Projects workshop in Lithuania

How many ways can you say Salvation army
The hall in Klaipedia - situated next to a pizza shop
Spring is sprung everywhere - we enjoyed a luch break walk theough the gardens
The tourist own is situated on a canal leading out to the baltic sea



The bridge in the centre of town is a focal point for weddings. the bridal party come and the bride & groom place a lock on the bridge and throw the key into the water - signifying they are locked together forever

The hall is decorated to signify the local area - cross and pulpit from wood recovered from the beach. A lovely and very practical setup we rent from the Lutheran church.

we found a beach

One thing we have not been able to do since coming to Moscow is visit the ocean. Well finally we made it - on a cold blustery day we stood on the edge of the Baltic sea. We could have been on any beach at home.
The purpose of our visit was to attend a 2 days projects workshop in the town of Klaipedia in Lithuania. But on the final afternoon we had a little time to spare and went for a wander.

some pics from Ukraine visit

During the first week of may Ron & I traveled to Ukraine for a projects visit. we started in Kiev and traveled North then south before ending up at Yalta down on the Black Sea(below). in this photo we managed just and hour off for some sight seeing - we visited a famous castle - now a museum - famous as it is remembered as the place where Churchill Roosevelt and Stalin signed the peace pact that ended the war in Europe. This is the garden area where they sat and a famous picture was taken. Well a not so famous trio sat on this day as we ended a busy week of travel and observation. 7 days - with 4 overnight train trips - it was a challenge but well worth the experience.

The presence of Orthodox Churches remains a part of the landscape. this is a famous cathedral in the centre of Kiev - part of a large monastry.
Everywhere we traveled we found the blossoms coming into full bloom and the tulips in full bud. It was great to see the colours of spring as we traveled. There are many common space areas , public gardens where people gathered all hours of the day and night. Particularly in the cities as people escape the high rise apartments and gather in the parks.
The purpose of our visit was to visit corps and to also look at projects that we have been involved in. we traveled with the Ukranian Project Officer - an american officer serving in the territory who is very fluent in russian and served us well with the translation needs.
We visited schools for physically disabled & deaf children, orphanages for cerebral palsy and downs children & young adults. this young man has developed a skill for beading and displayed some very intricate and decorative work.
We met with dedicated staff working in difficult and often less than adequate surrounds. we looked at places where people have donated equipment and funded a range of development projects.
Feeding is a big part of our work in Eastern europe. here the cooks in Kirovograd prepare for a celebration on victory day when over 100 people were to attend a lunch
This lady is over 90 and proudly displays her medals for Victory day. she worked on the front line as a radio operator during the War. Once they gave her the mike it was difficult to stop her from telling her stories.



Statues are everywhere you travel - big and small Memory statues from the various periods of war are prominant. famous people are remembered usually with statues - the more famous the bigger and more in number. The people are also superstitious - and occasionally you find a part of a statue that is frequently touched as a sign of good luck - in this case it is the big toe - as people pass - they reach up and give it a rub.In the many parks you also find some beautiful water fountains. they are emptied during the winter months as the pipes freeze - but now with spring they flow freely.


Victory Day - may 9 is a big day - a public holiday and the crowds are out. Flags are unfurled.
We visited a number of corps and as many of the buildings are rented we sometimes are limited in what we can do to make it our own.
But in some places where you cannot paint - the use of drapes adds colour and variety to what could be a fairly drab room



Here is a sample of the work done at a school for intellectually disabled kids - working with fairly basic and aged equipment - they still turned out some excellent work

We visited a number of corps and met with the officers. it was good to go out into the coal face and see the work as it is happening. it brings a reality to the paper work we do from our desk in moscow.

visiting ukraine

May 1 was the start of changed roles for Ron & I. We separate our roles and I take on a new position. Ron will take over project and child sponsorship on his own whilst I move into the resource public relations role for the Territory. This is a new challenge at an interesting time in the development of the territory. I began the new role with a two day public relations workshop in Kiev Ukraine and followed this up with a 7 day visit to Ukraine. Ron & I travelled with the Ukraine projects officer in visiting a number of Corps undertaking a variety of projects. This meant a fairly extensive trip across half of the Ukraine. 4 of our 7 nights were spent on overnight trains. Fortunately we had sleepers so with full day programs we were on the move. Ukraine is a country that has the potential to be independent – it has industry, horticulture but unfortunately the political system and corruption hold it back and the people are suffering. The financial crisis is greatly impacting this country and its people. Also because ‘credit’ has been introduced this has added greatly to the financial burden of the people. (unlike Moldova which is more of a cash society). The reduced opportunities for work and the constant threat of no work for those who have it weigh heavily on the minds of the people. Increased prices and reduced income is a daily reality. The army is beginning to establish itself in the communities where it is. In particular Corps some excellent community connections and programs are under way. In Kirovograd we went to the Corps that is connecting in the community in a variety of ways. We visited childrens centres that we partner with and were astounded at the work being done to care for disabled children. In Kharkov we sat with local officers preparing for a new social program and were blessed to see the God focussed and deliberate intentions for this program. In Simferopal we saw the enthusiasm and possibilities of an energetic officer. In Yalta we saw what can be done when an officer is prepared to roll up his sleeves and get busy to get the job done. In Donetsk we met in the home of the officers and walked the streets of this mining town and realised that the uniqueness of this community needs officers prepared to work under difficult community settings. We journeyed with the project Officer and met with the divisional Commander and affirmed that God is at work here with these faithful people. There are many challenges. The need for finance being one of the biggest issues, but still the faithfulness of all to get on with the job was most evident. We returned to Moscow tired but refreshed in the challenges that are before us and hopefully with a better understanding of the cultural needs when working in the place.

some pics from our week in Moldova

We arrived in Moldova on the day after the big riots following the election. The damage to the parliament building was incredible. The students took over the building and in the frenzy that ensued the building was devastated and many people injured.

Whilst in a village we came across the 'Easter Fair' - a country show and the high light was the merry go rounds and the house of horrors - named Luna Park

Spring has sprung and the tulips were everywhere, the blossoms filling the trees

We managed one day off and took a drive into the country side to visit an old historic monastry set in the hillside

If we are looking scared it is because we were out on the cliff in the picture above. About half way up the cliff face.

The low rooms are the bedrooms where the monks used to sleep - carved out of the rock.

the resident monk reminded me of someone from back home - and so he abliged with a picture.

We were there to vist the various projects that are happening. we saw lots of Borsch, beetroot and buck wheat with chicken pieces. Feeding programs are a key program offerred to both children and elderly.

I spent some time in this elderly program and thought I was back in Kardinia for a while.

This kids program was themed road safety and the kids had the opportunity to test their driving skillls with a computer game.

But one of the reasons they come together is to do homework and we saw many dedicated teachers working with the kids to complete their work.

We visited a new hall built in one of the villages - kindly donated by Norway. A great facility - one that any western country would expect. Unfortunately here it is difficult to have the funds to maintain and pay for the elctricity & services to run the building. But there is a corps here doing their best to make it work and looking for creative ways to use what is an excellent facility.

The many complicated laws and processes made the building of this complex a real challenge. An example of this - the law states that there must be 2 toilets for each gender - the result........ take your pick???????

The roads are a particular challenge - it is not unusual to drive down a road and discover a manhole cover has dissapeared - no warning - just watch out!!!!! Or maybe some rocks on top will stop someone from stealing the lid???? It is a brave person who drives in moldova.

This is just a few glimpses from our week in Moldova. It was a great experience to go out and be a part of the army work for a week - released from the desk for a small glimpse of what it is like for the people in this struggling country. We visited programs, we sat with people in their homes, talked with officers and managed a little sight seeing as well. We returned to moscow safely with a better understanding of the many challanges facing our work.

taking a walk around parliament

I remember in 1988 with our children joining with 15,000 other Chrisitians to walk around the new parliament house in Canberra Australia. The building was to be opened by the Queen and so many people took the pilgrimage to join and offer 24 hours of prayer before the opening. we sang songs as we walked in unity and many prayers were offerred. It was a peaceful and memorable expereince.
It was a very different story in Moldova this week when a similar number of people gathered around the Moldovan parliament building. They were not there for prayer, but rather to demonstrate their anger at the results of the election that had just taken place. Using modern technology - facebook, SMS the crowds came quickly and a violent frenzy erupted. The crowd stormed the building - the police retreated and the building was gutted. Furniture and papers thrown out windows, computers stolen, many floors set ablaze. 9 floors of the building decimated.
Two nights after the event I walked with friends around the building to observe the damage. It was interesting to watch the many locals who also came in disbelief and wonder. We looked at the building with the blackened walls, broken windows, vertical blinds hanging from the vacant places. We watched as the riot police packed away their riot gear into a big van. We looked at the piles of broken glass and wrecked furniture and littered paper. The result of the demonstration did little for the cause. Students now have no money to study as the government suspended all payments to pay for the damages. Moldova made the front page of news all around the world. This very poor country, struggling to recover its economy, struggling to finds its identity. An interesting place to find the Salvation Army. The challenges and opportunities are great.

the changing seasons

Before leaving Australia I worked in the drought affected areas. One day I found myself sitting by a river bed - which was drying up because of the lack of water. As I walked along the river I discovered all sorts of interesting things. Old bikes, shopping carts , drink bottles and in one spot I even discovered an old cash tin. Obviously stolen and jimmeyed open and thrown away - only to be revealed when the water line had dropped to its low point. It is an interesting parrallel in Moscow at present as the layers of snow melt away. Months of refuse build up is being unmasked. All the human trash that has been discarded and covered by snow is now reappearing. Drink bottles, papers, general trash. Standing by the bus stop i realised again a big problem in this culture. Smoking. The amount of cigarette butts just thrown on the ground now being unmasked as the snow melts. There are no smoking bans here as we see in Aus. Smokes are really cheap and the majority of people smoke. Smoking is still permitted in resaurants, people smoke in the streets, just everywhere. This has taken some getting used to and you appreciate the regulation we have at home to give us free air.
It is also a reminder of how far behind this country is in valuing the environment. There is no sense of the damage that discarded cigarette bring to the environment. No fear of damage to others, to children who might pick up butts. No worry about the butt washing down drains - we dont have them and we are too far away for them to wash into the sea. Still a long way to go to bring change in this way of life.
Recycling is a non event. I have not a clue where the trash from 15+million people goes. we just put ours in a dumpster at the back of the high rise and a couple of times a week it is emptied.
Life is different in many ways.

We live in a 15 story building - 4 apartments on each floor. Our neighbors took over the passage way for a month to care for their farm animals. 6 rabbits and 12 turkeys. Finally some pressure must have come to them as they cleaned up the mess when the smell began to consume the lifts and could be smelt all the way to the top floor!!! I am sure the animals will be relieved as they can at last see daylight and have room to move - but then we begin to think - maybe they just moved into their flat and have taken over a bedroom?? There are some smells that stay with you - and unfortunatley that one will. But for now they are gone and we can again reach the fire escape. neighbours are interesting. the people below us play at least 4 instruments - must be a musical family or they conduct music lessons. We don't hear much from above.

Communal living Moscow style!