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Me and my old high school
friends Amy, Bob, and Twila. |
September has been sort of milestone month for me. Namely, the 27th marked my 50th birthday. I remember as a kid trying to imagine being 50 and trying to calculate what year it would be when turned fifty. I remember watching the old 1970 Charleton Heston classic movie, “Planet of the Apes.” I wondered about the idea of me turning fifty. It was so far in the future that surely the scenario in the movie would come true before I turned half a century!
Happily the planet was not overrun by apes in the early 21st century. Instead, Linda conspired with several of my life-long best friends to surprise me for the weekend prior. We showed up at my folk’s house to drop the kids and the dogs. She had me believing we were going to a B&B for a weekend together (she’s so sneaky). Apparently my folks house in Hartsville WAS the B&B. We had a great weekend. She totally had the drop on me.
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Viloetta, Arthur, and Masha
at the orphanage |
The team continues to prepare for the December mission. We meet every Monday night to discuss plans for lessons, kick around ideas for crafts and gifts and spend some time in prayer over the work to be done. Tom Zvirgzds has been teaching us the Russian language for which we are eternally grateful. Linda and Christy are slowly getting it. I am finally beginning to understand verb forms and personal pronouns. And refresh my memory on vocabulary.
Funding for the December trip is a little slow, but getting there. The team is working diligently to raise awareness of the need for support. Plans for lessons are coming together week by week. Linda nd Christy are coming up with great ideas.
Arthur Kazaryan (YouthReach International) traveled to
Simferopol on the 28th. He arrived the next day to provide a September birthday program at the children’s home. Many of our mentors joined him including, Nastya Skovorodnykova, Violetta Alimova, Masha Yermachnkova, Sasha Lifintseva, Anya Goliakova and Vika Vdovichenko. It was great to have nearly all our mentors back in one place. They brought several new friends with them. Arthur took plenty of photos (See photo album
SeptemberBirthday Program - 2011).
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| Anya and Aida |
Anya and Vika have returned to
Simferopol after a one year internship program at Disney in the U.S. Anya has a new job teaching English at the Central Orphanage in
Simferopol. Vika is volunteering with a local Christian student outreach organization and seeking funding. See the link to her blog, “Jesus Inside”, at the right.
Fatyma Ametova was visiting with friends from Kentucky.
One of our mentors, Nastya Dudenichenko, is now in Germany working as an au pair. Please add her to your prayers as she adjusts to life in that country and a new job.
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| Kids from Feodosia |
Masha Yermachenkova sent a photo from the orphanage in Feodosia.
Please continue to pray that our needs are met, that plans will continue to come together, soil will be prepared, and lives will be changed. As always please keep our mentors: Nastya S, Nastya D, Masha, Violetta, Fatyma, Anya, Vika, Sasha in your prayers
To donate to the December mission team, visit our team funding website:
Peace and grace.
Joel
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