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.