News and Updates
With day 1 Roma camp coming to an end, we are all feeling quite exhausted. It is not so easy to keep up with 19 Roma teenagers running around with "unlimited" energy.Anyway, we met some awesome Roma teens also. It is truly amazing to see God's people who has a desire to follow him live a life pleasing Him.
So busy and so fast!That's what went through my mind today as we were going through the first lesson for the Roma kids - God calling David to be anointed as King of Israel.
Even with registration being prolonged from one hour to two and some hours in order to collect all the kids via minivan, the day was just stuffed from one end to the other - so much so that I actually couldn't take pictures of everything!
Highlights probably go to the first time doing worship for this camp, along with all the creativity during crafts time, the well-mannered behavior during meals, and a really rousing bedside fellowship that is going on even as I type!
Just some prayer points that were going through my head as we end this day off:
- Pray to thank God for our kids! This year, about half our kids came back from last year, and we actually had more kids coming from the Roma camps than we anticipated! We hope to lead all of them into becoming future heroes and leaders in their camps for God!
-Pray to ask God for wisdom and flexibility. Finding out that the English words "Get Up" had some...unsavory...homonyms in the Gypsy tongue lead to us having to cut that worship song from our list. And we've also had to adjust locations for our worship/crafts/meeting area due to changing circumstances. I'm sure there are lots of other little things that we'll have to adjust for to improve this year's camp, but we'll need the adapting spirit, the trust in God, and some inspired initiative if we are to tackle all of them effectively.
-Praise God for our translators! Lara, Sasha, Mark, and our new translator, Joshua, are all incredible in their commitment to the Roma kids, and they've pulled more than their weight and then some not only with being translators, but also as guides, mentors, handymen, porters...you name it, they rolled up their sleeves and pitched in to help us side by side. Pray that God will bless their hearts and protect their minds and bodies in the coming days.
-Pray for our hosts, the owners and operators of the hotel that we are using for this year's Roma camp. They were a great help to us last year, but this year they've renovated most of the hotel and have a bigger client base using their facilities. As a result, there is some friction between their regular operations and our Roma camp that did not exist last year. Pray for openness on both our part and on the part of the owners, that we can anticipate each other's needs and coordinate to better benefit each other. Pray also that God will move in the hearts and minds of the owners and their clients, that they can continue to look past local biases towards the Roma and see and treat them as they are and deserve to be: as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
If you were expecting pictures, don't worry - there will be some coming up soon, I promise! For now though, I leave you with one concluding thought about today: Everything went better than expected.
There is a joke in Canada about an Eastern European immigrant that had recently arrived that refused to cross at pedestrian crosswalks at intersections - even when the light indicated she could cross.When asked point blank by her relatives why she did that, she replied that she didn't like how all the cars just stopped in front of the crosswalk - it was if they were waiting for her to cross so that they could aim for her!
Thankfully, this is just an exaggeration of driving habits outside of North America, but there still must be something to be said for the...greater liberties...that our foreign drivers take while on the road.
For those of you who have not ventured out to Ukraine or other parts of Eastern Europe, you must understand that roads in Ukraine are rarely bigger than a single lane in each direction, and that in the immediate region surrounding the House of Mercy, they are not maintained with a dedicated amount of care - resulting in lots of pot holes and uneven surfaces.
There are also few traffic lights to direct and control traffic, and most police members have more important things to do than to direct traffic or chase speeding motorists - though when I asked Sasha and Mark, they said that the police were responsible for administering qualification exams for driver licenses.
All this combines to create an "anything goes" atmosphere when it comes to driving. Even on a simple trip to the supermarkets just yesterday, Sunday, I was somewhat amazed by the number of maneuvers that in Calgary would have all been considered near misses - and grounds for a stern talking-to from a traffic officer, if not an outright ticket or license revocation.
Still, this also goes to show how hardy the Ukranian people are when it comes to taking everyday risks on the road - and how far God is willing to go to protect his squishy sons and daughters when they come to a foreign land to enact his will.
And on the bright side, we have encountered virtually no traffic congestion since arriving. Take that, Crowfoot Trail!
Yes....today is the day for the first day of camp kick off. Our Ukraine team met together for our team devotion and prayer before our busy day..Go Team Go....(sorry, my hands are holding on the iPad). Go Mercy Go....Go Roma Go....
We learnt from Psalm 32 today about confessionConfessionConfession Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God. Almighty and most merciful Father,we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep,we have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts,we have offended against thy holy laws,we have left undone those things which we ought to have done,and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us,spare thou those who confess their faults,restore thou those who are penitent,according to thy promises declared unto mankindin Christ Jesus our Lord;and grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake,that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life,to the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.The Almighty and merciful Lord grant us absolution and remission of all our sins, true repentance, amendment of life, and the grace and consolation of his Holy Spirit. Amen.
Psalm 321 Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, *and whose sin is put away!2 Happy are they to whom the LORD imputes no guilt, *and in whose spirit there is no guile!3 While I held my tongue, my bones withered away, *because of my groaning all day long.4 For your hand was heavy upon me day and night; *my moisture was dried up as in the heat of summer.5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, *and did not conceal my guilt.6 I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD." *Then you forgave me the guilt of my sin.7 Therefore all the faithful will make their prayers to you in time of trouble; *when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach them.8 You are my hiding-place;you preserve me from trouble; *you surround me with shouts of deliverance.9 "I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go; *I will guide you with my eye.10 Do not be like horse or mule, which have no understanding; *who must be fitted with bit and bridle,or else they will not stay near you."11 Great are the tribulations of the wicked; *but mercy embraces those who trust in the LORD.12 Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the LORD; *shout for joy, all who are true of heart.
This will be the first day of the Roma camp, and my first time ever of teaching to a group that does not speak English.Truth be told, even though Uncle Tomson and Auntie Lisa assure me that this year camp will be very easy, I am still somewhat nervous. Let me take courage in Christ then, when the time comes.
Meanwhile, review, review, review...
For the House of Mercy camp, we have invited one of the most famous Bible character....Paul (Daniel), to join the children camp.
Weather has been quite hot in Ukraine recently. In order to keep up with the weather, we have to drink a lot of water. Other than the water we drink during meal time, each team member has to keep themselves hydrated. Here are our Ukraine size water bottles....not the typical 500 ml size. We use the supersize 1500 ml bottles....
This year's Roma camp will be focusing in leadership training and development with our Roma teens. The camp site will be about a short drive from House of Mercy in a retreat centre. We will be expecting about 20 teens from four different nearby settlements.For this week's Roma Camp, please feel free to pray for us according to our schedule below....remember to add 9 hours ahead to your time in Calgary, then you will get the Ukraine time.
After the breakfast time with the team and hang our a bit with the house of mercy team, the Roma team headed out to a retreat centre to get ready for the Roma teens camp...
House of Mercy and Roma Camp will be starting tomorrow morning. Both teams were busy today setting up the camp and preparing for the big day tomorrow. Ukraine time is about 9 hours ahead of Calgary. Please pray for us as we starting the first day of camp. Please pray for the physical health for everyone as we are struggling a bit with the heat and jet lag.The Sun is hot especially around noon time. Pray for our spiritual preparation for the camp and coordination with all our helpers and translators.....
Here are a few more snap shots...
This year's House of Mercy camp has involved lots of local teenagers as leaders for the Camp. It is truly amazing to see the children who used to attending the children camp, now coming out to serve and lead as leaders.......Praise God!You see we have started final preparation work.....all the teenagers are busy preparing and studying the camp materials.
Andrew and Lisa are our Roma camp song leaders. They are having a blast in practicing the camp songs.
Ukrainian birthday songs and well wishes for the people who had their birthday yesterday.
House of Mercy team preparation meeting with the craft team helpers. The older teenagers from House of Mercy will be helping and leading different programs. It is amazing to see them grow and start serving in this capacity....
Each team is busy getting things set up for the Camp. Here is the Roma team preparation meeting with our helpers. Today is a hot day.... you can feel like you are melting under the Sun.
Ukraine team Sunday worship with the House of Mercy children
One of the many important celebrations in House of Mercy will be birthdays. Yesterday night as we arrived to House of Mercy, we joined in the birthday celebration of 2 staffs and 2 children. It is amazing to see 4 people with the same birthday.
Uncle Tomson has already posted a few pictures from his tablet, thanks to roaming access to the internet. Let me fill out the story now that we have safely arrived at HoM and connected back to the internet.Our team prepares to board the cross-atlantic flight to Amsterdam
Finally on board! We get dinner, breakfast, and a snack as we fly to Amsterdam, then transfer to Budapest.
At Budapest, we meet up with a minibus to cross the Hungary/Slovakia/Ukraine border and reach the House of Mercy.
Finally, after many long hours, we arrive, safe and sound!
Thank you for all your prayers of protection! Now God's work through us can truly begin!
We have arrived at House of Mercy safely. It is a great time to see familiar faces and children growing up......such a happy time.....
We have arrived at House of Mercy safely. It is a great time to see familiar faces and children growing up......such a happy time.....
