Alarm systems and Sasha

In early April, Jim & Sally’s security system went on the fritz and wouldn’t stop beeping. We didn’t know about it until the company called the CEC to say that they’d already changed out the old one for a temporary new one.

They said that the old key should still work, so no problems while we wait for Jim & Sally to come back and get a new one.

So when Amy and I headed over to Jim & Sally’s to get a bulb for the projector, imagine our surprise when the key didn’t fit!

We had Irina, director of Bible College and the CEC, call them to prepare an extra key for us, so we could turn off the system when Jim & Sally get here on Friday (2 days from now). Alas, no dice.

So this morning, Amy (being brilliant as she is) says we should just go to the office. So we look up the address on the Tyumen electronic map (we’re so sophisticated) and set off on our next adventure.

We arrived at the office and a security guard directed us to the next building over, the police station, to the fifth floor. We climb all the steps and find ourselves in the electrician’s closet… second try. We get to the other side of the fifth floor and find the correct office. The woman there was very nice, conferred with her boss and decided to allow us to turn off Jim & Sally’s system for a few days. A technician would come with us and then we’d be all set.

The technician looked really familiar and I just outright asked him if he’d gone to camp before. Yes, 10 years ago on my first trip to Russia! Sasha was one of the teens that I’d best connected with on my first trip to Russia. He remembered talking with me using a dictionary! I am seriously blown away at God’s sovereignty and this divine appointment. We wrote one another for about 2 years from 2001-2003 and then he stopped answering to letters (probably too cool at 16, huh?) Anyway – when I lived here in Tyumen from 2006-7, I often thought of Sasha and wished I had a phone number – never did find him. Now he’s 23 and it was so cool to see him. I’ve got his phone number now, and I’ll be getting in touch with him soon.