Bittersweet Endings

As always, the last day of any seminar is the best and the worst. The best in that we had the week to build relationships and pour our lives into these people. The worst in that we have to say good bye.
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The people were like sponges all week. We spent alot of time answering questions for the pastors on personal issues in their lives and their children's lives. When we asked for evaluations of the week the response was very positive and we have been given an open invitation to return. One pastor stood up and said, "To my shame, these truths were in my head but they had never gotten into my heart. They are in my heart now. You helped us learn how to apply them not just know them." This was a common response with all the pastors and their wives. Many of them put on a face where people would never know they have marriage problems. But the theme that kept coming up was that many of them suffer from poor relationships with their spouses, never having dealt with the issues because they had no one to talk with.
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Throughout the week we assigned homework that tied in with the teachings of the day. The homework was to help them apply the truth they had heard that day. We did marriage checkups, which exposed many weak areas in each of their lives. It was a spring board for conversation between them throughout the week. One of the most rewarding assignments was that they were to write love letters to each other. The testimonies that came out of that were incredible as husbands and wives cried and said how they had forgotten how special their spouse was and this reminded them. Several of the pastors came without their wives because they were students of the seminary and this was a required class. It was fun to watch them take out their cell phones and call after each session to share with their wives what they were learning and then also to do their homework assignment over the telephone.
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Each evening at dinner the students that were here staying with us were teaching us Russian words in an attempt to communicate with us. (Our translator was not there in the evenings.) It is amazing how much you can understand through charades and drawing pictures on the table! We laughed alot.
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Ebi and his wife Natasha have become very dear to us this week as we shared many hours of fellowship together. Tomorrow we will relax and have dinner with them and a free day - praise the Lord! On Sunday we will spend the day with Oleg and Svetlana at their home. Wayne will also be preaching at their church Sunday morning.
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We have made many new friends this week and it has been a joy to get to know our brothers and sisters in this part of the world. They all send their greetings to you in the States and say thank you for allowing us to come. Pray for us as we leave on Monday and return home. We will post pictures by the end of next week, Lord willing.
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God bless and we love you,
Wayne and Sherry