Vik, Yan, Ana, Andrei, and Natsha – amazing talent and humble hearts!

What does it look like when you pioneer?  Over the past couple of years, Deb and I have embraced our calling to instigate change.  Part of that calling involves resting in God’s power – He engineers movements ultimately, and does the heavy lifting.

This week we’ve been so thankful for the team of students from Texas, and friends from Minsk.  We’ve also had various additions hop along during the week – a pastors son from Kiev, a friend of Collins from Harrisburg, even a old friend from New York City.

The Kingdom of God is so dynamic.  It breathes, ebbs and flows.  It’s been refreshing to approach each day with a sense of wonder – “I wonder what today will bring!” and “I wonder what we should do, concert or worship”..  I’m learning to lean on others for discernment, and stay alert to dead patterns creeping in.  For the pioneer, routine is a dangerous thing 🙂

The cafe has been packed with all sorts of people each night.  Last night was really unique – we hosted a concert + worship combo, lifting up Christ in song but ultimately enjoying creative styles and personalities in our group.  The Ukrainians really liked it, and we’re praying more come tonight.

The cafe is a buzz right now with music, vacuums, classes getting ready, and my friend Peter from Crossroads working on the beginnings of our new recording studio!  God is moving, He’s awakening hearts – He’s a wonder to behold!  God bring grace, healing and love – play your people before a watching world – in this little town – we are your instruments.

Bruce & Deb

Today the director of the 28th Technical College, just up the street from the Cafe, informed me that the school is temporarily closing due to its inability to pay for Electricity. This represents around 300 young people in our town, as well as teachers and workers.

We have a small core of young people form this college that come every week to Club 180, and we’ve been investing in. They are really excited about the team coming next week, and we’re just starting to see real traction in this particular school – the directors are very willing and open to just about anything we want to do.

As of this week, the students will be placed on 2 weeks ‘holidays’ as the school attempts to find $2,500US – which is close to an impossibility in our local economy. The local city is now responsible for funding the schools, and this particular school (which focuses on farming, mechanics and cooking) is at the lowest end of the totem pole. The federal government is broke, the local economies are broke, and now the students are going to feel it. Most of the students actually live in remote villages, and come in to our town for college during the week.

As I’ve mentioned before, these students are actually 10-12th grade age (in the US/Canada). They leave their homes and live in old soviet style dorms at the age of 15yrs!

While this unfortunate turn of events impacts our ability to reach these particular students next week for our “Awaken’ week, the larger area of concern is the trickle down effect on all the students, families, and workers. Is this an opportunity for us? Could we leverage our strong US dollar (currently 27:1), for the Gospels influence?

Here’s my point – and I lay this out to all our readers for prayer.

$2,500 provides enough electricity to keep the school open thru the end of the Spring semester. That’s 8-9 more weeks of school. The Ukrainian economy has, and continuing to tank, hard. The Ukrainian currency has lost over 320% of it’s value in the past 2yrs. The sanctions intended for Russia (which has lost only 200% in comparison) have decimated Ukraine as well. The war continues to provide the instability which investors run from. So many out of work, and so many working for increasingly less.   Imagine your family trying to live on $150 per month, that’s the reality here.

If the Lord provided us with $2,500, I am praying about the impact we could have keeping this school open – the healthy leverage this gives us to continue working in, and increasingly influencing students (and teachers) for God. There was a time, in the not too distant past, when these same schools were under the strict control of communism, and the thought of sharing the Great News of Jesus Christ in any form, was an impossibility. Now, we enjoy relationships with the leaders, the leaders of the schools have open hearts and want to see this next generation rise up above the standards they inherited.

This is a small community, and we treat financial contributions very seriously. We do not randomly hand out money, we understand the need to contextualize and think long term. We can’t fix Ukraine’s issues with money – nor can we sustain the schools forever. However, we can use money to secure gospel influence perhaps for an extended time, by caring and giving to very real needs in our community – the kind of needs that shout Jesus cares, that we’re not just trying to built organizations, we want to see this next generation follow God and willing to invest in their education as part of that.

So – if you would pray with us about it that would be amazing. If you would like to contribute towards it – I would ask you first contact me. I don’t want to create a campaign or publicly state we are going to help. I simply cast out this opportunity like a net – and if someone has the capacity to give and feels the impulse of the Lord – to let me know!

Either way we are super blessed in these schools. All three have opened their doors for concerts next week where we can share in song and testimony with the incoming team. We had a really cool evening last night with our 180 kids. They were working, cleaning, registering students for next week – it warmed the heart! However, there are so many more, I believe potentially 100’s that will respond to the Gospel if they are given opportunity to really hear and understand it. The challenge is creating avenues for that understanding and conviction to take place. Perhaps by investing/blessing this particular college it could provide us the kind of avenue where God could work in greater capacity?

Thank you for listening, praying and believing with us!
Bruce

Если ты живёшь в Украине, тогда мы приглашаем тебя на потрясающее время Поклонения к нам в кафе Lighthouse, где мы будем проводить 6 Вечеров Поклонения, начиная с этого Воскресенья, с 6 по 11 Марта, в 18:00. Мы будем приглашать талантливых музыкантов из Белоруссии и США – более 20 иностранцев в нашем городе ради этого мероприятия! У нас также будет живая музыка на главном этаже кафе, каждый вечер. Приводите с собой молодежную группу, друзей из церкви. Это будет невероятная неделя, ты просто обязан прийти!

If you live in Ukraine, we invite you to an amazing Worship experience. Join us at Lighthouse Cafe as we host 6 Nights of Worship starting this Sunday, March 6-11 @ 18:00. We will be hosting talented musicians from Belarus and US – over 20 foreigners in our town for this event! We will also have live acoustic music on the main floor for all customers each evening March 6-12. Bring your youth group, church friends. It’s going to be an amazing week you don’t want to miss! No childcare provided.

Our week in Minsk, Belarus was great!  We got up each morning, took a Trolly-bus to the school, and lectured through the Gospel of John.  What made this experience intense was we only had 5 days to work through the entire book with about 15 students (and a few visitors).  Twenty-one chapters on the life and ministry of Jesus from the perspective of the ‘disciple Jesus loved.’

I had previously studied this incredible letter, in a weekly bible study format, verse by verse over 22 weeks a couple years ago.  Fortunately a lot of groundwork was already laid during that study time.  However, truncating that into five class was entirely new challenge, and surprising blessing.

I say surprising because the scriptures came alive once again and in even newer ways I hadn’t seen before.  We often read our Bibles in smaller segments, either because we don’t have enough time, or the truth we are digesting is so rich, we tend to ruminate and savor in our soul.

We are currently studying the nature of worship at Club 180.

Reading, slowly, contextually, in 4-5hr increments, start to finish in five days revealed new, and emphasized known revelation.  Themes are more easily picked up (Eg. the I am’s of Jesus), the thematic hatred of the religious towards the Son of God built with intensity, and the writers primary desire for his audience to ‘believe’ in the One who is Himself eternal life reaches through the pages and grabs your heart well before he actually states it near the end of the book.

And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.  John 20:30-31

The Gospel of John is saturated with visuals and miracles.  Good vs Evil, Light vs Darkness, Life vs Death.  Powerful allegorical teachings from wine, bread, sheep, shepherds, branches.  Truly He was and is the Son of God, and there is eternal life in Him!

I’ve been praying for God to open doors into Russian speaking populations.   It’s where our heart lies.  We were invited to a new Russian speaking Bible School in Spain of all places.  I guess Russians are migrating all over Europe en mass with the economic situation worsening – and so are Belorussians and Ukrainians (if they can get out).   Entire Russian speaking communities are emerging around us – and with that opportunity.  We also were encouraged to meet a fellow missionary, from Belarus, who are church planting in Poland – neat family.

We believe Ukraine holds a unique position in this part of the world as God raises up a generation with the intent to live for Him, and take His Gospel to these Nations.  After my second trip to Belarus in the past year, I believe Belarus is also on the brim of something special in the Kingdom of God.  A Gospel movement is taking place.

Excited to host a team from Minsk from a new church there, mostly led by young people.

We witnessed young people with a hunger for God to move.  Many young people gather in Minsk even publicly to pray for their nation regularly.  This is an illegal activity without proper permits.  They take risks, they fear God more than men.  After being around some of them, I thanked God we are where we are.  God is raising up a generation in this part of the world – just you wait and see.  The economic and political conditions are driving His people to united prayer – and nothing will stop God’s work when that happens.

Upon returning to Ukraine we enjoyed a couple days of family, caught a terrible flu, and now on the mend.  We’re happy to have received Collins this week!  We spent the day visiting directors at local colleges, and preparing some things for the upcoming Texas Team which arrives in 8 days!

Large group gathers this morning for ribbon cutting – our clinic just had some renovations.

Wednesday night Club 180 met once again – I love these kids!  They continue to surprise me with their attitudes, attentiveness towards spiritual lessons, and desire to serve.  God is going to do some great things in their hearts over this upcoming Awakening week.  Please continue to pray for them with us.  They are going to be key during this week coming up, serving in different areas and catching a taste of more of the Kingdom and God’s heart.

Our guests will be really thankful for these next week!

We went ahead and bought the beds we needed for the group.  Bought them before we knew anyone had donated.  Also went ahead and purchased 3 loads of gravel, without having the money.  Thankful to hear that a supporting church in Canada, Emmanuel Baptist will be sending us funds shortly which we can use for this – I was a bit nervous because we usually wait until some folks donate (when we don’t have money for things), but I felt we needed to step out and move on things anyway.  I was getting in trouble every day for the mud our customers were dragging into the street – and it’s not fun cleaning the roads.

Thank you God for your generous church!

One of three loads of gravel coming to Cafe – just in time, Pepsi truck terribly stuck today.

We have been praying each morning at the Cafe, and I’m excited to see more continuous, united prayer for the area, churches, students, and for greater faith.  We believe that unless the Lord genuinely moves in hearts (including ours), all the outward obedience and effort lacks eternal value.  God is the Lord of the harvest, he beckons us to lift up our eyes and see the harvest.  When we feel the Holy Spirit move us towards loving action, it makes all the difference in the world.

We ask you to pray with and for us, especially the next 2 weeks as we seek to damage to the Kingdom of darkness.   We don’t battle flesh and blood, God wants to work and move – our job is unite in prayer, and step out in faith.

God move in our area, upon hearts, minds, draw your people to the cross of Jesus where spiritual life is found.  Increase your footprint, the Kingdom of God come in Ukraine as it is in heaven!   Awaken us to your heart, your reality, the greatness of your Gospel.

Sorry, it’s been a long update – when I regularly blog I don’t feel I need to say as much!   Lately I haven’t had the time to sit and type.  Deb is doing well – she has a new fitbit and is walking more than normally.  I’m glad I didn’t get one.  I sure do love this woman.  Kids are back in school and getting ready for ‘Women’s Day’ – it’s coming up soon and it’s a big deal here – schools actually shut down for a few days, poems, ceremonies, flowers – it’s the Ukrainian way.

My little girls – Deb and I, at least once a day chuckle that we still have babies, and then rejoice we are done.

So next Saturday, March 5th begins a full week for us.  More than full.  20 will be here with our teams from Minsk and Texas – and to add to the wonderful chaos in our little town, another team of 15 from the US is here that same week with an orphan house (The Ewings partner ministry) doing things with children.  They will be at the Cafe during that week, and attending some of our worship nights too!  That means before we even have any Ukrainian participants, there will be more than 40 foreigners, all believers, in our little town – get ready folks for the invasion!

Our cafe workers are nervous.  They should be.

Thanks for checking in, for prayer and friendship.

Bruce & Deborah Crowe