End of summer updates

Well, it officially feels like fall in Kiev now.  We've got rain here all week and it's been quite chilly lately.  It seems like summer came and went really quickly this year.

Fall will bring a lot of changes in our life.  Most changes will revolve around the arrival of our first baby (Hoo Rayyy!!!).  She's due on October 3rd.

I've had so many challenges with doing all the documents and tests required simply to give birth somewhere in Kiev, that it seems like I'll give birth at home!! (kidding, but seriously, it's 37/38 weeks in pregnancy now, and the hospital still hasn't agreed to take me.)

You can help us in your prayers by praying that I will be submitted to the hospital and whoever my doctor ends up being will be qualified and handle me and our baby with care.

You can also pray for the first month or so once she comes, because we are expecting to be sleep deprived and stressed, and want to make sure that our relationship with God and each other doesn't suffer because of the amount of time she requires.

We are also praying about our finances, that everything will be provided that we need, and especially that we'll not worry about it if things get tight in the budget.  After all, God has thoroughly convinced us by his promise in Philippians 4:19 that He WILL meet all our needs.  "My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

God always proves to us that he is faithful and cares for every kind of need we have.  For example, our home group gave us a surprise baby shower yesterday and showered us with prayers, affections and financial help.  It was a huge blessing for our family.

Here's a picture:

We also continue to pray about the possibility of entering into full time ministry as a family...but for now, we're are continuing to help the evangelism ministry in our church grow, recruiting people for the work of the harvest!  Luke 10:2 "And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

Here's a picture of Oles evangelizing publicly recently near our home, at Leningrad Square.

For those of you who pray for us and read the updates about our life and ministry, thank you, and may God bless you abundantly through his riches in glory in Christ Jesus!

Summer Updates

It's been a while since the last post.  A lot has happened this summer in Almaz church and in our lives.

First we prepared the last few months for a 1 week public evangelism project, which was completed 2 weeks ago.  It was successful by the Lord's power alone and all of us were greatly encouraged by what we did and saw during the project.  The basic outline of the project is like this:
- we had a team of 4 Americans come, and we provided translators for them so they should do face to face street evangelism.
- there were other Ukrainian pairs who did face to face evangelism
- we had a team of 4-8 people depending on the day who read the bible on a loud speaker in a public place near the metro, and the other team members talked with the people who were interested in what we were doing.
- To prepare our hearts for evangelism we pent the first half of the day in devotion, bible study and prayer.  This time was what we needed to trust our hearts and actions to God.

We're still seeing the results from the project now...new people coming to church, new friendships with non-believers that will hopefully bring them to Christ and a new inspiration about evangelism within our church.
Here's some photos:

Praying

 Worship

 Public Bible reading and preaching

 Public Bible reading and preaching

 Sharing the gospel with people

 Our banner - John 14:6

 One of the only photos of me since I was a photographer for the week

As you can also see from the photo above, I'm now 30 weeks pregnant with our baby girl, Elizabeth.  There are a few small problems with my health, but we're praying and trusting God that everything will be normal and she'll be born on time and healthy.  Please pray for us as we finish out the rest of the summer, ministering in Kiev through evangelism, and preparing for parenthood!

God bless!
John 16:4 "Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Persecution and Lukewarm Christianity

Every week I get an email from Open Doors and International Christian Concern about prayer needs for the persecuted Christians in the world.  I try to read them and pray for the needs as often as I can, which unfortunately I don't do it every time.  This morning I read a few country profiles and news updates from Syria, Oman, and Eritrea.  

From the emails:

"Oman

There are a few countries on the World Watch List that we can’t share stories from. Even if we were to use different names, the Christian population is so small, that the story could easily be traced back to the individual. For their security, we are providing a different way to pray for the country this week.
Here are the top 10 things to know about what life is like for Christians in Oman:

• The law prohibits religious discrimination but all religious organizations must register.
• All public school curriculums (grades K-12) include instruction in Islam.
• Almost the entire Christian population (around 35,000) is made up of expatriates; indigenous Christians number only a few hundred.
• Foreign Christians are often tolerated and allowed to worship in private homes or work compounds.
• The government records religious affiliation on national identity cards for citizens and on residency cards for non-citizens.
• Muslim Background Believers (MBBs) risk persecution from family and society, but the government may intervene on request from the family. In such cases, these believers are often treated as psychiatric patients.
• MBBs can lose their family, house, and job and can even be killed.
• There are some government limitations on proselytizing and printing religious material. Non-Muslim groups are prohibited from publishing religious material, although non-Muslim religious material printed abroad may be imported after government inspection and approval.
• The Protestant Church in Oman (PCO) is the fruit of the active presence of RCA, a branch of the Reformed Church of America (RCA), which started its work in Oman in 1893.
• Currently PCO, under the combined leadership of the Reformed Church of America and the Anglican Church, ministers to over 1000 believers from 60 countries.

Syria
In April 2011 a war began in Syria with peaceful protests against the regime. The war has escalated and Christians have found themselves in the center of it all. Two archbishops were captured and another leader in the country has been killed. The overall war is for tolerance and pluralism. If the government wins this war there is no more hope for any type of religious tolerance in Syria. Many Syrians have been displaced, fled to neighboring countries, or have been killed. 
Full story here...http://www.persecution.org/2013/06/01/syrias-future-tied-to-freedom-for-captured-christian-leaders/


Eritrea

Christians in Eritrea, Africa are being heavily persecuted. The Christians are being forced into traumatizing events like being held inside metal shipping containers with no access to ventilation or toilet facilities. Some of the Africans that try to flee are captured and brought to the desert and sold. Those that they capture are also tortured to death. Sometimes their organs are removed so that they can be sold.  The Eritrean government will deny any of these reports. The president says he fears religious freedom for the worry that it might lead to a Christian nation.
Full story here...http://www.persecution.org/2013/06/02/christians-in-eritrea-face-extreme-persecution-thats-getting-worse/  "


When I read the news about Christians in other countries in the world...it makes me question myself and the church who live in parts of the world where persecution is almost non-existent why we are not all the more eagerly using this freedom we have to share the gospel with as many people as possible.  I think sometimes that our lack of persecution is exactly what keeps us in a state of lukewarm Christianity.  This is a scary thought.  I pray for my heart all the time that I will treasure Christ like the man who found the treasure in the field...
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." Matthew 13:44

I want to treasure the Lord in the same way!  I want to eagerly give everything away for him, but I often struggle to even leave my comfort zone to share the gospel or reach out to someone in need.  Because of this I even pray sometimes that God will cause difficulties in my life that I will become stronger in faith... In Luke 14:31-33 Jesus says “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the 
same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples"

The question I ask myself when I read such passages as this is "Will my faith stand through the fire of persecution?"  Am I ready to really pick up my cross and follow Jesus?  My brain screams yes, but my heart feels reluctant sometimes because of the great cost I know it will take.  With this I realize how lukewarm my faith really is sometimes!!!!!

What I understand is that if I am afraid to share the gospel, or to do something for God, it is because I do not count him as worthy of my sacrifice...and I am really ashamed of the gospel.  Paul says in Romans 1:15-16 "That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.  For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile."  

Maybe you struggle with the same feelings, or maybe Satan has so weakened your faith that you do not even think about such things.  So I will pray that God will work mightily in my heart and in your heart to give us courage and love for him, that we will give anything in order to glorify him and share the gospel.  Please, I also ask you to pray for the persecuted Christians in the world.  Proverbs 31:8 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute."

May God bless you today!

The Kingdom of Heaven

While studying the gospel of Matthew this morning, I read through chapter 13, which predominately talks about the kingdom of heaven through a series of many parables.  One parable is the parable of the good and bad seeds.
"24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.  26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.  27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’  28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’  29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.  30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”  

Jesus explains the parable a little further in the chapter:
"36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.”  37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.  38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,  39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels.  40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age.  41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers,  42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear."

Hell is a very real place, as is heaven a very real place.  I need to remember this often when I'm interacting with non-believers, so that I will seriously consider their destiny, and what it means for them if they do not repent.  Many people, especially in Ukraine and America, falsely believe they will go to heaven.  They assume that because they believe in God, even profess Jesus was the son of God, and are not a "bad person", that this will save them a place in heaven.  They may not even believe in Hell, because the thought of such a place of eternal agony and torment is not something bearable to think about.

Isaiah 66:24 talks about Hell as a place where "their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”

When I think about Hell, it is unimaginable exactly how horrible of a place it is.  It seems that there are not words in the English language that could fully describe what an eternal place of torment is like.

In Luke 16:19-31 Jesus tells the story of Lazarus, the poor beggar who was faithful to God, and the rich man, while He thought he knew God, was not saved by his religion and suffered the consequences in eternity. 


¹⁹ “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. ²⁰ And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹ who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 
²² The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, ²³ and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. ²⁴ And he called out,‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’
 ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 
²⁷ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— ²⁸ for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 
²⁹ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 
³⁰ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 
³¹ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

From a Shepherd's Conference preaching by Steve Lawson, we can learn several things from this passage:
1. The Rich man represented the pharisees in this story...rich in Religion but devoid of real faith.  He knew Abraham, and God, for he called Abraham "father."  This is a term that only people who are familiar with the bible and God would have used at that time.
2. The poor beggar was rice in grace and spirit, which is why the angels carried him to heaven (vs. 22)
3. Hell is an immediate place - The rich man was died, buried and immediately was in agony in the fire in Hell.  As in 5 seconds after his death, his soul was already in Hell...no waiting time, no second chance, no purgatory...just Hell, immediately upon death. (vs. 22-23)
4. Hell is a very separated place from heaven - "he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off " (vs.23)
5.  Hell is a place of agony, torment, unquenchable fire, and it is unending (eternal) (vs. 24)
6. Hell is a haunting place - people there are fully aware, more than they were in their life, to every sin, every opportunity they had to repent and believe, every time they heard the gospel, and every mistake they ever made.  They will remember their life forever. "But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish." (vs. 25) 
7. Hell is an inescapable place - "And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ " (vs. 26). Who would want to try to cross from heaven to hell?...surely people who want to save their loved ones.  However the chasm is so great that it is impossible for anyone to leave their eternal residence.
8. Hell is a place of desperation - The rich man desperately wanted to warn his loved ones (vs. 27-30)
9. God's word in the Scripture is shown to have full sufficiency and power to save us.  "³¹ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”"  Many people say they will believe if they see a miracle or a sign from God that He is the true God...but think about all the people who didn't believe Jesus in his day...despite the many miracles and signs he performed and that he fulfilled the prophesies written in the new testament about the savior.

If you have read this far in this post, thank you, and I beg you to consider these things in your heart and repent if you do not have real faith in Jesus Christ, the savior from sins and Hell, and the only mediator between God and mankind.  Today and now is the time to repent, for you could die at any moment, and your eternal destiny will be sealed in heaven with God, or in eternal torment in Hell with all people who have rejected Christ.  It's up to you, but I beg you not to waste your life, and in the end to spend an eternity in Hell.

Here's the link to he Steve Lawson sermon if you'd like to listen to it.
http://www.shepherdsconference.org/media/details/?mediaID=7601

To Live is Christ, and to Die is Gain!

Philippians 1:21 NLT "For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better."
Do you love Christ that much that you could say these same words?  Here's a story we heard at home group last night, and it's true!

A man living in China was thrown into prison for his faith in Christ. His cell was completely dark, with only stone floors and walls, and just big enough for one person to lay down in. He remained in this cell in complete darkness and isolation for a long unknown time. Sometimes the guards would throw in a plate of food, and this is why he did not starve to death completely. Finally the day came and the man was released out of his cell. He had been in darkness for so long that he was practically blind when he came out into the light However, his face was shining, and it was astonishing to the other Christians that knew him. They asked him "How did you survive all those years in isolation and darkness?" His answer was amazing to me "What do you mean how did I survive? That time was like a honeymoon with only Christ and I, and to have so much time alone with him, I would do it again gladly."

Now ask yourself this question. Would you react the same way? Do you love Christ that much that you would say the same thing? How precious is Christ for you? The Bible tells us that a Christian is someone who burns in their heart with love and devotion to Christ, no matter what. Do you feel this way about Christ, as your highest treasure? 
Now ask yourself this question. Would you react the same way? Do you love Christ that much that you would say the same thing? How precious is Christ for you? The Bible tells us that a Christian is someone who burns in their heart with love and devotion to Christ, no matter what. Do you feel this way about Christ, as your highest treasure? Now ask yourself this question. Would you react the same way? Do you love Christ that much that you would say the same thing? How precious is Christ for you? The Bible tells us that a Christian is someone who burns in their heart with love and devotion to Christ, no matter what. Do you feel this way about Christ, as your highest treasure? 



This real story was very impacting for me, and I hope it gives you encouragement today as well.

Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Who goes to Heaven?

Another title I thought of for this post was "Is your faith real or fake?"  Well anyways, this morning I read in Matthew 25 about the kingdom of God.  There are several parables that Jesus tells, but this one is especially interesting to me this morning.  Maybe because I have been thinking a lot lately about how I can be more effective for the kingdom of God now, before it comes on the earth and it's too late for me to do any more.
14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 


This parable makes me think of one thing prominently:  The Lord gives resources to people, and those who are good and faithful servants and use it well, will be rewarded, but those who do not, will be punished.  So what does this mean for professing Christians who do little with their faith, rarely share the gospel (if ever), and keep everything to themselves?  This is unfortunately too common a condition in Christianity today, especially western Christianity. 

Following this parable is another, even more striking and clear in meaning regarding who will enter the kingdom of heaven: 
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

And also Matthew 27:7 "“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."
Jesus tells us that many people will profess to believe in Him, but their life reflected the fact that their heart was never actually changed, and that they were never saved.  All the religion in the world will not save you from the "eternal punishment" Jesus speaks of here.  Simply professing you believe in God will not save you. The Bible says in James 2:19 "You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!"

To be saved, you need to be born again, something that only comes from God.  
John 3:3 "Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”"
When you are born again you get a new heart and with it, new desires Ezekiel 36:26 "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."  and Matthew 22:37 "And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."

You may believe you are saved today, and that all is well with your soul and that you will be in heaven when you die...but are you willing to lay back and live in ignorant bliss until the day of your judgment comes to wait and find out if it was true or not?  The Bible also tells us to make sure we have real faith James 2:14 "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?"  The answer is no.  If your works do not reflect the changed and reborn heart of a true Christian, then it's probable that you were never saved at all and that you now stand in the path of the wrath of God.

True believers will have the fruit of the Holy Spirit in their lives.  Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."  

My suggestion to you is to pray to God and search your heart and the scriptures, and check your faith to know if it is real or not.  You may want to start reading in Romans, Ephesians and Galatians.


May God bless you to know him as you search for him!

Spring Ministry Updates

There are several ministries my husband and I are involved in here in Ukraine.  Here's the major ones:

1. English Ministry

2. Mercy Ministry

3. Evangelism ministry

ENGLISH MINISTRY

We have several aspects of English ministry for Almaz: English Clubs, private English lessons for the staff, and kids English ministry.

English clubs have been going pretty steadily since the fall 2012, but with final exams here and summer approaching, we're not sure what will happen with our students in the next few months.  May, because of many holidays, caused us to cancel a few English clubs because there were no students around.  June is almost here now and we've started a new topic: Miracles Jesus performed during his ministry.  Our first week was last Friday, and we're very excited to see how it keeps going after a good first English club on this topic.  Please pray for the hearts of the students to see Christ and how glorious He is!

Private lessons continue to go well since the fall 2012, and I'll be adding another staff member to my teaching schedule soon.  It's a difficult ministry, because I speak so little Russian, but God makes all things possible!  Please pray that the staff will learn quickly and not become discouraged because of difficulties in the English language.

Kids English lessons after the church service is a new ministry my husband and I have been doing for the last 1.5 months.  It's going really well so far in many ways: 

1. The kids are learning English

2. The kids enjoy our lessons and we have more kids now than ever

3. The parents and pastors support the ministry and believe it is useful

Please pray that we will have more servants from the church for this ministry in the future when I am unable to lead the lessons because of our new-born baby.  Also, pray that more non-believing families will be attracted to God and the church because of these free English lessons for their kids.

MERCY MINISTRY

This ministry now is especially focused on people in the city clinics (alcoholics, drug addicts, homeless, mentally ill, poor, elderly etc).  However, the ministry team also makes trips to elderly nursing homes and orphanages about once a month in order to carry out the biblical mission of James 1:27.

The ministry is small, but growing quickly, and many people in the church are becoming more involved with this ministry than ever before.

Primarily functions of this ministry are to bring gifts of food, clothing, medicine, etc and to share the gospel, talk with the people about God and encourage them.  Please pray for more servants in this ministry, since we must often step out of our comfort zone in order to help people in need.

EVANGELISM MINISTRY

This ministry is new and growing.  Currently my husband and a staff member are working together to build the team of street evangelists, and make the plan for how to carry out sharing the gospel publicly in Kiev.  It's not an easy task and many people in the church are not willing to share the gospel publicly.  

Please pray that we'll gather a team of evangelists soon and get started on the many plans we have for sharing the gospel with the public in Kiev.

Also, there will be a team of 5 Americans coming in June to join us in street evangelism, and I'll be the 6th American on this team (although I'm a Kiev dweller now :).  This project will last 1-2 weeks, so please pray for it to prosper and enhance God's kingdom!

That's the majority of what I can say quickly about ministries we're involved in here in Ukraine.  Pray for us that God will lead us and give us strength and courage in all our ministries, and that we will glorify Him with all we do and say.

Thank you and God bless!!

Here's some pictures from our most recent kids English lesson. Picture thanks to one of our friends :)

Reflections from Proverbs 15

In my daily reading of scripture this morning I was reading Proverbs 15 and noticed a few verses with the same theme: reproof.

About 1-2 months ago I tried to lovingly reprove a friend, but as an unfortunate result of my reproof, we are no longer friends.  It was a very sad moment for me to lose a friend, but I realized through reading the scriptures again and again that my reproof was biblical, and that the result of this reproof is only disastrous to the person who rejected it.

Here's some verses generally about reproving that I have meditated on today and thought about over the last 2 months.

Verse 5 "A fool despises his father's instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent"
Verse 10 "There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way; whoever hates reproof will die" - This one seems especially harsh for me...a clear warning of how important reproof is for our spiritual health and life.
Verse 12 "A scoffer does not like to be reproved; he will not go to the wise" - Some people just don't like to hear that they are doing something less than perfect, this would include myself sometimes, and by God's grace I'm working this out.
Verse 28 "The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things" - This is really interesting, how many times have you said something without thinking that you regretted later, or that caused damage to a relationship with another person?  I know I have done this sometimes, and it has been done to me many times as well.  It's wise counsel that we should be slow to speak and anger, especially when someone is reproving us.
Verse 31 " The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise" - Did you notice that? "Life-giving reproof" - In the moment, reproof can feel like it sucks the life right out of you, but in the end, it is really giving life to your soul, especially if you take heed and follow wise advice.  I need to tell myself this when my husband or someone else reproves me for something.
Verse 32 "Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listen to reproof gains intelligence." - This simply speaks for itself!  Even though it's so contradictory to what we feel in our hearts, how true it is, that if we accept reproof, even unloving reproof, how much more do we gain from this than lose?

I know myself well enough that I know I am not the best at handling a harsh reproof.  It's mostly emotional for me, I feel like I have failed myself, or God, or something like this.  Other people have other reactions, but this is my unrighteous reaction sometimes, and I need to repent for it every time to gain the wisdom that God is trying to teach me through someone's reproof.  I haven't talked with my friend who I reproved for over 2 months because my friend refuses to make contact with me.  It's very sad, but I have to face the facts and look at the scripture.  God said we are wise and gain life if we listen to reproof, and only bad things come from rejecting it.  Therefore, I pray for my friend, and for my own heart too, that when reproved by someone we will be able to recognize any sin we have in our hearts and destroy it, so that we may gain wisdom and righteousness.

Five Ways Our Home is a Sanctuary of Peace

Before we got married, I read the book for Christian women "The Excellent Wife".  The book covered the basics and more or biblical womanhood and how to apply this to married life as a wife.  
One piece of advice from the author that has stuck with me in my marriage now is...make your home a place of rest, a sanctuary, where your husband and children can come home and find rest no matter what the world has thrown at them during the day.

1. I realized that the peacefulness of my home is a result of some things I can do, but is mostly a result of the peacefulness of my soul. This peace comes from trusting God, and knowing that know matter what we go through God is working all things for our good. We try by God's grace to make our home a place of rest, peace and love, and by that grace, God has given us such a home. I pray we will continue to have peace in our souls by trusting God even once we have kids in the house too. Isaiah 26:3 "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you."

2. Preparing my mind and attitude so that when my husband comes home I am eagerly waiting for him, and cover him with my love.  This is important, and if I'm in the house when he gets home I drop everything to run to the door and greet him with hugs and kisses.  He needs this after long, hard days at work.  No matter how hard my day was, I pray to God for strength to reflect God's love to my husband, especially when we are together. 1 John 4:10-11 "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

3. I do what I can to help him with necessary things in life like finances.  For me, this means keeping track of our food budget, since I do all the cooking.  It helps him a lot, and if our food budget is in line we don't have to worry that we won't have enough food to eat at the end of the month.

4. I try to maintain the house so it's at least a little clean, and, at minimum, acceptable to look at.  This is harder and harder as time goes on, but I realize that if I get the cleaning done earlier in the day it means more time we can spend together and with God in the evening.

5. I do what I can to serve him as much as possible when we're together.  Some simple things are having dinner ready when he comes home (usually that means I need to cook something in the morning or afternoon before i go to work for a few hours), making him tea or massaging his feet, making sure he has clean shirts to wear the next day, packing lunch for him the night before or morning of, etc...
Service reflects the true heart of Christ...
Mark 10:44-45 "And whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

I hope you are encouraged by this to strive to make your home a place of rest for your family.  Wives and Moms have a huge influence on the peace and love in their family, probably more than they know! :)

God bless!

Do Not Forsake the Lord!

We watched part of the history channel "The Bible" series yesterday and after seeing such an amazing depiction of the exodus from Egypt it still amazes me that Israel forsakes God for idols, and they do it constantly throughout the Bible and history. Yet, I ask myself how easily I can be just like them! God gave the Israelites a strong warning...Do Not Forsake Me, Do Not Go After Idols, Lest I Destroy You! 

Deuteronomy 6:10-15
"And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you— for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth."

Nevertheless they lust after idols and forget their covenant with God and today we see their consequences today.  This makes me remember that I should never forget the goodness, holiness and worthiness of God, and that I should honor Him every day of my life, for He has made an exodus in my life too, bringing me out of slavery from sin. 

Here's a picture from the movie, where God brings the waters of the sea down on the Egyptians after the Israeites have passed to safety.  Amazing movie so far, I recommend it.  While it only tells some of the most important stories of the Bible, they are done fairly well and true to scripture.

Feeling lonely?

I sure do sometimes.

This morning I went to the clinic with my husband, but he had to leave for work before it was my turn to go in to one of my appointments.  

In Ukraine, there is no appointment system at the doctor office, you just show up when they are working and wait in line.  Sometimes you wait for hours just to see the doctor for a few minutes.  For pregnancy, women need to see many doctors and get many tests done, and this is overwhelming for Ukrainian women, so imagine how I feel...American, don't speak Russian/Ukrainian, and don;t understand the culture fully.  

So this morning I had to wait for about 30 minutes for the doctor, and meanwhile about 10 people come up to me and start asking questions in Russian or Ukrainian and I can't understand anything these people are saying to me.  I get this look of confusion on my face, and sometimes I can't manage to say anything at all.

Finally it was my turn to go in to the doctor, and I was able to get my husband on the phone to talk with the doctor.  I was only in the office for about 1 minute and the left again.  I had the option of going to another office to draw blood, but I didn't have the strength or courage to wait in line again and go through all the confusion.

It was incredibly hard, but everything worked out and thankfully that doctor wasn't mean or rude to me (sometimes it happens). So I praise God for that, but I just realize more and more how much I need to know Russian/Ukrainian, and it is currently next to impossible for me to take the time to study seriously. ( I work, have ministry and other responsibilities that take all my time)

I am still struggling emotionally and spiritually sometimes to get past the fact that I don't understand people most of the time. I know I need to trust and hope in God, but it's sometimes very difficult.

Some of my family members in America, and friends, struggle with depression and loneliness.  I understand what they are going through now that I'm in an environment where most of the time I have almost no communication with anyone all day except for my husband and some of the kids I work with.

When I first moved to Ukraine I felt extremely lonely, and I felt that no one understood what I was going through here.  I realized that Satan was using, and still is, these circumstances to lie to me and make me believe I'm alone.  1 Peter 5:8 says "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."  Since that time, I have started to fight back against my despondency and hopelessness with the truths of God and the Bible.  The foremost truth that I believe is that my God will never leave or forsake me.  The psalms are filled with this truth.  This morning at the clinic, I read Psalm 139:7-12 

"Where shall I go from your Spirit?

Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!If I take the wings of the morningand dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,even there your hand shall lead me,and your right hand shall hold me.If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me,and the light about me be night,"even the darkness is not dark to you;the night is bright as the day,for darkness is as light with you."


There are many other passages I can think of that talk of God's constant presence in the believer's life, but this one has captured my heart and mind for today.

I hope that if you feel lonely, despondent, depressed or hopeless that you will read these words for the psalms and know that you are not alone in your struggle.  Even if every person on the earth abandoned you (which is unlikely for most of us) God will still be there, and He is more than enough for our souls!  It took me a long time to realize this truth...that when I feel completely alone in this world and I have nothing earthly to hope in (ex: culture and language skills) God is the one who cares for my needs no matter what circumstances I'm in, and His love never fails me.