The week that was

I have had so much to blog about following my Kellog trip, that it has taken me a lot to get up to date. So I'm going to squeeze the last week and a half into one post. If you have not been able to keep up with me and want to read the whole Kellog Adventure, then click here. It will bring up the whole month of July. Remember to read the posts from the bottom up to get the whole story.

Following our adventure, we headed off to the Chaika recreation base to our Russia Area Retreat. It was sweet to see my family again, and not a little bit strange. We had a wonderful time at the retreat with other people from our org in this country. It was great to be encouraged and to encourage and see the commitment of so many to go the distance and stay in this country. It was also deeply moving to hear Paul's stories. Paul has lived in Bolivia for 28 years. He shared about the many times that his life has been "emptied." It is not an easy road. There are times that it would be easier to just pack up shop and call it a day. But when I sit in the room with people like Paul who have gone the distance and seen much growth, who have made the sacrifice, counted the cost and who understand what I and my family go through, it just makes my desire burn all the deeper to follow the call placed on my life.


Following our retreat, Mika and Samuli stayed with us another week. They flew back to Finland this morning.

The first night we got back, the excitement did not stop. We were visited in our apartment by a team of ethnomusicologists. These were actually a group of people that I helped to hook up with some contacts in Tuva. They went down there to encourage the Tuvan believers to use their own cultural music in worship. This was something that I felt the Tuvan believers were ready to do, but were not, because the Russians were not really giving them permission. The team had invited me to come with them. I wish I could have gone, but it clashed with my Kellog trip. I guess I can't do everything. The Tuvan believers received them wonderfully and caught the desire to use their own instruments and throat singing in worshiping God. The Tuvan believers now plan to put on a music festival in August next year. It sounds exciting, and I will also miss out on that.

This is a "bezanshie" (I don't know how to spell that in Tuvan.) It is a famous Tuvan instrument. Here John is attempting to play it. John is from Alaska, and I wasted no time in telling him that he is called to Siberia!


Samuli, taking his turn on the "igil." I also had a turn, but he's just so much better looking than me.



We took our guests over to the other side of the river to the Krasnoyarsk zoo. Here is the ugliest of the animals.

Well I find camels ugly anyway. This Tuvan folk tale gives the reason why.

The Camel

Believe it or not, the camel was once the most magnificent of all the animals! It's true! He had big beautiful horns with golden tips, and a long, thick, bushy tail.

Day after day the camel used to stand beside the river, admiring his reflection in the water.

One day while he was standing there, down from the hills came the Siberian stag.

"Ekii, Teve!" said the stag. This is the way to say, "Hi, camel!" in Tuvan. "My brother," he went on, "you have the most magnificent horns I have ever seen. Won't you loan them to me? I'm going to a party and I'd like to get dressed up."
"My horns?" said the camel. "I'd hate to give away my horns."
"Don't worry," said the stag, "I'll bring them right back tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? All right," said the camel, "But make sure that you do."
And so Teve the camel took off his magnificent horns and loaned them to the stag. The stag ran off into the mountains.

Teve stood by the river, admiring what was left of his reflection.

Pretty soon along came the horse.
"Ekii, Teve!" said the horse. "My brother, you have the most beautiful tail I have ever seen. Won't you loan it to me? I'm on my way to a horse race, and I'm sure I'd win if I had your tail."
"Chok!" said the camel. That is the Tuvan way to say, "No!" "I already loaned out my horns and I just can't loan my tail too."
"Don't worry, brother. I will bring it right back after the race is over."
"You're sure?" said Teve. "All right, but make sure you bring it right back."

He took off his long, thick, bushy tail and gave it to the horse. The horse galloped away across the steppe.

The camel stood there beside the river, peering off into the distance, looking for his friends. He waited all day. He waited the next day, and the day after that. Neither the stag nor the horse ever came back. The stag stayed far away in the mountains and the forests. As for the horse, whenever he meets a camel, he shies away. And from that day to this, the camel has remained the angriest of all the animals!


The advenure is over, our retreat complete and our guests have moved on. We know have only 13 days until we leave Krasnoyarsk. Please pray that we can sell our furniture in time and for all our packing.