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
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