Stowman Group

Linda at the Dacha

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Seeing the bus pull away without us was a strange sensation. The joke had been made several times that we might be kept in Siberia, but here we were staying of our own free will. The five of us along with Linda had made arrangements to extend our time in Siberia by two days, just giving us time to catch up with the others in Moscow to fly home.

Why did we stay? There were multiple leads to follow up on from previous trips. These days included:

Zhenia's Pastor: See partnering together

Shopping: With limited luggage space, it made sense to purchase some of our gifts for the people in country. 833 postage paid envelopes and 200 notebooks... This is what the prisoners would be able to use, but our purchases mystified the store and post office clerks!

Social Shelter: After a previous trip to Kemerovo, the mother of an interpreter decided to follow our team's lead and become involved at a children's shelter. A gift that was given resulted in an invitation for us to come visit. So we planned... Gospel literature, stuffed animals, CarePacks, and coloring books were packed for our visit. When the day came, they said "no." We were so disappointed, yet we had to trust that God would handle this one. All of the gifts were later delivered by our Russian friend. Who knows! Maybe they will result in the door being open for further ministry down the road-- in God's perfect timing.

Yura, Galina, and family: Every year we have to meet with the family of the young violinist that we met on our first trip. Some of the family came to the hotel for a visit one evening, but their little boy who writes to Hannah wasn't able to make it. How surprised we were when he showed up outside the hotel one morning of our extension!

Dacha: That's the Russian word for the garden plots and small summer homes clustered in villages around the countryside. We got to visit one for a day! See dacha visit.

Leninsk Kuznetsky Church: With your help, this church building project that has been underway since 1993 had a large boost! We were able to visit the building site this summer. The place was abuzz with activity, and excitement was in the air. God is doing great things! rising walls

Our Prison Revisited: It was a thrill to visit our prison friends again-- both those who are still behind the walls and one who is released! prison revisited

Detail: God made these days possible by orchestrating the multiple details. From beginning to end we saw His footsteps. Our interpreter worked at the details of our extension itinerary during our whole stay. What we would have done without her and her cell phone, we have no idea! Another woman gifted in organization calmed our fears by lining up transportation for us in Moscow at the end. For once when we got off a plane, someone was waiting in the crowd with one of those signs. "Stowman Group," it read! Our kind driver transported us between airports and through heavy traffic, including a McDonalds stop on the way!