Monday, July 25, 2011
A full weekend
Saturday morning Kaharlyk's Cricket team had it's first game in 3 weeks. We played one of the best teams in the league and got soundly beaten. I think everybody on our team had a bad day. Liese, Josie Sprague and Christy Claycamp came to watch which might have jinxed us. But we did get to eat really good Indian food (which is pretty much the reason I'm playing cricket), the weather was perfect, and the field actually had grass on it which made playing a lot more enjoyable.
After the cricket game I went and bought 22 pounds of meat for a men's BBQ. We've been meeting once a month to study what it means to be a disciple of Christ and we decided it was time to do another BBQ. There is an old granite quarry about 20 miles from Kaharlyk and it has the best water for swimming in our region so we drove out there and grilled shashlyk, swam, and hung out, sang some praise songs together, and prayed. We invited a church from the city of Rokitne to join us and we had about 30 guys in all.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Motivations for missions and ministry
I've been studying I Thessalonians for the bible study at the rehab center and I remembered that the last time I studied through it I noticed that it paints a very clear picture of how the apostle Paul thought about missions.
In chapter 2 Paul writes about the struggle that it was to preach the gospel in that area and yet how in everything they did they sought to serve God and not simply please man. Then in v. 8 he writes that his group had so grown to love the people that they were teaching the gospel that they were ready to give them not just the gospel but their very selves. Throughout the whole epistle over and over Paul writes about how important these people are to him.
Often we look at the epistles to Timothy and Titus to learn about church planting, about raising up leaders. We look to the book of Acts as a model for going around preaching the gospel. But we rarely look at I Thessalonians as a ministry model. Yet here Paul talks the most about how he actually lived among the people he was serving. Here Paul writes the reason he was willing to stay and preach in the midst of suffering. That reason is not simply that he is compelled to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world but because those very people whom he is serving have become so dear to him that he is ready to give his own life for them.
That is the motivation and the sustenance of missions. Not simply a response to a need for churches, or for the gospel to be spread but loving people so much that one is ready to give one's life along with the gospel for their sake.
In chapter 2 Paul writes about the struggle that it was to preach the gospel in that area and yet how in everything they did they sought to serve God and not simply please man. Then in v. 8 he writes that his group had so grown to love the people that they were teaching the gospel that they were ready to give them not just the gospel but their very selves. Throughout the whole epistle over and over Paul writes about how important these people are to him.
Often we look at the epistles to Timothy and Titus to learn about church planting, about raising up leaders. We look to the book of Acts as a model for going around preaching the gospel. But we rarely look at I Thessalonians as a ministry model. Yet here Paul talks the most about how he actually lived among the people he was serving. Here Paul writes the reason he was willing to stay and preach in the midst of suffering. That reason is not simply that he is compelled to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world but because those very people whom he is serving have become so dear to him that he is ready to give his own life for them.
That is the motivation and the sustenance of missions. Not simply a response to a need for churches, or for the gospel to be spread but loving people so much that one is ready to give one's life along with the gospel for their sake.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Rehabilitation Center
Saturday afternoon Wayne and I went out to Sloboda for a birthday BBQ at the rehab center. We got there to find we were a bit over dressed.
A bunch of guys who finished the rehab program a couple years ago came out for the event. I enjoyed catching up on what has been going on in their lives and was really encouraged to see them strong in their faith, serving God, and employed.
As we sat around the table eating shashlyk someone started asking what people's goals and dreams in life are. Some who were newer to the program said very simple things like having a stable life, being able to work and buy a car. But the majority of the guys there said their dreams were to be able to serve recovering addicts in various ways. A couple guys are starting a new branch off the main rehab center in Kiev, a couple are going to join a group starting a center in Crimea. A few guys are looking for a steady job that allows them to continue to serve in various rehab centers. Some want to start a business that will provide jobs for people leaving rehab. Some want to go to seminary or bible college to grow in their knowledge of the bible so they can more effectively serve.
I was really encouraged to see a half a dozen men who had come through the rehab center in Sloboda with vision, passion, and commitment to serving God. And the BBQ was great.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Global Mission Mondays: Tunisia
It has been a few weeks since we've done Global Mission Monday, but we are back today and at our prayer meeting tonight we will be praying for Tunisia.
Tunisia is a country on the northern most part of Africa with a population of about 10 million people. The south of Tunisia lies in the Sahara desert while the coastal areas are fertile.
Tunisia became an independent country in 1956 after being ruled by the Phoenicians, the Romans, the Vandals, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the Ottoman Empire, and The French. From 1987-2011 Tunisia was ruled by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali whose rule stifled the economy and was the source of widespread corruption. In December 2010 protests over government corruption began which forced the President to resign and flee the country and sparked revolutions in many Arab countries.
98% of modern Tunisians are Arab-Berber, about 1% are Berbers, and 1% European.
The constitution makes Islam is the state religion and gives significant religious freedoms. The majority of Tunisia's population (around 98%) are Muslims, while about 1% follow Christianity and the remaining 1% adhere to Judaism or other religions. The Christian community of around 25,000 is mainly Catholic (22,000) with a small number of Protestants.
Tunisia became an independent country in 1956 after being ruled by the Phoenicians, the Romans, the Vandals, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the Ottoman Empire, and The French. From 1987-2011 Tunisia was ruled by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali whose rule stifled the economy and was the source of widespread corruption. In December 2010 protests over government corruption began which forced the President to resign and flee the country and sparked revolutions in many Arab countries.
98% of modern Tunisians are Arab-Berber, about 1% are Berbers, and 1% European.
The constitution makes Islam is the state religion and gives significant religious freedoms. The majority of Tunisia's population (around 98%) are Muslims, while about 1% follow Christianity and the remaining 1% adhere to Judaism or other religions. The Christian community of around 25,000 is mainly Catholic (22,000) with a small number of Protestants.
[information from wikipedia and the joshua project]
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Thoughts on being gone
I left home in the year 2000 to study at bible college in Austria and from there I moved to Ukraine. I was following God’s call and leaving family and friends behind, though not easy, was not the most difficult thing I’ve ever done.
Now it has been more than 10 years since I left my life on the Central Coast of California. My life has changed, I speak and think in a new language. I am part of a new culture that influences the way I think and talk. But I don’t notice these changes, they are just a part of me.
What I do notice is the changes in my family and friends that I left. After being gone for about 5 years I noticed that lots of my friends were having kids. Their lives had changed and I was not a part of that change. But 5 years ago I was barely connected to the internet, didn’t have skype, and didn’t have facebook. My friends’ lives were far away and I didn’t see them.
But times have changed. Skype now connects me with my family almost every week and I get to see my nieces grow up and they know me because of skype. Facebook connects me with my friends and I get to see their kids, their lives, how things have changed and how they’ve grown.
It is great to have these digital means to connect but lately I’ve been realizing that 10 years is a long time to be gone. People that I was really good friends with have kids that I don’t know. Their lives have changed and I am not there to change with them. When there was nothing to connect us I didn’t think about it very often, but now I see pictures on facebook and read tweets and realize that I am not a part of my friends lives anymore. That is a sad thing to realize. It is also something that most people don’t say about being on the mission field.
You hear things about leaving family and how Jesus said if we leave our family we’ll get more family in this world and the next, but nobody really talks about how that happens over 10+ years of living on a different continent. Family is always there and is stable in a way that only a family can be. Friendships are different though, they change in a way family never does. Now that social networking can give us a window into what we have left behind we have the loss of those close friendships brought into our view anytime someone posts a picture of a group of people that used to include us but now doesn’t.
Maybe everyone doesn’t experience this, or at least not in the way I do, but I’m learning that it is part of what it means to leave one place and live in another following the calling of God. Friends’ lives move on without you. It is the natural result of being gone. For all the good that social networking does to help us stay connected to friends and family it also is a window into the lives of my friends and a reminder that I’m not the part of their lives that I once was.
Now it has been more than 10 years since I left my life on the Central Coast of California. My life has changed, I speak and think in a new language. I am part of a new culture that influences the way I think and talk. But I don’t notice these changes, they are just a part of me.
What I do notice is the changes in my family and friends that I left. After being gone for about 5 years I noticed that lots of my friends were having kids. Their lives had changed and I was not a part of that change. But 5 years ago I was barely connected to the internet, didn’t have skype, and didn’t have facebook. My friends’ lives were far away and I didn’t see them.
But times have changed. Skype now connects me with my family almost every week and I get to see my nieces grow up and they know me because of skype. Facebook connects me with my friends and I get to see their kids, their lives, how things have changed and how they’ve grown.
It is great to have these digital means to connect but lately I’ve been realizing that 10 years is a long time to be gone. People that I was really good friends with have kids that I don’t know. Their lives have changed and I am not there to change with them. When there was nothing to connect us I didn’t think about it very often, but now I see pictures on facebook and read tweets and realize that I am not a part of my friends lives anymore. That is a sad thing to realize. It is also something that most people don’t say about being on the mission field.
You hear things about leaving family and how Jesus said if we leave our family we’ll get more family in this world and the next, but nobody really talks about how that happens over 10+ years of living on a different continent. Family is always there and is stable in a way that only a family can be. Friendships are different though, they change in a way family never does. Now that social networking can give us a window into what we have left behind we have the loss of those close friendships brought into our view anytime someone posts a picture of a group of people that used to include us but now doesn’t.
Maybe everyone doesn’t experience this, or at least not in the way I do, but I’m learning that it is part of what it means to leave one place and live in another following the calling of God. Friends’ lives move on without you. It is the natural result of being gone. For all the good that social networking does to help us stay connected to friends and family it also is a window into the lives of my friends and a reminder that I’m not the part of their lives that I once was.
Monday, July 04, 2011
Our Garden
Now that we've had some rain and our garden is really growing I thought I'd take some pictures. This year we planted 3 kinds of tomatoes, jalapenos, red and yellow bell peppers, spicy peppers (I don't know what their real name is), cucumbers, lettuce, beets, spinach, arugula, cilantro, basil, and dill.
We've already harvested all the spinach and arugula. The cucumbers are starting to get ripe this week. There are lots of green tomatoes so it looks like we'll have a good tomato year.
Having a garden gives us fresh vegetables that are often hard to find in Kaharlyk (like spinach and cilantro) and Liese cans and pickles the tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers which saves us a lot of money in the winter time when we would have to buy them canned.
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