Well, I am on my way to St. Pete right now. This is my final Kursk trip update. I slept like a child. The mattress was good and I needed good rest before my 19 hour ride back to St. Pete. I was waiting for Nina to pick me up and take me to the station. She was late, but when I saw Lydia then I knew everything was going to be fine. Nina took me to the station. We came early and had a chance to talk about her husband and Lydia’s as well. It is very interesting that these wonderful and Godly women have husbands who do not believe in God and Nina’s husband is also an alcoholic. It is hard for these women to live with their husbands. Nina accepted the Lord two years ago. Now she is ministering to her husband in the midst of his constant nagging about reading Christian literature, Bible and watching religious programs. Yet, when she prays he never disturbs her and moreover he joins her. Please pray for him. His name is Gennady. Lydia’s husband is Alexei. He is a professor and seriously ill person. Lydia is praying that through his health problems and two serious surgeries that he has gone through it would get his attention, but so far it is not the case. However, he is going to church with Lydia time to time, but it is not sinking in his heart yet. I am pleading for your prayer support for these two men who need God desperately.

The train ride was smooth, but long like the first one. I had a gentleman who snored so loud for 5 hours so I was unable to sleep. By the time I got to St. Pete at 5 a.m. I was dead tired. I came home and fell asleep for two hours. Then I got ready and went to TBN studio. TBN is Trinity Broadcast Network. They have been here in Russia since 1999 and the headquarters for Russia is in St. Pete. They recorded an interview with me about The Harbor, orphans and my life story. Lord willing it will help to spread the word in Russia about our mission. I thank the Lord for this opportunity. As I was leaving the studio Zhanna a lady who interviewed me made a comment, "You had impressed our studio and most of all I thank you for sharing the gospel because half of TBN studio staff are not Christians." Who would have thought that this would be an opportunity to share the gospel at a Christian studio that is has been around for a long time. God is good.

In my quiet times I am studying the book of 1 Samuel. I am stunned by Saul who was a chosen king over Israel. His father Samuel was a faithful servant and a king. His son was supposed to be the same especially because he was a chosen one by God, yet Saul did not meet God’s expectations. Saul was a rebellious person and in 1 Samuel 15:23 says, “For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry…” The Lord grieved that he had made Saul a king of Israel. I was moved by this chapter and realized how important it is to be obedient and do as God instructs us especially when we are chosen to do something. When we are rebellious God grieves over us and it is comfort to me because it shows his deep love, care and compassion.

I am going to meet with uncle Misha and aunt Marina. This will be a farewell dinner. Then I have to meet with two other folks. As you can see busy day. I have another meeting tomorrow and a few more people to meet with in addition to packing my stuff and getting ready for rise and shine day on Thursday.

Love & blessings,

Alex

This is a continuation of my ride to Kursk. The night was rough because first it was cold and then it was blazing hot like in a Finnish sauna. Then the mattress was constantly sliding off the bunk so the sleep was interrupted numerous times. Normally I am a good sleeper for as long as I fall asleep, but if it does not start good then the night won’t be good. Well, it is life and I guess I need to bite on the bullet. Ha. My “roommates” got off and I did fall asleep, but then had to get up anyway an hour prior to arrival to Kursk. I have safely arrived to Kursk and two nice ladies met me: Lydia Feodorovna and Nina Mikhailovna. I actually had no clue who was going to meet me and where I was going to stay. I also had no expectations because was not sure 100% what was going to happen or what should have happened. When I got off the train Lydia and Nina came to me and asked me if I was Alex. I said yes and they said it was obvious because I had a face of a Christian person. I never knew that there was a face for a Christian person except for one thing that typically makes me a foreigner in my own country is a smile on my face. I am too joyful for some folks and maybe my smile with Orbit white teeth as some orphans called me on this trip to Russia they realized it was Alex. They took me to their church dorm. It is a four story high building that is used for different purposes, but one of them is a dormitory. They have some folks that stay here all the time and guests also. I had my own room and it is nice, but isn’t 5* Europe hotel. Of course, it is a joke. I took a shower and noticed that both hot and cold water was always brownish color. It was strange to me because St. Pete’s hot water is brownish, but after running it for five minutes or so it gets relatively clear whereas here it did not. Even in the midst of brownish water I was still thankful for a hot shower after 19 hour train ride. Thank you Jesus! I tell people. I do not need much in this world except for two things: hot shower and clean clothes.

I had to be ready for the church service at 10 a.m. so I barely made it. I was going to have a light breakfast, but ran out of time. Lydia and Nina were so nice because they brought me so much food that normally I would eat in three or four days so never in one day. So here we are it is past 10 p.m. here and nothing was touched also because I just got home. The church service was long and tiring because I was tired after the train ride. It is a large Baptist church that will be celebrating 100 years in two weeks. There were three pastors and every one of them preached so that is a bit too much for me. Then a choir, which was very nice, but I wish we sang more songs with them or some songs that I know. Also they had a new deacon dedication today so that took 40 minutes alone. One preacher talked for 30 minutes and I am sorry, but it was so boring and I was literally fighting trying to stay awake. To me he talked about nothing or he could have said it all in 10 minutes. It almost seemed to me that he simply wanted to preach and he did not care if people listened to him or not. Well, the service was over and I was hungry and sleep so went to eat lunch. Lydia, Nina, Natasha, Sasha and I went to their apartment. Natasha and Sasha are the girls that Lydia and Nina are taking care of. They are trying to launch a model of The Harbor so this is their base for now. I was impressed especially because they have no funding or support. Lydia has a huge heart for orphans because she became an orphan herself when she was six years old. She was placed in the orphanage, but four years later her aunt found her and took her home. Lydia always wanted to minister to orphans and the Lord open that door and she has been going that on her own for seven years already. She has been caring for graduate orphans for two years already. Natasha and Sasha come from special needs orphanage so not a big potential and it is not because they are disabled even though they have some issues, but because this is how society is going to treat them. However, this is not stopping Lydia or Nina. Lydia actually became a guardian for two girls already and wants to help more girls.

After our lunch we talked about The Harbor and my life story for two or three hours. They had some knowledge about The Harbor, but not whole lot. They were appreciative that I came because they learned a lot about our history, program concept, etc. They also heard my story and Nina could not hear my story because she had never heard that person can suffer so much and yet come out to be the person that I am today. Please do not think that I bragging about myself no, but an encouragement to them that God does exist and miracles do happen. Working with special needs orphans especially those who are emancipated where society does not care about them at all can be very discouraging and questioning, “Why am I doing all of this?” Well, it is all for God who is in charge. God is at work even if it is at a slow pace, but the lives are changing. Yes, there are many discouragements and sometimes it is easier to walk away from it and say forget about it, but what would Jesus do? When cannot give up on them because everyone else already has. We are the last hope and light in the darkness that they have. God will work through us to touch their hearts and Lord willing in his time to transform them also. After our long, but yet amazing fellowship we had dinner and then Nina and the girls took me around the city of Kursk. It was already late and dark so I did not get to see whole lot, but it was still fun. We stopped by their new mall, which is impressed and took some pictures. The girls have never gone to this mall so I proposed to walk through it so that girls can take a peak because they will never get to go there or buy anything. They were stunned by its beauty. Boy, how little do we really need to make someone happy especially if it is an innocent soul? It is a great reminder to all of us slow down, look around you, and do something to make someone happy and bring light and hope in the midst of a dark and hopeless world. You can do it! We went to a huge store like Wal-Mart called Linia (Line) and bought some food for my train ride tomorrow morning. It is a short trip and it would have been fun if I could have stayed here longer and gotten to know Lydia, Nina, Natasha and Sasha better. Hopefully next year when I am back in Russia I could make another trip and do that. I was invited so the invitation is there.

I thank the Lord for this opportunity. There is so much needs to be done. I covet your prayers for Lydia, Nina, Iliya, Ken, Natasha and Sasha. They need funds to launch a model this fall so please pray for successful fund raiser. I will write more later.

Love and blessings,

Alex

I am on my way to Kursk. It is South-West of St. Pete about 19 hour train ride. The purpose of going there is to meet with a team of Russian believers who want to replicate The Harbor model. I will be there for a day and then back on the train to St. Pete. My prayer was that God would send me good “roommates” for this trip because you never know who you are going to get. I also was hoping that there would be a restaurant cart where I can sit, drink coffee and work on my computer. Well, I came to my room and met a woman who told me that this train does not have a restaurant cart so 19 hours pretty much without any food. I brought some pastry, but it is not substantial, but I am sure I will survive. In my room there are two other people: man and a woman. Both of them are going to the city of Orel, which is before Kursk so I will be in the room alone. Orel is 400 km (250 miles) from Kursk. Unfortunately I do not know the names of my “roommates”, but they are very pleasant people. Gentleman is from Peterhof, which is a suburb of St. Pete. Lady is from Orel, but her son lives in St. Pete. The most interesting discussion that we had was about God, Bible and denominations. The lady told me that her neighbors are Baptist and she thought that I was a Baptist also. I said no, but she gave me a look as if I was lying to her. I have tried to explain that there are many denominations even though Baptist at least in Russia are one the biggest denominations that has been here for over a century. The gentleman was sitting and listening quietly. He did not say much so it is hard to tell whether he was in agreement or simply did not care at all. However, his wife’s friend is Baptist, but she never shares her faith so they are good friends because she does not say anything about religion. Such conversations are quite interesting and intriguing to me. Furthermore, God’s Word is teaching us that we must preach to all nations around the world (Mt. 28:19-20). However, when we preach God’s Word it is important to remember how we present it so that people are listening and not rejecting what we are sharing. The lady made a comment that I was doing a nice job without forcing them to become a Christian. Thus, she was interested and willing to hear what I was saying. Moreover, she said that she respects people who have faith and their opinion about God.

Visit to Victoria’s home

Yesterday I finally was able to visit Victoria and her daughter Sasha. Both of them used to attend The Harbor VTC last year. They were my English students. Victoria accepted the Lord last March and was baptized in July. Last year when I was in Russia in the summer we met at her home for seven hours talking about God, forgiveness and spiritual growth. She is a sweet lady with warm and caring heart. Victoria appreciates what I am doing for orphans because she has a nephew who is an orphan because his father committed suicide and mother who know where she is now. When I was listening to Victoria yesterday I had noticed that she has so much anger and bitterness, which she did not have last year. If she did then she hid it well whereas this year it was very obvious. I had ask Victoria when was she at church last time and she said quite awhile ago. Then I asked her how frequently do you read God’s Word and she said once a week. After hearing what she said I decided to share some things with her. We read God’s Word together and I was trying to encourage her to go to church time to time since she does not want to go there every Sunday and read God’s Word daily even if it is for 10 minutes because it is a good start. It is better to read for little, but daily than once a week for an hour. It is a continuous growth and walk. Victoria heard what I said and then she said something, “Alex if you had a church then I would come to you daily.” I am not trying to say or make myself a heavenly person, but God is speaking to her through a servant like me and she is accepting it. She also said that she had received nine months worth of spiritual encouragement that she had needed for a long time. Pray for Victoria, her daughter Sasha and her nephew Gera.

Suffering

Life in Russia is tough and people have suffered for a long time. I have noticed that many people in Russia including Christians at times are stuck or proud or whatever you want to call it on the concept of suffering. They are unable to enjoy the life that God has given to them because their minds are occupied by sufferings and struggles. Some constantly talk about their suffering; thus, emotionally put themselves down. People have a hard time of letting it go or surrender it all to God. This summer being in Russia and meeting different people I have noticed this issue with many people especially my friend Tanya, Victoria and others. I covet your prayers for Russian Christian people, brother and sisters in Christ that they would be freed from such imprisonment.

Classmate Sveta’s B-day

On August 22nd my classmate Sveta whom I have known for almost 25 years celebrated 33rd b-day. She called her closes friends including Ed, Masha and I. We have known each other for 25 years because we were at the same orphanage. Ed went with Melana two weeks ago for a summer two week vacation to Novgorod region. He had a wonderful time and came refreshed. Recently there was a major electricity outage (blackout), which affected six regions of St. Pete. St. Pete is not a small city so losing power is a big deal because it has affected transportation, streets, houses and even water for 2 hours and some regions for almost 24 hours. Due to the power failure Sveta’s home did not have any water so she decided to invite everyone to a restaurant because she could not cook anything at home. When she called Ed to invite him he was furious that she was going to host her party at a restaurant. First, it is not a big deal, but I guess it is for Ed. Second, Ed did not have to pay a penny because Sveta took care of it all. Third, he talked to her so rudely, which almost ruined her celebration. At the end he did not show up anyway, which was a bummer. There were eight of us and we went to a German Pub. We had a nice meal and fellowship. Presented many beautiful flowers and she was moved. Then we all went to her friend’s home and had a cake and tea time. I am absolutely stunned because even there we actually talked about God and religion. Lately the Lord has been giving me plenty of opportunities to share the gospel with different people. I am like an apostle Paul planting seeds and watering them where it is necessary. Then I am giving them to God because in His time the seed will grow and produce fruit. Her good friends were happy to meet me finally because they heard a lot about me from Sveta but never met me. It is a family of three people: Nadezhda (mother), Vica and Kseniya daughters. There is a ten year difference between two sisters. One used to live in Cyprus and has good knowledge of English so she would like to be an English teacher. The other one is a student and junior professional tennis player. She also gives private tennis lessons. It truly is amazing that Masha is going to be 34 years old in September, Sveta turned 33, I will turn 33 this year also and Ed is 32. It does not seem that it has been that long since we have met, but I guess the time is flying faster than it might seem at times.

Meeting with Sasha and Gosha (The Harbor graduates)

One of the things that I do when I am in Russia is discipleship and mentorship with The Harbor graduates and other graduate orphans from different orphanages that I have known for a long time. About a week or so I met with Sasha who is a graduate of The Harbor for four years already. I have mentioned Sasha before in my updates. He is the one who has been struggling for almost two years with alcohol addiction. Long time ago Sasha was doing quite well, but then he reconnected with a friend of his who is an alcoholic. Of course, such influence on Sasha was negative. Sasha began to spend his entire salary on alcohol. He went to different banks and got loans worth thousands of dollars. Basically he was making very poor choices. He lost one job and then another and many more after that. When he finds a job, which to my surprise he finds them quickly as soon as he gets his salary he spends half of it on alcohol. Of course, most places will not tolerate that so Sasha looses another job. This has been going on for quite some time. Last year when I met with him, I tried to up lift him and encourage him to reconnect with the Lord and start going to the church again like he did before. He goes to church rarely and it is primarily because he feels guilty. I desperately want to help Sasha, but he needs to have the same desire or maybe even more than I do. He did not show the same enthusiasm to me last year even though his words were saying yes he does. This summer we met twice and both meetings were not easy for him. Our recent meetings seemed more productive to me. The most exciting thing is he wrote to me a note on Facebook saying that he was walking with his alcoholic friend who had tempted him to have a drink and Sasha said no. I rejoice in the Lord because Sasha is beginning to show some signs that he is fighting and wanting to change. He is a great guy and has a huge potential, but needs our support and prayers. It is important to know that he is not alone on the battle field. Thus, he needs prayer warriors.

My meeting with Gosha happened about two or three weeks ago. The purpose of our meeting was to catch up and also to find out why Gosha wants to go to a mission school. He has expressed such desire long time ago. He goes to our pastor Ivan’s church. Gosha feels lead to become a full-time evangelist or missionary. He believes that God has given him a gift of teaching and evangelism. He has gone on some mission trips in Russia and loved his experience. He is growing spiritually and wants to do what is right according to God’s Word. There are many different Christian mission schools that he can attend, but he wants to go to YWAM Discipleship Training School. It cost about $2,000 for 6 months training. We discussed how he is going to raise this amount. He is willing to set aside monthly $150. His salary is $650 per month. He lives in a communal apartment in one room with his sister, her unofficial husband because it is a civil law marriage and their daughter who is almost 2 year old. They have divided one room into two parts. His sister’s husband does not pay any money for living there and nor does he support his family so Gosha is forced to feed three people with his $650 monthly salary. It is absurd, but he does not know what else to do and nor can he simply close his eyes when he sees that his sister and his niece are starving. Another dilemma here is that his sister does not work and nor does she raise her child so Gosha has to deal with that also. Basically it is a tough situation so setting aside monthly $150 is a lot of money for Gosha. He and I would covet your prayers that God would provide funds in his time for mission school and his niece will have parents that will love and care for her.

Conclusion

Well, so much more can be said, but this entry is long enough. I will try to write more before I return to America next Thursday (September 2nd). If not then I will write shortly after. I am looking forward to reconnecting with you all. Thank you for your love, care, prayers and financial support. You are God’s servants and he is using all of us to transform the lives of lost and forgotten sheep. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Boy, where do I begin and most of all how do I write this entry after such a long time of silence. I do not want to get into too many details because then you would be bored and simply close the page and not read it. I will do my best to summarize some of the things that have been happening to me for the past two months especially.

I have recently finished writing another update so soon you will get it; thus, I will try not to repeat some of the things that I had already mentioned in my update.

I think the biggest development in Russia is the heat. Yes, I have mentioned that already on Facebook and people write me back saying that it has been hot in the states also. However, heat for Russia that it has been facing for the past one plus month is very unusual and most of all most people do not have air conditioner. Some folks wonder how do you cool down when it is over 100 F and the normal temp for St. Pete in the summer is 75F-80F because we are so far north like Anchorage, AK. Most people drink a lot of beer or kvass. You might wonder what is kvass? Well, here it is:

Kvass has been a common drink in Eastern Europe since ancient times, comparable with other ancient fermented grain beverages including beer brewed from barley by the ancient Egyptians, the pombe or millet beer of Africa, the so-called rice wines of Asia, the chicha made with corn or cassava by the natives of America. Kvass was first mentioned in Old Russian Chronicles in the year 989. In Russia, under Peter the Great, it was the most common non-alcoholic drink in every class of society. Later, in the 19th century, it was reported to be consumed in excess by peasants, low-class citizens, and monks; in fact, it is sometimes said that it was usual for them to drink more kvass than water. It has been both a commercial product and homemade. It used to be consumed widely in most Slavic countries, where in almost every city there are kvass vendors on the street. Today it forms the basis of a multimillion-dollar industry. Kvass was once sold during the summer only, but is now produced, packaged, and sold year-round.

The town of Zvenigorod, west of Moscow, is known for its authentic, preservative-free kvass, which is brewed in the basement of the town's Orthodox monastery. Kvass is made by the natural fermentation of bread, such as wheat, rye, or barley, and sometimes flavored using fruit, berries, raisins, or birch sap collected in the early spring. Modern homemade kvass most often uses black or regular rye bread, usually dried, baked into croutons (called suhari), or fried, with the addition of sugar or fruit (e.g. apples or raisins), and with a yeast culture and zakvaska ("kvass fermentation starter").

Commercial kvass, especially less expensive varieties, is occasionally made like many other soft drinks, using sugar, carbonated water, malt extract, and flavorings. Better brands, often made by beer rather than soft drink manufacturers, usually use a variation of the traditional process to brew their products. Kvass is commonly served unfiltered, with the yeast still in it, which adds to its unique flavor as well as its high vitamin B content.

So now you know what kvass is. Well, when people drink too much of beer or kvass then they want to swim, but how can you when you are drunk? I guess in Russia you can and then this is where tragedy begins because people drown. Like the fire this summer has been another tragedy. It destroyed over 2,000 homes, close to 40 people died and over 2,000 people are homeless. The government is willing to pay a financial compensation to every family in the amount of 100,000 rubles, which is $3,333. What can you buy in Russia with this amount? Well, not much. Definitely you cannot buy a new home or build one either. Poor people because now they have absolutely nothing. Imagine if it was elderly people. Most homes in Russia are not insured so no additional financial compensation will be paid; thus, families are left on the streets. It breaks my heart because while the state invests millions of dollars into nice building and stuff the poor are dying right in front of their eyes, but little is being done to change it. Thus; the fire and heat in Russia this summer is causing a huge effect that will have enormous consequence on many lives. Another aspect is lakes, rivers and ponds are drying out. Wheat and other grains are dying so the harvest will be effected greatly. Russia will face a major shortage of grain next year. Your prayers will be greatly appreciated by millions of people in this country.

Recently when I was coming from Moscow on a train I was reading an article in the magazine known as Passport. You can check out a website for the article by clicking on this link: http://www.passportmagazine.ru/article/1935/

The article was fascinating and troubling because superstitions in this country have been here for centuries and many people believe in them. I am afraid to admit, but I believe that even new born believers continue to believe in them because it was part of them for so long. Yet we know that superstitions and religion cannot coexist. This world needs Jesus so badly and now is our opportunity to minister to those who still do not know Jesus as their personal Savior. I urge you to act before it is late.

I have been working with different teams and individuals for the past three months basically back to back. I thank the Lord that I am still young because I can keep going for a long time, but this summer I realized that there is a limit on how long I can actually do it. There we two gentlemen who came to establish partnership with The Harbor and other orphanages and mission organizations. One of them I knew because we met in Columbus and this is where both of us reside. The other one lives in FL. One of our meetings was a visit to the baby orphanage where we met with a head doctor, psychologist, two representatives from St. Pete State University the department of psychology, two gentlemen and I. I was fascinated to hear what they had said because this baby orphanage has been involved in special research done by two gentlemen from St. Pete State University and an organization in Pittsburgh. The focus on this research has been how to improve the development of a child in early childhood development if you are raised in the orphanage. A child needs a primary caretaker, which most orphanages do not have. Normally a child is placed in a group with twelve to fourteen other babies with one caretaker. Thus; no individual care, love, attention, etc. Thus; a child develops many issues that eventually turns into delayed development, attachment disorder, etc. This research consists of two stages: one is to identify the problem and the other one is to implement the changes into the system so it improves the life of a child in early childhood development. This project/research is in the second stage/phase. It is amazing what they have been able to do by implementing the change so that there is a smaller ratio between a child and a primary caretaker. Now this baby orphanage has six orphans per group with one caretaker and two nurses, which is a huge improvement. They are seeing a tremendous change in a child and want to continue to implement other changes and hopefully other baby orphanages will adopt the model.

Furthermore, two gentlemen from America are interested in working with ministries where they can help young mothers. Well, The Harbor has six moms and five of them have children. Thus; this is a perfect opportunity for them to develop future partnership with our mission to help our young moms so that they raise their children in a healthy, strong, positive and Christian environment; thus, a new generation is being raised for this country. I will be discussing our partnership with Doma International organization upon my arrival back home to OH. Your prayers for this future partnership would be greatly appreciated.

I visited my former orphanage a few times on this trip already. The first time I had helped them with some socks and then I helped them buying new digital cameras for their photography class. This orphanage has an amazing guy whose name is Alexander. He has been there even when I was at this orphanage. He gets a free space from the orphanage in order to teach orphans a skill in the area of photography. It is quite popular, but no one helps me financially to actually buy equipment so that he can teach kids photography. Thus; Alexander works as a photographer and then with his own money buys equipment so that kids can learn this trade. Kids do not take care of things as well as adults do so now they have no cameras, printers, paper, etc. Alexander asked me to helped them and I did, but so much more needs to be done. If there is a photographer who would like to help this orphanage with this class let me know please because they can definitely use some help and you will be investing into the future of these kids because they have a huge potential thanks to God and his servants like Alexander.

I have also gone to different camps where kids from orphanages 19, 51 and 18 are for the summer. Kids are always happy to have visitors because they do not get any. Summer camps have a special day known as the parents day, which is when parents come to visit their children. Parents bring goodies to their kids and play with them and show affection, etc. Whereas orphans do not get anything or anyone. It is so important to go and spend time with them and bring some goodies; thus, you become that parent or distant relative. They are so thrilled and happy that you came and brought them some sweets. I am sure we all know what is feels like to get something good. One of the camps had such bad conditions that after sitting with kids for three hours in a building playing games I had developed a cough for almost a month because the building had so much moister and mold. Poor kids because they have to stay in such conditions for three months. Summer camps have changed so much since the time when I was there back in the 80's and early 90's. Now there are hardly any activities and no fun so kids are pretty much left alone and do bad stuff because they are bored to death. Of course, orphans who are forgotten even in the camps are smoking, drinking and who knows what else they are doing. That is why I am happy to be here in the summer because at leas that day they won't be doing bad stuff that is killing them slowly, but they do not realize it. Those precious children and young adults need our love, time, affection, and care so much. We need to give it to them while they are open to it.

The latest development for me this summer is a hassle of trying to proof to people that I am Russian. With different teams taking them to palaces, museums, etc. I took them on tours. Every time I went to buy a ticket I would say so many foreign visitors and one Russian. A ticket lady would give me a look and then say, "Who is the Russian person? I would kindly say, "Me". Then a chuckle would follow and she would say, "May I see your Russian passport". I would show it to her, but she would still not believe me. Basically it is getting absurd to the point of irritating that I have to tell them many times that I am Russian. Who would have thought that the day would come when I would have to proof so much that I was born and raised in Russia. Ha. The other day when I was in Moscow with my team when we were riding in a taxi a driver thought that I was Italian. Hm.

You know it was so interesting when I was in Moscow. I have heard that Moscow has two or three Starbucks. I actually found out that it has almost 20 or so. In the states if I do go to this place then I never get anything fancy except for a coffee of the day and splurge myself by adding flavored syrup and mixing with a creamer. We went to a famous shopping street in Moscow known as "Arbat" and sure enough we found a Starbucks. Of course, we had to stop there to take some pics and buy something there. Well, it was a special treat let me tell you because I would never do anything like that. There were five of us and for five drinks our bill was almost $33. Ouch, it hurts the pocket. Well, here is the interesting moment, which I have never thought would actually happen to me. When I walked into Starbucks it looked so much like in the states that it gave me strong homesick feelings that I have never had experience. It was to the point that I got very emotional. For years I have prayed that God would allow me to be in two countries 50-50 and it happened. I love Russia and America. Both countries to me our my homes. Thus; I felt emotional because America is my other home and I miss it. I miss you all and cannot wait to come and see you face to face. Thank you for your love, care and prayers. I thank God that I have you in my life.

Well, so much more could be said, but it is way too long so hopefully you won't fall asleep or simply go to the end of this note without reading the rest of it.

Much love to all of you.

Blessings,
Alex

Dear Friends and Partners of The Harbor,

Our Pastor Ivan has lost his son Anton. He fell out of the window a few days ago. It is a huge tragedy and a loss because he and his wife Lena prayed to have a second child for ten years. This Saturday there will be a funeral and I ask you to pray for his family please. Thank you for being faithful prayer warriors because his family needs our prayers now more than ever.

Since collapse of the Soviet Union the birth rate has gone done and death rate has gone up. The demographics of Russia were threatened and the population was decreased quite a bit. When Putin became the president in 2000 he realized the situation and in 2007 signed the law that would change the population growth status. The law stated that if you have more than one child in a family then the state will pay you so much money for every additional child. In 2008 the situation did not change much. Quite honestly it was even worse to the point that the birth rate was almost at 0%. Due to that the state began selling old kindergartens to companies. When I was in Russia last year I did not see that much difference either. Moreover, I heard that people were not in a hurry to have children because in order to get the funds from the state the child has to be three years old. People wondered how they are supposed to raise children. The interesting fact is this trip I had noticed many pregnant women and women with children. I am happy to see that there is a movement. Due to growing birth rate now families have to wait in line to send their children to kindergartens because they are limited in numbers. This is so Russia because first we get rid of something that we think we do not need and then we cry out for help because we messed up.

I am studying the book of Judges during my quiet times and yesterday I was reading chapter 13 that talks about the birth of Samson. Verses 3-4 says, “The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, “You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean…” These verses especially stood out to me because drinking is a big factor in Russia and has been since 15th century. Most people know that drinking or smoking while you are pregnant is forbidden or I should say not healthy because of serious consequences. Fetal alcohol syndrome is quite common for many children who have become orphans. Some of you might say,” how many women do really drink while they are pregnant?” You will be amazed, but a few. I personally have known some pregnant women who smoked and drank. I am saying all of this because I see how much Russians drink nowadays and I pray that new generation will not become victims of orphan life in this country. Furthermore, that some people are not doing it for the money because that will have consequences as well. Russia already has many hundred thousands of orphans. We do not need more orphans, but need the next generation of educated, skilled, successful and prayerfully radical Christian citizens that will change the future of this country. Pray that God would raise a new generation like we have never seen before.

One person recently told me that she did not understand what I was doing in Russia. Why I was here for such a long time wasting money of our ministry partners. This statement had hurt me deeply, but at the same time I know that I am here because God had told me to. Moreover, my heart before God and our partners is clean. Plus it has been my prayer for sixteen years to disciple and mentor orphans on individual basis. God had used many people in my life that had influenced me through one-on-one discipleship. There is a power in discipleship and I want to do the same thing because I believe in it. In nine years The Harbor has helped close to ninety graduates and there is no way we can physically minister and disciple every single person. Thus, this is where God can use me. I have been meeting with Sasha, Zena, Natasha, Luda, Ira, Nastya and others. All of them have accepted the Lord, but like all of us they have struggles and need support. It has been a blessing and an honor to meet with them, talk, guide and pray with and for them. At times so many of us feel lonely. When we know that we have someone that we can come to and we will be embraced into the arms with love then it gives us comfort and peace. Orphans as fatherless children especially until they are fully freed from their pain and past need that someone special all the time. Please hear me that I am not saying I can do it all, but that if God can use me in a small way then I want to be obedient to Him. I so appreciate every single partner of our ministry through prayer and financial investments because by investing into The Harbor and I, you invest into the lives of many other people.

Recently I had met with two former orphans from my orphanage. Sergei and Pasha are five years younger than I am. Both of them are officially married and have children. The fact that they are officially married is huge because younger generation prefers to live in civil law marriage that has no responsibilities especially when troubles come. Sergei is married to Ira. He met her in the orphanage after he had graduated. They have a boy Andrei who recently turned one year old. Sergei is a professional chef and worked at a five start hotel. Ira is a student studying to become a teacher. When Andrei was born they had to make a decision who was going to take a maternity leave. You would think it is an automatic decision where Ira as a mother would do that, but not in this situation. Sergei loves his baby boy so much that he had sacrificed his career to raise his son Andrei. Now he is on maternity leave for year and a half. He is doing an amazing job and loves his child with all his heart. It is sad that Ira is so busy and does not love her son as much as Sergei does. When I visited them she was preparing for exams. Andrei came to her and wanted to be held, but Ira yelled at him that she had more important things and moved him away. It hurt me watching that because it is not right for mother to relate to child in such matter especially during the most crucial bonding years. Pray for Sergei and Ira so that they will bond with their son Andrei. Most of all pray that Ira would love her son in a way that mother really ought to where it is not a burden, but a desire and motherly instinct to do that.

My time with Pasha was amazing. A while back I had helped him to get into Financial and Economical University, but it did not work out because the university wanted a bribe. Pasha did not get discouraged and found a different place. He had graduated and started a construction company with another friend. He is married to Kristina and they have a beautiful daughter. He manages two offices for his company and it is doing really well. He had hired some of his former classmates to help them in this life because it is hard for them to find a job. Pasha and I were talking about his family and relationship. He said some wise comments that impressed me. Because he works a lot he gets home late, but no matter how tired he is he always comes and spends time with his daughter. He said, “If you truly love someone then it does not matter how tired you might be or whatever else it is, you will always show love and spend time with your beloved.” I wish that more people would have the same view like Pasha does. He cherishes his wife and daughter greatly. When he talks about them his eyes shine like a star and his love for them is contagious. I talked to him about The Harbor and my desire for him to partner with us in some way. He was open to it. It is important for any ministry to become self-sufficient and self-supporting. Who could be a better person than someone like Pasha a local businessman who was an orphan and has a desire to invest into the lives of others? I covet your prayers for this potential partnership.

I want to keep this update shorter than usual. I so appreciate your prayers and covet them always. Thank you for your financial partnership with our ministry and most of all your faithfulness in such difficult moments. May God abundantly bless and reward you for your investments into the lives of orphans who are deprived of so many things in this world, but thanks to you now they are blessed and filled with purpose, joy, hope and smiles. Thank you!

Love & blessings,
Alex

Check out this video. It was an amazing time. Thank you Natasha for making this movie.

Peaceful, quiet and sunny day in St. Pete. Today is the Universal Children's Day. Here is a brief history about this day.

The World Conference for the Well-being of Children in Geneva, Switzerland proclaimed June 1 to be International Children's Day in 1925. It is not clear as to why June 1 was chosen as the International Children's Day: one theory has it that the Chinese consul-general in San Francisco (USA) gathered a number of Chinese orphans to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival in 1925, which happened to be on June 1 that year, and also coincided with the conference in Geneva.

The holiday is celebrated on 1 June each year. It is usually marked with speeches on children's rights and well being, children TV programs, parties, various actions involving or dedicated to children, families going out etc.

It was adopted mostly by former and current Communist and Socialist countries.

Praise the Lord!!!

The St. Petersburg Times By Alexandra Odynova 

MOSCOW — The United States and Russia have agreed on key points of a treaty regulating child adoptions, and a final draft will be approved Friday for signing within two months, children’s ombudsman Pavel Astakhov said Wednesday.

The agreement, which Moscow demanded after a U.S. mother returned her 7-year-old son alone on a plane to Russia last month, will put an end to independent adoptions through lawyers instead of authorized adoption agencies, Astakhov said after a second round of talks with U.S. officials at the Foreign Ministry.

“There will be no so-called independent adoptions because this caused major problems. There was no opportunity to track a child’s well-being,” Astakhov said in a statement.

He said Russian officials had accepted a U.S. proposal under which agencies that participate in adoptions would have to receive U.S. accreditation and work in accordance with the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, which has been ratified by the United States but not by Russia.

The boy who was returned to Russia was adopted independently, a process that Russian officials have complained does not allow them to monitor adopted children’s well-being.

Astakhov said the draft agreement will oblige adoptive parents and adoption agencies to report on the children’s health and living conditions and will allow social workers to visit homes to verify the reports.

“We have reached agreement on all key issues and have noticed a readiness to sign such an accord,” Astakhov told journalists.

Members of the U.S. delegation, headed by senior State Department official Michael Kirby, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Russia effectively suspended adoptions after Artyom Savelyev, now 8, was sent unaccompanied on a plane to Moscow on April 8 with a note from his U.S. adoptive mother that said he was violent and psychologically unfit. Torry Hansen, 32, is still de jure his legal parent.

The Washington-based World Association for Children and Parents filed a petition Tuesday before a circuit court in Tennessee asking that an investigation be opened to determine whether the boy was abused, neglected or abandoned, The Associated Press reported.

In Russia, 120,000 children are registered as orphans every year, senior United Russia official Tatyana Yakovleva said Wednesday.

About 3,500 Russian children are currently in the process of being adopted by about 3,000 U.S. families, according to the Joint Council on International Children’s Services, which represents many U.S. agencies engaged in international adoption.

U.S. families have adopted more than 14,000 children from Russia over the past five years, including 1,500 last year.

http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=31431