ADVENT MEDITATIONS - Part 12

DEC. 24 - (Милость Божья)
The focus of today's meditation was on the reason why Jesus Christ appeared to us -- and that reason was to save us from sin - to set us free from the bondage that keeps us in sin and to be an advocate for us with the Father.

I chose these verses - Titus 2:11-14 -- For the grace of God has appeared which offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say "no" to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope - the appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.

This is a long passage; I chose it because it not only talks about why Jesus came the first time, but also because it declares that Jesus is coming again. Advent is preparation for our celebration of Christ's first coming, but also a time of remembering and preparing our hearts for His second coming.

DEC. 25 - (Подарки от Бога)
Today's meditation was kind of like a summary of the three main gifts that Christ gives to us through His incarnation.

1) Цель жизни (Purpose for living) - 1 John 3:23 -- And this is His command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He has commanded us.
2) Надежда в прощение (Hope in forgiveness) - 1 John 1:9 -- If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

3) Помощь (Help) - 1 John 4:4 -- You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one that is in the world.

There are no greater gifts that we could receive -- let's give thanks to God together!!

Merry Christmas!!

Here is the finished wall decoration -- I think I will leave it up for awhile as a reminder of the truths that I have hidden in my heart and also because it's pretty!!

ADVENT MEDITATIONS - Part 11

DEC. 22 - (Вера)
Today's meditation was on belief. How often we can get caught up in a really good story or movie and sometimes even live vicariously through it, but how easy it is for us to simply read the words of Scripture and pass over them without realizing the significance they hold.

I chose to memorize this verse today - John 20:31 -- But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

We know what the Scriptures say, but do we really believe Jesus is who He says He is? If we do, then that should be reflected in the way we live our lives. As I have meditated on Scripture this month in anticipation of celebrating His birth...and anticipating His second coming...I have come to a deeper appreciation and understanding of who He really is and it has strengthened my belief in Him. And that is the best Christmas gift!

DEC. 23 - (Радость)
Today's theme for meditation was a reminder that our focus at Christmas should be to rejoice in the fact that Jesus Christ has come to be our Savior.

I chose to memorize a couple of verses from Mary's song - Luke 1:46b-48a (1:47-48a in Russian) -- "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant."

This is one thing that does not change, and so whether I feel lonely or events at Christmas are not what I had hoped they would be, I can - and must - still choose to rejoice in who Christ is and the purpose He came to accomplish in my life.

ADVENT MEDITATIONS - Part 10

DEC. 20 - (Единство)
Today's devotional thought is on the theme of solidarity - unity of purpose. Although we have received freedom in Christ, our enemy will continue to try and turn us away from that, and we must be prepared and stand firm in the truth.

I chose to memorize these verses: Philippians 1:27-28a -- Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.

The world is watching us - so at Christmas and every other day throughout the year we need to stand united as Christ's followers, confident in Him, sure of our freedom, and eager to share the gospel with others around us.

DEC. 21 - (Воплощение Бога)
Today's meditation was about why Christ's birth is so miraculously different than any other. Because Christ has existed forever, His birth was an incarnation. He already existed, yet He took on the form of His creation.

I chose Isaiah 43:10-13 -- "You are My witnesses," declares the Lord, "and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after Me. I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from Me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed - I, and not some foreign god among you. You are My witnesses," declares the Lord, "that I am God. Yes, and from ancient days I am He. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?"

There is no other god, and no one who can do what God did. This is what we celebrate at Christmas - God becoming human in order to save us and bring us into relationship with Him. What a miracle!

ADVENT MEDITATIONS - Part 9

DEC. 18 - (Доверие)
Today's meditation focused on the reality that as followers of Christ, we will experience the same difficulties that He faced in His earthly ministry. Fulfilling the mission of sharing the gospel with people in our broken world is not an easy task, but the result is not up to us -- and that gives us hope.

I chose these verses today - Psalm 18:29-31 (17:30-32 in the Russian Bible) -- For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; the Word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?

Our hope comes from knowing that God is in control and His way is perfect. If we trust in Him - in His mercy and grace - then we can persevere through any difficulty AND He will use us to accomplish the missionary work that He has given to each one of us. But we must trust only in Him.

DEC. 19 - (Освобождение)
Today's devotional thought centered on the fact that Jesus Christ came to set us free -- but not necessarily in the way we sometimes think about it. The freedom that He provides to us is described in the following verses that I chose to memorize:

Hebrews 2:14-15 -- Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might break the power of him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

For those of us who believe in Jesus Christ, who have accepted His salvation, death no longer has power over us. We do not have to fear death because of the victory that Christ won for us through His death on the cross! And if we understand this truth, we don't have to fear anything else either!

ADVENT MEDITATIONS - Part 8

DEC. 16 - (Страдание)
Today's meditational thought was about how we look at what Jesus came to earth to accomplish. From our human perspective, Jesus' death often seems like the opposite to what should have happened. That's the amazing thing about the way God works. He is masterful at using what seems to be bad to bring about good for us - and He has told us that we will suffer on this earth. But we can be sure of this: that as His children, He will use our suffering for our good and for His glory, just as He did through Christ's sacrifice for us.

I chose these verses for today - Romans 8:17-18 -- ...and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we also may be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

May we, not only at Christmas, but every day throughout the year, ask God for the grace to endure suffering with gratitude and praise to Him, because we know that He is using it to accomplish His excellent purposes in our lives and to bring about a glory that we could never imagine!

DEC. 17 - (Спасение)
Today's meditation was about salvation. Christ came for this purpose, to provide salvation and reconcile sinful mankind to God through His death on the cross.

I chose these verses for today - Romans 5:8-10 -- But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 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 through His life.

Such an incredibly great gift, this salvation!! And it was forever and unequivocally accomplished for us on the cross when Christ died. If we believe and accept that, we are saved from wrath. But the story doesn't end there -- because Christ rose, we are also being saved through His life! What an amazing God, that He would choose to show His love to sinful people in this way! That ALONE is the reason we sing songs of joy and hope at Christmas.

ADVENT MEDITATIONS - Part 7

DEC. 14 - (Преображение)
Today the devotional meditation highlighted the result of our new reality...Jesus's work is to change and transform us so that we become more like Him.

I chose this verse to memorize for today - 2 Corinthians 3:18 -- But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

We can be assured that this transformation is indeed taking place, and this should cause us to rejoice!



DEC. 15 - (Жизнь и смерть)
Today's devotional was focused on the reality of death and life and how that relates to what we celebrate at Christmas. Jesus Christ came in order to die - but His death was what made it possible for us to have eternal life.

I chose these verses to memorize - John 11:25-26 -- Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, even though he dies, yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die."

Death is a part of the reality of our life on earth, and it sometimes comes when we least desire it. But the hope of Christmas is that those who believe on Jesus Christ - who we are celebrating - will live again. Death has been defeated by life!

ADVENT MEDITATIONS - Part 6

DEC. 12 - (Нет тени)
Today's meditation was about how, in coming to earth, Jesus has dispelled shadows and has fulfilled all that was spoken about Him. Although there are some things we still don't understand, Jesus has Himself revealed God to us and made it possible for us to know Him. Those who believe are no longer hindered by darkness and shadows, but are now walking in the light of His presence.

I chose these verses for today - John 12:45-46 -- "The one who looks at Me is seeing the One who sent Me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness."

This is the hope that Christmas brings - believing in Jesus removes us from the darkness and shadows of this world and brings us into the light of His presence and fellowship with God. Amazing!

DEC. 13 - (Реальность)
Today's meditation followed up with yesterday's theme - now that the shadows are gone, we have a new reality. It is not something that just happened then - Jesus is in the very presence of God right now, interceding and working on our behalf.

I chose to memorize today's theme verses - Hebrews 8:1-2 -- Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord erected, and not man.

What an incredible reality this is for us!! And it should change the way we live day to day.

ADVENT MEDITATIONS - Part 5

DEC. 10 - (Сокровище)
Today's meditation talked about the gifts that the magi brought when they came to see Jesus. The point of the gifts was nothing other than worship.

 I chose to memorize the theme verse for today's Advent reading - Matthew 2:11 -- On coming to the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Christmas is about Jesus - and He is not only the greatest gift, but our greatest treasure. Let's allow our giving this Christmas and through the year demonstrate that this truth is settled in our hearts.

DEC. 11 - (Причина)
Today's meditation focused on the ultimate reason that Jesus came to earth -- to die for us on the cross, thereby saving us from sin and eternal separation from God, setting us free from fear of death and bringing us into the family of God.

I chose to memorize John 3:16-17 -- For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son so that anyone who believes in Him will not die, but will have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

This is the message of Christmas!

ADVENT MEDITATIONS - Part 4

DEC. 8 - WORSHIP (Поклонение)
What do we meditate most on at Christmas? The appearance of angels or a miraculous star that we cannot understand? Our focus should be on Jesus Christ and giving Him the worship He deserves. Today's meditation emphasized that the purpose for the Bethlehem star was to bring the magi to Jesus in order to worship Him.

I chose a verse and a short passage today - John 4:24 -- "God is Spirit, and His worshippers must worship Him in spirit and in truth," and Philippians 2:9-11 -- "Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Anything miraculous that happens in our lives should bring us to the place of worship, because that is God's desire for us. God is worthy of our worship and He can use anything or anyone He has created to achieve that purpose - a star, a natural disaster, a godless leader, or pagan astrologers. Let us not get so caught up in the wonders of Christmas that we forget to worship the One who is called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

DEC. 9 - PERSEVERANCE (Упорство)
Today's devotional meditation continued with yesterday's theme, in light of the opposition that true worshippers of Jesus face. Since Jesus faced opposition, we will too if we declare our faith in Him, and we must make a decision about what we will do when opposition comes.

I chose two familiar verses about this - Hebrews 12:2-3 -- "...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

In Christ we have the victory! Therefore we must persevere in our faith especially when we face trials and suffering, because the One we trust in and worship is worthy.

ADVENT MEDITATIONS - Part 3

DEC. 5 - FOCUS (Фокус)
Today's meditation focused on how the reason for Jesus' coming to earth impacted the way that He came. God in His sovereignty *could have* orchestrated the events of Jesus' birth differently, but that would have changed the course of everything. There was a specific plan for Jesus to fulfill on earth and a specific way for that to happen. Jesus was focused on fulfilling the Father's will.

 I chose to memorize Matthew 20:27-28 -- "And whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."

Dying on the cross, giving His life as a ransom for sinful people whom He loved -- this was the reason Jesus came. And He followed the path that God His Father had laid out for Him to accomplish this purpose, no matter how difficult it was. In the same way that Jesus did, I must be focused on the goal that God has for my life -- to be transformed to the image of His Son -- and recognize that every step along the way has been ordained by my loving heavenly Father to accomplish that goal.

DEC. 6 - PEACE (Мир)
Today's meditation was about peace. One of the most oft-quoted verses at Christmastime is the proclamation of the angels: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace among those with whom He is pleased." The last part of this verse is the important part.

I chose these verses for today. Romans 5:1-2 -- "Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."

The only way to truly know God's peace is by being reconciled to Him through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus came to make this peace available to us -- and that's what we celebrate at Christmas.

DEC. 7 - ONE MESSIAH (Одна Миссия)
The theme of today's meditation was how Jesus is a Messiah for everyone. The salvation provided through Jesus' death on the cross is available to everyone - no matter what nationality, what family history, what life challenges - to everyone who believes in Him.

I chose the words of Simeon in Luke 2:30-32 -- "For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You prepared in the presence of all peoples, a 'Light of revelation to the Gentiles,' and the glory of Your people Israel."

We also must recognize that the birth of Christ was the revelation of God's salvation plan for ALL people, and we must continue to proclaim this truth to a world that is in need of the one and only Messiah who can save them from their sins.

ADVENT MEDITATIONS - Part 2

DEC. 3 - VISITATION (Посещение)
Today's meditation was about the fulfillment of a hope. Jesus' birth had been prophesied hundreds of years earlier and it was an event that everyone was eagerly anticipating, but it was not only different than what they had expected - it was more.

I chose John 1:14-18 -- "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about Him and he cried out, saying, "This is the One I spoke about when I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me, because He was before me.'" From Him we have all received one grace after another. The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and who is in close relationship with the Father, has made Him known."

I couldn't just choose one or two verses, because they didn't give the complete picture. Verse 14 talks about God coming to "visit" us in the person of Jesus Christ, but verses 15 to 18 explain who He is and what He came to do. And so I ask myself, as I meditate on Christ this season, what do I anticipate Him doing in my life? How do I see Him? And how do I live out the realization that He indeed dwells with me and shows me who God is?

DEC. 4 - GREATNESS (Величие)
Today's meditation contemplated God's greatness in light of how insignificant we often feel. What we are ultimately celebrating at Christmas is the advent of God's redemption plan - our Great Creator God making Himself like His creation in order to reconcile them to Himself. And God chooses to use the lowly and unexpected to accomplish His plan so that His greatness is magnified.

I chose Isaiah 57:15 -- For thus says the high and lofty One, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite."  And also Micah 5:2, 4 -- "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me One who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times." He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God. And they will live securely, for then His greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

God often chooses to reveal Himself through weakness and lowliness so that we can better understand how great and awesome He is -- the focus is always Him, and never us. But we shouldn't feel insignificant either, because the fact that He chooses to use us is a demonstration of His great love for us.

ADVENT MEDITATIONS - Part 1

I love to anticipate special events, so I get excited about Advent! But I want it to be more than just the four weeks leading up to Christmas - I want to really set aside this time to draw near to the heart of God so that the celebration of this wonderful event becomes even more meaningful.

In his Advent devotional book "Good News of Great Joy" John Piper writes,
This is what Jesus prays for us this Christmas: "Father, show them My glory and give them the very delight in Me that You have in Me." Oh, may we see Christ with the eyes of God and savour Christ with the heart of God. That is the essence of heaven. That is the gift Christ came to purchase for sinners at the cost of His death in our place.

So I have made a plan that I will be following for the next 24 days - and I want to share it with you because I'm so excited about it and also so that it will encourage you as you prepare for Christmas!

Based on the daily devotional reading from "Good News of Great Joy" I will choose one or more Scripture verses to memorize in Russian. As I memorize the Scriptures, I will also be creating a paper snowflake, which I will use to decorate the wall in my living room along with the verses as a visual reminder of what Advent - and Christmas - means to me.

DEC. 1 - PREPARATION (Подготовление)
Today's meditation was about spiritual preparation - to realize anew how much I am in need of a Saviour and to be spiritually prepared for the work God wants to do in my heart.

 I chose to memorize Malachi 3:1-2 -- "Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple, and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight; behold he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap."

To be really prepared for Christ's coming, I must have an accurate view of who He is. Like a refiner's fire, He is the One who can cleanse my heart and soul, ready to welcome Him - my Lord.

DEC. 2 - MAGNIFICENCE (Великолепие)
Today's meditation focused on the attitude of humility of Mary when she came face to face with the awesomeness of God. I must have an attitude of both humility and gratitude, recognizing that I am not worthy of God's grace, but rejoicing in the fact that He chose to reveal Himself to me in such an incredible way.

I chose to memorize Psalm 34:2-3 (33:3-4 in the Russian Bible) -- "My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together."

When I have the proper perspective of who I am and who God is, then I can truly exalt and praise Him for all that He has done in my life.

Encouraging Moments

Hello again!!
I've been very occupied with a special writing project during the month of November, which is why I haven't posted anything on my blog in the last 4 weeks!

Near the beginning of November, a couple of people from Canada came for a visit - Isaac had been here last summer on a short-term mission trip, so it was a time of reconnecting for him with the missionaries and the kids...and this time he brought his girlfriend, Carla, with him. (I've borrowed the picture below from their Facebook.)

While here, Isaac began leading us in a devotional study through the book of Romans, which was very encouraging. It was not new information for me, but he has an engaging way of speaking, and hearing his thoughts and point of view gave me some new insights.

It was fun to help them interact with the kids and I learned the Russian word for beard (to describe Isaac's most obvious feature): борода.

On Sunday afternoons, we go to the Rehab Center to spend some time with the kids there. Two weeks ago, I became acquainted with a 12-year-old girl named Lera. (I don't have a picture of her.) She pulled a book out of the bookshelf and started showing me the pictures and explaining them. Because the book is written entirely in Ukrainian and I don't understand it, she was translating it into Russian for me.

This Sunday, we sat on the couch and continued looking at the book together. But the exciting moment came when Curtis began sharing the story about Zechariah's 9 months of silence before the birth of John the Baptist. Lera knew the whole story and was so excited to help Curtis tell it to everyone! When I asked her who had taught her from the Bible, she told me she taught herself, that she likes to read the Bible. WOW! At the end, when I said goodbye, I told her I would pray for her, and she said that she would pray for me too.

These are just a couple of stories -- it is SO thrilling to see God at work in the lives of these precious children -- and I will share more in my upcoming newsletter!!

Жизнь в чужой стране ~ Life in a foreign country

To give you a glimpse of what it's like to live in a foreign country...

Just a little over a week ago, I was in Dnepropetrovsk with Victor Dantsev to sign for my Ukrainian temporary residence permit. At the bus station I gave some money to the driver to get on the minibus for the 2-hour drive back to Krivoy Rog. Instead of giving me my change, he told me that I had not given him any money. I told him that I HAD given him 50 UAH, but he insisted that I hadn't and said that I had "deceived" him. I was upset, but I needed to get on the bus, so I handed him ANOTHER bill, he gave me the change and I took my seat.

I fumed in my head during the trip home, irritated that I had been taken advantage of and had to pay twice for my seat on the bus - EVEN THOUGH it was only the equivalent of about $6! But by the time I arrived, I realized that it wasn't worth being upset about and that there are far worse situations.

I'm still not sure why the driver did that, but maybe he thought I was a rich foreigner or something ... oh well, I will probably never understand, but it's not important.

On a side note, I now have an official Ukrainian ID that looks very much like a passport, which should make purchasing train tickets and some other things easier.

A lack of understanding also goes with the territory...

The other day we were at a facility that used to be a rehab center with a program to help street kids, orphans and kids from troubled homes. It's more now of a transitional home where they can stay while the directors try to find foster homes for them. We did a little program there and then played with the kids for awhile.

At one point I had a little guy named Женя (Zhenya) sitting in my lap and he must have tried about 3 times to tell me something, but I didn't understand the words he was saying and I finally had to say, "I'm sorry, I don't understand." Извини, я не понимаю.

It didn't bother him too much, and we just carried on. It's a process and it is getting better, but there will still be times when I don't know what's going on...that's just part of life in a foreign country!

Struggle and Rest

You may be asking why I put two opposing words together in the title -- it's because they are both necessary to the Christian journey and they often go hand-in-hand.

For the last several weeks, I've been struggling with questions about purpose and feelings of not being useful or needed, particularly in regard to the ministry I'm currently involved in. It's been on my mind constantly, and I've been praying much about it, but for the majority of the time, I've been praying that God would give me what I felt I needed most.

I shared this with a few people I trust and asked them to pray for me also, especially as I waited for an opportunity to discuss this and consider what the best resolution is.

As I've been waiting and praying and reading God's Word, I've noticed the tone of my attitude changing from "please make it easier for me" to "give me the peace to accept Your will for me."

I meet via Skype with my parents and several other couples and individuals for a Bible study every Thursday morning (Wednesday evening in BC, Canada), and we are studying the book of Hebrews. Last week, the theme of the study was "rest," and that really spoke to me. I want to share with you a few of the insights I gleaned from that:

• There are different kinds of rest - there's physical rest, mental/emotional rest and spiritual rest - and we need these different kinds of rest in our lives. In a symphony, all the instruments don't play all the time. The rests are intended to accentuate the music, and similarly, the periods of rest in our lives are necessary to fully appreciate the rest of what we do.

• The Sabbath rest is a picture of our rest in Christ at salvation - the work of salvation is complete and there is nothing we need to do in regard to that. The Canaan rest (the rest that God had promised to His people) is a rest of claiming our inheritance in Christ - a rest of submission. Submission is a process - we don't give up everything at once; we may be able to rest in one context, and then in another way later on.

• Hebrews 4:11 says that to enter that "rest of submission", we need to give due diligence/make every effort/do our best. We need to work hard at giving things up to God, and we must give it our best effort.

• Hebrews 4:12 describes the Word of God and the picture of separating soul and spirit is important - God is the only One who can separate us from the things we want to hold onto and what we struggle with. The soul - our will and emotions - is what needs sanctifying. It's important to remember that while it may be painful, we are NOT being separated from God or His love, but rather from the things that hold us back from truly "resting" in Him.

Therefore, today when I had my ministry evaluation meeting and it was communicated to me that this time is intended to be a time of learning and that I don't need to strive so hard to "do something in order to feel useful," my heart had been softened to the point that I was able to submit to his leadership and accept his advice for me.

In the devotional from Joni Eareckson Tada today, I read these words:
Everyone enjoys the idea that God's plans for His children are to prosper them and not harm them, to give hope and a future, bright with possibilities. Yet God gave this invigorating and encouraging promise (Jeremiah 29:11) to inspire the captives. They were not to lose heart. One day, the Lord would deliver them and bring the nation back to Jerusalem. Despite the heartbreak of captivity, God's purpose was not to harm His people. Yes, they would feel the sting of slavery and hardship, but it ultimately meant a prosperous future.

God's purpose for our lives is usually discovered through the process of struggle and surrendering our will and desires to Him. And when we do, we discover incredible peace and rest in Him. One of my new favourite songs by Tenth Avenue North illustrates this when it says:

Hallelujah, we are free to struggle. We're not struggling to be free. Your [Christ's] blood bought and makes us children - children, drop your chains and sing!

So even though I will still struggle sometimes, I can be at rest in God.

MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS - Part 2

AUGUST 26 - 31, 2013

I arrived in the city of Kramatorsk with the Canadian team on Sunday, Aug. 25th, where we met Yura, the pastor of the small Evangelical Free Church there and discussed our ministry plan for the week.

Each morning we met at the church at 8:15 for prayer before the children's program started at 9 am. It started with a time of worship - songs and Bible lesson - before the kids were divided into 3 groups by age: Crafts, Sports and English (45 minutes of each). Then we gathered once more in the church for a couple more songs and a testimony before the kids went home. I was the one of the assistants and the person responsible for attendance in Crafts.

ASSEMBLY

The kids listened very well during the speaking times and we used a lot of energy in our singing too!

CRAFTS

The kids are SO artistic - no matter what craft we did, they showed their creativity!!

SPORTS

The trampoline was hugely popular with the kids all week!!

ENGLISH LESSON

Some of the older girls had very good English skills and helped out with the lessons.

These two kids hung out with Sergei all week - I think he was like an older brother to them. It was fun to watch, as you can see from Jack's smile behind them.

Our theme was the "Armor of God," so Daniel was our Roman soldier - a real-life illustration!

Pastor Yura did all the main translating; his wife, Alyona, helped out with explaining the crafts, Sergey helped out in sports and Daniel Dantsev helped translate in the English class. Without these people it would have been MUCH more difficult, so I am very grateful for them!!

After lunch, which was prepared for us by Irina -- again, VERY delicious and satisfying -- we had a little bit of quiet time and then went back to the church for the evening adult sessions. We started with tea and fellowship between 5 and 5:30 pm and then had worship, Bible lesson and testimony inside the church.

Then, the adults in attendance were divided into Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced English groups for a 45-minute English lesson. I taught the 1st-level Beginner class, with Sergey helping me in translation. Stacy taught the 2nd-level Beginner class with Daniel as translator. Mike and Jack taught the Intermediate class with Pastor Yura's assistance. Dennis, Sandy and Darcy taught the Advanced group with no translation help.

This is me with one of my students, Luba. Her daughters came to the children's program in the morning and she came in the evening. She only speaks German and Russian, and by the end of the week was feeling confident with what she was beginning to learn in English. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to begin building a relationship with her!

Sept. 1 is the first day of the new school year in Ukraine - and there is always a big ceremony, even if it's on Sunday. At church, all the students who are beginning another year of study were celebrated.

This is me, Stacy and Katya - a little girl with a huge smile and fun personality! I don't know what her family or home situation is, but she seemed to need much love and attention.

The other HUGE highlight for me (aside from the renewed passion for teaching English) was the privilege of staying with Kate, a sweet Christian lady. Every evening we enjoyed tea with her when we got home, and she was so kind and accommodating. We also got to meet some of her friends and enjoy some great Ukrainian food and hospitality!!