Observations and Facts About Ukraine
My time there also gave me a surprise personal link to the Ukraine. My whole life, I’ve known that my father was born in Russia but didn’t know what region.
Along with Sailor-Man, I have experienced many adventures in service of God around the world, both on land and on sea.
My time there also gave me a surprise personal link to the Ukraine. My whole life, I’ve known that my father was born in Russia but didn’t know what region.
A sense of humor is essential for living in a foreign country. Perhaps the man who said that laughter works like a medicine had missionaries in mind.
While waiting for the anesthetic to take effect, he sat beside me and chatted. Suddenly he grabbed his drill and said, “Now I work.”
Never in a million years would we have imagined we’d be doing this. What a ride when God takes the wheel.
Our trip to Poland and the Ukraine has begun, and so have the adventures and, yes, the misadventures.
Life doesn’t always turn out the way we hope or plan. Sometimes our circumstances don’t make sense, and we wonder if God really knows what He’s doing.
It was the third morning of the family camp at which Gene and I were ministering in Poland. We’d been awake for a half hour when our cell phone rang.
More than one million people died at the Aushwitz death camp in the 1940s. It originally held Polish political prisoners – doctors, lawyers, and professors.
I wonder how others accepted Sheerah and her giftedness. No doubt some followed her leadership; others probably tsk-tsked and criticized her efforts and passion
How many Canadian women get to spend their 51st birthday in Romania? I do, I do!
And what a day it was!
It’s okay here to reach across someone’s plate if you want a food item. It’s okay to leave your chair and walk to a place at the table where you can reach it.
We’re in Budapest! It’s 7:00 a.m. and I hear traffic, dogs barking, and a car siren that’s been blaring for at least twenty minutes.
This train ride was an overnighter. Before boarding in Budapest, we doublechecked with the conductor to ensure this was the right train.
What an amazing weekend! The women’s conference in this Hungarian church was the first-ever. Organizers expected sixty women but 200 showed up.
I was guarding our luggage, and Gene was nowhere in sight, so I had no choice but to stay put and hope that we could catch our train if this was it.
I truly felt like the “older woman.” Thirty years ago, I was in their position – in college, with my whole adult future ahead of me. Where has the time gone?
I made a boo-boo at the bank machine. Not understanding the exchange rate between Romanian and Canadian currency, I punched in an amount I felt was reasonable.
There were three sermons. The service lasted two hours. The building was so cold that we could see our breath…and no one complained.
The bathroom was in a different building. Going outside in the storm meant bundling up in my parka. What a sight! Enough to make Frosty the Snowman laugh!
Caring for the village seniors is a vital ministry. Some of these folks live in houses with dirt floors and no hot water.
We squished into a car and headed for Romania. We wound through farmlands and little villages, over countless train tracks, and past old factories.
Heaven forbid I wake up to realize I’ve missed an opportunity to share His love with someone who’s hurting.
We have a Hungarian contact in whose heart God is working. Pray he’ll read the Bible and understand that God loves him and wants a relationship with him.
These young moms found encouragement in knowing that I was a stay-at-home mom and was forty years old when I started my writing career.
What an emotional journey. I’m so thankful for God’s presence and for His presents – my IM friends. This day was a remarkable gift.
When I listed various fears that women struggle with and then asked for a show of hands from those who could relate, many hands went up.
There’s a huge sacrifice involved in this trip, and I believe with my whole heart that God will honor it with eternal results.
I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God…..remember that Gaither goldie? Those lyrics describe how I feel right now.
I could scarcely hear Gene above the din in the dining room: “Your dad passed away thirty minutes ago.” It wasn’t unexpected, but the news still carried a blow.
My digital camera, my notes for all my speaking sessions, my toiletries…..gone. So, I filed a lost luggage claim and whispered a prayer for the bag’s return.
We’d entered another part of the world in which nothing was familiar. But it was an adventure, right? And who doesn’t love a great adventure?
I never want to slip back into comfortable North American complacency, content with having my needs met and forgetting about those who struggle to survive.
At midnight, the WV staff returned to pick us up and drive us to the train station. Now THAT experience was another story.
They ushered us into a makeshift outdoor meeting area… They gave us seats of honor and presented us with marigold leis and floral bouquets.
I wanted to pick him up and give him a big hug, but I had to restrain myself because that might have been his undoing.
In all honesty, I learned that my understanding of WV’s work was very limited indeed. In fact, our finances benefit the entire village.
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GRACE FOX MINISTRIES
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