Memories. or The One Where I May Have Lost My Mind

A year ago I was getting ready to leave for the land that stole my heart. Today I am getting ready for a Father/Daughter dance I've been a part of coordinating (that I'm really excited about). Last year my heart was bursting with excitement; this year my heart is breaking with longing. It's odd to be excited about the dance and yet so sad about Ukraine at the same time. So as a way to brighten my mood and let y'all laugh at me I give you the things I miss...

Airports- I know right, but there is something about the adventure and exhaustion of being in them and finally arriving at the destination

Ukrainian food- Oh my goodness, stuffed dumplings (w/ potatoes or cherries, yum), campfire in a cup (aka Uzvar- ошав), the juices, more of this below

Chocolate- the best I have ever had!! I couldn't tell you what kinds I had but they were amazing.

The Chocolate Cappuccino- Ukraine has made me a possible coffee drinker, but nothing I've had can compare with the ones there.

Ice cream- I can't even describe it except oh so good!
(see a trend in the last three ;))

Ukrainian bread- Okay I like bread but this had to be my favourite

Tea is better than coffee- No kidding the tea cups were twice the size of the coffee cups, and we got tea every morning with breakfast at the camp!

Salo- (this is one of the parts where you say I'm crazy) Yes. it's nasty (in my American opinion) and yes I almost gagged, but I would eat it in a heartbeat if it meant being back in the Ukraine.

Bogdan's peppers- so hot but so much fun to watch others try to master them.  And the time Alla and I each ate one and then drank our drinks and others because our mouths were on fire.

Photo credit

Squatty potties- (Maybe I have lost it) Okay, I don't actually miss these but just the initial experience (when in Rome...)

The roller coaster drives- rattle your teeth, loosen your joints, and a few bust your head on the ceiling jolts- again the experience

The language(s)- Russian and Ukrainian and something in between. I loved learning new words and just listening to everyone talk, although I hated not being able to reach out and being a listening ear or a word of encouragement.

Futbol- Aka soccer at 7-7:30 in the morning and any other free moment. 

The worship- Some songs I knew (in English) some I only learned a few words (in Ukrainian) but all had the same meaning.  Bringing God the glory and praising Him

Snow- сніг!


More than all the fun and craziness, I miss the people!  I miss getting to know new friends and meeting up with old ones. I miss learning to reach out and be a friend over the barrier of language.  I miss the smiles, the tears, the games, the laughter.  I miss being Jesus to the children and experiencing Him through them. The other counselors were amazing and I'll miss working with them.  I know they are having a great time and I'm praying for them!

PostScript: Since I'm a little behind in posting this I'll say, the Father/Daughter dance turned out fantastic!  Definitely a lasting memory.

Through Christ

Lady B

The Voiceless Part One

At the beginning of this year one of the ladies in my church approached me and my friend about volunteering at our local crisis pregnancy center, of which she is the assistant director.  Little did I know that by saying yes my heart would be opened up to a world I only thought I knew on the surface and something new would begin.
God is amazing in how He plans all things.  My mom has been trying to get me to volunteer there for years (since I was 12 I’m sure), but I think God knew my heart was not ready.  So as I walked into that office God began His work.  Little did I know how my heart would break for these- the children and mothers both.
To be honest I was an uninformed Christian just spouting what I had heard but never really learning about these that have no voice of their own. It was often by my own choice too, sadly to say, but when God began revealing the plight of unborn babies and scared, hurting mothers I could be blind no more, nor could I be silent. 
I’m not even sure where to start; how to be a voice for these forgotten, silent ones.  Some are silent because their voice has been snuffed out too soon.  Some have no voice because they are hurt or frightened of what may happen if they speak.  Some even have a voice it would seem but that is not their real one,; no, the real one has been buried too deep because of the guilt and pain it brings about.
I do not feel qualified to shared all I have learned…
Two events that stand among many from the past few months are what taught me the most.
One was watching a video with the team in which a doctor met with different women desiring an abortion, all at differing stages of pregnancy, and explain to each what the process would be for that pregnancy at that stage. It was awful.  That’s all I could think of the rest of the week.  How could anybody choose that? How?
The second, a seminar by Abby Johnson, author of unPLANNED. She shared how she rose through the ranks of Planned Parenthood until the day she watched, Watched and helped with, an abortion via ultrasound.  It changed her whole life.  What she shared was heart stopping. 
I wish I could share so much more and truly be the voice crying out for this to stop.  Pleading with Christians to stand up and fight for what is right.  To nobly save the lives of the innocent! To stop the needless holocaust of our day!  What is the difference? Hitler said the Jews were not even people. Is that not what we are being told about these babies?
I also desire to be the voice of those women who have had an abortion.  The ones silently pleading for forgiveness and healing.  The ones lost and confused.  The ones thrown by the wayside and forgotten.  They need a Savior just as we do.  They need and Love deeper than we can give.  They need and Healer of the past and Mender of the future.  They need Jesus Christ.  Should we not reach out?

Love Story

Intention

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
Will bring her into the wilderness,
And speak comfort to her.
I will give her her vineyards from there,
And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope;
She shall sing there,
As in the days of her youth,
As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.

“And it shall be, in that day,”
Says the Lord,
“That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’
And no longer call Me ‘My Master,’
For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals,
And they shall be remembered by their name no more.
In that day I will make a covenant for them
With the beasts of the field,
With the birds of the air,
And with the creeping things of the ground.
Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth,
To make them lie down safely.

“I will betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me
In righteousness and justice,
In lovingkindness and mercy;
I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness,
And you shall know the Lord.

Hosea 2:14-20

The Pursuit

The voice of my beloved!
Behold, he comes
Leaping upon the mountains,
Skipping upon the hills.
My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Behold, he stands behind our wall;
He is looking through the windows,
Gazing through the lattice.

My beloved spoke, and said to me:
“Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away.
For lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone.
 The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of singing has come,
And the voice of the turtledove
Is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth her green figs,
And the vines with the tender grapes
Give a good smell.
Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away!
“O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
In the secret places of the cliff,
Let me see your face,
Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet,
And your face is lovely.”

My beloved is mine, and I am his.
He feeds his flock among the lilies.

Song of Solomon 2:8-14, 16

The Proposal

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”  John 14:1-3

The Rescue

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.  He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.

Revelation 19:11-16

Invitation

And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!  Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”   Revelation 19:6-9

The Wedding

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me,“Write, for these words are true and faithful.”   Revelation 21:1-5

Amazing Morning!

Wow, God is so amazing!  I cannot even begin to put into words the awesome time I had with Him this morning.  First off, I was talking to Him about living a set apart life in not just my inner man (character) but also in my outward man (environment, time, dress, etc.).  Afterwards I read Psalm 75 which was really good but I felt like reading more so I went to my reading schedule (which I have not been keeping up with but God had a reason for that) and read Leviticus 19-23.  It was amazing! There are  at least five verses that spoke about being holy or set apart, I was so excited that I just felt like God put them there for me today!  Then I went into my prayer time, and I have only done this once before, but I made a list of all the urgent prayer requests and as I made the list I added people as they came to mind.  I had no idea why I was praying for some of them, but if they came to mind I wrote them down and prayed for them.  It was the most amazing prayer time I have ever had.  I spoke with God about decisions people had to make, I called out to Jehovah-Jireh and pleaded with Jehovah-Rapha.  I shared my heart with my Beloved and my Father.  I cried; I laughed.  I feel a little weird sharing this stuff with you but I really feel like I need to.  Honestly, this is only the second time I have ever done this and I am so ashamed that I have not called out to God like this on behalf of so many.  That is something I want to change.  I want this kind a prayer to be just like breathing!

That was not the end of my amazing morning, though.  When I got up, in the time it took to wash my face and brush my teeth and one or two other things (about ten minutes), Mama told me about an email we had gotten asking for prayer.  As I read it I just started crying all over again.  It was from one of those people who had happened to pop into my head.  Everything I had prayed for (before reading the email remember) was in that email!  Wow, I am beyond blown away.  I had no idea but God knew and He led me to pray for this precious family and their ministry!

Never, ever think that your prayers are not important!  God hears them and He leads His people by His Spirit to pray for those in need!  I love my Lord and I am falling more in love with Him ever moment!  It is the greatest thing in the world.  I could go on and on, but I am sure it would be repetitive.

Please continue to call out to God daily for those in need and those that He brings to mind.  You never know when it will be life changing for someone, may be even you!

Through Christ,

Lady B

PostScript: I really feel like God must have something big planned, because satan is really on the prowl.
Please pray for those you know and do not know. Pray that God would send in His angels to do battle. That He would raise up warriors willing to fight for Him!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, dear readers!  I hope today finds you filled with love and joy but most of all I hope you will remember why we even have this holiday. 

Remember that today the King of all kings, Majesty and Glory Himself came down from His throne and became the lowest- a child born in a dirty stable to a young girl betrothed to a carpenter.  He came down for one reason; His love for lowly you and me.  His journey was painful and his death excruciating but His love overcame it all.  Now we can know His love and His power as He lives today if we will just except the greatest gift ever given.  He truly made away in a Manger.

Merry Christmas!

Through Christ,

Lady Helen