Late in the afternoon on Saturday July 19 we arrived in Tallinn. Tallinn is the capital of Estonia and with a population of about 450,000 contains approximately 1/3 of the population of Estonia. We headed straight to our hostel and while Javier and Wayne got us checked in the rest of us unloaded the bags from the trailer. Our rooms were all on the third floor and there was no elevator. For the majority of us, who were very wise with our packing, carrying bags up three flights of stairs was not a big deal. For the few (not to metion any names Becca and Callie) who threw the kitchen sink into their suitcases, managing three flights was a little more challenging. Good thing they had big strapping YOUNG men like me to help. When Paula Mac was a college student she was fortunate enough to backpack across Europe and therefore had many opportunities to experience the hostel life. I, on the other hand, did not have that opportunity and was therefore somewhat shocked at my first glance at the sleeping arrangements. The rooms were, let me think, ah............austere! There were two twin beds, a floor lamp at each bed, a table and a cabinet/closet thingy. Surprisingly enough they were clean, however. Those of us in the group who have never traveled on an expense account thought they were quite nice. Everyone on the floor shared two small restrooms (WC's or water closets in Estonia) After we were settled we headed out to explore Old Town. First on the agenda was dinner. Here we are, 4000 miles from America in a foreign land with new and wonderful sites, sounds, and flavors so where do we decide to eat? An "American" pizza restaurant! This was not your everyday Pizza Hut. Maurice had been clamoring all day about spaghetti and meat balls. Imagine his disappointment when all that was served in the pizza place was well...pizza! All of the pizza was thick crust and came in some pretty funky combinations. Guess what Maurice ordered??? Nope.... it was spaghetti and meatball pizza. Turned out it was pretty bland but some of the other combinations were quite tasty. In Europe you simply do not get ice in your drinks but in this "American" pizza restaurant they advertised iced Coke. Sure 'nough you got a coke with one cube of ice and no refills. As far as I could tell no one went away hungry. The rest of the evening was spent exploring Old Town.
If it's Sunday it must be church.
To the best of my knowledge Tallinn has one Methodist church. In Estonia, the other Baltic states, and maybe even in all Europe they are not United Methodist just plain old Methodist. The Methodist church in Tallinn happens to be the largest Methodist seminary in all of Europe. It was the vision of one man and came to fruition through the hard work and generosity of many people and by the grace of one God. The church is a magnificent modern structure. The acoustics are amazing. Callie, Becca, and I were all singing and Maurice was preaching. We got there early on Sunday morning so the singers could reherse and Maurice could meet meet with the local pastor and District Superintendant before the service. The service is broadcast throughout the Baltic States and was also recorded so I guess that makes Becca, Callie, Maurice and I international recording artist. Cool huh? I think we have a copy of the recording. The worship service was wonderful. It was interpretted in 4 languages which we could listen to through individual head sets. We attempted to sing the hymns in Estonian. While there were four languages in use they were raised in unison to worship the one true God. After the service we went downstairs to the Seminary cafeteria for a light lunch provided by the church. If you doubt the benefit of the "Upper Rooms" printed in Estonian that your generosity provides, the local District Superintendant told us a story about a local Baptist pastor who obtained copies of the Upper Room and sent them to a community of Estonians in Australia. This community was established by Estonians who fled during and after WWII. At least one man came to Christ through reading the Estonian version of the Upper Room. Who knows how God has used that man to reach others or how many others may have come to Christ through this publication.
Following lunch we split into small groups for more siteseeing or in the case of the girls that great American pasttime, SHOPPING! There is even a Woodland Hills type mall just beyond the walls of Old Town Tallinn where more than a few American dollars found there way into Tallinnese (or is that Tallinnette or maybe Tallinetter) cash registers. Tallinn is a very old city. It was originally a walled city with many turretts built into the walls to protect it. Though very picturesque it was apparently not very effective becuase for hundreds of years Tallin and the rest of Estonia were ruled by others. At the very least they have been ruled by the Swedes, the Germans, and the Russians. There are many old and beautiful church's in old town. While many are no longer used as churches some are still used for worship. Javier imposed an early curfew because we needed to be ready to load the van at 5:00 on Monday morning so by 9:00 PM we were all back in the hostel.
The road to Nirvana
While Estonia is a beautiful country their is no place like home. At 7:15 our plane took off for the long journey home. We had a two our or so layover in Amsterdam where they no longer have WC's, they have Toilets. We were there just long enough to get through customs and inspections (is that the same?) Then the looooooooooooooooooong flight from Amsterdam to Minneapolis. Callie and Becca watched three movies. Wayne read one book and started another. I snoozed through a movie, The Phone Booth (very snoozable) and started a book. The Minneapolis airport was an experience. Again we had just enough time to get through customs before we caught the puddle jumper to Tulsa. Prior to the Tulsa flight I was very fortunate. I had been lucky enough to get the exit row or the bulkhead on every flight. For those of you who are less than 6'-3" tall or those of you that are used to flying first or business class this may not mean much. For those over 6'-3" you appreciate that in coach class only the exit row or bulkhead seats allow you to sit without sucking on your knees. An hour of knee sucking is bearable. 2 hours is most uncomfortable. Anything longer is a torture. I have been told that coach class was invented by George Bush for the transport of prisoners from Afghanistan to Guantanamo Bay; Very effective and against the Geneva convention. I digress, On the flight from Minneapolis to Tulsa I had a window seat. 2 hours after we took off, just as I was about to give up my resolve and confess that I had voted for Al Gore, we landed; home, safe in Nirvana...er..... Okra-homa (oops there I go again)
Thanks to God and CJ, the church bus was waiting for us in Tulsa. Callie, Wayne, Casi, Larry, Kay, and Maurice all had a sweetie waiting at the airport. The remainder of us misfits crawled on the bus for the final 40 miles (that's 64 Km to you Estonians) home. Only 22 hours after we left Tallinn we were home Home HOme HOMe HOME. Yes! YEs! YES! we were home!!!!
I want to thank the members of FUMC Bartlesville for having enough faith in me to send me on this amazing journey. The mission field is great and there is much to be done. The Soviets were very effective in gobbling up the Seed that had been scattered. In their wake the field has been strewn with rocks and thorns where the Seed can not take root or is choked out. But fertile ground does remain. Continue to plant, to water, and to fertilize and the Master Gardener will see to it that the Seed will sprout, flourish, and spread.
I hope that you have enjoyed reading this blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Had I known a blog was so much work I may not have tackled it.
Check out the pictures from July 19 and July 20.
God bless you and God bless our friends in Estonia
Randy Mac
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
In the Shakespeare play Romeo And Juliet Act 2, scene 2 Juliet bids Romeo farewell with the words "...good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow..." This statement might very well be representative of the VIM team members on Saturday as we prepared to leave the Mission and Ahja for home. The week in Ahja was full of new sites, new sounds, new friends, and new opportunities to share the love Christ with both our Christian brethern (and sistern) in Estonia and those who do not yet know Christ. However, and I certainly can not speak for the others, I was homesick and ready to sleep in my own bed without the serenade of my least favorite musical group "SNORE." Since there are several days to cover in this final post I will break it down into days or maybe even into events. I'll just start and we'll see where it takes us. Who knows, maybe I can drag this out for another week.
Forget me nots:
Perhaps the most touching activity during my stay at Ahja occurred on Saturday morning. Rein had asked that a small group of us go to the nearby nursing home and sing to the residents there. Becca, Callie, Javier, and I formed a quartet to sing hymns to the residents in the nursing home. Greg and Rein accompanied us to provide moral support and visit with the residents. As you might expect in a village of only 600 the nursing home was small. I think all-in-all we saw fewer that 20 residents. As you know many nursing homes appear dirty and often smell. This was not the case here. The home appeared clean and did not have an unpleasant odor. We sang in the hall with only three residents in visible attendance. Rein said the others would listen from their rooms. We sang several hymns and Becca and Callie sang a couple of duets. Though they did not understand our words it was obvious that the residents recognized the songs are were touched. After singing we went into the rooms for a short visit with the residents. Like many nursing home patients in our country, the people here were ill and and lonely. Many relished the opportunity to visit with us even though the language barrier prevented much coherent conversation. As we were leaving one man asked us into his room where he gave the girls fresh flowers that he had picked and shared fresh fruit with the rest of us. All at the same time this visit was uplifting and depressing. Uplifting in that it was obvious that at least some of these people were Christians who were touched by the Word shared with them through familiar song. Depressing because like here in the States, many of these people are either without family or are not visited by their families.
What a Reception:
At noon on Saturday Rein, Jana, Tairi, Pilve, and Merrilee hosted a going away reception for us. Members from both the church at Karsa and the church at Rapina as well as Kairi the librarian and other folks from the community came to bid us a fond farewell. We were presented individual gifts by Rein and Jana and by Kairi. We were also presented a gift for the church by Rein and another by Jahn. These will be on display in the church library. Tairi, Pilve, and Merrilee prepared cake and punch. It was especially rewarding to see several children in attendance who had attended children's day. I was especially surprised and pleased to see a couple of teenage boys, who, in my observation seem to be the hardest to reach. At about 2:00 we piled in the van and headed north toward Tallinn.
Moose or elk, you decide:
As we were driving from Tallinn to Ahja 10 days earlier we noticed many moose crossing signs. Maybe I have just lived a sheltered life but I do not recall ever having seen a moose crossing sign. I WANTED A PICTURE! On the way in I did not have the opportunity to get one. On the return trip I made a point of informing our driver, Ivo, that I would like to get a photo of a moose crossing sign. Now you must understand that Ivo did not understand English so I was forced to use the international sign language for MOOSE.
However, Ivo obviously confused this most obvious of signs for ELK. Instead of pulling up to a Moose crossing sign he pulled up to an Elk crossing sign. To be polite I hopped out and snapped a photo of the Elk Crossing sign but climbing back into the van I was determined to bag a moose. If you remember the post from our Tallinn to Ahja drive we participated in drive by shootings. I knew this was my only hope to capture a moose crossing sign. As we zipped by sign after sign, time after time I shot and time after time I missed but with each shot I learned. Finally it happened. My aim was true and my finger was quick. From this point forward road signs everywhere will tremble at the mention of my name.
Forget me nots:
Perhaps the most touching activity during my stay at Ahja occurred on Saturday morning. Rein had asked that a small group of us go to the nearby nursing home and sing to the residents there. Becca, Callie, Javier, and I formed a quartet to sing hymns to the residents in the nursing home. Greg and Rein accompanied us to provide moral support and visit with the residents. As you might expect in a village of only 600 the nursing home was small. I think all-in-all we saw fewer that 20 residents. As you know many nursing homes appear dirty and often smell. This was not the case here. The home appeared clean and did not have an unpleasant odor. We sang in the hall with only three residents in visible attendance. Rein said the others would listen from their rooms. We sang several hymns and Becca and Callie sang a couple of duets. Though they did not understand our words it was obvious that the residents recognized the songs are were touched. After singing we went into the rooms for a short visit with the residents. Like many nursing home patients in our country, the people here were ill and and lonely. Many relished the opportunity to visit with us even though the language barrier prevented much coherent conversation. As we were leaving one man asked us into his room where he gave the girls fresh flowers that he had picked and shared fresh fruit with the rest of us. All at the same time this visit was uplifting and depressing. Uplifting in that it was obvious that at least some of these people were Christians who were touched by the Word shared with them through familiar song. Depressing because like here in the States, many of these people are either without family or are not visited by their families.
What a Reception:
At noon on Saturday Rein, Jana, Tairi, Pilve, and Merrilee hosted a going away reception for us. Members from both the church at Karsa and the church at Rapina as well as Kairi the librarian and other folks from the community came to bid us a fond farewell. We were presented individual gifts by Rein and Jana and by Kairi. We were also presented a gift for the church by Rein and another by Jahn. These will be on display in the church library. Tairi, Pilve, and Merrilee prepared cake and punch. It was especially rewarding to see several children in attendance who had attended children's day. I was especially surprised and pleased to see a couple of teenage boys, who, in my observation seem to be the hardest to reach. At about 2:00 we piled in the van and headed north toward Tallinn.
Moose or elk, you decide:
As we were driving from Tallinn to Ahja 10 days earlier we noticed many moose crossing signs. Maybe I have just lived a sheltered life but I do not recall ever having seen a moose crossing sign. I WANTED A PICTURE! On the way in I did not have the opportunity to get one. On the return trip I made a point of informing our driver, Ivo, that I would like to get a photo of a moose crossing sign. Now you must understand that Ivo did not understand English so I was forced to use the international sign language for MOOSE.
However, Ivo obviously confused this most obvious of signs for ELK. Instead of pulling up to a Moose crossing sign he pulled up to an Elk crossing sign. To be polite I hopped out and snapped a photo of the Elk Crossing sign but climbing back into the van I was determined to bag a moose. If you remember the post from our Tallinn to Ahja drive we participated in drive by shootings. I knew this was my only hope to capture a moose crossing sign. As we zipped by sign after sign, time after time I shot and time after time I missed but with each shot I learned. Finally it happened. My aim was true and my finger was quick. From this point forward road signs everywhere will tremble at the mention of my name.
Obviously, one success does not necessarily lead to another. I successfully captured a moose crossing sign on film, well not on film exactly, how about on electronic media? However, I did not successfully get everything into this post in the allotted time. So I'll quit for now but stay tuned for our time in Tallinn and the trip home.
Remember, Jesus loves you.
Randy Mac
Friday, July 18, 2008
My Father's Words of Wisdom
It's funny, the things we remember , sometimes for only the vaguest of reasons, and sometimes for no reason at all. Three such memories came to me today, one for a vague reason, and I suppose the other two because of the first, or maybe for no reason at all. The memories that came flooding back today were, ha, probably still are, words of wisdom given to me by my father. My father is nearly 88 years old so has had lots of time to gain and share wisdom. However, these words were passed down to me in my youth, so it was long before he had time to acquire the wisdom he surely possesses today. Decide for yourself. They are listed her in the reverse order that I recalled them only this morning.
3. It's not how well you sing, it's how loudly you sing! (That should explain a lot Celeste)
2. What's as awful as a waffle? (Much later he did come up with an answer that I will share with you if you are truly interested)
1. If you don't get as much paint on you as on the wall you're not doing a good job.
This one, number one. numero uno, ein, un, üks if your in Estonia, came to me because we were painting today. We started painting in the classrooms this morning. As the paint went on, the old paint underneath began to blister, bubble, and peel. In those spots where there was no old paint, the new paint would blister, bubble and peel. Not only did Casi, Becca, and Callie get paint on them when painting, Wayne Gregg and Randy got paint on themselves while removing the blistering paint from the ceiling. about lunch time we determined, with the help of Rein and Javier that painting the ceiling was a hopeless cause and that we would move on to the walls. The problem here was that the very cool, humid conditions, and lack of adequate ventilation had prevented the sheetrock mud that we wrestled with yesterday(and some more today for that matter) from drying. So the decision was made to paint what could be painted. I must admit that I was disappointed. I had hoped to leave Estonia with two newly refinished rooms. Alas it was not to be. I was comforted however, by the revelation that most EstoniaVIM teams must leave before the projects on which they work are completed. The Mission does acquire the services of a very able local man, Uuno, who often completes the projects. Uuno will be left with a little mudding, a little sanding, a little electrical work, some painting, and a big decision on what to do with the ceiling. The rooms do have new electrical wiring, new sheetrock walls, and new window sills.
Some people will do anything to get out of work. Callie was so distressed over the situation with the ceiling that she brutally attacked Becca. When she jambed her thumb into Beccas thigh there was a loud noise that some have described as a POP!. Others thought it was more of a CRUNCH! Still others explained as a CRACK! All agreed that what followed was a blood curdling scream. Though not broken, Callie's thumb did swell to about the size of a Ball Park Frank. Unable to hold a paintbrush, a roller, or a putty knife, her work day was done. The moral to the story... Becca's hips sink grips!
While all of the work in the classroom, or no work as was the case with Callie, Casi, Randy and Rein headed to Rapina to put a second coat of paint on the floor. Casi is the first person I have known who wears rubber gloves; yes, on her hands, when she paints. Her gloves were coated in red paint. I'll have to ask my father if the quality of the paint job is in any way proportional to the amount of paint that may happen to get on a pair of rubber gloves. The job at Rapina went fairly quickly. Rein knew of some cherry trees behind the Rapina church so the three of us picked cherries. Paula Mac makes the world's best pies. Had she been on this trip we might have convinced her to make a cherry pie, since she is not, we settled for bowlsful of cherries on the table. There are still plenty remaining. Rapina is a very nice little town of about 3000 souls. I asked Rein if we could drive around and see some of the sites. We stopped at the Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church, and the memorial to Estonia's independence from Russia in 1920 not to be confused with Estonia's independence from the USSR in the 1990's)
Between Rapina and Ahja we stopped at a building that had once been a Lutheran church but had been converted to a grain drying barn by the Soviets. That reminds me of an interesting factoid I learned yesterday...Etstonia's growing season is so short that most grains, such as wheat, barley, etc..do not have time to fully ripen so they are cut green and put in drying barns.
The Last Supper
No, not the last supper of Christ spent with his disciples in the Upper Room; the last supper to which I am referring is the supper we had here at the Mission in Ahja. It was our last dinner here. We will leave tomorrow for Tallin about 14:00, that's 2:00 PM in Oklanese. The time spent here in Ahja was a time of great joy, a time of sharing, a time of caring, a time of work, a time of play, a time of frustration, a time for new friendships with both Estonian and American friends but not much time for sleep. Rein told me that approximately 25% of the Estonian population claim to be Christian but ony about 8% are "practicing" Christians. It is a great mission field and I hope FUMC, and each of us on the team, will continue to take an active role.
This could very well be the last post until we return home. I will try to provide a final post, with information about the trip home after our return,
Check out the photos in the folder below labeled Friday July 18.
In Christ,
Randy Mac
3. It's not how well you sing, it's how loudly you sing! (That should explain a lot Celeste)
2. What's as awful as a waffle? (Much later he did come up with an answer that I will share with you if you are truly interested)
1. If you don't get as much paint on you as on the wall you're not doing a good job.
This one, number one. numero uno, ein, un, üks if your in Estonia, came to me because we were painting today. We started painting in the classrooms this morning. As the paint went on, the old paint underneath began to blister, bubble, and peel. In those spots where there was no old paint, the new paint would blister, bubble and peel. Not only did Casi, Becca, and Callie get paint on them when painting, Wayne Gregg and Randy got paint on themselves while removing the blistering paint from the ceiling. about lunch time we determined, with the help of Rein and Javier that painting the ceiling was a hopeless cause and that we would move on to the walls. The problem here was that the very cool, humid conditions, and lack of adequate ventilation had prevented the sheetrock mud that we wrestled with yesterday(and some more today for that matter) from drying. So the decision was made to paint what could be painted. I must admit that I was disappointed. I had hoped to leave Estonia with two newly refinished rooms. Alas it was not to be. I was comforted however, by the revelation that most EstoniaVIM teams must leave before the projects on which they work are completed. The Mission does acquire the services of a very able local man, Uuno, who often completes the projects. Uuno will be left with a little mudding, a little sanding, a little electrical work, some painting, and a big decision on what to do with the ceiling. The rooms do have new electrical wiring, new sheetrock walls, and new window sills.
Some people will do anything to get out of work. Callie was so distressed over the situation with the ceiling that she brutally attacked Becca. When she jambed her thumb into Beccas thigh there was a loud noise that some have described as a POP!. Others thought it was more of a CRUNCH! Still others explained as a CRACK! All agreed that what followed was a blood curdling scream. Though not broken, Callie's thumb did swell to about the size of a Ball Park Frank. Unable to hold a paintbrush, a roller, or a putty knife, her work day was done. The moral to the story... Becca's hips sink grips!
While all of the work in the classroom, or no work as was the case with Callie, Casi, Randy and Rein headed to Rapina to put a second coat of paint on the floor. Casi is the first person I have known who wears rubber gloves; yes, on her hands, when she paints. Her gloves were coated in red paint. I'll have to ask my father if the quality of the paint job is in any way proportional to the amount of paint that may happen to get on a pair of rubber gloves. The job at Rapina went fairly quickly. Rein knew of some cherry trees behind the Rapina church so the three of us picked cherries. Paula Mac makes the world's best pies. Had she been on this trip we might have convinced her to make a cherry pie, since she is not, we settled for bowlsful of cherries on the table. There are still plenty remaining. Rapina is a very nice little town of about 3000 souls. I asked Rein if we could drive around and see some of the sites. We stopped at the Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church, and the memorial to Estonia's independence from Russia in 1920 not to be confused with Estonia's independence from the USSR in the 1990's)
Between Rapina and Ahja we stopped at a building that had once been a Lutheran church but had been converted to a grain drying barn by the Soviets. That reminds me of an interesting factoid I learned yesterday...Etstonia's growing season is so short that most grains, such as wheat, barley, etc..do not have time to fully ripen so they are cut green and put in drying barns.
The Last Supper
No, not the last supper of Christ spent with his disciples in the Upper Room; the last supper to which I am referring is the supper we had here at the Mission in Ahja. It was our last dinner here. We will leave tomorrow for Tallin about 14:00, that's 2:00 PM in Oklanese. The time spent here in Ahja was a time of great joy, a time of sharing, a time of caring, a time of work, a time of play, a time of frustration, a time for new friendships with both Estonian and American friends but not much time for sleep. Rein told me that approximately 25% of the Estonian population claim to be Christian but ony about 8% are "practicing" Christians. It is a great mission field and I hope FUMC, and each of us on the team, will continue to take an active role.
This could very well be the last post until we return home. I will try to provide a final post, with information about the trip home after our return,
Check out the photos in the folder below labeled Friday July 18.
In Christ,
Randy Mac
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Mud Wrestlin'
Only two days to complete our projects and what do we do? Mud Wrestle! that's right, Mud Wrestle! I'm not talkin' about just a little mud. When we get in the mud we get in all the way. I'm talkin' about over 30 litres of gooey sticky mud. No I didn't say gallons. I said L-I-T-R-E-S folks. This must be 30 litres of the ooiest, gooiest, stickiest stuff developed by man.
Oh! You caught that? A litre is less than a gallon? 30 litres is approximately 12 gallons? Well, you've got to admit that is a lot of mud right? When you get in a bathtub with twelve gallons of mud you are going to get pretty darn muddy, right? No, We didn't get in a bathtub full of mud. We got down in it, down and dirty as they say. We wrestled with the mud! We stuck our hands right down in the bucket of mud and we wrestled. Well, maybe it was more arm wrestlin' with the mud. OK, only thumb wrestlin, but we wrestled! and usually the mud won. Why all of the mud wrestlin'? Like I said at the beginning only two days to complete the project. All of the sheetrock is up and we are taping and mudding the joints. Some of the joints received their 3rd coat of mud today. Some newly installed sheetrock received only the first layer of mud, but every joint today received a layer of mud.
Oh! You caught that? A litre is less than a gallon? 30 litres is approximately 12 gallons? Well, you've got to admit that is a lot of mud right? When you get in a bathtub with twelve gallons of mud you are going to get pretty darn muddy, right? No, We didn't get in a bathtub full of mud. We got down in it, down and dirty as they say. We wrestled with the mud! We stuck our hands right down in the bucket of mud and we wrestled. Well, maybe it was more arm wrestlin' with the mud. OK, only thumb wrestlin, but we wrestled! and usually the mud won. Why all of the mud wrestlin'? Like I said at the beginning only two days to complete the project. All of the sheetrock is up and we are taping and mudding the joints. Some of the joints received their 3rd coat of mud today. Some newly installed sheetrock received only the first layer of mud, but every joint today received a layer of mud.
After lunch today, 4 from the team went to Rapina to work at the church there and then attend a prayer meeting this evening. That left on 7 at the Mission to mud wrestle. The mud wrestlin' ring is really too small for 11 wrestlers but 7 were able to grapple with ferocity. With any luck, we will have the ceiling painted and the walls ready to paint by the end of the day. If so, our goal will have been achieved. It's hard to use your camera when you are mud wrestlin' , so I took a total of one picture. Apparently the sport of mud wrestlin' is pretty popular in some social circles. The most famous mud wrestlers seem to always be women. So I took a picture today of a woman mud wrestler.
Casi has the mud on the ropes.
Go Casi Go
Go Casi Go
Becca, Javier, Gregg and Wayne all went to Rapina. Now Becca says that the job wasn't supposed to start until they arrived at Rapina but Wayne worked sawing logs all the way there and his chain saw was working at full tilt. They begin by painting the sanctuary. Apparently, we have another Gilligan's Island type story however. Javier and Rein decided to go get paint brushes and rollers. They managed to be gone just long enough for Becca, Gregg, and Wayne to finish the job. Because they were so fast Rein decided that a floor in another room needed painted as well. At least this time Jav and Rein stuck around.
Dinner was prepared by Jahn's wife, Elli. It consisted of liver chopped fine and put in a gravy. The gravy was served over mashed potatoes with horseradish. This was the first time that Becca had ever had liver. She said it was good but the horseradish was hot. She cooled if off by devouring cucumbers.
After dinner our 4 teammates attended a parayer meeting at the Rapina church. during the prayer meeting Becca sang a solo, You Raise Me Up. She did so well that they ask her to do another, How Can I Keep From Singing? For her encore she sang As the Deer. I gather that a tradition in the Estonian Methodist Church is for individuals to give testimonials. Like you might expect from the 3 bears Javier gave a long testimonial, Wayne gave a medium length testimonial, and Becca's testimony was just right. But the kicker of the evening as our good friend Jahn. you may remember Jahn as our driver to and from Rapina last Sunday during mud puddle derby. Apparently Jahn is a quite the talker. He gave the great big grand-daddy testimony, a long winded affair that included three separate long stories.
This evening we are enjoying the company of Kaire. She is the librarian that escorted us during our brief Ahja history tour. She appears to be very knowledgeable about Estonia and many other things. She also accomanied on our ant tour and was with us when we hit the mother load of ant hills.
Well, no pictures tonight, only took one today and it's already in here.
Randy Mac
Dinner was prepared by Jahn's wife, Elli. It consisted of liver chopped fine and put in a gravy. The gravy was served over mashed potatoes with horseradish. This was the first time that Becca had ever had liver. She said it was good but the horseradish was hot. She cooled if off by devouring cucumbers.
After dinner our 4 teammates attended a parayer meeting at the Rapina church. during the prayer meeting Becca sang a solo, You Raise Me Up. She did so well that they ask her to do another, How Can I Keep From Singing? For her encore she sang As the Deer. I gather that a tradition in the Estonian Methodist Church is for individuals to give testimonials. Like you might expect from the 3 bears Javier gave a long testimonial, Wayne gave a medium length testimonial, and Becca's testimony was just right. But the kicker of the evening as our good friend Jahn. you may remember Jahn as our driver to and from Rapina last Sunday during mud puddle derby. Apparently Jahn is a quite the talker. He gave the great big grand-daddy testimony, a long winded affair that included three separate long stories.
This evening we are enjoying the company of Kaire. She is the librarian that escorted us during our brief Ahja history tour. She appears to be very knowledgeable about Estonia and many other things. She also accomanied on our ant tour and was with us when we hit the mother load of ant hills.
Well, no pictures tonight, only took one today and it's already in here.
Randy Mac
The Girls Room
The following post was made by Callie
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You have heard the many tales of the Boys Room and their harmonious sounds. It is time to hear the girls side. We have five girls in a smaller room than the boys, yet we are cozy. We open our windows during the day to let in the wonderful weather, and we shut them at night to keep out the mosquito's. When it comes about time to go to bed, surprisingly the young ones are the first ones to hit lights out. I, usually being the first, am told that I make several different noises. I mumble, grit my teeth, blow out fires, and plead "ow". Towards the beginning of the week Lauri and Kay were the first ones to bed and they both did not believe their husbands that they too snore. Kay's snore is more of a soft whimper. Lauri's snore is more of a gaffaw that she can't hear for her ear plugs. When woken up in my sleep Casi and Becca can be heard. Casi also mumbles and create noises resembling uh-huh. Becca on the other hand moves constantly in her bed while lisping her breath with saliva. She claims drooling is her new trait in Estonia, waking up in a puddle (more like a pond) of her own spit. None of the noises anyone makes really bother anyone else, we can all still sleep and that is all that counts. The one noise taking presidence in our room is what girls are notorious for, bathroom breaks. And yes, even in our sleep we can wake up and go to the restroom in groups of two. Who knew?
Not as good as Randy Mac...
~Callie
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You have heard the many tales of the Boys Room and their harmonious sounds. It is time to hear the girls side. We have five girls in a smaller room than the boys, yet we are cozy. We open our windows during the day to let in the wonderful weather, and we shut them at night to keep out the mosquito's. When it comes about time to go to bed, surprisingly the young ones are the first ones to hit lights out. I, usually being the first, am told that I make several different noises. I mumble, grit my teeth, blow out fires, and plead "ow". Towards the beginning of the week Lauri and Kay were the first ones to bed and they both did not believe their husbands that they too snore. Kay's snore is more of a soft whimper. Lauri's snore is more of a gaffaw that she can't hear for her ear plugs. When woken up in my sleep Casi and Becca can be heard. Casi also mumbles and create noises resembling uh-huh. Becca on the other hand moves constantly in her bed while lisping her breath with saliva. She claims drooling is her new trait in Estonia, waking up in a puddle (more like a pond) of her own spit. None of the noises anyone makes really bother anyone else, we can all still sleep and that is all that counts. The one noise taking presidence in our room is what girls are notorious for, bathroom breaks. And yes, even in our sleep we can wake up and go to the restroom in groups of two. Who knew?
Not as good as Randy Mac...
~Callie
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Ants in My Pants
The revised jingle below (Sung to the tune of She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain) will give you a flavor of our day. Between each verse I have provided detail
(Sung to the tune of She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain)
There is work so don't shirk
Get 'er done
There is work so don't shirk
Get 'er done
Ol' Lar he makes the ha-ack
The rest, we mud the cra-ack
There is work so don't shirk
Get ér done.
We woke up bright and early, well Javier woke up bright and early. I barely managed to get up in time to make devotions at 6:45. I wasn't the last, however. We won't say who was will we Maurice? It'll be our little secret. Becca provided the devotion. She reminded us that we are tired and may tend to be short tempered, impatient, etc... She read scripture about Jesus sending out the disciples with just their tunics and their sandals, instructing them to preach the word. If they were accepted great, if not move on. She encouraged us to have the temperament that Jesus expected of his disciples. Breakfast was great as usual. We then went upstairs to continue work on the rooms.
Twenty child runnin' wild
and playin' games
Twenty child runnin' wild
and playin' games.
In crafts another twenty
And in music there are plenty
Twenty child runnin' wild
and playin' games.
About 10:30 we took a break from our labors to prepare for Kid's Day. Casi took us on a walk through of the 3 stations; games, music/lessons, and crafts. Lauri and Gregg (notice the correct spelling of both names...and I thought Estonian names were difficult) were in charge of games. Becca and Callie handled the music and lesson, and Kay and Wayne were the crafty ones. Javier, Larry and I were "lifeguards." I think that was Casi's nice way of saying we would hang around and not do much. We were scheduled to start at 11:00 but didn't actually get started until about 11:15. The approximately 50 children were divided into three groups. Each group spent twenty minutes at each station. After each station the lifeguards would escort them to the next station. After we had made 6 rotations we headed to the fire pit where the kids, and even some adults, roasted weiners and marshmallows.Tairi and Pilve also made potato salad to complement this gourmet feast. Casi was kept hopping by taking photos and trying to get them all printed before the kids needed to put them in the picture frames that they made in the craft station. I think the day went very well. Kudos to Casi who had the event well planned and organized.
There are ants in my pants
get'em out
There are ants in my pants
get 'im out.
Casi she's a bawlin'
Cause the ants on her are crawlin'
There are ants in my pants
Get 'im out.
After lunch, Rein offered to take us to see the largest ant hills in Europe, only a stones throw away from Ahja. most, but not all of us took him up on the offer. With only two small cars it took several trips to get us all to the ant place. There were ant hills, larger than I had ever seen, close to the road. At first they looked just like large piles of pine needles, but upon further inspection the whole pile seemed to move. It was covered in ants. Casi said it made her squeamish, thus the dity above. The really big ant hills however, were purportedly a short walk thru the woods. So we walked, and we walked, and we walked, and we walked some more until we finally reached a gate that said something in Estonian. Rein translated it and said "Do Not Enter." I'm not sure if it really did or if Rein was just tired of walking. We took Rein's word for it and headed back toward the highway. Since three trips were required to bring our group, do you think it took three trips to get us all back?..............Yes! while Rein was delivering the first group the rest of us wondered off of the beaten track. Deep in the woods we discovered.......drum roll please........monster pile. There must have been about a gazillion ants in that den. I bet it was over 5-1/2 feet high. I am 6'´5" and only my head stood higher than the ant den. After we shook, stomped, swatted, and brushed the invading ants off of our clothing we headed, at a brisk pace toward the road. Rein did deliver us all safely and and ant bite free back to the mission.
There's a skeeto in my speedo
Get 'im out.
There's a skeeto in my speedo
Get 'im out
Randy Mac he's got a dozen
you can here those suckers buzzin'
There's a skeeto in my speedo
Get 'im out
Though none of us had ant bites the skeeters were another story. We went to see ants. nobody said nuttin' about skeeters. If there were a gazillion and there must have been 2 gazzillion mosquitoes. The ant dens are protected by the Estonian government. Most of the forest has been put off limits unless you have a designated guide. We did not have a designated guide. It is very possible that the mosquitoes were introduced by the Estonian Department of Antery to discourage visitors.
We ate deer no, not steer
On the farm
We ate deer, no not steer
On the farm
We had goat and spuds, a slew
Gravy and Ice cream too
We ate deer, no not steer
On the farm.
After returning from our great adventure at Jurassic Ant Park Rein informed us that we were going someplace to eat. He did not tell us where. Like the trek to antdom we required multiple trips to get us all to dinner. We were delivered to Tairi's, house on a neat little farm not too far from Ajha. I was impressed that the house was painted Estonian yellow. They had prepared a meal of venison and potatoes. While we eating they also roasted wild goat's meat over a wood coals. I had never had goats meat. I was very pleasantly surprised it was tender and quite tasty.
Well, that was our day in Estonia. Tomorrow some of us will go to Rapina to paint the floor of the church and maybe build a new stairway.
We'll keep you posted.
Check the photos from today, labeled Wednesday July 16, at the bottom of the page. (Oops, I lost some pictures, I'll add more tomorrow)
God's Blessings,
Randy Mac
(Sung to the tune of She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain)
There is work so don't shirk
Get 'er done
There is work so don't shirk
Get 'er done
Ol' Lar he makes the ha-ack
The rest, we mud the cra-ack
There is work so don't shirk
Get ér done.
We woke up bright and early, well Javier woke up bright and early. I barely managed to get up in time to make devotions at 6:45. I wasn't the last, however. We won't say who was will we Maurice? It'll be our little secret. Becca provided the devotion. She reminded us that we are tired and may tend to be short tempered, impatient, etc... She read scripture about Jesus sending out the disciples with just their tunics and their sandals, instructing them to preach the word. If they were accepted great, if not move on. She encouraged us to have the temperament that Jesus expected of his disciples. Breakfast was great as usual. We then went upstairs to continue work on the rooms.
Twenty child runnin' wild
and playin' games
Twenty child runnin' wild
and playin' games.
In crafts another twenty
And in music there are plenty
Twenty child runnin' wild
and playin' games.
About 10:30 we took a break from our labors to prepare for Kid's Day. Casi took us on a walk through of the 3 stations; games, music/lessons, and crafts. Lauri and Gregg (notice the correct spelling of both names...and I thought Estonian names were difficult) were in charge of games. Becca and Callie handled the music and lesson, and Kay and Wayne were the crafty ones. Javier, Larry and I were "lifeguards." I think that was Casi's nice way of saying we would hang around and not do much. We were scheduled to start at 11:00 but didn't actually get started until about 11:15. The approximately 50 children were divided into three groups. Each group spent twenty minutes at each station. After each station the lifeguards would escort them to the next station. After we had made 6 rotations we headed to the fire pit where the kids, and even some adults, roasted weiners and marshmallows.Tairi and Pilve also made potato salad to complement this gourmet feast. Casi was kept hopping by taking photos and trying to get them all printed before the kids needed to put them in the picture frames that they made in the craft station. I think the day went very well. Kudos to Casi who had the event well planned and organized.
There are ants in my pants
get'em out
There are ants in my pants
get 'im out.
Casi she's a bawlin'
Cause the ants on her are crawlin'
There are ants in my pants
Get 'im out.
After lunch, Rein offered to take us to see the largest ant hills in Europe, only a stones throw away from Ahja. most, but not all of us took him up on the offer. With only two small cars it took several trips to get us all to the ant place. There were ant hills, larger than I had ever seen, close to the road. At first they looked just like large piles of pine needles, but upon further inspection the whole pile seemed to move. It was covered in ants. Casi said it made her squeamish, thus the dity above. The really big ant hills however, were purportedly a short walk thru the woods. So we walked, and we walked, and we walked, and we walked some more until we finally reached a gate that said something in Estonian. Rein translated it and said "Do Not Enter." I'm not sure if it really did or if Rein was just tired of walking. We took Rein's word for it and headed back toward the highway. Since three trips were required to bring our group, do you think it took three trips to get us all back?..............Yes! while Rein was delivering the first group the rest of us wondered off of the beaten track. Deep in the woods we discovered.......drum roll please........monster pile. There must have been about a gazillion ants in that den. I bet it was over 5-1/2 feet high. I am 6'´5" and only my head stood higher than the ant den. After we shook, stomped, swatted, and brushed the invading ants off of our clothing we headed, at a brisk pace toward the road. Rein did deliver us all safely and and ant bite free back to the mission.
There's a skeeto in my speedo
Get 'im out.
There's a skeeto in my speedo
Get 'im out
Randy Mac he's got a dozen
you can here those suckers buzzin'
There's a skeeto in my speedo
Get 'im out
Though none of us had ant bites the skeeters were another story. We went to see ants. nobody said nuttin' about skeeters. If there were a gazillion and there must have been 2 gazzillion mosquitoes. The ant dens are protected by the Estonian government. Most of the forest has been put off limits unless you have a designated guide. We did not have a designated guide. It is very possible that the mosquitoes were introduced by the Estonian Department of Antery to discourage visitors.
We ate deer no, not steer
On the farm
We ate deer, no not steer
On the farm
We had goat and spuds, a slew
Gravy and Ice cream too
We ate deer, no not steer
On the farm.
After returning from our great adventure at Jurassic Ant Park Rein informed us that we were going someplace to eat. He did not tell us where. Like the trek to antdom we required multiple trips to get us all to dinner. We were delivered to Tairi's, house on a neat little farm not too far from Ajha. I was impressed that the house was painted Estonian yellow. They had prepared a meal of venison and potatoes. While we eating they also roasted wild goat's meat over a wood coals. I had never had goats meat. I was very pleasantly surprised it was tender and quite tasty.
Well, that was our day in Estonia. Tomorrow some of us will go to Rapina to paint the floor of the church and maybe build a new stairway.
We'll keep you posted.
Check the photos from today, labeled Wednesday July 16, at the bottom of the page. (Oops, I lost some pictures, I'll add more tomorrow)
God's Blessings,
Randy Mac
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Boring
Sorry folks. This may be one boring post. I'm tired and not a lot of interesting activities occured. We all woke up in the morning at the Mission, had devotions at the Mission, ate breakfast at the Mission, worked all morning at the Mission, ate lunch at the Mission, worked all afternoon at the Mission, ate dinner at the Mission, got out for a short historic tour of Ahja, Watched a documentary called the Singing Revolution at, you guessed it, the Mission.
The only excitement today was the horse pulled cart that went by the Mission. Lauri followed it to the local pharmacy and then over to the Pood (small grocery store) where she asked the driver if she could take his picture. He willingly agreed and posed for the picture. I managed to chase it down on it's return trip but my pictures aren't nearly so good, maybe because instead of asking for a close up I zoomed in from afar.
We did make some progress on the construction in the two Sunday school rooms. Three of the four walls in the smaller room have been sheetrocked. Two of the walls in the larger room have been sheetrocked as well. Concerned that we might not have enough sheetrock a few more sheets were ordered this morning and finally delivered this evening. Twelve of us in two small rooms made for a crowded work space. With saw dust flying, sheetrock mud splattering, drills whirring, and workers whining, it was a dirty, noisy place to be. The crowd diminished somewhat after lunch when Casi, Calli, and Becca went to work on preparations for Children's Day which will be held tomorrow from 11:00 until 2:00. The crowd diminshed some more when Mr. Howe and the Professor, I mean Wayne and Rein, set off on another tour in search of sheetrock mud, sheetrock knives, and other materials required, or at least desired to complete the job. Amazingly enough they returned in short order.
We did have two minor injuries today. Becca was shocked to find that when you touch two bare hot wires with your arm they send a not so pleasant sensation into your body. She has returned to her old giggly self but it did leave a mark on the arm. Kay rushed out to get her camera when the horse and wagon went by but suddenly stopped short when she was impaled by a nail. She has a band-aid on it and claims that she is fine
After dinner Rein had arranged a historical tour of the area around the Mission here in Ahja, primarily buildings and grounds associated with the Manor House that I have mentioned in previous posts. In addition to Rein our guides were the local museum curator and the local librarian. At the conclusion of the tour we went to the library and to the museum, which is upstairs above the library. Following the tour Rein set up a DVD projector and we watched The Singing Revolution. This is a documentary about Estonia's quest for and the achievement of freedom from the Soviet Union. Not a drop of blood was spilled during the Singing Revolution.
I'll post pictures tomorrow.
Again, I apologize for the quality and quantity of this post. Now that we are working on the construction projects the days tend t be the same.
In the words of Red Skelton, Good night and may God bless.
Randy Mac
The only excitement today was the horse pulled cart that went by the Mission. Lauri followed it to the local pharmacy and then over to the Pood (small grocery store) where she asked the driver if she could take his picture. He willingly agreed and posed for the picture. I managed to chase it down on it's return trip but my pictures aren't nearly so good, maybe because instead of asking for a close up I zoomed in from afar.
We did make some progress on the construction in the two Sunday school rooms. Three of the four walls in the smaller room have been sheetrocked. Two of the walls in the larger room have been sheetrocked as well. Concerned that we might not have enough sheetrock a few more sheets were ordered this morning and finally delivered this evening. Twelve of us in two small rooms made for a crowded work space. With saw dust flying, sheetrock mud splattering, drills whirring, and workers whining, it was a dirty, noisy place to be. The crowd diminished somewhat after lunch when Casi, Calli, and Becca went to work on preparations for Children's Day which will be held tomorrow from 11:00 until 2:00. The crowd diminshed some more when Mr. Howe and the Professor, I mean Wayne and Rein, set off on another tour in search of sheetrock mud, sheetrock knives, and other materials required, or at least desired to complete the job. Amazingly enough they returned in short order.
We did have two minor injuries today. Becca was shocked to find that when you touch two bare hot wires with your arm they send a not so pleasant sensation into your body. She has returned to her old giggly self but it did leave a mark on the arm. Kay rushed out to get her camera when the horse and wagon went by but suddenly stopped short when she was impaled by a nail. She has a band-aid on it and claims that she is fine
After dinner Rein had arranged a historical tour of the area around the Mission here in Ahja, primarily buildings and grounds associated with the Manor House that I have mentioned in previous posts. In addition to Rein our guides were the local museum curator and the local librarian. At the conclusion of the tour we went to the library and to the museum, which is upstairs above the library. Following the tour Rein set up a DVD projector and we watched The Singing Revolution. This is a documentary about Estonia's quest for and the achievement of freedom from the Soviet Union. Not a drop of blood was spilled during the Singing Revolution.
I'll post pictures tomorrow.
Again, I apologize for the quality and quantity of this post. Now that we are working on the construction projects the days tend t be the same.
In the words of Red Skelton, Good night and may God bless.
Randy Mac
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