Angel Wings

A very cool thing that happened one night as I was on my way up the walk to my house, there were four children playing. One of them saw me coming and pointed to me, and then ran over to her friends and said something. Then as I got closer she blurted right out, “are you from America?” I said “yes, are you from Ukraine? She said yes.” Then she asked me if I live alone, then she asked if America was beautiful. I said yes, but so is Ukraine. She said she thinks that America is more beautiful. I smiled and asked her what made her think that. She just said she thinks so. I asked her name and how old she was. She is 8, in the second class, and lives in my building. Her name is Lena, her friends are Sasha boy, Sasha girl, and Igor. They live in the adjacent building. She asked me if America was hot like it was today in Ukraine. I said it depends on where you live. If you live in the south, yes, but in the north, not so hot, then I excused myself and said I was tired and needed to go eat. They are very cute and since our first meeting they have presented me with a bag of apricots hanging on my door when I came home one night from Bible Study, Lena (Alena) came the next morning to make sure I had rec’vd them fine and that no one else had taken them. She said “you were gone forever, till it was very dark. Where did you go? Why did you come back so late? When can I be a guest in your house?”

Then a day or so later, Alena came with more friends. I can’t remember all their names, one was a little girl who is 5, her name is Sophia, there was another boy named Maxim, and another girl who is also 8. Now I have regular visits from them, Alena is at her dacha (summer home) for the moment so the other gal has taken over the leadership. She put a bag of apples on my door handle the other night. So cute! I have given them booklets that we handed out at the summer orphan camps, and american crayons. They came back and presented me with flowers, mickey/minnie mouse stickers, and a note that said, Dear Finessa (that is correct, “Finessa”) thank you for the presents. From your friends (and all the names were listed). I want to give them salvation bracelets and make them some chocolate chip cookies too.

Even though I am leaving Poltava, the Lord still is using me to plant seeds even when I least expect it!!! PRAISE HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. I will post pictures of my new friends at a later date-tonight is the eve before I leave for Boryadanka to go apartment hunting. I will be using a realtor…pray that the realtor price is not high and I can find the right apartment that the Lord desires for me to have quickly. I have felt the Lord nudging me and speaking to my heart about getting ministry started in Boryadanka and to quit waiting. So, I have packed 90% of my apartment in Poltava, and am on an intensive apartment search. To God be all the glory!!!

It’s been hot hot hot here!!! Temps are above 100F almost every day.  I was told that the reason we have this hot temperature is that our winds are currently from Africa. Hmmmm…  Oh well, I don’t mind it, except for when I need to go to the market and by the time I get ¼ of the way down my neighborhood street sweat is already dripping down my back.    It is supposed to be hot for the rest of the month-or so I am told by Ukrainians.  Isn’t it time to go to the sea yet?

 keep listening for those wings…

By the way, for those watching the news, I am not near where the train with the toxic fumes derailed.  That happened in Western Ukraine.  Keep praying for all those affected by this.  And for the goverment to take care of those affected by this and to take the necessary action against any who were in the wrong, if that is the case.  

I want to back up a little from my last depressing little blog (I am doing much better now-thank you all for your prayers!!!) 

June 15^th here in Poltava we had our first team for the summer arrive from Florida. Our days were filled with going to camps and shelters.  Most days I left my house at 7:30am and didn’t return till 9pm or so.  Busy, but very fruitful.  On June 25^th our first team left and our second team arrived.  We had much of the same sort of schedule as the first team.  But with the second team I believe we were all used to the “groove” by that time and were working as an oiled machine instead of clanking our wheels and getting no where.  Praise God during the time both teams were here, no one became ill or seriously injured.  After the second team left, everyone crashed and recovered for about three days or so!!! I think I might still be sleep deprived..can’t seem to get enough sleep!! 

With the second team, the Lord did incredible things…we were going to one camp where the orphans are (orphans are sent to camps each summer, for the fresh air-some orphans go to foster families in different countries-most go to camps-they love it!)This orphanage was a 2 hour drive from Poltava.  When we arrived-the orphanage was quarantined with either chicken pox or mumps (it was debated for some time the translation of what the children were quarantined with).  The quarantine was only installed that morning so it was impossible for the director to call and cancel…at the camp were health officals etc.  If we had gone the day before, some of us may have contracted this disease (one of our translators has a 1 year old boy, and is pregnant with her second child).  Although many Americans have had chicken pox, some of us (me included) have not, and although Americans are vaccinated for mumps, Ukrainians are not…the Lord intervened…

The last day the second team was here was a day of miracles-we went to the psychiatric hospital where many children go who are from troubled homes (drugs, alcohol, abuse)or children who are sent to this hospital because they are troublemakers at the orphanages [I don't know if you remember that I used to go there and minister, this is a place that has been on my heart since I was no longer able to go]-(sent there to be punished-it’s a stigma to go to the psychiatric hospital)-some of the children have obvious mental problems, others are not so obvious-but these are children who need the love of Christ just as much as any other child-some of them know us from last year and the years when my former Pastor and wife who are in Israel now went there to minister, we recognize them, they recognize us, but the miracle of today is…a few of the children accepted Jesus as their Saviour!!!!! Pray for two boys who came up at the end and wanted to know how they two could be saved-the conversation had to be ended suddenly as they are on a very regimented schedule and it was time to eat…God knows about these two boys…my prayer also is that Poltava church would continue to go to this hospital on a regular basis…

This last team was such a HUGE blessing for us…the way we served alongside each other, and the gospel was shared to many many many children at camps, the psychiatric hospital, in the local neighborhoods…Praise God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally, most of you know that I am moving to Boryadanka, (pronounced Bore yah dahn kah).  It is only a city of 4,000 so apartments are hard to find.  At this moment there are many of us looking for an apartment at the same time.  Myself, my Pastor and wife there in Boryadanka, and Sasha, who is coming to do the youth group.  For the last month, some of the ladies in Boryadanka have been asking around and looking at advertisements for apartments for me.  But, that could take a while in a town of 4,000 with other people on the team also looking for an apartment.  So I have decided to go with a realtor (apartment finder).  I will have to pay a “finders fee” but I figured that into my moving budget so I think I should be fine.  Please pray (I will be leaving probably sometime after Tuesday next week), that I can find one, that I will listen to the Lord’s leading on which apartment to choose, and that all the financial details will work out.  I won’t return to Poltava until I have found an apartment.  But between now and the time I leave, I would like to have the apartment 90% packed (right now it is 75%),therefore when I do return, the actual leaving won’t be as rushed.  I will post again when I return.  Thanks for your prayers.  And as always, keep listening for the sound of Angel wings…you never know when you might be visited by an Angel

A new time in my life is coming up-I am moving once again! This time I am moving to Boryadanka-a small town (4,000 people) 53 kilometers north, northwest of Kiev.

Actually, all the missionaries minus the current Pastor (Eric and Tanya Bougie) and his wife are moving out. The Brinkerhoffs are moving to Kharkov, Marilyn is moving to Ternopil, and I am moving to Boryadanka. Weird, but we know this is His will for the church here at this time. They have been fed for so long, and now it is time for them to feed themselves, to step out into ministry and see what the Lord has for them, instead of us missionaries doing it for them. We have been seeing the nationals slowly begin this process, yet some are reluctant, scared, perhaps nervous about leading a ministry. With us here, no one will fully get out of their seats and start ministering.

BUT, in the meantime, my emotions are all over the place. To be honest, I see the other missionaries having a plan of action, mostly a place to live, while I wait and wait for the phone call “we have an apartment for you”. You see, Boryadanka being so small, not many people leave their homes for another, not many people move at all. It’s been a month and half since the Lord finalized His plan in my heart and in the Pastor’s heart in Boryadanka. Now I am learning all over again how to wait on the Lord. I seek prayer that during this waiting time, even if I am the last one here in Poltava; that I will continue to seek His face, and be on my face before Him daily. It’s a learning process, and sometimes the learning can be hard.

I was listening to this song by BarlowGirl. For me, it really ministered to my heart as this is where I am, in a dark place. But at this writing, the Lord has not led me through the dark place into His sun (Son) light, or perhaps I have not allowed the Lord to lead me out of the dark place. Unfortunately, being in this dark place is not only affecting me, but affecting others as well as they try to understand where I am and what is going on in me. Some think I am angry, to be honest, I’m not. Just in a dark place and I can’t seem to see the light although I know it is there. I try to be happy and put on a smile as someone said that a Christian who is depressed is looking at themselves and not at the Lord. Perhaps I am. All that I know is that I am in a dark place and I don’t like it!!!! I really desire to see Him in the morning. In the song, they sing “I feel the sun light on my face” and on the second chorus I would want to write that “I feel the SON light on my face” but then it’s not my song, nor my lyrics..so I leave it as written.

I know that if I am patient, and real still, I will hear the sound of Angel wings….perhaps you will too.

Here are the lyrics to the song.

You Led Me

BarlowGirl

Good morning.

The night is over and gone.

I thought once, this dark would last for so long

Feel the sunlight

On my face

You have brought me

Through this place

Jesus, Jesus, You found me

Through the long night

You led me

You set me free

Do You see

Just what You’ve done in my life

You gave me

More than I hoped

For now I

Feel Your Son light

On my face

You have brought me

Through this place

Jesus, Jesus, You found me

Through the long night

You led me

You set me free

Feel the sun light

On my face

You have brought me

Through this place

Jesus, Jesus, You found me

Through the long night

You met me

You set me free

Good morning

The night is over

And gone