MIR: Partnerships and Growth
February 28, 2011
Here is an update from MIR executive Director Masha Oshkina. This is the first of several articles about MIR’s current partnerships:
MIR has always valued partnerships. We are here to help others do what they are called to do in Russia. MIR’s partnership with Come and Sew Ministries International has continued through the years and we are making a new step for a closer and more sensitive partnership.
Steve and Kathie Arnold are the founders of CASMI. Their Russian program with MIR is called Creative Workshops. Kathie volunteers her time for the growth and development of Creative Workshops, and Steve assists with the development of CASMI while also working in health-care.
Equipping and training Russian believers to minister to orphans through workshops was the original idea that started work done by CASMI. In 2006 CASMI decided to teach a small a group of church ladies that were already sewing for the needs of orphans, a fun quilt project. The purpose of this event was to encourage the Russian ladies and bind two cultures together through creative arts.
It was so successful that the next year in 2007, with the help of a team, we hosted the first citywide workshop. Steve Arnold offered to make tacos for dinner for the ladies at the first quilt workshop, never expecting that his model to serve the women dinner would be repeated by the Russian men of the church for years to come.
Two Creative Workshops are offered each year now. Women come to fellowship, make new friends, learn how to do new crafts with applications on how to share the gospel. The crafts learned can are used for outreach to orphanages, summer camps or Sunday schools by churches and other ministries.
Nadya Boldryeva, MIR project director, has been working with CASMI since 2006; her husband Yan joined CASMI in 2009, though he’s been involved in orphan ministry for many years.
Nadya also has great passion for young graduate girls that become pregnant. These orphan moms want keep their babies from becoming the next generation of orphans. To help them, the program New Start was started in 2009. This work is the direct result of building trust and long-term relationships with orphans, while they were living in the orphanage. Yan and Nadya Boldyrev invested in the lives of many orphans and when these young people graduated they had no one to turn to for help. They trusted Yan and Nadya and came to them with life’s challenges asking for direction.
Yan Boldyrev leads weekly orphan ministry through Bible study, Birthday and holiday celebrations, soccer coaching and more.
Building trust with the orphans is accomplished in many ways. Yan uses soccer, other sports, being a barber to the orphans, and more to build long-term relationships. Visits to local restaurants, McDonald’s or an evening in their home are especially meaningful to the kids. While away from the orphanage the kids open up and share more openly, giving Yan and Nadya opportunity to respond with Biblical insights and answers.
Celebrating special events, such as birthdays and holidays occur each month. Growing up in an institution these children have no one to acknowledges them or encourage them when they get a good grade, need to cry or express normal frustrations. No one plans birthday parties for them or gives them a gift, so this outreach is effective in building trusted relationships and a special way to love these kids.
Creative Workshops is actually about building trust and long-term relationships using all the wide spectrum of creative means.
Meet Yan and Nadya:
Liz Hulley — Sick and Talking
February 24, 2011
Liz Hulley has news –
Sick again
In the fall I was constantly checking my tonsils, looking for those telltale spots that told me I was sick again. This time, the tonsils are clear! But I’ve been fighting a cough for the past few days. It’s a little frustrating since I just started tutoring some new students in English, and I’m eager to continue. Maybe God is giving me a lesson in patience.
One of the women I’m now tutoring is my roommate’s boss (at a florist shop), and NOT a believer. It will be interesting to see how the lessons will allow us to get to know each other and maybe talk about some life issues, since I don ‘t have the same professional relationship to her as my roommate does.
Another woman is probably early 20’s, does art with kids, and is very sweet. She wants to learn English so she can get out of Russia, which is what a lot of people say. I hope that I can be an encouragement to her of Whom to depend on, rather than advocating for fleeing from problems.
Conversations
Many of the girls that in past years I had sought to encourage spiritually are now married. In the past I would try to advise them in dating relationships, and now they need a different kind of wisdom. Now that I’m engaged, we once more have a common point for conversation. There is spiritual hunger: one girl is into Astrology; another’s new husband is not a believer, though she is Orthodox.
Close fellowship with orphanage counselors continues to shed light on needs in the orphanage and how some Russians feel about adoption…
One sweet, semi-retired orphanage staff member, was distraught over recent behavior witnessed in the children’s home. I was surprised because I had always admired the relatively decent behavior of the kids and their respect towards adults. So when this nice lady, full of experience, related stories of the kids’ antics with tears in her eyes, I was sad for her. They had been disobedient and laughed in her face. I was very sad for this woman whom I look up to.
We talked about the problems that kids get into currently. Lots of kids in the orphanage smoke, drink, have sexual relations, etc. “This never would have happened in the old days.” But I pointed out that humans are always looking for instant gratification. If it weren’t the Internet, then it would be something else. These issues are a sign of the times and at the same time the root of evil is always present. This is where child psychology books fail, in my opinion. Is there any way to see these children change without their caregivers surrendering to Christ and leading them to Him? Will God give me an opportunity and the boldness to witness about this? As someone who has no children and is from a different culture, what is my witness?
The next surprising revelation came through discussion of potential motives for adoption. V. (the staff worker) didn’t understand why a young Russian woman was seeking foster care of a few children in the orphanage. We talked about them living together and how it would be more like a family. But the children (teens and a pre-teen) would grow up soon and would get their separate room assignment from the government, and the foster mom would be left with “nothing,” since she didn’t own an apartment. And what did she really have to “gain”?
“But I don’t think she’s doing it for herself,” I explained, still shocked that fostering a child for “gain” could even be suggested. I knew that some people did it for money or to fill a void, but I knew this potential foster mom and had had faith that her good character and love of the children would be evident to all. Interesting that there was still a gap in understanding.
That opened the door to discussing the motivations for adoption in the first place. V. thought it made sense for families to raise their biological children, and then adopt when they have an empty nest and need to find fulfillment in life. I was surprised that she seemed to suggest that her American acquaintances (whom she mentioned) were adopting out of simple boredom or a rite of passage….take care of your “own” children, and then take care of other people’s.
I’ve spoken to young/middle-aged Russian families who are interested in adopting, but lack of suitable housing usually means that they’re not eligible. Until housing becomes more affordable, there’s no easy solution there. But I’m wondering now if I should advocate for orphans among a different audience-among empty-nesters who could become wonderful foster parents.
Alesya Reports!
February 23, 2011
From our Minsk Family Home counselor — Alesya Kuleshova
Greetings to all of our friends. I would like to share with you some news about Minsk Family Home and what we did in January-February of 2011.
The first semester of school for the girls is over. They did well at school and passed all the exams. In January they had their vacations. Our friend Nastya who lives in another town came to stay with us during this time. She is originally from the Slytsk orphanage. We had a lot of good time all together. We went skating, participated in family day out at church, where we rode on winter slides and watched a good Christian movie.
We also went to a Christian concert with a few other post-orphan girls from Stankovo and Slytsk and attended a conference about love and relationships for Valentine’s day.
All the girls from MFH do volunteer work for SOR at the orphanages and shelter.
This months we visited Zhdanovichy orphanage for little kids with special needs, we brought them diapers and toys, spent some time with the children just holding and hugging them.
And we had a birthday party with clowns at Stankovo shelter. The children participated in games, had cake and cookies, and got their birthday gifts.
On the 12th of February we started a special program “The Lamb” at Stankovo shelter. A story of Jesus Christ told in 10 lessons, every week we will have one lesson with some questions and crafts for them. They like it.
On the 4th of February there was a great concert by a well known Christian musician Alexander Patlis in a village school in Borovlyani. We helped to make it possible to be a free concert for the kids. They liked it a lot and it’s very special to have it in the school.
We hope you are staying warm (here it’s about 10F) and blessed by the Lord.
Sincerely, Alesya
(click on thumbnails to view larger pictures)
Ministry Flat in Estonia
February 23, 2011
I’ve been looking for a ministry flat in Estonia recently. Olga, Valerie and I will spend more time in Estonia over the coming year or two (as we build the center for disabled children), and I thought it would be good to have a home base in Johvi. I’ve also wanted to find a place where Christian workers in Russia can take a retreat.
Well, we have a place now. The owner is an Estonian lady who now lives in the UK. She is willing to rent it to me for just the cost of utilities. Isn’t that something? We don’t pay rent, only utilities. I offered to do some remodeling in the bathroom, since it’s in pretty bad shape.
Members of the church will help remodel the bathroom, and already a few people in Russia have expressed interest in staying there. The flat is within walking distance from the bus station, so it has easy access for people coming from Russia. It has one bedroom and a living room. The kitchen and bedroom have been remodeled. It has a washing machine (which is nice). The living room needs some work, and the bathroom is a wreck (which we will fix).
I hope it will become a sanctuary, a place of rest and retreat.
The first interesting thing about going to Moscow in February…
February 18, 2011
The first interesting thing about going to Moscow in February…
…is that I spent Valentine’s Day on a train with my fiance.
Well, sort of. We were headed to Moscow to do paperwork, and it was already 11pm when our train departed. We had “platzkart” tickets (see details here), and that meant bunkbeds in an open cabin.
I had traveled platzkart to Moscow by myself before, but this time I had Andrey to protect me, drink tea with me, and tuck me in before getting into his own bunk.
Valentine’s Day is usually referred to in Russia as “Lovers’ Day.” In the past I would wish people a “Happy Valentine’s Day” and they didn’t really get it. They would ask me, “Have you found someone?” It wasn’t the same holiday I knew from home that was full of chocolate, conversation hearts, and movie night with the girls. But this year, I fit the Russian description.
Welcome to Our Newest Board Member
February 4, 2011
from Board Chair Dave Hulley –
Greetings,
I am pleased to announce that Dan Wilson has agreed to join the Stoneworks Board of Directors. Below is his photo and a short bio. As you can see from his bio, Dan has extensive experience in missions, and I know we will benefit from the perspective and commitment to ministry he brings.
With thanks,
Dave
———–
Dan grew up in Manila, Philippines, the son of missionaries. After college he taught high school Bible and history for three years in Honduras before becoming involved in leading short-term mission trips in 1997. For the next fifteen years he led teams to Russia and coordinated high school mission teams going to over a dozen countries worldwide for the Association of Christian Schools International.
Dan then spent four months training the children of missionaries at Mission Training International in Colorado Springs, CO. God presently has him serving at New Hope International, a ministry that empowers nationals in seven Eastern European countries to reach their people for Christ.
Dan loves missions, traveling internationally, working with children and teens and going on adventures.
His wife, Laura, whom he married in July 2009, lived in Bucharest, Romania for six years where she taught at a Christian school. They have no children yet, although Dan sometimes acts like a kid himself.
