HAPPY OLD NEW YEAR!!!
Russians love saying that each year at this time! January 14th was of course the first day of 2007 for those (read: Eastern Orthodox churches) who follow the old Julian calendar. Celebrating two Christmases and two New Years is perfectly fine for holiday-hungry Russians! Now that we have entered the second half of January/New Year, a regular work schedule will finally resume in this country.
Our office staff of eight have been working diligently during this time, preparing in earnest for the upcoming winter camping conference. Following is the conference course list, giving you a good idea what is in store for the 300+ pastors, camp directors and other senior camping leaders:
Track 1: Camp Director I
- Basic Camp Directors Course
- Legal Aspects of Camp Management
- Strategic Planning
Track 2: Camp Director II
- Staff Performance Analysis and Evaluation
- Staff Interviews
- Effective Ministry Principles: Start with Yourself
- Beyond Time Management
Track 3: Program Leader I
- Basic Program Leaders Course
- Vital Principles of Working with Campers
- Effective Bible Lessons
Track 4: Program Leader II
- Advanced Program Leaders Course
- Generating Ideas
- Motivating Staff
- Developing Camp Staff
Track 5: Spiritual Counselor I
- Spiritual Counseling
- Helping Victims of Accidents and Natural Disasters
- Sowing and Reaping Spiritual Fruit in a Child
Track 6: Spiritual Counselor II
- Teaching Campers to Forgive
- Christ, the Fulfillment of the Law and Prophets
Track 7: Special Campers
- Campers from Orphanages
- Deviant Behavior in Campers
- Campers with Special Needs
Track 8: Youth & Young Adults Ministry
- Ministering to Young People in Camp and Church
- Youth Camps
- Youth Subculture Peculiarities
- Extreme Projects for Youth
Track 9: Regional Seminars
- Course for Regional Seminar Program Leaders
- Seminar for Regional Seminar Group Leaders
- Regional Seminar Logistics and Academic Program
Minor Courses
- Photo Ministry in Camp
- Building Camper Relationships
- Tent Camps
- Winter Camps
- Code Sign Camp for Boys
- Day Camps
- Round Table for Pastors
- Owning Your Own Campsite
- Family Camps
- All Camp Games
- Tent Camp Ideas
- How to Avoid Burn-Out in Ministry
- Camp Territory Activities
- Night Games
- Video Salon
As you can see, there is a lot planned! Please remember in prayer our academic team and all the instructors, the majority of whom come from Russia and the CIS.
Thank you for upholding the ministry of CCI/Russia in prayer!
— Kevin, Lena, Sonia, Maya & Deena
COMING TO CANADA
Here is where we're at: All of the newly-requested papers have been sent to the Canadian Embassy in Moscow. We have not yet received verification of the arrival of said documents (those sent by registered mail), nor do we know if the medical tests have already been processed and sent to Moscow (from St. Petersburg they were sent to London for processing). We trust that the documents we have sent will satisfy those handling Lena & Sonia's case. For now there is nothing more to do but pray & patiently wait some more!
Once we receive further news from Moscow, we will have to start things moving:
- Our apartment will be put on the market in hopes that it will quickly sell.
- Most of our furniture and appliances will be sold, given away or brought to Nina's apartment for her personal use (those she can fit into her tiny one-room apartment!).
- All that we are keeping will have to be packed into suitcases for transport to Canada, shipped directly to Canada (if we can find feasible means of doing so) or packed for storage until we can retrieve it later.
Please continue to remember the visa process and our preparations in prayer!
BLESSINGS
Snow has finally come to St. Petersburg! It's not much, but it covers the dirt nicely...
PETITIONS
Please continue to pray for the February 4-9 CCI/Russia Christian Camping Leaders Conference. Pray that all those who plan to attend the conference will be able to do so (many are struggling to find the finances needed), and that the remaining conference staff will be found to fill positions in hospitality and instructor services.
Lena has been very ill for the past two days. As I write this a doctor is on her way to our home (praise God that house calls still exist in Russia!). Please pray for her healing and for comfort during this trial.
After three days of normal sleep after our trip, delayed jet lag has seemingly set in. Maya especially has had trouble sleeping through the night, which of course affects the rest of our sleep. Please pray for better sleep patterns to develop in our home.
DID YOU KNOW...
...that some of things I'm getting used to not seeing in St. Petersburg include vending machines, newspaper dispensers, drivers who stop for pedestrians, clerks who make small talk, stores that give treats to children and charity drives/donation boxes (or even evidence that there are such things are charities!)...just to name a few!
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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