Our visit to Montenegro was very good, and we already miss our family and friends there. We’re now in Budapest for a couple of days, visiting friends and a ministry here. Tomorrow morning we head north to Estonia for the Stoneworks retreat in Tallinn. On the way, we’ll stop and see Auschwitz in southern Poland. [...]
As you can see, this is Olga writing here. Well, I had to be patient and wait five days for the pictures! But today they have finally arrived! I called my sister and heard a great news, that she is already at home with her baby! She did say that she thinks him to be [...]
Continue reading about ‘He is the most beautiful baby!!!’ — My sister’s words
Good news! Olga’s sister Alla gave birth to a boy — Andrej. The baby has some jaundice, but everyone is doing well. We’re very happy to be Aunt and Uncle. We’ll post pictures soon. Alla is married to Zhelyan, a Montenegrin, and they live in Podgorica. And we will soon be in Montenegro. (Click here [...]
We have mentioned this before, and it’s high time to introduce you to Zhenya, Anya, and Natasha. Just about a year ago, we were in the US when three young ladies from our church, on short notice, needed a place to stay for a few weeks. Well, that ‘few weeks’ has turned into a year [...]
As many of you know we’ve always wanted a family, and we found out a few years ago that Mike is unable father children. We’ve wanted to receive the family that God gives us, rather than ‘making’ it happen by our own will. The Lord promised Abraham a family, but Abraham and Sara were unwilling [...]
Many of you will remember Oksana, the orphan who lived with us several years ago. She now has a two year old daughter named Valeria. Oksana wanted for Valeria to be baptized, and she asked us to be the godparents and participate in the baptism, which was in an Orthodox church (hence the headcoverings). Valeria [...]
Continue reading about A Postcard from Russia — Valeria’s Baptism
The end of the summer is upon us, and now is the time of harvest and of looking forward. The apples, mushrooms and berries (and carrots, peas, cucumbers and potatoes) are plentiful. Last week we were at dacha again for Olga’s grandmother’s birthday; she is 77 years old this year. On that day, August 28, [...]
Continue reading about A Postcard from Russia — Apples, Mushrooms and Berries
The other day I came home to a pleasant sight: Olga making jam from gooseberries she and babushka picked at dacha. We’ve done a lot of traveling this summer, and it’s nice to be back in Russia for a bit. We’ve recently spent time at Elama, been at dacha, and visited with teams from the [...]
Continue reading about A Postcard from Russia — Home Sweet Home
We’re in Finland for a few days staying at the little cabin, named Koppero, that we’ve mentioned before. Because of visa restrictions I must be out of Russia fairly often; it’s just a 5 hour drive here so it’s easy to come over and spend a few days. And it’s nice to have an internet [...]
Continue reading about A Postcard from Finland — Peace and Quiet
Recently one of Olga’s distant cousins discovered an old photo of her ancestors. Here is the photograph taken at the Silver Wedding of Nestor Grootten and Olga von Klemm. The celebration took place in 1899 in Riga, where Nestor worked at the time. We are working on identifying everyone in the photograph. Maximillian, Orest’s father [...]
