Missing Russia

Clearly, my Russia clock is ticking. Over the past 5 years, I have gotten used to visiting our kiddos at Sovietsk every year in August or September. This year, we are not able to go as we are expecting a new addition to our family any minute. This is where I wish I had superpowers--I would teleport in a heartbeat to see our kiddos and introduce our new little guy when he is here. All in due time, but for now it will have to do to write letters. And today, we had beet salad and cabbage rolls for dinner . . .

We have a friend traveling August 23, so we are collecting letters, gifts, and financial donations ahead of their trip. If you are able to donate towards programming, you can do that any time! Money goes through Children's HopeChest and should be marked RU0506000, Sovietsk. If you want to send letters or gifts, we can get them hand delivered if we receive them by August 17. Contact us if you are interested, and we will help you make the connection. Maybe I'll share the beet salad recipe, if you're lucky.

It's time to send more letters!

It's time once again for our annual letter drive.  We won't be able to visit Sovietsk this year ourselves, but another group of sponsors is visiting Kirov region later this month and will be able to hand deliver letters for us.  If you would like to take this opportunity to start a pen pal relationship with a friend across the ocean, now is the time.  Or if you already have a pen pal or are a sponsor, don't miss this chance to send something to your friend at Sovietsk.  If you'd like to send a letter please let us know via e-mail and we can make sure the letters get there.  The deadline to have letters to us is August 17th. 

We also want to say thanks to everyone who contributed to the graduation gifts.  But if you haven't contributed yet, don't worry because it's not too late.  Just send us an e-mail and we'll let you know how.

A Visit to Moscow

Two weeks ago today, St. Basil's Cathedral turned 450 years old.  This beautiful monument to medieval Russia and Tsar Ivan the Terrible is a Russian Orthodox church built at Ivan's behest to celebrate a military victory.  It's really quite a breathtaking and unique structure and no matter how many times I've visited Red Square, I cannot stop myself from taking a bunch of pictures of it.

                                                               Here's a photo I took of St. Basil's on our trip last fall. 
                                                              It was the first time we've been to Red Square at night.

This summer, some of the kids and staff from the orphanage had a chance to travel to Moscow to visit St. Basil's and see other sites.  They got to see a ballet at the Bolshoi Theater, visit some animals at the zoo, tour the city by boat along the Moscow River, and eat at a fancy restaurant.  Not to mention the train ride from Kirov to Moscow, which is really a lot more fun than it sounds.  When I heard about the trip the kids took to Moscow I was so happy for them and felt very grateful for the great staff of caregivers at the orphanage. 

Here's a photo of the kids in Red Square this summer.

In the background is one of the walls of the Kremlin.

I would be remiss if I didn't make another plug for writing letters to the kids.  I can't emphasize enough just how important these letters are and how very, very easy it is to do.  Let us know if you'd like a transatlantic pen pal.  And we're still trying to raise money to buy gifts for the orphanage graduates.  See previous posts for details. 

Weekend Warriors--Grad gift update/extension!

Update . . . we have the weekend to continue collecting funds. I know we can do it!

We have $435 left to go. SO . . .
. . . if 10 more families can chip in $43.50 each, OR
. . . if 6 more families chip in about $70 each, OR
if lots of people give just a little,
or just a few people give a little bit more,
we will have it!

The best way to contribute:
Log on to http://www.hopechest.org/, click Give, and enter your amount into designated gifts. Please use refernce number RU0506000, and please list Sovietsk Graduate Gifts 2011 in the notes to ensure the money gets to our grads.

Please, please consider donating. Thanks to all of you who have given, and all of you who are spreading the word!

Graduation Gift update

Update . . . in an ideal world, we would have all of the funds for these gifts by THIS FRIDAY! July 22!

We have $575 left to go. SO . . . if 10 more families can chip in $57.50 each, we would have it!

The best way to contribute:
Log on to http://www.hopechest.org/, click Give, and enter your amount into designated gifts. Please use refernce number RU0506000, and please list Sovietsk Graduate Gifts 2011 in the notes to ensure the money gets to our grads.

Please, please consider donating. Thank you for your kind support!

Graduation Gifts

When people graduate in the US, it is usually a celebration. Accomplishment! Moving forward in the world, on to the next big thing. A day to celebrate with family and friends.

For young people graduating from school who are a part of the orphanage system in Russia, it can be a day of uncertainty, even fear. Of course, it is time to celebrate all the hard work that brought them to that point. But they will also leave everything they've known and venture into the world, on their own. Some tech schools provide opportunity, while others are all too familiar places of oppression and despair. The stigma of orphanhood can follow them, and they may or may not learn the skills they need to be successful in the world.

Part of our work in Russia is in hope of easing the anxiety of that graduation. We hope our youth stay connected with people who care about them, and we hope they plug in to other Fund Nadezhda programs, like the Ministry Center they are opening soon in Kirov to support these young graduates.

We also want to celebrate these young people and who they have become. We are sending the graduates a special note, and we hope to raise enough funds for each of them to have a high quality tea kettle. In Russia, tea is very important! They use electric kettles, and every proper adult in Russia knows to serve tea to important guests.

It will cost $695 to purchase quality tea kettles and sponsor a celebration for 8 wonderful grads at Sovietsk. Could you contribute? If 10 families gave $70, we would have it in no time! We are working quickly to raise the funds, as the children are leaving July 31. If you are interested in contributing, please comment below or send me an email. Or, log on to http://www.hopechest.org/, click give, and enter your amount into designated gifts. Please list Sovietsk Graduate Gifts in the notes to ensure the money gets to our grads.

And for your consideration, here are the young men and women we are celebrating this year, all leaving the 9th grade:

Ivan, age 16, Sergey, age 16, Tolya, age 16, and Maxim, age 17, will study to be electricians.

Lida, age 17, and Sasha, age 16, will study to become facing workers.
Nadya, age 18, will study to be a mail operator.

One young lady, 16-year-old Masha, will move on to 10th grade.

We wish these young people all the best. We know that Lida and Tolya had dreams of teaching PE or working in sports, and that Nadya dreamed of being a train attendant and traveling the country. Dreams change, and we know that reality often imposes itself on our hopes. We also know that no matter what profession these young people find, they are valuable and capable of the best humanity has to offer. Please join us in hoping and praying for the best for these young men and women.

Best. Letter. Ever.

Wow, it's been quite an absence from blogging. There are lots of reasons for that, most of them good! We have also had to step back a little bit from lots of 'extras' with Sovietsk. BUT, one thing we are committed to doing is writing those letters! We've heard from more children this year than ever before, and it is a beautiful thing!

Along those lines, we had to share a letter that came to one of our long time sponsors. This gentleman has been writing to and sponsoring this young man since we began in 2007. They have never met, but they have developed quite a friendship. He shared this letter with us, and I am quite sure it is among the best letters I've ever read. We had to share!

Hello, Uncle (American Friend),

How are you? I'm fine. My favorite subjects are Russian language and Maths. You are my best friend I think. I like the pictures you've sent me last time. I'm really glad to become close friends with you. I need you and your support. You care for me. there are few people who really care.

I hope you to see you one day. It will be the best day of my life.

Goodbye,
[child from Sovietsk]

It takes time, in this case 4 years, but this is the kind of relationship you can develop and the impact you can have just by writing letters! This sponsor is planning to travel in the future, but even if he couldn't, he has made all the difference in the world just by caring.

You can do this too! For those of you who write, stay encouraged. Your words mean so much! For those of you who don't, we would love to connect you. Please contact me and I would be glad to help you find a Russian friend!