Smiles, Certificates and Seeds Planted

From: Anne K.
Date: Sun, 24 Jun 2012 00:00:57 -0700 (PDT)

Well, it’s Saturday and Nathan, Lori, and Anita have just dropped us off at the airport,...but not before stopping at the same wonderful restaurant that we enjoyed last Saturday.  Friday was a whirlwind. The ladies of the team shopped in the town of Poti, while Sid dutifully guarded the van.  This left us rushing to get lessons prepared.  We had two hours of class with no break followed by a commencement ceremony.  During this time, Anita was trying to create certificates for everyone.  One of the reasons for the trip to Poti was to get the toner cartridge refilled – again.  We’ve been printing furiously for two weeks.

You can almost guess a hug was soon to follow after Sid presented this adult student's certificate!

The adults spent the last twenty minutes of class saying goodbye and taking pictures.  The teachers were hastily signing certificates.  The commencement featured a program by the kids including singing, dancing, and a skit.  The certificates were awarded with plenty of hugs and kisses and applause.  It was a satisfying, yet sad time.  The sadness is overshadowed by the belief that we accomplished our goal of befriending the community and planting some seeds for the future harvest.  We praise God and thank all of you for your support!

C'mon, sing along..."Head, shoulders, knees and toes!"

Our trip back is with lighter luggage as we left all our materials behind. We are headed for Istanbul where we plan to meet up with Derek W. Touchdown in Raleigh is planned for Monday afternoon.

With deepest gratitude,
Anne for the Republic of Georgia Team 

Trusting God for the impact He has planned...

From: Anne K.
Date: Sun, 24 Jun 2012 00:06:15 -0700 (PDT)

Nathan arrived back Wednesday night after a grueling bus ride, definitely not a Greyhound!

This is a picture of the guest house where we have been staying; it is only a short walk from the camp.  An extended family lives here and rents out rooms.  The grandmother recently accepted Christ, and two of the youth workers are discipling her; please keep all of them in your prayers.

In the adult class we had one of the youth workers share his testimony.  We only taught until 6:30, and then all the classes gathered in the kitchen for a showing of the children's version of the Jesus Film.  At this point we have no idea what impact the Bible lessons, testimonies and film have had, but we trust God to do a mighty work in this town. We know you have been praying along with us and we feel that.

It's kind of a sad time now, knowing we're going into the last day with our students and probably won't see them again.

Three Cheers for the Translating Trio

From: Anne K.
Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2012 09:41:51 -0700 (PDT)

Our Terrific Trio of Translators! (L to R) Tinako (Tina), Soso and Eka

Just a quick note to share our appreciation for our translators who have worked with us in class for over two hours each day.  After those 2 hours of class time they would translate all the journals into English so that we could read and respond to them, then they had to translate our responses back into Georgian.  All this within a day and along with cooking and other duties.  The picture shows Tinako on the left, Soso in the middle, and Eka on the right.  'Tina' translated for Becky's and Sid's adult class.  (Some of the journals were over twenty pages long!)  Eta translated for Anne's and Marcile's younger but larger class, and Soso translated for Lori's class.  (A side note, Soso is Brian's brother-in-law.)  We thank the Lord for these great young people!

Sunset Over the Black Sea

From: Anne K.
Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2012 23:03:14 -0700 (PDT)

Today the kids were better behaved. (Thanks for the prayers!) 

The adult class had a new student who was brought by one of the ladies in the class.  She was covered from head to toe in black except for an opening just large enough for her eyes and mouth.  We found out after class that she was an Orthodox nun.  She lives and serves at the church, and also raises pigs and chickens and grows crops.  Becky and Sid have been journal-sharing with ladies from that church.  We suspect that those journals will be shared with the nun and priest.  Please pray that God's Spirit will touch these people.  The class, including our 'new student', got to hear our interpreter, Tina, share her testimony.  We didn't understand a word, but we know it was powerful!

After class, we were "forced" to see a sunset at the Black Sea.  It was beautiful! (Although a large ship thoughtlessly positioned itself in the way!) The sand at this beach is  actually black, and said to have healing powers through its magnetic characteristics.  Becky, Sid and Anne went for a swim in the cool water; it was a great experience.  This town is a seaside resort, but for most of the people life is not easy.  Please pray for these people and that this camp, and potential church can bring Christ into their lives.

The Son is Shining...

From: Anne K.
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 23:34:30 -0700 (PDT)

Today was bright and sunny and things have begun to dry out.  The field is still muddy and the kids have not been able to play outside.  This has again raised energy levels in class and challenged Anne and Marcile with the young ones.  Please continue to pray for the teachers.  The kids got another good Bible lesson and the adult class got to hear Becky's testimony.  We have two more teaching days left.  Please also pray that we will finish well and as a positive example of Christ's love.

The adult class listens to what is being shared

We carried ten pounds of TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) from the states for Nathan's crew.  It is a heavy-duty cleaner that was needed to clean off all the unfinished doors (mildew and graffiti).  The doors are now clean and have their first coat of white paint.  There's still lots of work yet to do before the evangelistic camp in July for young people from eastern Georgia.  In August there will be an English camp for the Mingrelian people group living north of this town.  That was supposed to be our original ministry, but due to a political situation it was not possible for them to come this week.  Please pray that plans will continue to be worked out to God's glory.

Would the Flooding Keep the Students Away?

From: Anne K.
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 00:42:38 -0700 (PDT)

The rains came and then the flooding...but students came anyway!

We heard it raining during the night; by Monday morning it was still raining heavily.  We were able to get to breakfast, but on the way back, the shortcut through the marsh was impassable.  By lunchtime, the entire area was flooded and we had to be shuttled by car, wondering if we would make it.  After lunch, the rain had stopped and the water had started to recede.  The whole town had been flooded.  We began to plan what to do if few or no students came.  We managed to get back to our quarters to get our teaching materials.

When class time came, about half of the children came, which was wonderful considering the unexpected deluge, but ALL but ONE of the adults were there as well!  Today the children were presented a Bible story, and a testimony was shared with the adults.  Both seemed to be positively received.  We appreciate your prayers as we continue to test the waters.

Nathan and Brian have left on "political" business; please keep them in your prayers also.

A Georgian Sunday: Morning Worship, Evening Fellowship...all for the Glory of our LORD!

From: Anne K.
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2012 00:57:36 -0700 (PDT)

Sunday morning after breakfast we worshiped with the Georgian youth workers.  Although most singing was in Georgian, the tunes were familiar and we could "think along" in English.  They also did an occasional verse in English.  Brian taught mostly from Romans 12 in English, with one of the girls (Eka) translating.  The lesson was addressed at 'Frictions Within the Body'. It was handled very well.  Some of the workers did a skit showing that they really understood the message.  It was a blessed morning.

 The Youth Leader's Concert, Sunday Evening

The afternoon gave us a chance to get a head start on our lessons and journals and relax a little.  On Friday in classes our students were told that there would be a concert Sunday evening.  Several of the children came and heard some beautiful singing by our youth leaders. Unplanned, some of our students also got up and sang one of the songs from class, and a young girl (Mari) sang some Georgian folk songs.  Two of our youth workers shared a brief testimony.  Please pray for these children.  Also pray that as that our team "tests the waters" this week, in terms of witnessing and evangelism, that we will make wise decisions.

The plan for this summer is to have an evangelical camp in July and one in one in August.  Lori and Nathan will be working at the August camp.  Interestingly, using the camp in its unfinished condition does not seem to be a problem here, you just step over or under.

I know that all the kids that have come to this English camp will be eager to come to the August one.  Please pray for their hearts to soften so they, too, can have a personal relationship with Christ.  The long-term goal for the camp facility includes a much-needed church-plant, but there is strong resistance in the religious community. 

Thank you for praying with us,
Anne for the whole team 

SURPRISE!!!

That smile says it all!

From: Anne K.
Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2012 03:19:07 -0700 (PDT)

What a birthday!!!  Saturday, June 16th, I awoke to my sweet husband wishing me a happy birthday.  Then Becky and Marcile had a card and gift for me to open...all this before breakfast!  Each day we walk from our guest house to the camp building for breakfast.  Today the door was closed and I wondered why...all the Georgian workers were waiting inside the door and sang happy birthday to me in Georgian and then in English!  They presented me with a Georgian pine cone and balloons on my chair.  We had fried eggs and pancakes, cheese and bread for breakfast.

After breakfast, Brian drove us to Batumi.  What beautiful scenery!  We stopped along the way at Petra to see the ruins of a Byzantine castle that once protected the beautiful coastline.  Brian is a real history buff and a great tourguide.  When we arrived in Batumi, we parked and walked through a beautiful park that was right on the Black Sea.  The beach is made up of rocks - no sand, just rocks.  Sid, Becky and I shed our shoes near water's edge and stepped into the Black Sea. It was cold but felt good. There are waves, but nothing too big...except when we turned to go ashore and then a big one came and soaked us!  In the hot sun we dried fast.

At Petra: (L to R) Sid, Anne, Lori, Nathan, Becky and Marcile

We had Brian's Georgian brother-in-law with us and he wanted to take us to a traditional Georgian restaurant.  We walked and walked but finally found the one he wanted. He thought it was a few blocks from the water but it turned out to be well over a mile!  (Pre-meal exercise!)  They ordered "lemonade" for us - pear, mint, vanilla, lemon, and all carbonated. Then the food started coming.  First, our favorite, tomatoes, cucumbers and onion with a little olive oil. Then came osteri (goat stew), two kinds of sauces, mtsvadi (pork kabobs), kachapuri (which is like cheese pizza) and kinkali (dumplings).  We were really stuffed after that (actually before the dumplings).  Everything was so good.  Oh, and of course, wonderful bread.

We stopped at a grocery store named "Goodwill" and bought some things like water, Coke Zero and some fruit. Then we drove back to "Ur". Along the way Brian stopped at a stand that sold ladders, brooms and mops made from bamboo.  The mop is simply a 'T' and you throw a rag on the floor and use the T part to push and clean.  (No, I didn't get one to bring back!!)  We got back to the guest house and rested for a few minutes.  Took time to call home and talked mostly to answering machines!

At 6 p.m. they were going to show The Chronicles of Narnia to the neighborhood children.  They just got into it and a storm came up and the power went out.  We were still at the guest house.  After the downpour, we walked to the camp and had tomato soup (with potatoes in) and bread for dinner.  After dinner they presented me with a cake that Lori somehow bought while we were at the Goodwill.  They sang to me again and we all had cake.

To end my birthday, the Lord sent a rainbow!  But then, the Georgian young people started singing and dancing.  What fun we had.  It was a truly memorable birthday, that's for sure.  

With gratitude,
Anne

Answered Prayer and the 'Sid's Clothes' Relay

From: Anne K.
Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2012 03:14:15 -0700 (PDT)

We made it through the first week! Each day got a little easier. We really appreciate your prayers. The energy level of the younger students has leveled off and we know that's an answer to prayer. The younger classes have grown a bit each day. The adult class is steady with ten or eleven plus some of the workers come and go as they can to 'audit' the class.

Our classes go from 5:00 to 7:30 with a 15-minute break. Each day the kids play games after class. Everyone gets a treat courtesy of Rob an NC grocery. We hauled a bunch of donated treats across the ocean. They are really appreciated. The game in the picture is a relay where each kid must put on a set of Sid's clothes, run around a pylon, and take them off. They were washed and given away.

We are looking forward to next week!

Sid's Clothes Relay in Action!

Our Member Missionaries, Nathan & Lori

From: Anne K.
Sent: Sat 6/16/2012 1:37 AM

It has been great working with Nathan and Lori. Although they live in Germany, much of their work is in eastern Europe and western Asia. This requires a lot of travel. Lori is trained in teaching English, and her job includes helping rookies like us to survive and thrive in a difficult environment.

Nathan's forte is construction. He has been heavily involved with the camp since the beginning. He has to work with unfamiliar materials, measurements, manpower, and methods. There are no Home Depots down the street. Work teams need to be trained, locals need to be supervised through a language barrier, hard physical work needs to be shared, bureaucratic obstacles overcome, and all while being a godly example.

Please pray for this couple as they raise a family away from their own families and strive to serve the Master Carpenter.

Bonding through Journaling

From: Anne K.
Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2012 04:55:17 -0700 (PDT)

One of the tools we use in our curriculum is "journaling".  The first day, at the end of class, we give the students a journal and ask them to tell us about their family (the first vocabulary is 'people' words) and to ask any questions they have of us.  In Level 1, the students write in their own language.  The journals are collected when they are finished.  We have a translator in each Level 1 class to help us, and that person translates all the journals into English.  We then take the journals and respond, asking other questions to keep the discussion going. The translator must then translate back into the native language.  At the end of the next class, the journals are passed out and the process is repeated.

This is a lot of work. Each conversation goes off in a different direction.  Some are hard to keep going and others just seem to take off.  These journals help us to establish personal bonds and often offer opportunities to share at least little bits of our faith and beliefs.  Please pray for these opportunities, and especially lift up our translators, because they are also in the group of folks who are working on the continued construction of the 'Camp Building'.  We only have to write once a day, they have to translate twice a day for each student in the class.

The Increase

From: Anne K.
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2012 23:12:23 -0700 (PDT)

Our teaching curriculum is divided into Beginner (Level 1), Intermediate (Level 2), and Advanced (Level 3). Before the trip, only 6 people had registered, but we were gearing up for two Level 1 classes and one Level 2 class.  When we arrived, we were up to 10 registrations...but apparrantly the weekend prayer walk by the national workers did the job. The first day of classes found us with over 30 students, none above Beginner level!  We started with two classes and have grown to three.  Anne and Marcille are teaching younger students, Becky and Sid are teaching adults, and Lori has mostly older kids.

Professor Marcile co-leading the 'prayer increase' of younger students

Things are going well with our classes. Between preparation and “journaling” (more about that in the next post) our days are full and sleep is much appreciated.

We need extra prayer for the younger kids. Even though the lower age limit was supposed to be ten, there are kids half that age.  It takes an incredible amount of energy to keep things under control. We really do appreciate your prayers.

And on a completely different note...here's a photo showing our basic food groups: pasta, potatoes, and bread (the rice had already been passed to Marcile...)  OH, and lets not forget the sugar for the coffee!

Dr. Atkins would be appalled!

With gratitude for all the 'ropeholders',

Anne for the whole Team

A Heart for the Youth of This Country

From: Anne K.
Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2012 23:03:21 -0700 (PDT)

Let us tell you about a wonderful work going on in eastern GA.  Brian is an American who came to GA after being a youth pastor at a church in FLA. Brian ultimately married a GA-ian who was initially his translator. There are very few churches in GA and 80-100% of the youth end up leaving the church after high school. Brian had the vision to develop committed youth to become leaders and multiply the number of committed young people. (When we say "youth" we mean anyone of high school, college and early working age.)

Brian's joy is evident. "...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,..." - Galatians 5:22

Over a dozen of these young leaders are here in western GA to work on completing the camp. They traveled a distance equal to the width of South Carolina to put in weeks of [free] manual labor. These young people are really committed to the Lord and His work.  They are on fire for the Lord - Evangelism is their middle name.  They are prayer warriors and have a boldness for sharing the Lord.

Many of them took time off over the weekend to do a prayer walk around the town to pray for the townspeople to come to our classes. It's working!  Please pray for these guys and gals.

Eager Students & Prayers for Evangelistic Outreach

From: Anne K.
Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2012 03:47:11 -0700 (PDT)

Time here in Georgia is moving fast, we are already into Wednesday.  We have had about 40 students of all ages.  Our youngest student is 5 years old and smart as a whip.  His name is 'Sa..', he attended in May when the other team was here and he knows quite a lot.  The oldest student is younger than we are, but not a whole lot.  They are both eager students and very conscientious.

We plan on an evangelistic outreach on Sunday evening.  Please pray on Sunday for our evening concert. (We are 8 hours ahead.)  We will be showing the Chronicles of Narnia one night this week and The Jesus Film for Children one night next week.

Thank you for your prayers. We can really sense the Lord's working in many ways.

THIS is the Summer Camp?!
We came here with a preconceived notion of what a camp under construction looks like.  Boy, were we ever wrong! 

The Travels Begin...

From: Anne K.
Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2012 04:20:15 -0700 (PDT)

We headed out from GSO at 8 AM on Saturday to RDU (saved a lot of airfare). We headed to JFK on Jet Blue; 'BONUS' with leg room and snacks!  We're surrounded by people speaking strange languages in a cafe that doesn't give free refills.  Wait...what?  We're still in New York!?  I can't help but think of what God did at the Tower of Babel.

Turkish Air didn't bother with annoying things like waiting until your seat number was called.  Everyone just kind of jammed up and ignored what the announcer was saying.  We somehow all got seated eventually and the plane took off less than an hour late.  I suspect they build that into the schedule.  Ten hours of no legroom but good food later, we arrived in Istanbul.  From there on to our destination.  It was great to see Lori and Nathan D. waiting there along with Brian, a fellow missionary (more about Brian in a later post).  After a harrowing 1-hour car ride we arrived at "Ur", safe and sound 28 hours later.

Anne's Update & Prayer Requests - June 2, 2012

From: Anne K.
Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2012 12:31 PM

Thank you all for your most generous support for our team going to the Republic of Georgia. 

We leave a week from today from Raleigh.  We fly to JFK, then on T--- Airways to I---- T---, then on to B---, G--- arriving on Sunday.  We will be met by a missionary who we will be working with while in GA. Our Westover missionaries, Lori and Nathan D--- will be there leading our teaching team for two weeks. We will be at a camp in the town of U---- on the B--- Sea.

So you can pray more effectively, here are some suggestions:

    - Safety in travel
    - Health
    - That our connections go smoothly
    - Clarity in teaching about Christ
    - For each student that will be attending class (Age 10 - Adult)
    - That the Lord will be seen in all of our actions
    - That there will be good results from showing the "Jesus Film"
    - That our translator will accurately translate the Bible lessons

Thank you again for making it possible for us to be God's instruments in a spiritually dead country.

Anne for the Team

The Team Is Formed

The Republic of Georgia Team:

(L to R) Sid & Anne K., Becky S., and Marcile W.

Republic of Georgia Short Term Trip (STT) · June 9-25
Team Leader: Anne K. · Team Liaison: Sharon B.
This team will work with Westover-supported missionaries Nathan and Lori D.  They will teach English as a foreign language to teens and adults, and will also assist with light construction work at a youth camp.