Even after 10 years, I am continually amazed at how much "easier" it seems to be to hear my Papa (Father God) speaking to me on this side of the ocean (in the states) than on the other side (in Kharkov). I have always given the enemy the credit for this by saying that the spiritual oppression in Ukraine is so much greater than here, and that is true. Yet, even as I write this, I am reminded of what volunteers often say about how much they "experience God" when in Ukraine, perhaps even more than at home in their own cities.
All that leads me to understand - and to be convicted - that it is not only the enemy at work that keeps me from hearing the Father's still, small voice. It is also the busyness of my daily life in Kharkov and my failure to set aside more of those times of quiet in the midst of that busyness which tends to "drown out" the voice of my Father!
That is why I love driving on long road journeys when I am in the states as opposed to flying. On those journeys it becomes just me and Jesus in the front seat, sometimes singing and worshiping together,other times simply having quiet, peaceful "conversations" as we travel the road together.
I just arrived back in Arkansas after such a journey and find my spirit amazed by the love of the Father I have experienced over the past days! Every day He is speaking to me, and every day I am hearing, and I am sooooooo thankful!
I am soaking in the knowledge that today He is thinking of me, planning out good things that have purpose and that are leading to the future He has prepared for me (Jeremiah 29:11 KJV). But more than that, before I was born, before I was formed, He had the blueprint of my being and of my life perfectly "drawn out"! (Psalm 139, Jeremiah 1:5)
I have read and studied and even talked on all these verses in the past, but now He is literally bringing them before me every single day in some way - through Sunday sermons, Christian tv programs, music, etc. - so I can hardly wait to see where He is taking me! Just this morning I turned on James Robison for "Wednesdays with Beth", and simply laughed when Beth Moore began a series of teaching out of Psalm 139!
Join me on this journey if you want! I'm looking forward to listening to my Papa's voice every single day in every single way. I pray you are, too!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Home in Kharkov
After over ten days of travel to Kiev, then all around Israel, I landed back home in Kharkov last night.....more tired than I've been in a long time, but glad to sleep in my own bed. It was a VERY fast-paced tour, with little time to be still in one place long enough to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to my heart what I saw with my eyes. We often said to one another that we were desperate for more time in those significant places like the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Wailing Wall to "soak" in the Lord! But I would not have wanted to miss one place we saw!
This morning, as I write this, I am listening to believers who have gathered in the indoor pool behind my building to worship. I'm not certain what denomination rents the pool every few months on a Saturday morning for special services, but I feel like today is a gift from the Lord! Their voices are lifting up to my 12th floor windows, above all the noises of everyday life in Ukraine!
In my mind, I am transported back to some of the stone churches and synagogues we visited in our travels around Israel. Whenever possible, we would read a Scripture pertaining to the place, pray, then sing together, the sound reverberating off the stone walls! Occasionally, if there were other groups there, we would hear them join us in whatever their native language might be - Korean, Chinese, Russian, German (and others I didn't know!) - and we were transported briefly to the Throne of the King!
As I've begun looking at some of the multitudes of pictures I took, my heart finally has time to spiritually experience what I am seeing....the garden, Via Delarosa, the Mount of Olives, the dungeon they believe Christ may have been kept in the night before His crucifixion, and I realize that I am going to be "experiencing Israel" for a very long time!
I pray this is only the beginning of the Lord bringing to my heart what my eyes have seen and my ears have heard! And I hope to be able to put that experience into words that you might walk alongside me on the rocky paths of Israel!
This morning, as I write this, I am listening to believers who have gathered in the indoor pool behind my building to worship. I'm not certain what denomination rents the pool every few months on a Saturday morning for special services, but I feel like today is a gift from the Lord! Their voices are lifting up to my 12th floor windows, above all the noises of everyday life in Ukraine!
In my mind, I am transported back to some of the stone churches and synagogues we visited in our travels around Israel. Whenever possible, we would read a Scripture pertaining to the place, pray, then sing together, the sound reverberating off the stone walls! Occasionally, if there were other groups there, we would hear them join us in whatever their native language might be - Korean, Chinese, Russian, German (and others I didn't know!) - and we were transported briefly to the Throne of the King!As I've begun looking at some of the multitudes of pictures I took, my heart finally has time to spiritually experience what I am seeing....the garden, Via Delarosa, the Mount of Olives, the dungeon they believe Christ may have been kept in the night before His crucifixion, and I realize that I am going to be "experiencing Israel" for a very long time!
I pray this is only the beginning of the Lord bringing to my heart what my eyes have seen and my ears have heard! And I hope to be able to put that experience into words that you might walk alongside me on the rocky paths of Israel!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Journey to Jerusalem
This afternoon I met up with the group from Arkansas and we headed toward Jerusalem! What a joy to hear that good ole Southern drawl! Our tour guide took us on a brief journey to a high point near the Hebrew University where we could see the desert and mountains surrounding the Dead Sea. On the other side of the university, we stopped again to get some photo moments of Jerusalem.
After a really wonderful buffet dinner, the travelers are all down for the night (I think) in preparation for a full day of traveling and sightseeing tomorrow. On top of their really long journey, Israel is doing their time change tonight for daylight savings time (I guess it's by the Hebrew calendar?). So we'll all lose an hour of sleep between now and our 6:00 am wake-up call!
I can hardly wait to "breathe in" the atmosphere of Bethlehem and the other sights we will see tomorrow. Picture to come then!
After a really wonderful buffet dinner, the travelers are all down for the night (I think) in preparation for a full day of traveling and sightseeing tomorrow. On top of their really long journey, Israel is doing their time change tonight for daylight savings time (I guess it's by the Hebrew calendar?). So we'll all lose an hour of sleep between now and our 6:00 am wake-up call!
I can hardly wait to "breathe in" the atmosphere of Bethlehem and the other sights we will see tomorrow. Picture to come then!
Tel Aviv Travels
I'd been in Israel just over 24 hours, and already I knew I wanted to come back! I spent an hour or so this morning walking the beach in Tel Aviv, then headed to the famous Carmel outdoor market just up the street to walk amongst the people before checking out of the hotel and heading to Ben Gurion airport to meet up with the tour group from Arkansas. The sea was beautiful, the atmosphere in the shops and streets invigorating.
Tel Aviv is one place I'd like to visit again and get to know better!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Planes, trains, and autobuses!!!!
My times are in your hands......" (Psalm 31:15a NIV)
I truly love living in Ukraine, and would not want to be anywhere else! Yet, even after almost 10 years, there are times when I am still "surprised" by the culture, as well as by those things that have not yet changed!
I arrived in Budapest last Sunday to renew my visa for Ukraine. It was a fast trip - Sunday to Wednesday - including a 6 hour train ride early Sunday morning, then a taxi to the airport from the center of Kiev, the flight to Budapest, and a van to the other side of Budapest to Eden House (our missy housing in Budapest) - taking around 14 hours start to finish!
After several years of trips to Budapest for medical check-ups, I'm able to get around on their great public transportation system pretty easily, so I checked on the internet for the address of the Ukrainian embassy and planned to take public transport from Eden House to the embassy. But, the embassy was located in an area of the city I'd not "navigated" yet, so, since I wanted to get there before 9:00 in the morning, I decided to trust a taxi to get me there. I know taking the taxi was the leadership of the Lord! When we drove up to the address I had gotten off the internet there was no Ukrainian flag...nothing to indicate this was the Ukrainian embassy. The taxi driver was kind enough to radio his dispatcher and find out the REAL address.....located several blocks away! Had I gone on the bus, I NEVER would have found it! (I checked again on the internet after this and have yet to find the real address!)
Getting the visa required going to a bank to pay the visa fee, then returning to the embassy with the receipt. Although I now had a pretty good idea where I was and how to get around, I didn't know where the bank was located, so I asked some of the folks that were getting paperwork done at the embassy how to get to the bank. Again the Lord intervened, and a really nice guy, who spoke excellent english, offered to take me to "Moskova Ter" - a public transport hub that I know well - and drop me off at a mall where the bank is located. I got everything done, including returning by bus to the embassy with the receipt, before 11:00, and was told I needed to come back the next morning to get the visa put in my passport. Then I had the day to travel to my favorite places in Budapest.
Tuesday was spent running to the embassy, then all over the city, with a dear friend now serving from Budapest - Sue Perryman. We enjoyed a "Mexican" lunch at Iguana's downtown Budapest (which took us FOREVER to find since I didn't have my map with all my written directions on it!), some "down-time" at Sue and Skipper's home, a movie (in English with Hungarian subtitles), ending the day with Bible study in the home of Alvin and Mary Doyle.
I was ready on Wednesday morning to be picked up by the airport shuttle at 7, in anticipation of a 10:00 flight to Kiev, followed by travel to the train station and a train back to Kharkov, arriving at 11:30 pm. But, in my "wisdom", before I left Eden House, I decided to check one more time to see if there were any "cheap seats" on the evening flight from Kiev to Kharkov, deciding it was worth the extra cost out of my pocket to not have to travel into Kiev to the train station, and arrive home 5 hours earlier! When I found a ticket available, I was so excited.....
I arrived in Kiev and got through customs and passport check in 10 minutes....the fastest ever! Even though it was a little foggy, I thought nothing of it since we still had 4 hours before the flight to Kharkov. I spent the afternoon in joyful anticipation of getting home with enough time to unwind from the journey and get to bed at a "normal" time!
Alas....the "best-laid plans....." At the regular boarding time, we all got on the shuttle bus to go our to the plane, and remained there for about 15 minutes. Then one of the airline employees came and told us to return to the waiting room while they made a decision about whether or not to fly to Kharkov. We were told that a decision would be made within 10 minutes.
So, in 10 minutes, they came and again we boarded the shuttle bus, this time going all the way to the plane....a propeller job that held around 35-40 people. After we boarded and sat there for a few minutes, the flight attendant announced that they were still deciding whether or not to fly to Kharkov due to the weather there! At that point, some of the Ukrainian men began asking: "Are you going to serve us some wine or vodka while we wait?" As time went by, a couple of them began to ask for names of the pilot and airline representatives because they were "important people" and wanted to voice their complaint with officials. Then they started raising their voices and demanding that we all wanted to fly regardless of the weather in Kharkov! (My voice was silent on this....although I was praying REALLY HARD that the Lord would clear up the weather so we could fly!)
After 30 minutes on the aircraft, they decided to have the passengers disembark, pick up their luggage, and wait in the terminal until a decision was made! As soon as we got our luggage, we made a mass exodus to the Aerosvit window in the terminal to find out what was next! Now it was 6:15 pm, and our instructions now were to wait until 7:00 pm for a decision!
For the next 45 minutes, people who had to get to Kharkov before the next morning were frantically trying to find a way to get there! Some talked about hiring a taxi and splitting the cost - not something I would do on Ukrainian roads at night! Other options included a relatively nice bus that goes from the airport to Kharkov several times a day, joining others in renting a van (a 6-7 hour trip), or going into Kiev and trying to get tickets on the overnight train that would arrive in Kharkov at 6:30 the next morning!
While I was having a hard time understanding everything that was being said by the airline officials, it really didn't matter! They really weren't giving us any decision, except that they would try to fly out again at 5:30 AM the next morning! So, the flight was not "cancelled", but "delayed" for 12 hours! And there was no guarantee that it would actually fly out the next morning either, since the weather conditions had not changed at all!
So, the Lord provided a traveling "partner" - an "image consultant" from Riga, Latvia who spoke great English and HAD to get to Kharkov by morning for a lecture series. We headed out on a van from the airport to the train station hoping to find a coupe on the overnight train, with both of us totally exhausted from the travel, and from the confusion of the last few hours!
While there were no 2nd class cabins available, the Lord did provide a first-class cabin on a new overnight train. Zanya and I spent the 2 hours until departure grabbing a light meal and getting to know each other. Zanya has traveled all over the world doing fashion shoots for fashion magazines and lecturing at fashion schools. While not a photographer, she apparently sets up all the scenes. She shared all about travels to Cuba, Indonesia, Malaysia....and places I had never even heard of.
All this time, I continued to pray, and ask the Lord what the purpose of the delay and this alternative journey was! I was more weary that I could remember being for years, and all the excitement and anticipation I had had about getting home in my own bed earlier than planned disappeared as I contemplated trying to get some sleep on the train - something I don't do well! But even in my disappointment, the Lord gave me peace, which is not always a "normal" response for me!
As soon as we got on the train and got settled in our sleeping clothes, Zanya laid down to sleep and I tried to unwind from the day's travels. I was confused that there had been no time throughout our conversation to discuss anything spiritual, although I had told Zanya that I was a missionary and a little about my almost 10 years in Ukraine. But, I finally laid down myself for the night, leaving that in the Lord's hands as well!
We both arose about 30 minutes before our arrival in Kharkov, and for the first time we talked about "religion", as Zanya talked about the different types of churches in Riga. The Lord gave me the opportunity in the midst of our conversation to talk about the need for a personal relationship with Christ, and other beliefs and convictions that we as believers hold to be truth.
Was that 5 or 10 minute opportunity to share worth all the travel hassles of the previous 24 hours? I have to say "yes!" I don't know what the Lord will do with those few statements of faith shared in the last moments before getting home, but I am thankful and grateful I can leave the "results" in His hands!
As for the culture surprises? While Ukraine continues to slowly move from the 1950's to the new millennium, the roots of the old Soviet culture are still in place at times! Even now, 48 hours later, I still don't know if I will get a refund or credit for my airline ticket! Ahhhh, how I love living in Ukraine!
I truly love living in Ukraine, and would not want to be anywhere else! Yet, even after almost 10 years, there are times when I am still "surprised" by the culture, as well as by those things that have not yet changed!
I arrived in Budapest last Sunday to renew my visa for Ukraine. It was a fast trip - Sunday to Wednesday - including a 6 hour train ride early Sunday morning, then a taxi to the airport from the center of Kiev, the flight to Budapest, and a van to the other side of Budapest to Eden House (our missy housing in Budapest) - taking around 14 hours start to finish!
After several years of trips to Budapest for medical check-ups, I'm able to get around on their great public transportation system pretty easily, so I checked on the internet for the address of the Ukrainian embassy and planned to take public transport from Eden House to the embassy. But, the embassy was located in an area of the city I'd not "navigated" yet, so, since I wanted to get there before 9:00 in the morning, I decided to trust a taxi to get me there. I know taking the taxi was the leadership of the Lord! When we drove up to the address I had gotten off the internet there was no Ukrainian flag...nothing to indicate this was the Ukrainian embassy. The taxi driver was kind enough to radio his dispatcher and find out the REAL address.....located several blocks away! Had I gone on the bus, I NEVER would have found it! (I checked again on the internet after this and have yet to find the real address!)
Getting the visa required going to a bank to pay the visa fee, then returning to the embassy with the receipt. Although I now had a pretty good idea where I was and how to get around, I didn't know where the bank was located, so I asked some of the folks that were getting paperwork done at the embassy how to get to the bank. Again the Lord intervened, and a really nice guy, who spoke excellent english, offered to take me to "Moskova Ter" - a public transport hub that I know well - and drop me off at a mall where the bank is located. I got everything done, including returning by bus to the embassy with the receipt, before 11:00, and was told I needed to come back the next morning to get the visa put in my passport. Then I had the day to travel to my favorite places in Budapest.
Tuesday was spent running to the embassy, then all over the city, with a dear friend now serving from Budapest - Sue Perryman. We enjoyed a "Mexican" lunch at Iguana's downtown Budapest (which took us FOREVER to find since I didn't have my map with all my written directions on it!), some "down-time" at Sue and Skipper's home, a movie (in English with Hungarian subtitles), ending the day with Bible study in the home of Alvin and Mary Doyle.I was ready on Wednesday morning to be picked up by the airport shuttle at 7, in anticipation of a 10:00 flight to Kiev, followed by travel to the train station and a train back to Kharkov, arriving at 11:30 pm. But, in my "wisdom", before I left Eden House, I decided to check one more time to see if there were any "cheap seats" on the evening flight from Kiev to Kharkov, deciding it was worth the extra cost out of my pocket to not have to travel into Kiev to the train station, and arrive home 5 hours earlier! When I found a ticket available, I was so excited.....
I arrived in Kiev and got through customs and passport check in 10 minutes....the fastest ever! Even though it was a little foggy, I thought nothing of it since we still had 4 hours before the flight to Kharkov. I spent the afternoon in joyful anticipation of getting home with enough time to unwind from the journey and get to bed at a "normal" time!
Alas....the "best-laid plans....." At the regular boarding time, we all got on the shuttle bus to go our to the plane, and remained there for about 15 minutes. Then one of the airline employees came and told us to return to the waiting room while they made a decision about whether or not to fly to Kharkov. We were told that a decision would be made within 10 minutes.
So, in 10 minutes, they came and again we boarded the shuttle bus, this time going all the way to the plane....a propeller job that held around 35-40 people. After we boarded and sat there for a few minutes, the flight attendant announced that they were still deciding whether or not to fly to Kharkov due to the weather there! At that point, some of the Ukrainian men began asking: "Are you going to serve us some wine or vodka while we wait?" As time went by, a couple of them began to ask for names of the pilot and airline representatives because they were "important people" and wanted to voice their complaint with officials. Then they started raising their voices and demanding that we all wanted to fly regardless of the weather in Kharkov! (My voice was silent on this....although I was praying REALLY HARD that the Lord would clear up the weather so we could fly!)
After 30 minutes on the aircraft, they decided to have the passengers disembark, pick up their luggage, and wait in the terminal until a decision was made! As soon as we got our luggage, we made a mass exodus to the Aerosvit window in the terminal to find out what was next! Now it was 6:15 pm, and our instructions now were to wait until 7:00 pm for a decision!
For the next 45 minutes, people who had to get to Kharkov before the next morning were frantically trying to find a way to get there! Some talked about hiring a taxi and splitting the cost - not something I would do on Ukrainian roads at night! Other options included a relatively nice bus that goes from the airport to Kharkov several times a day, joining others in renting a van (a 6-7 hour trip), or going into Kiev and trying to get tickets on the overnight train that would arrive in Kharkov at 6:30 the next morning!
While I was having a hard time understanding everything that was being said by the airline officials, it really didn't matter! They really weren't giving us any decision, except that they would try to fly out again at 5:30 AM the next morning! So, the flight was not "cancelled", but "delayed" for 12 hours! And there was no guarantee that it would actually fly out the next morning either, since the weather conditions had not changed at all!
So, the Lord provided a traveling "partner" - an "image consultant" from Riga, Latvia who spoke great English and HAD to get to Kharkov by morning for a lecture series. We headed out on a van from the airport to the train station hoping to find a coupe on the overnight train, with both of us totally exhausted from the travel, and from the confusion of the last few hours!
While there were no 2nd class cabins available, the Lord did provide a first-class cabin on a new overnight train. Zanya and I spent the 2 hours until departure grabbing a light meal and getting to know each other. Zanya has traveled all over the world doing fashion shoots for fashion magazines and lecturing at fashion schools. While not a photographer, she apparently sets up all the scenes. She shared all about travels to Cuba, Indonesia, Malaysia....and places I had never even heard of.
All this time, I continued to pray, and ask the Lord what the purpose of the delay and this alternative journey was! I was more weary that I could remember being for years, and all the excitement and anticipation I had had about getting home in my own bed earlier than planned disappeared as I contemplated trying to get some sleep on the train - something I don't do well! But even in my disappointment, the Lord gave me peace, which is not always a "normal" response for me!
As soon as we got on the train and got settled in our sleeping clothes, Zanya laid down to sleep and I tried to unwind from the day's travels. I was confused that there had been no time throughout our conversation to discuss anything spiritual, although I had told Zanya that I was a missionary and a little about my almost 10 years in Ukraine. But, I finally laid down myself for the night, leaving that in the Lord's hands as well!
We both arose about 30 minutes before our arrival in Kharkov, and for the first time we talked about "religion", as Zanya talked about the different types of churches in Riga. The Lord gave me the opportunity in the midst of our conversation to talk about the need for a personal relationship with Christ, and other beliefs and convictions that we as believers hold to be truth.
Was that 5 or 10 minute opportunity to share worth all the travel hassles of the previous 24 hours? I have to say "yes!" I don't know what the Lord will do with those few statements of faith shared in the last moments before getting home, but I am thankful and grateful I can leave the "results" in His hands!
As for the culture surprises? While Ukraine continues to slowly move from the 1950's to the new millennium, the roots of the old Soviet culture are still in place at times! Even now, 48 hours later, I still don't know if I will get a refund or credit for my airline ticket! Ahhhh, how I love living in Ukraine!
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