November 2007 Update - Bila Tserkva, Ukraine

Greg, Edna, Joshua, and Dominic

November has turned out to be our busiest month yet. This month we officially registered with the government (this is now required along with having a visa), started an English Club, took on three English students, introduced a separate worship time at church just for Children’s Ministry, and celebrated Dominic’s 14th birthday at the Claycamp’s house in Kaharlyk on Thanksgiving. We were also blessed with the first snow of the year, something Dominic and Joshua had eagerly been anticipating.

English Club at the Invalid Center

We had been praying about ways that we might be able to serve at the Invalid Center here in Bila Tserkva. Velodia, the director of the center, invited us to come and take a tour to see what goes on there. We were very impressed by all the types of rehabilitation and treatment that are offered there. Infants to young adults are treated for all different types of physical and mental disabilities including learning impairments. They also hold classes for children who because of their handicaps can not attend regular school. That same day we officially started an English Club with several young men and women who meet there every Wednesday with the hope of improving their English skills. (You can read more about what happened that day by clicking HERE to visit our blog.)

We recently had dinner at Velodia’s home with his wife and son to discuss ways in which we could encourage others to volunteer their time at the Invalid Center. Velodia founded the center 11 years ago in response to the complete lack of any programs for the disabled here. He told us that he left his job as an engineer and devoted his life to serving God after his youngest son, Sasha, was born with Cerebral Palsy. Sasha is 19 years old and confined to a wheelchair. He attends the English Club and is one of the most fluent speakers. Velodia explained that his son’s disability is what caused him to question God and ultimately accept Christ. He has been the pastor of a church that he started within the Invalid Center for the last 5 years. We sometimes have combined services with our church and his on Sundays at the center. We feel blessed to see the doors open here for further areas of service.

Dominic's 14th Birthday

Dominic turned 14 this month and since he was born on Thanksgiving, we decided to celebrate his birthday on Thanksgiving this year. We celebrated at the Claycamp’s house in Kaharlyk with other Americans, an Australian, and some Ukrainian friends. (Danny Foote posted a great blog about it so you can read more about our Thanksgiving and Dominic’s birthday by clicking HERE.)

Edna teaching English to Oleg and Kristina

Edna has started teaching English on a formal basis now. She has gone from helping the kids with their English homework to holding scheduled lessons which she prepares herself. She is teaching Kristina , a girl from our church (you can read more about her by clicking HERE), and our landlord’s son, Oleg, on Friday afternoons. She is also teaching Oksana, who lives downstairs, on Monday mornings. We decided to use this as a ministry opportunity and told their parents that Edna would teach them for free. Already this has gone a long way towards building good will with our landlord. They are realizing that we came here with servants' hearts and not to make money off of them.

We decided to do our own worship time with the children at church after getting a very encouraging response from Maxime. We used a worship CD that we got from Calvary Chapel Kyiv to teach the children some new Ukrainian worship songs on Sundays. The children love having their own time to sing their hearts out. (You can read about Maxime's reaction by clicking HERE.)

Yulyk and Dominic after a Bible Study

Dominic’s friend, Yulyk, has been coming over to talk about the Bible with us on Saturday’s. He is a Jehovah’s Witness, so he isn’t allowed to talk to us unless another JW member is with him. Our hope is that while he listens to us tell him about the truth of God’s Word, he will begin to see that what the other JW members are saying isn’t true. We were encouraged the last time he came to visit because he brought his mother, Maia, with him as well as a JW elder. At the beginning of our study I handed Maia a Ukrainian Bible that hadn’t been altered from the original like the JW one she had. (They are only allowed to read JW “bibles” printed by the Watchtower Society.)

After three hours of discussion, the JW elder decided that we didn’t need anymore Bible studies. Edna and I both noticed that Yulyk’s mother had paid careful attention to what I had said and saw that I was telling the truth according to the Ukrainian Bible I had given her to read. We were very encouraged by her interest in wanting to come back again to hear more. Later, we found out that the JW elder had told Yulyk and Maia that I had said that I didn’t want them to come back. Dominic made it clear to Yulyk that he was welcome to come back and that I had never said that I didn’t want them to visit again. We pray that God will use us to bring the truth of His Word to Yulyk and his mother, Maia.

Dominic and Joshua seem to be doing really well in school when it comes to learning the language and culture. Our goal is that they would learn to become part of society here and not feel as much like outsiders. So far, they have been adapting faster than we had expected. I have to admit that while Edna and I are actively studying Ukrainian, we often turn to Dominic and ask, “What’s the word for that in Ukrainian again?” Several times we’ve had to turn to Joshua and ask, “What did that person say? I didn’t understand.” God has blessed us and is making our time of transition here a pleasant time. Thank you for all of your prayers and support. They are greatly appreciated.

Dominic and Joshua really enjoy the snow and are hoping for more.

”Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” –1 Peter 1:13


If I were to ask you why you have believed in Christ, why you have become Christians, every man will answer truly, "For the sake of happiness". -Saint Augustine

Prayer Requests

• That God would continue to lead us according to His plan
• The wisdom to share and defend the Inspired Word of God
• Learning the Ukrainian language and culture
• For the continued growth of the Children's Ministry on Sundays
• For Yulyk and his mother Maia
• Wisdom in sharing the Gospel
• Opportunities for discipleship
• That God would continue to meet our needs
• Health and safety
• That God would move others to serve at the Invalid Center
• Spiritual growth and discernment
• Pray that Edna would have the opportunity to share the saving message of Christ with Maxime’s mother, Vera

Support can be sent to:
Calvary SLO
P.O. Box 1463
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
With an attached note: "For Greg and Edna Silva"


In Christ,
Greg, Edna, Dominic, and Joshua

Our blog: On Second Thought
Our photos: We Desire Him

October 2007 Update - Bila Tserkva, Ukraine

Dominic, Maxime, Joshua, and Veronyka at the park.

We began this month by attending a combined church service with two other local churches at an invalid center here in Bila Tserkva. We were greatly encouraged to hear about what God is doing in other towns and communities. I had the opportunity to meet the director of the Bila Tserkva City Association of the Children-Invalids and their Parents. He invited us to come back to the invalid center early next month to see how we could possibly help out with the children there. Please keep the possibilities of this open door in your prayers.

Dominic and Joshua after church at the invalid center.

Another opportunity for sharing the Gospel recently presented it itself. One of Dominic’s friends from school showed up at our place one morning. He said that he wanted to talk about the Bible with us. Dominic was a little reluctant because his friend, Yulyk, is a Jehovah’s Witness. We prayed about it and decided that it would be a good opportunity to boldly speak the truth of God’s Word. We invited Yulyk and another woman he had brought with him to come in and have a Bible study. It went really well as we were easily able to show them in three different Bibles (Ukrainian, Russian, and English) the answers to the questions they asked. I don’t think Yulyk got the results he was looking for so he promised to come back the following week with more people to “study” the Bible with us. I couldn’t be more excited. Yes, please, bring more people. Praise the Lord.

Edna was in California all this month so the boys and I were on our own. Somehow, the term “the boys” turned out to include Maxime as well as Joshua and Dominic. Shortly after Edna left Ukraine, Maxime began showing up here in the mornings and going back home when it was time for him to go to bed. There were several days when Maxime ate all three meals at our place. I didn’t mind the extra child and it gave us more opportunities to teach Maxime about Jesus. He has been eagerly going to church with us every Sunday. We have witnessed amazing changes in him.

We are also excited about how well the Children’s Ministry at church has been going. The children finally have a time on Sundays that is just for them. I have been teaching from several of the parables of Jesus using a Ukrainian Bible, a Ukrainian Bible activity book, and my limited Ukrainian. So far, I’ve managed to hold their attention and come up with some fun crafts and activities. Now that Edna is back with a bunch of new craft ideas, I’m hoping that the children will be even more excited about learning God’s Word.

Children's Ministry

Our small, but growing church.

I was surprised at all the people here that would ask me when Edna was coming back home. There were several of the girls from our neighborhood who were counting down the days to when “Miss Edna” would be home. I don’t think she realized just how much she was missed. The Lord has given her several opportunities for discipleship with these young girls here.

I’ll let Edna describe her trip to California in her own words:

As most of you know, I took a very sudden and unexpected trip to California. The Lord laid it on my heart to make the trip to see my Mother and Father-in-law, Ann and Rich Silva. Ann had a knee replacement in April which healed up very nicely. Then, in July she stepped into a hole and herniated several discs in her back. She had been in a lot of pain and was left feeling a little depressed from it all. Right before my arrival, she went in for a procedure called an epidural, which is a conservative approach before surgery.

Before I left Ukraine for California, I wrote in my journal that I wanted to come to be a blessing to Ann and Rich, to uplift and encourage my Mom in particular. I wanted to help her around the house with whatever was needed. I just wanted to bless her in any way I could.

I also made a trip to San Luis Obispo and stayed with my very dear friend from Calvary SLO, Tiffany Cook. I stayed for 4 days and had such a wonderful time! I want to thank Tiffany for her kindness and hospitality during our stay. It was so good to see Justin and Arabella again. Thank you, Tiffany for your valuable friendship and unconditional love and acceptance towards me. And thank you for the clothes that you gave to me to take back for Maxime!

I visited Calvary SLO on the same Sunday that Jake & Anya spoke at the church about what’s happening up in Chernihiv, Ukraine. Jake said it the best when he spoke and said that America is cool for a few weeks, and then you want to go home. I wanted to cry when he said that because it is so true. I felt pure indifference visiting my hometown, which I have always loved so much. It just didn’t seem the same to me. I was really missing my real home in Ukraine. God really sealed that in my heart that day and I won’t ever forget it.

Edna, Maia, and Anya

I want to say a big THANK YOU to Pastor Bryan. He gave me a $200 shopping trip to Michael’s so that I could get anything that I needed for the children’s ministry at our church in Ukraine, House of Mercy. And thank you to Cindy Ecret, who gave me a very big bag of her own assortment of different crafts! Thank you to Roxanne Foote who gave me a big bag of books for us and the boys to read. I just felt so full of joy and happiness because those were things that were really needed back home since we began a children’s ministry with nothing but some markers!

”No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.” –Luke 8:16


“As an encouragement to anyone who may desire to preach the gospel in a foreign language, I must mention that the first member of this family who was converted came merely out of curiosity to hear my foreign accent.” -George Muller

Prayer Requests

• That God would continue to lead us according to His plan
• The wisdom to share and defend the Inspired Word of God
• Learning the Ukrainian language and culture
• For the children in our neighborhood and in the church: Maxime, Veronyka, Masha, Oksana, Anya, Angela, Yaroslav, Olena, the twins (Masha & Dasha), Vika, Marina, Katya, and Zhenya.
• For the boys as they adjust to Ukrainian public school
• Wisdom in sharing the Gospel
• Opportunities for discipleship
• Financial provisions
• Health and safety
• For opportunities to serve at the invalid center
• Spiritual growth and discernment
• Pray that Edna would have the opportunity to share the saving message of Christ with Maxime’s mother, Vera

Support can be sent to:
Calvary SLO
P.O. Box 1463
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
With an attached note: "For Greg and Edna Silva"


In Christ,
Greg, Edna, Dominic, and Joshua

Our blog: On Second Thought
Our photos: We Desire Him

September 2007 Update - Bila Tserkva, Ukraine

Dominic and Joshua with their Ukrainian School Books

Dominic and Joshua started school this month and are the first foreigners to attend their school. The name of their school is School No. 16. It was surprisingly easy to get them enrolled. We were so worried about having all the necessary paper work, but they hardly seemed to care when we showed the boys’ papers to the school. The director seemed happy to enroll them, but just needed to make some calls to find out how. He asked us a question that seemed strange coming from someone in a state job. He wanted to know what church we went to and wanted to make sure that we were Christians. He seemed pleased with our answer and the boys both started school the next day. I was in the village helping harvest potatoes so I missed their first day of school, but Edna went with them and met their teachers. Dominic and Joshua both go to the second session of school so they leave home between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. The times vary each day of the week. They get home between 5:00 and 7:00 pm.

School No. 16

Dominic has to move from class to class just like in regular middle school and for the most part he likes his teachers. Since he is learning Ukrainian, his Russian teacher has refused to give him a book or let the other kids help him so he just sits quietly through that class. We decided that one foreign language at a time is enough. His English class is actually turning out to be more difficult than he expected. They teach British English and some of the grammar they teach is incorrect, so Dominic sometimes gets corrected on how he speaks. At least it helps him to understand why some of the kids speak English the way they do.

Joshua only has one teacher and she has been very understanding and patient with him as he learns Ukrainian. We have explained to the school that we are supplementing their education at home with home schooling. Joshua has made several friends in his class, but he is still a little intimidated by how different everything is. When it’s time for Physical Education, all the boys and girls just change in the classroom. The older kids have the privilege of using separate changing rooms, but Dominic said that while the boys’ changing room was being painted, he had to change for PE in the hallway with all the other kids walking by for a week. Privacy has little priority here. Joshua is intrigued by some of the things he has seen at school. He said that one day a younger kid was afraid of something and decided he wanted to go home so he just climbed the fence and ran home. He described it as though it was something like a prison break.

Edna helping Oksana with her English

Now that school has started, several of the kids come over to get help with their English homework. Edna usually helps Oksana from downstairs and I usually help Maxime. It’s so strange to hear Maxime speak English. When we first met him he didn’t know a single word. We taught him to say, “Hey guys” instead of “Hi people”. When I was first learning Ukrainian I would sometimes write out English words phonetically in Ukrainian. It was interesting, but I thought at the time that it was a pretty worthless talent. I never imagined how helpful it would be for teaching Ukrainian children how to properly pronounce English words. Edna’s knowledge of Spanish has also been a blessing as she continues to meet with 15 year old Masha and teach her Spanish. It has been a great opportunity for Edna to disciple and pray with Masha. Masha is shy and dresses conservatively compared to the other kids in school so she is often teased. Edna has been blessed to be able to encourage her and offer her friendship.

Maxime

We have been trying to get Maxime to come to church with us but the answer has always been the same, “My mom says no”. Joshua has continued to pray that Maxime would someday come to church with us, but we were still a little surprised when his mother finally gave him permission to go one Sunday. We ended up cutting church a little short because Joshua was suffering from an ear infection and needed to go to the children’s hospital. Maria, our good friend and language teacher, helped us jump through the hoops of getting Joshua treated. After seeing three different doctors and walking between two different buildings, we were told that Joshua needed to spend the next week in the hospital with an IV in him. We politely declined that treatment plan and settled on twice daily antibiotic injections at home. Maxime was with us the whole time so we took him out to get something to eat before we brought him back home.

Joshua, Dasha, Veronyka, and Masha playing Uno with Edna

The real blessing happened the following Sunday. Dominic and I were out of town up near Chernihiv where Calvary Chapel and like minded churches were meeting for a conference. We had a good father and son time and great fellowship while we were there. Edna and Joshua, who had fully recovered from his ear infection, had looked for Maxime before church, but couldn’t find him. They went to church a little disappointed that Maxime wasn’t with them. During church Edna told me that she heard the door open while they were praying and she looked up to see Maxime and another little girl, named Veronika, standing in the doorway. The two of them had walked to the bus stop and taken the bus all the way across town by themselves to go to church.
The church here had been praying for people to come that would be able to do children’s ministry before we came to Ukraine. There weren’t many children, but it was their hope that if the ministry were there, children would follow. It’s a blessing to see some of the first fruit from our efforts and prays.

(l. to r.) Zhenya, Olena, Vika, Joshua, Masha, Veronyka, and Dasha

Edna left for Visalia, California on the 26th to help my mom while she is dealing with ruptured disks in her back. She hopes to be a blessing there and to return back at the end of October. She is planning to travel over to San Luis Obispo on the weekend of the 20th and 21st of October.

Дім Милосердя (House of Mercy), our church here

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” –Matthew 19:14


“Our faithful God is an ever flowing well of delight, and our fellowship with the Son of God is a full river of joy. Knowing these glorious things, we cannot be discouraged.”
-Charles Spurgeon

Prayer Requests

• That God would continue to lead us according to His plan
• Learning the Ukrainian language and culture
• For the children in our neighborhood and in the church: Maxime, Veronika, Masha, Oksana, Anya, Angela, Yaroslav, Olena, the twins (Masha & Dasha), Vika, Marina, Katya, and Zhenya.
• For the boys as they adjust to Ukrainian public school
• Wisdom in sharing the Gospel
• Opportunities for discipleship and service
• Financial provisions
• Health and safety
• For Edna as she travels and for our household as she is absent from it
• Spiritual growth and discernment
• Pray for the country of Ukraine as tensions are high after the September 30^th elections

Support can be sent to:
Calvary SLO
P.O. Box 1463
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
With an attached note: "For Greg and Edna Silva"


In Christ,
Greg, Edna, Dominic, and Joshua
Our blog: On Second Thought
Our photos: We Desire Him

August 2007 Update - Bila Tserkva, Ukraine

Dominic and Joshua cashing in on scrap metal

This month seems to have gone by quickly, especially for the boys who will hopefully be starting school on Monday (we’re still working on enrolling them). They’ve had a lot of fun and adventures this summer and they’ve made some new friends. I don’t think they’re quite ready to have it end. We don’t have a lot of things around the house to keep them busy, but we’ve noticed that they never seem to get bored. One of the ways they’ve found to entertain themselves and earn a little bit of money is to collect and sell scrap metal. The people next door that they sell it to, Andre and Luda, are really nice people and they get a kick out of the two hard working American boys.

Maxime, the little boy that lives across the street, still comes over to play whenever he can. We took him with us to the river one day and barbequed. We all had a great time and wondered why we hadn’t done it sooner. The night before, Maxime’s mother Vera, came to our apartment and gave us permission to take him. She gave us all a hug and kept telling us thank you. After we got back from the river I printed out some of the picture I took of Maxime and he gave them to his mother. When ever she sees Edna now, she talks to her like she’s an old friend. We are greatly encouraged by how much she has warmed up to us. We are still hoping to take Maxime with us to church one day.

The girls in our neighborhood are always coming by to hang out with Edna, so she decided to have them over for a tea party. We thought it would be a good opportunity to tell the girls what we’re doing here in Bila Tserkva. We had Maria come over to help translate and answer questions. Edna asked one of the girls named Tanya how she was doing in Ukrainian and Tanya just looked at her and didn’t answer. Then one of the girls repeated what Edna had said in Russian and Tanya answered Edna in Russian. Edna thought it was a little strange that Tanya didn’t understand Ukrainian until she told her that she was Russian. Tanya is from St. Petersburg, Russia and was just visiting for the summer. So Tanya turned out to be the guest who had traveled the farthest. The girls all had a good time and a few of them expressed an interest in going to church with us. Edna taught them how to play the card game Uno and it was an instant hit. Two of the girls, Oksana and Anya, stayed until it got dark and their parents called for them.

Edna has always joked about how the time she spent learning Spanish was a waste because she’ll never use it here, but now we aren’t so sure about that. Edna was sitting at the table with a girl named Masha and she told her that if she ever needed any help with her English homework that she could help. Masha was very grateful, but she said the language she really wanted to learn was Spanish. She said that she couldn’t find any books on it or anyone that could help her learn. Her face lit up when Edna told her that she would be more than happy to help teach her. She is planning to come back with her little sister Olha and have Edna teach her some basic Spanish. We still can’t believe what a great opportunity it will be to share with her about Christ. Already, she has had several questions about prayer and the true role of Jesus in our lives.

Anya, Edna, and Joshua on Independence Day

On Independence Day, August 24th, we all went with Anya (one of the girls from the tea party) to a little amusement park in the center of town. She talked us into riding a few rides that left us a little pale to say the least. I guess as adults we’ve kind of forgotten that if it doesn’t make you sick or in genuine fear for your life, then it isn’t fun. The ride that spins you around in a swing suspended by chains was pretty fun though. Edna went on it twice. Anya likes hanging out with “Miss Edna” as she calls her and it gives Edna a chance to get a break from us boys.

Just as we were getting to know Halla and Yaroslav, they moved out of our building. Yaroslav is in the Army so they said they are use to moving, but that Bohdon will really miss Joshua. Halla said that Joshua was always so kind and patient with Bohdon. We’ll miss little Bohdon too.

We met a new friend here in Bila Tserkva named Katya. She has been going to church in Kaharlyk and didn’t really know anyone here until Danny Foote got her in contact with us. She went to church with us here last Sunday and then came by our apartment the next day. She speaks English, but after a few hours we were starting to give her a headache. We promised we’d learn more Ukrainian before next time.

Bohdon and Joshua saying goodbye

Last week we went with Maria and her mother to visit her aunt, Baba Hanya, in the hospital where she was recovering from an injury to her elbow. The conditions we saw in the hospital made us feel grateful that God has kept us all in good health. It was a blessing for us to see how happy Baba Hanya was to meet us and visit with us.

Baba Hanya is now home so we spent yesterday in her small village about 20 minutes away from where we live. We went with Maria’s father, Fedir, her mother, Vala, her sister, Stacia, and a neighbor, Valeri to help Baba Hanya and her uncle, Serhiy, harvest their potatoes. (Maria’s aunt and uncle are brother and sister. Neither of them ever married so they live together in their old age.) As we got off the bus to walk the couple of miles to the village, it began to rain. It made for a beautiful walk as we descended into the misty valley below. The rain stopped just as we got to Baba Hanya’s place. We had a delicious breakfast and then headed for the potato field.

Edna, Baba Hanya, and Dominic

I helped the men dig up the potatoes as Edna and the women gathered them in baskets and then into sacks. The sun came out after awhile, but it didn’t get that hot. It turned out to be a beautiful day for harvesting potatoes. Dominic and Joshua had fun with all the animals. Baba Hanya has chickens, pigs, cats, and a dog named Topeek. Joshua especially liked all the Ukrainian songs that Valeri would sing as we worked in the field.

Me and Edna harvesting potatoes

When it was time to go and we were all cleaned up, they made sure we had plenty of fresh vegetables to take home with us and of course some salo (salted pork fat). Needless to say we were all pretty tired by the time we got home. We took some of the freshly harvested potatoes and made Deroony (Ukrainian potato pancakes) for dinner.

Today both of us are a little sore and a little tired, but we feel so blessed to have been able to help Maria and her family. They have been so kind and helpful to us and are living examples of how Christ is glorified here in Ukraine.

Joshua and Dominic enjoying kvas (a non-alcoholic Ukrainian drink made from black bread)

Now that school is starting and children are back in the city from the villages and from vacations to the sea, we are praying that they would be back in church here. We are starting a children’s ministry in the church here so please pray that the parents would start bringing their children and that more children would be brought to Christ here. We are excited to see what God has planned for these little ones.

Sometimes we are surprised by how well we are received here by our neighbors. Ukrainians are a warm friendly people, but normally only to people they know and accept. So we feel blessed when our neighbor Olya comes to our door to share the food she has prepared or invites us into her home to celebrate her birthday with her family. We feel blessed when the woman that Joshua helps in her garden, who we call Babusya Natalia, brings Edna a bouquet of her best flowers from her garden. And we can’t help but feel blessed when a little old woman who can hardly walk, gathers cooking spices from her garden and offers them to our family. When we first arrived here, we were met with suspicious stares and silence when we offered a greeting. All I can say is that God continues to open doors and soften hearts.


“Now I am happy in my Saviour’s love. I can thank Him for all, even the most painful experiences of the past, and trust Him without fear for all that is to come.”

-James Hudson Taylor

Prayer Requests

• That God would continue to lead us according to His plan
• Learning the Ukrainian language and culture
• For the children in our neighborhood and in the church
• For the boys as we enroll them in school and supplement with home schooling
• Wisdom in sharing the Gospel
• Opportunities for discipleship and service
• Financial provisions
• Health and safety
• Spiritual growth and discernment


Support can be sent to:
Calvary SLO
P.O. Box 1463
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
With an attached note: "For Greg and Edna Silva"


“And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.” – Matthew 18:5


In Christ,
Greg, Edna, Dominic, and Joshua
Our blog: http://m24expert.blogspot.com/
Our photos: www.flickr.com/photos/wedesirehim