Quickly before I leave...
I need to find a new roommate for my house in Nashville. One of my guys got a job in LA and moved out there last week. So please, please, please pray that God will send a great person who will be a good match for the other two roommates and whose rent money will fill the financial void that opens up with one guy leaving!
Also, I need to find a new place to live here in Kiev. One of my roommates got married a month ago. I stayed here for July because there was only one week of the month that I would actually be home. But I would like to find a new place now in order to give the couple their space. My new place of living could have a huge impact on my ministry and well-being here so your prayers on this matter are very appreciated as well! Roommate(s) and location are the two primary factors.
Thanks,
Josh
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Preparing for a Week at a Gypsy Village
Hey everyone,
I want to ask for your prayers for this next week. I will be participating in a camp from New Life Church which will take place in a gypsy village. These are people truly without nationality, most of whom cannot work legally in the country and who have generally received no formal schooling. They speak their own mix of about four different languages combined with their own words, making communication very difficult even for native Ukrainian and Russian speakers.
Basically, I have no idea what to expect. I know that I will be leaving early tomorrow morning to help someone drive their car full of supplies on the 12-14 hour trip. This will be a cool chance to see more of the country. Beyond this, I know I will be helping lead worship for kids and I know I have been asked to work specifically with a young age group for other aspects of the camp. Other than that, details are pretty foggy. There are some plans but a lot remains to be decided once we see what things look like when we arrive. We may be doing a small construction project as well. Originally the church hoped to dig a well and build a shower facility and source of clean water, but we do not have the funding for that at this time.
Maybe the fact that I do not know details, and hence have not formed specific expectations, will be helpful in emotionally enduring the camp. Still, I have been told this particular experience can be very challenging due to the conditions the gypsies live in and the process of becoming aware of their way of life. Thanks again for your prayers.
Josh
I want to ask for your prayers for this next week. I will be participating in a camp from New Life Church which will take place in a gypsy village. These are people truly without nationality, most of whom cannot work legally in the country and who have generally received no formal schooling. They speak their own mix of about four different languages combined with their own words, making communication very difficult even for native Ukrainian and Russian speakers.
Basically, I have no idea what to expect. I know that I will be leaving early tomorrow morning to help someone drive their car full of supplies on the 12-14 hour trip. This will be a cool chance to see more of the country. Beyond this, I know I will be helping lead worship for kids and I know I have been asked to work specifically with a young age group for other aspects of the camp. Other than that, details are pretty foggy. There are some plans but a lot remains to be decided once we see what things look like when we arrive. We may be doing a small construction project as well. Originally the church hoped to dig a well and build a shower facility and source of clean water, but we do not have the funding for that at this time.
Maybe the fact that I do not know details, and hence have not formed specific expectations, will be helpful in emotionally enduring the camp. Still, I have been told this particular experience can be very challenging due to the conditions the gypsies live in and the process of becoming aware of their way of life. Thanks again for your prayers.
Josh
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Second Camp
It is funny how things work. During the first camp of the summer, I was wondering if my physical interaction with the kids was truly enough, not sure it was the main support I was supposed to provide. That was at an orphan camp with kids and teens running around, all in desperate need of attention.
During my second camp, I worked with university students and young adults in their late teens through twenties. I realized just how much I missed having the physical interaction at the orphan camp and how reassuring it was not only to the kids, but to myself as well. Sometimes it's more difficult to know what's actually going on in the mind of an intellectual university student than in that of an excitable, ADD child who wants to hang onto whichever limb is most easily reached.
This second camp was an evangelistic camp organized and run by New Life Church. I am pleased to say that it was evangelistic both in vision and outcome. This particular type of camp was a first effort by the church and God met the flexibility of the leaders by keeping unbelieving campers in line where stating minute rules and regulations never could have succeeded. The Spirit of God was present at this camp and was seen undeniably in the combined Ukrainian and American team. This is what the campers saw and experienced. This is what touched them. They saw love and servanthood like they had never seen it before. Really, they felt it.
One thing I learned through this experience is just how strong worship is as an evangelistic tool. I always thought worship was to be kept mainly to circles of believers and that unbelievers would simply think it strange and a turn-off. However, I have come to realize that unbelievers can sense the presence of God in worship, however different that sense may be to them at first. And because God is good, His presence and initiation of awareness into the hearts of the unbeliever is good as well.
Thankfully, most of the students in my group were ones I already have connections with, giving me the opportunity to follow up with them and really find out what is going on. Many are students at ICU (International Christian University, although the "Christian" in the name means little these days), where a self-supported missionary by the name of Steve Copland has already spent a few years cultivating a ministry and Bible study which I have just recently gotten involved with. These students also speak English, which is a great opportunity to use my primary language as a strength rather than a weakness. A few of these students gave their lives to Christ during this camp and I feel it will take many conversations in the future to truly understand what they are experiencing spiritually and to build them up.
Again, I just want to reiterate that God put a lot of pieces in place for this camp and that he honored the willingness and God-seeking attitudes of the leaders and helpers. God was invited to this camp and he was certainly present. There are many more things I could share now and there will be more to share in the future as I follow up with some of the students. For now, please pray that I will have wisdom and time and God's energy to continue this process.
During my second camp, I worked with university students and young adults in their late teens through twenties. I realized just how much I missed having the physical interaction at the orphan camp and how reassuring it was not only to the kids, but to myself as well. Sometimes it's more difficult to know what's actually going on in the mind of an intellectual university student than in that of an excitable, ADD child who wants to hang onto whichever limb is most easily reached.
This second camp was an evangelistic camp organized and run by New Life Church. I am pleased to say that it was evangelistic both in vision and outcome. This particular type of camp was a first effort by the church and God met the flexibility of the leaders by keeping unbelieving campers in line where stating minute rules and regulations never could have succeeded. The Spirit of God was present at this camp and was seen undeniably in the combined Ukrainian and American team. This is what the campers saw and experienced. This is what touched them. They saw love and servanthood like they had never seen it before. Really, they felt it.
One thing I learned through this experience is just how strong worship is as an evangelistic tool. I always thought worship was to be kept mainly to circles of believers and that unbelievers would simply think it strange and a turn-off. However, I have come to realize that unbelievers can sense the presence of God in worship, however different that sense may be to them at first. And because God is good, His presence and initiation of awareness into the hearts of the unbeliever is good as well.
Thankfully, most of the students in my group were ones I already have connections with, giving me the opportunity to follow up with them and really find out what is going on. Many are students at ICU (International Christian University, although the "Christian" in the name means little these days), where a self-supported missionary by the name of Steve Copland has already spent a few years cultivating a ministry and Bible study which I have just recently gotten involved with. These students also speak English, which is a great opportunity to use my primary language as a strength rather than a weakness. A few of these students gave their lives to Christ during this camp and I feel it will take many conversations in the future to truly understand what they are experiencing spiritually and to build them up.
Again, I just want to reiterate that God put a lot of pieces in place for this camp and that he honored the willingness and God-seeking attitudes of the leaders and helpers. God was invited to this camp and he was certainly present. There are many more things I could share now and there will be more to share in the future as I follow up with some of the students. For now, please pray that I will have wisdom and time and God's energy to continue this process.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Back From The First Camp
I am back safely in Kiev, at least for today. Tomorrow I will leave for another camp but I am happy to tell you that the first camp has been a success and a blessing.
It is difficult to leave the kids to the situations they are in. We are tempted to feel our work is incomplete. In many ways this may be true. But I do believe we have carried out the good work God called us to for this past week and that God is using this experience to work in the hearts of the kids now and in the future. Please pray over continued communication with the kids throughout the year because writing letters in our absence often has shortfalls in the aspect of getting deep into the lives of the children.
The first day or two of the trip were very difficult for me. In my effort to not have expectations of things being the same as they were last year at this camp, I subconsciously expected my experience to be different. In reality, it was very similar. My role again seemed to be to help create the environment in which the kids were receptive to what others had to say. Most of my communication was either through high fives and countless variations of handshakes or through worship. I am still trying to make sure I did not miss something I was called to, but I do sense satisfaction in the result of this trip. God used this team together as a whole, made of many unique parts.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Camp is Close!
I can tell because the spiritual and emotional battle has begun. I have learned that for myself, strange bouts of hypersensitivity and teeter-tottering sweeps across the emotional fulcrum are a sure sign that things are about to happen. But good things. God things. Because God is good and He is in control. The emotional inexplicabilities are small distractions and they do not have to restrict the child of God from doing his father's work.
Still, please pray for me. Today began as a strangely sad one, accompanied by faint feelings of depression. The result was somewhat crippling at first. I experienced these emotions last year while preparing to leave for this same missions trip that I will begin this week. Last year I thought the main cause was the stress of getting my new house in liveable condition before I left my roommate there alone for two weeks. But hindsight says there was more to it than that.
God is working a lot in my heart right now. There are things I could never have imagined myself being willing to do that I now get excited at the possibility of. In the past I have worried about what God would call me to do and anticipated my own resistance. But I am beginning to trust that whatever God calls me to do, I will truly love and enjoy with all of my being, if my attitude and willingness are rightly drawn from His strength.
So please pray for me, for the team that is coming from the States (many of whom are my Nashville friends!) and for the Ukrainian technical, administrating, and interpreting teams who will begin a week at an orphan camp in just a few days. Pray that we will all be willing tools in the hands of our creator, that we will remember to find the extra mile in Him, and that we will be love in the eyes, minds, and souls of the orphans.
And now I am going to enjoy a bowl of ice-cream before I go to bed. Funny Ukrainian factoid: ice-cream here in the grocery stores comes packaged like huge sausages and is most easily served with a knife rather than an ice-cream scoop :)
Still, please pray for me. Today began as a strangely sad one, accompanied by faint feelings of depression. The result was somewhat crippling at first. I experienced these emotions last year while preparing to leave for this same missions trip that I will begin this week. Last year I thought the main cause was the stress of getting my new house in liveable condition before I left my roommate there alone for two weeks. But hindsight says there was more to it than that.
God is working a lot in my heart right now. There are things I could never have imagined myself being willing to do that I now get excited at the possibility of. In the past I have worried about what God would call me to do and anticipated my own resistance. But I am beginning to trust that whatever God calls me to do, I will truly love and enjoy with all of my being, if my attitude and willingness are rightly drawn from His strength.
So please pray for me, for the team that is coming from the States (many of whom are my Nashville friends!) and for the Ukrainian technical, administrating, and interpreting teams who will begin a week at an orphan camp in just a few days. Pray that we will all be willing tools in the hands of our creator, that we will remember to find the extra mile in Him, and that we will be love in the eyes, minds, and souls of the orphans.
And now I am going to enjoy a bowl of ice-cream before I go to bed. Funny Ukrainian factoid: ice-cream here in the grocery stores comes packaged like huge sausages and is most easily served with a knife rather than an ice-cream scoop :)
Saturday, June 25, 2011
My Status
Hi everyone, I want to give a couple updates over the next few days on my status here before summer camps start. I'll have some prayer requests attached as well.
First of all, these first 2 1/2 months have been blessed. I really was not sure I would feel plugged in and see measurable mile markers this quickly. I have settled in and gotten comfortable in ways only God could have provided for. But therein lies the danger, because I know my tendency to get comfortable and stay in that comfortable place. That's what God pulled me out of not-so-long ago! It would be a shame to fall into that again, only in a new location.
I had the chance to meet with Steve Lorenz and Marti Scudder from MDI (the missions organization I am working here through) while they were in Ukraine two weeks ago. They were excited to see how things are going here but wanted me to know one thing more than any other: When they prayer for my ministry here, they are getting the sense that something big is in the works. They encouraged me to look at my time here so far as preparation but not as the beginning of a routine. Participating in music ministries has been important and rewarding, but is this the final purpose of my being here?
Sometimes I look so much at the details of what I am in the middle of that I forget to consider the vision. I see and pray about the details surrounding day-to-day responsibilities and the situations that arise out of those. Hearing from a few close people lately that they see more purpose for me being here than that which I am currently realizing has been both an encouragement and a kick in the rear.
The timing is perfect. Next week I will leave for my first summer camp, returning to the orphan camp that changed my perspective last year and kick-started my move to Ukraine. I will continue with some specific details and prayer requests in a day or two...
Thank you as always for your support and prayers.
First of all, these first 2 1/2 months have been blessed. I really was not sure I would feel plugged in and see measurable mile markers this quickly. I have settled in and gotten comfortable in ways only God could have provided for. But therein lies the danger, because I know my tendency to get comfortable and stay in that comfortable place. That's what God pulled me out of not-so-long ago! It would be a shame to fall into that again, only in a new location.
I had the chance to meet with Steve Lorenz and Marti Scudder from MDI (the missions organization I am working here through) while they were in Ukraine two weeks ago. They were excited to see how things are going here but wanted me to know one thing more than any other: When they prayer for my ministry here, they are getting the sense that something big is in the works. They encouraged me to look at my time here so far as preparation but not as the beginning of a routine. Participating in music ministries has been important and rewarding, but is this the final purpose of my being here?
Sometimes I look so much at the details of what I am in the middle of that I forget to consider the vision. I see and pray about the details surrounding day-to-day responsibilities and the situations that arise out of those. Hearing from a few close people lately that they see more purpose for me being here than that which I am currently realizing has been both an encouragement and a kick in the rear.
The timing is perfect. Next week I will leave for my first summer camp, returning to the orphan camp that changed my perspective last year and kick-started my move to Ukraine. I will continue with some specific details and prayer requests in a day or two...
Thank you as always for your support and prayers.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Back From Poland
I arrived safely back from Poland yesterday morning. Things did not go exactly as planned (or even remotely close at some points) but they are temporarily behind me. I may only have six months though before going through this visa process again.
First of all, customs officials did give Jenny (other American intern) a hard time about being two days over her 90-day allowed stay. Sometimes it is hard for us to distinguish between bribe and actual fine because an official can show us the paperwork and make everything look legitimate, only to pocket the money himself. Which is what I think happened but I'm not sure we could have done things differently. What we did not stand for was the cost of the fine suddenly jumping from $75 to $150 when only one official was left speaking with us (that after he closed the door to our room)! He made that one a little too obvious for his own good.
Krakow, Poland was a very pretty city. It was much more English-friendly than Kiev and I was surprised at how much easier most aspects of communicating and traveling in that city were. We got our visas taken care of only to find that the Ukrainian Department of Religious Matters has currently given permission for us to stay only until the 15th of December. Please be praying about that. It is most likely something that can be changed but it will take a lot of hassle here in Kiev (putting a lot of extra work on the shoulders of New Life church) and it will probably involve us making another similar trip to reapply for new visas in December.
We had quite a hang-up returning directly to Kiev according to plan so after much walking between train stations, wi-fi hotspots, and bus terminals, we were able to devise an alternate plan for returning. Online train and bus schedules are wildly inaccurate, with errors ranging from discrepancies of arrival times to showing train itineraries that simply do not exist. Basically, you have to do everything in person, on the spot. Trains we expected to take out of Poland were either non-existent or fully booked for two days after our planned departure. Thankfully, we found an overnight bus that took us to Lviv, Ukraine, giving us a place to sleep for the night and also giving me my first experience with claustrophobia.
We spent the day walking through Lviv, which is the center of traditional culture in Ukraine (and a very pretty city). The weather was pretty nice and both Jenny and I had some friends there we were able to get in touch with and see during the day. We were also able to get train tickets for an overnight train leaving that night and getting us back into Kiev Sunday morning just in time for me to shower and make my way back into the city for church. I am very glad I went because there was an American choir from Atlanta leading the worship and they sang some songs in English. I did not have any idea how much I missed worshiping in my own language!
God was watching out for us the whole time, I'm sure. Everything here involves changes to expectations and plans. It's simply a part of life. It's very frustrating and time-consuming, and it drains the energy right out of you, but that's the way it is.
I'll post some pictures when I have the time. The next two weeks will be busy ones of rehearsals and worship services Tuesday-Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
First of all, customs officials did give Jenny (other American intern) a hard time about being two days over her 90-day allowed stay. Sometimes it is hard for us to distinguish between bribe and actual fine because an official can show us the paperwork and make everything look legitimate, only to pocket the money himself. Which is what I think happened but I'm not sure we could have done things differently. What we did not stand for was the cost of the fine suddenly jumping from $75 to $150 when only one official was left speaking with us (that after he closed the door to our room)! He made that one a little too obvious for his own good.
Krakow, Poland was a very pretty city. It was much more English-friendly than Kiev and I was surprised at how much easier most aspects of communicating and traveling in that city were. We got our visas taken care of only to find that the Ukrainian Department of Religious Matters has currently given permission for us to stay only until the 15th of December. Please be praying about that. It is most likely something that can be changed but it will take a lot of hassle here in Kiev (putting a lot of extra work on the shoulders of New Life church) and it will probably involve us making another similar trip to reapply for new visas in December.
We had quite a hang-up returning directly to Kiev according to plan so after much walking between train stations, wi-fi hotspots, and bus terminals, we were able to devise an alternate plan for returning. Online train and bus schedules are wildly inaccurate, with errors ranging from discrepancies of arrival times to showing train itineraries that simply do not exist. Basically, you have to do everything in person, on the spot. Trains we expected to take out of Poland were either non-existent or fully booked for two days after our planned departure. Thankfully, we found an overnight bus that took us to Lviv, Ukraine, giving us a place to sleep for the night and also giving me my first experience with claustrophobia.
We spent the day walking through Lviv, which is the center of traditional culture in Ukraine (and a very pretty city). The weather was pretty nice and both Jenny and I had some friends there we were able to get in touch with and see during the day. We were also able to get train tickets for an overnight train leaving that night and getting us back into Kiev Sunday morning just in time for me to shower and make my way back into the city for church. I am very glad I went because there was an American choir from Atlanta leading the worship and they sang some songs in English. I did not have any idea how much I missed worshiping in my own language!
God was watching out for us the whole time, I'm sure. Everything here involves changes to expectations and plans. It's simply a part of life. It's very frustrating and time-consuming, and it drains the energy right out of you, but that's the way it is.
I'll post some pictures when I have the time. The next two weeks will be busy ones of rehearsals and worship services Tuesday-Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
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