Wednesday, June 24th: We flew into Donets'k (it is the southern part of the Ukraine) and hit a hotel. The next morning we met with Pastor Oleg and went to his transistion home. Pastor Oleg works with kids from the orphanage and has built a transistion house with the help of Orphans Promise. When we arrived at the house, Pastor Oleg showed us the property and all he has done to fix the inside up for the kids. The kids that stay in this house are kids that have grauated out of the orphange and now have no job or place to live that is suitable to keep them safe. In the Ukraine, and also in other countries, 65% of orphan girls are forced into prositution and 70% of orphan boys either end up in jail or on drugs. This transistion home is extremely important for these kids and it provides not only shelter but also gives them biblical life skills, computer skills and english skills. The other thing that it does is it gives these kids (that have been denied by the world of a sound family situation) the opportunity to accept Jesus and build a relationship that is real and meaningful.
We met the boys and the girls and they had the house in tip top shape. The building from the outside looked old, but the work inside that Orphans Promise funded, looked great! We took some photos of the computer room, the kids and then then talked to one of the girls that just arrived at the home. This girl was 17 years old. Pastor Oleg told us that she has HIV and that when she came to the home she was sick and very thin and weak. She has been taken care of by the staff that lives in the home and she also got to hear the word and the healing power of Jesus. She now looks great, she has gained her weight back and she is trying to get her life started back on the right track. We are praying for her complete healing.
Before we left the house we met a boy around 10 years old that comes to the transistion home. This boy is not orphaned, but his mother and father are constantly drunk and they do not watch him so he hangs out at the home. This little boy is a social orphan and there are many other kids like this boy throughout most of Eastern Europe. This boy had set up a stage in the yard and sang three songs, he was so excited to show us his talent.
After we left the transistion home, we ate lunch (Ukrainian food is awesome!), we then went to a small business (Curves) that Pastor Oleg opened as a ministry to help him provide money to support the transistion home. There are 42 Curves in the Ukraine and staying healthy has become a big deal in the Ukriane. We went into the Curves and met the staff and prayed with them. The women that worked at the business were great, especailly the main manager of the store. As we prayed and talked, she told us that this business has provided an opportuntiy for them to help women feel good about themselves. Curves was founded by Christains and Pastor Oleg is using his business not only as income for the orphans, but also as a tool to minister to the women that come and work out. We heard stories of salvations and openess to the gospel to many of the women that are members. We are praying for God to continue to bless this business and help Pastor Oleg provide a steady income for his ministry. Pastor Oleg has the rights to all the Curves in Donets'k (Donets'k has around 2 million people). This business will not only provide money, but also opportunties for some of the orphan girls a job and future.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Finally Got Internet Connection
Sorry that we have not been able to update the blog, we have had no internet service so there is a lot to read. We have now been in the Ukraine for 3 days and today is day number 4. Obviously Yuri and Natlyia love the Ukraine, but it also has a special place in Colleen and my heart as well.
In the weeks before the trip I had been praying for God to create divine meetings for the four of us and he has done just that in the past four days. God is always faithful and continues to use the four of us to minister
to kids and others along our travels.
Sunday June 21: Met up with Yuri and Nataliya in Detroit at 8pm and heading to Amsterdam at 9:10pm. Arrived in Kiev at 4:40pm (Kiev Time) most of us did not get a lot of sleep.
In the weeks before the trip I had been praying for God to create divine meetings for the four of us and he has done just that in the past four days. God is always faithful and continues to use the four of us to minister
to kids and others along our travels.Sunday June 21: Met up with Yuri and Nataliya in Detroit at 8pm and heading to Amsterdam at 9:10pm. Arrived in Kiev at 4:40pm (Kiev Time) most of us did not get a lot of sleep.
Monday June 22: Went right from the airport to the Emmanuel Center (this is the office for CBN for the Com
monwealth of Independent States, the old Republics from the USSR). Once there we meet up with Galina the director of the training center and Karen Spring (she is from Seattle and helps with OP projects in Ukraine) to say hello. We toured the training center for orphans (this is where 90 kids get biblical life skills training, computer skills, English skills and more. We went to see the computer room and also saw some beautiful bamboo inlaid pictures that kids that have cerebral palsy made in an art room.
After leaving the center, we drove a few miles away to a new medical center that will handle some medical missions for the Emmanuel Center. This center will be a self sustaining ministry that will give lower income patients the opportunity to get quality medical care. There will be a full variety of medical services that will also include medical attention for such things as dental and optometrist, OBGYN and other medical s
ervices.
After leaving the medical facility, we went to dinner at a great restaurant in Kiev. This restaurant sold some of the art work that the kids from the Kiev Training Center made and then displayed it on the walls of the resturant dining room. Dinner was great, but we were all sleepy and went to our hotel room for the night. We have been up around almost 34 hours.
monwealth of Independent States, the old Republics from the USSR). Once there we meet up with Galina the director of the training center and Karen Spring (she is from Seattle and helps with OP projects in Ukraine) to say hello. We toured the training center for orphans (this is where 90 kids get biblical life skills training, computer skills, English skills and more. We went to see the computer room and also saw some beautiful bamboo inlaid pictures that kids that have cerebral palsy made in an art room.After leaving the center, we drove a few miles away to a new medical center that will handle some medical missions for the Emmanuel Center. This center will be a self sustaining ministry that will give lower income patients the opportunity to get quality medical care. There will be a full variety of medical services that will also include medical attention for such things as dental and optometrist, OBGYN and other medical s
ervices.After leaving the medical facility, we went to dinner at a great restaurant in Kiev. This restaurant sold some of the art work that the kids from the Kiev Training Center made and then displayed it on the walls of the resturant dining room. Dinner was great, but we were all sleepy and went to our hotel room for the night. We have been up around almost 34 hours.
Tuesday, June 23: Day three started a little later, we slept in a bit and then went to breakfast with Natalia’s father.
He met us for a few minutes to say hello and a quick bite of food. After breakfast we met with Pastor Yuri and his wife Oksana in the street market around 12pm. We tried to go see a person who we met 3 years ago that worked in one of the booths at the market to drop of some Christian information (I have kept in touch with him for the past 3 years and have talked to him about the Lord), but he was not in Kiev, he had gone to Russia to buy some goods. We met his partner and as Colleen and I were standing talking to his friend Alexander, and two young Mormon men asked us if we were from the US, we told them yes and talked for awhile. The first young man's name was David and he had been in Kiev for almost two years and was about to go home, the other young man’s name was Ken and he had just gotten to Kiev. Colleen and I prayed for Alexander before we left and also asked the two young men to pray with us as well. Knowing a little bit about the Mormom belief and the difference between thier belief and Christianity, we just prayed for power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit over all of us and beleived that they would all know the real Jesus Christ and that the spirit of truth would flood their body. Here is a great picture of Colleen and me in the market trying on our new hats and gas mask. I think I look great! 
After spending around one hour at the market we then went to have lunch and Colleen & Nat met a man in the line of the restaurant from Poland (he had a shirt that said Mercy Ship on it so Colleen went to talk to him). He was with a group of 12 people from Poland and one man from Denmark that were going to a conference that was lead by Messianic Jewish believers. We all connected after eating lunch and prayed with them in the restaurant for blessing for all and that what they were doing as well as us would be blessed and would be fruitful, it was awesome! As we talked to the first man Colleen and Nat met with the shirt (his name was Martin) he told us that the spiritual state of Poland was not really deep, but that God was changing people’s hearts and he was preaching the truth to as many people as he c
ould along with the people in his church.
After lunch we left Pastor Yuri and Oksana (and two other ladies from their church in Moldova) and headed to the airport. We ate dinner next to the airport and took our flight to Donaskt around 9pm. While on the plane we were able to witness to pilot from the airlines we were on, (he was flying home from a meeting in Kiev) and gave him the gospel. As we talked to him his heart opened up and he saw a need to have a real relationship with God through Jesus. It was a divine meeting since his father had left his mother when he was one year old and he has not talked to him ever. This young pilot was orphaned by his dad, just like the orphans that Orphans Promise helps around the world. When you think about it, we are all really orphaned if we do not know our heavenly father. We lead him in the sinner’s prayer once we got off the plane and we have his e-mail to stay in contact with him, his name was Andrew, please pray for him. We got picked up at the airport and Pastor Oleg drove us to our hotel, another late night, we went to bed around 3am.
He met us for a few minutes to say hello and a quick bite of food. After breakfast we met with Pastor Yuri and his wife Oksana in the street market around 12pm. We tried to go see a person who we met 3 years ago that worked in one of the booths at the market to drop of some Christian information (I have kept in touch with him for the past 3 years and have talked to him about the Lord), but he was not in Kiev, he had gone to Russia to buy some goods. We met his partner and as Colleen and I were standing talking to his friend Alexander, and two young Mormon men asked us if we were from the US, we told them yes and talked for awhile. The first young man's name was David and he had been in Kiev for almost two years and was about to go home, the other young man’s name was Ken and he had just gotten to Kiev. Colleen and I prayed for Alexander before we left and also asked the two young men to pray with us as well. Knowing a little bit about the Mormom belief and the difference between thier belief and Christianity, we just prayed for power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit over all of us and beleived that they would all know the real Jesus Christ and that the spirit of truth would flood their body. Here is a great picture of Colleen and me in the market trying on our new hats and gas mask. I think I look great! 
After spending around one hour at the market we then went to have lunch and Colleen & Nat met a man in the line of the restaurant from Poland (he had a shirt that said Mercy Ship on it so Colleen went to talk to him). He was with a group of 12 people from Poland and one man from Denmark that were going to a conference that was lead by Messianic Jewish believers. We all connected after eating lunch and prayed with them in the restaurant for blessing for all and that what they were doing as well as us would be blessed and would be fruitful, it was awesome! As we talked to the first man Colleen and Nat met with the shirt (his name was Martin) he told us that the spiritual state of Poland was not really deep, but that God was changing people’s hearts and he was preaching the truth to as many people as he c
ould along with the people in his church.After lunch we left Pastor Yuri and Oksana (and two other ladies from their church in Moldova) and headed to the airport. We ate dinner next to the airport and took our flight to Donaskt around 9pm. While on the plane we were able to witness to pilot from the airlines we were on, (he was flying home from a meeting in Kiev) and gave him the gospel. As we talked to him his heart opened up and he saw a need to have a real relationship with God through Jesus. It was a divine meeting since his father had left his mother when he was one year old and he has not talked to him ever. This young pilot was orphaned by his dad, just like the orphans that Orphans Promise helps around the world. When you think about it, we are all really orphaned if we do not know our heavenly father. We lead him in the sinner’s prayer once we got off the plane and we have his e-mail to stay in contact with him, his name was Andrew, please pray for him. We got picked up at the airport and Pastor Oleg drove us to our hotel, another late night, we went to bed around 3am.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Our Schedule
Just wanted to give an update on our trip and what we have tentatively planned so people can pray for us and follow us. If you want to see the cities we will be in, click on the maps and they will get larger. We will update as much as possible:
Sunday/Monday: June 21st and 22nd-Leave from Dayton at 6:50pm to Detroit. Leave Detroit at 9:00pm and fly to Amsterdam over night and then on to Kiev and arrive at 4pm on Monday afternoon.
Tuesday: June 23rd-Go to Orphans Promise Training Center for orphan kids, Medical Center and Medical Clinic. May visit an orphanage if we have time. Monday night we fly from Kiev south to Donetsk. Arrive around 10pm.
Wednesday: June 24th-Donetsk Training Center and Children's Transition Home. Meet with Pastor Oleg and see Fitness Center-Orphan Kids Work at Center. 3 hr drive to Berdyansk
Thursday: June 25th-Visit Berdyansk Training Center, Transition living apartments, microenterprise business for graduates (we will also visit the orphanage that the kids that are in the training center lived)
Friday: June 26th-drive to Zaporizhya, Visit baby orphanage where Orphans Promise built a social rehab for moms, then drive to Donetsk (2 hrs). Fly to Yerevan 11pm, arrive at 3am in the morning, we are now in Armenia
Saturday: June 27th-11am-Attend Church. Meeting with Pastors
Sunday: June 28th-8am Leave Yerevan to Vanadzor, 10am Church, Meet with Pastors to talk about building training center for vulnerable kids. Possible Orphanage Visit.
Monday: June 29th-Meet Families that are living in Shipping Containers
Tuesday: June 30th-Head back to the USA through Amsterdam and Detroit.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Preparing For Our Trip to the Ukraine and Armenia
Just wanted to get to everyone that watched our blog to Haiti and let you know that Colleen and I are heading to the Ukraine and Armenia on June 21st with our dear friends from Orphans Promise Yuri and Natalyia Khomiak (we can't wait to spend time with them!!!). We will be heading from Dayton to Detroit (hooking up with Yuri and Nat from their flight from Norfolk) and then flying overnight to Amsterdam and then to Kiev. I will post the total schedule of events sometime this week. We would ask for all that are watching our blog to please pray for us and our families. The Khomiak's have two beautiful girls that they will be away from and we will be away from our four children as well. Both of us have our mothers watching the kids, so please pray for them as well. Thank you in advance for your prayers.
We are all very excited to see what God will do on this trip.
We are all very excited to see what God will do on this trip.
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