Getting Shafted

Morning... yeah, little late today, not much kick left in my glass. The kids had their moments both positive and negative today. I yelled at one kid today (older kid with a good foundation on fundamentals, he's just lazy) that my grandma played better defense than he did (trust me, the situation merited such a comment (if Marty (my high school basketball coach) would a have gotten a hold of him there would be much left)). The interesting thing was that phrase didn't require a translation; he knew exactly what I said the second I said (though it really didn't make a lasting impact on his effort, unfortunately). However it was really nice to have a lot of the kids approach me to greet me during the beginning camp. I took my camera and made a few shots today (nothing special). Ira found out she must must make a presentation on Monday in order to graduate, totally unexpected, and it really shook her up quite a bit, but she hung in there all day, being very positive, patient, and forever helpful. As camp was ending with the older kids a most memorable experience occurred, one of the older players approached Ira and asked her to translate for him. He handed me a necklace that has a dog-tag, bullet, and cross on it. He said that his grandfather gave it to him and that it has brought him luck. He said he wanted me to have it. I didn't really know what to say no one has ever given me anything like that before, but I told him I was honored; he told me it's to help me remember Dneproptrosk and to come back next year. He then gave me at least four hugs. Special things have happened every day and each with increasing gravity. It was a blessing to look that kid in the eye and see true admiration and appreciation, true, tangible evidence of the impact we are having in lives of these kids.
We let out a few minutes early and Jon and I examined a few of the older kids shots and gave some pointers and other shooting drills they could do to improve it. Also yesterday (an eventful day) the coach came over to me while I was overseeing a drill and told me a girl wanted to talk to me, so since the coach told me I figured it was some one he knew or someone he would like me to talk to, but she was one of the students from the school who just wanted to talk. We talked for a few minutes, and then went back to the drill but today afterwards she brought all of the coaches a Red Bull and as she handed them out a guy that was with her took our picture quite discretely. I don't know if it was promotionally motivated or not. No basketball with the pros or further badminton lessons today we rode back to the flat to shower before the church meeting.
Jon and I are running not late but close (too close for the old guys) and so we hurry and get on the elevator (just like normal) and have 5 minutes to get to the corner to meet Jane. On the way down Tom thinks it would be fun to run a little experiment (because he had heard about others jumping on the elevator), and so doesn't actually leave the floor but shifts his weight in such a way that simulates the jumping motion, I will confess that I joined him ever so slightly, but it was enough to stop the elevator somewhere close to the 2nd floor. So Jon, Greg, Tom, and I are stuck in an unairconditioned elevator without a translator. We push the bell button and here the attendant downstairs yelling up at us (she's a little old lady), and of course she is yelling in Russian, so we also yell but in English effective getting nowhere. The events that follow are not in chronological order but were done to pass the time: unwrapping gum, standing, saving gum from hitting the floor (Jon went for the knock-down), hazing Tom, putting gum in my mouth, singing America the Beautiful, chewing gum, singing Hey Jude, watching hopelessly as the gum falls out of my mouth before the first bubble could be blown, singing other church related songs, pick gum up off the floor contemplating whether to attempt reentry or not but finding a hair on it negating all possibilities of continued mastication, listening to the other elevator operating properly, putting the hairy gum back in the wrapper, pushing the buttons on the elevator, shifting weight, trying all possible escape routes, looking at what appeared to be blood on the ceiling tile in the corner, and sweating (so much for showers). The Greg says that Jane will come for us. It was in this moment I knew we would be saved. After 35+ minutes we hear Jane's voice calling up, "Boys are you okay." to which we enthusiastically responds, "Yes, Save US!!!!" They reset the elevator a couple of times and finally got us moving down at an appropriate speed.
The way the attendant was yelling earlier I thought we were in trouble and that she was mad, but when we came out she had a big smile on her face and told us that she was so worried and glad that we were safe. She also told us that she loved our singing and that it was a miracle from God that we made it out. We told her thank you and went outside. One of Jane's old students had given her a ride there and was going to give us a ride to church. She had a three seat row for the four of us men. Yep, you guessed it I got to be little brother and sit on Jon's lap. We are stopped at a light behind 7 cars and she pulls out onto the railcar road and goes by all of the other cars. She pulled out in front of a few other people took some back pot holes (more hole than road) to the church.
We arrived safely and were actually there before Rachel and Steve. Class was good Gregg presided in our class with the kids of which there was about 20. We stayed and talked a bit (always taking more pictures with the kids). We then went to the mall and ate dinner at a restaurant there recounting our adventures to the rest of the group with more smiles and laughter than I've had in a long time. We bought some more milk bags, and are know prepared to sleep, hoping and praying for the strength to make a lasting impact on these kids on their last day of camp.