Today's CULINARY Delights

Сегодня Я пошла на рынок, и Я купила овощи и фрукти. Здесь это фотографии. Today I went to the market, and I bought vegetables and fruit. Here are the photos.

 cucumbers = огурцы

tomatoes = помидоры

peppers = перцем

onions = лук

apples = яблоки

bananas = бананы

mandarin oranges = мандаринов

This was my supper. Это была мой ужина.

I sauteed some diced onions in butter, chopped up some yellow pepper and sausage (колбаса), and made an egg-scramble seasoned with salt, pepper, oregano and basil.

It was very tasty. Это была очень вкусня. 

I am very pleased with myself -- I purchased everything I wanted at the market, I had fun, AND I learned how to ask in Russian for only half a kilo = полкило.

I even got to taste a piece of the mandarin orange to make sure that I liked the produce before I bought it! I think that is pretty standard; the sellers in the market will let you taste most things before buying.

We Are One ... Through Christ

On Sunday morning at church, we celebrated Communion for the second time since I arrived here. But this time was very special for me because of how God touched my heart through it.

Communion has always been both a serious and a joyous time for me... It is a serious time, because we remember the reality of Christ's death on the cross and what He suffered:

...who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him... (Hebrews 5:7-9)

But it is also a joyous time, because we celebrate reconciliation and peace with God the Father as a result of Christ's sacrifice:

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ...For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. (Romans 5:1, 10-11)

And another joy to celebrate is the fellowship we have with others who also believe and have been reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ:

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation...And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone... (Ephesians 2:13-14, 17-20)

Although the Communion service is familiar to me, it was really special this Sunday.
I am in a country far away from my native land, and although in most respects I feel "at home" here, there are still times when I feel out of place. But on Sunday, hallelujah! It was the opposite. I had tears of joy in my eyes as I thanked the Lord for what He did on the cross, because that is the reason why I can gather with believers in Ukraine, to be warmly welcomed into their fellowship and to know that I belong, even when my understanding of language and culture is limited. We are family, joined by the blood of Christ, and that is one of the greatest blessings I think we can experience on this earth.

In his book In The Breaking Of The Bread, J. Lee Magness says this:

"Communion must take place in the community of believers...And community, Christian community, must always be centered on Communion. The fellowship of the saints would not even exist if God in Christ had not transformed us through the very event this meal commemorates...We fellowship not only with the Host, the Saviour, but also with the other guests, the saved. We celebrate the death of His body on the cross, and we celebrate the life of His body, the church."

Thank You, Heavenly Father, for making a plan to reconcile us to Yourself and for loving us so unendingly. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for making the sacrifice to atone for our sins and to bring us into fellowship with You, with Your Father and with each other. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for always being with us, quickening our spirits, and binding us together in unity.

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

This weekend was Canadian Thanksgiving.

It is not always celebrated at the same time or in the same way in Ukraine, but thanksgiving is not merely a holiday -- it is something that Christians are to display in our lives all the time! So I want to share a particular thought with you about having an "attitude of gratitude"...

Many of you probably know the song "Little By Little" - well, I thought of that as I was reflecting on the process of learning a new language...it truly IS 'little by little' and 'step by step'. Unfortunately, most days my tendency is to desire it to come 'by leaps and bounds!'

It is good to have goals, and my goal is to successfully complete this Russian language course by May 2013 (usually students would study 2 years to complete the course) so that I can transition into full-time ministry here in Ukraine.

The language is difficult, and with the time constraints and intensity of the instruction, it sometimes feels like I will never accomplish the goal! Some days are particularly hard, when I think I've made some progress and I'm beginning to understand the current concept, and then I realize that I've forgotten a few of the important points I learned at the beginning of the course. There is just SO MUCH to remember!!

My teacher continually reminds me that my frustration and challenges are normal and she is very encouraging. She has told me several times recently that I am doing very well, and I am grateful for that.

I am a high achiever, and I want to do well in everything I do, so I am usually really hard on myself when I make a mistake. This can be a good thing, but only in moderation. Well, this past week I realized that my attitude towards this language learning needed an adjustment.

I had been so focused on "the goal" that I had forgotten to enjoy the process and be thankful for the steps along the way. And this means being thankful for even the mistakes and the hard times when in my human weakness I feel inadequate.

Yes, I DO need to make realistic goals for myself and work hard to do well at this task which has been entrusted to me. Everything I do I must do in such a way to please my Lord and also to be able to do effectively what He has asked me to do. But I also need to trust that in His wisdom and grace He will keep me and will enable me to do what I am not able to on my own.

So I'm working on my attitude of gratitude...

...In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18

THANKS-GIVING: A Feast of Blessings

The idea for the title came as I prepared a special meal on Sunday to celebrate Thanksgiving...

Boiled potatoes and carrots seasoned with butter and Italian spice, home-made stuffing seasoned and fried in butter, pan-fried seasoned chicken drumsticks, and delicious apple-grape juice (the best I've ever tasted!)

I realized that besides the food - which actually DID seem like a feast to me - I also have a feast of blessings around me every day! I call it a "feast", because when I count my blessings and give praise to the Giver of these wonderful gifts, my soul is satisfied and contented in an even richer way than enjoying a table full of delicious food!!

BLESSINGS:
- Uninterrupted time spent in preparation
- Listening to Tanya singing praise songs to the Lord
- The appetizing aromas filling the kitchen
- The satisfaction of being able to sit down and enjoy a meal
- Leftovers to enjoy in the coming days
- The abundance of fresh vegetables and food available to me

I had also planned a special presentation for Monday at school ... I wanted to show my language teacher, Galina, how thankful I am for her kindness and understanding and the excellence of her teaching. Friday, Oct. 5 was Teacher Day here in Ukraine (День учителя), but I didn't know about it until I asked her why all the schoolchildren were carrying flowers that day.

When she asked me why I was giving her flowers, I told her that it was Thanksgiving Day (День благодарения) in Canada, and that I wanted to say "Thank You," which led into a discussion of why we celebrate Thanksgiving - a great way to begin my Russian lesson! I gave her a handmade card as well which I had written in Russian -- it may not have been fully correct, but I could tell that she appreciated it very much, and that was all the response I desired.

BLESSINGS:
- Sweet fragrance of flowers moistened by the rain
- The unexpectedness of a surprise
- Joy in giving a gift to someone else
- Opportunity to learn some new vocabulary and share reasons for being thankful
- The Lord's faithfulness and new mercies every day
- Bringing a smile to someone else's face

When I arrived home, I had a special gift of my own to open ... my prayer partner, Vicky, had sent along several envelopes for me to open on special days of the year, and today was the first one! It contained a letter of encouragement and a little sticky-note pad.

I was very excited -- the sweetness and personal touch was a wonderful reminder of how blessed I am to have the love of so many people in my life!

BLESSINGS:
- The suspense of expectation and the fun of opening a surprise gift
- Quiet time with the Lord, meditating on Him
- The contentment of feeling loved
- A personal letter from a special friend
- Happy tears

And then... to top it all off, I received a phone call from a missionary friend here in Kiev, inviting me to their home for a special meal so that I wouldn't have to be alone on Thanksgiving. She had also invited another missionary to join us for the meal.

PHOTO, L to R: Amy R, myself, Agarim, and Kellie Benge.

What a special time! The food was great -- and I was hungry, because we didn't eat until after 7 pm -- and the company was even better!! We enjoyed talking, laughing and just spending time together.

BLESSINGS:
- Eating with friends, and not having to prepare a meal
- Common faith and various ministry experiences
- An unexpected invitation
- Laughter and sharing with one another from our lives
- Delicious home-cooked food and rich dark chocolate for dessert

These are just a few of the many blessings... there is not enough space here to list them all! As it is expressed repeatedly and eloquently in the Psalms:

"O, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."