BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

03/01/2007

Man drops in from Belarus for holidays

Ray graduate helps orphans in former Soviet Union nation

By Israel Saenz Caller-Times

Some gifts are unexpected.

Take Rand Mason, a 2006 Ray High School graduate currently doing volunteer work in Belarus who missed the holidays last year with his family. He made it this year.

"He just walked through the door," said mother Lisa Mason. "We had no idea he was coming."

Mason, 19, has come to cherish the gift of giving.

He has spent 14 months in the Eastern European country helping orphans through the local Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd and its San Antonio base at the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas. Now home for the holidays, Mason said his work is far from done, and he plans to continue his own education in Belarus, a nation formerly under the rule of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Mason first traveled as a missionary to the country at 15, and said he has been back seven times, including last summer when he returned with Belarusian orphans who visited South Texas for the first time.

"After several trips to Belarus, my life has changed," Mason said. "I know I want to dedicate my life to those who need help."

Lisa Mason, whose family moved to San Antonio last summer, said she remembers her son going through a period of transition as a teenager, when he toyed with the idea of designing jewelry to make a living.

"That was not what he wanted to be doing," Lisa Mason said. "He wanted to find a way to really give back."

For Mason, giving meant working with orphans in Minsk, the Belarusian capital, through programs such as the abroad program for orphans, as well as safe-house, camp and retreat programs.

For Mason's parents, giving meant letting go of their oldest son for a cause they strongly support.

"We felt it was the right thing," said Lisa Mason, who along with the rest of the Masons is also a member of the church. "We thought if he went to college, but really wanted to be in Belarus, he'd be miserable."

Mason has learned a lot. He already knows the Belarusian language and has become so accustomed to using it he said when he comes back home he sometimes struggles to remember the English translation of some words.

For now, Mason is using the break to relax and catch up with old friends.

Fellow church member Catherine Clemons, 19, said she has known Mason since before they attended elementary school.

Now home on break from classes at the University of Texas, she said her friend's work is unique, but inspiring.

"I think what he is doing is so radical," she said. "One person is making such a huge difference."

Church member Pam Gouverne said between 15 to 20 members of the church have traveled to Belarus for similar missions.

"It's to demonstrate to these kids that we're loved, so we want to give them that love," she said. "We don't do a lot of evangelizing. It's more of a ministry through example."

Mason's gifts come in the form of 15-year-old named Sasha, who Mason said arrived at the safe house weighing 49 pounds.

"As of mid-December, he has gained 16 pounds and receives a sufficient amount of vitamins to help his condition," Mason said.

Mason said for now, his future is in Belarus.

He will visit his family in San Antonio this week, and travels back to the country on Jan. 8.He said he has grown to appreciate Belarus' unique qualities.

"The Belarusian culture is much different than here," Mason said. "It is a much older culture - one I have grown to appreciate.

"Because of the opportunities I've been given, I've been able to help make a difference."

About Belarus

Location: Eastern Europe

Population: 10,293,011

Language: Belarusian

Religions: 80 percent Eastern Orthodox, 20 percent other

Independence obtained: 1991

Source: HYPERLINK http://www.cia.gov www.cia.gov

Contact Israel Saenz at 886-3767 or HYPERLINK mailto:saenzi@caller.com saenzi@caller.com

Source:

http://www.caller.com/ccct/local_news/article/0,1641,CCCT_811_5253517,00.html