Well, another month has come and gone.  I have figured out that most of our life at Boaz is either planning an event or trip, participating in an event or trip, or getting back to normal after a trip or event.  This year, we have planned more events, so we are in a constant state of ready, go, get ready to go again. 

In late May, we took 21 people to Russia.  A great trip in most of the ways we can assess the value of trips.  God was there and the way He blessed us, He must have been pleased with what happened.  We got back in early June and now we are getting ready for the garage sale on July 12th.  After we come down from that, some of us are going on short vacations and then we begin to prepare for the India trip, kickoff for the Christmas banks, and a board meeting in August.  It will be a busy time for everyone.  But that is the norm rather than the exception these days.  It is a wonderful problem to have.  We are all very thankful that God is filling our plate with so many opportunities to serve Him through serving the orphans. 

Have a Great 4th of July and remember to thank God that He allows us to live in such a great country!

Yours in Christ,

Don

Dear Boaz Friends,

I wanted to update you on the progress of the May/June trip to Russia and the impressions of the team after this trip.  As you know, I have a kind of unique view, since I have been to Russia 8 times and been part of teams each time.  Peggy did not go with me this time, so I was on my own and I have to say that I missed her greatly.  God was there though and in many ways, I saw his plan unfold in almost miraculous ways.  This was one of the most enjoyable teams to be a member of and the friendship and comaraderie were very special for me.  It also was one of the hardest trips I have been on personally, due to falling ill near the end of the trip and letting my construction team down the last day of work, and rooming with “Casey”. 

The team was made up of two parts really; the VBS team which was Tim and Jeanie Bedel, Mary Elise, Ellen and Ben Hodson, Deb Banks, Stephanie Bredesen, Betty Craig, Jim, April, Berea and Noah Jurgensen, Christen Millard and Andrea Patterson and the construction team of Casey Davis, Doug Banks, Terry Beck, Jim and Michael Hodson, Buzz Craig and me.  We also had some excellent help from Frenchy, Sarah and Heather who were already there as part of the 10 month team.  The timing of the trip was a little tough on getting interpreters because they were in finals preparation the main week we were there, but we did have a fine and talented group of young Russians to help us. 

VBS was able to work full time pretty much at Barskoge and some parts of the team spent other days at Murom, Sobinka and the Vladimir Children’s Home.  The kids really enjoyed their time with the team and it was great to hear the reports of the team each night about how they saw God at work in the lives of the children.  For many of us, it was eye-opening to see the daily lives of the orphans.  At Barskoge, some of the young members of the team got to watch young pigs being slaughtered for meat for meals.  It was something that they had not seen before.  The orphans themselves were taught how to kill and prepare the pigs for the kitchen.  Mostly, though, the orphans just enjoyed spending time with the team, playing games, throwing balls and frisbies back and forth, and getting to know the Americans.  Noah Jurgensen shared one beautiful story about an orphan who truly looks forward to seeing Noah each time he comes to Russia.  You got the sense the this young man does not have a lot of friends, but Noah has become someone very special to him.  Maybe they are growing up together?

Even though Casey Davis worked on the construction team, he had a great impact on one of the girls at Barskoge.  This girl is 18, but looks 14.  She always has a very stern look on her face.  Casey made it his goal to get her to smile.  Finally, he broke through and she did.  Her smile made the trip for Casey, but later she brought him a gift from what I am sure are her treasured possessions.  He had her go back and put her name on it and then accepted it from her.  I know that it is now one of Casey’s most prized remembrances from the trip.

The construction team tore down and replaced about 900 feet of fence that is part of about 1800 feet of fence that surrounds the garden at Barskoge.  The old fence proved to be a challenge because it was strung on old trees and wood that was not easy to remove.  Buzz Craig, Michael Hodson and Terry Beck led the way on this part of the project and did an unbelievable job in getting the work done.  They, along with Jim Hodson continued to work along the old fence line repairing, replacing and rewiring the fence to make it secure for the garden.  This fence had fallen into such disrepair that animals and people were able to get into the garden and damage or steal the crops.  The children of the orphanage get 75% of their food from this area, so it is crucial for them to not lose the vegetables, fruits and honey that grow in this area.  Doug Banks from Montana, and Casey Davis worked on setting new posts and running the fence where it was most in need of replacement.  When we were done at the end of the week and walked the director around the property to show her what we had done, Casey said she had a tear in her eye, thanking us for all that we had done.  We shared with her that we were thankful that God has given us the opportunity to help her and the orphans of Barskoge.  His love is bigger than all of us and he certainly has blessed all of us in the work He has given us to do.  An amazing thing happened during this week.  We had prayed about the outside work that the weather would let us be outside to do the work.  The first day we got there was on Monday and it had rained all weekend.  We decided to paint the entry to their dining hall to allow for the ground to dry.  The entire 6 days that we worked outside, the weather was perfect; clear, sunny and in the 60’s and 70’s.  It could not have been better.  So I can honestly say that God allowed us to get much more accomplished than I ever anticipated.  He also put together the perfect team and the friendship, comaraderie and appreciation for each others efforts was evident all week.  I always see the success of our endeavors when the focus is on Christ and what He would have us to do instead of our own problems or feelings.  Praise Him for each member of this team!

Finally, some members of the team went to St. Petersburg for a few days.  I was not along on this part of the trip, but the ones who were really enjoyed their time there.  Being the first time that we have tried to do this, I think that Jim and April felt there were some things that could have been done differently that might have made the trip a bit better, but that everyone was glad they went and experienced this special example of Russian history.

Well, that is all I can think of to tell you about the trip, except to say that without God’s hand being on the all parts of The Boaz Project, Inc. trips, we could not do what we do.  We see miracles on each trip we take and are reminded anew why the work God has given us is so important.  There is no better way to see the need for God’s love than to look into the eyes of an orphan, and no better way to experience God’s love than to share it with a child who is desperately reaching out to be loved.  Thanks to God and to the team for doing that so well this year!!!

In Christ,

Don Burdsall

This morning, Peggy and I went to vote.  It was early and friends I have at the polls said that they had been very busy.  It is the first time in a long time that Indiana voters mattered in a presidential primary.  I had jokingly told my son in a phone call Sunday night that Barack Obama was having a rally on our street corner the next night.  It was a joke.

After Peggy and I voted, we have a tradition of going out to eat together.  I let Peggy decide where to go and she chose a restaurant that is one of our favorite Saturday morning places, Four Seasons.  As we pulled up, I saw a big bus in the parking lot.  Immediately I knew we were in trouble because obviously a large group of senior citizens would be filling the restaurant and would take their time ordering, talking, eating and doing all those things that retired seniors do in the morning. 

As we walked into the restaurant, though, I noticed that it was almost empty.  I was a bit amazed, bemused, and a bit surprised.  Still the bus sat in the parking lot.  After about 15 minutes, 30-40 people with cameras, briefcases and other items in their hands got off the bus.  I realized now that instead of a group of seniors with walkers and canes, I was looking at a press corps.  I still did not know who they were there to see, but surmised it was one of four people, and all of them Democratic.  After all, McCain and Daniels had no opposition in the primary and no reason at all to brave Northern Johnson county on election day.  While watching the press mob, I quickly ruled out the Democratic gubernatorial candidates, because there were too many journalists there to follow a governor’s race, and these people looked like Washington pros.  So that left it to either be Hillary or Barack.  Again, using my power of deduction, and by the age of the group and also periphery handlers, I assumed it was Barack and sure enough in just a few minutes, a big black SUV pulled up and out stepped the Democratic presidential candidate.  He came into the restaurant, alone, but with a security detail that blocked all of the doors and exits from the parking lot.  He immediately flashed a marvelous smile, had shirt sleeves rolled up and looked every bit the part of a good politician.  He circled the room, being careful to shake every hand.  When he came to Peggy and me, I simply said “Good morning, Senator! Welcome to Indiana.”  He smiled, thanked us and moved on to the next table.  Our food had come as he neared our table and after exchanging these pleasantries, Peggy and I went on with our meal.  There were several groups of Christians in the restaurant who normally meet there on Tuesdays.  I knew them from church and just living on the southside for years.  All greeted the candidate with smiles and Hoosier friendliness.  It was quite a moment for all of us.  I wondered as Obama worked the room, if he was physically counting the possible voters he could sway, saying to himself “Let’s see, old white guy?  Nah  Christian couple, definitely McCain voters.  Ah, here is a young man who looks to be of voting age.  I will spend some time with him.”  And so it went. 

Peggy and I had to go to work, but Mr. Obama was still there when we left.  He ordered breakfast and sat and ate it at the counter with some ordinary folks like me.  The only difference this day was that they had 30 cameras pointing at them recording every word and movement for eternity. 

So why did God put Barack in my path today? I have no idea.  Except maybe to tell me that people are people no matter who they are.  They may have more power on this earth and be important, but they will still have to stand before God on judgement day.  The stories that are on the internet and e-mail about Barack being some kind of Arab, Moslem terrorist, are not true.  He is only a human being like the rest of us.  I won’t vote for him because of his policies, not because I don’t like him personally.  He is a great politician.  But he is just as much in need of Christ as anyone else and from shaking his hand and looking him in the eye, I would be more surprised if he was not a Christian.

So that is how my day started.  Life is interesting.  I reminded Peggy again what I told her when we got married; “Peggy we will never be rich, but life will never be boring!”

Your friend in Christ,

Don

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   ~1 Corinthians 9:24-27

  

     Paul wrote the verse above in order to show the church of Corinth that his desire was to run the race with endurance, to win as many as possible for the Lord, and to gain the prize. I have also desired to run the race before me here in Russia in the same way. We are coming to a close of this leg of the race with two months left; we are in the home stretch. I believe that God has been using me, especially in these past two months, to gain the prize. I would like to share a few stories with you of times where I been challenged to run the race that God has set before me in his specific timing.

      We had the rare opportunity to be involved in planning and organizing a college retreat through our church. About 50 college students, joined together for the weekend. The retreat was structured in such a way that we had no organized sharing of our faith or about our relationship with God. The leaders of the conference had decided that this was the best way to bring the students into the retreat and then it was our challenge to tell the students about our faith during free time, the seminars, or in our small group. We also had the privilege of leading a seminar and two small groups. The seminar we led was about life in college in the states with some comparisons of what we know about Russian universities. We also took the leader’s challenge and found a way to bring our faith into our seminar by having H talk about how during this time is when she came to find out exactly what she believed, which she did with sharing a piece of her testimony. We then also had opportunities to share our faith during our discussion group. The group we led included two non-believing college students from Russia and our Christian interpreter. The last night we were there we also took the leader’s challenge and waited for God to open the door for us to share. A discussion on the seminars then led to a wonderful opportunity for us to share more specifically about our faith and to answer questions about why we believe certain things. One of the girls was extremely open to all we had to share, asked many questions, and found that some of what we believed made sense to her. I believe we were able to at least plants some seeds for more thought and questions. The other girl shared with us the first night that she had met our leader at a concert that he had given at the university, that during the end of the concert he had an altar call and it made her very uncomfortable. She shared this same feeling with us after going to his seminar. I was rather nervous to bring up faith with her after her sharing these experiences with us and I was unsure of how to go about it. I believe God gave us this opportunity to share with her indirectly through our interpreter sharing a piece of her past and through her questions. We may not have spoken directly to her, but she heard every word we said. I believe that God allowed us to meet her where she was and gave us a non-threatening way to share with her about our heavenly Father.  I believe all in all, we were up to the challenge to share our faith with these students and I know that seeds were planted.

     I had the opportunity one week to meet with two of the girls at one of the homes we visit.  I have been building relationships with both of them and if you remember one is the same girl I gave the song lyrics to as a way to talk with her about God. The conversation began with discussing the song lyrics and developed into a full conversation about faith. I was able to share with the girls that God was the most important thing in my life and why I believed Him to be the truth. I shared with the girls when I became a Christian and what that meant for me at the time. I became a Christian when I was twelve, which is about the age that these girls are currently. I then took the opportunity to ask them questions about what they believed. Sasha shared that she had read the entire New Testament and believed it to be true. She also said that she believed in God and that he is always there. The other one, however, did not know what she believed and appeared to be searching for that one thing to complete her. I unfortunately did not have time to go any further, but told the girls that the next week I wished to continue this talk. The girls agreed with smiles on their faces and another seed planted.

     Upon sharing my faith with the girls, the same day, I took the opportunity on the bus ride home to speak with my interpreter. I think I should begin by giving you a little background on how Russians view faith. Most Russians do not have a personal relationship with the Lord, so they have no idea what that would look like. Also, they see faith as something that you have time for and the maturity for, as you get older. Therefore, I began by asking him what he thought about our conversation with the girls and if he believed it to be true. He shared that he believed it was a good thing to talk about, but that he personally didn’t have the maturity for faith at this time. He also shared that it was something for him to think about in the future. I then began speaking about my faith in God by using my testimony. My sophomore year at school I had the unfortunate      experience of loosing three people close to me; two friends and my grandmother. I began to discuss my experience with losing each of them and the reality it brought into my life; life is only temporary and can be taken at any moment. I also shared with him that I could not have made it through those different times without the comfort of the Father. I did question him during that time and wondered why he had taken each of them the way he did, but in the end realized how many people were impacted and changed because of them. In order to make this a little more close to home, I asked him what he thought would happen if we were in an accident on the way home that night and we all died? He said that he didn’t know and that he agreed that things happen when we least expect. Opening up my testimony then allowed him to open up about his past. He had previously told me that he did not have a father, but I didn’t know quite what that meant until this night. He told me about the unexpected death of his father about five years ago and how that impacted him and his family. I then told him more about what I learned through each of these deaths personally and how I felt that the Father was still present even in the midst of bad things happening. The conversation was a lot of me sharing my heart and him listening. However, I know that he was listening to every word I said and contemplating what this means for him. Andrey, in the end, said, “Maybe you’re right.” I then replied, “Yes, I believe I am. However, instead of just listening to me, I believe that this is something you need to find for yourself.” He shook his head and agreed that it was something that he needed to begin to seek out. I thank God for this opportunity to not only share my faith, but to also be a listening ear to his pain of losing his father. I know that God used me in such a divine way, that through my past pain and hurt of losing those I loved it allowed me to connect with him in a deep and personal way. I believe that it was our past experiences that allowed me to share my Father with him and in turn allowed his heart to be open to it.

The company, due to our work here, would like to send another team in the fall. I have begun asking the Lord for clear direction in this matter and for His will to be made known. I am very open to God’s calling for me, but do not feel like any clarity has been brought to my attention. I am asking that you would please join me in praying for God’s will in this situation. 1 John 5:14-15 says this, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him.” It gives me such assurance knowing that even though we might not hear from God right away or feel like we have received an answer, He hears us and answers us in his perfect timing. I heard someone say once, “sometimes God simply says not now or wait.” I firmly believe this, that God might be telling us to wait upon him or that it isn’t the right time, but He does hear us. I think that in asking God this request that it requires from me a spirit of patience, obedience, and above all faith. I know that whatever the answer may be, that where God has me will be exactly where he wants me and where I can be used the most in the next leg of this race.

     I would like to ask if you could please keep the following requests also in your prayers:

          * The people I mentioned above; that they would come to discover that the thing missing in their life is their heavenly Father. Also, pray that they would ask questions and seek answers to find out who the Lord is for them and can be for them.

          * The work that we will be doing in the next two months with the children. Please pray that we would take opportunities to have conversations with the children that we have not had before and to share with them everything we had hoped to do before we left.

          * The relationships we have made here through our church and in our interpreters. Please pray that we would have the time and space to spend with them in a significant way before we leave. Also, pray that we would take opportunities to share with each of them about our faith and why we believe what we believe.

          * Pray for us as we are ending this journey we have been on for the past few months. Pray that we will know how to end this race in way that will bring God the most glory and will allow the most lasting impression on our hearts.

     I want to thank each one of you for your support in taking this journey and your continuous prayers. I wanted to remind you that I will be responding to all of your emails from another account due to security, so please keep this email in your contacts. Also, you can read weekly updates on my blog at emilyrose345.blogspot.com. I leave you with this, Run in such a way as to get the prize.

 

Blessings,

 

      Sarah Helderman

 

Four days to the Walkathon and everyone is anxiously putting the details together.  We have signs, t-shirts, and last minute volunteers and walkers to make sure that they all get to the right places and decisions to make about how we train them.  Any first time event is challenging to come up with just the right combination of problem-solving, enthusiasm and peripheral pleasures to entice people to remember and want to participate next year.  This one is a bit different though, in that we know the reason behind it.  God has given us an opportunity to help some kids that we have never met, in a country half way around the world that most of us will never visit, to have a roof over their heads, so they will know the love of Christ in a meaningful, tangible way that might open their hearts to His truth.  If that is not an awesome and huge responsiblity, then there has never been one.  Yet, we know in the back of our hearts and minds that it is not about us and our efforts, but about God and His plan.  The biggest preparation that we make is not in setting up tables and advertising for walkers, but in asking God to use all of this for His glory.

I have been through enough of these events that I know on Saturday evening, after all of the activity and excitement of the day, that what I look back on is the joy I get from seeing God’s people come together to do their part to serve Him.  Hopefully, they will go home with the understanding that even though the event was maybe not perfect, that they at least played a part in helping that child in India that they may never have known to have shelter and a warm place to lay their head down.  I praise God just for letting me be part of an organization that serves Him and cares for His children of the world.

Hello, everyone!!

One of the opportunities that God is giving us at Boaz is to begin writing a weekly blog to keep you informed of the comings and goings of the ministry.  As you have items that you are interested in, you can have some impact on what I write about by contacting me at don@boazproject.org and let me know if there is a particular question or area of the ministry that you are interested in learning about or something that I might answer for you or bring you comments on from Jim and April or any other member of the staff. 

This is a great opportunity to increase our communication with you and I look forward to telling you about all that is happening here at The Boaz Project on a regular basis.  Thank you for reading and I look forward to hearing from you.  As always, your prayers are greatly appreciated for these efforts.

Yours in Christ,

Don Burdsall