Nov. 29, 2011

You never really know how far-reaching your impact on the world is until you take a bit of a risk and go out on the skinny end of a limb sometimes. Some would call it, "stepping out of the boat."

But it's hard for some folks. Trust for most of us is hard anyway. Add to that trusting a God we've never seen. Well, but then, that's what faith is - trusting in that which we cannot see.

A couple of decades ago I recommitted myself to trying my best to following Christ. But when it came to claiming him to my oldest friends - THAT was tough. At one point though I decided that I just wasn't going to let that stop me. Don't get me wrong - it's still not easy.

I used to coach soccer at many levels. When teaching any new skill or trick, there's always the kid who complains "I can't do it!" A fellow coach put like this; " Well, if it were easy, anyone could do it." Aren't we sometimes like that kid? But what happens if maybe we find that we can do it?

I took this saying to heart. As I began to reveal my faith to others I soon began to discover that some of those oldest friends had come to know Jesus the same as I had.

It's pretty cool to see who we walk beside down the road. It's like after Jesus' death and resurrection. His closest friends we're such sad-sacks. They hadn't heard ANYTHING he'd said! He appeared to many of them. Walked right BESIDE them!

That same day two of them were walking to the village Emmaus, about seven miles out of Jerusalem. They were deep in conversation, going over all these things that had happened. In the middle of their talk and questions, Jesus came up and walked along with them. But they were not able to recognize who he was. He asked, "What's this you're discussing so intently as you walk along?" They just stood there, long-faced, like they had lost their best friend. ~ Luke 24:13-35 (The Message)

 They didn't even recognize him.

Sometimes, I'm walking right beside a brother or a sister and I don't even know it. Somebody I hadn't expected to see live out their life in faith and obedience. It's just cool how God reveals them to me sometimes!

Turns out I was walking right beside one of my best, life-long friends all along.

I have a college friend who teaches elementary school. She and her family sponsor one of my most favorite kids in Ukraine. A girl named Yulia (Julia). She wrote me the other day to tell me about a way that she used our team and efforts to teach a lesson about helping others. It went something like this:

The bulletin board outside her classroom is titled "holiday helpers". She tried to explain the concept of "less fortunate" but they were having trouble getting it.  So she explained as much as she could about what the work and ministry our team provides to orphans in Ukraine.  She told them about Yulia. To her surprise about ten of them wrote how they would help her. She said she cried as she was grading them. "Such precious Angels" she calls them.

Check out what some of them wrote.

"I would like to help Julia by giving her pajamas, toys so it would be a happy Christmas for her. I feel bad for her because I get presents and she doesn't. I would like to visit her to make her feel better."

"I want to give Julia clothes and a stuffed animal. Clothes would keep her warm and maybe a stuffed animal would make her smile and feel safe. I hope it would make her happy and it would make me happy to help her. Merry Christmas Julia!"

"I would try to help Julia. She is a young girl that lives in an orphanage in the Ukraine. I would love to give her a Christmas tree so she could see how pretty one is. I would also like to help her by giving her some cookies, a family, a big house, and lots of food. I would give her those things becasue she doesn't have them."

"I would help Julie by writing this letter to her. I feel bad that she doesn't get the things I do and she is only 12 years old. Maybe reading my letter would help her to feel loved."

So without ever having met any of these East coast third graders we've somehow managed to impact the way they see, and think. You never know who you're walking with. Get out of the boat. Better yet get out on the skinny end of the limb - that's where the best view is if you want to see who you're walking with!

"What is essential is invisible to the eye." Change the way you see and think. Make a list of the of the people who impacted your life.

We leave in 3 days. Can't wait to hug all my friends and those awesome kids.

Peace.

"May the nations be glad and sing for joy..."

My friend Stan Bryan sent this to me. It's a video of a congregation singing his favorite hymn in Donetsk, Ukraine. This came from a Fall Singing Festival. The hymn is entitled "Slavite" or "Praise". You will eventually see Stan leading the singing. BEAUTIFUL!

http://youtu.be/ks_bmxUNd18

Black Sea Reflections: Update - 12 NOV, 2011

Black Sea Reflections: Update - 12 NOV, 2011: Georges Carillet, President of Commonwealth International University CIU in Simferopol tells about two of our team mentors working in a state-run orphanage. Read more.

Update - 12 NOV, 2011

Anya Goliakova

The excerpt below comes from my friend Georges Carillet. He is President of Commonwealth International University in Simferopol, Ukraine (Crimea). Georges is one of the many contacts I've made there during the years I've spent ministering to orphans there. In fact Georges has indirectly impacted our team's ability to minister in Simferopol. He began teaching the Gospel many years ago through the university he and his wife LaVergne, founded. Several of our team mentors came to know Christ because of Georges and LaVergne.
Below, Georges speaks of two young women who work in a state run orphan facility. Our team worked in this same orphanage in December, 2010. These two young ladies, Anya Goliakova and Viktoria (Vika) Vdovychenko, are also members of our team and have served as YouthReach 12-3-1 Mentors. Please read Georges article and keep Anya and Vika in your prayers.

It is our hope that they will be able to join us this December as we journey to Simferopol.

From Georges Carillet - CIU Newsletter....

Vika Vdovichenko

"Another prayer request: orphans and those who work with them. Our two Disney interns that returned in the summer were looking for work with college students and children. Recently they found work in a state orphanage boarding school in Simferopol. Caring social work is always demanding and stressful, but add to that the corruption that they see and it is almost overwhelming. Allegedly, even the Ministry of Education is using the orphanage school to launder money and otherwise do financially corrupt things. Makes it hard for the kids to get the chance that they need. One of the results: they found most of the kids without soap and shampoo. Hopeful Hearts (Kathy Drane) found out about the need and bought soap and shampoo for the 80 to 100 kids.

By the way, these two young women exemplify the kind of fruit that CIU has been blessed to help cultivate. Disney invited them to become their employees but they chose to return to Ukraine to seek paid ministry positions, of which there are very few and are poorly paid. For several months they were -- as they were when they were our students -- unpaid volunteers working with college students and orphans. Then a "paid ministry" position came up for one of them and then the other at the same orphanage. "Ministry" because these young women understand that that is what God calls them to; "paid" because they are paid something as employees of the state, though not enough to live on. Pray for them and "their children."

One of these 'ministers' came to Christ at CIU and was baptized by me just two years ago (featured in our October 6, 2009 newsletter). Pray for CIU's unique ministry in fulfilling the Great Commission in Ukraine -- making disciples of Christ who make disciples of Christ."

Grace and Peace.
Joel

God's been busy

Been a while since my last entry. Nothing earth-shattering in my life. Usual day-to-day goings and coming. I am discovering that once you turn 50 years old, every doctor seems to make it their personal goal to poke or prod me or hook me up to some graph-generating,continuous-feed form paper-spewing machine. I've had two examinations/tests Since the middle of October with two or three more to come.

This coming weekend is our annual hayride at my parent's home in Hartsville. 40+ guests are expected to show. Hope the wagon is big enough.

Linda, Christy Blazer and I are still working on preparations for our December Mission to Ukraine. Funding is going well. Nearly done - we think. Waiting for some news on updated costs form YouthReach International. Lesson plans are nearly complete. Some details left to be worked out then we can begin collecting and purchasing goods for crafts and gifts.

We're also waiting to hear who among our regular team of mentors (Local Ukrainian Christians) will be able to join us.

I'm overjoyed that two of our mentors Anya Goliakova and Vika Vdovychenko are back in Simferopol after a year in the US. About a month ago, Anya was blessed with a job opportunity to teach English at the Central Orphanage in that city. Although the job is stressful and, according to Anya, overwhelming at times, she feels God is and will continue to use her in that facility to show the unconditional love of Christ to the 90 some girls living there.

After just 2 weeks she was promoted to the educational department administrative staff as vice principal.

A few weeks later Vika was offered an administrative job in the same orphanage.Within a few short days Vika sent me a message asking for prayers. She already had witnessed one teen girl threatening to attempt suicide. She said in her message that the girls were more interested in sleeping with boys than hearing about the grace of God and His mercy.

Please keep them in your prayers as they serve these orphaned girls. I hope we will have time to visit them and perhaps arrange to work there in the summer.

On a more sad note, I won't be able to spend time with Fatyma Ametova or Anastasia Dudenichenko this trip. This will be the first time in 3 trips that they won't be actively a part of the team. Fatyma has a new job translating and may be in Kiev. Nastya is in Germany working as an au pere.

Aida

Arthur Kazaryan, Our lead mentor and in-country coordinator has purchased some of our transportation fare and David Hennessey of YR has already purchased our airline tickets.

I was also touched to receive from Arthur a photo of one of my favorite kids - Aida. It made my day. I can't wait to see her and introduce her to Linda. She's grown so much just since June!

Only a little less than a month left before departure. Tom Zvirgzds has diligently been teaching us Russian. I just hope I can remember it all. I'm getting exciting about what God has in store for this December mission.

Grace and peace.
=J