We’re home!

U10 arrived safely at JFK this afternoon . . .  promptly headed to Flushing for Korean food.

Thank you, each one, for praying for us and supporting us in all the ways that you did.  It was our joy to bring you with us to Ukraine in our hearts, and to be used of God to transmit your love & affection & spiritual sisterhood to NHC and all of our friends there.

We look forward to sharing more about our trip!

With love,
c., on behalf of U10

In 8 hours, we leave for the airport.
In 11 hours, our plane will be taxi-ing the runway for liftoff.
In 14 hours, we’ll be landing in New York.

Unbelievable.

Even in this one day, our day in Kiev, it felt like K’chug, children’s camp, NHC Camp, was so far away.  That thought is both so sad — we loooooong to be back in K’chug with our NHC friends — and so awesome — we looooooong for Korean food on the way home from the airport!

Oh yeah, we long to see you all too. =)

We left the church this morning, and as expected, Pr Sasha came to see us off.  It’s just too wonderful that he left Camp early in the morning just to come see us off, even after our melodramatic departure last night (suitable for a Korean drama).  We prayed together before boarding the bus . . . sniffle.

I think every summer team so far will remember the joy that is the hot bus ride to Kiev?  On the one hand, the non-use of artificial air-conditioning is sorta nice . . . but on the other hand, I don’t think it’s for eco-friendly reasons.  It’s just . . . not turned on!  GAG.  So we dragged ourselves into Kiev, had a great Ukrainian buffet lunch, then boarded the Hot Bus again for a tour of the upper city.  Somehow, each subsequent tour never lived up to the grandeur and drama of the 1st winter trip’s tour (remember our tour guide who kept asking us to get off to “make pictures?”) . . . but we survived, and after dropping our bags off at the Kiev Christian Academy (the great quarters at the First Baptist Church fell through; the dorm rooms here are nevertheless lovely, roomy, clean!), we had a short team-meeting before hitting the streets again to explore Kiev on our own time & pace (and without a Hot Bus).

Our meeting was sweet.  The nine of us sitting around the table: JH, Chae, Raimund, me, Sunny, Rachel, Julia, Luda & Sasha.  A whole new team, but somehow entirely familiar and wonderful.  Every year, I and we say the same thing: we can’t imagine ever having trained the team without Luda & Sasha, and we can’t imagine coming home to NY without them either.  The plane will feel desolate without them with us; New York and all y’all don’t know what you’re missing in these dear ones!  I’m telling you, all of you have to take a U-trip, if only to experience life with our Luda and our Sasha!  (On a happy note: Sasha might be coming to the States for an extended visit this fall; let’s pray that God will provide the means & opportunity for him to make a long stop in suburban NY!)  We shared & debriefed, and got to hear some valuable input from Luda & Sasha about their perspective on these past nine days.  We prayed together.  It was pleasing in God’s sight.

Kiev is awesome.  The architecture, the people, the culture, the streets . . . of course, we hit Kreshatik St (remember: combo of 5th Ave & Broadway), ate some pizza for dinner (hey, we can only take so much cabbage and dumplings and fried food), then walked through Independence Square before strolling in the cool night air through upper Kiev, near the President’s House.  Fancy!

And now, it’s way past midnight, and we’re cleaning up and heading to bed . . . admittedly, with a good deal of dread about waking up in the morning to leave.  We’re tired.  It was a hot day.  We walked a lot.

But it was good.  Today was good.  It was a time for our team to just be with each other, speaking all the English we wanted.  JH shared with us this afternoon that one of the things U10 did for him was make him really like we were his friends, the ones who really have his back, and that NY was home.  This trip, more than a month in Elmsford, made him feel more longing for NY as home.  I really appreciated his sharing this with us, and not only because it was complimentary to us.  Of course, there is always something that only U-teams can share with each other and come to know about each other, and each team’s intimacy and special relationship is different from every other.  Forever, these 9 people will be “U10,” and there’s a unique thing that’s been grown between us, in Christ.  Just as JH would see us at Camp and feel instant familiarity and affection, if only because we were English-speakers, so will we all each see each other from now on with that instant special-something . . . it’s a sweet feeling to have this wonderful commonality with these brothers & sisters.

But I also appreciated this sharing because it helped me to see how God used us during this trip, and how we flowed as a team, in our own special way.  I’m so thankful to Him for knitting this team together, and giving us the experiences we had.  I hope our stories will be just as special to you, and that God will grow in you special and specific things, just as he did in us, individually and as a corporate body.

Thinking back over this trip, we’re further thankful for the ways that we got to see NHC in its 4th year of life.  The church has grown in number and maturity.  Shifts have taken place, changes are coming, visions are becoming clearer, etc. etc. etc.  It’s like watching a baby sister grow up — amazing, miraculous, not always easy, but always a grace from God . . .  Can’t wait to tell you all about it . . .

On a personal note . . . once again, I don’t want to come back.  Sunny mentioned me moving here to teach — wouldn’t that be something!  And then, all the U-alums would have a person & reason to visit at any time . . . it’s too fun to imagine . . . but this is the sort of weird thing that God does.  He grows in us a love for things we wouldn’t love naturally.  He makes connections that would be hard-pressed to make without Him.  His blood creates family, and His tongue speaks a language all its own, that can be understood by everyone who knows Him.  We have something really beautiful going on between us and NHC . . . please keep in prayer for our sisterhood, and for this beloved church body . . .

And now, to sleep.  Please pray for our dreams, our waking, our travel.  We really really can’t wait to see you all, and share with you about our 10 days here.  Our bodies are exhausted, but our hearts are full.  We pray that God will prep your hearts to be filled, too.Sweet dreams.

With love, from Ukraine,
c., on behalf of U10

It’s night here in K’chug . . . we just got back to the church from Camp.  Do you want the good news or the bad news?

Ok, the good news first.  We’re back to western toilets & hot showers!!!!  I know, I know, it’s such a spoiled American thing to say, but it just had to come out!  =)  But wouldn’t you know it: today, on the last day at Camp, Julia, Sunny & I were walking back from one of the squatty-potties, and we heard ourselves commenting, “Huh, that wasn’t so bad!”  And then we laughed at the wretched irony of getting used to such a scuzzy thing on the last day we’d be there . . .

And here’s the bad news: leaving Camp, leaving our friends, was really, really hard.  It was a hot mess, for sure.  Even for the first-timers, there is a vicarious affection that has been built up over the last three years, so for all 7 of us, it was just so difficult to say goodbye.

Today was Sveta’s birthday (Zhenya’s wife), so in the evening, we had a big celebration for her, with cake, singing, skits, etc.  We Americans did an Applebee’s-style chant (a la “I don’t know but I’ve been told! . . . “).  Hey, what do you want on short-notice?!  Then, at about 9p, the bus came to pick us up, and it took an hour for everyone to hug, kiss, cry, pray, hug, kiss, cry, pray, hug, kiss, cry, pray, rinse and repeat.  On the one hand, it was so awesome to see all the teenagers spending the week dunking each other under the water, and piling friendship bracelet on top of friendship bracelet, and practicing their broken Russian & English on each other.  But on the other hand, it was hard to see them torn from each other.   You remember the sweetness of young friendships, yes?  The special things that happen, and the particular affections that form during summer camps and such?  It was just like that, that same sweetness, that same pure affection, that same raw enjoyment of each other without the complications wrought by adulthood.  Thankfully, we all know from past experience that sometimes, those friendships are the ones that last, and I pray that it will be so for Rachel and Julia and our young friends here in K’chug.

I don’t know what else to say, except that it was hard to say goodbye.  All of a sudden, I didn’t want to use a Western toilet, and all of a sudden, I had no desire for a hot shower.  I just wanted to stay; we all did.  It was just hard.  Being back here at the church, there is quiet all around.  It’s just us, and it’s a little bit lonely, to tell the truth.   The idea of waking up in the morning, and not meeting all our friends at the outdoor faucet while brushing our teeth is . . . not welcome.

Regardless, we look back on the week with lots of cheer.  Raimund totally represented, and won the men’s division of the table-tennis tournament at Camp!  (They would all like to know why the heck we call it “ping-pong.”)  Our Luda won the women’s division!  My small group sang a song in Korean AND Russian for the “X-Factor” competition that was running this week, complete with rabbit-ears.  Chae danced to an African beat (and it’s on video!).  Rachel, Julia & Sunny ran a successful bracelet-making factory.  Jeremey preached his heart out!  Sasha led worship AND interpreted AND took care of us at all times.  We made so many more friends, caught up with so many old ones, had such great conversations, shared some gut-busting laughs, cried & prayed together, worshiped together, made utter fools of ourselves with & in front of each other, and really dwelt in the shelter of our God together. It was awesome.

Thank you for praying for us, and for Camp, and for NHC.  There were many non-believers at Camp, and we just pray that we were of any use to the Lord in reaching them, loving them, drawing them closer & closer to Him and to His saving grace.  I don’t remember if I shared this earlier, but one of the women here was telling me: God saves families here.  If one spouse comes to Christ, then the expectation is that the other spouse will too, and soon, so the whole church prays with simple expectation: if they ask it, He will do it.  And He does.  No family member is left alone with Christ for too long in this church.  So when we hear things like that, we just think that Camp-times like these are so important, so awesome, so . . . amazing.  We met so many husbands, wives, brothers, grandmothers, cousins, aunts, best-friends-from-childhood . . . and to think that the Lord will grab them at any time . . . it’s EXCITING.  To see all these faces now, and to expect to see them also in Heaven?  It’s too sweet for words . . .

Please pray for them.  I know they are faceless to you.  I know they are not important to you in the sense that you don’t know them, you don’t invest in their lives, you don’t get anything from them.  But these are people whose hearts God has tickled.  He wants them.  He loves them.  He wants to save them.  He is preparing rooms for them in His house.  He calls them to be our brothers & sisters, our family.  Please pray for them to know Christ, to confess their sins to Him, to invite Him to change their hearts & their lives.  Please pray for their salvation, and the sustenance of their lives in Him.

Please pray for NHC, and everyone there, especially the leadership.  They need rest & refreshment & restoration.  They need strength, and continued inspiration.  They need increased faith & more outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  They love so much, do so much, care so much.  Please pray that the Lord will give them everything they need, and much, much more.  Please pray that He would increase their love for this city, and that through them, this city, this nation, this region would be changed — Heaven on earth.  Please pray for Pr Sasha & his family, and his co-leaders at the church.

Please pray for our team.  Tonight, we are finally clean & looking forward to deep rest.  Tomorrow morning, we leave for Kiev: an afternoon tour of the city & a leisurely evening.  Please pray for protection as we travel, and for a beautiful day of touring, experiencing, enjoying the city, and enjoying each other.  And, the trip isn’t over — please pray for the unity of our team, and God’s protection of what has been wonderfully created among us.  To the end, may we look out for each other, take care of each other, hold each other up, speak words of love & care & Christ to each other.  And though we might just be touring and exploring Kiev, even in that, may God shine His light through us, so that in a passing glance, or a “thank you” to a waiter, or a negotiation with a souvenir merchant, hearts, minds and eyes would be drawn upward toward Jesus Christ.

We sleep tonight enormously sad to be leaving here.  Now we know, it only takes 10 days to fall in love.  But we’re also incredibly happy to be looking homeward.  We can’t wait to share this trip with you . . .

His love,

c.

Can u believe we’re only here for another day @ Camp, then 1 more day in Kiev, then home? Sad…

I was talking w/Pr Sasha this afternoon (no translator! Victory!), and we were saying how quickly the days flew by. He asked if it had been alright for us that we weren’t as busy as last year’s team was; I let him know that I thought it was alright, & that it was kinda nice to be able to “do as the Ukrainians do.”. In a way, it was more intimate for us to just live their lives w/them, rather than “work” thru “manufactured” events like we did last year. We agreed that tho that was fun, this year’s relaxed schedule allowed us to spend more time w/church ppl & nonbelievers here @ Camp. Pr Sasha also told me that after the children’s camp last wk and the youth sleepaway camp last week, more new families & youth were @ church; he was very encouraged by this, & said it was better feedback than the random street evang we did last summer. This year’s camps allowed more rel’ships to be made, @ least on an acquaintance level, & this was a better foundation for friendships, etc. We agreed, in ministry, u live & learn.

Today’s schedule was more of the same: small grps, volleyball, soccer, swimming, sunbathing, relaxing. We continue to sit & talk w/our friends & it’s fun sharing our lives w/ea other. The girls’ friendship-bracelet making factory has closed down; now Sunny is the only one who can’t seem to say “no” to every kid who asks for one. The Americans held their own quite well in volleyball AND soccer. It was another restful day…

Tonight, Chae & JH had a mtg w/Pr Sasha & a couple of other leaders from NHC. I hear it was a good mtg, and an invitation was extended to sponsor & host Pr Sasha & maybe a couple others next year or soon. This doesn’t nec preclude a NY team still coming over here, but perhaps our team might be smaller? Dunno yet… These are details still so preliminary, but it’s joyful to even think of the grace of God that allows us to hope for these details… He’s so fun sometimes!!!

Prior to today’s evening worship, the men in our team performed a little skit w/ their interpreters: they pretended to be the Russian interpreters while the real Ukr’ans spoke English & pretended to be American missionaries visiting K’chug. It was pretty darn funny, and of course we have it all on video. Advance apologies for my own hysterical cackling in the background. It was just too good!

JH preached on … I’m sorry to say I have no idea! Sunny came up w/the wonderful idea of serving our sisters @ NHC by relieving them in the Children’s Program so that they could listen to the sermon. So the 4 ladies hung out w/ the kids, singing some songs, and doing a keychain craft while our sisters were able to sit w/ the other adults. All the kids @ Camp this summer r super-little (the oldest being perhaps 8yo), so frankly, it was a little bit of a relief that JH’s sermon was really short today! =)

(It is now nighttime, a little bit after I started this message. I’m happy to report that the f’ship-bracelet factory is open for business again. Talk about addiction…)

We’re about to close our eyes for the last time in Camp. It’s that feeling of not wanting to b/c then tomm will come & if tomm comes, then so does our departure … We wish that our 2 churches, our 2 nations were closer. Sometimes, not often enuff, we make friends that r too sweet to be separated from. Even if all of us were able to promise to return, a year would be too long. Ahh, well….

Just in closing, I had a good private convo w/Pr Sasha tonight. In the busy-ness of these past days, it was wonderful to sit quietly w/him & catch up. Pls, dear friends & family: keep this man in ur prayers. He is a wise man. He loves the Lord so much. Even as he labours to grow his church & The Church & seeks to reach the lost, his only thought is of Jesus, not of himself, or numbers, or success. He is humble. He knows the Word. He has dreams & visions for his city & country. He is a loving husband & father. He is a jokester and laughs heartily. He is so many godly things. Pls pray for the Lord to continue to pour out grace, power, love, joy, humility, fruitfulness, patience, compassion, etc upon this man.

And pls do pray for his church – our church, really – that is so beloved. Pray for their members, their ministries, their outreach, their good effect thruout K’chug. But mostly, pls pray that their hearts would remain on fire for God, that in fact He would shower them w/His Hot Fire, and that sustenance & deep rootedness in His tree of life would be theirs.

Pls pray for us tonight, that we’d get good rest. We are beginning to feel some effects of tiredness (yes, playing & talking all day is hard work!), and we don’t want to peter out! We want to take good advantage of every moment of grace God gives us here. Pls pray for our team, and continued unity. Today, 1 of us mentioned that tho’ we love it here & we’re having a good time, still, when we meet w/ea other & hang out w/ea other, it’s a comfort. Not just bc we can speak w/o translators to ea other, but bc we know & see in ea other “teammate.”. Pls pray that this special comfort would continue to flow to us & b/w us, in Christ.

Thanks always for allowing the Lord to sustain us thru ur petitions. We rely on them.

We miss u & we love u,
c. On behalf of U10

Day 2 @ Camp is ending … Twas a rainy day today, but it provided much-needed rest 4 all. Even Pr Sasha got to take a nap.

Here’s the run-down:

- the girls began a friendship bracelet-making frenzy. All the kids @ Camp are occupied w/them, and today Sunny & I got into the fray. We spend lots of times altogether w/our heads bowed over our bracelets. The girls decided they’ll make them for Freeset & they can be part of the 2011 product line…

- we met in our small grps today, each of us in one w/our translators, & the girls w/the yth grp. We introduced ourselves, gave our testimonies &/or talked about last nite’s sermon. It was sweet to sit with our friends in a more intimate setting & it felt like we were really prt of the church body…

- as we hung out on the beach before lunch, it started to thunder, so we made like a newborn & got out. (Ew.). And this is when ppl retreated to their rooms for rest & relaxation. Patty Wilton, a Canadian missionary serving in UA w/her hubs Greg (& based in K’chuk & a member of / leader in NHC) came & visited w/Sunny & I, & we had a chance to talk about life in the church. It was nice to hear some good news re: changes going on inside NHC, & to hear about life from the inside. Pls pray 4 NHC: their clear strength is evangelism & ppl come to Christ in droves. But the subsequent discipleship, mentoring, rel’ship building & peer-ministry is not yet strongly developed. Pls pray for that to grow & for ppl to defy the closed nature that their culture dictates, seeking instead the open & trusting nature that the Holy Spirit dictates.

- after dinner, we had eve worship. I shared a brief testimony about grace & freedom from II Cor 6, then JH taught from Rom 5.18-19, about choosing to be aligned w/Adam and judged through him, or aligned w/Christ & judged thru Him. In God’s ctroom, who do we want to be covered by? It was a very effective sermon: an invitation to nonbelievers & a reminder to believers alike.

- before the sun totally set, we got in a couple games of volleyball & a dip in the river. Now, nighttime fellowship is happening in the dining hall, while us old ladies r turning in for the nite (truthfully, Sunny is working on her friendship bracelet, ha-ha!!!).

It was a pleasant, if damp, day. We determined @ the end of the day that the dampness sorta makes the potties grosser than normal… But we persist in making do. Har-har. Seriously, there r things that really challenge our comfy NY mindset. We count down the days to a return to the Western toilet. We’d love some spicy Korean jigae. We’d like to not have to wear flipflops to the shower.

But … Tonite: the girls said these words: “I don’t want to ever leave. If I could just have a toilet & an occasional shower, I’d want to stay here for a long long time.”. “Why?” I asked. “Because of the people. There is lots of love here.”. There is no rush to leave, and the realization that we only have 1 more nite here was devastating to the girls … And to us.

I praise God that He continues to grow His love b/w our 2 churches. And now, to see this rel’ship growing b/w our youth too … It’s really something special to witness. I wish you all were here to see it too.

Prayer requests:
- continued energy, sustenance, rest etc for Pr Sasha, JH, our team & our interpreters
- continued good communication b/w & from our interpreters & us
- for Rachel to be able to eat well & not succumb to her strong gag reflex
- for my left knee, injured again; it must know it’s in UA (and wait til u hear the STUPID way I hurt it!)
- for our team’s continued unity, & ability to work tog, support & sustain ea other, look out for ea other, trust ea other, build ea other up w/ our words & actions, be Christ for ea other
- for our last 2 days here: everything about them
- for continued physical, spiritual, emotional & mental protection …

Ahhhh, our trip is winding down. That kinda stinks, a lot. There r so many ppl we still want to talk with, convos we want to have, etc. Pls pray that the Lord would make time & opp for those things to yet happen. And, pls keep in prayer for our anticipated re-entry…

We miss u, we love u … Keep praying!!!

Love,
c. on behalf of U10

We’re @ Camp now = no wifi = no computer = back to “typing” on the Crackberry. Oy vey. Excuse the abbrev’s & spelling errors…

We’re back @ the same site as last year; it felt to Sunny & I like our 3rd home away from home, but this time twas better bc we were here from the start. Getting on & off the bus w/everyone, settling in w/ all, finding our linens, etc. makes us really feel like part of the family.

Bad news first: the girls had their 1st smell of the squatty potties. Half-seriously: pls pray for them. =)

Good news:

our room is quite comf, and we’re settling in well. It was a really leisurely day: move in, hang out, explore the beach & river, then lunch = yummo! Then, as always, more swimming and hanging out. I told Sunny today: for the first time since arriving, I feel relaxed. Despite the raw rooms, the potties, the ‘quitoes, etc., there’s something about this place that’s almost immed relaxing. It’s clear this is a place of rest for NHC & their rest becomes ours too.

And, as we relax, so do our rel’ships. Convos flow more easily, late-nite chatter blossoms, etc. It’s cool. We like it.

And it’s even better that now, 4yrs in, there’s more to talk about. There r ppl to catch up with. It’s fun to introduce old friends to Chae & JH & Raimund, & to see the girls meet their teenaged counterparts & connect… It’s fun to practice our Russian & learn some more. And frankly, it’s kinda nice to let go (or be forced to let go) of our upper middle class Westchester stds, and get dirty & smelly. Bathing in the river? Not usual, but also kinda nice to not have to concern 1self w/shampoo, conditioner, bath gel, shower pouf, shaving, face wash, etc etc etc. At the end of the day, we just need to not be grossly dirty, right. Right!

We had an early eve worship: ladies performed body worship & JH preached from Romans 5.6-8. It was a great sermon, very convicting & inviting @ the same time. Tomm in sm-gps, we’ll discuss the teaching; we’re each in sm-gps. Pls pray for all of us & the sm-grp times. Pls also pray for JH: he’s preaching every nite this wk. Pray for strength, illumination, loosened tongue, God’s Wd to come thru loud & clear & true. He’s also working w/a diff translator (just 4 the sermons) bc our Sasha is leading worship & we don’t want to REALLY overwk every1 on our team! Sergei is great – a godly young man who is a professional interpreter & possessing of a wicked sense of humour. Still, it’s less than ideal for JH to have to adjust 2 a new interpreter 1/2way thru so pls pray for smooth communication, no misunderstandings, and tongues guided by the Holy Spirit. And for JH, pls pray also that the time & energy required to prepare properly & well for eve worships won’t interfere or impinge on his time, desire & ability to get to know folks here & develop his own friendships.

After dinner, ppl played soccer, volleyball & just hung out some more. Times like these, it feels like there’s so much for us NYers to learn: how to relax, how to play, how to exercise & sport, how to talk w/ea other, etc. Following “baths” in the river, we hung out in the dining hall for tea, cookies & the American mini-chocolates we brought, & we got to talk more deeply w/folks while the girls played intense Uno w/the other kids here. It was a sweet time of fellowship…

Our team won’t be having regularly programmed am & pm mtgs here. If nec., we’ll gather during free time in the afternoons, but 4 the most part, our sole aim is to rest, fellowship, & be part of the building of the Body here, just as our sisterhood dictates. Pls pray 4 our team: no diminishing of affection, trust or reliance just bc we’re not around ea other all the time; great opps for us to be used apart from ea other thru the talks we’ll have, the sunbathing we’ll do, the meals we’ll share w/our Ukr friends. Pray for protection over ea of us, physical & spiritual, mental & emotional. Pray for our hearts to still be melded to ea other’s, & for our 1st care to be for ea other.

Tomm, Tues., JH will preach after dinner on Rom 5.18-19, & I will share. Pls pray for us, and for Oksana (my translator while @ Camp – U07 will remember her from our winter trip!) & Sergei (JH’s translator), & for our Sasha as he leads worship.

Pls pray for growing, deepening friendships. Pray for fun & laughter. Pray for ease & deep comfort in hearts of hearts. Pray for all of us here, incl our – YOUR – Ukr friends who anticipate our arrival every year, who pray for u tho they do not know u, who send their greetings & love to u even tonite.

One last thought b4 turning in: 1 of the themes that’s been developing here these days turns on freedom. I’m reminded of II Cor 6.1-2: working tog w/him, then, we appeal to u not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, in a favorable time I listened to u, & in a day of salvation I have helped u. Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. This is 1 of my most beloved passages in Scripture. It’s all in there! And as I look back on this 1st day of Camp, remembering the nonbelievers here, our believing & faithful friend here, JH’s sermon & invitation to come & see who this Christ who was slaughtered so that we don’t have to be is…. I’m made to consider that freedom is at hand. Today, perhaps tomm, maybe Wed or Thurs is the favorable time, the day of salvation for some, for all of us, in 1 way or another. My prayer is that none would receive the grace of God in vain, that we His ambassadors would speak on His behalf well & true, that we’d become the righteousness of Him (5.21), & that hearts would be widened (v.13). Would u pls join me in that prayer over this week?

God be w/u as He is so obv w/us. We love u & miss u.

c., on behalf of U10

What day is today?  Am I awake?  Are we really halfway through our trip?  You’re telling me we haven’t been here for 2 months already?

Yes, it’s been that kind of day — the Hump Day, the middle of our trip, the hinge between one series of activities and the next.

First the funny: U10 performed its skit twice today, at 2 different church services, and each time was a tragi-comedy unto itself.  At 10a, we worshiped at a “daughter” church of NHC.  Because this church is much smaller than NHC (only about 30 people), its worship space is also much smaller . . . which means its stage is, well, near-miniscule.  Width-wise, it was probably about the same as the performance width at home.  But depth-wise . . . I could lay depth-wise, and my feet would hang over the edge.  =O

Needless to say, all of our motions & steps were SUPER-miniaturized.   There was a lot of bumping into each other – heads, elbows, knees, sides, rear-ends, etc.  During the Red-Sea scene, Chae had to walk clear OFF the stage before coming ’round to part the waters!  And during the march around Jericho, I got stuck between a chair and the back wall; I yelped, “What!,” Jeremey exclaimed “Whoops!” and then he used one leg to kick the chair out of the way so I could keep marching.  Nevertheless, the quenched-fire and the fall of Jericho got “oohs” and “aaah” and applause.  We take these reactions to mean that God spoke through our abbreviated actions and small foibles — more evidence of His strength displayed through our weakness.

In the afternoon, at 3p, we performed the skit at NHC’s own service.  During the big-Moses-water-wave scene, Julia got a little over-excited about the Red Sea churning, and butterfly-stroked me in the head with both hands.  It was just enough to send us both into a massive fit of giggles — that was the happiest parting of the Red Sea ever portrayed!  (And, fearful that her fingers pulled my bangs out of the bobby-pin that was holding them back, I spent the rest of the skit wondering if I was displaying a huge 80s pompadour, and if this would affect the congregation’s ability to take the skit seriously.  Turns out, my hair was fine, thank you very much.)

And now, the more profound:  The morning’s congregation was originally led by another pastor, the church shrank suddenly for one reason or another, and Pr Sasha was asked to come and preach for the remaining half of the group.  NHC members now come with a mini-worship team and scaled-down children’s ministry & fellowship snacks, to serve this congregation of about 30 people.  Being with them this morning was evidence to us that the strength of a church is not necessarily in her numbers.  This was a mixed group of old believers, new believers and non-believers.  Yet, there was friendship, love, care, friendliness, openness.  And this flowed not just between the gathered, but from the NHC servants to them, and back again.  Always, I’m impressed by this church, whose members seem — and indeed, are — so generous with themselves.  Though they must be tired with all the responsibilities of their own lives, they are yet able and enthusiastic to spend themselves further, for the sole aims of glorifying God, spreading into the city with His Gospel, and encouraging the body of believers.  It is happiness to watch, witness and partake in.

Being back at NHC in the afternoon was like being home; to me & Sunny, anyway, it felt the exact way we anticipate we’ll feel when we walk into NHF on Sunday, the 18th.  Wherever you go in the world, whatever room you walk into, there is no feeling that rivals what burns in the heart when you see the face of another breaking into a wide smile and rushing toward you with a hug and a warm greeting.  I felt like we were doing that all day . . . and even for the first-timers — Raimund, Jeremey, Chae, Rachel & Julia — the friendships & familiarity that was built up over the past four days was sufficient to merit the same warmth directed toward them.  (Personally, I’m so pleased to see that.  There’s nothing happier than seeing my precious beloved ones enter into each other’s lives and grow in mutual affection . . . )  Folks who were mere children last year — Roma, Sasha, Albina, Ela, Vlada, etc. — are now young adults, teenagers.  Anya and Karina are university students.  Igor has moved out and is living on his own, and is no longer the gangly, goofy companion from last summer.  And even in the eyes of our adult friends, the move and growth of God is evident in the groundedness of their stance, the steadiness of their gaze, the increased warmth & ease of their greeting, the faster inclination to look out for another.  I can only hope that you’ll know even a small part of how privileged we feel to be able to witness this over the years . . .

Jeremey preached twice today (at one point, sweating so profusely that Sveta, the elder’s wife, had to walk back to where our team was sitting in the pews to ask if we had a handkerchief for the poor guy!  We handed her some Kleenex, but also chalked it up to “hot fire!”).  In the morning, he preached from Philippians 2, and demonstrated how Jesus’ full divinity allowed Him to become fully man, and what it meant that every tongue would confess Jesus’ Name as LORD.  In the afternoon, we heard from II Corinthians 2 — about how to become the aroma of Christ, how to cling to the Word, how to live unashamed of the Gospel so that we can smell like Jesus and draw people to Him, those who would find His scent tantalizing and delicious.  Both sermons touched many hearts; many people in both congregations so appreciated hearing the Word of God from this special guest & brother.  (And of course, as always, there was one point when Sasha, mid-translation, turned to the congregation and began speaking in English.  Again, tragi-comedy. =)  )

Oh, before I forget: Raimund shared his testimony (the concise version, for he tells us that the “real” version will take at least 2 hours!) at the morning service, and Julia shared her testimony, as well as a greeting from James, at the afternoon service.  It was so lovely to see our brother & sister sharing in the ways they did, and our Ukrainian friends were blessed as well.  If you caught our prayer-request list in time, thank you for praying for them!!!

Earlier this year, NHC began something called “Coffee House” — a 2-fold ministry of coffee & snack service, one evening to youth and one evening to drug addicts & alcoholics.  It’s held in a large hall in the building next door to the current church building, an annex that has been built over the past couple of years (and the construction of which each U-team has also been able to witness throughout the past summers).  Today, in celebration of the close of a fruitful Youth Camp last week (and the addition of 12 young people to the Kingdom), an extra coffee-house was held, and we got to hang out with the teenagers there.  It was joyful to sit in that room and feel the presence of the Lord sitting there too, smiling, so happy to have gathered more co-heirs.

Another thing I noted today, and I told Luda: each year, there is growing intimacy between the U-teams and the NHC members.  The one who was suspicious last year is warmer this year.  The one who was reticent last year is the epitome of conversation this year.  The one who was shy last year is our most gregarious best friend this year.  Greetings went from “Welcome to Kremenchug” to “I was waiting for the arrival of the American team this summer!”  Conversations went from “What is New York like?” to “Here are our prayer requests, what are yours?”  It’s just AWESOME.  Every year, another layer is laid in our sisterhood.  We are friends.  We are received as friends.  Our coming is anticipated by friends.  We are brought into conversations as friends.  Shoot, half of us even went without interpreters for a few days, and we survived — language barriers aren’t intimidating anymore!  It just makes me drool for next year, the next trip, our next reunion . . .

Another small but sweet thing: we brought with us many Freeset bags to give as gifts to the NHC leaders and our close friends here.  It’s been awesome to tell the story about our trip to India, and the amazing, awful, wonderful things we witnessed there.  But the best part hasn’t been the sharing of the ministry or the giving of gifts.  The best part has been the reactions we’ve received.  Our friends here are so moved — some to tears — by the situation in Sonagacchi, and by the fact that there are fellow believers out there who would live Christ in the way that they are doing.  My sense is that our stories are not falling into the ears of people who are merely sympathetic, or even touched at a distance.  My sense is that our friends here are embracing this ministry as NHF has, and it will not surprise me one bit if in the next newsletter-update from Pastor Sasha, he writes to tell us that the prayer group here has been praying faithfully for Freeset and the women in Sonagacchi.

And so, the Kingdom advances . . . it’s too sweet, it makes my eyes water.

Our team had a good meeting tonight before dinner.  There’s a special set of challenges to team dynamics that comes with heat, humidity, cramped quarters, less than 100% comfort, unpredictable schedules and the stress of not understanding the local language.  But in response, there is also a special grace from God that flows, and He gives us quiet time with each other, to decompress, check in, share, pray, laugh, organize and re-organize.  And as always, we’re so, so, so incredibly thankful for Luda & Sasha, who are serving us now for the 4th year in a row, tolerating all our flights of fancy and lateness and American goofiness and un-translatable idioms and endless questions & interruptions and on and on and on.  All 9 of us together, this team, we are so thankful for tonight.

Incidentally, a highlight at dinner: hearing Chae say these 2 words: “Lady Gaga.”

And not incidentally, all the brothers have been great about guarding us ladies on the team.  But I have to give special props to Raimund in particular for being almost bouncer-like in his devotion to protecting us these past couple of nights, as we’ve been out walking late.  I wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alleyway when he’s angry, and I’m glad he’s onour side.

Tomorrow, we head to Camp.  This is going to be something interesting — 85 people are signed up and we’ve maxed out the space the Campsite has allotted us.  There will be no showers or running-water facilities.  It will likely rain a bit each day, which means lots of mud and general humidity all around.  There will be nothing physically comfortable, or even clean, about being there.  But . . . I just feel like it’s going to be serious good times.  Please pray for us, will you?  Pray that we’ll adjust quickly & well to being totally out of our elements, and that more than merely adjusting, we will absolutely RELISH the time we have to relax, play, swim, worship, eat, lounge and get muddy with our friends here.  Pray that we’ll be protected in health, strength & spirit, and that our joint ministry to nonbelieving Ukrainian friends will be fruitful — by the mercy of God, may those nonbelievers who come be good soil, ready for planting, ready for watering, ready for adoption, ready to see, know and love Jesus Christ.

And finally, please pray for our health and rest.  For some reason, on different nights, different team-members have had a hard time sleeping; some of us are struggling with various random physical discomforts, and some struggle with waves of exhaustion and feeling near-sick-but-not-quite-sick.  Please pray for a total removal of EVERYTHING that would hinder us from knowing the pleasure of being with fellow brothers & sisters, and the greatest pleasure of being in Christ in a new and fresh and Ukrainian way.

Tomorrow also marks “the beginning of the end.”  There’s always that moment in any short-term trip where the corner is turned, and the team starts to look toward home, even if it’s yet a faraway blip on the radar screen.  Tomorrow is that moment.  So in anticipation of our return to NY and our re-entry to regularly scheduled programming, would you please begin to pray for us in that respect, too?

As always, thanks for coming along with us this day, and for praying for us & loving us as you do from afar.  We miss you, we love you, and we send to you also, loving, warm, enthusiastic greetings from all your brothers & sisters here at NHC.

(And for the U-alums, Luda sends you a special, “Alriiiiiiiight!”)

His peace & strength to you,
c., on behalf of U10

Yaaaaaawwwwwwn.  We’re sleepy today!  But I think it’s a great sleepiness, actually . . .

This morning, we got to “sleep in” a little bit (FYI: there is a current friendly competition on to see which room — the mens’ or the womens’ — gets to morning devotionals on time.  McDonald’s in Kiev, or ice-cream back in NY, is on the line.  As of yesterday morning, we were tied 1-1, but this morning, the women took a slight lead when 3/4 of our men uncharacteristically overslept!) before heading over the the local orphanage, the same one past U-teams have visited.  With us were Natasha (16yo Marina’s mother, serves in the children’s ministry at NHC), Nastya and another woman named Marina.  Nastya and Marina are in their 20s and unmarried, but both have adopted daughters (2 for Nastya with another one in the dreams, and 1 for Marina).  It was so interesting to hear about their heart for Ukrainian orphans, and to learn a little bit about domestic adoption processes here in Ukraine, and to see the adoptive love of God the Father displayed in human form.  (And admittedly, there is no small curiosity regarding: “How do single, 20-something women adopt children at such a young age and without a husband-father to join them in parenting?”)

The orphanage was really stinkin’ hot.  I have to say, I think this has been our warmest summer in K’chug so far, although intermittent rainstorms really cool things down in the afternoon.  After sharing some songs in English & Russian (“our God is so big, so strong & so mighty” is quickly becoming an anthem), U10 performed our skit again, and then we split up: a few of us hanging out with the younger kids to do crafts, and the rest of us heading upstairs to the classroom to talk with the older kids.  Interestingly, among the younger children, there was only one little girl; the rest were little boys — very different from past trips.  I hear they were slightly hard to keep at attention, but the crafts seemed to have gone over very well, and of course, who doesn’t like candy, right?  I was with the older kids, with Sasha, Jeremey and Chae.  Two of them, Nastya & Ilyona, remembered me from last year and asked about James; they also thought it was cool that James’ dad and sister were here this summer.  Conversation was difficult; the kids were distracted (and they tended toward the younger end of the 10yo+ scale, as opposed to last year, when many of the older kids were in the mid-teens), but as we were preparing to leave, and the crowd dissipated a bit, we were able to chat in the hallway with the 2 older girls (Nastya & Ilyona).  These 2 girls, as well as a few boys, expressed that their greatest dream is to be adopted by a loving family, to get loving parents.  Realistically, at their age (15 and 16), that probably won’t happen, and soon, they’ll be of age, emancipated, and no longer even eligible to stay at this orphanage.  It’s piercing to hear such innocent, “childish” dreams spoken from the lips of a 16yo girl who is mature enough to converse with a bunch of adults and look after her younger co-orphans.  At the same time, it was bizarrely uplifting to hear the right answers coming from their mouths in response to questions about who Christ is, what the Cross means, etc.

We shared with the older crowd about Freeset (using vague language with reference to the background of the women who work at Freeset), and from this, we were able to say some parting words to Nastya & Ilyona — about freedom, the different meanings and appearances of freedom, the nature of freedom in Christ.  We can only hope & pray that they will indeed be adopted into loving families, that they will know freedom in Christ, and that they will join us in the ranks of His adopted and beloved ones.

Lunch occurred at ProStore (bigger & better than AmStore, if you can believe it!), and many of us got borscht — YUMMO — and ice cream — YUMMO — and strong Americano coffee — SUPER-YUMMO.  We waited out a rainstorm before heading back home for rest and refreshment before our dinner with NHC leaders.

Dinner was great — these meals always are.  And I shared with our team during evening debriefing: each year, there is a progression, and incremental increase in comfort, ease, affection and laughter between the NHF team and the NHC leaders.  Tonight, there was a lot of laughter, and Sunny & I noted that people who had been reticent even as recently as last summer, were absolute comedians tonight!  It was so hysterical, I was burning off my dinner as I was eating it!  And it felt so good, to laugh, and to be able to convey jokes & sarcasm & humour through just a look or an arch of an eyebrow, or better yet, to even be able to UNDERSTAND jokes before they were interpreted for us!

NHC shared with us that this is their Jubilee year, a year to back off a little bit from their many ministries, and focus on relationships within the church (and with those outside the church with whom people already have acquaintanceships).  Many of the leaders shared personal stories about recent spiritual journeys or revelations.  Pr Andrei (associate pastor as of this past winter) shared about a series of dreams he had which he felt were God’s ways of showing him that He is leading him strongly in his ministry to youth; he was pleased to officially make our acquaintance, and said he was happy to join Pr Sasha in growing the sisterhood between our 2 churches.  Sveta (wife of Zhenya, an elder in the church) shared about a personal Jubilee time she was experiencing at the end of her 7th year with Christ (and the start of Zhenya’s 7th year with Him), and how when she rests in the Lord right now, that is when He provides more opportunities for her & her husband to evangelize, meet new people, etc.  It was so lovely to hear these testimonies and hopes & dreams, in Christ, and to realize that we were being entrusted with them, to join with them in prayer and to commit to supporting them as our dear friends in their spiritual walks, just as we would support & encourage each other.

In turn, U10 introduced Jeremey, who shared about his path to pastoring, and his path to our community.  Chae expressed prayer requests for our internal transition time, and thankfully shared the history of how we came to NHC in the first place.  I had the chance to share a thought that occurred to me as people talked: that it seems like NHC and NHF are mirroring each other in opposites.  That is, in a year when NHC is resting, NHF has been quite busy — fruitful men’s & women’s retreats, the trip to India in March, our pastor search & acquisition, this trip to K’chug, our summer retreat coming up in August, and who knows what else God has in the pipeline for us in the fall & early winter.  And at some point, this will shift, and NHC will become busy once more while NHF might enter a season of rest and internal rejuvenation by the Holy Spirit.  I thought that this really reflected the global church and how God’s Kingdom advances through churches like ours — churches that can take turns resting & working so that organic spiritual life can thrive in an atmosphere of mutual support, commiseration, labour, etc.

We gifted the leaders gathered with Freeset bags, and they all seemed really moved by the history, story & work of Freeset.  It was certainly strengthening and so moving for me to share these bags with our friends here, NOT as a plug for the business, but solely as a way to share ministry, to bring India to K’chug, and to connect God’s servants together across the miles.

Tonight, our team spent some more substantial time sharing together, debriefing, and praying, both for each other and the things we shared with each other tonight, and for our coming Sabbath with NHC.  Please would you also join us in these prayers:

-  good & strong health for Raimund & Sunny, who were a little weary today
-  for God to block Rachel’s gag reflex in response to funky smells (ask any former U-team member: the potties at Camp are NOT favorable to impulsive gag reflexes!)
-  my left leg, which is feeling increasing pain & numbness in the knee and on the sole of my foot, where that tendon is

-  continued favour upon NHC, their members, their ministries
-  grace over and for NHC in their relationships with others
-  Jeremey & Sasha, as they prepare to preach & interpret 2 sermons tomorrow
-  our team, as we present the skit twice tomorrow the coming week at Camp

-  praises for a glorious teenagers’ Youth Camp this past week, when 1/3 of the 34 nonbelievers who came devoted their lives to Christ
-  good rest for all of us, and protection of all and every kind

Thank you for continuing with us on our trip.  Your love gives us strength.

In & for Him,
c., on behalf of U10

Thank God for “Day Two’s” . . .

Chae led us this morning in a devotional from Psalm 43, and encouraged us to put our hope in God, to remind ourselves, speak to ourselves the reminder to trust in He who shines light, and in whom our hope comes to strong fruition.

And with that, we headed back to the “You Are Special” VBS for the final day’s celebrations.  I think we say this every year, but every year, it continues to be true: there is something really special about the little ones here.  There is an affection that is unguarded, a physical closeness that isn’t tainted (for the kids or their parents) by an American suspicion of strangers, and a curiosity that is not hidden (yet) by concepts of shame or false-politeness.  The hugs come quick — we knew the VBS kids for all of 6 hours yesterday, and this morning, they were bombarding us with hugs, hellos, run-on sentences in Russian that none of us had any hope of understanding.  One girl, Katya, even told us that she had prepared some gifts for our team members, but left them at home.  !!!!!  I know, please, take a moment to melt!

The morning started out the same, with Lena the Christian Pied Piper putting on quite a show.  U10′s women performed a body-worship presentation set to Chris Tomlin’s “I Will Rise.”  Then we broke for small groups . . .

In the middle of small group time, Pr Sasha called the U10 members out so that we could walk with him to the plot of land next door.  Just by way of explanation: VBS is taking place in a polytechnic institute (a vocational school of sorts for students of high-school age).  The campus consists of 2 buildings; the 2nd building is separated from this one by a large plot of land, I dunno how many metres across, but about 100 metres long (from the street in).  This middle plot of land is what was granted to NHC by the city.  And you have to hear this story: last summer, y’all might remember that U09 was invited into Pr Sasha’s home for tea, and we saw the architect’s plans for their new church building.  At that time, they had submitted the application to be granted that plot of land, and were waiting for the 1st of a series of city-council meetings to discuss (and hopefully, approve) the application.

All the odds were stacked against NHC.  The head of religious affairs in the city of Kremenchug basically told NHC, “You have no chance,” partly because the religious affiliation of the “powers that be” in local politics is Ukrainian Orthodox, and they were not inclined to do anything to show any favor to Evangelical Christians.  However, one of the pastors in NHC’s mother-church (Spring of Life Church) also sits on the city council, and he really talked up NHC to his fellow council-members.  The value of his honest conversation and verbal-promotion of NHC’s application equaled about $18,000 — $1800 per vote that would normally be “bought” (a/k/a, via bribe).  That is $18,000 that NHC did not have to pay; instead, the Holy Spirit moved and God’s will was done.  The land was granted to them earlier this year, and right now, NHC is waiting for one last meeting to finalize the deal and hand over the deed to the land to the church.  When this happens, NHC will mow the plot of land (now, sort of overgrown & unkempt) to evidence to the neighborhood that that land belongs to someone.  And then, slowly, steadily, with wisdom in financial planning and managing to somehow use the best brick materials (public buildings in K’chug may not be built with anything else), NHC will raise its Noah’s Ark-shaped church.  And every day, 1200 high-school students will walk past this church, between their two school buildings.  And NHC will reach out to them, befriend them, evangelize to them, and raise up leaders for the Kingdom in the coming generation.

PRAISE GOD.

The new church-building will rise on Moscovska Blvd, at the corner of Mir Park (K’chug’s version of NY’s Central Park).  Moscovska Blvd is a main drag.  Standing on that plot of land today, intertwining hands to stand on the wall that separates it from the sidewalk to pray over the land and what the Lord will create and grow upon it, it was quite an emotional moment.  To have spent the past year praying with NHC for this land . . . to observe for ourselves its strategic and awesome location . . . to be able to set our feet upon it and rejoice . . . it was, in a word, INCREDIBLE.  There’s nothing our God cannot do . . . (and of course, this just feeds my own personal conviction that K’chug is going to be the epicenter of revival in Europe) . . .

Anyhow.  That was the interruption in our VBS-day, before our mini-Olympics began.  The children had to run around 10 stations (4 of which were manned by the “Amerikanski’i), and complete 10 tasks / challenges to accrue points.  They then used these points to “shop” at the Camp Store (and isn’t it just the biggest “awwwww” that some 10-year-old boys bought hair-ties for Julia?!).

At 3p, when the kids were gone, the VBS leaders from NHC and U10 had a wonderful lunch together — yup, the food remains just as tasty!  It was a great time to share encouraging stories with each other, and to hear of God’s goodness & faithfulness over this past week.  He is just so good . . .

We then cleaned up a bit and headed over to Mir Park, just up the block from the VBS site.  There, we got to hang out with the kids some more, as well as meet their parents, and invite them to Sunday School and church.  Please pray for the seeds that were sown over this past week . . . may an initial foray into a church community and hearing of God’s Word be fertilizer upon good soil . . .

We got back to home-base at around 8p.  We are wiped.

BUT.

It’s different.  Truthfully, I’ll say this: yesterday, our first full day here, was a hard day.  Spending an entire day with 50+ young kids.  Maneuvering about with only Luda & Sasha as interpreters (there was another team from Texas here this week, serving at a sleep-away youth camp led by NHC’s youth group & youth-group leaders, and they had first-dibs on the interpreters – nuts!).  Living in a world where air-conditioning is neither a norm nor a given, nor even a reasonable expectation.  Hearing about some changes at NHC, and some growing that some of our beloved teenagers are going through.  Jet-lag.  Yep, it was a hard day.

Today was tiring, but it was not hard.  Today was joyful, in a very solid and nourishing way.  The 50+ kids’ love for us was hard not to reciprocate.  Going interpreter-less made us more creative & giggly.  It rained like the dickens in spurts today, and everything cooled down.  A restful night and morning time with the Lord gave us perspective and understanding and compassion for our NHC friends, and for all those around us.

So tonight, we are wiped, but not downcast.  We are joyful and we continue to put our hope in God.

Tomorrow, Saturday, we spend our morning at the local orphanage — our third visit there now.  We’ll perform our skit again, and our team will probably split as we did last year — to have half do some crafts with the younger kids and the other half sit & talk with the older kids.  Please pray for our time with them.  I could go on and on in my list of specific requests, but somehow, that doesn’t seem necessary.  I feel the need to trust the Lord and say, “Please pray just as the Spirit would lead you to pray about our 2-3 hours at this orphanage.”

In the evening, we’ll have dinner with the NHC leadership.  Please pray for this time as well.  Fellowship times like these dinners are always so pivotal as the next layer of building blocks in our mutual sister-relationship.  It is important that this evening be covered by the precious blood of precious Jesus.

There’s also a chance that Saturday will be the day that Pastor Jeremey and Chae have a private sit-down with Pastor Sasha.  This also is a very significant time, both from a transition perspective, and from a mutual brotherhood perspective.  Please, please pray for their conversation & time together.

And for this night (it’s now 10.37p local time), please pray that U10 will get good rest.  The past couple of nights have been somewhat lacking in terms of quality & quantity of rest for various members of the team.  Let tonight be the beginning of 8 nights of incredible, incredible rest & refreshment & actual SLEEP . . . .

We love you, we miss you, we continue to rely on you,
c., on behalf of U10

It’s no longer a joke: Ukrainian mosquitoes (or “mo-SQUEE-toes” as JohnCho likes to say) really do love Sunny (and Rachel too, I think, although she hasn’t taken an official tally of her bites).  I do believe one bit Sunny as soon as we landed at Borispol Airport, or on the way into Kremenchug from there.  Sunny’s response?  “Ahhh, now I know I’m welcomed back into the country.”  And then overnight — as we slept with the windows open to battle the heat — she got eaten up some more.  What a sport!

Well, it wasn’t just a fruitful day for mosquitoes here in Kremenchug.  After an early morning devotion in I Corinthians 3, we had a home-grown breakfast at church (croissants, juice, yogurt & fruit from our beloved Am-Store!), then headed out to the local technical college where NHC was running the 4th day of their week-long local children’s day-camp.  Run VBS-style, the camp is themed “You Are Special,” based on Max Lucado’s children’s book / media series.  NHC handed out flyers & invitation postcards to local kids, and the first day about 24 showed up.  The next day, about 35.  The next day, about 45.  And so on and so forth.

Today, we had a little over 50 children.  The morning started with this AMAZING children’s ministry program leader — a woman named Lena (U09-ers will remember her as the dressed-up lady in the park from last summer, who told stories & sang songs).  Lena led the children in songs, inviting a child or two to come up and sing each song with her.  Then, there was a scene from the “You Are Special” movie acted out by NHC leaders (dang, they are GOOD and they LOVE their dramas!).  Given the speed with which I run out of creative ways to entertain children, I was so awe-struck by Lena, and how she could go for 2 hours with a smile on her face and nary a crack in her voice . . .

Mid-morning, we broke into age-grouped small groups for a lesson, crafts, and general hanging out.  Then it was outdoors for “sport” — fantastically ridiculous camp games involving lots and lots of water.  You will all be pleased to know that no NHFer got their pants wet.  (And I’ll just leave it at that.)  We came back inside, and the NHF team coordinated a craft activity for the kids based on Psalm 139.14: “I praise you for I am fearfully & wonderfully made.”  More snacks led to our afternoon large-group time, where our “He Will Carry Me” skit got a really warm reception.  Luda, who has now seen 4 years’ worth of skits, said, “That was simply outstanding; you keep outdoing yourselves!”  Praise God!  We hope and continue to pray that the Gospel speaks loudly through our actions . . .

In the afternoon, the team split for an hour or so:
- Sunny, Rachel, Luda & I went to NugaBest for hot massages (why we would get hot massages in the height of summer, no one knows)

- Julia & Chae went for a run (!!!!!!!!!)

- Raimund napped

- Sasha rested

After reuniting, we strolled to a pizza place over by the River / park for dinner (yummo!  Although it didn’t have that neat vodka-sauce base that the pizza from past trips did), did some more grocery shopping for future breakfasts, and strolled back home . . . after evening debriefing & prayer, we are not ready to sleep.

All sorts of tired jokes abounded this evening about what it’s like to spend a day with 50 active, curious, eager children, all under the age of 13.  But as we prayed in preparation for tomorrow, the last day of “VBS,” I sense that our passion was renewed somewhat, even past the barriers of exhaustion & sleepiness.  We refocused our attentions, away from ourselves, and to the children, their parents & families, this city, this nation.  Our eyes were re-opened to God’s macro-movement in this city, not His micro-movement in our own bio-rhythms.  Not that He doesn’t care about us . . . but we care about why we are here, and it’s not to complain about how tired we are, or how hot it is.  It is to love each other, and love NHC, and join them in loving the people of this city so that the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ can grow, advance, revolutionize, change, revive, save.

Jet-lag still haunts, mosquito bites still itch, etc. etc. etc.  But I think we go to bed tonight a little more united as a team, a little more understanding of our team’s purpose this summer, a little more ready to receive grace, share grace, extend grace, live grace.
For this, I am thankful, and would you be thankful with me?

Please continue to lift us up, as often as you can, whenever you remember us, and would you remember us often?
Pray for:

- our team, our unity, our love & care for each other, how we communicate with each other, how we support & protect each other, etc.

- our team’s health & spirits, warding off the distractions of the heat & mosquito bites and other small things, so that we can enjoy the bigger pleasures of each other and of being here

- NHC, their ministries, their internal & external community, their outreach to the neighborhood where they will break ground on their new church building

- the children at VBS, and their families, and our final day of VBS tomorrow.

Thank you for coming alongside of us in this trip, and sustaining us from afar.  This song is stuck in my head from earlier today, and though it’s a great throwback to my childhood, I hope its truth rings just as heavily true for you as it does for me and us today: “My God is so big, so strong & so mighty; there’s nothing my God cannot do!”

His love, from NHC and us, to you,

c.