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Tag Archives: russia

Creating a Rebellious Heart

21 March 2012, 06:05

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Two short months before leaving for Russia, I was blessed with the opportunity to travel Europe with my mom, both grandmothers, and my aunt. It had been a lifelong dream of my 88-year-old grandmother, and I relished every second of it. One of the days that had the most impact on me was the trip […]

Snooping, Spying, and Snitching: A Training Center Status Quo

10 January 2012, 06:45

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Former ATI students share stories of how they were watched, spied on, and tattled on regularly At Advanced Training Institute (ATI) training centers, students and staff quickly learned not to expect privacy in any activity. E-mail, telephone conversations, and even letters and packages from home were monitored for contraband and for forbidden contacts, especially with […]

Training Center Christmas Memories

27 December 2011, 06:48

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Recovering Grace asked former Advanced Training Institute (ATI) students what they remembered about the Christmas holidays — and the preparations for them — at the various training centers at which they served. While some of the students had pleasant memories, others remembered stress-filled weeks of onerous, highly-detailed work, culminating in large events that they were […]

PTSD for Christmas

20 December 2011, 06:00

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Moscow, Russia. December 1995. — I sat in the lobby of the Moscow Training Center (MTC) orphanage, watching the snow fall. The red carpet and chandeliers cast a cheery glow upon the white blanketed view beyond the windows. I could sit and watch the snow fall for hours. As one unaccustomed to snow, I was […]

Choosing Forgiveness

3 October 2011, 06:00

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When I was 19 I worked for two years to save up enough money to go to Moscow, Russia.  I went with the home school program I was involved in, the Advanced Training Institute (ATI) and I worked hard. Much to my surprise I was quickly singled out as someone with bad intentions. One of […]

Story of a Destiny

29 September 2011, 06:03

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A little star was forming, developing, reaching to become all that the Biggest Star in the solar system meant for it to be. A Mentor star came alongside the little star, and offered to help. The little star shared its secrets and its struggles, and waited to be told how to become the great star […]

Sweeping the Stairs: An Exercise in Will-Breaking

27 September 2011, 06:15

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It was 1995. I was 20 years old. I had recently arrived at the Moscow Training Center in Moscow, Russia, and was eager to begin my first day of “ministry.” I was assigned to the housekeeping detail. The woman in charge was giving me instructions for sweeping a flight of stairs at the training center, […]

To Russia With Love, part 2

18 August 2011, 06:15

RobertM

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My fourth year in Russia was the most difficult, but in a much stranger way. At the beginning of the year, I was given the assignment of interpreting for a family. I was told that this family had been a problem in the past year and had not been expected to stay, but now it […]

To Russia With Love, part 1

16 August 2011, 06:15

RobertM

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When my family began homeschooling in 1985, there were only a handful of homeschooling families in our state of Mississippi. Homeschooling ended up being very positive for our family. It brought us closer together and closer to the Lord. We used several different  homeschooling curricula over the years, and there were a couple of years […]

Finding Relationships, Not Rules

28 July 2011, 15:00

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  I grew up in a family where both parents loved the Lord. They faithfully taught me God’s Word, providing me with every resource to grow spiritually.  At a young age I asked Jesus to come into my heart and take away my sin. I had a heart to serve God, but my desire to […]