// BLOG
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. (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.” 
Minsk Family Home — in depth
January 28, 2010
Here is an in-depth report on the Minsk Family Home as it is functioning today. We are very thankful to be able to help these young ladies.
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There are five girls involved, in addition to Alesya the counselor.
Katya S. – Studies in vocational school for the shoe-making trade. She is a new believer and attends the ABC (basic) Bible training at church. After some rough times with personal issues at the beginning, she is now fitting in well. She and Alona are good friends.
Alona G. – Was studying insurance, but has dropped out and is looking for a job. She will apply to school again in the summer. Alona’s birth mother has cancer, and Alona often visits her as well as her brother and sister on weekends. As you might guess, this takes her away from church and Family Home activities, leaving her as the least “plugged in” of the girls – although she is good friends with Katya. Imagine the stress Alona must be under. Please pray for Alona, and that the other girls will know how to minister to her.
Alla S. – Studies chemistry at the Belorussian State University. She has finished a Bible training course at New Life Christian Church (NLC) and has become a member there.
Tanya S. – Is taking evening courses to be a sales clerk. She plans to take qualifying tests during the summer so she can apply for the teaching program at Belarussian State Pedagogical University. She attends pastor Tamara’s church in the village.
Masha I. – Studies marketing at a college in Sennista village, near Minsk. She is at the MFH on weekends. She loves the Lord and has completed part of the Bible training course at NLC.
So you can see there are four girls full time. One leaves, but another joins, on weekends.
Aleysa is doing very well. Olga says the girls respect her as a leader and listen to her counsel. Alesya keeps Olga informed about how things are going, and Olga gives input as needed. (more…)
