered sheep, butchered hogs, milked cows, did simple repairs or like today; he chopped wood for the coming winter. At the end of the day, if the work was satisfactory, the family might invite them to have leftover dinner portions On this particular day, the father’s work seemed satisfactory, so he and Valera were given some food to eat. After dinner, as is customary, the woman who owned the farm handed the boy’s father a glass of wine. However, this day’s glass of wine was very unlike any previously offered to his dad. Apparently, the family didn’t have the money to pay for the day’s wages and some alternative was sought to get out of doing so. Not quite understanding what he saw, Valera would later remember something: the woman took a thermometer, broke it, and poured some liquid from it into the glass of wine. She then handed it to his dad.

Soon after eating, Valera and his dad began their journey down the dirt farm road towards their home. But unlike other days, his father stumbled and rolled off the road and into a ditch. Valera, thinking his dad was playing a game with him, rolled down the hill as well, thinking there would be some fun on the way home as had happened on days before. However, after some time passed, and it became dark and started to get cold, Valera realized his dad was not playing any games. He lay down to sleep next to his dad, but later realized his dad would never wake up again. He had witnessed the poisoning and murder of his father and it was a day that changed the rest of life as he knew it.                                                                                                                                          

This began the demise of a family; something that no one would have expected or desired for a child of his age to endure. His mother, stricken with grief over the loss of her husband and the economical destruction of her family, soon lost her home and turned to vodka as a self prescribed medication. Without any spiritual, financial, emotional or social support systems, she soon began a life of living on the streets with her 2 small children now 6 and 4. Valera’s role quickly changed from being a happy child to the new head of family. This all occurred during the initial years of the break up of the Soviet Union. Food was scarce, jobs were few and there was no extended family or government system in place to assist them. The political outlook was chaotic and dysfunctional at best. The small family lived wherever they found shelter, never staying in one place longer than a few days. Valera now became the one to gather food, and provide for his sister and mom. He learned how to jump fences and steal whatever fruits and vegetables he could get from others who had small gardens. He realized that if he could snatch a bottle or two of nail polish from a flea market vendor, he could return the next day and sell it to another vender for some coins. Making things even more unbearable, his mom became pregnant again and soon had another son. For the first year or so, it was Valera who had to stay up at night and care for his baby brother as mom had turned to prostitution to earn money for her drinking habit. However, the baby’s father eventually came and took the baby which provided some needed relief for the short term. Valera never had any stable home so he was not able to attend school. But, about 4 years later, around the age of 9 or 10, they happened upon an older couple who had a mentally ill son who offered a place for them to stay in their barn. In exchange for assistance to care for their farm animals, work the fields etc they were offered a place to sleep and access to food to eat. Because Valera had remembered learning and watching from his dad’s work on farms he was able to drive the tractor, slaughter the hogs and chickens and milk the cows. The woman taught him how to sow crops and eventually harvest them. So, for about 2 weeks, Valera and his family lived in the barn and life was drastically better.

However, his mom, who now suffered from an alcohol addiction, was unable to stay in one place very long. One day, mom announced she was tired of the farm and she was moving…again. Fed up with a life of uncertainty and constantly seeking shelter while having to steal to eat, Valera finally rebelled! Mom gave him an ultimatum…go with her and his sister or stay on his own. So, Valera made a decision that no child should ever have to make. When mom announced her departure, he hid in the barn and refused to go with them. That was the last time he ever saw his mom and younger sister.

For about 3 years, Valera stayed and worked the farm and lived in the barn in exchange for food and “home”. The woman offered that if he managed his daily chores, he could also attend school. So, Valera got up about 4am, did his morning chores and went to school, starting the first grade at the age of 10. After school, he would come home and do afternoon and evening chores and study by candlelight until he fell asleep. This went on until about the age of 12. One day, the family’s grown mentally ill son, chased him and attempted to kill him with a pitchfork. Fortunately, this attempt was not successful and Valera escaped. However, first hand experience of living with this crazy boy and knowing how successful he had been in killing a horse in the same way, Valera knew his life was in danger. The next day, he confided in a school teacher and he was immediately removed from the home.

At first a foster family was located and Valera was moved in with them. However, because the town was rather small, there was talk and constant fear that the crazy boy would come to harm Valera and his foster family. So, it was soon decided that it would be safer for everyone to move Valera to a larger city where he was first taken to a hospital for a full medical evaluation and eventually moved into an orphanage in the city of Ulyanovsk Russia. This was in the summer of 2000, and Valera was now 12 years old.                                  
A few weeks later, Valera would meet Americans for the first time in his new home at the orphanage. Little did he know or could he even contemplate, that he was meeting his new parents! Life as he knew it, would, once again, change forever. However, this time God was answering prayers of a couple who were in the midst of adopting their infant son, and happened to stay in Valera’s orphanage during the process. On the night before their departure, Valera would receive a gift that he would never forget and to this day, continue to share the importance of, with others. The couple came to say goodbye to Valera who had played with their family during the week’s stay in the orphanage. He also gave them a gift from his personal stash of treasured items: a small metal “Matchbox” style car with a few broken pieces, but one of a few items he could actually call “his own”. This American mom, reached for Valera and wrapped her arms around him…he was so small and slight and boney! She could have wrapped her arms around him twice! At first, Valera didn’t know what to make of this: his first hug. But, quickly, he felt warmth, love and something he had never known before: safety and a sense of belonging. He felt chosen and important! Ten months later, the couple returned to his orphanage, but not to adopt a baby. This time, they came for Valera, their new son who was now 13 years old.

So, who is this boy and why is Valera’s story so important today?

As a famous radio announcer Paul Harvey, once coined, “And now, for the Rest of the Story”…

That was 10 years ago. Now at the age of 24, you’ve possibly heard about Valera. However, his name has been changed and he is known as Taylor Dakake. You see, Taylor was adopted by my husband and me in June, 2000, and finally came home to his “forever family”. We enrolled him as a scrawny 74 pound, 7th grader in a Christian school with only 4 years of formal education behind him. Seeing his resilience factors such as his exceptional abilities in sports and art combined with the ability to laugh at himself with a keen sense of humor, he had the tools to succeed. He excelled in soccer and was asked to join the Varsity team as an 8th grader, while playing on a YMCA Select Traveling team during the same season! He was voted by his peers to be their Homecoming Prince as an 8th grader. The end of his first year in school, he received numerous awards for “Outstanding Achievement” in Bible, Mathematics, Art and Physical Education along with “Outstanding Christian Character” in Soccer. He also received awards for “Most Improved” in English, History and Science. However, the most noted award that he received that year was the Principal’s Choice Award. This was given to a select child from the school’s population whom the principal saw as overcoming a Life Obstacle and Excelling. This was the “Eagle Award” and Taylor proudly received it before a group of tearful teachers and students, and of course, both of his parents. Above all, he accepted Christ that year as his Lord and Savior at a chapel gathering: He received Eternal Life.

It didn’t bother anyone that he graduated High School at the age of 19 while being named Valedictorian of his graduating class who had to give the commencement speech in a language he had only learned over the past 6 years. He was also named to the All Region and All State Varsity Soccer teams and was offered college scholarships in both soccer and academic achievement. Now, Taylor is a junior at Kennesaw State University and is studying International Business. He recently bought his first home after working full time for the past 3 years at Discount Tires. He had the ability, but no opportunity to succeed in Russia as an orphan. In America, he had the opportunity and grabbed it with both hands, along with 2 parents who love him dearly and has succeeded. Yes, we missed most of his childhood and the time we had together at home felt way too short. But, that comes from selfish desire and not a necessity in loving and parenting a child. I challenge you to please consider bringing one of these teens, who is facing the end of their opportunity to find a way to succeed in their lives.

People ask me every day, why consider a teenager for hosting or possibly adoption? My answer is simple and one that comes straight from my heart: “Why not?” The children we are spotlighting on this “Children to Pray For” email are those who our interview team has met over the years and we have fallen in love with them. We see the hope that remains in their eyes and the smile in their heart with a desire to come on the hosting program. They are boys and girls who probably have similar histories to Taylor’s. But, without someone to step into their life at this late hour, their future will be nothing like the story you read above. They have literally no hope. While I visited our daughter, Valerie, who still lives in Saint Petersburg Russia in January, she received news about a few of her friends she grew up with in the same orphanage where Taylor lived before being adopted. Two of them had died: one by suicide and one in an accident. Two others had babies recently: both were placed into an orphanage as they had no job and no home. She, however, is now engaged to an intelligent and loving Russian Christian man. They are both employed; have places to live and she finished high school in Saint Petersburg with our help and accountability for her success. She also attended the local university for 2 years learning English which gave her an exceptional ability to communicate with our family and others. While she aged out and we were not able to adopt her, she did come to live with our family for a year during the 10th grade where she also became a Christian while learning “family” and how to make better decisions other than her friends did. We recently completed the adoption of her younger 16 year old sister, Ashlee whom we met during the adoption of Taylor 10 years ago. God works miracles in these children’s lives, but He uses us and needs us to hear and practice His Commands: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unspoiled from the world.” James 1:27; “He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will.” Ephesians 1:5.

Related posts:

1. Update: Hosting, Short-term teams, Humanitarian Aid
2. A letter to an Orphanage Director
3. “Why would they care?”

In the center of attention today is the fate of 8-year-Artem Saveliev

The day before he flew to Moscow on his own from the United States.

The note, which he had brought, said that his American adoptive parents, namely, his mother decided to abandon him. According to some reports, the boy at the airport was supposed to be met by a businessman from Moscow – it is said senior inspector juvenile ATS Tver district of Moscow, Natalia Tereshkina

The boy had a Russian passport with expired U.S. visa. The Russian government is already searching for a foster family in Russia for Artem Savelyev- said in a TV channel Russia-24 Chief of custody and guardianship of Tverskaya area Larisa Bondarev.

According to Bondareva, the child did not know that his foster mother refused from him, he was told that he was going on a tour to Moscow.

The accompanying note said that the foster mother abandons the child for the safety of her own family, it is argued that the management of the orphanage in Partisansk, where Artem was raised, didn’t warn the family about psychological instability of the child. “This is not true”, – said in an interview with NTV director of the Department of Education and Science of Primorsky area Vera Kuznetsova. According to her, the guardianship board of Primorye will be in court to seek the cancellation of Artem Saveliev’s adoption.

The orphanage director in Partizansk, Irina Guseva, argues that there never have been any special problems with Artem.

Artem was in an orphanage after his biological mother’s right has been terminated.
U.S. officials still do not comment anything about Artem Saveliev’s story. However, the U.S. embassy told us that, perhaps, diplomats will say something later. It is possible that this will be the ambassador himself, John Byerly. By some accounts, last night, U.S. diplomats have tried to go to hospital, where Artem was placed, but they were not let in.

Adoption Statistics

The problem of adoption of orphans rises each year in Russia and becomes more acute. According to official statistics, every year only about 10 percent of orphans find adoptive parents.

Year by year the number of orphans in Russia is growing. Most of them have remained in orphanages. In 2007 in Russia, there were nearly 750 thousand children without parents. According to the Ministry of Education, of which only 14 thousand have been adopted. However, the number of children who fall under guardianship was much bigger, nearly 90 thousand. But this is not the main point. More than half a million children have remained in institutions. Statistics from the General Prosecutor office on orphans is very sad. Only 10 percent of boys of girls are adapting to life. The rest either become addicted to drugs or get up on a bad track, or commit suicide.

In the adoption of Russian children foreigners play a significant role. In general, they are Americans. Annually thousands of orphans from the Russian educational institutions are leaving to the States. In 2002, American families adopted 4900 young Russians. In 2003 – 5200. However, later cases was less. Three years ago, from Russia to the states moved a little over 2 thousand orphans. State Department statistics show that Americans prefer adopting children from neighboring Guatemala or from distant Ethiopia. Mainly due to the fact that the process of adoption of Russian children has become harder and longer. Unfortunately, participation and cases where the adoptive children ill-treated in their new families. However, as time has shown, most boys and girls who have been adopted by the Americans are now receiving everything that is necessary for the children of their age.

Statistics show that most American parents are adopting children from China.

Russia intends to conclude with other countries in bilateral agreements for the protection of adopted children. Itar Tass said the head of the Duma Committee on Foreign Affairs Konstantin Kosachev. According to him, Russia already has a similar experience. The first such agreement signed and ratified by Italy. Negotiations are in progress with the United States. At the same time, U.S. officials point to have the Hague Convention on international adoption. According to Kosachev, Russia also wants to ratify it, however, Russia still has questions to this document.

Related posts:

1. “Why would they care?”
2. John Beyrle, the US Ambassador in Russia: The meaning of Victory Day for me
3. A letter to an Orphanage Director

The Hosting Program is entering it’s last few weeks when families and Russian orphans from Saint Petersburg along with orphans from Ukraine and Latvia are matched.

In the list of participants Russia is traditionally the most difficult in terms of permission from directors and first one to close out the list for hosting as it takes the longest to collect papers.

Among other struggles was the decision of one o the directors not to take part in the program as there was another case in US where an adopted child was killed.

Below are several quotes from the letter from a hosting family who was about to host a child from that orphanage.

“We understand your concern over the horrific tragedy involving an adopted Russian child resulting from an American individual.

We are as appalled as anyone over this situation, however, as with any situation, we ask that you not punish all individuals based on the act of one. We appreciate and respect your decision, however we beg you to reconsider and send not only Anya, but the other children as well.”

We assure you that we are respectable, upstanding, loving individuals, who are parents of ten year old twin boys. We promise to care for Anya , keep her safe, a provide her memorable experiences.

We have completed our home study, have character references, and have always dreamed of helping and providing an opportunity for a child in need. We feel Anya is this child.

We want to comfort her fears, provide her with confidence, an education, a home, a family atmosphere, and joy and happiness.

Our son recently asked us while he was looking at Anya’s picture, “can you love someone without meeting them?” We told him “yes” as we feel we have all fallen for this little girl and are planning our summer with her in mind.

Then, please reconsider your decision and send Anya and these children for the amazing summer hosting program New Horizons for Children provides. Please trust that they will be cared for and loved.”

The hosting program continues it’s work in 5 other orphanages in Saint Petersburg. There are 2 more weeks to match families and children before the list is closed.

If you’d like to host a child, contact New Horizons for Children www.newhorizonsforchildren.org.

Related posts:

1. Update: Hosting, Short-term teams, Humanitarian Aid
2. Christmas in America
3. Summer program

Moscow has had a terribly, horribly hard week. The beginning of the Easter Sunday celebration was hailed by two young women committing suicide by blowing themselves up on the metro. Forty people lost their lives.

We grieved for those who lost their lives including the two women who strapped bombs to their bodies, who came from an unreached Muslim people that have suffered many atrocities. Without the knowledge of a holy, loving God who gave His Son to save them, there is no hope for Russians, Americans, Tajiks, Chechens, Dagestanians. When ugly, nightmarish tragedies like Moscow’s take place, all that is left is bitterness, despair, and hatred.

The effects of the bombing were immediately felt. Central Asians were harassed in the streets. Women wearing head coverings were assaulted. Life became harder for people with darker skin and hair.

After the bombings, there were people who tried to make money on this charging extra for taxi services, there were those who tried to use that to promote their political views, but what is more important, there were those who managed to keep their sanity in the metro and helped each other out of the metro, passed children over the top of their heads, came to give their blood to help those injured victims.

It’s difficult to ride the metro again. We tend to eyed the people around us, looking for anyone with a suspiciously bulky jacket or an angry glare.

As my husband and I went to the overnight church service at the end of the week, he had a picture of Christ standing right in the middle of the train cars, damaged by the explosion. We need Christ more than ever… as we go down the metro or start off on the airplane.

“Kristos Voskres! Va Istinu Voskres!” is the traditional Russian Easter greeting. (Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed!) He is risen and is the only One Who can offer hope and Life to Russians, Americans, Tajiks, Chechens . . . May the joy of knowing Him will continue in your life long after this Sunday!

No related posts.

Katya Plusnina and I were invited to be the part of SII retreat in Estonia which was a great time in fellowship with coworkers and prayer as well as understanding the needs on the field and MIR’s place in this labor.

Being an umbrella organization for other ministries rather than hands-on ministry itself, MIR faces challenges that are different then the ones SOR would or those doing missionary work in Saint Petersburg or Montenegro would, but has same values and is called to be alongside, assist and provide for the needs to the best of our abilities.

We watched the video on the MIR’s work that was created a year ago with participation of all MIR partners and friends coming to MIR prayer meetings telling of their work. It was great to see it again and be able to see why we were needed back then and see where we are now.

My strong desire is to continue seeing MIR as a helpful tool to teams and individuals ministering to children, we don’t want to collect dust on the shelf.

Pray with us more opportunities would come up.

No related posts.

Camp Elama is slowly thawing out; Spring is here, yet the snows remain and our work preparing for the summer has begun. We have a good leadership team in place and exciting plans for the summer.

Back in December Sergei and John laid foundations for two new buildings, and in May and June we’ll have teams from Georgia and Mississippi building on those foundations and doing other prep work.

We’ve purchased a riding mower/lawn tractor which will allow us to clear much more land and create hiking trails. Unfortunately, some items were stolen this winter so we’re having to replace parts of the water system and a few tools.

Sergei Tovstapyat, our camp administrator and general handyman, has begun building wood stoves in the cabins so we can heat them and use the camp for more of the year.  We’ve also recently opened a new website for Elama.

This summer, in addition to hosting several churches at Elama, we’ll run our own camp for the first time. We plan to have 20 children, and we’re also hoping that some young ladies from the Minsk Family Home will come up from Belarus to help. Anya Kazak and Natasha Pavlova will be leading that camp.

It’s going to be a good summer, and we look forward Elama being filled with life once again.

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Related posts:

1. Summer Pavilion by St. James team
2. Visiting Teams