Mission Alushta - more

Another little girl, Katya is 7 with Cerebral Palsy affecting her legs and a dislocated hip. A very bright girl who can walk short distances if both hands are held. When she received her chair she wheeled over to her daddy and said, "now don't you wish you were an invalid too"!

Dennis age 7 also from Russia. He has Cerebral Palsy quadriplegia with very high tone. He had had 8 surgeries on his legs, 4 in the last year in St. Petersburg. (this was the only child I had who was actually better after surgery) We gave him a wheelchair and a cut down walker with wheels. His mom was afraid he couldn't handle the wheels but he took right off in it with minimal assistance. He was so excited and said this day was better than his birthday. After "racing" Libby in his walker he said this is such a fun place.

Now although we are assigned teams, we all help out where ever needed. Each team is comprised of a seating specialist (a physical or occupational therapist), a mechanic, a support person and an interpreter (without whom we could not function). Tom spent several hours one day helping another team's mechanic, first by trying to repair the chair and then by actually taking one that functioned but was the wrong size and "building" a new chair from the both of them that both functioned and fit.

After a long and short very busy week the part of the team that stayed in Alushta packed up the remaining supplies and cleaned and put the church we've been working in back together to ready for church services on Sunday. We enjoy one of those evening walks down on the waterfront and worship together with our volunteers and the rest of the church congregation on Sunday. After church we split into small groups to visit at some of the homes of those in the congregation. A true blessing to sit and enjoy fellowship with the dear Ukrainian families of this church.

Olya with the help of her 18 year old grand-daughter made us a delicious borsht for lunch. We enjoyed visiting with her and her grandchildren for the afternoon.

All of the people we encounter have a story. And God knows each one by heart. We came for a short time, provided help and aid and most of all we shared God's love and His plan for salvation. A piece of my heart is left each trip and yet my heart grows beyond what I can imagine at the same time.

The team bonds through it all, working side by side, taking evening walks in search of Coke Light (aka in America as Diet Coke), walking down by the Black Sea and some even playing Bananagrams and Scrabble in the hotel lobby. We share a special bond, a bond of family in Christ. We may not be so good at keeping in touch, but I assure you when we meet again we are filled with joy at our reunions and seem to pick up right where we left off.

As we board the bus to start our journey home, a few of our Ukrainian family come to see us off.

On our way back to Sevastopol for our flight to Kyiv, we stop in Yalta at the Livadia Palace. Famous for being a summer retreat for the last Russian Tsar, Nicholas II and host to the Yalta Conference in 1945.

Mission Alushta - Andre

I mentioned in the last post that the team went out to Evpatoria and Simferopol. Simferopol is about an hour drive from Alushta with Evpatoria being another hour and half farther yet. These two offsite visits occurred at the end of our week, Friday and Saturday after we discovered we had a lot of people in those areas who were not able to get as far as Alushta to be seen. But some did come.
Details provided by Cindy - the therapist who worked with this family.
Andre, age 8 was brought by his mother, carried in her arms. Andre has Cerebral Palsy and cortical blindness. They traveled 5 days from northern Russia and were staying in Evpatoria at a children's sanatorium for treatments. They heard about our distribution from a woman on the street who saw Andre being carried by his mother. She told them about our giving out wheelchairs and gave them a handwritten invitation with the address of the church we were at in Alushta included. They came the next day to see us. The mother knew God had sent them to us and it was a miracle how they found out. Andre received a wheelchair and other gifts. Sasha, Andre's 3 year old sister when given some butterfly clips for her hair kissed each one. When they returned to Evpatoria they posted an announcement on the bulletin board and many others came because of it. The very next day the father returned with car load of people and came to tell us how appreciative he and his family were. Ruslan said it reminded him of the 10 lepers and the one who came back to thank Jesus.
Now I have to tell you that we don't advertise our wheelchair distributions. The local social services people line up appointments for those who are determined to be in need of a free chair. We have no idea how on our first day of ministry that someone two and a half hours away had knowledge and a written address of our distribution to give Andre and his family. Like Andre's mother, we believe in miracles and angels from God.

Mission Alushta - continued

So far as going day by day for this trip I have to say all the days blur right along together, so the posting will just be about "the trip". Doesn't matter to God anyway so long as He gets the glory.
Monday turned out to be a slower day...some of our appointments are no shows, but we were not idle. Refining our set up and spending time getting to know our interpreters and of course those who did come for wheelchairs. We prayed that the week would pick up, and it certainly was not as we had planned it, but God sure used our ministry to reach those who it needed to reach. I have not seen the final tally, but it is somewhere close to 140 wheelchairs and 40 other mobility devices (walkers, canes and crutches). Some 60ish (again with not seeing the recorded numbers) non-believers accepted Christ during our ministry time. Praise the Lord and praying for them as they grow in their walk with Him.
The team did a few home visits and ended up with two other cities by the end of the week for ministry as well ~ Evpatoria and Simferopol. Part of the team stayed at the church in Alushta while the others went for a road trip to serve those who were unable to come to us.
I am sorting through the hundreds of photos, let me tell you an overwhelming task to choose what to post. So bear with me as it may take a few days to get this trip posted.

My lovely friend Cindy is writing up a story for me to share...I asked her since she was the therapist who saw this family, I was simply a bystander to God at work. So let that be bait for you to return and read it.

Mission Alushta

We are home from another fabulous short term mission to Ukraine. This trip was a partnership between Global Aid Network and Wheels for the World a ministry of Joni and Friends. Our mission to share the love and Gospel of Jesus Christ and to distribute wheelchairs to the disabled people of this area of Ukraine.
The team of 24 Americans left the U.S. on September 2nd and met up with 5 more missionary partners and our Ukrainian nationals to make up a team of over 40! It is always amazing to see what team God has put together. I comment every trip "this was the best team" and Tom always says "honey, I don't know why you are surprised...God hand picked each of you for a purpose". So right he is!As you may guess, getting there is quite the process. Packing, weigh suitcases and repacking, re-weighing and then repacking yet again for starters. Praise God all of all luggage arrived with the team this year! Last year we were short 10 suitcases for a couple of days, and it is quite common to be missing at least a couple so this is definitely a PTL thing.
We travel from our home airports and meet up in New York to fly on together to Kiev. In Kiev we have a long layover, long enough to get a bus to do a short bus tour and have pizza in Kiev before checking bags for the flight from Kiev to Sevastopol. The next morning is a 3 hour bus ride from Sevastopol to Alushta where we will be ministering for the next several days. It was a beautiful drive along the Black Sea and once in Alushta we hit the ground running. Meeting our interpreters and setting up the wheelchairs and our work areas for the people we would see starting on Monday.
I will be adding more stories and photos this coming week. Thanks so much for your prayers and support.

Ukraine Summer Trip Continued

Tuesday July 5th -
Another full day with a morning visit to an elderly home and in the afternoon another visit to a nearby village for clothing distribution.
The elderly home is home for aprox 200 residents from ages 18+. You may not think elderly for an 18 year old, but when an handicap persons caregiver is their grandmother this is one way they live together. I met one couple who had been married just 9 years and they had met there in the home.
Sally and I present the aprons in the kitchen here and are not allowed to leave until we are fed! An early lunch for us today. : )
Kristin shares the gospel message with this man who did not attend our group program. And her daughter 9 year old Brooke tries to feed the pigeons with this man.
In the afternoon we visit Lyshche Church for distribution of clothing and carepacks. Used clothing is sorted and packed at GAiN's Pennsylvania Distribution Center and then shipped to Ukraine to the port of Odessa. Sometimes the ministry is able to save on shipping costs by shipping space available on government cargo ships.
Our Gospel presentation before the distribution of aid is a outreach program to demonstrate the love of God and introduce the "non-churched" to a protestant church.
The team distributes CarePacks to the kids and entertains them while the adults pick clothing for their families and reuse the boxes they come out of.
Wednesday July 6 -
Today is a bit different with the team working the next village door to door inviting people to the afternoon program and distribution. We get off the bus on the edge of the village and work our way into the center where our meeting site will be. We distribute books and invitations and share the Gospel at every chance.
This man invited us to sit, making several trips in the house to be sure we all had something to sit on and then brought out cherries and blueberries sprinkled with sugar. He listened intently while Jim shared with him the Gospel and he later came to the program with a clean shirt and shave.
While waiting for the program to begin the team spends time playing with the local youngsters, tossing frisbees, short foot races and a hearty game of soccer/football.

Thursday is another children's rehab center. We get a tour of the facility after our presentation of the Gospel and distribution of books and CarePacks to the kids and families. They offer some alternative treatments such as therapy with horses and a nature walk highlighting different plants that have medicinal properties and scents.
As always at some point it is time to say good-bye to Ukraine and to the new friends we have made in our interpreters. Without them we not be able to do what we do. God works with these amazing young people and strengthens all of our faiths during our time together. They put together a song for us, singing "You are the Champions of our God" (to the Queen tune of "we are the champions").

Ukraine Summer Trip

As promised, albeit a bit tardy...the summer Ukraine trip report. Thank you to all who support my mission trips both financially and in prayer. Your support is appreciated!

June 29th-June 30th

The team of 15 Americans left JFK airport for an end destination of Lut'sk Ukraine. Lut'sk is located in the area near the border of Poland. We arrived in Kiev, transferred to another flight to Lv'iv and arrived there with all but two pieces of luggage. They were on the next flight, so the delay in receiving them was minimal. After a bus ride of about 3 hours we checked into our home away from home in the Ukraine Hotel in Lut'sk.
We have another great team and a very diverse one as well. Of the 15 we have a 9 year old, 2 17 year olds, a 19 year old and up to age 72. Quite diverse for such a small group. I don't know why, but I am always amazed as what God brings together and how well He has it all figured out.

Friday July 1st

This morning after breakfast (which here this week is a buffet) we jump into orientation and meet our interpreters for the first time. After getting to know each other and going we are off to our first site, a baby home. The baby home is an orphanage for ages 0-4. We met with the director of the home and the team saw the aid that Global Aid Network had delivered to the site...blankets, shoes, clothing, books for the staff etc. We split into smaller groups and received a tour of the facility as the children were down for naps. After the children woke up we were able to play with them outside and share the gospel message with the staff who were caring for them. It was a joy to spend the time just loving on those little ones. Unfortunately the director had signed an agreement that did not allow us to take photos, but imagine 15 of us, plus 5 interpreters playing with all these little children on a warm summer afternoon and hearing their giggles and seeing their smiles glow in the sunshine. It was hard to leave.

Saturday July 2

We start our day with walking the streets of Lut'sk on the Plaza and distributing books. These books in Ukrainian are More Than a Carpenter/Book of John, How To Be a Hero to Your Kids and The Deceiver (a book that talks about cults and false teaching). We were also blessed to have some bibles with us, but they were translated in Russian and we actually had a couple of refusals due to that...we were in western Ukraine and the political sentiment is umm, well Ukrainian.

We strive to leave politics at home, both our views of their politics and our own.

We met many who accepted the books, some who wanted to know more about what we were doing and shared the gospel message and we pray that all of the seeds we planted that day are grown in the hearts of those that heard.

We took the later afternoon to see a bit of Lut'sk including it's historical focal point of the Lubart Castle.

Sunday July 3

What a blessed morning to be able to gather at the river to witness 37 members of 4 area churches come together for their baptism. Four at a time walked out into the water to four waiting pastors. It was a sight to withhold.

Afterward we attended church service at Pastor Sasha's church where one of our team gave a message and another shared his moving testimony of how God gave him strength in time of great grief. The team also participated with singing for the congregation. During the service one man walked forward, crying and wished to repent and receive Christ. He said he could no longer wait after witnessing the baptism and hearing the word spoken to this point. The service delayed to have the pastors pray over this man. Thanks be to God for opening his heart.

We learned that this church was one that remained open during the soviet years of control and all the sermons had to be approved by a government official during that time and only spoken of at the pulpit. Now new freedom has given new life to this congregation.

After church the ladies had prepared finger sandwiches for us for lunch and we quickly ate and were off to a village about 40 minutes away. There we met with a missionary couple from Lut'sk who have been ministering in this area. We did a group presentation of introducing our team, singing songs and sharing the gospel message. Then we in smaller groups spent time interacting with the children while the parents were able to select clothing for their families that was sent by GAiN. The children received CarePacks and children's bibles in Ukrainian and the parents also received the above mentioned books.

Monday July 4th
This morning we visited a Veteran's Hospital/Home. 200 men and women are cared for by a staff of 275 workers in a facility 4 stories high. During our auditorium presentation TJ, a 17 year old on our team, played The Star Spangled Banner on his sax in respect for our Independence Day at home in the U.S.. All of the veteran's who could stand did. When we finished we asked them to join our interpreters in singing their national anthem, with our American team standing tall while they sang. We all clapped together. The respect in their eyes shown as we respected their independence and we had a attentive audience for the remainder of our presentation. After our group presentation we were able to visit the floors and see those who were not able to come to the auditorium. We helped to distribute clothing and slippers that were sent ahead of the team via shipping container from our Pennsylvania Distribution Center. We shared other small gifts of handkerchiefs and socks that were carried in by the team in our suitcases.

In the afternoon we visited a rehabilitation center for children with disabilities. The children receive care and training in communication and motor skills and the parents also receive support and training on how to care for their disabled child. We were given a tour of the facility and therapy rooms and received explanations on some of the therapies used there. Each of the children received a CarePack and Children's Bible and the parents received the other books we distributed.

The apron ministry is especially impactful, reaching the often overlooked and forgotten kitchen staff. On each trip one of the team is assigned kitchen duty, a coveted role I assure you. This trip it was my turn and as a veteran of the GAiN trips we try to take new people along with me so they can see the apron ministry in action and participate. This time it was Brooke's turn. Brooke at 9 years of age had learned to sew these aprons at the PDC and was now able to also deliver them. Best of all she shared with the kitchen ladies the message of the gospel using the colors on the apron pockets. Great job Brooke!

A new beginning...again

So as you can read from my last post oh on January 3rd...I had the intention of blogging regularly. The best laid plans...
One of my friends started her own blog yesterday and it reminded me that I already have this outlet as a place to communicate whatever it is I wish to communicate. This blog is my personal space and doesn't owe any allegiance to anyone but myself. I can be opinionated, political, religious, crafty and even wrong (yes it happens and I can admit it).
My intentions when I started this blog was to have an outlet for my creativity in paper crafting and a place to share about my short term mission adventures. So while I still intend for those two things to occur here, it may also be a place for my political opinions, you are free to agree or not, but if you choose to read it, remember it is my opinion and you can disagree, but IF you decide to post, be respectful. I intend to be. *reference above comment about being wrong

It's a new day, so let's see if my intentions in keeping up with my blog, followers or not, comes to reality or not. My first goal would be to blog about my trip to Ukraine in July before embarking to Ukraine again on September 2nd.

May God shine His light on your day!