May 1, 2006
PRAISE REPORTS!!!
SO many to report, I'll have to (for once!) be brief...
OPEN HANDS / TREE OF LIFE UPDATES
- New office - we moved the Tree of Life office OUT of my apartment (YAHOO!) and into our new office, just two blocks away!
- New book - "Married & How to Stay that Way" by Steve Carr is FINALLY received from the printers and on sale NOW in Ukraine!! OORAH! :)
- New van - Thanks to a generous donation, we have paid the first installment on a van to haul books. (Please pray, we still need $2000 more! Thanks!)
- NEW PROJECTS COMPLETED! - in March we had an AWESOME team from CCAG (you know who you are!). We had a marriage conference, donated new boots and books to an orphanage, and generally wrecked havock...uh...I mean "did ministry" throughout Kyiv. :) It was a great time and I was VERY encouraged.
PERSONAL UPDATES
- I am currently on a visit to the states that is turning into something better than expected! Once again my brother is drawing all our family together (we all got together last year for the first time in 20 years for his wedding) as he retires from the Marine Corp...even my sister is coming from NZ so I am extending my stay in the states to be with everyone.
- I have had the privilige of speaking at CC Arroyo Grande, CA and CC Monterey Bay, CA and was greatly encouraged by the love and support of the Body of Christ, there.
- I also got a realy blessing and spoke at Mrs. Shaw's first grade class at New Hope Christian School in Grants Pass, OR. Turns out I once babysit Mrs. Shaw's sons when I was in high school! And Mrs. Shaw and her family went to the same church as my family when I was growing up....that was a trip! :) If you really want to get choked up, have a roomful of first-graders pray for you! Awesome! :)
- Next I also had a great opportunity to speak to Andy Fry's social studies and history classes at GPHS. They asked GREAT questions and I really enjoyed it! The more I talked about Ukraine the more I realized how much I love it and how glad I am to be there for this time in my life.
- As always Calvary Church in Grants Pass, OR is taking care of me just wonderfully...blessing and encouraging, and we are trying to plan a youth team to come to Ukraine this summer....which leads us to prayer requests.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- Please pray for wisdom how to spend the rest of my time here in America. There is always so many people I want to see, not enough time, and not enough money/car/feasible transport options to make it happen. (America is NOT the land of public transport like Ukraine is!)
- Please pray for a blessed time with my family. I love and respect them all so much and want EVERY blessing that God has possible for this time for all of us! He says that sometimes "we have not because we ask not"....so I'm asking! Thanks! :)
- Finances....people have been very generous and I have been able to get some much needed supplies, etc. But even just a few weeks in the US is SO expensive compared to Ukraine (all you who live here/there full time no this better than me!) and so it is always a drain on my expenses. Also a major supporter has cut their support significantly because of decreased giving to their fund. I am not worried, but many of you always ask (and even nag me for not giving details more often!) so here it is! :)
- "Travel mercies" as I am traveling here and there.
- My team back in Ukraine as they prepare for a VERY big conference. It was a little bit of a hard decision to stay here and not be with them to prepare for this conference. But I know that before any ministry, any "work", my family is my first priority and blessing and, honestly, I have not cared for them as i could/should have over the years and I would like that to change.
- TIME TO BLOG! :) I want to write more, and just haven't been able to make the time...
THANKS! More soon!
