Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Hamm Prayer Points - 19|12|06


TWO WORLDS, ONE FAMILY

We made it! Almost twenty-four hours from start to finish (I should have taken a picture of Lena braiding Maya's hair at 3:10 in the morning!) we made it to Canada. Praise the Lord and thank you all for praying for the journey!!!

So far the adjustment has gone well, with Maya quickly adapting to life on the other side of the planet. Jet lag has been a bit of an issue for us both tho, with a few mornings starting just after 4! Health-wise we're doing fairly well, but I'm still not over my cold (or whatever) and Maya hit a bit of a low on Sunday with a bout of the 24-hour flu. Thankfully she's better now, especially since neither us Canadian citizens can get any free health care from the system!!!

There has been a lot of other adjustments for me, however. It's been two and a half years since I last set foot on Canadian soil, and seven years since I've been here for Christmas! Renewing my driver's license was a cinch, but getting used to sitting behind the wheel took a bit of getting used to. It's been a treat to be able to stand in line without being pushed or jostled and be greeted with a smile when you reach the counter. Talk about culture shock! ;-)

Being together with family again has been so wonderful. Extended family has also been a true blessing. From the moment we arrived people have been so good to us! One couple even told us that they were foregoing giving each other Christmas presents so that they could help us financially during this time. God is so good!!!

Please feel free to contact us while we're in Manitoba; most times you should be able to reach us at my parents' home (204 857-3802). We'd love to hear from you!

Wishing you a blessed Christmas filled with Christ's peace & joy,

- Kevin, Lena, Sonia, Maya & Deena

P.S. I will be sharing at the Community Fellowship Church in Newton this coming Sunday morning (December 24). We'd love to see you there!


COMING TO CANADA

Two of us may be here already, but it's just temporary. It looks like Lena was able to get the needed papers much earlier than we expected, so with the medical tests on their way to London for processing, we are hopeful that the Canadian Embassy in Moscow will have all the requested paperwork by early January. So when will we see to visas? Immigration Canada isn't giving us any hints, but we figure that since it took eight months of processing for them to ask for more paperwork, we should be near the end of the "ordeal". ;-) We think there's good hope that by February all should be done, meaning that by March or April we should be ready to make the move. Please keep praying!!!


BLESSINGS

* Praise God for a safe and manageable journey! Maya travelled better than expected and we made our connections without too much difficulty.

* Lena underwent minor surgery this past week and came home is good shape. We are very thankful that Nina was able to care for Deena during this time.

* Thank God for the many gifts we have received since our arrival in Canada. We have a great many needs, and it is so encouraging to see God's people respond. One family is even sending money to help Lena make a special Christmas meal.


PETITIONS

* Please pray for God's continued protection on Lena, Sonia, Deena & Nina in St. Petersburg. Pray also for their health, especially Deena's as she has been battling a cold for almost as long as me.

* Maya & I will need your continued prayers as we experience new food and new situations. This truly is a different world for us! Pray also for our health and safety, especially since we cannot easily get assistance from local health institutions.


ESSENTIAL INFO

Kevin & Lena Hamm are missionaries with Mennonite Brethren Mission and Service International, serving with Christian Camping International/Russia in St. Petersburg, Russia.

* A printable version in Adobe Acrobat format is always available for download.

* Visit www.krhamm.com/pray for links to print versions, archives and more.

* For more on our ministry in Russia, please visit http://www.krhamm.com/.

* You can help! Please visit www.krhamm.com/support for ways you can help our family & ministry.

* Hundreds of our recent photos can be viewed at Flickr.com. (And now Sonia's pictures too!)


Monday, December 11, 2006

Hamm Prayer Points - 11|12|06

GOD'S PLANS, NOT OURS!

What a week! Last Monday we were set on staying home for a quiet Christmas, with hopes that the visas would be ready by year-end and we would have the opportunity to have a late Christmas with our Canadian family. Such simple plans!

On Tuesday we received the news of the visa delay: more documents needed (one is proving difficult to obtain) and a complete re-do of all the medical tests (at great expense to us)! With a narrow window of opportunity available, we all decided that sending Maya & I to Canada for Christmas would be in our best interests.

On Wednesday we managed to get tickets online, and just this afternoon, with a few hours before we are to be at the airport, we received the tickets by courier! Whew! It's now evening for us, and we'll have to be up just after 3 a.m. in order to get to the airport on time. Maya is asleep, the bags are packed and I am ready to hit the hay once this is sent.

It certainly is a crazy life we lead, but we are confident that God knows what's best for our family. We are all very tired, somewhat confused, but ultimately resting in the arms of our Heavenly Father. Thank you for encouraging us to trust in Him!

Please feel free to contact us while we're in Manitoba; you should be able to reach us at my parents' home (204 857-3802) or by email. We'd love to hear from you!

Your prayers for our journey are of course coveted. Pray for Maya that she will travel well (she tends to suffer from motion sickness) and pray that our flight connections work out (we have only an hour in Montreal). Strength for me is needed, particularly as I'm still not feeling well, and as I have to move all the luggage by myself. Thank you for praying!

Blessings on you all,

- Kevin, Lena, Sonia, Maya & Deena


ESSENTIAL INFO

Kevin & Lena Hamm are missionaries with Mennonite Brethren Mission and Service International, serving with Christian Camping International/Russia in St. Petersburg, Russia.

* A printable version in Adobe Acrobat format is always available for download.

* Visit www.krhamm.com/pray for links to print versions, archives and more.

* For more on our ministry in Russia, please visit www.krhamm.com.

* You can help! Please visit www.krhamm.com/support for ways you can help our family & ministry.

* Hundreds of our recent photos can be viewed at Flickr.com. (And now Sonia's pictures too!)


Monday, December 04, 2006


Homemade ChristmasHANGING IN THERE

Sorry for the absence, but I've been waaaaay under the weather for the past ten days. I seem to be doing a bit better, but I'm still without a voice (I haven't spoken a word out loud for seven days). Every time I even whisper or use my throat, I end up coughing and coughing. Needless to say, this means a lot more work for Lena as my attempts at communicating with hand signals aren't too effective with Maya & Deena! ;-)

While I'm staying home from work, I am able to do a little extra packing. We finally made the decision not to unpack our Christmas decorations. We had such hopes of setting up our Russian decorations in Canada this year! Oh well... Since we still had our tree accessible (purchased from The Bay in 1999 with gift certificates from dear relatives) we decided to make our own Christmas tree decorations this year. Yesterday afternoon Lena & Maya got busy and created sixteen different ornaments for the tree.

Almost two weeks ago we received our first Christmas card, as usual from a very faithful supporter, Hilla Funk. I can't think of a Christmas in Russia in which her Christmas card hasn't been either the first or second one received! It is so wonderful to be able to share the blessings of this season with our true "extended family". Praise God for His Gift and for the privilege to be able to celebrate as one family!

- Kevin, Lena, Sonia, Maya & Deena


COMING TO CANADA

By now the chances of our family coming to Canada in 2006 are very slim. Even if the visas are ready tomorrow, it will take us some time to get everything ready: our home needs to be "fully" put up for sale, we have mounds of things to sell or give away, things to move to Nina's, packing, etc. By then we will surely be unable to fly before the Christmas high season, so we are pretty much resigned to staying put for the next month or two regardless of when the visas arrive. Still, we're coming, Lord willing! Thank you for continuing to pray for us and for the visa process. Yes, it is taking a long time, but the process is still within the given time frame. When the time finally comes for the visas to be granted, we pray that all will be ready!


BLESSINGS

* Answered prayer from previous weeks! Maya's health is almost 100%. She has resumed her studies at school (she attends classes just 3 times a week) and is happy to be able to play outside again.


PETITIONS

* Please continue to pray for preparations for the February 4-9 winter camping conference. Mailings containing information packets and application forms are being prepared for distribution to the far reaches of the former Soviet Union. Please pray for our staff as they prepare for the conference.

* Deena's health is thankfully not as bad as mine (or even as bad as Maya's was). Please pray for improved health in our family, especially for healing for Deena & yours truly.

* Visa news would certainly be welcome!


DID YOU KNOW...

* ...that the Russian government categorizes farms in this way: agricultural enterprises, private household farms and private (peasant) farms? I'm not sure what these "peasant" farms are about, but they produce less than 3% of all Russian farms (2002 statistics).

* ...that the average Russian has 19.5 square metres of living space (2002 statistics)? This means that our family of five is living in the "less than average" category: we share 72 square metres, leaving an average of 14.4 per person. On the other hand, our family is double the size of the Russia norm...


ESSENTIAL INFO

Kevin & Lena Hamm are missionaries with Mennonite Brethren Mission and Service International, serving with Christian Camping International/Russia in St. Petersburg, Russia.

* A printable version in Adobe Acrobat format is always available for download.

* Visit www.krhamm.com/pray for links to print versions, archives and more.

* For more on our ministry in Russia, please visit www.krhamm.com.

* You can help! Please visit www.krhamm.com/support for ways you can help our family & ministry.

* Hundreds of our recent photos can be viewed at Flickr.com. (And now Sonia's pictures too!)


Monday, November 20, 2006

Hamm Prayer Points 20|11|06


In prayerLOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD MISSIONARIES

So who is harder to save? A Russian, a Jew or a Muslim? The answer: None of the above! It is "the grace of God that brings salvation" (Titus 2:11). Salvation is God's work, not ours. By God's grace each of us are able to partake in His holiness. It cannot be any easier or more difficult for Almighty God to save me or you or anyone else to whom His grace extends. Often we missionaries see ourselves in the role of the "doers" while those who stay home are the "supporters". The truth is that it is not any of our "work" that brings about salvation.

God is not waiting on mission committees to develop new strategies for reaching the lost. He isn't stuck waiting on new workers to be trained and sent to the field. He can't be held up waiting for fund raising events to bring in the needed cash. Rather He has called us all of us to join with Him through intercession and prayer for the lost. Quite simply it is God's work to save and ours to get in tune with His will.

"Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved." (Romans 10:1 NIV) The Apostle Paul was called as a missionary to the gentiles, but his real ministry was to the Jews through His prayers. It is prayer that brings us in tune with the will of God and from there the salvation of the world.

What is your prayer? What is your part in missions? For which country, region or people group are you petitioning the Lord for salvation? Consider carefully your role as a true missionary!

May we all be found faithful in the service of our Lord!

- Kevin, Lena, Sonia, Maya & Deena


COMING TO CANADA

"Will we come for Christmas?" is the big question in our family right now. With no visas in sight and the Christmas travel "high season" fast approaching we are wondering if we'll have to dig out the Christmas decorations from their very well-packed box. (It's hard to believe that it was ten months ago that we started packing for Canada...sigh!) It's hard to look at the calendar (not to mention the damp, dreary darkness of an approaching St. Petersburg winter) and not be somewhat discouraged. However, the good news is that none of this is in our hands! We gave the immigration process to God over a year ago and He will certainly bring it to a conclusion in His good time.


BLESSINGS

* Answered prayer from last week! Thank you for praying for the Christian Camping Leaders Conference planning meeting last week. Twelve regional leaders and board members joined our eight staff members for three days of intensive prayer and planning. Meeting accomplishments included brainstorming about the theme "All My Springs Are in You" (taken from Psalm 87:7), logistics planning, academic program development, the appointing of leaders and giving a "test run" to the conference Bible study program. There are still many things to be done before the February 4-9 conference, but we give thanks to God for a wonderful time of preparation.


PETITIONS

* Please continue to pray for CCLC preparations. Specifically, please pray for:

  • creativity in planning,
  • a deeper commitment from conference leaders, and
  • greater unity and cohesivenesses among the leadership teams

* Maya's health is still not back to normal. She has missed the entire month of school already and is fearful (not really) of not learning anything again. Please continue to pray for her healing.

* Oh, for some word from Moscow... :-)


DID YOU KNOW...

* ...that today is my sister Kim's birthday? More significantly, our family has now missed seven of her last eight birthdays!!! Happy Birthday, Kim! Next year we'll be there for sure! ;-)

* ...that I have been prescribed a sure-fire cure for my aching joints? The good professor at the clinic I have been receiving treatment at suggests the following:

Boil two unpeeled potatoes in water, then drain. Mash the potatoes and add 50 grams of hot vodka. Mash again, then place the mixture onto a towel and wrap in plastic. Place the towel on the sore joint and leave in place for forty minutes.

I'll let you know if it works... ;-)


ESSENTIAL INFO

Kevin & Lena Hamm are missionaries with Mennonite Brethren Mission and Service International, serving with Christian Camping International/Russia in St. Petersburg, Russia.

* A printable version in Adobe Acrobat format is always available for download.

* Visit www.krhamm.com/pray for links to print versions, archives and more.

* For more on our ministry in Russia, please visit www.krhamm.com.

* You can help! Please visit www.krhamm.com/support for ways you can help our family & ministry.

* Hundreds of our recent photos can be viewed at Flickr.com. (And now Sonia's pictures too!)


Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Hamm Prayer Points - 13|11|06


Deena & Maya enjoying the snowCOMING IN...MARCH 2007???

What a process we have begun! When we first started the immigration process for Lena & Sonia some 18 months ago we anticipated a relatively easy procedure. Little did we suspect that we would be living in such limbo! It has now been a year since we sent our application material to Canada. Here's a brief timeline of the process:

  1. August-October 2005: Police reports, medical tests and lots of forms completed!
  2. November 13, 2005: Thick package of documents sent via Finland to Canada.
  3. December 8, 2005: Immigration Canada received our application.
  4. January 12, 2006: Immigration Canada began processing our application.
  5. March 28, 2006: Immigration Canada reached a decision about our application.
  6. April 3, 2006: A letter arrives informing us that the application has been approved and Lena & Sonia's information has been forwarded to Moscow for visa processing.
  7. May 3, 2006: We received a letter from the Canadian Embassy in Moscow informing us that they have received the paperwork and began processing visas on April 10. They told us that the process will take at least six months and that we should not contact them at all during the process.
  8. September 2006: Hope that "at least six months" might mean "less than"!
  9. October 2006: The great six-month milestone arrives...and passes without visas.
  10. November 2006: We are reminded that the process can take "five to eleven months"!

At least life isn't dull! ;-) While we certainly would like the visas to arrive sooner rather than later, we are trying our best to completely rest in God's hands. As we (slowly) pack and distribute many of our possession to churches and friends, we continue to work with CCI/Russia and our local church. How ever long we'll have to wait is anyone's guess, but we won't stop moving forward with the work God has called us to do!

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers and for providing us the financial means to serve!

- Kevin, Lena, Sonia, Maya & Deena


COMING TO CANADA

Visas or no visas, we are certainly receiving more & more things for our future home! We are very thankful for all of the people who have given generously to supply us with a wealth of used (and sometimes almost-new) household items. If you have anything to offer to help meet our remaining needs, please contact us directly, or my parents at jakehamm@mts.net.

And of course, please keep praying for visa news to arrive!


BLESSINGS

* Sonia is enjoying her new jewellery school, and we are all very thankful that it is located so lose to our home! The school is located less than fifteen minutes walk from our home—almost across from the CCI/Russia office! Being able to walk to school every day means that Sonia doesn't have to pay for public transport (a good thing, especially since she still doesn't have a job) and she is able to come home much earlier.


PETITIONS

* Tomorrow morning (Nov. 14) eight CCI/Russia staff members (everyone but me) will be leaving for three days of planning for the 2007 winter conference. They will be joined by regional leaders for intensive planning, preparation and prayer. Please pray for God's blessings upon their decision-making and pray that they will make the best use of their time together.

* On Wednesday Lena will be going to the clinic for some tests. Please pray that the doctors will be able to correctly diagnose what (if any) treatment she might need.

* Maya has been sick with a cold for now two weeks. Please pray for improved health for her and for good continued health for the rest of us.


DID YOU KNOW...

* ...that a Russian woman successfully (well, sort of) sued Coca-Coca for causing a chronic health ailment? She had sued for 5,133 rubles, but only won 3,133 (134 CAD). Not happy with her small victory, she is now planning to sue for 3 million rubles (about 128,000 CAD)!


ESSENTIAL INFO

Kevin & Lena Hamm are missionaries with Mennonite Brethren Mission and Service International, serving with Christian Camping International/Russia in St. Petersburg, Russia.

* A printable version in Adobe Acrobat format is always available for download.

* Visit www.krhamm.com/pray for links to print versions, archives and more.

* For more on our ministry in Russia, please visit www.krhamm.com.

* You can help! Please visit www.krhamm.com/support for ways you can help our family & ministry.

* Hundreds of our recent photos can be viewed at Flickr.com. (And now Sonia's pictures too!)