Revival

The writer of Ecclesiastes says, "Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of pregnant women, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things." That used to bother me a lot more than it does now. I wanted to know the "why" every time something monumental happened, especially when it was hard. I still do to an extent. But my friend Hanne once challenged me with this: instead of always asking why, ask how; how can God use this?

10th Anniversary at Revival Church

It is a challenge, but one that helps us to focus in a new way. Last month, Sergei  and our friends at the Revival church in Zolotonosha celebrated their 10th anniversary as a church. I saw some photos and was reminded how Sergei and I were talking about the need for a youth-oriented fellowship that reached out to outsiders. Six months later, 10 years ago, Sergei started that fellowship. Rather than asking "why" no one was doing it, Sergei asked "how" and this is the result.

Dimka helping at the celebration

Last year, we met Dimka at the juvenile colony in Kremenchug. Dimka was an orphan and had no place to go when he was to leave the prison. The director asked Sergei if Dimka could come to live at the rehab center that Rob and Shy, Lisa and Steve, and Dan and Tracy helped us to buy quite a few years ago. Dimka has been there since this past summer and now has something he never dreamed of-a home, a church and a chance at a new life.

The church and the rehab center are called "Revival". The American Heritage Dictionary gives this meaning to the word revival "A restoration to use, acceptance, activity, or vigor after a period of obscurity or quiescence." That's the how.

Ending and Beginning Strong

A year ago, I was blogging from Ukraine and missing being home for the holidays. Now I'm blogging from Lakeville and missing being in Ukraine for the holidays. It's good to want to be in two places, rather than not wanting to be anyplace.

At the Girls Detention Center

Aside from Ukraine, doors continue to open up in many other countries. Just today, I responded to inquiries from people who want to help kids in Kenya, Tanzania, and Vietnam. We also got an update from the leader of our Indian affiliate that was a huge blessing. Around Christmas, David and some people from his church got a chance to go into a detention center for boys and one for girls to distribute new sheets, some cakes and one of Scott Larson's books on starting your spiritual journey that has been translated into Hindi. Just seeing the photos of the kids having some hope and joy was a great way to finish out the year.

Starting out the new year, I got a message from Roma letting me know that he and Ira (both grew up in the orphanage and are living with Bogdan and Anya) are now engaged and they wanted to know if I can be there for the wedding. I'll do what I can! And yesterday, I spent the day in Boston with Igor from the orphanage in Kanev who is here for a month with a family from church. We went to the children's museum and Igor was the happiest 12 year old I can remember seeing. 

Igor at the Children's Museum

A good end to 2011 and a good beginning for 2012!

Gifts

Christmas/New Year 2010 at Safe Haven, Kiev

Monday night, we were watching the movie The Nativity with the boys at Teamworks when one of them asked why we give presents on Christmas. It was one of those perfectly timed questions as right then, the movie showed the Wise Men presenting Mary and Joseph with gifts for Jesus. Right after that, we gave the guys stockings that Sharon Cummisky had gotten and filled up for all of the guys.

The reaction was amazing.

Most of the guys we have are pretty guarded, but after we handed out the stockings, each guy gave both Cheryl and I hugs and one guy, Al, put his head on Cheryl's shoulder and said thank you. Usually Al walks right out after the study. The youngest of the guys, Ned, said that getting the stocking made his bad day good and another guy said, "Christmas at Teamworks is pretty good." Cheryl and I both left with the feeling that we'd seen a side of those guys that only God can bring out.

God gave me two other gifts that same day: First, Matt and I got to see Igor from the orphanage in Kaniv who is staying with friends for 4 weeks (7 kids came over from the orphanage this time). Matt and Christy said that Igor has been laughing and playing with their kids like he was part of the family. He was so happy to see Matt and me that he gave big hugs and made us promise to come back.

Then that night as I was winding down, my phone rang and it was Kreg, who lived with us at the Straight Ahead discipleship home and then in independent living 16 years ago. We hadn't heard from Kreg in 14 years and Deb and I had prayed for many years that he would contact us. Kreg is doing great, is involved with his church and just wanted reconnect and to thank Scott, Hanne and me for being a part of his life.

Not a bad way to start off the week when we get to focus just a bit more on the many gifts the Lord gives us.

Prayer from the heart

Lydia with her boys and a "Praying Hands" gift from prayer partners

One thing that I've consistently seen over the last 20 years of working with kids in juvenile detention centers and prisons in America and overseas is how similar the kids are and how broken they are. I just read that 80% of the kids in one juvenile colony in Ukraine are there for stealing food to survive because they were abandoned by their families or left on their own as their parents lost their battles with addiction.

That affliction is here in the States too. Last night, Cheryl and I had a Bible study at a local detention center in Plymouth. When I read the prayer requests from the guys, two of them hit me in the heart and I want to share them with you (I'm changing the names, but God knows them):

Rick-I want to pray for my sister and hope the best for her since she's the only family I have left.

Jimmy-I want to pray for my mom to be safe and to stop using heroin.

When you read about "those type of kids" pray for them and think of what is behind that. "But go and learn what this means, 'I desire compassion and not sacrifice,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners" Matt. 9:13.

Selflessness

Atyom and Me

Every once in a while, the Lord gives us someone special who continues to amaze us and change our world in subtle ways. I met Artyom, a/k/a Zhivchik (loosely translated "hyper boy") when he was 13 and had just come to the orphanage after his father almost beat him to death. He was pretty much out of control, but there was something special about him for sure. He would jump on me, take my camera and run away and generally be a pain in the butt--my nickname for him is "zanoza" which means splinter, as in "splinter in the butt".

Zhivchik is now 17 and is in his last year at the orphanage. He has matured, but still has a zest for life, a smile and heart that I pray will never be dimmed. At the camp we did for the kids at the orphanage, Zhivchik did something that showed me his heart; he was ladling out soup for all of the kids at our table and when he was doing the last bowl for Vanya, he saw that there was not enough left for a full bowl. Many other kids would have just passed it on, but without hesitation, Zhivchik took the ladle, scooped soup out from his own bowl and gave it to Vanya. Then he sat down and we prayed.

The crew as we were leaving the camp...Artyom on my shoulders in what he calls our "tradition".

I don't know why that hit me like it did, but maybe it was because it was one of the most purely selfless acts that I have seen from anyone. It was also a challenge and a reminder of what "doing unto others" truly means. I love that kid.

Known by Love

Lydia and her boys.

At the end of our last meeting with the boys in the juvenile prison colony, Lydia took out a bag of pears and apples that she had taken from her garden at home. She saw that there were six guys with us and she carefully arranged six equal rows for each of the boys. They all stood around Lydia, waited and then thanked her. All of them were there for the first time, as was Pasha, my interpreter. When Pasha saw how Lydia was with the boys and how they were with her, he teared up and said, "she really loves them, doesn't she? And they love her already."

How that is possible? How can love appear instantaneously between kids in prison and an 86 year old retired nurse? "By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:38. God is love and it's God's love alive in us that makes this possible.

And yet, He gives all of us the choice on what, if anything, we will do with that love.

Names of Souls

Friends of mine in different ministries often hear from supporters asking them "how many times did you share the Gospel this last month?" or "how many made professions of faith from your ministry?" Recently, one of those friends asked me if I get those questions, given the population with whom we work. I thankfully told him no, that the people who are a part of this ministry are concerned about "James" or "Yura" or "Alina" or "Ryan" and not about numbers, which we can't ever know anyway.

Doug and Suzie Stoddard and 'their kids' last winter.

This last week, Doug Stoddard, Lexi, Daniel, Jana (from Manna Int'l.) and I went to visit the orphanage in Kamarivka where Doug has been ministering for years. We visited kids there, played some soccer, held them, hugged them and told them how important they are to the Lord and to us. Then we visited Alina in the hospital where she was dropped off because of a bad infection. Doug is so good at visiting and just being. For Alina, it was as if light had come into her life and she was all smiles. Jesus won't ask about a soul count, but will ask when did we visit Him when He was sick.

Recently, there was an article in a Lynn, Massachusetts paper about three Straight Ahead staff members who were once in gangs and who are now working with us and going to school. It was encouraging for me to read that and you can read it here: http://www.itemlive.com/articles/2011/10/05/news/news12.txt. That all started with a prison visit from Straight Ahead staff.

Sisco, Jimmy, Jeron and Alina are not statistics, but are young people whose lives have been changed by the Lord and through those whom the Lord has put in their paths. That is what matters.