Darkness and Light

You know what it’s like when you are down, when your mood is black? I don’t mean just a murky grey black, but the blackest of black. The black hole of Calcutta black. The kind of blackness you find when you are deep in the bowels of a cave. The kind of blackness that envelops your soul and it seems you can’t even find God in it. That kind of blackness has been shrouding me the past couple weeks. It began creeping in one day, and before I knew it, I had allowed it to take control.

You might say, “A missionary of all things, she shouldn’t allow that to happen.“ But, I’m finding in my spiritual walk that it does happen sometimes. We can show ourselves off as perfect Christians, but we still have spiritual battles to fight. As Christian as we are, we are still human. God created us with a range of emotions, and the devil wants to use that humanity in us to destroy us, discourage us, and just generally beat us down. He will use our health, our neighbors, our self-image, our stumbles, the weather, world events, and even our friends and family, to leave huge gaping wounds in our spirit. He will use words spoken in anger, or even words spoken thoughtlessly at instruments of torture and replay them continuously in our minds. He will use an unintentional slight to blindside us and make us question our relationships. When all of these things culminate in our spirit, they have the potential to sink us to that black place.

But praise God we have hope! Jesus is our lifeboat. When we are in the storm, we may be thinking more about the waves that are overwhelming us than we are about the boat that is holding us, but it doesn’t change the reality of the boat. It is still there, weathering the storm with us. And there will come a point in the storm when He sees we can’t take it anymore, and He will speak the words again, “Peace be still.” He will not give us more than we can bear. When the waves calm, we are drenched, tired, beaten, but the boat is still holding us. He will take us gently into His arms, clean our wounds, give us rest, feed us, and strengthen us.

Sunday He did that for me in a miraculous way. The thing is, it wasn’t my miracle, but I benefited from it. A young man, Artyom, who was saved at youth camp this summer, has been praying for his family. He was the only one in his family who attended church of any kind. He has prayed for them and talked to them about how his life has changed. Sunday afternoon, his brother, Maxim, called him and asked Artyom to pray with him and Maxim repented. When they called and told me their news, it was like Jesus whispered peace to my soul too. I rejoiced to see this wonderful young man come to Christ. It will not be easy for these two brothers to stand against the world, but there was one, and now there are two. With every addition, it will make the battle more bearable, and I’m praying in faith that there will soon be another Christian in their family. Praise God for the light of Jesus that chases away the darkness!

Tea Time

Tea. Chai. I never knew, until I came here, how many kinds of tea one can buy. In the large supermarkets, there is generally a whole aisle devoted to tea. Green tea, green tea with jasmine, citrus green tea, red tea, white tea, blue fruit tea, mint tea, raspberry tea, rosehip tea, Earl Grey, Indian spice, Asian tea.... These are just a few that I have tried. My personal favorites are the Indian spice and Earl Grey. Then there are a variety of ways to drink it as well; with sugar, with honey, with lemon, with milk... I have discovered that the perfect hot tea is a flavorful black tea, with a spoon of honey and a splash of milk. (Don't put milk in the citrus tea. Who knew it would curdle?)

When visiting in the homes of the kids who come to services, I have been drinking a boatload of tea. But it's more than just drinking tea. It is a way of getting to know people, to have a window into their lives. Ukrainians are incredibly hospitable people. Most of the ones I know, love to have guests. When you call for them, from outside of their gate, they will often dash out asking the question, "Have you come to be our guest?" Once you are inside, taking your shoes off at the door mind you, they are quick to put on the teapot and pull out the cups. They want to get to know you. They want you to get to know them. It seems that you go from being acquaintances to being friends all with a cup of tea. We Americans tend to want some notice if someone is coming to visit. We want an advance plan. In the States, I wouldn't even go to my closest friends' house without calling first. Here, it doesn't matter. Even if you are only planning to have a 4 minute conversation at the gate, it will generally end in an hour long conversation over a cup of tea. That's just the way it works, and I like it. Pass the honey, please.

As I was visiting this week, I found 7 of my kid's club girls having tea at one home.

As they were leaving, one girl wearing one of the protective masks to prevent swine flu. I've seen all kinds of these lately, from professionally made, to a piece of fabric with some tape and rubber bands!

Swine Flu

Oh, the craziness of panic and fear! Ukraine's prime minister has declared a national crisis because of Swine Flu in Western Ukraine. She has quarantined all the schools in Ukraine for 3 weeks to prevent it from spreading further. She also banned public gatherings and suggested closing markets. There was general fear and now pharmacies are pretty much sold out of medical masks and flu medicine. One has to wonder, with this month's upcoming elections, how much of this is for real, and how much is a political maneuver. Especially since the reports of the number who have died of this fluctuates from 11-54. Hmmmm. Today, I went up to the city center, and it was pretty quiet. I saw a few wearing the masks, and there seemed to be fewer on the buses. I'm glad I know the One who is in control of the whole situation. Here is a link to an article if you are interested.

http://www.euronews.net/2009/10/31/ukraine-goes-into-lockdown-after-swine-flu-spike/

We saw this pepto-pink car on the way to kid's club and the kids got pretty excited. You see a lot of old cars here, but not too many that are fixed up.

Today I was having a frustrating time dealing with getting the van fixed. This was the fourth time I've gone to the shop, in less than a week, to have the work done, and I've always been sent away for one reason or another. I was feeling particularly cranky, so I decided to stop at a small cafe for a 'real' cup of coffee. About 30 minutes later, with my purse less than $2 lighter, I had sipped a singularly enjoyable latte and consumed a cheese crepe. Oh, to take pleasure in small pleasures!

This photo on the wall of the cafe amused me greatly!

2010 Ukrainian Presidential Elections

The campaign for president of Ukraine is in full swing now. Elections are coming up next month and seem to be the topic of many conversations. Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko's campaign ads seem to be plain and simple. Her signs say "She works. She is Ukraine." Her strategy has been to get all the Ukrainian pop stars on her bandwagon and hold concerts all over the country. A few days ago, early in the morning, I saw around 12 buses near Nova Odessa, all filled with people, with signs on the outside of the buses saying "Yulia will win." They were probably heading to Kyiv for her rally this past weekend.

Victor Yanokovich's strategy has been to plaster billboards with his face and phone number so Ukrainians can call him if they have any problems. His sign says, "Your thoughts count. Your problems will be fixed." Hmmmm. It will be interesting to see the outcome of the election....

One of Those Days

It began as one of those days. You know the ones. The days that make you crazy from the first moment you open your eyes. One of those days that makes you question why you are doing what you are doing. What is the plan, and is it worth it in the end? The first thing you notice is the pouring rain and the damp cold you feel in your bones. That is shortly followed by an unusual dripping sound. You go to check it out and you walk into a puddle, disguised as a small lake, in your bathroom, in you sock feet. After placing buckets and pans under all the drips coming from your recently redone ceiling, you go to take a shower, only to find that you have no water. Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to shower! A cup of tea follows, where, of course, you burn all the taste buds off of your tongue. Suppressing the grrrr in your heart, you remind yourself that this is the Lord’s day and He has everything under control. When driving to pick up kids for Kid’s Club, you have to wait at every house for them to get ready. Muttering under your breath, about halfway through your first route, you are the star of the new Broadway production of Pity Party. You eventually start service 30 minutes late and your translator seems to be having the same kind of day you are. You think to yourself, “Will this day never end?” You feel like to stumble all the way through your children’s service, but then, at your lowest moment, something truly amazing happens. The rain has stopped. A teenager comes to you with tears in his eyes and asks you to pray for him. Another comes and asks you to pray for his friend. A little tyke gives you a huge bear hug and tells you that you are the best. Another hug with an “I love you” attached. Another teen gives you a bag of fresh grapes, while another hands you a bag of fresh-made pierozhky from his mother. A couple more remind you that their moms want you to come for tea, and you suddenly realize that the day has promise. All of the earlier grumbles are long-forgotten, and your heart is filled with joy. Amazing, God is so great, the maker of the world, the giver of life, the healer of nations, and he chooses to refresh your flagging spirit by the simple words and gestures of children. He reminds you with their hugs that you am precious to Him in the same way they are precious to you. Yeah, you had to wait on them. How often has He waited on you? Yeah, they don’t always listen. Do you? The question of this morning crosses your mind again. The answer immediately follows, without hesitation-of course it is worth it!

First Hint of Winter

This morning found frost on the ground and a cold, biting wind, which warmed to a nice 64 degrees in the afternoon. All evening the smell of burning leaves filled the neighborhood. All day I heard walnuts falling from the trees and pinging on the roof and the car. The leaves are a variety of hues. Fall is my favorite holiday....I just don't like the following scene...

This week has been full of catching-up for me; buying groceries, getting housework done, moving my plants from the veranda to indoors, lots of phone calls and visits for tea, hearing all the latest news, etc. It has also had a couple of unusual moments. One afternoon I spent driving around town and down by the river looking for a missing boy. About 8 years old, Saturday he left home at 7 AM to go fishing. At 5 PM it was getting dark, and he had never been home. His mom was near hysterics. Several teen boys and I, including his older brother, spent some time trying to find him. We finally found him on his way back home, carrying 3-4 fish he had caught. Praise God we found him. We were all pretty worried. Tolic, Venya, Artyom, Dima, and Dima trying to balance on a board and change places in youth group. The game went along with our discussion on how we treat others. Artyom led it and did a great job!

Some local people delivering their milk to the ice cream factory in Nova Odessa.

Back in Ukraine

I made it back to Nova Odessa safely, and it was a relatively easy trip.   Joanna, Josh and Artyom drove down from Kyiv with me, and it was really nice to have some time to visit with them.  I felt like I had been gone so long and missed so much!  Please pray for me as I'm adjusting and getting back into a schedule.  I am not as strong as I'd like to be, and I'm going to have to take it easy at first.  I am going to have to cut a couple of things out of the schedule for a couple months, probably.  I had 13 kids and teens over for a welcome home dinner the other night, and we have youth night tonight.  There are some things that I have trouble doing because of my balance, like carrying 30 pound bags of dog food or 50 pound bags of potatoes, but the teens have been really helpful with that kind of thing.  Some other things to deal with on getting back... water barely trickles, why, I don't know; my car won't start and it has a flat; internet doesn't work; mice have invaded because my cats were shut in the veranda... the list goes on... Frustrating things on a good day... However, seeing the kids is worth it!  

Please pray for Artyom.  He repented at youth camp and has been doing great!  He is visiting his family right now, and there are a lot of temptations around him.  Please pray that God gives him strength and wisdom.

Family Reunion '09

I was privileged to go to the Nichols family reunion this year. We were not a large group this year, but we had a really nice time.

You would think a fireman would know better....

Aunt Joy & I showing off our matching boots. Quite a fashion statement!

The gang playing Bocce.

My not-so-favorite-sometimes, favorite cousin. ;~)

He really took my dad for a ride!

My Dream Ride!

1961 Ford

Mission Week IBS

Next week I am planning to be in Independence for IBS Mission Week '09. "Ready, Set, Go!!" Zach & Sarah Roberts, as well as a few others, will also be speaking. Please pray that we have a wonderful week of services, and that as a result, young people will be called into missionary service. If you are in the Independence area, please plan to come. Services are at 9:40 AM and 7:00 PM at 2200 S. 10th St.

In other news, the doctor has released me to return to Ukraine on September 29. I am already mentally packing! I still have a walking cast on, but I am able to walk up steps now, which is VERY exciting! It seems like it has been a long frustrating healing time, but according to the doctor, I have been healing very fast. Thanks for all your prayers!