A VILLAGE INVOLVED IN THE KINGDOM

I WANT TO DO A FINAL POST ON OUR WORK IN MONASTIRSHINA AND GIVE YOU THE DETAILS OF THE OPENING OF THE CHILDREN'S CENTER. (NEXT WEEK WE'LL GO BACK TO OUR RUSSIA-VIEW FORMAT.) FOR OVER TWELVE YEARS NOW WE'VE BEEN WORKING IN THE VILLAGES AROUND SMOLENSK BUT MONASTIRSHINA HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING AND EXCITING WORKS YET. IT'S BEEN ENCOURAGING TO SEE HOW THE VILLAGE ADMINISTRATION HAS RESPONDED TO "GOOD WORKS" AND HOW THOSE "GOOD WORKS" CAN LEAD TO EXPANDING GOD'S KINGDOM.

I TOLD YOU LAST WEEK HOW THE MAYOR, NICOLAI IVANOVICH, WAS PLEASED WITH THE WORK AT THE CENTER AND DECIDED TO GET INVOLVED. THE CITY GOT BUSY DOING STREET CLEANING AND PREPARED A HOLIDAY FOR THE OPENING OF THE NEW CENTER. FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT HAVING ADMINISTRATION BLESSING IS IN RUSSIA. IT CAN EITHER HELP YOU OR KILL YOU.

NICOLAI IVANOVICH ACTUALLY PLANNED THE FESTIVAL DAY, ALL WE HAD TO DO WAS ATTEND. WE FINISHED ALL THE WORK, GOT EVERYTHING READY AT THE CENTER AND THE OPENING CELEBRATION WAS SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY.

THE MAYOR INVITED PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE SMOLENSK REGION AND MADE A HUGE SHOW OF THE WORK. THERE WERE SPEECHES AND MUSIC AND PRESENTATIONS AND GOODS FOR THE KIDS. THE KIDS PLAYED AND SANG AND DANCED AND HAD A REALLY GOOD TIME. IT WAS A PRETTY BIG DEAL FOR A VILLAGE THE SIZE OF MONSTIRSHINA AND A PRETTY BIG DEAL FOR THE CENTER.

JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT IN THE MIDST OF A LOT OF STUFF GOING ON IN RUSSIA RIGHT NOW THAT WOULD CAUSE YOU SOME DOUBT AND WONDER, THERE SOME GOOD STUFF GOING ON AND GOD'S KINGDOM MARCHES ON. EVEN IN THE SMALLEST, MOST FORGOTTEN CORNERS OF THE BIGGEST COUNTRY ON EARTH.

UNTIL NEXT WEEK, POKA.