Family pictures and 1st picnic of the year

The other night we just needed to get away and go on a drive. I don't know if your family likes to drive in the country to relax, but we love it. Plus we have been needing some new family pictures. So we were off looking for the right place to get that perfect picture. Well, I wouldn't say they turned out perfect, but not too terrible for a moody Jessica and Josh who refused to smile. Any way we had fun trying. Jessica finally was at least trying to smile, but Josh, as you can see, we didn't get too many out of him.

After getting all worn out because of trying to get the kids to smile at the same time, we decided to have a picnic. I didn't have much time to pack for it, so it was pretty simple. But we had fun anyway, deep in the forest sitting around the campfire, roasting hotdogs.

This was our first picnic for this year. Josh thought is was pretty good. Look at all that hot dog relish!!! It was cool enough to enjoy a fire, but not too cold for this time of year.

Jessie loved watching the flames. There is something so relaxing about watching the fire. The best part was listening to Jason tell stories to the children as we watched the moon come up over the trees.

It was just a pretty good day! What could I say!

Samaritan's Purse

Last Wednesday we had an oppurtinity to work with Samaritan's Purse, as they passed out Christmas shoe box gifts in two different public schools in our area. They asked us to put together a little program for the children. We taught them Christian songs...then did a skit about Jesus taking our place when He died on the cross. Then a local man that used to go to one of the school, shared his testimony. He had chosen the wrong way as a young kid in school, and got in with the bad group. After highschool he ended up in prison for a crime he commited but Jesus forgave him and gave him a new life in him.

At the end I did an object lesson about the real meaning of Easter and that the tomb is empty. Jason said that at the first school, one of the little girls on the first row was really listening and so suprised when I broke open the egg and it was empty. He didn't have his camera ready so he missed the great picture. Here are some kids at the next school as they listened.

Then gifts were given out to all the children. The shoe boxes were packed by kids in the States and I wish I could pass on the joy that I saw on all the faces that day. One little boy, I know is from a hard home, was so excited to show me the baseball that was in his box. It is probably the first baseball he has ever had.

Samaritan's Purse also gives out a Bible study with the gift. If the children want to earn a children's Bible, they have to complete 10 lessons. The next day in Kid's Club, that we have in Kenyazachee, several of the children brought back their Bible study completed and ready for the next one.
Here are some of the children at one of the schools that we were in that day.
The smile on the face says it all.

Children's Bibles of their own

I have often been amazed at the power of God's Word. I guess I shouldn't be, but it truely is amazing how God's Word can change a life. We have been doing our best to get as much of God's Word into the lives and hearts of the children where we live. In Sunday school we teach them Bibles stories and Bible verses. I know some of the older ones read their Bibles daily. Luba who lives on our street showed me the last time I was at her house that she is almost finished with the New Testament. Two weeks ago Jason wanted to surpraise the children at Sunday school and gave them all a Children's Bible of their own. I think all of them have NT or Bibles but this one has pictures and stories in a format the children will apprecate. This little guy couldn't even wait until he got home to start reading his.

Here is the group that come pretty regular to our Sunday school. They all were thankful for the books, because good books with really nice pictures are not as common over here. Pray that these Bibles will help direct their lives. One girl told me that her mother as already reading hers.
Jason wanted to make it personal, so he wrote the kid's name and a little message in each one and then had it translated.

Dr.Seuss breakfast

Whenever I make up the menu every week, I try to get input from the family, since they are the ones that have to eat what I cook. A few weeks ago, Josh wanted to know if I could cook him green eggs and ham for Sat. breakfast. I told him sure and then wrote it down. I think he was surprised when I actually cooked it for him. So Josh enjoyed his Dr. Seuss breakfast. (if you're wondering what that other thing on the plate is. it's toast.) I guess Dr. Seuss didn't know that eggs go good with toast, not just ham. Sam I am

Gift for Mama

Luba is a girl from our village, who is from a home that is not very good. Her mother has many children(9 I think), all from different dads. Luba is the youngest, and doesn't get a lot of attention. One day she was just hanging out at our house and I was doing some sewing. I asked her is she wanted to learn. She jumped at the chance and I took the time to show her what to do. She did a fine job and we made a pretty hand bag out of a sugar sack. It looked real cute with the multi colored thread. (thanks Carrie)
As you can see from the smile on her face, she was happy for the attention and also glad to make a gift for her mother. Pray for Luba. She is faithful in church , Sunday school and youth night.

And so we sew!!!

The weather had been pretty cold clear up until last week. When I say cold I mean, when you looked outside everything was white and we had about a foot of snow on the ground. Last week when I had to get up at 4am and go get my husband at the bus drop of, I got stuck in the bank of snow on the other side of our road. Don't get me wrong, I was very happy that my husband was coming home. He has been helping the missionaries in southern Ukraine, with all the work that needed to be done on their heating systems and vans. In the last two weeks, Jason had only been home about two days. So , yes I was very happy to see my man. But I was not happy to get stuck in the snow, and I wasn't coming right out, even in 4X4. I said a little prayer and God helped me get down the road and off to pick up my Jason. So with the cold weather and Jason being gone, Jessica and I have been doing some sewing. We actually had planned to sew aprons for all the ladies in the church for Christmas, but well, that didn't work out. We were busy sewing Christmas gifts and my sewing machine quit working and had to be taken in to the shop. Here in Ukraine, they don't have mother's day. They celebrate March 8th as Woman's Day, and give gifts to all women, young and old. It is a really big holiday. Jessica did a lot of the sewing and as you can see the grandmothers and ladies really did like them

These two grandmas are so sweet and we visit them in a house church quite a ways from our village.

Here are the ladies from our village and they were impressed that we would make them something for Woman's Day.

Youth Night= blogging time

I just saw my husband's van pull in the driveway loaded with youth and I know that it is time to lock myself in the office and do my blogging. It has been very hard to find time to work on the computer. With homeschooling and ministery, and regular mom work, it seems like I am ready to fall into bed as soon as the house calms down for the night. We usually send the village kids and teens home at 5:30 so we can eat supper as a family. But on Friday night since Jason and Roman are in charge I have the time to slip away and blog to my heart's content. I do need to have the snacks ready but that's not a big deal. I pulled some cookie dough(homemade) out of the freezer
and Jessica baked them for me. I am praising God for time to relax and write, and read your blogs as well. So when do you find time to blog?

Sweetheart's Inn & Restaurant

Yes, Valentine's day has been here and gone for a while, but I wanted to share a few pictures with you all any way. Febuary 14th fell on Sunday this year, and I knew that was not going to work for a special celebration. So I talked it over with the kids and we picked Fri night, for our suprise. Fri. night is our youth night, and Jason along with Pastor Roman, are in charge. So while they were having the youth service in the living room I was cooking in the kitchen and trying not to make too much noise. After the last prayer and Jason took everyone home, I kids and I kicked it into high gear. We had our guest bedroom cleaned and decorated with hearts and ballons, and then lite the many candles. When Jason returned we blindfolded him and led him to the guest bedroom and sat him down at the table set up in there. Then Jessica and Josh dressed in their best served us. It was lots of fun to plan and I think Jason was really surprised. These are our two wonderfull servers. They even got a tip from Jason.

It was really good that we did it early because the next day we went to help Katrina in southern Ukraine and were gone on Sunday.

Papa Sturtevant

We are very happy to have Papa Sturtevant here in Ukraine with us for a few weeks. He has been staying with us in Oskiova but he is not just sitting around. He is a missionary no matter where he may be. Take a look at a few of the things he has been doing since he has been here. He shared an object lesson with the youth group, Fri. night.... Preached in several churches,.....

He had a gathering with some of his "sons" that he taught when he was teaching at the Bible college in Kiev. About 25 or 30 came.

He has been talking with and encouraging many.

Sharing God's love....

and enjoying a bowl of Ukrainian borscht. Dad we are glad that you came back to Ukraine. You have touched many lives here.

Keep up the good work.

Break down

We had a break down in our van a few weeks ago. Praise the Lord, we were near a city, where some Christian brothers had a mechanic shop and were able to help us. Without a shop it is hard for Jason to do repairs in the winter. Praise the Lord, the parts were found quickly and we have our van back now. We are so happy to have it back, because Papa Sturtevant is here visiting us in Ukraine.

hearing and telling

As missionaries we do our very best to share God's love and tell the Good News of His love. What I have found almost even more exciting than sharing this wonderful story with others, is finding out that someone you have told is now telling others. Luba, a pre-teen girl on our street, told me that every Mon. morning one of her classmates from a different village will bug her until she will re-tell the stories she heard in Sunday school. It was great to know that the message of God's love is not stopping here in our village, but going out. Luba rarely misses Sunday school, so when she wasn't here this last week I knew she was sick. I went to see her in her home Mon. night. She showed me she has been reading the New Testament and is almost finished. Luba told Jessica," If I were sick for a few more days, I would have finished it." Seeds are being planted. Pray they will take root.

back to blogging

S0me of you may wonder why you haven't heard from us. Well, between business from having guest, tiredness, and not a lot of positive things to say, I just haven't written much lately. What I have written is too dark to share with all the world. Yes, missionaries do have tough times too. If you get our e-mail up dates you have already read what is going on. Nothing big, just a load of little things. Don't really want to rehash it right now. Let's just say something must be going to happen, because the devil is fighting. At this point I am tired to depressing things. So I have thought up a few nice things to tell you about. My mother used to say,"If you can't say something nice don't say anything at all." Maybe that explains my silence.