Journal for Oct.1-15 07

Monday, October 1, 2007
A busy day getting ready for classes and visiting classes. Also we went out to be with the Orphan’s family for a Bible Study, but because the Grandmother is in such poor health, we didn’t study, just talked, had tea and comforted the family. Grandmother has cancer, but it is not yet determined exactly how bad.
Tuesday, October 2 – Ella’s 3rd Birthday (granddaughter) and Alina’s 20th Birthday
I happy for Ella – she is such a darling granddaughter! I miss her so much, but enjoyed my time with her and he family this summer. It is a very sad time for me with Alina, for Alina has not been to services or anything much since camp and I have not seen her since I have been back. She didn’t want to celebrate her birthday with us this year. We started our 6th grade class today with 3 boys at school 11. We were also supposed to start the 7th grade class, because I forgot. You see, I got distracted today when I went outside this morning and found my back window on my car smashed in. Who did it? No way of knowing. After the morning class, I took it to the insurance company and they told me to take it a repair place, pay for it and I would get my money back in a week or so. They pay 100% for any window damages, so that is good. It will be repaired tomorrow. Well, in all that, I forgot the class I set up for the 7th grade. We had 8 for devo tonight. I spoke.
Wednesday, October 3
I got my window repaired in the morning and picked it up after afternoon classes. I traveled by using taxis today! I started my 5th grade class at School 11 with 5 kids. This age is always so much fun! We also tried to start an English Club at School 11 for 8th-11th grades, but 2 girls came and we decided to start next week. We will advertise more. At 6:30pm, we also started a University English Club, invite 3 different Universities in town to come and we had a grand total of 3! We had it and it went okay. We are having to rent a room in one of the Palaces of Culture (community buildings) for $80 a month for 2 hours a week. We don’t have this money in our budget, but Lord willing it will come from somewhere if this succeeds. We will try it for a month and see how it goes. We are doing these English Clubs as a way to get to know more people and let them see that we are okay people. We will then invite them to our Bible Classes in the future as we get to know them better.
Thursday, October 4
My main class today is at the village with 5th-7th graders. We (Oksana my translator for the village work) went out and they were busy with a teacher appreciation day. So a wasted trip. I really like this work out in the village (37 miles away) but it is so frustrating to drive all the way out there and not be able to have the classes that you want to hold. Our Thursday evening Bible Study had 6 in attendance tonight.
Friday, October 5
We were again going to the village for the 8th grade and then 11th grade classes, but they also canceled for other things, this time sending me a text message on my phone saying it wasn’t going to work for us to come. We had fun night with 5 people. Our attendance in the evening weekday classes continues to be way low and frustrating. We are trying to do all we can to encourage the young people to come. More have jobs. More have extra classes at schools and some I just don’t what’s going on – but am trying to find out.
Saturday, October 6
I did my normal Saturday morning marketing, shopping, lesson preparations, etc. for Bible Clubs. We had 5 in attendance today for Univ. Bible Club – for this class, that’s pretty good right now. Then we started the Church Discussions at the Church building at 4 with maybe a dozen and that went well and pleasant. Then we had 7 for our Teen Bible Club which also is good.
Sunday, October 7
Good attendance at services today and a good worship too! I was pretty tired and rested most of the afternoon. I spoke in the evening services and we had 12.
Monday, October 8
I am trying to take this day off, but it is nearly impossible for me to take a day off if I stay in Kremenchuk! I had 3 people calling me for assistance with different things during the day and then we again went to be with Orphan family. We come trying to bring love and encouragement to them. They really do appreciate it and we are really coming to love this family and all the kids!
Tuesday, October 9
1 6th grader showed up but we didn’t have class and he promised to come back next week. No 7th graders came, even after our visiting classes and inviting them. I also visited in the morning a lot of 8th -11 grade English classes and invited them to come to our English Club tomorrow. We had 10 at our Devo tonight and we did a split devo. What that means is that we sing together for about ½ hour and then the girls go to a different room. Kelli led the girls discussion this time and Yura had the boys lessons for us. In the evening, Inna, the mother of the Orphan home family and the daughter of the Grandmother that is struggling with her health called and asked if I would drive them to Poltava to the Dr. and Hospital there for her Mother to possibly have cancer surgery tomorrow. I agreed to do this for them.
Wednesday, October 10
Oksana went with me. I left the house at 5:20am, picked up Oksana and then we went out to their home in the village that they live at, fairly close to Kremenchuk. It is a little over an hour to Poltava and we found the hospital about 7:30am. About 11am Inna came out and told us that they had x-rayed the Grandmother after again draining a lot of excess fluid off of her abdomen and found that her cancer wasn’t as bad as they thought but still bad at stage 3 out of stage 5. They think that they can operate. She was admitted to the hospital. I abhor these hospitals. Poorly heated, dimly lit, 8 old beds to a room that have no bedding, pillows and no towels. They are fed one meal a day by the system (supposed free care!!!). They have to bribe the nurses to take care of the ones staying in because they get paid so little. Enough said. We got back in time for my afternoon classes and I had 9 5th graders and my translator didn’t show up! That was a struggle! We played Frisbee outside after reading the lesson together. One boy came to English club this time. We will see about next week – last chance as far as I am concerned. Then in the evening we had some encouragement with 4 new people! That made for a lot better time together! Our club is lasting 2 hours an evening. As you can see my day was long from 5:20am to 9pm.
Thursday, October 11
We went to the village today again and found out – again – that there was other special events going on. We got out to talk to the kids running races outside and the ones that have been in our classes for 2 and 3 years were as cold as ice! What happened???? It hurt both Oksana and I terribly! We will try to find out what is the matter and what is going on here. They have always been so friendly and welcomed us with friendliness and hugs! Again a disappointing Thursday night class with 6 in attendance. A very difficult day.
Friday, October 12
It is always amazing to me how God brings encouragement in the midst of discouragement! We didn’t see the 8th grade kids at the village today, but we had a wonderful study with our 11th grade girls about the plan of salvation! 3 of the 4 girls were there. They continue to be so open with us! We have canceled our Friday night fun night for lack of interest and I am scheduled with activities 7 nights a week. I need at least 1 night a week that I can have for myself.
Saturday, October 13
University Bible Club had 2. Bible Discussion went well with maybe 20 people. Teen Bible Club had 4. A rather discouraging week. We found out that the Grandmother can’t have surgery because she has a bad heart and bad liver. They went into her by removing her woman’s organs and cutting a piece of the cancer and it is very active cancer. She filled up with fluids again and when they drained it there was pieces of cancer floating in it – the cancer is all over her now. Very sad.
Sunday, October 14
4 of us went to Komsomolsk Church of Christ to encourage them. They continue to work hard, but continue to struggle there as the Orthodox church is very strong in that city of 60,000. They did have one new lady that has started to meet with them. There were 10 us for morning services. Then we went home, bought things for sandwiches and made 112 sandwiches for the boy’s prison. Then after eating (5 of us ate together today) we rested for a while. Then I made croissant roll dough for making sweet rolls tomorrow morning and rolls for dinner tomorrow for lunch. My electricity went off about 3:30 today. Then we had bible club for parents and we had 6 in attendance. And we had 15 for evening worship.
Monday, October 15
I got up 6am and fixed breakfast – sweet caramel rolls – for 2 of our girls who said they wanted to come at 7:30am, but they never showed! I spent much of the rest of the morning preparing dinner (lunch) for 4 Americans that are visiting here for America and teaching at the Bible School. We had a good meal and visit together. They left at 2pm. So I had my “8 hour day” in on my day off by 2pm! But it was a good time spent. Then we went to the Orphans’ home again, picking Inna up at the bus station at 5:30pm as she came back from Poltava and caring for her Mom. I got back home tonight about 8pm. It has been a hard and trying month since I have been back. I would greatly appreciate all of your prayers. I know you do pray for me and the work here. I am very thankful for that!