Prayer Request

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U2Bama

Rock n' Roll Doggie
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My wife is leaving tomorrow to go to Russia for 11 days on a mission trip with a group from our church and a local university. They will be working at a summer camp for orphans in a remote area about 6 hours from Moscow. Our church sponsors a group of children at the orphanages there, and this camp is a much needed break/vacation from their typical lives at the orphanages.

On a U2-related note, the translator who has been assigned to work with my wife is a big fan of U2! In correspondence with the group from our church, she mentioned that one of her favorite things about the former Soviet Union "opening up" was that she finally had access to her favorite group, U2. I am sending 3 of my Australian cd singles with my wife as a gift, and I am certain that she will like this much more than the typical gift of Western perfume/cologne!

If you think about it, please pray for this group of travellers over the next 12 days (they leave tomorrow, June 5 and return Sunday, June 16). Also, pray long-term for the 27 kids whom they will be working with. They are usually "graduated" from the orphanages at the age of 16, and their prospects are not always great. Thanks!

~U2Alabama
 
Wow, Bama, that's really great! I'll definitely keep your wife (and you...all home alone) in my prayers. :)

Nice spreading of the U2 love too, btw. ;)
 
Best of luck to your lovely wife-and my prayers for her.

She's doing wonderful work, that's for sure. I'm sure you'll be worried about her, but everything will be fine.

:)
 
Thanks Bama for the info on your wife's trip. I was able to take a similar trip to Brazil in 1997. It was hard not being able to take my wife, since we could only afford for one of us to go. It will truly change her life, and so I will be praying that as God speaks to her, that she will hear His voice, and have the greatest experiences of her life while there.

Chris
 
Your wife will definitely be in my prayers...

And I'm curious about this trip...how did it come about and is there a place I could get more information about it? I'm really interested in this sort of thing, been looking into it for awhile.

Peace.
 
Thanks, everyone! As I post this, she is probably somewhere over the Atlantic. She called me before leaving JFK this afternnon and said that all was going well.

I must admit, I have had some probably "selfish" thoughts today out of travel'safety concerns and the fact that she will be gone for what seems like a long time. We will have been married 5 years in July, and this is the longest we have ever been apart. But when I read what spanisheyes wrote about being away from his wife and the wonderful experience of the trip, I realize that my worries are nothing in the greater plan. This is the first "mission trip" she has ever been on, and I have only been on mission trips to rural Alabama and inner-city Birmingham, so the distance is something new for both of us. I was speaking to my Mom this morning, and she said that she thought her sister was "crazy" when she and her husband decided to go to Africa as missionaries and raise their children there, but soon realized that they were simply answering their calling, and it was a rewarding experience for their entire family.

Hippyactress: my Church participates in this through the Children's Hope Chest Organization, a non-demonitional orphan assistance group based in the U.S. and working in Russia and Rumania. Even if there is not a participating church in your area, you can find other ways to get involved or help by looking at their website, www.hopechest.org. Let me know if you need any additional information!

Thanks again, everyone. I may be a bit sleepless tonight until their plane lands at 3:30 am (my time) in Moscow!

~U2Alabama

p.s. Spiral_Staircase: !gracias!
 
Thanks, BabyGrace!

Just an update: I received an e-mail from the group leader today that they had arrived safely in Moscow and their travel had gone smoothly through customs and such. They had checked into the hotel in Moscow and will probably be heading to Kostroma soon (as I write this) where they will work at the camp for a week.

~U2Alabama
 
Bama, I will keep you and your wife in my thoughts and prayers....my brother, his wife and their 3 kids LIVE in Russia as missionaries. They're about 200 mi. north of the Mongolian border in a city called Irkutsk. They are there for the long haul - they have a car, house, dogs, cats, friends, garden, etc. In other words: ROOTS.

It's a hard life, but they love it. and it's "home" to the kids. I hope your wife will enjoy her trip, and learn a lot about the Russian people in the process. :) My brother said the Russians are truly thirsting for the word of the Lord after 70 years of state-imposed "drought"!

*remember Ali/Chernobyl too*
 
Discoteque, thanks for sharing that. People sharing their own or their friends'/relatives' missionary experiences helps me realize the higher purpose of my wife's temporary absence. You're right, it IS a hard life, but at the same time, there are probably many things that you and I face in everyday life that your brother and sister-in-law NEVER have to worry about! They probably get by quite well with what we may consider conveniences and/or necessary annoyances. It is obvious that he and his wife have answered their TRUE calling - they seem to have made a home and enjoy it, and they are fulfilling a greater purpose at the same time!

As I mentioned earlier, my Mom had reservations about her sister and brother-in-law moving to Africa with their kids, but then she realized, "Who am I to question God calling them to Africa?"

You mentioned Chernobyl, and a group from my college, including some close friends, went on a service/learing mission trip to Belarus one year and worked with orphans from the whole Chernobyl fallout disaster. It seems that a big gift for many of these kids was for people to hold/hug them. It is amazing what such a simple act means to some people.

~U2Alabama
 
Sula:

Everything seems to be going well based on the emails I have received from the group leader. The Childrens' Hope Chest organization has even posted photos of this week's camp on their website:

http://www.gospelcom.net/chc/russia/files/events_archive/2002/camps2002_pictural/stroitel/index.htm

I was asked to follow the church van (and luggage trailer) to the Atlanta airport Sunday afternoon to pick them up, which I plan to do. After all, I am getting quite anxious for her return!

~U2Alabama
 
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Thanks again for your prayers, everyone! They got back safely on Sunday night. She had a wonderful time, but is still trying to recover from the time difference and "sleep deprivation" (VERY long days, few dark hours). Perhaps I will post a few photos soon.

~U2Alabama
 
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