Category: Bruce Posts (Page 159 of 211)

We’re off to Kiev tomorrow to finally purchase the kitchen equipment.  It’s taken a while to compare ‘apples to apples’ with another company, and now arrange to make the deposit into the companies account.. always a bit unnerving, fortunately it’s only a 50% deposit.

We’re told that the cabinets will then arrive (stainless steel) in two weeks, followed by the Pizza oven and stove top by end of March.  We’re safely still 2 months away from being functional, and even longer before we could open to the public.  Besides needing tables and chairs, here’s a list of remaining items we need to pray continue progressing:

– Land transfer from private residential to business: this has been approved by the city counsel last week, but could take several months to process.

– Gas and Electric document changes.  After the land has finally been re-zoned, we can apply to upgrade and change the current utilities.  This will cost about $2,000 I am told in all but will give us the amount of gas and higher level of electric power which will be essential.

– Cappuccino machine and suppliers.  We have set aside $2k of the kitchen budget for the purchase of the coffee machine.  There are many vendors that lease the machines to you if you sign up to sell their coffee.  Need to investigate this some more, but didn’t want to rush that decision until the kitchen is completed and we can focus.

Brent decided to take a picture of what I look like most evenings as I work on my Mac with Cypress.

I have been encouraged by the community support since returning from Canada this Christmas.  Shop owners, the Mayor, Police Chief, and neighbors are all aware of the ‘coming’ cafe.  I realize for most westerners the progress seems to be taking forever, but trust me, things are moving along at a Ukrainian clip, and the fact that there’s something

coming at all is encouraging for this town.  In a way, I’m glad it’s taking quite a while to complete.  It’s giving us all time and reason to communicate what our motivations are for this place, and show ourselves to be people of action, not just talk.  Parents especially seem to be grateful for something wholesome, it’s starting to make me a bit nervous to think we may end up with a packed cafe full of 10yr olds, but that wouldn’t be a bad thing when you think of the Kingdom of God.

Deb is now 8 months pregnant!  In four weeks or less we’ll have little Abbey (what we are calling her so far!).  Deb is slowing down a bit, and needing to more.  We have still several trips to Kiev in preparation for the delivery, including an eye doctor appointment tomorrow.  We have no idea why, but she is required to get her eyes tested before the doctors will sign off on a natural birth.  Random.  Ukraine.

Business (Cypress Interactive) has taken up a lot of my time since returning.   While my family is supported by a wonderful church in Texas (Crossroads Community Church), I continue to look towards the world of business to help advance Kingdom work here.  It’s not been easy trying to balance what we have on our plates, and often something suffers for lack of attention here in Ukraine, or in America that I’ responsible for.

Please pray that we’d be faithful with the things God entrusts us with, and also to let go of things when we need to, and trust Him.  Please pray that God builds a sustainable team in Texas/US with the vision needed to remain profitable.  We have so many of the right pieces I believe, but not quite there.

100% healed, Noah the monkey.

Several have asked how Noah is doing after his fall.  He’s 100% back to normal, praise God for that.

This past Sunday our church hosted another men’s breakfast.  Great group of guys.  A couple unbelievers came, and then came to church the next day.  I believe God’s heart is to raise up a generation of real men.  Men that walk in holiness and integrity.  What a light these men could be.  We talked about our thought life, and challenged one another to purity of the mind, where it all starts.

Not even going to go into the circus that is my Residence Permit.  Ask you to pray that we’ll get all of our documents needed and for favor among the layers of bureaucracy.

Tucker turns 9 and goes bowling with his friends in Kiev.

Prayer Points –

– Cafe land / utility documents
– For Deb & our baby girl coming April 1 or sooner!
– Generation of young men raised up for God
– Permanent Residence approval soon!

Sincerely,

Bruce & Deb

The temperatures have dropped significantly over the past week. The accumulation of fluffy snow finally became ‘packable’ and with that the kids were in full building mode in the backyard. The ice covered roads are slowly becoming rafting rivers of mush. While spring isn’t quite yet in the air, the harsh past month has lifted and Ukrainians are coming out of their houses, and so are we! Yesterday we took the family downtown for a little walk and a quick stop at our park outside the police station.  We don’t have much in the way of things to do in our town, but just being able to get some fresh air, the kind that doesn’t hurt when you breath it, was wonderful.

This is how we roll.. downtown RZ

It’s been a challenging re-entry for our family.  We’ve had continued issues with our residence application, Texas work problems and other consecutive hurdles since arriving.  There’s been a definite spiritual aspect to the struggles, we’ve been pressing into more prayer and hungering for God to reveal Himself in our lives more clearly (inside our hearts or out).  We love being here in Ukraine, and we love our friends and church family, but it’s been difficult to get our heads above water and feel anything but overwhelmed.  We sense and appreciate prayer support for our family, this is a season of trial for us.

The Cafe kitchen is coming along.  We have been tiling the walls and finalizing the equipment order through a business in Kiev.  Tom’s been helping facilitate the order.  Ukrainian businesses sure don’t make it easy giving them money!

We have had 2 Bible studies together since returning on Wed nights, it’s been great to study together again.  Last week we had over 20 adults.  It’s always encouraging to see people walk through snow and cold to be with believers for an evening around God’s Word.

If you haven’t joined Vlad’s facebook support page, please do so.  I just updated it – click here and click to join.

Three snow forts - soon to wage war

This week please pray for wisdom as we attempt to progress our residency permit.  We were told last week that because it took (THEM) over 6 months to submit our application (TO THEMSELVES) I now have to re-do all my medical tests.  This could take weeks to get them all back, not to mention extra expense.  It’s so frustrating, we did everything right, by the law, then they sat on the documents and now punish us for their ineptitude.  God please give us endurance…  It’s things like this that really try your faith.

For those that are able and willing, we have setup a Prison Fund for Vlad and you can donate securely online using a Credit Card, Bank Checkcard, or Paypal.   All donations will go toward bi-monthly care packages for Vlad and his inmates. Click the link below!

It’s a challenge maintaining legal status in Ukraine as a foreigner.  Besides the innumerable documents, lines, stamps, and mean people you have to deal with every 6 months (or less), there’s the silly little dance you do with anyone in authority as they attempt to extort.

Last year we found a legal way to become Permanent Residents in Ukraine, by essentially investing a minimum amount of money ‘into’ Ukraine.  The Cafe land/building purchase provided the perfect avenue to invest legally, though it was a very lengthy and meticulous process.  Becoming Permanent Residents would allow us to avoid the time consuming visa and registration process, legalize our vehicle and items we brought over from America 4yrs ago (which we’re still paying / registering as well regularly) and us to travel in and out of Ukraine without ‘breaking’ our registration each time and starting over.

We often joke as missionaries how much time is actually spent maintaining documents here.  Everyone is continually looking for easier ways, some play by the Ukrainian rules (take chocolates and cash) to get things done, others attempt a higher moral path with varying results.  Until you live in a country like Ukraine, you can’t appreciate the moral complexities.

Anyway, after medical checks, alcoholism interview, criminal record report, and an enough paper to build a boat, we successfully met the criteria, and applied in Kiev.  The Kiev immigration folks approved our application for processing, but instructed us to first submit it in from the regional Police dept in our area.  We did this, it was just a formality, and the Police just needed to review and send back to Kiev for processing.  We submitted it in August of 2011, and were told it should be completed by January.  We returned in Jan to find that not only it hadn’t been processed yet, it hadn’t even left the desk of the Police here as they waited for some ‘incentive’ to push a paper.

The Police, like every branch of government in Ukraine is plagued by a cultural mindset that it’s your right to extort and take advantage of people for your own good when the situation presents itself.  I, like every other Ukrainian in a position of need become an avenue of personal gain.  I am filled with a fresh passion for God to do something miraculous here.  His ways are higher, they are better.  We are made in His image, and we destroy that image when we are selfish and abuse our fellow man.  Ukrainians need to wake up, catch a vision of God and His ways!

I’m no longer interested in pretending that this current Ukrainian culture is acceptable to God.  Sure, they have some beautiful aspects, rich history, and the average Ukrainian has a kind heart and understands in many ways the value of relationships more than the average westerner.  But there is this concept that those in authority have a right to be selfish, rude to their fellowman, even demeaning.  It’s the antithesis of biblical leadership and those with the highest responsibilities should be the servants, caring, protecting and helping.  This reverse of polarity, this anti-god mindset must be confronted if they are ever to stop this cycle.  But how?  A vision for moral clarity, God’s ways are perfect, we’ve got to figure out a way to place before our community the beauty of God’s way, that they may catch a vision of it, recognize their folly and turn to God.  I don’t know any other way to stop the insanity, that is, the circular nature of corruption.  Sin begets sin.

My wife is pregnant, due in April with our #7th child, and our Visas were only approved until May.  We returned pretty discouraged last week from Poland.  Even though I own a registered Ukrainian company, our Ukrainian house and land is in our name, and we have the Cafe Property, we somehow didn’t qualify for a long term visa.. we had ‘no proof’ that we were legally allowed to be in Ukraine for more than 3 months.  We understand God works in ways we can not see, but we sure were disappointed.  Now we return to Ukraine with a sense of instability, about to give birth as visitors, who will not have legal status a month after the baby is born.

It’s with that backdrop that I ask you to pray for our Permanent Residence.  Today our application is ‘supposed to’ be taken to Kiev.. what should have taken place 6 months ago.  The Police have told us that they will find out ‘how much’ it will cost to process the documents in an expedited fashion.  Most of us would willing jump at any ‘priority’ or ‘expedited’ fees, but instead of publicly offering these services, countries like this choose to wink and nod, hand each other envelopes with cash.  It just feels wrong, shady, and completely unnecessary.   Those requiring ‘gifts’ must not realize that they are ensuring the same terrible cultural aspects to their children.  The need to see a better way, they need to see the corrupt ways they are embracing as reality.  God is real, He cares, He sees, and this kind of open acceptance of immorality is not what He planned for us!

We have no guarantee that our application will be processed or approved.  We appreciate prayer in dealing with these characters, we don’t want to be part of the problem here, and yet find ourselves in a sea of corruption.  On one hand we are thankful that this part of the world even allows foreigners access to share the gospel in many different ways, maybe we should think of our brothers and sisters in China, or Saudi Arabia where it’s more about literally surviving.  Maybe we are complaining about police that openly take bribes instead of giving lawful tickets, when we should be thankful those same police don’t throw us in jail for being foreign or sharing Christ.

We love our Ukrainian friends, we appreciate so much of the culture here.  Yet, it’s time we stood up together to strongly oppose many of the openly ridiculous and corrupt ways.  As His creation, we are better than this, Christ has come, we have no excuse and will not on that great and terrible day.

I am filled with a fresh perspective that I believe is God working in my heart.  I want to see Ukrainians lift up their eyes.  Lift them up to see God’s impeccable ways, and in doing so, see how far they’ve drifted from Him.  God wants to restore an integerous view of authority, kindness, justice, and love for our fellow man.  His church is His vehicle, I pray we are up for the challenge.

Bruce