Category: Bruce Posts (Page 144 of 211)

Some of you have asked where to give specifically towards the Cafe & Ministry Center.  You can still use this tool below, all proceeds to the opening of the Cafe!

If you are using an iPhone or other phone you can click here:

1. A beautiful bride and her absent minded groom searching for a hotel in Kiev on their wedding night.

2. Filming a wedding and realizing you vastly under estimated the size of HD footage (during the ceremony).

3. Precious kids taken from their parent(s), running to our van with excitement. How love translates perfectly into any language and culture. (I’m teaching one to shoot a pellet gun above)

Charlie, 7 months and thirsty.

4. A St. Bernard that gallops to the van, finds a seat, and sits upright in it trying to blend in.

5. Singing Russian hymns and occasionally in sync with those around me. Russian Hymn Singing from this morning

6. Trying once more to cook a steak in Ukraine that requires less than 100 chews per bite.  Better luck next time.

7. Carrying sleepy kids to bed.  Hard not to smile when their faces are painted from a hard nights play.

8. Impromptu playing of Amazing Grace before a crowd and finally figuring it out on the last stanza.

Deb with her two pals Priscilla and Cheryl.

9. Realizing fall is truly here in all its wondrous display.  We live next to a forest, we wish it would last.

10. The glitter of my baby girls eyes and her single little bottom tooth.

Our precious Abbey held by Luda who takes her hostage regularly 🙂

These are a few things from our weekend.  What things stand out from yours? Lord help us remember to give you thanks in all the businesses and urgency of the moment.  You sit securely on your throne, you execute justice for all that call on your name. You gift us with life, in all it’s oddity and adornment.

Remembering you as we head into a new week.  The final rest before the rush of activity a new week brings.  We all have many thoughts.  We think about life, our own lives and all that is precious to us.  We think about work, unresolved problems, and relationships not quite right.  We humans experience many things, but think even more.  Yet, your thoughts are no less numerous, or meaningful towards us.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! – Psalm 139:17

Vast the sum, precious the quality.  I’ll make that my final thought for the weekend!

Bruce & Deb

Babushka Vera - Her name means 'faith', and she lives up to it.

It’s getting chilly ’round here!  With that in mind, went to visit our dear little Babushka Vera today with Tom.  Her nephew from 3hrs north is supposed to come and pick her up sometime this month before the harsh winter months set in.  Her 120yr old house is not equipped for winters anymore, let alone a hobbling old grandma.

We found her joyful, thankful, layered in clothing and a traditional scarf.  Her eyes still glisten with this youthful sparkle.  We tried to coax her to pack up and move in with us while she waits for her family to come down.  I mean it’s really cold out at night folks!  She is content to brave the 30-40F nights we’ve had lately, many blankets and a winter coat hang over her bed.  She’s a warrior in many respects.

Our spiritually minded Babushka is teaching me something every time I visit her.  Some of the classes include:

Contentment 101- As we sat in her dirty, cluttered and chilly 3 room house, she reminded us that the Bible warns against complaining like the Israelites.   She can barely walk with a walker, and her outhouse is 50ft from her outside door.  Her well is even further.

Hope 101- She sings to us hymns spontaneously about the hope in Jesus, the glory that awaits her.  Her eyes are on the prize, not her earthly situation.

Gratitude 101- Not just for the little bits of food we might bring, or the short and difficult conversations we’ve had.  She sees God’s goodness in it all, she praises God verbally mid conversation for the ways He takes care of her and shows her He’s present.  She cares more about God’s confirming love than the blessings themselves.

Stubbornness 101- I told her she was stubborn today.  She chuckled and brought it up a few times.  It was meant in part as a compliment.  She refuses to keep her house warm which isn’t reasonable, I told her she’s not in heaven yet and until she goes there, God would like to keep her warm!  She does however refuse to be pandered to, she knows her place in the Kingdom, and I respect that.  She’s going to finish this life on her terms – you go girl!

So we’ll keep taking her some food, smiling, hugging and praying for dear Babushka Vera.  If the family doesn’t come and get her soon though, I told her I will physically pick her up and take her to our home.

As I type this I’m thinking about my warm house, the things I take for granted.  Running water, electricity, the comforts of life that only a few centuries ago weren’t considered a ‘right’.  We don’t like to think about some of these things.  We like our comforts, we see them as blessings and granted, they are pretty incredible!  Somehow though I think for many of us those blessings are entanglements, drowning us in a sea of self absorption.  We would do well to loosen some of the loads of this life, get back to basics and press into Jesus like it’s our own final hour – it may just be.

Bruce & Deborah Crowe
Missionaries | Rzhyshchiv, Ukraine

A big shout out to everyone that gave and prayed for the Cafe this past month. We raised $3,750 towards the tables and chairs, and another $2,000 from our home church Crossroads towards the Kitchen to finish up remaining materials to open. Received gifts from friends, family from US and Canada, even a farmer friend from western Ukraine we’ve not yet met!

We’re still working with the local bank to receive the funds, but are extremely excited to go to Kiev and start shopping!

We’ll be taking pictures and showing you all what your generosity produces. This cafe is going to be a beach head for ministry in our town, particularly among the 1000’s of students that flood our town each year – for many years to come! We’re very excited about what God is doing in two of the technicums, providing favor and open hearts.

This past Wednesday we had our first bible study at the Cafe for those wanting to take ‘the next step’ with Christ. Two students came, both from the paintball weekend. It was a privilege to give one of them their first bible, and take them through some passages on sin, forgiveness, and grace. Our hearts are envisioning dozens, if not hundreds of students taking the same step towards God, and this building being a place not only of great fellowship, coffee and pizza for the town, but of discipleship of young men and women.

First things first for us, keep pressing into Russian.

Please continue to pray with us for the remaining documents necessary to open a registered business in our town, as well as the students meeting Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday nights. Also pray for Deb this weekend as she hosts the second Wives meeting, we want to see more unbelievers, or I should say at least one!

Bruce