This is the place.  We reported the news from Ivanovo.  Our guy in Russia, Chris Wood (on location!) sent us daily news about our young friends there.

Connecting With Orphans In Russia: Day One (20 May 2010)

The team is on its way!  They met at Centreville UMC this afternoon and then flew out of Dulles Airport.  Chris Wood of Brosville UMC met his partners for the first time today.  Off they go.  The next time we hear from them they will be on the ground in Moscow.  Below is a photo of our Russian orphan care mission team (photo by Barb Shaiko).  From left to right in the photo are Chris Wood, Liz Ernest, Jan VanCamp, and Scott Lodge.  Pray for them, pray for the young orphans they are about to visit.

Chris Wood, Liz Ernest, Jan VanCamp, and Scott Lodge

Connecting With The Orphans In Russia: Day Two (21 May 2010)

This is the first of what we hope to be a couple of messages today. We haven’t heard directly from the team yet, but we know the flight landed safely and on time in Moscow, at about 3 AM Eastern Time, or about 11 AM Moscow Time. They intend to spend the remainder of the day in Moscow and travel to Ivanovo on Saturday. Stay tuned for more!

Chris sent a short e-mail today confirming they have arrived safely. More news later!

Connecting With The Orphans: Day Four (23 May 2010)

We missed a day while the team traveled from Moscow to Ivanovo. But this fresh news just arrived from Chris in Ivanovo this morning:

“We arrived in Ivanovo last night and attended the Orthodox Church this morning. The Grads arrived at the Ministry Center after lunch. I have talked with Yana (she was sponsored by Jack and Suzanne Hiler) and Grisha from Petrovsky. Yana said she would contact other Petrovsky grads and invite them to come. The excursion with the little kids from Petrovsky has hit a snag. They are required to use a bus with shoulder-type seat belts, but they are having trouble finding one big enough. The event is scheduled for Tuesday, and Lena assures me she’ll do everything she can to make it happen. I have suggested using two smaller buses (which are more likely to have shoulder-belts). Keep your fingers crossed! I’ve also seen familiar faces from last year’s trip — Igor, Lyosha, Ruslan. I’ve also seen Ira Myasova. Lots of babies and toddlers running about. The young mothers program is growing by leaps and bounds, it seems. More tomorrow.” — Chris

Connecting With The Orphans: Day Five (24 May 2010)

“Today I have spent a lot of time talking with Yana and Ruddick (he was sponsored by Lisa Stevens). He is in tech school here in Ivanovo, but he has a house in Petrovsky (he’s from Petrovsky originally). He visits the orphanage often, and I plan to pick his brain as much as possible for info. on the little kids. So far I have learned that Slava will graduate this year. Sveta L. has moved back home with family. Katya P. is well (she was sponsored by Jeff and Linda Harlow). I plan to ask Ruddick more about Katya over dinner tonight. Others we know who are still in the orphanage are Eldar, Sasha S., Sasha Kursky, Sergei, Maksim. Most of the kids who are there now are ten or younger. I’ll keep asking Ruddick questions…..he plans to come here every day this week. This afternoon we visited the Sport Complex with the grads and took them to an exotic bird exhibit. The grads really enjoyed it. Tomorrow is our excursion with the orhanage kids. Still no word on whether the bus issue can be resolved. Lena has been making lots of calls to try to resolve it… Ira M. came today and picked up her gift. All is well…..more later.” — Chris

Addendum: Staff at the Ministry Center were unable to secure a bus large enough (and safe enough) to transport the Petrovsky orphanage kids for their outing. So, the team will not see them this year. Sad news!

Connecting With The Orphans: Day Six (25 May 2010)

“This morning we toured three more apartments of graduates living in the Ivanovo area. There are many needs there, and I feel Centreville is on the right track by helping the grads make their homes more livable. One young lady named Lena is married to a Petrovsky grad who left the orphahange before visits from Americans began. I asked Alyona, and she had heard of him. Haven’t seen many grads today, due to the excursion with Ivanovo #1 orphanage kids. I did see Alyona briefly. She is working now, in a cafe, so she can’t come to the MC much. She hopes to get off early this evening and come back. She says Andrey is well, but is not sure if he will come by. The rollerskating excursion with the Ivanovo#1 kids was bittersweet. I felt happy for the kids and for the Centreville team, but sad that the plan to see Petrovsky’s kids did not work out. The kids were wonderful though. They gave me hugs, took pictures with me, and talked with me as if they knew me already. What matters to them is that WE ARE HERE! I’m reminded of Jeff’s sermon on ‘incarnational love.’ All that matters to these young kids is that someone cares enough to travel around the world to see them. Tomorrow we will travel with the grads to Palekh, for touring and horse back riding. I may even get on a horse myself — it will be my first time. Wish me luck. More later……” — Chris

Connecting With The Orphans: Day Seven (26 May 2010)

“Today we visited the village of Palekh, which is famous for it’s painted lacquer boxes. We visited museums, had lunch, and then went on a horse riding excursion. The most fun part of the trip was the bus ride back to Ivanovo — the Americans sang traditional American songs and the Russians sang some of their songs for us. We had many laughs together. We sang “Old Mac Donald” and tought the grads to join in on E-I-E-I-O. They got a big kick out of it.” — Chris

Connecting With The Orphans: Day Eight (27 May 2010)

“Today I have seen more Petrovsky grads. Ira Ryshkova came and we talked for a couple of hours. She had to leave, though, because she got a call from her boyfirend, whom she has not seen in a year. (He’s in the military.) I’ve also seen Yana and Ruddick again today, as well as Sasha Andreyikus, and Lena (sponsored by Thelma P. of Franktown). Yana, Ruddick and Lena plan to join us for bowling tomorrow. This afternoon we saw the new Shrek movie. The grads all enjoyed it very much. Even the Americans liked it, even though we couldn’t understand it. Afterward we were treated to a short concert by a children’s choir. All is well here. Tomorrow (Friday) will be our last day with the grads. Goodbyes will be hard, but we have all had a great week together. I’m sad that our week is coming to an end, but I am anxious to return home and get back to normal life.” — Chris

Connecting With The Orphans: Day Ten (29 May 2010)

This update from Chris comes from Moscow. The team said their good-byes yesterday and traveled to Moscow to prepare for their flight out tomorrow.

“I saw Andrey on Friday. He lives in Vladimir now and visits the Ministry Center there. He is doing well and we had a nice talk. I didn’t get a chance to check email on Friday. It was a busy day. I will forward Lisa’s and Thelma’s messages to Elena at the Ivanovo Ministry Center right now. She’ll make sure they get them. She has their phone numbers. Yana is getting the Hilers e-mail. Translations are sometimes inaccurate, but she gets the gist. I have conveyed to her that they continue to pray for her and she was happy to receive the gift from them. See you all soon! I’m ready to be home and see everyone again. I have tons to tell you…. Gotta run for now. Dinner is soon. We’re at the Ismailovo Hotel in Moscow. I’m glad, since the Cosmos Hotel doesn’t have an internet cafe like this hotel does.” — Chris

Connecting With The Orphans: Day Eleven (30 May 2010)

This much we know. They landed safely in the U.S. Chris is heading home now (Thanks Herb and family!). More details, more stories, later. 

Connecting With The Orphans: Looking Back (31 May 2010)

Jeff has asked me to write one more blog entry — a look back at the week I have just spent with orphan graduates. First, I want to thank God for safe travels and the new friends I have made from Centreville — Jan, Scott & Liz . I am thankful also for my family, friends, and church family here at home who made this trip possible. Without the love & support of countless individuals, the trip would not have happened.

Looking back, I can still hear the laughs and see the smiles on the grads’ faces as they enjoyed the fun activities we shared with them. But the fun we provided them is not an end result, but rather a means to lay a foundation of trust. I spent a great deal of time in one-on-one (plus translator) conversation with these young people. I admit it was awkward for me at first, but as the week progressed, I found myself more comfortable with the graduates and our talks moved beyond superficial chit-chat. We talked about how hard it can be to grow up in this world, even under ideal circumstances. We talked about their dreams for the future, and the worries they must face every day — “Will I get enough to eat?” “What if my belongings are stolen from the dormitory?” “Where can I turn for help if I need it?” I shared with some of them a recent personal struggle I faced a few weeks before the trip. It was a situation that caused me a lot of worry about the future. Then, one day, as I walked up the floor at work, it occurred to me that I was not in control. Then and there I made a promise to myself and to God that I would trust in his plan for my life, no matter what happened. In the end, my situation was not as bad as it seemed — or could have been. I think God sent me down that road of doubt and brought me back again so that I would put my trust in Him — it also gave me a fitting testimony from my own life to share with the grads. They got the message I think — when times are bad and the future is uncertain, we have to remember that we are not in control. God is running this show, and He has been all along.

Often, missionaries to far off lands talk of “bringing God” to those we are ministering to. Well, we didn’t bring God to Ivanovo — He was already there!! I saw Him in Ruddick, who gave me updates on the kids at the Petrovsky Orphanage. I saw him in Yana, who dreams of being a veterinarian, and is chasing that dream with all her might. I saw Him in Andrey’s appreciation for the gift of a better smile and a more confident outlook. I saw him in Lena’s smile as she & I recognized each other from the 2008 Orphanage trip. God was there in the form of a married couple who approached us during an apartment visit and offered to purchase the apartment (and settle a large debt left by two boy’s parents eight years ago). The apartment was far from the city center, and selling it will allow a young man named Sergei to secure proper housing closer to his Technical School (and move out of his brother and sister-in-law’s home). I saw Him in Kshusha, a little girl who lives in Ivanovo’s Orphanage # 1, who after meeting me for only a few minutes, asked me to write her a letter. I saw God in the Ministry Center staff who are there, in the trenches, helping young orphan graduates deal with their day-to-day struggles. I saw Him in my fellow team members and in the translators. God was there, every step of the way.

I have many stories to tell — some are happy; some are downright tragic. Looking back, I can see it’s time to look forward. CHC’s Russian subsidiary, the Nadezhda (Hope) Fund, has a vision for the future that involves not only teams who travel the Ministry Centers, but also a new partnership with the Technical Schools many of the grads attend. Yes — Nadezhda wants us to come and have fellowship with the grads, but they also need us to come and teach these young people — they envision camps based in Bible study and spiritual matters, camps focused on life skills and budgeting the tiny stipends they receive from the government. They want to send case workers to the Tech Schools, reminiscent of the Disciplers that once visited the orphanage. The list goes on. This ministry has changed a lot since the days of fun and games at the orphanage. If we continue to look backward and ask why those relationships were so abruptly interrupted, we could lose sight of these new goals for the future. It’s time now to look forward, as we continue in our commitment to the orphans’ futures. Time will bring these younger orphans back to us eventually, as they grow older and graduate. For now, we put our trust in God that they will thrive under their caregivers’ watchful eyes….and if God is willing, we will see them again.

I remember a few weeks before the trip, a lady in the church stopped me after the service and sad, “So, Chris….you’re going to Russia by yourself?” “That’s the plan,” I told her. She leaned towards me and, with a worried look in her eyes, she asked, “Is that gonna be OK?” For starters, I was never by myself. I carried with me many blessings from our God — the love and support of my family, the prayers and financial support of my church family, and the excitement of our partnership with Centreville UMC. So, to answer this lady’s question — Yes, it was OK. It was better than OK, but only because I wasn’t alone.

In closing, I think it’s safe to say that this orphan care ministry has changed my life (again.) But to me, that’s what God does….He is constantly working on each of us, shaping our lives and changing us into better servants of His will.

– Chris

Bit Of News

Now for some other news: We have raised enough money for Andrey’s dental work. Scroll down for photos of Andrey. Thanks to all of you for your contributions — in prayer and in dollars. Both are needed. Chris Wood from Brosville UMC travelled with Centtreville UMC to Ivanovo to see Andrey and the other orphan graduates May 20-30. Thanks for your help.

For now…enjoy a few previous photos…

My Petrovsky Boys — A Special Group Of Guys

This is one of my favorite photos, taken in May, 2008, my third trip to this orphanage.  I am with five of the boys at the Petrovsky orphanage in Ivanovo Region, Russia.  From left to right: Alyosha, Eldar, Maksim, Sasha, and Slava.  When this photo was taken, our time to leave was drawing near, as were the relationships.

The Gang Of Petrovsky Graduates In Ivanovo

This is the group of young adults Chris will (hopefully) be seeing in Ivanovo.  They are the graduates of the Petrovsky orphanage — an awesome, talented, good-looking group of young adults!  Andrey is in the back row, third from the left.

Andrey and Alyona, brother and sister. 

These two delightful young adults are graduates of the Petrovsky orphanage now living in Ivanovo.  Both are serious students and are regular visitors to the Ministry Center.