Should Have Stayed In Siberia

Just returned to Houston after two miserable days in Moscow. They are having record heat there this summer and almost nothing is air conditioned==not the hotel, not the airport and not the train station. It was 105 one day. There are peat bog fires burning all around the Moscow area and there is all kinds of soot in the air. It has been so hot and dry that they can't put them out. One scientist said that breathing the Moscow air for one day was the same as smoking 40 cigarettes. Siberia on the other hand was almost perfect weather wise. Glad to be home until my next mission trip to Kenya on September 20. Peace, John

Bakchar Revisited

I had visited Bakchar on my first mission trip to Siberia in 1996. It was a four hour bus ride from Tomsk. The scene was very desolate. The children lived in a former gulag prison camp where the buildings were made of logs that were in danger of falling down and there was a ten hole outhouse. The children were barefoot and had mosquito bite sores on their legs. The Texas Methodist Conference had just started bulding a brick dorm for the kids. It took a long time to finish the building. There is a short construction period before winter and supplies kept disappearing. Cost overruns were significant.

I volunteered for a two week work mission to finish the building in the summer of 2000 led by Alan Miller of Houston. We were the first to live in the new building as we did the finish up work inside. I had not been back since. What a pleasant surprise on Wednesday! The building and the furnishings for the children are fantastic. The kids appear well cared for with shoes and no mosquito sores. I think these children now have equal or better facilities that those in the city of Tomsk. Thank you Lord and thanks to the Methodists who provided the money that started a better life for children who were left out in the middle of nowhere. This trip has been the highlight of the stay in Siberia for me as we prepare to leave for Moscow tomorrow. Peace, John

If John Robbins Can Do It, I Can Do It

Blog, that is. I'm cheerfully doing this (at least until Melissa no longer has that gun pointed at me).

I think one of the biggest impressions I've come away with thus far has to do with the older orphans I have worked with. Not in the sense that the others on the team have worked with the kids--crafts, Bible lessons, and so on--but that I have literally worked with in the construction work we are doing at 1st Church Tomsk. Think about our kids, and I speak as a father of two, when they are asked to do a chore, especially an unpleasant one--like carrying pieces, large pieces, of stone stairs down to the next landing, or carrying ten pieces of sheetrock up to the third story without damage. There's a lot of, "Do I have to?", or "What will you give me if I do?", or "That's too hard." You ask these guys to do something and they do it, period (and while I understand very little Russian, I can detect griping and complaining in any language).

And when they are tasked to get us to the church from the orphanage, they don't try to play tricks on the old guy Americans (I use "old" only in the sense of in comparison to teenagers because Garth and I aren't really old because . . . but I digress). They take us straight to the bus stop, pay the fare from the money George gave them, and get us off at the correct stop. I trust each one of them completely to get me to the church and back, and George trusts them with the money he gives them. It is a trust well deserved and earned.

There is great hospitality shown by all the Russians with whom we come in contact. My greatest regret is not being able to speak Russian well enough to converse with the kids and the other Russians we have met. I've never been good at languages, and my college French isn't coming in too handy here. I'm lousy at charades, too, so I'm reliant on the interpreters. I have gotten pretty good with, "Ya ni panymayu" (I don't understand), although I can pretty readily get out a "spaceba" (thank you), "privet" (hello), "izvenite" (excuse me), and a few others that my brain occasionally stumbles across, often a minute or two too late. But you string all those together and you can't get much of a conversation going.

Finally, you can't believe what you have to go through, and the ends of the earth to which you have to travel to find a shop-vac in this town. I'm just sayin'.

It's been a great trip so far, and with the generosity and understanding and cooperation of all we and met, and a little perserverance, we have gotten a lot accomplished at 1st Church, and had a good time doing it.

Bill Routon

Greetings from Tomsk (Russia)

Hello!

My name is Yelena Chudinova. I am a pastor in Tomsk. And I am having an absolutely great time with the VIM team from Texas Conference who are here in Tomsk now. I know some of the team members from their previous visits. Some of them I know for many years. But each time they come it is really a blessing to be together and serve. I always enjoy doing Bible lessons for the kids in orphanages but especially with the team. You know why? Because people always ask why they came for. And it's the easiest way to start to talk to people about God. When people came from the US because of God's love they seem "strange" but welcomed and if you being from the same area came to visit because of God's love you seem sometimes "crazy" but fortunately sometimes always welcomed. (Not always). I was lucky this year to do the Bible lesson with the group twice - in the baby's orphanage and in the "Eagle's nest".

The other blessing and miracle that came with the team is the two great men Garth and Bill who are working on the church repair project. They are turning out the ugly messy cold and wet corridor into a warm and nice-looking place. They are only two but they are the best working building team that ever worked in the church repair. The boys from orphanage #4 come with them to help and one of them told me that he was really impressed by how they work - "in harmony". They are the perfect example of a team work and relations for the kids.

Thank you, dear friends!!!

My best greeting to all of you and

heartily gratitude from Tomsk

Bachar and More

Today is Wednesday. Eleven members of our team, along with Igor (our interpreter) and Valentina (head of the Tomsk Peace Foundation) crammed into a small van for a long "road trip" to Bachar. This village is several hours away from Tomsk and has two orphanages. It was the site of a former "gulag" or prison camp. The Texas Annual Conference built a new building at the main Bachar orphanage in the late 90's after a wall had fallen-in on an old building housing children. Our team members will do Christian activities and crafts with the children, as well as give them gifts of stuffed animals and Marvin UMC backpacks. It will be a long trip, but a really wonderful opportunity to interact with more precious children and see the beautiful native countryside. The team plans to arrive back in Tomsk late this afternoon.

Bill is working on sheetrock today (taping and mudding) at Tomsk UMC. He and Garth managed to hang all of the sheetrock yesterday.

Today I am working with the pastor, Yelena at the church. We are going to share ideas concerning church development and programs. I was excited to learn that Bishop Vaxby and the Russian Methodist Church have just adopted the 5 Practices of Fruitful Discipleship, which we have embraced in the Texas Conference and at Marvin UMC. Yelena and I have been dear friends since 1999, so having the time to meet with her is a blessing! Those of you who attended our wedding in 2005 remember that Yelena and Mike Dent performed our wedding at Marvin!

At 7 p.m. the entire team will attend the worship service at Tomsk UMC and then go out as a group for pizza!

The weather has been cold (upper 40's and low 50's) and rainy for 2 days, but we are NOT COMPLAINING! We just keep thinking about our friends and family in the hot USA, as we snuggle under wool blankets at night! Hopefully we can bring some cool weather back with us on August 3!

Our trip continues to be a wonderful "mission of love!" Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support!

In Christ's Amazing Love,

Melissa

Eagles Nest Orphanage

Today was a great day for us "veterans!" We worked with Eagles Nest Orphanage. This was the first orphanage that we adopted back in 1996! We've had a relationship with this orphanage for 15 years. Luba, the assistant director is still on staff, loving and encouraging her children. We made photos, did crafts and interacted with the children. Tomorrow we return to share God's love through Bible stories and more "one-on-one" time with these precious children.

A television reporter and photographer came out to document our work with the children. Tonight there will be a special report about "the Methodists" on their 9 p.m. newscast (hey - will someone record it for us??? ha, ha!)

We met a little boy who was new to the orphanage. He has no brothers or sisters and his parents have died. He was withdrawn, but warmed-up to several members of our team. One even received a smile! This moment reminded us that every child in the orphanage has a story. Some have endured more tragedy that we can even imagine. So what can we do to help? We can love, love, love these children. We can give them encouragement and praise and we can share with them about a God who loves them more than anything else, a God who wants the best for them, and a God who will NEVER DESERT THEM, who will never leave them.

May God use our words and our actions to share His unconditional love and grace.

In faith and hope,
Melissa

Devotion

Thank goodness that Kevin told to pack cowboy gear, since that's all the kids know about Texas. I threw in a few stacks of bandanas into my luggage as an after-thought, but they came very much in handy today. We visited a Russian Orthodox church, where women are required to cover their heads. Accordingly, the ladies of the team all donned pink, blue, and yellow bandanas. We were then thrust into a service completely unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. As everyone stands in a large room, several priests move back and forth from a separate back room to the altar, chanting all the while. The choir joins in at times, and patrons shuffle in and out at will, always stopping to kiss icons and crosses, light candles, and take communion.

I was especially amazed to see how young most of the priests were. They looked to be my age (18) or a little older. I can't even imagine the time and dedication they have devoted to their faith and, moreover, the assurance they must feel to be so devoted at so young an age. Hopefully, our interactions with the orphans will similarly show them our devotion: our firm belief in God's unconditional love.

Molly

A Day at the Park and the Church

Sunday has been a full day starting with services at a Russian Orthodox service. We failed to bring head coverings but Molly saved the day with bandanas her mother sent for craft activities. Needless to say, we were a colorful group! A little souvenir shopping for birchwood and then back to the orphanage for lunch. We eat a lot! This afternoon we went with the children from the orphanage to an amusement park where they got to ride the Tilt-A-Whirl and rollercoaster. That was great fun and a perfect opportunity to interact with the kids. Each day we are getting to know them better and to feel that we are making a difference in their lives. It is wonderful to see the smiles and hear the giggles! We have had two trips to a preschool orphanage where there were many children with one kind of handicap or another. They all loved being held and played with. Anne
ps: Marvin Menders-Russia were hard at work today! We finished the insulation on the walls and completed the repair to the rock steps at Tomsk UMC. I guess we are ready for sheetrock that will be delivered tomorrow or Tuesday. We have had help from some of the boys from the orphanage and one 17 year old (Evanya) who has had a lot of work experience. They have all been a joy to work with. They also know how to get around on the busses! - Garth

In full gear and going strong

I spent most of the first day with Garth and Bill figuring out what supplies we needed and where to get them. The rest of team went to preschool orphanage. We had three children helping us at the church each day. I got to go to preschool orphanage today. We were greeted with open arms asking to be picked up. I think I played with a little too many of the children as my back is hurting. We got our Christian message out and had the help of Yelena the pastor of Tomsk UMC.
George

1st Day of Camp Mir

Today, most of the team woke up and went to the pre-k orphanage (3-7 year olds). Garth & Bill took a few of the kids from orphanage #4 to begin construction at Tomsk UMC. We had a great time with the preschoolers, but were incredibly exhausted afterwards! The orphanage has about 60 kids, and there were 10 Americans as well as 2 translators. They split the children into 5 groups and us "Americanskis" paired up, so there were around 10 children for 2 of us to handle. They definitely liked to climb all over us (I think I was holding 3 at one point!), and they really liked to pet my leg & arm hair and call me "Da Da". There's really no men at the orphanage, so I guess I was the father figure for them for the day. haha. Here are a few pictures I've taken. We'll get some better one's up later and some from the work at Tomsk UMC, but this is all I have with me right now. Sorry! Thanks again for all your prayers & support!

Kevin

Seroga (9 years old from Orphanage 4) proudly displaying the cross he colored.

Losha, Me, John, George, and Sasha playing "futbol" at Orphange 4.
All the preschoolers at Orphanage 1 loved the camera!

I got tackled...several times.

Well Anne & I are here! We're not sure what day it is but it's NOT HOT! A beautiful day in Tomsk. We survived the 25 hours in airplanes or waiting in airports. For you Menders - I and Bill have already been to the church and ordered supplies for our first day of work tomorrow. Anne and her group have plans ready for the first day of VBS at the orphanage tomorrow. We each had whirlwind tours of the city and find it to be a very large and bustling city.
Everyone here has been very hospitable especially the kids.
Anne & Garth

Tomsk UMC Service

Last night, Claire, George, & I had the opportunity to go to a service at Tomsk UMC. It was a good time, including singing the Russian songs. But the best part was seeing my good friend Stopa walk in the door. Claire & I came earlier, and Stopa came later on with George. Earlier in the day I had taken him to get a haircut and told him I was going to church tonight. He didn't really say anything, but I guess he decided at some point that he wanted to go. He participated in the singing, and the discussion time, and everything. It's just great to see that maybe even if we haven't started our VBS lessons or anything like that yet, just building relationships with these kids really can impact their relationships with God. Please continue your prayers and we thank you again for all your support!

Kevin

Together at Last!

As a representative of the final team installment, I can happily say that everyone has now made it to Orphanage 4! We are extremely excited to begin the work that God has ready for us, but continue to pray that we'll somehow find the energy after days worth of travelling.

Molly

Camp, Church, and Shopping

Yesterday, we went to a summer camp that is for orphans and kids from lower income families. There were 80 kids there from ages 9-17. It was a bit overwhelming at first, to say the least! The kids were so excited to have us there, and they were constantly surrounding us, asking questions and wanting our attention. We had a great time getting to know them and showing the love of Christ through the stories we shared and the games we played.

The other team members are currently in the air, on their way to Moscow. We (Kevin & Claire) have decided that we will get up early to go to the airport to meet the team after all. I mean, surely we will get to take a nap at some point after they get here! Looking forward to seeing them all and starting our work at Tomsk UMC and at the preschool orphanage! Thank you so much for all of your prayers...they have definitely been felt!

Later on today we're going to take a few of the kids to shop for new clothes, so that should be fun. (Claire will definitely enjoy it...) Also, we have our first Russian church service to go to tonight. They have church on Wednesday night here because people are often away during the weekend, and we've been gone every Wednesday up 'til now. We'll do our best to sing the songs and understand the message...but it might get a little confusing. We'll just be sure to tell God "spasiba" (thank you) for everything and that should cover it. (You're supposed to be thankful to God for what he's given more than ask for more anyway, right?)

That's all for now! Thanks for your prayers and keep them coming!

Claire & Kevin

Haircuts

The good news is Melissa will probably be on the plane before she hears that I had a Russian haircut. We took some of the children to have a haircut and they suggested I do the same. It is a little short but in a few months Larry Childress can fix it if Melissa does not like it. The Russians love my new haircut. I do blend in very well. Valentina said I look younger.
We are having a great time with the children in the Orphanage 4. We also have to have the house mom's help to get the children to let us escape to sleep.
Today we visited a summer camp. The mosquitos were happy to see us. We had fun with the children and saw a military demonstration. I have several children with me in the internet cafe at the downtown location. I am a little tired. The children love to be picked up and wrestle. I think I will sleep well tonight. Will see Melissa in a day!
George

2 camping trips down...

I have never blogged...so my apologies in advance. We have been back from our 2nd camping trip for a few days now, and I must admit that it has been nice to have a shower and a toilet to use anytime I want! I was trying to think of what to blog about, and one story came to mind. This happened in between the 2 camping trips. I was in my room one night, reading my Bible and journaling, and Stopa (one of our favorite kids...with bright red hair and freckles) came into my room. He looked at my journal, my copy of the Upper Room and my Bible. Then he suddenly ran out of my room, and not a minute later ran back in. He had a Gideons Bible (in Russian of course) and a picture of Mary and Jesus that he was so excited to show me. So then, with the help of my English-Russian dictionary, he told me that he is Russian Orthodox, and I told him that I am Protestant. He just kept pointing to himself and saying "Tozha" which means "also" in Russian, so that I would understand that he, too, loved Jesus. Stopa is 16 years old, as are most of the kids that are currently in Orphanage #4 (which is where we are staying), and I worried about how quickly these children would accept us, if at all. The last time I was here, there were a lot of younger kids, and it was a lot easier to build relationships with them in a short amount of time. However, older ones are not so quick to trust. This specific interaction with Stopa happened early on in the trip, and I think that it was God's way of telling me not to worry so much because He is in control and instead of putting so much of my energy into worrying, I should instead focus on showing God's love to these kids. I continue to pray daily for God to prepare these children's hearts, and I see a little more trust from them each day. God is doing great things here, and I cannot wait to see what the next 2 weeks hold.
Claire

Greetings from Russia!

Hello everyone!

Sorry this is only my first blog. Claire and I tried to post one a couple weeks ago, but couldn't figure out how to do it. Anyway, I've had a great time in Tomsk so far! Claire, George, and I have been in Russia almost 3 weeks now. We're staying at Orphanage #4 and have had a great time getting to know some of the kids. It's not exactly what we expected: most of the kids are 13-16 and new to the orphanage, but we're slowing breaking down their walls. Last night, Daniel (13) gave us all gifts. I got a seashell, Claire got a stuffed bear, and George got a little piece of art or something, I'm not quite sure. But it just kind of shows how our friendships with these kids really are growing. We're doing the best we can to show Christ's love in all situations, (even after being stuck on a packed city bus for 2 days...but that's a different story) and we greatly appreciate your prayers and the support you've shown.

We got back from the camping a few days ago and are thrilled to be back in the city where we have better food, hot showers, and (of course) flushable toilets! haha. Unfortunately, only 7 kids went on the trip and we went to the Altai mountains, which is about a 30 hour bus ride from Tomsk. So it was a little more difficult than planned. Anyway, the three of us Americans can say that we have slept 3 full nights in a crowded Russian city bus. haha. The camp was again more difficult than expected. We went to a rafting competition, so there were other trained groups there who were much better rafters than our kids. So a lot of the time, the Americans were just sitting around...But hopefully in some way, shape, or form, we touched at least 1 kid's life through Skip-Bo, Durak (a Russian card game I've gotten pretty good at...Claire & George are...still learning. haha), or cooking American spaghetti or egg salad sandwiches. Again, we're always doing our best to shine Christ's light in everything we do, no matter how rough the situation may be. Thanks again for all your prayers and support and keep them coming! The rest of the team arrives in 3 days (they get here about 6 AM...Claire & I are still decided if we're going to wake up at 4:30 to drive to the airport to greet them...haha. We can promise George will be there or Melissa might kill him. haha) and we're very excited to see them get here!

God Bless!
Kevin

Work at Tomsk UMC

We still have a lot of work to do at Tomsk UMC. We may have to repair the staircase to the 3rd floor before we can attack the brick oven. We also need to work on entrance. We are going to need all of Garth's and Bill's expertise. We may let them get some sleep after they arrive but then head to church to make a plan. I look forward to working with them. We have several children who also be helping.
Then some of the team will be working with Orphanage 1 and 4. Orphanage 1 is preschool. Orphanage 4 is our home for the team and has mostly older children. Great news is since we have been here for awhile the older new children are starting to want to interact with us.
George

I can post now that my headers suddenly went to English!

I am at a downtown internet cafe with two young men from the orphanages I worked with in the past. The net cafe near the orphanage was booked until late this night so I took the bus downtown. I wish my Russian was better. Vlad has been showing me pictures of his wife Sasha and 3 month old son Daniel. He wanted me to know he turned out okay. He was so excited to see me. Vanya who has help me with repairing Tomsk UMC helped me with the buses. For me these moments with orphans whose lives we have been able to change for the better through the efforts of Marvin UMC means the most.
Our camping trip were very rough. We went from the mosquito hell to a very cold experience with very beautiful scenery. I was very disappointed I was not able to take many children.
The good news is that Tomsk UMC wants to head up the camping program thus allowing me to take more children and graduates from the orphanage. It will be part of their evangelism program.
Claire and Kevin are playing Skip Bo and Fool with the children at Orphanage 4. We are blessed to have these two great young missionaries. They have been real troopers dealing with one of the hardest camping trips I have taken. Yes, Claire is officially a camper.
George

COMING FULL CIRCLE

When the car pulled away from Orphanage #4, Tomsk, Siberia, Russia in the early morning hours of November 28,2003 for the airport, my newly adopted 11 year old son, Vlad, was with me and the faces of some of his friends were in the window watching us go. I've thought about those boys often and have seen many of them as I have been back on Conference mission trips with the Marvin team three times since. My son has never wanted to go back with me until this year. He's now 17, 6'5 and will be a high school senior here in Houston in the fall. It hasn't been an easy journey for us but we've made it to this point together. Vlad has a heart for helping others and has already been on a mission trip to Jamaica this summer and was a student helper with the 6th grade VBS class last week. He relates really well to children and I am eager to watch him minister to those in his old home #4 where we'll be staying in Tomsk. Vlad is God's gift and the light of my life. John

The Campers are Back!

The Camping Team returned "home" to Tomsk on Friday around 5 p.m. They were overjoyed to get back to hot showers and restrooms at Orphanage #4 after two long days of bus travel! On Saturday they will go for an overnight stay at Valentina's dacha on the Ob River. Valentina is our "Mother Russia" who is the Director of the Tomsk Peace Foundation. The group will return on Sunday and make project preparations for our main team that will depart the USA on Tuesday.

Billy's Russian Adventure Begins

Just a quick note from the Moscow Airport! They have free wifi! I found it soon after I arrived and used Skype on my netbook to call my friend Misha in Tomsk. When I was waiting in the Houston airport they paged me to come up to the counter. I already knew that the flight was overbooked and was worried that I was being bumped! But they just needed to inform me that my seat had been reassigned (from an aisle to a window). Sure hope I can get an aisle seat on the return trip! Now it's time to rest a little before checking in for the flight to Tomsk this evening.

Billy

Another Update

The campers hiked to a village to get more food for the trip and had cell signal, so here is the latest update! George has been cooking some for the group. One meal was roast chicken and pelmini (a Russian dumpling). He also made spaghetti with meat for a meal and egg salad sandwiches for another meal. Everyone was very happy with the chef!

The weather has warmed up a bit, but it is still cool. The river water is really COLD according to Claire who braved the elements and washed her hair in the river! Some of the group has been rafting.

George, Claire and Kevin are becoming very popular at the camping area. Other children are gathering around and want to visit and have their pictures made with them, because they have never seen Americans!

Here in America, the main mission team is getting ready for their trip on July 20! Nine more of us will leave that day for Tomsk to join the others. Billy will leave this Tuesday, July 13 so that he can spend an extra week with his friends in Tomsk. While we are in Tomsk, we will work with the children in the orphanages, as well as have a "Marvin Mender" project at Tomsk United Methodist Church. We can't wait!

Camping Trip #2

Forgive the absence of blogs for the last several days! After the group returned from their first camping trip, they were not able to use the computers in the internet cafe (long wait for availability) so they haven't blogged yet. Thankfully I have been able to talk to the camping team every day, so here's a brief summary of their activities.



After returning from the first shorter camping trip, George, Claire and Kevin enjoyed watching soccer games in Tomsk, as well as experiencing a Russian sauna (ask Claire about the birch branches) and catching-up with several of the older children who had returned to see their American friends.



On Tuesday, the group started their LONG bus ride on their major camping trip. Their destination was the Altai Mountains, two days away by bus. Altai is a major mountain range that flows into 4 countries including Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia. It is a premier camping location, full of breath-taking scenery, lakes and rivers and beautiful mountains. George has camped in this location before.



I was able to reach them by cell phone until they entered the mountains. The temperature was dropping and they were getting closer to their destination. Al of our group, as well as the children were doing just fine, just a little anxious to get off the bus and set up their campsite! Hey - let's get them to send a little cool weather to Texas!!!



The camping group will return to Tomsk on July 16 or 17. Our main mission team will leave for Russia on July 20. Thanks to everyone for their prayers and support!

Raining in Siberia!

The camping team is happy about the cooler temps in Siberia, but not very happy about the mosquitos! Fifteen children were able to go on this first camping trip with George, Claire, Kevin, Sasha (the interpreter), Valentin (the head of the Camping Club) and a housemother from the orphanage.

Right now it is raining, so they are gathered inside the tents to play Skip-Bo and stay dry. They will return from this camping trip on Sunday and re-group in Tomsk before the next camping adventure begins!

Let's go camping!

I talked with George a few minutes before the team left on their first camping trip. They will be traveling to a location near Tomsk. They will not have internet access and may or may not have cell phone coverage.

George did mention that many of the children in the orphanage are new. The news has spread to some of the children who are older and out of the orphanage system that the camping team has arrived. Some are beginning to show up at the orphanage to see their old friends and meet new friends!

Watch for a camping update!

Melissa

First Tomsk Report

In Tyler, it's 1:24 p.m. on Thursday. In Tomsk, it's 1:24 a.m. on Friday! I was able to check in with George (and woke him up from a sound sleep)! The group arrived safely and plan to leave on their first camping trip on Friday morning. More to come...

Melissa

Camping Team Departs

Marvin UMC members George, Claire and Kevin departed on Tuesday morning for their journey to Tomsk, Siberia. Thanks to Don and Carolanne who transported them to the airport in Houston and made sure that their last meal was great Mexican food! The group flew non-stop on Singapore Airlines from Houston to Moscow! After waiting in the airport, they caught the late-night flight to Tomsk, Siberia. The adventure has begun!