The Fortunes

Joe and Amy arrived in Baku just a couple weeks after we did. For the last two years they have served as the youth pastors at BIF. They are expecting their second baby in May (a boy) and have decided to return to the States for good. Yesterday at church we had a farwell service and a fellowship time. Baku is a city where people come and go all the time but some good-byes are harder than others. Joe and Amy are both very gifted people. In addition to leading the youth program they helped out in music and worship. Michaella and Marissa both appreciated them and are sad to see them go. Our family will really miss them. We wish them well in whatever plans God has for them in the future. Thank-you, Joe and Amy, for giving us two years and for being so supportive and helpful to us and the church. Blessings, David

Yes, I know we have neglected this post for too long. Sorry. I will try to remember a few things that have taken place. Around January 23 we headed to Bali, Indonesia for our company retreat. The kids were very excited and we had a excellent time. We saw lots of old friends and met a number of new people. There was lots for the kids to do as the company had arranged for children’s program and youth ministry. It was a valuable time for us as a family. It did mean that the children had to miss school and so we only went for a week. After all the excitment and travelling we were exhuasted last week and had to recover. I went to bed pretty early on a couple of evenings.

The girls had a youth retreat this past weekend. Our youth pastors, Joe and Amy Plante, are great. They have decided to return to the States and will be staying there. We will miss them greatly. All the members of our family love and appreciate them alot. So we are now searching for a new youth pastor. If you know of someone who may be interested send them to our church website: www.bakuchurch.org for more information.

This morning Rhonda and I attended an assembly at school where both Marissa and Michaella got awards for the highest marks in their class. Way to go girls!!! We just sat at the back like proud parents. Then Rhonda dropped me off at the subway so I could come to the office. She went home to host ‘Cameo’ a get together time for ladies new to Baku and new to the church.

So life is back in full swing. The winter has so far been mild and while the kids are praying for a snow day, I would be fine if it never came.

Blessings, David

Sunday night we hopped on the midnight train to Georgia (that reminds me of a song). Our kids have three weeks of holidays so we thought we would take a few days away. The train ride to Tbilisi is cheap and the train isn’t too bad. There are sleeper cars so you can rest. But we couldn’t adjust the heat and so it was like little steam rooms.

In Tbilisi we had booked a hotel for a couple nights. We had no major plans other than to hang-out, swim in the hotel pool, play some games, shop and eat out at restaurants. It was a very lazy schedule.

Georgia is a Christian country and the orthodox church uses another calendar. That meant yesterday (January 7) was Christmas. We had this picture taken outside a McDonald’s near our hotel. The city was very busy and there were lots of Christmas lights and decorations up. It was a good time to visit.

Last night, we boarded the train and arrived in Baku around 9:30 this morning. It was a good little get-away and I think everyone enjoyed it. But it’s always nice to get home!

David

While Christmas was green and mild, New Years is white and cold. A big storm started on New Year’s Eve which is a busy day in Baku. The roads were bad and we weren’t sure if we would have a party or not. But by evening the snow had stopped and 7 other families joined us to ring in the New Year. New Year’s Day saw more snow but the real problem is the wind. Baku can always be windy but with the snow it makes for white out conditions. There weren’t many people on the road today, it was really quiet.

We are all healthy and looking forward to 2009. So we wish God’s best for you, may His face shine upon you.

The Fortunes

I just wanted to take a moment to Wish all our friends and family a Merry Christmas.  One of the difficult things about being overseas is that we have to celebrate special occasions without all of you.  We are blessed to have new friends that have become like family to us but we truly miss our friends and family from home.

I am sitting looking out over the city of Baku–it is Christmas Eve day and the day is clear, sunny and mild.  I am guessing it is probably about 10 degrees celcius.  The kids are running in and outside with just their sweat shirts on.  Michaella is making menus for our Christmas Eve celebration tonight and name cards for our Christmas Day dinner tomorrow.  We will spend a lovely evening tonight with just our immediate family.

David spent part of the day finishing up his Christmas shopping and Rhonda and the girls spent most of the day in the kitchen preparing hors d’oeuvres for tonight’s celebration.  We have cabbage rolls, spring rolls, pot stickers, stuffed mushrooms, chicken wings, bacon-wrapped water chestnut, veggie tray and cheese and crackers on the menu for tonight.  I needed to include all the menu items for my mother’s sake since she always loves to know what we eat!
Our Christmas tree is lovely and has many gifts tucked under it.  The kids are sooooo excited to open one gift tonight and then stockings and presents on Christmas day.  It was challenging shopping here in Baku this year.  We didn’t have gifts sent in from Canada but I think we will all appreciate the things that were purchased.
Tomorrow we will have 17 people over for a turkey/ham dinner.  Everyone will bring some food to contribute to our meal and we will share gifts, food and love.  We are so blessed with wonderful friends here.

As I sit and think of another year almost gone.  I am thankful to God for this past year.  I am thankful that He came as a baby and through His life, has offered us the greatest hope that could ever be offered.  I am thankful for the family he has blessed me with and the guidance He gives to each of us as we put our hope and trust in HIM.

I wish you and your family all the best this Christmas Season.

Love, Rhonda

The kids got new pjs and opened them on Christmas Eve. Thanks Grandma!

One of the first words we learned in Azeri has come in very handy - it’s ‘usta’. ‘Usta’ means master, as in, a master craftsman of a trade. When there was a plumbing problem the landlord would call the ‘usta’. Later, when there was an electrical problem he called another ‘usta’ to fix it. Plumber, electrican or carpenter, they are all referred to as the ‘usta’. However, we have discovered that most ‘ustas’ are more “jack-of-all trades” and “master” of none.

So in the last two weeks we have had plenty of occasions to call for an ‘usta’. After a power surge in the house a couple weeks ago we had to get the water pump rebuilt. So in came the ‘usta’. I had to locate a cell phone repair shop with an ‘usta’. We took in five cell phones to be fixed. (The fact that our family has more cell phones than members is probably material enough for another blog entry some day.)

This week we needed an usta to come to fix the hot water tank which had begun leaking all over the bathroom floor. This particular usta has been here several times and we are getting to know him well. Although it still bothers me that when I call the plumber he needs to borrow my tools to get anything done. Over the weeked we had two visits from the usta who the landlord hired to fix the heater unit in the dining room. With the cold weather coming we want to be sure everything works. He is supposed to come for one more visit and then everything should be good. The usta for dishwashers finally paid a visit to our home on Wednesday. He had promised to come for over a month and since the dishwasher was under warrantee we could only use him. He hesitated to honour the warrantee since the company I brought the dishwasher from gave me a warrantee for a refrigerator. Over a cup of tea he decided it was good enough and his visit was free.

The telephone company sent out 3 or 4 different ustas since our phone line had not been working for two weeks. One of the solutions was to assign us a new phone number however that didn’t seem to work. Finally late on Saturday one usta found the problem outside and ‘presto’ we have our phone back - including our old number.

Last Tuesday the car went in for repairs but they don’t call the mechanic an ‘usta’. In this case he successfully fixed the float in the gasoline tank but broke the gauge on the dashboard. How they did that is still a great mystery to me. I guess I will have to find an ‘usta’ who specializes in gas gauges.

The last Sunday in October, Baku International Fellowship celebrated our 10th anniversary. We had a great service together and then celebrated with cake and coffee. We really enjoy being a part of this church. I am always amazed at how God has brought people together and built His church in this city.
Here’s a history of our church we recently shared with the congregation. You might not know the names but you get a sense of the progression and development of the church:

NOTE: Due to a formatting problem I removed the church history but will re-post it ASAP. Sorry. David

On Monday, I (Rhonda) took the day to go to Lehic with some friends.  Julie, had her sister, Sarah, visiting from Texas and wanted to show her a little of the country-side of Azerbaijan.  We left Baku at 7:30 am and after making a stop at a Mosque along the way and a quick lunch break, we arrived at this quaint little mountainous village called Lehic (pronounced Laheej).

We started out by going to a local family’s home for tea.  Julie knew this family from previous visits so she let them know we would be arriving.  They were very gracious and kind.  They speak Azerbaijani, so between our driver and Natalie, everything was translated for us. 

Shopping is the highlight of Lehic.  There are rustic shops along a narrow street that make up this village where the tradesmen are busy making copper pots and carving intricate designs on them.  We all picked up some nice items to bring home–things like copper bowls, trays, pots and even some jewlery.  Julie proves to be the star bargainer and always gets a good deal on her purchases.

After visiting the shops we were brought to a carpet factory where there were about a half-dozen ladies busy making beautiful Azerbaijani carpets.  It is amazing the time and effort that go into these carpets.  We were told that most carpet makers have left the village for the big city of Baku where they can earn more money.

After having a bite of a picnic supper, we were on the road again for our journey back to Baku.  It was about a four-five hour trek back.  We arrived home safe and sound around 10:30 pm.

What a great day it was just to spend some quality time with friends and to see some beautiful scenery.  The trees were changing colour so once in the mountains, we were able to see God’s amazing handi-work.  I thank God for these precious friendships and for the opportunities that living in Azerbaijan provides.  

During the month of September the weather has been warm and sunny. It is one of our favourite months here. But all good things come to an end. The fall season has arrived. The new season is marked by overcast weather and rain. We haven’t had much rain since May (no real accumulation) but in the last few days we have had lots.

On my way to church Sunday morning the majority of the roads were flooded. There is not a proper drainage system in most of the city. At one point the water came up to the bottom of the car. Two other vehicles had stalled and the owners were pushing them out of the water. Thankfully we made it through. Once the rain stops everything turns to mud. The dry dust of the summer months turns to a thick mucky substance that sticks to everything.

The rain also exposes another problem, poor electrical connections. Since returning from Canada in August we haven’t had any power interruptions, until the rain started. Now we have had 3 days with electrical blackouts. Yesterday the power was off from 6:30 AM to 6:00 PM. And again this morning from about 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM. We expect this to continue throughout the week. Eventually all the weaker parts of the line will be fixed up and the power should be more consistent. However, we know over the winter months anything is possible. So we are extra grateful for our generator. While the neighbours may find it noisy we are just happy to be able to run it a few hours per day if needed. It makes all the difference. We can pretty well run everything in the house when the generator is on, including the water system.

This week the kids have 3 days off school, so we’ll be hanging around home and may just need the generator more than we planned.

David