Because it had a presence in Russia in the days before the Russian Revolution, the Unted Methodist Church is allowed to have active churches in modern Russia. I have celebrated Orthodox Christmas twice with the congregation of the First United Methodist Church of Moscow, and I look forward to worshipping at the Tomsk United Methodist Church this year.
A mission group from the Marvin United Methodist Church in Texas has traveled to Tomsk in recent years and have posted a wonderful web site describing their visit with the orphans. I love looking at their photo gallery to get a taste of what I will experience on my visit to Tomsk.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Where in the World is Tomsk?
Most people have heard of Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia, but where in the world is the city of Tomsk? Well, if you look at a map of Asia, find the western edge of Mongolia and go north; that's where I'll be! (Someone asked me if I were going to "Outer Mongolia" - not quite, but close!)
Wikipedia has a good general article about Tomsk, including history, climate, politics, industry and education. Tomsk is a city of about 500,000 people and is known as the "Athens of Siberia" because of the number of colleges and universities found there. It is also an industrial center; many factories were moved there during WWII to avoid capture by the Germans. It has been described as "quaint" because of the many old wooden buildings with decorative carvings. I'm really looking forward to visiting the city and learning more about how Russians live outside of the big cities.
Wikipedia has a good general article about Tomsk, including history, climate, politics, industry and education. Tomsk is a city of about 500,000 people and is known as the "Athens of Siberia" because of the number of colleges and universities found there. It is also an industrial center; many factories were moved there during WWII to avoid capture by the Germans. It has been described as "quaint" because of the many old wooden buildings with decorative carvings. I'm really looking forward to visiting the city and learning more about how Russians live outside of the big cities.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Gifts for the Children
Here are the lists of items we need to bring to the orphans:
Infant and Toddler List:
Coloring book
Box of 8 Crayons
Tube of Chap Stick
Sheet of Stickers
Toothbrush/Toothpaste
Socks
Matchbox Car for Boys, Small Doll for Girls
Children and Youth List:
Make-up and Nail Polish for Girls/Cologne for Boys
Winter Gloves and Knitted Hat
Tube of Chap Stick, Tube of Hand Lotion
Toothbrush/Toothpaste
Pad of Writing Paper, Erasers
Pencils, Pens, Pencil Sharpener
Socks
For both age groups, a signed Christmas Card; please don't seal it or put anything extra in it but you can write a message (we'll get it translated) and 2-gallon Ziploc bags. The 2-gallon bags are not as easy to find as the 1-gallon bags, but they do exist. We can make do with the 1-gallon bags but it is a tight squeeze! Also, as tempting as it is, please don't put the gift bags together yourself. It is much easier to pack like items together, and when we get to the orphanage where we're staying we have a package stuffing party.
The first year I went I asked what the orphans would get for Christmas if we did not bring these presents with us. The answer was "a box of candy". Even more importantly, we bring smiles and love. If you would like to be a part of the love, bring the presents to me at Canaan UMC (I'll make arrangements for collection boxes in the Worship Center and Sanctuary) or contact me by phone, e-mail or responding to this post and I'll make arrangements to pick up your contribution. God bless you!
Infant and Toddler List:
Coloring book
Box of 8 Crayons
Tube of Chap Stick
Sheet of Stickers
Toothbrush/Toothpaste
Socks
Matchbox Car for Boys, Small Doll for Girls
Children and Youth List:
Make-up and Nail Polish for Girls/Cologne for Boys
Winter Gloves and Knitted Hat
Tube of Chap Stick, Tube of Hand Lotion
Toothbrush/Toothpaste
Pad of Writing Paper, Erasers
Pencils, Pens, Pencil Sharpener
Socks
For both age groups, a signed Christmas Card; please don't seal it or put anything extra in it but you can write a message (we'll get it translated) and 2-gallon Ziploc bags. The 2-gallon bags are not as easy to find as the 1-gallon bags, but they do exist. We can make do with the 1-gallon bags but it is a tight squeeze! Also, as tempting as it is, please don't put the gift bags together yourself. It is much easier to pack like items together, and when we get to the orphanage where we're staying we have a package stuffing party.
The first year I went I asked what the orphans would get for Christmas if we did not bring these presents with us. The answer was "a box of candy". Even more importantly, we bring smiles and love. If you would like to be a part of the love, bring the presents to me at Canaan UMC (I'll make arrangements for collection boxes in the Worship Center and Sanctuary) or contact me by phone, e-mail or responding to this post and I'll make arrangements to pick up your contribution. God bless you!
Monday, September 21, 2009
How You Can Help
When people find out about this mission trip, they want to help! There are several things you can do. First, PRAY! It's a long, hard trip (but well worth it!) and all of us on the trip will need all the prayer support we can get.
Second, you can make a contribution to W.Va. Volunteers in Mission (see the link to the right of the blog) or towards my expenses by sending a check to Canaan United Methodist Church with "Margie - Russia" in the memo line. The trip itself costs $2400 and there will be shipping fees for the presents we will be taking to the orphans (see below).
Third, you can help me gather presents for the orphans. I will be posting a list of the items that I will need to take with me to help make up the packages that we will give to the kids. (Thanks to Mona Meyer and Connie Crouch and the Canaan Kitchen crew for the items I've already received!) I've been asked why we can't ship the presents instead of paying airline fees for extra baggage, but when items are shipped to Russia, they don't always make it to their destination. If we take them with us, we are more sure that they will get there with us.
Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated!
Russia/Siberia Trip Details
This will be the 10th year that the W.Va. Volunteers in Mission has taken Christmas to Russian orphans. I was blessed to be able to participate in the 2006-7 and 2007-8 trips. We spent the first three nights in an orphanage and then visited many, many other orphanages in the Moscow region. This year will be a little different. We had the choice of visiting St. Petersburg or Tomsk in Siberia. As much as I would like to see the sights of St. Petersburg, it is possible to visit there via commercial tours if you really want to. It is not so easy to visit deep in Siberia! My roommate on the trip, Jan Blount, and I decided that we wanted to be part of the team that will make the trip to Tomsk. We will fly from D.C. to Moscow and then take another flight on to Tomsk. Moscow is 8 hours east of D.C. and Tomsk is 5 hours east of Moscow, so I will be 13 time zone away from home. We will leave on December 28, 2009 and return on January 8, 2010.
I'm BACK!
It's been way too long since my last post, but I've got some VERY good excuses! On February 1, 2008, I had arthroscopic surgery on my right knee. That went well, but the EKG didn't make anyone happy, so, to make a long story a little shorter, I wound up having a double coronary bypass on February 22. God is good (all the time!) and I had a fantastic recovery.
Also, on July 1 last year four United Methodist churches here on the West Side of Charleston came together to form Canaan United Methodist Church . I play keyboards in the praise band, sing in the choir and chair the Council. It's been quite a ride but I wouldn't have missed a minute of it. Well, almost all of it!
Anyhow, updating the blog kind of fell between the cracks. I wasn't able to go to Russia on the 2008-9 trip because I used ALL my leave time with my medical adventures (and had to take advantage of the leave-sharing program at work - grateful for it, too!). This year though, everything is working out for me to go. Look for the next post for details!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
