The Warfare Continues

It's all about the little things. I think that's really where Satan tries to attack the most. All of the subtle attacks, the ones that aren't even on our radars, causing strife, discontentment, building bitterness - those are the most effective attacks. And that's what Byron and I have been experiencing lately.

I've been on such an emotional roller coaster this week, it's been crazy! And even though I initially knew that we were under a lot of spiritual attack, I forgot that realization around Wednesday and gradually became really discouraged by everything that's been happening to us. Fortunately, the Lord hasn't given up on me, and He reminded me again today that He's in control, and everything that's been going on should encourage us. We are being purified by going through fire. It's never a fun process, but the end results are always amazing.

This week, as we're going through a "trial by fire," we've experienced so much weird stuff... Such as:

Hanging out in our coats as we air out the apartment

-Getting a notice that I still owe $0.76 on my student loans, and that I can't pay for it until I accrue enough interest to make the minimum payment.
-Going to get flyers printed for our concert and the printers' main printer is broken and their backup printer breaks while printing our flyers.
-The magnet on my house keys no longer working to open our apartment building's door.
-Our phones (both of them) not receiving calls consistently (Thank you, Marilyn, for being gracious toward us and for all of your kindness and encouragement).
-Our kitchen sink smelling like rotten food for the last 3 days.
-Our bathroom shower backing up.
-Running out of drinking water.
-Our internet turning off for two days.
-Our internet turning back on, but only one of our laptops can connect to the internet, so we can't both work at the same time.
-Something blue ended up in the washing machine with our whites, and so most of our white clothes are now blue.
-Coming home to an apartment filled with smoke because I left one of the burners on all day by accident. Of course, this happens while we have a guest staying with us. Thankfully, our guest is really kind, and he said he didn't mind going out to have pizza for dinner. [Thank you, Berci, for being so gracious toward me : ) ]
-Having to air out the apartment by opening all of the windows, even though it's 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 Celsius).
-Having problems controlling my blood sugar for the last two days.
-No matter how much we sweep, there is an unfathomable amount of dust bunnies in our apartment.


By themselves, none of these things are that big of a deal. But all together, they build up to become a huge discouragement. Regardless of all of this craziness, we know that God is sovereign, and that He's doing something awesome here in Ternopil.

After sharing how we've been attacked, we want to share praises:

-Our apartment didn't catch on fire when the stovetop was left on.
-With a little elbow grease, our shower is clean and draining a little better.
-After a few cups of white vinegar, our kitchen sink is smelling better.
-A friend gave us an odor neutralizer spray that really works.
-We were able to get printed the necessary items before the printer broke down.
-Blue is a very becoming color for us.
-Our favorite pizza place is open late :)
-Regardless of everything, Jesus died for us, and we are saved by grace through faith, and we're here in Ukraine, proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ!

As we press on during this time of struggle, we ask for your prayers. Please pray for the work that the Lord is doing here in Ukraine. Even after living here for just 6 weeks, it's really clear that Ukraine is spiritually active, and we're caught in the middle of a serious battle for the souls of people here. Please pray for the concert that's tomorrow... for all of the details, that people would come and be blessed. Please pray for salvation to be had, and Jesus to be seen clearly, and for there to be no room for discouragement.

Blessings,
Emily