Kids loving the final few weeks of beach weather!  Especially Noah.

  This weekend we met some new friends from Kiev, Mike and Rebecca Klein from Washington State.  They have been teaching in Kiev while adopting Luba their daughter (who is now legally theirs).  They were looking via facebook to get out of the city and took me up on our offer.  It’s a blessing to be able to give people a break from the city, their two kids have been running wild with ours in the great outdoors.  They came down Saturday afternoon, stayed for church Sunday and will be leaving Tuesday morning. 

This week pray for some banking issues to resolve.  We have money ‘stuck’ in the national bank of Ukraine, being held hostage.  Also, pray that our guys (Alyosha, Greesha and Dema, our new construction team extraordinaire!) make good progress on Cheryl’s place, everyone’s chipping in to help complete her apartment in time for Simeon and Asia’s return.

Picture of Deb reading during ‘school time’ to Bronwyn in the yard. 

Noah, Noby, Knowbster, Doba, Doby, Nobi-one-kanobi.

Bruce & Deb

Our eldest son Broderic wrote a poem today, and sent it to me by email.  I thought I would share it.  It’s amazing to watch a young man develop, grasp the realities of this world and by God’s grace turn to Him.  He’s not a writer, those of you that know Broderic would expect poems only from his sister:).

‘I live in a world of darkness, all the hope is shattered.
All the people lost will to live, so all of them have scattered.
I was walking in fields one day looking among the lost world, everybody did no good.
Robbing and killing was their doing, there was always a new evil brewing.
As I fell asleep on the steel streets a dream occurred in my sleep,
A shining being told me about a great king, told me to do no evil.
Right after that he spread his wings and with a mighty stroke of his arm destroyed
the world of evil and welcomed me to a new world with light and song and happiness.
I awoke with a start, and thought about my future and what I had in store,
then I turned my head to the heavens and said my trouble’s are no more.’ 

– broderic crowe

I’m hoping the shining being was Christ, otherwise we have some theological work to do:)

Here’s an article posted this week on our family and the July team that came over – click here to read

[Paratrooper Brent, with his sidekick Clark watching on]

Hello again friends and family.  August has been a beautiful season in Ukraine thus far, our family is enjoying the open windows (free AC!) and fresh produce.  Speaking of produce, we have several fruit trees in our yard which has been a real treat.  I accidentally cut down Deb and kids favorite tree a few weeks ago (seriously, I didn’t know those red berry looking things were editable!), they were collectively upset and I’m concerned they have begun plotting some sort of revenge.  Have you ever listened to the Pineapple Stories by Otto Konning?  They are a series of wonderful messages from a retired missionary couple who planted a church in the jungles of Papau New Guinea many years ago.. among cannibals no less.  Anyway, he tells the story of how he learned to ‘let go’ and trust God with their belongings, especially his beloved pineapples in his garden.  We’re very thankful that only a few things have been stolen (that we know of), but the other day I saw some new kids in our yard, stealing my pears!  MY PEARS!  I don’t really care about the apples and the walnuts, they can eat those all they want.  To make matters worse, they aren’t even ripe yet, they bit into them, then threw them on the ground.  I kindly asked them to not eat God’s pears:)  We have kids over all the time, well, we don’t really ‘have them over’, they come unannounced and in herds.  We’ll be eating supper at the table and watching kids from the neighborhood jumping on the trampoline outside which is only a few feet from our dining room window.  They come to the window like a drive through restaurant and ask “can i have some juice or a cookie?”  We find it amusing and try to love on the kids in different ways, but I do get more nervous when older kids (teens) start showing up and stealing my pears.  They lose their sweetness (the kids that is) around 11 it seems and have that glimmer of mischief in their eye…

Had a great lunch with some friends in Kiev today, they are from two different churches.   They’re both from California, serving as missionaries for the past 5-8yrs or so.  They share a hunger for God and appetite for biblical teaching, especially in the area of discipleship here in parched Ukraine.  Jake has started a publishing company here in Ukraine and has successfully translated and printed several of John Piper’s books, and about to publish a book by Wayne Grudem.  Much needed material that will greatly bless the believers in this part of the world.  We talked together about the possibility of hosting a regional Marriage Conference, designed specifically for missionary and church leader marriages.  It would be a very fruitful endeavor I believe, to host such an event, pour back into the lives of those who are serving here, and may not have many resources or opportunities to sit back and be taught/encouraged.  We talked about possible speakers, churches we knew back in the states, and businesses that may want to help sponsor such an event.  It would be very cool to film the conference and make DVD’s for the leaders to take back to their churches.  In Ukraine, there is VERY little material translated into print, and even less in a multimedia format.  Pray with us about this would you?  If God is in it, we want to see Him clearly exalted, and His church built up… especially in this most crucial covenant foundation.  Deb and I have a heart for marriage and family, and it’s very easy to get excited about pouring time/effort/money and prayer into this.. but we also want to be careful with our time, too many irons in the fire and we will start to drop the ball on things… know that feeling?!

[Nescafe instant coffee is sold in plastic sealed containers (those kind you can’t open without a hammer), it’s not just coffee, it’s gold!]

On a sobering note, Deb’s grandma is very ill and near death.   Her grandparents live in England (formerly of South Africa) and Deb’s parents from NYC flew over today to be with her in the potential final hours.  This is something that is sort of sudden for the family.  Appreciate any prayer for her family, especially any unbelieving family members present.  Deb’s grandma loves Christ so we rejoice in that.

Here’s a quick snapshot of the rest of the month for us:

– August 23rd: All Church Meeting in RZ. I’m supposed to be sharing at this however I may have been demoted to the role of MC… that means more liberty to showcase my comic ability?  Please pray for these services, this is the last one we had planned in advance, where to go from here?  One church said, “we should meet more than once per month together…”  I doubt the denominational churches will agree to more than once per month, however God has done a miracle thus far with this, so who knows!

– August 24th: Ukrainian Independence Day.  We’re meeting with Andrei Murzin and some friends for a BBQ.. we’re having burgers (sounds American to me).

– August 26th: “Special Children’s Camp”  Our church is hosting an all day camp for the handicapped children in town.  The city asked us a few months ago if we would be willing ‘as a church’ (that is a big deal!) to do something special for these neglected kids.  They are literally outcasts in society here, no school provided of any kind for handicapped children.  Often scorned and the parents blamed for their condition I’m told  (a curse etc.).  Cheryl and Sveta are leading up the day, and have some really neat ideas for this including some horses.  This is also a great opportunity for us to reach into these various families, pray for this outreach please.  The city has asked if we would do something regularly as well, we have not committed but consider this to be a great request of ‘trust’ and opportunity to continue becoming assets to this community, and vehicles of Christian love.

– August 29th: “Home Group Kick Off” We are planning to host a BBQ/Outreach outdoors at Jon & Ruth’s down the street.  This will mostly be a way to rally the church again around Home Groups and get excited about starting again for the fall, but also a way to invite neighbors and we hope to build some bridges particularly in our area of town.  I’m going to invite my neighbors and folks on my street to it.  We’re also going to bring in a gifted musician from Kiev that writes very poetic and Christ-centered music, plays the guitar and sings, that’s the plan anyway.

-August 30th: My parents, uncle and aunt, and cousin from Canada are arriving for a week or so.  What are you planning to do dad?  Do you want a tractor or something ready?  We may go an visit Chernobyl actually, I’ve heard that it’s quite the tour, it really sticks with you.

Updating our PRAYER REQUEST PAGE, check it out!

Yesterday Clarky and I (my joyful 3yr old) took a couple of trips to the town dump with Tom’s trailer.  It often becomes a ‘missionary’ community event when someone is going with a load.  With dismal city services in our town, it’s best to take it upon yourself for your trash disposal.. but it’s not a fun experience entering the dump to say the least.  Come over sometime and I’ll give you a tour.  This trip was a bit different as I’ve been seeking God this week with more zeal then usual for me.  A hunger for reading and implementing more productive routines and habits of mind have been sincerely inspired, I praise Him for it.  Anyway, I’ve been attempting to cut myself off from all modes of unproductive media engagement.  For most of you living in the same ‘mediasphere” as I do, we’re rarely de-tached from the world.  Whether it’s an iPhone pumping in real time email messages or texts, the daily perusing of google news, checking up on the status of Michael Jackson, to make sure he’s still dead.  Our homes, even in the center of Ukraine, are filled with conduits of the world, a world that represents anti-Christian morals, and stands opposed to the Christian worldview.  We are impacted by, I’m convinced anyway, the constant connection, the constant music, the noise, the priorities of the world in that they are telling us what, or who is important.  They define for us success, and influence our decision making and purchases.  I read the other night of a university that imposes a forced 24hr fast from media in one of it’s classes during a semester, and it literally causes students to hyperventilate.  They need post dramatic counselling as a result of the blaring silence. 

What does this have to do with the dump?  Or a kitten?  Well, it was with this backdrop and heart conviction that I entered the most despised smelly dump.  It is repugnant, the stench buckles your knees.  I try my best to hold my breath and empty the trailer in 7 seconds but I have to take that second.. and third breath.  They seriously need a tractor in there pushing it around and covering it right?  The garbage sits, and changes chemical properties in the hot sun.  The flies, the.. ok, enough said.  In the midst of my ‘disconnect’ from the world, and attempt to maintain a purer set of eyes, ears and heart than I have for the Lord recently, I notice a Ukrainian adult magazine right at my feet amidst the refuse of the town.  I felt God’s sickness over sin, the combination of the odorous offense and the absolute destruction of a life of sin.  In that moment I considered how tempting sin really is, how deceptive our enemy really is.  He preys on our weaknesses, twists and whispers us toward the edge.  Think of the marriages and families destroyed by secret sin uncovered in ‘due time’.  There a magazine sat, appropriately surrounded by what it represents.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not denying the temptation that represents, but it was in that dump that I felt God confirm what I already believed Him to be saying to me recently, “Get the world out of your heart,” and I had a first rate example of what worldliness and sin looked like to God as He views our hearts.  How can we even think to be attracted to things that are so vile?  Which one of us would ever consider frequenting the dump on purpose, for pleasure? 

For many of us, the ‘world’ may be sexual temptation, and you are not guarding your eyes with any sort of diligence.  Let me warn you as an experienced prisoner of sin, flee from wickedness, run to the Cross, and humble yourself before God today.   For others, it’s listening to the world’s lies through an over consumption of media.  Lies about insecurity, definitions of beauty, pride or success.  Whatever the ‘world’ represents to you right now, I hope you are filled with the same awareness I have been recently about the nature of sin, and it’s destructive, and disgusting result.  Our enemy has been practicing our demise for a few thousand years, we’re not as wise as we think we are, especially if we consider our own strength and wisdom to battle this world alone.  Run to your Savior, you’ll find grace to turn and overcome your sin.   Confess your struggles with a trusted friend, only pride would keep you from doing this, which confirms your sorry state if you are unwilling.   Harsh words perhaps, but Christ deserves our freedom from sin, He paid the highest cost for us to live ‘set apart’.  In today’s world of technology, we can’t be so passive in our attitudes, in my small world anyway, I’ve been awakened to the realty of the worldly influence, and I’m being more purposeful from here on out.  If you interested in hearing more about ‘how’ I’m doing this, email me for details!  bruce@liftupyoureyes.org  Let me plug a book too while I’m on this, “Worldliness” by CJ Mahaney, you can buy it at Amazon.

Enter the Kitten.  At first I thought I was hearing things.  Clark shouts, “a kitten!”, and sure enough, stashed between a few piles of garbage was a little black and white kitten that had been dumped off, literally.  I am not an animal lover, those of you that know me will confirm that Deb and I feel that actual human children are about as much work and much more rewarding, so we’ve opted for a few extra of them instead.  But in that dump, that stinky, disease infested Gehenna, I couldn’t leave that poor little thing.  Even the Tin Man had a heart!  Catching that silly thing proved to be a youtube worthy event.  Every inch toward it, it leaped deeper into the pile of garbage.  Soon, I was 20 meters deep into the most disgusting mess you could imagine.  I sometimes wonder if God seriously chuckles at the situations we get ourselves in.  I had on crocs and shorts, and desperately trying to jump from safe pile to the next.  Finally, I cornered the little guy, and found 2 more kittens along the way.. there was a whole litter in there.  Well, I’m not mother Teresa, and I know Deb has her limits, I could only take one.  The little guy took the long drive home with us, clinging to Clark, they were both about as freaked out too.

I didn’t intend to write all this, but my heart is full and maybe someone will be blessed to hear of Jesus Christ and His redemption.  You see, even as stinky and odorous, or potentially health threatening jumping through the rubbish of an entire village in Ukraine may be, it doesn’t compare to the lengths God Holy Son has gone, sent from a loving Father, to save you from your sins.  He suffered because your a sinner, unable to save and redeem yourself.   Instead of running to Christ, we’ve run from Him.  We deserve eternal neglect, but instead we have His eternal attention.  Rejoice that He’s found you, a desperately dirty sinner, cleansed you and calls you out of the world, and to Himself.  If you aren’t a believer, be assured that you are in fact living in that dump, a dump of worldliness and compromise, a life that will be found out, and found guilty.  Turn to Jesus, His cross reaches into the most sinful heart and will indeed take you to a better place with Him.

Dumpy the Kitten now resides (at least temporarily!) at 37 Nezeleschnosty, in Rzshyschiv Ukraine with our family. 

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.”  – 1 Thes 5:23

Bruce & Deb