Little Marina

I’ve been waiting for news on this front. Little Marina that I cooked with, who left the family home and went back to the sewing school dorm with the other orphans, is still there. She did go to the camp for the weekend with the girl Tanya who wanted to meet boys. I don’t know if Tanya still abuses her and what role fear has in all this. Marina is becoming angry and beginning to swear. She now has a boyfriend who drinks and she has given him her money. She apparently got her allowance from the government and now has a lot of friends because they want her money. This is beginning to remind me of the story of the prodigal son.

I saw her Thursday with Lucia, Pam and Gary. She seemed her normal self and gave Pam a big hug, only when invited home she insisted she had “a lot to do.” Pam just kept assuring her that we wait and she can always, always come home. Pam says sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you can come up, and just prays nothing bad will happen to her in the meantime. This boy stuff is disturbing because she is childlike, Lucy used to say she was like an 8 year old.


Others News from the Dormitory

Sad news: our Tanya who wants to live with us can’t move out for another three months after she turns 18, her dorm said. Vika from the dorm spent the weekend with Lucia and Natasha had agreed to spend it with us, but didn’t answer our phone calls.

The four deaf boys are staying in the boys transition home for a visit because their hallway is being painted and they were getting sick from the smell and the cold from opening the windows. We always have such a jolly time with them! I have learned the Russian sign language for red, green, yellow, blue, and “UNO!”

There is a wonderful Christian woman named Sveta whose parents were deaf and she translates for us into their sign language. She wants to get them away from their isolated room on a three-day church retreat.

Still no news of Olya. I’ve written a letter giving her my number and telling her I am praying for her and want to help her, and I want to leave this with her counselor at the dorm.


Other News in General

I visited Gulia again, and it was much better this time. I think it was cuz I was over the emotional shock and it was just another visit to a friend in an orphanage, not that anything has changed. She has a new roommate who doesn’t clean up and hoards things they both get in trouble, so she said she was struggling with anger. Now her counselors are realizing it’s the other girl’s fault and things are getting better.

Kristina came over this weekend. I asked her if she’d like to come to church with me and to my surprise she was agreeable, only she can’t get permission to leave early enough in the morning. Pray I can take her to an afternoon service sometime.