Well it is here and we got it! Somehow I couldn’t help
thinking about all the hoopla as Geraldo Rivera and the TV crews covered the
opening up of the famous “Al Capone’s caves” in Chicago. What I remembered of
course is that they did not find any old skeletons - literal or figurative -
anything to bring back memories of Al’s glory days. In fact they found
nothing!! As we heard the reports of the Russian customs officials opening it
at their Finland border, I thought of Geraldo’s red faced surprise. Every
report of the collapse of Russia’s economy conjured up images of our precious
stuff in some open air market in the tundra. Then the less than honorable
customs people here held the container in their possession for a month. Sorry
to say my faith in man was not what should have been, I was thinking the worst.
I am glad to say I was wrong! It’s all safe and accounted
for. It couldn’t have been a worse day to open the container. It is 20 degrees
below Celsius - can’t do the math into Fahrenheit. We had to dig away a snow
drift which blocked the doors. The seminary heating system is not working. So
at least there was no shocking temperature change for our bodies as we carried
things from the container into the building - from freezing outside to freezing inside! But all
complaining aside, we thank God for getting our stuff across the many miles.
Take a look at you map and trace it - Hilo, to LA, to Finland (via Panama Canal
I suppose), then to Almaty by railroad. It’s really quite amazing.
Then there’s the irony of asking, “Why did I bring this!”
Which is a question we’re not asking too much because after having been here
last summer we were able to know what we would need most. And the beds? Yes,
the beds are here and God willing tonight I will get to try it. Actually the
boys got to try theirs last night. It was easier to transport the singles in
our seminary van to our apt. Besides we felt they needed a special treat
because when I got home last night and took the elevator up to our 11th floor
apt. I heard shouting come from the other shaft. There’s 2 elevators. You got
it, all three of them had been stuck in that elevator for over an hour. Thank
God I was able to get the building foreman and get them out in about 15
minutes. What an experience for them. I’m glad they were all three together. It
was definitely a bonding brotherly experience.
We’ll that is our big news for now. Gotta get back to
unpacking our boxes.
