the lady in the red scarf

Picture it....a Turkish guy, a Kazakhstani girl and me walking around our Ukrainian city seeking God's heart for the homeless. Praying. Listening to God's voice. Obeying Him. None of us at this point have worked with the homeless in Ternopil yet. Only one of us can speak Russian, the second can speak enough Russian to translate between me and the non-English speaking team mate. Talk about learning to work together - he he! We are on a "spiritual scouting" mission.

Holy Spirit leads us to the train station. There are people everywhere and we ask a lady that has a booth to sell food and drinks outside if she knows where the homeless people "hang out". (I use that term loosely...they aren't really hanging out - they have no where else to go!) This lady tells us that they are around, we just need to find them and they usually don't come to the train station until later in the evening. She gave us a hint, however. All homeless people in Ternopil wear scarves! She told us to look for the scarves.

We decid to continue praying, seeking God and we enter the train station, just to walk around and pray for the homeless people that would be going there in a few hours. We pray for the ministries that minister and reach out to the homeless people and we sit down on some benches where most of them are full of people waiting for their trains to wherever they are going.

Right across from us is a lady with a long coat and a red scarf. She is sleeping. Our Turkish teammate says, "Hey, maybe she is homeless." I respond with laughter, because by this point this team member has thought that at least 5 people that we have seen have been homeless (most of which were seniors - babushkas - from the village). We talk about how just because someone might look "homeless" in our opinion, does not mean that they are homeless. Assumption.

This lady sitting next to us, "wakes up" and we realize that she is totally plastered drunk. And yes, she is homeless. We decide just to sit where we are and pray for her. She mocks us, even though we are not talking to her or anything, and acting up and then she gets up, stumbles around and approaches a lady for some money. This woman in the red scarf has very little physical control at this point and she gets quite close to the woman and invades her space.

To our surprise, the woman screams at the lady in the red scarf, hits and kicks her and pushes her to the ground with great anger and violence. We, seeing the entire thing, reacted right away and ran to the lady who is now prostrate on the ground and clearly in pain, felt or not due to her intoxication. We help her up and lead her to another seat to sit down. THE ENTIRE SECOND FLOOR WAITING ROOM JUST SITS AND WATCHES THE ENTIRE TIME AND MANY PEOPLE ARE LAUGHING. After we help the lady up, the people are laughing at us too, not to mention giving us that cold eastern European GLARE filled with shame!

We give the woman tissues to clean her bleeding cut on her brow from her fall. As we sit with her, all we can do is pray and she welcomes our prayer. As our one Russian speaking team member prays out loud, tears stream down the woman's face. From our point of view, we are helpless in serving this woman, as all we can offer her is Jesus through our prayer. Yet, with confidence we know that Jesus cares so deeply for this one and He is touching her through us in this short moment.

We go and buy her some bread to eat and just as we do the "police" or security show up. Now it is getting interesting! At this moment we realize that we need to go. We have done everything we feel that God sent us there to do. We get up and move, still staying in the train station to see how the police deal with this woman. Another hard situation to witness, but the reality of this woman. The police act very rudely and they call for one of the cleaners to come and "remove" her. They very obviously did not want to touch her or smell her. They are holding their coat collars up to their noses in a very demonstrative fashion to prove the point that this woman stinks.

We watch as they drag her out of the train station, forgetting her bread behind on the bench. Just as we go to get the bread to give to the lady, the woman appointed to remove the lady in the red scarf comes and retrieves the bread.

As we walk home, we pray for the lady in the red scarf, for the police, for the many bystanders and scoffers. We talk together and realize that we were not prepared to see and experience what we just saw and experienced. But it happened and it was an eye opener to how we can so easily judge, especially those despised and outcast, and how they need the same love and care that Jesus offers to us all so freely. Only if we are willing to identify with them in their humiliation and stand for them.

God's love in us and communicated through us for these ones (and all people) must outweigh our desire to retain any kind of reputation. I have re-learned again that all I have to offer of any lasting value to anyone, to society, is Jesus Christ. If there are things that stand in my way from sharing Jesus' life with others then it is rooted in my own pride to save myself and my reputation. Remembering what Jesus said, "Whoever saves their life, they will lose it; but whoever gives up their life for my sake and the sake of the gospel will find it."

I pray and believe God with all my heart that the lady in the red scarf will lose her present life of bondage and sin in Christ and find the life that He has planned for her. The power of the new creation.

We will see the lady in the red scarf tomorrow night again when we return to the train station with a local church outreach team to feed the homeless. What would I rather do this Christmas eve.....NOTHING!

How Many Christmases are there really??

So...it is Christmas time! Yay Jesus - I do enjoy this time of the year, although this year has been very different than any other year already. Firstly, I am living in Ukraine and they celebrate Christmas on January 7th and in a very different way than we "North Americans" are accustomed to. (I have resorted to calling myself "North American" because people here call us all American, whether we are Canadian or American and when I try to correct them, they say, "It's all North America!" - he he!)

This year I am in charge of the planning and running of "North American" Christmas, which is in two days. Then we will celebrate New Years, which in this part of the world is the very important holiday (a remnant of Soviet times when Christmas was not celebrated...). So - for New Years people set up a tree and decorate it, say up all night, watch ritualistic Russian movies, eat a lot of chocolate and special dishes and give gifts. Our team leader, who is Russian, is in charge of carrying out a real "Russian New Year"!

After that...we have another Christmas - Ukrainian Christmas, on the 7th of January. This entails people going from house to house singing Ukrainian carols and of course a big, traditional meal. Our team has been asked to plan and carry out the program for the Ukrainian Christmas celebration for the missionaries and ministers of YWAM Ternopil. We have been learning Ukrainian Carols....and beginning to prepare, but we have two big celebrations to get through before that :)

For this year, I will be privileged to celebrate the birth of Jesus (which really, the day isn't important, but the remembrance and celebration of Christ's first coming IS...) with brothers and sisters in Christ from 6 plus nations. We have received a new team member, who also had trouble with her visa to Egypt so she came to be with us, from Kazakhstan. She is from the Ugur (spelling??) people group, who are originally from Northern China. She is definitely a Christmas gift from God to us all bringing a new dynamic to our family and allowing us to learn about her, her people, and Kazakhstan as well.

Just this morning we were having a time of worship that was focused on the Cross of Christ....and we shared in communion together and there were 6 nations standing together eating the body of Jesus and drinking the blood. Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kenya and Canada... as if that is not the miracle of the cross at work! Every tribe and every tongue!

So - Christmas time....rejoice in the Lord and all He has done by coming, living as a man and being tempted in every way as we, yet without sin, and then giving Himself as a sacrifice for our sins, conquering death, hell and the grave and rising again to bring us back into a loving relationship with the Father through the Holy Spirit, and giving us an assignment to go and teach all nations all that He has and is teaching us!

Hmmmm - this is all wrapped up in the fullness of why we celebrate Christmas....it's so much greater than anything that might be under our trees this year! Jesus - He is the greatest gift - living, breathing and changing lives this Christmas season!

С Рождеством!!! (Merry Christmas!)

While I'm Waiting!

So - here we are...on outreach...still at the base in Ternopil!

No. This is not a joke. How is it possible that 4 of the 5 team members "suddenly" get colds? As a result we had to postpone our ten day outreach to the village. Then, in the midst of waiting and resting, we get word from our team mates headed to Ethiopia that they were not able to board their flight in Turkey because of some unclear visa information. They were "stuck" in Istanbul, needing to get to Ankara, where the Ethiopian Embassy is. It just so happens that one of our team members, Riza, is from Ankara. He was able to help our friends, by instructing them to get onto the right bus and by having his sister and brother in law host them in Ankara. What an interesting turn of events!

We could not have anticipated this. Nor could we have known that our "delay" turned out to work for the good of the team and served a greater purpose than just resting and recovering! We are learning the truth that "All things work together for good, to those that love God and are called according to His purposes" Romans 8:28.

For some of us, we have been in great awe of the Lord. At His sovereignty. To think...all of the chain of events that caused our Indian visas not to work out, then the formation of a new team, then the delay to the village....all lead to us being in the right place at the right time to serve our brothers and sisters stuck in another country. How interconnected and tied together we all are in Christ. WOW!

How important it is to continue to seek the face of Jesus in every circumstance. Even when we are still receiving the answers....the goodness of God is going before us and working all things together for good!

Jesus is amazing!

Chortkiv, Ukraine - 3 day outreach and quest!

Two weeks ago we had two days of our lectures devoted to “team time”. This was time where both teams, India and Ethiopia, were to spend together building relationships and learning together as preparation for the 3 month outreach phase.

Our team, Team India, had the opportunity to travel 70 km south of Ternopil to a city call Chortkiv. This city is quite a bit smaller than our present home, with about 30,000 people. It was nice to be in such a “small city” and we really felt it in the three days we were there. We saw the same people on the streets at least twice – he he he!!

We went to serve and work with a local church there in Chortkiv with whom our school staff have good relationships. In our time there we spoke, sang and did drama at the young adult group of the church. I was really blessed to connect with a few of the English speakers and we had some great conversation and I was able to encourage them in God’s plans and goodness for them. A young family from the church gave us their one room apartment to stay in...which was certainly a gift! They took their two young kids and stayed at a friends for the two nights we stayed. So...there we were...8 girls sleeping in the living room and bedroom....cooking together, cleaning together – ha ha ha! An interesting fact that was a surprise to us all.... the shower was in the kitchen if you can picture it!

Our first day, we had a "Quest", which was basically a big scavenger hunt to find people and information in a city we had never been to - in 2 hours. This was a GREAT cultural learning experience....by the end we were all agitated...and when we debriefed we realized that we all had different goals when we were given the tasks. To the North Americans - we could not believe that people wanted to stop and take pictures everywhere we went - we were on a time deadline - 2 hours and 6 people we had never met to find, interview,etc. To the Ukranians we were pushy and rude because we were not taking advantage of the opportunity to see the sights at the same time...and hey, we better get groceries for supper because we are walking by possibly the only large supermarket! Ha ha ha - LESSON LEARNED - COMMUNICATE THE VISION AND PURPOSE OF THE TASK - WITH TRANSLATION....so everyone is working together! 

The second day we had a time devoted to focused worship and prayer...so we hiked up a hill on the warm sunny morning, found a good spot overlooking the city and sang praises and gave worship to God. It was an amazing time for us as a team – our first time to just rest and worship together simply because Jesus is worthy to receive our praise and worship! In the afternoon we met up with some of the local believers and led them in some street ministry and evangelism. This was tonnes of fun! We met many people during this time and had some really great conversations with people. The people of Chortkiv were VERY friendly and so open to talk and share and pray with us. It was refreshing!

Two team mates blessing a dear lady we met
She is from Poland and was so encouraged
and blessed us as well!

Saturday night was a highlight for me....because we worked with the “Coffee House” outreach which is run by a former YWAMer and leader in the church, Lydia. God has given her a vision and heart to reach out to youth at the local disco-tech or night club. Once every couple of weeks Lydia and her team go to the night club and present a short drama and say a few words and hand out their contact info for people. There have been many young people who have responded through relationship to this outreach. Lydia shares that before she was born again, in relationship with Jesus, she was in the night club drinking and drugging away her abusive and failed marriage until some of her friends began to love her and really care for her and share Christ with her. I had the priviledge of playing a part in the short drama we did and then saying a few words to the crowd at the end. The message was simple, “We all get stuck to sin....but Jesus died for us while we were sinners, so that when we believe in Him and ask Him to He has the power to forgive us and FREE us from the power of sin.”

The drama is posted before this post. :) Check it out -  it is really great and you will get a sense of the atmosphere!

After the drama we stuck around and talked to people that wanted to talk. A young woman approached us, connected with us and two days later she ended up coming to visit us at home when we were in Ternopil. Yay God! Many other youth and young adults wanted to talk to us, ask us questions and get to know us. It was tonnes of fun....and a great reminder to me that people everywhere are in need of God’s great love and so often we forget about the places that might “seem” more dark....but LIGHT BELONGS IN THE DARKNESS.

The final day we shared at the local church we were working with in the city. It was tonnes of fun....we shared  with the congregation all about ourselves, DTS, India, and some of the students shared stories or testimonies of amazing things that God has done in bringing them to the school and while being here. We sang a song - Russian and English, but the only catch is we started in Russian, with microphones in the hands of people that have never used mics (we were not expecting personal mics for every singer!!) and whoever started, hit the wrong key and everyone else just followed suit (smile/frown**)!! ha ha - oh to be a part of a team. So...when it was English time, my choice was to try to save the song or to support the team - so I went with the support the team and tried to save it at the same time....it was a great and terrible experience at the same time! After the worship service, on the drive home, we all laughed so hard....we only can improve from here on in!  Our team leader said, "I thought you guys were going to cut it short....BUT you finished the song!!" Ha ha - we are still laughing about it!  Jesus is FUNNY!!

That is the trip in a nut-shell....

Disco-tech Outreach - Ukraine

Content from October Newsletter

OCTOBER NEWS (sorry - it is in a very borning....written form...if you want the newsletter in pretty fun reading form, email me!)

Discipleship Training School –

We are officially over one month into our lecture phase of the DTS....and I have been radically surprised by God through the teaching and working of God’s Spirit. So far we have been host to some humble and powerful teachers of God’s word, Paul Logan, Loren and Darlene Cunningham, Al and Carolyn Akimov, and Jim Isom. They have taught on evangelism, missions, hearing God and the role of family and our identity in Christ. I would love to be able to give you a better synopsis of all we have been taught and all God is doing...but that would take many more pages than I desire to pass on to you!

I will say that Jesus is changing us all by His Word and Spirit....and I feel that my heart is under deep surgery. Some of the challenges that I have been going through have been the adaptation to living in a community setting....if you go through something as an individual, you go through it as a group because you cannot hide anywhere to be alone!! God has been pointing His finger on a lot of sin in my heart – selfishness, pride, ungratefulness, complaining, judgement...the list goes on. And in all of these things, I am in an environment where I must deal with each of these things so that we can live in unity and love as a family unit in Christ.

Just this last week....which consisted of a lot of inner healing and identifying root beliefs that are in opposition to the truth (which is why behaviour exists that goes against God) so that they can be renewed by God’s word (Romans 12), the Holy Spirit really revealed the state of my heart.....which is in desperate need of the work of the cross! I have come back to a place of realizing how much I need Jesus, His cross, His blood and His continual work in me (through His Word and Spirit). In total honesty – I see how much of a mess I am and how lost I am without the hope of Christ and His power that makes me a new creation every day!

YWAM Jubilee –

At the end of September we joined with the rest of Ukraine and Russia and gathered together to celebrate the Jubilee (50^th) Anniversary of Youth With a Mission. It was a PARTY to say the least and a time of connecting, and readying for the future. As “non-YWAMer”s many of us students felt a little out of place, but by the end of the conference we were all powerfully impacted. It was a great encouragement to see and build relationships with other followers of Jesus in Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Belarus and other Ukranianian cities.  We were about 250 people and shared meals, teaching sessions, worship and more together. Many received fresh vision for future outreaches and we all were equipped in greater ways.

I attended a workshop teaching about “Understanding Islam”. The session was VERY powerful and imparted a lot of practical wisdom and tools. It was just a taste of a longer training session that is used as a training tool for people that minister in Muslim nations. One of the most interesting things I learned was that almost ¼ of the world’s Muslim population speaks Russian as their first language. That is amazing to me – I had no idea. The European city that has the most Muslims per capita....is not Paris or London, but is Moscow. Southern Russia, that borders the “stans” has contains this large population of Russian speaking Muslims that have no witness for Jesus Christ, many of which live isolated and in very low economic status because they have been neglected through the Soviet times and left alone afterwards. God is stirring some things up in my heart for these peoples and regions....

Breakthrough in Kiev –

After the conference our DTS group stayed in Kiev and joined up with the DTS in Kiev for one week of teaching on pioneer missions. It was a powerful week indeed. The greatest thing I can pass on is this quote from Brother Andrew, “Who told you that a nation is closed to the good news of Jesus Christ....? Did God say that the nation was closed? NO, it was men that told you. If God has not said it, it is not so. And if God wants you in a nation, He will get you in and open all the doors you need.” Inspiring to say the least!

I was also so blessed and thankful to help out with leading worship at the YWAM base in Kiev. On the Thursday evening the base had their “Family Night” and two of the Kiev DTS students and myself formed a last minute band and lead a worship night. This was a highlight for me, firstly because God supernaturally brought us together – a keyboardist (English), a bassist (Ukrainian) and myself, guitarist (English). We had to lead in English and Russian....ha ha ha – and we did! There were about 100 or so missions staff and students present...and it was a powerful time,

After the evening, I thanked the Kiev DTS leader for helping with sound and he expressed how much of a breakthrough this night was. He shared that for a long time, nothing like that had happened on the base and he knew that it was a start of God’s move and breakthrough for the Kiev missions base and staff. What an honour for us as DTS Ternopil to have been present and a part of God’s work there!

Student Ministry/Outreach –

Evangelism: We have been going out to the streets every week as a school. While in Kiev, we had the privilege to teach the Kiev DTS a crash street-evangelism course and then we took them out with us. In Kiev it was so different – most of the older people we spoke with in Kiev were atheists and full of anger and hurt from the war (WW2), much fruit from the Soviet Union. This really broke my heart because some of the older men we spoke with, professors, were actually asking us, “Show me God if He exists....prove it to me.” Deep in their voices, however was an earnest desire to know that God is real.

In Ternopil, this past week, we split into groups and prayed as teams and went “treasure hunting”, which is asking God to speak to us of a specific place and person He wants us to meet with. Each group came back afterwards with awesome testimonies of God’s faithful guidance and the precious people on the receiving end. We have been building strong relationships with the people God has been sending us out to meet. We are meeting with them on Friday nights to build closer relationships and begin discipleship of those that are giving their lives to God. Our focus for this will continue in hearing God’s direction, following Him, sharing His words with people and building relationship and discipleship.

Elders and orphans: Last week we went to our other outreach ministries for the first time. My post was an Old Age Home. We went in groups to find men or women to visit with for our time at the home. My group, Lena, Riza and myself, found an elderly man, Sebastien, in his room and ready to receive us. We entered his small, smokey room and sat down. He was so excited to see us and shared that he never gets visitors. We explained why we were there....to talk with him, get to know him, etc. and he said, “ask me anything and I will tell you.” To our surprise, this 84 year old man, was a Soviet War Hero. He was on the front lines and shared later that he had the honour of freeing Warsaw, Poland from the Germans (and he mentioned other cities)... The last person that came to visit him was a reporter from Kiev, to find out about his stories.

He was a dear man, and all three of us felt a connection instantly. He thought that it was really cool that I was from Canada and that I spoke English. He shared that when he was in Berlin fighting that he used to drink Vodka with English soldiers!  We left him some brownies that we had baked...and he was so blessed by our company and conversation! I am so excited to go back and keep visiting with this amazing man! What a reminder of the richness of life, wisdom and history that the older generation carries....and here he his, living in a tiny room in the state run seniors home on a very small pension. We are already planning ways to bless him....thinking about having a dinner in his honour, or taking him into town by taxi....if you get any ideas, please let me know!

Riga, Latvia – School of Prophetic Justice

I am writing this extensive (ha ha) newsletter from Riga, Latvia. I am sitting in an apartment of one of the YWAM staff, a Dutch woman, who is hosting us and the School of Prophetic Justice. School starts tomorrow and we have around 50 students from Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Norway, Russia, and other European countries. One of our students has come from Thailand....so we are expecting great things from God! It has already been such a powerful and supernatural trip to get here yesterday....and it is a priviledge to be serving with Jari and Tanya Koivu and the YWAM Alternatives Network to serve Europe with the information of Pro-Life Missions and Human Trafficking Ministry....I will share more in the next newsletter....but for now....keep praying with us for many to be changed, inspiried and set a flame for the work of love found in God’s justice for the unborn and oppressed of the world. We are believing that eyes will be opened in Europe to these vital ministries, as in many nations there is very little taking place through the ministry of the church. It is time! 

Divine Encounters on the Way to Riga

What a day – leaving Ukraine....train, taxis, planes....benches – kind men and women and above all the most amazing God beyond my imaginations! To me it is a miracle to be here....in a beautiful apartment – received with love and a warm open heart....in Latvia! I was so tired all day that it seems as though I am here and have come out of a haze. Ahhhh – it is already refreshing and already I have some perspective of what and how and why...although a dim shadow of Your full plan!

Faith, under construction as we go! 

I am staying with the wonderful disciple of Jesus that is going to turn human trafficking upside down in Riga and then all over Europe. This woman is already and will be a modern day hero.....an everyday lover of Jesus...who is putting hands and feet to the ending of the sex trade! What an honour...and you have brought me here to serve her Lord as a guest in her home. Already I see the priviledge and honour and strategy in staying here....all by Your hand. You are so faithful to provide for me...and so superabundantly!

Even missing the connection today in Kiev was such a pleasant surprise....just resting in Your grace and enjoying the sunshine, birds, people walking to and fro and of course Sasha from Georgia. As I sat on the bench reading my book....I noticed him looking at me a bit and then he came with his sandwich and sat on the bench next to me. I did not take too much notice until he began liberally feeding the pigeons and then more and more and more! He was taking great joy in sharing his lunch and they were frenzied as well!!  I had to duck for cover a few times! Then....I felt to offer him some of my yummy Ukranian chocolate ....and to my joy he accepted it. This made way for a lovely time together....Sasha, a native Georgian is probably in his late 60s, early 70s. A businessman who owns a hotel (or maybe a few....) It was a miracle that I even got that much information – he spoke no English and I used the very minimal Russian I have.....he tried speaking German with me, but that did not get too far! Ha ha ha! It was a great gift from God to meet him – I showed him photos of Ternopil, the base, the missionaries....and he understood I was a missionary!! He invited me to come to Georgia and learn Russian – and left me with his phone number when in Moscow and Georgia! For much of the time we just sat silent together....and tried to talk here and there....as I was showing him photos he blessed me and commented that I was a beautiful woman!! I believe if nothing else God brought him to me to tell me that very truth! I received it with gratefulness in my heart! What a gift from God that encounter was....and I believe the Lord will be with him and reveal Himself to Sasha...!

And then there was Maxim....a friends friends friend who met me at the train station.....waited for me to detrain, grabbed my bag from me....whisked me away to the taxis, found me a good price, got me in, warned the driver I didn’t speak Ukrainian and then was gone. The soccer coach and kind man, Maxim. Thank you father for taking care of me through all of these people...! You are too good to put to words and your provision is so abundant it astounds me!

Overlooking the lake in Ternopil....

Now – I am in Riga – and going to sleep....there is such an excitement in my heart. I know that I am here for Your purpose Jesus. I know that You have assigned me to be here as an ambassador of healing to the nations....to sow this seed in faith! Time to sow and believe!