Global Aid Network Mission Reports

Walking into the room filled with skeletal bunk beds and elderly women was a shock.  Ten women sat quietly on ten green metal bunk beds that were crammed into a small, joyless room.  The beds consisted of pitifully thin mattresses settled upon thin bare metal stretched across the bed frame.  All I could think about was how in the world could these elderly, ailing women climb up to the top bunks to sleep?

Two or three of the women were not elderly.  The youngest was perhaps in her mid forties, and another told me she was fifty-five years old.     The remaining women were beyond retirement age and should have been receiving care in nursing homes.  Unfortunately, as Dennis, our Russian coordinator informed us, you must have special documents to enter a nursing home, and the waiting list is horrendously long.  Without the special documents, you are doomed to fend for yourself.  Most of the women sat on their beds to talk with us, but one was sleeping and two rested quietly on their beds.

We began our time together with some questions to get to know a bit about their lives.  The women were initially reluctant to share; however soon Tanya, a woman of 55 years, began to tell her story.  As a young woman, she had been active in skiing competitively.  She got married after that and had two daughters.  Sometime thereafter, her husband left her and she raised her children on her own.  She told how she had worked extra-long hours to support her children.  Now her children are grown and married.  Both have husbands and comfortable livings.  As the story unfolded, Tanya was clearly disappointed and bitter that both her daughters could help her with her homeless situation, but they chose not to do so.  Now that she is 55 and living in a homeless shelter, she related that her life has no purpose and she is useless.  Another woman, perhaps in her upper sixties, explained that she had once been an engineer, and now she had to live in the homeless shelter.  She did not share what had brought her to the point of homelessness.   As we began to share our pictures of our lives, the women seemed to enjoy hearing about our families.  It prompted more of them to tell us a bit more about their own families – especially their grandchildren.  They were curious about life in America and asked many more questions.

It was my privilege to share with them my testimony about how the Lord poured hope into my hopeless heart and brought restoration to my broken relationships.  Using the gospel bead bracelet as a tool, I explained the gospel message to them.  As I talked, several women asked thoughtful questions about God, the Holy Spirit, prayer, and heaven.  When I told them what the Bible says about the beauty and wonder of heaven – no pain, no tears, no good-byes, and perfect fellowship with other believers — they were surprised; when I shared that we would be in the face-to-face presence of Jesus Christ, they were dumbfounded!  One woman exclaimed, “That is impossible!”  I assured her that it was absolutely true and she looked so pleased.  Another asked about prayer.  She wanted to know if I knew any special prayers.  (In the Russian Orthodox Church, there are special prayers and special places to pray.)  I shared that the Bible tells us that prayer is simply a conversation with God, and that He is always available to talk.  They were again astonished to learn that they could pray anywhere, even in their own beds. 

In telling them about Jesus, I did my best to communicate in word and deed that each woman was beautiful and special to God and to me.  I told them that for as long as they were living that God wanted to give their lives purpose and meaning.   Then I prayed with them.  After we prayed, I told them that if they had decided today to trust Jesus with the rest of their lives, then we were now sisters in Christ and that it would be my joy to meet them again one day in heaven.  Then I hugged each woman.

I don’t know for sure which of those dear women made a decision to trust Christ that day, but I know that they have much to ponder.  I will continue to pray for them and ask you to pray also.

On June 21, 2007, God blessed us with many unique opportunities to serve and honor Him.  We also got the chance to have a little fun as well.  We spent today being able to practice some of the Russian language, serving at a house being built by Mercy Ministries, visiting a Rehabilitation Center for Children, visiting a Center of Temporary Isolation of Minors and spending time in believers’ homes for dinner. 

Our first stop this morning was an opportunity to practice some of the Russian language and also experience some Russian culture.   Our interpreters took our team members to the local supermarket where we were able to get a taste of what it is like to grocery shop in Russia.  We were given the tasks of purchasing food that we would later enjoy at a picnic that afternoon.  We all had quite a bit of fun trying out the Russian phrases we have learned since being on the trip.   It was interesting to see how such a daily chore in the United States is carried out in Russia. 

Our next stop provided us the experience to learn more about Mercy Ministries, which is one of our partnering ministries that we have been working with here in Vladimir.  We journeyed out to a house that is being built by Mercy Ministries.  The house is being built to provide a loving and nurturing family environment for up to 12 orphans.   In 1 John 3:18, the Gospel reads:  “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”   Our team was able to fulfill this Scripture by providing insulation that was greatly needed for the building of this house.  Each team member was given the opportunity to pray over the house.   Mercy Ministries’ prayer requests are for adequate help to be provided so that construction can be completed on the house.  Mercy Ministries also requests prayer while they try to obtain more land so that the Ministry can one day build a whole village of homes to support orphans.   The team was privileged to get a glimpse of God’s hand working here in Russia.

Our site visits for today included visiting a Rehabilitation Center for Children and a Center of Temporary Isolation of Minor Delinquents.   The team was split in two for this ministry opportunity.  At both centers, our team was able to interact with the children through a question and answering game.   Questions were asked about each other’s lives, as well as spiritual topics.  We were given the opportunity to spark discussion about God’s Word and our relationships with Him.   I believe this ministry opportunity allowed our team to offer hope and plant seeds in the lives of these children who have experienced trials in their lives.    

This evening we had an opportunity to fellowship with other believers through Mercy Ministries.   We split into small groups and each went to a pastor or interpreters home for dinner and fellowship.  Kristin W. of NC had this to say about her visit:   “I never would have imagined that I could come overseas and be able to fellowship in the home of Russians who are believers.  We were able to share our testimonies and what the Lord is doing in our lives.   We also sang worship songs in English and Russian.  I was reminded of the verse in Matthew 18:20 which reads, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”   This praise and worship experience is something I will never forget.

Christy  (site KR5)  by Zemfira (our Russian interpreter)  June 21, 2007

I was sitting on a chair in the hall.  A girl of 8 with long blonde hair sat down next to me.  I hugged her with my left hand and asked her name and age.  Her name was Christy.  I thought that she was not Russian because this name is not typical for Russian girls.  Because of her blonde hair, blue eyes and her name, I thought she might be from Estonia.  I asked if she was Estonian.  She nodded that she was and said that she and her mother are suffering persecution at school and at work because of this.  “Why don’t you leave Siberia for Estonia?” I asked.  “Because we are afraid of being persecuted there even more than here,” she said.  She pressed her body against mine as if she wanted to find shelter.  Then we stopped talking because the presentation began. 

After the large group presentation, all the children were divided in smaller groups of four and Christy was not in my group.  However, when we all went out of the school, she found me in the yard and came to talk to me. 

She said that I was kind to her and she loved me.  Then, she asked me a question “Is it true if you believe in Christ, He will never leave you?”  I answered, “Yes, of course it’s true.  He will be your first and main Helper and Savior.  Your name comes from Christ.  You even have the same name.  Did you know about it?”  She responded, “No, I didn’t”.  I gently asked her, “Would you like me to pray for you right now?”  With a sweet tenderness she said, “Yes”. 

I began to pray and asked God’s protection for her at school and among her friends.   I asked God’s blessing for her studies, health and her personal relationship with God.  The girl was happy; she received all things absolutely.  She was full of faith and hope that all things in her life will happen in this way. 

My desire is to meet her again.  I will try to find her and to learn something more about her life and her relationship with Jesus Christ.  I loved her and miss her.  I want to have to get to know her personally and to teach her about the verses from Romans 12:18-19 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Beloved, do not avenge yourselves but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay’, says the Lord”

I praise the Lord that He gave me the chance to be a member of the wonderful team through Global Aid Network.  The kids need you!  It is like a great holiday for most of them.  I am sure they will keep in memory your songs, your stories, your presents and words of the Gospel.  Even, I myself enjoyed having fellowship with you.  Thank you!   Come again to our city in Krasnoyarsk, to these children, and to our church. 

Friday morning we visited a homeless shelter.  Since it was raining, our group and all the residents met in a long narrow corridor.  When we broke into small groups, we were assigned the men’s dormitory.  Surprisingly a few men had not joined us in the corridor, but had stayed in bed.  Upon further inspection, I knew why.  Most were missing one or more of their legs or feet.  The director said some of them had lost their limbs due to the bitter cold in winter.  With no place to stay, they suffered from the cold and sometimes lost limbs from frostbite.  One was deaf, mute and had a paralyzed right arm. 

They gave us their attention during our presentation.  Examining our photographs and listening intently during the Gospel bead presentation. 

One of the men, who indicated he had prayed with us, asked if I could take a photograph with him and someone special.  That someone special turned out to be his son who was missing a part of his foot. 

I gladly took the photograph knowing the man and his son would never see it.  As we departed, hugged each other and shook hands, the man indicated he would pray for us.  How humbling it was for him to be praying for us.

Today we had meetings with 2 groups of special children that gathered together in the Baptist church “Hope”: parents with children from public organization of families with many children in the morning and children with disabilities in the afternoon.

GAiN supplied several metric tons of food items, such as rice, flour, sugar, buckwheat and oat meal. The Baptist church “Hope”’s volunteers re-packed all the items into smaller bags suitable to be distributed to families. Children and adults received lots of love, care, attention, smiles and much aid desperately needed for them! Both children and adults listened very attentively both to the volunteers and to Pastor Pavel as he greeted them and later encouraged them to take steps toward God, as some people expressed their interest in the church and its Sunday school for their children.

Varvara (Barbara) came to the church in desperate need of a wheelchair. When she was given one - exactly what she needed - she kept crying and crying and repeating that she has not been able to get out of her house for over 2 years, and the first place that she has been able to go to is church. She said that as soon as she approached the church building she started crying. She sensed that she was such a sinner to be going to a such a holy place. She said, “I’m not even worthy to be here.” In the end, Barbara found peace with God through Jesus Christ and smiled big and said that now she senses some peace!

Sveta is a 13 year old girl. When she was being born, she suffered brain damage during birth. When she was 3 years old, her father ran away from she and her mom. Her mom later got saved in a local church and when they came to receive a wheelchair that was perfectly suited for Sveta, they both admitted it was an answer from God to them that He used such an organization like GAiN from far away to meet their need!

It was a very busy day for the wheelchair team today. Nicolai and Musa have been married for 53 years old and Musa has in the past year suffered a stroke which paralyzed her left side. Nicolai walked 3 kilometers to the church looking for a wheelchair for Musa. As the team was occupied with fitting wheelchairs for children, Dana C. walked to Nicolai’s apartment and climbed the 5th floor as there was no elevator there. There was Musa on the couch wrapped in a thin blanket. After pomegranate juice and coffee Nicolai sat Musa up and her assessment began. “Though neither of us spoke the other’s language, we were still able to communicate.”

After leaving Musa and walking back to the church to locate a wheelchair for her, we were able to give Nicolai gifts such as books by Josh McDowell and gifts of hats and shampoos for both Musa and Nicolai. With an interpreter we were able to share the love of Christ and how the marriage of Nicolai and Musa was like the love of Jesus for all those that belive in Him.

June 20th update as reported by Linda S.:

The day started with a great surprise – or I should say an opportunity to flex.  Our trip to a boarding school was cancelled.   So we were invited to visit an additional six homes of local people.  The family Tim B., Kristin W., and I visited had four teenagers along with their mother living in a two room flat.   They were Armenian and although Armenian women usually don’t work outside the home, she has had to take a job washing dishes in a restaurant to feed her family.   The father lives near and occasionally will take them a bag of potatoes or some vegetables.  Otherwise there is very little contact with him.  

As Kristin and Tim looked at family pictures, the mother, myself, and Inna (our interpreter) visited together.   She was really touched by the picture and news that my grand-daughter is ill with cystic fibrosis and may not live to be an adult.  She confided in me that her oldest son was run over by a car when he was just seven years old.   I shared with her about my sister, husband, and mother dying within the same six months of the year 2000.  I was also able to explain to her how Christ held me up during that time and continues to do so today.   She was very easy to talk with thanks to Inna.

She was very pleased to see the gifts I brought her children as well as those gifts from Global Aid Network.   The large print Bible really blessed her.  Soon the mother had to leave for work.  The children didn’t want us to leave so we stayed and visited awhile answering many questions about America.  Inna invited them to the summer camp that her church is going to be having in July.  Hopefully the seed we planted today will start to grow one day and bloom into a new relationship with the Lord.

Today, on June 20 we visited a camp near Grodno for the whole day!

There were 170 children and about 30 care-givers and teachers. It looks like being at a camp for the whole day provides for a better opportunity to create better and lasting relationships with children there. Frank S.’ group shared the Gospel with about 65 children. The GAiN group used the Gospel bracelet as a sharing tool and when they got done, Frank said “I bet you all have heard that before”! The children replied - “No, we did not know any of it”. “Then please share it with your friends and family” - chimed in Tanya Y. of Wichita Falls, TX.

The Purple Bus Dingalings performed today for the very first time! The First Baptist church of Danville, PA has donated 2 sets of children color-coded handbells. Lori G. is the one that will be delivering the Dingalings. The handbells will be given to 2 church in Minsk and Grodno area. In the meantime, Donna O., Barbara M., Tanya Y., Claire J., Mike C., and Steve W. are having a lot of fun playing the bells at various camps as the Purple Bus moves thru the Grodno area.

The wheelchairs team spent the whole day at the Baptist church “Hope”

In the evening we were blessed to go have dinners at families of local believers.

June 20, 2007 – Prayer time in the morning

By Fred K

Each morning before breakfast, we gather in the lobby on the fourth floor for prayer.  Thursday morning during our prayer time I had a vivid image of a battle being waged in Siberia and around the world. 

With my eyes closed in prayer, I envisioned our team dressed as warriors set for another day of battle.  Exactly what you would picture in Ephesians 6:13-18.  However, what struck me most were those ahead of us.  Battle worn and weary they bore the scars of pain and persecution.  None the less, they had a glint in their eyes knowing they would be victorious.  They were all there, a brother pastor, his family and sister, tired and worn from the underground persecution they had experienced.  They smiled knowing we were there as reinforcements. 

The time of printing Bibles and translating Bible lessons in secret were over, but there was much more work to do.  Also, the former drug addict and gang member who might have been long dead, also, now shone as a pastor working with orphans, addicts and homeless people.   What a pleasure and honor to follow in the footsteps and now work side by side.

June 17, 2007 flying to Krasnoyarsk

By Mary K.

We were sitting in Moscow airport awaiting departure for Siberia when a woman with two older children tapped me on the shoulder.  “Are you going to Krasnoyarsk?” she asked looking doubtful.  I answered “yes” and she responded with an incredulous “why?”

I showed her my Global Aid Network (GAiN) tag and explained about our mission of giving humanitarian aid and sharing about Jesus Christ.  She was sure no one had been to Krasnoyarsk to help like this – other cities in Siberia, but not Krasnoyarsk, the city she had grown up in.   I told her this was the first trip for GAiN to this area and had been in the works for some time.  She hugged me, very excited and repeatedly thanked us for coming and welcomed us into her country.  She was surprised that an American organization was here to help hometown.  She introduced herself as Vitalia.  I learned that she had a medical degree and lives in the United States in Virginia with her husband and children.  She was taking her children “home” to Krasnoyarsk to visit with extended family. 

I told her about GAiN and the October work week held in Lancaster, Pennsylvania where 1,000’s of volunteers gather to collect and pack the humanitarian aid for shipping overseas.  She seemed very eager for the opportunity to help in a place that was assisting her homeland. 

After we landed we met again and I gave her our email address and a bookmark listing all the sites we planned to visit so she could see the sort of work we had planned. 

When we arrived at the terminal, she pulled me aside to meet her husband.

What a warm welcome to Krasnoyarsk!!  

June 20, 2007

Yesterday, I had the privilege of interviewing one of the teenage boys – below is his story.

He didn’t remember how he came to the orphanage.  Abandoned by his mother and his father deceased, he only knew that they found him in the cemetery.  In Russia, there is a custom of taking food to the cemeteries and laying it on the gravesites for the dead.  Apparently, homeless people take the food to survive and this is what this young boy was doing as well. 

The Bible teacher said when he came to the orphanage, the young boy was very wild and out of control.  He did not want to study and read the Bible.  In protest, he would lie on the floor swearing and slithering back and forth like a snake.  

Some time later he was admitted into the hospital.  The teacher said that many times the children in the orphanages are weak and have to go to the hospital often.  While he was in the hospital, he was in the same room as another boy.  The boy’s mother noticed that nobody came to visit him.  She started to bring extra food for him and visit with him telling him about Jesus and the Bible. 

When he returned to the orphanage, he started attending the Bible study lessons and praying.  Also, he was able to go and live with his older sister.  He now attends the orphanage during the day for school.  He said that when he has difficult moments he prays to God and has experienced His comfort and answers to prayer.

Orphanage in the country.

After a scenic drive through piney hills driving alongside a picturesque river, we arrived at the orphanage greeted by excited children.  They performed a funny puppet routine and then we broke into our small groups.  I was going from room to room and decided to stay with the teenage girls.  They listened intently as Mary K shared her pictures and as Fred K. presented the gospel.  The girls seemed keenly interested in all that was being said.  Afterwards, I had the privilege of speaking with one of the girls. 

You could tell she was excited that I wanted to interview her.  All the girls were trying to listen in, I guess wondering why she was picked to be interviewed.  I choose to interview Dasha because I noticed she was also collecting gifts for another girl that was in the hospital.  I thought, “How compassionate of her to do this” and I wanted to hear her story.

Dasha , a 14 year old and like any other child, she likes to listen to music and watch TV.  I learned that she also attended Bible lessons that were given by a volunteer at the orphanage.  She had 3 sisters and one of her sisters was in the orphanage with her.  She had only lived in the orphanage a couple of months.  She said a conflict with her father is what brought her to the orphanage.  Exploring further I learned she had missed school and when her father found out he beat her.  It seemed there were some additional problems as well.  She said her grandmother called and had her placed in the orphanage.  She teared up when I asked about her mother.  When Dasha was 9 years old she had witnessed her mother being shot in the forest.   She greatly missed her mother and if she could be granted anything it would be that her mother would still be alive. 

Dasha’s story is tragic with so much pain and hurt in the life of one so young.   However, I saw something in Dasha.  She had a compassion that only can be explained through the pain she knew all too well.  She prayed when the Gospel was presented and yet also seemed to already possess the importance of knowing Him.  My heart was touched by Dasha and for today I knew it was to share her life story and to feel her pain.

After days of travel and a brief weather delay in Moscow and a 4-hour night flight, the Novokuznetsk team was so thrilled to arrive in Siberia on Monday morning.  That afternoon the group went to our host church in Novokuznetsk where we unloaded items from storage containers and assembled more than 1,000 CarePacks school supplies, toiletry items, and Ty Beanie Babies as gifts for the children we’ll meet.  Each of the Beanie Babies included a gospel bead necklace with a printed gospel message attached.

Following all our preparations, travel, and prayer we finally began our ministry outreach visits on Tuesday morning. We started by visiting the Social Rehabilitation Center for Children of Limited Abilities. The children there were mostly affected by muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy. We witnessed many of the children getting physical therapy as well as a variety of cutting-edge treatments to help the children stand, walk, or talk.  Also many parents were there with their children and we were able to minister to and give them and the staff workers Bibles and evangelistic books—this was an additional blessing for us. We were very impressed by the facilities and the quality care that the children received. Despite the physical problems afflicting the children, the atmosphere was one of courage and hope. We enjoyed the concert as well as meeting in small groups with the kids.   During the visit the American mission team was able to see a variety of humanitarian aid items that had been provided from a shipment received in February from Global Aid Network that included:  baby cribs, mattresses, fleece blankets, and walkers for disabled children. 

A special moment was when Austin J., 16 from Dallas, TX, shared his presentation and showed a picture of his baptism. He explained to the kids that Jesus had been his lifelong friend, and all of the kids looked very surprised. That was the perfect segue to ask the kids why they were surprised that Austin had said that Jesus was their friend. This gave an opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and many of the kids seemed engrossed by this new thought. 

                  Our next meeting, the summer camp for Orphanage #3 in Targai, was a fabulous ending to our day. We were greeted by a dozen little faces peering from the upper-story windows, waving and blowing kisses. About 70 children from ages 2-10, played with balloons, sang songs, received endless hugs, and bonded with our group in a marvelous summer play-time. The American team fully engaged with the kids to show and share the love of Jesus Christ to the children who were warm, energetic, and open.  Each member of our team took away the memory of at least one specific child and perhaps even that will be the memory that will be the mental picture we’ll take away from the trip. It was extremely hard to leave, but our excitement and anticipation about the rest of the trip spurs us on to continue to faithfully serve in other places during the mission.