Hamm's Headings - January-April 2006
Decision Made!
Those were the words that greeted us a short time ago on our daily visit to the Immigration Canada web site. Shortly afterwards we received a letter confirming that my application to sponsor Lena & Sonia for permanent residency in Canada was approved! Praise the Lord!One question remained: when would we receive permission to travel? That question was answered in a letter dated April 10th that stated that we would have to wait another six months before the visa would be ready.
So...instead of a summer arrival, it looks like we'll be home in time for Christmas! While not a disaster, it does mean that Sonia will have to wait longer to enter university, Maya will not be able to begin grade one in September and our search for a home in Canada will have to start over (to a certain extent).
Please continue to uphold us in prayer as we move towards a major family transition!
Keep in touch!
Hamm's Headings is primarily a bi-monthly summary of Hamm Prayer Points.Every Monday a new Hamm Prayer Points is sent by email. If you would like to receive our weekly updates, filled with news, trivia, praise reports & prayer requests, send an email to hpp-subscribe@myinjesus.com and we'll be happy to sign you up!
If you have any questions about our mailings (or wish to stop receiving some or all of them), please contact us directly at kevin@krhamm.com.
Coming To Canada...In Brief:
Lord willing, we plan to sell our home in St. Petersburg and move to Manitoba in November of this year. We are still looking for a home, a vehicle and many other essentials. We plan to remain in Canada for at least three years, or until Lena & Sonia are granted permanent residency. Beyond that...? God knows!January: New Year of Blessings!
Christmas Outreach in Kolpino. On Orthodox Christmas Day (Jan. 7) I assisted members of our church's satellite fellowship in the town of Kolpino with a very special outreach. A wonderful afternoon of getting acquainted, games, food and sharing was held in a public courtyard. Over 300 people came: kids, youths, moms, dads and a lot of babushkas! I led games with over a hundred of the most active participants (even some babushkas joined in!). Afterwards the crowd enjoyed blini (Russian crepes) with a choice of toppings (sour cream, jam or condensed milk), hot tea and plenty of sweet treats for all the kids. Then the group listened to Pastor Vadim share about what Christ's birth means to us. Many people committed to attending the next church service. What a wonderful blessing it was to be a part of this outreach! You are welcome to view pictures at www.flickr.com/photos/krhamm/sets/1783918.
CCI/Russia Christian Camp Leaders' Conference. Our annual six day conference was held one hour north of St. Petersburg Jan. 29 - Feb 3. Over 300 attendees and instructors came from across Russia, Belarus, the Baltic States and three Central Asian countries to hone their camping skills. At the conference I ran the computer centre (servicing tech needs, producing conference CDs, etc.), handled videotaping & photography duties and taught a four-day course: Information Technology at Camp. It was a great time of fellowship, sharing & ministry. You may view the CCLC video report (low-resolution version) at www.krhamm.com/files/CCLC_2006.wmv.
February: Preparation & Productions
The busiest time of year for our ministry is spring when we conduct Staff Training Workshops across Russia and other neighbouring states. In preparation for these seminars, the Christian Camping International/ Russia office here in St. Petersburg is busy coordinating event logistics with local leaders and preparing materials for the STWs. Each year we produce dozens of publications, both printed and electronic. So far this year we have produced nine compact discs (including four music albums) and a new Bible lesson series (still in production) called Desert Detectives.
My responsibilities include the technical editing of all written materials, designing CD interfaces and the printing and pressing of CDs. We are very thankful for the talented authors, designers and other contributors who help to make our ministry effective.
You can view the complete catalouge of CCI/Russia publications at www.ccirussia.org/en/publications.
March & April: Training & Ministry
Camp Directors' Institute. The second session of CDI was held March 6-17 in Moscow. Twenty-two experienced directors received intensive instruction from five Western instructors during the program. Praise God for these camp directors!Women's Seminar. CCI/Russia sponsored a post-abortion seminar in April: "Facilitating Biblical Healing". Many women attended and received hope and healing.
Staff Training Workshops. Six STWs are planned for April-June 2006. One each in Moscow, Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Minsk (Belarus), Novorossiysk, Kurgan and Norkalni (Latvia). Once again, over six hundred camp staff from across Russia, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Uzbekistan, Kyrgistan, Tajikstan and Kazahkstan are expected to be trained this spring.
In Other News...
February...marked the beginning of Lena's third hair-dressing course.
March...was a busy month visa-wise: I had to apply for a new one-year Russian visa and an Uzbek tourist visa at the same time.
April...we celebrated! Sonia had her 17th birthday and we had our 7th wedding anniversary... Throughout the winter the new playground was heavily used and appreciated by dozens of families.
Did you know...
...that when the temperature falls to -23 or below, parents are allowed to keep their children home from school? This past January Sonia discovered why that's a good idea as she and her classmates attended class while it was +5 indoors!...that Nina qualifies (by virtue of her small pension) for a quarterly allotment of foodstuffs? Recently she stood in line at a government office and returned with eight kilograms of groceries. Included in the bags were 1 kilogram each of rice, buckwheat and macaroni, along with sugar, canned beef, condensed milk and even a wafer cake! While it is certainly not enough to last her for three months, it does help supplement her meager (about 130 CAD/month) allowance.
For a weekly dose of Russian trivia, be sure to subscribe to Hamm Prayer Points!
flickr= Photos
View hundreds of photos of our familyministryty and travel at www.flickr.com/photos/krhamm and at www.flickr.com/photos/sonique
GOD IS GOOD!
But way down in my heart of heartsWay down in my soul of souls
Way down I know that I am a fortunate man
To have known divine love
– "Heart of Hearts" by Mark Heard
When we look back at our seven years of serving together in Russia as a family, we can not help but be amazed at God's provision. When I arrived in St. Petersburg in March 1999 I had two suitcases and a computer. Lena was living in Nina's tiny apartment in Omsk together with Sonia, making just enough money to scrape by. When we married a month later we had no home, no furniture and not much more than the clothes on our backs. (Hmm, sounds a little like our planned move to Canada!)
But we had God–or to put it more correctly, He had us in His hands. He provided us with a home, two more wonderful girls and the opportunity to travel tens of thousands of kilometres across the former Soviet Union to teach and serve.
Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. (Deuteronomy 7:9 NIV)
To be loved by the Divine Creator of the universe and to be held in His hands is a most wondrous thing. There is no better place to be. Thank you for allowing us to serve in this way. Your prayers & support have kept us in His service. We look forward to many more years of family service, as God allows.
— Kevin, Lena, Sonia, Maya & Deena
Hamm's Headings...
- A newsletter from Kevin & Lena Hamm, missionaries with MBMS International, serving with CCI/Russia in St. Petersburg.
- Hamm's Headings is written by Kevin Hamm except where noted. The material contained herein is personal, and is not necessarily reflective of MBMSI or CCI/Russia.
- We welcome your comments and questions.
- This newsletter is online at www.krhamm.com/current.
- View current and past issues at http://hammsheadings.blogspot.com.
- Subscription preferences can be changed and online issues viewed at http://hh.injesus.com.
- Vital links: the CCI/Russia site at www.ccirussia.org/en and the MBMSI site at www.mbmission.org
posted by Kevin R. Hamm | 23:50
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