Staff Missionary Reports
Reports and Experiences of the Godspeed Staff
Moscow, March 2001 - Preparation
Dear friends,
Monday afternoon, BWI airport, awaiting departure of a flight to London and then to
Moscow, where Karen and I will be present at the annual Field Council meeting of a
group of missionaries serving in various areas of Russia. We will be offering medical
services and providing counseling, as we have been asked to do with this same group on
a number of occasions in the past. We have made this trip more than fifteen times, so
the process is not new. What have made this one different (thus far), include the
following situations:
Three weeks ago tomorrow, we were informed that we would have to move. Although the
church that had been allowing us to live in their parsonage graciously gave us until
April to effect the move, we had already schedule this trip and another one in late
March to Africa, so we not only had no idea where we would be moving to, we had only
a few weeks to get there. As of last night, we are now living in a home in St. Michaels,
Maryland. About 95% of our stuff has been moved in (not unpacked, but at least under the
same roof); we will have time to complete the task after our return from Russia and prior
to our departure for Johannesburg. The new home has much promise, but there were the minor
irritations of a malfunctioning water heater, inoperable electrical outlets and switches,
etc., which needed attention prior to our leaving, and before the owner could be contacted
to take care of those things in his areas of responsibility. I found myself complaining,
and was then reminded that in so many of the places we work, operable refrigerators and
electricity are far less predictable luxuries, if available at all.
The largest snowstorm of the past twenty years was predicted for today, which would
have seriously impeded both us and British Air getting to the airport. As it has turned
out, the storm has moved further north, so we have had minimal snow, and no threat to the
schedule. I found myself complaining about the snow, and the cold, and the anticipation
of entering a waning-but-still-chilly Russian winter, when I saw a report of the heat,
humidity, flooding, and increased malaria in Mozambique, and remembered our time at a
refugee camp during the major flooding this time last year.
Our youngest daughter has her 18th birthday tomorrow. Even though it would be difficult
to celebrate with her at college were we here, there is something uncomfortable about being
7,000 miles apart for such an event. We won't see her until her Spring Break home visit in
two weeks. Our oldest daughter and new granddaughter live in Texas; we long to be with them
as well; this past week the little one got her first tooth. It feels like she will be in
college herself before we see her again, which probably will not be until April at the
earliest. I found myself complaining about these "lengthy separations". The missionaries we
are blessed to work with often have to be separated from families and loved ones for a year
or more at a time.
So, I would ask that you pray for us on our trip; not so much for travel mercies, or for
the care of those we love whom we leave behind, nor even for the work and the wonderful
servants we go to visit, as important as each of those are. I would ask that you pray that
I would continually be reminded by God of the richness of His blessings on my life, that I
would have compassion for the so many in this world who have so much less than I, and that
I would not be caught up in the centeredness of self and miss the wonderful things God is
doing all around us, all the time.
I will hopefully have e-mail contact in Russia, where I will send this if possible. If you
get this, you will know that we are have e-mail access, and would love to hear from you.
Godspeed,
Barney M. Davis, Jr., M.D.
Executive Director,
Godspeed Missionary Care
PS: Tuesday afternoon, Moscow. We made it. Huge drifts of snow, from the largest February
snowfall here in 100 years, but a beautiful sunny day. We will stay tonight with the field
leader and his wife in their flat, then depart for the meeting location early tomorrow. We
do not know if we will be able to access e-mail at that location, but would still like to
hear from you, as we will be able to pick up and answer mail at some point...
|
