narva corps

yeah, i know it is a bit late... but here goes....

our boxy red ero van pulled into narva late evening. the clouds were un yeilding and over cast threatening to unleash a any moment. the eight of us along with capts henderson bustled into a typical russian restaurnt for food and fellowship. (which i must say, was quite good) i, at once, noticed what i perceived as a quiet spirit from the both of them. and slowly i saw their love, both for each other and others in general. we only spent a short time in narva itself, but even in such a blink of an eye, god spoke and worked.

we went on a prayer walk one night along the city streets. divided down into groups we each took candles and set out. americans in narva are one thing, but when they all match and are all holding candles, well thats a whole other scenario.quite interesting. the city itself is much different than any i've ever been to. it was foreign in every sense of the word. lookin around i could see so much grey. there weren't brightly pinted buildings. the playground equipment was rusty, over grown and long unused. graffiti tags adorned every wall and even doors and cars. the buildings were dilapidated. the air itself was even heavy with greay. as we walked i searched for hope. i prayed that god would show it to me somewhere. it began to sprinkle lightly, extinguishing my candle and at the same moment i heard a child cry from not far off.
"lord show me hope." i prayed
i searched the faces of passersby. but nothing. as the rain picked up and pooled into puddles at my feet i wondered to myself and to god. "what difference a can i make? here i am a foreigner walking thru a place i don't know, what good am i? what can i do?"
a lawn mower. i thought. i hadn't seen one since leaving ohio. if i had a lawn mower, i could tidy p things. an some paint. i could cover the graffiti and paint the playground.and then i realized that my american mindset was rising withiin me. the extreme home makeover thinking process, that comes in and does a complete exterior/interior over haul. fixing things. improving things. thing. but its often more than just things that need fixing. in actuality its more in need of a spiritual fixer up.
i continued walking as i processed. and stepped into a puddle, causing ripples to race and fan out from my toes. soon after i heard children laughing and playing. as the rain continued to gently fall, the sun shone from patchwork sky. the first time i'd clearly seen it my stay in narva up to that point. i felt like god literally said to me, "i'm here." that he was with me. that he was within me. and my bringin him into narva, much like my toes in the puddle, would make a difference.
we soon stopped of at a ramshackle building. appeared to be an almost ancient warehouse. a crowd of children were gathered outside watching, pointing and grinning. i'm not sure if they were happy to see us or if they were happy to have something to point and laugh at. we began our ascent up 5 flights of cracked cement floors. the air was stale and the walls were covered in graffiti. every inch had been signed or scratched over with sharpies, paint andoddly it was all in black. by the third flight, my legs and arms had become sore and my chest heavy. but not because the steps were steep or too much. my eyes were stinging but not from dust. i was becoming spiritually overcome. i didn't fel strong enough to go on. my pace slowed, but i pressed on. all around me were signs of oppression and hate. drawings of rage and hurt. bombs, guns, bodies, words, and the occult. i'd nvever seen such a thing. i willed for tunnel vision as if it were a black friday christmas gift.
finally reaching the top floor and stepping into the hallway, i was caced with a vey tunnel like passage. broken fllor boards poked thru thin and unglued fake linoleum. the walls were literally crumbling. one bulb less socket hung alone at the end of the hall. we stopped at a press board plywood door. i now understood wehere we were. the woman who'd accompanied us fumbled for the right key and after much struggle, revealed to us her two room apartment. hanging from the celing were ros of baby clothes. mattresses were on the floor as well as an infant bath tub filled with dirty rags. she told us how proud she was that she'd gotten an apartment. she'd gone all over looking and had been refused by so many landlords. she finally had somewhere to call home. mhairi asked if she could pray for her. as she prayed and captain translated. i soon found myself in tears. i couldn't nderstand. couldn't believe where i was really existed. it was beyond me. and here we stood as mhairi prayed in power. she told the woman not to ever just settle. that as a child of god she deserved the best and should keep on pressing on however difficult and thru itall to rely on god and serve him only. i cant possibly remember all that was said. but i do know that i was moved beyond words. god shoed me hope. it was in this woman's smile. and in the laugh of the infant in her arms.narva is not gray, because god showed me a rainbow to prove it.

lesson of the week - russian (spelled phenetically) SMO TREE CHAY NAH HEY SUE SAH = watch jesus

love & blessings!
~jenn