::The One in Control::

"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."
::James 1:27::

I'm the one on the far left!

Most Thursdays I go to a hospital here in Kharkov, to visit a ward for abandoned babies. These babies are in a state of limbo, waiting on paperwork and formalities before the government takes them to an orphanage. There have been as many as 8 or 9 babies, but right now there are only around 4. The oldest is 2 years old (we were there on his birthday), and the youngest is only a few months old.

I really enjoy getting to hold the babies and love of them and wish it was longer each week. It's a time when God shows me that He is the One in control. I can wish a better life for them, I can pray for a beautiful future, but only God can give it to them. I have NO CONTROL over what happens to them. I can't make it better. I can give them the only thing I can: love. They won't remember me, but I pray they remember the One Who IS LOVE.

A few weeks ago, a group of medical students came in to look at the babies while we were there. They were foreign students from all over the world: India, Pakistan, Nigeria and Morocco are the places I remember. Their classes are in English, and so after an awkward length of time when the teacher kept speaking to me in Russian (assuming I was Ukrainian), I initiated a conversation with the students. We shared where we were from, what we are doing here and contact information.

I have no idea what will come from this, but God seems to have an additional purpose for our time with these sweet babies. As much as I want to, I can't adopt each of these babies. I can only love them. But as I love them, God is showing His love to more and more people. He is the One in control!

-ej

::Out with the Old, In with the New::

"Christmas is over. Do not despair but rather be glad. We had a good year, now let's have another. remembering all the good times that we had. Oh no more lights glistening, no more carols to sing, but Christmas- it makes way for spring."
::Relient K::

Well, I guess it's about time for a new post!

We celebrated Thanksgiving the American way, sweet potatoes and pie included. It was wonderful to take a day to remember everything I have to be thankful for, including being here in Ukraine!

Ukraine doesn't celebrate December 25, but rather January 7 is Christmas day in the Orthodox calendar. The big holiday for Ukrainians is New Year's! A family meal, presents, Grandfather Frost (aka Santa Claus), and New Year's tree (aka Christmas tree) are all part of the New Year's holiday.

For us missionaries, we shared food, fun and gifts on December 24th. My family sent some gifts that I then opened Christmas day after skyping them the night before. Despite being my first Christmas away from my own family, I enjoyed celebrating with my friends here who have become family to me.

New Year's was quite a big celebration for all of us with friends here in Kharkov! We counted down the New Year's, greeted the New Year with hugs, celebrated with sparklers, watched fireworks all around, and played games until 5am before calling it quits! It was quite the party, and a great way to bring in 2012 here in Ukraine!

Here's a few pics from the last of 2011:

 The Sky Highway over Kharkov

 Me & Canaan at the Halloween Party

Christmas gifts sent from my family!

 In Kharkov's Freedom Square

 The 2012 New Year Dragon in Freedom Square

Happy New Year to all of you!

-ej

::Bruchko::

"A tall prophet with yellow hair will come to us carrying banana stalks. Knowledge of life and God will come out of those stalks, and God will show us the way back to him."
::Ancient Motilone Legend::

Yesterday I read a book titled "Bruchko" by Bruce Olson  (originally titled "For This Cross I'll Kill You"). I've been sick for the last couple of days, and so I had time to read it straight through. I am glad, since it turned out to be a page-turner. I first heard about this book when I was at Harding. Many of my friends, including my sister, had to read it in various missions classes, but it was never assigned in mine. It's about a 19-year-old missionary who went to the South American jungle to share the Good News with uncivilized tribes.

I want to share more about this book to show that it is definitely worth reading. But if you are worried about "spoilers", feel free to stop reading here.

The stories in this book are incredible and inspiring. Bruce followed what He believed was an immediate calling at 19 years old to be a missionary to South America. He felt called to the unreached tribes in the jungle of Colombia and Venezuela, but literally took a "leap of faith." He left with a one way plane ticket and $70 of cash. A missionary had agreed to meet him at the airport, but never showed. Ultimately, when he met other missionaries, they shunned him and ultimately disfellowshipped him, because he did not have a missionary board backing him. To read about his experiences makes me incredibly grateful to have my supporters, AIM, my coordinator and a mission team to work with here in Ukraine.

Despite all of this opposition, Bruce wouldn't go home. He somehow managed to find his way into the jungle. His goal was to reach the Motilone tribe. They were known for killing white oil company employees with bows and arrows. No one had ever been able to communicate with them. His first contact was an arrow in his leg. He was rescued from the jungle to heal, and then returned to the same people.

The natives couldn't say "Bruce", and so they called him "Bruchko." One of the most amazing things about this story is how he chose to share the Gospel. He didn't try to "Westernize" the people. He lived with them to first learn about their world view. He wasn't looking to destroy their way of life, but rather show them how Jesus could better their way of life. Because of this, it took him 4 years of first learning the language and gaining their trust and friendship before he even told them about Jesus.

Some could argue that this was not the most "efficient" way of teaching them about Jesus. But I would argue that Bruchko was showing them Jesus by the way he lived. He first shared the truth about Jesus with his closest friend in the tribe. And then he waited for this friend to share the truth about Jesus with the rest of his tribe, in a way that they would understand.

The Motilone word for faith means "to tie their hammock strings to," because the Motilone people slept in hammocks. They understood the idea of hanging their hammock string and trusting it to suspend them and hold them up. Isn't that a beautiful description of faith?

Far too often I have trouble differentiating between Christianity and western theology. I expect Christianity to always look like it does in America: pews, song-leaders, church buildings, Sunday services and Wednesday night services, invitation songs. I would never argue that any of those things are wrong. But is that all Christianity is?

I am so blessed to have worshipped with brothers and sisters here in Ukraine, in Mexico, Nicaragua and Ghana, as well as all over the United States. All over the world, to be a Christian means the same thing: to be a follower of Christ.

You don't need a church building. You don't need to speak English. You don't need trees to meet under. You don't need to be a part of "Western culture." You don't need to "clock-in" at three assemblies every week. You don't need to wear shoes. You don't need to wear a suit and tie or a dress. You don't need an Ichthys decal on your car.

You need Christ.

And HE will change your life.

-ej

::I AM WHO I AM::

"God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' God also said to Moses, 'Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.''"
::Exodus 3:14-15::

I have been blessed to help lead a girls' Bible study with Olivia on Saturdays, and we just started a new study on the Names of God. I got to make the cover page for our notebooks with many of the names the Bible uses to refer to God. It was a fun project to work on as well as a good reminder of Who God is, so I thought I'd share how it turned out.

Servant of the King of Glory,

-ej

::The Black Sea::

"For whatever we lose (like a you or a me),
It's always our self we find in the sea."
::e.e. cummings::

A few weeks ago, our team went on a retreat to Crimea and stayed in a camp near Yalta, overlooking the Black Sea. It was beautiful!

Here is a video I took of us in the taxi from Simferopol to Yalta, trying to find where we were staying. Our taxi driver did not know where it was, nor did the lady he stopped to ask. The funny thing is that we were actually just barely down the hill from it when I stopped filming, we just didn't know it.

And a few pictures!

a Superhero :)

our Superhero poses

the Black Sea

Caleb on a boat ride

in Yalta

a castle known as the Swallow's Nest

-ej