Last week at the orphanage we were told that some of the children were being transferred. Now, I have known all along that First Stage Orphanage is a temporary stop for these children. Most stay three months or less, and during my time here I have seen children come and go. Still, we have had a little group of about seven kids that have been there since we arrived and a few others who came in early November. We know all their names and they know us. When we walk in, we can hear them shout our names and they run to us for hugs and to play.
So, over the weekend I was praying for the children who might be moved, especially for my little friend Valera, three little girls that are sisters—Ileana, Volya, and Veka—and a little girl named Anna, who is a troublemaker but who has completely stolen my heart. I was expecting that they would not all be there when we arrived this week. So, upon our arrival on Tuesday I quickly scanned the children in the room and all five of “my” kids were gone as well as some others who I didn’t even think might be moved. Honestly, I just wanted to cry. I was really feeling the loss of these children and just a great sadness. Oksana turned to me and said, “These aren’t even our kids,” so I know she was feeling some of the same emotions.
There were two new adorable little girls. When I first saw them I didn’t notice how adorable they were, I noticed what one of them was wearing. Sometimes, on Thursdays, we are at the orphanage during part of bath time. One of the workers will call over three or four children of about the same size and let them pick out their clothes from a little pile. One little dress is red and white checkered with a red apple on the front. When ever it is clean, Anna wears it. Honestly, most of the other clothing you will see on more than one child, but this little red dress I have only seen Anna wear. Tuesday, Leda was wearing it.
I honestly didn’t want to be there anymore. Oksana, Sasha, and I talked a little about our lesson, Sasha started to tell the Bible story, and then I led a game. When we finished the game, Leda and Jenya came over and wanted to play with me. Soon, Leda’s sister Nastya wanted to play too. We played for a little and then they went off to play with some toys. I was still feeling a little sad, so I sat down on a bench next to Oksana and she and I started talking a little about the children. Little Leda climbed up in my lap and wanted to play again. We were bouncing and wiggling and playing and she stopped and asked me, “Do you like my dress?” I couldn’t understand her but Oksana translated for me. In that moment I was struck with such a love for the beautiful and precious 4-year-old little girl I was holding in my lap and I was able to tell her yes, she had a beautiful dress.
God is so good to me. It is such a privilege to share His love with all of these children. I know He loves them far more than I do. I know He has a plan for each of their lives. I am thankful that God is using me to touch their lives and that He uses them as a blessing in my life. Please continue to pray for this ministry. Pray for Sasha, Oksana, Sarah, and me, but most of all, please pray for all of these children. I am confident God is also going to use other people in their lives, and I trust them all to Him.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
The glitter saga January 11, 2007
Okay, so we do crafts, lots of crafts. I decided that for both the Kid’s Club and ladies’ ministry I would like to do a Christmas craft with glitter. The only problem was I couldn’t find any glitter. Now I will admit, neither of these projects was pivotal; I could have picked something else, but I didn’t want to. Thus began the search.
First, I looked in the craft supplies we have, but no glitter. Anna said she had never seen glitter in any store but promised she would keep her eyes peeled whenever she was out. I asked Oksana, who told me to ask Inna, who thought she had seen some in the department store, but she wasn’t sure in which shop. So, I searched there but did not find any.
One day Sasha and I went shopping with a list of other things, but our main goal was glitter. A big problem was that Sasha doesn’t really know what glitter is. In a Christmas store I found some little pieces of glitter on a shelf that had fallen off of a Christmas ornament. So, Sasha was able to ask the clerk if they sold just the glitter. Though she answered no, she suggested that we shop at a store that sells nail things or make up. So, always the good sport, Sasha took me to two ladies’ stores looking for glitter, but still we couldn’t find any. While shopping, Anna found some glitter lip gloss and glitter body lotion, which were great, but they wouldn’t work for the craft.
I know it is ridiculous, but I was getting really frustrated because all I wanted was glitter and it shouldn’t be that much to ask. I didn’t want to change my crafts. I was really being pretty stubborn and silly about the whole thing. Finally, I prayed about the silly glitter. I wasn’t asking for glitter but more for help with my attitude about the whole situation. Then, I was able to step back and see I could change crafts. Again, my plans are not that important; I could look at doing something else. So, I sat down one evening and started sorting through some Sunday School materials that a church from the States sent. I originally planned to use them to work on ideas for VBS-type programs this summer and for programs for the orphanage, but I was looking also for a Christmas craft idea. Guess what I found in one of the boxes—glitter!
When Anna saw it she said, “God really loves you,” and again I was reminded how much I am loved. How silly that little things can become a point of disobedience. I can become angry and stubborn and really just consumed with a little negative or I can trust God, roll with the punches, let go of the things that don’t go according to my plans, and just cling to Jesus. I am so thankful for the glitter but more thankful for the lesson and the love.
As an added note, Anna did find more glitter for me at the same department store I looked in, Oksana bought me some for Christmas, and both the Christmas ornaments and the decorated cards were great fun to make.
First, I looked in the craft supplies we have, but no glitter. Anna said she had never seen glitter in any store but promised she would keep her eyes peeled whenever she was out. I asked Oksana, who told me to ask Inna, who thought she had seen some in the department store, but she wasn’t sure in which shop. So, I searched there but did not find any.
One day Sasha and I went shopping with a list of other things, but our main goal was glitter. A big problem was that Sasha doesn’t really know what glitter is. In a Christmas store I found some little pieces of glitter on a shelf that had fallen off of a Christmas ornament. So, Sasha was able to ask the clerk if they sold just the glitter. Though she answered no, she suggested that we shop at a store that sells nail things or make up. So, always the good sport, Sasha took me to two ladies’ stores looking for glitter, but still we couldn’t find any. While shopping, Anna found some glitter lip gloss and glitter body lotion, which were great, but they wouldn’t work for the craft.
I know it is ridiculous, but I was getting really frustrated because all I wanted was glitter and it shouldn’t be that much to ask. I didn’t want to change my crafts. I was really being pretty stubborn and silly about the whole thing. Finally, I prayed about the silly glitter. I wasn’t asking for glitter but more for help with my attitude about the whole situation. Then, I was able to step back and see I could change crafts. Again, my plans are not that important; I could look at doing something else. So, I sat down one evening and started sorting through some Sunday School materials that a church from the States sent. I originally planned to use them to work on ideas for VBS-type programs this summer and for programs for the orphanage, but I was looking also for a Christmas craft idea. Guess what I found in one of the boxes—glitter!
When Anna saw it she said, “God really loves you,” and again I was reminded how much I am loved. How silly that little things can become a point of disobedience. I can become angry and stubborn and really just consumed with a little negative or I can trust God, roll with the punches, let go of the things that don’t go according to my plans, and just cling to Jesus. I am so thankful for the glitter but more thankful for the lesson and the love.
As an added note, Anna did find more glitter for me at the same department store I looked in, Oksana bought me some for Christmas, and both the Christmas ornaments and the decorated cards were great fun to make.
Quick Update January 11, 2007
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I know I am late, but here in Ukraine Christmas is not celebrated until January 7, so I am still in the middle of the holiday season. Things have been so busy but amazing and wonderful. I am so thankful to be in Ukraine for this time.
The Christmas season officially started December 19 with Saint Nicholas’ Day. We had the pleasure of being at the orphanage when he came to visit the children there. It was great fun. The youth English class had a small Christmas party during our last class on December 21. We are planning to resume on January 16, and I hope all the children will return.
On December 22 our conversation group had an American Christmas Party. We watched It’s a Wonderful Life, sang Christmas carols, read ’Twas the Night Before Christmas (this is something my dad always recites for Christmas, so it was such great fun to be able to share it with my Ukrainian friends), ate Christmas goodies, and most important of all, we talked about the birth of Jesus.
Saturday was a wonderful, amazing, crazy, busy day. Sasha and I combined our two English Kid’s Clubs for one party at Sasha’s church. We sang (I altered some Christmas songs to make them a little simpler, and they were a big hit), decorated Christmas bulbs, heard the story of Jesus’ birth, and enjoyed some more Christmas snacks. Then, we rushed home to Ernie and Anna’s for a huge Christmas dinner for 21 people.
On Christmas day we slept in until about 8:30 a.m. and then had a nice breakfast that the guys (Ernie and Don, a volunteer who came to visit over Christmas) prepared for us girls (Anna, Sarah, and I). Next, we had a time of praise and worship. Then, we opened gifts, but the gifts were not just from each other but from Ukrainian friends who had come to lunch on Saturday. It was a truly wonderful time. After opening presents, we just had a relaxing day. I received a phone call from home; it was such a wonderful gift to be able to talk to my dad, brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews. Then, around 4 p.m., I was off to ladies’ ministry.
It was funny when we set up our time to meet. I had explained to Tanya and Lewda that December 25 is Christmas in America so we shouldn’t meet. They assured me that it was okay that we meet. So, I said okay. I am so glad we did; it was the largest group we have had so far with 10 ladies. We had such a great time. Several people spoke, so we actually had a discussion in which the ladies shared their own experiences and talked about the story of Ruth. It was such an incredible blessing to me.
After that I was off to my English lesson with Katya and Alosha. They are a young couple in Sasha’s church who I am meeting with for private English lessons. Sasha is translating for us. We had such a good meeting. I am so excited about the growing relationship I am developing with Katya and Alosha. Christmas was such a wonderful day; I am so thankful for the love I am surrounded with here in Ukraine. Thank you so much for your prayers. I have such joy here, and I know that it is from God.
I know you are thinking this has been a full season, but wait, it is not done. Most people in Ukraine give gifts on New Year’s Day, so we had a huge task of preparing gifts for the children at the orphanage. Thankfully, people from the States sent many gifts through Meest Shipping. On Friday, December 29, we went to First Stage Orphanage and shared gifts with the children there. It was such fun. Then on Saturday, Sasha and I hosted two New Year’s parties for the Kid’s Clubs. I altered another song as a New Year’s song. Maybe I was a little overconfident from my success with the Christmas songs, but it was a real bomb. They requested that we just sing the Christmas songs instead. Oh well.
Then, for New Year’s Eve, the youth had an overnight party at Pastor Sergey and Oksana’s house. It was a typical all-night youth event, but with even more food. I feasted on lots of Ukrainian food that was all wonderful. Then, on January 1, 2007, we went to the birthday lunch of Sergey’s mom for another feast of Ukrainian food. Again, it was all so good. Sergey decided that I must not have an American stomach. I too am amazed. Not only am I trying foreign dishes, but I am actually eating fish and the most detestable vegetable of all, peas. I am giving the Lord all the credit.
So, what am I doing now? Well, we just finished our annual WGM field meeting. Missionaries Bill and Betsy Tarr and Bill and Oksana Brower met with Sarah, Ernie, Anna, and I to go over lots of WGM Ukraine information. It was so informative and really fun. Although Bill Brower and I were unfairly labeled as disruptive troublemakers, overall the meetings went really well. Oksana and I and some of the ladies in the church are working on gifts that will be given to children in the church on Ukrainian Christmas on January 7, and we have been invited over to Tanya and Mike’s apartment for a little party that day.
So, thanks again for all the prayers. I hope you also had a wonderful whirlwind of a Christmas Season and that Jesus was the focus of everything.
The Christmas season officially started December 19 with Saint Nicholas’ Day. We had the pleasure of being at the orphanage when he came to visit the children there. It was great fun. The youth English class had a small Christmas party during our last class on December 21. We are planning to resume on January 16, and I hope all the children will return.
On December 22 our conversation group had an American Christmas Party. We watched It’s a Wonderful Life, sang Christmas carols, read ’Twas the Night Before Christmas (this is something my dad always recites for Christmas, so it was such great fun to be able to share it with my Ukrainian friends), ate Christmas goodies, and most important of all, we talked about the birth of Jesus.
Saturday was a wonderful, amazing, crazy, busy day. Sasha and I combined our two English Kid’s Clubs for one party at Sasha’s church. We sang (I altered some Christmas songs to make them a little simpler, and they were a big hit), decorated Christmas bulbs, heard the story of Jesus’ birth, and enjoyed some more Christmas snacks. Then, we rushed home to Ernie and Anna’s for a huge Christmas dinner for 21 people.
On Christmas day we slept in until about 8:30 a.m. and then had a nice breakfast that the guys (Ernie and Don, a volunteer who came to visit over Christmas) prepared for us girls (Anna, Sarah, and I). Next, we had a time of praise and worship. Then, we opened gifts, but the gifts were not just from each other but from Ukrainian friends who had come to lunch on Saturday. It was a truly wonderful time. After opening presents, we just had a relaxing day. I received a phone call from home; it was such a wonderful gift to be able to talk to my dad, brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews. Then, around 4 p.m., I was off to ladies’ ministry.
It was funny when we set up our time to meet. I had explained to Tanya and Lewda that December 25 is Christmas in America so we shouldn’t meet. They assured me that it was okay that we meet. So, I said okay. I am so glad we did; it was the largest group we have had so far with 10 ladies. We had such a great time. Several people spoke, so we actually had a discussion in which the ladies shared their own experiences and talked about the story of Ruth. It was such an incredible blessing to me.
After that I was off to my English lesson with Katya and Alosha. They are a young couple in Sasha’s church who I am meeting with for private English lessons. Sasha is translating for us. We had such a good meeting. I am so excited about the growing relationship I am developing with Katya and Alosha. Christmas was such a wonderful day; I am so thankful for the love I am surrounded with here in Ukraine. Thank you so much for your prayers. I have such joy here, and I know that it is from God.
I know you are thinking this has been a full season, but wait, it is not done. Most people in Ukraine give gifts on New Year’s Day, so we had a huge task of preparing gifts for the children at the orphanage. Thankfully, people from the States sent many gifts through Meest Shipping. On Friday, December 29, we went to First Stage Orphanage and shared gifts with the children there. It was such fun. Then on Saturday, Sasha and I hosted two New Year’s parties for the Kid’s Clubs. I altered another song as a New Year’s song. Maybe I was a little overconfident from my success with the Christmas songs, but it was a real bomb. They requested that we just sing the Christmas songs instead. Oh well.
Then, for New Year’s Eve, the youth had an overnight party at Pastor Sergey and Oksana’s house. It was a typical all-night youth event, but with even more food. I feasted on lots of Ukrainian food that was all wonderful. Then, on January 1, 2007, we went to the birthday lunch of Sergey’s mom for another feast of Ukrainian food. Again, it was all so good. Sergey decided that I must not have an American stomach. I too am amazed. Not only am I trying foreign dishes, but I am actually eating fish and the most detestable vegetable of all, peas. I am giving the Lord all the credit.
So, what am I doing now? Well, we just finished our annual WGM field meeting. Missionaries Bill and Betsy Tarr and Bill and Oksana Brower met with Sarah, Ernie, Anna, and I to go over lots of WGM Ukraine information. It was so informative and really fun. Although Bill Brower and I were unfairly labeled as disruptive troublemakers, overall the meetings went really well. Oksana and I and some of the ladies in the church are working on gifts that will be given to children in the church on Ukrainian Christmas on January 7, and we have been invited over to Tanya and Mike’s apartment for a little party that day.
So, thanks again for all the prayers. I hope you also had a wonderful whirlwind of a Christmas Season and that Jesus was the focus of everything.
Language blunders January 11, 2007
The other day we were at the youth center and Oleg, one of the boys who comes very often, stole Sarah’s hat and put it on his head, only to discover that it was too large for him. Sarah is pretty small, and despite her statements that the hat is too large for her, Oleg started to chant in English, “Sarah have a big head!” over and over. Those of us who know English all laughed. It was pretty funny, but even funnier was when Sasha turned to me and said, “That is not correct. It is correct to say, ‘Sarah has a big head.’” I didn’t think I would be able to stop laughing.
I am making lots of language blunders myself. I was trying to learn my days of the week so I was practicing them at the youth center and every time I said Friday the little girls would laugh at my pronunciation. Finally, Oksana heard me and explained that it sounded like I was calling someone “a drunken man.” The bad part is that it is really hard for me to hear the difference.
While we were driving the other day we needed to turn, and we were discussing the correct way to give the direction—on the left, left, to the left—only to realize we actually wanted to turn right. So, sometimes it isn’t so much the language I struggle with as just knowing my directions.
Larissa, one of the lady’s in the church who used to help with the orphanage ministry, had a beautiful baby girl. Her name is Veronica (well sort of). When I tried to pronounce it Oksana laughed so hard. She wouldn’t tell me what I had said, but she insisted that I not say it again and suggested some fun and acceptable nicknames for me to call the baby.
Needless to say, I am still learning and I still need prayer!
I am making lots of language blunders myself. I was trying to learn my days of the week so I was practicing them at the youth center and every time I said Friday the little girls would laugh at my pronunciation. Finally, Oksana heard me and explained that it sounded like I was calling someone “a drunken man.” The bad part is that it is really hard for me to hear the difference.
While we were driving the other day we needed to turn, and we were discussing the correct way to give the direction—on the left, left, to the left—only to realize we actually wanted to turn right. So, sometimes it isn’t so much the language I struggle with as just knowing my directions.
Larissa, one of the lady’s in the church who used to help with the orphanage ministry, had a beautiful baby girl. Her name is Veronica (well sort of). When I tried to pronounce it Oksana laughed so hard. She wouldn’t tell me what I had said, but she insisted that I not say it again and suggested some fun and acceptable nicknames for me to call the baby.
Needless to say, I am still learning and I still need prayer!
Valera January 3, 2007
Truly, I love all of the children at the orphanage. It is such a joy for me to spend time with them; I just wish I could be there more. Sometimes we sit quietly and read or color or work a puzzle. Sometimes we are loud and rowdy and run and tickle and jump. We sing, tell Bible stories, do crafts, play games, and try to do all we can to share God’s love with each child.
There is one little boy in particular who has just stolen my heart. His name is Valera. I think he is about 7 or 8, and he is all boy. One day I was having a tickle fight with four of the boys (Volva, Tolik, Sasha, and Valera). I was winning, because they would attack me one at a time and I was able to fend them off by tickling them. Then, the boys decided to work together and all tickle me at once. This was very good strategy on their part, but it was bad news for me. The four boys would surround me and then start to count. As soon as someone would say Ras (one), Valera would pounce. He was just so excited that he couldn’t wait until the count of three to start tickling me.
Valera pretends like he doesn’t like to be tickled, but sometimes when we are sitting and doing something else, I will turn to him and make my hand like a claw and ask him if I may tickle him. He always smiles and says I may tickle him big. Sometimes, for no reason, he will turn to me and say that I may tickle him big. It is very fun. Valera likes to tickle other people too. Sometimes we will sit together and plot who should be tickled, and then he will try to sneak up on them to tickle them. It is so fun to point and whisper and try to decide and then try to see him sneak when everyone sees him coming and knows what he is doing. He really likes to tickle Pastor Sasha, but this takes a lot of courage, because Sasha has long arms and it is difficult to escape before Sasha tickles back. When Valera is done with his secret tickle attack, he always comes back to me so that I can hug him and tell him what a good job he has done.
One of the things we take to the orphanage for the kid’s to play with are puzzles. Valera likes puzzles, but he always does the “baby” puzzles with the wooden frame. The other day I was helping another boy with a 24-piece Finding Nemo puzzle. Valera sat beside me and watched. I asked if he wanted to help, but he kept saying no. When the other boy was done I put the finished puzzle in front of Valera and took four of the pieces out of place and helped him to put them back. Then, I took more pieces out and let him put them back. He was so excited every time he put it back together, and I would tell him, “Look how smart Valera is.” We kept taking parts of the puzzle apart until Valera was able to put the whole puzzle together by himself. Then he wanted to move on to a bigger puzzle. We have a tabletop puzzle that has 48 pieces. We tackled it in the same way we tackled the 24-piece Nemo puzzle and, by the end, Valera was able to put that whole puzzle together. As we were finishing I said Valera was smart and he said, “No, I very smart.” Yes, he is. Yesterday he was trying the 48-piece puzzle all by himself.
I don’t know anything about Valera’s background. He has not been at the orphanage long. The first time I saw him was in the middle of November and children are usually only at the first orphanage for about three months. I do not know if he will return home or if he will be placed in a long-term orphanage, but please help me to pray for Valera and the other children at the orphanage. I can’t imagine how confusing and unsettling life seems to them. Pray that they will come to know Jesus and that He will provide comfort and security in their lives.
There is one little boy in particular who has just stolen my heart. His name is Valera. I think he is about 7 or 8, and he is all boy. One day I was having a tickle fight with four of the boys (Volva, Tolik, Sasha, and Valera). I was winning, because they would attack me one at a time and I was able to fend them off by tickling them. Then, the boys decided to work together and all tickle me at once. This was very good strategy on their part, but it was bad news for me. The four boys would surround me and then start to count. As soon as someone would say Ras (one), Valera would pounce. He was just so excited that he couldn’t wait until the count of three to start tickling me.
Valera pretends like he doesn’t like to be tickled, but sometimes when we are sitting and doing something else, I will turn to him and make my hand like a claw and ask him if I may tickle him. He always smiles and says I may tickle him big. Sometimes, for no reason, he will turn to me and say that I may tickle him big. It is very fun. Valera likes to tickle other people too. Sometimes we will sit together and plot who should be tickled, and then he will try to sneak up on them to tickle them. It is so fun to point and whisper and try to decide and then try to see him sneak when everyone sees him coming and knows what he is doing. He really likes to tickle Pastor Sasha, but this takes a lot of courage, because Sasha has long arms and it is difficult to escape before Sasha tickles back. When Valera is done with his secret tickle attack, he always comes back to me so that I can hug him and tell him what a good job he has done.
One of the things we take to the orphanage for the kid’s to play with are puzzles. Valera likes puzzles, but he always does the “baby” puzzles with the wooden frame. The other day I was helping another boy with a 24-piece Finding Nemo puzzle. Valera sat beside me and watched. I asked if he wanted to help, but he kept saying no. When the other boy was done I put the finished puzzle in front of Valera and took four of the pieces out of place and helped him to put them back. Then, I took more pieces out and let him put them back. He was so excited every time he put it back together, and I would tell him, “Look how smart Valera is.” We kept taking parts of the puzzle apart until Valera was able to put the whole puzzle together by himself. Then he wanted to move on to a bigger puzzle. We have a tabletop puzzle that has 48 pieces. We tackled it in the same way we tackled the 24-piece Nemo puzzle and, by the end, Valera was able to put that whole puzzle together. As we were finishing I said Valera was smart and he said, “No, I very smart.” Yes, he is. Yesterday he was trying the 48-piece puzzle all by himself.
I don’t know anything about Valera’s background. He has not been at the orphanage long. The first time I saw him was in the middle of November and children are usually only at the first orphanage for about three months. I do not know if he will return home or if he will be placed in a long-term orphanage, but please help me to pray for Valera and the other children at the orphanage. I can’t imagine how confusing and unsettling life seems to them. Pray that they will come to know Jesus and that He will provide comfort and security in their lives.
Shushan is a boy's name? January 3, 2007
Okay, I admit, Shushan is not a normal name, but I really like it. I like that it is a Bible name, even though it is only Shushan in the King James and other versions have Susa instead. I’m okay with that. It means “lily,” which I have always liked. I think Shushan is a pretty name and I have always thought it sounded feminine.
So, the other day during my Russian lessons I started learning about verb cases. If you are wondering, it is difficult; don’t try it at home. Not only do adjectives and verbs have to agree with nouns, but sometimes, nouns have to change because everything in the sentence has to have the same gender and tense. Well, let’s just say I am still learning and it is a little complicated. The good news is that because all the words “agree,” basically I can write or say the words of a sentence in any order and it is correct and has the same meaning. That is a positive thing.
Anyway, during my lesson Tanya was explaining the rules for how the pronunciation of people’s names change if you are expressing the possessive. Basically, in English we say Tanya’s house, but in Russian it becomes Tanyee house. And, the ending is different based on the letter at the end of the name. Of course I was interested in how you would say something is Shushan’s. Tanya explained my name won’t work because it is not a Russian name. But, both Sarah and Anna’s names work because all girl names in Russian end with a vowel sound. Tanya very nicely broke the news that really, Shushan sounds more like a boy’s name. Bummer.
The good news is that the kids at the orphanage all call me Shushanna. I have heard some others call me just Shusha, which is like Ksusha, the nickname for Oksana. So, I am thankful people are “fixing” my name for me to help me fit in a little better.
So, the other day during my Russian lessons I started learning about verb cases. If you are wondering, it is difficult; don’t try it at home. Not only do adjectives and verbs have to agree with nouns, but sometimes, nouns have to change because everything in the sentence has to have the same gender and tense. Well, let’s just say I am still learning and it is a little complicated. The good news is that because all the words “agree,” basically I can write or say the words of a sentence in any order and it is correct and has the same meaning. That is a positive thing.
Anyway, during my lesson Tanya was explaining the rules for how the pronunciation of people’s names change if you are expressing the possessive. Basically, in English we say Tanya’s house, but in Russian it becomes Tanyee house. And, the ending is different based on the letter at the end of the name. Of course I was interested in how you would say something is Shushan’s. Tanya explained my name won’t work because it is not a Russian name. But, both Sarah and Anna’s names work because all girl names in Russian end with a vowel sound. Tanya very nicely broke the news that really, Shushan sounds more like a boy’s name. Bummer.
The good news is that the kids at the orphanage all call me Shushanna. I have heard some others call me just Shusha, which is like Ksusha, the nickname for Oksana. So, I am thankful people are “fixing” my name for me to help me fit in a little better.
Ministry Updates January 3, 2007
Today’s huge victory…Sarah and I got the trash to the trash truck. Granted, Ernie and Anna just disposed of our trash on Saturday, but today Sarah and I were sitting in the living room and we saw the trash truck and we heard him ring his bell and we were off and running. We gathered our trash and made it to the truck in time. Now, you may not think this is significant, but it has been a struggle. We had had many failed trash disposal attempts, so it was really wonderful to finally be successful. It was also nice that I saw one of my neighbor friends, Valya, the grandmother of one of the boys in my Kid’s Club class. She and I had a brief conversation, most of which I actually understood.
Bible Lessons—I was using a book that was teaching English with the lessons but I decided to try a different method. We acted out the story of the Good Samaritan before we learned about people who are our neighbors. The kids had fun acting out the parts and then we talked about the story. I think they learned a lot more from it than any of the other lessons. When we learned the days of the week we talked about creation. It was surprising to me that they all agreed that God created the earth. We talked about Sundays and I invited them all to church. One boy asked Inna, our translator, in Russian if church is interesting. She assured him that it is. None of my students who do not already attend our church came this Sunday, but hopefully they will in weeks to come.
Ladies’ Ministry—One need that I have seen and have been praying about is a ladies’ ministry at the church. Honestly, it came about through conversations I have had with some of the women and girls at the church. I have two other ladies (Tanya and Lewda) who also really want to have this ministry, so the three of us are working together to develop a program. We have prayerfully decided to have prayer and Bible study together and then just a time for fellowship and crafts. We are hoping this time will be a ministry to the ladies in the church, bringing them closer together and helping us all to grow in Christ. We also hope that the crafts can be used as an outreach to non-church ladies. During our first meeting we only had four adult women and one little girl (Lewda’s granddaughter), but I think it was a wonderful meeting. In a more recent meeting we had 10 ladies!
Second Kid’s Club—Our Saturday English and Bible Kid’s Club is going very well; we have completed our first eight weeks. Sasha and I talked about offering another Kid’s Club as an outreach from his church. So, we started a second Kid’s Club on Saturday afternoons. The first meeting went well. Although I am using basically the same program, it was different and I really enjoyed it. Going into our first lesson I was a little concerned about adding a second program on Saturday. I was sure I would be just exhausted by the end, but I am so glad we added it. I know the Lord really blessed the time and, in the end, I was excited and encouraged, not tired.
Looking Ahead—I am excited to report I am going to have two Christmases this year. First, I will celebrate with my American friends on December 25 and then with my Ukrainian friends on January 7 (which is Christmas in Ukraine). I am so looking forward to all the gifts for the children at the orphanage and youth center. I am also excited about the Christmas parties for our English classes and the programs at church, the orphanage, and the youth center. It is going to be a busy but exciting time. For the New Year, Ukrainians set off fireworks. I will be celebrating the New Year a full seven hours before the ball drops, which seems strange. Also, after the first of the year we are planning a field meeting. It will be sort of like a retreat, and I am really looking forward to that time with Bill and Oksana, Ernie and Anna, Sarah, and Bill and Betsy Tarr (WGM missionaries on the west side of Ukraine). I am sure it will be an encouraging and fun time together.
Thanks so much for your love and prayers. Please keep praying!
Bible Lessons—I was using a book that was teaching English with the lessons but I decided to try a different method. We acted out the story of the Good Samaritan before we learned about people who are our neighbors. The kids had fun acting out the parts and then we talked about the story. I think they learned a lot more from it than any of the other lessons. When we learned the days of the week we talked about creation. It was surprising to me that they all agreed that God created the earth. We talked about Sundays and I invited them all to church. One boy asked Inna, our translator, in Russian if church is interesting. She assured him that it is. None of my students who do not already attend our church came this Sunday, but hopefully they will in weeks to come.
Ladies’ Ministry—One need that I have seen and have been praying about is a ladies’ ministry at the church. Honestly, it came about through conversations I have had with some of the women and girls at the church. I have two other ladies (Tanya and Lewda) who also really want to have this ministry, so the three of us are working together to develop a program. We have prayerfully decided to have prayer and Bible study together and then just a time for fellowship and crafts. We are hoping this time will be a ministry to the ladies in the church, bringing them closer together and helping us all to grow in Christ. We also hope that the crafts can be used as an outreach to non-church ladies. During our first meeting we only had four adult women and one little girl (Lewda’s granddaughter), but I think it was a wonderful meeting. In a more recent meeting we had 10 ladies!
Second Kid’s Club—Our Saturday English and Bible Kid’s Club is going very well; we have completed our first eight weeks. Sasha and I talked about offering another Kid’s Club as an outreach from his church. So, we started a second Kid’s Club on Saturday afternoons. The first meeting went well. Although I am using basically the same program, it was different and I really enjoyed it. Going into our first lesson I was a little concerned about adding a second program on Saturday. I was sure I would be just exhausted by the end, but I am so glad we added it. I know the Lord really blessed the time and, in the end, I was excited and encouraged, not tired.
Looking Ahead—I am excited to report I am going to have two Christmases this year. First, I will celebrate with my American friends on December 25 and then with my Ukrainian friends on January 7 (which is Christmas in Ukraine). I am so looking forward to all the gifts for the children at the orphanage and youth center. I am also excited about the Christmas parties for our English classes and the programs at church, the orphanage, and the youth center. It is going to be a busy but exciting time. For the New Year, Ukrainians set off fireworks. I will be celebrating the New Year a full seven hours before the ball drops, which seems strange. Also, after the first of the year we are planning a field meeting. It will be sort of like a retreat, and I am really looking forward to that time with Bill and Oksana, Ernie and Anna, Sarah, and Bill and Betsy Tarr (WGM missionaries on the west side of Ukraine). I am sure it will be an encouraging and fun time together.
Thanks so much for your love and prayers. Please keep praying!
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