Dragons Overtake the City

Three days into the new year and Rostov is besieged with dragons. They're everywhere ~ on the streets, in markets and, thanks to well-meaning friends, two are now living with me. Welcome to 2012, the Year of the Dragon.

As you may know, as per the Chinese Horoscope legend, one of 12 animals takes its turn to rule the year. Some cultures are serious this. We can assume that China is totally gung-ho and here in Russia, the Year of the Whatever is popular too. I'm remembering that 2008 was the Year of the Rat, then in 2010 came the Year of the Tiger and I was totally oblivious to animal of 2011.

Interestingly, at local theaters is showing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. And what think ye, dear blog reader, would this be a coincidence or nyet ~ that this movie was released in time for the Year of the Dragon? (Click photo to enlarge.)

Will you be seeing this movie? Think I'll find dragons elsewhere. . .

Here are dragons on Voroshilovski Street. Got some rubles handy? Tempted to ask this sales lady about her official title. Imagine if it were Vendor of Dragons. How about that on a resume?

Dragons up close, rather domesticated, in fact. . .

Besides toy dragons, on New Year's cards, paper dragons are available. Let's have a peek.

Happy little dragons. One has a verse inside. . .

Ahem, let's have some fun (or not) and translate this thing. . .

Let the cute little dragon bring success and joy the whole year. All will be "Outstanding, " all will be successful and in everything will be good luck. (The "Outstanding" here means an A+, as in school work.) Well now, if that doesn't just warm the heart. . .

Peter, Paul and Mary are itching to share their special dragon song. Could they have released this in a Year of the Dragon? There are ways to find out, of course. Besides that, we could wallow in theories about subtle meanings of the lyrics. But hey, for those of us of a certain age, we can enjoy the memories. . .

Thank you dear friends for your interest in the Year of the Dragon. Wishing you a splendid new year. And, should any unpleasant dragons cross your path in 2012, may you successfully slay each and every one of them.

A Mama for Galina: Celebrating Adoptions

A little blond left her place in line, skipped over to me and announced, I have a mama. With that, she rejoined the other children.

I had just arrived at the orphanage, home to 100-some abandoned little ones and was chatting with a caretaker of the oldest group. The children were lined up, waiting to go outside when the little cutie, probably not even 3, broke out of line to tell me her happy news. This was Galina, I soon learned, the little girl who was being adopted by a lovely family from southwestern Ohio.

It's every orphan's wish, you know, to have her own mama. And now Galina was going to have a mother and lots more ~ a daddy and an older brother too. Galina's adoptive mother, Emily, had tracked me down weeks earlier, connecting before she and her husband would come here to Rostov-on-Don to meet Galina. As per Russian adoption procedures, foreign adoptive parents make two visits. On the first visit, they meet the child; on the second, they complete legal and medical requirements and then take the child home. So then in early September when Emily and husband Chad made their first visit to Rostov, we were able to connect in person.

After Chad and Emily returned to the US, I stopped by the orphanage to meet Galina. Thanks to her time in the spotlight, Galina has become quite the cooperative poser! Here she is celebrating the end of nap time on her own little bed.

Galina's group watching some TV before heading outside to play. Can you pick out Galina?

Come mid-October, I was in the US and en route from Akron to Nashville, would be passing near the area where Chad and Emily live, so they invited me over for lunch. The family would be leaving days later for their second trip to Rostov. And big brother Benjamin, above, would be traveling with them!

Lucky me, by the time I returned to Rostov in early November, Chad and Emily were still in town, wrapping up their three weeks in Rostov. Here we are near Hotel Rostov heading out for pizza. In the photo, from left is Judy, Galina's bubbly new grandmother, Rostov friend Roma, Galina with her parents, Emily and Chad and her older brother Benjamin, plus Yours Truly.

How fun to celebrate together that Galina was part of this family. Benjamin had waited five years for a sister! Chad and Emily told me about Abigail, a beautiful little girl they lost at birth in 2006. So now every one is happy. And so grateful. And, at long last, Galina has a mama of her very own.

Adoptive parents are heroic! Over the years, dozens have come through Rostov and they're so impressive with their resourcefulness and high energy. They also can use financial help. Last I checked, parents who adopt from Russia spend something like $35,000 to get their child. And then they've got to feed and cloth the little character. If you long to be a part of an adoption, why not consider adopting an adoptive family? Just ask them how you could be of help ~ and consider writing out a check.

Pure and undefiled religion is this:

To look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

(James 1:27)

Sowing Seeds: Joys, Challenges and Lessons Learned

I told you in plain Russian, Nyet! You're not going!

At that announcement, four children's faces fell.

Our sister Nina had run up the block to check on a family we'd met when giving out invitations for our upcoming vacation Bible school.

Sister Nina giving out invitations to our weekend children's program.

The mother had been pleasant enough with four children, school-aged and younger, milling around the doorway to their home which reminded me of the entrance to a cave. The children had been excited about something to do, all the better since it was free. But that was Sunday and now it was Friday and their dad was home.

Oh Papa, please can't we go?

I've already told you twice in plain Russian, we're Orthodox! And you are not going!

A similar scene played out in the courtyard just behind our church building. Days earlier, Danila, 10, had been excited about joining. Then on Friday our sister Lena went to check on her.

Please can I go, Babyshka? Danila called up to the 2nd floor.

Nyet! Grandma hollered down.

Back at the church gate we were waiting, balloons in hand and smiles ready, to welcome a flock of children. We were hoping for 10-15 children but, in the end, three children came, all our own. Friday night, it was 18-month-old Pasha. Then on Saturday, Daniel, 5 and his sister Madelyn, 6, joined us with their mother, our sister Lyda, who drove to Rostov from Kyshovka, their village, 75 kilometers south.

Our theme was Miracles of Jesus: Better than Magic!

While we were taken aback with such a response, we were hardly discouraged because from this first effort of reaching out to our community, we learned so much. See, we moved to the neighborhood less than a year ago. In fact, our church sign isn't out front yet. But before that can happen, our building must pass several inspections. . .

In all fairness, I can understand how a dad might be hesitant about allowing his children to come. Same with the grandmother. A cautious parent would want to know more before allowing their young ones to some activity with a group they don't know. And often it's just easier to say Nyet, you're not going than to get more information.

The Sea of Galilee, a favorite song.

As we reach out to our community, Jesus' parable of the sower and types of soil comes to mind as it represents sowing God's word and types of hearts. Of course, we hope for fertile soil. We hope for hearts open and ready to receive God's word.

Still, the response to our invitation tells us something. It tells us that first, the soil needs to be prepared. And we need to cultivate relationships, build connections and develop trust with neighborhood families.

Craft time: Amazing what can be done with berry baskets.

Another issue, in the Russian culture, our church is rather peculiar. Most folks are connected with the Russian Orthodox church, at least on a cultural level. Thus, they associate church with cathedrals and golden cupolas. Our meeting place is rather different. We meet in a modest property, one that could pass for a single-family dwelling. It includes a cafe out front but for now, we meet behind that in the 3-story house accessible through the courtyard.

* * * * *

The Saturday morning of our program, while children were upstairs in their Bible class, dear sister Lyda and I sat down to process our results and look ahead. Lyda has a background in marketing and works in mass media, so when she has suggestions, I take notes. We came up with two ideas t0 help us connect with our neighborhood.

First, we can offer cooking demonstrations such as how to bake muffins. When I whip up a batch of zucchini-pineapple muffins or carrot-raisin muffins, for instance, there are questions galore. We can capitalize on that interest. We can go door-to-door with samples and invitations. People can come for a demonstration, get the recipe and we meet us.

Secondly, we can use English for outreach. Two blocks from our building is a school where English is emphasized. I can visit the school regularly and offer homework help and conversation at our building. We could meet regularly at the church building once or twice a week.

The whole gang: What a great memory!

So while the turnout for our weekend event was less than we had hoped for, we made progress in other ways. Our teachers got more experience in planning lessons, crafts and activities. We made big progress in our classroom area. Our dear brothers hauled heavy cabinets from storage in the cafe up the narrow, steep steps to our 3rd floor classroom area.

And thus we count our efforts a success. We do what needs to be done, we learn the lessons that are to be learned. And we leave the outcome to God.

How about you, dear blog reader? Have you had an event where the turn-out or results was different that what you had hoped for? What lessons did you learn? Please share so that we can learn from your experience.

Victory Day, a Sacred Day

May 9th is a sacred day across Russia. Today is the 66th anniversary of the surrender of Nazi troops to allied forces. Every Soviet family was affected by the war. According to Russia Today, 27 million Soviets died whereas the combined deaths from the United States and United Kingdom were less than 1 million.

This evening I paid a visit to Victoria, my neighbor upstairs (double-click photos to enlarge). We sat at her kitchen table where she spread out photos and medals. Her family's story is typical: Her father Oleg, center, was a pilot before he was shot down and killed on his first flight in September, 1941. Two months later, Victoria was born, named in a spirit of optimism.

Victoria's mother spoke fluent German, which got her a job as translator for the Nazis. Later, she was sent to prison for collaborating with the enemy. Enter our hero, Oleg, far left, a classmate of Mama's who had loved her from afar during their teens. Oleg was an army physician, serving on the front. He managed to get Mama released from prison and sent home to be with little Victoria. They married and after the war, it was Oleg who would be a father to Victoria during her childhood and youth. Her mother died at 55 but Oleg lived considerably longer. Both are buried here in Rostov-on-Don. Victoria plans to visit the cemetery soon to decorate their graves.

With dear sister Nina, left, a friend from church, in front of a neighborhood cultural center. The banner proclaims, *(Congratulations) with the Great Victory!*

Elena Lalaevna, our sister from church is a decorated war hero, having served as a nurse in a army hospital near Volgograd, then Stalingrad. Once again this year, she received personal congratulations from Russian President Dimitry Medvedev.

Area veterans pictured on a billboard, downtown Rostov. As you can imagine, the number of veterans is dwindles daily. For lots more great photos, please check out these photos and videos. Last year, I spent a morning wandering around downtown and shooting everything. Just for you!

Now let's turn our attention 1,000 kilometers north to Moscow. Russian parades are something to behold, particular those held in Moscow. Red Square is the size of 12 football fields, the perfect staging area for displays of troops and military hardware. According to Russia Today, 20 thousand troops participated in today's parade. Magnificent as it was, last year's was even bigger, being the 65th anniversary. Imagine: US troops marched through Red Square.

The Russian flag, center, is flanked by the Rostov city flag, right, and that of the Rostov Region, left. I'm thankful to be living under the Russian flag versus the Communist flag or that of the Fascists. We can be so grateful to Soviet troops who stopped them. Their efforts came with a very high price tag and on May the 9th, Victory Day, the entire country stops to pay them respect.

Celebrating Gagarin's Space Flight: Fifty Years Later

Fifty years ago today, Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space. Here in Russia, we have been bombarded with that information for weeks now. No complaints from me. See, I managed to get myself photographed with Mr. Gagarin, himself. Well, in a manner of speaking. . .

Today a ceremony was held here in Rostov-on-Don at Don State Technical University, pictured behind the statue above. Yep that's me there with Gagarin. Oh, and when Flat Stanley comes to visit, he insists on being photographed with Gagarin too.

Thanks to Russia Today, here's an interview with Victor Gorbatko, one of Gargarin's fellow pilots. Gorbatko tells about the competitive process of selecting the final cosmonaut. Oh, interesting videos abound. Another favorite is the RT interview with Ada Kitovskaya, Gagarin's personal physician.

A favorite post is Remembering the First Cosmonaut. There you'll find links to the celebration dinner honoring our hero and the special song written and song in his honor. Over the weekend, New York Times had an interesting piece, In Space, Nice Guys Finish First ~ and I'm wondering if it was there that I read about Gagarin's removing his shoes when he and other candidates first toured the space capsule. Apparently that move won him some points, here in a culture where shoe removal is Rule #1 when entering a home.

ABC News outdid themselves with this story, Yuri Gagarin: The 7 Top Things You Never Knew about the First Man in Space. Of special interest was Gargain's alleged remark upon return to earth, something about there being no God because he was in space and didn't see him. Apparently those sentiment came from Soviet Premier, Nikita Krushchev.

The statue of Gargarin looks south over Voroshilovski Street, above. Not surprisingly, the area is known as Gagarin Square.


Folks of a certain age remember that day in 1961. I asked Olga Michaelovna, my language teacher, if she remembers the day. She would have been in elementary school at the time. She said, Oh, I remember it as though it were yesterday! We were called out of our classes, out into the hallway and the principal made a big announcement on the PA system and we were absolutely overjoyed.

How about you, dear Blog Reader? Do you happen to remember that day in 1961? Or, have you met an astronaut? (I haaave! Get the scoop on that, too!) Or. . . do you dream of going to space, yourself?