March Highlights

March has been a busy month. Julie and I did a lot of traveling. We got to spend a week together in Austria – this was a pretty special time. Another great highlight was celebrating Jospeh’s 15th birthday. He is growing into a man so fast. We are proud, sad and happy all at the same time. Anyway, even though he has grown, he maintains some of his childlike ways and humor. Here is a short video glimpse into the last 15 years of life with Joseph.

Genius, Language, Culture and Humor

One of the things I do in Odessa is study Russian with a tutor once a week. We talk, work on grammar, translate sermons and lesson and sometimes we read stories. One of the benefits of reading stories is that you can discover a little about the Slavic mindset. It is said that language is the heart of culture. I recently read a humorous that struck me as very Ukrainian. I am not sure why it sounded Ukrainian, it just did. I think the author was Russian but humor is definitely in line with the humor I observe in Odessa. Below is a rough translation….enjoy.

Five Minutes of Genius
A fantasy story by V. Bachnova (по В. Бахнову)

A few years ago, a friend of mine from school invented a new medicine called ozarin. The ozarin pill made the person who took a genius for five minutes.

It was not possible to purchase ozarin. Only researchers and scientists could obtain it and only if they were on the verge of an important discovery. Ozarin would help them complete their research.

At that time I had already completed a Masters degree and I was working on my dissertation. When I was finishing my Master’s, I became interested in a problem connected with automation. The work was not only important to me but was important to my professor also. He proposed that I pursue a doctorate so that I could continue research on this problem. Many at the institute were also interested in my work. They thought that I was on the verge of a major breakthrough. I also thought that I was close to a breakthrough, but I couldn’t find a final solution.

Then my friend came to help me. He proposed that I take one of the ozarin tablets and said that it would help me find my final solution to my research.

But does it really work for five minutes? I asked.

What do you mean? He answered. You become a genius for five minutes. That is plenty of time for any discovery. Of course, if Newton had not studied gravity for so long, he would not have made his great discovery when he saw the apple fall. The time he saw the apply fall was only a short amount of time. But it was enough time for him to complete his theory. You will have five minutes like that. You have worked on this theory for several years and five minutes of genius will help you find the final solution.

I agreed. Even while I was a student, everyone was interested in my research. Everyone said that I was talented and could figure out this discovery.
I was a little nervous but I took the pill. I went home, sat at my desk, took the tablet and waited for my minutes of genius.

It worked. The minutes appeared. Ozarin is truly a miraculous pill. On that very day, I completed my years of work.

In the first minute I right away realized that my work was not worth a cracked penny and would not change anything in modern automation.

During the second minute of genius, I realized that I have absolutely no talent or giftedness.

In the remaining three minutes, I wrote my resignation to the director of the institute. I wrote that I had to give up my position as a graduate student because I was not able to complete my dissertation. Later, everyone said that the resignation was written by a genius.

I recently heard that ozarin will soon be available for purchase at local pharmacies and I remembered my story. I heard that there were so many people who wanted to buy it, that there was a waiting list.

Well, let them buy the miraculous pill, ozarin – it really works. Who knows what they will discover during their five minutes of genius.

A Missionary Lament

By Julie Mosse

Most missionary newsletters are packed with stories of blessing, miracles, changed lives. So sometimes it’s probably good, maybe healthy to see a glimpse of the struggle that life can be. We could fill pages with the things God is doing here in Odessa. We’ll indulge this urge on the flip side, But here we’re gonna vent. Consider this missionary newsletter a “lament.”

It’s been a painful year for us. If we go by feelings, we’ve felt tremendous pressure to give more than we have. At times, we’ve felt inadequate, misunderstood, lonely, broken. We’ve felt naive, unnoticed, yet at times, intruded upon, underprepared, blindsided, scrutinized. We have felt like our decisions, reactions, and our words were often found seriously lacking. We seriously wondered if we were cut out for this life, and for the responsibilities God seemed to have handed to us. We’ve questioned whether God had really led us to this place in His harvest or if in our foolishness and pride, we presumed too much. Our marriage has been stretched too thin at times. Sometimes, we’ve been afraid for this basic unit called ...us. Our own unity feels shaky. Our kids have also struggled. How and when to fit into the culture and existing groups of friends, and when and how to stand for what you believe in...? Hard for them to reenter the culture after a year.

Are we making wrong decisions? Are we bringing this havoc on ourselves? Do we quit or weather the hard times?? And we don’t even have any “real” crises to point to as the cause of our grief. No war, no sickness. Just relationships and responsibilities, and foreignness. ...We are really feeling the pain of continually living at the end of our character, and doing so in “living color.”

We know. This sounds absolutely pitiful. It is. And you know? The funniest thing brings so much peace about now… ”I chose you to suffer with Me.” Strange, huh? Our being stretched and seeing our weakness is part of our suffering with Christ. Here it is:

“...for momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen…”

And...

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Finally, from another who lamented,

“In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; Let me never be ashamed; In your righteousness deliver me. Incline your ear to me, rescue me quickly; Be to me a rock of strength, a stronghold to save me.”

Stories from Zagreb, Croatia

Anya the Joyful rolled down the cliffs of insanity in an old tire with Joseph the golden nostril during a bomb strike by unknown forces. They laughed so hard they fainted. They woke up at home and couldn’t laugh until the next day. The Dread Pirate Roberts saw it all along with his friend, Enigo Montoya.

Joseph the faithful became a Jedi Knight with Tiana during the 100th annual Croatian cheesecake cook-off. Hedge-hog tried to kill him , so he killed the hedge-hog. All this was witnessed and recorded by Ahmed Abassida, official scribe of the most excellent sultan of Abijarda, may he live forever, in the second year of his reign.

Anya the terrible laughed for no reason, nonstop with Jem and Andre the Giant during a snowstorm on the planes of Georgia. Jabba the Hut fed them to his monster (Luke was too late to save them). This was all witnessed by Mr. and Mrs. Mosse, who watched it wide-eyed.
Micah the unbreakable decided to start a career as a mercenary soldier with Queen Elizabeth the second of England. During a time of dire necessity and general inconceivable calamity the lizard was so hungry that he pulled off his own tail and ate it. Now one saw it and no one heard it.

Mama became a knight errant by playing dance-dance revolution, while watching the history channel on rainy nights with 14 sturdy hobbits. Because it was fun they became attractions in the circus freak show. You can see the toughing story of the twinkle toad history professor on history channel!

Scout the great banana-arm dirtily defeated the evil ruler of a neighboring kingdom’s champion in a one on one joust to the death. Because the champion was not thinking the moment he did this. This caused a wide spread constipation epidemic and a high demand for the proper apparatus. It was witnessed by Micah.Joseph, the happening historian about town, shattered 40 coconuts using only his left hand in a moving outhouse with a gang of ruffians so that he could train for Ukraine’s got talent and Wipeout. They went up on a plane and were made to parachute with nothing but an oversized sombrero and an umbrella. This was all witnessed and recorded by Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

Camp on the Farm

We just returned from a camp up the village of Andreevka. It is a small village near the city of Kotovsk in the northern Odessa region. The pastor of a Baptist church in Kotovsk (about a three hour drive north of Odessa) has a farm in Andreevka and uses the territory every to run at least one children’s camp. The camp was seven days and there was about 20 kids. The kids slept either on the second floor of the main house, in a small shack on a hill or in tents on the field. A team of seven came from Pennsylvania to assist in running a kids camp on the pastor’s farm. The team taught a Bible lesson every morning, had crafts, directed games and had a daily English lesson. There was also a quiet time every day, free time, swimming, walks in the forest, ping-pong, swings, horse riding, camp fire every night and other games. Meals were served in a patio kitchen and outdoor showers were used.

Our girls were able to participate in the camp while Julie Joseph and Alfie were support help. Joseph stayed with the boys in the shack, Micah and Anya stayed on the second floor with the girls and Julie and Alfie lived in a tent.

Now we are home preparing to leave for vacation in Croatia. Joseph will attend a camp for missionary kids for a week then we will all spend a week together with some friends.

Bible time puppet shows.

Wild flower bouquet contest.

Julie and Anya rounding up the kids.

Sunday morning service in the dining room

Passing the Halfway Point

Our summer is rolling along nicely. Last week, Julie, Leah, Grace and an American team hosted an ESL camp at the Black Sea Camp. It was for beginning and intermediate level speaker and believer and unbelievers were welcome. It was a lot of work but all went well. I (Alfie) and the girls visited two of the days and enjoyed the festivities and mostly the beach. Joseph stayed four of the five days and did a lot of translating.

Julie with some of her new students and friends.

Joseph helps with translation.

The teaching was done outdoors in the fresh sea air!

Last Saturday, the team came back down to Odessa and had a downtown tour. One the same day our good friend Ron and Jeane Hawkins left after a month of service at the Black Sea Camp. Also, Saturday, the next construction team arrived. It was a busy day.

Julie has been recovering this week. We have enjoyed a lot of time together as a family while putting out fires. We currently have two teams here. We spent a lot of time catching up, reading together and playing together. Yesterday we visited a new (to us anyway) catacomb tour under the fine arts museum downtown.

Tomorrow (Saturday, July 10th), our largest team from Grace Fellowship leaves. They have helped with two camps. One at the Black Sea Camp and one in a village in the northern part of the Odessa Region. Our current construction team will get their downtown tour. Another team arrives. Joseph and Alfie will meet them and travel to the city of Kotovsk for a two week camp experience. Julie and the girls will join us next Wednesday.

Week Four

This week, Julie taught six hours of vocabulary development to the teachers and translators. The last session of the English Café met on Friday. They enjoyed Julie’s lesson and our last lesson in the book of John.

Julie has also written sixteen hours of lectures for the youth English camp next week. She and the team will leave for the Black Sea Camp on Monday.

The second construction team has come and gone. They accomplished much on the upper level of the camp. There are four buildings on the upper level that are almost ready for occupancy. This was a significant team because Joseph worked as their translator. He spent two weeks with them up at the camp. We missed him but are very proud of him. He received excellent reports from all.

The next team arrives on Monday. They are our largest team for the summer – 17 people. They will assist in running an English camp at the Black Sea camp next week and the week after that they will help in a tent VBS in a small northern village.