August 2012

WOW...July flew by...since our last blog, we have been to  a conference in Germany, celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary, then traveled back to Russia for a 10 day youth camp on Lake Baikal. (That brought up to almost the end of July!)

Let's start with the conference...
When we arrived in Russia back in 1997, we could never have imagined the wonderful people we would have the privilege of working with for many of these 16 years! We had the most amazing conference/reunion in June and in Germany no less! It was a time to re-connect, get a bigger picture of what the Father is doing across Asia and discuss how to improve or continue doing things in our 'neck of the woods'. Instead of trying to decide which pictures to share out of the hundreds taken :), we'd like to share an amazing story about our conference site. More than 25 years ago, many groups of German Christians left Russia and the 'satellite' countries to return to their home country - Germany. The government immediately opened up a 'center' for returning folks to live at until they were able to find work, homes and begin their new lives.Over time, the need for the center ended and the relocated churches felt this property still had a purpose. Fast forward.... today this center is  used for church reunions, conferences, youth camps, etc. The word got out that a group that has been working in Russia over the last 17+ years was looking for a conference site. They immediately opened their doors and not only allowed us to use the facility (for free), they fed us four times a day and again charged us nothing! It was beyond words to meet these folks and receive such huge blessings!

We've all worked together at one time or another over the last 16 years!

Our conference center in northern Germany.

Loved the flowers on both balconies!

Fountain outside castle in Detmold

From inside the castle - a royal family still resides in 100 of the rooms!

Outdoor museum of local history - LOVED the buildings!

Kevin made a new friend while taking pictures - the mule almost ate the camera!

We decided we'd take the house....if the garden came with it.

Farmhouse/barn ....yes, the animals were basically in the same building!

The end of June is our anniversary and this year (our 27th) we thought since we'll already in Germany why not take some time and go somewhere we  haven't been yet! Next stop was Berlin....

Kevin at the Berlin Wall...this is only a portion. Artists from many
countries were asked to come and paint a section of the wall.
This was on of our favorites.

What an amazing city. It hasn't been that long since it became a unified city and the differences between east and west aren't always easy to recognize; that is unless you've lived in a former communist country where all the buildings had the same look. Germany has done an excellent job raising the standards and look of the former East side of Berlin. They've spent a ton of money to modernize the public transportation system and the results are you can travel anywhere in and around the city and out to other regions of the country with incredible ease! Well....we'll let the pictures tell the story.....

Our train from the conference to Berlin.

Inside the double-decker train

View of Berlin from the TV tower that was completed in 1969.

The Bradenburg Gate - they had a huge screen for soccer fans to watch the

One of the larger of the four castles in Berlin.

Berlin Train Station

Inside of the train station.....we've NEVER seen a five level station before!!
Trains were on four of the five levels!! Crazy to see!

When we got back into Russia, we had two days to unpack and re-pack for ten days on Lake Baikal. We had been asked to help out with translating and anything else needed for a team flying in from our home church in Florida. So it was off to the Lake along with four kids from our youth group! (For one, this was their first time ever to Lake Baikal!!) Two churches from Ulan Ude did a tremendous job putting this youth camp together and had 60+ kids in attendance.

Heading to Baikal with four kids from the youth group!

Crab Soccer...with a slightly larger than normal ball!

Three of our wonderful translators for the American team.

Laura with dear friends at our campsite...glad we brought the tent
as there was no room for us in their 'yurts' this year.

Something new this year....a 'slip-n-slide into the lake!!!
What a blast....We're sure this will be a yearly event at youth camps.

The month of July ended with the American team visiting our fellowship in the village! What a special treat for the folks to hear testimonies, share in the Word, see two life-changing skits, and of course....eat! There could never be fellowship without food and tea! THANK YOU  "Team Hawk" for taking the time to drive another three hours and spending your last couple of days in Siberia with us!

We know this is a VERY long update, but hang in there for just a few more minutes! August has started out with major car problems....driving through some huge puddles (looked like small ponds) our car stalled...so we thought. After a long wait and several men checking it out....we towed it to the mechanic and learned we'd broken a timing belt. OK....of course that caused lots of other damage and we're now waiting on a new engine! Never a dull moment!  We should be good within two weeks, as we're waiting for the engine to come from Japan. (That's another story!)
    Thanks to all of you who remember us often and continually support the work! Without you, we wouldn't and couldn't be here. Please remember our folks at the fellowship....many are struggling, a few are making great changes! We give it all to HIM.

                  Serving Together,
                   Kevin & Laura

JUNE 2012

It's Summer!!!!!        +95 degrees...even in Siberia!                                                  

Co-Workers enjoying lunch at our newest cafe.

Amazingly June is over half gone and again we wonder where the time has gone! And where did these temperatures come from??!  Summer plans are in full swing with continued work at our building, a conference at the end of this month, attending a two week camp on Baikal with four kids from our youth group (plus 100 other kids as well), and a visit from our home church in July! There's always plenty to do and we welcome the outdoor work with our friends....we have to get that huge dose of vitamin D from the sun before the winter months set in again!!

Our youth group has officially ended for the summer, but we have plans to go on hikes, picnics and hopefully have opportunities to meet some new kids as well. We decided in May to take the 'gang' to the river for games, food and to our surprise....swimming!! (These are true Siberian kids....if the sun's out and the weather's warm - you go swimming!) There had been ice on this river just one week prior.

 Hopping Caterpillar Game

                 Swimming in early May!!!

     Knot Game...never did get it right...

 Village life can have it surprises...you never know what the day will bring. Because we were going to be gone so much this summer; we had decided not to build a green house. Our dear friend had another plan and we were blessed with his expertise and help in building our own green house! If that's not exciting enough.... how about driving a litter of pigs to a village 45 miles away to sell them?!! The church pig had four piglets left and we needed to sell them before we left for conference....momma and baby pigs were NOT happy with the move!! The trip turned out to be a huge blessing for us as well as for the folks who had bought the piglets. They were very interested in 'why' Americans would live in a village and 'why' Siberia! We had a great conversation and are hoping to return and have tea and more discussions on spiritual matters. They are very open to this possibility!

As we mentioned earlier, we have some kids going to a youth camp on Baikal in July. Because the cost is quite high for the folks here, we decided the kids could work for some of the cost to go to the camp. It's been great fun and they're doing a terrific job!! 

Sanding doors before adding shellac.

Finishing touches...GREAT job!

They really ARE painting the fence and gate!!??

Within the last few days, we finished our first parenting class! (in Russian for the first time as well.) We have some interest to begin another class in September and ask for prayer as we prepare for the course. We are both working closely with a couple of people and are excited to see growth in their marriages, lives, and understanding of the Word.

 

As we write this,we are literally packing and getting ready to run out the door. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we travel and work alongside old friends, (and many new folks) at the camp in July. May your summer be blessed and filled with family and friends!

     Blessings from Siberia,

       Kevin & Laura

The true calling of a Christian is not to do extraordinary things, but to do ordinary things in an extraordinary way. ~~A. P. Stanley~~

May 2012

   

What started out as an ordinary work day, turned into a day we could never have imagined! We had succeeded in completing the kitchen and kid’s room at the building before Easter, however, we still had cabinets to hang and it was time to clean the territory outside. It was warm and sunny day and many had come to help with the work. The major chores now complete, we were washing all the dishes and shelves that had collected dust from the major remodeling! Then we received the call…..one of the young boys (age 17) had been with his brother collecting bricks to sell at one of the many abandoned buildings. For some reason, he had climbed onto what was left of the roof. Details are fuzzy we only know that the wall gave and the roof fell crushing this boy’s legs. Unable to get the concrete and bricks off his body, the young boy died. He had been coming to our services and he was a HUGE help with the building of the kitchen and kid’s room  ! The men had only just begun building relationships so this has been quite difficult for all. Please keep his younger brother and sister in your prayers. Their parents and grandmother are drunkards and have never been any kind of an example to these children.

On a much lighter note….we have been working on the building so that it would appear to be a ‘house of prayer’ and not just another house on the block. There have been some outside donations over the past year; however, we are amazed at the amount of money this small group has pulled together for use in the upkeep and continued work needed to finish the inside of their building.

Kid's room/Sunday School classroom

Kitchen area before remodeling

Installing insulation!!!

Need a bigger opening??...use the
chainsaw!!!

Decided to keep this wall natural....
it took three days of sanding

Kevin and Sergie...working?!!?

1st wall done...five more to go!!!!

Dry wall almost complete.....new entrance to porch/coat room (left) and kitchen almost complete (on the right)

Kid's room complete...curtains and posters to come!

Where everyone washes their hands....bucket catches water
underneath...running water is next project.

The new kitchen!!  Waiting for a gas/electric stove to
replace the wood burning stove.

THANK YOU for those who sent special funds to help make this possible!!! We'd like to work on the outside of the building. It looks nothing like a house of prayer, just another house on the street. Our goal is to put siding on just the front and one side of the building. Currently we have some funds but are still in need. Please join with us in prayer that this is where our funds should go and it would be His will! You may ask why we feel this is important....without question, every time we're talking with folks in the village and mention where the fellowship meets, they're very surprised that our 'building' is such a place and 'not' just another house. Apparently appearances are important at times. Again, we appreciate your prayers in this matter.

The grass and trees are finally turning green!!! Work in the gardens is underway and folks are out walking or riding their bicycles....finally free of heavy coats and fur hats! We love springtime because it means new beginnings. That's our hope, we'll see new beginnings in someones' life in the coming months. That we'll see a renewed vision in the fellowship to meet new people and to share His mercy, love, and hope!

Blessings from Siberia,
   Kevin & Laura

Our deeds are seeds of fate, sown here on earth, but bringing forth their harvest in eternity.

George Dana Boardman

International Women's Day and a Men's Conference.......

How can we make the women of the fellowship feel special on Woman's Day this year?  That is the question Kevin posed to the men of the fellowship...We as a group of men thought we should treat the ladies to a luncheon that we, the men, would prepare, cook and do the clean up to make this a very special treat for the ladies.

We realized that none of us knew how to bake so we decided that it would be best to buy cakes; you gotta admit that they are nice looking cakes.  They tasted so good too. We didn't have a single complaint that they were not homemade!

Laura planned a few games that the ladies seemed to enjoy....

Of course there are always kids around so we played with the kids that came and fed them in another room so the mothers could enjoy their special day...the kids seemed to enjoy Kevin's spaghetti.

 The ladies truly enjoyed being waited on.  Laura tells me that the time of fellowship and games was a great break from the regular routine that these ladies are normally involved in.

All in all it was a success and we hope to make it an even larger event next year; a day to let the ladies know they are special....Those are smiles of joy on their faces!

                                                                                 

A few of the men were able to take part in a men's conference on Lake Baikal.  There were about 50 men altogether. The other day, Kevin was talking to one of our neighbors and she could not believe that 50 men could get together for three days and not have any vodka! This of course gave him the chance to talk a bit about the conference and why there was no alcohol.  

Our guys on the first day...

Of course we had fun on the frozen lake.  

This is Kevin in an ice cave...amazing what happens when the waves on the lake freeze..

The conference was excellent for all that attended; the teaching has and will impact lives...One night we all watched the film, "Courageous."  If you have not seen the film...you need to!! It's a quality film and the message is right on.  

The sun just before sunset across the frozen Lake Baikal...What an amazing sight!!!!  His creation is truly breath taking!  

I hope you were able to get a small glimpse of some of the things happening here.  We still need to post some pictures of the recent picnic and hike we had with some of the youth.  Until then, keep your focus on Him who gave us the sunset that you see in the above picture!

Have a wonderful day!

Kevin and Laura

"I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress."
~ Ronald Reagan