Leaving Voronezh One More Time

It is almost time for us to go to the train station to head back up to Moscow. Everytime we leave it gets a little bit harder to say goodbye. One of these days we may just decide to stay here. : )

Sorry I haven't posted more often this week, but as I've said before it has been difficult to get internet access this week. I'll post more in Moscow and then again when we get back to the states.

See you soon.

Hi From Voronezh

Hello from Voronezh, Russia. It's Wednesday evening here, and this is the first real chance I've had to get on the Internet. We work so late each evening that we can't make it to the Internet cafe in the hotel before it closes. To get on, we would have to walk quite a way down to another cafe, but it isn't in the nicest part of town, so we don't go there all the time. This evening we were at the "You are not alone" Club, which is a transition center for orphans that have left the orphanage due to their age. The are legally considered adults, but many of them have never learned many of the life skills that we take for granted, like how to wash clothes, cook food, or even find a decent job. The club gives them a place to make friends, learn life skills and perhaps even train for a job.

I have also been involved with a construction project at one of the local churches. We have been digging a place for the "parking lot" and building a fence along one side, which involves moving a lot of sand and gravel. It's hard work, but it's great to see a tangible result from the work.

Nickie and I are doing great, and are really enjoying our time here. We'll try to post more over the next few days. Check back soon. : )

It's Almost Time

In less than 24 hours, Nickie and I will be on a plane heading for Russia once again. We are so excited about this opportunity to return to Voronezh to work with the pastors of that city/region as they work to grow their churches and reach people for Christ. This is my 4th trip and Nickie's 2nd, and we are very excited to see how God uses us this year.

As we are in Russia and have access to the web, we will post updates and photos to our blogs so you can keep up with us along the way.

Was (color) blind, but now I see...

I just read about this amazing new treatment that a doctor in Maryland has come up with to help people with color deficient vision (aka "color blindness") be able to see color. Dr. Thomas Azman has developed a set of color corrective lenses that alter the wavelengths of light so that the rods and cones of the eye are able to distinguish between different colors. He claims to have had a 100% success rate and guarantees that his patients will be able to pass the Ishihara Color Plate Test (the gold standard in color deficient vision testing).

Dr. Azman currently only has one location in Maryland, and is the only one offering this service, so people that want to use this service must go to him. However, if his lenses work as claimed, I foresee a lot of optomitrists and opthomologists signing up to offer this service to their patients.

The process is not a corrective surgery, but rather a set of corrective lenses which can be made as either glasses or contacts. To read more about this amazing new technology, visit Dr. Azman's web site.