I'm just wondering?

As we walk to work there is a little old lady standing in the underpass, she is elderly, its getting quite cold and she stands there with a small cup in her hand hoping that people will put in a few kopecs. She does not say much - just stands there. I don't know for how long. What will the kopecs buy her - they are of less value than our old cents. 10 of them make a ruble and she will need 10 rubles to buy a small bread roll.

I look out my window at work -oneof which overlooks the dumpster and I notice a lady probably in her 50's. She appears well enough dressed. She starts scratching in the dumpster - and finds something that looks a bit like jelly fruit and she moves to the back of the dumpster. She scratches through a few more bags. The care with which she opens the bags suggest she is not used to this - she hold them at arms length. And then she takes a spoon from her pocket and starts to eat from the container she had picked out. She realises its not edible and discards it and heads on her way. I watch her until she fades in the distance.

Today I stand and watch and wonder that God has brought us to this place. What can I do? I don't speak the language. If I feed them today they will be hungry again tomorrow. What is the answer. What should I do? What should our army be doing? How do we respond to such needs in such a great population.

May God give me the wisdom to know what I can do.

week 5

Our initial settling in has gone fairly smoothely. We can manage the transport, shopping and work. So the essentials are covered. Our small apartment is manageable although at times the crowded space gets on your nerves. The luxury of 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms of an Australian quarters is off the agenda for a while. Instead we are learning to mangae our space as needed in the one person bathroom and one person kitchen. Ron now has a good excuse not to 'dry up' - can't put two people in the kitchen at the same time. Mornings are the worst as we both try and get ready for work and manage breakfast, prepare lunch etc. The flat is also very hot so there is an agreement when we are ready to leave - you cannot put your jumper or coat on too soon as you boil while the other finishes getting ready. So if you are ready too soon you just go outside to wait. The entry doors to the flats are also different. Each has a steel framed door with a lock and you step into a small vestibule , which is dark to open another steel framed door which has 2 locks to enter the flat. I usually let Ron go ahead and open the doors and I follow or I leave before him and meet him outside. It is very different to be once again working so closely. We now have no car, share an office, and live in a tiny house. Good thing we are good friends.

This week has been a week for continuing to understand our new roles. There is a lot of paperwork and process in ensuring the projects are funded and that there is good accountability to ensure that donor money is spent correctly. Ron has also been busy this week with 2 major assignements. This has been complicated by our close living arrangements as we have the one room which is lounge, office, diningroom and clothes drying room. This has given me the opportunity for a couple of excursions so he could have the house to himself and no excuses for not working. On Friday after work I ventured off to the large shopping complex - a train and bus ride. I just wandered around and picked up a few household things, arriving home after 9. My first big excursion on my own. On Saturday I went with some of the other officers to a holiday house in the country for the day. Ron stayed home for study - but I had a lovely day out of the city. We sat around, drank tea and ate food, took a walk through some bushland arriving home around 9 again. It was just nice to get out of the city - masses of people noise and dust left behind for the natural forest of country russia. As you drive through the bushland you are reminded of the many war movies - you expect Hogans Heroes or Robert Redford to jump out of the forest - its that sort of bushland. The leaves have almost all fallen - just a few autumn colours remain. It has been very beauiful to watch the leaves fall. Now everyine is waiting for the first snowfall.

I visited a 'dacha' on saturday - a russian holiday house. They wern't all like this one. Guess what this one looked like inside?










complete with spiders webs - but I did not see any redbacks!





The steps to be taken to get our permanet work permit go on. We have been through a range of medical tests. Chest Xray, blood urine and sputum checks as well as an interview to talk about our drug and alcohol experiences. We have so far passed them all and have our peices of paper that will soon give us a green card. This means we leave the country to get a new visa to come back and convert the visa into a working visa for 12 months. Its all very complicated and the rules constantly change. We were to go to London for our visa - but they do not process in less than 2 weeks so we will go to Moldova which should be a quicker turn around. We can also do some work while we are there.
So it is back to work tomorrow, more files to read and cross check, a few meetings with other workers this week. Our routine is becoming settled and we are comfortable with where we are and what we are doing.

Emotions are funny things?

I am not prone to get too excited about things. I do get passionate and expressive - but I do not often get to the point of 'goose bumps' but I have had a couple of experiences recently.

Last weekend we visited to another officers home to see if the Grand Final was on the telly - when we discovered it I got very excited - not so much that I was following a team - but because I new at that very moment on the other side of the world my kids would be somewhere watching the match. We did not seem so far away. The other moment of excitement - that's 2 in a week was friday afternoon when our luggage arrived. Beside the extra clothing & shoes that we were needing - we at last would have some photos and books and some especially nice treats that people had given us before our departure. It did not take to long to pull the 21 boxes apart - 3 of them filled again with packing paper and it was time to find some places for everything. We are in a temporary apartment - one small lounge and one bedroom so it did not take much to fill all the spots. We have managed to eat one packet of Tim Tams over the weekend - well we did have american visitors for afternoon tea on Saturday - so we shared them.

I get excited as well when I hear from home - either by note or by phone. Skype is a blessing and we sometimes manage to see the boys through the camera. It brings everyone closer.

The Corps here in Moscow is an interesting place. Hard to really describe and difficult to guage the size yet. It is currently inflated with cadets in session and with a number of ex pat officers attending. But each week there are different people and not a Sunday has gone by without the mercy seat being used. The band ventured out for another openair today. It is difficult to get permission to hold an open air. So we just go and there is a fear that the police will come and make it difficult. Today as we playded a large troop of Militis came toward us. 3 abreast they marched toward us and then down into the Metro. Then an amazing sight. One of the Militia assisted an elderly, disabled uniformed Salvation Army soldier up the stairs out of the metro. It was good to see. The cadets have been a little timid in this new experience - but today you could see them building in confidence. The police did come today - ask what we were doing and went on their way. God is Good and with the sun shining it was good all round.

Its back to work tomorrow - the man we have replaced has now departed we are on our own - orientation is over. The job is ours to do. it going to be interesting!!!!!
regards
Lyn

the heater came on

The city turned on some heaters this week. Progressively the hot water units that heat houses are magically switched on. The down side is that this is what your hot water tap looks like until the pipes clear.

The weather is quite mild this week although it is expected to cool again. We have had no rain since we brought our umberellas. The leaves are changing colour and falling from the trees. There are lots of parks around - some of them very pretty, with lots of sculptures and art work. We found a complex fountain when we got lost at a bus depot last week. A mixture of flowing water shapes and lights. Very pretty. next time we will have the camera.

The Salvation army in Moscow is small in comparison to the size of the city ( 12 million people are thought to live in Moscow)and the army still trying to establish itself. It does not have the luxury of a well established history and logo to identify it in the community. This was highlighted last week when the band took to the street for the first time in a number of years..We were down from the hall at the metro station. Just a small band of 8 players. The flag had been placed in a stand in the circle. A local baboushka - (short, elderly russian lady) walked right up into the centre of our circle - looked around at us, and taking the end of the flag completely unfurled it held it out, studyied it and, satisfied she went on her way. Would have made a great picture. The cadets are in session and so this was a new experience for them. We are not sure how long we will do openairs - little difficult to do when the snow comes - they tell us the mouthpiece stick to your lips!

Today we felt a little closer to home. After 3 weeks of no english Tv we decided to visit some other officers who had cable Tv to watch the grandfinal. It was exciting to watch it and realise that my kids on the other side of the world were sitting and watching it too. We turned down the russian commentary and listened through the internet to ABC. The day did not go all to plan - the Cats failed to complete the task.

At work we continue to look at files and records to understand our new roles. The territory is very dependant on funding from overseas and so our roles are crucial in ensuring adequate funding and accountability so that the work can be done and grow. It will be challenging - but its all good.

Till next time...Lyn

I've found hot chocolate

Russians drink black tea with lots of sugar or coffee. I finally found a hot cocolate place!

Week 2

We continue to make discoveries every day. Language learning continues - but there are some things that just dont need translation! Ron is most intent in his language learning and is well on his way to learning the new alphabet and he shares his new found knowledge with me. Words will follow and we hope to start with a tutor shortly.

We are managing to survive living out of our cases as we await the arrival of our luggage. The Tim Tams will be greatly appreciated if not stolen by customs.

We have walked to work each day - about 20 min so this has been good for us. Groceries are only what we can carry home in our hands, so we shop regularly and are managing surprisingly well without a car. The temperature dropped rapidly and is hovering around 5 - 8 degrees each day. When we have 5 days below 5 degrees the city will turn on the heating system - till then you rug up and wait!

On Tuesday of this last week we ventured out to the Choir practice - a fairly professional choir preparing for the Messiah at Christmas - they do 3 charity concerts at christmas and the choir is made up of 'ex pats' and practice is at the Finnish Embassy. Very interesting - we had a 2 hour practice and never sang a word - just notes! This is more up ron's ally - but will be good for me to go out and meet other people outside of work. Last week I sat next to the Australian Ambassador who also sing soprano.

Thursday night was band practice - Ron & I have picked up instruments again and joined the 'orchestra' We also held an openair on Sunday and played in the meeting.

On Saturday we found our way to a different shopping centre - this is the biggest in Europe! - absolutely huge - and very busy by lunch time - so we left. Needed to get home to see who the cats were playing next week.

Work for us is mostly admin at present as we look at files and history of project work across the Territory. Won't always be that - hopefully we will be released from the desk soon to get out and really see what is happening.

Till next week - love from Lyn & Ron

Off to work we go

Our days of a small country drive to DHQ are over. Now it is a 20 minute walk with the temperature rapidly dropping. The THQ building is set in the midst of a busy metro, high rise apartments and shops. There are many trees surrounding and some kids play areas. The building is over 100 years old. You realise that, as you enter and find your way through a maze of small offices. In fact some workers are placed in areas we would use as a broom closet at home. It is quite amazing to see the way work is done over here. Every potential space is used for something. Storage is found wherever it can be placed and stacked to the roof.
The dining room is in the basement and you sit in a communal dining room with floral plastic table cloths. The TC & Chief have modest offices on the middle of the three floors.
Our office on the top floor looking out over a tree filled park. They tell us when the snow falls it is the best view.
There is no luxury of a welcome receptionist, no lcd screens, but the latest war cry in the foyer with some army pictures remind you of where we are.
And so our work begins. Lots of paperwork to begin but we look forward to finding ways to connect with people and make a difference in this place.

Language learning

We ventured out yesterday to discover a large shopping mall. Our limited lanuage learning has been bolstered as we studyed the important symbols. No we did not eat any - just had a coffee.

We shopped for some essential things to keep us going until our luggage arrrives in a couple of weeks.

We are creatures of habit and one of the things we keep forgetting is that on escalators you stand on the right hand side and leave room for the fast walkers on the left. Just like the roads this is opposite to what we know. The metro - or underground they say is the best in the world - not in the newsest trains as they are old rattlers - but in effectiveness to transports millions of people each day around Moscow. We are starting to familiarise ourselves - the long station names can be confusing so we just follow the coloured dots and instructions on how many stops to go through. When the language skills are developed a little more we might follow the letters.

There is much to learn - Ron discovered this week that you do not whistle ! it is thought to bring bad luck. We will be constantly learning and challenged as we grapple with a new culture. We look forward with much anticipation. This week will mostly be in the office studying files and trying to get our head around a very large Territory - 5 countries, 5 languages 5 cultures and probably 5 different ways of doing the same thing!

We've arrived

It is now one week exactly since we landed in the City of Moscow. Having departed Melbourne on the wed evening (the 3rd Sept 2008) we enjoyed a one day stop over in Dubai. This allowed us to rest and recover from the final farewells, to get on to the same time zone and arrive reasonably refreshed. We were met at the airport and taken to our apartment. We will live in this small one bedroom apartment until our more permanent residence is made available in about three months time.

We were introduced to the public transport system when on Saturday we returned to the airport to collect a bag I had left on the plane.

Our first Sunday we went by train to the Army. The Moscow Corps which is also the site for DHQ, Training College and the main social program. A busy place.

Our first week at THQ began with coffee and cake and the official exchange of eppaulettes, but then it has been straight into discovering what our new roles are about. Project work is an essential source of funding for this Territory and so our role in supporting the sources of funding and ensuring the process of implementation and accountability will keep us busy.

So week one comes to an end. We know with a confidence and peace that we are where God wants us to be and look forward with great anticipation what is in store in coming days.