Several Stories from Several Days

Hello all,

I'm sorry for the lack of updates over the past several days. I have been getting home fairly late at night lately, and I haven't had much of a chance to update the blog. It has been a good few days. It's hard to put into words the emotions of a short trip like this. It is very different than going somewhere with the intention of staying long term. In some ways it feels like we are doing a lot, and yet in other ways it seems like we would have to be here for years before we would really be productive. It's during those times when we have to remember that God can use each moment, however short it may be.

Well, as was mentioned in the last post, we had our first LST party this past Saturday. Although it was slightly hectic, overall the party was a success. We probably had nearly fifty people show up, all of which seemed to enjoy themselves very much. We played several different games and even taught the lucky attendees to do the hokie pokie! All in all it was a lot of fun and we continue to pray that deep lasting relationships can be formed between the readers and the church. As for the rest of the weekend, Sunday and Monday were our rest-days, which in reality were used not so much to rest as to do a lot of the things we had been wanting to do the previous days, that due to our full schedules with the readers, we had not been able to do. We spent some time during those days with both readers and church members, seeing different parts of the city, and just enjoying our time together.

Yesterday was a really special day. Here in Mariupol the church that we are working with owns a big building. One part if it is the area where the church meets every week, and the other part is what is called the Transitional Living Center, or TLC. The TLC is a place where orphan teenagers can live while they attend trade school and look to begin a career. Last night the LST team made dinner for all of the TLC kids and people involved in the work that goes on there. We spent most of our free time between readers cooking and setting up for the 25 plus people who attended the dinner. It was so encouraging to see everyone together smiling and laughing and sharing a meal. We are separated by a language and a culture, but we were united last night as family by the love of Christ.

As we look towards the end of our time here in Mariupol, we are starting to think about how to close our time with our readers, and what to leave them with as we leave to go home. This can be a tough question, and sometimes it can feel like there is just not enough time to say everything that needs to be said. Several of our readers like Alex and Alyona and Alevtina, and so many others like Kate and Valeria are really progressing in both their English and their understanding of who Jesus was and what that means for their lives, and we are just starting to build relationships with other readers like Bagdan and Ira. However, there are just a few days left, and it can be hard to leave when it seems like so much more can be done. But God is faithful. He is able to continue working when we are thousands of miles away, and that is what is most important. We want to thank you again for your prayers and support. It's not over yet; we still have one party left!

Love and thanks...

P.S. I have changed the picture site, and made it a little bit easier to navigate (I think... :-) ) so please feel free to look at some of our new pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.com/LSTMARIUPOL

God Bless!