CIS Prayer: Russia Week

[CarlaSun@aol.com]

January 12, 2003


Dear Family and Friends,

It’s Sunday night in Moscow.   Many years ago we used to settle down on Sunday nights and send a FAX back to our families.   There were so many interesting and funny things that happened in those first few years.   Then, it seemed that we became accustomed to life here.   However, this week has been one of those special weeks.   Something we would call a “Russia Week.”   

This week has been very cold.   Actually, it’s the coldest its been in Moscow for 35 years.   As a result, our car has not started 7 out of the past 10 days.   Our car is sitting out on the street.   Why is it not in the garage, you may ask?   Well, if you’ve seen our lovely garage you know it looks somewhat like a metal tool shed.   Unfortunately the large supporting bracket on one side of the garage door has broken and getting someone to fix it at this time of the year would take an act of God.   We were able to pry the car out of the garage and then, if we put Cara in the garage, she was able to help us get the door shut.   However, we didn’t think we ought to leave her there so, we let her out – and got the door sort-of closed so we could lock it on one side, while the other side hangs into the garage.

Of course, we have to carry our tools with us each day.   If you want to open the lock on the garage you need to have a good lighter and yesterday’s newspaper.   If you light a fire under the lock you can usually get it open.   

Then, the next exciting moment is getting your car open.   Inevitably if the doors unlock, they will all unlock, except the driver’s side.   So, you open the passenger door and climb over the gear shift and get into the driver’s seat.   If you’re lucky, the car might start.   One day we spent 1 hr. trying to jump the car.   Jumper cables are called ‘smokers.’   The car was not ‘smoking.’   It has now sat downstairs for days.   

Tuesday morning we were scheduled to drive to Viazma for their Christmas service.   We happened to have the church van overnight so that we would have a vehicle that would actually start.   We put on all our snow gear.   By the way, we want to thank all the friends which sent socks this winter.   They are dearly appreciated!

We made it to the church and there were 12 other people waiting to go with us.   We knew we’d need another car.   Linda said her car was nearby but wasn’t starting.   She and Vladimir took off with the church van.   He said he’d tow her car so that she could pop the gear and get the engine started.   After 30 minutes they hadn’t shown up.   I called Linda on the cell phone and she said it was a mess.   I asked what was a mess.   She said that she and the van were stuck and couldn’t get out of her driveway by her apartment.   She was personally trying to steer and push her car up the hill.   Several of the men waiting, including Chuck took off to help her.   It was –28   C outside.   Chuck hates wearing a hat and thought he’d just be a few minutes.   They took off to find Linda.   They found her – and finally were able to push her car and the van and get them started.   However, Chuck was out long enough to get frostbite on his left ear.   Linda was out long enough that she had lost feeling in her toes and her fingertips.   

We finally piled in the two vehicles – threw blankets over us and took off for Viazma.   For the entire 3 hour trip the ice never melted off the insides of the windows.   The snow on the floormats never melted.   We could hardly keep the windshield defrosted.   We didn’t know how cold Linda had gotten until about 1 hr. into the trip she mentioned that she was beginning to get feeling back into her fingers.   I was sitting behind Chuck and suddenly noticed that one of his ears was swelling.   That’s when we realized he’d gotten some frostbite on his ear.   It swelled up to nearly twice its size.   He didn’t like the “Dumbo the Elephant” jokes.   

We arrived in Viazma and had a wonderful Christmas service.   Before the service they served us all hot tea to get us warmed up.   There were new people there that day and they heard the Gospel for the very first time.   After Church they served us a wonderful Chicken dinner.   Then, we packed into the vehicles and, Praise the Lord – we made it back to Moscow safely.   However, the ice still didn’t melt off the windows.

On Tuesday (Christmas Day here) the girls had stayed home and then gone out to an orphanage to do a program with Pastor Tanya and Davide.   They had a hard time getting out there because Davide and Tanya’s car had to be towed to get it started.   The girls didn’t get home until 11PM and they were to have their first day back at school on Wednesday.   It was –28 C at bedtime.   They were praying for –30 – because that’s the magic number.   It’s when school is canceled.

The next morning we all got up and began to get ready.   We waited and all hoped that maybe it would be a ‘cold’ day.   Our prayers were answered at 6:50 AM when the phone rang – it was –30, and there would be NO SCHOOL.   The girls went back to bed!   Later in the day they celebrated by watching the movie “Snow Day.”   We don’t get any snow days here – we only get Cold Days!   

Thursday Chuck and I were to go and work on the paperwork for our new apartment.   We waited and waited for Misha to show up and pick us up.   He was only 1 hr. late.   Surprise, surprise – his car wouldn’t start.   Somehow it lost all its oil.   He got his brother-in-law, Victor to drive.   His car was still working.   

We went to the office downtown to do the paperwork for the apartment.   When we arrived we were given a little surprise.   Last summer when we had wired the cash in for the purchase, something happened.   The Russian Central Bank told our bank that they couldn’t find the Bank that the bill was supposed to go to.   The money traveled all the way to Russia and then was sent back to Germany.   Finally we had to send someone to go and get it so we could pay the bill.   We were 5 days late paying the bill because of what happened.   We were told that they understood and it wouldn’t be a problem.   However, when Chuck and I showed up this week they told us that we were being fined $2500 for late payment on the apartment.   After discussing it with these people you discover you have no recourse.   They say that they don’t know why their agent told us we wouldn’t be fined.   It’s our fault the money wasn’t paid in time.   They take no responsibility.   However, if we don’t pay the money – we don’t get any documents for the property.   I was really frustrated.   Finally I just asked the agent if we could write a letter of protest to keep in our file that says that we’ll pay the money but we take no responsibility for the late payment.   We did all that was asked of us by the company.   The agent thought it was pretty funny but it did make me feel better.

Next, we were sent to the first floor of the building where we were to pay the fine.   Yes, believe it or not after this many years in Russia we do try to plan for the unpredictable and Chuck had enough greenbacks with him.   The bank closed at 5PM. We got there at 4:59 and believe it or not – they waited on us.   It took them at least 30 minutes to write up all the receipts for everything.   We sat and waited.   

After this we were to go to the nearby notary to finish up two other documents.   The agent had told us it was easier to walk there than to ride in the car.   It was a balmy –25 out at the time so we headed out – the three of us.   We were to find Pyatnitskaya 47   -- and when we got out on the main street we were at Pyatnitskaya 3!   We wondered how far away this would be.   We took off down the street.   Chuck didn’t have a hat – and his ear was still not back to the normal size.   We walked, and walked, and walked.   Finally at least a kilometer or more down the street we found the building.   We made it to the notary office just as they were putting on their coats.   They looked at us and said there was no way they were staying and waiting on us.   We were supposed to go and find another notary.    They gave us the address of another notary and off we went – back out on the street.

We walked for another 10 minutes and finally found the other notary – but they too were just putting on their coats.   Our problem with the notary is that the normal notary we go to has refused to accept Chuck and my marriage certificate.   In Russia to get the paperwork done on the apartment you have to prove that you are husband and wife – and that in the case of the death of the one or the other, the other one gets the apartment.   We have a notarized marriage certificate but they say that’s not good enough.   They want our original marriage certificate. Tomorrow we get to try and find another notary that we might be able to encourage that we really are married.   After nearly 20 years of marriage, I hope we’re married.

After all our trekking around the downtown we had Victor come and pick us up and we headed home.   We finally got back around 8PM.

Friday proved to be another eventful day in our lives.   Chuck had to get up in the morning and fly to Volgograd.   After getting to the airport Vladimir went back into the city to tow our car to the service department to see if doing a few repairs might get the car to work better.   Then, he went back to pull Linda’s car.   

Chuck shares it this way…. To top it all off, Friday when Vladimir, the guy who drives our Ford Van, tried to pull Linda's car until it started, the van could not get up the little hill again.   Therefore, he got a bigger truck to pull both the van and Linda's car up the hill.   In the process, the engine in the van caught on fire.   Vladimir ran and got his fire extinguisher out of the van.   It did not work.   Linda ran and got her extinguisher and it did not work.   They started throwing snow on the engine.   In the meantime, another car drove by.   The guy stopped and got his extinguisher out.   It would not work.   Then another car came by.   The guy stopped and his extinguisher would not work either.   All this time the engine was on fire.   They finally got it out with snow.   Needless to say, everything plastic and rubber on the engine was ruined.   There is probably more damage too.   We will not know until it gets fixed.   By the way, it is the law in Russia that every vehicle must have a fire extinguisher.   If you are stopped by the police they check to make sure you have one.   I guess it is not the law that the fire extinguisher works.

Saturday evening we got ready for bed wondering how we’d get to church in the morning.   Timofei, our neighbor had told us it would be –32 by morning and so he wouldn’t be going to church if our car wasn’t working.   Obviously the car was NOT going to be starting!   

This morning we all got up – and put on the layers.   All the long underwear, the double pair of socks, etc.   It takes a long time to get dressed in the winter.   We got outside and just for luck thought we’d try the car.   No, it didn’t start.   We ended up walking up to Leninsky Prospekt to try to flag down a taxi.   It was cold (duh) and it was snowing and the wind was blowing.   We stood out there – Chuck with his arm out to try to stop a car.   He WAS wearing a hat!   There wasn’t much traffic on the street – and no one seemed interested in stopping.   Small groups of cars would drive by and then there’d be no traffic.   We waited and waited.   Eventually we wondered if we’d get to go to church – when finally a man stopped and took us to church.

Now, the Lord is so good.   We thought there would be few at church today and in the beginning it looked that way.   Then, little by little people began to appear.   All kinds of people showed up at church today that don’t come regularly.   First Slava – then next came Sasha and then Lyosha.   Kids began to show up for Sunday school!   It was amazing.   At the end of the service, a young man who hasn’t been in church for about 5 years showed up – Big Alex.   Here we thought hardly anyone would come to church and the place was full.   Russia always amazes us!   

To finish off the day – we were sitting and having dinner and Chuck saw something moving.   A little mouse was making its way across the apartment floor.   We seem to have a renewed mouse invasion.   We collected 33 mice in our apartment last year.   We’ve already caught one this year but we’re down to one mousetrap.   We need to hit Walmart and get LOTS of traps.   Our neighbors offered to help us this evening.   We made a trade.   They took our bird to their apartment tonight in exchange for their cat.   So, right now we have a cat sitting under our table – and she seems to be scoping out the kitchen and bathroom walls.   We’ll see what happens by morning.   

Well, that’s about it from Russia tonight.   It's nice and cozy here in our apartment.   We are grateful for our warm home and God’s care for us in all the things that happen.   In the midst of it all he gives us peace!

Good night, and stay warm!

Carla