Month: July 2014

We haven’t posted too much online concerning the political and military happenings inside Ukraine via our blog.  This is partly due to the overwhelming information available already to everyone already.  Additionally, we don’t believe our personal mission here is to take sides politically, but to promote Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God.

We grieve over the loss of life, the terror and instability taking place in Eastern Ukraine, and especially the persecution taking place towards the Christian church.  We’ve witnessed refugees fleeing their homes, brothers and sisters in Christ opening their facilities, homes and hearts to those caught in the crossfires.  Our own Alyosha (Natasha my assistant husband and future Cafe pizza chef) was drafted last month, and is currently close to the battles near Lugansk (he is a cook, but armed with machine gun as well).   Last week I heard a local Rzhyschiv young man was killed in battle (land mine).   He left behind a wife and two small children – the town gathered for memorial this past week and some say was around 1,000 in attendance.  In total, there are 18 from our town fighting in the East of Ukraine, most in their early 20’s.

It’s a very complicated issue for certain, and the heightened use of heavier military equipment on both sides is distressing for those on the ground fighting, and their families.   There are parallel realities being portrayed, as is usually the case in intense clashes of worldviews.   The Russians accusing the US and EU of tampering and creating instability (Maiden), exploiting it and smearing Russia’s image.  The US and EU accusing Russia of doing the same thing, empowering Ukrainian ‘loyalists’ to Russia (as well as sending in their own military trained personnel).

A favorite teacher used to say, “the truth usually lies between the two extremes.”  I don’t know if this applies to this current political situation, but I do believe whenever one side plunges fully into taking one side, we open ourselves to brainwashing and an over-exaggeration of the facts.   That’s not to say we don’t have strong personal opinions, but that they aren’t as clearly one-sided as others might be.

Many folks email or send us notes (especially family) on facebook and are genuinely interested or concerned in our welfare.  So, I wanted to share a few things.  Namely, that we are all doing well, and safe.  The instability is pretty far from Kiev region, about 6-8hrs of driving.  We do ask that you pray with us for our brother Alyosha K that he would come home soon, and strength for Natasha.

Remember, our heart and believe our calling to this part of the world is to reach the Russian speaking population in particular with the hope and life in Jesus Christ.   Also, we currently getting more visas to visit Eastern Russia this fall.  Tensions are high, and the information is really ratcheting down on the Russian side.  We will be offering a private newsletter to our supporters soon and avoiding all public postings related to the issues in Ukraine moving forward as we seek to think long term and build lasting relationships within Russia.

Blessings-

Bruce

Vanya- full of energy (understatement) drew this car for us.

As many of you know, the kids at our local foster/orphanage, and at most orphanages around Ukraine, have been at the government run (and mandatory) youth camps for the past 6 weeks.

During this time, renovations have been taking place on their dormitory from the fire that destroyed it just as school was ending.  If you recall we gathered funds from many of our friends and supporters, and helped the kids initially with replacements of clothing and shoes.  We put additional funds towards the finishing of the bedrooms, which is now finished!

Today I drove out to the school intending to just take some update photos, and to my surprised the kids were back – they just arrived yesterday.  I was overwhelmed with love as they crowded around me, touching and hugging me like I was a furry zoo pet.

I almost began to weep.  On the way over there God was stirring in my heart towards the unloved – just minutes before I found a drunk man outside our Cafe, passed out and baking in the hot Ukrainian sun.   People were stepping over, and going around him.  I saw him from the Cafe, and I had to do something.

I tried to drag him into a shaded area, but he was too heavy.  Another guy saw me and hopped off his bike to help.  We each grabbed an arm and were able to move him to a better spot.  He was sweaty, disgusting, and lost.  I got him some juice from the Cafe and I felt the voice of God speak to my heart:

“What kind of light will you be?”

Our cafe is called, “The Lighthouse Cafe”.  We’ve decorated it with this theme, light dispelling darkness, I love this concept and believe the gospel does this very thing in each of us.   It’s a great concept, but what does it ‘really’ mean to be light?

Every person who doesn’t know Jesus Christ, needs light.  But what does it look like?  I felt God speak to me – that my light, or rather my concept of what light for Christ IS, is a sterile, sanitary light.  He doesn’t want me, or any of us to simply point the gospel of hope like we would a flashlight.  The light that God wants doesn’t just point or instruct- it goes there.  It gets dirty, it cares, is costs – doesn’t it?   This is basic Christianity I realize, but love is pretty basic.

With the drunken mans sweat still stuck to my skin, I began to question my own heart and motives.  I felt I bit like Peter perhaps after Jesus reconciles with him, “Peter do you love me?”  I think this cafe will serve a good purpose, a Kingdom purpose, and we will build relationships, we will shine as followers of Jesus Christ.   But what kind of light am I willing to be, am I ready to be?   How I answer that question to a large degree will determine the eternal success or failure of our physical efforts.

It was with this heavy heart (but not discouraged!) I drove out to the kids school and was swarmed by the loving unloved.  I felt God’s heart again, the Father’s heart.  Even as I typed this now I find myself with misty eyes.  I want to feel God’s heart, but I know it will cost me to keep it.  I will need to be willing to get dirty more often – this is how we display the love of God, and become greater lights in a dark world.

We will be putting some remaining orphanage funds towards the kids return to school.  They currently need school shoes (dress), clothes.   We are also going to help them, Lord willing as able, to replace their TV and computer that was destroyed.

If you’d like to join us in donating this to the kid’s you can give online securely  – click here

or go directly to:

Donate

We also just added a monthly gift option for anyone that would like to support our family and efforts more long term.

Bruce

Deb and I took a vacation this past week to Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt.  We’d been hearing for a few years from our Russian and Ukrainian friends that this was an amazing (and cheap) place to catch some sun.

Flying into Cairo immediately took me to the dessert scenes of Star Wars.  One color, tan, everywhere.  From there we flew to Sharm, which is located on the tip of the Sinai Peninsula.  The mountain range was vast, wide, and desolate – at least from the birds eye view.  However, once you reach the Red Sea, color bursts forth like an oasis.

I don’t know why, but I had never considered the Red Sea a place you’d want to visit.  Maybe it’s because as a kid, I thought it was red.  Against the backdrop of the murky Dnepr River our kids swim in, the Red Sea quickly became THE reason you want to visit Egypt.

Colorful fish, tiny creatures nestled in the coral.  For the first time I was able to appreciate firsthand the true domain that lies beneath.  I praise God for the beauty, but I’m really glad to be a land dweller!  I was able to scuba down to 12 meters, with an instructor nearby.  Saw a stingray, two octopi (weird word), and a lot of Nemo’s protecting their homes.

It was a week filled with extremes.  Extreme pleasure of not having 7 kids to cook and clean for (insert Deb amen).  Extreme sadness of the unfolding, and unnecessary disaster of flight MH17.   Extreme customer service by the many hotel servants/workers, and Extreme darkness that covers the face of Islam.

Unbeknownst to us, we had booked our travel dates during Ramadan.  Every single practicing Muslim, which is more than 90% of the 80 million is expected to refrain from drinking water and eating any food from sunrise, to sunset.  Imagine living in +100F climate, working outside in the heat, and not being able to touch water during sunlight hours, for a month!

I met a lot of kind Egyptians.  I had a few conversations, asked some questions to better understand what motivates the heart of a Muslim.  It’s not a simple question, and I’m embarrassed to admit my limited understanding of the world’s fastest growing religion.

I left with a rested body and mind, but a somber heart.  For the first time in years, Deb and I were able to watch CNN, FoxNews, BBC, Euronews, all in english each night on TV.  We’ve been primarily following events here in Ukraine, but via the Internet.   After a few nights of news watching, I became depressed!  Mankind is lost, we’re like Israel wandering in the mountains of Sinai, we need a Savior to lead us to the refreshing waters of the sea.

In any vacation, for those of us privileged enough to take them, we remember quickly that no amount of pampering, or tasty foods, or spectacular views can fill the longing heart.  The real rest comes from unloading the burdens of sin, embracing fully the unmerited love the Father has bestowed on us in Christ.  He is our Sabbath Rest, He is our Prince of Peace, our healer, in a world that has lost it’s way.  We have something great to share with this lost world.  I return to Ukraine with a fresh appreciation of His love.

God is love.  He rescues all that call on His name.  They need to know WHO He really is – and His nature, and character have been revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ – Heb 1:1-4

We are thankful for the past week of rest, for His creation and a growing appreciation for the mindset and situation with our Arab neighbors.  All peoples, all nations, for Christ must be our mission together.

Lord give us spiritual eyes to see the eternal battle – let us not as a people become embattled in nationalistic fervor but help us to be Kingdom first thinkers – Your Kingdom, Your rule, Your love to the nations!

Bruce & Deb

Cafe Update: Natasha and Dema have both been at Camp 120 all week so things have been on hold for remaining permits with health and gas.  We did however complete fully employment registration for Dema legally, so we have one legal worker ready to start pouring coffee!  We’re now paying taxes for Dema every month whether we’re open or not.   We’ve met with the local paper, a tiny circulation of about 600 readers, but an influential one with the older crowd.  We are going to do some advertising in a couple weeks, once we have a hard and fast open date – We still believe we can open before the students return mid August..

Gas Update: Well, this hasn’t progressed like we were promised.  The Kiev gas authorities refuse to answer their phone now, we even have their cell phones and they ignore our calls.  We’ll keep hassling, and hoping.  One person in the gas industry told me they have been ‘notified’ to limit new gas accounts – the looming debt and pressure from Russia may be having an added effect – but I think it’s mostly inefficiency and corruption…

Business Update: We have trimmed back Cypress to only hosting and support for our existing clients.  We serve around 70 businesses and ministries.  We’re not taking on any new clients for the time being, and exploring some opportunities to partner or merge entities so it can continue, but without my involvement.

EDsuite (www.edsuite.com), our SaaS software side which provides website & services to around 100 communities in the US, is now the primary bread winner.  This is now the focus moving forward to grow.  I’m very appreciative of the advice, help and encouragement through the last month from many people – it’s been hard to ‘let go’ and trust Him with a piece of my life/work that I’ve invested so much into and has helped provide for many, including our family and ministry.  However, it was time for change and I’m hopeful for new beginnings and the added focus to our hearts calling here in this part of the world.

Family Update: This past week we saw Broderic fly to Canada to work with his grandpa on the farm again.  We then saw Bronwyn and Brent off to Camp 120 with around 70 other young people and believers from the region.  This annual event continues to provide encouragement and sows into many lives for His Kingdom.  It was amazing how quiet and restful our house was this past week – we still had 4 of our youngest here but the drop from 7 to 4 was noticeable!  We cooked so much less, and the house stayed much cleaner.  I guess that proverb is very true:

Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.  Prov 14:4

With less moving bodies roaming about the house and property, less coming and going, less managing – less parenting… Deb and I were both able to spend some quality time with the younger ones, training them on cutting the grass, more conversations, more enjoyment of their unique personalities.  This is a negative of having a big family, there’s only so much time in the day, and only so much time you can give each one.  We love our big family, and it’s still growing… but it has challenges for sure.   I can see that the older kids growing up and being released into adulthood (moving out!) will have some real advantages for the little ones that need molding and care.

Deb is doing well, she’s rounding out nicely!  We have had to have more tests this go ’round with the concerns.  This has brought some extra costs both from the testing/visits and travel.  Every trip to the doc’s is a minimum 5hr journey with travel, traffic and actual visit.  We are thankful however for the quality medical services at this Kiev hospital – we’re paying for it, but I can’t imagine not having the peace of mind it brings us – it’s extravagant to the average Ukrainian that only knows the ‘free’ local hospitals, but it’s like a Texas hospital for us.

Our yard is continually hosting kids every day.  It’s not only the Trampoline that is the attraction, but now the free WiFi.  There are very affordable $50 tablets now for sale in the center, and most of the kids now have them.  However, high speed internet is not as available.  They’ve figured out they can play their gadgets and take turns on the trampoline.. I find them hiding around the fences and on our porches randomly.   Some of them are pretty cute kids, so far no trouble makers but they do continue to sneak too many on the trampoline and steal my pears (they aren’t ripe yet crazy kids!).   Anyway, some of them will spend all day at our house, just hanging out – I find it encouraging, sometimes annoying, but mostly encouraging 🙂

Next week I’m taking Deb for a week to Egypt.  She only has another couple of weeks of travel (by plane) permitted with her pregnancy, and we wanted to getaway to rest and prepare for the fall, new baby, new focus.  I look forward to turning off my iphone and reading, studying for a course I’m teaching in September at YWAM Vladivostock.   We’re not ones for extreme heat, but it was a very affordable option along the Red Sea – a popular destination for those in Eastern Europe.   The added civil unrest in Egypt has caused hotel costs to plummet, making it even more attractive.  Ukraine and Egypt both have similar travel warnings at the moment, we’ll try to stay out of trouble – something about Al Quadi in the Sinai mountains which we’re close to.  I want to dress up like Lawrence of Arabia and ride a camel but Deb isn’t too keen.  I told her we’ll get her a donkey.

Prayer requests:

– This week Christian Life Church (Kiev church where we are attending) is having a week long camp – Bronwyn is going, pray for their week.

– Cheryl as she watches our kids and allows us to go – Lord bless that woman!

– Travel safety for Deb and I, and baby next week

– Continued wisdom and help for US business, need some divine provision for the next month as things continue to transition – that means we need money!

– Cafe gas, health inspection to be completed while we’re gone, that would be so great to come back and open this first of August.

Bruce & Deb