A change in plans

About a month ago Alexander, a preacher from Mariupol asked me if Laurie and I would be interested in going there on a regular basis to follow up on an English program that was started there this summer by a short term missions team. We couldn't give a quick answer at first since we are involved in other activities in Donetsk. We decided that we could go once or twice before we head back to the homeland and planned to go for the weekend of Sept. 12-13 to teach English. Alexander though was away doing camp ministry for a awhile. When he got back and talked to our friends Yacov and Alona who are our connection to him we discovered he had a different plan for us. He now wanted me to teach a Saturday youth class and to speak in the service on Sunday. Oh...we were told this on Tuesday and we planned to leave for Mariupol on Friday afternoon. Well, it wasn't what I was expecting but hey, its an opportunity to share Jesus with others and so I'm glad to do that.

Mariupol is almost a two hour bus ride south of Donetsk. It has a population of around half a million and has lots of industry there. Its located on the coast of the Azov Sea and we have been told that the water there has changed because many of the factories use this sea for cooling water. The water looked pretty nice to us though.



The Church of Christ in Mariupol is blessed to have their own building. It used to be a kindergarten school so it is quite big with a large playground area. A portion of the second level has been made into an apartment. This is where Alona and Yacov and their daughter Masha live and also where we stayed for the weekend. This was really nice as we didn't have to account for commuting time all weekend. We just had to walk down a flight of stairs.



They are also using about half of the building as a transitional living center (TLC) for orphans. Many orphans that graduate from school are left on their own to adjust to adulthood. But statistics show that many of these teens/young adults struggle to have a healthy lifestyle once they leave orphanages. So this TLC is helping them to learn life skills and have healthy support available for their transition.

On Saturday we were Alexander's guests ... its funny because he is known as the preacher with a beard. He had us over for lunch and visits. Yacov and Alona's daughter Masha was with us and Alexander's grandson also joined us. The toddlers kept things interesting. I find it funny that no matter what culture you go to toddlers all act the same. They think everything is theirs and if you are having fun with something they want what you have.

That evening they had a youth class and I was the guest speaker. I shared my life story with them and then held a group discussion. Afterwards we had tea, snacks and visited. And had fun outside with the boys playing volleyball.



Yesterday was a long day for us. We slept in a wee bit but needed to be ready by ten for service. The service is organized into two parts. Singing and a sermon in the first hour and then more singing, testimonies, communion and a short sermon in the second hour. I spoke first and believed I held the majority of their attention for 30+ minutes which is an achievement for any speaker so I was happy with that.

After the service we visited with some of the members there and the next time I looked at my watch it was 2 o'clock. It was Yacov's grandpa's birthday so they went to have family time with them. Laurie and I stayed behind to have a nap and relax. By the time we had the place cleaned up and everything packed it was 8 and the last bus usually leaves at 9 so we were in quite a hurry. We did end up catching the last bus to Donetsk at 920 and this got us into Donetsk at 11.

On another note we have good news our friends Vova and Lena are doing better. Lena came home last week and I think is doing better. We don't know for sure because we haven't seen them for awhile. We have been busy this past week with being guests, hosting or preparing for the Mariupol weekend. This week I am hoping to do some “homework” but like every other week there seems to be something more urgent to work on or prepare ... so we'll see what this week brings.