Russia Afterthoughts

This is a busy week for us at the Cremeans household as we are two days away from closing on our new home. Lots and lots of details and those of you who know me well, know how much I love details! My sleeping habits are returning to normal as the jet lag begins to subside…but I can’t help but think that as I write this it is 12:00 AM in Russia.

This is a picture of the new feeding center in Desna. Our Russian partners will put the tiles (they still use asbestos) on the roof in the next week or so and then the exterior will be finished in a combination of stucco and aluminum siding. If you remember the original center, the first thing you will notice is how much larger Desna center II is. It will end up having 3-4 times the interior space which will enable the launch of an alcohol rehabilitation ministry to go hand in hand with our feeding ministry. Because of needed security we hope to have someone live in a section of the building as well. We have a neighbor who watches the center closely, but the fire in December has shown us the need to be even more vigilant in the future. Unfortunately, there is a teacher who lives in the village who has made it her life mission to close us down. She called the immigration police on us while we were there. While it didn’t stop the work, it did cause some anxious moments as several of our group were pulled in to answer questions. We also had to pay a fine as well. In the end, I believe the officials were embarrassed for calling us in…they could see that we were only trying to better the living conditions for those who needed it most.

There is also a new picture of myself and one of my Russian buddies named Geerna. He is a constant at the center. He attended Vacation Bible School every day and also helped us when we worked there on Sunday. He is part of a special family that lives in terrible living conditions just two doors down from our center. His Father is nowhere to be found and his mom is an alcoholic. Our Russian partners try their best to clean him up and get rid of the lice but then he goes home and sleeps in the same infested, filthy apartment. His situation is so bleak that they actually tried to get him and his sister placed in the orphanage. How crazy is that when you see a Russian orphanage as an upgrade! We hope to put a “wash room” in the center where things like clothing and bedding can be sanitized to improve health and hygiene. So as you see, there is still much to do, but we are in this for the long haul. If the door to minister and help in Russia ever closes we have faithful partners there who will continue the work. When you get right down to it, they do all the work anyway. We just go in for 2-3 weeks a year and help them with the tools and facilities they need.

I look forward to taking a team of men in November to see the center and share a meal with the kids at our new center. I still have some open slots for that trip if you are interested. Michelle is also planning to go back in early January to be a part of the our Manna Manger party. I hope some of you ladies will pray about going with her.