Subotnick

A few Saturdays ago, our dvor (courtyard) had a big get-together for cleaning up. At 11:00 everybody gathered outside and started picking up trash and rocks. The kids were equipped with gloves and rakes and were sent to clean up around the buildings. Gradually, more and more of the residents came outside and started clearing away brush. This went on for about an hour and a half. Then they started grilling meat. While the kids ran around and played, the adults sat and talked. Once the children were served, out came the beer, and Daddy took a few sips, and I helped him. The sense of togetherness which we rarely have broke the ice between our family and the dvor. Everybody started accepting us.

The men proceeded start a game of throwing sticks, a game no one really understood, a game where they all had to throw stick and achieve a goal which no one really knew. The kids set up a cheering booth in used tires, each cheering for his own dad. With seven screaming children, including me, you can imagine the uproar. Daddy's blog about all this is here.

After that, all the grown-ups proceeded back to the table to drink more, and the kids went off to do whatever they pleased. There was absolutely no supervision for the kids - not an unnatural thing. What was awful was the fact that the kids were exposed to the grown-ups getting drunk right in front of them. They learn it's OK to drink. God showed us how much were there was needed, that drinking is not necessary, that children don't have to be like their parents.

Yuri's return

Many of you may have noticed that in the last "Prayers and Praises" of my dad's, he put a note that we had lost contact with Yuri. Well, we had lost contact with him from about the end of October, and in February we miraculously received word.

In order to understand how this all happened we need to go back to the school I'm attending. Because almost all the kids there have the Russian version of Facebook, I wanted Russian Facebook (Vkontake). When I singed in, I had the idea that we could find Yuri through Vkontake. My first try failed. Nothing seemed to work. However on our second try a miracle happened. When I open the window to Vkontake it opens to this groups page and from there I work my way to my page. This time, however, When I opened the window and saw some group's page, I saw to my absolute shock "Members," and there it showed three members, and among them I saw "Voronin Yuri." Me and dad clicked on him and sure enough it was HIM! Immediately I sent a friend request. The next day I saw to my utter joy that he had added me. Thank you God!! I dashed off a message to him telling him that we loved him no matter what he did and that he was always welcome in our family. To please come on Thursday as normal and if not call.

Next day he writes back saying he will call. Then a few days later he calls in the middle of a Skype with our grandparents in Georgia as we are talking to them about that we had "found" him. Dad's phone being right next to the computer, I pick it up and see "Yuri" on it. I scream and jump up and run to dad, yelling that Yuri was calling! (Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for letting me act like a crazy person as that happed.) Well he came on Thursday and has been coming ever since. Thank you God!! His now sitting in the other room talking with dad as I write. Thank you God for that!!

Please pray that he will stay with us.

My schedule for the week

This is my schedule for the week:

Monday: At a killing 7:00 in the morning I wake up/am awakened and stumble out to the breakfast table. After breakfast I go/am sent to do chores (make my bed, brush teeth, and tidy my room.) Mom, Kerith, Simon, and I gather in the living room for devotions. Simon goes to piano, and K and I study Greek and Latin. The day continues with rotations like this, and after lunch the boys and I go outside for half an hour. Once we come in, we continue school until late afternoon. At 5:00 I tutor a four-year-old boy named Andrusha until 6:00. After dinner we do homework.

Tuesday: Again I drag myself out of bed and eat breakfast as my brothers run out the door to school. Note: I DO have bed-head so maybe that is why the boys are running out the door faster than necessary. After breakfast I do my chores and join mom on her couch for devotions. At 10:00 she teaches her online class, and I work until 11:30 when mom finishes with her class. I have a break till lunch. I continue school until 4:00, and then I have a on-line class-- science (no I'm not the teacher). The runs until 5:30 when our family has dinner. Then homework.

Wednesday: The very same as Tuesday, but at 4:00 I have English online.

Thursday: I go to Russian school with the boys and do school work from there. Around 3:30 I come home and go straight to tutoring Andrusha.

Friday: The same a Monday, but at the end of the day we clean up for Saturday and have piano lessons. Sometimes I go to youth group, which missionary kids attend.

Saturday.

(This is to emphasize the nothing I do on Saturday.)

Sunday. We go to church in the evening or have home church. Other than that, I might do homework or something else.

Tutoring.

In the beginning of November I was hired as an English teacher for our neighbors' 4-year old son.
The father came to Dad and asked him we would be willing to teach his son English. He negotiated with Mom and Dad that I would teach twice a week an hour a day (I am getting paid.) Mondays and Thursday from 5 to 6. The first time there I was warmly received... by the Dad. The son (Andrusha) was what you'd call, um, not the best behaved. After the first several time his, uh, disobedience smoothed out. What was hard was that the Dad is not worried about Andrusha's behavior, including when that kid "runs away" claiming he is no longer "friends with anybody!" Dad just lets him and tells me not to worry about it. The father, however, is very friendly and gracious, and almost every time he gives me tea or something like that. And when I trek the ever-so-long-10-second walk he always stands at the door and watches me to insure safety.

In the apartment is just us three all the time, --he (dad), me and Andrusha -- except when the father left to go to the store once, and it was just us two. Andrusha is slowly starting to except me and listens to what I say. Please pray that I will be successful and that I can teach not just English, but the faith to the family.

Adoptive moms meet non-adopted orphans

Last Tuesday night the director the Harbor, Melinda, brought 2 women, Lisa and Carla, from Minnesota to talk with 4 Harbor graduates. Among the Harbor graduates was our very own Yuri and 3 other girls -- Ira, Natasha, and Nastya. Lisa and Carla each had adopted a child from Russia and raised them along with their own biological children. The adopted children have very rebellious attitudes and are displaying violent behaviors that are often found in Russian adoptives. Lisa and Carla had asked to meet with the Harbor graduates to ask a few questions about their growing up in the orphanages in the hopes understanding why their children are acting this way. The women also lead a support group for other adoptive families in MN who are experiencing negative outcomes from the adoptions, most from Russia. 

Seeing that I helped translate some things, I participated in the discussion to a small extent. What was nice was that Lisa and Carla had a list of questions with them so they would go around the circle asking questions. Some questions were: What was your daily routine at the orphanage? Did you feel loved? How did they (in the orphanage) think of you? What were yours dreams when you lived in the orphanage? (Yuri reported that his dream was to watch TV all night long.) 

The atmosphere was very open, and the graduates talked freely. One of the graduates (Nastya) told us that she had always been the girl to be put in contests the one who the director "liked". Why? She was the sugar daddy. The girl who gave the orphanage a good face. The girl who they show of but never let her get adopted. No these people (the orphanages people) don't really care for the kids. They just see them as the way to get money. Now maybe some do , but as a whole they don't. And the kids know this.The caretakers were mean and gave no freedom and told the kids in their face "You are a failure. You won't be anything." Those people were wrong! These kids are amazing, smart and are making a way in the world.  They are far from failures. Some kids believed them. Nastya told us that see knew that the caretakers were wrong and she would lead her room to punish the caretaker when ever the caretakers would do some thing mean.Such as pouring clothes detergent in the hall way.When the caretaker came he or she would get dumped with water so that he or she would slip in the hallway.they could not punish the kid cause they didn't know who did it.  Now this was no "naughty kids at the orphanage " this was for a reason and they knew it. They told us that they were cold at night and were always hungry. One girl said she was told that the cook was stealing food. She didn't believe them till she was 15 when she worked in the kitchen and saw it with her own eyes. They said that the kids would make fun of the cook when they saw him leave with big bag of food(the cook was fat). One the girl said that the director and the caretaker would say "Your mom is is a bad woman!" At 15 she was told that her mom was long dead.  The kids who did get adopted would spit in their face and say "I don't care. Hearing things that I all ready knew from the mouths of the kids them selfs was painful. You can understand why these kids (the adopted ones)would be violent.Probably cause their angry. I know I would be. I would angry, suspicious, and hurt. Pleases pray for Lisa and Carla and their kids and also for the orphans (in the orphanages and out) 

CRM World Conference

As all of you guys probably know, my family is a part of a organization called CRM. The organization is divided in to several groups all around the world. (Almost) every year the groups meet separately and every 4 years the whole organization meets together. This summer the whole organization got together in Malaysia - Langkawi.

Our flight arrangements to Langkawi were terrible, and the layovers

were simply nightmares. It was a relief when we finally arr

ived in Langkawi, but sadly we weren't able to get to our room immediately, because the previous guests had not left yet. We had been on the road at that point for 44 hours, and that was only the last of several disappointments along the way. While waiting for our room to open up, we swam in the pool, which felt very good, seeing that it was very hot and we had not been able to

wash the whole trip.

We were there a few days early to relax, but when the conference started, we had lots of fun. The children's program workers were really great and because of that encounters with God were not rare at all. Aside from being next to a beach, swimming in a pool every day and seeing friends every day, the best part about it was what we were learning. The children's program group taught us how to pray intensely, and during those times several of us saw things (like landscapes or colors), and once we told what we had seen, one of us usually would be able to tell what it meant.

I appreciated it because I hadn't been able to have as much intense praying before, and it was nice because there were other kids there, and so I wasn't alone in praying. I sometimes feel lonely at home when I pray, and that really helped me. I know how to pray more intensely now, and I didn't use to receive colors and pictures like I can now, and feel I have a stronger relationship with God. I feel that Langkawi really changed me, and even though I'll be 15 at the next world conference, I can't wait.

Baptism

Even though this is a little late, I got baptized in July - on July 4th at a lake with a big sign that said "No Swimming! " ( : It was near a metro stop that was not from our own metro stop. The pastor of our church had a group of 7, including me, meet at the metro, and together we walked to the lake. Because it was Sunday, many people were there just sunbathing, so we were not entirely alone. I was last of the seven of us and was nervous about the whole thing for no real reason. I think it was really cool that I was baptized on July 4th, on an American holiday in Russia. It was a religious experience, but on a day Russia knows nothing about. So I did it in Russia, where I had become a Christian.

It had been a rough day for me about two years ago when I was 9. Dad came in a talked with me.I told him that i wanted to accept Jesus. After that I had to get baptized so when our church said there would be a baptism I singed up.  I'll remember that forever.