Dear Friends and Family,
We have had a lot going on this last month. God has opened some huge doors for us, which has been totally amazing, and we plan to tell you all about everything.
Over the last few months, since we've moved to Donetsk, we've really been changing a lot. We've learned a lot about God and how He guides us. We grown to love the Bible in a really intimate way. We've discovered the importance of waiting when God says to wait. And all of it has really shaped us into new people.
During our Thursday night service, which is currently being held at our apartment, we were talking after our study of Galatians, and the "Old Man" came up.
If you don't know who the "Old Man" is, this verse explains it all:
"If indeed you have heard Him [Jesus] and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." - Ephesians 4:21-24
When we were all talking about the "Old Man," we also talked about how amazingly freeing it is that we don't have to be that person anymore. That's the beauty of Christianity. That's the beauty of being a follower of Jesus. That's the beauty of the cross, of having a relationship with the Creator, of being able to come to the Father's throne with boldness... We get to be new people who have thrown off the "Old Man," and we get to live forever with God.
Lately, Byron and I have been reading through the Psalms, and it's helped us to understand God's character like never before. And especially with everything that's been going on in Ukraine politically lately, it has been so encouraging to read the Psalms and be reminded that God loves justice, and He is the God of the weak, the orphaned, the poor, and you and me.
Over the last month, a lot has happened... We had been praying for a while that God would guide our steps... When we first moved to Ukraine (almost 1 1/2 years ago), we thought we had no idea what we were doing. But, in Ternopil, we served with an already established church, so that did give us a lot of security and safety. But when we moved to Donetsk, we were really on our own, and didn't have the slightest idea of what steps to take to get from point A to point B. But as we prayed for wisdom, and you prayed with us, God gave us wisdom and showed us the path to take.
Just yesterday, we were talking about how we know all of these awesome people in Donetsk now, and when we first got here, we were totally alone and just praying that God would send people to us. And He did! We really thought Donetsk would be such a lonely place for us, but God has blessed us so much and given us so many new relationships - it's just amazing.
But, these relationships were gradual. God didn't send us new friends over night. He put one or two people into our lives at a time, and soon, we had a new group of friends that we could call family. It was a process that took time - And that's how it's been with pretty much everything.
Although we've been lazy about blogging, I think we also were having a hard time blogging because we were a little unsure of what to say. We could see and feel God working in many ways, but we didn't know what the end result would be, or the direction it would send us in, so we didn't want to talk about what was happened because we didn't want to step out in front of the Lord.
But, just recently, many things have become more concrete, and it's time to begin sharing again.
So, I'm sorry for the cliff hanger - but if you want to know more, you'll have to check in on Monday. We'll be calling it, "The Update Series." :)
May the Lord bless you and keep you,
Emily
We have had a lot going on this last month. God has opened some huge doors for us, which has been totally amazing, and we plan to tell you all about everything.
Over the last few months, since we've moved to Donetsk, we've really been changing a lot. We've learned a lot about God and how He guides us. We grown to love the Bible in a really intimate way. We've discovered the importance of waiting when God says to wait. And all of it has really shaped us into new people.
During our Thursday night service, which is currently being held at our apartment, we were talking after our study of Galatians, and the "Old Man" came up.
If you don't know who the "Old Man" is, this verse explains it all:
"If indeed you have heard Him [Jesus] and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." - Ephesians 4:21-24
When we were all talking about the "Old Man," we also talked about how amazingly freeing it is that we don't have to be that person anymore. That's the beauty of Christianity. That's the beauty of being a follower of Jesus. That's the beauty of the cross, of having a relationship with the Creator, of being able to come to the Father's throne with boldness... We get to be new people who have thrown off the "Old Man," and we get to live forever with God.
Lately, Byron and I have been reading through the Psalms, and it's helped us to understand God's character like never before. And especially with everything that's been going on in Ukraine politically lately, it has been so encouraging to read the Psalms and be reminded that God loves justice, and He is the God of the weak, the orphaned, the poor, and you and me.
Over the last month, a lot has happened... We had been praying for a while that God would guide our steps... When we first moved to Ukraine (almost 1 1/2 years ago), we thought we had no idea what we were doing. But, in Ternopil, we served with an already established church, so that did give us a lot of security and safety. But when we moved to Donetsk, we were really on our own, and didn't have the slightest idea of what steps to take to get from point A to point B. But as we prayed for wisdom, and you prayed with us, God gave us wisdom and showed us the path to take.
Just yesterday, we were talking about how we know all of these awesome people in Donetsk now, and when we first got here, we were totally alone and just praying that God would send people to us. And He did! We really thought Donetsk would be such a lonely place for us, but God has blessed us so much and given us so many new relationships - it's just amazing.
But, these relationships were gradual. God didn't send us new friends over night. He put one or two people into our lives at a time, and soon, we had a new group of friends that we could call family. It was a process that took time - And that's how it's been with pretty much everything.
Although we've been lazy about blogging, I think we also were having a hard time blogging because we were a little unsure of what to say. We could see and feel God working in many ways, but we didn't know what the end result would be, or the direction it would send us in, so we didn't want to talk about what was happened because we didn't want to step out in front of the Lord.
But, just recently, many things have become more concrete, and it's time to begin sharing again.
May the Lord bless you and keep you,
Emily
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