our house -minor setbacks

As we were tearing up the carpet, we have very beautiful red oak hardwood floor. However, after multiple tries to find someone to strip and refinish the floor, we were pushed back to January. Seems everyone is unusually busy and we could not schedule anyone. Since we move in this week, we decided to buff the floors for now. They have lots of holes from the carpet, but once the furniture and rugs are in, these imperfections should be hardly noticeable (except the main hallway and stairs).

I hurt my elbow quite badly yesterday. I was taping the kitchen for painting. On a step ladder I tried to reach over to the corner. I felt the ladder shift but before I could adjust, I fell off and manged to hit the corner of a garbage can on the way to the floor. It gouged my elbow and I anointed the house with blood. Of all the misfortune. I also need my elbow for work and using the computer. Looks like I will have some pain for awhile. No time to take off.

Finally we took a candle and prayed blessings through the house. We prayed that it would be a place of peace, love, and joy. We also cast out any spirits of darkness and covered the house with the Spirit of God. We also prayed for our occupants that they would find salvation and grow in the Spirit.

The Development of Russia’s Child Protection and Welfare System Part 3

The issue of the Russian orphan problem. As I mentioned previously, I added my own thoughts to the orphan situation in Russia. Russia's national pride has been hurt since the collapse of the Soviet Union. As the leaders bore the leadership and finger pointing of the problems of the Soviet Union, now some folks are thinking back to the good old days. The cultural dimension of uncertainty avoidance fro Hofstede's study simply states that what is unknown is bad. With the upheaval of the economic downturn after Soviet times, the people went into a period of uncertainty. They did not know how to handle the changes. Unfortunately many turned to alcohol and drugs; others were desperate and could not figure out how to take of the children. Finally, the shift away from a cradle-to-grave system of the Soviet Union intensified the economic downturn as people lost benefits and jobs. The breakdown in society contributed to the large influx of orphans and also the homeless

The Development of Russia’s Child Protection and Welfare System Part 2

Rudnicki writes this article in 2013, but refers back to 2002. The average age of the homeless orphan is 12.5 years. They spend an average of 18 weeks on the streets. The three main causes for orphan homelessness were: '1) “drunken parents”; 2) “lack of one or both parents”;
and 3) “physical abuse.” ' Most Russian attribute the reasons for this upheaval of society to economic factors, but the problem is much more complex. I would add a lack of national pride, the cultural dimension of uncertainty avoidance, and the shift away from a cradle-to-grave system. I will elaborate on those in the next post.

Rudnicki, A. A. (2013). The Development of Russia's Child Protection and Welfare System. Demokratizatsiya, 21(1), 29.

Our house- the crtical path is disrupted

I did not intend this blog to be about our house, but the issues seem to be pressing and distracting. Overall I would say the remodeling is therapeutic. Lev (Leo) Tolstoy advocated physical labor to complement spiritual development. A weak link ,but healthy nonetheless. Anyway as a Project Manager, we have the critical path in a project schedule. Well, next week (Thanksgiving week) we planned to have our hardwood floors done. However, we found out everyone  - at this point 4 vendors are unusually booked and could start in January. We need to vacate this apartment by end of November. So I am going to try one room by myself and see how it turns out. Actually I had a conversation with a friend and the counsel seems to be wise for our situation. I do not want to try to schedule a vendor for 1500+ square feet after we move in. Since I stripped and waxed many a floor in the Army, I am going to take a risk for doing a the job. If successful, I will save about $3k and if not I may be out a few hundred dollars. I am a risk taker.

Our house and sparing with God

In my relationship with God, I have come to a balance of serious reverence for God and having a dialog in which I respond like a person and not a robot. After selling our house (twice) for quite a loss, I have a sparing conversation with God about out giving Him. I know it is crazy in the sense of salvation, but I am living in the current time and walking with God. All resources are His and I only point out what I understand. Also the Spirit lead us to get rid of/give away 50% of our possessions. I think we did or are quite close. We will definitely hit that goal by the time we sort through our stuff in the new house. Anyway, I told God I have nothing left to give and yet I am investing in a vision that can impact many lives. I do not know where this home model is going with the three bedrooms, kitchenette and bathroom, but we are pressing ahead with renovations. I am not big on borrowing, but figured waiting two years to start would also not be ideal. Sunday we went to home depot to find a smoke alarm/carbon monoxide detector. We ended up with 9 items at 75% off and 1 at 50% off-perfect for our remodel. There was a two burner stove that I could put in the kitchenette. We also found a bathroom sink and 3 units for sink/counters. Also we picked up 4 cabinets. The point is that the kitchenette and bathroom have almost everything to complete. The final item was a combo stove and microwave to fit our kitchen. The old oven was over 50 years. So God sort of humorously got me on this one. Stay tuned for my next spar with God (respectfully speaking).

The Development of Russia’s Child Protection and Welfare System Part 1

As we review the situation in Russia, how Russia is dealing with the orphan problem is key to unlocking the the solution to helping orphans. Much of the attention is focused on the younger children, so that we may understand how the trauma occurred and take steps to mitigate it. In my case I would like to target the older orphans. Little attention is directed on them as they are independent and under the radar of research and media attention. Much of the literature and reporting addresses the adoption and orphanage situations. Rudnicki writes about the "Homeless, Abused, and Neglected Youth in Russia."


Rudnicki, A. A. (2013). The Development of Russia's Child Protection and Welfare System. Demokratizatsiya, 21(1), 29.

The plight of orphans under depopulation in Russia Part 7

As we wrap up the series on Markova's assessment of social orphanhood in Russia, we see a grim picture of the situation in Russia."The state is having a hard time trying to plug the holes in the increasing budget of social orphanhood. The squandering of human capital is proceeding apace." From a societal perspective, orphans are a drain on national resources. The argument goes back to the need for strong families and proper education to mitigate the problem. The squandering is due to the possibility for young adults to contribute to society, but actually taking from society more than they are producing. I would add a spiritual dimension in which the orphans need a spiritual transformation to overcome the trauma of orphanhood.

Markova, N. E. (2011). Social Orphanhood Under the Conditions of Depopulation. Russian Education & Society, 53(5), 85-92. doi: 10.2753/res1060-9393530507

Back to processing our house

Sveta and I heard a message about giving. The part that struck me was the statement that we cannot out give God. If I ever thought I was close on giving for something for God's purpose, this investment has me pondering. Perhaps for a short term I am giving what I really do not have that some international students may know the living God and grow in Him. I do hope we are on the right path. As in the feeding of the 5,000 (or 15-20K in Jewish traditional counting of head of households), Jesus blessed the food and the miracle happened in the disciples' hands. We have blessed the house. All we can do is prepare the house and hope for the investment to pay off both financially and spiritually.

The plight of orphans under depopulation in Russia Part 6

As we continue the series on the plight of orphans from the traumatic changes in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union-hard to believe it happen over 22 years ago. Many people and researchers report on the problems. Occasionally we receive encouraging stories of  orphans who are doing well. What I am hoping to do eventually is add to the effort of successful orphan leaders. Markova writes that in spite of efforts to mitigate the orphan problem, the situation is not changing due to societal issues. The following are my own observations from my last trip to Russia in Summer of 2014. The low wages and salaries is still an issue. I noticed people working for around $1.10/ hour. Although basic food is relatively cheap, other commodities are much more expense. I noticed family members taking out credit for around 12-24%. And there seemed to be no early payback on loans. Secondly Markova mentions an oppressive information environment. I am not sure exactly what that is supposed to mean, but for the normal Russian, other than a biased media, people interact on a social level through the Russian social media Vkontakte and Odnoklassniki. I really do not see any difference between those sites and Facebook. The spread of alcoholism and narcotics would be a definite negative influence on orphans. My wife talks about the fact alcoholism was low during Soviet times, yet reports came to the West of high alcoholism. I did notice many mean and a few women drunk in the streets and/or passed out on the sidewalk. Even with the negative influences, the focus I am trying to achieve is the influence of family, and more in line with my research on mentors of orphans. It is good to know the situation, but working to alleviate the problem would be the direction I should be moving.

Markova, N. E. (2011). Social Orphanhood Under the Conditions of Depopulation. Russian Education & Society, 53(5), 85-92. doi: 10.2753/res1060-9393530507

The plight of orphans under depopulation in Russia Part 5

A study was conducted in Moscow on the views of homeless orphans. They exhibited a loss of love with family and friends, a struggle with trying to learn in the educational system, and their maturing in personal growth has ceased. The young people faced a dilemma of the "freedom" living in the streets when they tried to adapt to the normal socialization process in Russia. The need for indulgence tended to override the restraint required to operate in the standard socialization process.

Russia is trying to mitigate the problem with foster care. Although comparing figures is much more complex, Russia provides a lump sum of of 8,000 Rubles ($180) and a monthly salary and child support of 6,500 ($150). The US has quite a complicated system for foster care, but I put a rough order of magnitude of $1,500 per month per child. With a Consumer Price index (Cost of living) in Russia of 62 and 76 for the US, the incentive may not be enough in Russia to grow the foster program. Time will tell. Markova believes the foster care program as an alternative care to the family will help the orphan situation.

This series follows: Markova, N. E. (2011). Social Orphanhood Under the Conditions of Depopulation. Russian Education & Society, 53(5), 85-92. doi: 10.2753/res1060-9393530507

New updates in my processing the mentoring of orphans

All this discussion on the orphan problem is very bad. Yes, it is gruesome. I have strong faith in my role due to the vision I had of my role in heaven. My objective is to come up with a model of mentoring that would help orphans develop as leaders. I have seen many people do a good job of mentoring and helping orphans and I want to add on to the good work being done. I have a pioneer spirit. Perhaps that comes from the migration of my family on one side from England and the other side from Austria to the the wild west. I have a tendency to take this on single handed with my lovely wife. Wisdom tells me this needs to be a team effort. What I am processing is the need for a mentor for each international student or if the opportunity affords itself orphan. That would be three mentors for three young men. I am going with men due to the flexibility of my schedule. I am more skilled at raiding men and my wife had two boys. By the time we finish remodeling the house, we would need this team in place. 

The plight of orphans under depopulation in Russia Part 4

As we continue with Markova's analysis of orphans in Russia, one impact on the youth is the lack of socialization from homelessness. This would be defined as adults see the world for a normal Russian. Markova uses three criteria to provide the framework for this situation. The youth are at risk medically as they are exposed to health threats on the streets. They lack proper upbringing. Finally they lack education. Markova refers to a survey in which 64% consume alcohol, 27% - narcotics, and almost 30% are sexually active (by age 16, over 70%). These practices increase their risk of disease especially sexually transmitted ones. Those that run away from home and institutions have a habit of repeat escapes from the rigor and discipline at home and in orphanages/technical school. They prefer the freedom of the streets, but do not understand the longer term implications of their actions. I recall researching the number of homeless as higher than those in institutions. Russia has quite a challenge (as do I) to mitigate this issue.

The plight of orphans under depopulation in Russia Part 3

Markova continues with the changes we see in the current world situation. When we think of orphans we think of the loss of one or both parents. Many are abandoned due to violent conflict, economic downturns, parents leaving to other countries to work, etc. 80% of Russian orphans still have parent's living. They have been abandoned through the social and economic upheaval in Russia. What does a society do when parent's give up or lose their parental responsibility and rights? Another thought occurred to me, politics aside, perhaps these vulnerable populations are also caught in the economic sanctions as a country tries to adjust for the financial changes. And for the young adults, does that leave them without work? In Russia the orphans tend to depend on social help and may be even less inclined to find other opportunities.

We interupt this series...

We had our 1st annual missions banquet. We sat at the table with folks working in Afghanistan. My key takeaway was the speaker talking about the great commission. He described it as a mandate. From the Latin it means "give a hand to." God has given his hand to Svetlana and I. Then he said, "go." He was encouraging folks to go on trips to other countries. For Svetlana and I we left our house (had to sell it twice), lost the first house we tried to buy and had a close call on the one we bought. Finally, the speaker said "to make disciples". Our new house is actually set up (with remodeling) in a way to have three people stay in the downstairs area. We have the opportunity to disciple three international students. I would prefer orphans, but that may be down the road. he mentioned that no one ever missed a missions trip due to money, but other reasons. We just started remodeling and are about out of funds. Do I proceed with credit or wait-tough question as it is an investment such as a business opportunity and I do plan to recoup costs in rent. Currently it is the only way I see this model working. The final part is he mentioned the model of working teams. Svetlana and I make a good team, but who else is supposed to be a part of this venture? Stay tuned for events as they unfold. 

The plight of orphans under depopulation in Russia Part 2

In continuing Markova's line of thought that developing human capital should be a top priority for Russia, what can be done to help orphans contribute more so that they are not a drain on national resources? The argument is that Russia as of 2008 has 731,000 orphans, 587,000 handicapped, and 676,000 children at risk. That puts the number at just under 2 million for a 29 million population. At just under 7%, the social burden is high. Then what are the numbers of youth aged 15-29 that are not functioning normally? Although an overlap of 15-18 and a separate group for statistics, what is that total cost for Russia. having good normal families is one part, and currently I am going with mentoring as a doable model for the others. What an enormous task!

The plight of orphans under depopulation in Russia Part 1

Markova wrote an interesting perspective which helped me focus my dissertation for my committee. The rising retirement population is offset by a declining younger generation. The case for caring for orphans lies in the national need for a productive workforce from the younger population to support the aging population. Those in the prime of life should be contributing their labor so that the older generation can be taken care of. This is in turn should be the expectation when each generation reaches retirement age. With an approximate population of 600,000 orphans of 143 million people in the Russian Federation, that number is very high. Markova continues with the importance of taking care of children regarding the family and education.
"Under these conditions, the proper upbringing of children in the home and the kind of education that determines the quality of human capital, the development and multiplication of human capital,
have to be the state’s top-priority task".
This statement is quite strong, but supports a strong future for Russia in the midst of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the shock therapy of the 1990s, and the shift from democracy to tight central control for the sake of stability into the present time.

Markova, N. E. (2011). Social Orphanhood Under the Conditions of Depopulation. Russian Education & Society, 53(5), 85-92. doi: 10.2753/res1060-9393530507