Dominic took this photo of us in a park in Dnipropetrovsk
We began the month by having our Church Christmas Service on January 4th, a few days before Orthodox Christmas on January 7th. We had guests from other churches in Bila Tserkva as well as from our sister church in Kyiv. Along with a Christmas message came lots of opportunity for singing by several of the children and adults. The women in the church did a skit about the wise and unwise virgins waiting on the Bridegroom and the children did a presentation telling how they were little lights during this Christmas season pointing the way to Jesus. We were happy to see Joshua do his part all in Ukrainian this year without making a mistake. He say's he'll memorize it next year. He really has surpassed us in learning Ukrainian.
Joshua reading his part of the presentation
Fedir singing with his daughters, Maria and Nastya
Of course the girls did a great job singing together. Nastya, Veronika, Zhenya, and Maria on the piano.
Thanks to Samaritan's Purse and some churches in England, all the children received boxes with candy and small gifts in them including gloves, scarves, hats, and a few other useful items. The kids really look forward to this part of the Christmas service each year. We know that for some of the children, these were the only gifts they got for Christmas.
Children opening presents after church
Maxime, Joshua, and Dominic opening their presents. (Dominic especially likes Hedgie the hedgehog.)
This year we spent Ukrainian Christmas in the town of Pryluky with members of the Calvary Chapel there. The church there is all Ukrainian as all the American missionaries have either moved on to other cities in Ukraine or elsewhere in the world. You can read about our time in Pryluky by clicking HERE.
Here's a video of Yana from Pryluky playing guitar and singing Silent Night on Christmas Eve.
We were really blessed to have Yana, Tanya, Bohdan, Kolya, and Vlad from Pryluky come and spend a weekend with us and help us out with worship music at church. You can read about our time with them by clicking HERE. Vlad helped us pick out a guitar to buy here so that Nastya and I can start learning to play with Vlad's help. A girl that is new to our church, is also giving Nastya a guitar to practice with so hopefully she will be able to lead worship with guitar someday. I'll be doing my best to learn, but I need a lot of prayer.
We are also planning to do a playground restoration project with the church from Pryluky in March. It has been on our hearts to help restore the playground in our neighborhood making it safer and once again beautiful for everyone. The guys from Pryluky have offered to help which will finally make it possible for us to bless our neighbors and reach out to them as a church.
Bohdan and Yana helping out with worship at our church this month
We have been praying about the various English Clubs we are involved in and have decided to hold our Thursday night club in our home instead of at the public building where we have church. We felt that our home was a more comfortable setting and after having the club meet at our home, we're sure it's the right direction to go. We are still meeting for English Club at the University on Mondays, but that may change if we can get everyone into our home on Thursday nights. We'll just have to see how the Lord leads us in this area. Of course, on Tuesday, we still get together with our small group of English speaking Ukrainians for fellowship.
Thanks to everyone who has helped us keep the Children's Ministry crafts fun and interesting for them. From left to right: Sasha, Maxime, Kristina, Joshua, Zhenya, and Lusya. (Sasha had a good time but, she was just trying to look serious for the picture.)
Lately, we feel that the Lord has been leading us to start a Bible study in our home on Friday nights. (Edna will still try to make trips to Kyiv to visit the AIDS orphans in the hospital during the day on Fridays for as long as she is able.) Several people from our church have asked if we could do something like that. A few people that we know outside of church said they would be interested as well since they want to learn about the Bible, but don't really feel comfortable going to church. Our neighbor Olya, would like to come as well since here physical handicap keeps her from being able to go to church. This will leave us with only Saturday as our free day to spend as a family. We're trying not to become over committed and to manage our time wisely, but it's a struggle. There is so much to do and the workers are few.
Maxime all bundled up against the cold
I'm sure all of you are aware that the financial crisis in the United States has had a ripple effect around the world. Ukraine has been hit especially hard. Not only have prices for food and other products risen sharply, but jobs and wages have been reduced at the same time. Unemployment is high and a lot of people with jobs have had their salaries cut in half or aren't being paid at all. They have been told that this could go on until May or longer. (We've learned that Maxime's father won't be getting paid for his work as a plumber until May. We are trying to help them out by having him do some plumbing work in our apartment.) Combined with the threat of having natural gas turned off and an increasingly unstable government that has almost ceased to remain functioning, these are the times when Ukraine most needs to here the message of Christ. Please pray that God will use all that is happening here for His Glory.
Not to seem too pessimistic about things, I thought I'd share this photo I took of a woman skiing in high heels on the river. There are a few things we can still laugh about.
"But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." - Jeremiah 17:7-8
"If you hope for happiness in the world, hope for it from God, and not from the world." - David Brainerd
Нехай Бог Благословить Україну
(Let God Bless Ukraine)
(Let God Bless Ukraine)
Prayer Requests
• Please pray that God would provide for us financially so that we can continue these ministries during difficult times.
• For wisdom, guidance and God's leading in how we manage our time.
• For direction as we plan to start a Bible study in our home on Friday nights.
• For our Ukrainian language studies and for our language teacher, Nadya.
• For a skilled worship leader at church and for guitar lessons for Greg and Nastya.
• That the churches we met with in America would keep us (Ukraine) on their hearts and minds and in their prayers.
• That Edna's kidney stones will pass soon.
• Pray that Maxime would continue to grow in Christ. That nothing would hinder him from coming to church on Sunday, or being able to stay with us here at home.
• That God would raise up others outside (or inside) of Ukraine to serve in Bila Tserkva.
• For continued friendships that lead to Christ being made known as a personal Savior.
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
