I’ve been reading Luke 6 this week.

Love, what is it, really? How do we know we love God? How do we know love?

The crowds pressed in to touch Jesus, and power came out of him and healed all of them (6:19). We have all been touched by his power, healed of our selfish pride, our sin and shame. How quickly we forget the mercy poured into our lives. Who are the blessed, the poor, hungry, weeping, excluded (6:21-22).

When we stop pressing into Jesus mercy, we become rich, filled and proud. How can we know we love God? How can we know love? “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies” (6:27). Religion looks good, it’s outward appearance is easy to copy, easy to find affirmation in it’s self-hubris. To lay down our lives, and follow the Savior, however, not so easy to mimic. To follow Jesus means we are dead to the self-life, our joy is found not in self gratification but the love’s divesting way.

Jesus command to obey is an invitation to embody, incarnate love, to become mercy, to become love. How can we do this, even to our enemies? We look to our Savior, “for he is kind to the ungrateful, and the wicked. Be merciful just as your Father is merciful” (6:36).

May the mercy of the Father fill each of our hearts today, may we become a people of mercy, sharing in His love – this is how we know we love God.

We gathered on October 2-3 for a refreshing weekend with +40 volunteer leaders from around Ukraine and Belarus. These volunteers represent over 30 villages and a visitation and food+medical care program that is now reaching 500 widows each month!

For so many of the volunteers, they give and give, but rarely if ever are served themselves. It was a joy to provide space for relaxed fellowship, intentional discussion groups, prayer and teaching on the importance of taking care of your own soul (Matthew 11:28-30). He leads us each, if we let him, to green pastures, and his hope, if we let him, to restore our souls!

Thank you World Challenge for providing us with the trust and resources to bring Jesus loving, kingdom influence into Slavic culture. We were also able to send the volunteers back with over 100 Audio Bibles in Russian and Ukrainian, chalked full of popular babushka music and sermons.

Please take a moment to visit our Widow’s Story page, for updates on incredible testimonies and difficult situations for the widow that are hard to imagine – you can join this ministry by praying for these widows, and once you read some of their stories, I believe you will be moved to do just that! Click Here to Visit

What a privilege to host a conference like this, and a joy to watch the Holy Spirit nourish, connect and breath fresh vision into our team. It was a lot of work, our team worked for many weeks planning, and preparing for this event – I believe it is the first of many future uniting weekends for missional collaboration and leadership development.

Into the world our Creator so loves, and came to restore!

Enjoy the photos 🙂 Bruce & Deb

You can give to this ministry by visiting our charity, Mir Ministries.

This summer, we’ve been blessed to get to know Babushka Galia, who lives about 10 minutes from my house, on the outskirts of town. She is 82, and loves it when I bring the girls for quick visit.. well, she doesn’t like how quick my visits are actually. She chases us to our cars, and often takes one of the kids hostage into her garden so I can’t leave.

I’m simply amazed at everything she grows, from potatoes, to cucumbers, corn, raspberries, strawberries, pears, nuts, cabbage, the list goes on. She blessed me with a sack of potatoes I couldn’t even carry. Her neighbor called her on the phone while we were visiting, she yelled at the person saying “Abbey is here, I can’t talk now”.. she loves kids. She said she took english lessons in 3rd grade, but doesn’t remember any words. We did the math, that was in 1947. We’ll give her a pass! Poor thing has my lovely Russian/Ukrainian to deal with, but all laugh a lot.

She handed me two watermelons to take this last trip. I contested her generosity and she grabbed a third and dropped it in my arms.. I said, “I can’t take your food, I’m bringing YOU food!” She sternly said, “God loves you, and I need to give you three, one for the father, the son and the spirit.” Case closed, she won that argument, and theologically impressed me! I love the Trinitarian reflections all around Slavic culture.

Over the past two weeks, our busy little team of construction workers have begun the 2nd floor on our new Mission Building. I took a little drone footage for you!

When we began this project, I felt a certain peace about progressing slowly, not with timelines and the stress of all that brings. Maybe it’s living in Ukraine for 14yrs, but being present, enjoying the people and generative synergy that comes from ‘creating’ new things is something I continue to grow in.

One of the surprises has been that God has given us two, fine young men, both orphans from the ‘system’ that are plugged in, and an important part of our growing community. They both now work at Lighthouse as baristas, but also, for extra money, have been working hard carrying the blocks and hauling things around all day for our builders. They are learning practical things too, obviously, and skills beyond latte art! 🙂

Vanya (blue jacket above), is from the Donetsk region, and was introduced to us last year during the partner summer project with Glow Ministries (hi Dar!). We saw potential in him, and a willing heart to work. He’s lived next door to us this past year, adopted his first pet (a cat named Emma) and now, through a series of events, purchasing his first house. God loves this dude.

This past week we had Deb’s parents visiting for the first time in 3yrs! Life is catching up with us, we all complained about aches, pains, getting old and what really matters in the end. The kids really loved having them around, not often these days they get to be with grandparents unfortunately with all the travel issues.