Determination and Strength!

The weather was horrible today, not only was it freezing cold but we had many intermittent blizzards and high winds!  We had 3 groups out delivering family parcels in Mogilev, Smolka and Behov and Rhona and I met with the orphanage director to discuss the children coming to Canada this summer.

Cathy Boone went to visit a girl that she and her husband, Byron, hosted when she was 13 years old.  Anna got pregnant when she was 16 and had a baby boy named Sergei.  Here is a picture of Cathy, Anna and Sergei taken this week.

Anna is a very determined young woman, now 23, who is not afraid to take on any challenge.  She wanted a better life for herself and Sergei and managed to get a job working at the Post Office where she earns $100 U.S. per month.  She took out a loan at the bank and purchased a very small 2 room vacant house for $3,000.  Then without any training, she went about renovating and building additions to it, completely on her own.  It the next picture you can see some of the work she did building walls with squared timbers.

She taught herself how to do masonry work for both the foundations of the addition and the new petchka she built to heat it.  Her brother is an electrician and helped with the wiring and she plastered the interior walls to finish them.  She also dug the trench by hand out to the street so she could get a water line connected to the house.  It is now approximately 4 times the size of the original house.  Below you can see the masonry work on the petchka, which still needs parging, as well as some of the inside of the house.

She did all of this on her own while working full time, raising her son and attending school by correspondence to get a certificate in pet health.  When she completes that she would like to continue her education through correspondence towards a University degree!

Here is a picture of Sergei with his new bike, delivered by Cathy.

Here are Kylie Smith and Samantha Cameron along with our interpreter Nina playing a new game with Sergei.

Anna’s next plan is to add hot water and an indoor bathroom.  I have no doubt as to the success of that initiative!

Eric McKenzie

4 thoughts on “Determination and Strength!

  1. Byron

    This is Anna. What a woman. I first met her in Barachevka, a small village outside of Chausy. She was very young and I gave her some candy that I bought in the sparse magazine (store). Years later, Cathy and I hosted her in Canada. Look at her go! I am very proud of her.

  2. Monique Corbeil

    You are ours eyes,hands and feet in Bélarus Thank you so much.Vous etes nos yeux,nos mains et nos pieds de tout coeur un grand MERCI.

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