Easter Program for Children

Map of Ukrainian ATO

     I had the great opportunity and privilege to help with an Easter program for at-risk kids near the war-torn part of Eastern Ukraine. I worked with 2 other Americans, Armando and David and the organization they represent, "Children to Love". We left in the evening on Orthodox Easter and traveled 17 hours by train to a city in the Donetsk Region. We were about 25 miles from the war zone, known as the ATO (Anti-Terrorist Operation zone). Although we did hear in the news of some fighting while we were there, we felt completely safe and didn't hear or see anything. God kept us safe on the way there and back, so we thank Him for this.

The "Smile" team

     We worked with a group of Ukrainians and a their team which is called "Smile". They formed in 2014 after the fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine. Their mission is to support at-risk children, and orphans impacted by the war. They do Christmas and Easter programs as well as summer camps. At the last Christmas and Easter programs, over 3000 kids heard the Gospel message. The team uses very interactive plays that include participation from the audience, puppet shows, and different games to keep it interesting for the children. Every evening we packed thousands of goodie bags for the children, which included sweets, toys, and a small Bible and other Christian literature.

Regional orphanage for disabled children

        One of the hardest things we did was visit an orphanage for physically and mentally disabled children. It is one of the largest of these type of orphanages in Ukraine and the only such one in this region. There were almost 270 children there, many of them in wheelchairs. As hard as it was for us to be there, we kept smiles on our faces, and did our best to share the love of God with them. Just another reminder for me that we live in a broken world, but one day God will right all wrongs.

        We also had the opportunity to buy groceries for and visit with a family who lost their only daughter to an artillery shell that hit just outside the kitchen window where she was cooking. She left behind a 10 year old son whose grandparents have now taken him in, even though they barely have enough to live on for themselves. It was an emotional time for all as they tearfully shared about their daughter and showed us pictures of her. Their grandson Vlad often cries at night asking to see his mother just one more time. I know there are many conflicts around the world, and just because they aren't talked about anymore in the news it doesn't mean everything is ok and that we should stop praying. There is still fighting in Ukraine, and young soldiers and innocent civilians are still losing their lives every week. That's over 10,000 lives lost since the fighting began.

Family that lost their daughter (Valentina and Volodya)

So please, we ask you to join us in prayer today in 3 areas: 1- Pray for the "Smile" team and the work they are doing, that God would continue to provide for them and that the Gospel would spread through their work with at-risk and orphan children; 2 - Pray for the family of Volodya, Valentina, and their grandson Vlad, as well as for all the people suffering from conflicts around the world. 3- Pray for peace in Ukraine and around the world. And that God's justice would come to those less fortunate. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. I am always happy to share with you these stories, and if you have any questions or would like to help in some way, let me know. May God continue to bless you all as well and keep you safe. May His kingdom come sooner, and may His will be done through us as we await Him, so that we will be found faithful!

Church Planting 101

The last few months have been very challenging for us. We are still struggling to finish renovations and repairs on our apartment before winter. The temperature is already in the 30s-40s! This definitely is not Florida,  but we are making progress even if it's slow and more expensive than expected. (More about that in a future update). However we have been busy not only at home but also at our church. Our church here in Lviv, "Trinity Church" is 8 years old, and as a young church still has a lot to learn. I'd like to share with you about some of the "growing pains" we have been having. These last few months we have been meeting 2-3 times a week trying to figure out some important questions and solve some problems that we noticed have surfaced in the last few years in our church. I have the great privilege along with the guys in this picture to serve on the leadership team at church.

 There are 7 of us in all. Although 8 years is long enough to not call the church "new" we still noticed there were a lot of things missing and we are trying to address those issues. For example at Calvary there is a clear mission and mission statement, a strategy, defined church bylaws and organizational structure. It helps the church stay focused and move towards where they believe God is calling them. We as a small church of 30-40 people were missing that clarity and we noticed that it was causing some problems. So as I said we have been researching a lot and praying and trying to decide where our church is headed and what structure is best for us. It has been frustrating at times but a great learning experience for me and I am happy to be apart of it. Please pray for our church and the leadership in our church that God would give us wisdom and that He would make our church a great instrument for raising up disciples and reaching the lost people of Lviv, Ukraine. You know, we noticed that you really need balance in the church. I will explain it like this. If the world is full of lost people, we say they are sick and in need of a doctor to take care of their illnesses. We as believers know that that illness is sin, and only Jesus can take care of that problem with his precious blood. However, what we noticed was that we, as a church, were focused too much on outreach and neglected the health of our own doctors. We realized that we can't neglect the spiritual and physical needs of our congregation because they can't reach out to others if they themselves are sick and struggling with personal things. We as a church had to repent of some of the mistakes we made in the past and we are now moving forward. It is wonderful to see God working in our church, healing broken relationships, and putting a desire to serve in the hearts of members who before seemed not to care about such things. So please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Pray specifically for wisdom and guidance for our church leaders at Trinity. Pray by name if God leads you to. (The leaders are Andriy, Oleg, Viktor, Nazar, Serhiy, Vova,and myself.) Pray also for Yuliya and I to finish our apartment enough to make it a little more livable. If God leads you to help in anyway, or if you have any suggestions or encouragement please write us a comment here, or pass it along though Calvary or through my parents. God bless you all and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support. We couldn't do it without you.

We also celebrated a day of Thanksgiving in our church to thank God for all the blessings He has shown us this year. Here is a picture of our children at church at this Thanksgiving service as we pray over them and bless them before sending them to Sunday School.

"Ocean Fest" (500 years - Protestant Reformation)

A few months ago I posted about the Protestant Reformation. As this year is the 500 year anniversary, the President in Ukraine signed a law allowing Protestants to hold different conferences and events to teach about this historical event that changed the face of Europe and the World. So our church and many of the Evangelical churches in Ukraine are taking advantage of this great opportunity to teach about the Reformation and through it to share the gospel.

 Our church is focusing on one area of Lviv, Ukraine that we call the Ocean region. (The name comes from an old store in the area called "Ocean") We have been working there for the last few years and decided to put on a small festival to celebrate the Reformation. We started the week by presenting many famous paintings and the history about the paintings and what they mean. Many of the paintings have Jesus in them or are biblical in nature so we used the paintings to make people think and to ask questions about things like sin, the nature of man, and God. It was a great opportunity to get to know some people in this area where we are ministering and to share the gospel with them through these famous paintings.

We did this evangelism using the paintings for a few nights during the week then on Sunday we had a concert and celebration. It was June 4th in Ukraine which is a big holiday known here as the "green holiday". However, it is actually the celebration of the Trinity and the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given to the Apostles and believers obediently waiting in Jerusalem. We had many games, activities and relay races for the kids. We also set up the paintings again for evangelism. Then we had a concert, told some historical facts about the Reformation and what it means. Then I gave my testimony. I talked about the true reformation that we need and that it is a reformation of the heart. I shared with them that man by himself cannot do this. We need God's help, and only through the working of the Holy Spirit can our hearts and minds be reformed and changed.
It was a very fitting theme for this holiday of the Trinity and the day of Pentecost. Then our pastor Oleg also shared a short message about the reforming or transforming work of the Holy Spirit. We then invited everyone to come every Sunday for the next 5 weeks to different seminars about the Protestant Reformation, it's history, and it's influence on Ukraine.

Please pray that God would bless our work in the "Ocean region" and that many people would hear about Jesus and come to repentance and a personal relationship with Him. Pray that Ukraine would truly be reformed from the inside out, starting with the hearts and minds of it's people. Pray that the Holy Spirit would work through us and that God would use us in amazing ways as His instruments to reach these people.

We also are in the process of fixing up our apartment and are in need of help both physically and financially so please pray that that process would go smoothly and that God would provide for all our needs. If you are able to help us in anyway it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for anyone reading this and to family, friends, and church members who continue to support us and lift us up in prayer. I encourage you all to get involved with missions in some way whether it is local or international. God Bless!

Nepal - Week 1

This spring Yuliya and I had the opportunity to go on a short-term mission trip to Nepal with a team from the seminary here in L'viv, Ukraine. Our time there was basically divided into 3 weeks so I will post accordingly. We first flew through Dubai and landed in Kathmandu.

Immediately our senses were bombarded with a new culture as we exited the airport and rode in jeeps to our host home. They don't really seem to have many rules on the road, besides one - honk your horn a lot to let everyone know you're coming. We had 1 day in Kathmandu to walk around but mostly we searched for some things at the market that we would need for the mountains including sleeping bags, hiking poles, and food. We then left on a 9 hour bus to the city of Pokhara in the Annapurna mountain range region. We stayed there for one night, then set out the next day for our first destination. We hiked mostly uphill for about 6-7 hours and got to the first village where we stayed for a few days with a kind, old grandma. We would sleep and eat there and in the day go visiting the surrounding villages.

In the villages we showed kindness to the people, made conversations with them and just played with and talked to children. The people were very kind and often invited us to sit and drink tea with them. The kids were really sweet, and we made them balloon animals, handed out candy, and our girls checked their girls for lice and brushed/braided their hair. Our friend and brother in Christ Min, a former shaman who was saved and is now a preacher, would preach while we spoke with the people in the villages. Then we invited them to watch the Jesus film in the evening if weather permitted. The first few nights it was raining and wet and only a few people came. However, on the last night it was dry and more than 40 people were there from the surrounding villages. Join us in praying for these villages. On almost every mountaintop there are temples to different Hindu gods.

These beautiful people are desperately in need of Jesus! The first week was difficult, wet, and humid but God gave us strength and we were able to help Nepali missionaries reach out to these people and preach the Gospel. We pray that God will continue to use these people like Brother Min to reach the lost in these mountain villages in Nepal.

"Then He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation." Mark 16:15 CSB

Nepal - Week 2

After our first week we understood a little bit of the price you must pay to be a minister or missionary in Nepal. Praise God instances of physical persecution are not common in Nepal, as far as I know, but it is still very difficult for believers there. There are many gods, temples, and shrines all over the place and for us it was a little disconcerting at times.  There are so few people willing to go...but some ARE going, and God is working through them and people are hearing all about Jesus in these remote places!
We often prayed that those false places of worship would be ruined and that the one true God's name would be lifted up in those places instead. Please join us in praying. Also we understood the physical cost of evangelism and discipleship in these mountain villages. It is very hard to climb from one day to a couple weeks to get to some of these villages. As Jesus said -->

In week two a couple of our girls, including my wife Yuliya, went back to Kathmandu to help with some camps in the orphanages instead of going with us to Tibet. The rest of us got back on a bus and then took a jeep up very steep mountain roads, past a few guard checkpoints and into the Tibet region of Nepal (near the border of China). The place where we were the first week we worked mostly with Hindu people, but closer to Tibet Buddhism is the dominate religion.

Everywhere we saw the very colorful Buddhist flags which actually have prayers written on them. They believe the winds blow the prayers to heaven. Our plan in Tibet was to climb all day for 2 days to reach a village and show the Jesus film there where it hadn't previously been shown before, and in a few villages on the way up. So we climbed, and climbed, and climbed with the sun beating down on us and the dust kicking up and resting inside our nostrils. It was much harder than the first week in terms of climbing but we kept going and helped each other as much as possible. We finally reached our destination at 3500+ meters which is more than 11,000 ft. It is already high enough that no trees grow as you can see in this picture, and it was freezing cold at night. We woke up to snow and our translator was very happy as it was his first time seeing snow! We showed the Jesus film to about 40 people again. At the base of those mountains is a Christian church so we shared with them our plans and route so that they could also continue working with these people.

Please join us in praying for the people of Tibet. Buddhism has a strong hold on the area and the work there is very slow, often without a lot of visible fruit. Please pray that pastors, and missionaries would be called to reach these people who again are in need of a Savior, and that he would give them strength and boldness to preach the Gospel to these remote mountain villages.

Nepal - Week 3

After our second week we went back to Kathmandu and had a couple of days to rest and prepare for the camp we would help do with some of the orphanages. There are a couple of missionaries from Ukraine, USA, Belarus, Russia, and some other countries as well who run small orphanages with 20-30 children. We did camp for 4 of these orphanages. The work these missionaries are doing with these kids is amazing. They are helping raise up missionaries, pastors and ministers from among these orphans. They teach them and help them gain necessary life skills, as well as teaching them about God, the Bible, and salvation through Christ alone. Many of them have given their lives to Christ and we were amazed as we spent some evenings with them during their devotional times (which the kids themselves lead). Hearing them sing their hearts out in Nepali (even though we didn't understand anything) was truly a humbling experience we will not soon forget. Our task for week 3 was to help teach these children and help them mature in their walks with God. In one photo I am with the translator teaching the Bible lesson at camp.

We taught them that God made everyone with a purpose and that our purpose is to love, glorify, and serve God in all that we do. Please join us in praying for these orphans, orphanages, and the local missionaries who are working with them. They are really doing a great job! Also they are always looking for sponsors for the kids so if anyone reading this is interested just let me know and we will get you in contact with them. We really enjoyed the 3rd week. We spent all week with these kids and really got to know and love them.

I don't know what God has in store for us in the future with regards to Nepal, but we hope someday we will get the opportunity to at least visit and see these beautiful children again, they were really special. Pray also for Kathmandu there is around a million people here. This panorama is of Kathmandu (photo was taken from a Buddhist temple). A million people, many that never heard of Jesus and his love for them. Please join us in praying for Nepal, and for missions and missionaries all around the world. I encourage everyone reading this to be a part of missions in some way, either by going, sending, praying, or supporting mission both local and international.

God has a heart for missions and our churches should as well. Please pray for the persecuted church, and for believers all around the world that are suffering for Christ. A good resource with facts and stories about the persecuted church can be found here"Open Doors".
I encourage you all to make lifting up these people and their needs in prayer a part of your daily life and walk with Christ.

Thanks as always for your love and support for Yuliya and I. We miss you and hope to hear from some of you soon. Let me know if you want to hear more. If we get the chance to come to the USA this summer we would be happy to show you more pictures and tell your more in detail about what we are doing in Ukraine and our trip to Nepal. God Bless!

For some Fun Facts about Nepal click here

500 years later: The Protestant Reformation

If you aren't already aware, next year is the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. You're probably thinking now, "so exciting," right?   Of course I'm joking,  and maybe it's not so exciting at first glance, however it is actually a very important part of who we are and how we understand our God and his plan of salvation for us! I am not going to bore you with all 95 theses, but let's look at the basics. I hope this will be encouraging,  helpful,  and that you might even find it interesting.

These are the five solos or solae in Latin of our faith.  Solo means in Latin "only" or "by this alone."  1. Sola Scriptura (by scripture alone). 2. Sola Fide (by faith alone). 3. Sola Gratia (by grace alone). 4. Solus Christus (through Christ alone). 5. Soli Deo Gloria (glory to God alone). This list formally came after the initial beginning of the Reformation but the process of reform started with Martin Luther 500 years ago. It was important for them then as they realized the Catholic church was not preaching and behaving as it should. It's also important that we know and remember these important pillars of our faith and don't try to create or follow other paths to salvation that aren't based on these truths. Thank God for the brave men and women of the reformation, some of whom gave their lives, so that we could have these truths. Just think, without the reformation we wouldn't have the Bible in our language, and we would still be buying indulgences for salvation, or trying by some other means to earn salvation. We have direct access to God, through Jesus and what he did on the cross! Remember these truths and share them with others!

 Besides using this as a teaching moment,  I also wanted to share what's happening in Ukraine. In Ukraine the Catholic and the Orthodox  churches are the main religions in Ukraine and often have a lot of power and influence in other spheres as well. However, by what can only be explained as a miracle,  the president himself signed a law giving protestants the power to celebrate, teach, and speak about the Reformation for its 500th anniversary.

This means we, as evangelical christians, now have basically unlimited access to share our faith in schools, universities and public places through teaching about this historical event and its impact on life as we know it today. A lot of good things came from the Reformation for humanity as a whole. We will teach these benefits all while speaking openly and freely about the message of the Reformation, which in essence is the gospel itself! This is an amazing and unprecedented opportunity for spreading the gospel in Ukraine. Please pray that many doors would be open, and that we would be bold and faithful to do it. God is so big, and is still performing miracles to accomplish his will. Praise God!

Helping a family in need

Ilya doing one of his favorite activities!

Ilya's Medical Fund- One of my ministries here in Ukraine is to help find support for people truly in need. The task is a big one as there are more people in need than we can possibly help. Please consider helping this special family by clicking on "Ilya's Medicical Fund" link above. It will take you to his gofundme page. These people are very good friends of mine, and godly people with hearts for the lost people of Ukraine. When I first started living in Ukraine I lived with them and they became like family to me. Now their son, who was diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy, is in need of therapy and treatments which will give him a much better chance at a normal life when he grows up. Any amount of support can really make a difference. They need $600 by the end of November and $2,400 within a year for the 4-5 rounds of treatments for little Ilya. Please join me in supporting them either financially or with prayer! Sometimes God blesses us so that we can share those blessings with others.

Ilya and his big smile

Andriy, Alona, Ilya, Zahar Komlev

Hebrews 13:16 “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

John 3:17 “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?”

Philippians 2:4 “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Sermon on Luke 1:39-56

09 Sep 2016

What's New With Us - Update Fall 2016

It is a crisp, beautiful fall day here and I decided to post an update. It has been a while since I have written here. I actually like writing here, but when I'm busy and when it seems that no one is reading this, then the desire to write can sometimes fade away. However, I hope first that someone does read these posts, and that it is an encouragement for them, and second that I can use this to "store" my ideas and show some of the ways that God has blessed me this year. Then, in the future, I might just be reminded of God's greatness in certain situations that I have forgotten about. Although this wasn't the longest gap I have had posting, I think things have definitely changed drastically since my last post. Probably if you know me and you're reading this then you know that I just was married this last summer on July 10th here in Khotyn, Ukraine.

It was a small but beautiful wedding in the Khotyn Fortress. My mom, dad, and Nicholas came to Ukraine for the first time as well! About a month after the wedding we went to Florida to visit our family and friends there, and kind of had our honeymoon as well. Many of you who are reading this we saw while we were there, and maybe even had the blessing of having you at our reception that we had at Calvary. It was also small but beautifully decorated, and the catering and casual atmosphere was a real joy. We also were hugely blessed to be in the states for the births of both my friends the Hodae's 5th baby, and my sister Leigh Anna and her husband Kyle's first baby (Addie Anne who was due about a week after we were supposed to return to Ukraine). We really enjoyed our time in the US, with friends and family, which made it even harder to come back here. However, now a couple of months later we have pretty much adjusted to life back in Ukraine with all it's joys as well as hardships. We are currently looking to buy an apartment here, which has it's mix of excitement, frustration, and stress, but we know God is in control of all things and we will live where he wants to put us. It is a big decision, but when we looked at how much we are spending on rent we decided it was a good choice, and a wise investment for our future. Both Yuliia and I are studying in the L'viv Theological seminary in the International Missions faculty. So in the last few weeks we both also had our week long sessions, one of 6 during the year. I am in year 2 of 4 and my group studied the Old Testament from Job to Malachi; Yuliia just started this year and had her first session on "Spiritual Development." It has been great digging deeper into God's Word there and learning more and more about him. Another thing I have been doing since we got back is a lot of repairs. For the first time I fixed plumbing inside the toilet here because it was leaking (after 3 tries I might add), and now I am trying to figure out why the dryer is acting up. The list of things I have learned here is growing and growing! We meet on Thursday's still for our "home church" group.(photo on the left is from this group) We are studying both on Sunday and on Thursday the gospel of Luke. This Sunday I will have the opportunity to preach on Luke 1:39-56. We actually do post most of the sermons online so if anyone is reading this and would like to watch it just let me know and I'll get you the link.

I constantly pray that God will use me here and everywhere that I will go for his glory! Whether it be through my sermons, english classes, or just building relationships throughout the many things we do here, I pray that I will make God known, and that I will make him look good here in L'viv Ukraine. Now as a married couple we also have the opportunity to reach out more to families or to couples. I also pray that God will use us in this way, and that we would be bold to branch out and make new friends. Our church is really focusing on discipleship now and we are doing that in 3 ways: first we hear the message on Sunday, then on Thursday we talk about the message and how we can apply it to our lives, and finally we think about ways and find ways to share what we learned with others. In this way we are trying to make disciples as Jesus commanded us all in the Great Commission. It isn't enough to just go, preach, baptize them and then leave. Jesus says go and make disciples. So we are focusing on making good strong disciples in our church that go out and make disciples in the world! Please pray for us in this, that we would be faithful servants. Well for now that is all. If somehow you do read this, please leave a comment so I know. It is an encouragement to me to keep writing, and always nice to hear from someone. For those of you in Florida now or on the east coast please be safe as Hurricane Matthew makes it way by the state. Praying for your safety and God's protective hand. God bless and until next time!

Friends from Far Places

One of the biggest opportunities to spread the gospel here in L'viv, Ukraine is found not exactly where one might expect. L'viv is a cultural city and is known as the cultural capital of Ukraine. It is a very unique and exciting place to live, and there are a lot of interesting people here. Also, it has many universities, colleges and other learning institutions. Not only do people come from all over Ukraine to study here, but they come from all over the world as well. They can get a decent education here for much less the cost of studying in other places. I personally have met people from many African countries, Korea, and South America. One such person we met and befriended is Ibrahim. He comes from Guinea, West Africa. It is a small country on the Ivory Coast that is predominately Muslim. He is here as a refugee. He fled political turmoil in his country and tried to get to Europe, and he ended up in Ukraine. Although it maybe wasn't his first choice, he quickly fell in love with the city and the people here. We tried our best just to show him love and we were friendly to him. It doesn't sound like much, and really it isn't. We simple invited him over for dinner or for some game nights for example. Then we invited him to come to bible study and church with us. Although by birth he is a Muslim, our friendliness and warmth to him immediately attracted him to us. Now he is hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ on a regular basis, which is a beautiful thing. These types of opportunities are common here. Especially for foreigners who maybe are not very comfortable here. I understand their struggle. Adapting to a new culture and city can be very tough. They might not even have any friends or people to talk to. Amazingly we can reach them here in L'viv, even though we might be prohibited to reach them in their own countries.

What a great opportunity, I know one that I personally don't want to miss out on. We can reach them here in L'viv, then they go back to their own countries as missionaries to their friends and families, what a beautiful picture of Christ's global church! I have started praying and thinking more about how, while I am here, I can witness to such groups of people. Most of them speak English, and many of them have never heard anything about Jesus Christ. So please pray for the salvation of the foreign people in L'viv Ukraine, especially young students such as Ibrahim. That the Holy Spirit would touch their hearts and they would receive Christ and know him as their personal savior. Pray that we, his church, would be willing and able to go to them and share with them the love of Christ and be friends to them here in a foreign place. I also encourage my friends and families in USA to do the same. Look for people who might be studying far from home. You could be a real blessing to them as well as open up opportunities to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth! May God bless us in this endeavor. Thank you again and again for your constant prayers and support!!!

God's Glory!

          I know I haven't updated the blog in a while. I have been busy of course like usual. However, I decided to make some changes. Instead of just writing about what activities I'm doing, I want to share also more about what I am learning here. What God is teaching me and the things I'm learning about Him, the ways in which I am growing here. I thought this would benefit you and me more, and I am excited to share these things with you. Recently I started studying in the seminary here in L'viv. I just wanted and needed some knowledge myself to be a more effective missionary, and a better disciple. I didn't want to go back for 2 years to America to get this. I can stay here and continue to serve, and learn, and grow spiritually at the same time.

            One of the things we recently talked about was God's glory. I want to share some of these things with you all. We talked about different names of God in the Bible. His actual names, such as God Almighty or Lord of Hosts, some names that describe Him, like the Lord is my Shepherd for example, and then the actual phrase that includes the word "name" such as "your name" or "God's name". For example in 2 Chronicles 6:32-33 Solomon is dedicating the temple and says, "so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you." Or even in Exodus 9 God says to Pharaoh, "I have raised you up for this very purpose...that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." And again in John 12:28 Jesus himself says, "Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” I won't put all the verses that mention God by His "name" because it would take much too long, but we see our purpose here. The purpose of everything really is that God be glorified. That His name be lifted up! Many of these verses say that God's name might be glorified among the nations or among all peoples. This is the reason for missions. This, one might say, is the reason we are left here on this earth and aren't just taken up to heaven when we repent and believe in Jesus. 

            How then can all the nations or people glorify God if they don't know Him? It is not possible. This is why we need missions. This is why I am called to Ukraine. However, you all were also still left on this earth for this purpose, and you also have callings. I want to encourage all of you to be missionaries. In the places you work, visit, the restaurant you eat at once a week. You have unique opportunities every day to be missionaries and to make God known that He might be glorified. So let us do this! I will end with what Paul writes in Romans 10 where the actual path to salvation contains the need for missions! He writes, "13 Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved. 14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15 How will they preach unless they are sent?" 

          Thank you for your support and the encouragement that you have been to me and in this way I hope also to be an encouragement to you all. Thanks also for the prayers for my health. I had a long three weeks but I am finally back to 100%. So thanks again and praise God for His healing hands. I know you fervently pray for me and it is a huge blessing. God Bless, and may His name be glorified forever and ever!

Trip to Kherson

I have already been back in L'viv for a few weeks but finally getting around to updating about my trip to Kherson. It is a city in south, central Ukraine pretty close to Crimea. Naturally my parents and some other people were worried when I said I was going close to Crimea and closer to the combat zones in Ukraine, but I promise it was completely safe. Kherson is very patriotic, and there are Ukrainian flags flying on every street. Also, it is one of the cities that toppled and removed a statue of Lenin during the revolution this last winter. I went to Kherson with my good friends Serhiy and Sofia, Sofia being 7 months pregnant! Serhiy is from there and we went to his father's church in a village near Kherson called Bilozerka. There we did a summer camp much like our VBS at home for children from that village. We left on a train, and 21 hours later we were there. It was hot on the train, but God had answered our prayer for rain the night before, so it wasn't as hot as it could have been.

The weather in Kherson was much warmer than in L'viv, and the first few days were hard because we didn't have a shower. We ended up building a summer shower outside, but at first, when we didn't have a shower, we just went swimming in a natural spring not far away, or in the Dnipro river. Another method to help cool down was to dig into a fresh watermelon, which they are famous for growing in that region. The first week of our two weeks in Kherson, we set the territory of the church up for camp the next week, which included building a shower for ourselves as I said, but also building benches, tables, fixing things, painting, cleaning, and many other things to prepare. It was a great time getting to know the believers there as we prepared everything, then would spend evenings together. Our team wasn't very big, there was about 7 of us plus some grandmas that helped in the kitchen, so we really did everything. It was a hard first week getting used to the heat and the amount of work we did everyday, so I slept very well each night. Finally we prepared everything and Monday morning waited for the kids to arrive. We expected around 30 and ended up getting around 22 which was great. I did the sports/camp games during the week, and it was fun teaching them some american games which they seemed to enjoy even though it was so hot. I threw in some games with water/water balloons to help with this. I also helped wherever possible, and tried to get to know the kids as good as possible. They speak a poor and not always correct mixture of Russian and Ukrainian so it was difficult for me to understand them at first, but the longer I stayed the more I understood. I just spoke to them in Ukrainian, which they mostly understood as they learn it in school. Our camp was themed "Joseph, God's Hero" and they learned about Joseph from the Bible and what made him a "superhero." It was encouraging to hear them answer questions about what they had learned. Even the smallest group knew their stuff! Also because it was about Joseph, and that is my name, they often mentioned that, or made me play Joseph in the skits everyday.

Overall I must say that this camp was really very special to us. Maybe because we were truly needed there. Or maybe they were just really great kids, but all three of us were not wanting to leave by the end of our trip. I am blessed to have had the chance to get to know these great kids and the believers in Bilozerka. Already I have shown my pictures to many people in L'viv, when telling about our trip. Every time I show someone, I just miss that place even more, and it makes me want to jump on a train back there. It was a great time and there are many special people in Kherson and Bilozerka that I will miss very much, so I hope I'll have an opportunity to visit again. Thank you everyone who was praying for me while I was there, and for my safety, and for the camp. Please continue to pray that Jesus would be known in Bilozerka and in Kherson, and that the churches there would continue to be strengthened and continue to grow.

Youth Camp at the Lake

Finally getting around to my updates after a few weeks of being out of town. The first I went to was a camp with the Central Church here in L'viv. It was a youth camp and we went about an hour away to a lake. The name of the camp was "It's Worth It 2." It was mostly children from believing families but there were about 12-15 guests from non-believer families. It was a great experience to see the youth change from day 1 to day 6 as they talked about different themes in small groups, and heard a message every evening. One thing that stuck out at me was the fourth day when we had a "camp game" in which we posted signs everywhere saying this or that was prohibited. Then throughout the day we took notes of people who broke these rules.

Some of them thought it was funny to be disobedient, but at the end of the day we called them all up to the front when we were sitting around a bonfire. Then they were told that they would all be sent home the next day. Then the director said he would take the punishment for them and they poured a bucket of cold water on his head. It was interesting to see that reactions of the youth and many of them felt very bad for the director who didn't do anything wrong but was punished. Of course, as you can probably guess now, this was a good example of Christ who took the punishment of our sins but was holy and blameless, never doing anything wrong. Camp was a great blessing for me, I always seem to get more out of it than I think I am putting in. God works that way sometimes. The last day the camp staff and leaders stayed an extra half day to clean and pack everything, but also to enjoy time together and of course to enjoy a very tasty barbecue. It was a nice time to debrief and also for me to spend some time with some friends I've known for years but haven't seen much this year. The youth really changed a lot from the beginning and I pray that these camps wouldn't just make a difference for a few weeks, but for eternity. Thanks for your prayers and support, and continue to pray for peace in Ukraine as the east is still at war.

MH17

I know many of you, if not most of you, have seen a lot in the news about Malaysian Airlines Flight 17. Most people are blaming the rebels in eastern Ukraine, and blaming Russia who has been supplying them with weapons and training for this horrible act. It always grieves me to think of any loss of life. Life is so valuable, so precious and 298 lives were taken in just a second. I don't need to tell you much more about this as I am sure you all have already heard a lot about it. I just encourage you to think about life in general.

God gave it to us. It is short, and it can be taken away in an instant. Don't waste your life. Don't wait until it's too late to tell a friend, a neighbor, a family member about the love and saving grace of Jesus Christ and what he did for us all on the cross of Calvary. Please pray for the family members and loved-ones of those who died on MH17 in this senseless act of aggression. And please remember the more than 300 Ukrainian servicemen and hundreds of Ukrainian civilians who already have lost their lives in this conflict in eastern Ukraine. Please pray for peace for Ukraine. I just returned this week from a youth camp. It was a great and encouraging time for me serving with other Ukrainian believers, and it was a blessing to be a part of. I was amazed to see God working in the hearts of these young people and really saw a change in many of them as camp progressed. Please pray for them, that they would remember what they heard at camp and that God would change their hearts. They are the future of Ukraine and I pray continually for God-fearing leaders for this still young country. Also please pray for me tomorrow as I head east, closer to the conflict zones, to help with another camp in Kherson. There we will be doing a lot with very little resources and we will have mostly poor children from the small towns and villages in the area. Please pray for our safety as we travel around 20 hours on train to this area. Also pray that God would use us in an amazing way as we help a church in the area with this camp. We pray that through the children we can help this church to connect to these families in this area, and be able to witness to them and show them the love of Christ. And also of course that they would hear the Gospel and respond to it. We know God desires that all men be saved, and again I encourage you to value every life, every soul around you. Remember that there are more important things than some of our everyday problems that seem to consume us sometimes. Think on eternal things! May God bless you all this week. Thank you again sincerely for your prayers and support for me and our work here in Ukraine.

Presidential elections

If anyone is following closely the situation in Ukraine you will know about this but for the rest of you I will give a quick update. As you probably know the revolution took Victor Yanukovych, the former president of Ukraine, out of power and an interim president was elected.

Elections were moved from next year to May 25th of this year. There were many fears of pro-Russian interference in the elections, but besides some problems in the east where voters were prohibited from voting or poll stations closed or prevented from opening, the elections went smoothly. A successful businessman and pro-European candidate, Petro Poroshenko won the election. (photo on the left) Please pray for him that God would give him wisdom do deal with this broken country and with the unstable situation in the east, as well as a devastated economy. The east is still in turmoil and there is serious fighting there between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian militias. The day after the elections these militants tried to take over the Donetsk airport and the Ukrainian military responded in force killing more than 50 of the rebels. (photo on the right) It is even rumored that fighters from Chechnya, the infamous region of unrest in Russia, have joined the pro-Russian forces.

Please pray for Ukraine, that the country can get back to normal after these elections. Pray that there would be peace in Ukraine and that things would get back to normal. Also please again pray for the economy because the Ukrainian Hrivnia is continuing to drop in value and it really is affecting the people here. It is making things even harder for me financially but for Ukrainians it is becoming much more difficult even to afford basic amenities. Thanks again for being faithful to me with support and with lifting these things up in prayer. If you have any questions or would like to help with supporting me in some way please just ask me or talk to someone at Calvary, or to my parents. God bless and I will update again soon.

Trip to the Orphanage

One ministry that we often take part of here in Ukraine is ministering to orphans. We went to an orphanage in a village not far from L'viv, called Veliky Lyubin. I am just now updating the blog, but we went there on Mother's day and we try to visit there once or twice per month. So first we asked our neighbors here if they had any used toys, or clothes to donate and we went door to door asking them.

They were very generous and we received bags full of stuff to give the orphans. We wanted to include the neighbors in this ministry, even if they didn't know it, and give them a chance to get to know us because we hope to minister to them as well. We took a couple of buses to the orphanage and basically just spent some time with the kids there. It was Mother's day as I said so the kids that were left there really had no where to go and no one who cares for them. We played games, sports, did arts and crafts, and sang songs with them as well as a short message from the Bible. Then after we just went for a walk with them. The children were excited to show us around. They were so excited to just have someone to talk to or to receive a little attention. There were big smiles everywhere. And of course they were very happy to get a little "goodie bag" that we had prepared for them. It is a blessing always to see their smiling faces. Please pray for them as orphans in Ukraine have a very hard life, and very few opportunities for a better future.

Please pray also for the situation in Ukraine as the eastern part of the country is still very unstable. Thank you all for your prayers and support and if you have any questions just ask!

Situation with Russia still not any better

Hello everyone! Finally writing an update this month! If you are still following the news the situation with Russia hasn't really changed all that much. Still there is very high tension, and no one is really sure what Putin will do next. Some Ukrainian forces have tried to take back some buildings in Eastern Ukraine from pro-Russian forces, there was some success but not much. We believe these forces are either payed for and/or backed by the Russian government, and there is even believed to be Russian agents trying to cause some of this dissension to destabilize the interim Ukrainian government before elections in May.

Some of these pro-Russian forces have even captured some individuals from the EU, some Ukrainian diplomats, and members of the Ukrainian armed forces, and I even heard that someone was found dead and was believed to have been tortured as well. It is a very sad situation because not all the people in the Eastern parts are wrong. Some are just normal Ukrainians who have bought into the lies told to them through the Russian run and Russian controlled media, so there isn't a simple solution to these tensions. Please continue to follow this situation and pray for Ukraine. Just remember I am on the other side of the country and far from these situations. It is safe in my area for now, so no need to worry. (The photo is some Ukrainian forces moving in on a checkpoint controlled by pro-Russian forces.) This last week I celebrated my birthday. I actually thought I wouldn't really celebrate I didn't expect anything special, but my friends threw me a surprised party. I had some English lessons that day so I really wasn't expecting anything. It was a very fun evening and was a blessing for me. We had a great time fellowshipping with one another, eating, and playing games. It was great! I have English lessons just about every evening. It is mostly to help support myself here, but pray that God would use it as well. Also this week we are starting a new youth ministry. We have been wanting to start some ministry for young people for a while, and have been planning it, and will meet the first time on Wednesday. It will be a social outreach to youth where we will basically discuss together different problems we see in society and in the world. We will then give them a biblical solution to these problems or say what does the bible say about them, and we will discuss together will them what can we do to make a difference. We hope to brainstorm with these youth and come up with ideas, then together with them to actually do something about it. For example if they say the parks are dirty and it is a problem, so we will all go together and clean-up in some way. Our church is partnering with another church in the are to do this so please pray that God would bless this, and that many young people would come. I also hope to invite many of the people I know from Horodok where I was living last year. Thank you all for you prayers and support! It is very appreciated. If you have any questions feel free to ask or leave comment! God Bless you all this week! Another update coming soon.

Spring Update

Just a quick post to keep everyone updated on how I am doing. First of all, thanks everyone for your prayers. It really felt like there would be a war here. It has so far remained peaceful. Many people, including myself, are not happy that Russia was able to annex Crimea with really no repercussions besides a few weak sanctions, but at least there has been no real fighting for the last month. People are still a little scared of what can happen because there remains a large force of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border. Many think that Putin will try to do in Eastern Ukraine what he did in Crimea. Praise God however that prayers for peace, at least at the moment, have been answered. Continue to pray for Ukraine and for peace here, and also that the new government that is forming would be wise and not so corrupt as in the past. Also please pray for wisdom for European and American leaders, and that they would make good decisions with how to deal with this situation with Crimea, and with Russia. They say its the worse relations have been since the Cold War, and I really pray Ukraine doesn't suffer from this anymore than it already has. As for me I had a very busy month sorry I didn't update for a while. I started teaching English many times per week. It is a a good way to develop relationships, and keeps me busy, as well as providing a small portion of my support. Also please pray for Trinity church where I am serving. We are trying to start a youth program here at the church to reach out to young people. We are currently in the planning stages of that and deciding what we will do, when, where etc. Thanks also for your prayers for me as I travelled to Krakow, Poland. The Ukrainian Embassy is in Krakow and I had to go there to make my visa which allows me to register to live here for a year. Everything went perfectly, and I got my visa for 45 days in which time I must complete the registration process. It is a long, arduous process so please pray that things go smoothly as we navigate all the government channels to complete this process. It requires many documents and of course can be denied in which case I cannot stay here. So again, please pray for this. A big thanks all of you who continue to support me both financially and in prayer! If you have any questions or anything that you want to know please ask! I would love to tell you or talk you about Ukraine and about what we are doing here. God Bless =)

Crimea Referendum

Today is the day when Crimean residents are voting whether to join Russia or to become independent. This vote, according to most of the world, and according to the Ukrainian constitution is not valid and is illegal. Putin, however, doesn't want to listen to the rest of the world and is doing things the way he wants. It is a very tense situation now in Ukraine as both Russian and Ukrainian forces are growing larger and larger. A lot of hired Russian protesters/aggravators are stirring things up in some of Ukraine's western cities, and in Crimea, enticing violence so that Putin can say that things are dangerous and he needs to send troops there to protect Russian citizens. This is the same lie he used in Georgia in 2008. Also Russian troops just invaded the mainland Ukraine and took over a gas plant there citing that they were afraid of terrorist activity there. Also a lie. Even in Moscow thousands are standing up against this aggression and the lies. I just hope Putin will listen, but seems he will not. He has had his eye on Crimea for a long time, and sees himself as the restorer of the Russian (or Soviet) empire.

Please pray for Ukraine, and for it's leaders, armies, citizens, and in general for defense and protection from Russian aggressions. Ukrainians are very worried and some have even asked me if Americans know what to do if there is fighting, bombs, and shooting. They said they don't know what to do and they are very worried. Also please pray for the many Ukrainians from the east and from Crimea that will seek refuge in my area. It could open many doors for ministry and evangelism to help these refugees who are trying to get farther away from the fighting or possible fighting. Some of them are already making their way to western Ukraine. As for me I am still doing well. I was sick last week I think from eating something bad, but all is well now and I am 100%. Another big answer to prayer is that I found some English lessons to teach, which will cover about half of my support to stay here, so thank you for your prayers. I still need to find the other half, and I'm trying to invest in a bicycle to get around town, so if any of you would like to help in anyway please donate through this blog (using PayPal), through Calvary, or if you know my parents you can also give it to them. It would be greatly appreciated. The best support you could give me however is through prayer. Thanks, and please continue to pray for Ukraine! I will keep you updated.