Visiting the Orphanage

For three weeks now, I've been staying with a very dear foster family here in Simferopol, the capital of Crimea, part of Ukraine. Zhenya and Elena have adopted five teenagers from a local orphanage and life here with them is quite lively.


Things got particularly lively when Petya was fanning himself and everybody else with a fish tail snatched from dinner-in-progress.




But several evenings a week, the household shifts from fun and games into an academic mode. I caught our high schoolers above one evening recently when mama Elena was tutoring kids on Shakespeare. That went on for 90 minutes and nobody budged. Elena made it fun somehow and the next day, everybody got good grades in literature. Other evenings, papa Zhenya tutors them in algebra or physics.


But the previous Sunday evening, Jay - a favorite visitor from Atlanta, invited me to the nearby village orphanage in which these dear children were raised.

Our hero, Jay is in there somewhere. He's the big kid and he's great at rumbling with the rest of them.


I'm really great at being on the sidelines and shooting at people. With the camera of course.



Jay and his ball-playing buddies. Wonder if they really like him. They could be pretending just for appearances sake. Or maybe not.



Our kids were once part of this group. Their care-taker, the blond lady in back, really misses her favorite kids.


Jay and buddies inside just heading into the dining hall. You can bet these guys would give their right arms, hidden from view here, to be taken into a foster family. Neat kids with lots of needs.

Missionary Lynn Marries Today

Today Lynn married Victor Stephanovich in Donetsk, Ukraine. Here they are one Sunday in July when I caught up with them. This couple is extra-special.

For one thing, Lynn is a missionary from the US and she's marrying a Ukrainian brother, Victor Stephanovich. Lynn has served in Donetsk nearly ten years and she has known Victor and his family for many years. Last year, Victor lost his wife after a long illness.



Thing is, Lynn hasn't exactly jumped into marriage. No need to announce anybody's age here, but I figure Lynn is on the leading edge of the baby boom generation, which is to say that no one can accuse Victor of robbing the cradle. I'm absolutely thrilled about this marriage. Have to admit to a bit of jealousy though. Lynn gets to live with a native speaker of Russian. This means she's going to zoom way past me with her language skill. Now is that fair?

Probably.

Sniff, sniff.

Oh well. Congratulations, Lynn and Victor Stephanovich! Wishing you much joy in the days, weeks and months ahead. Can hardly wait to hear the stories you'll have to tell!

PS: Quick update! Here are some photos of Lynn and Victor's wedding over the weekend. Thanks to Ray, Lynn's co-worker for his speedy posting photos in his on-line Picasso photo albums. And thanks to dear friend Melissa for the tip.


Ah, true love. Ain't it just simply precious. Oh, that reminds me of a riddle that came with some Bazooka bubble gum. Question: What did Cinderella say to the photographer. Answer: Some day my prints will come. Love it. Congratulations to Lynn - she waited for her prince. =)

Morning Glories Flourish, Instruct

Each fall, a cascade of morning glories tumbles over the corrugated metal fence at our church building in Rostov-on-Don.


These blossoms are so beautiful and they beckon us come closer. Okay, we're zooming, we're zooming on in.


What a rich, deep blue. Simply breathtaking.


New growth coming along. The future's looking good.


From blossom to bud, here's the whole life cycle. Some blooms are in full glory, others past their prime and fading. But oh, the new growth. The buds are there, one with a hint of color, eager to open.

I've been thinking lately about new growth as it applies to ministry. Interacting with fresh faces who want to serve comes with joys and challenges. The goal of missions is that of working oneself out of a job. No news there. That's easily said but when a newby marches in, openly critical of those who have been there for the long haul, that's not easy to take. I pray for wisdom to be gracious, to take a step or two into the background and ask how I can be supportive versus critical. How I can others to grow and flourish even while they're blossoming. When my help, experience, support is needed although someone might not recognize or particularly value it.



The cycle of developing, blooming and fading is part of life. It's lots of fun to be on the upward slope, moving on to promising opportunities and challenges. But as time speeds past, I find myself working through some new challenges. These morning glories are a good illustration. There's something admirable in the flower that blooms and blossoms but then is willing to let others do the same when their time comes, not clinging to a role, to a ministry, to an area of service, not grasping to dominate. Similar in some ways to the pruning process.

Please share your thoughts, experiences...What has helped you to be gracious to the know-it-all rookie? =) Or perhaps you have been one, yourself. Gotta admit, there have been more times than I'd like admit that I've been in that very spot, myself.

The Swallow's Nest: Symbol of Yalta

The Swallow's Nest might be the most photographed sight of Yalta, in all of Crimea in fact. It truly is magnificent. Care to join me for a look around?


Last Wednesday, our tour bus stopped here on the main road for a glimpse. The next day while the physicists were busy with their conference, I hiked there on my own. It's 800 steps down, down, down and then way up to reach the castle and it's well worth it. Did I mention one young lady started the trek in 3-inch strappy sandals? But when I saw her at the castle, she was carrying her shoes and walking barefooted. More about her later. I'm getting ahead of myself.


Wednesday evening, we sailed past Swallow's Nest. The castle is perched atop a 40-meter cliff jutting out into the Black Sea.



At the base is a boat dock. Rock climbing, anyone? This neo-Gothic chateau was built in 1912 by an oil magnate, Baron V. Steingel. Imagine he climbed a rock or two getting this project pulled together.


Thursday at the Swallow's nest. That's me and believe me, I did not hike this wearing 3-inch strappy sandals. Not sure that I even own a pair nowadays. . .



Up close to the castle, it's not all that big, just 10 by 20 meters. There's the Black Sea in the background. Just don't look straight down: I did and my tummy did somersaults.


Looking east of the Swallow's Nest in the distance is Yalta.



Inside the castle is an Italian restaurant. Here's a shot through the window.


The Swallow's Nest was built in 1912 and survived a major earthquake in 1927. The quake left a major crack in the cliff but it wasn't until 1968 that the site was restored and renovated.



Here she is, the barefooted princess, strappy heels in hand after 800 steps. Still smiling though. Wait until she's 50-something. I'll bet she'll be wearing something sensible like lace-up oxfords or tennies. I'd bet the castle on it.



The cat of the castle, perfectly content. Can't blame him really.



One last parting shot before hiking back. Out of curiosity, I turned around. And behind me, I saw. . .


Ladies-in-waiting. Honestly. Could you help with a good caption for this view. . .

Your majesties! Have you taken leave of your sensibilities?

I don't have a thing to wear. Not a single thing.

Greetings from Yalta

Hello from Yalta, Crimea - the crown jewel of Ukraine. Today is my second day here and what a place this is. Easy to see what it's the ultimate vacation destination for the former USSR.

Today I went to the Swallow's Nest. So how was it that an eagle landed on my shoulder?


I'm here actually for a physics conference. We're discussing nuclear energy. You may not have known that I'm into physics and stuff like that. More about in a minute. . .

This afternoon we toured Livadia Palace, site of the Yalta Conference of 1945. And guess who showed up for that meeting?

Back to the physics conference. . .

Well here's the group. All these smart people have PhDs in physics. So why am I there? Actually I'm behind the camera but in the group is Michael Sadler, former colleague at ACU and a big-wig in the world of physics. He's also a missions committee member at University Church of Christ, Abilene, who has done much for the Rostov congregation over the years. So we have several connections. Michael is in Yalta for this conference and . . . what a good time for me to swing south 2 hours by bus to see Yalta and say Howdy. I've been enjoying visiting with these fune folks at meals and such. And catching up on Mike and his family. And while they're having their physics research sharing sessions, I'm busy doing the tourist thing.

Tomorrow we head back north to Simferopol, which is where I'm staying. But Michael has a train to catch to Rostov and Emil, another colleague originally from Croatia, now working in Virginia is with our group and we'll get him on the overnight train to Kiev tomorrow afternoon.

Meeting such interesting folks here at this conference: from Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Italy. Beside Michael is another American, a physics professor at Kent State University. Neat - I was born and raised in NE Ohio and took some graduate classes at KSU once upon a time.