Ladies' Rehab & Kaluga Bishops

August 2007 - Meet Grigori & Olya, the Bishops (like Superintendents) of Kaluga, a region in European Russia. They came to see us in Asian Russia to speak at the all-Siberia Conference in Angarsk, and then we took them to spend some time along Lake Baikal.

Grigori & Olya on the shore of Baikal

We stayed with at the Ladies' Rehab Center . . . a beautiful setting that even has a "banya" - if you don't know what a Russian "banya" is, it could best be described as an intense sauna, but Russians would tell you that it also doubles as a meeting room where the real decisions are made! Here I am with some of the gals. On the far right is Snijona, a friend and one of the leaders at the center.

Bishop Ivan & Bishop Grigori praying for Olya who has just graduated from the Rehab Center and is making her way back into the real world.

Olya and I are giving my STL car a push through the TAIGA - The Taiga is the largest forest in the world, and several years ago when this trees began to burn, the world was rightfully concerned since 20% of the world's oxygen comes from these trees. Actually my car is just fine, but had you seen the roads we travelled to get to the Rehab Center, you would realize she deserved some TLC at this point :)

SUMMER CAMPS 2007 THREE

FIRST ALL SIBERIA ROYAL RANGER CAMP

Camping, hiking, extreme . . . Siberia LOVES it all, and guys and girls of all ages get into RR. I was recruited to help support the ministry team coming from various parts of Siberia to create an amazing camp setting on Lake Baikal for over 140.

I'm on the far right, standing at the bottom.

I personally drove over 4,000 kilometers over dusty, crazy, &

bumpy roads. Hoorah for a camp nurse who specialized in massage!

Crossed on the ferry at least 30 times.

Hauling leaders, kids, produce and STUFF.

Jumping from trees - I personally can say it WAS fun!

Karla Isom, "Big Cheese" for RR in Siberia,

is teaching a cooking class.

Tatiana, the head cook

Working it out

Never leave home w/o the computer :) Professional Kite Flying is popular on the WA Pacific Coast. Karla bought a couple, & I had fun teaching kids how to fly them . . . no way am I a professional, but thanks for the intro in Turkey, John Wilson!

SUMMER CAMPS 2007 TWO

BURYATIA YOUTH CAMP

Great group of kids - I taught on "Being Yourself," pulled out my store of dramas, built all kinds of new relationship key to the future, and had a great time.

Night time @ the bonfire - The pix a bit dark, but that's where we spent most of our bonding timeSasha - our fearless leader (Youth Pastor @ Way of Faith Church, Ulan Ude), and his fearless sidekick Masha.

Serious Bugs & 'SquitoesMy STL Car was a hit with the guys - I should have just opened the hood and charged a fee to support future STL projects :)
Drama @ Youth Evangelism - this was their day to minister in the local town
CREAMED - tooth paste? DramaMust be when I was teaching :)

Hiking & Swimming - W/ Natasha (half of the Camp Director team)

Great Climb

Team PowWow

Team Games

Mighty Men Building Nightly Bonfires
Last morning ridiculously early - no one slept!

SUMMER CAMPS 2007

BURYATIA KID'S CAMP - JULY 2007

Yeah! This year I got to go to camp and stay . . . last year I was in full-time language study. So, Julia & I did daily crafts, Lena & I co-counseled a group of 7 girls, & I had a "language moment" when I suddenly found myself asked to speak without a translator. God showed up, they actually understood and responded, and I felt the thrill of connecting w/ an audience in Russian. Since I became "the taker of pictures" there aren't many of me, but I'm everywhere :)Day 1 - They're all here; youth camp just finished, and these kids arrived on the bus the youth just left on.Somebody shoot us now! How does one greet an excited, wide-awake group of kids on 2 hours of sleep . . . because of course last night (last night of youth camp) was NOT about sleeping!

Lilit (black & pink) - our amazing Camp Coordinator

Hey, Lira

Most popular tree limb in camp since it crossed

a creek and was the perfect jumping site. Butterflies EverywhereNot too hideous for almost 2 weeks in camp :)

(Lena & Julia)

Lilit praying w/ kids to receive Jesus
Week Theme . . . Esther and The Kingdom of God

Making Piroshki in the camp kitchen - meat,

fruit, cheese, potatoes, egg, or whatever you want inside
Football the way most of the world calls it :)

Crafts - dough art was a hit!

This was "dress up camp counselor for lunch" day.

Lena & I co-led this group of girls

(Lena, Sasha, Masha, Luda, Marina, Lira - missing Dasha).

Great time of bonding with Lena and her husband Oleg from

Novokijinginsk . . . we'll see a lot more of them in the future.

Pastor Sergei & his guys

All good things must come to an end, and it's definitely time to wash that MUD-CAKED STL Car.