Lloyd Hanebury - Missionary at Large

Budapest Christmas 2007

2007-12-23T02:08:00.000+02:00

Natasha and I are in Budapest right now. We left Kyiv by car on Monday night around 8:30PM on the 17th of December and arrived in Budapest on the following day around 4:00PM. We had a few stops along the way. We needed to leave Kyiv because the new immigration laws require that we leave every 90 days even though we have a VISA for Ukraine. We are planning to head home in March for a couple months but we would need to leave at least once before that trip so we decided to enjoy the wonderful Austro-Hungarian, Christmas atmosphere in Budapest. We didn't come alone but took with us a couple other missionaries working in Kyiv, Jared Cardwell & Paul Logan. Splitting the gas makes the trip for affordable and the extra-company makes it more enjoyable.

We have had a wonderful time so far and the trip is coming to a close too soon. We will be leaving at 5:00AM on Monday morning. Natasha, Jared and I have dinner plans with the AG missionaries still in Kyiv on Christmas Day so are going to make the journey early on the Eve.

Have a wonderful Christmas and be sure not to forget the Christ of Christmas. We love you all but He loves you so much more. Merry Christmas.

Budapest Christmas - Heavenly Rolls

2007-12-23T01:29:00.000+02:00

Budapest Christmas - Chestnuts

2007-12-22T00:09:00.000+02:00

India 'O7 Slidshow

2007-11-26T00:56:00.000+02:00

India '07 - Video Summary

2007-11-06T19:53:00.000+02:00

India '07 - Day One

2007-10-24T08:33:00.000+03:00

Well, I arrived last night in New Delhi. That flight was a black comedy. First, let me say that I booked my tickets online with Aerosvit, a Ukrainian airline. They offer the cheapest flights from Kyiv to New Delhi. I took the same flight last year for my first trip to India. I paid the exact same fare. $608.70 USD

This is quite a miracle if you consider the way all prices in Ukraine are just exploding (ex. our rent went from $450 at the beginning of summer to $700). This type of miracle may be short lived however as Aerosvit is changing the standard currency of their flights from USD to EURO, due to the fast dropping valuation of the dollar. Though this is good for the U.S. trade deficit, and therefore good for our economy and the residents and citizens of the U.S., it is a killer for those of us who are living abroad with U.S. based incomes. So next year my fare will be 608.70 Euro which will be 50% more costly....but I digress...

I booked my flight with Aerosvit and requested a non-veg meal. Meals served between New Delhi and Kyiv are Indian Cuisine. Indian Cuisine comes in two basic varieties: Veg (vegetarian) and Non-Veg (with meat). I am a meat eater born and bred. It is in my DNA. If I haven't eaten meat...I haven't eaten. If that makes me barbaric...call me Attila. So I requested a Non-Veg meal and then I requested a Window/Exit Row seat. You get to pick your actual seat right online. That is great!

So standing in line preparing to board, there was a little, older, Indian gentleman standing behind me. Apparently he was raised someplace where personal space is undervalued if not outrightly abhorred. He kept pressing up against me until I made way for him to get by...at which point he began to do the same to a group of Hungarian tourists ahead of us. I was so put off I said very casually to the Lord, “ Dear Lord please don't let me sit by this little man!!!” No sooner had the words escaped my heart and mouth than the thought came...”what if I am?” and I ask you do I need to finish this story?

The little man showed his ticket to the flight attended who directed him where to go. The flight attendant took one look at my ticket and said “you are together, you have the window seat” and pointed to the little man. I had to laugh. I had to laugh even harder when I saw my window seat. The seat was next to the wall but were the window should be there was none. It was weird. The experience was reminiscent of a tour through the Winchester Mystery House.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Winchester Mystery House, it was a house that was built in Northern California by the Widow Winchester of the Winchester Rifle Company. She built it with stairs that led to nowhere, doors that opened to brick walls or 10 foot drops, all to confuse the ghosts of those slain by the Winchester rifles, whom she adamantly believed were out to take revenge upon her.

Not only had my window disappeared but so had my leg room. They had moved me out of the exit row I had reserved. Well at least I was getting a Non-Veg meal....WRONG again!!! They gave me a VEG meal, special ordered with my name on it. My laughter at this point, if not audibly, was becoming quite maniacal!!! Rabbit Trail...I love that word...maniacal. I also love using periods...for dramatic pause...anyway. Well the little man beside me was quite disappointed with the fact that they wouldn't give him a Veg meal so I traded him for his Russian Cuisine. I guess it worked out in the end as I grew in patience and flexibility and the little Indian got his Veg meal.

When I arrived in Delhi, Reggie, the primary driver for the I.E.T. (Indian Evangelical Team) who had picked me up last year, was waiting for me when I exited the customs area. It took me a few minutes to see him as I was unsure if he or someone I didn't know would be picking me up. It seemed half the male population of New Delhi was there to pick someone up and were holding signs with names on them. I was of course trying to read everyone...just in case. Reggie and I finally made eye contact and I could see he remembered me as I remembered him.

It was about 1:20 AM by the time he got me to the hotel that I has stayed at last year. Apparently I am more Christ-like than I imagined because there was no room for me at the inn. They turned us away and I could see Reggie was quite upset. So he took me to another place. We arrived there a little before 2:00 AM. I have to say I like my new accommodations better than the old. The room service menu is the same. I don't mean it has similar cuisine...I mean it is exactly the same. This is a little strange considering the fact that this isn't some sort of hotel chain I am staying at as far as I can tell. The food is very reasonable especially when compared to Indian food prices in Kyiv

Big bowl of white rice
in New Delhi $0.55
in Kyiv $8.00

A bowl of butter chicken
in New Delhi $3.25
in Kyiv $13.00

Tandoori Chicken
in New Delhi $4.75
in Kyiv $15.00

Sweet Lassi
in New Delhi $0.75
in Kyiv $6.00

Internet Cafe Prices
in New Delhi $1.25/hr
in Kyiv $3.00-5.00/hr

This year when the power goes off (which it seems happens all the time both last year and this year) I don't have a generator outside my window that comes on and wakes me up. That is BONUS!!!

My mobile phone won't connect to the wireless providers here unfortunately so I don't have an expedient way to contact my wife. I did manage to get a hold of her through Skype last night while at the hotel's internet cafe. I use the title internet café quite loosely as it consists of a single computer in the hall of the hotel lobby and is operating at about half the speed of dial-up in Kyiv.

I thought I would try to purchase a local SIM card for my mobile phone to get good local rates and be able to SMS Natasha back home. After talking to my contact here that doesn't seem to be very likely as they don't issue SIM cards here with out a resident's contract because of terrorism. Nice.

The irony about the bad telecommunications I am experiencing in New Delhi is that I am surrounded by tech and non-tech companies that have made New Delhi their technical support and offshore software development headquarters.

By and by these “trials” aren't. They are fun travel experiences that I enjoy blogging and hope that you enjoy reading about. They are nothing compared to the the persecutions devote believers and disciples of Christ experience in India on a routine basis. I wrote about one such story last year that you may or may not have read. If not...I suggest you do. It was called Encouraged by Chains. I am blessed to be back here.

Tonight I will be going with Reggie to pick up Jonathan and John Haward at the airport. Tomorrow morning I will be leading the devotions at the IET office.

Prayer Requests 7-31-07

2007-07-31T20:08:00.001+03:00

Here are a few prayer requests...

I injured the tendon attached to the back of my heel on my left foot. It is causing me a lot of pain. It is healing slowly and making it very difficult for me to stay mobile. This is quite a problem, especially since I have a team with us right now, and I need to be on the go 24-7.
My laptop had a misfortunate accident. It would cost almost as much to repair as to replace. Please pray that the Lord will provide a new one soon. I would like to switch to Mac with my next purchase as I am tired of fighting the "good" fight with PCs.
Natasha is taking a new position at a local, Christian orphanage. We will share more about that later. Please pray for her about this. She starts in September.
In November, I am planning to go to India again to do another Pastors' Conference with Global Infusion and IET (India Evangelical Team). I need to raise $1,600 for that.
Today is the 35th Anniversary for John & Nancy Hanebury, my parents and greatest supporters. Just pray a blessing on them. I wouldn't be here with out them. That is true...in so many ways.

Ukrainians Are Advised to Arrange Cheap Flights

2007-07-31T19:45:00.001+03:00

Final someone with a voice is saying what I have been saying. I hope their advice is taken sooner than later!

German experts stress that cheap flights need to be introduced in Ukraine by 2012. These flights will be used by football fans from Europe where flying is more widespread than traveling by train. -
Ukrayinska Pravda

If Ukraine, had cheap flights to Europe with airlines like Wizzair, Ryanair, EasyJet and SkyEurope...they could attract a lot more tourists. Not to mention it would make it a lot easier on missionaries like myself who need to exit the country every six (6) months. Those aforementioned airlines allow you to travel anywhere in Europe for $50-$100 if you book in advance.

Failure to Launch?

2007-07-26T19:38:00.001+03:00

Is this just the title of a romantic comedy or will it be a film concerning Ukraine's attempts at democracy? The following excerpt from the Kyiv Post will give you some understanding of the difficulties we will be facing in the months and years to come.

The 2006 parliamentary elections in Ukraine were heralded by international observers as the most free and fair elections since independence in 1991. Lost in this euphoria was a deeper understanding of the impact of Ukraine's new parliamentary system and the repercussions for the future development of Ukraine's democracy. Most attention focused on the constitutional changes which shifted more power to the prime minister. Less attention focused on the change from a representational electoral system to a proportional one based on party lists. A key difference between the two is the lack of any district or other geographically based representation in the current system. As a result, public reception rooms places where citizens could meet with representatives were abolished as elected officials no longer represent a specific district or region. Indeed, elected officials on a local city council need not even be residents of the city, and at the national level, there is no system in place to ensure that all regions of the country have adequate representation. Coupled with the law on parliamentary immunity the result is a system where members of parliament feel more accountable to their parties than their citizens.

There is insufficient time before the upcoming September elections to address these structural deficiencies. There is also insufficient political will or consensus about how to address it. President Yushchenko recently proposed a two chamber parliament, one based on geographic representation. However, his plan has garnered little support or produced suggestions for alternatives.

Kyiv Post. Ukraine: democracy at the crossroads

Generation Church in Ukraine

2007-07-26T05:44:00.001+03:00

Global Infusion sent us another team from Colorado Springs. They are from the youth ministry, Generation Church, and are pastored by Jayde Duncan & Dan Anderson, ORU Alumni and friends. This is the same youth ministry that sent us a team last year and that we bragged so much about. There are a lot of new members but quite a few repeat offenders too!!!

This past weekend we were doing services and evangelizing in the Zhitomir Region. This week, during the day, we are doing manual labor for the International Christian Assembly that is needed before we can move into their new church facility in September. At night we are doing street evangelism for a local Charismatic Baptist Church. Tonight we ran the mid-week service, and will be running the Friday night youth service as well. So, Thursday night the team will be hitting the streets, inviting unchurched youth to the event.

Saturday (July 28th), we will leave for Poltava, again. We will be working with the same churches we worked with when the ORU team was with us. We will be there until the following Sunday (August 5th).

Keep these things in prayer: Salvations & Miracles.

Miracles in Poltava

2007-07-13T23:05:00.000+03:00

During our recent ministry with the ORU team that we hosted, we worked with a church in Poltava. It was a church planted out of a very, progressive, Krivoy Rog Church. This church had itself planted around 20 churches in the three years since it was planted. We were doing a number of services and outreaches in the villages where they had planted churches.

Most days, during the day we would split our team up into smaller groups and hit more villages. The first Sunday we were in Poltava, I lead one of the groups to one of the smaller villages and we led service in the congregation there. At the end of service we offered, to pray for the sick. Natasha was the only interpretor we had with us so I lent my nominal services to the group as well. If it was beyond my ability I would ask Natasha to jump in for a moment. One Babushka (Grandmother) came forward and requested prayer for her right arm. It was crippled and in a lot of pain. She could barely move it. One of the team members, Chris, and I prayed for her. Chris began to move her arm around as he prayed. When we had finished praying we asked Natasha to ask her how her arm was. She said that it didn't hurt anymore but she could only lift it shoulder high. I felt the Holy Spirit impress upon me to tell her that everyday she should lift her arms as high as she could and declare to the Lord "These arms are yours and I lift them unto You for Your Glory. Thank you for healing them."

One particular day, one the teams was evangelizing in a village that was mostly inhabited by older people. Basically there were no babies, children, or youth. The team asked the people who had gathered to her them share the gospel, what they could pray for. The ladies of the village said rain. They had had no rain in a long while and their crops were suffering. At that time it was a beautiful sunny day and there was not a cloud in the sky. The team prayed and told the people that when it rained they would know that God answered the prayer. Within a few minutes the sky began to darken and fill with clouds. WIth in the hour heavy rain fall began. The women who had asked for rain, said that God had sent the rain. They were right...He did.

The second and last Sunday we were there, I took a team back to the same small village church I had been at the Sunday before. At the end of service we again offered to pray for people. The little old lady we had prayed for the previous Sunday came to the front. She testified, "I did what they told me to do...Everyday I lifted my arms as high as I could and declared to the Lord 'These arms are yours and I lift them unto You for Your Glory. Thank you for healing them.' And look..." She began to throw her arms to and fro above her head without pain!!! She also brought a group of people with her to the church that she had testified to. God is in the Miracle Business!!! He is God and He is Good!!!

ORU - Team Ukraine '07

2007-07-05T21:50:00.000+03:00

Here is a video-slide show of some pictures we took of the ORU Team we just hosted on a one month trip. We ministered with them at numerous orphanages and churches, in Kyiv and other cities and towns, as well as did manual labor for the International Christian Assembly in Kyiv. Throughout the evangelistic efforts on the streets and in churches we saw God show up in miraculous ways, from rain on demand to the healing of crippled bodies. The team was one of the best we have ever worked with. We were proud and honored to minster with them and speak into their lives. They will always be welcome here.

ORU Dance-Off in Ukraine

2007-07-04T07:25:00.001+03:00

This is a dance-off at an orphanage in the Poltava region of Ukraine. It was part of the evangelism outreach we did there with a team from Oral Roberts University.

Russian riot police detain 170 protesters. 14/04/2007. ABC News Online

2007-04-18T01:01:00.000+03:00

Russian riot police detain 170 protesters. 14/04/2007. ABC News Online: "The last two marches by The Other Russia have been violently dispersed. A third, held in Moscow last December, gathered approximately 2,000 people and 7,000 police."

Crossing The Border

2007-03-28T16:02:00.000+03:00

Well we made it across the border from Ukraine to Russia, and we are now at the Moscow Theological Institute (MTI). I will tell you it was quite an ordeal. At the Ukrainian border the guards/patrol really wanted to extort my friend and I. We prayed before we got there and it really was the favor of the Lord that got us through. First they wanted to check our entire luggage. Then they began to hassle me because I had a business VISA and I was driving a car registered to Evangel Theological Seminary in Kyiv. Then they were giving me a hard time about the fact that I had been in the country over three months without being “registered” but I told them that in knew that I had the right to be in the country up to six months without registering because I had a VISA. They denied that but I waited them out. I new they really wanted money but I was not going to give in. I told them, “I know what you are trying to do, but there is no problem with my documents. I put my trust in the Lord and waited. Eventually they let us go and said that there were no problems and they ended up not checking our luggage.

Then we went to the Russia border. My colleague (the regional director of Global University, Tony R.), who has crossed the Russian/Ukrainian border numerous times, was amazed at how smoothly it ended up going. They searched the car briefly, and we had to fill in numerous forms, and pay about $10 total in official fees and then we were through. Our total time on the border was about 3-4 hours.

The roads in Ukraine and the first few hours within the Russian borders were horrible. The roads were covered with huge potholes and bumps. It reminded me of the dirt “roads” in rural India that we traveled on via Jeep. The only real difference is that there was a thin layer of “asphalt” over the roads here.

We only got stopped once by the Police which Tony said was a miracle. They ended up letting us go when they saw that we worked with the seminary.

Keep Us in Prayer.

An Urgent plea for acid burned Ukrainian girl

2007-03-24T01:18:00.000+02:00

The Following is an email I received from a good friend and fellow worker here in Ukraine. He is a missionary from Sweden who works primarily with critically ill children.

Urgent plea for acid burned Ukrainian girl.

Please send this e-mail to five of your friends and ask them to do the same.

Dear friends

Have one severely burned girl 15 years old, for medical treatment at a hospital in Bad Durkheim Germany.

She is there, some one throw acid on her outside her home in Kiev. She is in bad condition.

She need all encouragement she can get, I ask you kindly to pray for her and also send some words

of kindness. Shall visit her together with my wife 30 march and shall then give over all the e mails that

comes in. She play violin and love dogs.

You can send your e mail to heart4children@hotmail.com. In subject you whrite To Bogdana.

Let her know that she is not alone.

Yours Sincerely

Michael Wallenberg

Founder

Mission in East

Malmo

Sweden

www.heart4children.spaces.live.com

PS Photo of her is on the web site.

Road Trip...

2007-03-23T23:50:00.000+02:00

I am leaving for a ministry road trip throughout the former Soviet Block. Another missionary and I are departing Kiev on Tuesday the 27th of March. The focus of this ministry trip is to liaison with the national Protestant educational institutions. We are trying to establish new methods of translating, publishing and distributing Global University curriculum not only in the C.I.S. and Baltic regions but everywhere we (Global University) operates.

Our first stop...Moscow. I just paid $300 for a VISA and $30 for a invitation and $3 for one photo copy at the Russian Consul. Honestly...If Jesus didn't love the Russian Consul...I wouldn't. The next stop will be the capital of Estonia, Tallinn. From there we will head south to Riga, the capital of Latvia. Then moving farther south we will hit Vilnius, capital of Lithuania and reputedly very beautiful. We could easily head to Kiev, from there, in a strait shot through Belarus...that is if it wasn't a communist, totalitarian state posing a democracy, and making it extremely hard for Americans to get in....so, we will be heading to Warsaw, Poland.

I may not know it but Natasha and I have to leave Ukraine every six months because of our VISAs. So Natasha will be meeting me in Warsaw for my birthday (April 5th) and we will spend the night there. The next day will will make the 4 hour drive to Krakow, spending 2 nights there and making a day trip to Auschwitz.

We will then be heading back to Ukraine. Keep us in prayer.

Encouraged by Chains

2007-03-23T23:46:00.000+02:00

You know I always had a little difficulty with Paul's assertion that"Because of [his] chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly."

The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Php 1:14). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

It seems rather counter-intuitive. Why? Because it is! People shouldn't be emboldened by seeing others suffer, nor encouraged to do whatever the suffering people did to bring on the suffering. Right?

Recently...this last Fall, I was in India. I went to work with IET (India Evangelical Team) and Global Infusion. I was one of the Headline speakers for one of their annual pastor conferences. It was an amazing experience in so many ways. God really moved. But I want to share how God illuminated Paul's comment through my experience in India.

I traveled from Kyiv (the city formerly know as Kiev) to New Delhi, India. There I rendezvoused with Jonathan Haward of Global Infusion, and some other pastors he brought with him from the States. From there we flew to an Eastern State of India that I won't name. And then we traveled 8 hours in Jeeps on "roads" to the village that would host the conference. Before the conference began we were invited to speak at some "local" churches. Let me define local. Local is anywhere within a two hour jeep ride through monkey and tiger infested jungles. After one such ride we arrived at the village I would be conducting service in. No one in it had ever seen a Caucasian before.

The meeting was held in tarp covered area the size of a double-wide car port, butted-up against the pastors house. There was no floor and no back wall...but it was a holy place. The Lord had given me a special word for the Church that morning as I prayed, and He confirmed it supernaturally through two of my brothers on the trip. I knew what the Lord wanted to say and I delivered the message without fear or hesitation. In short the message was this...

³³Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’

The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Mt 18:33). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Are you willing to give your lives so that others may here the Gospel, just as other people gave their lives that you might hear it?

It was a small gathering with about fifty people in attendance. The only people who didn't stand when I asked them if they were willing to give their lives for the gospel to be heard, were the ten who were already standing to give their hearts to the Lord. The people even the new converts wailed before the Lord pledging their lives for the gospel.

It wasn't new for me to see people pledge their lives for the gospel, but it was new for me to see such a response percentage wise. Yet even this wasn't what inspired this testimony. Rather it was what I discovered after we were back on the road. The regional pastor informed me that two weeks before I had preached, a Hindu man from the village grabbed one of the Christian Sisters in the village, hacked her up with a machete and spread her body around the village as a warning to other Christians to keep to themselves. And yet in the light of that, these humble and yet passionate people, stood to their feet, and shouted with all their might, "We will give our lives that others might be saved!"

I have never seen the like. I was moved to tears I felt so emboldened in my faith and witness as I have never been. Now I know how Paul could say what He did, for I was encouraged by my brothers' and sisters' suffering to preach the gospel more boldly. I hope you are too.

A Taste of India

2007-03-23T23:45:00.000+02:00

A Taste of India

In the Autumn I was in the country of India doing a pastoral conference with an indigenous ministry and Global Infusion. Click on the picture to see a small album of pictures that I assembled from the trip.

Playing Catch-up...

2007-03-23T21:13:00.000+02:00

It has been a while since I have posted. I hope to start posting regularly. I will be trying to fill you in on the past few months in the forth coming posts...

Excerpt: Letter From Rick Steves' Radio Manager

2006-11-22T15:20:00.000+02:00

Below is an excerpt of a letter I received from Rick Steves' Radio Show Manager. It is in Reference to a Haiku poem that I wrote about my experience sleeping in the hay in a barn in the Alpine village of Gimmelwald, Switzerland. Here is a copy of the Haiku and the excerpt follows.

Gimmelwald Manger

As the King of Kings in Straw

You Sleep Divinely

21 November, 2006

Lloyd:

Congratulations! We’ve selected one of your haiku submissions to use on an upcoming edition of “Travel with Rick Steves.” Your poem about the manger scene in Gimmewald will be read in the middle of program #75, which also features interviews about Peru and Fiji.

You should be able to access archived audio of the program as of next Sunday, December 3. A list of local radio station airtimes and our schedule on Sirius Satellite Radio in North America is in the radio section of our website. (Program #75 will be broadcast the weekend of Dec. 2, 2006.)

Timothy S. Tattan

Radio Producer, “Travel with Rick Steves”

Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door

PO Box 2009

Edmonds WA 98020

www.ricksteves.com/radio

2006-07-17T17:18:00.000+03:00

Cross-Cultural Communication

This is a video about the German Coast Guard. It is a commercial for english lessons from Berlitz. But I think it is a funny look at cross-cultural communication in general.

An Answer...

2006-07-15T13:49:00.000+03:00

I have been praying a lot for the Lord to open up new doors and give me greater influence with the Church and its leaders here in Ukraine.  As I am trying to build the vision here in Ukraine for Mission beyond Ukrainian borders I need to influence the body of Christ at every level, from children all the way up to the pastors and bishops.  The vision has just not been cultivated here.

I have been praying about something else as well. I have wanted, since before I came to live in Ukraine full-time, to develop an alternative, preparatory path for young, would-be-missionaries.  Typically, the path requires an expensive tenure in a private university and provides very little practical experience, and is usually followed by an entry-level ministerial position, the makes it difficult to repay the usual consequence of this route, Student Loans.  I wanted to create a combined internship and correspondence program that would allow prospective students to get practical experience on the field while studying in an approved and U.S. accredited degree program, at the same time.

A Masters’ Commission on Global Steroids…if you will.

Well it is possible that right now we are seeing the answer to both of these prayer requests.  I have been nominated to take over the Ukrainian National Directorship of Global University (the Assemblies of God, Worldwide Correspondence program). It has been getting approval as the process has been moving up the food chain.  If it goes through, it will not only give me a platform to preach in practically all of the Pentecostal churches in Ukraine about missions, and not only talk to the leaders about developing and supporting the vision, but to actually provide tools to help them do it.

It will also give me the opportunity develop the Global Commission Internship that I mentioned, allowing interns to actually earn U.S. accredited degrees while here on the field, for a much cheaper price, and while getting invaluable experience.

Please pray with me about this, as the process moves forward. I will be going to Springfield for a few days in September, for National Director training with Global University.  We will also be required to raise a full budget, whereas we have been running at about 20% of the typical budget.  This wouldn’t be a problem if we had time for a proper furlough, but we don’t.  We have current project in the works that can’t be left for long.  So pray that we have strategic meetings, divinely appointed, and that the hearts of the pastors and believers in Nor Cal Nevada, and elsewhere, will be moved to give, and give largely.

Back from Camp

2006-07-15T13:15:00.000+03:00

We just got back from camp. I was teaching & preaching at a summer camp outside of Kiev. It was a lot of fun. I received a lot of compliments from the adult leaders and the more important critics, the youth. That of course isn’t really necessary as I don’t preach or teach for the enjoyment of the crowd, but it sure is encouraging. The camp was themed the “The King is Coming” which wouldn’t have been my choice for a summer camp theme, but alas, it wasn’t my choice. I relished the opportunity however and asked the Lord to give His Word for the hour. He was faithful, as always. He gave me some great illustrations and great methods for getting the crowd to own the message themselves.

Rising living costs place Kyiv high on list of expensive cities

2006-07-04T21:09:00.000+03:00

Rising living costs place Kyiv high on list of expensive cities: "Ukraine's capital ranks as one of the 50 most expensive places to live in the world"

True. Well...that is all I have to say about that!!!

Who's Yo Daddy

2006-06-27T21:06:00.000+03:00

Who’s Yo Daddy? That was the title of a recent sermon I preached. About 7 weeks ago I was sitting in a Sunday Service when the Lord began to give me a sermon. He started with the title and He began to lay out particular points that He wanted me to preach on. I felt I should start making notes so I did, and over the next couple weeks the sermon was formulating and brewing (a mixed metaphor…I know). A few weeks after the Lord had given me the sermon, I received an invitation to preach on the 18th of June. I was more than happy to oblige. I prayed about what I should preach on but from the get-go I felt very strongly that I was supposed to preach the sermon Who’s Yo Daddy? I was speaking the worship leader, a good friend of mine, Andrei and I told him that I wanted him to sing songs to emphasis the Fatherhood of God and our being His Children. On the 17th as I was finishing up typing the manuscript/outline for the following day, I called my parents and my mother reminded me to wish my Father a Happy Fathers Day. Because I had mailed my Father his gift and the gift had arrived a number of weeks early, it had slipped my mind with all we had going on; that it was indeed Fathers’ day weekend. Even as I wished my Father Happy Fathers’ Day I didn’t consider that I was going to be preaching on Fathers’ Day. I didn’t clue in to the fact until Sunday morning at church when I picked up the bulletin (which announced my sermon title on the front) and I flipped to the center of it and saw a Fathers’ Day Poem and Fathers’ Day wishes. I began to cry as I sat down listening to the worship I had requested, realizing how the Lord, knew before I had even been invited to speak that day, that I would be, and He had given me a sermon for that day. And it wasn’t just any sermon but it was the sermon for that specific day. It was so humbling and so awesome. My Heavenly Father is so good. I will tell you this; there is no other voice that I would rather hear than His.

Prayer Requests 06-27-06

2006-06-27T20:04:00.000+03:00

More Monthly Support – honestly this would help us with many of the prayer requests we have. We really would like to raise a budget comparable to typical AG missionaries. Pray for favor with Churches, Pastors, and Church/Missions Boards in the AG churches of the Northern California District

Continued and Increased Health – the Lord has already done a miracle for my back, but I am looking for a complete recovery physically from all of the consequences I have experienced do to the injury. For example, loss flexiblity and muscle mass have been a consequence of my injury, while I have increased body fat. I have been losing excess weight recently however, Praise the Lord!

Funds for the India Pastors Conference - $2,400

Funds for the Egypt Mission Trip - $2,000 (including Natasha and I and some scholarships/assitance for some other team members)

An urgent increase of $200/month - in support to cover increased monthly bills (such as medical insurance increases) and a lost supporter.

Funds for a Car – We don’t qualify for Speed-The-Light funds for vehicles so we need to raise money for a vehicle. We have already raised $5,000 (a gifts from Global Infusion) but we would really like to add to that fund. We plan to buy a used car in Poland (they are in much better condition there and much cheaper) in the fall.

A Quick Overview

2006-06-27T19:47:00.000+03:00

I just want to give you a quick over view of the last few months.  We have been very busy.  While I was suffering greatly with my back, we were having more and more doors opening up for us to teach on missions, as well as pass on the missions addiction.  We really need to infect the Ukrainian church, from the top down and the bottom up.

We have had opportunities to do this as we have been training a Jewish Messianic mission team for a trip to India.  We have also had a chance to preach on Missions at Kiev Messianic Fellowship and I have been teaching at one of their daughter ministry’s pre-evangelistic outreaches.

In the next few days we will be meeting with Pastor Dima of Grace Evangelical Church (a Charismatic Baptist congregation) about send a Ukrainian mission team next year.  We are planning a Ukrainian mission trip to Egypt for next march and are currently selecting team members for that.  I preached the Father’s day sermon at ICA (the AG International Christian Assembly).  I have a great testimony about that, which I will save for a separate post.

I have also been invited to teach/preach on missions a pastor’s conference co-hosted by Global Infusion in India this fall.  Whether I am able to attend will be dependant upon our upcoming fundraising push.

Our expenses have been increasing but our income hasn’t been (actually it has decreased).  We believe that the Lord is going to really bless us soon however, in congruence with the wonderful doors He has been opening up for us to fulfill His calling on our lives.

We recently received an earmarked gift of $5,000 for a car.  We hope to add some more money to that fund during our fundraising campaign.

We have great desire to host a missions seminar for Ukrainian Pastors. We want to use it to instill in them the vision for missions, but also help them to make practical steps for the development of the mechanisms they need for selection, training, equipping and sending of their missionaries.  As of this moment this is practically unheard of in Ukrainian Churches. Please pray about these things with us.

Shawna Deines - Testimony

2006-06-27T19:06:00.000+03:00

This trip to Ukraine was so awesome. God has taught me so much. But the biggest thing that God did in me was He showed me how much my heart can actually stretch to love more and more people. The story that started this revelation was during the kids camp that we did. I had originally been assigned to a team of kids for the first day and I got attached to them, learned their names and all that. But the second day I got switched to another team. At first I was really sad, because I already loved the kids I was with and I really wanted to stay with them and pour into them a lot. But as I was walking with my new team the Lord showed me a picture of my heart and it was full of people, then I saw God’s hand come in and push everyone to one side and He said, “Move over make room there’s more coming in.” And I just realized that it was really a good thing that I switched teams, because I got the privilege to meet and pour into more kids than I would have if I had just stayed with one group. Well anyway, the revelation has just been that our hearts can stretch and we can keep making room and loving more and more people. When we got here and Lloyd was talking to us about Ukraine and some of the things we would be doing, he mentioned that as far as the public transport systems go, there’s a rule here in Ukraine, “There’s always room for one more!” We all laughed, and then discovered that it’s really true. But I feel like that is what God has been speaking to me about my heart. He has just really shown me that if we are made in His image then we can and do have His heart capacity. Now don’t get me wrong I’m not saying that we could ever love the way that God loves, because no one loves that way He loves. But I am saying that I do believe that human heart has the capacity to continue adding people and to continue to stretch. God wants us to love the way He loves, He wants us to offer our hearts to people over and over again even if they break over and over again. Someone else on our team said that if our hearts are in God’s hands, it’s okay if they break, because God can heal them and put them back together, time and time again. So that’s the biggest thing the God has shown me. I have fallen in love with Kiev and Ukraine and the people here. And to be honest, I feel like my heart is breaking as I am leaving, because, I’m leaving everything I has here, Pastor Jayde told us many times before we came, to leave it all on the field. And I feel like I am leaving a part of or even my whole heart with the people I’ve met here, so it’s hard to leave. But there’s always room for one more, or there’s always room for one more country, so I know that my heart will stretch even further now that I’ve broken it out of the container that it was in, and now God can continually pour into me more and more of His love for people.

Dream Team

2006-06-27T18:48:00.000+03:00

I have to say that we have recently had the best, short-term, mission team we have ever worked with. Honestly, we have worked with some difficult teams, but most have been really good. This team however, was stellar.

The love that this team showed, not only for the church, here, and for the lost, but also for each other, was a real testimony to the Lord. It is also a testimony to the leaders that prepared them and brought them, Jade & Christy Duncan of Spring Harvest Fellowship, and Jonathan Haward of Global Infusion (all of whom are fellow ORU and ORU Summer Missions Alumni).

We saw great success in the children’s summer day camp that they came to help us run, as well as in the church services we held almost every night. But what were really awesome were the relationships that were birthed. They meet a couple guys on the street. That relationship grew in to a group of 5 guys and one girl. They are at our place a couple nights a week. Two have repented so far and one is attending church with us every Sunday.

I will be posting some of the testimonies that the team wrote up before they left for you to read.

Miracle of Miracles

2006-06-27T18:34:00.000+03:00

For those of you who might be in the dark let me give a brief back-story to this testimony. Just before I moved to Ukraine in 2002, I strained my back. Since that time it has severely hampered my health and my activities. I tried exercise, but that only seemed to aggravate the problem. Two years ago I had an MRI which revealed a bulge in my disc at the L5S1. The problem continued to get worse. Then a few months ago I got sick and simultaneously my back pain went into overdrive. I was practically bed-ridden for two months. I went and had another MRI. This one revealed, instead of a bulge, a huge hernia. The doctor took one look, as did the Christian Chiropractor I consulted, here in Ukraine, and both said “You need surgery!”

I was not the least interested in that prospect but as time went on, and as the pain was so unrelenting I found myself strongly considering the option, and taking that option sooner than later. I have been asking the Lord for a miracle since the initial strain but hadn’t seen one. Almost one year ago I told the Lord if I didn’t have my mobility restored with in a year I was going to need to leave the mission field, and get proper treatment in the USA.

Well, my parents, my wife, and I all fasted. We and others (my grandparents and friends and supporters) prayed. Suddenly almost over night about 5 weeks ago, my back pain practically disappeared. And no my pain is gone. I have occasionally, slight tingling in my right foot, but this is nothing compared to the numbness I had from my toes up through my buttocks for so long. For months my back was so bad, the pain so intense, that I could sit at the computer for even five minutes without being brought to the verge of tears. Now I sit here writing to tell you that God is good. He is in the miracle business. He deserves all the glory. Praise Him….Father….Son…& Holy Ghost!!!

U.S. Pledge to Ukraine

2006-05-25T17:56:00.000+03:00

Kyiv Post: In a recent address to the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee on May 12, 2006, William B. Taylor, the Ambassador-Designate stated the following:"Ukraine's new coalition government will face a daunting but vital challenge: to consolidate the gains to date of the Orange Revolution, and to further Ukraine's democratization, economic development and integration with Europe, Euro-Atlantic institutions and the international community. The U.S. Government will continue to help.
The Administration strongly supports Ukraine's NATO aspirations, and, if confirmed, I will do all I can to assist Ukraine in implementing the political, economic, defense and security reforms necessary for possible membership in NATO's community of shared values. If confirmed, I would look forward to continuing the already strong cooperation with Ukraine to combat global threats, such as trafficking in persons, avian influenza, HIV/AIDS and TB. If confirmed, I would work with the government of Ukraine on effective implementation of an improved export control system as part of our nonproliferation policy.
On the economic side, if confirmed, I will strongly support Ukraine's efforts to join the WTO and integrate its markets into international structures, strengthen its - and Europe's - energy security, and improve energy efficiency and conservation. If confirmed, I will also do all that I can to help Ukraine strengthen rule of law, combat corruption and money laundering, and improve its investment climate. "

Just a Teaser...

2006-03-25T23:29:00.000+02:00

Well, I just got back from the meeting at the Messianic Jewish Fellowship. They had a guest worship team. The Spirit of the Lord moved on the congregation and Rabbi Boris made room accordingly...so I just gave a five minute teaser for my teaching which was postponed until the next Sabbath. So be praying for me again next Saturday as I speak in the night service. Remember...we are 10 hours ahead of Pacific Standard.

Short-term missionary program in the works

2006-03-25T14:16:00.001+02:00

A few weeks ago I met with the Pastor/Rabbi of the Messianic Fellowship in Kiev. His name is Boris Grisenko. It was a great meeting. We both shared our hearts, and really connected. I expressed the need for not only Ukraine to be getting seriously and intentionally involved with foreign missions, but also for the Messianic Jews. I shared various scriptures that the Lord had shown me concerning the consequences of not bearing the the Fruit of the Kingdom. Boris' response was "You need to share this with my congregation and my leaders" The booked me to speak, Sabbath before last at one of the daughter congregations, a youth church, called Mishpaha, for their missions service. I did an altar call for those who would make a commitment to Missions. I prefaced the call with my desire to not see everyone respond. I told them that is was a serious and difficult commitment that their God would hold them accountable for. There where about 80 youth in the service and we saw about 20 respond to this call.

This Sabbath, today, I will be speaking in the main congregation about missions. Please pray that the seed that is sown today will bring a harvest of workers, for the Kingdom of Heaven.

One of Boris' elders, who works with the youth congregation primarily, is setting up a new ministry, that will coordinate and facilitate short-term missionary trips for Ukrainians. I have been asked to design and teach the training sessions. Please pray that the Lord would help me to design a program that they can take ownership over. The first mission trip for the group will be a two week mission to India , this coming December. Please pray that the congregation support their efforts not only through prayer...But in the vital area of finance.

This Short-term mission program, will not only be taking youth from Kiev, but they are partnering with another Messianic congregation in Minsk, Belarus. Initially, we had talked about me traveling one weekend a month by train to Minsk to teach the sessions to their team members as well. This of course was going to be dependent upon my being able to secure a Multi-entrance VISA for Belarus. With the outcome of recent sham elections in Belarus, this seems more and more unlikely, especially considering the fact that the president of Belarus, recently abolished all Religious and Christian humanitarian NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) working in Belarus. And those things to the forthcoming sanctions from the U.S. and the promised retaliation from the Belarussian President and his government, it may not be the best idea. So, I will most likely be video taping our sessions and sending them on DVD via snail mail to the Minsk Congregation.

Please pray concerning all of these things.

U.S. and Europe Plan Sanctions Against Belarus - New York Times

2006-03-25T14:16:00.000+02:00

New York Times: "The United States and Europe said Friday that they would impose sanctions against President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko of Belarus and other top officials for cracking down on a peaceful protest over his re-election, which was widely seen as a sham."

This is what I was afraid of...not the sanctions, but rather another Russian puppet election. Personally the sanctions are not enough for me. I ask you all to pray about this...the liberation of Belarus from its dictatorship and the controling influence of Russia.

See the Cookie?

2006-03-24T22:52:00.000+02:00

Click on the Photo and Check out my nephew Sasha's (Alexander's) video. He really wants me to see the cookie on the floor. He just keeps pointing it out until I tell him in no uncertain terms (in Russian) that I see it.

Update: To answer a question posed by some of my readers...No, Sasha isn't speaking Russian, just jibberish. Something to the effect of "Uh, uh, uh! Uh, uh, uh! UH!!!"

U.S. Diplomat warns Belarus not to manipulate election

2006-02-27T17:02:00.000+02:00

Kyiv Post."A top U.S. diplomat warned Belarus on Friday not to manipulate results in next month's tense presidential election, in which authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko is seeking a third term"

"Lukashenko has accused the United States and other Western countries of backing the mass demonstrations in the ex-Soviet state of Ukraine, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan over the past two years. Those demonstrations, which all broke out after disputed elections, drove longtime leaders from power in Georgia and Kyrgyzstan and forced an election rerun in Ukraine that was won by pro-West reformer Viktor Yushchenko.

He alleges the West aims to provoke similar unrest in Belarus.
'I'm not here pushing people to go into the streets," Kramer said. "But if it's what people choose to do, they have a right to do it in a peaceful way.'"

Watch this. Russia feels it is critical to keep the statis quo in Belarus as it is fast running out of Allies in Eastern Europe. Pray that a new president is elected and takes office in Belarus. This will not only be a great change for Belarus but it will help to stabilize region and shore-up the recent changes in Ukraine and other nearby former Soviet States.

Kentucky Fried Rumors

2006-02-27T16:13:00.000+02:00

On 1/04/2006 , I posted about Pizza Hut coming soon to a Kiev near me. At the time I neglected to mention the depths of the hopes that this gestated within me. Pizza Hut is owned my an Umbrella Corporation call Yum! Brands. Yum brands has a number of restaurant names to its credit, such as Taco Bell, Long John Silvers, A&W, Pizza Hut (as mentioned) and KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken). Knowing this, and knowing that both Pizza Hut and KFC can be found in most if not all EU Countries, including neighboring Hungary and Poland, I was hopeful that KFC would soon be a present reality in Kiev and a distant dream no more. Last Wednesday, my wife and I were eating at a local fast food restaurant called Rostiks. Rostik's is a fried chicken place that does a fine job at chicken (it even has a decent ranch sauce, which is pretty miraculous for Kiev). Being reasonably/competitevly priced, Rostik's has grabbed a respectable amount of the fast food market which is currently dominated in Ukraine by McDonalds. A friend of ours is a manager a Rostik's. She informed us that Rostik's has been hiring up experienced McDonalds employees at a premium recently. Why? Because apparently KFC is moving into Kiev, in partnership with Rostik's. For a time the chain will be co-branded. Rostik's KFC. This will eventually be phased out. However, the soon and coming presence of KFC will herald a swift end to the familiar menu at Rostik's as we were informed that they will only be selling KFC menu items. God is Good!!! I will continue to hope and pray that is grace extends to Taco Bell and A&W which at this point have no presence in Europe. One of my minor fears however is that the coming of In & Out Burger will be simultaneous with the Return of Our Lord, and I will miss the opportunity to eat a Double, Double in Kiev!

Prayer Requests - February 22, 2006

2006-02-22T23:06:00.000+02:00

Lloyd's Health my herniated disc is causing me a lot of pain

$400 for Vital Vitamins Project which will provide Vitamins for 185 Sunday School Children at Grace Evangelical Church in Kiev, Ukraine

4wd Vehicle more and more ministry opportunities are requiring us to travel outside of Kiev. The roads aren't that great in Kiev let alone the smaller towns. This Cold winter has also been a cold and rude awakening to the necessity of a vehicle for ministry.

$2,000 for Summer Children's Summer Camp We have already received $1,000 in pledges. We need just $1,000 more

God's continued leading as we continue our discussion with the Pentecostal Seminary in Lviv (Capital of Western Ukraine) and a new ministry birthed in the messianic congregation that wants to train missionaries and has asked me to help.

Favor with AG churches as we begin to seek support in Northern California Nevada District.

Green Light: Online Giving a Go!!!

2006-02-19T14:09:00.000+02:00

As you can see we now have a DONATE NOW on our Blog. Bridge the Gap Int'l in Tulsa, OK is our mission service agency. They have recently set up a website to recieve donations online, via Debit/Credit (Mastercard, VISA, Discover, American Express) and Check/Bank Debit - ACH. We hope this will be an encouragement for new supporters and help us to build a larger support base.

Urgent Request: $400 Humanitarian Project - Vital Vitamins

2006-02-19T13:52:00.000+02:00

Last summer we brought in a Short-term team to host a Summer Camp with one of the local congregations in Kiev. This summer we will be doing the same. This church, Grace Evangelical, is a very special church...they are self-supported. On rare occasions, they have had internationals help them with special projects like the Christmas presents for children of prisoners and the summer camp we help with that I have written you about.
Last summer they had a visitor who was interested in helping in some way. They committed to helping the church with a very important program, namely providing desperately needed vitamins for their Sunday School Children, which number 185, during the winter when so many of the children get sick. This benefactor promised to mail Vitamins to the Church and was in contact with the Sunday School Director, Alona, until about 6 weeks ago, when they abruptly severed all communication. As you may have surmised, no vitamins are on their way.
The Project is going to cost $400. Natasha and I prayed about it and we are moving in faith. We have advanced the money to the Church to buy the Vitamins as they are behind schedule in giving the kids their vitamins. As you may or may not know, it has been one of the coldest Ukrainian Winters in recent history with record lows.
We are asking you to help us with this special project. Help us raise this $400. I am especially asking those of you who aren't regular supporters. You can either send a check in to the address below or click on the DONATE NOW button above and give via Credit/Debit or Check through BGI, our mission service agency.

Listen and Obey

2006-02-19T13:17:00.000+02:00

The following is a story that I have heard before, but it was just forwarded to me. I don't know where it started but I believe it to be true. It is, no matter what, a simple example of how the common believer, can be uncommonly useful to God, through the simple willingness to listen and obey.

A young man had been to Wednesday night Bible Study. The Pastor had shared about listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice. The young man couldn't help but wonder, "Does God still speak to people?"After service he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and they discussed the message. Several different onestalked about how God had led them in different ways. It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, "God...If you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey."As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, "God is that you?" He didn't get a reply and started on toward home. But again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk. The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn't recognize the voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli."Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the milk." It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home. As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, "Turn Down that street."This is crazy he thought and drove on past the intersection. Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street. At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh. Half jokingly, he said out loud, "Okay, God, I will". He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in semi commercial area of town. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods either. The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed. Again, he sensed something, "Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street." The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep. He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat."Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid." Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk. Finally, he opened the door, "Okay God, if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something but if they don't answer right away, I am out of here."He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, "Who is it? What do you want?" Then the door opened before the young man could get away. The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like hejust got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep. "What is it?" The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, "Here, I brought this to you." The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway. Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face.The man began speaking and half crying, "We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk."His wife in the kitchen yelled out, "I ask him to send an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?" The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put in the man's hand. He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face. He knew that God still answers prayers.

Prayer Requests - February 1, 2006

2006-02-01T10:57:00.000+02:00

4WD Vehicle more and more ministry opportunities are requiring us to travel outside of Kiev. The roads aren't that great in Kiev let alone the smaller towns. This Cold winter has also been a cold and rude awakening to the necessity of a vehicle for ministry.

$2,000 for Summer Children's Summer Camp We have already received $1,000 in pledges. We need just $1,000 more

God's continued leading… 1. As we continue our discussion with the Pentecostal Seminary in Lviv (Capital of Western Ukraine) and a new ministry birthed in the messianic congregation that wants to train missionaries and has asked me to help.
2. As we begin discussions with a Messianic Jewish Ministry that wants help training their Congregants for short and long term missionary work.

For our Summer Teams for their fundraising and preparations in the area of team dynamics in both the physical and spiritual realms, and for their individual preparations spiritually and physically. Also for God’s leading as to what teams should come, as potential team leaders are considering bringing teams.

Continued Good Health.

Favor with AG churches as we begin to seek support in Northern California Nevada District

Captives of Childhood

2006-02-01T09:41:00.000+02:00

Most of you probably don't know that Ukraine and the Eastern European Nations with Orthodox Christian Heritage celebrate Christmas not on the 24th of December but rather on the 7th of January. So a couple weeks ago we went out to a with my friend Richard Schwendinger (a.k.a. Rick) , and a ministry that we have been working with since I moved to Ukraine called Grace Evangelical Church (Charismatic Baptist), to hold a Christmas Service for some very special kids. Grace Evangelical Church has been running an outreach to the prisoners for a number of years now. During Rick's first trip to Ukraine we took him out to preach to the one of the prison populations. This Christmas we travel to a "home" built for the homeless children of prisoners. The prison that holds these particular children's parents is a stone throw away and can be seen through half of the windows of the building in which the children reside.

The children and the staff were so open. They have invited Grace Evangelical to even begin Bible Studies for the children. They want us to take a team in this summer to do some work with the kids, possibly some day camps. Please pray we find an appropriately aged and willing team for this venture. Additionally Natasha wants to help some of the girls from Grace, to bring some of the older girls to Kiev for a weekend, where they can have some one-on-one time with them, build relationships and take them to Church. This is a great idea, but we will need some serious FAVOR as these girls are wards of the State and getting permission to remove them from the grounds will prove difficult. Please pray we have favor with the necessary officials as we move forward with this project.

Rick had raised funds as I had written about earlier for Christmas Presents for Orphans. From those funds he was able to supply Grace Evangel with enough money to buy each of the children in the home a number of presents. The kids were truly blessed. To the left is a picture of Rick with some of the Kids. Please pray that next Christmas as we join Rick in raising funds for Christmas presents for Orphans that we are able to double the amount Rick raised this year.

Long, Cold Winter

2006-01-31T22:31:00.000+02:00

Well I have to say that this has been ....A Long Cold Winter...so far... Honestly, though Ukraine is known for cold winters, this has been one of the coldest in years. The other night I was outside for ten minutes wearing my North Face (very good quality), but fingerless (duh!!!), gloves. I was briefly, yet seriously, worried that they might never thaw. I have never had such a loss of feeling in my extremities. You wonder how cold it was? At the time it was -27° Fahrenheit!!! I think that qualifies as cold, especially for a California boy from the S.F. Bay Area.

I count myself more than lucky, more-than blessed. They have been showing reports of the death count due to exposure every night on the local news. In fact a friend of mine from St. Petersburg just came down to help his brother who has frost bite and most likely, gangrene in both hands. There is a good chance he may loose them. His name is Peter Michno. Please pray for him.

Political Deadlock in Ukraine

2006-01-19T22:07:00.000+02:00

Parliament leaders fail to break impasse with president: "Parliamentary faction leaders in Ukraine failed to break a deadlock with President Viktor Yushchenko over the validity of the government Thursday, and the president turned to the Constitutional Court for help.
The political crisis that has severely weakened the Western-leaning leadership in Kyiv began last week when the parliament, angered over a deal with Russia that nearly doubles the cost of natural gas for Ukraine, voted to fire the Cabinet.

Some analysts and politicians have questioned the validity of the vote, saying there are contradictions in recently passed constitutional reforms which gave parliament the power to sack the government.

Yushchenko, who has refused to recognize the vote, called for the Constitutional Court to rule on the issue. However, it is unlikely the court would be able to do so because the parliament has refused to vote on nominees for its judges."

What is so irritating to me is the irony involved here. The faction of Parliament that is trying to make this unconstitutional play, is that very group of polititians who were and are supported by the Russian government. In a nutshell, the Russians lose power in the Election last year, due to the Orange Revolution. Then they strike back through "energy extortion" giving the nefarious members of Parliament who they support ammunition to use against the current administration. Unfortunately this moronic political ploy is quite affective against a largely infantile cross-section of the current parliament.

Please pray that God's wisdom will help the voters of Ukraine, see through these deviant manipulations of Russia and its political lackies in Ukraine, and in this upcoming parliamentary election. make the necessary changes to give enough political power to the political core that won the executive elections last year.

Classical...Aviation

2006-01-13T13:58:00.000+02:00

Tom Stoppard Quote: "If Beethoven had been killed in a plane crash at the age of 22, it would have changed the history of music... and of aviation."

True...True

Represent

2006-01-10T14:06:00.000+02:00

I represent in my office in Kiev.

Ukraine will try to hold gas prices steady

2006-01-10T13:44:00.000+02:00

Kyiv Post. Yekhanurov: Ukraine will try to hold gas prices steady for the public: "Ukraine will try to hold gas prices steady for residents in this former Soviet republic even though the government is now paying almost twice as much under a complicated deal with Russia, the prime minister said Friday."

Good for the short term but not the long.

"Some experts have suggested that Ukrainian industry could survive on prices of $110, adding that it would force the energy-inefficient chemical and steel industries to adopt new technologies."

I tend to agree that a free market is stronger in the long run. Pray for wisdom for Ukraine's leaders.

Russia reacts angrily to sharp U.S. criticism

2006-01-10T13:38:00.000+02:00

Kyiv Post. Russia reacts angrily to sharp U.S. criticism over gas dispute: "Russia reacted angrily Friday to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's sharp criticism of Moscow's conduct in its dispute with Ukraine over gas prices, saying her comments were baseless."

"Moscow's gas-price dispute with Kiev touched two sensitive nerves in Russia's relations with the United States: Ukraine and energy."

Let me sum up the article. Russia says "Wah, Wah!!! Stay out of our nieghborhood! Sniff, Sniff!!!"

Rice calls Russia's move 'obviously political'

2006-01-10T13:36:00.000+02:00

NewsFromRussia.Com Rice calls Russian energy move 'obviously political': "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accused Russia of using its energy wealth as a political weapon, and warned on Thursday that Moscow must play by international rules if it wants to be part of the global economy. Rice said it was 'ironic and not good' that Russia used gas exports to apply pressure to former close ally Ukraine just as Moscow was assuming the rotating presidency of the Group of Eight economic powerhouse nations."

I am glad to see Rice calling it like it is.

NUCLEAR WA$TE

2006-01-06T13:21:00.000+02:00

United States Embassy in Ukraine - Main Page: "Ukraine's EnergoAtom and U.S. Nuclear Firm Holtec International Sign Contract Worth $150 Million

Holtec International signed a contract on December 26 with Ukraine's State Enterprise National Nuclear Energy Generating Company "EnergoAtom" to establish a state-of-the-art central facility for Ukraine's spent nuclear fuel from its Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plants. The central storage facility will eliminate the need for Ukraine to ship spent nuclear fuel long distances for storage on Russian territory at an annual cost of over $100 million. Valued at approximately $150 million, the contract represents the largest investment in Ukraine's commercial nuclear sector by a U.S. company.

The President of Energoatom Yuriy Nedashkovsky and Holtec's President and CEO Dr. Kris Singh signed the contract. The U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John E. Herbst and Minister of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine Ivan Plachkov witnessed the signing ceremony"

Day by day, a little less dependant on Step-Mother Russia!!!

Christmas in my Father's House

2006-01-05T15:46:00.000+02:00

There is a really great Children's Ministry in Ukraine. It is called Father's House. My friendship with its founder started on my first trip to Kiev in 1997, just a few months after he started the ministry in a small apartment. I remember walking into the small apartment. It had one bedroom that housed all the kids. They had built a three level bunk that housed 4-5 kids on each level. Crowded? Yes but better than living on the streets of Kiev during a Ukrainian winter.

Today Father's House is prospering with two large facilities just outside of Kiev in a small village. Though it is prospering the ministry is still walking in faith daily as they have no "regular support." For instance, this year they had no idea where they were going to get the gifts for the children for Christmas. God did.

Enter Rick Schwendinger. Rick and I are friends since October 31, 1997 when we met at ORU (Oral Roberts University) . Rick and I were both heavily involved in ORU's summer mission program. His focus was primarily Africa while mine was Ukraine. After graduate school he moved back home to Wisconsin and pastored a rural church. A couple years ago he felt the Lord's prompting to visit me on the mission field in Ukraine. He recently joined us here as a full-time independant missionary.

Rick quickly rallied to the cause at Father's House and raised funds to buy the children Christmas gifts. Our ministry supported his efforts by wrapping gifts, rallying other wrappers, and finding a location to organize the wrapping. A big thank you goes out to Steve Weber, the president of CBN Ukraine, who provided a storage place for the gifts and a room to wrap them in, and to his children, Hanna, Victoria, and Logan who also helped to wrap them. Seeing the over all success of the event really inspired us and at the Holy Spirit's prompting we have pledge to partner with Rick in a greater way next year, by helping to find donors to buy gifts as well.

Nuclear Winter would be warmer than a Russian one

2006-01-05T15:32:00.000+02:00

Kyiv Post.: "U.S. firm to build nuclear fuel facility in Ukraine
Experts say the facility should help reduce dependency on Russia�"

It is about time. I know Chernobyl was a disaster but really...are we really going to compare American engineering in 2006 to Soviet engineering from the 1970s?

Russia and Ukraine Reach Compromise on Natural Gas - New York Times

2006-01-05T15:26:00.000+02:00

Russia and Ukraine Reach Compromise on Natural Gas - New York Times: "KIEV, Ukraine, Jan. 4 - Ukraine and Russia settled their dispute over the price of natural gas Wednesday with a deal that allowed both countries to save face, although Ukraine walked away with cheaper prices than most of Russia's other gas customers. "

Although the Ukraine needs to eventually pay "real" market prices...this more graduated increase is more helpful in making the transition. Besides it is still a 100% increase from what they were paying one week ago. Try that Stateside and see what people would say.

Russia Cuts Off Gas to Ukraine in Cost Dispute - New York Times

2006-01-05T15:22:00.000+02:00

Russia Cuts Off Gas to Ukraine in Cost Dispute - New York Times: "MOSCOW, Jan. 1 - Russia cut off the natural gas intended for Ukraine on Sunday as talks over pricing and transit terms unraveled into a bald political conflict that carried consequences for Ukraine's recovering economy and possibly for gas supplies to Western Europe.
The dispute comes a year after the Orange Revolution brought a pro-Western government to power in Ukraine. It ends a decade of post-Soviet subsidies in the form of cheap energy that allowed Russia to retain some influence over the former Soviet republics. "

This was just another attempt of Russia and its would-be Czar, Vladimir Putin, to control Ukraine and extert its imperialist vision a la Putinesque. For those of who are in the dark, Putin wrote a thesis on world domination through the control of energy. He is taking his plan step by step, minus finesse.

The Face of Appreciation...

2006-01-05T12:39:00.000+02:00

Some of our fellow believers in the USA, Janet Waterworth and Zelda Croskey sent designated humanitarian packages to mutual acquaintences here in Ukraine. We had the great priveldge of distributing them. Seen here is one of the recipients, Nataliya Grigorenko, recieving the gifts for her and her daughter Natasha.

First Christmas Pageant

2006-01-05T12:34:00.000+02:00

Here is a pic of my Godsons in their first Christmas Pageant in Kiev, Ukraine. They were Zychik (wild rabbits).

New TV

2006-01-04T22:31:00.000+02:00

New TV
Originally uploaded by Lloyd Hanebury.

Well we got a new one. A 3 year belated wedding gift from my cousins on the east coast suprised the heck out of us and gave us the money we needed to upgrade our entertainment center piece, a.k.a. our T.V. We have been truly blessed this Christmas.

Old TV

2006-01-04T22:30:00.000+02:00

Old TV
Originally uploaded by Lloyd Hanebury.

Well here is the Old TV. I can't say we "needed" an new one in the sense of Maslow's heirarchy of needs or in light of fires in Oklahoma or Flooding in New Orleans...but we really did want a new one.

New Fridge

2006-01-04T22:25:00.001+02:00

New Fridge
Originally uploaded by Lloyd Hanebury.

Here is the best part of the story…we don’t need to dream about a new Fridge anymore. Central Assembly of God in Tulsa, OK bought us a new fridge!!! It is a Whirlpool and over twice the size of our old fridge. WHAT A BLESSING!!!! Merry Christmas to us!!! Thank you, Jesus!!! Now we don’t have to shop daily!

Old Fridge

2006-01-04T22:25:00.000+02:00

Old Fridge
Originally uploaded by Lloyd Hanebury.

We really needed a new Fridge. The one we had (our landlady’s) didn’t keep food cool anymore and yet the freezer needed to be defrosted once a month. Add that to its size…uber-small…it was not very useful. But we recently faced a problem as we have been window shopping for a new fridge and dreaming about a new one. Our corridor door (a common door for our neighbors and us which leads into the main stairwell of the apartment building, was also built uber-small and cannot accommodate the passage of any sizeable equipment (my washer and dryers scraped both its sides, simultaneously passing through it and that was after the movers had unboxed them and shave down the door frame to accommodate them) especially a new fridge. Basically I think the opening was designed to accommodate Hobbits!!! So we just spent $115 dollars on the 17th of December having the old and ugly door with non-working locks, knocked out, the concrete around it cut-out, and an new door fitted and installed with working locks (including the extra $5 dollars so that the door could be unlocked from the inside without a key – a rare trait that is in Ukraine. I think low fire-safety standards are one of the ways that they control the excess population in the cities!). Our neighbor gave us $8 towards the project which was surprising although not very helpful considering the extra key we had cut for them cost $5. HEHEHEHE! But I hadn’t planned on nor did I actually ask them to help. Rather my worker installing everything asked them of his own accord. We we shocked when he told us she agreed to help pay for even the lock.

Pizza Hut

2006-01-04T21:33:00.001+02:00

Pizza Hut
Originally uploaded by Lloyd Hanebury.

Here is some good news…

After years of suffering (hehehehe!!) with sub-standard, non-American pizza with terrifying toppings (such as corn) and/or bizarre sauces (such as mayo), we finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. PIZZA HUT…that is right Pizza Hut is coming to Kiev. They are advertising their search for employee candidates that they can train outside of Ukraine at their restaurants in Poland and Hungary. I expect that we will see them open their first location in Kiev by Summer of ’06.

Doing Wash...American Style!!!

2005-12-18T21:27:00.000+02:00

Natasha and I finally got our American Style Super Capacity Washer and Dryer installed. And we just did our first load of Laundry in it last night. It is awesome. It had better be!!! The installation alone cost us $270. Why so much, we needed new wiring, breakers, and extra power to boot. That is why the machines have been just sitting in our apartment for months. But I tell you it is so worth it. Especially compared to air drying you clothes (in winter this is more problematic) and a 30 minute wash instead of a 3 hour wash or with three times the capacity of your normal washer in Ukraine. We are Blessed!!!

Avian Influenza Virus Found in Ukraine

2005-12-06T19:24:00.000+02:00

Read this and pray for the missionaries in Ukraine.

"On December 3, 2005, the Government of Ukraine announced that the H5 avian influenza virus was found in domestic poultry in three administrative regions of eastern Crimea: Sovetskiy, Nizhnogyrsky and Dzhankoysky. Ukrainian authorities are culling poultry and have imposed quarantines on five villages of the affected regions: Nekrasyvka, Ryasne, Pushkino, Zapovyt-Lenynske and Omelyanyvka. Further tests will show whether the birds carried the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus. No human cases have been reported.

American citizens are advised to avoid those areas identified by the Ukrainian government as being affected by avian influenza. The Ukrainian government has prohibited movement of people into and out of a three kilometer radius around each affected village. As a precautionary measure, several volunteers of the U.S. Peace Corps are being temporarily withdrawn from the affected area."

Bret Allen - The New Senior Pastor of Bethel Church of San Jose

2005-12-06T00:06:00.000+02:00

Bethel Church of San Jose - Pastor's Page

I am so excited about this development. Bret Allen is my mentor and friend. He is one of the most dynamic men I have ever met. He is a God developed leader, a man of integrity and faith. Bethel is a great church with a great history. I can't wait to see what is to come. God Bless you, Pastor Bret. And if any one is looking for a good church in San Jose...you just found it!!!

Approved!!!

2005-12-05T20:38:00.000+02:00

Well I recieved a wonderful letter via e-mail the other day. It was from Samuel M. Huddleston, Assistant District Superintendent for the Assemblies of God, Northern California Nevada District. Here is an excerpt of the good news...

"I am happy to inform you that upon recommendation from the World Missions Board and the District Presbytery your request for Approved Ministry status in Northern California and Nevada has been granted."

This is spectacular news for our ministry!!! It opens up a lot of new doors for us both for human resources and financial. Keep us in your prayers as we walk through these new doors that have been opened.

Reason to Give Thanks: Natasha's First Pumpkin Pie

2005-11-27T00:20:00.000+02:00

Thanksgiving 2005 016
Originally uploaded by Lloyd Hanebury.

After 3 years of marriage, my beautiful,Ukrainian-born wife, Natasha, not only made her first American Style Pie...but she made my favorite...Pumpkin Pie. In fact she made 2 (two). We took them to the AG Thanksgiving dinner. And they were the best Pumpkin pies there...OK so they were the only ones there but they were awesome!!!

Is that a Rock Star?

2005-11-16T12:29:00.000+02:00

BC Turkey 05 030
Originally uploaded by Lloyd Hanebury.

Who is that Rock Star in the Ruins of Ephesus? Could it be the Infamous Justin Jones?

Miracle Meeting: Lloyd, Ibo, & Justin

2005-11-15T18:50:00.000+02:00

Lloyd, Ibo, & Justin
Originally uploaded by Lloyd Hanebury.

Before I headed to Turkey with Justin I tried to contact some friends of mine there, but to no avail. When I was in Izmir last year those friends had taken me to a leather shop that their friend and neighbot Ibo worked in. We had tea there and visited with the shop owner. The shop was with in a maze of shops within a labrinth of a market that I couldn't hope to find again with out a guide. However while Justin and I were walking through the market we past an alley way. My spirit cried out to go back so I did...we walked a distance...and again I felt we should head down another row of shops and then I glanced into a building's entrance that I felt just might be the place...we entered in and just as I realized that this was the back entrance (on my previous visit a year before I had entered a different way and exited a different way than this) the owner of the shop recognized me and assisted us in finding Ibo, his former employee who was now running his own store elswhere in the city.