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
Monday, July 14, 2008
A Stripper
There's just something about Estonia that makes sleep less necessary. In Oklahoma I'm up by the crack of 10:00. On a bad day in Estonia I roll out of bed about 4:15; well after Javier and most of the other men have been up tromping through the room, digging through their suitcases and slamming the door; but on a good day I get up about 5:00. Today was a very bad day! The ladies get up about, well lets just say not so early. Since breakfast was at 8:00 and after showering, shaving, dressing, and having a cup or two of coffee it was only about 6:15 I decided to go fishin' in the lake behind the mission. The Mission has fishing poles already equipped with lures. I had my eyes set on "Nessie" the giant pike rumored to haunt the deep of the Mission lake. With rod in hand I headed for the dock. I have never claimed to be a fisherman and today's experience was proof positive that indeed I am not. My first two casts went straight ............. down and landed at my feet. Javier witnessed my inept fishing prowess and when I asked, he volunteered to show me how to do it. True to his word his cast was straight and true. I tried again. My cast went high, far and straight........into a tree on the far bank. The largest tree bass I have ever snagged. Again, Javier volunteered to show me how to put the lure right where I wanted it. He flipped the rod back, brought it forward with a flick of the wrist and released the line. It went not straight nor far but directly into the high bushes on the bank next to the dock.. while his tree bass was not nearly as large as mine it was much more difficult to reach and release. More than one of it's leafy fins were broken to retrieve the lure. Giving up on Nessie, we returned to another wonderful breakfast prepared by our friends Tairi and Pilve.
After breakfast Larry, Wayne, Maurice along with Rein headed to Torku, about 40 kilometers away, to buy materials for the projects that were to begin today. Their trip can best be compared to Gilligan's Island, you remember, the four hour tour that lasted until, well until the TV series ended several years later. How long can it take to drive 40 Km (about 25 miles) to buy 12 sheets of sheetrock, 12 rolls of wallpaper, and a couple of cans of paint? Generously, we'll give them 1 hour to get there, 1 hour back and, and 1 hour to pick up supplies right? WRONG-O-RAMA!!! Eight hours! It took 8 long hours to make a 50 mile trip! Unlike Gilligan's Island, there was no storm. I take that back, their was a thunderstorm reminiscient of Oklahoma's finest but it didn't hit until long after they should have returned.
With Larry, our construction leader, gone the rest of us were unsure exactly what to do. Then it happened! There was a picture of Jesus on the wall. Casi, knowing she couldn't do what she wanted with Jesus hanging, had him removed and put in the closet. AND THEN SHE BEGIN TO STRIP! Becca and Callie were so excited that they joined in. Folds of fabric begin to gather about their feet. Lauri started to strip, even Kay was stripping. Javier recommended some water and soon a fine, warm, soapy mist was accentuating the stripping experience. When the girls had removed all of their fabric the guys joined in and we all stripped together. By the time the wayfarers had returned at 5:00 we could strip no more. Four layers of wallpaper had been stripped in one Sunday school classroom, fabric wall panels had been removed from another Sunday school room, two doors taken down and paint removed from the hardware. All molding had been pulled off and the nails removed. The rooms were bare.
Between 4:00 and 5:00 we received a load of sheetrock for the walls of the smaller classroom. When Gilligan, The Captain, Mr. Howe, and the Professor...uh... I mean Larry, Maurice, Wayne, and Rein returned, they brought wallpaper, paste and sizing for the larger room. Since their return there has been some reconsideration about the larger room so another SCHEDULED 3 hour tour may be required.
In all seriousness, he Mission here in Ahja is a blessing to this community. Know that your continued prayers and you financial support are benefitting a wonderful ministry where the love of Christ is taught through word and deed.
Because all of the day was spent at the Mission there are no site seeing type photos to share. I have included photos of the remodel work that we are doing. See Monday July 14 at the bottom of this post.
Oh, by the way, while the fishing story is real, Nessie is a figment of my imagination.
Randy Mac
After breakfast Larry, Wayne, Maurice along with Rein headed to Torku, about 40 kilometers away, to buy materials for the projects that were to begin today. Their trip can best be compared to Gilligan's Island, you remember, the four hour tour that lasted until, well until the TV series ended several years later. How long can it take to drive 40 Km (about 25 miles) to buy 12 sheets of sheetrock, 12 rolls of wallpaper, and a couple of cans of paint? Generously, we'll give them 1 hour to get there, 1 hour back and, and 1 hour to pick up supplies right? WRONG-O-RAMA!!! Eight hours! It took 8 long hours to make a 50 mile trip! Unlike Gilligan's Island, there was no storm. I take that back, their was a thunderstorm reminiscient of Oklahoma's finest but it didn't hit until long after they should have returned.
With Larry, our construction leader, gone the rest of us were unsure exactly what to do. Then it happened! There was a picture of Jesus on the wall. Casi, knowing she couldn't do what she wanted with Jesus hanging, had him removed and put in the closet. AND THEN SHE BEGIN TO STRIP! Becca and Callie were so excited that they joined in. Folds of fabric begin to gather about their feet. Lauri started to strip, even Kay was stripping. Javier recommended some water and soon a fine, warm, soapy mist was accentuating the stripping experience. When the girls had removed all of their fabric the guys joined in and we all stripped together. By the time the wayfarers had returned at 5:00 we could strip no more. Four layers of wallpaper had been stripped in one Sunday school classroom, fabric wall panels had been removed from another Sunday school room, two doors taken down and paint removed from the hardware. All molding had been pulled off and the nails removed. The rooms were bare.
Between 4:00 and 5:00 we received a load of sheetrock for the walls of the smaller classroom. When Gilligan, The Captain, Mr. Howe, and the Professor...uh... I mean Larry, Maurice, Wayne, and Rein returned, they brought wallpaper, paste and sizing for the larger room. Since their return there has been some reconsideration about the larger room so another SCHEDULED 3 hour tour may be required.
In all seriousness, he Mission here in Ahja is a blessing to this community. Know that your continued prayers and you financial support are benefitting a wonderful ministry where the love of Christ is taught through word and deed.
Because all of the day was spent at the Mission there are no site seeing type photos to share. I have included photos of the remodel work that we are doing. See Monday July 14 at the bottom of this post.
Oh, by the way, while the fishing story is real, Nessie is a figment of my imagination.
Randy Mac
The View
The post below has been added by our team lead Javier.
Randy Mac
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Being able to watch the team interact with the people here is exciting. Exciting because they understand the purpose which is "To share the love of Jesus Christ in ways that make a Christian difference". Our task here is to help Pastor Rein which generally includes construction, or visiting with members of the congregation, Bible study, and children's day. Today we started the task of repairing/remodeling two Sunday School classrooms. While a part of the team went to buy supplies in the big city of Tartu, the remainder of the team prepared the walls and performed some demolition work. As you can decipher from the previous sentences, there is a difference between purpose and task. It is easy for us to get the two confused at times and which one we prioritize, the purpose or the task.
OUR VIEW. We always have this sense of duty that we must maximize our time and accomplish as much as possible in a short amount of time. This is the industrial side of our culture, production, pride, and sense of accomplishment.
GOD'S VIEW. Then there God's point of view which we fail to recognize at times. Today we were given time to recognize this view, his purpose for us being here. So, He reminded us with a taste of good ol' Oklahoma weather which caused a power failure. This shut production down for a while and what a blessing it was. To see the team interact with the children, build new relations with our brothers and sisters here in Estonia, visit with the Pastor, build new relations with each other, and admit that we needed a reminder.
Team Leader's View. This is the most rewarding part of being on the team, watching the team interact with each other and expand their world as God works in their lives. To see our District Superintendent go out and practice what he preaches. Becca and Callie with angelic voices and the giggliest girls who spread smiles to all. Casi, who is diligently working on kid's day to make sure it is a success. Larry the builder, being adamant about giving his best on this task ahead of him and to leave behind a good product. Kay the builders wife, who contributes with her quiet and humble example, never complaining. Gregg, first time missioner that has the excitement of fisherman in Bass Pro Shops with a huge gift card. Randy the blogger, a great family man with a great voice and attitude and bad jokes. Wayne, the treasurer that has a built in encylcopedia and listening ear, willing to help in any shape, form or fashion. Last but not least, Lauri Darlin', the team leaders wife, without her the team leader would not be a team leader, always offering her insight, stability, and love.
A phrase from a song in "Les Miserables", "to love another person is to see the face of God..."
There is a lot of love here. Remember, Estonia is not for fixing, Estonia is for loving. God is great, the mission is great, and the view is great. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to be in God's mission here in Estonia.
Javier
Randy Mac
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Being able to watch the team interact with the people here is exciting. Exciting because they understand the purpose which is "To share the love of Jesus Christ in ways that make a Christian difference". Our task here is to help Pastor Rein which generally includes construction, or visiting with members of the congregation, Bible study, and children's day. Today we started the task of repairing/remodeling two Sunday School classrooms. While a part of the team went to buy supplies in the big city of Tartu, the remainder of the team prepared the walls and performed some demolition work. As you can decipher from the previous sentences, there is a difference between purpose and task. It is easy for us to get the two confused at times and which one we prioritize, the purpose or the task.
OUR VIEW. We always have this sense of duty that we must maximize our time and accomplish as much as possible in a short amount of time. This is the industrial side of our culture, production, pride, and sense of accomplishment.
GOD'S VIEW. Then there God's point of view which we fail to recognize at times. Today we were given time to recognize this view, his purpose for us being here. So, He reminded us with a taste of good ol' Oklahoma weather which caused a power failure. This shut production down for a while and what a blessing it was. To see the team interact with the children, build new relations with our brothers and sisters here in Estonia, visit with the Pastor, build new relations with each other, and admit that we needed a reminder.
Team Leader's View. This is the most rewarding part of being on the team, watching the team interact with each other and expand their world as God works in their lives. To see our District Superintendent go out and practice what he preaches. Becca and Callie with angelic voices and the giggliest girls who spread smiles to all. Casi, who is diligently working on kid's day to make sure it is a success. Larry the builder, being adamant about giving his best on this task ahead of him and to leave behind a good product. Kay the builders wife, who contributes with her quiet and humble example, never complaining. Gregg, first time missioner that has the excitement of fisherman in Bass Pro Shops with a huge gift card. Randy the blogger, a great family man with a great voice and attitude and bad jokes. Wayne, the treasurer that has a built in encylcopedia and listening ear, willing to help in any shape, form or fashion. Last but not least, Lauri Darlin', the team leaders wife, without her the team leader would not be a team leader, always offering her insight, stability, and love.
A phrase from a song in "Les Miserables", "to love another person is to see the face of God..."
There is a lot of love here. Remember, Estonia is not for fixing, Estonia is for loving. God is great, the mission is great, and the view is great. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to be in God's mission here in Estonia.
Javier
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Pain in My Posterior
Today was spent in worship. The churches in both Karsa and Rapina (rop-i-nah) are beautiful facilities and places of worship in which Rein, the pastor, and the members can be quite proud.
Now for many of us, particularly those of us in the choir, the sermons are often a time to catch up on our sleep. With two services to attend today we should have had plenty of opportunity grab a nap. However, Estonian pastors are apparently very intelligent people and are either somewhat evil or simply downright mean. They have discovered that there is a particular angle of the seated body in combination with a sitting surface that measures "Very Hard" on the "Pew Hardness Scale" that makes slumber practically impossible. Even in services that are twice as long, because every spoken line, whether in English or Estonian, requires an interpreter, ones tormented body simply can not sleep. While very effective in promoting sleep deprivation, those subjected to this torture may be permanently afflicted with SRS (Sore Rear Syndrom) We will let you know upon our return.
Other than lack of sleep and sore posteriors the services were actually quite nice. The church members at both the church in Karsa and the church in Rapina welcomed us with joy and Christian love. Our morning service was at 11:00 AM at the church in Karsa, just 3 miles down the road from the Ahja Mission. The church, formerly a Russian Orthodox church, was consecrated as a Methodist church in 1990. It has all of the architectural features one would expect in a Russian Orthodox building. Callie and Becca sang twice during the service. They sang Cantate Domino before the old testament scripture reading and Children From the Heavenly King following the sermon. Casi provided the New Testament reading. Gregg gave a personal testimony following the the NT reading and Randy sang Great is Thy Faithfulness after Greg's testimony. We listened patiently as Maurice preached a sermon titled Joseph the Patient Sufferer which Rein intepreted for the 20 Estonians in attendance. Hymns were accompanied on guitar by Jana and Tauno, Tairi the cook´s son. Most hymns were somewhat difficult to sing because of our unfamiliarity with the hymns and the language difference. However, Estonian and English reverberated off of the plaster walls as we belted out What a Friend we have in Jesus. Larry presented a gift to the church in Karsa entitled Trail of honor. It represents the culture of Oklahoma and is the figure of an Indian pony with an American flag on one side and an Indian spear on the other. It includes the symbols of the 4 armed services in the U.S.
Following lunch we took the 45 minute drive for the worship service at the Methodist Church in Rapina. Typical of many Methodist churches in Estonia the Rapina church was once a home. The service was the same as at Karsa except Becca and Callie sang a third song, The Gift of Love, just before the closing hymn. The hymns were accompanied by a Zither. The accompanist recommended that we close the service with How Great Thou Art. I LOVE How Great Thou Art. The Americans in the service were at a severe disadvantage. Since this was a last minute addition to the service we did not have printed pages and the hymnals were all in Estonian. There are 5 versuses to How Great Thou Art. most of we Americans know all of the verses by heart except the last four. SOOoooooooo, we sang the first verse five times.
On the way back to the mission we stopped by Mooste Manor in Mooste (imagine that) Mooste Manor is very similar to the manor in Ahja mentioned in a previous post except the manor house and grounds have all been restored and the house converted into a school. Most of the roads between Rapina and Ahja are under repair and are unpaved. Some of us rode in a small ford van that was drawn to the mud holes like...well like a pig is drawn to the mud. On more than one occassion I thought we would have to slog knee deep in mud to push our coach. Jahn the driver obviously knew what he was doing because we did make it back to the Mission with nary a spot of mud on our shoes.
Tomorrow the real work at the Mission begins.
Be sure to check the pictures at the bottom of the page labeled Sunday July 13
I gots Pain in my Posterior
Randy Mac
Now for many of us, particularly those of us in the choir, the sermons are often a time to catch up on our sleep. With two services to attend today we should have had plenty of opportunity grab a nap. However, Estonian pastors are apparently very intelligent people and are either somewhat evil or simply downright mean. They have discovered that there is a particular angle of the seated body in combination with a sitting surface that measures "Very Hard" on the "Pew Hardness Scale" that makes slumber practically impossible. Even in services that are twice as long, because every spoken line, whether in English or Estonian, requires an interpreter, ones tormented body simply can not sleep. While very effective in promoting sleep deprivation, those subjected to this torture may be permanently afflicted with SRS (Sore Rear Syndrom) We will let you know upon our return.
Other than lack of sleep and sore posteriors the services were actually quite nice. The church members at both the church in Karsa and the church in Rapina welcomed us with joy and Christian love. Our morning service was at 11:00 AM at the church in Karsa, just 3 miles down the road from the Ahja Mission. The church, formerly a Russian Orthodox church, was consecrated as a Methodist church in 1990. It has all of the architectural features one would expect in a Russian Orthodox building. Callie and Becca sang twice during the service. They sang Cantate Domino before the old testament scripture reading and Children From the Heavenly King following the sermon. Casi provided the New Testament reading. Gregg gave a personal testimony following the the NT reading and Randy sang Great is Thy Faithfulness after Greg's testimony. We listened patiently as Maurice preached a sermon titled Joseph the Patient Sufferer which Rein intepreted for the 20 Estonians in attendance. Hymns were accompanied on guitar by Jana and Tauno, Tairi the cook´s son. Most hymns were somewhat difficult to sing because of our unfamiliarity with the hymns and the language difference. However, Estonian and English reverberated off of the plaster walls as we belted out What a Friend we have in Jesus. Larry presented a gift to the church in Karsa entitled Trail of honor. It represents the culture of Oklahoma and is the figure of an Indian pony with an American flag on one side and an Indian spear on the other. It includes the symbols of the 4 armed services in the U.S.
Following lunch we took the 45 minute drive for the worship service at the Methodist Church in Rapina. Typical of many Methodist churches in Estonia the Rapina church was once a home. The service was the same as at Karsa except Becca and Callie sang a third song, The Gift of Love, just before the closing hymn. The hymns were accompanied by a Zither. The accompanist recommended that we close the service with How Great Thou Art. I LOVE How Great Thou Art. The Americans in the service were at a severe disadvantage. Since this was a last minute addition to the service we did not have printed pages and the hymnals were all in Estonian. There are 5 versuses to How Great Thou Art. most of we Americans know all of the verses by heart except the last four. SOOoooooooo, we sang the first verse five times.
On the way back to the mission we stopped by Mooste Manor in Mooste (imagine that) Mooste Manor is very similar to the manor in Ahja mentioned in a previous post except the manor house and grounds have all been restored and the house converted into a school. Most of the roads between Rapina and Ahja are under repair and are unpaved. Some of us rode in a small ford van that was drawn to the mud holes like...well like a pig is drawn to the mud. On more than one occassion I thought we would have to slog knee deep in mud to push our coach. Jahn the driver obviously knew what he was doing because we did make it back to the Mission with nary a spot of mud on our shoes.
Tomorrow the real work at the Mission begins.
Be sure to check the pictures at the bottom of the page labeled Sunday July 13
I gots Pain in my Posterior
Randy Mac
Saturday, July 12, 2008
A Bed Time Story
Friday night was the first night spent at the Mission Center in Ajhe (pronounced ahe-ah) We are sleeping dormitory style with the six men in one room and the 5 women in the other. For you married ladies out there, I AM SORRY! my gosh I don't know how you sleep with us. Though I promised in my last post that I would ach not use any more song analogies i simply can't resist. If it was nothing else the night was tuneful with at least 4 snorers and a sleep talker. ( I can't speak to my late night performances since when I am aware of the concert I am wide awake in the audience. Each performer has his own style. Maurice provides the beat with has a steady low vibrato. Javier is the winds with a vibrating inhale with a long hissing exhale. Wayne the strings, has a broken vibrato; one with each inhale and one with exhale. Gregg is intermittent woodwinds with a very intermittent usually quiet with tenored snort inserted occasionally. Larry adds the vocals. You might compare this to performance to the song "You Wanna Kiss the Girl" from the little Mermaid.
Bass: Hmmboogah..Hmmboogah..Hmmboogah..Hmmboogah
Strings: Zzzzzzzzzzzzz..Zzzzzzzzzzzzz...Zzzzzzzzzzzzz...Zzz
Winds: Ach..sss...Ach...sss...Ach..sss...Ach...sss...Ach..sss...
Horns: ....................snort...............snort..................snort
Vocals: Hey!.............Where you goin?.............wait for me.
The best advice I received before coming on this trip was to bring earplugs. Although I could not block out the performance completely I was able to muffle it somewhat.
Their were occasional intermissions when one or more of the instruments would leave the room momentarily but would resume shortly after his return. It ended for good about 5:30 when all performers had left the room.
Breakfast was a serve a server yourself buffet that consisted of cereal, granola, yogurt, cheese, tomatos. cucumber, several types of juice and coffee. While some of these items might not appear on an American breakfast table it was actually quite good. With everyone up except Becca, Callie and Casi we had an hour or so to explore Ahja village. The storks are amazing. New babies must be very common in Estonia because the storks love to nest on the chimneys. Many homes try to avoid these new babies by building ladders to the chimney so they can remove the stork nest.
We had a meeting at 10:00 to develop a gemeral plan for the week. Rein told us what projects we will work on during the week and then he and Larry went to the store to buy some materials.
After their return we had lunch.
I had expected to lose some weight while we are here but the food is amazzing. All of the produce is fresh from the garden. For lunch we had a soup with small sausage balls and fresh vegetables in a lovely broth.
We then formed a 3 car convoy and took a road trip to the Folk festival about 45 minutes away in Voru. The folk festival compared very easily to Sunfest in Bartlesville. Lots of booths to sell lots of stuff that you can buy at any other festival. Apparently they had performers as well but we missed them.
A short walk away from the festival we found Tomula Lake where they were having a sand sculpture contest on the beach. Yes, Estonia has a beach complete with sand and swimmers in ill-fitting bikinis. A liitle sand and a little sun we were off to Suure Munamae Vaatetorn (Big Egg Mountain) The highest point in the Baltic states at approximately 400 feet above sea level. At the summit is a tower that allows you to look out over about 30 miles. The 6 of us that actually made the trek up the hill and asended the tower could see points in Russia and Latvia from the top.
Dinner was waiting for us when we returned to the mission at about 7:30. Another feat with potatoes and pork and sausage gravy, fresh produce and ice cream. Following dinner Rein explained tomorrows church services and our participation in the services in Karsa and Rapina.
Estonia is far enough north that it does not get completely dark at night. At nearly 11:00 it appears as dusk and will until morning. So even though it is light it is time for the nightly concert. Check out the pictures labeled Saturday July 12 at the bottom of this post.
Randy Mazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Bass: Hmmboogah..Hmmboogah..Hmmboogah..Hmmboogah
Strings: Zzzzzzzzzzzzz..Zzzzzzzzzzzzz...Zzzzzzzzzzzzz...Zzz
Winds: Ach..sss...Ach...sss...Ach..sss...Ach...sss...Ach..sss...
Horns: ....................snort...............snort..................snort
Vocals: Hey!.............Where you goin?.............wait for me.
The best advice I received before coming on this trip was to bring earplugs. Although I could not block out the performance completely I was able to muffle it somewhat.
Their were occasional intermissions when one or more of the instruments would leave the room momentarily but would resume shortly after his return. It ended for good about 5:30 when all performers had left the room.
Breakfast was a serve a server yourself buffet that consisted of cereal, granola, yogurt, cheese, tomatos. cucumber, several types of juice and coffee. While some of these items might not appear on an American breakfast table it was actually quite good. With everyone up except Becca, Callie and Casi we had an hour or so to explore Ahja village. The storks are amazing. New babies must be very common in Estonia because the storks love to nest on the chimneys. Many homes try to avoid these new babies by building ladders to the chimney so they can remove the stork nest.
We had a meeting at 10:00 to develop a gemeral plan for the week. Rein told us what projects we will work on during the week and then he and Larry went to the store to buy some materials.
After their return we had lunch.
I had expected to lose some weight while we are here but the food is amazzing. All of the produce is fresh from the garden. For lunch we had a soup with small sausage balls and fresh vegetables in a lovely broth.
We then formed a 3 car convoy and took a road trip to the Folk festival about 45 minutes away in Voru. The folk festival compared very easily to Sunfest in Bartlesville. Lots of booths to sell lots of stuff that you can buy at any other festival. Apparently they had performers as well but we missed them.
A short walk away from the festival we found Tomula Lake where they were having a sand sculpture contest on the beach. Yes, Estonia has a beach complete with sand and swimmers in ill-fitting bikinis. A liitle sand and a little sun we were off to Suure Munamae Vaatetorn (Big Egg Mountain) The highest point in the Baltic states at approximately 400 feet above sea level. At the summit is a tower that allows you to look out over about 30 miles. The 6 of us that actually made the trek up the hill and asended the tower could see points in Russia and Latvia from the top.
Dinner was waiting for us when we returned to the mission at about 7:30. Another feat with potatoes and pork and sausage gravy, fresh produce and ice cream. Following dinner Rein explained tomorrows church services and our participation in the services in Karsa and Rapina.
Estonia is far enough north that it does not get completely dark at night. At nearly 11:00 it appears as dusk and will until morning. So even though it is light it is time for the nightly concert. Check out the pictures labeled Saturday July 12 at the bottom of this post.
Randy Mazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Drive-by Shooting
No, we did not run into the Bloods or the Crips in Estonia. During the 3 hour bus ride from Tallinn to Ahja we SHOT photos of the countryside through the bus windows. We did manage two very short stops during the trip. Enjoy the bus ride with us through the Driveby shooting slide show at the bottom of the page. Clicking on thewill blow it up. The yellow fields are flax.....we think. some of the concrete building are Soviet era apartments.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Guess Who
Guess Who was my favorite band during the seventies. No! it wasn't the lads from Liverpool. It was Guess Who! No, no, no! it was not Lips Jagger and the Rolling Stones. It was Guess Who! Not the Who it was the Guess Who. Lest I continue to bore you with my "Who's on first" routine, my favorite band was the "Guess Who." After this posting I will try to refrain from further analogies to really old rock bands but this one struck me like I had been hit by a bus. One of "Guess Who's" well known songs is "Bus Rider." It goes like this.
Get up in the morning get on the bus
Get up on the morning like the rest of us.
Places to go important people to meet.
Better not get up or you might lose your seat.
Bus Ri-ider.....
Those of us who bothered to go to bed on Wednesday night were jolted out of our sleep by an alarm clock warning us that it was time to get up to be at the church at 3:45. While no one in their right mind would get up at that ungodly hour, there was little risk of any of us losing our seat. Many of us were surprised when Dr. Kevin Tully, our esteemed pastor arrived to drive the bus. Kevin led us in prayer before we loaded for what we thought would be a short drive to the Tulsa airport. Now Kevin Tully is a tri-athlete, but I swear he can run, bike, or swim faster than he drives a bus. None-the-less we did manage to arrive for check-in just ahead of the crowd. While waiting for the planes arrival Javier led us in a devotion. He ask that we consider the first Palm Sunday through the mind of the donkey that carried Jesus into Jerusalem. The donkey might very easily have thought that all of the adulation was for him. After all people were laying palm branches at his feet. Javier reminded us that the people in Estonia will be very happy to see us. He encouraged u to not get caught up in the adulation but remember the WORD that we are carrying.
It' s late and I haven't slept much in the last 40 or so hours so I'm going to bed. Look for future posts.
Bus Rider aka Randy Mac
Get up in the morning get on the bus
Get up on the morning like the rest of us.
Places to go important people to meet.
Better not get up or you might lose your seat.
Bus Ri-ider.....
Those of us who bothered to go to bed on Wednesday night were jolted out of our sleep by an alarm clock warning us that it was time to get up to be at the church at 3:45. While no one in their right mind would get up at that ungodly hour, there was little risk of any of us losing our seat. Many of us were surprised when Dr. Kevin Tully, our esteemed pastor arrived to drive the bus. Kevin led us in prayer before we loaded for what we thought would be a short drive to the Tulsa airport. Now Kevin Tully is a tri-athlete, but I swear he can run, bike, or swim faster than he drives a bus. None-the-less we did manage to arrive for check-in just ahead of the crowd. While waiting for the planes arrival Javier led us in a devotion. He ask that we consider the first Palm Sunday through the mind of the donkey that carried Jesus into Jerusalem. The donkey might very easily have thought that all of the adulation was for him. After all people were laying palm branches at his feet. Javier reminded us that the people in Estonia will be very happy to see us. He encouraged u to not get caught up in the adulation but remember the WORD that we are carrying.
We then boarded a very small plane full of some very large people for a very long two hour flightto Minneapolis, Maurice slept.
We then had a very long six hour layover. During the layover some ate, some walked, Maurice slept. We then boarded a very large plane with some very noisy babies for a very long 7-1/2 hour flight to Amsterdam. (It never ceases to amaze me how those monsters; the plane not Maurice, can get off the ground or once aloft that they don't plummet to the earth. Maurice slept. With another 5-1/2 hour layover the exuberance had worn off. Most of them sat at the gate. Casi, Callie, and Becca slept. Another two hour fight, this time to Tallin, Estonia. Maurice slept.
We were met at the Tallin airport by Rein and Jana from the Ahja mission. They loaded us up in a bus for a three hour drive to Ahja.
The drive was beautiful. Maurice slept. We were met at the mission by Tairi and Pilve who greeted us with flowers. They had prepared a wonderful dinner of chicken with a delicious white sauce. Cucumbers, tomatoes, and potatoes fresh from the garden For desert we had fresh strawberries, which had been grown by local farmers, with whipped cream. Thus concluded our near 30 hour journey which started with a bus ride on Thursday at 3:45 AM CDT and ended on Friday at about 8:00 PM Estonia after another long bus ride.
We were met at the Tallin airport by Rein and Jana from the Ahja mission. They loaded us up in a bus for a three hour drive to Ahja.
The drive was beautiful. Maurice slept. We were met at the mission by Tairi and Pilve who greeted us with flowers. They had prepared a wonderful dinner of chicken with a delicious white sauce. Cucumbers, tomatoes, and potatoes fresh from the garden For desert we had fresh strawberries, which had been grown by local farmers, with whipped cream. Thus concluded our near 30 hour journey which started with a bus ride on Thursday at 3:45 AM CDT and ended on Friday at about 8:00 PM Estonia after another long bus ride.It' s late and I haven't slept much in the last 40 or so hours so I'm going to bed. Look for future posts.
Bus Rider aka Randy Mac
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Peter, Paul, and Mary
Peter, Paul, and Mary, No not the apostles and the mother of Jesus. I'm talking about the singing group from the 60's. They sang a song that went something like this...
All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go
I'm standing here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the sun is rising, it's early morn
The taxi's waitin' he's blowin his horn
Already I'm so lonesome I could cry......
This evening (Wednesday) at 6:00 PM we took our check-in luggage to the church. We took our bags this evening so we would mot have to go even earlier that our scheduled 3:45 AM reporting time on Thursday. Javier weighed the bags. All of our bags were within the weight limit except Callie's. She was over by a pound and a half. She had to sit down right there in the parking lot and remove a few bricks. Javier wrapped yellow tape around each of the bags so they will be readily identifiable in case some nut decides to pick up one of our bags and run. If a stranger picks up a bag with yellow tape we will imediately gang tackle and doggie pile. The bags were loaded in the bus. After a quick team photo we went our separate ways, except Javier and Lauri of course, who went the same way. The alarm is going to go off way to early.
All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go
I'm standing here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the sun is rising, it's early morn
The taxi's waitin' he's blowin his horn
Already I'm so lonesome I could cry......
This evening (Wednesday) at 6:00 PM we took our check-in luggage to the church. We took our bags this evening so we would mot have to go even earlier that our scheduled 3:45 AM reporting time on Thursday. Javier weighed the bags. All of our bags were within the weight limit except Callie's. She was over by a pound and a half. She had to sit down right there in the parking lot and remove a few bricks. Javier wrapped yellow tape around each of the bags so they will be readily identifiable in case some nut decides to pick up one of our bags and run. If a stranger picks up a bag with yellow tape we will imediately gang tackle and doggie pile. The bags were loaded in the bus. After a quick team photo we went our separate ways, except Javier and Lauri of course, who went the same way. The alarm is going to go off way to early.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Lettuce Pray
Q: What did the carrot say to the radish in church?
A: Lettuce Pray
A: Lettuce Pray
Isn't that a joke the parson-ip should tell? ha ha ha, too corny huh? I'm just full of beans! Ha ha ha! peas! peas! make him stop! OK enough of the veggie tales. I have more newsworthy stuff concerning the Estonia VIM team from Bartlesville, Okra-homa. Oops!
At the last Estonia VIM team meeting our team leader informed us that, at the airport, just prior to our departure, we would draw names for secret prayer partners. We are to pray for our secret partner during the trip and surprise them with little gifts throughout the duration of our trip. I FREAKED OUT! What do you get someone when the nearest WalMart is 4000 miles away? That evening I asked my wife, Paula Mac, what I could do for my secret prayer partner. When I informed her I didn't yet know who my prayer partner would be she asked why. "Wouldn't it make more sense to know in advance who your prayer partner is so that you can choose appropriate gifts?" Sunday at church I mentioned this to the team lead. He said "good idea, you're in charge." I went back to Paula Mac and said, "good idea, you're in charge." To make a short story long, she put all the names in a hat... OK they weren't in a hat they were folded in a pile on her lap...and drew names. She put each name on a separate sheet of paper and I delivered them to the Director of Children's Ministry, a fellow team member, who agreed to distribute them this week while I am in Louisiana with my daughter. I received my secret prayer partner. He is....uh....she is........SHHHH... it's a secret. The team will certainly need your, and each others, prayers so.................Lettuce Pray!
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