Bobruisk

It's 11:00 at night and I'm just now getting a chance to sit down.  I'm not sure that what I write now will be a good representation of the events of the day.  It might take me a little longer to process what happened today.  It might be better if I just post a bunch of pictures instead of writing about it.  A picture is worth a 1000 words, right?  There is no way I have any intention of writing a 1000 words tonight.

Much to my surprise it wasn't snowing when I woke up this morning.  It was cloudy and cold, but no snow.  There was a 100k drive to Bobruisk ahead of us, so the day started early.  On the trip with us this morning was Frank, Joe, Leah, Bobbie, Peggy, John, ABRO Lena, Yulianna, Anya, Krystina, Olya, Vadim and myself.  All 13 of us piled into a van for the several hour trip. 100K is only about 67 miles, but on snow covered roads it takes a long time. 

Lets see, I think I've introduced you to Leah and Bobbie in an earlier post.  I don't think I've talked about Peggy and John yet.  I first met Peggy and John last year on this trip, we talked some, but didn't really get to know each other much.  I mostly knew them as the nice couple who brought salt and pepper with them to all of the meals at the orphanages we visited.  The food we are served at the orphanages is very bland and they never have salt and pepper.  John and Peggy figured out that if you want something here, you should bring it with you.  Whenever we ate, we borrowed their salt and pepper and it became a little joke of the trip.  This year they are staying at the ARK house with us and have an orphan, Anya with them.  She is a very nice girl and has fit right in with Olya and Krystina.  They are sharing a room together.

I'm very glad that John & Peggy decided to join us today.  They are very kind people who have been involved in ABRO for many years and have been to Belarus 5 times.  The love they have in their hearts for these children is very evident by their actions.  I wish everyone could be more like Peggy and John, there would certainly be a lot less pain and suffering in this world.  

The van was packed and we were wondering how little Krystina and Marharyta would fit as we were bringing them back to Mogilev with us.  The van dropped us off at the Bobruisk school for the deaf.  It is a boarding school where orphans and family children live and attend school together.  It is the only school for deaf children in the Mogilev region.  Last year some deaf children went to school in Mstislavl.  This year they changed and moved all the deaf to Bobruisk.  This has caused some overcrowing issues.  In the bedrooms that were designed for 3 children now have 5 or 6 children living in them.  The small beds are crammed in every room.  

Overall the school was in pretty good condition.  It was built 70 years ago, but it was certainly better than Mstislavl.  However, the school has many needs. 

Once again I had the honor of being the person to represent FCOB and present the school with gifts.  We contacted the school ahead of our visit to find out what their needs were, they told us they needed medicine and sports equipment.  After we dropped everyone off at the school, I left with ABRO Lena and a couple of the school administers.  The first stop was the bank where I changed $1000 to Belarussian Rubles.  Next stop was the pharmacy where I bought two medium size boxes of medicines like antibiotics, ointments and other necessities for your average sick child.  I purchased enough of the medicines to last an entire year.  The next stop was for sports equipment.  I was told that the Bobruisk school won the gold medal in the Belarussian Deaf Olympics that were held last summer.  They were very proud of their sports programs and many of the deaf children excel in sports.  We loaded up on basetballs, volleyballs, ski poles, running shoes, ski boots, ping pong paddles and a few other things.  When we returned to the school I asked Frank and the rest of the group to join me in presenting the stuff to the director of the school.  It was a great feeling to be the messenger of such a wonderful gift.  Many of the teachers came to thank us.  The school nurse must have shook my hand 5 times. 

While I was picking up the medicine and sports equipment, Joe was in the van going to pick up little Krystina and Marharyta.  They were not at the school because they were at the sanatorium.  In Russia, the sanatorium is kind of like a health spa (at least that's how it was described to me).  It is a place where the children can improve their health and was a very good thing that these girls had an opportunity to spend some time there.  Although, I'm sure Joe would have preferred to have those girls with him the entire time he is in Belarus. 

When Joe returned you could see the joy in both his and little Krystina's faces.

We were then treated to a performance by some of the deaf children.  It was a beautiful show that we all enjoyed. 

After the performance we handed out some gifts to the children that John & Peggy had brought.  There is a lot of truth to the saying "It is better to give than receive."  I took several pictures of the children in hopes of finding host families for some of them this summer.  If any of these children touch your heart enough for you to open up your home to them this summer please let me know.

It was getting dark and it was time for us to go.  I wish we could have spent more time in Bobruisk and with the children.  Time is not something I have a lot of right now.  I have too many people left to see and only two days left in which to do it all.  I am getting anxious to get home as my thoughts are with my wife and kids. 

When we arrived back at the ARK house it was time to go again.  No rest for the weary.  I would have loved nothing better than to grab something quick to eat and go to bed.  That was not to be.  Kseniya and her dad were here to pick me, Olya and Krystina up to take us to his house for dinner.  Kseniya, pronounced susha, is a very sweet girl who spent the summer with the Becky and Mark in Frederick.  She spent many days and nights at our house hanging out with Olya, Grace and Jay.  We loved having her visit. 

Kseniya, Krystina and Olya became instant friends and it was great to hear them talking.  I was the first American to visit their flat and they seemed very excited to have me there.  They prepare a wonderful meal and we sat around talking for a while.  Krystina did a great job translating until Irina showed up to help her out.  Their flat was very, very small, but it seemed like a nice welcoming place.  They had a very small kitchen, Kseniya has a very small bedroom and the parents sleep in the other room that fullfills three purposes: it is the living room, dining room and bedroom. 

I am just starting to process the things that I experienced today.  It is very difficult for me to put all of this in writing, especially since it is late and I'm tired.  I am leaving out many of the little details.  Give me a call or come by the house and I'll be happy to spend time talking about all the things I didn't write about.