Mix could speak English and told us that he had been playing Country & Western (i.e. Cowboy Music) in the Saint Petersburg clubs, when he accepted Christ as his savior. Later I explained, even to Pat, as he was a generation younger than I that there was Tom Mix the famous Movie star called “The Singing Sheriff’ crossing over from silent screen into “The Talkies”. (See Olive Stokes Mix’s Bio of “The Fabulous Tom Mix)”
We became friends with him and gave him some of the books. Before we left, we traded telephone numbers with him and promised to stay in touch. A couple months later, he called and told us that he was going to be in Minsk and would like to see us. He had contacted the WOF office and they were going to give him some more books, for his outreach down south.
Down South … … … I have to throw this in here.
The Wife of my youth, when she came back with me in 1995 and I had learned our Survival Russian with apparently the local Accent, as there was not any laughing, when we tried. Even to questioning us about saying, that we did not understand Russian. The boys told Pat and me, on our way back to Minsk that the Russian spoken in Moldova had a different sound to it, compared to that in Belarus. Pat and I noticed that and referred to them having a Southern Accent. Of course, we had to explain the different … almost dialects spoken in the States.
I am not sure when ‘Caller ID’ came out here in the States, Nevertheless, Never seeing it before at home, I was impressed to see our hostess and her son look at the telephone to check who was calling before answering it. That was the only area seen and only in Chisinau that the former USSR was ahead of us in technology.
Our hostess, as I wrote about earlier, made sure we were home in the evening or made sure we knew to go about getting there, when we wanted to continue with what we were doing at “Sun Down”. She parked her car in a garage she had rented, as you did not leave your vehicle on the streets if you wanted to keep it whole!
We never question what she did during those hours and she never spoke about it herself.
One evening (Apparently a night off.) as we all were having dinner; she started questioning Pat and I about our calling and finally around to our families, as the boys interpreted for us. She was ok with Pat’s wife and family being in Minsk and we would be returning within the week. Nevertheless, when she found out that my wife was in the States and I had committed to three to six months of being there, (It wound up to being four.) she really got into the Questioning. She wanted to know what was wrong, and I had to work hard at convincing her that we were happily married, with Pat confirming what I said. Best be it known to you, that I was extra sure of never being alone with her. Pat teased me about it several times and back in Minsk, we could laugh about it. It sure was not funny at the time.
We had accomplished quite a bit and were satisfied that the mission was fulfilled and that our successful quests for contacts were made for the Saws eventual return.
Our hostess took us to the train Station and we thank her with additional cash. We said our good byes with a handshake and we boarded for our twenty-two hour return to Minsk, as I was relieved.
Next week More Ministry in Minsk.
Be blessed, 1 ©2008
