Journal for January 16-31, 2008

Wednesday, January 16, 2008
I don’t think that I have written about the apparent tragedy that took place just before I left for the US. The Director at School 11, where we have had a mainstay in our working in the schools, was either fired or quit. It is not sure what happened. She was replaced by the Director at School #9, who ended our work there. This effectively ends our work at School 11 that has been on going for 11 years! We still have our work in the village school and now three orphanages in neighboring villages and towns as well. The doors in these 3 orphanages are wide open right now and we intended to do our best to step into them. Also if there is time, there is an internot school here in Kremenchuk that we have worked before in, that we will see about entering again. Please continue to pray for these works.
Thursday, January 17, Friday, January 18
I am writing this Journal on January 28th. I know that I have not kept up with it as I should. I intend to do better! Just a couple of notes about Thursdays and Fridays. Our Thursday classes were dwindling down to 1 or 2, so we decided to focus our energy and studies on Tuesday, where we hope to increase our study time and worship/singing time to 1 ½ hours. On Fridays, we have started again our fun night – but that too, so far has been lightly attended. We are looking for the direction that God is seeking to take us in. Please continue to pray for us in these areas.
Saturday, January 19
Yura agreed to open my house for the noon Adult Bible Club, because I needed to take a trip to the airport by Kiev – Borispil and pick up an American friend, Michael Braswell, who is coming in to spend a week with us and the orphanages here in Kremenchuk and surrounding areas. Michael is from TN and is a very caring Christian Brother that cares very deeply for the children here in Ukraine! He became a Christian in January of 2006, made his first visit to Kremenchuk and the orphanages in January of 2007 with Buddy Baker. This year he decided to come on his own and care for the children out of his own pocket. He is NOT rich, except in God’s love and love for the Christ’s Church, the children, the Lord’s work that we are doing here and our young people as well. I left at 9:30 with Olya and Yulya and his flight arrived at 1:30 and we arrived back in Kremenchuk about 5:30. The noon Bible Club had 2, but the evening Bible Club had 9 with 2 new people – a mother and daughter! The last went home around 9:30 and after my travels I was pretty tired. You just can’t compare the wear and tear that driving in Ukraine brings to you to driving in the US. It’s just not the same!!!
Sunday, January 20
We worshipped in the morning, made sandwiches in the afternoon for the prison, and spent most of the time planning the week to come with Michael and our young people. We had a good afternoon together. Then we had 15 for our evening worship. We got Michael back to his room, as he struggling with jet lag and needs to sleep. Just to mention about our Sunday night “sermons/lessons.” I am doing most of them, but I am proud to say that Yura and Artem are taking a more active roll in preparing talks as well. Yura presented the lesson tonight and did a good job!
Monday, January 21
We spent a very busy day visiting different orphanages. First I picked up Yulya and Olya and then met Michael and our 2 local workers Nickoli and Anya (Christian workers that full time sponsored by this orphans work by Buddy Baker and Jerry Morgan). They know the work well and are doing an amazing job in the things that they do for the Lord. We got started at 9:30 and went first to the Baby’s Orphanage and spent most of the morning there. Then I went to the bank and we went to McDonalds where we hand lunch together. Did I mention that we now have a McDonalds in Kremenchuk (I’m sure I probably did!)?? Then we went to Svetlovodsk where we visited the 2 orphanages there, one that we had never been in before and they are thrilled that we want to come and teach Bible lessons there. Of course the one, the Visually Handicapped Orphanage, we have been teaching there, but we hope to expand that work as well. We got back to Kremenchuk about 4:30 and then went to the Orphan family, arriving there about 5:30 (they are in a village about 15 Kil. out of Kremenchuk). We all were very tired and left there about 7:30pm to come back to home, eat supper and go to bed – Michael is waking up very early – jet lag!
Tuesday, January 22
Again with an early start we spent quite a bit of time at the orphanages. In the afternoon, while Michael was buying things for the orphanages that he wanted to give to them, I spent time in lesson preparations that I needed to do. In the evening we had our devotional with 15 present. We celebrated Marina’s 21st birthday and then we went out to Pizza as Michael’s guest. Everyone went home from there around 9pm.
Wednesday, January 23
While Michael was again buying and delivering things to the orphanages I went to pick up Ksusha in Poltava. It is about 1 ½ hour drive both ways and so it took a little over 4 hours round trip. She had been there for 3 weeks of study and had a lot of stuff to bring back! She had to take all her bedding, etc. with her so it was extra. I have to mention a little bit about what Michael is doing with the Potoki Orphanage – the poorest one in our area. The shoes on the kids feet were literally falling off, so Michael took it upon himself to buy a new pair of shoes for every child there! Then he bought 4 new sowing machines and a ton of material for the kids to be able to make their own new clothes! They got really great prices on the material and machines!
Thursday, January 24
In the morning I again had my own work to do and Michael finished up his buying and delivering things to the orphanages. I worked nearly all morning on my newsletter for our kids. I hadn’t done one since I had been back, but now I did and sent it to Anya O. V. translate for me. He has such a great heart for the kids! We met at 1pm at McDonalds, ate lunch with Anya and Nickoli who have worked so great with Michael this week. Then Michael and I left for Kiev arriving at the hotel airport about 4:30pm. Michael had been getting up between 1 and 3 each morning because of jet lag and just wanted to go to his room and rest. I did the same, eating supper about 7 and going to bed around 9.
Friday, January 25
I got up 3 (my internal alarm usually lets me sleep 6 hours – or less if it is not being nice to me) to leave at 4:30 to get Michael to the airport by 4:50 to go through all the customs etc and fly out at 6:50. I got home around 8:30 in the morning. Was in phone contact with several during the day, but mostly rested from the busy week. Vika was the only one that came for fun night tonight but we played cards, looked at pictures on my computer, ate and talked until she left around 9.
Saturday, January 26
Prepared for my Bible clubs for today and tomorrow, did some shopping for food in the morning. We had 4 for our Adult Bible Club. Those that came for this Bible Club, helped me with some translations for tomorrow’s lesson too. I went to the church discussion at 4 and that was good. Then we had 5 for our evening Bible Club with the new mother – Tanya and daughter – Ira with us again. Folks went home around 9:30pm.
Sunday, January 27
Nice service in the morning. Afterwards 4 went with me to Prostor (our local super walmart – sort of) and I bought some more groceries. Then we ate lunch together at a buffet place there. Then we came to my place and talked about the future and of course played some games together. At 4:40, I left and went to the church building for our Parent Bible Club where we had 4 in attendance – it is really just now a beginner’s Bible club and is going fine. Then we had 12 for our evening services and left the building around 8pm.
Monday, January 28
I worked all morning on my Newsletter to mail to the states and also Anya emailed me back my newsletter for here and I printed out 20 of those for our folks here. In the afternoon, I spent some time with some people that needed counseling. Then at 5:30 Oksana, Olya, Ksusha went out to the Orphan family to spend our Monday evening with them. We had a good time and a good Bible Study. We left a little earlier than normal because all 3 girls had other things that they needed and wanted to do. I got home around 8:30pm.
Tuesday, January 29
Much of day was in finishing the newsletter to send to the states. Also I worked on my resume and personal information to give to churches and schools that may be interested in my working with them after I return to the states. I had a real good meeting for about 45 minutes with Sasha R. and Valerie the preachers that I work with from Komsomolsk who are also enjoying the work in the orphanages in Svetlovodsk and are doing a good job there. We had 12 for our devotional. Artem gave the talk and did a really good job! People stayed around until 9:30 this evening and I really enjoyed our time together!
Wednesday, January 30
I spent quite a bit of time cleaning up “corners” in my apartment. Cleaned my kitchen, I cleaned up my bookcase in the living room – I am afraid that I tend to let things kind of get stacked on the book case – not it is neat and clutter free. I took all the Christmas and New Years stuff down – I did have an artificial tree! Finally I cleaned the desks in my bedroom/office. It feels so much better not having so much clutter around – I threw away a lot of stuff! I took a break and went to the bank – it took about an hour here again – I really don’t like that part of banking here, but it is often the way it is. Then went to the drug store for some blood pressure meds, paid some bills, got a couple of things at the grocery store and came home. Then I also prepared for the Evening English Club – we had a record number with 13 people present! We had a good time and had 2 new people.
Thursday, January 31
Just in case you are interested – I still have my 6 hour sleeping habits. If I go to bed at 10, I wake up at 4, etc. So I usually start my day with checking the internet for email and corresponding with that. I check the weather and news on line, have breakfast and do my personal time of Bible Study and prayer. Then I usually get into my study time. I did a lot of study and Bible Study on lessons this morning. I ordered water (I get in 20 liter bottles delivered. It is a lot easier and cheaper this way) and it came at 8:30. I have fallen into a pattern of studying until about 10 and then showering. It refreshes me for more! Then I went back to my study until about noon. At 1:45 Olya, Sasha preacher and Valerie and I went to Svetlovodsk to the 2 orphanages. It is about a ½ hour drive over there. We met with the TB orphanage (children are taken here that have had a family background of TB or are have some tests that show that they have a weakness toward it. None have ever broken out and developed it.) director and visited 2 classes of children – 5th and 6th together and the 7th grade. All were eager to be with us and have classes with us. Everyone of the younger group said that they had Bibles are read them regularly!!! All of us were amazed at this! After visiting the other orphanage and watching Sasha and Valerie teach their class of about 20 kids with puppets, we returned home about 5:30. It was a good afternoon!