"24"

Like the popular TV show called “24”, I thought I’d share with all of you a typical 24 hours on a mission trip in Russia. This day also includes the evening that the second mission trip team arrives from the USA to do ministry in the town of Lomonosov at the Baby Home, Children’s Hospital, and with a special group of young ladies taken in by the Lomonosov Baptist Church. Here is my version of “24”.

10:20pm: On Friday, October 24th at 10:20pm I am leaving a movie theater with my kids. I had promised Tanya, Dima, and Masha that I would take them to a movie after we ate dinner. We had gone to see the Russian made movie called “Admiral” which is a true dramatized story about the famous Russian General named Aleksandr Kolchak around the time of the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. It was an interesting movie, even though I didn’t understand all the dialogue. As we were leaving around the metro, a drunk man about 40 made a pass at Tanya and Masha. They giggled, but I gently moved between them and gave a serious stare that even a drunk could recognize. I escorted them to the tramway (rail car that travels to areas beyond metro stations) to ensure they were safely on the way home. I travelled by metro back to the apartment I was staying at.

10:50pm: I arrive at MIR, an apartment that is run by our partner organization. I do a little packing for the next day as I will transfer to the hotel when the second mission team arrives at the airport on Saturday evening. I’m fortunate to have internet access at this apartment and spend some time checking and answering e-mail.

12:30am: As I crawl into the bottom bunk of a bunk bed that tends to roll slightly to one side, I turn out the lights and go to sleep. The building is on a quiet street allowing me to quickly nod off.

8:30am: A small amount of light drifted into the windows on this cloudy day as I wake up and begin to get ready for the day’s events. Again I check e-mail and eat a banana that I had bought at the local grocery store called “Dixie” the day before.

9:30am: I lock and leave the apartment, press the button to disengage the magnetic lock on the outside door and being my 10 minute walk to the metro station. I get have way there and discover I’ve forgotten my cell phone. I turn around and go back to the apartment and retrieve my phone. That’s going to make me a few minutes late for my appointment at 10am. I hate when that happens!

10:00am: A few minutes after 10am, I arrive at the top of the escalator where I’ve planned to meet an American who was living in St. Petersburg with another ministry. They had invited me to have breakfast with them so we could share about our ministries and what we are doing. I hadn’t met them before, but it’s usually easy to recognize a fellow Christian at the top of the escalator. He would be the only one with a smile. We walk to his apartment and I get to spend a relaxing morning with their family over breakfast as we shared testimonies and about our ministries. Their three young kids were anxious to have the attention of their parents’ new friend.

12:30pm: I travelled back to the MIR apartment and while walking made a cell phone call to a friend who owns a taxi. It’s not really an official taxi, it’s his personal car (a small Russian made car called a Lada) that he uses to supplement his income. It’s a common practice to do this in St. Petersburg. He’s a nice Serbian guy who speaks English that I met through another friend.

1:10pm: At MIR I have just a few minutes before I’m to leave again to meet my daughter Masha to do some shopping for her. I heated some leftover soup Dima had made a few evenings ago, sliced some Russian cheese, and drink some tea. I packed a little too as I knew I wouldn’t have very much time when I arrived back at the apartment. I called Masha and said I would be 15 minutes late.

1:45pm: Finally, I depart the apartment again and head back to the metro. This time, I’m heading two metro stops north to the last metro stop in the northwest part of the city. The metro station is called Komandanski. It’s near where my kids apartment is.

2:15pm: As agreed, I would meet Masha in the metro at the top of the escalator. I made a few cell phone calls as I waited. I knew that Masha would be “fashionably late”. I made my calls without speaking too loud and having my English identify me as an American.

2:20pm: Masha shows up and Tanya has come along as well. We all go shopping as Masha needed to buy a winter coat and some winter shoes. The shoes are those black boots that go up to the knee with a high heal. We find a coat that she is pleased with, but not the shoes. I’m not surprised as I have gone shopping for shoes for Masha before. The last time I think we went to 23 stores before giving up for the day! Though my daughters, God has taught me to walk slowly, walk behind or to the side, and have a lot of patience as they look. It takes a concerted effort on my part!

3:30pm: We go through all the coat and shoe shops in this one mini mall near their home. I’m glad she got the coat, but they are hungry and want to eat. We take a take tramway to a McDonalds near the metro station that’s crowded on this Saturday afternoon.

4:00pm: I had only 30 minutes left with them as I needed to head back to the MIR apartment to gather my bags and await my taxi to the hotel. I leave Tanya and Masha finishing their meal as I head back to the metro. I arrive back at the apartment at 4:25pm

4:30pm: Igor, the taxi driver arrives and we depart MIR for the hotel. As we arrive at the hotel, I see that it is NOT next door to train station as I had been told. It was more like a 15 minute walk! To Russians, a 15 minute walk is “right next door”. I check in and argue with the receptionist and their manager about the need to do the in country registration again since I had already registered. I lost that battle. It seems new rules require the hotel to register ALL international travelers regardless if they had already registered. As they said, it was a stupid rule, but the rule drains my pocket of a few more rubles to perform this required service. I drop the bags in my room and get back to the taxi to head to the Balticskaya Metro. This is also next to the train station that will take us to Lomonosov each morning and evening. As I was dropped off, I had a quick lecture with Igor about being on time to pick me up. He was late last year when I was waiting to depart to go to the airport last August and I almost missed my flight! I negotiate the price of the taxi ride, pay for picking up Tanya at the train station when she arrived from Rostov the week before, and the police payoff I had to pay last August when Igor went down a one-way road in front of the apartment. I hand him some rubles, grab my bag, and head to the metro.

5:20pm: By the time I’m dropped off, it’s 5:20pm and I travel to the south end of the city to the Moscowskaya Metro station. I had agreed to meet Vica, the SAC Program Manager, there to catch a Marchucka to the airport to meet the arriving team.

6:10pm: I arrive at McDonalds about 20 minutes early, get a quick sandwich as I wasn’t sure the team would want dinner. In this crowded McDonalds I was able to find a quick seat. After a few minutes, a couple of ladies sit down with me. It’s a European tradition and custom for strangers to share the same table in a restaurant. They use their broken English to ask me where I am from and what I was doing there. I told them I was here doing charity work in orphanages. They thank me for coming to Russia to do this kind of work with their people. Then, when they find out I’m from America, they ask who I will vote for!

6:30pm: Vica arrives at McDonalds. Vica translates for me so I could say goodbye to the ladies and answer some last questions before we depart for the Airport by Marchucka.

6:45pm: Vica and I arrive at airport. The flight had just landed so we will have a few minutes to wait for them to get their luggage and pass through customs. A few minutes later, the team arrives with all their luggage, but tired from the trip.

7:00pm: The van arrives and we are off to hotel. On the way I welcome them to Russia and explain some sights and what we will do over the next few minutes to get to the hotel and get settled. On the way, we eat some pumpkin bread provided by one of Holly McGee’s friends, talk with driver, and stop to exchange money. While there, Shawn McGee makes a request to get 200 Russian coins for a project after he returns home. The lady at the exchange counter was a little surprised at the request, and laughed with us about the bag of coins we put in a shopping bag!

7:30pm: We all arrive at the hotel and move all the luggage inside. I pay the driver 1800 rubles for van taxi ride and I began the process of checking in them all into the hotel and providing their passports so they could all be registered in the country.

8:20pm: When I go to the rooms, I see that the McGee suite for their family of four only has two beds. I call the front desk and they assure me that two other roll-away beds will be delivered soon. The next day we discovered one of the ministry bags missing from the room. I suspected it was taken while we were at dinner, but I can’t prove it. I spent the entire week working with the hotel to find the missing bag. Security tapes, electronic room key logs, and other things were reviewed. We counted 10 large bags making it all the way to their room. Unfortunately, there were only 9 bags in the room when we returned from dinner. It’s unknown what happened to this bag filled with activities for the Children’s Hospital and Bibles to give away. God must have had other plans for it.

8:45pm: After they all got settled, we went downstairs to see if we could order dinner from the menu. They have a buffet, but they want to charge 500p per person. That’s about $20 each. That was WAY too much to spend on any meal and I told them so. After Vica explained to them that we would go elsewhere, the price suddenly dropped to 250p per person. To me, it was an obvious attempt to gouge the “rich” Americans into paying a higher price. The meal was good, but was only worth the $10 we paid for it. We went back to them the following evening and they refused to honor the 250p per person rate. So, that time we DID go elsewhere and their restaurant sat empty that evening.

9:20pm: It was a good meal, but the dinner caused everyone to feel even more tired. I could see the trip participants were fading, after all… they had only been up and travelling for the last 32 hours! We all went back to the rooms. I checked the train schedule for the next day and told them when to be downstairs for breakfast and when we would go to Lomonosov for church.

9:35pm: I went back to the rooms to confirm that roll-away beds had been delivered. I explained to the McGee girls how a duvet for bed cover works. Then I went back to my room to get Susan Bollinger a converter plug extension for her hair dryer. All in a day’s work for the mission trip leader!

9:55pm: I get to my room and settle in. I set up my computer and ensure the free WI-FI works in the room. That was a great benefit.

10:10pm: I begin to check e-mail, do some trip administration, and then notice in St. Petersburg Times paper that Russia is moving back the clock one hour tonight for daylight savings time. I called the front desk to confirm and then call the trip participants to sleep in one hour extra, but to still come downstairs at 7:30am for breakfast.

10:30pm: The hotel also made a mistake and had us staying only 7 nights instead of the 8 nights I had paid for. I called the Russian contact I have in St. Petersburg to arrange to make that change. They are usually still up at this hour to conduct business like this.

10:35pm: As I get ready for bed, I listen to fireworks being shot off near the hotel – it must be a wedding. It’s a tradition here that fireworks are launched for weddings. They can be launched anywhere in the city and at ANY time. So, we often hear them in the middle of the night.

As I try to drift off to sleep while watching some Russian TV, I think about all the things that had happened over the last 24 hours.

Debbie’s Group at Orphanage #24

People keep asking if I'm glad to be home and my reply is always yes but a part of my heart is in St. Petersburg. Let me tell you what happened on the last two days of our time with the kids in my small group.

On Thursday, my co-group leader John Bull was gone so I gave the Easter story. After the story I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to ask my group why should we care that Christ had died, had risen, and was now alive. When they didn't answer I went into the plan of salvation, and then I gave my personal testimony of accepting Christ and how He had changed and worked in my life.

On Friday I asked the group if they would like to hear what God had done in Anya's life and they said yes. Anya was my translator and had lived the life of an orphan. Anya gave her testimony and told them that they may be feeling God was knocking on the door of their hearts and if so they should let Him in. Then one of the girls, Luba, said that she went to church and did some other things. I became concerned that she had a works mindset so I read Ephesians 2:8-9 which says;

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God – not because of works, lest any man should boast."

I told her and explained that we can't do enough good things to have a relationship with God. The only way to have a true relationship with God is by believing that His Son Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalties for our sin and to ask Him to be the leader of our lives. Then out of our love for Him would come the good works. After explaining this, I asked if there were any questions and Luba said "How can we have questions when it's so clear?" Even though no one made a profession of faith God reminded me of His promise in Isaiah 55:11;

“…so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

His word will not return void but will accomplish what He sent it out to do. I know God is doing a work at Orphanage 24 and I can't wait to see the fruits of that.
– Debbie Stewart, Eastern Hills Baptist Church

Tina’s Group at Orphanage #24

The teachers reading this will understand what I am about to say. You know that one class at school that you hope you don’t get because it is the difficult class? Well, that was my group this week. My girls were wonderful but my boys were disrespectful to not only me, but my God. They were disinterested and mocked me and my translator, Vusala. God gave me the perfect translator. She was the most experienced and was such an encourager. She told me they were testing me. I was very disheartened after the first day because all the other classes were loving and accepting. Then I remembered the study in James which I am doing and the passage I memorized just before I left for Russia. James 1 says;

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

These scriptures were what I held on to throughout the week and I saw God at work. He transformed my kids into an accepting and kind group by the end of the week, not as loving as the other groups but a drastic improvement. I grew from four children to all twelve (plus the teacher, Leza) attending and they heard the word of God. Miraculously, they would sit quietly while I gave my testimony, my call to Russia, the resurrection story and during my translator’s testimony, who came from a strong Muslim background. By the last day they allowed me to pray for them. The boys also allowed me to take a picture with them and they gave me a newspaper as a gift which I will cherish always. One boy even gave me a hug.

God gave me a love for them that wasn’t my own and the wisdom needed to know what to say and not to say and how to say it. Our God is an awesome and powerful God and He is so faithful!

– Tina Gore, Eastern Hills Baptist Church

The Pickpocket

Unfortunately, there are people in this city that will take your things. They will look for an opportunity to take something of yours even if it’s zipped in your backpack, in your front pocket, or something left on the table while you are looking away. They are not dangerous criminals. They don’t want a scene or to be noticed. They will deny they even tried. Who can prove it that it was their intention?

It’s more typical that pickpockets work inside the metro system. They look for opportunities to take something by pushing in a crowded subway or getting on and off. Sometimes they work in teams and other times just alone. You can usually spot a pickpocket. They are the ones that are not carrying anything in their hands and try to look unnoticed. Of course, a group of Americans on the subway stands out. We had one follow us the other day.

Our team had just come down the escalator and we lined up beside one of the metro doors to get ready to enter when the subway came and the doors opened. When we stopped and lined up, I noticed a man that was not carrying anything casually move from one metro door to our door and get behind some of us. I did a stare down to let him know I was aware what he was trying to do. I instructed the team to move to one side when we got on the metro. My eyes were on the location of his hands the whole time. He knew I was there, nevertheless he was looking for an opportunity. He stayed with us until our stop and got off with us. He attempted to casually go through the middle of our group, again looking for an opportunity. I told the team to halt and they all stopped. He continued, as he didn’t want to be noticed. Stopping helped. As I stood with my team, I watched as he went down some stairs and out of site. Nothing was taken, but that’s not always the case.

One evening we took the kids from the Child in Danger Shelter for an excursion to go bowling and to eat at McDonalds. I met the group with my kids Tanya and Masha at the bowling alley. We had a great time and the kids really enjoyed the outing. We had to check our jackets, but I took out all my valuables to put on me before checking. After bowling, we got our jackets and went to McDonalds in a food court in that mall. We all sat together and I usually sit in a place when I can watch my back and keep an eye on the team. After eating my meal, I went to another table and sat to talk to some other adults from another ministry that came with us. My satchel was in my lap, but I put my jacket over my chair while I talked. My pocket computer was in my left front pocket and my camera in my right front pocket. At one point, we took at group picture. I continued to sit in my chair while the picture was taken. After a few minutes we began to get ready to leave. As I put on my jacket, I checked for my valuable s in my jacket. My camera was missing. It was not where it was supposed to be. Although I’m not sure, recounting my steps and where I had my camera last, I believe that while the group photo was being taken, the four young people sitting behind me used that as an opportunity for one of them to slip a hand into my jacket and steal my camera.

What was surprising to me is that most of the local people just look at that incident as “normal”. They say, “It happens here”. For them it is life here. Even as careful as I am and knowing what to look for, a moments distraction can lead to a loss of personal belongings.

As missionaries, we are sheep in the mists of wolves. Although I’m personally angry, it does not deter me from doing what God has commanded of me to go and share… and bring others with me. I’ve been told that some short-term missionaries who have something stolen, never come back. God willing, I will come back and I won’t be afraid. I’ll just be more careful where I put my jacket!

Sharing the Gospel

Some Americans who live in St. Petersburg are amazed that we can go into orphanages with a team and do the kind of ministry that we do. Some are a little surprised that we can share the Gospel. Many other individuals can’t and can only do crafts with the kids and not much else.

I explain to these Americans that SAC has spent a great deal of time building relationships with each of the directors of these ministry sites. Some I’ve known for years while others I’ve spent a year building that relationship before I even bring a team. Building relationships is how Jesus did it! Our approach is to follow the relationships as I’m introduced to other directors of orphanages and other ministry sites. Then, once there I explain what we will be doing each time I go and carefully ask permission and submit to their authority when I’m there. I also invite the directors and counselors to participate with us during our small group activities. Through our cultural exchange and charity work, we are able to bring up discussions about the Gospel and answer questions that the kids ask us. We don’t push anything, but let the Holy Spirit work in their lives of those that have their hearts softened by our visits. Directors seem to appreciate our servant approach and gentle spirit.

In my opinion, this is how to share the Gospel. God doesn’t need us. He just needs us to be obedient. He will do the rest and move the hearts of those that are open. It happened that way with one girl at Orphanage #24 during the week were there. One of our volunteers who helped to lead a small group of older teens asked her if she could have a Bible! She expressed a desire to hear more stories, but had only heard the one that we had told that particular day. So, a children’s Bible was purchased along with a regular Bible and delivery will occur soon. We’ve also received permission for this volunteer to call the director, go and take the Bible, and visit in a few weeks after their exams. By being a servant and complying with the director’s needs and schedules, we can reach orphans for Christ.

I'm Sad

We visited Children’s Hospital #15 on Wednesday, October 15th. Several young kids were there and anxious to participate with us as we did crafts together. One girl, age 12 was sitting and doing the craft. I could tell by her face that she was sad. I could only imagine. I know that this hospital is for kids who are off the streets, abandoned, or brought her by the authorities after being found. I was sure that she had a life story that begun and ended in sadness. We could only help by spending time with her to give her a since of hope.

Vica, the SAC Program Manager here in St. Petersburg was with us to help guide our team and help with translation. I saw her sit next to the girl who sat all alone from the rest of the group. Vica talked to her for a while as she worked on the craft we had that day. Vica asked her how she was and she replied, “I’m sad”. It was a good sign that Vica was able to listen to her talk and tell Vica her problems. The two sat there for a long time and shared. I think it was good for the little girl to talk to someone about it. It’s difficult, but the staff there knows about these problems, but don’t always have time to sit and just listen. Vica did this and I’m sure it helped.

Later the next week, Nancy Durrett had taken a group from Child in Danger on an outing to go bowling. I met Nancy at the bowling alley to be with her and the kid’s from this shelter. As we were getting to our lanes to bowl, I saw a girl I immediately recognized. It was the girl from Children’s Hospital #15 that we had seen the week before. She had been transferred to the Child in Danger Shelter. I went to her and told her I remembered her from the hospital. I asked her how she was. She replied, “I’m sad”. I patted her shoulder and nodded that I understood her, although I could never fully know how she was feeling. Nevertheless, she participated and this was her first bowling experience. She seemed somewhat happy to participate with us. At least I know that for a short time, she enjoyed something that took her mind off of feeling sad and not knowing her future. In a few months, she will likely go to an orphanage. When she leaves Child in Danger, I’m sure she will feel sadness. Please pray for this sad young girl and her uncertain future as she looks for the hope through the eyes of Christians that, for a short time, listened and brought the love of Christ into her life.

Detained

Mission trips are often filled with difficulties, but Monday night was a little intimating for one of our members. Nancy Durrett, a long time SAC trip participant and trip leader, has been working with the Road of Life (ROL) Transition Homes for graduate orphans and most recently a couple of orphan dormitories where kids are assigned after leaving an orphanage. On Monday evening, October 14, Nancy had gone to one of these dorms to host a birthday party for kids whose birthdays were in September to November time frame. At the same time, government inspectors and the police came to this dorm investigating some recent problems that had come to their attention. When the inspectors began arriving at the dorm, they began going floor to floor and room to room, asking, "Who lives here? Where is this person?" Several events converged on this night causing this investigation on the same evening that Nancy had planned this social for the kids at one of the dorms. Nancy and several others from the dorm were interviewed by the police and the government inspectors for 45 minutes that Monday. Let me try to explain how several different events converged on this one evening.

One problem caused an investigation when it was discovered that Sasha (not his real name), a deaf boy living at the ROL Transition Home, had no official documents with the government. His papers had been lost or misplaced and he had never been officially designated as an orphan. He was abandoned as a child. The orphanage had not done their proper job. After he left the orphanage he became a resident of this dorm. The dorm had ignored the fact that he had no papers and failed to check. He had been without paperwork for years. ROL had taken him in as one of their residents. Nancy met him at the ROL Transition Home. ROL was doing the right thing by trying to put together the information needed to get the right documents so he can live on his own. Sasha’s deaf translator wrote eight different agencies to get the correct documents. These eight agencies began calling each other, and suddenly they all converged, unexpectedly on the dorm that evening.

A second problem involved one of the residents of this dorm. This past summer, this boy had been revived from a drowning accident after being underwater for 30 minutes. He was legally dead, but though the prayer of his church friends, he was miraculously healed and was not left as a vegetable as the doctors predicted. He regained consciousness and is now recovering, though slowly. In his current condition, this boy needs help. The director of the ROL Transition Home has spoken to this boy’s nurse and found out that he had not been given the medicine that was prescribed. The director had also previously found out that he was being left in his room and was being fed only one meal a day. That Monday, the ROL Director went to get his medicine, buy some water, and went back to the dorm to explain to this boy about the medicine and how to take it. While she is doing this, the inspectors who came to visit Monday evening asked the director, "Who are you and what are you doing here?" The ROL director explained about providing the needs for this boy’s medicine. The inspectors tell her that she has no authority to be there, and she must leave. ROL had no official letter or paperwork established with the dorm allowing visits.

A third problem involved a girl named Tatiana (not her real name). When the inspectors arrived at Tatiana’s room, they are told that the ROL director took her to live at their apartment. The inspectors asked, "Where are her papers transferring her residence?" The answer was that there are no papers and there was no official transfer. Tatiana had two residences which are against government laws. The police called ROL and ask if Tatiana was living there. ROL confirmed this and the police said they were checking into the matter. Having a resident of at the ROL Transition home without having proper transfer paperwork is against the law in Russia.

Further investigation into ROL found that one of their counselors had not been registered in the country for over a year. Russian law requires that a person register in the city after arrival within 3 days. It’s a commonly known law. Although the registration had recently been obtained before this event on Monday, it has further soured the perception of the ROL by the authorities. The counselor who brought Tatiana (willingly) to the ROL Transition Home was not registered at the time of the transfer and had not completed any official transfer paperwork.

The ROL Director complies with the inspectors and comes downstairs to find that Nancy has arrived. Shortly after the ROL Director arrives, a female police officer and the head counselor of the dorm enter the room where the birthday party is planned. After exiting for a short time, the female officer returned and asked Nancy to come with her. The ROL Director and the head counselor went with Nancy and they walked into a room filled with several people. Over the next 45 minutes Nancy is asked, "Who are you? Why are you here? Who gave you authority to be here? What church do you represent? Do you know that people are using your name and abusing children from this dorm in your name when you are not here?" Everyone talking at once (in Russian) with half-truths, lies and finger pointing was filling the room. No one was taking responsibility for their own inaction. Nancy was sitting waiting for the head counselor to translate. Nancy said later that she never felt ill at ease and was perfectly calm. She was praying the whole time for God to give her that sense of calm and to give her the words to say and God did!

Near the end of this ordeal all the ladies were talking and arguing at once and the male police officer screamed for everyone to "Stop"! He then told Nancy, "Madam please excuse us that we have involved you in this. I can see from your answers and from your face that you are an honest woman who loves children, and who wants only the best for the children. May I ask that you bring documents showing that SAC is registered to do ministry in St. Petersburg?" Nancy respond, "Of course, I will be happy to." He then states that Nancy is welcome to finish her work at the dorm and come back any time, but must first have a contact who will schedule the event, and she must submit to that contact in writing what she will be doing and who will be coming with her. Nancy agreed. Then the officer asks, "Who will be your contact, and you must understand it cannot be the ROL Director or any of her staff"? Nancy looked around the room and one of the dorm counselors’ steps forward and says, in English, "I will be honored to be Nancy's contact". She then says, laughing, "I need to practice my English and this will be a good chance to do that." Nancy laughed and told her she can practice her English on her, but she doesn't guarantee that she will practice any Russian on her. Everyone laughs, and nods. The counselor then writes out her contact information and at the bottom of a paper and writes in big letters in English, "You are welcome!!!" Then the General Director of the dorms leans across the table and says to Nancy, "Would you like to go now and have the party you had planned?" Nancy responded yes, and they all smiled and agreed that she could go.

As Nancy starts to go, the male police officer tells her, "You must understand that this woman (pointing to the ROL Director and one of her staff), will NEVER be allowed back at this dorm. If either of them comes here or attempts to take any of the people from here, they will be arrested. Do you understand?" Nancy said "Yes, sir." and he replied, "Then please go, and enjoy your time with the residents."

It was pretty intense meeting. Although God has closed the door for the ROL Transition Home to have a ministry at this dorm, He has left that door open for Nancy. In complying with the wishes of the authorities, Nancy went to SAC’s ministry partner and legal entity MIR (the organization that officially allows us to do ministry in St. Petersburg) and gathered all of the documents the dorm had required, including copies of her teaching certificates that can be given to the head counselor of this dorm on Friday.

Unfortunately, one of the causalities of this encounter is the young girl Tatiana who had moved from the dorm to the ROL Transition Home. She had just begun adjusting and had recently became a Christian before being ordered by the authorities to return to the dorm by noon the next day from the home setting she had come to know at ROL. If she did not move back, all in the home would be arrested. She moved back on Tuesday, amid tears and great disappointment. Please pray for her as she adjusts from this trauma of being removed from the ROL transition home.

What does God have planned for the ROL Transition Home and its ministry? Only God knows. Through these “pruning” events, it has caused ROL to be seen as an organization not abiding by the laws of Russia. The Christians at the ROL Transition Home are great people, called by God, to do a great work in St. Petersburg. Unfortunately they have let some things slide and have allowed friendships and personalities to get in the way of their original calling into the ministry. The ROL ministry will recover in time after doing some house cleaning and working to make sure every “i” is dotted and every “t” is crossed so they can abide by the law and continue their good work.

Meanwhile, Nancy and the SAC Ministry are very thankful that God is allowing Nancy to continue to love and be with these hurting children in the dormitories. We know that God knows what is going to happen before it does and we know that He has a plan greater than anything we could ever understand. Mostly we are happy to report that Nancy didn’t write the details of these events from the prison library in Siberia! At this writing, she is well on her way home to Louisiana.

God Bless you as you pray for the SAC Ministry team as we continue this month to work in Russia for the orphans and hurting children we are allowed to come in contact with.

Why Are You Here?

After recovering from Jet Lag on Sunday, the team was ready to go! We started the morning by visiting a Russian Cathedral called Savior of the Spilt Blood. It is the place where the Czar Alexander II was assassinated. It is filled with mosaic tile pictures of the life of Christ and many other Bible stories. It was a 19th century way of sharing the Bible through pictures to many who were illiterate at that time.

After lunch, we took the metro to a station near Orphanage #24. From there it is about a one mile walk that takes us on a bridge over the Neva River that runs through St. Petersburg. Once we were there we were given a room to meet in and store our supplies. We prepared all our things for our first meeting in the small groups for the kids that were there.

Our first meeting started with a performance by the kids in the auditorium. In addition, I had invited a Russian Christian man who has a Clown Ministry. “Pompa” entertained the kids and helped me “introduce” our team! He certainly brought laughter and excitement to our first day.

After the performance and our introductions, each group was called forward and instructed to lead their American leaders and their translators to their classrooms where they will meet. Each small group was different, but they all got to know one another, play some introduction games, and maybe even a hand of UNO! Some even had some deep questions!

During one of those first sessions as the kids were getting to know us, one of the boys in Debbie’s group asked, “Why are you here?” Debbie responded by saying that God had called her to go to Russia and visit them. He then asked, “Is it true that only 28% of Americans are believer?” Debbie responded by saying that she wasn’t sure of the statistic, but not everyone that says they are a believer IS a believer." She continued by saying, “I know I am a believer because I have asked Jesus Christ to be the ruler of my life.” The boy responded and said he had heard something like that before. Distractions came and the conversation was over, but Debbie had no idea that she would get to share even this much on the first day! Its little conversations like this that helps orphans understand the truth and guide them towards a life with Christ.

Thanks for praying for us. We are hoping for many more conversations in the coming days.

October Arrival

Our team departed Dallas on Friday afternoon and arrived in St. Petersburg, Russia Saturday evening with no problems. All the luggage came through and there were no issues at the border with customs. After exchanging money and checking into the hotel we went to a nearby café for a light dinner. Sleepy heads prevailed and the normal lively group was pooped! All went to bed about 9pm (local time here) only to awake at 2am feeling like it was time to get up. Don’t worry… they didn’t!

On Sunday we attended the church services of our IMB Missionaries in St. Petersburg. Clint and Janet Stewart and their family have been terrific hosts! The team member got to ride the metro system for the first time which is always an experience! After the three hour service we had lunch in a food court in a mall near the center of the city with the Stewart family.

At 5pm Sunday we all squeezed into one room along with our newly hired translators so we all could meet and get to know each other before the first day of ministry in the orphanage. With all the American trip participants, translators, family members of Clint & Janet Stewart and another family of volunteers, John & Karen Bull and their four kids, we had about 27 people in the room for a meeting!

As I had warned everyone in training, there would be changes and trip participants would have to be “flexible”. During that meeting I announced some recently passed on news from the Orphanage that half the kids would be at a dental appointment on Monday and would not be with us. That meant that the four oldest groups would not be there. We also had one translator show up and she determined that she couldn’t get to the orphanage in time on the days we needed her. Fortunately, her friend Olya who had just tagged along, volunteered to be the replacement translator! God was in control!

We were all excited and ready to go, although we knew that Monday would bring its own surprises!

Bright Lights In Russia

Towards the second week at Camp Green Town, we had built relationships with the kids in the camp north of Saint Petersburg. I started seeing bright lights in the eyes around me. Not just in the kids but also in the adults. It was clear that the Holy Spirit was at work.

In Russia, they shoot a lot of fireworks. At the end of a lot of events, they set them off. It sounds and looks like the fourth of July every time you turn around. On the evening of our departure from the camp, a sudden thunderstorm came up while we were loading the bus. Hard rain was coming down so we waited for it to slow down. I'm from Texas and have been around thunderstorms all my life, but this one was impressive. A loud clap of thunder shook everything around us and lit the sky for what seemed ten seconds. No one was hurt, a little rattled maybe, but everyone was fine. It was like Heaven gave the team one big firework show.

While walking to our hotel the last evening in Russia, the sun was setting and a shadow concealed all but the steeple of a church. A gold cross was reflecting the sun so bright it was blinding. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

It was magnificent to see the bright light of the Holy Spirit in this wonderful country. To be a witness to God’s glory and splendor was wonderful.

“Fan into flame the gift of God, which is you" – 2 Timothy 1:6

God Bless,
Glenn Estes
Mission Trip Participant FBC Gainesville, Texas

Military Day, Thu, July 31

Our last full day at camp was going to occur on Military Day. This themed day took about 3 days of preparation by several of the older kids at camp. They would have military type games like capture the flag, and competition between three large groups. The event took place in the forest about a 25 minute walk from the camp. Army Cadets that also participated in the camp were leading much of these activities. One of the counselors was a 3rd year student and he had been put in charge of the whole event. One of the cadets named Alex spoke excellent English and was assigned to help out our team prepare for the games the camp staff wanted our team to participate in.

The camp in the woods was set up much like a Boy Scout camp. The cadet leaders had used fallen logs, ferns, and anything else they could find to make a camp entrance, a seating area, a cooking area, and banners to define their camp. They had also prepared a Bonfire for lighting at the end of the evening.

I was asked by the head counselor to come up with 10 games of a military nature to play with kids who were not part of the major competition. This was a tall order since we didn’t know what supplies or resources we could use for these games. A couple of days before this event I started working on games that could be played using resources I had seen around camp and in the forest. By the time Thursday came around, we had gathered or made the things we needed to entertain 80 kids with 10 games over a 3 hour period. Of course, things change by the moment and these guidelines quickly changed at the hour of the event.

We had 3 sets of 3 games per station that they would rotate between every hour for the 3 hours we were to have them. The games included things like grenade toss (using plastic balls we had to toss through a target), prison escape using string as “barbwire” and interlocking their arms back-to-back simulating being restrained. We had medical stretcher relays, tug-of-war, obstacle courses, and even a target range where they shot rubber band guns to knock down empty drink boxes. I had glued two large crafts sticks together in the shape of a pistol that a rubber band could be shot from.

One of their favorite games was what I called Air Traffic Control (ATC). We used a megaphone as the air traffic controller and a blindfolded camper with a board over their shoulders as the pilot. We made a small “runway” and the ATC would have to “talk” the pilot in for a landing. The other kids could be the distraction for the pilot as he attempted to land. We’ve done a similar game in Sunday School with the lesson of hearing God’s voice for direction in your life.

After we did about an hour of the three hours we had planned, it was time to eat. Each of the three major groups had prepared a meal. The group we were assigned to had prepared soup, a rice-based main dish, and bread cooked over an open fire if you wanted. There was a competition between the three groups where the General Director of the camp would compare all the groups with her entourage of staff inspectors. All the three groups tied according to the General Director.

After the meal, the staff wanted us to play more games with the kids. So, we sparked some of the games we had already played that were popular and then brought out some beach balls for the kids to play with. It’s amazing what a dollar toy brought as a back-up resource can do for an event. The staff and the kids were happy.

The event ended with a performance by various groups, lighting of the bonfire, and some fireworks. The campers began their trek back to the main camp after that.

On the way back, Jenya and Natasha saw the lake and wanted to take a dip! So the rest of us watched and waited as they made their way through the bog and out to the lake to go swimming. They came back soaking wet and laughing all the way. It had been a great day!

Cotton Eyed Joe!

You just won’t believe this! Toward the end of that first week, we were asked to participate in their International Day. This theme day had several activities including a show that would be put on. We were asked to put on a show of American Dance! We were asked at the counselors’ meeting that morning and the event would occur the next day! Oh Boy! How am I going to come up with a dance routine for our group in less than a day!

Well, I didn’t know the first thing about dancing let alone choreographing a group that included us Americans, three translators, and six kids they “loaned” us to be part of the American delegation! I knew I was way out of my league and comfort zone… so I asked for advice! I went to the counselor of the group that was the professional dancers that had come to camp. I asked her if she could teach us how to dance “American”. After she finished laughing, she agreed and we met later that afternoon with everyone to be led.

During that first practice, she showed us several moves and routines that we could put together and use. She only had 20 minutes with us before she had to leave. This gave us enough ideas to put together a routine to the dance music I heard girls perform to earlier in the week. It was the Cotton-Eyed Joe! On the morning of the performance we had another hour to practice before “try outs”. I didn’t fully understand until that morning that our team had to try out for this performance and get approval before the actual performance later that afternoon.

Sometimes I don’t see the ministry purpose of our team getting out and performing a dance, but that routine quickly broke down any barriers and wove a relationship that broke any ice that might have prevented us from sharing. The head counselor was so excited at our routine during the try-out that she wanted to dance with us! She also put us last on the show so we could end on a great note. That was such a compliment!

All I can say is that you need to see the video of this. I don’t believe it myself that we were able to put a dance routine together so quickly and be enjoyed by all. It really broke down any barriers and made a lasting great impression on the camp staff that we were willing to fully dive into the life of Camp Greentown. This one thing probably more than anything else we did, paved the way for a long lasting good relationship with the staff that will allows our teams to return in the future!

Angel Day, Mon, July 28

Most of the days at camp had a theme attached to the day. A Carnival occurred on one day, Olympics on another, Family Day, and Parents Day to mention a few. As I mentioned earlier, we were asked not to share the Gospel until after Parents’ Day. I think it was by God’s design for our team to be there and to have the Monday following Parents’ Day to be “Angel Day”! On this day we were free to share our Bible Stories and tell about Christ!

On this themed day, the head counselor told us in the counselors’ meeting that all the groups could make special greetings over the Camp PA system, put messages of blessings to campers on an Angel Tree near the canteen, and become angels to one another. I came up with an idea…!

Glenn Estes had brought a book that contained one minute Bible Stories. I had also seen counselors a few days earlier dressed in togas for the Olympic competition day. My idea was to dress as angels and visit the groups in the evening just before they go to bed and have Natasha sing a soft song and then I would read a one minute Bible story. The whole program would be 5-7 minutes long.

I got approval and told the team about my idea. We fashioned some wire coat hangers I had brought into halos and secured some bed sheets from the camp staff. At the counselor’s meeting, we had several groups sign up for this “Angelic Visit”!

On Monday evening, we went from group to group around the camp dressed in Angel costumes with halos and sometimes a cowboy hat! We entered the room where the kids had been gathered. They ooo’ed and ahh’ed when they saw us dressed as angels. I would say to them, “We are Angels from afar that have come to visit you and share the love of Christ! Listen to the Word of God through song!” Then Natasha played a Christian song that was so soft and angelic that the campers would request her to sing it again days later! Then I would tell them a one minute Bible Story. They were attentive and listened as I told the story! Then we would bid them “spoo-ko-ney nochi” (good night in Russian) and gracefully depart. They would applaud and tell us in English “Good Night”! This simple act reached the kids at this camp for Christ!

As some of the other groups saw what we were doing, they asked us to come to them too! That first evening we visited nine different groups from about 9pm until 11:30pm that night. The Angel Visits continued throughout the week even though Angel Day had past. The kids seemed to really enjoy the visit. I wish you could have seen the faces of the kids as they listened to Natasha play. God was with us as Natasha played and our team as we portrayed Angels and showed the love of Christ! I’m sure the memory of Americans from Texas dressed as Angels and singing praises to God will be a memory they will soon not forget!