BRRR. But enough about the weather. Holiday season is officially over, as here it extends though almost the entire month of January. I resumed my bi-weekly trips to the local orphanage where I have the opportunity to minister with national Christians in presenting the gospel to the children. We were blessed to have 11 Ukrainians last week at English club, including 4 new people. There was a full mailbox of Bible lessons, and we have about a dozen new students to register as soon as we get more of the first lesson back from Oleksy, our printer. He recently broke his leg and has been out of work for a couple weeks. Pray for Bible Baptist Church this month, as Pastor Dan will be going to the states to purchase and ship the vehicle his family has needed for so long. It really is cheaper and easier that way. On the 8th of this month I travel to Kiev for a day to visit Angie Bonner Morgan, who is in the country for a missions trip with her church. Besides all my “normal” activities this month, I will add to my adventures a border crossing with Laurel and her 5 kids plus watching 3 other children for 4 days. Never a dull moment here. It’s also that time of year to start planning for spring and summer ministries. We are praying for some new places to hold VBS this summer, and the ETO ministry plans to have the English version of the Correspondence Bible course ready and available this summer. So lots of things to organize and pray about. Thank you in advance for bringing Ukrainians and their spiritual needs before the throne of grace. God bless you.

As you know, or don’t, I have to go out of the country every 90 days or so to keep up with government requirements to keep my visa valid. This week I went with the Bardwell family to Krakow, Poland, as they also needed to cross the border. Sometimes we just get a local bus, go to the Polish border about 1 1/2 hours from L’viv, walk over the border at one of the checkpoints, and then return. But this time, since Silas needed to get his visa renewed, we decided to make a short sight-seeing trip out of it. So we took an overnight train to Krakow, saw some sights in the old and beautiful city, stayed a night, and then returned the next evening on another train. Overall, the kids were great travellers. We had a good time at the Oceanarium, which was more like an indoor zoo for fish and reptiles, and we enjoyed some “American” food like Pizza Hut and Burger King. It was also nice to meet a missionary couple who have been  ministering in Krakow for about 14 years.  Each year it seems the laws (or interpretation of the laws) change regarding foreigners and visas.  Please pray with us that we are able to stay and serve God as long as he leads and allows.

I just realized that I went an entire month without writing anything. I got back to L’viv on the 9th after 3 days of travel. It usually doesn’t take that long, but because of my flight schedule I didn’t get into Warsaw in time to get a flight into L’viv the same day so I stayed at a hotel in Warsaw overnight and flew out at 11 a.m. on the 9th. It took a couple of days to re-acclimate myself to Ukraine’s time zone and food differences, but I was soon back into the swing of  things. I had several questions from CBC students’ lessons waiting for me and it took a couple of weeks to get them all answered. I think more and more students are interested in more than just what is written in the lessons, and we are getting more questions. Pray that I have wisdom in answering them properly and with good scriptural references. I have a chance to work in an orphanage a couple times a month and tomorrow have a part in teaching the story of Moses.

I am writing this update from the Bardwell’s house in the village where the kids are getting over a stomach virus that has wiped them out for several days.  They say there is something going around, which usually happens when the weather changes here.  We are also preparing to start a Bible club here in Karachaniv, including English lessons, crafts, games, and of course, Bible lessons.  We have found that the character sketches in nature studies are a good place to start with the kids and can incorporate all aspects of our club.  We are praying for a way to further our input into the community and  hope that kids will come and enjoy their time with us.

Perhaps in the next few days I will upload some pictures from my time in the states. I had a great time visiting family and long lost friends.  I am glad to be home and back in the thick of things.  Continue to pray for the ministry. God bless.

It is the last couple days of August, and in one week I will be traveling back to Ukraine.  Though the time in the states has been good and I have enjoyed the rest and time with family and friends I am ready to get back home and back to work. I have been able to prepare some answer keys to our lessons and write a couple of students while here, but I really missed the hands on lesson work with the ETO team and sharing in the ministry of Bible Baptist Church this summer.  One of the highlights of my time here at First Bible has been the opportunity to help with Happy Five soccer and refereeing the 7-8 year old girls. I was able to speak to 3 different age group Sunday School classes and share my ministry with them.  This last week before leaving I have some boxes to ship out and last minute get togethers. I was able to find a good airline deal, so I will be able to fly from Warsaw to L’viv instead of having to take an all-day bus ride. That is a big blessing in itself.  I am looking forward to the fall and the many ministry opportunities it will bring. Thank you for your prayers. Continue to pray for the lost souls of Ukraine to come to the Lord.

I have been in New York now for about a month and thought I would let you know what I’ve been up to. The wedding of my friends Zachary and Heidi was a blessing to see.  When his mom asked him a couple weeks later how the whole marriage things was going, he said he was a fan.  I got to help with our church’s Spirit of America celebration on July 4th and thoroughly enjoyed selling hot dogs and watching the beautiful fireworks display. Praise the Lord for America and the freedoms we still have.  I have been doing some scrap booking and shopping for some odds and ends that aren’t available in Ukraine.  My chiropractor tells me that I have a herniated disc in my neck, and he has be treating me for that a couple times a week. If it doesn’t improve significantly soon I will have to have protisone shots and an MRI, both which will be costly financially, so please pray that it improves soon. This week my mother and I have traveled south to visit some friend I made in college and shortly thereafter when I was living in Augusta, GA. It has been great to reminisce over old times and catch up on the last several years.  I still have another trip to take in August to visit friends in the Midwest, but most of August will be spent close to home in Rochester. Unless of course, God changes things. He has a way of doing that, we know.

We will continue with English club during the summer months on Tuesday evenings, though we will not include the Bible study with it.  Josh, Nathan, and the others will be kept busy with other aspects of ETO ministry, and preparation for a study each week is timely. Two weeks ago we had a full house at English, with 16 total folks. Yesterday there were only 4 Ukrainians, but they are our faithful few, and the interaction with us Americans has been great. I just thought I would throw in a couple pictures.

Dasha, Roman, and Taras are there almost every week.

Jessie does a great job each week leading the discussion.

Just a short note to let you know what is going on this month. We have had some pretty wet days this past month, but lately the skies have been quite blue and beautiful. The Carpathian Mountain Outreach ministry is in full swing now, and it is great to have Benjamin Anna here to be a part of it. They are expecting another 3 or 4 men during the summer months, but Josh, Nathan, Bryan, Ben, and Jessie are already busy passing out literature and evangelizing villages. CMO is an arm of ETO, Euro Team Outreach, of which the Correspondence Bible Course and English club/Bible study are also a part. If you haven’t looked into the ministry, check out our website at www.euroteamoutreach.org. We also have a Facebook page that includes several pictures and videos of the ministry.

My biggest project right now is getting ready for Vacation Bible School, being held June 21-26. It is coming along well, and the kids are excited and inviting their friends to be a part. A special thanks to my ladies’ prayer group for the treats and prizes they sent to be used in the pinata that will the great treasure at the end of the week. I would appreciate you prayers for that week. First of all, for lots of kids to come and hear the gospel. Second, for adult helpers, and third, for good weather the entire week.

Not only is June a busy month because of VBS, but I am preparing to return to the states for July and August, and there are a lot of things to do to before I leave. Katelin Day and the Beals have volunteered to help with the correspondence course in my absence, and they will need a little training in the process of correcting lessons and sending materials. The CMO team has “rented” my apartment for the time I am gone, and I will need to get that ready for them. There are a few other things I have to finish up, so there won’t be much “down time” before I head back. Praise the Lord again for my prayer group and a few others who donated some money for my plane tickets. “But my God shall supply all your need..”.

Our days on earth are short, and the trumpet my blow at any time, so let us be faithful unto the end. “The Lord bless thee and keep thee: the Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.” I’ll see you here, there, or in the air.

I am at the Beal’s house watching the girls and Jack, the prettiest dog I know.  We took a picnic lunch and walked up by the lake, hoping to sit near the stream to eat our lunch. The weather was gorgeous and warm. No, actually, it was downright hot. When we arrived, there were several guys swimming and fishing, so we decided to find a different place. We found a flat spot on the top of a hill with a beautiful view and some trees for shade.  The steak sandwiches, potato salad, and home-made lemonade were delicious.  We read a book to each other while Cassia sketched, found interesting shapes in the clouds, and came across a solo yellow orchid in the middle of the wild brush.  A couple of dark clouds rolled in, but quickly blew away, and did not compromise our outing.  We were home in plenty of time to tune in to our home church’s live stream Sunday morning service.  It has been a nice, relaxing day.  Except for the very fresh moist cow pie I stepped in just before we got home. I guess there’s a first time for everything.

Here's looking at you

It has been over two months since my last post and I apologize for the lack of faithfulness in keeping up my blog.  I could say that I have been really busy, and just forgot about writing, but even the truth is no excuse.  Alot of my time has been spent preparing for the Vacation Bible School we are holding June 21-26.  The theme will be the treasures in the Word of God with the focus on the treasure of Jesus and eternal life in Him.

The Correspondence Bible Course continues to grow and we continually get notes of thanks for the way that the course has helped them know God and his Word better.  In the last few weeks  one student from the town of Chervonograd has sent in lesson invites for many of her friends and we now have 47 students from that city.  It is a real blessing to have Bryan Shufelt back for the summer for the CMO ministry.  He returned at the same time the Steeles did, and he has helped organize the CBC data base and prepare lessons to be corrected.  The Carpathian Mountain Outreach ministry this summer is expecting 5 young men to join them as they evangelize in L’viv and surrounding regions. They even have a trip to the east of Ukraine planned in the month of July.

Bible Baptist Church is doing very well of late.  We have some new attendees, including  2 ladies, a family of 4,  and a father and his son.  They have been coming rather regularly, which is a big blessing.  Our prayer is to see more men and families in church, and this is a good start.  The services are back at the Bardwell house in the village, and even with a lot of rain, most weeks we have a good crowd.   I have more to report, but will take a  break for lunch and walk, and get back to you soon with pictures and a couple of interesting stories.

Spring is just around the corner, but the cold temps and intermittent snow want to hang around just a little longer. I continue to watch the Bardwell kids on Mondays and help with school while Laurel takes Ukrainian language lessons and does some shopping at the bazaar. This past week there was a chocolate festival in town, and we walked around a bit and got some chocolate covered donuts. Pretty tasty, I must admit. While out and about we ate lunch at a relatively new place in town, and their calzone is delicious. March 8 was International Women’s Day, and though many countries don’t give the day much attention, Ukraine plays it up pretty big.  At church Alla, one of our faithful young ladies, gave each lady a homemade candy bouquet.  The correspondence Bible course continues to go strong, and in the month of February alone I registered  31 new students.  Most of these came from invitations from other students who are already taking the course.  They say word of mouth is the best form of advertising.  In an effort to improve my Ukrainian language  and reading skills I have been reading the book The Prince and The Pauper by Mark Twain in Ukrainian during my lessons. I finally finished the book, and look forward to starting another one soon.  We are looking forward to the summer, when we minister to the local kids through a week of Vacation Bible School. I am developing a week of lessons and activities based on a “seeking for treasure” theme, with the main idea that Jesus is the greatest treasure.  I am still helping Greater Grace church with their Saturday kids’ club, and this past week Edgar presented the parable of the sower lesson. After Resurrection Sunday we will begin a new series of lessons about the early Christians. Continue to pray for the ministry and ministers here in L’viv, Ukraine. Thank you, and God bless.

I love this picture of little brother reading next to big brother.

Edgar teaching the lesson at kids' club.

The fuse bead craft the kids made in club this week.

Anyone for a donut?

Just about anything at La Piazza is delicious.

Can you find the boy in the tree? I walked right past him.

Laurel modeling her candy bouquet.