Mines and Tigers and a Year goes by

March 18, 2008

It's hard to believe this may be the last blog entry we'll write from Ukraine. My flights are booked for April 1st and I should be arriving in Winnipeg on April 2nd (Dave on May 4th). We are filled with mixed emotions as we realize that our time left here is so very short. On one hand we can't wait to see family and friends, to attend our home church, and to eat some of the foods that we haven't had access to for over a year. (Why is it that when we're away from home food is one of the things we miss most? Maybe it's a comfort thing.) However, on the other hand, in many ways we feel like right now we are just turning a corner in our ministry involvement and have had a really rewarding last couple of months through getting to know the English students better and teaching weekly Bible studies to those who are interested. It will be hard to say good-bye.

As you can tell, Dave and I have come to some conclusions about the future. One major thing that has helped with this is how quickly the studio project has come together. This was our main objective in coming here, and one that we thought would take about two years to complete. Well, God knew that we'd need to come home early for the birth of our baby and He has seen to it that the studio has been completed much earlier than we anticipated. This has allowed for Dave and Sasha to already spend countless hours together as Dave shows Sasha everything he knows about being a studio engineer. Together they have already recorded a number of bands and Sasha is already able to run sessions on his own. In order to make sure that both Sasha and the studio will be fine without Dave's presence, Dave has decided to stay on here for one more month after I return to Winnipeg. Sasha and Lesya are kindly welcoming Dave back into their home for his final weeks in Ukraine. This is the very hospitable couple who let us live with them when we first arrived here, and I know that Dave will be well looked-after.

Another conclusion that Dave and I have come to is that we love doing full-time ministry together. We truly cannot imagine a more fulfilling way for us to use our gifts or spend our time. Because of this desire to continue doing vocational ministry in the future, we feel it would be best to further our education at a Bible School in the years to come. Hopefully through this our passions and gifts will be nurtured and shaped and we will gain a clearer understanding of how and what and where we can continue to serve God. Dave has been accepted to Peace River Bible School for this Fall (this is where I have already completed one year, many years ago), however so far we do not have any housing accommodations confirmed. So...for now we don't know where we will be living or what we will be doing this next year. However, we do take heart as we look back on how God has led and provided for us and given us direction in the past. (If you know of anyone who needs a house-sitter this next summer/year, let us know!) We are very eager to get started on our education (well, I'll take this next year off to learn about being a Mom, but hope to finish my degree over the next few years as well!) and are excited to see how God will continue to direct our steps.Besides all the decision-making these past months, we've also been kept very busy with other activities and projects:
-like I mentioned earlier, the English Bible study has started and we regularly meet on Sundays. I can definitely say that this has been the most rewarding thing that Dave and I have done here. It has been amazing to have great discussions with those who come, and to see the wheels turn and the lights go on in their minds as they begin to understand the free gift that Christ purchased for us who believe in Him for our righteousness. Dave will continue meeting with this group once I'm gone, and after that they will be welcome to attend the weekly Bible Study that Shelter holds. One of the girls has shown a real interest in getting more involved at Shelter, and I hope and plan to stay in touch with each of these people (as well as my other English students) in hopes to continue to plant seeds and grow in our friendship.
-renovations have started in the Craft room at Shelter, and this has given me the opportunity to collaborate creatively with Inna, who runs the Craft sectors at Shelter, as we dream and design what to paint on the walls. Fortunately Inna has time right now to do all the painting (I don't think it would be a good idea for me to be painting in there with all the fumes) and I've just been in charge of doing the sketches in pencil.
-I continue to be involved in teaching art and English to the 12-14 year olds and am also helping with teaching English to the younger kids who attend Children's Shelter on Saturdays. Sometimes it's hard to be creative and think of different ideas from week to week, but the kids are forgiving and keep coming back. It's been such a wonderful experience for me to explore my abilities as a teacher, and I've come to discover that I really enjoy it.
-A couple of weeks ago, Anya and I put on a big dinner, hosting a group from Shelter. Some of these people had never been to our home before, and I'm pretty sure none of them had ever had chicken fajitas before. Anya and I had to make all 24 tortillas by hand! We also served another "Bethany and Dave favorite": coffee milkshakes...and experienced a small miracle that there was enough to go around (we were convinced there wouldn't be enough for everyone...oh, the fish and the loaves!). Even the young boys who were there with their Mom and Dad had some.
-A week ago, Anya's Aunt cooked a meal for us and had us over to her home, which she shares with her Mother and Anya's brother. We were given a tour of the backyard, where they keep their goats for milk and cottage cheese, and where they also have a number of chickens. At the meal we were told that the chicken in one of the dishes we were eating had been running around the day before! Slaughtered, cleaned, and gutted by Anya's Grandma herself! It was a wonderful evening of generous Ukrainian hospitality, and we are so thankful for the opportunities we've had to get to know Anya's family a little better.- Last Friday was my 27th birthday, and I got to celebrate in a way I had never imagined. Dave and I and Anya were invited to go on a walking tour at one of the nearby mines with a man (Igor) who we've gotten to know a bit at Shelter. He is an electrician for the trains that carry the Iron Ore. Although we weren't actually allowed to go into the mine, we did get a lot closer than we'd ever been so far. We were amazed by how red the puddles were on the roads leading up to the mine. I don't think our camera did the color justice. Igor showed us where he works, and his garden which is on the mine property (many workers have their kitchen gardens right there...they can just take any unclaimed land). We also walked to an area where we could see what happens once a mine collapses. This mine had collapsed about 40 or more years ago and is now just a big hole in the ground. Mining is such a huge part of this city's history, and is even a big contributor to many of the social problems here. We are very thankful for this opportunity to get to see more of a "behind the scenes" look at this industry which drives this city.
-The next day my birthday celebrations continued as the three of us met up with some of our North American friends at the Circus. Ever since arriving in Ukraine, Dave and I have been determined to go to the Circus at least once. Every couple months or so, a new circus comes to town, and each one is different. What better time to go than to celebrate my birthday? We went with very high expectations because of everything we'd been told about circuses here, and we were not disappointed. I don't think I could even list all the different animals that were involved. They even had trained porcupines! And giant rats called "nu-tree" (seriously, they're as big as cats, and in some villages people still raise them for food). The main attraction was the trained Tigers. We enjoyed it so much and tried to get as much of it as we could on our little digital camera. Definitely a memorable birthday for me. We're hoping that Dave will have another opportunity to go to the circus before he heads home.Thanks to all you faithful readers and encouragers over this past year! Please stay tuned for the next update from Canada! For those of you that are on our email/mailing list, we hope to send out a letter with some more information soon.

Bethany and Dave

We're having a baby!...and other news

Jan. 29, 2008

Let me start off this blog with some exciting news: Dave and I are expecting our first baby, due this July!!! I apologize for keeping all of you in the dark for so long about this, but we wanted to wait until the ultrasound we had last week which confirmed that the baby is doing great. It has been quite an adventure for us trying to figure out pregnancy in a foreign country and seeing a doctor with the help of a translator, but everything is going very well. Of course this news has brought many questions to our minds (and probably yours as well!) and we will be sure to update you as things become clear to us about the future. As of right now, I am planning to be home around the 6-month mark, which really eases flight restrictions and allows me to stay out of the public health system (so far I've been seeing a Doctor at a private clinic, which is apparently a very different experience compared to going to a public hospital). Dave is working hard to train Sasha to run the studio and will come home in time for the birth as soon as he feels Sasha is able to operate the studio on his own. We are currently praying about what to do once the baby is born and would welcome you to pray for us to be sensitive to God's leading and direction as we make more decisions. Thanks.

In other "overdue" news...

Dec. 30, 2007

Happy Happy New Year!

Dave and I have just returned from our English Adventure in Oxford, England. My brother Keith and his wife Tannis are currently living there and they very kindly put us up for Christmas. What a wonderful, restful, fun, filling, time we had!
Where to begin? I didn't really know what to expect, culturally--would the affluence of English society be shocking to us after being in Ukraine for nearly 10 months? There certainly were differences that we noticed. Even as we walked through the airport after arriving in England, Dave couldn't stop reading all the signs out loud. "Bethany! EVERYTHING is in English!" The other main shock for me was when Tannis and I went to the local grocery store to buy ingredients for some Christmas baking we wanted to do. It was overwhelming for me to browse through a produce section the size of the grocery store we do our shopping at here in Krivoy Rog. So much variety! Such high quality! Needless to say, we ate well. Tannis made many dishes that Dave and I have only dreamt about...taco salad, fajitas, turkey sandwiches...and we also took a couple trips to Burger King and Starbucks. What a treat!
We felt God's hand in many small details of this trip. Once again he provided an "angel" who helped us at the airport. Dave and I weren't sure quite how we'd find our bus to Oxford once we landed in England. However, as our plane was boarding in Kiev, we saw a young woman wearing an Oxford sweatshirt. I whispered to Dave that we should keep our eye on her and ask her for help after landing. This became very simple for us, as she happened to be in the very seat next to us. It turned out that not only was she heading to Oxford, but would be getting off at the same stop as us (and is also in the same College Keith is studying at...small world!). When the 3 of us missed our bus she helped us find our way through the airport to a nice cafe where we all enjoyed a light lunch together. Over and over again strangers and people who hardly know us have helped us. These people have been such a blessing to us, and we can't help but thank God for His kindness to us.Another day that stands out in my memory where we sensed God's hand in particular was the day we went to London with Keith, Tannis, and my Uncle Jacq's family (Uncle Jacq, Aunt Lyn and their son Sterrett were also in England visiting their other son Jim). First of all, we had been given some money that really helped this excursion to be affordable for the four us. When our bus arrived in London we walked to Buckingham Palace. The timing couldn't have been better. We got there just when the changing of the guard was happening, and were treated to some beautiful Carols played by the palace orchestra. As we were walking from the palace, heading over to Westminster Abbey, we had to stop to let a small parade of guards and mounted police go by. There couldn't have been a better view than the one we had. One of Dave's main goals in London was to make a visit to Abbey Road Studios where the Beatles had recorded and to see the crosswalk where the Beatles' famous album cover was taken. Dave got both his wishes. In another beautifully timed moment, he even got to enter the studio and talk to the man at the front desk. Normally the front door would have been locked and Dave would have needed to pass security to get in...but the doors were wide open because the studio was receiving a number of deliveries at that moment. Dave and cousin Jim insisted that Tannis and I make several trips across the famous crosswalk to pose for a similar shot to the Beatles picture. I'm glad we did it, but at the time I think Tannis and I both felt pretty silly and tourist-y.

Jan. 25th, 2008

Oh this month is going by way too quickly! There's so much more I could say and write about our time in England, but now there's so much more to add about what's been happening in Ukraine since we've been back. What to do? Maybe I'll make a list of the noteworthy stuff:
More Christmas highlights:
-playing some of our favourite games with Keith and Tannis
-walking down a footpath along the Thames into downtown Oxford...we had many opportunities to do this and many great chats along the way!
-visiting a variety of churches in Oxford...the architecture, singing worship songs in English, listening to a sermon in English, was a very nice and refreshing change for us
-Dave getting one of his favorite author's signatures on Christmas Eve after Midnight Mass
-great conversations with Keith and Tannis
-I'm sure I'm missing a lot of other details. sorry.

Jan 29, 2008

A whole month has passed already since we've been back in Ukraine, and it has been packed with many different events. I will try to summarize some of these events for you:
-We celebrated New Year's at Shelter. It was great to be back in the company of these people who we have come to love and appreciate so much this past year. They put on a great celebration, with many activities, games, and lots of food.
We participated in a gift exchange as well. The beginning of the evening was somewhat of a church service with worship music (Dave played on guitar), a sharing time, and a bit of a message. When the Shelter team was planning this event they really only expected the "core" leaders and volunteers to attend, however were very surprised and happy to discover that many of our new volunteers and those who have begun attending Bible study this year also wanted to participate in the spiritual part of the evening. Everyone was given an opportunity to share about the most significant thing that had happened for them in 2007 and one of these young ladies, (who last year only came to Shelter for English club) said that the biggest thing that happened for her this year was learning about God. Another one of the volunteers reflected on the day of her baptism as the most significant moment of her year. What a blessing it has been for us to be part of this ministry and to see the fruit of it also!
-As many of you know, in Ukraine Christmas is celebrated on Jan. 7th. We had the joy of celebrating Christmas at Shelter twice: once with the leaders and volunteers, and again the following weekend as we put on 4 Christmas celebrations for youth and children. That same week we were joined with some Family Life Network staff who were such an encouragement to us, and who got to see firsthand the lengths that Shelter goes to in order to reach out and be a light in this community. Each of these celebrations consisted of a tour of Shelter where each room had a theme from a different part of the Christmas story (the Wise Men, the Shepherds, the star of Bethlehem, etc...) and concluded with a meeting in the main hall where the children and youth very dramatically learned that Jesus is the best gift of Christmas. Following the program we also had the joy of distributing Samaritan's Purse gift boxes to each of the children and youth who attended. I wish you could have seen their faces! Priceless! Someone told me later that they overheard one child saying, "I'm the luckiest kid" over and over as they walked away with their present. My main contribution to this event was building the star costume and operating the bubble machine in the star theme room. : )
-That same weekend Shelter had a celebration in honour of the many volunteers who help in so many ways at Shelter (from those who work in the kitchen, to the older women who pray, and everyone in between). It was absolutely remarkable to see all the people together in one room who are contributing so much of their lives to the work God is doing here. We were also treated to a slideshow highlighting the main events of this past year, most of which Dave and I were here for and participated in. Somehow, at the time it hasn't always felt like that much, but to see it all displayed made me realize just how much has been accomplished and achieved this year, and how many lives have been touched, and has again made me realize the commitment and hardwork of all those involved at Shelter. Without the many volunteers, these events just would not have been possible.
- Dave got a great surprise when we returned from England. Despite the fact that it was 6am, and we had just gotten off of an over-night train from Kiev, he was urged up the stairs to see the studio as soon as we got to Shelter. Incredible! While we were away, Sasha (the future engineer and producer of the studio) had completely finished all the studio construction. Of course he had help, but we know that he was the one motivating and directing the completion of this project.
What a blessing for Dave! Because of this, Dave and Sasha have already begun their intensive training, often up to 6 days a week and this week they will be recording a 3-song demo for one of the bands that rehearses at Shelter. It's just amazing to us that the studio is already built and that they are already on to training.

-For the last few weeks I've been back to teaching my English and Art classes at Shelter. This can be a real challenge at times, teaching and handling a class through a translator, however there are some great moments of connecting with the youth and I know that being at Shelter, for them, is the highlight of their week. Two girls who attend my English and Art sectors give me hugs when they see me and tell me they love me. This is so precious to me. Another highlight for me is teaching English Club to University students. Most of these students have an excellent grasp of the English language so we are able to get into some great discussions during our classes. This coming weekend I will be starting to offer an English Bible study for these students as well, and I am very excited to be doing this.

Thanks for reading this. Hopefully next time you won't have to wait as long for the next update! My apologies!