Global Aid Network Mission Reports

Krasnoyarsk 2009                   Scotta
 
I continue to be blesses beyond measure by the skit.  Its hard to explain how this has impacted my own life.  The teenage girls were crying today when we finished.  They were not in my small group but I heard that their questions about the skit sparked some great dialog regarding handling temptations and how to turn to Jesus.  Praise God for how He has used us and this skit.
 
Also, yesterday I was at an orphanage that we had not visited before.  We did the skit and then split into small groups.  As we were getting ready to leave,  a teenage girl came running up to me with a Polaroid picture.  Last year, at another orphanage, I had met this girl and we had taken a Polaroid picture of the two of us.  That orphanage has since closed and she was moved to this new one.  What is incredible is that she actually still had the picture and recognized me and sought me out.  Of all her, most likely minimal, possessions she kept that picture.  She then remembered it and me and sought me out to show me.  I was so moved!!  I was out of film in my Polaroid but still took a picture of the two of us on my camera.  I will print the picture out and, should I ever come back, will bring it back and show her.  It just goes to show that we make an impressions.
 
Today, one of the kids at the orphanage we had also visited last time, remembered me.  He is 11.  He waited until the skit was over and most of the kids had left.  He found an interpreter, went to Sheree and specifically asked her if I could have his group.  How special that made me feel. He also remembered Kaylin, who is in my small group.  We had so much fun with him and his classmates.  Then, as I was leaving, I ran into one of the teachers that had been with me last year.  She remembered me and even remembered my birthday!!  Why I ever told her the actual day of the birthday, I don’t know….but how incredible that she remembered all that. 
 
What a blessing this trip has been.  Over and over again, I am amazed at God’s great handiwork.  I feel almost guilty that I am being so blessed.  I pray that our work is a blessing to all those we come in contact with on this trip.

Krasnoyarsk – Lancaster, PA: Divine Appointment            (Fred) 
 
During our recent Krasnoyarsk trip, we attended the church on Sunday in the mountains in Divnogorsk. We got there early and got brief tour of the facilities. A young man named Konstantin helped us move some tables so we could easily sit in the first pew. He then proceeded to tell us about how he was saved (i.e. Russians say repented). This happened while he was watching TV, specifically TBN Siberia. He told us how his life was changed, and how he wanted to ensure others had the same option of hearing about Christ on TV. He asked if we could help by contacting TBN and asking them to bring more Christian programs to Divnogorsk. We were polite as always, I wrote down his name in my log book and told him that we could promise him nothing but would see if we could do anything once we were back home in the USA. Normally, I would have laughed the whole thing off, but so many amazing divine appointments have occurred since we’ve been going to Krasnoyarsk, I doubt nothing in God’s hands.
 
Several days later I arrived home in Lancaster, PA and found an invitation in my email from Sergey, publisher of a Christian Newspaper and owner of a local delicatessen. Sergey wanted to know if I would like to have tea on Friday February 13^th, 2009 with Pavel, bishop in Siberia and director of TBN-Siberia TV channel.  All I could do is laugh and think wow, how did God do that?
 
Anyway, we accepted the invitation and had tea with Sergey, Pavel, and five other local people in Ephrata, PA. Pavel described much about his ministry and how they are working to reach many different ethnic groups in the area of Siberia including small groups which are almost extinct, to large groups of Chinese who live in communes in Siberia.
 
Next I got to speak about Global Aid Network and the work we do. I shared about the Global Aid Network ministry and all that it accomplishes across the world. I then told Pavel that we just returned from Krasnoyarsk. He is currently living in Krasnoyarsk; what a small world. I then asked if he ever heard of Divnogorsk. He did, he was born there. Whoa, this is getting really amazing.
 
I told him we were at the Divnogorsk church this past Sunday. Pavel then said that I must know the pastors Pasha and Oleg. Of course we know them! I then told Pavel that when we were at the church, a young man told us of being saved while watching TBN and … Pavel interrupted and said – Oh you mean Konstantin?  Yes, we mean Konstantin. You know him? Yes, he shared the story of the Konstantin and the heart he has for the lost.  Because of Konstantin, a website was developed named Letters to God. Due to its popularity, TBN is going to create a TV show with the same name.
 
Lastly Sergey shared about plans for May 16^th in Ephrata. They are planning a morning Business Symposium for Russian / Slavic people, followed by a Slavic Festival with movies, vendors, concerts, choirs, etc for the community sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce; followed by a Mission Symposium in the evening. They would like me to be a presenter for Global Aid Network.
 
Divine appointments. God is truly awesome!
Krasnoyarsk - An Unexpected Mission     (Ann)
 
Sometimes on our mission trips there are unexpected, God ordained meetings. Without question, they are always an unexpected blessing. After our first visiting to Krasnoyarsk in the summer of 2007, Stuart corresponded with two students of our interpreter – Sasha and Sonia. On the winter trip in 2008, we had an opportunity to share our lives for a few hours one evening. This year, once again, we arranged a meeting with our Russia friends.
 
This time, however, Sasha and Sonia brought friends. Sonia brought a friend Christina also age 11. Sasha brought his 15 year old friend Paulina and 16 year old Sasha, who brought his parents, Pasha and Irina.
 
Sasha and Sonia’s grandmother, Galena, also visited with us. We enjoyed a lively evening of conversation about our lives in the US and we learned about their lives in Russia. None of them had a relationship with Jesus, so we also shared the Gospel message with them.
 
We also shared some gifts and bibles with them and they brought a cake and juice to share with us. The end of the evening came all too quickly and we reluctantly said our goodbyes. The next day, Zemfira, our interpreter, was overjoyed. She told us that her students were so glad to meet with us and that Pasha and Irina have completely changed their minds about Americans and Christians. They said that we were nothing like what they had expected.
 
Also I exchanged email address with both Sasha and Paulina so we can keep in touch. Please pray for each of these precious people to come to know God and for Zemfira who will be following up with them in the future. Praise God for the added blessing of this unexpected visit.
 
Krasnoyarsk KR4        Spring Center for Elderly and Invalids   02/04/09   (Chris)
  
On entering the second room, as went room-to-room, visiting those who were unable to attend our performance, I saw three women, two sitting on their beds and third lying on her bed. After greeting and shaking hands with the first two, I knelt down beside the third woman’s bed. Her eyes appeared fixed upward, unseeing; I don’t know if she was blind. Her breathing was very shallow and slightly irregular. She made a weak attempt at arranging her blanket. I took her hand in mine and prayed for her comfort and peace. I am a nurse, and have seen this look many times. It is the look of soon impending death, probably no more that 1 – 2 days, if not merely hours.
Krasnoyarsk - Son of Truth Church     2/8/2009 (Carolyn)
  
Today after attending church in Krasnoyarsk, I met a young lady (probably mid to late twenties). I introduced myself through a translator. As we conversed, she told me a little about her salvation experience. She remembers having a New Testament in the house from early childhood – no one read it.
 
As she became older, she was cleaning house one day and found the New Testament, thinking to throw it away. Then she decided not to dispose of it.
 
In subsequent weeks, a co-worker began to speak with her about Jesus Christ and suggested she read the New Testament that she had. The friend also invited her to church.
 
The Holy Spirit had surely been preparing her heart all those years and she received Christ as savior. She now goes to high schools in Krasnoyarsk, telling teenagers the consequences of drugs and sex. AIDS is a growing problem with young people in Russia. Through teaching these classes, an outreach of this church, clubs are formed through friendships. Through these clubs that meet for kickboxing, fitness classes and exercise, the gospel is presented to the many teens who respond to this outreach ministry.
 
These high school classes are taught five days a week on today’s relevant teen issues. Teachers include the pastor, this young lady, Polina, and others of the church.
 
The smiles on the faces of these teachers as they tell of their ministry are brilliant.
KR8                                   Â Â Â Â Â Â  2/6/09 (Mary)
 
I was feeling some trepidation as we approached the Veterans Home.
Would Russian war veterans accept the Word from Americans?  Would they be willing to receive gifts from these strangers professing Jesus Christ?
 
As I greeted people and shook their hands, I looked into their eyes.  Most smiled back and I was reminded that we are all God’s children and that people are not so very different wherever they live.
 
The people were attentive, nodding and agreeing with much of what we said – they were a joy to share with!  Thank you Lord for opening their hearts!
 

Tuesday, Feb 3, 2009  Site KR 3 (Mark)

It is always nice to be remembered.  When the director for “Care” Rehabilitation Center saw me, she was overjoyed that I had come back.  We brought some pictures from the previous Global Aid Network trip and their was one girl in particular in one of the pictures that I asked her about.  I remember this little girl well because I had held her in my lap.  The director told me that she was no longer with them.  She then began to tell me her story.  Her mother had died and her father was an alcoholic.  That was why she had been placed their before.  The director told me that it is their desire that the children live with and be raised by their own parnets if changes can be made in the circumstance that caused the separation.  Praise God.  We should never forget that they are many children in these orphanages that have parents and because of economic and financial reaons cannot afford to take care of their own families.  That is a burden too heavy to bear and manhy turn to alcohol and even suicide.  Pray with us that they will find the one true hope, Jesus Christ.

 

Feb 3, 2009 (Scotta)
This is my 5th trip to Siberia and second time to Krasnoyarsk.  Each trip feels evern more special than the one before and each time to seem to sense the presence of God in a powerful way.  This is the first time that I have even been involved in doing a skit.  This drama is about a girl who starts out being brought to life in the garden.  She sees everything as new and exciting.  Then, one by one different temptations come into her life taking her further and further away from God.  The temptations end with Satan handing her a gun and whispering in her ear.  As she contemplates killing herself, she remembers Jesus and runs to him but all the temptations are holding her back but this time she is trying to get away from them.  In the end, she drops to her knees and prays, she cries out for Jesus and he saves her. 
For me, this is my story, so each time I remember afresh the saving GRACE of Jesus Christ.  Doing this in front of others, though, has impacted me in such an incredible way.  I see their faces.  Some older people are crying, some are applauding that Jesus is the victory and some (especially teenagers) seem to know the story all too well.  Once again I realize that we are all the same.  Whether in America or Siberia, we all struggle with the same issues and all desperately need the saving grace of Jesus.  It is my prayer that the story told in this drama will encourage these children and adults to reach out to Jesus.  I feel honored and priviledged to be a part of this program and pray that God will use us in a mighty way all to his glory.

 

Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2009   (Zemfira)
Chris called me to help him with translation.  He was sitting in an armchair beside Valentina with his hand on her shoulders.  Valentina is 84, her body is very weak, she is a woman of a very small size, her sight is bad.  Her only one son lives 1000 km from Krasnoyarsk.  He is lack of job and money and can’t come to see her.  She doesn’t go out for a walk and always stays inside.  She is indifferent to her clothes, her look, other things and people because nobody comes to visit her and to talk to her.  She feels alone and neglected.  She was thankful to Chris for his paying attention to her, for his wish to talk to her and to sit near.  In his face and eyes I could see the same love he had shown in the performance.  Unfortunately, this moment was very short and we were called to go upstairs.
 

(Chris) 

Our first site on the second day was to the Boarding Home #1 for elderly and invalids.  We first prevented our program including dramatic skit, to the residents who were able to gather in a large auditorium.
We then split off into our small groups to go to various other smaller tathering places.  Here there were only a small group, maybe a dozen.  I felt drawn to an elderly woman whose deeply lined face spoke of many years of pain, suffering,  deprivation, & sorrow.  I reached for her hand, she clasped it almost eagerly, first with one hand, then the other.  She spoke to me in Russian of who knows what since I did not have an interpreter close by.  She continued speaking to me, even though I had told her (in English) that I did not understand.  She moved over slightly on her wooden chair and patted it in invitation.  I sat with her and placed my arm around her and patted her gently on the shoulder. We sat there like this approximately 30-45 minutes. 
Afterward, I was able to get Zemfira, our small group translator, to help me, as she was once again talking to me.  Her name is Valentino, she has a son who lives 1000 kilometers away, he is unemployed and does not have the money to come visit her.  In fact, she has never had a visitor while she has been here.    I like to think God allowed, even ordained, me to come into this woman’s life and she feel the arm of Jesus around her and find comfort in these latter years.
 

Wednesday, Feb 4, 2009  Site - “Spring” Center of Social Help (Jim)

Prior to coming on this trip, I decided to bring new linen handkerchiefs for my gifts to the elderly.  My wife, as wives are sometimes prone to do, pointed out to me that handkerchiefs are unsanitary.  But I brought them anyway.  This morning an elderly man began to cry and pulled from his pocket an old gray rag to dry his tears.  I went to sit with him and presented him with a brand new white handkerchief.  You would thought it was Christmas!!

 

Wednesday KR 4 (Ann)

The bus ride to the village was not terribly long.  The scenery was beautiful–large, flat expanses of white landscape broken up by small copses of snow-covered trees.  The village, when it appeared, was charming with quaint, wooden homes covered with tin roofs. Smoke spiraled from each chimney into the sky.  Soon the bus halted in front of a dismal white brick building.  The structures around it were equally as depressing, but I caught a glimpse of a wide river with low, white mountains beyond it.  When I looked up to the second floor of the orphanage, I saw the delightful faces of children peering anxiously down at the bus.  We waved, and they all smiled brightly. 

Today I had a special surprise at this orphanage.  As our group gathered to see a presentation by some of the children, I noticed a girl whom I had met on a previous trip to Krasnoyarsk.  Last year in Divnogorsk, we visited a children’s home where this girl had lived.  After the program, Veronika hurried over to me to ask if I remembered her.  Of course, I remembered her, and I remembered that at our last meeting she told me that she had decided to follow Jesus. 

I wanted to talk more with Veronika, but unfortunately, there was little time before we needed to break into small groups.  I was sad that Veronika could not be in my group.  After our small group meeting, I looked for her, and finally she reappeared.  We embraced, and I took her aside to talk. I hoped to learn how she had come to live in this new place and how she has been doing over the last year.  She told me that her previous orphanage had been closed due to the poor condition of the building.  I asked her how she has been doing in school, and she said she is studying hard and receiving good grades. Veronika is 15 years old, and she would like to be a hairdresser when she is finished with school.  I asked her if she has been living well for Jesus since I last saw her, and she replied that she is doing so. She also told me that she doesn’t have many friends at this new home.  I told her that I would pray for her to have new friends, and I encouraged her to do well in school and to use her hairdressing skills for Jesus.  After more hugs and kisses, it was time to go.  Reluctantly, we parted, but I know that God will continue to work in her life to fulfill his good plan and purpose for her.

 

Wednesday, Feb 4, 2009 Site 4 (Betty)

“Spring” Center for Elderly & Invalids.
Four of us with an interpreter visited several rooms.  Some with 2 women in a room or 2 men in a room.  Out third room had 4 Christian women in it.  They prayed the prayer of confession out loud with us and reconfirmed their faith in the Lord.
Later, I returned to the room with my large inflated ball and threw it at them.  (3 ladies sitting onthe edge of their beds and one lying down in it)  Everyone caught and threw the ball.  The aid was surprised to see all the ladies laughing and playing with the ball.  The ladies were so happy that a clown would stop and play with them.
 

Wednesday KR 3 (Andrea)

During the gospel bead explanation at site KR3, there were a few younger boys that were rowdy, so I suggested and encouraged the youngest little boy to sit on may lap. He was 5 or 6 years old. While he was sitting on my lap he was very attentive to what was being said. I pointed to the colors on his bracelet as each color was being explained. At the end of our time at the site, the little boy gave me a big hug. The group of children we were with had not been in the childres’s home for very long. I enjoyed seeing their enthusiasm considering that they had gone through so many hardtimes.

Today (Thursday) one of the sites we visited was an elder facility which we had visited last winter. The director, staff and residents were excited to see us again. There were some familiar faces in the group. The director took the time to show us a short video of their 5th anniversary celebration. Several pictures from our past visit were included in that presentation. We were very humbled to have made such an impact on this facility.

The weather is getting colder and the wind has kicked in, but our group has done a great job sharing the love of Jesus to all those we encounter.  Please continue to pray for our daily needs.

Today we visited an elderhome and got to share with over 100 people. They were very excited and the director asked many questions about how nursing homes operate in the USA. He was very impressed with our visit.

In the afternoon we visited the ‘Care’ Rehab Center. We had visited there in the summer of 2007. The director greeted me with a great big hug and was so happy to see me again. You always wonder if you’ve made an impression. We certainly did!

We gave our presentation and got to see their children sing and dance for us. There are some very talented children there. The director explained that the purpose of the rehab center is to have the doctor, therapists and psychologists help the children get back to their homes if possible. Many times this is possible, sometimes it is not so the children are placed in a children’s home (orphanage).

We got to see a very beautiful young little girl named Deema who sang for us. She was about 5 years old. She smiled and hugged and was a pleasure to be around. The director told us about her. Her mother was a drug addict and Deema had a genetic defect which affected her immune system. The doctors indicated that there was no cure and that she would not make it to her 7th birthday. Yes, we cried and prayed for her.

The director’s assistant asked “What makes you come to our region and city”. Almost in unison, our team pointed toward heaven. God is still working here in Krasnoyarsk!

Day 1 - Site KR 1 Children’s Home in Krasnoyrask 

This was our first day out. The children were anxious and waiting. The director at the site was initially absent but his assistants remembered a prior visit from us. They remembered the vegetable seeds that we provided for the adult staff and indicated that the seeds we provided produced a great harvest in their garden.

After a short presentation by our team, the orphans sang and danced for us. Then it was off to their small group breakouts.

There were 5 groups, with 24 kids in our group, along with 4 teachers and 2 visiting student from a medical school in our group. The kids were attentive and enjoyed our stories, prayer time, bible study and gifts. We’re still suffering from jet lag, but managing quite well.  This site was listed as one of the most difficult places for a access by foreigners. With our help the local church meets regularly with many of the children. They are well taken care of and live in ‘family units’. Thanks for your ongoing prayers.

Tomorrow we visit out first elder site and another home for children from social issues. Many of the youth at the site will have been involved with drugs, alcohol and prostitution as early as 10 years old.