More tough news

I don't know exactly why I decided to delay this post but I did. I always planned on writing about it - I'm just a few days late.

We got news on Monday morning that one of our amazing summer kitchen staff died of an epileptic seizure. Natasha was only 33 years old with a husband and a 12 year old son. She was quiet lady with a pleasant, shy smile. She was on the summer cleaning staff 2 years ago and seemed to enjoy being in the peaceful confines of our camp.

She has been a Christian for about 5 or 6 years and her husband had just begun attending church in the past year.

She was such a humble servant that we didn't have many pictures of her. This is her in the kitchen:

Natasha's death is our second in the Hope Center family in the past 6 months or so. We lost Yuri the security guard to a car accident in early December and I figure this is a good time to remember and memorialize him as well. We all take some measure of comfort in the fact that this brother and sister are with our heavenly father and free from the immense difficulties that challenged their daily lives.

Yuri with Cam and Alosha:

Hope Center Video redux

Today camps begin in earnest and we'll have kids here consistently until the end of August.

I figure today is a good time to re-post the Hope Center video that we made last year. It uses pictures from last summer and tries to express the need in Ukraine which makes these camps so valuable.

Already I've met a boy whose father died, leaving his mom to decide whether she could feed him or if he should go to an orphanage. We've welcomed a group of hardened street boys brought by a local church. We have boys and girls who have suffered from all manner of trauma and abuse. It's not too late to donate on their behalf to fund this valuable program (see the link in right-hand sidebar).

At least watch the video as it explains exactly why we believe we were called here.

My little blessing

Meghan came to us the beginning of May to start her summer internship here at the Hope Center after an exciting semester in Egypt and the Middle East. We've known her since she was a freshman in high school. All through high school she was a part of my small group during youth ministry... and man was she a pest. ;) (just kidding Maggy) In all reality though, it's been amazing seeing God grow this girl. It's so cool how we've gone from a mentoring relationship to now friends. And God knew just the right time to send her.

This has been somewhat of a hard year for me... for many differing reasons, some even unknown to myself. But since Meghan got here, she's been such an encouragement to both Matt and myself. She kept me going on those hard potty training days... not letting me give up when "really, I am ok with changing diapers for another year" thoughts popped into my head. She's always giving out encouragement and even lets Campbell steal the food right out of her hands. And then today she gives Matt and I a free morning on the town without the boy... ahhh. It was amazing to actually have conversation and to walk as slow as we wanted. We plan on taking her offer up again soon!

We love you Meghan... and I know it's not just for the grade either. ;)

News from Hope Center - March Edition

Here's the latest newsletter from Hope Center (the format may be a bit goofy after I copy and paste):

After School Program 

Early this year we started an after school program for at-risk children and those who needed a safe place to be during the critical hours in the afternoon.  It is focused on boys and girls, ages 7 to 14, from extremely poor or dysfunctional family situations.

The children arrive at camp sometime between noon and 2 pm, when we serve a hot, nutritious meal.  Before lunch they are free to play table games or go outside for other activities.  After they are fed, they return to their classroom to complete any homework with the help of our staff and volunteers.  Throughout the week, this time is also used for individual English tutoring.  Once finished with their classwork, they have free time until our instruction time begins at 4pm.  We use this period for lessons and lectures in English, Bible, psychology, rudimentary economics and other assorted interesting topics.  The children are then given a snack and sent home by 5:30pm.

During their time at camp, their health is consistently monitored by our resident pediatrician Dr. Olga who also administers vitamins and medication as needed.  We also provide coats, clothing and shoes from our humanitarian aid supplies.

In order to fully appreciate the impact of this program it is essential to know a little about the children who are involved.

Masha (14 years old)

Masha’s parents divorced when she was 10 months old.  Her mother raised her in a single parent situation until she was 10 years old, when she disappeared without a trace, leaving Masha parent-less.  Her mother was frequently drunk and it is suspected that this may have had something to do with her disappearance.  Masha now lives in a tenuously rented apartment with her aunt who can barely support them both on her meager income selling fruit.

Masha is frequently sick in the winter and Dr. Olga suspects that it is related to her lack of warm clothes.  We allowed her to choose from our selection of high-quality coats from Sweden as well as some warmer clothes and shoes.

Daniel (8 years old)

Daniel’s family life is as tragic as it is confusing.  He lives with his grandparents along with 7 other children - all of whom are his relatives.  He comes to camp with his uncle Dima, who is 12 years old and also in our program.  Daniel’s father committed suicide last year and his mother died of a blood disorder.  His younger brother is in the small orphanage near the camp because their grandparent can’t afford to raise him as well.  His alcoholic grandfather cannot work as he only has one eye - which has very poor vision.

Daniel is a constant challenge as he struggles with his temper.  He is extremely aggressive towards other children but we have noticed a marked improvement in him within the structure of our program.

Oleg (6 years old)

Oleg is a recent addition to this program.  He is the oldest of his mother’s 3 children and they all live with the father of the youngest child.  Neither his mother nor step-father work consistently and drunkenness is the norm.  Oleg’s mother does not want to stay with this man but is left with little choice with 3 young children to feed.

Oleg is severely stunted in his development.  In trying to teach him simple English, we learned that he didn’t even fully understand concepts like numbers, letters, shapes and colors in Russian yet!  Dr. Olga has prescribed medication for the chronic bronchitis that his parents are both unable and unwilling to have treated.

Denis (13 years old)

Denis is also a child from a broken family.  His parents divorced when we was 2 years old and his father subsequently went to prison for robbery.  His mother remarried but with an ultimatum from her new husband that she would abandon Denis.  She left the then 3 year-old boy with his grandmother and moved to Israel.  She still calls occasionally to talk to him but has no intention of returning for him - even though she has since divorced again.  Denis still loves her very much and faithfully defends her to those who might imply that she is a bad mother.

The Donetsk Boys: Sergey....

I haven't really even given an introduction of the guys that went to Donetsk with me last week so I'll do that now with some pics from the trip... the proverbial 2 birds.

Sergey is 18 and grew up in Kerch.  He lived with his mom and grandma just down the road from the Hope Center and was worked here as a volunteer for about 4 years.  After high school he and his mom moved to Kharkov and lived with his paternal grandmother while he went to university (Kharkov's like Boston - jam packed with colleges).  He continued to come back for summer camps as an interpreter.  He has a great ear for English (especially American) and he's probably the best common-language interpreter I've met here.  He's had his run-ins with Tanya about long hair, tattoos, piercings, etc., but has been a great asset to the Hope Center over the years.  Due to my inspiration, he now blogs here (in English).

Maybe if more of you visit we can convince him to use the built-in spell checker.  Sergey reads my blog so he can feel to correct the record if any of this is incorrect.

This is us at the Ukrainian restaurant in Donetsk where we ate breakfast and lunch and then hung out for a few hours playing Phase 10, the official card game of the Hope Center.

He was absolutely convinced that we needed to play this DDR game in a Kharkov arcade.  He was wrong.  We got annihilated even with one person only being responsible for 2 step pads.

Here we are outside of Olympic Stadium before the game in Donetsk.  Our mix of English and Russian communication always confuses people and right after this some bystanders were still unsure as to whether we were Ukrainian or English (the only 2 options).

Friends

The other night we had the treat of having Roman, Oksana and Rita over for dinner.  They got us hooked up with a Christian-owned place around to the corner that has these sweet massage beds so it only seemed fair that we reciprocate with a little homemade American food.

Here's our group shot on the couch that doubles as Cam's bed.

You just never know

We've been getting some flack for not updating you on life here at the camp.  Lately, I've been feeling guilty for this, and wondered why this is so hard for me to do.  I guess it's just because life seems so... normal here.  We don't have any miraculous stories to make you feel good or to make it sound like we are doing "God's work" overseas.  But God reminded me that he works in the "normal" of our days.  

So here is the "normal" of our day.  Since last summer we've gotten connected with two boys who live near the camp... Sergey and Misha.  Nearly every weekend these two come to visit.  I'll be honest with you... some days I just want to be by myself, but every time God changes my selfishness and shows me that it was worth it.  

            (Sergey)

Here's a little background on the boys.  Sergey is 15 and Misha is 14.  We've been told that their mom died in childbirth with Misha, and their grandparents did not want them living with their dad so they took them in.  Although for the first 11 years, it was hard for them to provide for boys so they went in and out of the orphanage.  The last 3 years they have been solely living with their grandparents.  When I first met Sergey at our summer camp, I thought he was a punk.  He strutted around with his friends, and when I first said hello he shook out his wet hair in my face.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       (Misha and Cam)

Misha is always coming over drinking all of our powdered drink packets and (now that we are in winter) all of our hot chocolate. :) But, now that I've gotten to know these boys, I love them like they are my nephews.  They are very sweet and Sergey has shown himself to actually be very polite and considerate... and even tries to teach Misha to do the same.  Misha is always helping me to clean and loves playing with Campbell.  They have become fast buds.  

Last Saturday, we went to see Sergey compete in judo... of which he took first place in all of Crimea!!  They came over on Sunday... we made cookies.  Yesterday they came over again and we hung out... and yup, now that it's Sunday, they are coming over again.  With our limited Russian and their limited English our hangout times are just that... hanging out.  No deep theological training... no life changing revelations... just hanging out and laughing. 

What is God doing through this?  Not a clue.  Will I ever know?  Probably not.  Hebrews 11 talks of all the "greats" in the Bible... Abraham, Moses, Isaac, Jacob... who were given promises from God.  "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised." (Heb. 11:39) It all happened outside of their lifetimes.  So who knows what will come out of the normal of our day.  God has just asked us to befriend these kids, to demonstrate Christ to them... and only through our actions.  

I will try to keep you updated more on our "normalness".  Who knows, maybe it will encourage one of you, and at the very least you'll know what we've been up to.  All I know is that when I am conscious that God is working in everyday things, the days become more purposeful.  Take captive every normal aspect of your day... you just never know. 

More bad news from Kerch

For those of you who have actually been to the Hope Center this news will come as a bit of shock.  I'm in Arizona for the weekend and upon arriving I received a phone call telling us that one of our HC employees was killed in a car accident.  Yuri (or Yura to his friends) was one of our security guards and a staple of life at camp.  His story is amazing and the path he traveled to meet the Lord shows the infinite mercy of our God.

He spent much of his early life in prison for a variety of very serious crimes and that's where he met the Lord.  As far as I know, the Hope Center provided him his first post-prison job.  Yura's first night as a guard at camp he walked the territory and cried at the thought that he was trusted with that responsibility after all that he had done in his life - the Lord had blessed him for his faith.  I was looking forward to hearing his entire testimony when we returned but I won't have that chance.  There's a VHS tape of him talking about himself at camp so I'll have to listen to it and have an interpreter help translate.  

Here are 2 of the very few photos that I could find of him:

Here he's at the Black Sea with us for our post-camps outing.  It was the only time I got a picture of him without his shirt.  His tattoos each have meaning (if you want some interesting reading, check out Russian mafia tattoos on Wikipedia) and are a testament to the life that he left behind.

Anyone that's met him knows the "Yura walk."  He had a distinctive strut that you could pick out from a mile away.  It was something like a cross between a boxer and the gang-bangers in "Blood in, Blood out"

Whenever he saw Cam he would say hello, also in a very distinctive way.  To this day Cam says hello just like Yura.  He usually stayed up at the front gate during the day (since that was his primary responsibility) so the boys would go up there to play.  They knew that was where they could almost always get a little game of 'football' going.

I wish I had more pictures to put up here.  I crave to write more about him but I'm kinda spent.

I know his wife and daughter will never read this but I'll tell them he was a beloved member of the HopeCenter family and will be missed.

HopeCenter Profiles: Roman and family

I just learned recently that we have hired Roman full time at the HopeCenter.  I actually don't know as much about him as I should but I do have a great picture of him and his family (courtesy of camp team member David Hyttsten of David's Photography).

Actually Roman had been volunteering at camp for quite some time prior to be being hired.  He is a proud graduate of our GLOMOS pastoral training program, utilizing that information as a Bible teacher for our vocational school last year.  He's an amazingly talented craftsman who can handle welding, carpentry, masonry, forestry (which he also does in sandals) and anything in between.

I seem to recall that his wife used to work at the HopeCenter before my time and she frequently comes by with their daughter to use the camp as a safe playground.  She and Campbell haven't yet figured out how to play nicely together but we are hoping to work on that in the up-coming year.

We are all excited to have them officially on-board with us and I will try to remember to return and re-post with more specific information when I learn it.

HopeCenter Profiles: Andrey, Tanya and Alosha Shpigunov

I conducted a poll and got a good response about having profile posts for the people we work with.  I am going to try to catch up so that future posts will give you readers to ability to click a link and read up on any person mentioned; complete with photos to put a name with a face.

To start at the beginning as Andrey did the other day in a camp team meeting, "I was born in Kerch on December 27th, 1972.  It was a very foggy night..."  That pretty much sums up how he deals with most things; turn it all into a joke.  

Andrey and Tanya are technically the boss(es) around here but we think of them much more as friends than superiors.  

Andrey is the camp director which means, in true Ukrainian fashion that his signature and stamp must go on EVERY document.  He labors tirelessly to make sure the HopeCenter continues to function under tough conditions and tight budget.  He began as the head of security when GA bought the camp in 2002 and eventually became director in 2006.  He knows more about the physical camp than almost anyone.  He does formal meetings with commissions and officials and then turns around and does concrete finishing, plumbing and welding.  Sometimes he has to drive the 6 hour round trip to Simferopol multiple times a week.

He is also one of the most good-natured people I've ever met.  He is great fun and shares my love of kvas and shashlik.  Some of my best times with him involve driving across Crimea, watching the UEFA Cup final (a Scottish team vs a Russian team) and generally joking about EVERYTHING.  He is, unfortunately, really bad at teaching Russian.  Just about the time you think you have figured out a word or phrase, he switches to Russian prison slang, Ukrainian, German, Spanish or any other language which will confuse you again.  It's a small price to pay for having such a good friend and capable leader.

Tanya on the other hand, is nothing but helpful.  She is to programs what Andrey is to the HopeCenter camp.  She keeps all the programs, camps, outreach, humanitarian aid and general social schedule under control.  We work very closely with her to make sure that the international guests are cared for and have their concerns addressed.  She is great at incorporating us into the various projects that are always going on here.  Tanya is always trying to improve her English and we have fun trying to explain some of the subtleties of the language.

The Shpigunovs do all this while raising 6-year old Alosha.  Little 'Losh is always a funny part of HopeCenter life with his strange antics and elastic facial expressions.  This was the first year that he was really old enough to participate in summer camp activities.  He still slept in the room with Andrey and Tanya but was out and about from dawn until well after dark.  I know that Campbell is going to miss him when they move back to their flat in town.

Why I Went to College... (and Big Igor)

I spent most of my working life prior to college doing manual labor.  I started by pulling down the glamourous gig of whipping-boy at a fencing (not dealing in stolen goods) company right out of high school.  Not only did I recieve the adoration commensurate with such a position, I also earned the princely wage of $4.25/hour, cash money - more than $2 below the minimum wage in those days.  Since then, I've also been fortunate enough to land such empire-building jobs as industrial painter's assistant, popcorn boy at a movie theater, warehouse chump, temporary laborer, and landscaper (with an incongruous stint as a part-time receptionist) until I lowered myself to accepting a degree in history from the University of Colorado @ Colorado Springs.

I took that supposedly valuable piece of card stock and moved into my second attempt as a warehouseman with Global Action.  Despite being forced into the office (I'm taking artistic license with facts here) for some period, I have finally returned to my first love...digging ditches.

We needed to run about 60 meters worth of 30-inch deep trench to lay electrical cable for 2 new outdoor lights in a dark corner of camp.  The real trick was the rather substantial tree (and the accompanying roots) that stood exactly between the two new light posts.  Everyone here is perplexed by my Lenco West coveralls that say Tim on the pocket, but I know they're just jealous.

All the boys were on the job this week.

Campbell gets to come out and play with the guys sometimes.  Today he was frustrated to discover that neither his drill nor his wrench would be very useful in our particular task.

This is unfortunately the last day that I will be able to work with my buddy Igor.  Tomorrow I will be taking him with me to Simferopol when I pick up Sarah's and my dads.  He is moving back there to take an HVAC job and be closer to his girlfriend.  He was given the nickname Hercules by work team members due to his truly amazing physical strength and he's not a bad shot with a pellet gun either!  I'll miss you, мои друг.