Baby abuse alleged at Russian hospital

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Baby abuse alleged at Russian hospital

By MIKE ECKEL, Associated Press Writer
Thu Feb 1, 11:11 AM ET

Prosecutors said Thursday they are investigating allegations that workers at a central Russian hospital taped infants' mouths shut to keep them from crying, in a scandal that has sparked widespread outrage.

In a second incident, prosecutors in the Far Eastern city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk said they had opened a criminal probe at a kindergarten where an employee gave unauthorized injection to children to help them sleep. According to some news accounts, all or some of the babies were orphans.

The alleged mouth-taping at Hospital No. 15 in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg, about 900 miles east of Moscow, has received wide coverage in the Russian media.

According to a statement posted on the prosecutor general's Web site, investigators found that hospital workers allegedly used tape or adhesive bandages to shut the mouths of infants on several occasions to quiet them.

Regional prosecutors were conducting a criminal probe into whether hospital workers could be charged with dereliction of duty or child abuse, the statement said. It was unclear when or if charges would be filed.

Earlier this week, Russian TV broadcast video reportedly taken with a cell phone that showed a crib with sleeping baby who appeared to have a pacifier taped to its mouth.The Interfax news agency on Tuesday reported that Yekaterinburg city health officials had reprimanded the hospital's chief doctor and its chief nurse.

Russia's health and welfare institutions — including hospitals and orphanages — fell into disrepair after the Soviet collapse as government funding dried up. Though government revenues have risen with world oil prices, many welfare institutions remain woefully neglected, as often as not victims of corrupt officials, and employees are often paid miserly wages. In Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, on the Pacific island of Sakhalin, regional prosecutor Tatyana Kutuzova said that investigators had opened a criminal probe into whether a worker injected children to calm them down or to help them sleep.

She told the NTV television network that the worker lacked the necessary training and qualifications and should not have been working in the kindergarten.Lyubov Kuritsina, a regional education official, said the worker had been fired.

In another recent incident that caused widespread shock, an infant in southern Russia had to have her arm amputated after an injection for a routine illness caused a blood infection.



***** just a note on the article*****
This last children's hospital mentioned is the one here in Krasnodar where Ira spent last week. It is in horrible condition according to Olya. And although there had been a news story announcing the scandal and claiming that the head doctor had been fired... he was in fact quietly rehired.

giving directions

Today there was a women’s luncheon for students from the language school. The women have been getting together once a month since last year. This luncheon was the last time that Ann would be there. Ann and I decided that if it were going to take two buses to get there we would share a taxi.

My job was to have a taxi pick me up, go to her house and finally to the restaurant. I know there is a motion verb “to pick up” or “to stop by”. I could not find exactly what I was looking for in our 501 Verb Book. I decided to explain to him what I needed to do. I told the driver that I needed to meet my friend at her house first and then go to a restaurant. I gave him Ann’s address and we took off. When we got to Ann’s building, he asked me which entrance. I answered him using a feminine ending for “second” and I should have used a masculine ending because the word for entrance is masculine. I corrected myself and then apologized to him for my Russian. He told me that he did not speak any English at all. He assured me that no matter what I wanted to say to him as long as it was in Russian he would understand! And he did. We did not have the exact address for the restaurant but knew about where it was. We made one wrong turn and had to double back but we got there.

I appreciate that the people we meet here are grateful that we try to speak in Russian with them even when it is not perfect. Every now and then, you might get an impatience cashier but for the most part people are patient and understanding.

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!

all in a day...

Early this morning around 5 AM, the wind was blowing very hard and one of our screens was about to blow off. Tom fixed it and went back to bed. Before Tom left for school this morning he noticed that two of our screens were down so Spencer went out to find them. We were lucky. Spencer found them both. We lost one in the last wind storm. We didn't notice it was down soon enough and someone must have walked away with it.

Lena was back at work today after taking time off to care for Yanna while Ira was in the hospital. I had to write an essay about "I am grateful to God because". I wrote it out last night and then Lena helped me with my spelling errors and grammar mistakes. I wrote about the dreams I had for traveling when I was younger. Growing up I never thought I would ever have the opportunity to live in a foreign country. I was excited when we moved to California from Kansas and were able to travel throughout California. There are so many beautiful cities there... I was content and thought that we were truly blessed. I feel even more grateful for the chance to live and work abroad!

After spending time with Lena I needed to go to the supermarket. Nathan and I were about to head out when I decided we should call to see if Olya needed anything. We picked up baby food and bread and dropped it off for her on our way home.

Spencer and Andrew are playing video games. Nathan is reading in his room and Tom is doing his homework. Just another day in Krasnodar!

package fun

We made a big batch of brownies on Sunday. Nathan and I ventured out into the snow to purchase ice cream... how could we eat brownies without ice cream!?

Thanks Mom and Dad for the brownie mix, books and all the other goodies. Nathan is hunkered down in his room reading.

I was also able to start on some new medicine for my fibromyalgia. We got three packages in one day... it felt like Christmas.

More snow is falling and it is getting colder outside. Thankfully we have plenty of heat inside, lots of apple cider and DVDs to watch at night.

Prayer update:
Ira went home today and is doing well!

Sick child

We have been praying for Ira (eera) this week. She could not keep any food down was put in the hospital. Hopefully, when she sees the doctor tomorrow she will be deemed well enough to come home. She is eating now and playing with other children in the hospital. Please remember this little one and her family. She is very dear to us!

rainy day fun

We watched a father and son play badminton in the rain!















our play area just behind the building















ready to serve















waiting to hit the ball back.


This time last year we had temperatures of -20. This winter all we have had is heavy winds and some rain.

Thursday's events

This funeral took place outside of our apartment building. This person has been dead at least three days. That is how long the body would have laid in state inside their home before the funeral.















Leading the funeral procession
















casket lid
















The body in the casket

















the mourners follow

Happy Birthday Tom

Tom is 44! I was not able to actually post on the 24th. I tried to log onto Blogger and there was a problem. He says it was one of the best birthdays he has ever had. He enjoyed his gifts, his cake, hearing from his friends and eating pizza from a new place we decided to try out.

in other news:

For the past two weeks, there has been a session at the BLTC. Tom and I were not able to participate due to school. There will be another teaching session in April.

I went to a party for the Women students. ( I got home in time for pizza and cake with the family)


The first thing we did was sing a worship song as a round. But, it was not just singing. There were hand motions involved. As we sang we had to tap our neighbor to the left on the leg, tap each one of our own legs and then tap the underside of the hand of the woman on our right and then tap her hand two times on top. And we did this all while singing. Two women could not keep up with the action and the song... so we had to do it again!

One game involved stuffing twelve balloons into a pair of pantyhose. Once that once done we had to wear that as a hat... and then put on a scarf and some gloves, after which we had to take a slice of gum out of a package, open it and chew it. That was the hardest thing to do wearing a pair of big bulky mittens. I am happy to report my team won!

When the games were all over each one of the students was given a copy of Norman Wright’s book "Always Daddy’s Girl".

What a great evening! Two parties and loads of fun!

Tuesday

Lena was sick today so Spencer and I didn't have language helper sessions. And then Olya called Tom to let him know that Ira was sick so Tom didn't have a language session either.

Olya needed somethings from the store so Nathan helped her out with that. It was nice that he was around to help her out.

Today was a slow day around here... tomorrow is a special day though; Tom turns 44!

monday

The wind was blowing VERY hard today. Spencer and I could barely stand up straight as we went to the bus. It was unbelievable! I don't know how Tom made it home with groceries in tact.

After school I went downtown to purchase the cashmere yarn that is my Christmas present from Tom. It was so much fun looking at all the different colors and finally choosing something special. I love working with cashmere it is very soft.

There were two wonderful things waiting for me when I finally got home.
One:
I had asked Nathan to put the chicken in the oven at 5 so that it would be ready at 6. It was done!
Two:
Tom had spent an hour and a half in line at the post office and came home with a package from my friend Joanie. We now have seasons 2-5 of the show "24" to watch. We saw 4 episodes of season two tonight!

Fighting the wind, walking for blocks that seemed as if they would never end and being jostled around on the bus... all faded away when I walked through the door to the smell of dinner and the treat of some American TV!

visitors at church

Today at church we had a young man from Azerbazhan. He gave what he called the "short version" of his testimony. He started off by saying that Russian was not his first language and that he didn't speak it very well. He asked us not to laugh if he made a mistake.

I overheard later that his accent was too strong and his grammar was a disaster... this is incentive to continue on in language school!

He grew up on the streets in a strong Muslim community. He talked about almost dying three times while he served in the Army. He talked about being afraid to read the Koran. But, reading the New Testament gave him comfort. He was led to Christ by one of his neighbors. This neighbor lived in one of the houses he had previously vandalised. Living as a Christian in a predominantly Muslim area is very dangerous.

Please pray for the believers there and in other places of the world where just acknowledging Christ can put your life in jeopardy.

a frightful sight

Today I was on the phone with a friend who was telling me about seeing a dead man on their walk home through the park. I thought what a horrible thing to have happen to you. Especially for the children.

This afternoon Nathan and I were headed out to the mall to pick up some blank CD's. As we were standing at the bus stop Nathan noticed to large pools of liquid. He tapped me on the shoulder and asked "is that blood?"

It was. It was unmistakeable. Two large pools of blood on the uneven pavement. I don't know if I will ever stop seeing them so vividly in my mind. We don't know if it was human or animal. Spencer tried watching the news to see if there was a report of an incident in our area. As of yet we don't know of anything.

Russia weathers a disturbing warm winter

Russia weathers a disturbing warm winter
By MIKE ECKEL, Associated Press Writer

It was one of Russia's traditional days for taking a dip and swimmers were complaining — because it was too warm outside. Countless Russians every year mark the Orthodox Epiphany religious feast by plunging into water through holes in the ice and shivering vigorously in the frigid air. On Friday, the ice was either thin or absent and the air wasn't especially cold.

In a country known for brutally cold winters, a spell of unseasonably warm weather has unnerved many people and caused experts to worry about the effects of global warming.
While much of Siberia and the Russian Far East soldiers through the usual long and grindingly cold winter, people in the rest of the country have been lamenting abnormally high temperatures that have left many rivers free of ice, fields absent of snow and weather forecasters confused — but not without hope.

"I'm not ready to give up on winter just yet," said Gennady Yeltsev, deputy director of the Russian meteorological committee.

Last year, much of January was unusually cold, down to 22 below zero. This year, temperatures have generally stayed above freezing in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Believers marked Epiphany by dipping in lakes and rivers across the country, a practice they believe purifies the soul. Swimmers had to chip through the ice at Siberia's Lake Baikal, but bathers in St. Petersburg had temperatures reaching 44 degrees Fahrenheit.

Umbrellas outnumbered fur coats at one Muscovite baptismal hole amid a driving rain more reminiscent of April than January.

Sergei Maximov, chairman of the Walrus Club of Serebryanny Bor, a Moscow neighborhood that includes the city's most popular beaches along the Moscow River, said some people were bothered by the temperatures that hovered above freezing, but he wasn't among them.

"I was the last one in, about four in the morning and the water was so soft, so soft," Maximov said. "The feeling you get is the same, warm or cold, a complete purge of all your sins."

Animals in many parts of Russia have seen their biological clocks thrown out of whack. At St. Petersburg's Leningradsky Zoo, two of five bears have come out of hibernation weeks ahead of time. Even the hedgehogs have insomnia this year.

Older Russians shake their heads reminiscing about how temperatures 58 degrees below zero helped stymie the Germans as they reached the outskirts of Moscow in 1941; grass was growing this week near the famous tank defenses north of the capital.

Russia's agriculture minister played down fears that the lack of a hard frost and snow cover would affect future crops. A hard frost helps improve soil structure, while the snow serves as a blanket for crops.

Sergei Gulev, a climate scientist at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said global warming appears to be affecting how storms move across the North Atlantic, determining whether an Arctic blast is pulled into Russia or whether gale-force winds and warmer air push in from the Atlantic.

He said abnormally warm winters — which he said peasants a century ago called "a waif's winter" because it stunted crop growth — occurred every 10-15 years. Now they're happening every two or three years, and with more intensity.

"We can expect from climate predictions that this winter, the type we're having now, will be more and more frequent in the future," Gulev said.

Still, the warm temperatures haven't been all bad. Among those breathing a sigh of relief have been utility executives, who had warned about possible energy shortages if temperatures plummeted. And the warm weather also eases the burden on municipal heating systems.

And cooler weather is in the offing: Yeltsev said temperatures are forecast to fall in the Moscow region, possibly reaching 14 below by Wednesday or Thursday.

Nathan copying photos

Nathan is making a file of family photos to take with him. This one is from three years ago at The Aquarium of the Pacific.


















this is him now...

I am not sure how many photos he is going to take but he is searching through all of my files.

He claims I have all the family photos... well duh! I am the MOM!

middle of the week

Someone asked me what I wanted from America. I asked for Raisin Bran. We got the Raisin Bran today and now we can make Mom's Raisin Bran Muffins. I will post the recipe after Spencer and I make them. Mom gave the recipe to him so I will walk him through it.

TV day!

Thanks Dad for all the TV programs that you sent!

So far we have watched a football game, Shark, Without a Trace, Cold Case, CSI and the Rose Parade. As a special treat after the Rose Parade we got to see the first episode of Life With Ed.

It is always a joy to watch American TV... we can make popcorn and tune out our culture stress for a bit. And the good news is that we all finished our homework so the TV did not get in the way of that!

---------

Tom is working with Olya now as his language helper two days a week. Tom and Lena's schedules don't match now he is not available in the mornings to work with the rest of us. So I am watching girls while Olya helps Tom with his lessons. Today just Yanna came over with her mom and she cried the entire time. Olya said that she fed her some new food. I felt so sorry for this little one. She had gas from both ends and it was obvious she was in pain. She would fall asleep in my arms and then a gas pain would wake her up. I pray that she gets some sleep tonight so that Olya can get some rest!

What color umbrella looks good on you?

Today I was listening to a group of women talking about how they choose an umbrella. One of them chose her umbrella color to match her eyes. She had a light blue umbrella and her eyes are blue. The other woman said that because her skin is pale whatever color she chooses changes her complexion to that color... she won’t use a green umbrella because it makes her look green. The umbrella she had was a bright rose color... to make her skin look rosy.

I can admit that I have chosen umbrellas based on how they will look with what I am wearing. I have a pink raincoat so my personal umbrella is pink. I also have a green umbrella for when I wear my green leather jacket. Spencer's umbrella is black with red flames. Tom and Nathan pick up what ever one is handy... sometimes Tom won't even use one. We have an umbrella that has room for two people that comes down over the shoulders... totally shielding both people from the rain. We have exra umbrellas to loan to people who need one to get home.

It was interesting to listen to these women speak. They were not dealing with the practical aspects of using an umbrella they were more concerned with the fashion aspect.

How do you choose an umbrella?

full house

this table held all the preteen girls!











Our New Year's Tree






















dressed in black









Valentin on the left with Alexei M.

Ira is ready to party!

yanna and alida

Spencer took this photo of me with Yanna!

Old New Year

I went over to the church on Saturday to help with setting up for the party. I had two hours of live language that was very insightful. Now I know how to make fried Russian meat pies. I had to mix up the filling. There were some new verbs used and that was helpful. Everyone understood when I spoke or asked a question so I was excited about that. I didn't get corrected today and I don't know whether I didn't make any mistakes or if they were being polite. Normally I get corrected at least once!

I came home and changed clothes and then Spencer and I went back for the party. The church was filled with great smells and lots of people. I took a few photos but am having trouble getting our ScanDisk card reader to work so I cannot load them.

When I got to our apartment building one of our neighbors was fussing at a group of girls for coming over with their goodie bags asking for candy... he told them that tonight was the wrong night and that they should come vack tomorrow. They were asked if their parents knew they were out. And when they said yes they got invited in! New Years and Old New Years is like Christmas, 4th of July and Halloween. Kids go door to door for candy and money. Fireworks are set off and presents are exchanged.

Olya came to the dinner at church with Yanna and Ira. Yanna just about fell asleep in my arms she almost made it through dinner. Lena took her into the mothers room and laid her down. I sat next to Ira and she gave me the crust from her meat pie. I caught her before her little greasy hands were wipe on my skirt. I was quick on the draw with a napkin! Childproofing the table meant moving the candle and the candy away from 2 year old Ira... she was not happy with either being taken away from her.

Spencer and I stayed through dinner and worship. After that games started and we were both getting tired. Before we left Jim told us he was definitely going back to the states at the end of the month. I called Nathan and he is ready to go back with him. That is a relief to know we don't have to worry about him missing a connection in a foreign country somewhere and we would not have any way of helping him out. Now he has a travel buddy and I am glad!

How can you be a blessing?

I recently was told by someone that information on "how to donate" should be posted on the blog. I resisted doing this for many reasons. But, all of them seem silly in comparison to standing in the way of someone who wants to help further the work with alcoholics/addicts and their families and may not know how.

One time gifts & regular monthly support can be sent to:

EastWest Ministries
PO BOX 701560
Dallas, TX 75370
Account # 9231

To donate online click here and fill in the information. You can choose to donate monthly using your credit card!

Thanks to those of you who have sent gifts and support us regularly.
Thanks to those of you who have asked how you can help.

school day

Tom and I went back to school today.

It was hard work. He and I were both in our classes alone. Which means there is no one else there to answer the teacher's questions. You have to go it alone for an hour and a half.

I could not remember the case endings. I honestly had not thought about them during the time we were on holiday from school. She would say to me "the word is masculine with a soft sign" and I was like "and that means what to me?"

Tom's comment on himself was "it was horrible!"

We both spent time working with Lena. She has not been here in about three weeks. She decided to give herself a vacation too. It helped to get back in the swing of things. We never stopped speaking Russian we just stopped the intense studying for a while.

Hopefully, Tom will have a better day in the morning. He and Spencer both have class. Spencer stayed home today with a sore throat. He is hoping to feel well enough for school. He hates to miss out!

*** special thanks to Erin and Hilary. We got your Chirstmas cards this week in the mail! Most likely they sat in the post office for a while during the governmental holidays for New Year's and Christmas. We still have one more holiday left to go... Old New Year!

on the horizon

We will be having house guests soon. MajLis called to ask if we can take in a couple who will be here for the upcoming session at the BLTC.

The BLTC's new building will be dedicated on Sunday... it truly is beautiful.

On Saturday KBC will be having a big "church family" party. When Vadim called he asked if our family could prepare something to share with everyone like a skit, song or a reading... we still have not decided what to do. I thought about singing but I am still not feeling well.

School starts at 9am for Tom and 1:30 in the afternoon for Spencer and me. Nathan is not going back. He already called to inform Jim and Tania. He is busy with packing and preparing for his return to the states for university.

Let There Be Heat!

Tom and I had a meeting at the BLTC today. When we left we heard our building manager yelling at someone who was underneath the building.

When we realised it was him we wondered if they were fixing the output to the radiators. And we were right!

When we got back home and felt our radiator it was finally hot to the touch and not just luke warm... Tom was talking about putting on shorts!

Frequently Avoided Questions

by Chuck Smith Jr and Matt Whitlock

I cannot believe that I was up early to go shopping and now up late to read one more chapter of Chuck Smith Jr's book. I hope that you check it out.

Tom recommended it to me a few months back... I just now picked it up and cannot put it down!

Metro run

Spencer and I got up early this morning to go to Metro with Bill S. at 7:30am.

http://www.metro-cc.ru/index.jsp after the page loads just click on English if you want the page translated.

I found some treats this morning; Sweet potatoes, marshmallows, peanut butter, bacon and so on. I was excited about the sweet potatoes... I had not seen them since this time last year. But, the biggest find of the day was envelopes. Usually the envelopes we can find are already pre-stamped from the post office. So, you have to pay for the envelope as well as the postage. I found plain white envelopes. I never thought I would get excited over something so ordinary.

presents

I bought a little backpack for Ira for her New Year's present. It is a stuffed toy poodle with a zippered pouch to store all of her things inside. Yesterday, Olya told Tom that Ira walks around telling everyone that "Aunt Alida and Uncle Tom" gave it to her. And she won't take it off... she even went to bed with it.

When they go out for walks they have seen other little girls with the same type of bag. Ira will get excited and say that she has one too! When I gave it to her it was filled with candy. I let her eat two pieces while we were watching her and Yanna on Friday. Then when her parents took her home they took all the candy out so she would not get sick trying to eat it all!

simple joys

Spencer and I went out today to pick up new internet cards and bus passes for the month. Our time went very smoothly. At the bus depot we were able to get off the bus, purchase the passes and get back on the same bus before it pulled off again.

We got off on Krasnaya and then walked down to the UTK building to buy the new internet cards. It was lightly misting out as we were walking. Once we picked up the internet cards we continued on down Krasnaya to a video store where we found two new movies. The Wild and X Men 3. The guys have been wanting to see X Men 3 for quite sometime so that was a major find.

Spencer and I walked about 8 blocks to the next bus stop and were a little frustrasted to have seen the bus we needed pass us on the way. The bus we ended up taking was only going as far as the depot so we had to change buses to get all the way home. The bus change was the highlight of Spencer's day. He has been saying for the last three months or so that he wanted to ride one of the new buses and today he got his wish. He sat down next to me with a great big smile. I had not seen him that excited for awhile. Simple joy....riding a new bus!

Christmas Party at the Orphanage

Oksana came over today and neither one of us was feeling very much like going today. But we bit the bullet and decided to pull it all together for the kids. We stuffed the gifts bags that I bought along with the notebooks and other goodies for the kids. The other goodies came from Reconciliation Church, they took an offering for the children and went out and purchased items. We also had three teacher gifts as well.

They each received a toothbrush, toothpaste, lots of candy, notebook (Batman for boys and Cinderella for the girls), markers, a pencil and stickers. The big hit of the night were the crowns that Judi H. had picked up for the girls... but, the boys liked them too. They decided that they were kings and queens!

We had a small group of 11 children that we gave gifts to in one building and then we were asked to come over to the other building that is like a hospital for the children when they first arrive. We gave out another 12 gifts over there. We danced and sang with the kids and were treated to a break dance competition. And if you want to know how to say Break dance in Russian... it is just the English words "Break dance"!

Oksana was able to tell the Christmas story to the kids and it was great to see that many of them already knew it!

24

Tom and I had a chance to spend some time with Tim and Joy today. Before we left their house Joy lent us the first season of 24.

It is so good to have something new to watch. We especially enjoy seeing a series. We were able to see the Amazing Race thanks to my friend Joan. And we have seen some CSI courtesy of Tom's folks. One of the things I miss the most is American TV. I could honestly count the television as a childhood friend.

Spencer and I went shopping today to buy goodies for the kids at the orphanage. We found Batman notebooks for the boys. And we found Cinderella notebooks for the girls. We purchased gift bags too. Oksana is bringing candy over tomorrow at 2 in the afternoon and we will fill the goodie bags before going over to visit the kids. They have had several groups give them candy and toys. Our focus will be to tell the Christmas story. It is so good to have Oksana with us on this project. Because as a Russian she can tell the kids the story in their own language without any grammar mistakes getting in the way!

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!

Samson

We spent the day in Axtirka. Sasha and his wife Tanya have a fitness center. They invited us to come work out and spend the day with them.

Tim, Joy, Hannah, TJ, Spencer, Tom and I drove out together to this small city of 40,000. It was a nice day today... not very cold. And no snow on the ground.

We ate dinner with the team from Axtirka, including Tom and Carol who came in from Krasnodar on the train. Sasha also invited Andrei and Valera. Andrei brought his wife and two daughters. We had duck and five different salads. Spencer said that "duck is something he never would have tried in the US".

At the fitness center, which is located right across from the only post office in town, Tom and Spencer got in a good work out. They tried all of the available equipment. There was a treadmill, weight bench, stationary bike and an elliptical trainer. I tried the stationary bike for a bit but quickly decided I had no desire to work up a sweat. I, along with Sveta and Alexei H. from the BLTC, who joined us at the fitness center, decided to go to the massage beds. It was NICE! The beds are heated and there is a device that goes from your head to below the buttocks giving you a spinal massage for 40 minutes. After that we had tea and dessert while watching nature videos.

Neither Spencer nor I took our cameras. We will just have to go again!

Happy New Year!

Tom and I got up and went to church. It was beautifully decorated with Christmas decorations, which are New Year's decorations here. Afterwards Nathan, Tom and I went out to Krasnaya Ploshad to look around and shop a bit. Spencer stayed home because he had a cake in the oven and he didn't want anyone else to watch it for him.

We all pitched in to make dinner, ate the huge dinner, watched a movie and a few episodes of LOST and throughout it all our neighbors were setting off fireworks.

At midnight President Putin came on the TV and we listened to his speech. I think no matter where you live all presidential speeches are the same. He recapped the year, gave a vision for the future and closed by wishing everyone success and health, and so on!

Once Putin was done the fireworks started up with a vengeance! Not just little ones that pop but huge stuff... like you would see in a professional show. Most of the fireworks come here from China and it is overwhelming. Things are thrown off balconies, off roof tops and there was even a group of our neighbors down in the field where the kids play soccer. We are grateful nothing was set on fire!

It is almost 2am here and there is very loud music going on in our building. This is a party that is not going to end anytime soon!

Heat update:
Thanks to the electric radiator we are borrowing from Tim and Joy our home is warm. It also helps that today was a warm day.

now what?

On Firday we asked Joy if she would call our building manager for us to let him know that the apartments here in the building are cold. When she found out that we were cold, she offered an electric heater for us to use until we get the radiators fixed. Our apartment feels much warmer now.

Saturday morning Spencer heard a commotion out in the stairway. He heard yelling for about 15 minutes straight... then a knock at our front door. The knocking at the door was the building manager. He asked if our apartment was warm. Then he asked Tom where the radiator was. He touched the radiator in the living room and pronounced that it was “fine”. He touched the floor, said “perfect”, and then walked out the door. As he got out the door, the neighbors were still screaming at him. We heard him saying things like “it is not that cold right now” and “it is going to be a warm winter”. He argued with one woman for another 15 minutes. Does this mean he is going to fix it? We don’t know.

As you can imagine it is frustrating not to understand every single word. Because of that, we don’t know what the resolution is... if any. Spencer and Tom tried to ask the upstairs neighbors when it was all over but no one would open their doors. Maybe they were tired of the controversy and did not want to invite more in! I found out later from Joy that she had not been able to get a hold of him. So, his coming out was at the request of another neighbor in the building. We are glad to know that our neighbors were upset about the cold too and that they were willing to fight the battle and not just us!

Later in the evening Olya called and wanted to know if we had electricity. Hers was out and so were her neighbors. I told her we still had electricity and invited her to come down to our place. She said that she was okay at home and she just wanted to know if the whole building was without lights or just their entrance. Almost two hours went by and then our power went out.

Tom and I both had the same thought. We wondered if they cut our power because of the complaints about the heat. As the power went off, I was putting a casserole in the oven. Fortunately, we have a gas oven so I was able to finish making dinner. I got out my cell phone and called Olya to let her know that our power was out too. She said that someone should be coming out to fix it soon if the whole building was down. We lit candles and then I called Joy to let her know that now we didn’t have lights. She said she was glad to hear me laughing about it. What else could we do? As I was on the phone with Joy, the lights and everything came back on. Spencer called Olya to see if her power was back and it was for them too.

What a day! Wonder what tomorrow will bring?

fixing up the place?

As reported earlier this week, our stairwell is being painted. We thought that they were done after they did the bottom half of the walls blue... the top half is white. However, they came along this morning and did this brown trim.

while the windows remain broken...




















Hopefully, they are finished with the painting in our stairwell and will move on down to the next entrance. We live in entrance number 1. Olya doesn't think they will get to her entrance, number 9, until February!

Alida's Pumpkin Cookies

I am still figuring out creative ways to use up all the pumpkin I froze. These are the cookies that the guys gobbled up for dessert last night. If you like soft cookies then these are for you!

I was going to take a photo of the cookies but they were all eaten before I got out the camera.


Alida's Pumpkin Cookies
1 cup sugar
2 cups pumpkin
1/2 cup butter,softened
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts ( I used pecans)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix sugar, pumpkin and butter. Stir in flour, baking powder,soda, spice and salt. Stir in raisins and nuts. Drop by teaspoon fulls onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake until light brown 8-10 minutes. Immediately remove from baking sheet; cool. Spread with a cream cheese frosting if desired. Makes about 4 dozen!

Prayer request:
Please pray for those of us living in apartments here. Our homes are heated by radiators and we have no way to regulate the heat in our rooms except to open a window. Last year we opened the windows as soon as we got home from school. This year the radiators don't seem to be putting out as much heat and the apartment is colder. Spencer and Olya talked with the upstairs neighbor and their apartment is colder than ours. We have double-pane windows and insulated walls. But, our neighbors are not as fortunate.

long day

We had a Social Ministries Team meeting and then a meeting at the BLTC following that.

We came home in the dark, both of us (Tom and I) tired and hungry. I made dinner and some pumpkin cookies for dessert and then we decided to watch a movie.

We watched Reds... http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/reds/about.php although it has good reviews it is one of the most boring movies I have ever seen. Spencer said it was THE MOST boring for him. He went over to Judi B's today with Sonja to watch part of the marathon Judi was doing with the Lord Of the Rings trilogy. He says he only stayed about 4 hours and just saw one of the 3 movies! Nathan didn't go because he did his LOTR movies over the weekend!

We have snow on the ground and it is cold outside and in. We are wearing light jackets or sweaters in the apartment. Transportation here is slow. This morning we took a taxi over to the meeting at Tim and Joy's so that we would not be too late. Our taxi driver got confused and took us a little too far. I recognised we were going the wrong way and he apologised and only charge us the minimum fee for the ride. Which was a blessing because when the weather gets bad they will charge extra for using up gas for the heater!

minus zero activities

The staircase in our apartment building is being painted today. Tom says that they are using a petroleum based paint. It sticks to high heaven. I was awakened by the fumes.

We are not sure why they waited until it was below zero outside and snow is on the ground but such is life here in Russia!

Just a Little Bit of Service...

Today was our first snowfall of the season. We awoke to a soft, white covering everywhere. It snowed the rest of the day & turned into an icy mess by late afternoon. Beautiful? Yes. Comfortable? No. Today I (Tom) took 4 tolleybuses, 2 marshutkas & did lots of walking to get to the police services facility to speak to prison psychologists of our region. I left at 10:30am even though I wasn't scheduled to be at the facility until 12 noon. With numerous accidents due to the weather, I arrived at 11:54...certainly time enough to spare... on a trip that usually takes about 25 minutes.
Between 40 & 50 prison psychologists & police officers had also braved the elements to arrive for our first training. I spoke for a couple of hours on general issues for working with addicts & alcoholics. Many of the professionals in attendance work in very small communities & villages, & this was the first type of training that they have received. The attendees were very interested & engaged, & stated that they would like to have more training of this type. I answered as many questions as I could, dispelled myths & misconceptions about the disease of addiction, & tried to provide some practical tools for this group. Many of the attendees had questions about what kind of statistics are available about alcohol & drug problems in Russia. It was surprising to me that they lacked some key information about the very population they are working with. It showed me the great need for on-going education & training. Katya did a great job translating & said that it was very interesting for her as well, as it was all brand new info. I shared with the group that it was great to be in a room filled with police officers & prison personnel, & NOT be in trouble! They appreciated the humor.
I'm not sure how everyone did with having a 'civilian' at the facility, let alone an 'American.' I was escorted everywhere, even to the bathroom! Still I look forward to other opportunities to be just a little bit of service!

Merry Christmas!

The guys say that today has been fun. We got up and went out to Krasnaya Ploshad (our mall) to shop for Christmas presents and for our movie for the day.

Tom came home with a new electric razor and some music CD's.
Nathan had new head phones, movies and some music too.
Spencer has new music.

I will have to go shopping another day because they don't sell yarn at the mall. I will be purchasing some cashmere to make a sweater.


Our family movie was.... Serenity. http://www.serenitymovie.com/ After watching the series on DVD we had to get the movie to answer all the questions we had from the series. The movie is action packed and did not disappoint!

We had dinner at McDonald's and everyone was stuffed to the gills and there was nothing to clean up afterwards.

It is very different celebrating in a country where Dec 25th is not Christmas. There has been nothing on TV, no celebrations and all businesses were open.

Orthodox Christmas is January 7th. You can read more about how Russians celebrate here:
http://russian-crafts.com/customs/christmas.html



So far all of you who do celebrate today... Have a wonderful Christmas!

Holiday Fun

Last night we were with the Watson family. Nathan, Spencer and I went over for dessert and to watch A Christmas Story. Seeing how Joy decorated for Christmas made us feel very festive. And it was like Christmas is "actually real" for someone other than us. Everywhere else we go we realise that the decorations are for New Year's (including the trees) and not for Christmas.

However, seeing an American home decorated for the holiday actually reminded us that we are not the only ones celebrating on the 25th.

Tom joined us after his AA meeting and then we all came home together. Tom and I stayed up way too late and missed out on the church serivce this morning.

I think I was in a funk and really didn't want to go and that is why I didn't set my alarm. This is our last Christmas with Nathan at home. Tom says that I have already started to grieve and that is healthy. We do want to send him off in a healthy way. And it is also important that I acknowledge how I feel about losing him. The only consolation is knowing that he is going to be with Mom and Dad.

Alexei and Lena stopped by to wish us a Merry Christmas. After that Olya came over with her friend Luda (as in Ludmilla)and her two teenage girls. Anya is 13 and Nastia is 14. They are studying English and wanted to practice. We asked and answered questions in a mixture of Russian and English for a few hours. We had to remember to speak slow so that they could understand us when we spoke English. We drank tea and ate a cake that they brought over as a hostess gift. Thirteen year old Anya likes to write and has written some fairy tales. While 14 year old Nastia likes cars and wants to be a designer. Luda is currently studying to be a psychologist so she had questions for Tom as well.

Both the girls and Olya were suprised that I knew who Dima Bilan is (a singer who came in second in Eurovision). I was watching the night he won and have heard his song on the radio and on TV since then.

After everyone was gone we were pretty tired. We decided to order pizza and watch some movies. We checked out the delivery menu for our favorite pizza place and decided to try some new things. We ordered:
barbecue beef pizza
salmon pizza
assorted meat pizza
chicken pizza

The barbecue pizza was more like a chopped steak pizza. The salmon pizza was salmon, green beans and cheese. The chicken pizza was chicken, cheese and olives. Tom was not real thrilled with the salmon pizza even though he is a big salmon fan... just not on pizza!

It is just after midnight and Spencer is already in bed while Tom and Nathan are watching the 3rd Lord Of The Rings movie. This is Tom's first time seeing it!

Orphanage

Spencer and I were back at work today at the Detsy Priyut. We had fun with the kids. We, along with Sonja, arrived before Oksana did and the kids were very surprised to see us so we got huge hugs.

I was glad that the gaurd at the gate opened up for us immediately after I told him why we were there. Then I was able to ask a different worker where we could set up to spend time with the kids. I know that I still make grammar mistakes but I am understood and that gives me the confidence to keep on talking and allowing myself to make mistakes so that I can learn to say it right.

The kids had visitors before we got there and they had large bags of candy from it. They were so happy with their new wealth that they were all giving us candy.

It was very touching. Can you imagine? These kids have so little and yet they wanted to share!

I had the kids making snowflakes from 3 different patterns that I found on the internet. Girls and boys jumped right in and got to work after one explanation. And when Oksana arrived she had them make Christmas trees using plastic cups, glue and garland. It was cute.

One of the boys, Losha, wanted Spencer and I to see his room. He had decorated it and hung his snowflakes and Christmas tree up for all to see.

One of the games we played was:

we separated into two teams. Each team stood in a straight line holding hands. The first person in line had to watch Oksana as she flipped a coin. If it landed with the number side up the first person in line had to sqeeze the hand of the person next to them and so on...transmitting the "signal" to the end of the line. The person at the end of the line had to pick up a package of gum when they received the signal. It was funny how many times a signal was wrongly transmitted or the kid at the end picked up the gun as soon as the coin was tossed. When the game was over the team who had done it correctly the most times won the package of gum to share. There was enough gum in the package for everyone on both teams to share!

We left tired and happy. Spencer and I had babysat for Ira and Yanna yesterday and he went back again today to sit with Yanna while Olya took Ira to a playschool session. He said that he had been taking care of children for "two whole days and was worn out!"

lookie what I got!

Thanks Mom for the new cookbook!











I am looking forward to cooking my way though this one. I used to watch Rachel Ray when we still lived in the states. She was my inspiration for actually following a recipe. I love the idea of having 365- 30 Minute Meals to choose from for dinner. The guys are actually prepared to try some new things.

Last night I read some of the recipe titles aloud for the guys and we talked about what we could and could not buy here. Substitutions may have to be made. That is okay, we have learned to adapt.


Spencer and I went shopping today and we found most of what we needed to make the very first recipe in the book. Scramblewiches. I thought I already had the cheese we needed but I was mistaken. I will go out tomorrow for Swiss cheese. One good thing about living here is the cheeses imported from around the world.

Speaking Engagement

Last night Tom received a phone call from Natasha. She is a prison psychologist. She had asked Tom on Sunday if he would be able to speak to the regional prison psychologists if she were to set up a day for them all to come to Krasnodar. She called last night with the date and time of the event. I took the phone to firm up the details and I think I understood most of what she said. Tom will be speaking on Tuesday, December 26th, for 3 hours on the subject of how to work with alcoholics and addicts. He was asked to focus on dependency issues. Katya will be there to translate. (She was our very first translator in 2004 when we visited for a month)

It is interesting that she has only heard Tom speak one time. She was invited by Jim and Joyce to come to our church when Tom spoke there for the first time. He does of great job of integrating theology and psychology each time he speaks. She told me on the phone last night that she felt that Tom had more experience and knowledge of how to work with addictions than what she and her colleagues here in Russia have.

I was talking with Lena today and telling her about Natasha asking Tom to speak to the area psychologists. Lena told me that Natasha is not just one of the prison psychologists in the area... she is the Regional Head Psychologist for the entire prison system. Now it makes since why she was able to call a meeting for all the area prison psychologists!

Tom is looking forward to being able to speak to this population. This is why we are here and it is exciting to have this door open for us!

Neighbors

As Spencer and I were on our way to school yesterday we were greeted by our neighbor that we met on the night on the Kuban Cossack Choir Concert. She said that she hoped we would be able to spend time together soon.

Spencer and I had all the good intentions of going down to her apartment, she lives in the same entrance as Olya, but... we didn't make it. Then as time passed I felt like it was weird to just show up. Now since we saw her again and she renewed the invite I will have to do a better job of getting over there this weekend!

Part of my fear about going over there was the possibility of not being able to understand and fully participate in a conversation. With our friends we are able to use a dictionary or they will explain things in a different way to help out. I know that she is aware of us still being in the learning phase... I just don't want to fumble and stutter! But, I will humble myself and get down there. Really, I will!

photos

I have not been able to post all the photos I would like too. I made the switch on my blog to BloggerBeta. And since then Picasa won't work to post photos. So I have to post them one at a time. Spencer still has the old Blogger account so he can post mulitple photos without a problem.

Please enjoy our banquet photos at:
www.sharpkidphotos.blogspot.com


I am off to school soon with the guys but I am not going to wear pajamas... even though Tom asked us all again before he left this morning!

practical jokes!

Yesterday Tom was teasing me about today being Pajama Day at school. He tried to tell the boys about it and of course, none of us believed him. This morning Madina called to let me know that Dima my teacher was ill and wanted to know if I could come to class tomorrow instead... she had already spoken with my classmate Elizabeth. I told her that I could come in tomorrow and that it was not a problem to change days.

Madina called me again late in the afternoon. She apologized for forgetting to tell me something this morning. She went on to say in Russian that tomorrow is “Den Pajam”. I asked her “what?” I thought I misheard her. She said in English “tomorrow we will all wear pajamas to school” For a split second I thought she was serious... after all this was Madina calling, she is usually serious! I told her “NO!” and I started laughing. She tried again to convince me that she had simply forgotten to tell me this morning. And I could not stop laughing. I asked her if Tom had told her about Pajama Day. And she said “yes. She admitted she was joking with me. We said good-bye and I went in to confront Tom. He was in the other room cracking up!

He told me that he actually took the time to explain to Madina what Pajama Day is in the states. He explained about Spirit Week in schools. He said that one day everyone might wear the same color, the next dress as farmers or even wear pajamas at school. She said that if people did that here they might be arrested!

I don’t think the school and our teachers will ever be the same after having our family, especially Tom, at school!

another photo

setting the head table


















I set the table using the platinum trimmed China that Tom gave me for our 20th anniversary. He took a full place setting with us to Hawaii and I was shocked to receive it! This was the first time we have used it. I have been told that we need to do a better job of using our "good stuff". We have service for 6 so I plan to take it out for Christmas, New Year's and whenever we have guests!

Russian Post Starts Delivering Letters, Parcels Sent From U.S. in 1999

MosNews
Russian Post has started delivering 4.5 tonnes of letters and parcels that were sent from the United States in 1999, Reuters news agency reports.

The state-owned postal service said the delay was not its fault — a shipping container with the mail inside had languished at a port in Finland for years.The container finally reached Russia on December 8.

“The loss of mail usually happens because of force majeure circumstances, such as natural disasters, traffic and other accidents,” Russian Post told Reuters via e-mail.“All of the mail has been very well preserved because the container was hermetically sealed.”

head table

Tom made the heartshaped ornaments. Now they are on our Christmas tree here at the house and the garland is adorning the top of our bookcase decorated with silver balls.

I just talked to Spencer about posting our photos on his blog. He took all the pictures that night so the few that I have posted this week are ones that he took!

tired and happy

Tom and Alida , circa 1964














Tom and Alida age 18
Dec. 13th, 1981













Tom and Alida at age 43
Dec. 13th, 2006













Thanks to everyone who contributed to Tom's gift for me. It was such a surprise and a wonderful blessing to read all the letters and remember the times I have spent with each of you.


Nathan is sick. Madina called this morning and asked Spencer to tell her honestly if anyone at our house was feeling up to coming to school. He told her no and she was not surprised.


Olya came over to clean the house today. It was so nice to have her here to help with all the dishes that didn't get done yesterday!

Let there be light!

Here is one view of our cake. Our names are spelled out in Russian!













Our evening went well. We are very grateful to Valodia and Klaus for getting the electricity back on in time for our banquet!


Tom went over to a store not far from our home to pick up candles this afternoon for "just in case". While he was there he saw Klaus with the electrician. The church needed a new breaker. Tom paid for the breaker and then came home to tell me that we were going to have lights.


I will write more tomorrow. Spencer took pictures and Robert did a video. We feel blessed to have shared our evening with others. It was very humbling to recieve gifts from people who have so little. I can remember thinking that it was hard to shop for Tom's folks because they "have everything"... well that was said about us a few times tonight. Here in Russia it does seem as if we "have everything". We own our apartment and it is beautifully furnished. We have money to pay our bills and purchase food and that makes us well off.


It is all a matter of perspective!

D Day

As I sit here typing this we are waiting to find out if the church will have electricity or not. If not, we will have a candle light dinner for 40. If yes, then all will go as planned. Hopefully, they will get everything fixed in time.

Christmas party

Today is the day before our anniversary and we have already attended a Christmas Party. We were able to tell Ded Moroz aka Santa Claus what we wanted. He looked a little bit like Jim H....hmmmm. Snegoruchka was cute. She is Ded Moroz’s helper. She looked a bit like Jim’s daughter Hannah. Oh well. I liked the fact that she gave us lots of candy. She even gave me a handful to take home for Nathan.

The highlight of the party was Joseph. He taught us about Korean culture. He told us about Kim-chi and for each ingredient that he added, he had someone sing it. He put together a “beat box” of the voices. On top of all that he sang Angels We Have Heard on High in Korean. It was so cool! In Russian we would say “klassna!”

Here are the words in case you feel like singing:

Angels We Have Heard on High in Korean

Chun sa dree no-rae ga, Ha-ne-pae-so duh-le-nee.
San gwa de-rae du-ra-sa, me-a-pee-cha oo-len-da.
Yo-----ung. Kwang eul na-pee ge-seen chookay.
Yo-----ung. Kwang eul na-pee ge-seen choo-neem-kay.


Since we have students at the school from Korea, Germany and America we were able to hear Silent Night sung in all Korean, German, English and Russian. The Christmas story was read in sections by four different people. It started in Korean, and on to German, Russian and ended in English. It was a touching moment to hear the Bible being read in each of the four languages represented in the room.

Our evening was just getting started after leaving the party. Tom, Spencer and I met up with Olya, Ira, Lena and Joy to decorate the church for our banquet tomorrow night. It looks very pretty. I am pleased with how it came together. Spencer will take pictures tomorrow. And he will be able to feature them on his photoblog the following day.


Please pray for us all tomorrow night. We realize this event will not be what we would have done in the states. It will be us celebrating Russian style. There is culture stress related to that for us. There won’t be people there who have known us our entire marriage because all of our family and close friends are in America.

God is God and we do believe that this event is supposed to happen here. It will be a time for us to bond with our Russian friends. And ours is not the only anniversary in the church. We will be here to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Valodia and Lena Rajabov in February. I actually had them in mind as I was purchasing silver items, knowing that they could get used more than once!

counting down...

Spencer, Tom and I got up this morning and went with Tim to get tables for our anniversary banquet on Wednesday. We started at our church. We had to survey what was there... we then went over to the BLTC and picked up what they had, then we were off to Tim and Joy's and got a few more tables there. I was dropped off at Joy's while the men went back to the church to unload all the tables and set them up.

Joy and I had a cup of tea and some Thera-flu and chatted for awhile! When the guys came home we ate lunch together. And then Tim drove us to school. Today is TJ's actual birthday and it was fun to see him be so excited about being 9!

After school Spencer and I went to Krasnaya Ploshad to pick up an imitation fir garland. And we found some little 8 inch Christmas trees decorated with silver ornaments and ribbons. I was glad that they had those there just for our 25th anniversary... I wonder if they planned it just for us!?!

Spencer was excited to see that the skating rink opens for business tomorrow. It will cost 150 rubles ($5.71) for an hour on the ice on a weekday. Or 200 rubles ($7.61) on the weekend. Spencer is hoping to give lessons to some of the kids here and make a little money. Krasnaya Ploshad will provide a teacher for 150 rubles for a half an hour... Spencer is willing to do it for 100!

Bad cold blues

I have been hanging around the house watching TV. Tom didn't sleep well last night and neither did I. So our family ended up missing church.

I watched Dancing with the Stars... our Russian version. So we don't know the celebrities who are participating. Last night we saw Stars on Ice and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

I talked to Joy and found out that she and Hannah were not feeling well either. She had TJ's party yesterday and I hear that was a big success. Spencer had a great time there.

Our big news story of the day was the fire in Siberia killing 9 in a mental health clinic the day after the fire in Moscow in the drug rehab center and the death of 45 women.

You can read about it here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061210/ap_on_re_eu/russia_hospital_fire

The plans for the banquet are coming along nicely. Spencer and I got the tablecloths washed and dried. Now they need to be ironed which we won't do until just before we put them on the tables.

Lena and Alexei stopped by this evening. Alexei is very tired. He just finished up a training session on Codependency at OPORA in Moscow. He is preparing to do the informational seminars that we will have before we start the Al-Anon meetings here and in Artirka. Anyway, he stopped by to tell me how he would like the tables arranged for the banquet. He says "for games". He also had a secret with meeting with Spencer. Spencer has come along way from being the little boy who could not keep a secret. I don't know what he and Alexei have in mind!

Please continue to pray for us all here. This winter is warmer so far than it was last year. But, we still seem to be struggling with health again. I would like to be able to enjoy the banquet and not be coughing and/or nose blowing mess!

Leading killer in Finland? Alcohol.

Leading killer in Finland? Alcohol.

By MATTI HUUHTANEN,
Associated Press Writer

Alcohol is now the leading killer of Finnish adults, with consumption reaching an all-time high last year in the Nordic nation, officials said Friday.

More than 2,000 people between the ages of 15 and 64 were killed by alcohol poisoning or illnesses caused by alcohol consumption last year, the government's leading welfare and health agency said. Nearly 1,000 people died in accidents or violent incidents caused by alcohol.

"This is truly a worrying trend," said Kristiina Kuussaari of the National Research and Development Center for Welfare and Health. "The serious negative effects will continue to grow for years to come."

Alcohol was responsible for 17 percent of all deaths among 15- to 64-year-old men, surpassing heart disease for the first time, the agency said. Alcohol also caused more than 10.5 percent of all deaths in adult women, alongside breast cancer, for the first time.

Since 2003, the cost of treating alcohol-related illnesses has grown by 14 percent, peaking at $1.1 billion last year in this nation of 5.2 million known for heavy drinking.

The government has traditionally kept a tight control on alcohol consumption with high prices in its Alko monopoly retail outlets, and supermarkets do not sell beer with higher alcohol content.

However, in March 2004 it slashed alcohol taxes by more than 40 percent to discourage growing "booze cruises" to Russia and neighboring Estonia, where alcohol is much cheaper.

The move caused an outcry from health officials who warned of negative health effects, and police who reported a rise in public drunkenness and anti-social behavior.

Officials reported a 10 percent growth in binge drinking among 17-year-olds in the first six months after the tax cut, and general consumption began to grow, reaching new records.

Last year, Finns drank the equivalent of 14.5 million gallons of pure grain alcohol — a 14 percent increase from 2003, just before the alcohol taxes were slashed.

end of the week

We received movies in the mail. We have already watched 2 episodes of CSI and still have Cars and Cirque De Soliel to see.

Spencer went to City Center on his own to purchase a birthday present for TJ. He had an adventure getting on a bus going to the wrong way. But, like the trooper he is he stuck it out until he finally got there and back home. He said it took 5 buses and one marshutka to get there and back!

I have a cold so I am not feeling my best. Today has been a pretty gloomy day. There has been a layer of fog so thick in our region we cannot see the street or the playground underneath us.

Our friends left for the states yesterday and they were supposed to leave at 11:30 am but, because of the fog they were grounded until around 2:30 in the afternoon. Tonight on the news they interviewed people who had been in the airport for 24 hours.

Alexei is heading back here to Krasnodar by train. We pray that he gets here safely. Volva and Slavik made it home safely by bus this morning. Olya came to work and told us that everyone was asleep at her house! I don't think Volva slept much on the ride home.

job switch

Volva has been in Moscow working with his brother Slavic for the past two weeks. He was supposed to come home today. Olya needed a break from being a single mom of two so she switched with Lena and was our language helper today while Lena stayed with the kids.

It was fun to work with her. She has lots of interesting stories to tell. I don't blame her for needing time off. I remember those days when Tom was traveling and the kids were little. I could handle all day being with the boys when I knew he was coming home later that night. But, when he traveled the kids got their routine upset and it was always frustrating for us all.

Hopefully, Vovla and Slavic will make it home tomorrow. Getting train tickets is always an adventure. One never knows if they will be available for the day you need them or not!

dinner with Dave

anniversary gift from Dave and Sherie













We had dinner with Dave H. (our field supervisor from Moscow) tonight. We enjoyed laughing and joking with him. It was good that he came later than he had planned. I was late getting home from school so I got a late start making dinner.


I made Shepard's Pie which was very easy to put together really quick and was a filling meal for everyone. For dessert we can thank Judi H. She made peanut butter fudge and also some chocolate fudge for our family for Christmas. We really like the peanut butter fudge. I said I need to ask her for the recipe... Tom said I just need to ask her to make some more!



Dave came bearing gifts. He gave our family a DVD and he gave Tom and I this beautiful candle. He and Sherie had been in Spittal, Austria. That is where the candle and holder came from. You can read about that city here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spittal_an_der_Drau


It will be a nice addition to the table at our banquet!

Spencer's haircut

Spencer has needed a haircut for awhile. Tom told the guys they were going to have to either cut their own hair or find someone else to do it for them. Spencer called Lena our language helper and asked her to help him fond someone. She took him to a place not far from our home. The woman there did an excellent job. And it cost him 100 rubles ($3.82)

When he came home he announced that this was our anniversary gift. Him looking nice for the banquet!

He said it was a different experience from going to a barbershop in the US. He said that no one really talked to each other. Back at Joe's Barbershop in Irvine the men talked about sports, news, watched Court TV and Oprah. All the while cutting hair and laughing with the customers. If you have ever seen the movie Barbershop... Joe's place was like that. And I don't think that Spencer will find that here!

another Monday

Tom will be in class alone this month. Please pray for him. It can be intensely draining to be the only one doing the excercises and drills for an entire class period. Many students are heading out to various destinations for the holidays. I thought I was going to be alone but I am not. Elizabeth joined me today and that was nice. She is such a sweet lady.

I went out to purchase new internet cards. We are buying a month's worth at a time and doing well rationing our minutes on the internet.

While downtown, I saw more pig figurines. I asked Olya why there were so many pig figurines dressed up like Santa Claus. She said because of the horoscope. 2007 will be the year of the pig. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_(zodiac))

We started watching a TV series that Nathan borrowed from Jim. It is called Firefly and so far we are enjoying each episode!

communion sunday

I woke up with a headache. I was tempted not to go to church. However, when I realised that our neighbor was going to play her TV at top volume and our other neighbor was going to keep on hammering... I decided leaving was better than staying home. So after taking two extra strength tylenol I left with our whole family for church.

It was a great morning. The music was good, Valodia spoke, and we had communion.

The exciting part of communion was that today there was juice instead of wine! When we got here we asked if juice could be served. It could but we had to buy it. We purchased it for over a year and then last month it was purchased by the church secretary. More and more people kept choosing juice and leaving the wine. This month... no wine at all only juice. We see this as a sign that things don't always have to be done the way they have always been done. There is room for change!

With the number of alcoholics present here in Russia and within our the church it is indeed a blessing to see this type of support.

just another day

Earlier today I went over to the grocery store and when I left I forgot the 8 roll package of toilet paper I had purchased. Tom went back over to pick it up taking the receipt with him. He talked with the manager, who went to get the security officer. The security officer asked what was wrong and the manager simply nodded his head toward Tom and said, "Toilet paper." The security officer opened up locker number one and took out a key for locker number eight. He gave it to a cashier who asked, "What's this for?" The security officer nodded his head towards Tom and simply repeated, "Toilet paper." The cashier laughed, opened up locker number eight and handed Tom the paper, telling him to tell his wife to enjoy it.


We're grateful that they so carefully guarded our 8 roll pack of toilet paper, and were so diligent in their honesty.

25 years of memories

Tom spent 5 hours today over at Robert and Ann's house scanning old photos. He will be putting together a powerpoint presentation of our memories.





















Nathan is 8 and Spencer is 5.




















Here they are at 9 and 12












and this is the most recent photo and they are 16 and 19!