Christmas in Russia is on January 7th. Therefore the Holidays here start on New Year's and go until after Christmas. We've joined together with another group to go to orphanages and boarding schools in Khabarovsk to show films with a Christmas message. We may have lost track of how many we've been to total, but last week our team went to eleven. Here is a photo of Tonya holding the microphone while the kids were telling what they remembered from the film.
Here we are with some kids after a show. That is Sveta next to Tonya. She is the main organizer of this outreach.
Today Tonya and Sveta went to show a film at a correctional school. New we only have three more places to go to.
Timothy and Vera were in a Christmas production in the church. Vera got to play one of the sheep, and Timothy played the part of a shepherd. Here they are during a song and dance routine in the play.
There is an orphanage where we've been going every Wednesday. Cecil took some photos of the groups we work with there and printed enough for all the kids to get a copy (they love photos of themselves). There are several folks from the local church that come with us to help. Sometimes they walk to the church and have tea between presentations. A few weeks ago one of the ladies from the homeless shelter (which is directed by our former driver, Sergei) started talking with the group while they were having tea. She has a son who was placed in the orphanage system and she hadn't seen him for over two years. As she was describing her son, Valara (our present driver) pulled out one of the photos and showed it to her. She recognized her son in it, and with tears asked if she could keep it. Of course she could. Last week she was able to make arrangements and go visit her son.
Cecil is permitted to drive in Russia on his American driver's license, but if he ever receives a Russian green card he will need a Russian driver's license to drive in Russia. Tonya's American license isn't valid in Russia since she is a Russian citizen. We both decided to get Russian driver's licenses. Little did we know what would be involved. Checking at the local police station, they informed us that we must attend a driving school for six hours a week for two months (even though Cecil has had an American driver's license for more than 25 years). At the school we discovered we must have complete physicals before we can get a license. At the local clinic we were given a list of all the specialists we would have to see. Then the fun began. First was a simple visit to get a chest X-ray to check us for TB. Then off to another clinic to visit the Narcologist (to see if we were addicts), where, after paying a few roubles, he asked if we took illegal drugs and stamped our documents (we were expecting at least a urine test). We are required to provide all our medical records, but since we've never been to the doctor here, we don't have any local medical records. So we went to the hospital to ask for a document that they don't have any of our documents. It took them a while to find the form to document that they don't have any of our documents, but after paying a few roubles this necessary document was forthcoming. Then off to the psychiatrist. After checking their records they gave us a document stating that we have no psychiatric problems because we've never been to the psychiatrist (Cecil tried very hard not to think about the logic of that). Off to pick up the results of the chest X-ray. Now back to the first clinic so that we can start our physicals. One doctor examined our eyes, another our ears, a neurologist checked our reflexes, and a we were given a cardiogram. Now Tonya is done. Since Cecil is a foreigner he has one more specialist on the checklist: the dermatologist. We thought, "Oh, this should be easy, we're almost done." Cecil has had several complete physicals in the past, but never has he experienced such a painful examination of his privates. Then, as he is getting dressed after the examination, thinking everything is done, she (the dermatologist) announces that the law requires him to have further tests: give blood for an AIDS and syphilis test and give a nose sample for a leprosy test. Cecil managed to keep a straight face, but Tonya lost it at the mention of the leprosy. The lady doctor was quite offended by Tonya's laughter. Off to one more clinic (the fifth). Well hidden behind some apartment buildings and warehouses (no sign) we find this clinic. No luck, since New Year's is coming they aren't taking samples for testing. We are told to come back in two weeks. Two weeks later Cecil gets his nose wiped by a specialist, and the next day we go back to get the results. Just in case you are wondering, Cecil does not have leprosy (and now we have a document to prove it). Tomorrow we go to pick up the results of the AIDS and Syphilis tests. Then he will be able to apply for a learner's permit. Stay tuned for more excitement.
After class at the driving school the instructor asked Cecil what is involved in getting a driver's license in America. Cecil explained the process, and she was amazed that the whole process is done at one place, and takes less than three hours (if you already know how to drive). After pondering this for a while, she said, "well, at least in Russia you'll never be bored."
Vera's birthday was New Years eve. New Years is celebrated with fireworks here in Russia. She thinks it is wonderful how everyone celebrates her birthday. Since the year is 2007, you can remember her age is 7. She also lost her first tooth. She was so excited. The tooth fairy pays in roubles here in Russia.
One of Cecil's friends has sent a bunch of Star Trek DVDs and other Star Trek stuff to us. The result is that Timothy has become quite a Trekkie. One of his favorite heroes is Capt. Kirk.
Please pray for us to have wisdom about Cecil's visa. It expires in March and he will have to leave the country to renew it. We're trying to figure the best place for him to go to do that.
We also want to thank you for praying for the orphanage outreaches. We've had a great deal of favor with the directors, and had open doors.
Well, time to go and help Tim put together that model of a Klingon star cruiser.
In His Grip,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy & Vera
