the gift of connections...

After counseling class on Saturday we drove up to Belize City to attend the last part of a meeting about the 12 steps.  We were able to sit in on the final session of the day and then make some contacts afterward.  We are grateful that we met some new people and are looking forward to the possibility of starting AA and Al-Anon groups here in Belmopan.

Gifts of connection:
701. Attending the meeting with others who are also interested in starting a 12 step group.
702. Connecting with some people from Belmopan.
703. Picking up some literature to help us get started.
704. Seeing the enthusiasm of the attendees.

705. Going into the historic St John's Cathedral for the meeting.

706.  The warmth and beauty of this old Anglican church.

707. The crosses at the end of the pews.

708. After the meeting Tom and I grabbed a bite to eat before the hour long drive back to Belmopan.  Here is the view from our parking space at Birds Isle Restaurant.

Gifts from the week:
708.  Jadine sending me a piece of gluten free chocolate cake!
709.  Thursday prayer times at CDF.
710.  Leading the Ladies' Bible study meeting on Wednesday.
711.  the blessing of being flexible.
712.  seeing couples who are willing to work to save their marriage.
713.  chatting with Nathan via Facebook.
714.  joining the world of Tumblr.
715.  spending time with Spencer.
716.  taking walks with Tom.

Gifts found during my time in the Word:
717.  He is a just ruler and guide Psalm 67:4
718.  He is a refuge and a stronghold Psalm 9:9
719.  He will never forsake those who seek Him Psalm 9:10
720.  He gives power and strength to His people Psalm 68:35
721.  He is with us no matter where we go Joshua 1:9

 joining in with the gratitude community:

Sunday's news...

Yesterday was our second Christian Recovery meeting!

We had a completely different turnout than we did last week. This time the men from the recovery house were working in another city and were not there. However, there were people in attendance from AA along with a few leaders from our church.

Tom did a magnificent job teaching on the topic of powerlessness from his series "Spiritual Kindergarten". We had a time for sharing personal experiences and/or impressions, a short break for tea followed by a time for prayer requests, and then prayer as a group.

A few of people who attended are not church goers, and at least one of them is not a believer… couple of them believe in God but, don’t know much about Jesus. We are grateful that they chose to come and take part in this meeting. One of the new guys asked if he could bring his wife next week!

We are excited about the growth and development of this group!

the last of the boxes

Spencer, Tom and I went down to Aliso Viejo to get the last of our belongings out of storage. We will be taking them back with us after we leave Oregon and go back to New Mexico. It was a little sad to move the boxes... part of us was still connected here through our things.

We had lunch with Mark. He had just returned from a short term missions trip in Uganda. It was fascinating to hear his tales. He is interested in coming to see us in Russia. We are looking forward to that!

Last night we went down to Capo Beach to The Bridge. It was the perfect night to attend. They celebrated sobriety birthdays and also did communion. One of the men there has 21 years of sobriety. He is now 77 years old. His testimony was amazing. There were over a 100 people there and we were so glad to be a part of such a special night!

at night at the movies

We took the kids to the movies last night and they all enjoyed seeing Night At the Museum. It was fun to hear them laugh. I am not a Ben Stiller fan so I didn't enjoy it as much as everyone else did. I did like Robin Williams... he is one of my favorites.

Spencer gave me not one but two e-cards for Women's Day so he scored major points!

The Ultimate Blog Party is winding down but I truly do appreciate everyone who was able to stop by. I noticed that there are over 900 blogs listed on the party site and I know I have not made it to most of them yet!

I am writing this early because we have a big day and night planned for tomorrow. Two of the kids are skipping school to spend the day with us and we have Celebrate Recovery to attend! <== Click on the highlighted words and go to the ministry link when you get there!

The Front Door

Walking home in the snow after church, I was cranky because I knew that I had a meal to prepare and not much time to get it done. I was not thrilled that Tom had invited someone over right after church. I love having guests... I just like having some down time after church.

Our dinner guest today was someone from Tom’s AA meeting. This person has been sober for 2 ½ years and had many questions about why we are here. We were asked about church and if it would be okay to attend. Now that there is an AA meeting at the church, there may be others who will be interested in the church. Not all churches here are supportive of 12-step recovery. Yet, as I recall the words Rich Buhler spoke at our Fundraising Auction in California, I realize how true they are. He said, “12 step ministry is the front door of evangelism”.

I am glad that we were all in the kitchen while I cooked. I can look back and think about what a special time that was. The kitchen is an important place in Russian culture. We shared pictures, food, tea and laughs and it was wonderful to get to know this person a little better.

New contact

Tom had a meeting with the head psychologist over at the Physical Fitness, Tourism and Culture Institute today. Her name is Svetlana and she happens to be a friend of Natasha's (the head prison psychologist) they attended graduate school together.

Tom was introduced to Svetlana by V. V is the other AA member in town who has the most sobriety other than Tom and he recently started a new AA meeting in Svetlana's building. V gave Tom a call and told him it was important for him to meet this woman because of the work that she does.

Tom found out that she has received a federal grant that is funding a rehabilitation center for children who are alcoholics and addicts. She showed Tom a photo of the center it is in an old two story house here in Krasnodar. Svetlana speaks four languages, Russian, English, Armenian and Georgian. Tom said it was a pleasure to speak with her. She told him she felt relieved that other colleagues were "coming to the rescue". She says that there are not many psychologists here and not all of them know and/or understand the 12 steps.

Svetlana has invited our family to have dinner with her. Her children know Spencer. Her daughter, Raizana was one of the girls who helped us load our boxes onto the truck when we moved out of the house on Gagarina to the BLTC before our remodel. Raizana just became a Russian citizen yesterday. The family is Georgian and they worked for three years to get her documents taken care of.

We are excited about where this contact may lead. Only God knows what ground work is being laid here. It may be possible for Spencer and I to do our social project at this rehab center for kids!

and then there were two

There is officially a second AA meeting here in Krasnodar. It was Alexei's plan and design. He iniated the whole thing. Tonight was the second meeting and he did a really good job. Most of the people are from the Saturday night meeting but they were talking about how to advertise the meeting or get the word out. It is also exciting because it is at our church.

Tom says it is nice to have a meeting within walking distance and not have to take two or more buses to get there!

Serenity Prayer in Russian

Tom got a copy of the Serenity prayer in Russian at his AA meeting last night. We have been trying to find it online with no success. Now it is there for anyone who is interested in learning it.

you can find it here:
http://www.sharps4russianrecovery.com/index.cfm?id=6291&fuseaction=browse&pageid=48


If you have never heard of it here it is in English:

Serenity Prayer (short version in English)
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.
Amen!