Doug's Journal for April 16-30 2007

Monday, April 16, 2007
I am feeling better today with a lot more energy! I did make myself take the day of until the early evening, when Olya, Ksusha and I went to the Orphan’s family home for our weekly Bible study that went real well. We started study about the Church in the Bible and being the Church that God wants for today. We had tea and cookies afterwards, like we usually do, and had a great time playing with the kids and visiting! Afterwards I went to Ksusha’s home for a little bit. Her mom, Nadya, is starting to do some cooking for me. I am doing this as much for them (their financial need) as I am in the need of some home cooked food, since I haven’t felt like cooking for me in such a long time, or so it seems. I got home about 8:30 and ate some of my delicious salad and a great bowl of Borsch!
Tuesday, April 17
At 8:30am I picked up the rest of my cooked meal – a delicious chicken dish with lots of vegetables and onions. It proved to be very tasty! I spent the morning studying as I will have tonight’s devo, Sunday’s sermon and Sunday night’s lesson. Olya and I went to the village for a class with 3 of our 10th grade girls that went really well and enjoyable! At 6 we had only 12 for our devo, but it went well and we had a good fellowship. I got home after 8pm, ate supper, watched a little TV and then fell asleep in front of the TV!
Wednesday, April 18
We have been having beautiful spring weather! I started my day, fairly normal about 5am. Much of my study over the last few months have revolved around becoming all that God wants us to be as Christians, with the focus on getting rid of the old self that still lives within us to live a new life filled with life and purpose as we prepare for eternity. It has become a matter of completely taking on God’s purpose for our lives so that we can glorify Him in all that we are and do. I have been studying this from at least 4 different approaches so I am striving to know how to pull it all together so that not only can I best live it but so that I can best teach it! What good is what we learn and study if we can’t live it and teach it to others so that they can benefit from it as well? Another great challenge is in putting it in such words and thoughts that makes it clear and understandable in translation into another language! This has taken up much of my study time the last few days. At 12:20 I had 6 sixth grade girls at school 1 and that was good! We studied, did crafts and played a little bit! I have taught the girls the game rhythm and that is all they want to do, but I said lesson and craft first and they willingly did it! I tried again at School 11 to get an older kids class going and again we had no shows. But at 2:45 as I was getting ready to leave the school, I was invited to a teacher appreciation program for young teachers – mostly young English teachers. It finished at 4:15, so I walked home and left at 4:45 for the internot school with Olya and Yulya where we thought we were going to have a puppet show, but didn’t because they had a concert of some kind for the younger kids, but we did have a class with 6 7th graders. Afterwards Yulya, Olya and I ate pizza together, I took them home and I was home about 7:30pm.
Thursday, April 19
I had another morning of study. I am preparing my Sunday sermon, Sunday night lesson, 3 Bible Clubs, plus trying to be well prepared for the Rev. class I will teach tonight. I left early for School 1 today because I was invited to a concert for the younger kids at school. The kids are just not quiet in things like this – it is not really taught because the older kids and even adults are not respectful of people that are up on the stage speaking or performing – so that is always disturbing to me. Well, I was told that this concert would last from 11:30 to 1:30 after I was in it, so I sent a text message to my translator that she didn’t need to come today at 12:20, the normal time for my class. The concert ended at 12:25 and of course I didn’t have a translator! Then as I prepared to go to the orphanage to do our puppet shows, we only had 1 person that could go – we need at least 2! (As it turned out, it was okay because I had a pretty bad sinus headache developing so I took some meds and slept about 45 minutes and it helped.) As our kids get older, they get busier and busier and it is hard to get people to do the work that we need help for. Nearly everybody would LIKE to do puppets and help, but no time! No Time!! We had 15 for our Rev. Bible Study tonight, with Natasha, our new Christian, bringing 2 of her friends. It was a good class and went well. 2 of our girls, Ksusha and Olya who are studying for Univ. entrance exams and stayed around and studied together until nearly 10pm.
Friday, April 20
My morning again was filled with study! You have study well to teach well. I set up 2 translators for classes today – one at school 1 and at the village. Neither of them came, so I had to cancel both classes! I was so frustrated, angry and disappointed that those kids that SAID they would come to class didn’t have a chance to hear the message of God today!!! One of the translators called to apologize but the other didn’t even call. God please forgive me for not being able to learn this language better! At 5pm, 8 of us gathered to play ultimate Frisbee and that was fun. Then at 6:30 people started to gather at my house to celebrate some more with James and Anya as we looked at wedding pictures and saw a video of their wedding and reception. We ate together and a grand time. There were about 20 people here tonight and the last went home about 9:30pm.
Saturday, April 21
My morning started at 5:10am. I worked on my Bible Club lessons and Sunday morning sermon in the AM. At 12pm we had 7 for our Adult Bible Club, at 4pm we had 8 for our Parents Bible Club and then at 6pm we had 5 for our Teen Bible Club. My day ended about 9pm when the last went home.
Sunday, April 22
I preached on “The Glory of God and Us” in the morning and then in the evening on “Jesus’ Glory from God at the Cross.” After morning services 4 of us made sandwiches for the boy’s prison, finished up my evening sermon preparations and then had a relaxing afternoon with 4 people here.
Monday, April 23
Mostly I had a day off. I had about ½ dozen phone calls and Olya and I went and bought a birthday present for Eloyna (7 year old orphan) at the children’s home where we study with the family on Monday nights. After we had the birthday party, we studied. This night I decided to try and find out how far along each person in the family was with their faith. Inna the mother was the closest (besides the twin 14 year old boys being Christians) with the daughter and dad A LONG WAY to go. Really all the non Christians have a long way to go! I was pretty discouraged, but it is better to know where they are so we can know where to help them. It was late when I got home.
Tuesday, April 24
Studied in the morning – well at least most of it! Oksana can’t go today, so Ksusha went with me to translate for our 10th grade class with the girls. They will come and be with us next week during the holidays (Big holidays on May 1st and 9th and basically everything in between!). Our devo numbers were down to about 12 this week.
Wednesday, April 25
No class today because of lack of translator at School 1. We would have had 2 girls. No classes at the internot school today because of concerts!
Thursday, April 26
1 girl in class at school 1. We had 15 for our Thursday night Bible Study.
Friday, April 27 – congratulations to Jenise and Jon Grottis – my daughter and son-in-law’s 1st yr of marriage!
At the class at School 1 today, we again had 1 person – class conflicts I was told. At the Village today we had 5 kids in class. Again class conflicts! At 5 Artem and I met with a “travel agency” and talked about excursions for our day camp in June and also for our Black Sea Bible Camp. We arranged for 3 excursions and possibly a better camp and price than earlier thought. 6 came for Frisbee and then they cleaned on the beach and came over to my house for chocolate chip cookies afterwards.
Saturday, April 28
Bad attendance continued today for 2 of our 3 Bible Clubs. 2 came for 2 of them. 7 came for our Parent Bible Club. This was a really bad week for attendance in most cases for most things. Rather discouraging.
Sunday, April 29 – Happy birthday to my oldest son, Butch!
4 of us went after Church services to a village called Gradisk where an orphanage is and did puppet shows for over 100 kids and a story afterwards. It was great! Then came home and rested and relaxed in the afternoon from about 3:30 to 5:30 and then evening worship with 14.
Monday, April 30
Because the twin family had illness (I’m not glad they did) we didn’t have that Bible Study and I had a full day off!