Updates – Page 4 – Teaching Adventures

2017/02/26

India

An incredible trip – wonderful hosts who really invited us in to minister, a hungry audience for our seminars who were passionate for God, and time for depth and growth as a team. First a short story and some comments and then if you’re interested, lots of details.

During our study skill teaching times we include lots of simple practical application ideas. One day one man shared that his neighbor had recently parked in his spot and he was quite tempted to be angry. But instead, he practiced what he had been learning and went and talked to his neighbor and told him he could have the spot. Seems small but the people we were teaching had such a heart to grow and live it out!

Though they have had the Bible for a long time, they tend to read it more like a newspaper – interesting but sort of out of touch with their own life. Some of the comments they shared with our hosts:
– “We don’t get Bible Studies like this in Mizoram, we need more of this kind of teaching where we can discover truth on our own.” Monica
– “Studying the Bible this way has broaden my understanding. After the seminar of Jonah I was so inspired that next day I told everyone I met about it.” Dr A
– I always heard about having a mind of Christ but only on the seminar of Philippians did I actually understand what does it practically mean. No one every preached it this way. No one before explained what it means.” Tete-a

Culture

Its been a few years since I’ve been somewhere so remote but it was such a great experience! I’ve seen and experienced many things in my life and so I was actually surprised by some of the things that I learned this time. One particular aspect was my own culture shock. They lived like normal people do everywhere but they still have a tribal outlook on life. Its quite stereotypical but when I think tribal I think of huts, spears and subsistence living. But they weren’t that at all. Yet the way they conduct meetings, relate to each other and live is tribal in outlook. They don’t do much in the way of greetings like “hey, how’s it going” because they see each other so much and they won’t do much in the way of good bye’s either. And meetings of any formality always start with a long preamble of important people who say something before starting, something like honoring the elders and leaders in the group. I saw this in church on Sunday, at a cd/video release party at the hotel we stayed at, and even in our teaching sessions. As tribal people, they share very willingly, so during the day we would walk into homes and invite ourselves over for tea and a snack. But the thing was, it wasn’t inviting ourselves over – it was normal, expected, informal. There wasn’t much of a hello, even when we didn’t know the people.

Teaching

The teaching situation was terrific. With our first audience we had a whole week with the same group, two full days and four evenings so we could really spend some time with them. We covered a number of books, taught Inductive Bible Study method and an Overview of the Bible. The whole province we were in is basically all Christian. Everything shuts down on Sunday (not even corner stores are open) and nearly everyone goes to church. But church is a shallow thing for most people, a ritual largely devoid of meaning and disconnected from their daily lives. A younger generation is growing up that probably won’t carry on most of the traditions as well. Amazingly, God has preserved them from Hinduism to the west and the Buddhism to the east and north. They are surrounded but God has a special plan for them and is preparing a revival of hearts there that he will send to the nations! What a privilege it was to go and encourage them, teach them some Bible study skills, and spur them on in their walk with God.

Our Team

As our team has had some shifts in people this last year, we really wanted to spend some time growing and teaching together. Well this was a terrific time. My favorite part of the trip was a personal sharing time where we all really opened up about our lives. And watching each other teach we really got to see each others gifts and unique personalities shine and to see how we can do better together. But it wasn’t all deep, we did a few fun things together too like hiking in the mountains, seeing some ancient Indian caves with carvings. The other really fun thing was eating together. We ate so many meals in different environments, home cooking, street food, a fancy dinner from our hosts and plenty of authentic food. Daniel likes it pretty spicy, Esther will eat with her hands like a local, Nadia will undoubtedly order something that doesn’t come out right, Sonya and Thelma love the veg and Sasha is ready for a nice bowl of soup.And me, I really enjoyed the variety. I was quite worried that the spicy would hurt me but my stomach was strong enough – thanks for all your prayers!

Yes, thank you for your prayers and encouragement! We can control for efficiency but it is largely the Lord who makes us effective and that comes through obedience and prayer!

2017/02/102025/12/19

We made it!

Thank you to everyone who prayed! It really meant a lot. Ben arrived today back from India at lunch time safe and sound. The kids were thrilled to get home from school and be welcomed with a big hug from Dad! It is amazing how much we all missed him. We just snuggled on the couch together for awhile… enjoying just being together.

Cassie made this video to tell her Dad all about the three weeks he was gone.

She would love a word of encouragement if you have time to watch it and leave a comment.

It will show you a few glimpses of our family life if you are interested.

2017/01/17

Ben leaves for India

Tomorrow January 18, Ben leaves for India for 3 weeks. We would really appreciate your prayers.

https://sway.com/s/AEGXlw9MBVd8qfIA/embed

2017/01/172025/12/21

Strong

Jay and I read through this verse the other day and talked about strength, inner strength and outer strength. I really pray he grows up to be a trustworthy man, who is honest, hates bribes and stands against injustice. Later that day he decided he wants to be strong on the outside too and wants to do 20 pushups every night. Then he wanted to measure his biceps. 19 centimeters around- both the left and the right.

2016/12/11

The MK privilege

What’s life like as a missionary kid? It’s hard. It’s painful. And for many, it’s a blessing that can’t be beat.
by Sophia Lee December 10, 2016
The MK privilege

Most missionaries can remember a moment when they questioned the sacrifices of their calling. For Grant Funk, it was the day he found his oldest daughter Sarah sprawled on the snow, a splash of blond hair and bright parka in the middle of a classic Alaskan blizzard—a storm so heavy that the 15-year-old had to slide out the back window of the house to go feed her dog sled team. That was when her back suddenly tweaked.

Sarah was born with hemihyperplasia, a rare congenital condition that made her entire left side abnormally bigger than her right, causing multiple orthopedic and nerve problems. That day when her back gave out, every nerve in her body flared, and the girl collapsed as though paralyzed.

Funk rushed to his daughter, but touching her only made the pain worse. As Sarah inched her way back to the house on her elbows, her helpless father also dropped to his belly and crawled beside her. Father and daughter writhed their way through the deep snow, leaving a trail of tears—hers from physical pain, his from a parent’s ripping heart. At that moment, Funk couldn’t help thinking, “If I wasn’t a missionary, Sarah wouldn’t be in this situation right now.”

MISSIONARIES EXPECT BIG SACRIFICES: They sacrificed career ambitions, security, and stability when they heeded God’s call to “Go.” They left the warmth and familiarity of family, friends, culture, and home. Out in the field, they daily sacrifice comfort, time, and safety to obey God’s call to “Stay.”

Many missionaries tell me the toughest sacrifice to make is their family. The same hardy missionary who charges through Burmese jungles carrying a 35-pound sack of medical supplies said his greatest “faith-stretching” moment was when each of his three kids fell deathly sick from tropical diseases. One missionary in South Africa told me self-doubt struck him when he heard his usually composed wife weeping uncontrollably in the bathroom. Another missionary in inland Alaska said her children are “the chink in the armor that Satan often uses to attack us, because that’s where we’re weakest.”

Today, he still groans when he recalls what his children endured as missionary kids (MKs). But he says those long, hard years brought the greatest blessings to his family: “My kids came out scarred, and they will be scarred for life, but they came out with a passion for Christ that is so deep, you can’t get that way without the scar tissues.”

Other missionaries agree: One missionary in Bangkok—an MK from Zimbabwe who married an MK from Korea—said blessings flow when parents invite the whole family to God’s calling. She always tells her three MKs: “It’s not just mine. God put you here, so at this time, it’s also your mission field.”

That’s why the Funks call their kids “KMs”: Kid Missionaries. “If your kids are MKs, you’re working to protect them from all the MK pains and scars,” Funk said. “But if your kids are KMs, you are taking them to the front lines with you and showing them how to fight the battle. It’s a radical approach to ministry.”

I TOO WAS AN MK/KM. My parents dedicated their lives to discipling the Chinese peoples—with significant sacrifices. When my father quit his professor job at a university in South Korea to teach the Bible in Southeast Asia, my grandfather cut us off. The day we flew to Singapore with two suitcases, only our church family came to send us off at the airport.

In a foreign country of unfamiliar languages, food, and climate, my young mother almost single-handedly raised my younger brother and me, while my father jetted around Southeast Asia for three-quarters of the year. When he came back, he could never give us enough hugs and kisses, or buy us enough Chicken McNuggets. Our parents always told us that instead of losing Abba, we were “sending him” to save souls. “You are our biggest mission bridge,” they said, and it happened organically: Whenever my brother and I played in the streets, yelling in a jumble of Korean and Mandarin, strangers patted our heads and asked where we were from. Evangelism and Bible studies opened up simply because we tumbled with other kids at the playground.

However, I wasn’t always so noble-hearted: Whenever my father traveled overseas, I awoke with tear-swollen eyes from nightmares in which religious extremists hacked my father to death. I also resented “those Chinese people” for stealing my father’s time, love, and energy. By age 10 I refused to speak Mandarin and became a loud and proud Korean—until our biennial trips to South Korea clarified that I didn’t belong there, either.

When people ask me where I’m from, I always hesitate: Do they mean my ethnicity? Citizenship? Hometown? Current address? My own parents don’t understand why I so struggle to define my identity. It especially bothers them that I didn’t grow up knowing our extended family. We missed New Year’s gatherings, our grandparents’ 70th birthdays (a significant celebration in Korea) and their funerals, and our cousins’ weddings. It bugs my parents that I don’t share their memories and affection for our mother country, that I don’t cheer for South Korea in the World Cup or desire a Korean husband.

In my parents’ eyes, I’m denying an integral part of myself. In my heart, I feel like a restless nomad who can settle everywhere without belonging anywhere—and to me, that’s a wonderful asset: As one 15-year-old MK in Burma described, not having an earthly home makes me look forward to the heavenly home to which I’ll belong fully and forever.

MANY FELLOW MKS I’ve met feel the same way. At an international school in Bangkok, I sat with a group of teenage MKs and asked, “So, where are you from?” Everyone hesitated, then laughed. One MK said, “I have no idea where I’m from.” We nodded knowingly.

Person has lived in a bamboo hut in a tribal mountain village, attended a school reserved for the royal Thai family, and was the only Christian in class for most of his life. But the prospect of attending an American college made him nervous. During a campus tour at Baylor University, he remembers sitting in awkward silence while other students bopped along to pop music on the radio. While his peers rocked designer jeans, he wore bargains from Goodwill. When they geeked out over the latest Hunger Games movie, he pretended to be interested.

Despite his apprehension, Person said being an MK is a blessing: “I want to embrace what I’ve been shown my entire life.”

WHILE SARAH FUNK was dating Luke Stewart, a lanky Californian, they got into a heated debate. After telling Luke about her difficult childhood, Sarah said she still wanted to raise her kids as MKs. He was flabbergasted: “That’s cruel! How can you want your kids to grow up like that?” Sarah was indignant: “But I want my kids to feel uncomfortable! It’s the best life, the best way to see the world!”

Stewart must have lost that argument, because he and Sarah are now married, with five MKs of their own. Stewart pastors a Baptist church in Kobuk, a tiny Inuit village located 40 miles above the Arctic Circle. Using the Stewart children as an excuse, village kids visit their house regularly to talk to Sarah Stewart about the violence, abuse, and fears that torment them. Like her parents, Stewart doesn’t worry much about her family’s meager finances, even when the only food left in the fridge is ketchup and mayonnaise—she’s experienced too much of God’s faithful providence as an MK to fret over tomorrow’s bread. But she cannot shake off one worry: “What I hate now as a parent is seeing and knowing what’s coming for my kids.”

It’s already happening: The Kobuk queen bee has decided to pick on Stewart’s oldest daughter Dessie, a dreamy, horse-crazy 8-year-old. When Stewart sees the neighborhood kids goading her daughter with sticks, she seethes and grieves and fears there’s more to come. What’s going to happen when Dessie is a teenager, attracting gazes from boys and stirring more resentment among the other girls? When her thoughts travel in that direction, Stewart panics: “Oh no! I don’t want that for my kids.” But then she remembers how God is already blessing and using her kids, and concludes, “I want my kids to feel that it’s a privilege to be an MK.”

One Sunday in Kobuk, I found Dessie crouching silently by the stoop of the church while the other kids laughed and played outside. “What’s wrong?” I asked, squatting next to her. Trying not to cry, Dessie raised her golden-blond head and pointed to a gregarious girl in pink: “That’s her.” Oh. Her bully. Apparently, the queen bee had deployed her sting again.

Seeing Dessie sad made my blood boil, so I half-jokingly said, “Want me to go kick her butt?” I had expected Dessie to laugh, but instead she immediately shook her head: “No, I gotta be nice and love her. She needs to know Jesus.” I bit back a smile: Ah, another Kid Missionary.

2016/11/192025/12/19

A Wales of a Trip…

I know… cheesy title but I couldn’t resist!

Whenever someone asks Ben or I to come and teach, whether it be in a DTS, or on an SBS we always pray and ask God if this is the right decision for our family. Especially because we live on support, so every trip we take is using finances that others have blessed us with.

Well this trip was no different. A past SBS graduate who is now leading a DTS in Wales asked me (Angela) if I could come teach a week on holiness to the students. After praying about it Ben and I both felt that it was to be me and Cassie! Her first trip with one of her parents to teach. We had a great time! I wanted to share what one of the students wrote to me, not because it is about me, but to say thank you to those who send us overseas.

Angela is very passionate in teaching holiness. What she brings in teaching is what she is also pursuing in living out so I was encouraged to listen all the more carefully. She is very creative in making her teaching interactive, and the thought and effort she put in to that made me feel loved and special. We are so grateful that she and Cassie were able to come.

Thank you to the many that pray and send us! We would be unable to do this work without all of you!!!

2016/10/26

Albanians are Rich

albania-1 Right now we have a Titus Project team in Albania. Sonya (you may remember, she is our Ukrainian teammate that has taken leadership of Titus Project Europe) is in Albania leading one of our teams that I (Angela) helped train in England last month. Her perspective is very interesting!

It’s been only ten days here in Albania, but it feels like we have been here so much longer! In this time we ran children program, training for YWAM staff, visited village to encourage believers there, preached in churches, facilitated a personal retreat for leaders of one of the churches, clean and iron more than ever…

Such a rich time! Such a privilege to be a part of this.

Durres met us with wonderful weather, great people and some good lessons to remember.

Before we came, we read some facts about Albania. Did you know that More Albanians live outside of Albania than within? Or that this is one of the few countries in Europe that does not have McDonalds? And that people from the country hang stuffed animals from half-completed homes and buildings to ward off evil spirits? It is also a country with amazing hospitality. I don’t know how many Albanians live in or outside the country, but the rest is true. We got to see and experience it ourselves!

It was Sunday afternoon, we found ourselves in a little church worshiping together with other believers. We might didn’t understand the words, but we felt the hearts :) After the service and endless hugs and kisses we invited our new friends for ice-cream but somehow instead ended up at their house for lunch… Minutes later water was boiling, someone went to the store to buy vegetables, another went down to get bread and drinks while someone else started to set up the table..

In the kitchen we can hear the laughter and loud conversations from the living room where nine people were trying to find space to sit and language to speak.. between four Albanians, Brazilian, Chilean, two Italians, Ukrainian, Swiss and Finish we speak about ten of them… That rare moment when an Italian has to speak Albanian to a Chilean in order to be understood.
This makes me smile.
“Together we are rich” – said Prele as he put freshly cut vegetables into the frying pan with one hand and accepted a bag with desserts with another. When we alone, we have little, but when we are together, we are rich, he repeated. He smiled and kept stirring.

Finally food is ready. We sit tightly around the table, someone says grace for friends, food and all the blessings we share. And we eat. passing plates, spoons, butter, salads around. Talking.
Laughing.
We are captivated by this moment.
We are present.
We are alive in this moment.
So much diversity in one place!
It is messy.
It is real.
IT IS RICH.

We might not share the richness in material things but we are rich in and with people we meet every day. People we share our lives with, challenging and encouraging each others faith.
Life happens around the table. Who is at yours?
Invite someone to join in.

In just few days I have been challenged to love better and to give more, to open my home and enlarge my heart to fit people, those I love and those I need to learn to love more.
This is a lesson I will remember.

Join us in prayer for this nation and the rest of our time here:
– we need Gods wisdom and his guidance
– more teaching opportunities and ability to serve well, knowing exactly what to say and see church here falling in love with the Bible and its author.
– growth of the churches we worked with and their ministries. Let their influence spread and more and more people come to know the truth and find a true family
– all the travel and teachings: next week we are teaching in public school on internet safety and running Bible Overview seminars in three churches at the same time, pray for us!

This is why we moved to Europe- so exciting!

2016/10/12

Canadian Thanksgiving in Ukraine

What did you do for Thanksgiving this year? Well, every year we endeavor to help our kids have a sense of identity, and specifically Canadian in certain ways. One of the ways we do that is by celebrating the holidays.
This past Monday we invited Abby (another YWAMer who is Canadian) and we had a great time eating Turkey (just wings and legs that we could buy at the store) mashed potatoes, cinnamon carrots, corn, gravy, and pumpkin cheesecake. It was yummy. But the real highlight was drawing turkeys using the website ‘art for kids hub.’ It was a lot of fun. Of course we sang our national anthem and said things we were thankful for. One thing we are really thankful for as a family is the house we are able to live in and host meals like this in. Thank you again to everyone who prayed with us and contributed to this home. It is a blessing to our family and many others as well.

2016/10/02

Aqueduct is back!

english-flyer-front Josh and Saana were great ministry partners and friends who pioneered a new ministry for us here in Kyiv. It was called Aqueduct, where we take Inductive Bible Study and offer it to working professionals and students in the city (twice a week in the evening). This past spring Josh and Saana left Kyiv to go pursue further education in Canada, so our small team of Bible teachers wondered- what shall we do? Thankfully this fall Titus Project in Montana is sending a team to Kyiv so that we can continue to run Aqueduct in Kyiv. They will help cover the teaching load and we are so thankful. Keep praying for God to send more workers here to Kyiv, and for us to raise up more Russian speaking Bible teachers. It is going to be a great fall!

2016/09/15

Fire of Hope Camp

One of the camps that YWAM Kyiv hosted this summer!

2016/09/09

Looking for help from Canadian Evangelicals

This past year I have been working on my thesis for my Masters Degree in Biblical Studies. It has been a really fun thesis as I have been studying the early church fathers and how their writings can be helpful and more applicable to evangelical Christians.

I’m looking for people who would be willing to help me with the research portion of the thesis. It would be a bit of a commitment (15-20 minutes a day for 28 days) so consider carefully if you could participate, but I believe it will also add value to your spiritual life. It could be a major turning point in your life!…or maybe not. That is why it is research :)

Here is what helping looks like:
First, you will fill out a short 5 -10 question survey (just marking a number for each question).

Second, I will mail you a 28 day devotional booklet. When you receive it you will need to spend 10-15 minutes every morning doing a ‘devotional’ A short reading, 5 minutes to think and pray, and then sometimes there might be a small spiritual ‘practice’ like writing something down, praying something specific etc. Finally at the end of the day you would need to take 5 minutes to answer a question in the booklet.

Third, at the end of the 28 days I will ask you to fill in another very short survey.

If you are willing to help me (I need about 60 volunteers) I would really appreciate it! If you know anyone else that is a Canadian and would agree that they are an evangelical Christian I am open to anyone participating in this research project.

If you are interested and able to help- please email me before September 13. I would love to get these booklets in the mail and have people started by October. My thesis deadline is the end of the year.

2016/09/02

Musings from Ang

Angela Musings? Okay, weird word, but it is early friday morning so I am in a bit of a weird mood :)

This past week our YWAM Kyiv Leadership team took 4 full days to meet, pray, and plan for the next year. It was a wonder-full time! One morning we read through Psalms 119 and I was once again so encouraged and thankful to have the Word of God, the Bible. In this Psalm there is a balance between the responsibility of the reader of God’s word to be active and God’s part of opening the reader’s heart and mind to understand. “I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart (119:32).” I love the way this psalms talks about the effects of knowing and living according the to word of God. “Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The unfolding of your words gives light;it imparts understanding to the simple.( 119:129-130).”

So as a Bible teacher, I am privileged to bring God’s word to people. This past summer I have had the chance to teach a few people how to study the Bible for themselves. Now that we are back in Ukraine, I will be teaching new people how to teach the Bible to others in just a few weeks!

This morning I was reading in 1 Timothy 4:6. Many people partner with Ben and I as we hear these words from Paul to Timothy and sense the calling on our lives to do the same, “If you put these things before the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.”

2016/08/15

Olympics

We have been following the Olympics this year and we have really enjoyed watching the athletes work so hard.

As we have been thinking about this, and enjoying time at home in Canada with so many people we love, we have realized that though we may be out on the ‘frontlines’ there are so many around us that coach us, send us, train us, love us and support us. Just like every athlete has a whole team around them, so do we. Thank you! We head back to Ukraine in just a few days!

2016/07/13

On Missions, Everyone, Everywhere, All the time.

IMG_20160713_095820 This is the subtitle of the Alliance Magazine that is on my desk. It resounds and challenges my heart. As we are home in Canada for the summer, this does not mean we go into ‘vacation’ mode where we are less ‘on mission’ than before. In reality, we all need to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit at all times. I’ve had many opportunities to pray with and for people while being here at home. I’ve also had others speak into my life words of encouragement and challenge. It has been wonderful, life giving and amazing! On mission, everyone, everywhere, all the time.

2016/05/06

Titus Project Consultation 2016

Photo Credit: Berkeley Swaringen (Titus Project Mexico)

After almost four years we finally all got together in Taiwan for an International Titus Project Consultation.

Representatives from Montana, Mexico, Europe, Taiwan, and Turner Valley were present.

Here is a quick overview of our time together

1) Every location (a place where Titus Project follows the SBS) introduced what they are up to! We even had Australia, Cambodia and India skype in. Brazil wasn’t able to skype in because the leader had just had a baby one month ago.

2) We felt that God really spoke to us to Update and Deepen! Update: Logo, Booklets, Stats, File sharing, etc. Deepen: Start going to the same outreach locations over and over. Create new resources for leaving behind that will bring people through more books inductively when we leave.

3) We examined every area of Titus (staff training, the lecture phase, the outreach phase and the celebration week). We came up with new ideas and shared about the changes we had made at each location in order to learn from each other

4) Of course we prayed for each other and got to know each other because there were many new faces around the table.

Now comes the job of implementing so many of these new ideas. Amy (founder), Kerry and ourselves (long termers) will skype soon to form some teams that will help to do many of these ideas. Please keep praying for us as we move forward as a global ministry of YWAM

2016/04/21

Unger’s Visit

IMG_20160324_195307
Isabel- I had such a good time in Ukraine with everyone! I loved doing the quest room, going to Russian church with the whole team, having an EPIC Easter egg hunt in the freezing cold, attending the Kiev ballet and colouring cool pages with Cassie, Jay and Kai. Even though my ranch dressing turned out be a bit defective, I think the paska was a hit! Would love to visit again sometime.

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Simon- I had a great time with you guys. Thank you so much for allowing us to visit and opening up the boat and your home to us. I had lots of fun at the base and hope you guys continue to help people out.

IMG_20160320_141415 Maddy- Recently my family and me took a trip to the YWAM Kiev base to see my uncle Ben, Auntie Ang and cousins Cassie, Jay and Kai. We had such an amazing time! Some of my favourite activities were the ballet (so beautiful), the quest room and touring around with Auntie Ang. We made so many amazing memories, from a European feast in the stuffy cabin of an overnight train to walking in the snow with our toes freezing off to go see the Iron Mama. The food was great and the people were wonderful. We had a fantastic time. Thank you guys! P.S. To Auntie Ang: BOOM. DONE.

IMG_20160324_103218
Maria (and Ike) We knew we were in for a very special visit when we were shown our rooms in the boat and there were welcome baskets for each of us; coffee, snacks, water, candies, oranges, books to read, small gifts and fresh roses! How absolutely kind! Spending time with you guys was just precious; food and fellowship around your big kitchen table, seeing the sights of Kiev, learning the metro, trying our four Russian words at Puzata Hata and Ketusha, riding the midnight train to Zaporizhia, meeting your friends, getting our nails done together and sitting around talking. Those memories will be cherished. Thank you for being the best hosts; we were spoiled by your hospitality, delicious food and cozy home. I find myself talking Russian to myself these days as I set out the supper spread – “Da. Smetana pjalsta. Spasiba!”. I’ve got a long way to go…
Much love forever. IMG_20160325_180151

2016/03/20

Team Stan-Stan

A story from our team in Central Asia-

Upon getting to Karakol, we quickly learned our contacts had big plans for us! Karakol is the fourth largest city in Kyrgyzstan (though it has a population of just over 60,000, so it feels quite small), and it is the largest city on Lake Issyk-Kul, in north east Kyrgyzstan (we’re not too far from the Chinese and Kazakh borders!). There are about 180 villages around Lake Issyk-Kul. Our contacts here, who are leaders in their churches in the surrounding area, have a big goal: a house church in every village, with two leaders in every house church. They hope to see this goal fulfilled by 2020. So where do we fit into this?

When we met with the leaders, they expressed their hope that we would train twenty believers identified as having a teaching gift, to teach inductive method, so that these house churches would be able to study the Word in this way! In addition to training these teachers, the leaders asked us to do mini “outreaches” with them – watch them teaching other groups, evaluating them as teachers.

While this is a really exciting opportunity, there are some significant challenges. The leaders asked us to teach three separate groups of teachers, on three separate days. This means we had about five hours with each group, to train them as teachers, before sending them on “outreach.” A few of them have seen the Philemon seminar, which is the best tool we have to equip them with learning the inductive method in a short amount of time, but most of them have not studied using inductive method before. This is significant. When we train our Titus Project participants (like Sasha and Julissa) in teaching inductive method, it is after they have spent nine months studying the whole Bible for themselves, using the method. They know the method very well, and are prepared to pass it on to others after three weeks of training. The group in Karakol wants us to train three groups of teachers after one day of training each. Sasha summed it up very well when he said after our meeting with the leaders, “They are asking for a miracle.” Fortunately, our God is in the business of miracles! We are doing our best with the time we have, emphasizing that good teachers are first good students. We want them to realize that to teach the Bible, they have to study it for themselves. We want our new students to understand we can provide them with tools they can use to study and then teach other books of the Bible. Yesterday (Friday) was our last day of prepping our “students.” On Sunday, we start mini outreaches with them – watching them teach the Philemon seminar to others, and evaluating them so they can grow. We have done our best, and pray God uses what we taught to expand His Kingdom, and that He speaks to our students about being studiers and doers of the Word, before they can be teachers. Please be praying for us and them!!!

Michael, Helen, Sasha & Julissa (Team Stan-Stan)

2016/01/30

Week 1 of Titus Project Kyiv 2016

2016/01/04

Western Ukraine Road Trip

Castle 2 Usually our vacation time is spent either in Canada or in a neighbouring country. BUT this year we decided to stay in Ukraine and visit a few smaller cities the West. After our trip we asked the kids, what were your highlights?

Cassie: Doing the Quest Room in Rivne. It was really challenging and I like a challenge! I felt like Nancy Drew…especially finding the secret room.

Kai: I love all the stuff that we go to…the castle, the quest room…

Jay: I loved the quest room because there were so many riddles and mysteries. The pottery guy at the castle was cool too!

What about you Ben?

Ben: All of it was good.

A man of little words.

I enjoyed spending time together in the car. Colouring… reading books…mediating fights (“I want to sit in the middle.” “No I do!”

Another highlight was that we were joined by Thelma and Esther. Two of our team members! Thelma is from India, Esther is new to our team and is from America. Both have never travelled around Western Ukraine, so we all gained more of an appreciation for the country in which we serve.

Now we look forward to some awesome days together with our YWAM Kyiv Staff, planning and praying for this coming year. Titus Project begins again in just a few weeks where we will train new Bible Teachers. And the kids will go back to school. Kai is hoping to go to preschool beginning this January with Jay. Mom and Dad are still deciding.

Happy New Year!

2015/12/09

Quick Visit Home

Due to some medical appointments, Angela had to return home for a short visit (don’t worry, all is well). It was a great trip filled with family and friends. Unfortunately, because it was just over a week, Ang didn’t get to see everyone she would have liked. However, since we are half way through our 4 year term, our whole family will be home for this coming summer!

There are some new photos added to our site from her trip. Updated Pics