On Monday morning, we left OM headquarters for a 3 hour drive to our host village, Panzarini (spelling). We bounced our way there (literally) and found ourselves outside the church in no time. I remember being initially struck with how idyllic the village seemed. As we rounded the road toward the village, there was a small lake and a few rolling hills at the base of it. There were sheep grazing, ducks and chickens wandering aimlessly, and cows at every turn. There were wells outside the gates of several homes. It seemed like a completely foreign world to 6 Americans used to the hustle and bustle of life, consumed with to-do lists, and rushing from one place to another. Regardless, we were there and I, for one, was very thankful for the chance to put what I knew as "life" aside and to focus on simple things. I would quickly discover just how clearly God speaks when there is no clutter of "stuff."
We arrived at the church, met Pastor Igor, and several of the daycare children. They were hesitant at first to interact with us, but soon we taught them how to say 'hello.' We must have heard that 100 times the first day! We wasted little time in getting to work. The lumber and supplies for the playground were waiting for us, so we began to sort them and prepare the site for the build. There were rocks to break, holes to dig, and tools yet to find! Our first tool, according to Eugene (one of the OM translators who came to help us) was a spoon! Melissa and I jumped right in and began to carry lumber, break up rocks with "unhealthy" hammers, and dig soil right along beside our male counterparts. We were so thankful for the chance to sling a hammer and to get our hands dirty! We worked until dusk and then headed into the small trailer on church property for a hot meal. We sang a few praise songs until a string broke on Stefanie's guitar, much to Ralph's dismay…
The sun set, and darkness settled on the village. We found out where we would each be staying. Melissa, Stefanie (our Dutch translator from OM), and I would be staying with Pastor Igor and his family. Four of the men (Jordan, Mike, Ralph, and Eugene) were staying with Pastor Igor's father, and the other two (Silas and Dr. Aultman) were staying with Albina's family. (Albina works for OM and Panzarini is her home village!) After a short drive through the village streets, we arrived at our host home. Melissa and I were greeted by Pastor Igor, his wife, Lilia, and their five children! We were so grateful for the place to stay, for the warmth radiating from the family, and of course for the indoor plumbing! We could hardly believe our luck!
Monday night, we sat around the kitchen table sharing about our families. Melissa and I both shared that we had three children and that that was enough for us. Melissa thought it; I was thoughtless enough to actually say it! Pastor Igor went on to ask how we knew this was God's will for our lives. He asked if this was our will or God's. We both felt like our feet were on fire solely because we were humbly convicted. We talked about the differences between our culture and theirs, but we left the conversation humbled, knowing that Pastor Igor had hit the button on the nose! It stirred up many questions in my mind, some of which are still unresolved… Consequently, the team joke for the week was that Melissa and I were flying directly home to have babies!
We arrived at the church, met Pastor Igor, and several of the daycare children. They were hesitant at first to interact with us, but soon we taught them how to say 'hello.' We must have heard that 100 times the first day! We wasted little time in getting to work. The lumber and supplies for the playground were waiting for us, so we began to sort them and prepare the site for the build. There were rocks to break, holes to dig, and tools yet to find! Our first tool, according to Eugene (one of the OM translators who came to help us) was a spoon! Melissa and I jumped right in and began to carry lumber, break up rocks with "unhealthy" hammers, and dig soil right along beside our male counterparts. We were so thankful for the chance to sling a hammer and to get our hands dirty! We worked until dusk and then headed into the small trailer on church property for a hot meal. We sang a few praise songs until a string broke on Stefanie's guitar, much to Ralph's dismay…
The sun set, and darkness settled on the village. We found out where we would each be staying. Melissa, Stefanie (our Dutch translator from OM), and I would be staying with Pastor Igor and his family. Four of the men (Jordan, Mike, Ralph, and Eugene) were staying with Pastor Igor's father, and the other two (Silas and Dr. Aultman) were staying with Albina's family. (Albina works for OM and Panzarini is her home village!) After a short drive through the village streets, we arrived at our host home. Melissa and I were greeted by Pastor Igor, his wife, Lilia, and their five children! We were so grateful for the place to stay, for the warmth radiating from the family, and of course for the indoor plumbing! We could hardly believe our luck!
Monday night, we sat around the kitchen table sharing about our families. Melissa and I both shared that we had three children and that that was enough for us. Melissa thought it; I was thoughtless enough to actually say it! Pastor Igor went on to ask how we knew this was God's will for our lives. He asked if this was our will or God's. We both felt like our feet were on fire solely because we were humbly convicted. We talked about the differences between our culture and theirs, but we left the conversation humbled, knowing that Pastor Igor had hit the button on the nose! It stirred up many questions in my mind, some of which are still unresolved… Consequently, the team joke for the week was that Melissa and I were flying directly home to have babies!
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