Mission News: Remembrances of Russia

Les Bley and Pieter DeSmit were on the team of 32 workers in Beslan to build Kids Around the World's 59th playground, the first in Russia. Town children lined the work site each day, eager to experience this tangible gift of love helping to heal hearts in a broken community where many families lost someone(s) in the 2004 massacre.

Memories to cherish and ponder:

• Views of the snow-covered Caucasian Mountains.
• Sobering walk through School #1 amidst graphic evidence of executions and destruction in September 2004.
• Rows of photographed faces on granite stones.
• Mourning family members daily tending gravesites.
• Les being 10 toes and 2 feet larger than the hotel bed.
• The rescue of a trapped hedgehog from one of the 68 22" deep holes dug for support of playground equipment.
• Big Jerry, the construction foreman, assisted by Little Jerry, board president of Kids Around the World, from Rockford, Illinois.
• Work crew enhanced by muscular, young adults from Ukraine.
• Kids helping to shovel playground topping into wheelbarrows.
• The need for rubber boots left for same-size Russian feet.
• Repetitive menu (breakfast, lunch, dinner) lovingly prepared by local Christians.
• Sunday worship via translation.
• God's goodness: rain stopped as supplies were unloaded and resumed 4 days later 10 minutes after tools were put away.
• The lively rush of kids when invited to try out the play area for the 1st time.
• Child-drawn "thank you" signs in English, held under very necessary umbrellas, as bus departed.