A short-term construction team came from Texas and did a huge amount of work in the time they were here. They worked on the homeless shelter, roofed a church office building and spent one day at a Christian center for invalids. Here are some photos. This little building serves as the office of a local church.
Before and near the end of their work.
Here is the front of the homeless shelter with a before and after.
And here is the back, showing before and part-way through.
These photos don't show the work they did inside, such as insulate and put a floor in the second level of the building. They also purchased siding that the residents will be installing and left money to install a heating system. In addition to making a major impact on the physical buildings where they worked, they also left a great impact on the lives of the people where they worked. We praise the Lord for the this wonderful team who sacrificed so much for the people of Russia.
Jason jumped in and joined the team in the work. He's been here since February of last year and has now returned to the States.
He plans on coming back to Khabarovsk and joining us again in February next year.
He plans on coming back to Khabarovsk and joining us again in February next year.However, we have just been joined by Aaron and Beth Barnes. They will, Lord willing, be here for a year or more. Aaron plans to start Royal Rangers (kinda like Christian Boy Scouts) among churches here. Beth wants to do ministry among the many Chinese who live here in Khabarovsk. Please pray for them as they begin their ministries here.
Welcome Aaron and Beth!
Also, please pray for another member of our team who is preparing to join us. She goes by the name Elf, and will be doing campus ministry. Today she is going to the Russian Consulate to get her visa. Please pray for her documents, packing, and preparations.
On a personal note, we as a family have finished reading through all seven books of the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. It was a lot of fun and the kids would like to do it again.
The wheels have the adoption process continue to grind slowly. Due to the delays our medicals which were done in March are no longer considered valid. So we will be getting complete physicals once again (it is about a three day process). Please pray for us to keep our senses of humor.
Love, Joy and Peace be unto you!
Serving in the Russian Far East,
Cecil, Tonya, Timothy, Vera and Deanna
