A letter from Bob and Stacy Bronkema in Russia
March 9, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
It seems like so much has happened in the world since we last wrote. We have a new patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church and a new president of the United States. Both have a tremendous impact, I would even argue equal impact, on their respective countries. Our time has been filled with ministry, visa runs and even some new initiatives in the midst of it all.
The medical clinic has absolutely taken off. In the beginning stages, we were open one day a week. Because of the great need and the many committed volunteers, we are now open two days a week. We are seeing some amazing results. For example, Florence, a Nigerian woman, had been experiencing some breathing difficulties since she moved to Moscow over two years ago. But because she is undocumented she had no access to medical care and the ambulance would never pick her up. The one time that the ambulance did pick her up they drove her for a few miles and then literally dropped her off on the side of the road. When her brother, who volunteers in our soup kitchen, told her about our clinic she visited, and the doctor there prescribed some medication for her. ;He told her she would need to have some follow-up care the next week. She went home but was feeling worse and worse. She called the doctor from our clinic that night, something she had never been able to do in the past, and told him of her symptoms. The doctor recommended she come to a nearby clinic where he would meet her. At the subway near the clinic she knew she could go no further and called the doctor who came and literally carried her out of the subway to the clinic. He then arranged for an ambulance to meet her. The ambulance took her to the hospital and she was able to get care for two weeks because they knew an organization was looking out for her.
It seems as if every week we could tell a similar story. The medical clinic has become a significant part of our work. In fact, it is becoming known worldwide. You may have heard about it on NPR on the weekend edition of “The World.” If you missed it, there is a podcast available.
The soup kitchens continue to serve 320 people a day. The current dollar/ruble exchange rate, which is very favorable for us, has more than offset the decrease in income that we are experiencing on Sundays due to the large number of Western families leaving Moscow.
This year, as we’ve said in previous mailings, is really a transitional year for the church. Many of the American and Western families at MPC have left Moscow due to the financial crisis. In less than a year, over 40 MPC families connected to the oil and gas industry have left Moscow. Our regular attendance has gone from 150-200 a Sunday down to 100-150. It is something that takes getting used to, because we are wired to grow and increase in number. We are so thankful that people have taken up many of our social ministries, and we have not had any pressure to cut back on our programs.
We have also taken some tentative steps to open a shelter for people of color who find themselves stranded for a few days. We find that many of our people are sleeping in parks or at Internet cafes for weeks at a time. If we can offer them temporary refuge — similar to what the Caring Center has done in Palatka, Florida — then many of their life-threatening issues will be resolved.
We have received a number of visitors over these past few months. Jon Chapman, Gary Payton and Michael Parker from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) were here recently and were able to experience the diverse ministries of MPC. They were present while the NPR reporter was taking her interviews.
Charles Jones from the American Baptist Church visited and saw the new parish center at work, which was appropriate, considering that the ABC was the first denomination to give for the refurbishment of the center. In all, you can see that it has been an extremely rewarding time It is hard to believe that we are halfway through our time in Moscow. It seems like we have just begun, and yet there is still so much that needs to be done.
Bob had to travel to Madrid in January to get his work visa while Stacy and the girls had to go all the way to Seattle since the Madrid option is now no longer available. It is becoming harder and harder to get visas for religious workers here in Russia. Please consider that as a top-priority prayer request for the next few months. Our situation should be normalized by now but there always seem to be some factors that make it one more step away.
Family news
For the first time, all three girls expressed the desire to play basketball in the local ex-pat league. Bob is coaching two of the teams and loves to see the girls out there playing their hardest. Rachel is able to play with one of her best friends and is also able to practice with the varsity at Hinkson. Naomi towers over all the other fifth graders and so camps out in the key where they pass her the ball and she is able to turn and score. Bethany is much more of a playmaker, preferring not to hold the ball for any length of time and so has mastered the assist. Besides basketball, the girls continue to be involved in the Russian music school. They are all excelling in school and have made some great friends, who frequently spend the evening or invite our girls their way.
We will be having an MPC alumni/member reunion in Washington, D.C., in July and would love for any and all of you to attend, even if your only connection to MPC is through these letters. We hope this letter finds you well. Continue to pray for Moscow and all those involved in this ministry.
Your servants in Christ,
The Bronkema family
P.S. I opened a Facebook account for the purpose of posting pictures of the ministry, and apparently many of you received an invitation to join facebook because I opened this account. Sorry about that. I didn’t realize that my email addresses would be used in that manner.
The 2009 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 177
