Belarus!

After Berlin I headed to Belarus where I would spend the next three weeks. I was nervous coming in because I still needed to get a visa on arrival for the country. I had checked and triple checked all of the papers I needed but was pretty nervous that something would go wrong and they wouldn't let me in. Needless to say, that didn't actually happen and things went fine. I was met at the airport by Nastia, who would be my translator, tour guide, and friend during my first few weeks in the country. 

Once out of the airport, visa in passport, and bag in tow we headed 4 hours east to a small village near Kobrin. This is the home of the House of Mercy and Zemchuzencka, a children's camp. I was connected with these wonderful ministries through the Future Leaders Fellowship and The Missouri Baptist Home. The House of Mercy houses roughly 35 elderly people that are in need of care. Operating separate from government funding the House of Mercy is a Christian facility that seeks to actively share the Gospel with their residents through daily worship music sessions and loving nurses. Zemchuzencka is located on the same compound and is a Christian camp for children. Throughout the summer the facility houses camps for children and teens, with special sessions for children that have been diagnosed with terminal illnesses. 

My first few days there I did some gardening work around the grounds of the House of Mercy. As much as I wanted to help with the residents my lack of the Russian language made this very difficult and would have required constant translation. So it was the garden for me, which suited me just as well. 

The next week a camp for children age 7-14 began. I was the official camp photographer for the week (another great job that didn't require me to speak Russian). I took pictures and played with the kids throughout the morning and early afternoon. I would then impose on my friend Inna in the House of Mercy office. Every afternoon she patiently supplied coffee, snacks, and the use of her computer so that I could make a video to be shown at the evening program. I had a blast getting to know the staff and kids at the camp. Zemchuzencka had great Bible teachers who sought to share the Gospel in a real non-watery way. Sometimes in our attempt to make the Gospel understandable for kids it seems that we end up presenting a watery version that doesn't answer a lot of questions and can relegate the saving grace of God to something that just saves us from a scary hell (not that this aspect isn't important or true!), instead of as an amazing life giving gift that alters our worldview and life purpose. It was clear to me that  the staff at Zemchuzencka wanted to avoid this downfall with strong biblical teaching. The week passed quickly and I even managed to pick up a few Russian words and children's songs. 

The main building of the camp.

Pavel (the camp's current director), Me, and Valadmir (the camp's previous director) 

Unlike in American camps- children in Belarus have to work for their breakfast! We started out every morning with an exercise session including stretching, songs, and jogging.

Children are the same all over the world- there's always a ham in the bunch somewhere!

Me, Inna, and Nastia

Camp group photo 

My next stop was Volozhin (pronounced Va-low-shin), a town of about 11,000 situated 70 km from Minsk. I spent my week there with Pastor Sergei and his family. His daughter-in-law, Katya acted as my translator. I stayed at their small church where an elderly 96 year old woman also lives. She, as with many older people in Belarus, has no children or grandchildren who are able to care for her. This left her living in very poor conditions struggling to care for herself until Pastor Sergei allowed her to move into a room at the church. Now a fellow church member, Olga, comes daily to cook for her and do some light cleaning. My "job" for the week was to help take care of Granny (the name everyone lovingly referred to the old woman as). Again, the language barrier made this difficult but Katya and I were at least able to give Olga some much needed rest and bring some variety to Granny's life. I also had the opportunity to attend all of  their weekly church gatherings including the youth service, Sunday night prayer meeting, and women's prayer meeting.Throughout the week Pastor Sergei took me to the homes of several different elderly people and couples. Some, like granny, had no one to care for them, their living situations were dismal. Others, lived with their children or had children that visited often, these couples were well cared for and clearly had a better standard of living. It was important for me to see and understand the difference between the two situations to fully grasp why Pastir Sergei has a heart for developing a ministry to the elderly people without family to help. Their small church hopes to someday build a facility like the House of Mercy to house and care for the elderly in their community. 

My last few days in Belarus were spent in Minsk, the capital, with Katya and her husband Vanya. There we attended an organ concert at a beautiful old church with Sergei and Igor (a longtime friend of my friends at the Missouri Baptist Home). We went to church at one of the largest Baptist churches in the city and got to witness a wedding as well. In between events, Katya and Vanya opened their home to me and also showed me the sights of Minsk. They along with Igor, then took me to the train station to see me off to Ukraine. 

A small church plant near Volozhin currently being renovated.

Monday night prayer meeting!

Fresh picked wild blueberries- yum!

1 of 3 total fish caught that day... if you can consider my minnow a fish!

Pastor Sergei's Family- from the back left- Nastia, Miriam, Dima, Dasha, and me

Granny and I at the church.

The national library of Belarus in Minsk- it is a glass structure that is covered in lights that make different designs at night.

I am so incredibly grateful for the warmth, hospitality, and care that each person I met in Belarus freely gave to me. They housed, fed, and transported me, going above and beyond with special touches like fresh flowers in my room or sweet notes of encouragement. They also put up with my inability to speak their language. On multiple occasions people apologized to me for not speaking English, apparently forgetting that I was the crazy one who decided to come to Belarus without knowing Russian! 

Thanks and blessings to the staff of Zemchuzencka, the House of Mercy, and Pastor Sergei and his family- particularly Nastia, Inna, Igor, Pavil, Katya, and Olga. Thank you also to the Missouri Baptist Home, Roger Hatfield, and John Jackson for setting up my time here. 

All of these local ministries could use your prayers for God's continued guidance and provision. If you would like more information about these ministries or would like to help further- please let me know! 

Coming Soon: Night trains, clock towers, and Ukraine