Pedava lives on Tundra, on the Yamal Peninsula, the Eastern side of the Ural mountains. He is a 5-year old lively boy, who wakes up in his home tent very early in the morning. His parents would like to sleep a bit longer than him. That is why they have prepared breakfast on the low tent table for Pedava the previous evening. The toys have also been put out so that he can play with them while the rest of the family still continues their sleep.

Pedava has a favorite Yippee tape, which he puts in the tape player that runs on batteries. This morning he turns the songs on full blast, and steps out of the tent. Pedava’s parents can hear him singing along to the songs in the Nenet’s language as loud as he can!

Even though Pedava’s parents are a woken by the singing earlier than necessary, they are happy to hear Pedava still nearby the tent. While they are still laying between their reindeer skins, they are grateful that he has not gone to the river without permission. They have named their son ‘Pedava’ which means ‘good boy’.

Pedava and all the other alike Nenets children from Tundra speak only Nenets. When Pedava turns 7 his whole world changes, he goes to school. This means that he is now far away from Tundra and his home tent where Mum and Dad still live.  It also means also that the language of Pedava’s childhood does not have any more use, Russian is spoken at school. From his very first day Pedava has to learn the Russian language as soon as possible. He gets to go home from school only once a year to visit his family.

Please pray that Pedava and all the Nenets children could hear the Gospel in their mother tongue. This is why the Yippee-tapes (CDs) and Yippee-books have been recorded in Nenets language. Please pray that they could be spread to the Nenets children living in the boarding schools. The Yippee-album was recorded in Nenets in July 2007. This true story is from July 2009.

Written by Ian and Satu Cottrell

*The boy in the picture is not Pedava.