Russia Trip May 2009

Dear Family and Friends:

I am writing to share with you the incredible opportunity that the Lord has provided for me this summer. Not only will I be traveling back to Russia for the sixth time, I have the amazing joy of bringing my sister, Hillary, with me as well! Ever since I have been involved with The Boaz Project, Hillary has listened to my every story about the countless, precious orphans I have come to know, and I could tell her heart is broken for these children as well. I have prayed for a long time that the Lord would give us the opportunity to go together, and now that time has come!

When: May 23 ~ June 1, 2009

Where: Vladimir, Russia

Cost: $3,295 per team member. This covers airfare, food, hotel, interpreter, and materials. Each team member is responsible for raising 100% of their
financial and prayer support. 50% of our support is due March 21st and 100% is due May 16th.

Purpose: The first and foremost reason for going is to share the good news and love of Jesus Christ with the Russian orphans. We will be teaching a Vacation Bible School as well as spending as much time as possible just loving on the children.

Prayer Requests: 1) That the Lord would build our prayer and financial support team
2) Hillary will have to take her finals early. Please pray that
those details can be worked out smoothly and that she will
finish strongly.
3) For safety and protection for our entire team as we travel and
minister in the orphanages.
4) That the Lord will prepare the hearts of the children and
everyone we come in contact with while in Russia, and that we
will be a strong example of the love and joy of Christ

Hillary and I are excited about this opportunity to serve the Lord together in Russia. He has laid it on both of our hearts to share the good news of His eternal love to these children who may never know the love of an earthly mother or father. Hillary says, “I want to teach VBS in a Russian orphanage in order to show Jesus’ love to the orphans. Jesus died for all of us including them, and I want them to see that God and people care and love for them. I want to give them hope. I realize this can be difficult, but even if just by playing a game with them or doing a craft they see or feel love for even a moment, then I am doing what God has asked me to do, and it is worth it.” In I John 3:18 it says, “… let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.” This is our prayer for this trip, but we need your help to accomplish this task. Please share this opportunity with us as the Lord leads you to pray and/or give.

If you feel the Lord leading you to take part in this ministry, you can make a check payable to The Boaz Project, Inc. and place my name on the memo line of your check. You can mail it to The Boaz Project at P.O. Box 47188, Indianapolis, IN 46247; you can also donate online at www.boazproject.org.

Today

These lyrics are from Sanctus Real's song "Whatever You're Doing." Right now, I feel like there are no words more perfect than these.

It’s time for healing, time to move on,
it’s time to fix what’s been broken too long
Time to make right what has been wrong;
it’s time to find my way to where I belong

There’s a wave that’s crashing over me,
and all I can do is surrender
Whatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos, but somehow there’s peace
And it’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see,
but I’m giving in to something heavenly

Time for a milestone, time to begin again,
re-evaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will
or just climbing aimlessly over these hills?
So show me what it is You want from me
I give everything – I surrender

Time to face up, clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
that I’ve wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears

Whatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos, but I believe …
You’re up to something bigger than me
Larger than life, something heavenly

Whatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos, but now I can see
This is something bigger than me
Larger than life
Something heavenly, something heavenly

Time to face up, clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out

Days 4&5

Day 4: Pray for the U.S. staff
1. Pray for Cathy Long, Jess Degenhardt, Jill Wickham, Jessi Decker, David Mercier, and Don Burdsall to be used by God for His purposes.
2. Give thanks and praise for their commitment to the orphans.
3. Give thanks for any one of the staff that has personally blessed you.
4. Pray for their spiritual and financial needs to be met to be able to continue on staff at Boaz.
5. Pray for future staff members that will be added as Boaz grows in God's plan.

Day 5: Pray for the volunteers that God has brought to Boaz for His purposes.
1. Give thanks for the Board of Directors.
2. Praise for all volunteers that have gone on a VBS or construction trip with Boaz.
3. Give praise for all the Taylor University students that have gone on trips with Boaz.
4. Praise for all volunteers that have helped with office activities like mailings, Christmas gift preparation, and fundraising events over the years.

Days 2 & 3

Day 2: Praise God for His call and leading for The Boaz Project.
Praise Him for allowing us to serve Him through this ministry, for allowing us to be used by Him and to see His love in the orphans of the world, and for proof of our mission in James 1:27.

Day 3: Praise God for the leadership and perseverance of Jim and April Jurgensen.
(1) Praise for their faithfulness in allowing God to continue to use them.
(2) Give thanks for the impact they have had on the orphans and others because of this ministry.
(3) Pray for their children, Berea and Noah, and the blessing that their family is to so many.
(4) Pray for their continued health and financial support to be able to lead the ministry.
(5) Give thanks and praise for any way that they have personally blessed you.

The very first day that I met April changed my life... to make a long story short, it was a defining point along the road that led me to where I am now. Between that day and now, Jim and April have consistently been an amazing blessing to me and my life. I feel blessed beyond words that they, including Berea and Noah, are a part of my everyday life. I thank the Lord for them always. They are my family. :)

Day 1- Praise and Adoration for God!

"Spend time today praising God for who He is, His creation, the life He has given us, His salvation for us and for the many ways He has blessed us. Our focus today is not for material things, but for His attributes in Galatians 5:22-23. Thanks and praise to God in all things!"

This morning I was skimming through some verses I had previously underlined in Psalms. A relatively new concept to me that I have really come to enjoy has been praying through scripture... as I quietly read through my underlined verses, I realized that they formed a pretty incredible prayer that was an accurate reflection of what I wanted to say to the Lord today.

"Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts, whose name is the Lord, and exult before Him. A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows is God in His hold habitation.... Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation.... For you are my hope; O Lord God, You are my confidence from my youth. By You I have been sustained from my birth; You are He who took me from my mother's womb; My praise is continually of You... For He will deliver the needy when he cries for help, The afflicted also, and him who has no helper. He will have compassion on the poor and needy, and the lives of the needy he will save. He will raise their life from oppression and violence, and their blood will be precious in His sight... I shall remember the deeds of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will meditate on all Your work and muse on Your deeds. Your way, O God, is holy; what god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples....Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone works wonders. And blessed be His glorious name forever; and may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen."
-Psalm 68:4-5,19; 71:5-6; 72:12-14, 18-19; 77:11-14; 72:18-19

10 Days of Prayer

So, I guess I'm really bad at this... but I've made a new commitment to update this on a consistent basis. I'm going to shoot for once a week, but if I get every other week, I think I'll be doing alright. :)

2009 is The Boaz Project's 10 year anniversary! We are all so excited; it is amazing to look back and see the Lord's faithfulness and how He made all things work together for His glory, and we are just as excited to see how the new plans He has in store for our ministry unfold.

Because we acknowledge that absolutely nothing we have done has been possible without our God, we are starting our year off with an intentional 10 Days of Prayer. We have made a simple brochure, sent it out to everyone on our mailing list, and know that we will have thousands joining with us in prayer for the next 10 days.

Today is what we are calling our "Day of Preparation." The brochure lists the following things as "Helps to remember to pray:"
(1) Mark a calendar as a reminder to pray.
(2) Put this brochure where you will see it.
(3) Ask someone to partner with you in prayer during this time.
And if you live in the Indianapolis area...
(1) Plan to come to the Boaz office (494 S. Emerson Avenue, Greenwood, IN 46142) to join the staff in prayer each morning at 9.
(2) Mark the closing prayer service on your calendar for Feb. 26th at 7pm at Southport Presbyterian Church (7525 McFarland Blvd, Indianapolis, IN 46237) and join us if you are able.

This morning as we joined together to pray, a good friend and volunteer of The Boaz Project shared his thoughts about a book he had been reading on prayer. He said that kings are not known for giving out nickels and pennies, but precious gems and gold. And as we come before the Lord in prayer and petition, we truly are approaching Him on His glorious throne. So as you prepare to pray, you need to humble your heart and remember that you are approaching the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

This was a good reminder for me as I so often forget that when I start talking with the Lord, I am talking to the God of the universe, the Creator of all. It reminded me of the Nichole Nordeman song "Tremble." I think the lyrics to that song are so incredible. I won't post them here because I know this is kinda long already, but if you want to read through them here is a link where they are written out: http://www.christianlyricsonline.com/artists/nichole-nordeman/tremble.html.

I am excited for the next 10 days. So often in our busy lives we forget or simply don't make the time to be still...to quiet our hearts long enough to try and listen for the soft, quiet voice of our Maker.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." -Joshua 1:9
"Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help in time of need." -Hebrews 4:16
"But certainly God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His lovingkindness from me." -Psalm 66:19-20

Khabarovsk Trip Report

Khabarovsk, Russia. For the past two and a half years my heart has been pulled to this far eastern region known for its incredibly cold winters and the beautiful Amur River that quietly separates Russia from northeastern China. During the time that I am not working at Boaz, my days are filled with lessons, grades, and homework that I assign to the fiery, intelligent, and beautiful sixteen year old girl whom I have tutored for the past year and a half. She was adopted from one of our orphanages in the region when she was 12; as our relationship has slowly but steadily grown so has my desire to know her more. Visiting the town where she spent the first twelve and a half years of her life gave me a glimpse and deeper understanding of the past that played a huge role in shaping her into who she is today.

This February I traveled the thirty six hours with April, the founder of Boaz, to Khabarovsk. Our purpose in visiting was administrative: we wanted to make sure that our staff's needs were being well met and we hoped to be an encouragement to all. The Russians we work with in K-town (as we like to call it) are wonderful, compassionate people who have a mature faith and strong desire to serve the Lord.

We visited each orphanage to meet with the directors and, of course, to see the children. Currently, Boaz works in four orphanages in the Khabarovsk region: two school-aged orphanages and two baby orphanages. All of these orphanages are currently in need of monthly sponsors.

Baby Hospital #9: Though we were not able to go into the hospital due to a quarantine, we stopped outside of the building and prayed for the 104 babies that overcrowd this abandoned baby wing of the hospital. It is a well-known fact that many of the babies die due to lack of healthy developmental stimulation and the overall attention/care that every infant needs. However, it is a huge comfort to my heart knowing that we have a handful of baby nurturers who come daily to hold, bathe, feed, and play with the children. One particular baby nurturer, Olga, quit her job in order to work in the hospital full time. We are so thankful for her and the rest of our baby nurturers.

Baby House #2: Of all the orphanages I've been in, this one seemed to be one of the "better" ones. There are 115 children from 12 months to 3 years old. Although the children are underdeveloped for their age as most orphans are, they seemed to be well-cared for. When we walked into the 12 month olds' room, the care-takers were massaging some of the children. Our baby nurturers work here as well throughout each week.

Nekrasovka: It seems to be a pattern in Russia that while the preschoolers and babies are looked after to the best of the care-takers' abilities, there is a gap-a drastic difference-between the younger orphanages and the school-aged orphanages. The two school-aged orphanages we work in here are no exception to this pattern.

Nekrasovka is an old building with long, concrete hallways and locked doors. The director of the orphanage has changed four times in the past year and a half, and of course with all of the change there were gaps in which the children did not have a leader and chaos had every potential to ensue. However, the current director is a kind woman who goes out of her way to make certain that every time humanitarian aid is delivered to the orphanage she hands it out to the children right that moment.

Overall, Nekrasovka is clean, but bare. An event that sticks out to me from this orphanage is delivering three toy trucks to a group of younger boys, probably seven and eight years old. When we first met this group of boys, we walked into their room, where they were huddled around a small stack of flattened candy wrappers. After just a few moments of being with them, it became clear that those wrappers were the only "toys" the boy had available to play with.

When we came back a few days later to deliver other needed items (slippers for the children and a meat/vegetable grinder for the dilapidated kitchen), we brought trucks for this group of boys. You would have thought we were handing them huge piles of gold. Their excitement was equally desperation.

Topolevo: Currently, there is a new building being built for the 65 children in this orphanage. The one they are in right now is old and run-down. When we met with the director, she was very thankful for our long-term relationship in sponsoring the orphanage. She showed us around and we were able to see two project rooms: one for woodworking and one for crafts. The children have made some amazing projects with intricate details.

Prior to visiting Topolevo, our in-country directors explained how the need is great. In December they bought the children new socks. They needed socks so badly that the children were stealing one another's pairs and getting into physical fights.

While I was walking through the dimly lit halls, a heavy blanket of desperation seemed to add to the darkness.

Even though being in Khabarovsk was difficult at times because of what we saw, I was greatly encouraged. The small staff of Russian Christians we have there truly understands why we do what we do. As our in-country director put it best in his broken English as we thanked him for taking us to the orphanages, "We are in the same business." I smiled to myself as our mission statement flashed through my mind... that orphans may be heirs of the Heavenly King.