ONE YEAR OF PLAY!
It was one year ago yesterday (September 17, 2005) that the MBMSI St. Petersburg Playground Project was completed after three years of prayer & giving!
We are so thankful for the blessing this playground has become. We always thought that we might be a tad too selfish in desiring a safe play place, but as it turned the neighbourhood has benefited far more than we!
It has been such a joy to witness parents flock to this, the only freely-accessible "protected" playground in our region. The playground has become what Lena first envisioned in Abbotsford, BC, over three years ago, "a way to impact our community for Christ by providing a safe place to play".
Together with help from the girls, Lena & I have been groundskeepers, sport instructors and playmates over the course of the past year. As we prepare to say goodbye to our neighbourhood we thank God for the couple from Kansas who gave us the initial cheque moments after our desire went public and for who helped from that day on!
Thank you to all who prayed for and gave to the Project. You have helped to bless hundreds of families in St. Petersburg! Please continue to pray for continued safe use of the facility and for more ministry opportunities to arise from the presence of this safe place to play.
- Kevin, Lena, Sonia, Maya & Deena
COMING TO CANADA
The list has begun! Click over to our support page for a list "Canadian needs". Starting now we will be updating the list of things that we will be in need of upon our move to Canada. Since we have next to nothing already in Canada, this list could get rather long! :-)
We will start small, with only the essentials. Currently the list looks like this:
- Home for five (or possibly six if Nina comes to visit). Status: Temporary home quite possibly found; longer-term home (starting early 2007) still needed.
- Vehicle for five (minivan or similar). Status: Still needed.
- Car seats for Maya (age 6) and Deena (age 3). Status: We're not certain what is required; at least one seat may be made available.
- Home appliances (just about everything). Status: Microwave oven has been received; most other home appliances still needed.
We would appreciate any help you can give. Please pass the word on and stay tuned for updates! Thank you for your continued prayers for our big move.
BLESSINGS
We received word from the Camp Director's Institute in Moscow that the group is experiencing a wonderful family spirit (this is the third and final session that these 20 camp directors have been together). They are also thankful for the good instruction being received from the faculty. Praise the Lord!
Praise God for the one-year anniversary of the playground and for the blessing it has been to our community.
PETITIONS
Please continue to pray for Session 3 of the Camp Director's Institute. In particular, please pray for the following needs:
- strength and health for staff and students
- more vibrancy and energy at this last segment of CDI - many students seem to be taking a break after a full summer
- health for Tanya B, Lena K. and Misha P.
- best graduates to form the core faculty of the next CDI
Please continue to pray for our financial needs. More information about our support is at www.krhamm.com/support.
DID YOU KNOW...
...that during the G8 summit in August, shops in underground passageways were closed (supposedly "voluntarily") and construction was almost completely halted for the week. The latter was likely done to keep construction workers out of sight—most are illegal workers from Central Asia!
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!)
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