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Happy Father’s Day!
Kerry makes a life changing difference for a Bhutanese family
Lisa’s Thoughts on Kyiv
Ben and Ang asked if I would do a guest post. So here I am.
Did you know, that in Russian a ‘W’ says the ‘Sh’ sound?
That almost all the apartment buildings are from the Soviet era?
That people will help you carry your stroller all the way up the stairs – without you asking?
That some buses are only vans – and somewhat rickity at that?
That there is a beautiful pride in having their own independent country?
That there are parks around every corner?
That little old ladies cut raw meat on the street and in the outdoor market and display it til it sells?
The contrasts are amazing. Some of the apartment buildings look like they should be demolished. But then, you see some little old women sweeping up leaves and dirt on the sidewalk or painting the children’s playground equipment. The elevators cannot handle more than 4 people or they will stop and you can’t get help easily. But then you will notice the flowers someone just planted in front of the building.
I feel so blessed that I was able to come and see this beautiful country and learn about it!
And what about Ang and Ben?ย They are learning the language. They already seem proficient at the grocery store. Which is important when you want to buy, perhaps, mayonnaise. I have never seen more kinds in my life! There is no Hellmann’s or Miracle Whip, and it comes in a bag. That’s right. A bag.
Jay is growing like crazy! His little cheeks are so soft! And I am certain that he will be crawling in a month.
Cassie has hit the PINK stage. She chooses pink yogourt in her pink teacup. She wears her pink princess dress on top of a pink shirt!
Angela is beautiful as always. She is kind and welcoming to everyone – a day after I leave, they are hosting about 4 other people for a week!
Benny is doing very well with the learning. He knows where to go to get things done and talks with quite a bit of excitement about buying some property here someday.
I am hoping to come back.
And I haven’t even talked about the students and staff at the YWAM base. Or the incredible learning that is going on. Or how much I enjoyed the sour cherry vereneki. About the beauty of the paintings that are sold and displayed around St. Andrew’s Descent. Or of the horror of the Holodomor.
Like I said, I am hoping to come back someday.
And if you have actually stuck with me this far, Thanks!
Lisa (one of Ben’s sisters)
Did you know, that in Russian a ‘W’ says the ‘Sh’ sound?
That almost all the apartment buildings are from the Soviet era?
That people will help you carry your stroller all the way up the stairs – without you asking?
That some buses are only vans – and somewhat rickity at that?
That there is a beautiful pride in having their own independent country?
That there are parks around every corner?
That little old ladies cut raw meat on the street and in the outdoor market and display it til it sells?
The contrasts are amazing. Some of the apartment buildings look like they should be demolished. But then, you see some little old women sweeping up leaves and dirt on the sidewalk or painting the children’s playground equipment. The elevators cannot handle more than 4 people or they will stop and you can’t get help easily. But then you will notice the flowers someone just planted in front of the building.
I feel so blessed that I was able to come and see this beautiful country and learn about it!
And what about Ang and Ben?ย They are learning the language. They already seem proficient at the grocery store. Which is important when you want to buy, perhaps, mayonnaise. I have never seen more kinds in my life! There is no Hellmann’s or Miracle Whip, and it comes in a bag. That’s right. A bag.
Jay is growing like crazy! His little cheeks are so soft! And I am certain that he will be crawling in a month.
Cassie has hit the PINK stage. She chooses pink yogourt in her pink teacup. She wears her pink princess dress on top of a pink shirt!
Angela is beautiful as always. She is kind and welcoming to everyone – a day after I leave, they are hosting about 4 other people for a week!
Benny is doing very well with the learning. He knows where to go to get things done and talks with quite a bit of excitement about buying some property here someday.
I am hoping to come back.
And I haven’t even talked about the students and staff at the YWAM base. Or the incredible learning that is going on. Or how much I enjoyed the sour cherry vereneki. About the beauty of the paintings that are sold and displayed around St. Andrew’s Descent. Or of the horror of the Holodomor.
Like I said, I am hoping to come back someday.
And if you have actually stuck with me this far, Thanks!
Lisa (one of Ben’s sisters)
Guest post by Lisa Hopcraft – Ben’s Sister.
Multi-tasking, love it or hate it… it must be done!
While I would prefer to simply do one thing at a time, unfortunately life just doesn’t work that way. Does yours? If it does can you send me a few tips how you do it? We are busy with lots of prep for our Bible School which starts on Monday! This is very exciting and we will profile the students we will be teaching over the next nine months in future blogs.
We are also meeting with Joshua Walker (check out his blog at www.joshuajordanwalker.com/site) while he is here for a few weeks. He will be joining us as Titus Project Staff next September and we have had a great time strategizing with him.
Finally we have been having fun with our kids, reading books like ‘Giggle, Giggle, Quack’ and watching Barney (I love you, you love me…). Life is full, and wonderful. But I confess at times, there is a lot to think about and do.
We are also meeting with Joshua Walker (check out his blog at www.joshuajordanwalker.com/site) while he is here for a few weeks. He will be joining us as Titus Project Staff next September and we have had a great time strategizing with him.
Finally we have been having fun with our kids, reading books like ‘Giggle, Giggle, Quack’ and watching Barney (I love you, you love me…). Life is full, and wonderful. But I confess at times, there is a lot to think about and do.
Lest you get the wrong impression…
Asย I walk to the bedroom with a crying Jay I comment, "that was a mistake."
A moment later, Angela replies, "This whole day has been a mistake."
No truer words have ever been spoken.
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The days that have really been "a mistake" have been few and far between since I was in high school getting upset at my mom or brother. But today was definitely one of them. I won’t go into all the gruesome details (which you’re all probably dying to hear … I would be). Anyways, let’s just say churchย in a completely foreign language doesn’t go so well … especially when you are changing the babys feeding schedule and the toddler is still emotional over the 4 day absence of her best-friendย slashย mother. Lunch didn’t come till 2pm (a little late, even for us adults). Naptime shouldn’t usually last past 6pm … but can you blame us after that kind of morning? (Did I forget to mention the fall, the screaming children in the playroom, the longest sermon ever preached, worship with a blank screen, over priced lunch, etc.) And so…
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To cap the day off (8.30pm), Cassie sees us typing and says, "watch my movie now, please?"
Daddy, ever the television watchdog replies, "maybe tomorrow."
Not to be outdone, the bright young little girl responds in that gentle but persistent voice, "maybe now daddy."
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Well, they say you can’t win them all… on those days, its just easier to give in. Anyway, though Angela and I both had several "exchange of words", we’ve said our "sorry’s" and "forgive you’s".
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*As a final word, we didn’t giveย in – no movie tonight. But the little girly is definitelyย getting WAY too smart.
** You know, I’ve heard many moms and dads say some of the quotes their kids make and I never really understood the big deal. I’m beginning to understand…
A great time in Armenia
After three weeks of training in Sweden we sent out a team of four bible teachers to Armenia (this is the 3rd team we have sent there). This team has been there for 6 weeks and they have had a great time together! FUN is definitely the word I would use to describe this team’s experience. I had the privilege of going to Armenia for their last week to help debrief them. I had one on one’s with all of them, we went out for a fun night of dinner, dessert and fun, we had a group debriefing session, it was so great to hear all their stories and experiences as they taught the bible in churches all over Armenia. Thank you Josh, Anna, Charity and Saana for all your hard work! Many people were blessed because of you!
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Our other team went to Thailand and sadly we couldn’t be with them in their last week, but I know they made a huge difference as well! Thank you Uan, Josh and Sarah for your consistent hard work! Hope you had a great time snorkelling during the last few days of debriefing!
Transition
A few weeks ago we were in a time of transition between Sweden and Ukraine. We made a short video during our last week in Sweden. The information is a little dated, but we still thought you might like to see it. Enjoy!
So cold we can ice skate!
Finally the heat wave has broken, it is now only around 25ย and it feels GREAT! It isn’t quite cold enough to ice skate but yesterday we went with our coworkers to an indoor ice rink for some team building time. We were allowed to skate for 45 minutes for around $1.50. It was so much fun! Cassie put on skates for the first time and while she barely let her feet touch the ice, she had a great first experience! We have to keep that Canadian culture, so ice skating is a big part of that! You can see some pictures on the left side of the page.
Still hot!
It is true, as I write this the sweat is dripping down my neck and there isn’t a fan to be found anywhere (I guess they have all been bought up!) It is easy to look at the negatives of a place when everything is new, and so we have started a ‘Great things about our new home’ list. We placed a white board near our door and so everytime we think of a good thing about where we now live we write it down. After one we week here we have written:
-A market really close by with everything we could need
-People help with strollers (up and down the stairs) without being asked
-We have a wonderful apartment
-Cars will stop to let strollers cross the street
-We have great SBS friends / coworkers
-There are beautiful walks and avenues
-Cell phones are super cheap, AND we even have a landline (see how to contact us farther down the page)
-Our apartment came with a washing machine
-Our ministry leader is very capable and wise
-Our friends have been super helpful
We still have a long way to go to feel settled but we are on our way. Please keep praying for us as we go through the normal culture shock to do it well and feel ‘normal’ soon.
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Ukraine!
We made it! We are in the land of the perogy!
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Our welcome night was wonderful! The team we are joining for this first year welcomed us with a dinner – homemade perogies and borscht!! It was really great! So now we are slowly cooking in the heat (over 35 the whole week!). You’ve probably seen the heat wave on the news, apparently there is some drought here and in Russia that is creating havoc. Anyway, we are doing well and beginning to adjust – although we don’t really have good access to internet at the moment. But our apartment does have a phone line – you can try giving us a call (we are 8 hours ahead so don’t call after 2pm. :) From North America, dial 001-380-44-295-2756. We’d love to hear from you!
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Love from the whole sweating little family!
Saying Goodbye
Even though we knew we would be in Sweden for only 3.5 months, we still chose to give totally of ourselves in terms of relationships. We didn’t hold back. We let our hearts get filled up with love for the people that we lived with and worked with in Restenas Sweden, and we aren’t at all sorry. Even though it is hard to say goodbye to those you love, it is still worth putting your whole heart into loving and being loved by people. We had a fun goodbye/birthday party (Ben’s)! You can see some pictures on the side. Thank you to all of our wonderful friends in Sweden, we will truly miss you and we hope you’ll come visit us in Ukraine!
Being Holy, Being Human
I read a book today called ‘Being Holy, Being Human’ by Jay kesleyย – this next section resounded in my heart.
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"I find that many bible teachers begin to feel guilty or afraid if their minds start entertaining doubts like these (Is there really a God? How could He let suffering happen?). They think such thoughts indicate a lack of faith. There was a time when I felt that way, too. My understanding now, however, is that most men and women of great faith down through the centuries have entertained such doubts. The psalms, for example, are full of expressions of deep doubt, especially those of David, ยthe man after Godยs own heart.ย
Faith is the conviction that there ought to be justice, that in some larger context there must be an answer. The questions we voice are actually expressions of a longing for satisfaction, a longing implanted by God. When we see evil triumph, the truly godless response would be to say, ยSo what else is new? Why shouldnยt the world be that way?ย
One of the signs of faithful people is that theyยre troubled by evil and injusticeยeven when they seemingly come about as ยan act of God.ย So such ยdoubtย is actually a seeking for God in the midst of confusion, and thatยs a profound kind of faith. In fact, I might wonder about you a little if you claim never to ask such questions.
Humanity has struggled since the beginning of time with the attempt to reconcile the love and power of God with the pain we see around us every day. And it is a struggle if weยre honest.
Faith, as I have come to understand it, is not an absence of doubt. Only those who refuse to look at the world realistically never doubt. In that light, faith is not the absence of doubt. Faith is looking squarely at the evidenceยthe statements of Scripture as well as the confusing realities that suggest life is capricious and there is no loving Godยand choosing, by faith, to continue in obedience and loveย toward God."
My faith, my security as a Christian, rests not in my impeccable logic and my ability to remove all doubts. It rests not in getting God all figured out. Rather, my faith rests in knowing Godยs nature. As I have come to know him as a loving father, I can be assured of his forgiveness, his goodness, and his power.
In my own life, I have come to a point of being able to say that even though I still have doubts, by faith I will suspend judgment until God can explain it to me some day.
Frustrated!
There are two things that I could write about: the amazing week we have had and the extremely frustrated feelings I have right now. I think I will go with the frustrated feelings since they are the most recent. Last week our participants had their first practice teachings. After videotapingย each person it is now my job to put that into a watchable format for them. This isย so that they can see themselves and work on improving their teaching skills. The only problem is that our laptop has started shutting down whenever it wants! Basically, just before I get the video saved…CRASH! It has happened about 5 times tonight. I am not a happy camper! I give up. Tomorrow I will try again and maybe our laptop will cooperate with me. I am ALMOST ready to get a mac…
Titus Staff
Tomorrow is the last day of staff training. We have had a great time with our team. Let me quickly introduce them:
Reyna- A fun loving, kind hearted faith filled girl! She is Swedish, but she grew up in Guatemala and is now living in Taiwan.
Uan- Or ‘Auntie’ as Cassie likes to call her. Uan is from Thailand. She has a lot of wisdom, but she also makes us all laugh. She will take two of our participants back to Thailand to teach in churches there.
Josh- A Canadianl like us (Happy Canada Day to our fellow Canadians!), Josh has come from Grand Prairie Alberta to lead 3ย of our particpantsย to Armenia. He is passionate and well educated but hasn’t lost his sense of humour!
Thanks so much you three for coming and making the first Titus Project in Europe a reality!
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A Big Day
Yesterday was A Big Day!
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I shouldn’t have to mention that in Fifa World Cup action, Paraguay advanced as #1 in group F. Just 3 wins away from the elusive prize! Then again, so are all the other remaining 16 teams.
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Even better than Paraguay advancing, the students who have studied the Bible for the last year here are also advancing. Last night was graduation for all 6 of them. Incredible! My own university experience paled in comparison to the work I put in during my SBS (the same program as these students graduated from) so yesterday was a major accomplishment. Congrats to a job well done! (see pictures beside)
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Our little familyย also received important visas for this coming year – that was really good news! Nothing better than knowing we are allowed to live where we hoped to.
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And last but not least, yesterday was the last day before the staff arrive for Titus Project here in Sweden. Just one last week of prep before 3 weeks of teacher training and then sending them out to change the world! We are really excited! Lots of hard work translates into lots of excitement and expectation as everthingย gets going.
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So yesterday was a big day! And hopefully we will have many more…
Happy Father’s Day!
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Check out the video to commemorateย Father’s Day!ย
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Children need a Daddy
For many, many things:
Like holding them high off the ground
Where the sunlight sings!
For many, many things:
Like holding them high off the ground
Where the sunlight sings!
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Like being the great mountain
That rises in their hearts
And shows them how they might get home
When all else falls apart.
Like giving them the love
That is their sea and air,
So diving deep or soaring high
They’ll always find him there.
With much love to our Dads and our Grandpa!
Knowing the Unknowable
โ”The church isn’t here for us. We are the church, and we are here for the world. We need to become prophets of the unknown God. We must be the ones who say, ‘We have seen the invisible, we have experienced the unimaginable and we are here to tell you that what you do not know can be known.’…God is the unknown God, but He is not the unknowable God.” – Erwin McManus
Who is He?
This year I started reading through the bible again from the beginning. I just finished reading through the 2nd book Exodus (out of 66 books- lots to go!) and I was struck by two things. In that time everyone had their different ideas of who God was. They knew someone had toย have created the earth, butย what was He like? Mean? Nasty? Evil? Angry? Unfair? ย So when Moses asked him, "Show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight." He truly wanted to know what this God he was serving was like. How did God choose to reveal Himself? Of all the things He could have said He revealed this: "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the childrenยs children, to the third and the fourth generation." See the contrast between His steadfast love for thousands of generations compared to a few generations of iniquity.ย Just and Merciful!ย I love this God! The other thing that stood out to me was the final paragraph. God comes and dwells withย His people.ย The God of the entire world dwells among men, He desires relationship and loves humanity! He truly is aย wonderful God who created me. I love You Lord.
Teaching Adventures 