Missionaries: Simply Following God

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T09:57:00.001-06:00

We Gather Together

We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing;
He chastens and hastens his will to make known;
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing,
Sing praises to his name: He forgets not his own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
Ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine;
So from the beginning the fight we were winning;
Thou, Lord, wast at our side, All glory be thine!

We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant,
And pray that thou still our defender wilt be.
Let thy congregation escape tribulation;
Thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!
Amen

--Traditional Thanksgiving Hymn (A translation by Theodore Baker: 1851-1934)

The Great Shepherd is Big Enough

2008-11-24T22:49:00.009-06:00

Everyday is a day to be thankful for all that God has given to us. Even in these times of economic uncertainty, there is joy in knowing that we are not alone. God is always with us. He is our Great Shepherd and will lead us into paths of safety and provision. It only remains for us to listen for His voice and trust in Him. He will lead us to green pastures again.

No, I am not being too simplistic about this. We are hearing lots of voices around us and most of the news media is talking fear. But we have to have to remember that God knows all things. He knows the end from the beginning and He is not afraid. He is able to take this situation and turn it around. He knows where there are new sources of energy and how to get new inventions that we can bring to market to put people to work. He can take what we have in our hand and make it work to our good.

Most of us are adjusting to the times very well in that we are watching our spending. When we do spend something, make it count. Get out of debt as well as you can. That will give you some room to work things out as they come. And if things look tight for a time, don't think about not paying your tithes. Our God set things up so that tithes and offerings bring a blessing on us. The Good News translation says this in Malachi3: 8-18

I ask you, is it right for a person to cheat God? Of course not, yet you are cheating me. 'How?' you ask. In the matter of tithes and offerings. A curse is on all of you because the whole nation is cheating me. Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there. Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things.

I will not let insects destroy your crops, and your grapevines will be loaded with grapes. Then the people of all nations will call you happy, because your land will be a good place to live. "You have said terrible things about me," says the LORD. "But you ask, 'What have we said about you?' You have said, 'It's useless to serve God. What's the use of doing what he says or of trying to show the LORD Almighty that we are sorry for what we have done? As we see it, proud people are the ones who are happy. Evil people not only prosper, but they test God's patience with their evil deeds and get away with it.' "

Then the people who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard what they said. In his presence, there was written down in a book a record of those who feared the LORD and respected him. "They will be my people," says the LORD Almighty. "On the day when I act, they will be my very own. I will be merciful to them as parents are merciful to the children who serve them. Once again my people will see the difference between what happens to the righteous and to the wicked, to the person who serves me and the one who does not."

No Hot Water Again!

2007-06-14T23:29:00.000-06:00

Today we are into our 12th day of not having any hot water. It’s a regular happening in the month of June that they turn off the hot water flowing to homes in the city to make repairs to heating plants etc. that were damaged in the winter cold. Sometimes there is extensive work to do, other times like this year; it's mostly maintenance work and getting ready for the next winter season.

Last winter was a mild one, compared to winter for 2006. A lot of broken water pipes had to be replaced that year and it took some time to get everything working again. Hopefully we won't have to wait the whole month to experience a nice shower again. In hot weather, even a lukewarm shower feels nice, but you don't want to try a cold one here. So for now it’s the "bucket brigade" again. I hear the men working out there now, so MAYBE we will have it back on today.

Beet and Apple Salad

2007-05-22T03:59:00.000-06:00

One aspect of missionary life is that we learn to eat new foods. Until we lived in Estonia, I refused to eat beets. I have begun to like them very well now, and I made this salad on my own one day.

Beet and Apple Salad

3-4 cups shredded cooked beets
1 large apple, grated
½ cup chopped onion
1-2 cloves minced garlic
mayonnaise or oil
salt and pepper to taste

Combine beets, apple, onion and garlic in a bowl. Moisten with mayonnaise and oil, or just the one of your choice. I used a little of both. Season to taste with salt and pepper. This will easily be enough for your family meal.

Russian News Briefs

2007-05-16T07:23:00.000-06:00

The Russian Orthodox Churches of Russia and those abroad, are restoring ties after 80 years. Many disagreements over doctrine and issues with Communism had caused the division. Services will remain the same, the clergy retain their positions, and they believe the unity will make them stronger. This will happen officially on Thursday.

The Russian people have been deeply offended at the relocation of a Russian War Memorial in Estonia. Relations have been very strained over it. It has already been accomplished as I write this. Many people have protested in Tallinn and many youth were camping out in front of the Estonian Embassy in Moscow. The Estonian people try to be good neighbors, but they don't really want to invite the Russians over for a visit. I believe they are very suspicious of the motivations of everything Russia does.

I just saw one of the newest things to come out for the youth. Its a foot device that makes you walk like you would on the moon. The news article says that it takes about a week to get used to them. They work like a pogo stick, but you wear them over your shoes. The boy demonstrating them really ran along like I remember seeing an astronaut bounce along on the moon. Neat!

Today is Mother's Day

2007-05-13T08:43:00.000-06:00

I would like to give honor to my Mother today. She was born July 18, 1932 during the depression years in Cameron, Texas. She is the oldest of 6 children born to her parents and only she and two of her little brothers are still living now.

Bertie Lee married Thomas Newton in 1951. They had 8 children together and there always seemed to be a little one running around somewhere. I also remember a lot of astonished looks at our car when all the family was together driving to church! My Father died in 1992, so she has been alone for the last 15 years now.

She and my Father gave us a Christian heritage, a lot of love, and a picture of married life that I will always be thankful for. I remember many times my Father, coming in from work and giving her a hug and making her laugh. I suppose they argued some as most couples do, but mostly I remember the laughter, affection for one another and pulling together to get through some hard times.

Today she is 74 and though her body is not as young anymore, her spirit is still strong. She continues to rely on God to see her through everything. She is the one that continues to hold the rest of us together as we are all living and working in different places. Being the wife of a missionary, I have been out of the USA a lot and it gets harder to leave her every time. I just have to trust in God to take care of her. I am so grateful and proud to be her daughter.

And here is a picture of MY 3 sons and my wonderful daughter-in-law.

VE Day

2007-05-09T08:33:00.000-06:00

VE Day Today is the day when Europe celebrates the day the peace treaty was signed to end WWII. There are celebrations everywhere here in Russia, and there will be fireworks tonight. I was in the town center yesterday and saw them setting up the area with speakers and chairs etc. where they will have a special remembrance. Flowers have begun to appear at several memorials around the city.

I found in some research on the net that Hitler and Stalin were much the same in that they had a high disregard for human life. During the war conflict between the two, caused the death of over 30 million people. From the beginning Hitler referred to it as a war of annihilation. He wanted to transplant the German people into parts of western Russia while sending most of the Russians to Siberia or using them as convenient slave labor. Both leaders contributed to the escalation of terror, murder, mass deportation and a high disregard of human life in order to achieve their goals. All this resulted in a tremendous brutality that was not equaled anywhere on the Western Front of the war.

Where there has been such a horrendous time of war and death, I believe it is God's plan to give a time of life and miracles of restoration. A revival of power and miracles. I already have a post of the prophecy of revival coming to Russia, so I won't repeat it here. (See April 07 entries.) God wants to bless the Russian people. He is a good God, full of grace and mercy. It will be His delight to pour out His Glory upon this people and bring healing to this land.

Smolensk WWII Museum

2007-05-07T09:16:00.000-06:00

VE Day is coming and we have visited a WWII museum in Smolensk, Russia. I thought today I would post a few pictures that we took. Matthew had a great time when we visited there. - The canon is one of Napoleon's that was captured.

Russian Public Transportation

2007-05-04T11:37:00.000-06:00

In many rural parts of Russia you will encounter local farmers coming along the highway in a horse pulled cart. It's almost like going back 100 years when you are away from the big cities. Wooden log built homes, mostly metal roofs, and the primary sanitary facilities are outside. Mostly I have seen the older generations in these places. Some of the younger people live there, but I believe that most of the younger generations are in the bigger cities where there is more work. Those that can, will keep a garden and some kind of Dacha >Which means a one or two room summerhouse for most people.<

Moscow is the most up to date with its 4? airports, the underground metro system, buses, trains, taxis, and mini buses called marshrutka. (Don't fault my spelling of that, Russian is very difficult for me. And the way I wrote it is only how I hear it written with our alphabet.) The little mini buses hold something like 16 and most of the time they are full. Where we live we pay about 6.5 or 7.5 Rubles, in Moscow they pay about 25R. Buses run at about the same rates as the mini buses respectively. I'm not familiar with the underground costs, as I haven't ridden one yet.

Where we live, there is a pretty good tram system. Its old, but its mostly dependable. It's about the cheapest method of public transportation. For the elderly on pension its about the only way to go for them. Every year they see an increase in fare: when we arrived it was only 4 R. January 2006, it went to 5 R. and in January 2007, it went to 6 R. I'm told that women retire at 55 and men at 65. Pensions are very low, and the cost of living keeps rising just like everywhere else in the world. My heart goes out to the elderly I see here as they have to endure so much hardship.

Missionary Blunders

2007-05-01T05:19:00.000-06:00

I am reminded today of the few times I have gone to the market and picked up a product that I hoped was what I thought it was. I can't read all of the Russian, though I can do a lot of shopping on my own. Oksana is amazed as I do this, but I have lived in Germany, the Czech Republic and Estonia before we came here, so I'm used to shopping on my own as often as I can. Oksana loves to help us but she is not all of the time available when I need to go shop, so I have made some blunders.

The day I made the biggest blunder, I had been thinking about a pot roast with vegetables. We had not had one since coming here and I was longing for a satisfying taste of one. Well I saw in the freezer case what looked like a frozen piece of beef. It looked about the right size and I paid for it and went home. I unwrapped the meat and got it into the pan. It had some ice on it, so I had no idea it was LIVER until it began to cook and I got a whiff of it. Now Dean likes liver > or used to like liver, but I have never had a taste for it. Matthew decided that he didn't like it as he began to smell it cooking from his room. I think I remember throwing most of it away that day. I did make the pot roast but it was with Oksana's help in finding some good beef. Now I try to look more carefully at the meat I buy from the freezer case.

When we first came to Russia, there was a bit of food already in our flat that some friends had thoughtfully provided for us. One thing was mustard and it turned out to be a difficult product to find a replacement for. I had copied the letters of the product description perfectly so that I could find the right one. We looked in 5 or 6 markets, but my husband and I looked carefully till we found one that we thought was the right kind of mustard.

I fixed some sausages for lunch the next day and we wanted to eat mustard with them. Each of us had some on our plate and Dean started eating his first. He chewed for a moment and then he started making some noises. He says, "That's a hot one." Matt and I gave it a taste and we thought the same. However, we were in the mood to keep eating it and we would just laugh as one after the other would react to the "heat" of the moment.

Since then we have found some other mustards to try: Dean likes a little heat, I like a little sweet to it, and Matthew prefers the one in the middle of the taste range. It’s a little like the three bears! [In the picture shown, you see Dean's on the left that is hot, mine is the sweet one in the middle, and finally there is the one Matthew likes that is just right for him.]

Russian Drinking Water

2007-04-18T09:50:00.000-06:00

Russian drinking water has a lot of minerals in it. It's probably safe but most people here drink boiled water, get a filtering system of some kind or buy quantities of drinking water. In our home, we use a water filter pitcher such as the one the Brita Company makes. Because we chose not to keep a car here, live on the fifth floor and the five or six liter bottles of filtered water are very heavy; we fill our own using the pitcher we bought. Also we keep some unfiltered water on hand, in a separate place, for the days that the water is turned off that we can use to wash or flush the toilet. >Such is the life of a missionary in Russia!

Today I was in the kitchen pouring drinking water into the large bottles to store for drinking. And as I poured, I was singing something that had come to my mind, and I kind of got lost in the meaning of the words. Anyway I kept overflowing the bottles and having to clean up the spill. After I had done it 2 or 3 times and I heard the Lord tell me, "I'd like to spill you over on to some people just like this water." I've been thinking about it ever since.

I've been looking at some verses with the word water in them. I think maybe I know what He meant. John 4:14 But whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. If water is springing up, it can certainly have some spillover.

When I was going to school, I learned that a body of water that is still and has no outlet becomes stagnant and dirty. It begins to grow moss and algae, and if it's like that long enough, it STINKS! In keeping good drinking water here, I've learned to keep the containers washed in soapy water frequently and rotate the bottles I have used and filled so that they don't taste old. Eph. 5:25-27 talks about the church being sanctified and cleansed by the
washing of the water of the word. The word of God will keep our "containers" clean so that we can hold fresh water all the time. John 4: 14 said the living water we need is given by the Lord. So when we are in His presence, we can drink all of the fresh water we need. Then maybe we will have something about us that when we "spill" onto someone else they will find refreshing. SELAH.

Did You Get This E-mail Too??

2007-04-12T08:50:00.000-06:00

Some of you may have received an e-mail like the one below in 2006. I got it myself just after the first of 2007. I have checked it out on the Internet and it’s a true ship. It was being built during the time hurricane Katrina blew through Louisiana and survived intact. The one pictured in the e-mails is actually the USS San Antonio, as the USS New York will be launched later in 2007. It looks like the other ship though, so its picture has been substituted. I think it’s a great memorial and tribute to all those who died.

According to the AP, the USS New York will be the fifth ship of its class, at least 2 more of which will also be named for locations associated with the 9/11 attacks. Later ships in the class will include USS Arlington, the location of the Pentagon, also struck by a hijacked jetliner on Sept. 11, and the USS Somerset, named for the Pennsylvania county where United Flight 93 crashed after its passengers fought off hijackers apparently planning to attack another Washington target.

USS New York With a year to go before it even touches the water, the Navy's amphibious assault ship, USS New York, has already made history. It was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center. It is the fifth in a new class of warship – designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft. Steel from the world Trade Center was melted down in a foundry in Amite, LA, to cast the ship's bow section.

When it was poured into the molds on Sept. 9, 2003, "Those big rough steelworkers treated it with total reverence," recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there.

"It was a spiritual moment for everybody there." Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said that when the trade center steel first arrived, he touched it with his hand and the "hair on my neck stood up."

"It had a big meaning to it for all of us," he said. "They knocked us down. They can't keep us down. We're going to be back."

The ship's motto? "Never Forget".

In the Russian News

2007-04-07T00:16:00.000-06:00

Vladimir Putin has publicly stated he will not take another term of office. One politician has suggested that Russia has enjoyed greater stability since Mr. Putin has been in office and the best choice would be for him to remain at the helm. There are 2 names, maybe 3 that are being put forward now as good choices for new leadership. (I won't even try to tell you their names. I can't say them, and I certainly can't spell them.) There are many things I think President Putin has done well with during his term in office. I hope those after him are as good in their efforts to lead this LARGE nation that has such a diverse people and culture.

Warsaw, Poland has passed a law that anyone born before 1974 will have to reveal if they have cooperated with Communist governments. It's an open disclosure policy such as the one already in effect in Germany.

Moscow mosques celebrated Mohammed's Birthday. Twenty million Muslims live in Russia. Mohammed was born in the southern region of the former USSR, in the Caucuses.

140 years ago, Russia sold Alaska to the USA. Alaska accounts for 50% of the gold, gas and oil to the USA.

Russia in Prophecy

2007-04-03T08:48:00.000-06:00

I have frequently gone back to a site Elijah List where there are archives of prophetic words given for the body of Christ. I went over recently and found one that concerns Russia. My husband and I came here believing that God has some great plans for Russia and that we were to have some part in it, even if its small, so it is encouraging when I find something like this one.

I have been taught through the years that when God speaks something, He will speak through two or three witnesses to confirm something. This particular prophecy confirms one given by a great missionary from the 1800s by the name of Hudson Taylor. I have seen a DVD about this: He was speaking in a British church and in the middle of his message God gave him a vision that showed him many of the armed conflicts we have had, including the 2 world wars. And then God showed him many of the places where revivals would come. These can all be verified at this time to have been true. One of the last things he was shown was a very great revival that would affect the greater portion of Russia. This revival would then spread throughout many places in Europe and the other parts of the world.

Here is an excerpt from the article I found on the Elijah List. You can go there and look for the whole article if you are interested. The date of it is March 6, 2007. Its title is Shepherd's Rod 2007: The Sword of the Lord—Expect Swift and Rapid Change.

The wind of God's Spirit will fan the flames of revival in the former Soviet Union. Expect to see many bold witnesses arise from the Ukraine. They will be willing laborers in the Lords harvest. The youth of Russia are ripe for harvest, but it will take true signs and wonders to turn their hearts to Christ. Many young leaders will find themselves training thousands in the former Soviet Union.

By Bobby Conner

http://www.bobbyconner.org

Yes, Russia Has an April Fools Day

2007-04-01T08:38:00.000-06:00

I was watching Russia Today as I sometimes do. I have wondered from time to time what kind of slant is given to the Russian news reports that I hear, but there seems to be plenty enough in our own media so who am I to throw stones.

There is a regular feature of a man finding out about places to visit when you travel here. I saw it on the 31^st of March and he was visiting a region called Samara. They have an open-air museum called Ancient World. It features prehistoric archeological finds and some burial remains about five to six thousand years old they think. The city of Samara itself has about 1.3 million people and it was founded in 1586. It is a crossroads of trade and culture.

The report went on to talk about the sport of "Ski kiting" letting a small parachute pull you along while you are on skies on the snow. . . a bunker that Stalin had built there – 12 stories underground that was supposed to be for the protection of the government should the Nazis make it that far into the country. . . and finally the last portion of the article: he began to speak about a school for pilots where they teach people to fly by teaching them how to build and design aircraft. Suddenly his next statement was that this year they were learning how to build a land submarine. The man was standing next to it and though surprised at what he was saying, I was thinking maybe it works in similarity to the hover craft??. . But the next thing he said was "April Fools!" The school had put a mock up sub on the grounds of the campus as a joke. Well that joke was on me! I had completely forgotten about the date!

Serving is an Expression of God's Love

2007-03-27T07:17:00.000-06:00

November 25, 2005 Okay, the day is here at last! We fly off to Russia at 4:15 PM. This is Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. It will take us until the early hours of Sunday morning to reach the city where we will spend most of the next year. The Lord has already told us that this shall be a special year in our lives. Its been 6 years since we last lived in Europe somewhere and I feel like it’s the very first time again. I’m excited and nervous at the same time. Matt and I have never been to Russia before, though Dean has been several times now to this city. It’s the Great Russian Adventure!

This is what I wrote down the day we left the USA for Russia. I remember being so glad to get here to this city. To get to meet the people that Dean has known for some years now. They had been asking what we were like so they had wanted to meet us too. Someone put a banner in our flat to welcome us with balloons. I was so touched I wanted to cry when I saw it. We've been to most of their homes now, and the food here is great. Our life in Russia is great.

That first year I remember constantly being asked if we liked being here. They were so afraid we wouldn't like everything, or were homesick. If we needed anything, someone would help us find it or even bring it to us. We are here as missionaries to serve them, but they have just as much made themselves available to serve us.

We are sons and daughters by our new birth and we serve by choice because of His love for the whole world.

What's Happening in the Russian News

2007-03-20T01:26:00.000-06:00

One of the top news stories today was that there were men still trapped in a mine disaster in Kimerova, Western Siberia. There is still a lot of coal mining done here but there have been a lot of safety features added to make it as safe as possible. During the time of this collapse, there was a team from England there to check out the situation concerning a new safety system they were going to put in. One of that team was among the 106 known fatalities. This has been called one of the worst mining disasters to happen here.

I heard three things that interested me on Russia Today, the English language channel that is available here. One was that since the weather is warmer than usual this time of year, there is some concern about the people that are still ice fishing on the lakes and rivers. It's a very popular sport, but with the ice beginning to thaw, they have had to rescue some of the fishermen off the ice. The article showed some hovercraft that they are using to patrol and rescue with. The people shown in the article complained that with the noise of the boats the fish are scared away. But there have been over 200 deaths in the last few years so its good to see they have a way to do rescues in a timely manner.

The second article was about a dog sled race in Komchatka, in the far eastern part of Russia. They did not say Siberia, but it could be. The race is two weeks long, over a 600 mile route.
As the contestants travel the route of the race, they will deliver toys to the children and much needed medicines to the villages. The prize for the winner?? A snowmobile!

The last article concerns a new taxi service in Moscow. Some women have reported that they have been treated badly by some taxi drivers. This got some women to thinking that the best thing they could do is start their own taxi service. It's for women and children only. Any men have to be accompanied by women. They are building their service to be professional, on time and they are using distinctive pink taxicabs.

Russian Potatoes with Carrots Recipe

2007-03-19T08:50:00.000-06:00

This is a home cooking recipe and one of the easiest I have learned in Russian cooking. It is simply one or two carrots sliced thinly and put into a pot with water to cover. Dice 1/2 an onion if you want fresh onion - my son won't eat them so I usually put some kind of powdered onion. While they cook, peel and dice some potatoes. Add them to the pot, again with just enough water to cover the vegetables, cook until tender. Season this with some parsley, salt and pepper. What makes the different taste here is that you put two large spoons of mayonnaise in it. Use your judgment on how much you like. Only don't use Miracle Whip. Just a good plain mayonnaise. If you want to thicken it, some instant mashed potatoes will do it quick. This is a pretty simple dish and it tastes great!

* I prepared this today for lunch and I think that sour cream, or maybe some heavy cream would work just as well with this recipe, as a substitute for the mayonnaise. I have also added some diced cooked ham to it as I fixed it today. My husband really likes this one.

Missionary St. Patrick

2007-03-17T07:05:00.000-06:00

My Father was born on this day, March 17. He passed on about 14 years ago and I miss him very much. But for most people this day is known for St. Patrick of Ireland. I was curious to see what I could find out about him, so I did a small search to see what I could find out. I was mostly looking for facts and I believe I found some of them. You can probably do a deeper search, but its not been easy to get onto the Internet lately from Russia. I have no idea what the problem is, but getting connected with websites is difficult.

According to the Catholic encyclopedia, life in fifth-century Ireland was a primitive existence. Human sacrifices and slavery were accepted. There was no common law; there was a royalty of sorts in charge of what government there was, and pagan worship. During this time a band of Irish marauders slipped into Great Britain and kidnapped a number of people intending to sell them as slaves. Among them was a 16 year old boy named Patricious. He was purchased by a local warlord and put to work caring for the man's sheep.

He became known as Patrick to the people, and in the despair and hardship he found himself in, he began to reach out to God. He found a great satisfaction in prayer and he began to pray often as he went about his work. After about 6 years in Ireland, one day he saw a vision that told him his ship was ready and he could go back home. Patrick escaped and soon found himself back with his family.

Patrick felt called to work as a missionary to the Irish people, so he entered the priesthood not long after he returned to Britain. No definite date is given for his return to Ireland, but he lived and died there among the people who had his heart. The Catholic Church formally recognized him as the Bishop of Ireland and certainly the Irish people considered him one of their own.

One source I found mentioned that the apostle Paul himself never got of the Roman Empire. It was left to those who were discipled to carry the Good News to the rest of the world. Patrick is one of the first recorded missionaries after that time. Knowing what kind of people they were after having been a slave amongst them, it was truly a love for the people as well as God Himself that must have drawn him back to Ireland. He was a true missionary.

Blessing Over our Food

2007-03-15T08:42:00.000-06:00

Have a great day, whereever you are! DJ

The Heaven of Having Hot Water Again

2007-03-14T08:11:00.000-06:00

Today our hot water came back on. Oh the heaven of a warm shower!

Last year as the warmer weather began to thaw the ground out, the men from the heating plant began to make repairs on the water pipes. It took them 4-5 days. The water went off on Monday and my husband pipes up: "I didn't see a notice about this in the stairwell." And Matt's comment was "I guess its time for the bucket brigade."

My husband came up with the phrase "bucket brigade". Most of us are familiar with the term being used to refer to volunteers gathering with buckets to put out a fire. To us it just simply means you heat water on the stove and take an abbreviated version of bath from the resulting warm water. Matt finds it so amusing, but I grew up in a house without an indoor bathroom, so it is nothing new to me. We had a one-bedroom house with a path!

Today I remember to thank God that we have water at all. I remember the many times 700Club or some other has spoken about having helped a village obtain fresh water by digging a well for them. The water is not the best here, but its cleaner than in most places and MOST of the time it's readily available.

I remember hearing about times in parts of Russia when there was hot water available only for a few hours a day. In recent years it is available 24 hours around, except when the system needs servicing or someone is renovating their apartment and requests a temporary shutoff.

Okay, it's my turn now for a shower. The "bucket brigade" days are over until the next time.

Thanking the Lord for His grace in all things, DJ

International Women's Day

2007-03-08T00:25:00.000-06:00

March 8th is International Women's Day. This holiday is very well known in Europe and it is a day to honor any lady who means a lot to you. Anyway I think today would be a good day to introduce the lady who translates for us. Her name is Oksana and she is married to Andre. They have two children, a boy and a girl. They're a great family and it's a blessing to have her work with us. Dean calls her our "voice".

A Very Relevant Argument for the Existence of God

2007-02-28T08:11:00.001-06:00

A University professor, at a well-known institution of higher learning, challenged his students with this question. "Did God create everything that exists?"

A student bravely replied, "Yes he did!"
"God created everything?" The professor asked.
He certainly did," the student replied.

The professor answered, "If God created everything; then God created evil. And, since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are, then we can assume God is evil."

The student became quiet and did not answer the professor's hypothetical definition. The professor, quite pleased with himself, boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said, "May I ask you a question professor?"
"Of course", replied the professor.

The student stood up and asked, "Professor does cold exist?"
The Professor said, "What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?" The other students snickered at the young man's question.

The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460F) is the total absence of heat; and all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat."

The student continued, "Professor, does darkness exist?"
The professor responded, "Of course it does."
The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact, we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?"
Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course, as I have already said. We see it every day. It is in the daily examples of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil."

To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist, sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat, or the darkness that comes when there is no light."
With that, the professor sat down .

The young man's name? Albert Einstein.

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Russian Winter 2005-2006: Our first winter in Russia

2007-02-12T02:04:00.000-06:00

We left Texas in November 2005 and arrived in Moscow on the 27th. We traveled over five hours to get to the furnished apartment that some friends had arranged for us. We brought nine suitcases and had traveled over 24 hours to get here so it was lovely to have a nice warm flat with beds all ready for us.

There was snow and ice on the ground already, it was 31 F. In the days to follow we saw the temperature dip and go as low as –35 F. before the winter cold ended. On the television we saw pictures of ice covering windows, frozen plants, busted radiators with icicles on them. It got really cold and not everyone had heat. People were bundled up to even live in their homes. Most of this we saw was in Eastern Russia and parts of Siberia. Thank God the weather was no worse than that.

We heard from our friends that a lot of people put masking tape around their windows to keep out the cold drafts and we did the same on our own windows. That turned out to be the best thing we could have done that year. When the week of the coldest temps came, we had had enough notice that we had enough food to last most of that time without having to set foot out of our apartment. We taped up the outer door to the apartment to keep out the cold draft that was coming from the stairwell and played cards and dominoes, watched movies and television and did some office work and reading.

Our first winter here was quite an experience for an introduction to Russia. Fortunately we found snowboots to fit all of us and our coats were warm enough. That winter went down on the record books to be the coldest in 50 years! But not every winter is that cold thankfully. This past winter was a more average one. I say past because this one seems to have barely been here before it seems to be gone. We got the needed moisture over the farmlands but as I write this, all the snow has disappeared. I feel a bit cheated as we didn't see any snow until the 21^st of January in this year, and now its all melted away.

Christmas and New Year in Russia

2007-02-08T11:47:00.000-06:00

Traditionally Russia celebrates Christmas in January. Under Communism there was no belief in God promoted, but Christmas was there among the Christians. The Russian Orthodox Church has a Christmas service and the New Years tree is put up in the home for those who want to do so. I believe I saw more trees and decorations this year than I did last year. Many people have more disposable income than they used to, though its not as much as most Westerners have.It’s a day to celebrate with family being together.

The Christian community celebrates Christmas with most of the world on Dec. 25 with a Christmas service and fellowship with one another. It is more of a true emphasis on Christ Jesus' birth than giving of gifts to one another. The understanding I have is that there are gifts given when the family meets together to celebrate. It could be any of those days.

My husband had an opportunity to play "Santa Claus that had come from USA especially to be at their party" for a language school. I had always wanted an opportunity to kiss Santa, so I took it. For the party, the children dressed up in costumes and they were really cute. The traditional figure people recognize is Father Frost. He is dressed all in blue and you can see him everywhere. Because the school is about foreign languages, they thought it would be nice to include a Santa Claus this year.

New Years Eve is the big holiday here. Its celebrated January 1-9. It's much more noisy with parties and fireworks. We have drought conditions in Texas and the use of fireworks is outlawed within certain limits. We haven't seen much of them in the last years, so we have delighted in the fireworks show we have seen. Our own family takes time for communion and a moment of prayer together as we go into the new year. And after midnight we were grateful for the quiet in our building so that we could rest.

My 3rd Journal Entry

2007-01-20T09:14:00.000-06:00

December 1, 2005 It's been a few days now since we went to the market the first time on our own. It turned out to be a family effort. I would look for what I thought I needed most in the kitchen for the week, hoping that I was getting the right products. Dean used whatever Russian he knew and some pointing and gesturing. Then Matt and I put the items in some cloth carry bags we had brought with us. Thankfully all the people we purchased from were very helpful and patient.

There are a lot of interesting looking products that I don't recognize. Some have familiar company names I know from the time we spent living in other parts of Europe. There are many spices, flour and sugar that I need but I don't know the words for them. I need a better Russian/English dictionary. . . For now we are eating luncheon meats that I bring home and slice myself, fresh carrots, apples, potatoes, cabbage, macaroni, rice, eggs and breads.

I brought a bit of my recipe collection with us so that I can make some of the familiar things we like the best. Some recipes will only be useful as a pattern or idea bank for me to create from, as some foods are only typical of the USA. > I remember someone praying for me before we left Texas. While the minister was praying he said the words "Lord give her knowledge of witty inventions." I think if I am going to successfully feed my family to my satisfaction that may be exactly what I need!

Journal Entry Our 2nd Day in Russia

2007-01-12T09:07:00.000-06:00

November 28, 2005 I’m still on USA time physically, so it's very early in the morning. Last night as we were preparing for bed, we found that the bed in our bedroom is broken. Actually it’s a pullout couch. Dean slept in the room that will become his office on the twin size bed in there, and I fixed the broken couch enough to make it good for one person to sleep on. Later we will move the twin bed into our room so that Dean and I can sleep together in the same room at least. We will have to get another bed at some point, as none of the 3 beds here is long enough for a 6 ft. 4 in. tall man.

Today is our first full day on our own. We need to go get some things from the market and we don’t know many words in the Russian language. Dean said once that he communicated “with hands and feet”, a little German, and anything else when there is no one around to translate, so I guess that’s what we will do. We have money exchanged yesterday so we are ready. The market has been described to me as the best place to buy things inexpensively. The stores are only a little bit more Rubles for most things, but at the market you will find more variety of products and you can buy in bulk amounts.

One thing I haven’t made clear yet is that it's very cold here. There is snow on the ground and we have just come from Texas where it's just beginning to have cooler temperatures: we hadn’t had anything lower than about 42 F. We are not planning to get a car while we are here, so we will walk everywhere or take public transportation as available. Thank God for our warm coats. I really feel like a missionary in Russia today!

My Journal Entry Our First Day in Russia

2007-01-10T08:35:00.000-06:00

November 27, 2005 We’ve had a little sleep now, been to our first church service and said hello to the people we are here to serve with. They’re a beautiful group of people, so loving and they have welcomed us so wonderfully. We found out at the airport that they had located a furnished place for us to live in while we are here. They had only found it 3 days ago so they have been working hard to be sure it's clean and has a bit of food supplied for our use. It has 3 bedrooms so one will be Dean’s office so he can have some quiet while he works. There is a balcony, it has hot water run through a radiator system for heat, it's on the fifth floor of a block of flats and there is an elevator in the building! Someone made a welcome sign in English and decorated the living room with some balloons. It was great to feel wanted so much. Its early evening now and I’m off to bed. This 9-hour time change is ROUGH!

That was my journal entry for the first Sunday in Russia. The building you see in the picture is the one we live in. It’s a recently built building, so the plumbing, electricity, and heat have been dependable. We're blessed that it's close to the tram stops and shopping markets.

Missionaries Go Where God Sends Them

2007-01-07T03:42:00.000-06:00

God always knows what He is doing. He has a plan – plans to take care of you, not abandon you. Plans to give you the future you hope for. That's what the Message translation says for Jeremiah 29:11. Whatever God has planned for our lives, it is to bring us to an expected end that will bless us. Sometimes we travel in unexpected places to get there, but God has a purpose in everything.

Many times over the years, we've heard the Lord tell us: "Don't fear. I have your future all mapped out." And you know what, He has. It's been revealed to us a little at a time, and we have now lived in 4 nations besides our own. Over 22 years now, in every place He has sent us, we have had His peace and assurance we were in the right place. And in our obedience to go, we know that He is with us and will direct our steps.

At this time our steps are in Russia. My husband is doing what God has given him to do, our son is doing home schooling and I am keeping everything together at home. It's not very much different for me than it would be if we were home in Texas. BUT THERE ARE SOME DIFFERENCES