::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

::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

::Bethany's Sister::

"Both within the family and without, our sisters hold up our mirrors: our images of who we are and of who we can dare to be." ::Elizabeth Fishel::

Growing up, I hated it when people said me and my sister looked alike. I was the older sister. She was the little sister. Could people not see how different we are? Now, I love being known as Bethany's sister. I want people to say we are alike, because she is the most beautiful person I know. We are 2 and a half years apart in age, just enough to be really close but also fight a lot as kids. We became very close when I left for college as we still talked often. Then my sister came to Harding as a freshman when I was a senior, and I know I wouldn't have made it through that year without her. I loved being asked if I was Bethany's sister, as I proudly answered, "Yes, I am!"

I knew when I decided to do mission work, that the hardest person to leave would be my sister. She is still the person I miss the most. Every day. Every moment. But I also knew that of everyone I had to leave, she was the one I could count on to always be there. I trust her more than anyone else on this planet. And I knew that she would be the one who knew all of my dreams and would never let me NOT move to Ukraine. Those last days before I left when I started doubting what I was doing, even as I stood in LAX crying, she is the one who made sure I got on my plane.

My sister is one of the biggest reasons I am here in Ukraine right now. I would not be who I am today without her. She is stronger than me. She has an unshakable faith. Her faith could move mountains. Her character has been tried and tested as true. She loves sacrificially and unconditionally and shows that in her actions. I have been challenged time and time again just because of who she is in Christ.

Tomorrow my sister Bethany leaves for Ghana, West Africa. She is going on a two-week mission trip with World Bible School, led by our Uncle Joel and Aunt Pat Coppinger. It's her first time to leave the U.S. It is an incredible opportunity for her to use the many talents God has given her and let God's power work through her in a new place. I know what a blessing she will be to the people of Ghana, because I know what a blessing she has been to me.

I also know there may be hard times. Any foreign culture is difficult, but I know that she has a willing heart and open hands to serve. She will be challenged, and I believe she will rise to them with even greater grace. As long as her trust remains in God, she will do incredible things through Him. She has already changed me for good.

April 2011

My sister is my best friend.
my strength. my fellow dreamer. 
my encourager. my sister in Christ. 
my honey. my accomplice. 
my love. my confidante. 
my co-conspirator. my dear.
my safety net. my other half.
my support. my mentor. 
my heart. my person. 
my little sister.
my Bessie.

She is amazing. wonderful. incredible. fabulous. gorgeous.  smart. a great listener. the funniest person i know. wise.
beautiful inside and out. i love her with all my heart.

Please pray for my sister, as well as my aunt and uncle and the rest of their team as they travel to Ghana and minister there for 2 weeks. Pray that doors are opened for the Gospel to be heard and taken to heart, and that the team remains safe and healthy. And please pray for my parents as their two daughters will be away from them on two different continents.

I hope that if you have not yet met my sister, that you will one day. I am blessed beyond measure to know my amazing sister, and this is a feeble attempt to say just how proud I am to be

Bethany's sister.

-ej (aka Ery)

Summer 2009

::¡Viva Mexico!::

"Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell; I wish to run a rescue mission within a yard of hell." ::C.T. Stud::

I'm back! It has been far too long. As my time is running out on this Saturday, I'd like to quickly ask for your prayers for our Mexico City trip. It is time for us to GO! God did not command us to sit still and only study His Word; He gave us a clear command to go out into all the world and make disciples. On Thursday, all of the AIMers will be doing just that by heading down to Mexico City.

Mexico City is the third largest city in the world with people who need Jesus just as much as I do. We will be there a week after traveling nearly 30 hours (each way) on a bus. It will be tiring, exhausting, amazing, exciting, new, encouraging, difficult and a true adventure, but I pray that most importantly God will be glorified in everything we do. I hope you will pray along with me. There is great power in praying to the Maker of the Universe. God is good!

With all that God has given to me,
-ej

::Надейся на Господа::

"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."
::Corrie Ten Boom::

This is a cartoon written by some of the AIMers, and I found this one quite funny. :) You'll probably have to click on it to make it big enough to read.

 Property of AIM ALUMNI ASSOCIATION from the AIMER HUB BLOG

We are in the unknown time. Some of the AIMers have an idea of where they are going for the field, others have no idea, but all of us know that there are many unknown variables. Where will my field be? With who will I be going? What will it be like? Will I get along with the coordinators? From where will my support come?

Isn't it wonderful to know that we have a God who already knows the answer to all these questions? He's a BIG God, and yet cares even for little me and you!

Next time you have doubts about the future and the unknown, just know that you can trust God. We don't need to worry when He's in charge!

" 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.' " Jeremiah 29:11-13

-ej

::Judgment Day::

"The safest road to hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts." ::CS Lewis::

When we were at Blue Haven for the Sunset youth group senior high retreat, our main role was to do skits before the worship time. The five of us AIMers practiced most of the day for the skit, performed it and started on a new skit. The last night, we had a skit picked out for us, but it wasn't very relevant for teens. We thought about modifying it, but decided to just do a completely different skit we came up with in about an hour. We only practiced it twice because, well, it was really emotional for all of us. This is our skit.



I saw a shirt in Ruidoso, NM that summed up this skit in a not-so-humorous way: Friends don't let friends burn in hell.

Keep fighting; this is war and it's not over yet.
-ej

::I Believe::

"I believe in the sun when it isn’t shining. I believe in love even when I don’t feel it. I believe in God even when He is silent."
::Found scratched into the wall of a concentration camp after the Holocaust::

Here is a challenge I received in my Old Testament Message class yesterday morning. AIM classes really get you thinking.

Have you ever thought about what would happen to your faith if you lost everything? Think right now about your greatest fear in life. One of mine is that I will wind up alone. Now, just for a moment, imagine that whatever your greatest fear is, it happens. I never marry. I find myself one day in a nursing home, no husband, no children. Or, tomorrow you get a phone call that your entire family died in a car accident. Your best friend was murdered. You lose your job, your house, everything. You are arrested for a crime you didn't commit. You find out you have terminal cancer with 6 months to live. Your life is in absolute shambles and nothing is left.

Now what do you think about God?

Do you still believe in Him?

It happened to Job.

Because God doesn't promise us a happy ending here on earth. He doesn't say that life will be fair. In fact, He tells us up front that we will go through trials, persecution. God says that LIFE IS NOT FAIR. God is more interested in the development of your faith than your physical pleasure.He loves you enough to put you through every disaster, every heartbreak, every pain, every suffering, every struggle, every disease, every hurt, every loss, every single thing we fear so that your faith will stand strong on the day of judgment.

So what about your faith?

I know the faith of one unnamed Jew, locked away in the darkness of a concentration camp, watching friends and family be murdered before his eyes. He saw Satan. And do you know what he wrote?

"I believe in the sun when it isn’t shining. I believe in love even when I don’t feel it. I believe in God even when He is silent."

Do you?

Will you believe if, for the rest of your life, all of the evidence around you says not to believe in Him?

Will you believe in God if for the rest of your life you don’t get one sign that He is with you?

But here is the amazing thing. God does put signs all around us that He loves us. The fact that you are here, breathing, alive is proof of God's love for you. He created this world for us. He gave His Son for us. Jesus died for us. God made beauty and love and truth as a sign that He loves YOU. This world is full of signs, if only we would open our eyes. Each new day, each sunrise is a sign that He is with you, even if you can't see Him. He will never leave you, even when you can't feel Him. So trust in Him, and believe. No matter what.

"When I'm feeling all alone
With so far to go
The signs are nowhere on this road
Guiding me home
When the night is closing in
Is falling on my skin
Oh God will You come close?

Light, light, light up the sky
You light up the sky to show me You are with me
I, I, I can't deny
No, I can't deny that You are right here with me
You've opened my eyes
So I can see You all around me
Light, light, light up the sky
You light up the sky to show me
That You are with me

When stars are hiding in the clouds
I don't feel them shining
When I can't see You beyond my doubt
The silver lining
When I've almost reached the end
Like a flood You're rushing in
Your love is rushing in

So I run straight into Your arms
You're the bright and morning sun
To show Your love there's nothing You won't do

Light, light, light up the sky
You light up the sky to show me You are with me
I, I, I can't deny
No, I can't deny that You are right here with me
You've opened my eyes
So I can see You all around me
Light, light, light up the sky
You light up the sky to show me
That You are with me

You are with me."


::"Light Up the Sky" by The Afters::


-ej