Category: Bruce Posts (Page 153 of 211)

I snapped this yesterday at the festival - beautiful little girl, so innocent, and serious looking!

After a few days of jetlag, picking up our older kids from camp, we’re finally getting back in the swing of things.  Returned to lovely 70F weather, a wonderful reception after Texas 104F final day.

It’s this time of year in Ukraine when people switch into ‘summer mode’.  That means you’d better hope you don’t need to get anything done that requires a stamp or document.  August becomes the official ‘shut down’ month here, but July is sort of like the Friday afternoon before the weekend, people are already in vacation mode.  Generally speaking, Europeans know how to vacation too.  They get almost double the vacation time, and truly disconnect from their regular scheduled programming.

Entering the Tripilya Festival - Woodstock minus good music

It’s against this backdrop that the annual Tripilya festival is held a few minutes from our house in an open field.  It’s a ‘Woodstock-esque” festival, but exchange the sexual revolution for a similar looking hippy earth wind and fire vibe.  Literally thousands gather in their tents, for concerts, old Ukrainian folk art, dancing, and primitive celebrations.  Each year it gets larger, and now more commercialized with food options, ticketing for rides.. and they even have port-a-potties this year.

Ukrainian folk guitar, I think this is called a Basolya

We took the kids up for a few hrs last night – it goes on for 3-4 days, and the loud thundering music reaches across the hills.

With 90% of the church heading off the Camp 120 for the week, we’ll be enjoying a week of hopeful ‘reset’ as Deb and I pray and talk through our fall hopes and plans.  Besides seeing the Cafe finish and open Lord willing (still need $ for chairs/tables), we’re desiring to put some our little ones in school this year, and dive back into continued language studies after a full year off.  I’ve reached out to the former SEND Language school contacts and hoping we can get a teacher to come down at least once weekly.

There are a few others desiring formal teaching/lessons, so paying for someone to come here makes most sense and is really the only way we can do it with work and other responsibilities still on our plate.  We want to progress though, we know our future ministry for the Lord depends on improved communication – please pray for us, we aren’t getting any younger!

Abigail is now 3 months old

We love our little girl Abigail, she’s starting to jibber jabber a bit.  Her brothers adore her, this little girl is getting more affection than she realizes, at least 100 kisses a day.

Robin Hood, take your best shot if you can figure out how to get in line.

This fall we’d like to start an evangelistic bible study either at the cafe, or in a surrounding village.  Praying for open doors, and seeing some open.  There’s one village about 5 minutes away where there are about 200 people that live, and one believer pictured below, an old babushka.  For many Ukrainians living in small villages, they don’t have a vehicle, or the funds to take public transport with any regularity, so we need to go to them.

This is the only Protestant believer in the nearby village of Kuzmenci

Some friends have been ministering there and working with kids but are leaving for America this August.  Is this the Lord’s open door?  There are so many, and the gospel must get out, so many folks living without our great God, and His heart beats, and bled for them.  Lord direct us to serve where we can be most effective for your Kingdom!

Clark and Tucker bounce down a slide 'bravely' with eyes shut.

Thanks for checking in and thank you as well for your friendship and support.

Bruce & Deb

I’m writing from Texas, the last day here before I board 1 of 5 flights back to Ukraine.  Deb is wrapping up time with her sister and parents in Colorado.  She’ll meet me en route back to our kids in Ukraine.

We’ve spent the last week in the US.  It’s been a whirlwind trip but we’re extremely thankful for everyone that made the trip possible, both here and in Ukraine.  We’re reminded just how precious the gift of life is, our family, friends, we are rich indeed.

While here, we found out that our Criminal Record check for Ukrainian Residence was rejected by the authorities, and we had to get new fingerprints in the US.  This was a big blessing from God because we were already here and able to do this in time for our return tomorrow (Tuesday).

Please pray with us for the following:

– Heather (Deb’s Sister) and her 3 beautiful children as they work through the pain of losing Jon.
– The Burke family (Crossroads friends) for their loss of their baby girl and father in law from a tragic car accident.
– The Footes, fellow missionary friends in neighboring town that are working through some tragic news.
– Vlad – we continue to remember our brother unjustly sentenced in prison, his wife Vika and young toddler son Matthew.

In light of these prayers above, it seems unimportant to highlight some other prayer requests but they are still things that we feel helpless against, and need God for:

– My permanent residence to complete before August 1 and Deb’s to be submitted before November 1 to avoid more travel and many other complications.

– Cafe finances to complete.  We need about $4k to get tables/chairs, and a number of documents to be approved that are out of our hands right now.  Work on the cafe is currently on hold until God provides more funds.

Thank you for checking in,

Bruce & Deb

This week we lost a precious life in our extended family.  Jon Holtzinger, husband of Heather (Deb’s only sister) passed away.  He had suffered a sudden brain aneurism from which he was unable to recover.  Jon was a man of integrity, kind, thoughtful, funny, wonderful father of 3 delightful children and husband.  He was 39. This is the first tragedy that has hit so close to home for our families.  It is sobering, awakening, and we hurt for Jon’s parents who were very close (lived next door), his siblings, and obviously Heather and the kids.

We ask those of you that pray for us, to pray for the family.  We also ask for wisdom as we attempt to arrange for Deb to ‘be there’ for Heather in whatever way we can.   They live in Denver, close to where Deb’s parents moved earlier this year.

Bruce & Deb

Believers from RZ gathering for the first service in the Baptist Church building.

This morning we joined our baptist friends as they hosted their first service in their new building.  Over the past several years they have owned a piece of property on our main street with the hopes of worshiping in the center of town.  Bit by bit, they raised funds, made international contacts, hosted construction teams, and even traveled around Ukraine with a singing group (raised $20k which is the equivalent of $100k in the US).

It was an honor to both attend as a church, and also speak for a few minutes to the many familiar faces.  They are literally a stones throw away from the Cafe, across the street and a block down, and our partnership is critical to making a lasting impact in this community for Christ.

Gathering at the beginning to pray for the service with other leaders

I took some video as well which I’ll edit and post soon.  It’s always refreshing to worship with the traditional Ukrainian / Russian style – helps us remember where we are!

Kids from our church sit patiently - Susidko boys left, Clark in the middle.

I’m now about to try and finalize tickets for a US trip this month to visit my business.  Been really wrestling about leaving, just feeling settled and getting into good rhythm and seems diving into the US time zone/culture really throws me.  God give us wisdom!

Bruce & Deborah