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1/30: One of the indisputable facts of life that bears repeating: There is no fast route from Ridder, Kazakhstan to Dallas, Texas. It took exactly 48 hours (4 flights on 4 different airlines) from the time we began driving from Ridder to the time we touched down at DFW: 1) a blow out in the car, 2) 1st flight delayed 5 hours, 3) 2nd flight cancelled (which meant we couldn't make our 3rd flight, and 3 flights turned into 4 flights, 4) Redirected to Amsterdam after a 10-hour layover, 5) I lost our tickets in the Amsterdam airport (a minor inconvenience, but I don't recommend it), and 6) our 4th flight was delayed 2 hours in D.C. due to mechanical malfunction. Amelia Earhart made better time than we did--though I wouldn't trade outcomes with her. But miracle of miracles, not a single item in my luggage was broken or damaged on the ride home: laptop, matrioshka dolls, jewelry boxes, 2 Kazak tea sets--all made it without a scratch! I lost a 4-inch pocket knife early in our trip, and later learned that it was sufficiently concealed in my carry-on to elude security at Ust-Komenogorsk and Almaty. But a friendly security guard in Amsterdam claimed it as a souvenir. Tony Wood from East-West Ministries accompanied me on the trip, and he was worth his weight in gold. I did all of the teaching, and was responsible for nothing else. He was my host, arranging all meals, accomodations, translation, transportation, etc. I'm feeling a little spoiled, and wondering how I'm going to make it without him running my life . . . I was overjoyed to see my family again, and it will be refreshing to see everyone else! Blessings to all! Jeff
1/29: UPDATE: Tony just returned as I was about to hit send. We have two options, neither of which sound much fun. Both are 3 more flights. 1) We can leave Almaty at 8:00 Wednesday morning (here) and fly to Amsterdam, fly from Amsterdam to Minneapolis, and Minneapolis to DFW (don't know when). 2) We can leave Almaty at 1:00 Thursday morning (here) and fly to Astana (capital of Kazakhstan), fly from Astana to Frankfurt, and Frankfurt to DFW and arrive Thursday at 2:30pm (one day late). Miss you all much! I'll try to write when we know something. [it's not time for the elders to draw straws on who will be preaching for me Sunday, but one of you may want to purchase the straws just in case . . . I'm kidding!] Here's the plan: I'm be arriving at DFW Wednesday evening at 7:30pm (only 5 hours later than we'd planned). I'm departing Almaty at 8:00am Wednesday and flying to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam to Washington DC, then DC to DFW. [yes, DC sounds more fun than Minneapolis . . .] All emails from now on are footnoted with "if the Lord wills . . ." See you soon! Jeff
1/28: For the record, the schools in Ust were closed on Saturday--the day we left for Ridder--due to temperature (-40 F and C). Ridder is a small town of 60,000 that feels very rural. The nearest entertainment (theater, restaurants, etc.) is in Ust-Komenogorsk about 120 miles away. The locals enjoy pointing out their many ski slopes and ramps, and proudly speak of a resident from Ridder who once won the bronze medal in cross-country skiing. The church where I teach is located on the second floor of a four-story building on the edge of town. About 100 attend each Sunday, and 20 attend my class. Yesterday I preached on King Saul's partial obedience from 1 Samuel 15. We eat all of our meals at the church with my students. The church has a functional kitchen where a small army of grandmothers rule the roost. Every meal comes in a bowl. I have a table of 4 babushkas (grandmothers) in my class. Many stereotypes exist that paint these grandmas as tough, hospitable, overbearing, and large, with a tenderness deep inside: It's all true! And they're my favorite students. Me, Tony, and Yegor (translator) are staying in the 2-room apartment of the pastor's mother-in-law who has kindly moved in with her daughter for a few days. Gifts are warmly received in this culture and carry lasting significance. I brought many small gifts (pens, keychains, knives, etc.) and the students have expressed surprising appreciation. Today we drove into the mountains to have a picnic. We roasted sausages over an open flame, and had bread and cheese (and Kazak chocolate). We were only about 30 miles from the Russian border, 100 miles from Mongolia, and 200 miles from China. We also visited a ski jump, and climbed to the top. After much begging, they finally let me drive. It was a right-handed van (steering wheel on the right-hand side) and I drove ten miles on a winding, mountainous road that was blanketed with ice and snow. Very fun! I'm leaving now to have dinner at the church and teach for the last time. We'll drive to Ust tomorrow morning and fly to Almaty Tuesday afternoon. I'm still feeling healthy. Pray that my travels home will not wear me out, and that I can prepare some on the plane for my sermon Sunday. I look forward to seeing you all in a few days. God bless, Jeff
1/26: We are technically in The Siberia. We left early this morning and the temperature was -40--Fahrenheit and Celcius!!!!!!!!! Oiyi! [or "#$%&" depending on one's convictions!] It's no secret that many parts of the world are populated by less cautious drivers. Cars enjoy the right-of-way over pedestrians, on-coming trafic, and sometimes even red lights. Alas, I have a theory on why the lines on the street are so commonly ignored--at least in these parts of the world: It is because these lines are invisible--buried under 12 inches of ice--for 6 months out of the year!!!! Why obey in the summer what holds no power in the winter? Still, in these icy conditions I'd choose to ride with a Kazak driver over a Texan 8 days a week. Speaking of driving: I initially thought we'd be driving 3-hours late at night through the mountains to the 2nd city where I'll be teaching (Ridder). Many of you were praying about this and God has heard your prayers. It turns out that the authorities close this road at night to protect people from their own foolishness. We slept in Ust last night and arrived in Ridder this morning at 9:00am. [after being on the road for 2 hours, we asked our Kazak driver how much farther: He replied, "Two more villages." Very helpful, those drivers.] I then taught from 10 - 5--breaking for lunch. I'm not sure I'll have email access in Ridder after tonight. I preach tomorrow morning, and then teach the rest of the day. Monday is relaxed during the day, and I teach Monday night. We'll spend our 3rd night in Ridder Monday night, drive back to Ust Tuesday morning, and fly back to Almaty Tuesday afternoon en route to home. I'm tired but very healthy. They feed me well. Last night my translator asked the church kitchen lady for seconds. She said to him, "We don't have any more." Then, in the next breath, "Ask the pastor (me) if he wants more!" I love it here. Blessings to all! Jeff
1/24: The coldest temperature recorded in Ust was -58C (-72F) in 1956. I think they delayed school opening that day two hours ;-) Trivia: Fahrenheit = Celsius when the temperature reaches -40 (only people in such climates know this!). Although certain luxuries in the States are practically absent here (home ownership, large flat screens, mega malls), others saturate the land (cell phones, computers, dish TV: I sometimes hear people quoting from Friends, Seinfeld, and the Simpsons--proudly imported from the States). The locals can smell an American coming--unless you learn to fit in. Remaining inconspicuous requires that you wear certain clothes, don't be concerned much about your hair, don't look around in public, and keep a constant facial expression that suggests you're constipated. The currency in Kazakhstan is the "tenge" and a good meal at a mid-range restaurant can be purchased for $3-4. Table etiquette: Usually, each person at the table will have food of their own in front of them, but there will often be a side dish family style in the center of the table. This family style dish is not to be scooped onto your plate, but eaten fork to mouth from the common dish ("double-dipping" does not translate). And this common dish should only be visited by utensils--not fingers. I had my hand politely slapped when I began eating french fries with my fingers from the common dish. Floors here are viewed as places for feet and trash, nothing else. I placed my hat and gloves on the floor beneath my seat at a restaurant and the waitress naturally thought I was finished with them. My dinner guest rescued them and kindly reprimanded me. Teaching went very well yesterday: Romans and Galatians. My students are eager to learn and grow, and they tolerate my sense of humor (and sarcasm) as much as one could hope for. My translator, Yegor ("E-gor"), is remarkable. The greater one's command of a language the more difficult it becomes to translate, and Yegor is able to keep up with my speed and my idioms. He is a 20-year-old student who wants to complete an MBA. His girlfriend, Julia, studies music. Yegor has been to he states and Dallas and his English is wonderful. Blessings, Jeff
1/23: Ust-Komenogorsk (founded in 1720) is the Russian name of the city; Oskmen is the Kazak name (both Russian and Kazak are spoken here). The city of 300,000-500,000 is compact and surrounded on 3 sides by 500 miles of uninhabited glassy ice that promises to be far more treacherous than the Sahara Desert. On the other side of the city stands the Altin (sp?) Mountain range--a small range in expanse but reaching (I think) as high as 17,000 ft in some places. Ust is only 1000 ft elevation, but stands at the base of some 4,000 - 6,000 peaks. The city itself, like most northern cities in this part of the world, necessarily developed on a completely flat plot of land (to make walking/driving remotely possible over ice). [Though if you put the Russians on the Nepalese face of Mount Everest, I'm convinced that their capacity to overcome obstacles would result in public transportation, apartment flats, and water that boils out of the tap]. Ust is fed by a large river that flows from the mountatins and forks just beyond the city. Each day we eat fruit for breakfast in our apartment, buy some students lunch at a restaurant, and dine with all of the students for supper on whatever the church ladies serve us from the church kitchen (dinner falls in the middle of my evening teaching time). Yesterday we drove to a pizza restaurant to meet some students for lunch. Great fellowship, good pizza. We were invited to visit a local Russian Orthodox Church and were very pleased to go. Our driver had left, so we began to walk--away from the center of town and our apartment--toward the Orthodox Church. 30 minutes later we arrived, but it was closed. No worries, we were told, another church lies beyond it. 40 min Stay warm! Jeff
1/22: Jeff
1/21: Jeff
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utes later we arrived at the large river (fast-flowing, cold, beautiful view of the mountains) that marks the end of the city. And 10 more minutes downstream we came to 3 buildings clustered together and surrounded by tall apartment flats. They were 1) an old Orthodox Church, 2) a large monastery, and 3) a prison (I'll leave it to you to imagine the range of possible relationships between the three!). We visited the church, then decided to hail a van for the long ride back (to my joy and relief). Of all of the vans in the city, the one we found with space available--on the outskirts of town--was driven by one of three men from the church we had enjoyed tea with upon first arriving in Ust on Sunday! We greeted one another warmly and enjoyed a warm ride back to our church. [Although with the sun setting and our energy waning, I would have gotten in even if the van had been driving by Stalin himself.]