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IMG-1864Minus temperatures are coming this week.  Talking with someone yesterday, I said that I appreciated the wildly different seasons of Ukraine… until I had to work outside when it is –10.  It’s comin!

We are “moving again”. We have in our “possession” 8 cars. Three of them are getting worked on so that we can sell them for a slightly bigger profit. One is for sale. Four are waiting on documentation that was being held up for some reason. We advertised them anyway, and people have been ringing, but we couldn’t sell them until the Ukrainian documents were processed. We just heard that they’ve been processed and we should have those valuable pieces of paper by tomorrow.

We still haven’t taken any of the profit out of the business for other uses… apart from US$600 to pay off an old loan. We have been making on average US$522 profit per car and have sold 7 cars in the past two months. It seems to be working well… but is certainly not without hiccups. (Three days have passed since I started writing this and I’m just about to post it. Over the past three days, we managed to sell four of the cars recently imported. May this sort of progress continue as we trust God and work responsibly.)

We finally moved Petya out of rehab into the adaptation stage! (Petya is the one closest to the mug on the bench.)  It’s been a long time coming. This is the second time he “made the leap” and we sincerely hope it will be the last. He has been with us for 18 months or so now… a considerable long stretch. He’s grown in the Lord though and has actually been lovingly helping the other guys in rehab with sound Biblical advice and wisdom. If he can stay out of the doldrums and keep on prioritizing his relationship with God… I can envision some beautiful days ahead for this young chap. We actually have him working on the cars we’ve been bringing in cleaning them up and even doing some body-work.  I enjoy spending time with him.

I had an interesting Saturday. I listened to a couple who joined our church 12 months ago work through their 25 points of offences they had and things they didn’t like about me and our church. It was quite an adventurous four hours… and I fear rather pointless, in the end. (It felt very much like they just didn’t want to leave the battlefield without firing their guns.) Anyway… it looks as if this imperfect, but special church will continue without them and their two young children. In all sincerity: it is a mercy of God to have people who criticize, judge and reject - from the perspective that it kind of keeps my feet on the ground. For many years now, I’ve been leery about “thinking of myself more highly than I ought.”  And when a lot of people begin to foolishly think I am somehow special… it’s far to easy for me to start thinking that they might just be right.  “Soli Deo Gloria” is not just an old refrain for the theologians. May it be the attitude of my heart, at the very least!

IMG-1867We continue the work on the church building. Yesterday, we had 18 people come out to help with the different tasks.  (I snapped this pic of 6-foot-something Bodya bent over under a big pillow of leaves we raked from the front of the yard.)   Just before nodding off last night, I thanked the Lord for His blessing in this project. I realized that when there are 17 extra hands pushing forward towards a goal… the goal is achieved so much quicker… and strike, was I thankful that I don’t have to do it all myself! 

As a church, we have been meeting in two groups for the last couple of weeks. It works OK for now, but our government health minister has said that the new quarantine measures are expected to continue through until April. “All hail the great Covid!” (Let the reader understand.) Ukraine is only experiencing about 200 deaths a day from this virus for now. With our hospitals at 70% capacity though, surely that is going to go up considerably as we head into December/January.

We realize that until someone from our church dies or goes into intensive care… it all kind of airy-fairy. Personally, I’d like for everyone in our church to live sprightly until they are all 80 years old… but I trust the Lord for His perfect plan to come about… and am half-expecting to do a funeral for one or two of us.

Psalm 145  -  Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.

God always perfectly knows what He is doing in His world. His greatness is unfathomable. And if I truly understand what this means and remember it when I encounter sadness, I am “blessed indeed”.IMG-1851 

Talking about death…  I noticed this week that the guys still have their fly papers up.  Gross?  Yup.  But it made for an interesting photo.

Not talking about C.

Would you mind terribly if I mentioned nothing about COVID-19? I believe I’m likely not alone in feeling that I really wouldn’t care a smidgen if I had a break from the subject.

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viber_image_2020-10-24_08-54-22_thumb[9]Max was back! (Far left in the photo).  He was here a few years ago and eventually “graduated” and went back to his home city.  He came back here five months ago for a brief stay before sneaking out at night to cook up some drugs - something that quite naturally ended his rehab stay with us. We didn’t think we would take him back, but four months and a lot of methadone later saw him again humbled and desperate for help… at least, that’s what we hoped. The lads proceeded to watch him NOT go through withdrawal… and knew something was up. A number of them warned him that he was not being honest… but it took 7 days before he was caught with drugs that he had smuggled in. Yesterday morning, we sent him away again. Max, Max!!! He assured us that he was going to go to another rehab centre. May God have mercy on our desperate friend, Max.

Oleg, pictured in my last post working in the church building, left us a few weeks ago. He had been with us for a few months and didn’t ever seem to get out of 2nd gear. He knew God’s Word and thought of himself as a Christian, but sadly, he chose to commit suicide a week after taking off. Of course, whenever something like this happens, it shakes up the guys who are left behind. It is a warning of what can happen if they go back to their old lifestyle. As I processed the news, I just felt numb – not the numbness that comes because of emotional overload, but the other sort where I didn’t really feel anything. Oleg is my fourth drug-addict friend who has committed suicide after going back to drugs. Surely he won’t be the last. Succinctly: “sigh”.

Pasha is again in the Netherlands. He’s waiting for the car market to open soon with hopes of buying a few cheap cars to bring back. Our other van is on its way and will arrive later today after being turned back by the Polish border officers because they were feeling temperamental. Kolya, the driver, waited several hours and then tried again. Easy done. We managed to sell two more cars, (our nicest), this past week, which was a big relief as we needed the funds to keep bringing cars in.

Edit: The market is open and we are one of many hopeful buyers.

For the car lovers: We just bought a Renault Scenic 2007 for €1300. And we are haggling over a Toyota Corolla Versa 2007 for €3400. That’s a bit more than what we normally like to pay, but we stand to earn well on it. And lastly, we just now picked up a Honda Civic Hybrid 2007 for €2000. That’s the most exciting buy of the day. It was all we had left. If we’d had more, we would have paid more. Thankfully the owners agreed to sell. 1603366624357603_thumb[9]God has blessed.

As a church, we have been going through the Apostles’ Creed at our mid-week gathering. I’m amazed that people are really enjoying it. It isn’t exactly presented in the most captivating format, but it is good teaching. Last week during the discussion time, the room was lit up with a question and then three different opinions. 1. Baptism is for believers no matter their maturity. 2. Baptism is for believers after they have been tested and proven faithful. 3. Baptism is covenantal and is for infants as well as for adults. For me, one of the best ways to learn is to listen to opposing opinions publicly critiquing one another. I hope that all but two of our church members now believe that Baptism is for believers no matter their maturity. J

We have two guys getting baptized this Sunday.

David, (with the kids in the photo below), is the youngest guy we’ve had go through rehab. He was introduced to drugs by the son of a pastor in a church his mother attended. After a while, his mother joined him in his addiction. After he’d been here several months, she also came down and went through rehab. David is working, living with brothers and being faithful in the Christian disciplines. Praise the Lord.IMG_1834_thumb[2]

Andre (“And-Rambo” – as many of the guys now refer to him), is 52. He told me recently that he got into crime at an early age and as a 15-year old, was earning in one day what would take both his parents a month to earn together. He’s been arrested by the KGB, nearly killed countless times, served in the army until he got concussed by a mortar round… became an alcoholic, then was introduced to Jesus. He’s a likeable chap and it will be a privilege baptizing him on Sunday.  When he noticed the ladies trying to jump start their “automatic” after a ladies meeting, he decided to get involved.

IMG_1833_thumb[54]I have no idea how many alcoholics and drug addicts live in Ukraine. I’m convinced that the number is enormous. I’m part of a group that discusses different questions regarding this area of ministry – and over 120 pictures, (I put together 39 for you), have been posted during the last 40 days of men and women needing to be placed in a rehab centre or leaders wanting information on new people who are seeking help in their centres. God will be merciful to some of these men and women and they will be granted the same wonderful privilege that you and I have – to worship Almighty God with our lives.  That is incentive enough to keep on going when some of them give up.

May God bless you with peace and joy and a deep trust in Him. P.S. You'll have to click on the large photos to view them properly.  

 

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Am I a glory thief

Psalm 115  Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory…

Here’s the quote:  “Men are glory thieves.”

All men? Am I a glory thief?  Yes.  And quite properly, it bothers me. 

Paul writes to the Christians in Corinth that God wants something different for some of us – namely, “God wants us to live for His glory”.

How many times have I heard that phrase!!! How many times have I said it, prayed about it, thought it!!! And yet I still catch myself far too often saying something or doing something that proves I still don’t get it. The older I get the more I understand just how often I live for myself and for my glory. I pulled myself up yesterday as I started to mourn the delivery of a sermon I felt quite good about when it was on paper. Did I feel bad about it because it made me look “sub-standard” or weak or foolish and I liked looking suave? If that was my concern, it was an sure indication that God was not my focus and that I was preaching, (partly, at least), for my glory. I’ve begun thinking more about it as I get older and have men showing me honor.  It scares me, for I know my heart.  May God have mercy on me so that I respond with revulsion when I realize I am stealing glory from Him. 

kidsdanFor the first time in months, we met inside again as a church yesterday. We’ve actually been loving the setup where we drag everything needed for a meeting out the front of the church building and sit in the shade. (We’ve been doing kids talks during the service for summer.)  Yesterday, much to my surprise, within 2 minutes of church ending, 90% of the congregation was standing in the sun outside!  We don’t know yet what we will do when we have quarantine imposed again.  We are considering a few different creative options, and may alternate between them for the weeks/months quarantine is in place.

Our “evening meeting” happened at the stadium last night. About half our church turned out to watch and chat as about 10 of us run around in the dust for a couple of hours. Being part of a close church in a small town is such a privilege. I love the fact that we do this.

We have marked out the area in which we want to rebuild our sauna at the rehab centre. The sauna is another thing that also provides great means for 20-30 men to sit around and have good conversations. We don’t think we’ll get this one up and going before the snow sets in… but you never know – we might be sharing sweat before the year’s out. That would be a dream come true!

I just got a call from Dima, whom I spoke about in my last post. He left us to go back to his family a few weeks ago, but has since moved up to Kiev again. He’s going to church and hanging out with Christians. He left us without our blessing, (something the guys in the adaptation stage agree not to do), even though we would likely have given it. It was a bit of a disappointing goodbye… but we are glad he’s a part of a church in which we have contacts. May God continue to show mercy to my friend, Dima.

viber_image_2020-09-20_14-06-23The other guys in rehab are doing well. Right now, I’m spending two days a week with them, (+ Sunday), and really enjoying their company. It’s kinda funny, listening to them talk about different jails and the hardships they faced in the jails. I’m very much “out of the loop,” and feel a bit like a choir boy from a titled family in comparison. In this illustrious company, I’m the guy who’s lived a sheltered life!

Pris is still recovering well from her operation. She just said that her voice is nearly back to normal… but still a bit scratchy. Tomorrow, we go to a clinic to start the physio she has been champing at the bit to get stuck into. All things considered; she’s been doing pretty well.

For the first time since we started the project, (nearly three months ago), we don’t have a car for sale in Ukraine. Hooray!  One truck is on its way to Europe, while the other is on its way back, so we’ll soon have more cars for sale. (I don’t think I mentioned that we were given a loan to buy another truck and trailer… which we did last week – pictured.) God is blessing it and we pray that this project brings Him glory as we fund different ministries that we, (and others), are involved in.

IMG-1709The work on the new building continues… The guys from the rehab centre are a big help… but also several people from the church have been volunteering. We hope to have the new chimney attached and the new furnace fired up by this Wednesday. If it works, it will be an exciting development.

Thank you for your prayers for this part of the world. Thank you for your prayers for those who are a part of God’s family here. And thank you for your prayers for us.

May God bless you.

Soccer in the Rain

IMG-1512_thumb[8]I was out walking a couple of days ago when it hit me… now is the time to start my yearly habit of dreading the onset of winter. In actuality, we are only now hitting the straps for the peak of summer, so I’m way early. Am I becoming more morose in my old age? That’s a way scarier thought.

On Sunday, I played soccer with the lads again. Dima and I are the old men on the field.  When he realizes some youthful skill on the field, I give him a yell, “Go, grandpa!” His quiet faith is a great encouragement to me, but also to the guys still in rehab. He is in the 3rd stage, working, serving and glorifying God. (He is 4th from the right in the photo).

Priscilla’s recovery is going well… we think. She still hasn’t got her voice back yet, but there’s nothing unusual about that. She just went for a walk to visit a couple of ladies she tries to meet each week… and is getting noticeably stronger with each passing week. An interesting thing about replacing discs in the neck which no one told us about is that Ibuprofen isn’t a drug you should be taking as it inhibits the screws joining properly with the bone. Ibuprofen is off the table… and so, we replace it with Paracetamol.  She half-jokes every now and again that she’ll need to go to rehab after everything settles down.  I’ll encourage the special lady to write some words for this blog when she gets home and will tack it on the end of this blog.

We are enjoying the blessings of God with the importing cars project. We keep moving forward and I find myself waiting for the “catch”. After all the months of not seeing success with the trucks… could it be that it is this “easy”? Last week, two new drivers took the truck/trailer to Germany.  We gave some precise instructions about coming back in to Ukraine that were ignored… which has put a bit of a spanner in the works as far as us trusting that particular driver.  (It all turned out fine, but could have resulted in some very serious repercussions.)  We will see how we go moving forward with him.  But for now, we’re a driver down – something the other drivers are benefitting from, as they will have more opportunities to work.

Here is something that encouraged me.  Many of you have read of Igor whose arm God allowed to be taken away a year and a half ago.  Last Wednesday evening we hosted a short Bible Study and volleyball in our yard and he sat down and began chatting to the lady whom I was sitting beside, recounting how God had blessed Him in so many ways by taking his arm--including the many opportunities to witness because of it.  He shared that he was in the local photo shop talking to 'Nina' about Christ and she said, "Oh, you are one of those people."  She told him how two years ago a man named Daniel had been in her shop during the time when there are tons of flies everywhere.  As she was serving him she commented on how annoying they were.  Then she said that later, he came back to her business and gave some netting for her door, (which she pointed out to Igor), to keep the flies out.  She linked that simple kindness to the Jesus whom Igor talked about.  Perhaps it will be within our Lord’s plans to gift this lady faith… that would be an even greater encouragement!

IMG-1514_thumb[8]After a good long stint, the pump in our well finally packed it in a couple of weeks ago.  Our well is about 20 meters deep with a meter and a half of water at the bottom.  The man who dug it over 15 years ago was an alcoholic, and if you look down it, you can see that it curves a bit as it goes down.  But if memory serves me correctly, I think I saved about $10 by using him rather than the more professional blokes.  (What wonderful logic!)  Anyway, Mitya helped me bring up the old pump and attach the new.  The homemade ladder you can see the top of in the photo allows me to go down the couple of meters necessary so that I can unscrew the pipe at the 90° angle and bring up the pump.  In my younger years, I would just skinny down there bracing myself with feet and back.  (That craziness is long gone.)  Our reservoir is again filling up with good water and we are grateful.

We said goodbye to Artyom on Saturday.  Poor Artyom had a weak moment and bought himself a gin in the local store.  He was nearly finished the adaptation stage in rehab and was doing so well.  This was his “second strike” and the guys know that we will not permit them to stay if they do drugs or drink alcohol while in rehab.  He was so regretful that it happened… but we have hope that this experience will ultimately be a blessing to his life.  Actually, we really hope that he follows our advice and joins himself to a rehab centre up north for several months before coming back to us to live… that would be an ideal scenario.

Last week, we drove down to the sea for five idyllic days of sand and salt-water.  Priscilla’s parents and a couple of friends joined us for this special time.  For some reason, the traffic police were out in force down there… and stopped me twice just to check documents.  The license I have in my wallet is out of date right now.  (My new one is in Australia until Shane and Jemi get back – I don’t trust the international mail right now.)  Thankfully, both times, the officers were more interested in the holograms and design of an Australian license than in the actual details on the license and after chatting for a bit, they sent us on our way… a car full of grateful holidayers.

 

Priscilla:

IMG-1577_thumb[3]Igor's attitude and acceptance of God letting his arm be taken has been such a blessing to me as I recover still from the neck surgery.  (Dan talked about him above.)  I am healing at a slower pace (at least it seems that way to me) than in the initial weeks.  It is an adjustment to have no more than a slight hoarse voice.  Quite possibly those paralyzed nerves, (which frequently happens with this surgery, but is usually better within days), will begin to function again.  Meanwhile, I recognize that my voice is the LORD's.  I would love for Him to heal it and at times have to push away fearful thoughts of living without a voice, but one definite blessing is that another woman in our church has stepped up and offered to help teach the wives in the autumn. I am also listening differently - and I hope I 'hear' better too, whether it is lessons about God or pressing into Christ or hearing people's hearts.  It is a learning process.  I am glad to be in this time - hopeful that I will be patient enough to learn and not just keen to have it 'pass'.  =) 

Thank you for your prayers.  They are a great treasure.