We will soon be starting the journey to full-time service to the Lord. So far we have received the blessing from the pastors of our church Almaz to become full time ministers, and they agree and confirm our vision to spread the gospel in Ukraine through street evangelism and public bible reading.
We need to figure out the logistics about setting up an account for supporters to donate to our ministry, and then we will begin the support raising process.
Friends and family, for those who are interested in seeing first hand what we do, please look at our youtube channel here .
In most of the videos Oles or another team member is reading the bible and preaching publicly about sin, salvation and the Lord Jesus Christ, while other team members distribute the gospel of John and talk individually with interested people who want to hear about Jesus.
Our major goal is this: to fill this city with the word of God, and thereby glorify God and see the salvation of people.
in Acts 25:27-32 Peter and the apostles are brought before the high priest and the council and the high priest accuses them:
27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.”29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
We see that Ukraine needs the word of God desperately, and this is our goal, to boldly bring it to the people.
We would ask you to please pray for us that we will trust God to provide everything along the way.
Please also spread the word about our ministry and refer us to your church and friends who are interested in supporting the spread of the gospel in Ukraine during this hard and needy time in our country.
Thanks friends and may God bless you this day!
Christ is the only source of true happiness in this life. This is my blog all about life as Christians and GCM missionaries in Ukraine.
Monday, May 12, 2014
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Birth in Ukrainian Birth House No. 6
My daughter is 6 months old now, and I still remember her birth very clearly, the good and the bad parts. Mostly, it was a good experience compared to most women I suppose, considering how fast it all went, that I didn't have any complications, and that she came out perfectly healthy. I know God was with me and helping me a lot.
I'll start from the beginning, as you know women traditionally give birth in birth houses, separate from hospitals, and generally they give birth in the house of their region,we were recommended to go to the 6th house by several people, and wee blessed that it was our regional house, only a 10 minute drive and as our regional house meant that we didn't need to pay extra money for it being out of our region.
So, at week 38 of pregnancy you need to go on either Wednesday or Monday to the house, and wait in a huge line of pregnant women to be "signed" or registered to give birth there. You need to bring your "obmina Carta" with all the tests and permissions in there for you to give birth from your prenatal doctor. If you want you husband to birth with you he needs to take a TB chest exam and you should give the paper when you get "signed" so that they will allow him to be there in the room with you.
OK, so I started having this feeling like I was going to give birth soon on the 24th, I saw brown color in the underwear, and in the evening saw the "bloody show" which is not very bloody at all, just some mucus with a tinge of blood in it. I never remember my water breaking, but I started having really random and short cramping feelings throughout the day on Sep 24th. We had guests that night fr dinner, and I cleaned and cooked and went to the store and did everything as usual that day. Around 12 am I was laying in bed and started having irregular cramping feelings in my uterus. I at first ignored that they were contractions because I was convinced that God would not make me give birth when I should be sleeping, but I kept going back and forth between the bed and bathroom, thinking maybe it was a stomach ache, and the cramping was getting more painful and frequent so I woke up my husband when I was sure they were contractions, around 4 am, and we waited to call the ambulance at 5:00 am when the contractions were every 3 min or so. They came by 5:30 and thank God I had all the essential medicines and things packed already, because in Ukraine you need to bring not only all your personal items and sheets, but also all the possible medicine and disposable blankets you will need in case of any birth situation (vaginal or Cesarean).
So this marks exactly 39 weeks, and I knew she was coming out anytime in the next 24 hours!
We got to the hospital, the ambulance driver and tech were very kind and gentle with me, and the nurse checked my Obmina Carta and signed me into the hospital.
Side note, in Ukraine you must either pay a doctor a "fee" (which is actually a bribe) before hand so that they will agree to come deliver your baby even if they are not on duty, or you must put your birth in the hands of whatever doctor God chooses to be on duty at that time. We chose the second option because as Christians we didn't want to bribe beforehand. At this point we've only paid about 550 UAH for the registration in the hospital.
God answered my prayers, and the doctor on duty was an english speaking doctor. He even had a sense of humor and would make jokes throughout the whole time...which sometimes I thought were a little irritating, but then again, anything was irritating when I was going through labor.
So, they bring me to a room and hook me up to a fetal heart rate monitor..minutes later I throw up in a bucket, all the contents of our late evening dinner, and feel much better :)
The doctor tells me "we need to speed up your contractions" which I suppose means he was going to give me and IV with pitocin. Originally I thought I didn't want this, but I agreed to it, because hes a doctor and I was already exhausted not even in the transition phase yet. I'm almost positive they gave me pitocin, but I don;t know for sure what thy gave me.
Anyways, the contractions kept coming fast and furious, and we moved to another room where I would give birth. I kept feeling like I needed to pee and poo so I tried to go to the bathroom a few times, but I only peed a little (sorry for TMI, but it's true).
I need to note that the staff was very kind and gentle the whole time, maybe because they knew I was American, or maybe because that's just the was they are with everyone.
Around 6 or 7 am is when we moved into the other room. The Doctor checked how dilated I was and when I started feeling the urge to bear down, which honestly is an irresistible urge to push like you're pooping, they waited a few contractions and then moved me from the bed to the birthing table...YES, I had to walk across the room to another table and climb up there, which I was not happy about since the contractions made me almost unable to move.
OK at this point I wish I had bought glucose tablets, because I threw up my dinner, was only drinking water and I was really low on blood sugar.
So, I manage to get on the birthing table, which has you seated in a slightly reclined position, with your feet slightly propped up on pegs that you can push against, and there are also bars for you to hold onto with your hands. I must admit, they should have told me faster how to push, but after one or two ineffective pushes, he told me to use my abs, squeeze my hands, and push my feet against the foot rests. So I don;t remember how many pushes I did before he told me "we might need to make a small cut if the baby's head is between your pelvis for too long" Anyways, after he said that I asked "why?" and he said "because it's not good for your baby to be stuck down there with so much pressure on her head" I should have known better and refused for them to make a cut, but I was too mentally weak to oppose, and I willfully agreed. I suppose I had pushed through about 10 contractions or so before they actually made the cut. The way the cut worked is they did it without telling me when they were going to do it, and the nurse cut me during a contraction/push. I will tell you that was probably one of the most painful moments in my life, and next time I will insist that they let me keep pushing to try to get her head out. During my pushing I kept praying out loud "Help me Lord Jesus!" The staff thought I was so strange ;)
So, with the cut, after 2 pushes her head was out, then after 2 more pushes her shoulders and the rest of her body just fell out. They immediately placed her on my chest, and I saw tons of brown hair on my small little crying girl. I just kept crying and saying "thank you Jesus" over and over again.
Then they asked if I wanted to wait for the placenta to come out on its own or give a medicine to help it come out faster. I opted for the medicine, they scratched my arms with the needle to test if I would have an allergy, and after I had no skin reaction they stuck me, maybe in the arm with the needle, and a few minutes later I pushed the placenta out.
Then as if I hadn't had enough, I had to lay there while they gave me a pain reliever ( I think locally down there) and stitched me back up. I was so impatient, I wanted it to be over faster, and it was still painful even with pain killer, but it took about 10 minutes of stitching up and cleaning before I was allowed to get up and walk over to the bed and lay down with my baby girl and husband.
I had watched tons of videos about birth and breastfeeding, but with your first baby it is different than you expect it will be.
I needed to lay for 2 hours after the birth in order not to hemorrhage I believe, but they gave me a catheter so I could pee, because after drinking so much water, I peed so much lol.
During that time they brought me a cup of tea, and some plain white porridge. It was so tasty after being so tired and hungry.
After my 2 hours they lifted me onto a stretcher, and laid her on top of me, and wheeled us to another part of the hospital where I waited for a few hours until they had a free room for me and the baby to stay. Those first few hours after birth were like heaven, my hormones and emotions were so high that I think that numbed the pain more than the pain killer itself.
The waiting room was essentially a bunch of small rooms with no doors, and one nurse watching about 4 women with babies. This room has a twin sized bed, a bed on wheels for baby a chair and a sink.
That bed was horribly uncomfortable, drooped in the middle and was very uncomfortable, so I didn't rest during that time, but my husband did, as he seemed more tired than I did.
Later in the day we were moved into a private room, which has a high bed, a table for changing, a baby bed, a sink with mirror and a small table side dresser for storage.
I'll list some things I liked about my birth/ the room I stayed:
I'll list some things I didn't like about the room/process:
So here's the timeline of how it all went again:
Morning of 24th, noticed brown color in underwear
Evening of 24th, noticed bloody show
12 am ish 25th, contractions were starting to be noticeable
5:00 am - we call ambulance
5:30 am - they pick us up
5:45 am - we arrive at hospital
6:00 am they finish my check in and first cervix check
6:10 - arrive in first room and hook up to fetal heart rate monitor
6:40 -7:00 ish - they check my dilation again, and decide they need to give me pitocin to speed contractions - I agreed
7:30 ish - I move to the birthing room
8:00 ish - I start feeling the urge to "bear down" / push
8:05-8:10 - I move from bed to birthing table/bed
8:25-8:27 - they make the cut/ episiotomy
8:30 - she's here!
8:31 - they clean me, cut cord, etc
8:34 - they give me the shot to detach and help deliver placenta
8:38 ish - I deliver placenta in 2 pushes
8:38 - 8:45ish the nurse washes me and cleans me
8:45-8:55 - doctor stitches the cut
8:55 - 9:00ish - nurses washes cleans for the last time
9:00 ish I move from birthing bed to other bed in the room
9:30 they bring me breakfast
11:00 they move me to the first temporary room
2:00 pm on the 25th - they move me to my permanent room.
I go home on the afternoon of the 27th.
Any questions about the rest of my experience at hospital 6, just write below! Check out my friend's blog all about birth in Ukraine! http://birthinukraine.wordpress.com/
I'll start from the beginning, as you know women traditionally give birth in birth houses, separate from hospitals, and generally they give birth in the house of their region,we were recommended to go to the 6th house by several people, and wee blessed that it was our regional house, only a 10 minute drive and as our regional house meant that we didn't need to pay extra money for it being out of our region.
So, at week 38 of pregnancy you need to go on either Wednesday or Monday to the house, and wait in a huge line of pregnant women to be "signed" or registered to give birth there. You need to bring your "obmina Carta" with all the tests and permissions in there for you to give birth from your prenatal doctor. If you want you husband to birth with you he needs to take a TB chest exam and you should give the paper when you get "signed" so that they will allow him to be there in the room with you.
OK, so I started having this feeling like I was going to give birth soon on the 24th, I saw brown color in the underwear, and in the evening saw the "bloody show" which is not very bloody at all, just some mucus with a tinge of blood in it. I never remember my water breaking, but I started having really random and short cramping feelings throughout the day on Sep 24th. We had guests that night fr dinner, and I cleaned and cooked and went to the store and did everything as usual that day. Around 12 am I was laying in bed and started having irregular cramping feelings in my uterus. I at first ignored that they were contractions because I was convinced that God would not make me give birth when I should be sleeping, but I kept going back and forth between the bed and bathroom, thinking maybe it was a stomach ache, and the cramping was getting more painful and frequent so I woke up my husband when I was sure they were contractions, around 4 am, and we waited to call the ambulance at 5:00 am when the contractions were every 3 min or so. They came by 5:30 and thank God I had all the essential medicines and things packed already, because in Ukraine you need to bring not only all your personal items and sheets, but also all the possible medicine and disposable blankets you will need in case of any birth situation (vaginal or Cesarean).
So this marks exactly 39 weeks, and I knew she was coming out anytime in the next 24 hours!
We got to the hospital, the ambulance driver and tech were very kind and gentle with me, and the nurse checked my Obmina Carta and signed me into the hospital.
Side note, in Ukraine you must either pay a doctor a "fee" (which is actually a bribe) before hand so that they will agree to come deliver your baby even if they are not on duty, or you must put your birth in the hands of whatever doctor God chooses to be on duty at that time. We chose the second option because as Christians we didn't want to bribe beforehand. At this point we've only paid about 550 UAH for the registration in the hospital.
God answered my prayers, and the doctor on duty was an english speaking doctor. He even had a sense of humor and would make jokes throughout the whole time...which sometimes I thought were a little irritating, but then again, anything was irritating when I was going through labor.
So, they bring me to a room and hook me up to a fetal heart rate monitor..minutes later I throw up in a bucket, all the contents of our late evening dinner, and feel much better :)
The doctor tells me "we need to speed up your contractions" which I suppose means he was going to give me and IV with pitocin. Originally I thought I didn't want this, but I agreed to it, because hes a doctor and I was already exhausted not even in the transition phase yet. I'm almost positive they gave me pitocin, but I don;t know for sure what thy gave me.
Anyways, the contractions kept coming fast and furious, and we moved to another room where I would give birth. I kept feeling like I needed to pee and poo so I tried to go to the bathroom a few times, but I only peed a little (sorry for TMI, but it's true).
I need to note that the staff was very kind and gentle the whole time, maybe because they knew I was American, or maybe because that's just the was they are with everyone.
Around 6 or 7 am is when we moved into the other room. The Doctor checked how dilated I was and when I started feeling the urge to bear down, which honestly is an irresistible urge to push like you're pooping, they waited a few contractions and then moved me from the bed to the birthing table...YES, I had to walk across the room to another table and climb up there, which I was not happy about since the contractions made me almost unable to move.
OK at this point I wish I had bought glucose tablets, because I threw up my dinner, was only drinking water and I was really low on blood sugar.
So, I manage to get on the birthing table, which has you seated in a slightly reclined position, with your feet slightly propped up on pegs that you can push against, and there are also bars for you to hold onto with your hands. I must admit, they should have told me faster how to push, but after one or two ineffective pushes, he told me to use my abs, squeeze my hands, and push my feet against the foot rests. So I don;t remember how many pushes I did before he told me "we might need to make a small cut if the baby's head is between your pelvis for too long" Anyways, after he said that I asked "why?" and he said "because it's not good for your baby to be stuck down there with so much pressure on her head" I should have known better and refused for them to make a cut, but I was too mentally weak to oppose, and I willfully agreed. I suppose I had pushed through about 10 contractions or so before they actually made the cut. The way the cut worked is they did it without telling me when they were going to do it, and the nurse cut me during a contraction/push. I will tell you that was probably one of the most painful moments in my life, and next time I will insist that they let me keep pushing to try to get her head out. During my pushing I kept praying out loud "Help me Lord Jesus!" The staff thought I was so strange ;)
So, with the cut, after 2 pushes her head was out, then after 2 more pushes her shoulders and the rest of her body just fell out. They immediately placed her on my chest, and I saw tons of brown hair on my small little crying girl. I just kept crying and saying "thank you Jesus" over and over again.
Then they asked if I wanted to wait for the placenta to come out on its own or give a medicine to help it come out faster. I opted for the medicine, they scratched my arms with the needle to test if I would have an allergy, and after I had no skin reaction they stuck me, maybe in the arm with the needle, and a few minutes later I pushed the placenta out.
Then as if I hadn't had enough, I had to lay there while they gave me a pain reliever ( I think locally down there) and stitched me back up. I was so impatient, I wanted it to be over faster, and it was still painful even with pain killer, but it took about 10 minutes of stitching up and cleaning before I was allowed to get up and walk over to the bed and lay down with my baby girl and husband.
I had watched tons of videos about birth and breastfeeding, but with your first baby it is different than you expect it will be.
I needed to lay for 2 hours after the birth in order not to hemorrhage I believe, but they gave me a catheter so I could pee, because after drinking so much water, I peed so much lol.
During that time they brought me a cup of tea, and some plain white porridge. It was so tasty after being so tired and hungry.
After my 2 hours they lifted me onto a stretcher, and laid her on top of me, and wheeled us to another part of the hospital where I waited for a few hours until they had a free room for me and the baby to stay. Those first few hours after birth were like heaven, my hormones and emotions were so high that I think that numbed the pain more than the pain killer itself.
The waiting room was essentially a bunch of small rooms with no doors, and one nurse watching about 4 women with babies. This room has a twin sized bed, a bed on wheels for baby a chair and a sink.
That bed was horribly uncomfortable, drooped in the middle and was very uncomfortable, so I didn't rest during that time, but my husband did, as he seemed more tired than I did.
Later in the day we were moved into a private room, which has a high bed, a table for changing, a baby bed, a sink with mirror and a small table side dresser for storage.
I'll list some things I liked about my birth/ the room I stayed:
- The doctor spoke English, and a few other people did too who observed my birth, and spoke encouraging words to me
- The staff was generally helpful and kind
- This seems obvious, but in Ukraine I think it isn't - they asked my permission before medicines, pain killers and the cut.
- The doc told me how to push
- Encouraged me not to waste energy by screaming, but to control my breath and concentrate my abs on pushing
- I had a private room not shared with other moms (considering Ellie was so quiet and other babies cried so much, I was glad about this)
- Doc followed up with me every day to see how my stitches felt
- 3 meals a day, although they were pretty bland, not salty or sweet
- One thing I am so glad I brought was a spay bottle, I used to clean myself instead of wiping, because the stitches were so incredibly painful.
- They didn't ever ask for any payment or bribe - we were treated just like everybody else in the hospital.
- They let me go after only 2.5 days stay. I birthed on Wednesday morning an went home Friday afternoon - thank God I was so happy to come home early and be with my husband and sleep in my own room/bed!
I'll list some things I didn't like about the room/process:
- The bed - old and stained mattress with the blood from other women was pretty disgusting to me, but I reasoned with myself that I didn't have a choice, and I put two sheets of my own on top anyways, so it didn't touch me...but still, that was just gross
- The showers/toilet - no hook to hang my towels or clothes and no bench or table to put anything, so I hung everything over the curtain rod.
- The walls - literally I heard all the cries of the other babies. I wish they would invest some money and sound proof them a little better.
- regular nurses taking my temp, cleaning my stitches with iodine 2 times a day didn't know any English, but I wasn't expecting them to, it just made it more confusing for me with my little Russian.
- They should give you a more detailed list of stuff to pack, other than medicines, especially my personal items like more than 1 towel, a pillow case and more than 1 sheet, blanket cover, slippers, and things for the baby (towel/receiving blankets, oil, cotton balls, saline solution to clean her nose, etc)
- The cut/ episiotomy that they convinced me was necessary. I'm convinced now it wasn't necessary, that my baby would have come out fine without it, and I could not sit for literally 11 days! Orders were, only stand or lay! Breast feeding was so hard to learn only laying, and my back was killing me! Not to mention the cleaning after every pee, and the night time cleaning care regime that took about 20 minutes! (You don't have 20 minutes when your newborn is screaming for you. The pain from the stitches lingered long after they were taken out, at least 6-8 weeks I had sensitivity at that spot. Even after 2 months I still had some discomfort at that spot occasionally.
So here's the timeline of how it all went again:
Morning of 24th, noticed brown color in underwear
Evening of 24th, noticed bloody show
12 am ish 25th, contractions were starting to be noticeable
5:00 am - we call ambulance
5:30 am - they pick us up
5:45 am - we arrive at hospital
6:00 am they finish my check in and first cervix check
6:10 - arrive in first room and hook up to fetal heart rate monitor
6:40 -7:00 ish - they check my dilation again, and decide they need to give me pitocin to speed contractions - I agreed
7:30 ish - I move to the birthing room
8:00 ish - I start feeling the urge to "bear down" / push
8:05-8:10 - I move from bed to birthing table/bed
8:25-8:27 - they make the cut/ episiotomy
8:30 - she's here!
8:31 - they clean me, cut cord, etc
8:34 - they give me the shot to detach and help deliver placenta
8:38 ish - I deliver placenta in 2 pushes
8:38 - 8:45ish the nurse washes me and cleans me
8:45-8:55 - doctor stitches the cut
8:55 - 9:00ish - nurses washes cleans for the last time
9:00 ish I move from birthing bed to other bed in the room
9:30 they bring me breakfast
11:00 they move me to the first temporary room
2:00 pm on the 25th - they move me to my permanent room.
I go home on the afternoon of the 27th.
Any questions about the rest of my experience at hospital 6, just write below! Check out my friend's blog all about birth in Ukraine! http://birthinukraine.wordpress.com/
Monday, March 31, 2014
Things I appreciate in Kiev
Anytime you move to a new place its easy to notice the bad things, and complain to God about the things you don't like, but it's not so easy to stand back and appreciate the way that God has made that place, and the good things it has to offer you. These are just some things I like about Ukraine, and Kiev more specifically.
1. Cheap transportation anywhere in the city
2. The desire of people to make the best with the old/broken stuff they have, like these essentially decrepit benches outside our home...still sittable!
3. Awesome variety of milk products, except skim milk
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4. Spring time and all the fruit trees all over the city - we choose a healthy tree and pick the fruits when they are ripe :)
5. Bad roads like this make me really appreciate the scarce smooth roads throughout the city
6. Tire garden and playground decoration - creative and not wasteful!
7. All the fresh fruits and veggies - so tasty, although I'm still getting used to the fact that I can only eat them when they are in season.
9. The Dnipro River - its just beautiful in all seasons
10. Ukrainian Chocolate - it's inexpensive and amazing
11. Ukrainian ice cream - I have never tasted better ice cream, and its so cheap!
12. Ukrainian grandmas - like this sweet woman, Nina
13. The Darnitsa region, because of the many parks!
And many more when I think of them later!
1. Cheap transportation anywhere in the city
3. Awesome variety of milk products, except skim milk
8. Markets like this where you can pretty much find anything you could ever need at cheap prices
And many more when I think of them later!
Saturday, February 22, 2014
psalm 107 - relevance for today
Today I read a psalm, 107, and noticed the pattern. See if you notice it also.
From verse 1-16 there is this pattern:
1. People are suffering and troubled because of some circumstances
2. The people cry out to God in their distress
3. God saves them because of his great love
4. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!5. For he...lists the work of God
From verse 16-32 there is a pattern of a few events:
1. Poeple do something to turn away from the Lord and sin against him
2. The Lord brings some kind of punishment or distruction on them
3. The people cry out to God in their distress
4. God saves them because of his great love
5. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love for his wondrous works to the children of man
Verses 33-43 tell about how great is the Lord in his saving works toward people who turn to him for help.
Take note of the last verses as a summary:
From verse 1-16 there is this pattern:
1. People are suffering and troubled because of some circumstances
2. The people cry out to God in their distress
3. God saves them because of his great love
4. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!5. For he...lists the work of God
From verse 16-32 there is a pattern of a few events:
1. Poeple do something to turn away from the Lord and sin against him
2. The Lord brings some kind of punishment or distruction on them
3. The people cry out to God in their distress
4. God saves them because of his great love
5. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love for his wondrous works to the children of man
Verses 33-43 tell about how great is the Lord in his saving works toward people who turn to him for help.
Take note of the last verses as a summary:
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
Some wandered in desert wastes,
Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Some were fools through their sinful ways,
Some went down to the sea in ships,
He turns rivers into a desert,
When they are diminished and brought low
Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
I'm praying today that I will constantly consider the steadfast love of the Lord and call upon him day after day. May God bless you today.
Psalm 107
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble[a]
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble[a]
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to a city to dwell in;
5 hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
till they reached a city to dwell in.
8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
9 For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
finding no way to a city to dwell in;
5 hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
till they reached a city to dwell in.
8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
9 For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
prisoners in affliction and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God,
and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;
they fell down, with none to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and burst their bonds apart.
15 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze
and cuts in two the bars of iron.
prisoners in affliction and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God,
and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;
they fell down, with none to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and burst their bonds apart.
15 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze
and cuts in two the bars of iron.
17 Some were fools through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.
21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!
and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.
21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!
23 Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the Lord,
his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits' end.[b]
28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
29 He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad that the waters[c] were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
doing business on the great waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the Lord,
his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits' end.[b]
28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
29 He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad that the waters[c] were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
33 He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the evil of its inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry dwell,
and they establish a city to live in;
37 they sow fields and plant vineyards
and get a fruitful yield.
38 By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their livestock diminish.
springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the evil of its inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry dwell,
and they establish a city to live in;
37 they sow fields and plant vineyards
and get a fruitful yield.
38 By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their livestock diminish.
39 When they are diminished and brought low
through oppression, evil, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
41 but he raises up the needy out of affliction
and makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it and are glad,
and all wickedness shuts its mouth.
through oppression, evil, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
41 but he raises up the needy out of affliction
and makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it and are glad,
and all wickedness shuts its mouth.
43 Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
Friday, February 14, 2014
On Parenting - Lacking Grace
Two days ago I was walking with my daughter in the stroller and I came upon a little boy 3-4 years old throwing sticks in the puddles of water. I smiled at him because of the simple fun he was having. Up ahead about 50 meters a woman, which I understood was his mom, yelled angrily at him "Let's go" and when he didn't immediately follow her, she yelled even more angrily "what are you doing?" And then she said something in Russian and followed by "bye Nikita" and she turned away from him and started walking away. This kind of parental response is pretty common among Ukrainian parents, and I see it often.
As I passed them, I bent down to Ellie and told her "I promise I'll never yell at you like that, especially in public" Not 2 seconds later did I realize that my statement was pretty hypocritical, and I would probably never be able to keep that promise. I instantly thought about how many times, in my sleep deprivation, I'd been very angry at her for not letting me sleep because she needed something.
I saw this mom and her kid walking back from the school with the older brother about 20 minutes later and she was still speaking harshly with her kids. I felt really bad for those boys, and stored this in my memory as a warning for myself.
I asked myself, "what's this mom's deal?" Why is she lacking so much grace when dealing with her kids? Well, I don't know her, but my guess is that she's lacking the grace herself that comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ, therefore she's not able to pour out the grace into her kids.
Consider what Jesus said "The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:24
Now don't misunderstand, no one is good by nature, in fact we are actually all evil, and without God the Holy Spirit people are not able to do anything or say anything good at all, because of that evil nature. Jesus is talking about good people as those who are redeemed and treasure Christ, and evil people, those who treasure other things than Christ.
If it weren't for the redeeming work of Christ in my life I'm sure I'd act no differently toward my kids than this mom did, and maybe even worse! Even now I still see glimpses of the evilness of my own heart in my behavior toward my baby and I shutter at the thought of these moments persisting in my parenting, so I pray to God for his grace and help.
Parenting is hard work, really hard, and there is a great deal of suffering that we go through for our children. But there is a difference between Christian parents, and non-Christian parents.
Consider this verse:
Romans 5:1-5
"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this GRACE in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
As I passed them, I bent down to Ellie and told her "I promise I'll never yell at you like that, especially in public" Not 2 seconds later did I realize that my statement was pretty hypocritical, and I would probably never be able to keep that promise. I instantly thought about how many times, in my sleep deprivation, I'd been very angry at her for not letting me sleep because she needed something.
I saw this mom and her kid walking back from the school with the older brother about 20 minutes later and she was still speaking harshly with her kids. I felt really bad for those boys, and stored this in my memory as a warning for myself.
I asked myself, "what's this mom's deal?" Why is she lacking so much grace when dealing with her kids? Well, I don't know her, but my guess is that she's lacking the grace herself that comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ, therefore she's not able to pour out the grace into her kids.
Consider what Jesus said "The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:24
Now don't misunderstand, no one is good by nature, in fact we are actually all evil, and without God the Holy Spirit people are not able to do anything or say anything good at all, because of that evil nature. Jesus is talking about good people as those who are redeemed and treasure Christ, and evil people, those who treasure other things than Christ.
If it weren't for the redeeming work of Christ in my life I'm sure I'd act no differently toward my kids than this mom did, and maybe even worse! Even now I still see glimpses of the evilness of my own heart in my behavior toward my baby and I shutter at the thought of these moments persisting in my parenting, so I pray to God for his grace and help.
Parenting is hard work, really hard, and there is a great deal of suffering that we go through for our children. But there is a difference between Christian parents, and non-Christian parents.
Consider this verse:
Romans 5:1-5
"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this GRACE in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
The key difference is that parents who rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, are also able to rejoice in their sufferings. This is possible through the grace of God, and produces in the parents a plethora of other things like: joy (the ability to be happy in Christ alone, even when your kids sin against you, or you suffer in some way as a parent), endurance (with kids when they annoy you, or cause you some hardship), character (the ability to stay composed and demonstrate the very character of Christ in crucial moments when your kids need you as an example), hope (that all the sacrifice and work you put into training your kids and teaching them about God and life is worth it), and the ability to stand unashamed before God (because indeed everything we do in obedience to God pleases him, and no matter how the world sees us, God's opinion is the only one that matters).
The simple fact is that grace is given by God, and if not received from God, the parent is not able to bestow real grace upon his child and act rightly before God, neither is he able to teach his child to act rightly before God.
No matter how hard we try to be good parents, it's futile without God's ways and God's grace, because simply good parenting is not enough to help our kids gain the one thing that really matters in life, a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
I'm not going to do everything nearly as well as I would like to as a parent, but I have hope that if I turn to God daily to receive grace for my work, and in turn pour this grace out into my kids as I teach them about Christ and life, I know that I will not be ashamed for this obedience before God.
If you're a parent, and times are tough with your kids, and your patience with them is short, turn to God and seek a relationship with him, and then let your relationship with God be reflected in the way you raise your kids. If you don't I assure you that you will stand before God ashamed and regretting that you had not turned to him and helped your kids to do the same.
Consider these words:
Romans 6:23
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord"
Consider these words:
Romans 6:23
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord"
Acts 2:38
"And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Heb 4:16
"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Believe in Him, the giver of grace and all good gifts, and He will be your helper in your time of need.
"And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Heb 4:16
"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Believe in Him, the giver of grace and all good gifts, and He will be your helper in your time of need.
May God bless you.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Loving the Little Days
So it's been a while! We now have our daughter Elizabeth, Ellie, in our lives and she every bit as wonderful as we imagined.
There's so much I could share from the last 4 months, but mostly I want to share about my physical and spiritual struggles adjusting to life as a mommy.
A friend told us before she was born, that there are moments in every parent's life when you want to kill your child...well, I could understand him, but I'm not sure I really believed it! Well, I will confess that I've had a few of those moments...when I'm so sleep deprived from not sleeping more than 2 hours at a time every night, for almost 4 months, and not being able to consistently take naps during the day....there have been moments when I broke down and cried because I was so tired...there were also a few moments where she was screaming or crying for so long that I was going crazy, and having horrible thoughts toward her...of course they were only momentary, and I immediately dismissed them as crazy sinful talk, but Satan has tempted me in many was to count my daughter as more of a curse than a blessing to my life over the last 4 months.
Ellie the day she was born: healthy and amazing!!
Ellie at 1 month: we had a photo shoot done with her
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Ellie at 2 months: She started smiling and practicing standing!
Ellie at 3 months: Christmas Day
Ellie at almost 4 months (today):
The Bible says repeatedly that children are a blessing and good thing for our lives:
Psalm 127:3-5
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
There's so much I could share from the last 4 months, but mostly I want to share about my physical and spiritual struggles adjusting to life as a mommy.
A friend told us before she was born, that there are moments in every parent's life when you want to kill your child...well, I could understand him, but I'm not sure I really believed it! Well, I will confess that I've had a few of those moments...when I'm so sleep deprived from not sleeping more than 2 hours at a time every night, for almost 4 months, and not being able to consistently take naps during the day....there have been moments when I broke down and cried because I was so tired...there were also a few moments where she was screaming or crying for so long that I was going crazy, and having horrible thoughts toward her...of course they were only momentary, and I immediately dismissed them as crazy sinful talk, but Satan has tempted me in many was to count my daughter as more of a curse than a blessing to my life over the last 4 months.
Ellie the day she was born: healthy and amazing!!
Ellie at 1 month: we had a photo shoot done with her
Ellie at 2 months: She started smiling and practicing standing!
Ellie at 3 months: Christmas Day
Ellie at almost 4 months (today):
I wore this red dress 25 years ago!!
The Bible says repeatedly that children are a blessing and good thing for our lives:
Psalm 127:3-5
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
John 16:21
When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.
Proverbs 17:6
Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.
So why do I feel like she is such a curse to me sometimes? I have foolish thoughts sometimes like...
"I never want to go through all this suffering again..."
When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.
Proverbs 17:6
Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.
So why do I feel like she is such a curse to me sometimes? I have foolish thoughts sometimes like...
"I never want to go through all this suffering again..."
"you make me never want to have any more kids..."
"this isn't worth it..."
"do not poop, please do not poop so I'll have to get out of bed to change your diaper"
"you better not be waking up this early!"
"just let me sleeeeeeeeep! you are such a selfish baby!"
Seriously, I can't count the number of times I prayed for her to sleep through the night and it almost never happens. I'll wake up between 2-4 in the morning to feed and change a diaper and have the most sour, joyless attitude possible.
My faith has seriously been tested these last 4 months, and I have really been put through the Lord's refining fire. All my sin is now easily visible on the surface of my life, and I feel hypocritical if I try to pretend I have it all together.
Yet God is so good to me through all my hard days and nights. This song helped me to wake up a little spiritually, and I would sing to myself it in the hardest times in the night when I was waking up multiple times: (still am waking up multiple times)
It's a combination of the words from Psalms 42 and 63, and has been very encouraging to me in my hardest moments.
A few weeks ago, on new years eve, God gave me a revelation about what it means to be a parent, especially now during the little years.
Sacrifice....you sacrifice and give up yourself, your desires, your needs, so that you can take care of someone else's needs, someone who needs you to help them....this is so true about babies and small children. They are completely dependent on you, their parent, for all their needs.
It was then that I understood on a deeper level that Jesus did the same thing for me...giving up the easier way and taking the hard and painful path of obedience to the father in order to carry out the plan for my salvation!! Jesus has also experienced every hardship and temptation that I face now, but he had it much worse, yet was without sin!! Every time after I fail and sin, I remember this, and am incredibly humbled.
Hebrews 4:15 says:
"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin."
There is a lot of sanctifying work to be done in my heart, especially about patience toward my children, and long suffering with joy, but I'm thankful to God that I'm aware of my sinful heart's condition and that God has given me a strong desire to change and be a better example of the faith to my children in the months and years to come.
A few weeks ago, on new years eve, God gave me a revelation about what it means to be a parent, especially now during the little years.
Sacrifice....you sacrifice and give up yourself, your desires, your needs, so that you can take care of someone else's needs, someone who needs you to help them....this is so true about babies and small children. They are completely dependent on you, their parent, for all their needs.
It was then that I understood on a deeper level that Jesus did the same thing for me...giving up the easier way and taking the hard and painful path of obedience to the father in order to carry out the plan for my salvation!! Jesus has also experienced every hardship and temptation that I face now, but he had it much worse, yet was without sin!! Every time after I fail and sin, I remember this, and am incredibly humbled.
Hebrews 4:15 says:
"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin."
There is a lot of sanctifying work to be done in my heart, especially about patience toward my children, and long suffering with joy, but I'm thankful to God that I'm aware of my sinful heart's condition and that God has given me a strong desire to change and be a better example of the faith to my children in the months and years to come.
I recently found and started to read a recommended book called Loving the Little Years and by reading it and the Bible, I'm hoping to continue gaining a fresh perspective on the blessing of this time when my daughter is small and needs me constantly. I want to constantly feel in my heart and soul that all my hardships as a mom are all part of the bigger blessing of having children. God certainly is using her as a sanctifying influence in my life, and I'm excited to watch her, and myself, keep growing.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
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!
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!
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