The Longer I Live - April 2010
Greetings…
The longer I live, the more I appreciate Paul’s words for those he loved -
“Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
May these things be yours!
We have winter continuing to grace us with it’s presence in the form of snow and cold temps. Certainly, it is beautiful! I don’t recall any winter similar to this during my 16 winters here. I 
think I must have helped in excess of 20 drivers get “un-bogged” over the course of this winter… lots of fun. And the ruts of ice are so high on the road running down our hill that most vehicles struggle turning into our road. Yesterday I noticed (photo at top) that the river is STILL frozen over! (You can see “el intrepid” pulling his boat over the ice to get to the open water if you blow the pic up…)
The heavy snow-fall we had in January wreaked havoc 
on a number of hothouse structures around the area. Ours was amongst those that collapsed and is still under a heap of snow. We’ll assess our next step once the snows melt, but it doesn’t look at all good for veggie growing on the strawberry farm.
The igloo we built with “grandpa and grandma” is still standing though. The kids and I “kind of” slept in it not long after we built it. “Kind of” – because I didn’t exactly sleep much what with the cold and the children rolling 
about! But we had a heap of fun and a good story.
The major news on the political front is that a pro-Russian president is now in office. This affects us in that he has already made some moves against religious freedom in Ukraine through attempting to pass some new laws against praying “for healing” of all things! There are other signs too, that he will not be friendly towards evangelical Christians. He is pro-Russian Orthodox, surely an atheist, but seemingly against all denominations bar the Russian Orthodox. Time will tell if serious changes to law come into effect, but for now, we wait to see if he (President Victor Yanukovich) can manage to completely control parliament. If he does, we may experience some interesting changes.
There are many guys out of work right now. I am continually being asked if I have any work! The official unemployment rate is simply ridiculous. I think it is less than 3%. The actual unemployment rate seems to be more like 20-30%.
Priscilla: It is so beautiful here this morning; I wish you could share it with us. It was about minus 10 last night—unusually cold for March here, but the sun is sparkling on the snow like diamonds, and the colors of the sunrises and sunsets are beautiful.
The children are growing by leaps and bounds. We are loving these years, amazed at the changes they bring in our family! Jesse is 13, and is already a bit taller than I, much to his joy. =) It is kind of pleasant to have some stronger arms nearby (when Daniel is not with us) to help carry bags when we are shopping. (This is a carrying culture!)
Marie is a nice girl, kind of quiet, but with a sparkle of fun and a keen mind, ready to throw herself into any activity. Angel is as sweet and sharing as ever. This has not been her easiest year of school. She is bright, but to concentrate that mental energy onto her lessons has been challenging this year. You can pray for ideas for me to help her—she has a willing spirit, =). I’ve begun doing some simple school lessons with Elizabeth. She totally LOVES it. I haven’t officially started school, but I wonder if she will already be advanced when I do. It is fun. I love belonging with Daniel, walking through life with him, and having the gift of these four lives to train and influence.
I’ve started another course of treatment for my arm. It seems a distant hope that I might be able to use it without pain. Exciting, though.
I was just reading this morning in Psalms about numbering our days. There is such a solidity and comfort in being firmly anchored in Christ, especially when life brings the awful unexpected. My cousin, who is Daniel’s age, has aggressive brain cancer. He really loves the LORD. You can pray for him and his young family. Another young friend, who is not so firmly anchored in Christ (Dasha), just found out that her little girl is totally deaf and an operation will cost over $25,000. Here in Ukraine there is not much of a life held out for people with ANY handicap. And then just a few days ago, a young boy playing on some property Dan was building on before winter, fell and impaled his leg on a piece of metal. He and his family are not at all anchored in Christ. What difference does Christ in me make in my responses to life? Is my hope in Him or in ‘life as I hope and expect it to be?’
The church is doing well. There are so many things going on right now. It is wonderful to see people stepping up into areas of responsibility. It is a rare occasion in which I don’t enjoy serving and loving them. There are things going on which are being attended by several guys who are not followers of Christ. It is interesting and encouraging to see them taking steps towards the cross. Last night, we had men gathering together in one home and wives getting together in our home – both being attended by many non-believers. The church is praying for God to show mercy, and we are looking forward to seeing more added to the family. Saturday, last week, about 30 ladies were invited to come to “our restaurant”. The men served as waiters and a few ladies made the food. It was extremely special and the ladies heard about and witnessed the love of God. One prayed for forgiveness a week later. We are enjoying witnessing the Lord’s work.
Valik (on the left) is an interesting bloke. He came here from Odessa looking for work – and attempting to escape some of the consequences of his actions. Last month, he turned 23 on the 23rd – a date he felt should somehow be special for him. He went ice-fishing in the morning, and told me that he talked to God as he walked over the ice, asking Him to change something in his life or make the ice crack up so that he drowned. He made it home several hours later and was invited to our home-group by one of the ladies in the church. That night, all we did was pray; and I thought that it was probably not the best introduction to Christians someone like Valik could have. Not so. He was fascinated with the group and has become a close friend – lugging around in his back-pack an enormous old Bible he found at his aunt’s. We hope to see him give his life to Jesus soon.
And with that, we will close. May you be found faithful at the return of our Lord Jesus!
With love,
Daniel and Priscilla
P.S. Most of the photos are of decent size. Expand them and see more.