neljapäev, september 23, 2004
Mario
Today was Mario's first full day in Tartu; it went very well. I tried to help him get his feet wet and not do too much so he didn't get overwhelmed. Of course, his feet did get wet since it was another rainy day (typical for this time of year), so we didn't walk around town the way I had planned, but we were able to accomplish some much needed errands.
We started the day at the motor vehicle department (ARK) because the van had failed inspection when they found the registration showed it was a diesel rather than bensiin (gas). It seems like a simple enough thing to fix, but because the vehicle is owned by Päästearmee, the paperwork had to be signed by a member of the board (which I am not yet). I found this out only after waiting an hour earlier in the week, so I was able to get a letter giving me power of attorney to sign. It still took a while to explain, and I don't think I could have done it without Mario to explain everything in Estonian. Although he is a timid guy, he handled the situation well. Before I went in, I had shown him what needed to be done, so once we were in the office, he just handled it and I barely had to do anything.
From there we went to the garage to show the new paperwork, pass the inspection and get a new sticker (no new inspection for two years--woohoo!). Again, he just spoke the mechanics and we sailed through. From there, I gave him a driving tour of Tartu (the rain was really coming down by then), showing him places that will be useful to him, like grocery stores, department stores and the bus station.
After a break for lunch, we headed to the phone company to handle some business (again, done in minutes because he could explain everything in Estonian) and I took him to the local Christian bookstore, which he was happy about because he said he likes books. From there, we set out on what was the most daunting part of the day for me. We met a woman in Narva a while ago who told us that her estranged husband lived in Tartu, and that she would like to contact him so that he can see his three children. She gave us his name and the address of his mother, and we promised to visit. So that is where Mario and I headed, not knowing what to expect when we spoke to the mother. It was a challenge to find, because she lives in the Annelinn section of town where 40% of the city's population live in row after row after row of blocky, Soviet-style buildings built in the 70s and 80s. We did find her building and reach her apartment, but when we rang the bell, there was no answer. It was disappointing, but I want to go back again tomorrow.
This last adventure is something we hope to do a lot more, and having Mario will make it possible. It seems like ever since we've come here we've been looking for the big work that we will do, but we keep fining people in places like Tallinn, Narva and Tartu who tell us, "I know someone there who is in need," "I know someone I would like you to contact." So we are paying attention to that and planning to reach out to people on a small scale, almost one at a time. But when we look at it, this is the kind of relationship building that we have seen be so successful in the past, we were just kind of blind to it at the time.
I do ask that you pray for Mario. He seems to have his heart in Tallinn and I think it will take a while for him to consider Tartu home. This is a big step for him, but he needs to be able to get over his initial trepidation. I think he is also feeling a bit unsure of what is expected of him because he has to take direction from the training college, from us, and from the regional office in Tallinn. Pray that we will be able to help him find the balance between the three and not feel pulled in all directions. He is a sincere guy and I think he wants to do well, pray that he will have the strength to do so.
--Tim
We started the day at the motor vehicle department (ARK) because the van had failed inspection when they found the registration showed it was a diesel rather than bensiin (gas). It seems like a simple enough thing to fix, but because the vehicle is owned by Päästearmee, the paperwork had to be signed by a member of the board (which I am not yet). I found this out only after waiting an hour earlier in the week, so I was able to get a letter giving me power of attorney to sign. It still took a while to explain, and I don't think I could have done it without Mario to explain everything in Estonian. Although he is a timid guy, he handled the situation well. Before I went in, I had shown him what needed to be done, so once we were in the office, he just handled it and I barely had to do anything.
From there we went to the garage to show the new paperwork, pass the inspection and get a new sticker (no new inspection for two years--woohoo!). Again, he just spoke the mechanics and we sailed through. From there, I gave him a driving tour of Tartu (the rain was really coming down by then), showing him places that will be useful to him, like grocery stores, department stores and the bus station.
After a break for lunch, we headed to the phone company to handle some business (again, done in minutes because he could explain everything in Estonian) and I took him to the local Christian bookstore, which he was happy about because he said he likes books. From there, we set out on what was the most daunting part of the day for me. We met a woman in Narva a while ago who told us that her estranged husband lived in Tartu, and that she would like to contact him so that he can see his three children. She gave us his name and the address of his mother, and we promised to visit. So that is where Mario and I headed, not knowing what to expect when we spoke to the mother. It was a challenge to find, because she lives in the Annelinn section of town where 40% of the city's population live in row after row after row of blocky, Soviet-style buildings built in the 70s and 80s. We did find her building and reach her apartment, but when we rang the bell, there was no answer. It was disappointing, but I want to go back again tomorrow.
This last adventure is something we hope to do a lot more, and having Mario will make it possible. It seems like ever since we've come here we've been looking for the big work that we will do, but we keep fining people in places like Tallinn, Narva and Tartu who tell us, "I know someone there who is in need," "I know someone I would like you to contact." So we are paying attention to that and planning to reach out to people on a small scale, almost one at a time. But when we look at it, this is the kind of relationship building that we have seen be so successful in the past, we were just kind of blind to it at the time.
I do ask that you pray for Mario. He seems to have his heart in Tallinn and I think it will take a while for him to consider Tartu home. This is a big step for him, but he needs to be able to get over his initial trepidation. I think he is also feeling a bit unsure of what is expected of him because he has to take direction from the training college, from us, and from the regional office in Tallinn. Pray that we will be able to help him find the balance between the three and not feel pulled in all directions. He is a sincere guy and I think he wants to do well, pray that he will have the strength to do so.
--Tim
