Summer update

Here it is November already and we have not updated this website since the end of June. I do believe apologies would be in order. We are very sorry that we have not gotten around to doing this until now. So many things have happened since arriving in the USA, it is hard to know where to start.

Considering that we are writing from the USA it is obvious that we arrived here safely since we last updated this website. The latest news is that we are going back to Kharkiv on the 5th of December which is very soon and we are feeling the pressure of getting ready to leave. Always seems like there is more to do the closer it gets to the time of departure. We will be coming back to the USA at the end of July 2008 which is one month longer than what we usually plan because of our late start this time. We usually try to return to Ukraine somewhere in the middle of October but for various personal and family reasons we have not done so this year. We would like to take this opportunity to update you on the status of David’s mother. For those of you who have kept her in prayer we would like to thank you and let you know that she is doing very well and responding very well to the treatment that she is on. We would like to ask you to continue to pray that all cancer would be eradicated from her body!

Probably the highlight of our summer was the Catalyst conference in the Atlanta area the beginning of October. Wow what a breath of fresh air for us. We cannot begin to express here what that conference did for us. So much practical help but also a very affirming time for us in what we believe the Lord is asking of us and the direction He is taking us and how we believe about discipleship and on and on we could go. We are already planning on going when we are in the USA this coming October as they will be having what we believe is their 8th conference. I won’t bore you with all the details but it is a leadership conference for leaders and those that are training leaders in the emerging and relevant church movement in the world today. There were people from all around the world including some former Soviet Union countries like Ukraine. We have been given so many resources to help us in what we are doing. Even just the books that the speakers have written are such a source of encouragement. If anyone would like to know what we are talking about please email us and we will let you know the website etc of this conference. What a blessing it was to us! The way the Lord provided for us to be able to go is a real testimony to how He provides!

This also reminds us of how He provides for us when we are obedient to Him. As most of you know we do not do the traditional methods of fundraising but feel like the model that George Mueller lived by, is what the Lord has asked of us. We do have some people and church groups that have felt the Lord asking them to help us in this area. We had approximately 50% of what we needed to meet our needs, committed to us monthly when we arrived in Ukraine last fall. It is hard to explain how it all happened but we have always had enough somehow. The point we are making is that the Lord really has been faithful and once again we feel like He has confirmed His desire for us to continue on in faith believing that He will provide without any help from us. It is always a test of our faith but He is always faithful. Just to give an example of this: When we left the USA to go back “home” to Ukraine in the fall of 2006, we were planning on being there 9 months which was our longest time since we have been going to Ukraine 6 years ago. We were leaving for the longest time with the least amount of money in our hands when we arrived in Ukraine. With our lack of faith we figured we would probably need to leave in about 2 months to come back to the USA because of lack of money. Why do we find it so hard to trust God and all His resources? Needless to say He provided and we did not need to change the dates on our tickets for our return to the USA.

Well once again we apologize for not updating this website for so long! We want to make the effort to keep everyone updated on what is happening with us in our current time in Ukraine. We are believing the Lord for many good things and as they happen we will be letting you know via this website. Our group has been continuing to meet while we were gone and we are looking forward to reconnecting with them and all of our various relationships. We do not know how the Lord will be leading us in this coming year, but we are willing to do what He asks of us even if it may be out of our “comfort” zone. Of course just being in Ukraine in some ways is out of our comfort zone as Americans but with the relationships etc that He has us in, we seldom think about the comforts that we are missing, because He gives us the grace to do what He asks of us.

Continue to check this website as we will be updating pictures etc.
God Bless you all!
David and Christine