Looking back over the blogs I have posted, a visitor to this site might assume that all we do is play. We have been fortunate to be able to see some wonderful things in and around Moscow, but we also have put in some very long days serving as Welfare Area Specialists. We do not claim to be specialists, but we try our best to support Vlad (the Area Welfare Manager) and the 17 humanitarian senior couples now serving in the Europe East Area doing humanitarian projects. (Two couples finished their mission this month and haven't been replaced).
A typical day for us begins at 6:00 or shortly after. With the Moscow water system piping hot water into the residences, warm water is immediately available for a shower (that is, unless it is the two to three weeks each summer when the hot water is turned off for maintenance work). Once we're dressed, had breakfast, made the bed, read scriptures, and had a prayer together, we go through the countdown of checking to see that we have our cell phones, our passports, our name tags, our metro passes - and an umbrella for many days during July.
A fast-paced 15-minute walk gets us to the office at the Service Center by 8:00 a.m. Each Monday morning, we have a devotional with the other estimated 80 workers at the Service Center.
A typical day for us at the office in the Service Center.
Sam sits at his computer and processes the project requests that come in and answers e-mails and phone calls responding to questions about the projects. I sit at another computer and deal with payment requests and expense reports related to operating humanitarian projects; and I process final reports, historical reports, and monthly activity reports.
When we can get away from the office and have Anna, our interpreter available, we also meet with directors of orphanages, schools for the handicapped, rehabilitation centers, etc. to find organizations needing help in their work to relieve the suffering of the poor and needy. It is very rewarding to find a good institution to partner with in meeting these worthwhile goals.
The director of this school for invalids is giving me a
"Thank You" letter for the
physical therapy and exercise equipment
the Church gave the school.
Frequently, Sam and I are the last ones to leave the Service Center at the end of the day. We go home more often after 6:00 than we leave before 6:00. It's a good feeling, though, to leave the office with all e-mails answered and important issues resolved. Furthermore, we know we have Saturday to look forward to when we join other senior couples serving in Moscow for a day of exploring the many places of interest this city has to offer. I plan to continue to record these excursions. Just last Saturday, we visited the Kuskovo estate. The Saturday before that . . . but wait, that needs another day and another blog.
Ready for another day serving as
humanitarian missionaries.
humanitarian missionaries.
A fast-paced 15-minute walk gets us to the office at the Service Center by 8:00 a.m. Each Monday morning, we have a devotional with the other estimated 80 workers at the Service Center.
A typical day for us at the office in the Service Center.When we can get away from the office and have Anna, our interpreter available, we also meet with directors of orphanages, schools for the handicapped, rehabilitation centers, etc. to find organizations needing help in their work to relieve the suffering of the poor and needy. It is very rewarding to find a good institution to partner with in meeting these worthwhile goals.
The director of this school for invalids is giving me a "Thank You" letter for the
physical therapy and exercise equipment
the Church gave the school.
The Church gave this orphanage medical equipment
so they could get their medical room certified
and not have to take the children to the hospital
for treatment of respiratory illnesses.
This summer, the Church switched from Novell GroupWise to Microsoft Outlook and upgraded from Office 2003 to Office 2007, so this has taken some adjustment and also motivated us to organize old computer records.so they could get their medical room certified
and not have to take the children to the hospital
for treatment of respiratory illnesses.
Frequently, Sam and I are the last ones to leave the Service Center at the end of the day. We go home more often after 6:00 than we leave before 6:00. It's a good feeling, though, to leave the office with all e-mails answered and important issues resolved. Furthermore, we know we have Saturday to look forward to when we join other senior couples serving in Moscow for a day of exploring the many places of interest this city has to offer. I plan to continue to record these excursions. Just last Saturday, we visited the Kuskovo estate. The Saturday before that . . . but wait, that needs another day and another blog.
