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- TeamUfa
- We are a team of people trying to reach people in Ufa and Bashkortostan in Russia. It is no small task and we want your support!
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Sunday, August 29, 2010
Men's and Women's Clubs a Success This Month
11:56 AM | Posted by
TeamUfa
Friday night in Ufa, like any city can mean different things for different people. Some will rest after a long work week. Some might go out with their friends or family. For some this Friday night in Ufa, it meant attending the monthly men's or women's clubs. These are always great times of food, games, meeting new people and chatting with acquaintances and friends.
The women had a great time as usual. About 25 women attended which makes for great fun when it comes to game time!
The women had a great time as usual. About 25 women attended which makes for great fun when it comes to game time!
Susan chatting with some of the women over the remnants of dinner. Many relationships are started and built through regular activities such as women's club.
A 'human knot'. Eileen normally comes up with fun games.
The girls made a banner for their friend Polina, who is studying in The States. She was a beloved regular at the women's club.
At some point in the evening somebody dropped this carcass off on the ladies prep table!
The men's club is a more laid back affair but no less fun for us guys. We had a great time this month eating taco salad and playing Wii. Our gatherings are normally a little smaller. We had about 15 guys this month.
Kostya takes his food seriously.
Vladimir played the Wii for the first time. He liked the boxing game most.
The twins got in on the action as well.
These clubs are just one of the many ways that we try to reach out to the people in this city. It is ministry, but also great fun. One of the enjoyable things about this sort of ministry is that real friendships are built. We make friends with lost people and in the process share Christ with and live out Biblical principles in front of them. A lot of the ministry we do here is that personal. We don't minister to just some people group, but to individuals. If they don't accept Christ as Savior and Lord then it will genuinely hurt because it is a good friend that will suffer the consequences, not just one face in a crowd.
Please pray for these clubs that are held once a month in an effort to minister to local men and women, both believers and non-believers.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Last Day in Ufa
This was the Mt. Olivet ladies' last day in Ufa. Today, after some souvenir shopping, they made us lunch! The food they made us was delicious and we had a good afternoon of fellowship with them. The rest of the ladies' day was spent packing for the trip home. They must be at the airport very early in the morning.
Allison, Eileen, Brenda, Linda, Gayle and Patti sit around the table chatting after lunch.
As I said before, we are grateful for what these ladies did here this past week and look forward to their return with more members from Mt. Olivet Baptist. I am sure the ladies will have many personal stories to share with their church family and we pray that they will get some much needed rest upon their safe return to Virginia.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Greeting Cards and Farewells
Tonight was the last night of the cooking and crafts exchange in Ufa. The activities were cookies and greeting cards.
Linda and Gayle showing the women the art of handmade greeting cards.
The ladies had a great time decorating their cards.
Patti sharing about Christmas cookie exchanges and telling the women a little about the true meaning of Christmas.
The Mt. Olivet ladies sang to the women as part of their farewell activities.
They also gave each of the girls a handmade paper shoe with candy in it.
Tonight was also a night of goodbyes for one of our regular translators. Polina is leaving Ufa in order to get a doctoral degree at the University of Miami Ohio. She has been a big help to the Americans in Ufa in countless ways and we are all going to miss seeing our friend.
Tara (right) leading a prayer for Polina (left) as Anya (middle) puts her arm around her friend.
We are very thankful for all these Ladies from Mt. Olivet have done this week. It is not easy coming ten time zones and ministering effectively. The women that participated really enjoyed the experiences they had this week and relationships were built that will hopefully last long past this week. What these ladies have shown is that you can come to Ufa and minister to the people here if you are creative. A lot of traditional mass evangelism techniques are not feasible, but it doesn't mean the people are unreachable. If a believer is willing to start building a relationship from the ground up, then they will often get chances to be an incarnate witness to someone they genuinely care about. This is the sort of thing that has been effective in Ufa. If you have been reading the accounts of these ladies from Mt. Olivet and the team from Centreville, you have seen two good examples of how a short term team can minister here. You have seen that our American culture and English language can be used to build relationships between Americans and Russians and between local believers and non-believers.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Two Classes, One Room
Tonight's exchange was a little different and maybe a little crowded. The room that the ladies from Mt. Olivet were using for crafts was unavailable tonight so they were all in the dining room where the cooking takes place. Flexibility is a big part of living in Russia. In the USA we are used to things being ordered in a certain way. Russia is not always ordered the way we expect. Only having one room was no big deal, though. It just meant that everyone was together the whole time instead of breaking into two groups that alternate between the cooking and crafts. On the menu tonight was chicken corn chowder and decorative pillowcases. The pillow cases were a little more involved than the other crafts that have been done so far. It involved more preparation than some of the other projects.
Susan worked all day preparing this project and the local ladies were excited to be able to make these pillows.
Gayle showing the girls how to sew their pillowcases together.
Mother and daughter working on a matching set.
Susan sharing with the women other opportunities to practice their English and about the continuation of the cooking and craft exchanges throughout the year. Anya is translating.
In addition to Susan promoting the continuation of these exchanges, Linda talked about some of the principles from Proverbs 31. These sharing times are a natural outflow of their Christian life. The women from Ufa enjoy hearing these ladies talk about their culture and faith.
The soup line. The ladies learned how to make chicken corn chowder tonight.
I have been using the word 'exchange' throughout the week. Here is an example. During craft time, this woman brought in some Bashkir jewelry to show the Mt. Olivet ladies.
Relationships. This week has helped to build new ones and strengthen existing ones.
These two women from Ufa presented gifts to the Mt. Olivet ladies. They received a Bashkir headband and a traditionally decorated Russian spoon.
Tomorrow is the last day for this cooking and craft exchange. Pray that the relationships that have been started this week will last. Pray that believers will have witnessing opportunities because of the activities this week.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Muffins and Necklaces
A new day means a new craft and a new dish in Ufa. The cooking items were morning glory muffins and banana nut muffins. The craft was hand made jewelry. Today, some of the women that have been participating all week brought some of their friends with them. Since the cooking piece was centered around muffins, Patti shared about the 'Bread of Life'.
First a little prep.
Patti sharing about the 'Bread of Life'.
The finished product.
The night watchman pays a visit...probably smelled the muffins!
Gayle showing two of the girls how to start their craft.
The women getting some tips from Linda the expert.
Having fun.
Everyone enjoying the muffins and showing off their jewelry.
The Mt. Olivet women along Allison, Susan, Eileen and Tara are working hard during the day to make these exchanges happen every evening. Getting the food everyday is a big challenge. What makes it all worth the effort are the relationships that are being built between the believers (local and American) and non-believers that attend each evening. Everything we do here is done with a purpose. There are many different ways that Christians can reach people for Jesus. For these ladies, it is cooking and crafts. These are things they each know well. This should challenge us to think about what methods we can use to reach out. These exchanges each evening are about making connections. That is our main goal in Ufa, to connect local believers with non-believers and everyone with the Gospel. It is great when people like the ladies from Mt. Olivet are able to use English and American culture as a magnet to draw people together and ultimately closer to Christ.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Cooking and Crafts: Day 2
The schedule is similar, yet everyday the Mt. Olivet ladies have new experiences. Today they visited an art studio run by a local believer and were able to purchase a few of his small works as souvenirs. Again, the afternoon was spent preparing for the evenings activities. The also listened to Chris share what he hopes to see happen in Ufa and to discuss a little bit about how their activities fit into the big picture.
This evening the dish was French beef. This was a little more involved than yesterday's mini cheesecake and required the ladies to get a little more hands on in the preparation stage.
Explaining the concept of scrapbooking and showing the women some ideas gave Linda and Gayle a chance to chat with some of them individually. Building relationships is a big part of what we do here in Ufa.
This evening the dish was French beef. This was a little more involved than yesterday's mini cheesecake and required the ladies to get a little more hands on in the preparation stage.
Julia and Brenda pouring in the ingredients.
Anya translating for Patti as she shares the story of Mary and Martha while Brenda plays the part of Martha working in the kitchen.
While the Mt. Olivet ladies are sharing their skills with the women from Ufa, they are also letting them know there are more important things than cooking and crafting. The story of Mary and Martha illustrates this very well. It sends the message to the ladies that, yes, preparing meals and taking care of the home is important, but women have a spiritual purpose and spiritual needs. Women have a place in God's kingdom and are important to Him.
The women enjoying the results of their work. They seem pleased, so they must have been quick studies!
For tonight's craft the ladies made a scrapbook page. To a lot of the women, this was a new idea.
Three completed masterpieces.
The ladies seemed a lot more rested today. Keep praying that they will sleep well at night and that the persistent temps in the mid 90's will not drain their energy. Pray that the ingredients which will be used in the various recipes throughout the week will be available when they are needed. It is not always a given that any item one needs will be in the stores.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Mini Cheesecakes and Decorative Dishtowels
Almost all of the teams that visit Ufa tour the same spots. Hey, there are only so many parks and museums here. However, each team's experience is unique to them. The Mt. Olivet ladies enjoyed a stroll through Victory Park and a tour of the Lula Tulpan mosque this morning.
Two of the ladies praying to the One True God in the Lula Tulpan mosque.
Linda poses on an artillery piece.
The ladies spent the afternoon eating lunch and preparing for the evening's activities. As mentioned in a previous post, each evening there will be a cooking and craft exchange where local women can come and see various American dishes and homemade crafts. So, there is a lot to be done in the way of procuring supplies for the evening. Most of the craft items are in place, however, the food must be bought daily. Finding ingredients in Ufa is not always as simple as going to one store. I know at least 7 were visited this afternoon trying to find everything that was needed. Tonight was a good start to the week. About 30 women of various ages came to take part. The cooking activity was a mini cheesecake and the craft was a decorative dishtowel.
Before the hands-on part, Polina translates a little preparatory instruction.
The ladies listen carefully.
Brenda serves the cheesecakes as the ladies put their strawberries on top.
Patti helps the ladies with the strawberries.
Linda shows the ladies how the crochet part will look.
Gayle preparing the yarn for the ladies.
Each night this week will be similarly structured. The ladies will be in two groups and will alternate between cooking and crafts. The ladies had a great time this evening and are looking forward to the rest of the week.
Pray for the Mt. Olivet ladies this week as they, like others who come deal with jet lag, the heat of summer, adjusting to being bounced around on public transport and lots of other cultural adjustments. Pray for the new relationships that will be started this week.
Pray for the Mt. Olivet ladies this week as they, like others who come deal with jet lag, the heat of summer, adjusting to being bounced around on public transport and lots of other cultural adjustments. Pray for the new relationships that will be started this week.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Sunday with the ladies
The four ladies from Mt. Olivet had their first full day in Ufa. Jet lag dogged them, but they were awake and happy to be in Ufa. Today was mostly about church and logistics. The ladies attended a local Baptist church this morning. In the afternoon there was an orientation lunch and meeting. Everyone in the room was excited about the possibilities of the coming week. The big unknown for this week is how many people will attend the cooking and craft exchanges. Its tough to plan!
This evening the ladies went to a Bible discussion group and, though they were tired, had a good time participating. They were trying to relate to some of the regular Russian attenders what their faith means to them. The discussion tonight was from Mark, the last half of chapter 13. One of the questions discussed in the group tonight came from a local school teacher. "If I say Jesus is the only way, then I half to say all other religions are wrong. How can I say this to my students?" It was a profitable discussion followed by chatting and, of course, food!
This evening the ladies went to a Bible discussion group and, though they were tired, had a good time participating. They were trying to relate to some of the regular Russian attenders what their faith means to them. The discussion tonight was from Mark, the last half of chapter 13. One of the questions discussed in the group tonight came from a local school teacher. "If I say Jesus is the only way, then I half to say all other religions are wrong. How can I say this to my students?" It was a profitable discussion followed by chatting and, of course, food!
Brownies, pound cake, smoothies, and getting to known someone from another culture.
Tomorrow the ladies will start touring some of the popular spots around Ufa. The afternoons this week will be spent in preparation for the cooking and crafts exchanges that will be taking place each evening. This, like much of what the team from Centreville did, is designed to connect local believers with non-believers. The ladies are a sort of magnet. They are using American recipes and craft ideas to draw women across Ufa together. An added benefit is this will hopefully kick-start Allison and Susan's effort to hold regular exchanges throughout the year.
Pray for the attendance at the cooking and craft exchanges. Pray that jet lag will not greatly inhibit the ladies time here. Pray for the new relationships that will be started this week.
Remember to check back in throughout the week for pictures and updates on how things are going.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Ladies Coming to Ufa
Four ladies from Mt. Olivet Baptist Church will be coming to Ufa next week to see the usual sites around Ufa and to participate in a cooking and crafts exchange with some local women. This will be a very special time where both the ladies from Virginia and believers from Ufa connect with some other local women. The exchanges will be held for one week. Please pray for these ladies as they travel. They will arrive in Ufa on Saturday and will begin the exchanges on Monday. I will be posting updates during the week so be sure and check in to see how things are going!
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