Underground Church

After a great experience in Israel, two days home and Jeff left today for undisclosed country where he will meet our missions director. Jeff will be working again with folks coming out of a "No-Access" country teaching them from the Bible. The news just reported some violent protests going on where he is so I would appreciate your prayers for their safety as well as Jeff's teaching and our director's preaching.

This work is such a wonderful opportunity, as the Lord has provided an open door we would never have dreamed. We are humbled to have a small part in ministering to these people and building them up in the Lord, to His glory. Pray for these people that someday they would have freedom to worship as they please without the threat of imprisonment for their faith. Pray for those who are still imprisoned right now. May the Lord lift you up this day as you serve him in joy and appreciation for all he's done. We are grateful for you.

A Trip to the Holy Land

God surprised us not long ago with the opportunity to go to Israel with many folks from our church along with other pastors and Christians from around Ukraine. I am writing you from Jerusalem now. We are the only Americans in a group of 34 Ukrainians on a tour of many places where Jesus walked. This has been a dream of ours for many years so we were thrilled when the door opened. We feel extremely honored that the church wanted us to come along and would simply asked that you pray for the deepening of our relations with them since we've been granted this great blessing.

Women's Retreat

Paula Rhinehart, author and speaker at the Kyiv Christian Women's Fellowship retreat which was held this past October just outside of Kyiv in the village of Brovary.

Women's Retreat

A time of praise and worship, a time of refreshment. The retreat is held every two years.

Women's Retreat

This was the youngest attendee of the Women's Retreat. Mom's starting her young.

Women's Retreat

I was able to display and sell some of my baskets at the retreat. This picture gives you an idea of one of the many crafts I do with ladies here in Ukraine. We went through a whole season where we did a series starting with the simplest of baskets from paper and boxes up to more complex fabric cake box baskets. It was so much fun and they loved having such "pretties" to take home.

Ladies Prayer Conference

On Thursday the Bucha Church will be sponsoring a Ladies Ministry Meeting. The meeting is based on Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know." Leah and I have had the privilege of making large refrigerator magnets with this verse glued onto the handle of the telephone. These cut-outs were sent to us by someone in the states. We have been making little such goodies as a take home gift for these ladies for a few years. We used craft foam and plastic gemstones to decorate them further. Our thanks to those of you who send craft supplies. The Lord uses them to bless more than just the kids.

Why We Are Here

Border Crossing

After spending all day Friday at the border crossing we finally got the document which an official refused to give us the day before. Thank you for your prayers. This problem cost us an extra day and night which we had not planned, but we made it home Saturday night after the long drive across Ukraine and we are thankful to have this behind us.

Accident Update

On October 19th a group of Sunday school students went with their teacher to the big city of Kiev for an excursion. Three of the children (11 year old range) were hit by a car while crossing a busy street, but not in a pedestrian crossing zone. Vica was bruised on her head resulting in a concussion and released after several days of observation. Sasha had a compound fracture to the leg and is in a cast from the waist down. Andre was in a coma and not expected to live. Vanya, the young man who took the children was, needless to say, devastated.

Today as the pastor prayed he thanked God that Andre has finally regained consciousness. This is the first we've heard since we were away this week. I spoke to Sasha's mother this morning who said he is home now and got up on crutches for the first time since the accident. Though I didn't get to speak to him, I was glad to see that Vanya was in church today. Please continue to pray for healing in all involved, including Vanya who was so troubled by this.

Border Crossing

Please pray for us as we go through the border crossing for a second time in the last few days. Last night they refused to give us one of our documents, which means we must repeat the process today and pray that we will get it this time. This process means a day long wait of standing in line from the Ukrainian side and then again from the Polish side. The problem is on the Ukrainian side. It is all part of a corrupt system that still has not been healed despite leaving communism behind. Too many of those remnants are still lingering as it lines pockets. We know God has his plan in all this, though it does try our patience.

New Feature

I'm sure some of you have seen the "Email Subscription" gadget on the right side at the top. That is a handy deal like an RSS feed that will send you an update every so often when I update the blog. That way you don't have to go find the blog, but you will just receive the latest new articles. I've been trying it to test it out and it seems it doesn't send for every article, but just every couple or so. Therefore it won't clog up your in box with a lot of entries. So.....if you are wanting to keep up with us, try it. You can always cancel it with a button stroke.

Fall in our Front Yard

We are slowly moving towards winter. This shows the view from our front door to the neighbors.

Fall in our Front Yard

We are having the most wonderful warm fall with roses still in bloom.

Accident Update

There is basically no changes to report from last Sunday. The doctors did not expect Andre to live, yet this is the third Sunday or two weeks since the accident date and he is still with us by your prayers. He is restrained as he continues to thrash about, but there is not consciousness and no recognition of family members. The blood clot in his brain needs to dissolve before he can come to consciousness.

Sasha is still in the hospital with a cast from the waist down. He is mending and in good spirits.

Please continue to pray for Vanya, the young man who took the children on this excursion. He is still grieving the event and very upset from it all.

Car Document Troubles

Monday morning our Oklahoma friends, Dwight and Jill Smoot leave to return to America. We will miss them. As soon as they leave we are also packed to leave for the border of Poland. Only a few months ago we did this and now we must do it again. There is a chance the authorities could give us a lot of trouble so we will be praying for God's assistance through this process. What we take for granted in America is often times a much more difficult process here. Please pray with us on this.