AMERICAN in the market

What I like about being a missionary to Ukraine:

1) I have not seen a single snake.
2) Although they have some pretty big spiders, they are not the size of my hand.
3) I can walk around without anyone noticing that I'm a foreigner....that was, until today.

Near our house is a place where you can walk down the sidewalk and buy fruit, meat, vegetables, etc. from different stands. Last time that I bought some zucchini the man could tell that I had an accent when I spoke. He asked me where I was from and I told him...little did I know that he was going to tell EVERYONE.

Today, I did my normal routine of picking up our meats and cheese from the store. Then, as I headed to the produce stands I started thinking about how thankful I was that I did not look different and could move quietly and in peace. Before I even reached the first stand though, I was "greeted" by a drunk man who started babbling on and on. I couldn't really understand what he was saying because he was talking so muffled and fast, but I did hear him say the words husband (don't THINK that he was proposing), dollars, and AMERICAN. He repeated the last one many times loud and clear, the whole time grabbing my arm. During this time I reached the first fruit stand. One lady bought some strawberries, then I bought some, but at a different price. Normally, I would have given them there strawberries back and bought them somewhere else, but that drunk guy was still there harassing me. My only thought was getting me and the girls out of there. He was trying to figure out where I lived...even asked me in English. (I guess "In Ukraine" wasn't a good enough answer.) As soon as he turned away for a minute, I was OUT OF THERE!

Soon, I won't ever be able to hide. EVERYONE in the village already knows that an American family is moving in. Maybe God is using my personal announcer this morning to prepare my heart to live even more in a glass house.

Saturday we made a down payment on a house! YEAH! It hasn't even been a week and I already have the layout of the house all in mind! I've been trying to figure out a way to keep my bed. It's my favorite piece of furniture. If it doesn't work, we'll definitely be living more Ukrainian style...folding out the couch bed every night. Thankfully, they know how to make comfortable couch beds. All but one floor is painted wood, so after looking online, I've decided to just paint them off white. It's always been fun for me to dream of what a place could look like. I'm afraid not many people can see what I can see, and I'm excited to show some of my Ukrainian friends what you can do with a small place for more "privacy" from kids (i.e. curtain in the middle of the room, etc.). Usually they just look at me funny when I mention different ideas. Now I'll get to put some of them to use for our own home. I pray that it will be a help to them too. (Eric posted a picture of the house on our ministry blog.)

Some of you have asked how my cough is. Well, it's still with me, though it seems a little better. We are pretty positive that it is allergy/pollution related. We are praying that the house in the village will help with my cough and other health problems. I seem to always be sick. In the meantime, I am trying to make some diet changes...which is not very easy with all this good Ukrainian food. It is SO hard to serve God, my family, and the people He has called us to when my body is always exhausted and sick. Thanks to my husband, I am starting to take care of the temple that God has given me so that I can then give more to him, my girls, and then others. Pray for me in this area.

Thursday night we talked to Yuri and Christina again about separating. They had separated...for one day, but are now back together. We can see that the Holy Spirit is working on Christina's heart about this, but Yuri is strongly opposed. His biggest reason was because he couldn't hire workers to help with his cucumbers. Eric told Yuri that they were still welcome to church, he just wouldn't let them join the church right now or marry them. Yuri was very angry and has not spoken to us since. All he wanted for us to do was to say that what they were doing was okay. But we could only speak what the Bible says. Please pray for him and Christina. Also for us as we are heavily burdened for them.

Eric and I are now doing Russian lessons in the evening after the girls go to bed, 1-2 times a week. I like how much it frees up my mornings, but I do miss our evenings together. This has given me a chance to put my Russian to more use though. I have been able to get out with the girls in the mornings and buy groceries, either from the store or the produce stands along the way. Before I was just too rushed and exhausted to try to do the shopping. Valentina also comes over every Tuesday to help with the girls and cook up some delicious Ukrainian dishes. If I'm home, we always have a good time talking. If only everyone was as easy to understand as her and could understand my poor Russian as well as she can!

I have been wanting to post a new Ukrainian recipe, but I've tried so many good ones lately that I don't know which one to post first! Maybe cold soup. ;) Yeah, I know, cold and soup don't seem to go together, but it is YUMMY...especially on a hot day.

Scents from Home

Oh! The beautiful little reminders that God gives here and there to remind us that He loves us! As I sit here, the wonderful fragrance of wild roses fills my nose and brings with it the relaxing comforts of a home I once knew. They were a gift from a young lady named Olea. She sent them home with Eric after he visited with her, her grandfather and mother. Little did she know how much they would mean to me!

As long as I can remember, I have always lived in small towns. So small, that you could usually walk AROUND the whole town in about 1 hour. In moving to Kharkov, I not only find myself an ocean away from home with a different language and culture, but also in a big city. Especially now that summer is here, many times I long for clean air, a yard to play with the girls in, and trees...no a forest. I miss the soft, gentle sounds of the crickets, the sound of the ocean crashing against the rocks. I miss seeing the stars and the moon.

THEN, God touched the heart of Olea to pick a few flowers for me. Why are these particular flowers so special? The last home that my parents had before I was married had a wild rose bush in the front yard. In the summer, I could open my bedroom window and the beautiful fragrance would drift up in to my room.

Thank you Lord for reminding me of your tender loving care. In big cities or in small towns, in America or across the seas, HE is what makes a home HOME.

The Mom's Mission Field

After reading a few verses during family devotions, Eric stopped to explain to Anna that papa's heart has Jesus. She looked at him for a second, then said, "Papa's heart?" We said, "Yes. Papa's heart has Jesus." She then turned to me and asked, "Mama's heart?" "Yes. Mama's heart has Jesus." "Anna's heart?" she said seriously, yet questioningly. "No. Anna's heart doesn't have Jesus yet." She continued to do that, pointing at each of us...Papa, yes. Mama,yes...Anna, no. Lydia,no. Her seriousness about the matter and her questioning look as to why not Anna broke my heart. How I wished I could just "make" her saved too! I'm scared at even the possibility of her not believing in Jesus Christ. She is understanding so much more now...more than I ever imagined at this age! Oh, how sad it would be as a mom to see many come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, yet to have our own children die and go to hell! What a HUGE responsibility God has given us! What a GREAT mission field! There are no furloughs. Every day we are either turning their hearts toward God or away from God. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed that God has put the care of these two precious little girls into my unworthy hands. I pray that there never comes a day when I devout so much of my time and energy into the many needs of the "mission field" that I forget the mission field right under my roof.

One Busy Week

Last week was such a busy week. Even though we will be finishing up this Bible series with a few people (Elena, Yuri, and Christina), we plan on continuing Bible lessons with them. We do not believe that Yuri and Christina are saved and are unsure about Elena. We greatly desire to see them saved. Please be praying as we will be finishing the lesson with Elena on Wednesday and Yuri and Christina on Thursday.


Above is a picture of Elena. Here she looks happy and easy going, but she has a very hard life.

Below are pictures from this past Thursday night Bible study in the village. The girls and I went this time and we didn't get home until 11:30 pm! The girls did surprisingly well. (They always go to bed at 6 pm.) The Bible study is held at Yuri's house which is only one room and a kitchen.
Eric, Anna, and Max playing outside after Bible lessons.
Christina and Lina separating cucumbers...YUMMY!
Anna, Lina, and Christina in the kitchen

Anna playing hide and seek
Lydia is looking a little tired. Poor girl.
Max- still FULL of energy
Christina and Yuri

Ukrainian home tidbit: In some of the pictures you can notice a rug hanging on a wall, you also see that in many pictures of Ukrainian homes. Not only do they add some beauty to their homes, but also help to keep them warmer.

Those pictures are from Wednesday and Thursday. We went to the metro to pass out Johns and Romans on Friday. I would have taken pictures, but my camera batteries were dead. Max gets right in front of people so that they can't avoid him and Anna got so tired of people rejecting her that she started giving them to me just to hear someone say "Thank you"!

On Saturday, Lina, the girls and I went to the open air market. One of the vendors we stopped at had a ton of purses. Anna thought that was great. She picked up one of the purses and put it over her shoulder, and went and looked in the mirror-with the encouragement of everyone in the store. She must have done this like 5 times. I REALLY wish I could have taken a video or even some pictures. Lina and I had to try on a few of the purses that she picked up because they looked so cute on her. We were gone about 7 hours and neither of us bought a single thing! (Our husbands were shocked...and probably happy.)

Sunday we had our regular services (we have our morning services, a meal, then our "evening" service). Following that, Eric started up Bible lessons with Vladamir again. Tatiana was also at church and Eric invited her to stay for Bible lessons. While Eric was giving lessons to Vladamir and Tatiana, I took the kids outside (Anna, Lydia, and Max).

I'm supposed to have Russian lessons on Monday and Thursday mornings, but have canceled the Monday lessons for a little while because our schedule is so crazy. It has been so nice to have one somewhat normal day with the girls at home.

Besides the Saturday shopping, that's a pretty typical week for us.

Health

Well, it is now 11:30 pm here and I am exhausted but am again spending another night trying to suppress a cough. After having two really bad nights, I finally went to the doctor's office today (okay, I didn't really have a choice, I have a husband who loves me). They think that I have bronchitis. I have some different things that I am trying and they seem to be making it a little better, but still would appreciate it if you all would be praying for me. I really need sleep, so I guess that I will give it a try.

A Day in the Village

On Friday we went out to the village where we are having Bible studies and spent the day with Yuri. (The Bible studies are in his home.) We brought food for a feast and groceries for him. After stuffing ourselves, the guys went fishing, and us ladies just had fun breathing in the fresh village air...and playing with the cute kids. ;) Anna had SO much fun running around, as you can see from the pictures.

Some of Yuri's green houses (we were actually supposed to be putting plastic on them, but it was too windy).


Yuri's house is one of the houses in the background. Every time I go into one of their homes, I'm amazed at their poverty. I plan on taking some pictures next time.

The river by his house. I plan on putting a verse on this picture and framing it. Just looking at it is relaxing!

Miss Anna

Anna and Max

Eric, Yuri and Max fishing

Lydia


Lydia with our church translator Lina. It's SO nice to have her back!