No going back
March 11, 2010
from On Life in St.Petersburg by Liz Hulley
I like this thread by Motte Brown over at Boundless. He polls everyone about whether they’ve been “messed up” by a pastor, as in deeply convicted by a particular sermon, and moved to act.
While I can’t pinpoint a particular sermon, I can, of course, recall factors that changed my life.
“Ruined for the ordinary” is another phrase that gets tossed around, although I can’t seem to find the original source.
I can remember a few times when I wished I hadn’t ever gone to Russia or gotten involved. I was in too deep and I wasn’t sure if I liked that feeling.
I wanted to keep one foot planted on safe ground, but it was too late to go back. It wasn’t that it was bad, just overwhelming.
Since I was receptive to hearing about missions during college, I suppose Urbana 2003 would have held some of those sermons that “messed up” my life. I will have to find my notes again the next time I’m home. You can listen to some of the talks from that year in the archives.
Why is it that the messages that tear us apart the most often bear the most fruit in our lives?
The following verses come to mind:
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise. (Ps. 51:17)
Those who sow in tears
will reap with songs of joy.
He who goes out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with him. (Ps.126: 5,6)
Revisiting domestic adoption in Russia and Eastern Europe
March 3, 2010
By Liz Hulley –
To be honest, I haven’t devoted a lot of time lately to researching the adoption/foster care scene in Russia. There was a time when I regularly sought information and was up on the latest laws and statistics.
We ran into a lot of seemingly dead-ends while trying to push for adoption in St. Petersburg. There were a lot of obstacles, such as the endless paperwork and the impossibility of providing a bigger home for each potential family. The law says that there must be a certain amount of living space per person, but offers no solution for obtaining such housing if the family’s income is too low. That’s one example. This is not to mention all of the emotional, psychological, and social implications.
As part of our research, we had traveled to Vladimir to learn more about a ministry there that had been fairly successful in “redistributing” children in families and group homes. But I was shocked as we got in the van the first day for the tour, and our guide, herself a Christian and former orphanage worker, told us, “I’m not in favor of adoption.” Read more
From Russia to Montenegro
February 26, 2010
About 10 days ago, my wife and I began a road trip from St. Petersburg, Russia to visit Stoneworks ministry sites in eastern and central Europe. Stoneworks continues to expand, and it’s an honor to be able to visit so many wonderful people that God has put together as living stones.
Our first stop was in Minsk, Belarus where we visited with our ministry Spring of Revival. We stayed with Yasha and Olga Goncharenko and had a great time visiting several ministry sites.
Olga and her staff continue to do great work under difficult circumstances. They are very worthy of our help and support.
The highlight of our visit was at the Minsk Family Home. The young ladies who live there are doing very well, and Alesya (the counselor, in front on the right) is doing a great job.
We had a good meal together, shared stories and were blessed to have a good time of fellowship and mutual encouragement.
We also visited a foster family we support. The home, for eleven children, is in a small village 30 minutes from Minsk.
We had a great meal there (this is a theme of our travels), and saw some of the pigs we bought for them. We’re now helping purchase a cow, and we’ve also purchased chickens and provided other aid for foster families.
From Minsk, we drove through eastern Poland to Budapest, Hungary after a long day.
The trip through that part of the world is quite interesting and the land is very beautiful, especially as we made our way through the Carpathian mountains of eastern Slovakia. Read more
Meet Tanya
February 25, 2010
MIR recently added a new staff member. Here’s a post from MIR Executive Director Masha Oshkina:
Please meet Tanya Zaikina, the NEW coordinator for the MIR hosting program. Here are a few words she wanted to share with you:
Hello, my name is Tanya. I’m really exited to be on staff with MIR and be involved with hosting orphans from Russia.
I like drawing and traveling. I like animals, especially dogs, cats and horses. Also I like to walk and listening to good music.
One of my desires is to know English like I know Russian.
Another kind of anniversary
February 4, 2010
Another note from our own Liz Hulley –
This week, Russia celebrates 20 years of….McDonald’s!
I would like to leave the fast-food (health) debate for the moment and comment on the culture implications. This kind of anniversary is interesting when looked at in the light of what was going on the world at the time.
1990: I was almost 8 years old and probably didn’t know that the USSR existed. And I barely knew what McDonald’s was, as I wasn’t raised on fast-food.
Meanwhile, in Russia, an interesting “cultural” exchange was taking place. I enjoyed reading the accounts in Monday’s local paper (Metro) about people’s memories of the first McDonald’s opening in Moscow.
They speak of the lines, the intrigue, the scent of a new kind of food. People who had worked as servers describe the pressure they felt, then the relief as the idea took on.
I don’t know exactly which characteristics of American culture are represented by McDonald’s cuisine: Convenience? Mass-marketing? Consumerism? At any rate, in some ways this was a little crack in the cultural barrier. Something that could be “shared”?
An interesting excerpt from Metro (Feb.1, 2010).
How many hours do you have to work, to buy a Big Mac?
-in 1990: 2 hours, 10 minutes
-in 2010: 30 minutes
-in 1990: average salary was 297 rubles a month, a Big Mac cost 3 rubles, 75 kopecks
I asked a friend recently what her favorite restaurant was, and she said “McDonald’s.”
I suppose it is cheaper than other establishments in St. Petersburg, but it is still considered “eating out,” not something most people can afford to do regularly.
Making an Effort
January 29, 2010
from On Life in St.Petersburg by Liz Hulley, missionary in Russia –
A couple of kids whom I know in one of the orphanages are both expecting to be adopted soon, after having spent some time with American families.There is a light in their eyes now, or maybe a sense of confidence, that they will soon belong to someone.
It’s bittersweet, because as teenagers, they are making a huge life decision, and they will be missed here.
They come up to me now chattering in English, eager to hone communication skills.
The other day, I was helping Lena write a letter to her potential family. She wanted to write about the rough plane ride home.
I was dictating the words. “Difficult. D-i-f-f-i-c-u-l-t.”
I didn’t look at her paper until she was done.
She had written, “Diff I see you lt.” 
I Knew I was Russian . . .
January 26, 2010
From John Bull –
When I was in the 6th grade I received 8 spankings (maximum allowed by the state of Arkansas) at school for selling fireworks at school.
This year, Melissa’s second grade teacher gave the kids a gift for the Christmas holidays.
It was . . . FIREWORKS!
You can buy them and shoot them virtually anywhere in the city.
I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. No spankings here.
Click here to read more.
Stretching the academic muscles
January 21, 2010
from On Life in St.Petersburg by Liz Hulley:
I started my classes again this week. It’s sort of an inter-term because the new semester doesn’t really start until February. Since I paid for classes in January, I figured I’d better go.
Can you tell I was reluctant? I dragged my feet so much on the first day, but I actually had an enjoyable time.
I arrived at 9:30 and found out that I didn’t actually have class for nearly two hours. I hadn’t been able to find out the schedule ahead of time. However, I had known this was a possibility. I headed to a café next door to have a second breakfast and finalize my question list for the FMS.
When I entered the classroom, there was a stack of books on the table, but no sign of anyone. Finally an elderly woman poked her head in. I recognized her from the back of one of my textbooks. She said hello and then disappeared for a few more minutes. Eventually she returned, bringing with her a priest from Argentina who has been in a few of my classes. He was supposed to have an individual class, but everything was moved around.
There we sat-a Catholic, a Protestant, and a Russian, presumably Orthodox. Read more
Russia — Orphanages, Church Life and Visas
January 13, 2010
Liz Hulley is based in St. Petersburg, Russia. Here is her latest update. You can keep up with her at her great blog.
Hello and Happy New Year!
I returned in September and, as usual, “hit the ground running.” I started attending classes within a few days, while attending to related paperwork at the same time. In December, I was able to extend my student visa for another 6 months, so that I can be here through June!
Orphanages
At orphanage #8, they have decided that I’m now a “starving student,” and feed me hot meals! I actually have a lunch break at the university, but I have still managed to lose a significant amount of weight! Sometimes it feels like people are trying to fatten me up.
I spend several hours during my visits tutoring the kids. They are fairly comfortable with me and sometimes we talk about life in addition to homework. Some of the orphanage employees came to our outreach concert in November, and heard the Gospel there.
At orphanage #27 I have moved on to a younger group, which happens every few years. The older kids are too unruly and stressed after school to concentrate on an English lesson.
I recently found out that one of my friends from church is doing her practicum there as a psychologist, so it’s good to know that the kids will have contact with another Christian.
My mother visited in early December and we saw a lot of friends and visited the orphanages together, as well as visited the adult facility in Peterhoff.
Church Life
Church plans have been ambitious, as usual! We had a retreat in October, a concert in November, a month of Advent, a Christmas Eve service on December 24th, and a Christmas concert this past weekend.
The women’s ministry has had a flood of creative ideas, many of which came to fruition, and others which will have to wait until next year. ☺
We had our first church baby shower in December. It was fun because very few people (including the mom-to-be) had no idea what to expect. It was truly a surprise! Read more
Visit to Rita’s Brother
November 10, 2009
Here’s a great post from Megan Berger (at right, below), Stoneworks missionary in St. Petersburg. Visit Megan’s blog to see more about her good work.
Last Saturday, I was able to go with Rita to visit her brother Misha who lives in a home for mentally handicapped children.
Misha struggles with a learning disability. This home is about two hours outside of the city so Rita and I took the metro and a bus to get there.
At first, I was really afraid but I knew I should go to support Rita. Once we got there, I struggled with the smell, it was horrible, but the second I met Misha my heart melted and nothing else mattered, but making him smile.
Just watching Rita, I saw such love and motherly characteristics. I pray that Misha will be able to be moved closer to the city so Rita could see him more.
We sat with Misha for a while and talked with him. Rita brought him some hot chocolate and candy. He was so happy and the whole time we were there, Misha held my hand and petted my hair.
It just made me so happy that I came and I smiled the whole time.
