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The Secret Place

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." 
Psalm 91:1.

I've noticed through the years, I've had less highs and lows as I've settled myself in the Scriptures. In a metaphor of a storm, when the wind blows, my house is not easily shaken. It takes a lot to move me from ground zero, because I have learned through tears, frustrations and waiting that if I stay with God, he will bring me through on the other side. 

Yet over the past few weeks, my world has been shaken. My understanding has been challenged and through many hundreds thousands of shed tears, I still sit without understanding. Yet, the only peace I have is sitting in the secret place with God, praying, weeping, praying, reading, and learning to trust on and lean on him when my faith has been shaken. 

It's taken me a few weeks to write this, partially because I needed to process, to cry and to scream and yell and sob and have just ugly, ugly moments with God, to wrestle with him and sit and stay at his feet. Even as I write this, I am still struggling and I think it will be a process of grief and walking it out with him. 

On June 24th, one of my dearest friends miscarried at 14 weeks. It had a been a week long process of going to the emergency room several times, seeing great reports on the ultrasounds, watching the beautiful life inside her doing spins and kicking, great heart beats and overall thriving. Yet, she was bleeding. I had interceded on her behalf, on the behalf of the baby...and yet on the June 24th, 18 hours after a good ultrasound, the baby was no longer. The process of sitting in the hospital with her while her husband was away in military training, watching her walk through one of the most difficult moments of her life was heartbreaking, heart wrenching and something I hope we never have to face again. 

After the D&C procedure, I took her home, tucked her into bed and returned to my house. Eric met me at the door and I melted into his arms and sobbed, loud, horrible, heartbreaking sobs. It was if I had lost my own child, but I didn't. I don't have to walk that road like she does, I don't hold the same grief she does, but I do grieve. I grieve for the life lost. I grieve for her and her husband's hurt hearts and sadness.

I have questioned God, I have cried (ugly cries), I have cursed the devil, I have sat quietly and pondered...and I don't have any answers. None. 

I'm usually a person who has answers, who can calmly walk someone through difficult moments in life. Yet, I don't have any answers for this. When I prayed, i didn't have any doubts in my mind that her body would be healed and the blood would stop flowing and the baby would be fine. But that's not what happened. 

So what does a person do in times that shake them deeply? Retreat to the secret place. It is here that I find refuge. God alone is my strength. He is my joy. He restores. 

The Importance of Community...and Birthdays!

Yes, it's true...today I am having a birthday. I have mixed emotions about birthdays. I like the parties, celebrations, treats, presents and the general happiness a birthday can bring. I love the gathering of family and friends...that's probably my favorite part. Yet, I'm not a fan of getting older, pulling gray hairs out with my tweezers or coming with terms that cellulite is just a natural part of my future as I age. Le sigh. 

Today started off the way a birthday should...with me SLEEPING IN! My wonderful hubby and kids were making breakfast when he received a call on his phone from one of my best friends. I had turned my phone on silent knowing that I would get a barrage of text messages, and I wanted to sleep. So at 7:30am today, he woke me up to a phone call that wrenched my heart as a mom. 

One of my dearest friends, who is 13 weeks pregnant, was showing blood. As any woman knows, blood and pregnancy do not mix. As her husband is in the military and away on training, she asked me to take her to the hospital. Within 10 minutes I was dressed, teeth brushed, hair tamed (as best as it can be), no make up on (the true sign of friendship) and out the door. For three hours we sat, prayed, cried, and waited as the doctors did their thing. After three hours, she received positive news and was discharged. Her baby is healthy and thriving. They have an idea of what caused the bleeding, but thankfully it looks as if she is completely in the clear. We are all thanking God for his mercies and safe keeping of the little one inside her. That child will be born and praise the name of Jesus! I can't wait to meet the little squirt this winter! 

As I reflect on my morning, I can't help but be thankful that God created us to be beings that love COMMUNITY! We need community and good friendships in our lives. Just like Moses had Aaron and Mariam, and David had Jonathan...we need those friends that are as thick as blood, would lay everything down for us, and petition God on our behalf when we falter. 

We are people made to be around others. To commune, fellowship, befriend, help, encourage, correct and love. That is our being, that is in our DNA. Be encouraged by the friends you have in your life, they are a valuable asset to who you are!

Entertaining Angels

First off, I want to say THANK YOU to all of you who have donated to the Bringing Hope to Slavyansk campaign. In just four days over $5,000 has been raised to help refugees, orphans and those stuck in war torn Slavyansk, Ukraine! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. If you haven't given and would like to, there is still time. All donations will be wired to Ukraine. Visit www.UkraineOrphans.org to make an online donation or for the address to send a check donation. 

Now, onto the heading of this blog post. God has really been challenging me in two main areas lately. First, about the focus of missions and the second, about hospitality to strangers. 

I read an interesting article on how working in a cross-cultural setting can become an idol for some people. That being a "missionary" or working in the "mission field overseas" is put as the ultimate goal for some Christians. God has really been challenging me to search my own heart about my overseas work - asking me to see if I have put any of it on a alter. Do I value working cross culturally more than I value and seek out my time with God? Am I striving to be in foreign lands more than I strive to serve God and have a relationship with Him? If I answer honestly, at moments, yes, I do. It breaks my heart to know I've done that to God, my King. It hurts. Yet, He is refining my way of thinking, changing how I view things and where I put value. 

If we put God first, if a relationship and time with him is valued above everything else, the overflow will be his love for the people of the earth. The overflow will be a heart of compassion to the hurting, downtrodden and lowly. So, as an ever constant check, I have to realign my focus back to Him. Not to Ukraine, not to foreign lands, but to Him. What is the point of it all, going overseas, if not Him? 

I am thankful for these times of correction. Too often, as a planner and organizer, I get into this "bubble" and wonder why God isn't moving the way or at the speed I want. Well, it may simply be this. So that I can wait upon Him...so that I can learn to sit at His feet and worship Him. It's training in the waiting. So I am learning to give up my dreams so that He can refine them. While I have plans and things I know are God inspired, His desire is to first have my full attention, to have a relationship with me, to be my priority. I am glad I've got those around me to sharpen, correct and encourage me to just sit and spend time with Jesus every day. That is what matters. That's the only thing that really matters. Jesus. 

Secondly, I have been coming back to Hebrews 13:2, over and over and over again. I feel like I do a lot for people in general, but I've been meditating on this scripture for a couple of weeks now. I honestly don't know what I am supposed to be learning...but I'm stuck on it. I keep asking, "God, what are you wanting me to know here? What do you want to teach me about this?" 

Yesterday, we received an urgent email request to help a woman and her children escape from an abusive situation - completely start over. I sent the request to Eric and asked him what does he think we can do? We don't have extra finances to send her, but what could we do? He replied back, "Invite her to live with us until she can find a more permanent place." Duh! I love my husbands generosity towards the wounded and hurting. 

As of right now, the family will be staying with us as they figure out their next steps. Please keep this unnamed woman and her children in your prayers. She desperately needs safety, encouragement and God's love to overwhelm her. Pray for us too, as our life will be unsettled by entertaining strangers for a time.

Hope to Slavyansk Ukraine

Bring Hope to Slavyansk, Ukraine! 

Together, we bring Hope to Slvyansk, Ukraine. This eastern Ukrainian city has been ravaged by war between Ukraine's military forces and well-armed terrorist groups. There is no water, no electricity and no hope here. Help us bring HOPE to this city with your financial and new clothing donations!

Together we can make a difference! 

Watch this 30 second video on how you can help bring Hope to Slavyansk today!

Hope for Slavayansk

It has been a little over 10 years since I first stepped on to Ukrainian soil. May 11, 2004 was the date. I remember feeling so disoriented, traveling 5,660 miles BY MYSELF to a land where I didn't know the language, the culture or even what to expect.

This was in the days BEFORE Google (ahem, dating myself). What I knew of Ukraine was that it was a former member of the USSR. I had heard in school about bread lines in Russia, people only having one choice for toothpaste in the grocery stores instead of the variety we have in the USA, and to be careful about eye contact and speaking too loudly if I used public transportation. 

I arrived in Ukraine 13 years after the fall of the Soviet Union. In those years, Ukraine had exploded with development. While the soviet way of doing business and dealings was still very much alive (and is in some ways in the older generations), it was a nation being birthed, a preteen coming into its own mind and opinions. 

I was pleasantly surprised to realize that I had landed in a major metropolitan city. Kiev, the capital, was home to 3 million people with all the amenities of a major city like New York or London. It was heaven on earth to my 20 year old tastes and likes! It was nothing from what I had learned about in school. I thrived in that city, in my job and in my new home. The richness of the culture and the generosity and love of the Ukrainian people captured my heart.

Ukraine became my second home, my home away from home, yet that has even changed through the years. It is now my home in this physical earth (though Heaven is where my citizenship lies). My heart was left in Ukraine, and the USA is the waiting place before we return to this nation we call our own. I have asked God for the nation of Ukraine, and I believe He will give me Ukraine for His glory and His honor. 

So now, ten years later, I am still helping my homeland. In 2007, I spent some time in Slavaynsk Ukraine. This eastern city has become the major fighting zone for the fight between Ukraine's army and Russian terrorist groups trying to overtake the country. This city has been devastated by the fighting. For over a week, the citizens have had NO WATER. They are getting water out of local fountains. The city has sporadic electricity. People are starving, as the stores are all closed and no transport trucks are delivering food.

Residents of Slavayansk, Ukraine filling water jugs. The city has NO Water and sporadic electricity.

I am asking all of my friends and family to become the CHAMPIONS for this city. Would you please pray for the people of Slavayansk? They desperately need our prayers and our support! 

I am also asking that you considering making a Financial Gift to help buy food, medicine and evacuate refugees from Slavayansk. You can learn more and Donate through Ukraine Orphan Outreach. 100% OF YOUR DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE!

Would you give today? DONATE HERE.

Ignorance is Bliss, So They Say

ig·no·rance

ˈignərəns/

noun

noun: ignorance

1. lack of knowledge or information.

   "he acted in ignorance of basic procedures"

   synonyms:

   incomprehension of, unawareness of, unconsciousness of, unfamiliarity with, inexperience with, lack of knowledge about, lack of information about;

This is how I have been feeling lately with interacting with those who know little to nothing about Ukraine, other than what they read in the headlines of America and British news agencies. I guess I can't blame them, ignorance is bliss is what they tell me. It just makes me frustrated and angry when I correct them and they provide me with said news articles talking about how Ukraine is on the brink of civil war. I suppose I am just as ignorant in other nations affairs.

So in an effort to inform those of my friends and family reading this blog of ours, here you go:

Ukraine is NOT at civil war. They are NOT on the brink of civil war. They do NOT want to go to civil war.

Most of my Ukrainian friends would be very angry if they heard you talking about a civil war in Ukraine, and would give you a verbal lashing on the truth of the matter.

Ukraine is at war with Russia. Plain, simple. Black and white. It is at war with Russian financed terrorist that are bombing, shooting and using human shields in an attempt to usurp the sovereignty of Ukraine.

On Sunday, the town of Slavayansk in the eastern province of Donetsk was bombed and suffered heavy artillery fire from these terrorists. There is an orphanage in that town, "Sails of Hope" who with the wisdom of God evacuated the children living in that home the weekend prior. Take in these images. This is what the terrorist are doing to Ukraine. It is not Ukrainian against Ukrainian. It is NOT a civil war. Be informed, don't be ignorant.

Pray for Russia. Pray for Ukraine. This conflict is tearing families apart, taking sons, brothers and husbands away from their families in both countries to fight. No one wants war! Pray for a change of heart in the leadership, that God would protect the innocent and intervene.

 

Wartime Weariness

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about how families subsisted during wartime.

Maybe it's because I've been watching that show on PBS called, "Mr. Selfridge" which is currently depicting the life and struggles of those on the homefront in WWII England.

It's also because I get daily updates about our transition home in  Kramators'k, Ukraine. I hear the agony of having to carefully choose the time of day to go to the store to gather canned goods because fresh goods are becoming rare and hard to come by. I feel the difficulty that the house mom, Lena, experiences every night she tucks her babies into bed. Wondering what will happen over night or what they will face in the morning. I feel the pressure that the house dad, Maxim, feels as he tries to get the correct travel documents for each of the orphan boys and his own family; wondering how they will safely leave the area if it comes to that. Many have already left and faced treacherous roadways full of military vehicles and soldiers that can detain them at any moment.

Sometimes, I just hold my breath. Other moments I want to cry. Other moments I want to scream and yell at God, asking where He is in all of this chaos. Yet, I know He is there. He has protected this family and the house from so much. He has given them a support system and help from our organization and countless supporters around the world. He is EVER faithful.

I wonder if it was better during WWII, where they didn't have information at a push of sending a Facebook message for an update? Was it easier not knowing what was happening, only having general updates from the paper? Is the not knowing better than knowing everything anytime you want to know? Is it easier to handle? I know when I get e-mails and messages from my Ukrainian friends whose hearts are broken over the war raging in their country, I feel hopeless.

I don't know how to help, only how to pray out my anguish to God. I know that I am weary. My spirit is heavy. My soul is heavy. Yet, God is ever faithful. So today I come to Him, the One who will not be mocked, the One whose Word does not return void, I come to Him and stand upon his promises of rest. What burdens are you carrying today? Shall we give them up to God together? Let's!

"Come to Me, all who are weary and I will give you rest."

War in Ukraine

While I am sure you have all heard or at least read the headlines about what is going on in Ukraine, the reality is that Eastern Ukraine is now at war with a group of Russian insurgents/terrorists attempting to destabilize the nation as it nears it's Presidential Elections set for May 25th.

This week, I should have been in Ukraine, in Kramators'k where heavy terrorist activity has turned this quaint town into a war zone.

In Kramators'k, is a small city by comparison to most of Ukraine's major cities with around 173k inhabitants. The transition home that Ukraine Orphan Outreach and Agape Ministries partners together to run and support is located on the outskirts of town.

 

Pro-Russian insurgents have occupied this area for the last month, stirring up trouble. Over the weekend, the Ukrainian special forces arrived and have attempted to overthrow the terrorist stronghold in the city. 

 

 

This week, I, along with several other ladies were to spend the week at the transition home visiting with the house parents and the boys living there. Today we saw what happened outside of the hotel where we were supposed to be staying. Terrorists had seized some busses and vehicles and set them on fire in hopes to stop the approaching troops.

 

 

We are currently asking for prayer for the family and boys living in our home. They want to evacuate but the situation is dire and very dangerous to leave their town which is surrounded on one side by terrorists and the other side by the Ukrainian army. Their desire is to move to Western Ukraine where it is safe from the violence. The house parents have two small children and a baby on the way. It is a very scary situation, but God is able!

 

Please pray for Maxim and Lena and their children, and the boys at House of Grace for safe passage out of the city to safety! 

Remembering...this is why we do what we do.

This is why we do what we do - for these children. Tonight I have had a chance to go down memory lane to this past November & December, when Ukraine Orphan Outreach hosted a group of Ukrainian orphans who toured Colorado, along with a group from Orphan's Promise - Kiev, to bring the story of the Old Russian Shoemaker to our area.

My heart is filled with such joy at their smiles. This picture was their final performance of the musical. The before picture, of them first arriving in Colorado, albeit they were exhausted after 18 hours of travel, they were not this joyful. These groups, bringing the nations to the USA, is so vital to what we do with sharing the plight of orphans with the masses.

This picture shows how much they changed in just one month, nurtured by love, laughter and lots of hugs and cuddle time. This is how children should be treated - should be valued. Many of these children come from difficult backgrounds. I adore them, they are resilient children, and they have bright futures thanks to the work our partners at Orphan's Promise are doing in the transition centers in the village near their orphanage. They, unlike many orphans, will have the ability to walk into a life where they can be mentored, challenged and most importantly, shown love.

So to my sweet friends, Yulia, Sveta, Vitaliy, Oleg, Vanya, Alosha and Vitya, thank you for sharing your life with me. I am honored to know you. You have forever captured a piece of my heart.

On Saturday, my young friends will receive notes from their host families in Colorado, hand delivered and translated into Ukrainian. It's these little bits of communication that will forever keep them bonded to the experience and hope they had while away from their institution.

Please pray for my friends, pray for their futures - that mentors and families would surround them, guide them, pray that they will come to know Jesus and love Him, that they would feel and know his great love for them.

*********************
UPDATE: On Saturday morning, I received a Facetime request from my dear friend, Karen Springs who works for Orphan's Promise in Kiev. She, along with the other cast and crew members, spent a day with the kids sharing letters and loving on them. These are pictures from Karen's blog and show how much the crew fell in love with these children. They are truly precious in HIS sight. 

Vitaly and Vanya

Sveta reading a letter from her host family.

Facetime with ME! Such a great surprise!

Facetime with my friends.

The cast and crew from the 2013 Old Russian Shoemaker Tour! (Minus Alex - the Shoemaker).

Switching Gears: An Orphan Crisis Brewing in Ukraine

As I am sure many have heard on nightly news reports and seen the occasional article in the paper, there's a big hoo-haw going on in Ukraine at the moment. I've been so busy working on projects for Ukraine, crisis plans and reading Ukrainian news sources that I've not had a moment to spare on catching up with what's been going on here.

So in a short few paragraphs, let me explain what is happening in Ukraine:

Ukraine has a southern autonomous territory called Crimea that it acquired as a legal land transfer from the USSR to Ukraine in the 1950s as part of a bridge building project. Basically the USSR only wanted one country managing the project, so they gave it to Ukraine which shares its border with Crimea. It is an autonomous territory, similar to Puerto Rico is to the USA - they don't really have much to do with the mainland, have their own territorial government and regulations, elections, etc. They go about their business, there's no travel restrictions to/from, and if anything "bad" happens, Ukraine supports them.

In November, Ukraine's then government decided not to sign an association agreement with the European Union after spending the last year telling everyone they were going to sign it. Dumped in the day before. People went to the streets in protest. The protests were, for the most part, peaceful. Then all hell broke loose when the Ukrainian government decided to use force to remove the protesters - people were murdered, and eventually Yanukovych fled Ukraine to hid out in Russia. Parliament voted to oust him when he fled the country, and new presidential elections will be held in late May. There's a lot details here that I'm not adding, just giving you the 35,000 foot view.


Then in February, Russia, which rents warm water naval bases in Crimea while offering cheaper gas prices to Ukraine, overtook Crimea. Within 24 hours on February 27-28, Russian troops seized the airport in Sevastopol, military bases and complexes, tv stations, and telecommunication companies in the region. All of this was to "protect Russian speaking Russians" per President Putin's comments about the Russian Federation occupation of Crimea. This sparked an immediate panic of all out war in the region.

For several days, we watched as Ukrainian's new government scrambled to cope with what Russia had just done. It is now March 21st, three weeks of Russian Occupation. On March 16th, Russia held a referendum vote in Crimea to transfer the territory to Russia; against all Ukrainian laws. So to put this into context for the US folks: It's like Venezuela taking it's navy and about 18,000 troops to Puerto Rico and taking complete control to protect the "Spanish Speaking Venezuela Population in Puerto Rico", then holding a vote two weeks after the occupation to say that Venezuela was now absorbing the territory into their control. So what did Crimea vote for? Well 120% of the population voted in Crimea for becoming part of Russia...yes, you read that correctly, 120% of the voting population. Did you know that Russian politics are rigged? No, okay, well there you go, you first lesson. Russia now claims they own Crimea.

Ukraine has basically abandoned Crimea at this point. They are entrenching along the border with Russia and Crimea to protect themselves if Russia decides to attempt an even bigger land grab into mainland Ukraine. Russia's actions have left a humanitarian crisis for those of us in the orphan community, but I'll get to that in a moment.

So now you probably know more than 99.9% of all newscasters and journalists in the US, along with most of the American population. Pat yourself on the back.

Where are we now?
After reading the above, where does that leave Ukraine and our work in Ukraine?
At the moment, there's a lot of "what if's". A lot of plans are in the works and partnerships are being formed to help those in the conflict regions. War could break out at any moment, and everyone is treading on egg shells praying it does not.

We are shifting gears with our orphan advocacy group and personally to provide the necessary assistance for those in crisis situations. What does this look like? It's really three fold:

• Encouraging orphan advocacy groups/NGOs in Russia to help the orphanages in Crimea. Since Crimea has now been absorbed by Russia, so have the orphanages. The news coming from our partners on ground in Crimea is not good and it is not a safe situation for these children. They are now Russian citizens without any documents.
• Ukrainian foster families in Crimea and along the border need urgent help. They are legal guardians of the children, and Ukrainian citizens now living in a Russian territory. Russia has very different laws on foster families. The families have few options, but some are looking to evacuate.
• Orphanages in conflict regions near the border of Russia and Crimea are in a difficult situation should things escalate with Russia. Partnerships are being formed to assist them should they need to evacuate.

All of the above takes a lot of TIME! It also takes amazing partners and financial help. If you would be interested in helping, please e-mail me (see contact page for my email). We are looking for partners who can offer help on ground in Ukraine with facilities, food donations, and those around the world that can offer prayer support, food donations, financial donations, medical and clothing supplies - all in the event that provision can happen in less than a 24 hour notice.

It's a lot, I know!

On the other side of things, my trip in May has been cancelled thanks to the airlines cancelling because of "unrest in the region". At this time, I will not be in Ukraine till, hopefully, sometime in the fall of this year.

Thank you for your prayers for us for wisdom and knowledge moving forward, and for the right partnerships to be formed.



 

Beauty from Ashes: Certainty in the midst of an uncertain time

My dear friend, Karen Springs  who works for CBN's Orphan's Promise office based in Kiev, Ukraine wrote a great article on her blog.

Check it out here - she's live from Kiev.

Ukraine: The Heart of Man Wages War

Many are watching the news today and are seeing bloody, horrific images coming out of Ukraine. Many of my family and friends are asking today, "What in the world is going on in Ukraine?" In a nation so far removed from our every day life in the USA, it is hard to understand what the protesters are fighting for, and why it affects us as Christians.

The protesters in Ukraine are asking for the current President, Viktor Yanukovych to step down, and to hold new elections. Yanukovych tipped his deplorable ratings when he refused to to enter Ukraine into an agreement with the European Union. It was immediately following this that Ukrainians took to the street, in peaceful (for the most part) protests. They wanted a leader who would listen to the people, who was not corrupt or under the hand of Russia's command, who served the nation and the Ukrainian people. I think most Americans can relate to that, as our Congress and President currently have dismal approval ratings. We can certainly understand the protester's point of view for leadership with quality character.

Yet, the more and more I follow politics [those that know me well, know that I am a political junkie] the better I understand God's heart about politics. His heart is to turn the heart of men back to him. It's really that simple. We get the rulers our hearts have embraced. While that may sound discouraging, it to me IS encouraging! Because God also provides a way out - by seeking Him, His Kingdom, His heart, His love, the nations of the world will change; because God starts with the individual. Through the individual, nations are changed.

"If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

The hearts of men wage war against the things of God.
If you look at the history of Ukraine and the former Soviet Union, it is utterly obvious that when men removed everything about God, every evil thing was allowed to thrive. Ukrainians turned their hearts towards communism in 1922 because they wanted to HOPE in something. They were utterly worn out after the economical collapse caused during WWI and the Russian Civil War (1918-1921) that left them bitter towards the ruling family and provisional government. The communist faction that rose to power during this time promised to end Russia's involvement in WWI [which it did], provide collective farms to feed the nation and improve the quality of life in Russia and its regions. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well so did that infomercial that so brought in millions of dollars last year - the fact is people want to HOPE in something!

Can we really put our hope in men? A man's heart is fickle. [So is a women's, ask her husband how many times she changes her mind.] The soul of man wages war on the things of God, because he is filled with a sin nature. Yet he is drawn to the things of God - things that represent God's character. Ukrainians are drawn to these same character traits and are fighting for a leader who stands for justice, righteousness, is not corrupt and who is a servant leader. I think most citizens of the world would like a leader with these character traits. So Ukrainians have FAITH and HOPE that their voice will be heard above the atrocities, the brutality and the force shown from their leadership.

What does the Bible teach us? That FAITH, HOPE and LOVE remain. "And so faith, hope, love abide [faith—conviction and belief respecting man’s relation to God and divine things; hope—joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love—true affection for God and man, growing out of God’s love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love." I Corinthians 13:13
Men can have faith and hope in a cause, but if they have not love, the greatest of these, their cause will flounder.

Ukraine's struggle is NOT unique. Let us take a lesson from Judah. 

Ukraine has a long tradition of religious history,  including a visit from the Apostle Andrew and the entire region being baptized and becoming Christians in 900AD. The history of this nation is thick with the people's love and devotion to God. Yet over time, through generations, the history of this nation was disregarded. The stories of Olga and Vladimir, of Apostle Andrew and others ceased to be shared; and the Christian heritage of this nation was forgotten. 

The sin in the hearts of men flourished, the Tsar ruled with authoritarian power; and then was overthrown for the the Soviet Union.While the hearts of men were hard, they suffered greatly as a nation. The effects of their decision to turn away from God are still felt throughout the nation of Ukraine today - the corruption, greed, fear, and oppression are what the protesters are fighting against on the streets now.

It reminds me of the Kingdom of Judah. This kingdom had seen several generations of leaders who served and loved the Lord. The kingdom had thrived and was prosperous. Then, King Ahaz, whose heart waged against the things of God, lost all that the two previous generations had gained, and the Kingdom of Judah lost its sovereignty, becoming a puppet nation to the Assyrians. It was dark times in the land of Judah. The Assyrians demanded the majority of the crops that Judah produced, all of its gold and most of its resources. King Ahaz worshiped false gods, and children were being sacrificed as burnt offerings to this false god in order to appease the wrath that Judah was feeling. The people forgot all the things the true God had done for them in previous generations and embraced King Ahaz's false god. The people of Judah had turned their back on God. Every evil thing came out of the heart of man and evil attacked them on every front.

Yet, there was a boy. His grandfather, Jotham, was King of Judah and was a godly man. He instructed his grandson, Hezekiah, about God's character.  He made sure that Hezekiah knew the history of Judah and the heritage of its people - the favor of God upon them and all He had done for them. 

When Hezekiah was nine years old, his grandfather passed away and his father assumed the throne. Shortly thereafter, Hezekiah's older brother was offered as a burnt sacrifice to his father's false god. The sacrifice of his sibling turned his heart to stone against his father. In just a short 16 years, his father, King Ahaz, had lost all that Judah possessed and became enslaved to the warring Assyrians.Yet, the evil king would not rule long. 

At the age of 25, Hezekiah became king over Judah. THIS IS WHERE EVERYTHING CHANGED. 

Hezekiah's heart did not wage war against the things of God. Instead, he sought out the very character of God and all of God's wisdom for the benefit of his kingdom and people. Immediately, the false god and place of sacrifice was destroyed. The burnt offering of children ceased. The house of God was restored and the priests put back to offering prayers and petitions to the true God. Hezekiah put his house in order first; and then the Kingdom was restored. 2 Chronicles 7:14 tell us this truth about the character of God and his restorative nature.

One thing that struck me as I was re-reading 2 Kings was how Hezekiah dealt with his enemies. Ukrainians have many enemies in their own government and police forces - they are seeing first hand the brutality and oppression set against them. Yet they can learn a great lesson from Hezekiah and how he handled the Assyrians. He asked GOD to deal with the problem [2 Kings 19:14] of his enemy. He understood God's restorative nature (2 Chronicles 7:14) and what he was to do as a follower of Christ. So after hearing the news of an impending attack, he went to church and petitioned God. He didn't seek out the leader of the army first, or the consult with his generals about what to do next. He went to the only one who could save Judah - GOD. 

As a result, the God of Israel slaughtered 185,000 enemy soldiers in one night.

If Ukraine wants to see change in their nation from the top down, it starts from their knees. The Church must hit their knees in prayer and fasting and ask God to deal with their enemies.

God's character is restorative. He loves the Ukrainian people on both sides of the fight. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we must stand with the Church in Ukraine and pray and fast along side of them. Petition God to deal with their enemies [both in flesh and in the spiritual realm] and deliver this nation to a leader who seeks after the heart of the one true God.

"All the ends of the world shall remember & turn to The Lord, & all the families of the nations shall worship before You."  Psalm 22:27

Disturb Us Lord

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
with the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wilder seas
Where storms will show Your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.

We ask you to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push back the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

This we ask in the name of our Captain,
Who is Jesus Christ.

-- Sir Francis Drake

Stove-top Baking: Brownies!

I know, you all think this is probably just a missions blog, but it's our "life" blog too. So you have to suffer through my random cooking experiments, squatty-potty stories and comments on parenthood. 

Now that you've been forewarned, we can continue!

Did you know you can bake on your stove-top? No? 
Yeah, neither did I. I read a blog about it, so I figured I would try it. I was craving chocolate and I just happened to have one of those terribly bad for you but taste so delicious boxes of brownies in the pantry.

It was all very simple. Get a pot with a lid big enough to put a cake pan in. I had to try three pots to get the cake pan to fit. Preheat the pot (no lid or anything on it) for 5 mins on HIGH while you are mixing up the batter. The "oven" pot may start to smoke during this, so turn the heat down just slightly until the major burning goes away. If there is any oil or residue on the "oven" pot it will burn off and be a bit smelly.

Fill the cake pan with your batter. 

Next place some sort of spacer between the "oven" pan and the cake pan. This could be flat rocks, or some other spacer object. I pulled out the pot holder from my pressure cooker and placed it in the middle of my stove-top "oven" pot. 

 

Next place your cake pan on the spacer...VERY CAREFULLY! I ended up using tongues because the pot is very hot and the space wasn't big enough for my fingers. Cover with a lid.

 

The blog I read was rather vague about the heat setting, other than to turn it way down. So I turned it down to simmer level (about a 2 on my stove). After 30 minutes it was cooked on the outside but the middle was rather soggy. Definitely not brownies. Alas, I'm not one to throw in the towel in the kitchen,  I turned the heat up to about med-low (4 on my stove) and put the timer on for another 7 minutes. About 6 minutes in, I heard sizzling sounds and I thought maybe the batter had somehow boiled over. I was happily surprised to find that it was just condensation forming on the lid dripping onto the "oven". My brownies, however, were cooked through! 

The brownies easily popped out of the pan. It didn't have quite the same taste as oven baked, but I didn't care...it was CHOCOLATE after all! 

 Here it is - a stove-top baked brownie! I enjoyed this baby while watching Call the Midwife Christmas Special that I missed a few weeks back. Not a bad way to spend the evening! 

PS I apologize for my terrible food photography. My iPhone photography skills leave a lot to be desired. But trust me, I'll be using this method in the summer when it's hotter than hades in my house! Enjoy!

This is me...waiting...

This is me...waiting for my Amazon package to arrive. Nothing spiritual, nothing exciting. Today was spent working from home, recovering from a nasty sinus infection that laid me out yesterday, and patting myself on the back for having all my "dump" crock-pot meals to choose from when I didn't feel like cooking. 

Back to my waiting: What's in this package that I'm so excited about? Well, it's probably not as exciting for anyone but me. It's my brand new up/down travel converter with adapter set - and usb ports. It's uber lite weight, and has USB ports. My old up/down works fine. It's just heavy, and has no usb ports. Can you tell I'm excited about the usb ports? I know, I'm weird. 

What other goodies will arrive? Well, this pay period we used some funds to get a few items for traveling and living overseas. These include some Exofficio clothing items (quick-dry), jewelry travel case, and a book by Rolland Baker "There's Always Enough: The Miraculous Move of God in Mozambique".  

So now I'm waiting. It should arrive on Friday (except for the book, that will be another TWO weeks...but when I only paid $3 for it...). 

P.S. I should mention that I LOVE online shopping. My kids don't have meltdowns in the store, I can wear my jammies and not brush my teeth or put on any make up and NO ONE cares!! It's a mom's paradise. The end.

The Orphan Spirit in the Church

As I spent the last hour reading blogs, looking at pictures and reading more about Iris Global Harvest School of Missions, it struck me how much of their teaching is on the identity of a believer. They focus instead on being sons and daughters of God, walking in his authority as his children.

Then I read this blog...and a Harvest School Alumni hit the nail on the head in the paraphrase below, I'm camping on this for right now.  

We are not orphans but His beloved children. Stop living like an orphan –  stop coming to Him with that begging attitude, to stop striving or stop being in that pleasing performance but instead to live knowing that He is your daddy.

Whoa! Do I NEED a paradigm shift in my Spirit. Part of what Jesus said was that we would do the same works as He and even greater. That basically God would manifest Heaven on Earth, showing His glory to the nations of the world.

Are we limiting this manifestation of God's glory because we aren't acting like sons and daughters of the King of Kings? Yes! We are acting like orphans. If you see someone limping around in the grocery store using her cart to help her stand up straight [I'm using this example from two weeks ago, because I felt Holy Spirit tell me to ask her if I could pray for her and I DIDN'T do it; God help me be bold as your daughter], do you simply pray under your breath and ask God to "Please heal her Lord...if it be thy will." SHAME ON YOU, SHAME ON ME! If we are sons and daughters of the Most High King, we would know our place. Sickness is NOT from God. We would have gone to her in a very gentle manner and ask her if we could pray for her and then in a very fierce manner taken authority as sons and daughters and brought Heaven down to Earth right there in the supermarket aisle.

I share this not to condemn you or me, but to WAKE US UP! Oh how much I have to learn!
God is merciful, He is teaching me to walk as a daughter of the King, to walk in boldness and know my place as His child.

I think of the testimony shared by evangelist Jim Rogers, about how on an airplane ride back from Africa he prayed for a lady next to him that had a hurt shoulder. He didn't want to, he was tired, but Holy Spirit kept nudging him along. After that, the lady told the stewardess that her shoulder was healed. The stewardess asked Jim if he would pray for her knee that was tweaked. He did. God healed it, instantly. Then the stewardess came over the PA system and announced that if anyone had any kind of sickness or injury to come up to the front because there was a man there that was praying for people and they would be healed. Jim literally experienced God's glory, bringing Heaven down to 35,000 feet in a transatlantic airplane.

When you hear this testimony, what emotion does it elicit? For me, it's one of encouragement. See the same Holy Spirit that nudged Jim into obedience on the airplane lives in each of us. We hear this and we want the same thing, it's an unction that we feel. Yes, Holy Spirit, move in me like that too. Yet, the difference between most of the Church and Jim is simply this: Jim does not operate in the mindset of an orphan spirit. He operates in the mindset of the son of the King of Kings. If Holy Spirit is nudging him, God is telling him: "Jim, let's bring Heaven down to Earth today. Son, pay attention, I want to show you my glory."

I'm ready to see His glory. Bring Heaven down to Earth God!

New Things

This past weekend I had the honor of speaking to the youth at our church. It was one of those things where the youth pastor leans over on the Sunday before and says, "God wants you to speak to the youth next Sunday."...errrr....uhhhh.....ok? 

It's been a long time since I've been around teenagers. I forgot how FUN they are! I spent most of my teenage years deeply involved in youth ministry and even into the first couple years living in Ukraine. Now that I had kids and had "grown up" I haven't spent much time with teenagers. I NEED to spend more time with them. They are so fun. 

God has really been stretching me on teaching and mobilizing young people for missions. It is our mandate as believers to GO PREACH THE GOSPEL UNTO ALL NATIONS. That's what we are supposed to do as Christians, no ifs, ands or buts about it! We are ALL supposed to GO, not just write checks and feel good about our small donations. It's in the Bible, read it. Matthew 28 will tell you all about our mandate as believers to go to the ends of the earth and preach the Gospel. I know, sometimes TRUTH is scary and it hurts, but read it and then go get your passport! 

On Sunday evening, our church showed the Heidi Baker film, "Compelled By Love". It is a MUST see for all Christians. I had watched the premier a couple weeks earlier at home, sobbed through it, and felt a strong impression that we were supposed to go to Mozambique to do the Harvest School of Missions for three months. Eric wasn't too sure....UNTIL he watched the film. Now the question is WHEN? And HOW? It will take about $25k to get our family over there. That means a LOT of changes. Likely next summer, for three months. 

Please keep us in your prayers as we seek God's will and direction for this new season. It's all a little overwhelming, to say the least. We are confident in His provision, His wisdom, His direction and His timing for our family. 

After Harvest School? Ukraine....when? We don't know yet. He is preparing the way.