A new year

I have really gotten out of the habit of blogging. I have been on facebook. I have enjoyed finding people that I have not talked to or seen in years, but I do enjoy writing here too.

I wanted to fill everyone in on what has been going on in our lives for the last 3 months since I have written here. Our Christmas card was just a picture this year, as so much was going on that first part of December. October brought our three sport season to an end. Peirce topped last year's cross country by far. He will be sitting out of sports until track starts. Mitchell did well in football. Next year is high school, but fortunately we have a ninth grade team. I'm not quite ready to watch him play high school football. He started basketball soon after. He is a starter and is doing great. He keeps improving. He even goes and plays with some of the men at church and can hold his own. Kirsten got to know a number of girls while playing volleyball. It was fun watching her get to know people. I miss her at home a lot, but she is doing so well in school that I am so thankful that she is there. We have not lost our sweet daughter at all.

November brings birthdays for Kirsten and I. I am in my last year of my 30's. I have a few things that I would like to accomplish this year. Kirsten turned 12. My baby is 12. I don't feel that old.

Mom and dad came for Thanksgiving. It was great having them around for a few days even though it was too short. We did some holiday baking while they were here since we wouldn't have the opportunity any other time. We did our annual Christmas cookie party. The problem was that the boys no longer want to cut out and decorate cookies so mom, Kirsten and I had a lot to do. This was the only time during the holidays that we got to see my parents. We got so spoiled living near them for 12 years that it makes it so hard when we can't see them.

December started with the 2nd annual Ladies' Tea. Loads of work before hand, but it was so awesome. I do have pictures that I will have to post, but now that it is so much later, no one will probably care. Our music pastor did a mini concert for us. The desserts were great, and we had a full house.

Christmas concerts at school and church, blizzards and ice. That was December. We were going to go to WI over Christmas, but the weather had us wait until the next week. We spent a few days with Dan's parents. In spite of Dan's moms back being out of sorts, we had an enjoyable time with them as well as visits from Uncle Al and Aunt Shirley and cousin Rick and his wife Karen.

School started today, and I am ready to get into some sort of schedule. It seems as if every time I start to get my life under control, there is something that takes it out of whack. ---not bad--just different. God has definitely been working on me. I'm still praying for direction, but a few parts of the plan are starting to come together. I am so glad that we don't have to have it all figured out all of the time.

Be still

My days are not as busy right now as I am not homeschooling anymore. I am waiting to see what opportunities God is going to bring my way. I will be doing some volunteering as well as helping out with some things at church. It is hard to believe that it has been almost 2 months since the kids have gone back to school. I haven't been sitting around the house looking for things to do. My afternoons have been busy with three kids in sports, but that has been very enjoyable and almost done. (I will have to put some pictures up.) There have been a few days that I would say have been a little more idle than others, but for the most part, I have been working on a few projects that have needed some attention. Areas of organization that I am not always the best at.

I have really enjoyed some time to sit back and talk to God a little more. The house is quiet for the first time in many years. This is my "be still" time. It is hard to be still. I still have things that I want to do and places that I want to go. Even when I am "being lazy", I am usually working on a craft project. So now I am working on listening to what God wants me to learn as I step into another phase of my life. It's a little scary. I commented to Dan that the past few years have been one change after another. As I look at the next few years, I see plenty more ahead. Peirce is a sophomore this year. Next year we start looking at colleges. As we've learned with three kids close in ages, when one starts doing something, the others are close behind.

I'm thankful that I have this "be still time." I don't know how long it will last. I have a feeling that it won't be much longer. There is an urgency to catch on quickly because I know that I have so much to learn.---could it be that in my last year of my 30's I feel my age catching up with me?

This may be ramblings from my heart, but it is where I am right now. I guess that I am contemplating where I am in my walk with God and where I should be.

Life is calling....more projects to get to, but let me encourage you to take the time, even in the midst of a busy day to BE STILL.

Ukraine English Camp '09 Part 3

The rest of the week followed the same schedule as Monday, each day building on the others as far as teaching them more and more about Jesus, who He is, and our need for Him. By Friday we could see many of the kids thinking through the whole process. Many of these kids had grown up in church traditions, but not ever learning of a relationship with Christ. Many others of these kids have grown up with basically no knowledge of God. Quite a different set of ideals, but both of them lost. We had many Christians in the group who had brought many of the other kids with them. We spent so much of our days building relationships with the kids. They kids would have trivia to ask us or homework questions like,"What is your favorite type of food and why?" if the class was talking about food that day. We did games in the evening with our Bible Reading/Conversation Groups. (along with everyone else) We had some goofy ones. One of my favorite days was the waterfight on Thursday or Friday. They were having a bunch of games with water balloons. One minute they were throwing the balloons at each other and the next there was a deluge of a rain shower. It was quite funny! One of the girls from our English Class had asked us earlier in the week when it was raining if it was raining cats and dogs. We told her not then. Dan told her that it was raining puppies and kitties. After the water balloon fight, I told her that that was raining cats and dogs. She said that she could feel their claws it was raining so hard! Friday evening is Gospel night. We spent quite a bit of time in prayer that day. We knew that many of the kids had been thinking through what they had been learning that week. I could truly see "wheels turning" in a few of our girl's minds in our group. One of the conversations that we had had earlier in the week that came back on Friday was that the Americans that they had met had so much happiness. They thought that it was due to our political freedom. We were able to tell them that the Americans that they have met were Christians (our youth group has gone there for the past 3 years and has had English club when they have been there). Our joy is due to the fact that we have a certainty on our future. This brought one of girls into more deep thought. Friday night was amazing. I know that God is incredible, and I should expect the impossible, but we saw it. Each night, one of the Americans or Canadians would share their testimony. Friday night, one of the Americans and one of the Ukranians gave their testimony. Alonya, one of the Christian translators, shared her testimony. She was saved the year before at camp. It was exciting to see how powerful her testimony was to those who were going through the same thought process that she had last year. We saw 13 kids accept Christ at camp. It was wonderful to listen to them share what they were thinking and feeling. Saturday was our last day at the camp. We were finishing up classes as well as keeping up relationships--we weren't done yet. Saturday night we had a banquet decorated with Canadian flags. It was fun. There is no national pride in Ukraine, so it was good for them to see a National pride. At the end, we left the camp. We spent our last 4 nights in the town of Odessa with one of the missionary couples. There were 8 of us in their apartment. We spent our days doing things with the kids. Sunday was church, picnic at the Black Sea and pizza and Fireproof. Monday we saw Odessa, shopped and did an evening talent show. Tuesday we did a WWII war museum and memorial. This was interesting to see from the "Russian" side". Tuesday night was the goodbye evening. We watched a slide show of our week and said our goodbyes. We were amazed at how many of the kids did these things with us. Some of the people were coming from far away to spend a few hours with us. We are on facebook and emailing with a few of the kids. This definetely was a lot of work, but it was very rewarding. It was a great opportunity to feel the ministry of the team in Odessa as well as see God work in a different way. If anyone has questions, please ask. I wish that I could write more, but time and my poor writing skills keep me from doing that. My pictures are all in the album Ukraine English Camp'09. I'll have to add photos soon.

Ukraine English Camp '09 Part 2

Monday started early with a Clear Lake team meeting at 7:15. We met each morning in order to talk over prayer requests and to see how we were each doing. At 7:45 we had our camp staff meeting. We started with the Odessa staff, the translators, and the Americans and Canadians to sing, have a short devotional and discuss the day. The translators would then leave to have their meeting while we discussed any prayer concerns that each of us had. We then split into smaller groups for a time of prayer. Our team was very unified the whole week, and I am sure that this time had a lot to do with it. It was hard getting up early each morning, but we really bathed that camp in prayer.

After breakfast we met in the large

meeting room for announcements, a silly English song like Wadaleacha, head and shoulders...etc, and our trivia of the day. Our trivia of the day was designed to get the kids to speak to the Americans/Canadians. We would have two questions each day that they needed to find out who the answer was. Even some of the kids who spoke very little English would walk around with their paper. They had to ask the question in English. We would then break for Bible reading time. Our group for Bible Reading was a mix of English reading levels. We had a translator to help us. The students were given a Russian New Testament and an English New Testament. We would read the passage in English and then have them read it in English, read it in Russian, or translate it from Russian into English. They can read English fairly well, but they don't always know what it means. We then had questions that we would ask them. The Bible is viewed as a good piece of literature in Ukraine. The kids knew that they would be hearing about God at camp, so this was not a surprise. We were still trying to help them with their English while learning about God's word. Monday's theme was who is Jesus. We studied Jn 1. Each day built on the day before.

After Bible reading, the groups changed for English Class. For these, the kids are divided into classes by level of conversational English. Dan and I had the Advanced, Advanced speakers. There were six in our class, three of which were actually translating that week. Grammar is something that they know well, so the focus of the week was to teach them conversational English, not grammar. Our English class would spend 45 minutes going over vocabulary words, two word verbs, and idioms that fit our theme for the day. Since we had the advanced group, we let them choose the themes that they wanted to discuss. The next half of class was spent playing games. Monday, we played Boggle. I was very amazed at how well they did finding words. We ended class with an homework assignment that would help them speak English. For our class it was usually a question that required an answer and an explanation. We also sent articles for them to read and report on the next day.

Lunch was next with a few hours to rest, plan for the next day, and spend time with the kids. 3:00 was an optional craft time. 4:00 was an optional discussion. They varied each day. One day was Creationism, another day, Dan and I discussed dating. Before dinner, we had our Conversation group which was the same people that we had Bible reading with that morning. Conversation time was just that--conversation. We had topics or questions that we could use. After dinner, we had an activity that was meant to help us get to know our group better. Monday we played carnival games. We had a short service in the evening. We would sing worship songs in both English and Russian and then listen to a short challenge. Monday started the theme of "What brings happiness?" It was a great start to an incredible week.

Odessa, Ukraine Part 1

Thursday morning, July 23rd, 4 of us left Clear Lake at 5 am to get up to Minneapolis. I travelled by myself to Chicago where I met up with Dan and John VanGerpen, another of our group, from California. Overnight, we flew to Germany, Romania, and then Odessa, Ukraine. We were met by a large group of people; our team members from Canada, Iowa, North Carolina, and California, and the Odessa team. From the airport, we travelled to the camp which is an hour outside of Odessa.

Saturday was spent training and preparing for the campers. We had a lot of planning to get ready for. There were 16 of us from Canada and the US. There is also a great team in Odessa. Since we had not all met, it was a great time getting to know each other as well as hearing what was needed from us. Sunday morning came very early. We started with worship time just for camp staff and then got ready for the campers. The students arrived right before lunch. After eating, some of us game them placements tests in order to put them in the right English class. I really enjoyed the testing time. Some of these kids did not speak a whole lot of English, but they were very nice. This was a good time to get to start relationships with some of them.

After testing we had the job of putting the in the proper classes. I'll explain later how the classes were split up. We had a short time meeting our Conversation Class before dinner. After dinner, we had some games and then an evening meeting. Our evening meetings were our only "preaching" type meetings. It was very exciting to see the progression of these evening services. Many of these kids knew very little about God. They really didn't even think about God. Many of the others are from the Orthodox church. We spent the week telling them about Christ little by little.

Prayer list for Ukraine Trip

This is the list that we sent out to our church; I thought that many of you would enjoy seeing what we are doing. I also hope that many of you will pray for us.

ODESSA TEAM PRAYER SHEET

Pastor Dan & Deb Jordan, Greg & Julie Nicholas,

Pete Faust, Lindsey Calhoun, Eric Hansen

Thank you for the prayer and financial support given to the Lord on our behalf. Here is a Daily Prayer Guide to give you some idea of the work and timeframe of this Odessa , Ukraine mission trip from July 23-August 5. Keep praying about your own participation on a mission team. Keep in mind that Ukraine is 8 hours ahead of the Central time zone. Consider praying for this ministry the day before. On behalf of the entire team, thank you for your prayerful support of the English camp ministry.

July 15^th (Pete Faust), July 20^th (Lindsey Calhoun), July 23^rd (Pastor Dan/Deb, Greg/Julie, Eric Hansen) departure days: Pray for safety and protection while traveling. Pray for connections with team members from other states, that there will not be any delays in the airports, that security screenings will go smoothly, and that our luggage arrives with us.

July 24 – Arrive in Odessa , Ukraine . Pray for the team as we adjust to the Ukrainian culture. Pray for team unity. Prayfor our flexibility, our witness and our strength.

July 25 – This is camp preparation day for the youth camp at the campsite facilities. Pray for the team as it plans, prepares and prays for this youth camp. Pray for everyone who will be attending this English camp. Pray for the work God is doing in their lives and our lives and the changes He is going to make.

July 26 – Pray for safe arrival of the campers in the afternoon. Youth Camp will begin this night. Pray for friendships between staff and campers.

July 27-30 – Pray for these elements of the youth camp.

English reading time: We will be using Scripture to teach English and to learn about Jesus. Pray that the campers will have open ears, hearts, and thoughts to these lessons.

English classes: Pray that the lessons challenge the camper’s English speaking skills. Pray that each student will gain confidence in conversing in the English language.

Please pray for our team members while they travel and serve. Specific requests are listed below:

Translators: Pray that they will accurately translate for us and clearly communicate our love of Jesus to our new Ukrainian friends. They must always be ready to translate for us and often without any notice.

Pray for each one who gives a testimony during the camp.

Pray for the evening activities. Relationships will deepen as we have fun together.

Pray that optional activities will be relevant. Pray that unplanned moments interacting with the campers in a relaxed setting will make an impact in their lives.

July 31 – This is the last full day of camp at this campsite. The evening activities will include a campfire, s’mores, and the gospel being shared. Specifically pray for those campers who are close to making a decision to accept Jesus. May they overcome the enemy and take a step of faith.

August 1 – The camp moves from the campsite to Odessa . Pray for safe closure and travel.

August 2 – Camp continues with a worship service at Living Hope Church in Odessa , a picnic near the Black Sea , and pizza and a movie with the campers at the church in the evening.

August 3 – Greg & Julie Nicholas return to Iowa . The campers take the rest of us on a tour of Odessa .

August 4 – The youth camp ends today and it is time to say “good-bye” to our new friends. Pray that we will finish well.

August 5 – Lindsey Calhoun, Pete Faust, Dan & Deb Jordan return to Iowa . Pray for safe travel and re-entry to home life. Eric Hansen continues on at a family camp until August 17.

Ukraine Bound

I only have a few moments, but I wanted to write something before Dan and I are out of the country for two weeks. We leave early tomorrow morning for Odessa, Ukraine. Please pray for us as we will be far out of our comfort zones. We will be teaching English at a Youth Camp. Please pray for our children and my mom also as they will be here. I really have to get finished packing. So much to do and literally so little time.