(News published as POWER LINES)

(prayer has a beneficial effect)

She has lived in Laguna Beach nearly 25 years. She has no history of acting, but with a name like hers it has been thought about.

She is the director of the R STAR Ministries, (primarily for women and children, but not exclusive to them); has a ministry in counseling in a spiritual context; she has an on going prison ministry (20 + years), working on a one to one basis rather than groups within the prisons; officiates at ceremonies for Holy Unions, Weddings, Baptisms, Memorials as a licensed and ordained minister in both California and Hawaii.

Her hobbies include walking. Biking, writing, traveling, praying, and  kayaking in the open ocean and making her own line of greeting cards for the past 16 years to use for her work and ministry, but also gets to sell them with the proceeds always going to the work of the Ministries.

In 1988 a significant life change redirected Rosalind Russell to return to school. She investigated the numerous seminaries in and around California and decided upon the Santa Anta Church Ministerial School in Arcadia

She was immediately accepted for attendance due to her past under-graduate work as well as her intense desire to discover her own spirituality as well as teach it in different ways than most seminaries expect of their graduating clergy.

She excelled in her classes for the next 3 years, graduating first of her class in 1990. She immediately began the second part of her schooling so as to become Ordained as well. Because she did not choose to do work in a church to achieve this added education as is the standard in seminary, she had to petition the seminary board with a program that she was interested in working, as well as write the program, which she did write and they agreed to.

The program she offered was to work for a year in E.L.A. with Chicano gangs along with others of the community.  She sat on the board of Ramona Gardens Project for its entire existence of 6 years.

Once her year was completed with submissions of what was achieved, challenges met or not met, she was granted her ordination day. However, Rev. Russell is not superficial, and she continued her commitment to the gangs, the police in that area to continue until it could be passed off to another better qualified than herself.

On her own, with no support financially, she did keep her personal commitment to work with them for their improvement in jobs, education and family matters. for an additional 5 years. While there, reading programs were established for adults, youth programs developed from T ball to boxing; the 'turf' was walked by Rev. Russell with gang members at her side, not for her protection, but rather their introduction to the businesses, so as to reintegrate the disgruntled business owners with the idea of hiring gang members as it would serve the world, a form of peace being made after many years of continual break ins and robberies on their own community; fundraising was done in a variety of ways from car washes to selling tamales or auctioning off donated items to bring in money for the programs for the community.

Counseling

It is easy to see her work touches her to this day with the personal touch she adds as well as to developing a relationship with the couple to the degree of their interest.

Rev. Russell offers counseling for the couples so as to avert future difficulties at challenging times. Her mission and goal is to teach that peace in the world begins with peace in the home. The counseling is not comfrontive, but supportive, defining and encouraging when all seems to be hopeless. This is not to say that 'work' is not to be done by the couple, rather that there is a light to aim toward with resolve in view.

A few years about: ROSALIND RUSSELL, the director

1981-1990   Rosalind was a regular platform speaker at the renowned Parker School for Professional Success all over the USA. (PSPS based out of Dallas, Texas, USA) 

1984 PSPS elected Rosalind for Most Outstanding with her business classes

                   taught to doctors, to staff; teaching women to more easily speak,   

                   classes,  primarily held for lifting women; and personal growth

                   classes.

                   Has spoken to crowds as large as 10,000 people, once following

                   Dr. Robert Schuller’s talk at PSPS. 

1989- 1994 Was on the board for the East Los Angeles Ramona Gardens

                 Project as Vice President and served for 5 years working with

                 the gangs of that area, all Chicano gangs; assisting in their getting

                 jobs as well as fundraising to assist the poorest within the             

                community; helped with literacy classes for the adults; team sports  

                for the children.

1994 –     Board member for Laguna Shanti for the allowed length of time, 2

                 years, and was voted unanimously for

1996 voted most valuable board member of Laguna Shanti

1988-1992 Entered Seminary, attending Santa Anita School for Ministers in  

                Arcadia.  She graduated Valedictorian in 1991; and again for her

                ordination in 1992.

1991      Founded and directs THE R STAR MINISTRIES, From that she  

           began working with the gay population and their families to assist

           them in the ‘coming out’ process; does hospice work with her  

           cat(s), thus pet therapy as well as going to hospitals and shut ins,

           all without charge to anyone, or income to herself or the  

           Ministries.  She personally underwrites it all, including hard costs

           and time.

                She was granted the 501©3 status in ’98   

                Does mainline spiritual counseling for couples; families;   

                weddings; funerals and all the things ministers do.

2003 began her International work in Nepal (the First poorest country in

              SE Asia),for women & children, called:

              “WOMEN HELPING WOMEN & CHILDREN… therefore the  

              world”, providing 2 pregnant goats to each woman who in turn  

              must pass on 2 goats within 2 years to another village, all done    

              within the communist areas of the Kavre district, the hot bed of

          Nepal; created micro banking for the women as well as teaching them

          democracy, working with each other while increasing their own

          potential to earn for their families who live in abject poverty too.

 Within one of the poorest villages she has created hospital care and dental care as well as running water for a village of 600 people.  She is currently building a school for the children begun in 2005 conceptually, and started with the building in 2006, for 200 children, with books, desks, paper and pens and teachers, chalkboards and the structure itself with toilets and a cooking area too, and a much needed well.  (400 adults also attend school between planting and harvest season).  With the school, human trafficking is preventable more than ever, as well as fewer terrorists being created.  (Education prevents such madness). 

She trains the women in livestock care with other educators, some from the Nepali government, even while they remain in a civil war; educates both the men and women with ‘gender training’ thus a way to understand each others value as well as time at work; has brought social change to the villages, by having all 5 castes working together, something never done successfully before.  This is teaching tolerance in truth to a country, which is in a civil war now and for the past 12 years.  Traditionally they all fight with each other and steal from one another needlessly.  Teaching tolerance is teaching diplomacy in how to get along successfully with each other.  A micro bank is set up for each village with the women running it, thus learning more about business, loans and management.  NO dividends are paid out to repay the original gift to begin the micro banking, which is otherwise not done in the world  No other charity goes to the areas Rosalind works in, which is at great risk to herself, perhaps her adopted Nepali son Rabin and even the villagers should the fighting factions deem it necessary to harm them.

She has successfully circumvented the fight over the children’s education by the Maoists and the King’s army and local area police by arranging ‘home teaching’ when death would otherwise be upon the teachers and the children by one faction.  Negotiating with the King’s army and the Maoists remains successful, if not unbelievable!

Rosalind raises the funds and uses 100% of what is donated for the ‘goat’ project to place the goats; 100% of the donated money is for the school… none going to support her time away from income producing work at one to two months at a time, also without pay.  She underwrites all the Ministries needs, including the mailings to update the donors; photos taken and given, office work and development, created and paid for a DVD to share the work; and a PowerPoint also to share the work in progress, along with brochures, news blasts, thank you notes and cards, etc. Currently she goes to clubs and private gatherings to present her ongoing work in Nepal to promote and gather funds for the actual gifts of goats and the school, and is frequently written about in newspapers at the local level and otherwise. 

She has been published a few times on a number of spiritual matters she has written; and highly saluted in a popular magazine in Nepal for her work there with her Nepali son Rabin; on talk shows in Nepal when free speech did exist before 2005, and frequently in local newspapers in California, Hawaii and Oregon; is on websites with other video productions offered her because the stations have found her work so inspiring as well as varied; these run in Los Angeles, California as well as Salt Lake City, Utah currently.

2005 - following her trip to Nepal for the villagers, she stopped in Phuket, Thailand to add to the recovery from the Tsunami by giving hundreds of dollars to the hardest hit village there through an organization there.

Currently beyond the above, Rosalind is also involved in about 35 other charities, which assist in: air and ocean ecology; environment; animal welfare from general livestock to exotic animals and threatened animals; children’s orphanages and many human rights Ministries.  This is one passionate woman doing all she can. 

·       1981- 1990 Lecturer, giving to the medical community

·       1987 began her prison work within this country, state and federally

·       1988 – 1992 Attended Seminary

·       1989 Board Member of the Ramona Gardens Project in East Los Angeles, as Vice President

·       1994 Board Member Laguna Shanti

·       1995 Secretary for the Board at Laguna Shanti

·       1996 Board Member of the Year for Laguna Shanti, an outreach program to the HIV community and other life threatening diseases

·       1998 created THE R STAR MINISTRIES, 501© 3 status

·       1999 began her hospice, shut in work with her cat (and without her too)

·       2003 began  the program:

·        “WOMEN HELPING WOMEN & CHILDREN… therefore the world” in Nepal

              * Micro banking

              * Gender training

              *  Building a school for 200 children, (400 adults too)

              *  Providing cultural changes wither programs

              *  Running water to villages      

              *  Hospital and dental care available for FREE, along with measuring the children for starvation, so as to improve health

              *  Works with the King’s army and Maoists to insure the projects as safe for everyone

             *Gives goats to bring change to the women & children

             * Teaches democracy carefully so as not to distress them or anyone

             *2005 began building a school in Nepal, bringing in running water and educating beyond the 3 “R’s” to bring about peace in a war torn country; education; and eradication of poverty.

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