Sent: Friday, December 23, 2005 3:45 PM
Subject: Christmas Greetings from Al & Ellen Smith in Moscow
Dear friends and family!

Greetings to you in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. May the joy of the Christmas season enter in and bless each of your homes.

I look at the calendar and I am just astounded that we are already at Christmas again and almost through a year that feels like it only just began. I simply don't know where all the days and weeks went. I do know that it has probably been the hardest year of our time in Russia, but in that hardness it has forced us to find a new balance for our lives, and that has been a good thing. I have actually learned to say "no," or at least "not just now." Al and the girls have found their balance too. Al has been teaching new classes at Hinkson, which he has enjoyed, but it was a very difficult start to the school year with the sudden death of his brother in August. Allison is now a senior in college and so is, in additional to school work, busy exploring options for next year. Meg has been enjoying her first year of high school, but she's also discovered that it requires more time management on her part. She played on the varsity volleyball team this fall and had several fellowship groups that she was a part of. It wasn't always easy to find the balance with the demands of her schoolwork, but she's done well. Emma continues to be Emma, but she's also grown into a new maturity that we just marvel at. She's in the third grade now and making great strides with things that have up to now been rather challenging. She loves her third grade teacher and has some very good friends this year.

Since I last wrote in October, I have had a three week visit to the States – helping to initiate the Russia Mission Network, attending the Global Mission's Conference at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, visiting a few churches, and finding a little time for family. I was able to visit Allison for parents' weekend at Carleton, and got to Green Bay to see Al's family.

In November, I mostly stayed home and got caught up. I did make one trip to Belarus to participate in a conference by the Belarusian Round Table on Women in the Church. I tried to tell them that I wasn't the best person to speak on that subject, as my area is focused more on interchurch cooperation. I have never felt that the fact that I am a woman was all that significant in what I do, it is just a part of who I am, but there are certainly challenges in what I do because I am also a mother and a wife. I cannot give up those roles as I take on others. It was valuable for me to think about the issues and listen to other women share their thoughts and experiences. My colleagues in Belarus were very interested in my discussion of the concept of servant leadership and asked me to elaborate. They will be publishing a booklet on the conference, but it will be in Russian.

Our family slipped out of Russia at the end of November for the vacation we never managed to find time for over the summer. We all went to Germany for Thanksgiving, Allison meeting us there on her way home for the Christmas break. We spent a lovely long weekend with a young friend from our home church, who is serving in the army there. We managed to get to Trier, a city on the Luxembourg border that Al had studied in for a semester in college.

As we returned to Russia, members of two churches from the States were also arriving. One member of First Presbyterian in Charlotte, NC arrived to spend three weeks teaching English as a Second Language out in the Kirov Region. Three members of another church arrived to explore, with their partner church, the possibility of establishing an income generating business in that city. It is a model that is badly needed. We don't know where this exploratory trip will need, but they have examined and discussed many important issues. While these guests were visiting other cities, I slipped up to Vologda to discuss the possibility of a camp for Down's Syndrome children and their parents. This is another area where models are needed. Most special needs children in this country have been institutionalized from birth. Those parents that have chosen to keep their special needs children, have faced terrible isolation and stress. Many fathers have left, leaving mothers to carry the load alone. The church in Vologda is seeking ways to reach out to both the special needs children and these courageous, and often exhausted parents. The past two days, Al and I have been out in Smolensk helping the Istochnik Television Studio, which is part of the Smolensk church's ministry. Al was translated the script of two videos into English and did the English audio, so that these programs can be shared in with churches in the United States. They are excellent programs. My role on this trip was to type out the new script. I also filled in for women's voices.

It is always so good to come home again. We have spent the day getting ready for Christmas. We have many friends coming over for Christmas dinner. We are looking forward to the fellowship around the table. Last year we had 14 people in our living room, talking, laughing and eating long into the evening. We hope that everyone will enjoy the gathering as much this year as they did last year.

We wish you all peace and joy this Christmas season and may you experience the wonder of our Lord's love in these days and throughout the new year.

With love in Christ,

Ellen & Al

Sent: Monday, October 10, 2005 12:35 PM
Subject: Greetings from Moscow!

Dear friends!

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

It's been a busy month for us. Al and the girls are all settled into the school year now and enjoying it. Emma has thoroughly enjoyed her first year in soccer, finishing up this past weekend. She's already looking forward to playing again next year. Both girls are taking piano lessons. Meg is involved in a youth group at school, as well as a youth group at church. She is particularly excited about the one at church, as this is the first youth group St. Andrew's has had since we have been here. They are looking forward to helping with worship on family Sundays, engaging in group study, baking cookies together, bowling, and other group outings. Allison is busy with her senior year of college, but is looking forward to meeting us in Germany for Thanksgiving and spending December with us in Moscow. Al and I are breathing a sigh of relief that the busy season is now concluded. One last group remains in Russia. At the moment, they are in good hands with friends in St. Petersburg. They will return through Moscow later this month.

In September, I was able to travel with a group from White Memorial Presbyterian Church (WMPC) in Raleigh, NC as they visited their partner church in Smolensk. It is the third visit in as many years which has focused on orphanage ministry. Of the churches that we work with, Smolensk Baptist probably has the strongest outreach ministry to orphanages. This year, they have been granted special permission to work in all of the orphanages in their region. They are the first Baptist church in Russia to receive such an agreement. It is a remarkable blessing and we all praise the Lord for it. The group from WMPC spent 4 days in Smolensk, worshiping with the congregation and visiting orphanages with the ministry team. We found time to tour the city as well. The team brought with them bags full of hand knit hats and scarves, as well as jumpers sewn by members of the congregation. We were amazed at how the "Russia team" at WMPC got many members of their congregation involved. The team also came prepared to engage with the children. One member had brought a rhythm band, a colorful parachute, as well as individual craft kits for the children. She got many children on their feet and involved. Another member of the team shared a special talent that our Russian friends had never seen before – ventriloquism. Everyone was amazed and delighted by her performance. The WMPC group worked together wonderfully and their visit was a blessing.

With each of the last three visits, we have followed the time in Smolensk with a few days in St. Petersburg. In the past, we have taken a train back to Moscow and then on to St. Petersburg, only to return to Moscow again at the end of the trip. Each of these train trips have been overnight, with some members of the group sleeping better than others. The group last year asked if there wasn't a way to avoid quite so many overnights on the tracks. The alternative we found was to travel by day by van from Smolensk to St. Petersburg – a journey of some 800 km  and some 12 hours over local roads (not major highways). During the first couple of hours of particularly bumpy roads, the group was asking whose idea this van ride had been. As the journey continued, though, they were thankful for the opportunity to see Russia from a new perspective. We drove through rural Russia, a view few foreigners ever see. In those 800 km, we saw virtually no large scale agriculture and only two churches. There was no industry to speak of either. There were groups of old women sitting beside the road selling apples and cranberries (harvest from their own gardens or the marshy fields nearby). The group asked why. For villagers, selling their produce is often the only way they have of getting any cash for those things one must buy. The rural areas are extremely poor.  As we toured Peterhof (Peter the Great's country estate with magnificent fountains) the next day, one member of the group paused to remark at the incredible contrast between that grand estate and the poverty we had driven through the day before. 

This past week, I visited with my friend, Margarita Nelyubova, director of the Russian Round Table – an office of the Patriarchy working to help churches develop social ministry. Margarita shared about her recent visit to a nearby region which also struggles. Margarita told me of a project she hopes to find funds for. The project is a joint effort between a local Orthodox church and a secondary school in a village. There are so few opportunities for youth in this village that they are falling into alcoholism at an early age. This is by no means an isolated problem. The church is working with the school to try to develop a youth club with interest groups, sports activities and creative projects. I am excited about the project, because models are so badly needed to address an extensive problem.

People often ask me what I do when groups are not visiting. I do the same thing that I do when they are here. I listen. We cannot solve the problems that Russia faces, but we can stand beside our brothers and sisters in Christ, listen deeply and encourage one another in the development of good models.

I look forward to seeing some of you in Atlanta soon. Please hold Al and the girls in prayer as I head out yet again.

With love in Christ,

Ellen

Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Greetings from Moscow!
Dear friends in Christ!

I was at the circus twice this summer with visiting groups. One of the best acts of the program was that of the jugglers. They worked in a team of four, with individual jugglers moving in and out of the flow. Now and then they would drop one of their pins, but not often. The fluidity of motion that they achieved was a thing of great beauty. One tends to focus on the movement of the pins, as they arc through the air. Looking at the jugglers themselves, I saw their rapt attention and effort to maintain the rhythm and the flow. I imagine that their first attempts at juggling were not so fluid and rhythmic, that they had to find the rhythm each time they tried something new.

My thoughts about juggling have run parallel with thoughts about life in general and our work more specifically. With as many as five groups at once in Russia this past summer, and 10 groups overall, there were many times when I felt like a juggler managing the logistics of it all. In reality, I think that most of us lead lives that require a great deal of juggling. Juggling can be exciting and beautiful, but only if we center ourselves and find the rhythm. When we find the right rhythm, our lives flow smoothly and we are able to accomplish many things at once. When we add something new to what we are doing, it takes a period of adjustment to find a new balance and rhythm, so that things flow smoothly. When challenges come, our balance is disrupted. It is at those times that we must recenter ourselves and reconnect with the source of beauty, rhythm, and harmony. That source of course if that still small voice, the Holy Spirit guiding us gently on the course chosen for us. When we stray from that course or ignore it, the rhythm is lost and life is just a frantic effort to keep the pins in the air.

Sometimes, even when we feel like things are flowing rhythmically, events occur to knock our feet out from under us and send the pins flying. Some of you already know that for our family, that happened last month, when we got word that Al's brother had died unexpectedly. We had lots of pins in the air at the time. We were in the midst of the last group visit of the summer and Al was getting ready for the start of a new school year. When the pins go flying they can only be picked up again one at a time, and it is necessary to prioritize which pins need to be picked up first. We scurried to get Al a flight back to the States, and then the girls and I focused on working with the group. As overwhelmed as I felt in those days, I know that the prayers and support of that group that was with us, our Russian colleagues, and those friends Stateside who knew what had happened helped us to recenter, to find the strength to put one foot in front of the other and seek the rhythm again.

I have been following the news of Hurricane Katrina and the havoc that storm has reeked on lives along Gulf Coast. All the pins went flying when that storm struck, and it looks like its going to be a slow and painstaking process to pick them up again. I can only imagine the confusion, frustration and despair that have flooded people's lives with the floodwaters of that storm. I give thanks for all that Presbyterians across our country are doing to help restore hope in those shattered communities. Many of our Russian colleagues have shared that their congregations are holding the Gulf Region in prayer. There is hope, hope in our Lord, Jesus Christ, who stands beside us in the valley of the shadow of death. May the Gulf Coast residents feel strengthened and renewed by all the prayers that are being lifted for them, and encouraged by the hands of Christ outstretched through volunteers.

In Russia, the end of summer returned our attention to the shattered lives of Beslan. It is only a year ago that so many families were torn apart by the violence at School #1. Many articles have focused on the fear, anger and despair that still haunt people's lives. They have not found the strength and courage to even begin to pick up the pins that scattered. Many huddle in the refuge of their homes, afraid to leave. The church continues to work in this place, trying to bring healing and wholeness. Please remember the families of Beslan in your prayers.

Our lives are returning to a state of normalcy. Al returned to Russia in time for the beginning of school. He is back to teaching full time at Hinkson Christian Academy, the school our girls attend. This year Al is teaching Algebra 2, Geometry and Advanced Math, Calculus and Physical Science. Meg, a ninth grader, is in two of those classes. So far, we are all chuckling. Emma is now a third grader and enjoying her new teacher. This fall, Emma joined the Moscow Youth Soccer League for the very first time. After years of resistance, I'm actually enjoying going to her games each Saturday. Allison, our oldest, is now back at college beginning her senior year. I have had a couple of quiet weeks to get things organized again. Our first group of fall arrives in a few days. I think the logistics are in order. In mid-October, I return to the United States for a couple of conferences, including the Global Mission's Conference in Atlanta. I hope to see some of you there.

I know how important getting home and back to routine has been for our family. We pray for all those people stranded by the storm that they can feel the love of Christ surrounding and uplifting them so that they can put one foot in front of the other and pick up the scattered pins of their lives. We pray also that they will find their way home soon.

May the juggling of our lives be a thing a beauty and an act of praise to our Lord, Jesus Christ. May the peace and blessings of our Lord be with each of you.

In His hands,

Ellen & Al

Saturday, July 23, 2005 5:33 AM

Dear Friends and Family,

One of the best things about our position here is that we have the privilege of working with fellow Christians from other denominations. Here in Russia, we work with Baptists, Orthodox, and Lutherans. There are, of course, differences of theology and outlook, not only between us as Presbyterians and our Russian colleagues, but between and among Christians in Russia. Nonetheless, if we look attentively, we can find more points of similarity.

I got home last week from three weeks with various groups from PCUSA churches who had come to Russia to share faith and fellowship with their Russian partner churches. Since I teach school from September through May, the summer is the only time when I get substantial time with visiting groups. As it happens, most groups come in the summer, and the need for translation and other help is the greatest then. This year, we had such a volume of visitors that we ended up mobilizing the whole family, which brought blessings all its own.

After two weeks of living in tents, I traveled (by plane, no less) from Moscow to Orenburg with two visitors from First Presbyterian Church, Quitman, Georgia, a small town in south Georgia. Pastor Bobbi Neason and Elder Marie Hill came to make the first contact with their Lutheran partner church in the small city of Sol' Iletsk, located some 70 km from Orenburg, not far from the border with Kazakhstan. Although Orenburg itself is in Europe, Sol' Iletsk, on the other side of the Ural River, is technically in Asia. To the east are the Ural Mountains and Siberia, to the west are the bleak but beautiful steppes.

The Lutheran church has existed in Russia for nearly 300 years, since the arrival of German immigrants at the invitation of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great. These Germans brought their Lutheran faith with them, and kept it, together with the German language, through all the succeeding decades. Their relations with their ethnic Russian neighbors were quite good until 1941, when Hitler invaded the Soviet Union. Stalin promptly deported all ethnic Germans away from the front (usually to Siberia and Central Asia). The Lutheran church, like all churches in the Soviet Union, suffered terrible repressions during the Soviet period. The church building in Orenburg was destroyed, and a medical school built in its place.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Lutherans in Orenburg and Sol' Iletsk faced new freedoms and new opportunities, but also new challenges. The Lutheran church remained overwhelmingly a church of and for ethnic Germans. When it became possible for ethnic Germans, with the support of the German government, to emigrate to a unified Germany, many church members, especially young families, left.

Bobbi, Marie and I had the opportunity to see how the churches in Sol' Iletsk and Orenburg are responding to these challenges. In Sol' Iletsk, Pastor Nikolai Surovyatkin's congregation consists mostly of older women. Only one man attends on a regular basis, and he is 93 years old. Employment opportunities in the city are poor – there is a salt mine, which has operated for hundreds of years, and a maximum-security prison. There is seasonal employment during the summer months, tending and harvesting the city's most famous product, watermelons. The church invites all interested persons to its holiday celebrations, which are frequently held in public halls because the church's sanctuary cannot accommodate many visitors.

Pastor Nikolai's major outreach is directed to a group which can never come to church. The inmates of the prison here have all been sentenced to life terms, typically for repeated violent crimes, multiple murders, etc. The conditions they live in are brutal, their chances of release virtually nil. But Nikolai is there twice a week to teach lessons from the Bible, offer counseling, serve communion. He has a constant barrage of letters from prisoners, all of whom eagerly await his response. He has collected a book's worth of poetry written by inmates, as well as amazingly intricate works of art. Until quite recently, when the cost of printing became prohibitive, he produced and edited a newspaper that was distributed throughout the prison. Many people in the community cannot understand why he spends so much time and effort on these inmates, reasoning that they deserve to be exactly where they are. Nikolai prefers to point out the inmates who have come to know Christ during their time in prison, and the artistic creativity of which they are capable.

In many ways, Pastor Inessa Thierbach's church in Orenburg is better situated: the congregation is larger, younger, more diverse. They have a beautiful building, built with assistance from the Lutheran church in Germany. But they still have problems with emigration and limited financial resources. Their major area of outreach has been to the children of the community. They visit a local children's home, provide meals in the church for street children, distribute boots and winter clothing. For several years, they offered a music school for neighborhood children, although that program is now in jeopardy because there is no money to pay for music teachers. But perhaps the most impressive work that they do is their work for children with educational difficulties. The church basement is home to a program, the only one of its kind in the city, where parents can bring children with autism, Downs' Syndrome and other conditions for activities and therapy. These services are basically unavailable through the usual government network of clinics and hospitals; most of these children have little or no chance to go to school, and many will be institutionalized when their parents are no longer willing or able to care for them. 

The church gets many referrals from city agencies that can offer no help to these children, and the diagnoses made at the church are accepted at local hospitals. The basic remodeling needed to make the church basement useable for this work was paid for by the city, but the city provides no help with the ongoing costs. One member of the church, a textile engineer by training, has begun creating church tapestries to sell in order to raise funds for this ministry. Unfortunately, the basement, even remodeled, does not comply with the necessary sanitation codes, because there is no bathroom on that level. To put in a bathroom, and a drain for the kitchen sink, would require a pump, since the basement is actually lower than the city sewer system. The church simply does not have the $2000.00 necessary to buy and install the pump. The net result is that the church continues to operate this vital ministry on a series of temporary permits, never sure that they won't be shut down the next time they come up for renewal.

FPC Quitman's partner is the church in Sol 'Iletsk, but we wanted to introduce Pastor Bobbi to Pastor Inessa as well. Inessa is one of a handful of ordained women in the Lutheran church in Russia. Many of her fellow pastors oppose the ordination of women. It is not easy to be in such a minority, but she has found her place, serving on the Synod Council and serving as a district superintendent in her region, all of which says a great deal about this dynamic woman. We forwarded a letter from Pastor Bobbi to Pastor Nikolai through Inessa, because email to Sol' Iletsk is so unreliable. In that letter, Bobbi shared something of her journey to the ministry. Inessa found many points of connection. We scheduled the visit to the region to allow time for these two sisters in ministry to connect as well.

We experienced extraordinary hospitality with our brothers and sisters in Christ in both Sol' Iletsk and Orenburg. It is inspiring to see how these churches on the edge of Siberia are working on behalf of those least able to help themselves, putting into practice our Lord's teaching that whatever we do for the least of our brothers and sisters, we do for Him.

May God bless you all.

Peace,

Al Smith

Monday, July 25, 2005 9:29 AM

Dear friends and family,

We greet you with the love of Christ!

Things have settled down over the past week, giving my head time to spin with ideas. Several things have triggered this brainstorming. As we often get emails from churches asking what their Sunday schools or youth groups might gather for our partners, I thought I would share my musings with you.

Musing #1 – One of our visitors this summer, in preparation for her trip, sent me an email saying that they had been going through the Sunday School closet at church and came across a long forgotten flannel board set. The person helping her sort suggested pitching it, but our friend stopped her thinking that someone might be able to use. She wrote me asking whether I thought their partner might have a use for it. I was confident that they would. Since then we have had multiple requests from our Russian partners for flannel board sets, especially for ministry to hospitals and orphanages.

Another visitor this spring, a former school teacher, shared with us instructions on how to make a homemade flannel board that could be portable. It sounds pretty easy, but we don't have access to any of the materials. I have not seen the basic ingredient, felt, for sale in Russia.

Anyway, I was wondering if there were other churches that might have long forgotten flannel boards in their Sunday School closets that they would be glad to part with. Perhaps there is a Sunday School class or a youth group that would enjoy a project – making homemade flannel boards. We'd be very glad to connect you with our friend and partner with the experience and knowledge.

Musing #2 – Several of our partner churches here have begun exciting new ministries to special needs children and their families. In a country where most handicapped children are given up at birth and institutionalized (for life), families who choose to keep their special needs children feel extremely isolated. There are few educational and therapeutic opportunities for these children and their families. These partner churches are developing programs to provide respite care for families, as well as practical education (life skills) and occupational therapy for their children. Often they use craft projects to stimulate the children, having the children pay attention to color and shape and giving them the joy of creating something lovely. The craft projects are equally important in the work with orphans.

I was cleaning up the kitchen this afternoon, putting the potholders Emma made for me back on the hooks when it dawned on me that potholder weaving would be an excellent tool for this ministry. It also occurred to me that maybe some of you have forgotten potholder looms in your attics and basements. I had one when I was a young. There is no telling how long my mother kept it.

Al and the girls just kind of shake their heads when they see my head begin to spin with ideas. You might be doing just the same, and I fully understand. If, however, my musings strike a chord with any of you, there is more to this. I will actually be back in the US in October for the Global Missions Conference in Atlanta. It would be a great time for me to bring back such items, if you found them or, in the case of flannel boards, wanted to help make them. If your Sunday School class wanted to gather craft supplies, we would have no trouble distributing them. These are things that we simply don't have access to in Russia.

We hope that you are all finding ways to stay cool with the devastating heat wave that has hit the US. Having grown up in St. Louis, I remember the summer the thermometer reached 107. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Peace and blessings,

Ellen & Al

Tuesday, July 19, 2005 6:18 AM

Dear friends and family!

Grace and peace to you in the name of our risen Lord, Jesus Christ!

I am glad to report that we have all survived the busy spell of summer camp season and are now back online. These past three weeks have been the busiest yet, but with cooperation and understanding, we all made it through. We have had groups from 7 different churches passing in, out and through Russia bearing tents, sleeping bags, craft supplies and games for the camps. They have endured crowded transport, rain and cool temperatures, rustic conditions, cold rivers and mosquitoes, but they have also enjoyed the fellowship of their larger church family and the richness of Russian hospitality. We hope that they have returned home feeling blessed by their experiences. We have certainly felt the blessing of their visits.

Al spent the three weeks with the groups on location as translator. He traveled to Bryansk, Oryol, Orenburg and Sol 'Iletsk (a small city on the border of Kazakhstan). He had time with the partners that he doesn't often get during the school year. He has his own newsletter to write.

In the midst of the last three weeks, I wondered whether I would have anything to write about at the end. I passed in and out of camps, but spent most of my time managing the flow of groups. The first group, from First Presbyterian in Columbus, GA, arrived June 24, setting out for camp the next day. I was able to travel out for the beginning of the camp, but then had to return to Moscow to welcome groups from 5 more churches over the course of three days. I had plenty of opportunities to remember that all plans in Russia are tentative. Flexibility is always essential, but far more important is faith and trust in the Lord to provide. He did. On the first day, a group from First Presbyterian in Nashville, TN arrived – 5 hours late (they missed their connecting flight). When I called the van driver to see if he could make the adjustment, I discovered that there had been miscommunication and that he had taken us off his schedule. If they had arrived on time, we would not have had adequate transport. I was able to find another driver and in spite of a horrendous delay once they did arrive (including 7 lost bags), finally managed to get them settled comfortably for a night's rest. The lost bags were also a blessing, as it meant that we didn't have to transport them to the camp, the airlines had to. There would not have been room for any more than what arrived on time. The next day had its own challenges, as I had one group coming and one going, but my colleague Jeff Koning from Perm arrived early that morning on his way out on a visa trip, and was able to help out during his 7 hour layover. At the outset of this busy period, it was a bit daunting, and I wasn't sure how I would hold up, but in the midst, I found that the Lord gave me what I needed for each day and each situation. There was plenty of laughter as the groups and I faced new challenges.

Meg and Emma returned from five weeks visiting family in the United States at the beginning of the second week and jumped right in to help. I found myself watching my children with amazement, seeing a new maturity and confidence in each of them that I had not seen before. In the midst of jet lag, Meg seamlessly slipped into a full role of assisting with the groups, even helping on the evening of her return to get one group back to their accommodations while I took someone to the airport. In camp during the following week, Meg slipped into the role of translator as Al left to take another group out to the Urals (I was back in Moscow again, coordinating departures). Emma, for the first time, was a full fledged camper, staying in the tent with the youngest girls and participating in the program with them. Up to now, she has been very reluctant to attempt Russian, but she understands the language. She came back from camp determined to speak and began translating for group members as they toured Moscow.

The camp season has had many highlights. It is always a joy for us to watch as the partners teach one another new games and new songs. The American partners brought with them a wonderful and varied supply of crafts – something we just don't have access to here. The children never tire of such activities. We are amused to watch as the Americans and Russians compete in athletics. Sometimes the Americans even have the advantage. This year, one partner had camp T-shirts made (in Russian!). The children and the staff were thrilled.

We as Presbyterians do not run the camps in Russia, but participate. Our Russian partners are moved by the willingness of their American brothers and sisters to join them in camp, enduring rustic conditions (boy scouts would feel right at home) and sharing their simple food. The children, believers and non-believers, come away feeling special, because they have American friends. The fellowship between the partners is a profound witness. I think sometimes our American friends don't fully grasp the impact they are having on young lives as they spend a week to ten days with campers – playing games, doing crafts, listening to stories they don't understand, and laughing with these new friends. I think that sometimes some of them feel guilty about coming and having fun and maybe wonder if this is missions, but I can tell you that they are touching lives and they are affirming the unity we have in Christ.

I hope you are all enjoying the summer and finding time for rest and recreation. May the peace and blessings of our Lord be with each of you.


With love in Christ,

Ellen

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