If I had to come up with one word for this year I think it would be “awareness.”
Maybe that would be applicable to most of us as our worlds have been forced into different rhythms. As God dug deep last year, there is now a growing awareness of His constant desire to make us true. It seems it’s not that easy to close the gap between who we really are and who we are meant to be. There is the awareness of the dissonance, as well as an emerging awareness of the love of Christ in it all.
“Just remaining quietly in the presence of God, listening to Him, being attentive to Him, requires a lot of courage and know-how.” – Thomas Merton
The big event for us this year was de finitely our first-born son getting married. And we got to be there! Surprisingly with quarantine and ever changing fl ights.
It was an amazing time of enjoying extended family and celebrating the union of our son Broderic, and new daughter-in-law, Kristin. Our hearts were made full with all the relationships we were able to experience in a short time. We gained a daughter, but our house is becoming smaller in number as Brent left us in the beginning part of the year. Tucker is preparing himself for the future as he watches how his older siblings are handling things. Bronwyn is coming home for Christmas and this mother’s heart couldn’t be happier. Bruce’s health was a big concern this year and we are so thankful that he seems to be doing better, believing he is among a growing community of Covid long-haulers with dysautonomia (ongoing breathing issues). The rest of the family are in good health and spirits.
Thank you friends who continue to love us, pray and support us through all these years. (Deb)
“How can I find the shining word, the glowing phrase that tells all that your loves meant to me, all that your friendship spells? There is no word, no phrase for you on whom I so depend. All I can say to you is this, God bless you precious friend.”
Grace Noll Crowell
Lighthouse celebrated its 7th year! Functionally the cafe was transformed from a restaurant vibe to a co-working space that better facilitated creating a place of community and belonging. It’s become a genuine hub of community activity throughout the week and natural space for deepening friendships.
Although Covid-19 has impacted Ukraine and really hurt our local economy, we’re thankful that we’ve been able to keep the light on at Lighthouse through this trying year. We’ve continued to offer music lessons and youth group, but had to prune back larger community events to maintain the changing quarantine regulations.
2020 was a year of including more friends and neighbors seeking to deepen their relationship with God in missional community. These natural, deepening friendships, centered on participating in Jesus ongoing ministry together brings a lot of joy to our hearts!
“Any movement which has benefited society in the long haul, has at its core a group of people committed to a cause that they consider greater than themselves and to on another as friends.”
James McGregor Burns
This summer we tore down our old garage and began a new mission building project at Lighthouse. This expanded space will allow us to host more mentoring, a larger widows pantry and release our team to explore more ways of creatively engaging our community!
Together, we’ve raised 43% towards our $50,000 goal to build the structure of the 3 story building. With the foundation and basement finished, we now hope to resume construction in the Spring 2021 as the Lord provides.
Would you consider a financial gift towards the mission building?
If travel is permitted in 2021, we hope to host some construction teams from US/Canada in hopes of finishing out the interior. If you tile, paint, do electrical or woodworking, pray about joining!
For checks: Grace City Church
C/O Ukraine Building Project (memo)
1400 East Loop 281
Longview TX -75605
US Donations – Mission Building
Canadian Donations – Mission Building
In 2020, our ministry provided monthly visitation and food care packages for over 300 widows around Ukraine and Belarus. Most of the widows are on government subsidy which is less than $65/month.
In the winter months, the cost of living escalates and many widows sacrifice heat for food, or vice-versa. We target widows that have no immediate family and are longing for human connection. Our vision is to tend to the spiritual, physical and emotional well being of each precious widow. Many widows have prayed and received Christ as Lord, and in some villages regular bible studies and gatherings now take place as we seek to connect the body of Christ to this neglected mission field.
We are now serving Widows in Russia! In 2021 we are working with some new partners and privileged to serve in our third Slavic country!
Thank you World Challenge for your continued support, and for all who pray and contribute to this incredible ministry!
In 2020, we hosted our first widows volunteer weekend in Ukraine. Representing many villages and widows around Ukraine and Belarus, these precious servants are what make the Widows Care ministry sustainable and life-giving. This photo represents less than half of the growing leadership group we are investing in.
‘Razom’ In Ukrainian means together.
RazomGo is our “kickstarter” platform for the Slavic world that we launched at the end of 2019. We believe that together, we can change culture by creating more of it. RazomGo is a vehicle for mass producing cultural shaping business and ministry projects. Our team has grown to now seven project managers, two full time staff, and a growing number of partnerships in the financial, government and private sectors.
In 2020 our platform raised money for a house for homeless seniors, a sensory room for children, emergency supplies for hospitals during Covid, and several more projects. 95% of the funding received was through crowdfunding in the Slavic world, promoting a new sense of generosity and power in collaboration.
By supporting our ministry, you are helping Slavic leaders like Vadim and Aleksa (above) bring hope to an emerging middle class. They are passionate for Christ and are shining for God in many cultural spheres – cool! Because of Covid, we are hosting and participating in many online forums through the week. Pray for us! *All giving is tax-deductible
US Checks to:
Mir Ministries
322 Boerne Stage Air field
Boerne, TX
78006
Canadian Cheques to:
Great Commission Foundation
Account: 552 (Crowe)
PO Box 14006
Abbotsford, B.C. V2T 0B4
CANADA
US DONATIONS
CANADIAN DONATIONS
Thank you Church partners!  Living in Anxious Times Political correctness, diplomacy, empathy, work against real progress in chronically anxious systems as they “undermine excellence by encouraging a society to organize around its most dysfunctional elements.” Friedman “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” The Apostle Paul “We are in danger of becoming a nation of skimmers, living off the risks of previous generations and constantly taking from the top without adding significantly to its essence. Everything we enjoy as part of our advanced civilization, including the discovery, exploration, and development of our country, came about because previous generations made adventure more important than safety.” Friedman To lead is to live dangerously because when leadership counts, when you lead people through difficult change, you challenge what people hold dear – their daily habits, tools, loyalties, and ways of thinking – with nothing to offer perhaps than a possibility.” Heifetz & Linsky “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” Jesus of Nazareth |