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We are preparing to visit needy orphanages where team
members have been going since 1999. Our Russian staff is also searching for other orphanages that rarely receive visits or
assistance. We want to share the love of Jesus Christ with them, too!
The winter outreach is a trip anywhere from
10-14 days as God leads.
We are really excited that God has called us to cooperate with Him in what He is doing
in Russia!
We ask you to prayerfully consider if the Lord would have you to join us. With a commitment to the Lordship
of Jesus Christ, a willingness to work together for the sake of impacting the lives of the precious orphans and a yielding
of the gifts God has given you to be used by Him to touch these kids…you can make an eternal difference.
We
Need approximately 20 Volunteers
We are praying for 20 volunteers to join us for this outreach. This
will allow 2 teams comprised of 10 "foreigners" (that's us) and 5 Russian interpreters. The teams will work in two
or three orphanages for two to three days each. Also, if you know anyone who would be interested in joining us, please pass
along this information.
The need is so very great, pray, go or send someone!
Building Friendships
and Sharing the Gospel
Since we will be spending two to three days in each orphanage, this will give us time to build
friendships and share the Gospel with the kids and staff.
It is always a good idea to bring toys, games or crafts
that you can engage in play with the kids. Games like chess and checkers, jigsaw puzzles (which pack easily), jacks and marbles
and UNO cards are great. Bean-bag games like tic-tac-toe (using a small tarp with a grid taped on it) are great fun.
Various types of arts and crafts are wonderful, as well. Use your creativity to plan and bring supplies. We have a digital
camera and a printer that can print 4X6 color photos of the kids. The kids love to make picture frames out of lightweight
cardboard. (The kind that comes with folded shirts from the laundry. I believe any laundry would donate this cardboard to
bless orphans!) You will need to bring markers, crayons and stickers for the art work the kids create on their frames. Multiple
skeins of brightly colored embroidery yarn can be used to make friendship bracelets.
Small toys make great prizes
if we play musical chairs or something like it with the children.
Regardless of their cultural background, all
little girls love sitting and doing “beauty” things with hair clips, braids and nail polish. All these things
give time for building friendships through which the Gospel is shared.
Prepare an Inspirational Message
Some of the orphanages will put on some sort of "program" for us performed by the children as they have
done in years past, some will look for a program from us.
For those of you who love drama, I encourage you to bring
a simple skit that you can share with the team. If you are a story-teller and have a Bible story that you can share to grab
the kids’ attention, bring it as well.
If any of you would like to help with music, bring a guitar or your
other instrument. Most homes have a piano. Or, you can simply bring a song! We will have a master musician from Budapest,
Hungary with us and he can sing anything!
The main thing is that we will take time to focus on and "be"
with the kids to listen, share and answer questions. Email your ideas to us as soon as you can!
About
Packing
You will be allowed ONLY 2 checked bags (weighing no more than 45 pounds each), 1 carry-on and a briefcase/purse as allowed
by the airline. We recommend large, rolling duffle bags with handles to make them easy to maneuver.
I strongly
suggest that you pack at least one change of clothes and personal toiletries in your carry-on. It has happened that some checked
baggage has not arrived until the 2nd day of the trip!
It is IMPERATIVE that all of your bags have no more than
a combined total weight of 90 lbs. This is Russian law and is strictly enforced. So unless you want to pay
$100.00 for any weight over 90 lbs, weigh your bags carefully beforehand. Thanks for working within these perimeters as you
gather supplies.
Each team member must be able to take his or her baggage through customs. Don’t worry; there
are carts to load your bags on to get them through the customs station. Our staff will be meeting us at the airport to assist
with with transporting luggage to the bus.
NOTE: We are raising funds for humanitarian aid to wire over to our
foundation one month prior to our arrival. Our Russian staff will be asking the orphanages what they need, and will have time
to purchase these items. The teams will be able to deliver the items to the orphanages after we arrive. (This will also help
to reduce the volume of items that need to be transported.) Any funds that can be raised by you for this will strictly go
to provide aid to the orphans.
We also ask each team member to bring the following items:
- Pediatric
cough syrup (2 bottles)
- Children's Tylenol (2 bottles)
- Pediatric cold & flu medicines
- Anti-bacterial
cream (2 tubes)
- Band-Aids (2 boxes)
These items can be purchased "over-the-counter." Each team member will
bring these in his or her supplies. When we arrive, the medicines will be divided equally and delivered as a gift to each
orphanage.
Required Documentation
1. Your actual passport (no copies).
This is required by
the Russian Consulate because the Russian Visa is actually glued into your passport. Ensure that you have enough empty pages
designated for “Visas.” Check your passport to make sure you have room for a full page visa! You also need to
have at least 6 months remaining before your passport expires from the end of this trip date in order for it to be accepted
for a visa. Get your passport updated if necessary.
2. Two Color, Passport-Size Pictures (with your signature
in ball-point ink on the back of each photo).
Ensure that you have photos taken by an authorized passport photographer.
DO NOT attempt to make them yourself on your computer, do not have them made at the “little photo booth in the mall,”
etc. This will delay your visa application.
3. Completed Visa Application Form.
This form
can be obtained from RBI along with detailed instructions for its completion. Please obtain instructions before filling it
out. All questions must be answered, even if the answer is “Not Applicable” or “No.” Church Workers,
ministers, etc. should put “self-employed” as vocation and the church address as the employer’s address.
If you are not sure how to complete this form, please contact RBI.
4. Completed Risk Waiver Form.
(This form can be obtained through RBI.)
5. A Completed Team Application.
(This form
can be obtained through RBI.)
6. Completed, Signed Medical Release Form
This form can be
obtained through RBI.)
7. Two Character References
(This form can be obtained through RBI.)
8. Special Needs
Team members need to all travel on the same day, meeting at some connection
point in Europe, like Frankfurt. Let us know from which airport you will be leaving, any specific travel requirements, hotel
needs, etc. that you may have. Please remember, there are a limited number “no smoking” rooms available in the
hotel.
9. Insurance Coverage
You will need to make sure your insurance covers you overseas,
or take out a travel policy. We recommend our Travel Agent and Consolidator:
Wallach and Company, Inc.
107
West Federal Street
Middleburg, VA 20117
Phone: (800) 237-6615
www.wallach.com
Flight Information
and Reservations
We recommend that flight arrangements from Frankfurt to St. Petersburg be made as a group, on the same
carrier and in advance for the best rates. Arrriving in St. Petersburg as a group also makes being received by our Russian
staff much easier.
Riverside Travel, Inc.
2353 Rose Street North, Suite 106
Rosevile,
MN 55113
Phone: (800) 337-6658
FAX: (651) 484-2300
Julia Mahoney: julia@rivertrav.com
Airline
costs will be between $900.00 and $1,200.00 depending on what city you are traveling from and how quickly you get a reservation.
For the best group rates, we do our best to book at least one month in advance. Please identify yourself
as part of the “RBI” group. The sooner we reserve seats, the better the price. Please, no waiting
until the last minute! Note: A $100.00 deposit per ticket may be required.
What To Expect
Hotel Accommodations
We are being charged $40.00 for per person per night for the hotel rooms, including breakfeast. This is half price! The
team member cost of $65.00 for hotel rooms per person per day of will enable our interpreters to stay at the hotel with us
for the ten nights we will be there. This is very important for the teams to bond and work their best. Couples will be able
to stay together, and others will have same gender roommates so that we keep costs as low as possible.
Day
of Arrival
When we arrive at the airport, we will be met by our Russian staff. Buses will take us to the
Deson-Ladoga Hotel near the center of St. Petersburg. We will get settled into the hotel, spend some time visiting, worshipping,
dining together and then getting to bed early.
Orientation Day
We will have an orientation
day on our first full day in Russia. We will worship together, introduce ourselves and share a bit about who we are. We will
organize our outreach supplies and get oriented on how things will work when we visit the orphanages. We will also practice
skits, stories and songs together.
It is crucial for the team members to be able to draw upon the gifts and abilities
of each other so that the work in the homes is a blessing to all.
Each Morning
Each
morning, we will pray together, worship together and review the day's activities at the orphanages. This is so we can refocus
daily and all be on "the same page" before we go out to share the love of Jesus Christ.
Each
Evening
The plan is to have dinner together each night either at the hotel or a local restaurant. Our
staff will have options to choose from, so you can get a flavor of the foods that St. Petersburg offers. Look carefully at
the cost breakdown on meals and plan accordingly.
Experiencing St. Petersburg
We will
also try to get tickets for a ballet or an opera on in St. Petersburg. These tickets are usually $50.00 for tourists and $15.00
for the Russian interpreters. Please include them if you wish to participate.
We schedule this event during the
middle of our stay, so as to give the whole group some “down time.” Ministering to the orphans is powerfully grace-filled
and yet can be taxing emotionally and spiritually. Even Jesus drew His disciples aside to rest after intense ministry.
Important Deadlines
Approximately 3 months Prior
to Trip
Deposit and Application fees must br received by RBI (including visa application and invitation
fees).
Note: Past this date, we will not be able to guarantee that you will get a visa, because it now takes a
full month to get invitations for our visas from Russia and then two full work weeks to get the visa from the Russian consulate
in the USA. Application packages that arrive after the deadline will have a “Past Dead-line Fee” of $100.00 assessed
to cover expediting cost for your visa.
Approximately 2 Months Prior to Trip
The remaining balance must be received by RBI.
Send Required Documentation and Fees To:
Relational Bridges International
P. O. Box 613 Midlothian, VA 23113
Checks should be made payable to: “Christ Church Anglican.”
In the memo, write “RBI Winter
Trip.”
For Your Reference
Please Read (or re-read)
Yes or No? Straight Answers to Tough Questions about Christianity by Peter Kreeft will help in answering
hard questions asked of you about the Faith.
How many Children Live in the Orphanages?
The average number of children in each baby home (new born to 4 yrs) is about 40; toddler homes (4 to 7 yrs) may have 60
to 80; a regular orphanage (7-18 yrs) averages about 90, though some are bigger.
The Weather
It will be cold in St. Petersburg when we are there and the probability of snow is great. The temperature may range
from the 20's and 30's (F), drop into the "teens" or fall to zero. Dressing in layers and a warm coat, gloves, scarf
and hat make it very do-able. We will not be spending long periods of time out doors. Do not let the weather hinder you if
the Lord if nudging you to come!
Exchanging Currency
IMPORTANT: You need to get really
clean bills from the bank to take with you. If there are any marks on a bill, the Russians will not allow you to
exchange it for Russian Rubles. It is an odd thing, but it is how things are done, so please get really clean bills.
God bless you all! We look forward to sharing the Gospel in Russia with you!
In the love
of Jesus Christ,
Mark,
Rev. Mark Browne, RBI
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