The Way I See It . . . . May 29, 2010

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Dear One -

I hope all is well with you and yours.

On this Memorial Day Weekend, I am still jet-lagging, and it’s the middle of the night.  I seem to be still processing my time in Russia, and  I would like to get some things off my chest, if you don’t mind. 

Being in Russia was hard in many ways.  And I really do believe we are coming up on a very difficult time because Russia is re-arming due in part, I believe, to the fact that its leaders fear China -- and they know they need to protect themselves.  But we also have some potentially difficult problems . . . and look how we have made ourselves vulnerable in several important ways . . . we manufacture no steel to speak of . . . we are in debt to China . . . and our economy is a mess because we have given our jobs away out of greed in the name of the world economy . . . and we are persecuting undocumented immigrants when it was we ourselves who not only allowed them to be here, but took advantage of them by paying them as little as we could. 
Meanwhile more greedy people have kept the rich richer and kept paying people ridiculous amounts of money when if they were just paid reasonable salaries all sorts of people without work could still have jobs.  Just a soap box stance . . . my own opinions, and obviously up for debate.

We have become a nation of people who think God does not notice or care about greed and injustice. Concerning slavery, Thomas Jefferson wrote that he "trembled to think that God is just" and that God would bring about retribution for the sins of slavery -- and besides all the slaves that suffered, the Civil War decimated our country.  And racism still negatively and unjustly affects so many people. 

There are so many ways that we as a nation -- and most of the world that once was filled with predominantly Christian people has turned away from God in so many ways.  I believe that the Lord is calling us to repent and come back to live obedient and faithful lives in God’s, peace, graciousness and steadfast love.  It will be a lot of work but as the Body of Christ we can do it - and we can love and serve others no matter what they believe, no matter what their ethnic background is, no matter how they have lived previously.  We can agree to disagree and still live in peace and fellowship by forgiving one another, blessing those who persecute us and turning out weapons into instruments to help feed, clothe and nurture people rather than bring forth death, disease, destruction and chaos.  We can do it together with God’s help.

I believe that the Holy Spirit is calling us to live lives of repentance and institute obedience and justice, mercy and loving kindness again.  Jesus read the passage we know as Isaiah 61 in His home town of Nazareth at the gathering place we call the synagogue on the Sabbath that passage was scheduled to be read in the way Jewish scripture was separated into sections so that the whole Torah would be lifted up over the year.  It was not a coincidence that Jesus went there that day to proclaim that He was -- and is -- the anointed one chosen and sent to proclaim the acceptable day of the Lord -- the Jubilee when all who are slaves are free everyone lives in the fullness of love with all each person needs. 

Jesus announced that the blind would see, the hungry would be fed, the naked would be clothed, the oppressed would be delivered and the imprisoned ones would go free.  When He was born the peace of heaven came to earth and the Kingdom of Heaven was initiated on earth to be fulfilled when He comes again.  But meanwhile WE are the Body of Christ and it is up to us to be obedient to God and to do what Jesus announced that He was anointed to do with God’s help by the power of God’s Holy Spirit in Christ.

It is up to us to open the eyes of those who are blind to the Good News of God's love in Christ . . . it is up to us to proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven is among us and is in our hearts.  It is up to us to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to proclaim to the oppressed that they are delivered and to the imprisoned that they are free.  We are to live out the Jubilee -- to full participate in the celebration of the fullness of God's love, righteousness, mercy, faithfulness, and loving kindness.

And yet instead we turn away from doing the will of God.  We go our own way like lost sheep and do as we like.  The Good Shepherd is seeking us, though.  God in Christ is calling us by our names because we are His.  We are His flock, the sheep of His pasture.  And when we allow Him to guard us, to guide us, and to take care of us we are protected from all that would come against us to harm us to scatter us, to kill us.  We have wandered afar and been disobedient.  It is time to return to the fold of our Father in Heaven. 

The Spirit of the Lord is calling all of those who believe in God in Christ Jesus, the Son of God, to unite in God's love and to cast off the petty differences that keep us separated from one another.  God is calling us to be in full communion with one another and with God in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.  God is calling us to BE the Body of Christ to the whole world-- to live lives of loving sacrifice and giving.  To serve one another in love just as Jesus Christ served His beloved followers in love. 

Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  One of the biggest lies told by people in the world today is that all religions lead to God and that anything anyone believes is all right . . .and that just because society condones certain kinds of behavior those kinds of behaviors are all right.  God is love.  But God is also complete righteousness.  And God is also the fullness of mercy.  And it is only God who is the Creator of Heaven and Earth.  Nothing in or of the earth is worthy of worship.  Only God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is worthy of worship.  

We are coming into a time when all the wars of the last century and every other century in human history will seem like nothing compared to how it will be in the coming years.  During this time to come the foundations of the faith of many people will be shaken and it will be a time of great tribulation.  But those who know and trust the Lord now, those who have been called according to His purposes will be given tasks to help people through the time coming. 

And despite to strife and deprivation, trials and tribulation, these people will be under girded by God's love and God's grace will see them through.  God will help them help others and bring many people to a saving knowledge of God in Christ.  These people will also be beacons of light when the world turns dark with the terrible time that is to come.

In what the peoples of the former Soviet Union call “The Great Patriotic War”, and that we call “World War II”, over twenty-seven million people lost their lives in the territory of the Soviet Union alone.  When you read the statistics of the number of people killed in the Holocaust - six million Jewish people and millions of professing Christians, gypsies, handicapped and mentally ill people, it is so important to remember and to keep saying and acting out, “NEVER AGAIN!!”

Yet we still have weapons of mass destruction ready to be used.  There are still armed conflicts in the world in too many places where children, women and men - non-combatants and military members alike are being killed, forced to be refugees and in other ways tortured, persecuted and made to live in misery.  The hatred and violence, perceived need for revenge and the pursuit of power perpetuates conditions and activities we need to be working much harder to stop.  Hatred begets hatred and there can never be true peace that is under girded by violence and the threat of violence.  

There are ways to keep trying to understand one another.  All human beings have much more in common than we have differences.  We can find more ways to honor, respect and help one another.  Even those who don’t have jobs or who are homeless can look around and find ways to help people.  We can change our views of all that we consider valuable that is just materialism, and take care of one another out of love.  We all belong to the human family given this beautiful earth on which to live.  We can look around and do things to help our family members and our neighbors.  Love begets love. 

Love is the only thing that counts and the only thing that lasts.  Nothing that seems material or “real” is as powerful as actions based on helping others in love.  I believe we are at a critical time in the history of the world and that those of us who know the love of God in Christ have deep responsibilities to live out that love - not like we think we belong to some club that people have to jump through hoops to be connected with love. 

Not like we think we are the only ones who know the Creator and have some kind of lock on all that is good and makes life easier.  Not like that at all.  We are called to love and serve everyone we come into contact with in this the life we have been given as a gift.

The peace we have to share as a gift of God starts in our hearts and just as “the rain falls on the just and the unjust” giving everyone the ability to feed themselves and their families, we are required to reach out to everyone and help people out of love in every way we are able to do that with God’s help.  As it states in Micah 6:8 (paraphrased): ”What does the Lord require you?  To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God.”

May the peace of God that passes all understanding be yours in Christ Jesus.

In His Love - Kathy

 Walk Humbly With God

He has showed you, O man, what is good.   And what does the LORD require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8

Kathleen Ware Harris  © 2012
kwharris777@gmail.com

The Fields of the Lord May 24, 2010

The Fields of the Lord May 24, 2010

Wishing You Joy, Peace and Love . . . Now and Always!

Dear One –

Hope this finds you and yours well and happy – and that no matter what is going on that you know you are loved in the most elemental way. You are unique and precious, and I am glad you are in my life in whatever way that is – as a beloved family member . . . as an old friend . . . as an acquaintance . . . remember that you are not alone. There is a reason you are here on earth and the most important part of that reason is to love and be loved.

Love is all that counts and will triumph over every circumstance, no matter how sad or how difficult. We are more than who we are physically. We live on many levels of consciousness and our reality is sometimes so diffused with wonder was can be amazed – at the joys that surround us.

Sadly, we can also be flabbergasted when people can be cruel beyond imagination to one another. But there is always a new chance to make things better. We only have to have hope and to seek that love that surrounds us and is within us.

I am so full of the joy that I have been given so many gifts by people I have known for a long time – or for several years – or who I have just met in the last two months. I don’t mean material gifts. I mean the trust of sharing their lives and thoughts . . .joys, triumphs, prayers, fears, worries and faith journeys with me. I feel so blessed and praise God for the opportunities I have had.

This weekend my friend here in Vladivostok whom I have known since I was a child worked very hard putting together a video of the sights around downtown Vladivostok. Unfortunately I had another touch of some tummy stuff and couldn’t go with her, but the results of her vision of the area was wonderful to see. She worked with a friend who is a college student, Anton. Several weeks ago we all went together to the coffee shop off the lobby of the hotel called “The Versailles”. So if you look on my Facebook page, you can see some of those photos.

The latest photos from the last week – and the last few days here are at this URL:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=24701&id=100000104723008&l=a998883252

Photos of the Crystal Trio that I described the other day are among those photos.

Also I finally met one the UMC pastors who is working on her degree at the UMC Theological Seminary in Moscow as a distance learner. She also spends two weeks twice a year there studying with the other student pastors from all over the Eurasian area. Her name is Valentina and it was a delight to meet her.

Unfortunately I was not able to make it to the worship service. Sometimes it is harder for me to get around here that I want it to be. But, God willing, I hope to come again – and this time make it to Khabarovsk, too. I am looking for a job teaching English or coming on an exchange program to teach at one of the universities. Please pray for me about that if you feel led to do so.

My friend and I had some very interesting experiences yesterday afternoon. Around 3:30 PM we met Pastor Valentina near the plaza down by the waterfront and had some coffee and dessert at my friend’s favorite café, connected to the Philharmonic Hall. Valentina and I spoke about our walks with the Lord and our ministries. I felt like we had always known one another. Sylva was glad to meet her, too, but took herself off to another table to work some more on her film . . . the behind the scenes production part that develops the overview, etc.

Then we took a little walk and drove Valentina home down Svetlanskaya Street, up the hill on Okeansky Prospekt, and then to an area of apartments not far from the Funicular.

After we parked near the Funicular, I was surprised to realize that the bottom of the hill the Funicular trams run up and down on is right next door to an Art Institute and the Pushkin Theater, one of the first places that Sylva took me. It was good to see it again.

Several men were waiting outside of the theater, and one of them turned out to a be a diplomat from Viet Nam. Sylva knows him well, so we went over to greet him. The other gentlemen with him were part of the Art Institute, asfar as I could tell.

There was an exhibition about Viet Name in the grand lobby outside of the theater on the second floor, so we were invited to go up and see it. I had actually noticed the photos and displays when we were there earlier, but we took the opportunity to inspect them more closely.

A young man who was an artist who had graduated from the Institute accompanied us, and there were some books about art and abut the Institute. He invited us to take the books since they were free to those who came to see the exhibit. When we went outside again, it turned out that the Director if the Institute, one of the men waiting out front, was the author of the books. I asked him if he would autograph the copies we had, and he graciously complied.

They gentlemen were all waiting for some cosmonauts to come and see the exhibit, and just as we finished speaking with them, a van pulled up. Out came some fairly elderly gentlemen who were treated with great respect, going inside to view the exhibit.

Afterwards, the Funicular was only going to be running for less than an hour, so we went over there. You can see some of the photos we took at the same web site I mentioned above.

The joy of spending time with my lifelong friend, of meeting and fellowshipping with Pastor Valentina, who is also a physician, as well as the chance meeting with the diplomat and the Director of the Art Institute made for a very special day.

The streets were full of young couples, families, and just groups of people enjoying the beautiful day, even though it was a bit overcast. Fog rolls in quickly, just as it does in San Francisco. But when the sun shines, the light bounces around and the air is fresh coming from the Pacific Ocean of over the mountainous coast.

I am so grateful I was able to be here, and fee a great peace and joy. In this place there are many new buildings, bridge and road construction – and signs of mid-spring everywhere. White apple blossoms dot the hillsides and the spring green on the leaves and bushes refreshes the sides of streets and the hearts of the people, tried from the winter.

It was surprising to see the season so far behind Moscow, because Vladivostok is further south – but I am always happy to see what kinds of new weather patterns there are in the new places I am blessed to come and see.

I hope you are blessed whatever season you may be in either nature-wise or because of the circumstances of your life.

 Remember that you are loved and that love must be shared for it to truly be fulfilled.


Kathleen Ware Harris  © 2012
kwharris777@gmail.com


Blessings in the grace of Love --Kathy

The Fields are Ready for the Harvest
34"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. 38I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor”
John 4:34-38

Art and Music May 21, 2010

Art and Music May 21, 2010

Wishing You Joy, Peace and Love . . . Now and Always!

Dear One –

I hope this finds you and yours well and happy. How are things?

I decided to post some videos from Moscow and Vladivostok on YouTube. You can find them through my YouTube ID -- Peace777ofChrist. The first video of Komsomolskiy Prospekt is at this web site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPSt8vNOBfU

And the first one of driving downtown in Vladivostok is at this website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G7744gPp9A

God is so good and so faithful!

Last night I had a wonderful time at a very special concert. The musicians were a very special group called “The Crystal Trio.” They were joined by two very wonderful opera singers for some of the pieces they played. The reason the concert was so wonderful was the instruments that these talented musicians used. One of them played on 36 crystal goblets filled with various amounts of water using his fingers wetted with water. Each of the thirty-six goblets was tuned to one note each of three full octaves (not just eight notes each, but if you can imagine a piano, by “eight full octaves”, I mean all the notes of the white keys AND the black keys for each octave) .If you saw the Sandra Bullock comedy “Miss Congeniality,” you saw an example of this kind of music, although she played popular songs and the Crystal Trio shared classical compositions.

The second member of the trio also played with wetted fingers, but this time there were glass crystal tubes of various lengths set in a wooden frame. Both musicians quickly kept dipping their fingers into a receptacle of water between them and their crystal instruments.

The third member of the trio played a kind of pan flute of an ancient design, but not made of wooden pipes – made of crystal tubes of various lengths and sizes. He played them by blowing into the pipes, just as anyone would who played a flute.

The result of the three musicians playing together was absolutely magical and mystical. And when the opera singers sang with them, it was completely lovely.

Before the concert it just so happened that my friend and I saw a young college aged young man and his little brother who we had met the evening before when we went to visit their art dealer father and their mother, who is a professional dancer. We had gone over to their apartment to visit with them and to see some water colors painted by a friend of theirs.

It was fun to see the young men again, and during the intermission and after the concert we had a snack with them. While we were in the café next to the Philharmonic Theater, the manager came over to talk to my friend and asked if we wanted to meet the musicians! It was a delight to go back stage and talk with them. They let us play the instrument with the crystal tubes in the wooden frame and we heard that they will be coming to perform in the U.S., too.

So if you see an advertisement for “The Crystal Trio” – go see them!! I promise, you will really enjoy it.

Backing up for a minute, I also want to go back to the evening we spent with the art dealer and his family. The water colors were painted by an amazing artist who had donated prints of some of his work to be screen printed on t-shirts that were sold at an auction to benefit babies and small children who have been born with HIV in this far east part of Russia called “The Primoriye Krai” or Ocean Coast Region.

Last week I went with my friend to the auction which was organized by a physician, some businesses and both various parts of the Russian government and the U.S. State Department. It was very well organized and held in a kind of student center at one of the universities in Vladivostok. The student center is called “The Underground”.

The way the auction worked was that some very talented artists donated prints of their art work to be screen printed onto t-shirts. Then student volunteers displayed the t-shirts while standing on lines that made the shape of the red ribbon that is familiar as the one used to remember victims of HIV/AIDS. There were two groups of these students, and they also had clipboards with a sheet on them so that people could bid on the t-shirts in the silent auction style.

As we came into room in “The Underground” where the fund-raiser took place, some other student volunteers pinned a red AIDS ribbon onto the clothes of each person who came into the room. Then we were ushered over to a counter where we signed in and received a piece of paper with a number that was to be our bidding number.

When I went to look at all of the t-shirts, it was really difficult to decide on which one to bid on. My favorite was a watercolor of a young woman holding a lamb close to her chest and nuzzling its head. Unfortunately I was out-bid on it, but at the last minute found another t-shirt that I liked that had not been bid on, and I was able to make my donation for that one. Strangely enough, I saw the original of the young woman with the lamb when we went to visit my friend’s friend, the art dealer and his family! I wish I could have afforded the original.

God is so good and so faithful!

During the time I have been here in Vladivostok, for some reason, it has been difficult to get connected with the pastors of the United Methodist Church I was hoping to see. Because my friend is going out of town for almost a month, I came to the conclusion that it didn’t make sense to try to stay here while she was gone. So I am heading back to the U.S. next Tuesday, May 25th, God willing.

Nevertheless, the day after I changed my airline ticket, I finally got in touch with the United Methodist pastor here. So I will get a chance to meet her and to worship with the congregation on Sunday, God willing. Sometimes it is difficult to understand why things happen the way they do, but I always trust that God has good plans for me and praise the Lord for His mercy and loving kindness.

May the Lord continue to bless and keep you and yours.

In His Love – Kathy

His Mercy Endures Forever
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 100


Kathleen Ware Harris  © 2012
kwharris777@gmail.com

A Busy Week in Vladivostok May 15, 2010

Wishing You Joy, Peace and Love . . . Now and Always!

Dear One –

Do you believe it’s the middle of May already? Time is flying by so fast for me here in Russia, that I can hardly keep track.

Hope all is well with you and yours. Please let me know what is happening. I am always happy to hear from you!

This has been an amazing week here in Vladivostok.

Photos from the first part of my week here can be found on this web site:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23464&id=100000104723008&l=2796453696

Getting used to being the time zone has been a bit of a challenge, as usual. Moscow is eight hours earlier than the U.S. east coast. Vladivostok is seven hours earlier than Moscow! So in the last five weeks I have had to adjust to life on new time zones twice and I think I am getting too old for this!! A few mornings this week my friend came up to my room to see if I wanted to join her while she did some interesting things, but I was just dead to the world.

Thankfully, she’s a world traveler and understands, but I was sorry I missed the events. Nevertheless, I was blessed to go to two concerts, see some presentations given to some Russian teachers who teach children how to speak English, and to take part in a fund-raising event for babies and young children who were born suffering from AIDs. Then this morning we did some Saturday morning shopping in both the kind of grocery store you would recognize, and in a more traditional shopping complex that included a bazaar area.

It’s been really interesting riding around town and also out of the city to a town called Artyom where the presentation for the English teachers was.

You can see some more views of both Vladivostok and Artyom by going to this web page:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23514&id=100000104723008&l=e7c43f784c

I mentioned how lovely the first concert we attended was. It was so cool to listen to not only a Russian band, but also some of the U.S. Navy’s finest musicians. Arriving here on a holiday made things very interesting, too.

A few days later, my friend knew of a concert being given by a local orchestra and a solo violinist she admires was playing with them. The concert took place at the Pushkin Theater downtown, and it was delightful. Russian culture is well known for its symphony music, ballet, and opera, of course. Even in a remote city like Vladivostok, there are many classical concerts, plays and even concerts by rock groups to enjoy. Because my friend loves art and music, it is a joy to go with her to the cultural events and exhibits she delights in, and I felt very blessed to attend the concert.

Afterwards we met a friend of hers, a young university student and went out to dinner at a restaurant at the Hotel Versailles. We had a great time and the food was delicious. I had shashlik, which is the Russian version of shish kebob – marinated meat on skewers. My friend and her friend had yummy dishes, too. We all shared tastes of one another’s choices.

The first night I was in town we also ate out and I treated my friend for her birthday which as several weeks ago. I had black rice and seafood which was a gourmet dish, beautifully presented. What they call “black rice” turned out to be wild rice, cooked with the hulls so that it looks black or dark purple). Grilled vegetables and a delicious torte for dessert rounded out the meal. My friend shoes black spaghetti with seafood, pumpkin soup and tiramisu. (Don’t ask me how they made the pasta black, but it tasted good.)

One thing that was very interesting, too, is that we met up with another friend of my friend and had dinner out at a third restaurant (you can see I have been living it up here this week!!) It was another gourmet place with a very contemporary menu – not traditional Russian cuisine, and delicious. We split an excellent dessert, made with mangos, crème and layers of sponge cake.

After that we checked out a health club my friend is thinking of joining. It was very modern with a pool, state-of-the-art exercise machines, a wi-fi health food bar, and many types of exercise classes including spinning, yoga, Pilates, and every kind of offering you can find in my Life Time Fitness Club, Gold’s Gym, or LA Fitness back in the U.S.A. I had seen health clubs advertised in Moscow, too, but didn’t take the time to check any of them out.

More and more, I have noticed that there are fewer and fewer differences between the lifestyle of people with jobs here in Russia and the way the majority of people in Europe and the U.S. live. This should not be surprising, I guess, because it has been nearly twenty years since the break-up of the Soviet Union. But over the years since I first came here twice in ’94, lived in Kazakhstan for five months in 2005, and spent the month in Moscow in 2007, the similarities and differences have been more or less pronounced. It’s been very interesting.

More views of Vladivostok from a hazy Friday evening and a sunny Saturday morning can be seen on this web page:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23608&id=100000104723008&l=edbb8566f0

One of the things that has been interesting is to watch the Armed Forces Network on television here, and to see “Good Morning America from earlier the same day at 11 PM! *smile*

Time is INDEED relative, as I have noted before!

There is probably a lot more to tell you, but maybe that is enough for now.

Hope you have a great weekend.

May the Lord continue to bless and keep you and yours.

Blessings in His Love -- Kathy

Your Love, O Lord!

Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O Lord, you preserve both man and beast. How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.

Psalm 35:5-10

Kathleen Ware Harris  © 2012

kwharris777@gmail.com

Overlooking the Golden Horn May 12, 2010

Wishing You Joy, Peace and Love . . . Now and Always!

Dear One –

Hope this finds you well and happy. Praying that you are living in the fullness of God’s love, joy and peace in Christ.

I thank the Lord that I arrived safely in Vladivostok not long before noon on Sunday, May 9th – the 65th Anniversary of the Russian Victory in The Great Patriotic War against Nazi fascism. It was a well celebrated day here, in Moscow, and all over the former Soviet Union, as you may have seen on the news. British, French and US contingents were supposed to have participated in the parade in Moscow, but I didn’t get to see any of it on television here. I trust it was memorable. I wasn’t there for the parade, but saw (I did however see part of the practice for the parade on the evening that my friend Zhanna and I went to the Moscow Art Theater to see “The Master and Margarita”. That was interesting!)

Vladivostok is seven hours ahead of Moscow, and fifteen hours ahead of Atlanta and the rest of the U.S. East Coast. Being here makes it the closest I have been to the International Date Line in a long, long time. When I lived in Alaska, I was blessed to be able to go to Japan and to South Korea. And this is the way it worked. We had to stop twice on the way to the air base near a city on the southwest coast of South Korea, where we stayed for about three weeks.

Not very bright-eyed or bushy-tailed, we left Anchorage about 4:30 AM on a Tuesday, and saw the dawn on Shemya Island. The people stationed there wore t-shirts that said on them -- “SHEMYA – NOT THE END OF THE WORLD, BUT YOU CAN SEE IT FROM HERE”. It’s nearly at the end of Aleutian Archipelago. We stayed there just long enough to re-fuel quickly. Then we re-fueled again in Tokyo and took a break to have a meal in the terminal.

So, because of all those stops, and because of crossing the International Date Line on the way, it was about 3:30 PM on Thursday by the time we landed in South Korea. It was much more than two days after we left according to the calendar, but about 22 hours of either flying or resting and re-fueling.

On the other hand, after spending a week in Japan, we left for Anchorage on a Thursday morning and flew for about 10 or 12 hours, arriving early that same Thursday evening. I used to joke that of course there is a way, when you cross the International Date Line to actually arrive at your destination before the time that you left your point of origination. Dr. Einstein was right in so many ways when he figured out that time is relative (I know that is an over-simplification and don’t pretend to understand physics, the most mystical of the sciences. But I love thinking about it all!)

I once visited my eighth grade history teacher, Mr. Peterson, many years since I had last seen him as a young Middle School student, but not long after I had been to South Korea and Japan. He seemed to get a kick out of what I said about being able to arrive before you have left in some cases. It was fun to tell him about how my life had been since the days that he so enthusiastically taught. He and one of the other history teachers, Mr. O’Grady, took delight in drawing maps of battles of the French and Indian War and of the Civil war with colored chalk on the huge floor to ceiling “green boards” in our brand new state-of-the-art Barrington Middle School. Built without hallways, and with a plan that not only included team teaching, but also had unusual class scheduling, it was an amazing experience to be a student there.

I was in the first eighth grade class to graduate from the school, but it wasn’t completed until January of that year. The first half of eighth grade was spent in the already condemned building that had been Barrington Hough Street Elementary school. The seventh graders were with us, too, but the sixth graders were farmed out to Sunday school classrooms in many of our local churches. They finished the sixth graders’ wing at the Middle School first, and I think they started studying there in November of 1965.

That was all a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. I didn’t mean to get so far off the track on that sentimental journey . . . please excuse me!

However, speaking of a long time ago, the city of Vladivostok will be celebrating its 150th birthday in June. So that’s pretty exciting, and since they just finished the May holidays, I’m sure everyone is not only happy about the signs that spring is casting out the rough winter they endured here, but also that the summer will bring even more chances to celebrate.

The Vladivostok 65th Anniversary of the Victory in WW II included a parade, concerts and the placing of wreaths at monuments to those who gave their “last full measure” as well as lauding the veterans still among us in Veterans’ Homes or wherever they live. I was blessed that evening to go to a concert at the philharmonic hall in beautiful downtown Vladivostok, right on the port of an inlet of that part of the Pacific Ocean called the Sea of Japan called The Golden Horn. Mountainous islands and peninsulas shield the port from the open ocean, and it is very lovely.

The USNS Blue Ridge, which is the flagship of the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet, was in port to help celebrate, and a Navy jazz ensemble played in a concert hall on a program that included a Russian band as well. The Russian band began the program with some rousing marches, waltzes and folks music. Then they were joined by six or seven U.S. Navy musicians and played some pieces together.

The predominantly Russian audience was very appreciative and the mistress of ceremonies was a gracious show woman. Everything was translated over the PA system so people who spoke either Russian or English could get the jist of what was going on. The music spoke for itself.

When the Russian band members gave up their places on stage and the U.S. Navy musicians began to play and sing it was marvelous. There were several encores called for each band, and at one point people were dancing in the aisles.

One of the most popular pieces seemed to be a big band number from the WW II era, but music by The Eagles and Stevie Wonder was appreciated as well. Of course a John Phillip Sousa march couldn’t have been left out, and the Russian band ended their program with the U.S. Navy’s “Anchors Aweigh”!

There was some dancing in the aisles, there were lots of cheers and applause, many smiles, much hand-shaking, many photos taken and there were even requests of some of the navy musicians for autographs. What a joyful time!

Have more to tell you, but I will leave you with all the above and look forward to sharing some more later.

May the Lord continue to bless and keep you and yours.

Thanks and Blessings – Kathy

The Joy of the Lord
Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
Nehemiah 8:10


Kathleen Ware Harris  © 2012
kwharris777@gmail.com

A Moscow Evening May 8, 2010

A Moscow Evening May 8, 2010

Wishing You Joy, Peace and Love . . . Now and Always!

Dear One –

I hope this finds you fully enjoying the beauty of creation and the love of your family and friends.

I know that yesterday I said that would be the last of my travel journal entries from Moscow, but I was wrong! Last night some of the students and I went out for dinner and then went up to Christ the Savior Cathedral in beautiful downtown Moscow, not far from the Kremlin. We walked back and forth over the river on two different bridges and there were many people strolling along the banks of the river, in the beautiful gardens around the Cathedral. Some of the people we saw were young couples out on dates -- the young women had flowers that had been given to them by their attentive young men.

The air was fresh and the sun was taking a long time to set, as it does so far north this time of year. What a beautiful evening it was. The smell of the flowers from beds of tulips and pansies, the smell of the apple and cherry blossoms and the other blossoming trees wafted up and washed over us on beautiful light breezes. In addition, the slowly changing light from the lovely sunset coloring a few decorative clouds high in the western sky and good company made it all very memorable.

As I’m pretty sure I have told you before, there is a famous and beautiful Russian folk song called “Podmosckovniye Vechera” (Evenings in Moscow) – and the beauty of the city on spring, summer and fall evenings is lauded in it. Zhanna and I kept singing it softly or humming it off and on . . . was good music to stroll along with and appropriate since it WAS a gorgeous Moscow evening.

Although I haven’t written captions for them, I already put them on my Facebook page, and even if you haven’t joined Facebook, you can see the photos by going to this web page:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23174&id=100000104723008&l=034bb9a14c

Artur took the photos on his mobile phone camera, playing our paprazzio once more! Highlighted in them are a few different things I should probably explain before you see them:

1. I am standing by some kind of amazing motorcycle-like vehicle that has the word “Monster” painted on it in Russian. Maybe I have mentioned it before. It is usually parked right outside the gate of the Seminary Building, though it wasn’t there this morning. Some people we saw standing around it with car repair tools seemed to be working on it, and maybe it has been used to go away for the holiday weekend.

Tomorrow is the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II for the people of the former Soviet Union. They are pulling out all the stops to celebrate and you can see stands being put up so people can listen to concerts and watch the big parade. This year the U.S, Great Britain and France have even been invited to participate in the parade. That is unprecedented.

2. We ate at a restaurant called “Moo-Moo” so that’s why there are the photos of us with the cow. Don’t ask me to try to explain WHY there is a restaurant called “Moo-Moo,” just accept it for what it is, and go and eat there if you get a chance. The food is great!

3. There are many photos of the Christ the Savior Cathedral, and I keep calling it that because of its size. However, the word “Khram” in its Russia title (Khram Khristos Spacitel’” really means “temple” and this goes along with the Orthodox characterization that Moscow became the “Third Rome” after the falls of both Rome in the 5th century A.D., and of Constantinople in the 15th century. My new friend Zhanna who is studying here (as opposed to my friend Zhanna who works here in the Bishop’s office, and who I met three years ago when I was here) and I had a long discussion about the fact that the Russian Orthodox Church uses the word for “temple” to designate certain churches, although in western Christianity “temple” is not used for any churches.

It was an interesting discussion since a great deal of my time here I have spent reading and writing about some articles in books concerning the similarities and differences between the Orthodox Tradition and the Wesleyan tradition. (The use of both capital “T” “Tradition” and lower case “t” tradition is deliberate. For many in the Orthodox hierarchy, there is an insistence that only in Orthodoxy does the true Church exist. Obviously this is often debated in ecumenical dialogs.

All rightie, then . . . I know that’s enough theology for me right now! Probably for you, too, no doubt!

I am not sure what else in the photos needs an explanation, but when I put the captions up, you can ask me if there is anything that isn’t clear, O.K.?

Oh, I almost forgot. When I write at one time about the statue of a tsar on the grounds of the Temple of Christ the Savior (might as well translate its name properly), I misidentified the tsar. It is a not a statue of Nichols II, but of his great grandfather, Alexander II who built the original Temple of Christ the Savior of which the current one is an exact replica. So now that we have THAT straight . . . when you see the photo of the statue of the tsar, you will know who it really is.

It’s 2:00 PM and Zhanna and I will call for a cab to take me to the airport to fly to Vladivostok around 4:00 PM. I’m all packed and ready to go, but loath to leave in many ways, as much as I am looking forward to seeing Vladivostok and being able to visit my friend there.

Everyone here has been so sweet and kind, all of them telling me they hope I come back. I hope I do, too, God willing.

Happy Mother’s Day if that applies to you . . . and if not I hope you celebrate or remember your Mom and have a blessed day one way or another.

Sadly, my Mom fell and broke some ribs the other day, so please prayer for her not to be in pain and for her to recover quickly. Skype is great and I have been able to talk to my parents, my kids and some friends on it. Even though I don’t have a web cam, my son does, and when I talk with hi I have been able to see him and his family. Last night when I was talking to him he asked if I will be able to talk to them on Skype tomorrow for Mother’s Day. Whether or not I am able to, I know that both my kids are thinking of me and praying for me, and I trust I will be able to make up for not being around them when I do get to see them all.

God is so good and so faithful!

May the Lord continue to bless and keep you and yours.
Blessings and Love -- Kathy


The Heavens Declare God’s Glory
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
Psalm 19:1-4a


Kathleen Ware Harris  © 2012
kwharris777@gmail.com

How Time Flies . . . May 7, 2010

Dear One -

 I hope this finds you and yours healthy and happy.

 As I get ready to leave Moscow and fly to Vladivostok, there are a few more things I want to share with you.  On Wednesday morning I was blessed to attend one of the Students' Worship Services again.  Several of the people who work in the Seminary office or in the Bishop's office were there, too.  All the students took part in the service, and Artur preached on the ways that in Christ we are able to call God the Creator our Father in Heaven.  In order to illustrate the idea that God is Father to the fatherless, he began by telling a story about his work with orphans in his home town of Samara in central Russia.  He also did a good job pointing out that we often have spiritual parents who are important in our faith journeys.  Sometimes they are the people who lead us to a saving knowledge of God in Christ.  Sometimes they are those who listen to us, pray for us and guide us in the Way.

Sergei Nikolaev, who is also the E. Stanley Jones professor of Evangelism here, was also at the service.  He occupies a professorial chair named for Bishop Ruediger Minor and his wife, Gerlinde.  Back in 1992, Bishop Minor was the first United Methodist Bishop appointed to shepherd the clergy, laity and work of the UMC in the Eurasian Area.  When it was time for Communion, Sergei got up to be the celebrant, and I found the peace I usually receive as I begin to hear the words of the Communion liturgy in English.

The first time I heard the words of the Communion service in Russian, I was the one speaking them It was in 1998 at the time that I was blessed to be given the opportunity to start the outreach to Russian-speaking immigrants in the Baltimore-Washington region.  After meeting several immigrants, we started holding worship services in Russian in the Chapel at Rockville UMC.  In case you don't know the Washington, D.C. area, Rockville is one of the Maryland suburbs straight north of the District.  From there north through the town of Gaithersburg there are many former Soviet people, some of whom have lived in the locale since the mid-70s when because of a condition of Détente between the US and the Soviet Union, Jewish people who could prove they had been persecuted were allowed to emigrate.  Many of them went to live in Israel, and many more came to the U.S.

Anyway, in 1998, my Russian language ability was pretty rusty, so I was blessed to practice my Communion liturgy pronunciation with a elderly Russian woman named Sophiya, whose daughter had called and asked me if we could help her mother come to our services.  It was a joy to bring her to church with us, and spending with her in her apartment was lovely, too.  Along with helping me with my Russian language, she led me to understand a bit more about what keeping the faith was like during the Soviet era.  She described the difficulties this way.  Not only was it often not possible to worship in a church, but there were few Bibles available and they had to be kept hidden, often even from family members.  She told me that each believer's faith was very private, and most of the time it couldn't be shared with other people.  I saw how in Sophiya's life that these conditions had led to a very deep intimate life in Christ.  We were all happy that she came to worship with us because the peace of the Lord could be seen in her eyes and light was all around her.

As Sergei continued to recite the Communion liturgy the peace of God turned into a deep sense of the presence of the Holy Spirit with us.  We had sung praise songs, listened to testimonies of God's faithfulness, heard prayer requests, prayed and worshiped with one another.  Now we were joining with the Host of Witnesses to take part in the essential activity of the Body of Christ together. My heart soared and I felt so blessed to have been able to be here, to have been able to share in the life of the students for a while, and to be able to have studied with Sergei.  God is so good and so wonderful!

If you feel led, please pray for the students, the people of the Seminary, the Bishop, District Superintendents, pastors and parishioners of the Eurasian area - and for everyone in the former Soviet Union, in order that they may come to know the fullness of God's love in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.

May the Lord continue to bless and keep you and yours.

Blessings in His Love - Kathy

In Remembrance of Him

 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table.  And Jesus said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.  For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God."  After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you.  For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."  And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

Luke 22:14-20

Kathleen Ware Harris  © 2012

kwharris777@gmail.com