David's blog
Thanksgiving Day Celebration
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day despite the fact we are not in the USA and the traditional foods are not readily available to us here. Christine did an awesome job of working with what she could find. We actually did find a Turkey in a market on the other side of town. It was not available in the supermarkets here but in the open markets that are still around. The meat was definitely different than what we are used to but it was good all the same. Most likely it came from someone’s small farm in one of the surrounding villages as there is also rabbit available at this particular market. We celebrated our North American tradition with our Ukrainian family, the Sashchuks, who for those who met them, stayed with us in the summer of 05 in Ohio. They take care of us here like we are actually their family so we decided to have Thanksgiving at their apartment with Christine preparing everything. It was her first time making homemade stuffing and it was awesome. One of the big “hits” of the day was her cranberry sauce also homemade. Again not quite what we are used to but very tasty and everyone loved it. Actual cranberries that were crunchy and sour but in the sweet sauce it made for a really good flavor and the contrast made your mouth do all sorts of wild stuff! A real treat!! For me the turkey is just not the same without cranberry sauce!! Once again she saved the day. Everyone thought that the meal was a real success but if you know Christine and other cooks like her, you know they always have their doubts about how good their own cooking really is! But if you have had a meal prepared by her you know what the real truth is! I will have fond memories of this first Thanksgiving spent in Ukraine.
Finally an update
Dear Friends,
As usual it is hard to know exactly what to say. Since arriving here in Ohio on July 31 things have been challenging and stretching to say the least. We hit the ground running because of Christine’s mom’s broken foot and then her unexpected death in August. Since Christine's moms death we have been involved in taking care of her possessions and also taking care of a lawsuit that she had been involved with. Since Christine is the executor of the estate it was her responsibility to deal with this. It was a very difficult process to try and settle this since it was the only thing holding us back from leaving for Ukraine in early October as originally planned. We felt very much like we have been in a holding pattern. What a challenge to be moving but essentially going no where. Patience has never been either of our strong suites so it was a struggle for us to say the least. It was such a temptation to "go back" to normal living during this time. What I mean by that is to give up and just stay here in the US but yet every time we would pray about it God would say "NO". We know with God nothing is wasted but we have to say that we hope God was able to accomplish something through us being here as we can’t see it with our own eyes or understanding. We cannot express how very grateful we are to all of you for all of your encouraging words, love, prayers, and ministry to us while we have been here. Without you.......who knows where we would be. We are at such a time in our lives where we are continually reminded how we need each other. The thought of being in this thing called life without you, without GOD...I cannot imagine. Just when we had almost given up God moved and now the lawsuit is settled and we are free to go, so go we will! We do not have an exact date but it looks as though it will be somewhere at the end of this month (Feb). When we know a date for certain, we will be sure to let you know. In the mean time if you wish to see us please give us a call as we would be happy to connect before we make the trip over the pond.
David and Christine
"The Wedding"
Jenya (our Ukrainian daughter) got married on May 19. She married Igor Ivanov’s son Oleg. It was a beautiful ceremony. Jenya of course looked absolutely gorgeous. She is a rare girl because she is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside! Oleg made for a handsome groom and is a good compliment to Jenya in gifts, talents, abilities, and personality. We know the Lord will do mighty things thru this couple and we are excited. We were able to take them through the 7 week Pre marital program that is being translated. It went well and it blessed them very much to be able to take time to reflect on their future marriage and what God would have for them. We believe couples like them are going to be the “future” of Ukraine. We have attached some pics to this update. Be sure to check them out!
Youth and Young Adult Ministry
Youth and Young Adult ministry
We have been asked to begin a homegroup for newly dating couples and are considering this, but wondering where it will fit in. We have so many good relationships here and want to continue to strengthen them! We will have to make room for some changes soon. Our focus is on the youth and young adults and they really are our priority. Just an update on what has been going on with our involvement in youth group. We have been asked to speak at the 2 different youth groups at Father’s House 4 times. Once at the young youth and 3 times at the older group. We talked twice at the older youth, once on hearing the voice of the Lord with a response of 5 youth rededicating their lives to the Lord. Just this past Sunday the 10th we gave a teaching on communion which resulted in almost the whole group coming up for prayer to prepare their hearts for communion. Then we served them communion, wow what an emotional experience it became for us. What a blessing for us to be able to serve them! Christine also participated in a skit that was done as a TV talk show about friendships a few Sundays ago.
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Thanks to all of you who take the time to read our "ramblings"