Received back our two oldest Broderic and Bronwyn from the US this holiday season. Enjoying it, amazed how quickly life is moving. We opened presents yesterday & everyone enjoyed watching the littlest ones open gifts with joyous sparkles in their eyes. What would Christmas be without kids?
Trying to get our ice rink use-able but the weather and our local fire department not been cooperative! Using our home hose is an exercise in patience and balancing my wife’s anxiety over water levels 🙂 Tomorrow we are hosting a small Orthodox Christmas, western style, here at our house with friends from Kiev, and Rzyschiv.
Spending most of my time the past few days praying, and now planning our first of several Mir Leadership weekends January 18. Currently 25 are registered, from Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, US and France.. they will descend up on our little town for 2-3 days of prayer, studying together, and spiritual formation as we work towards empowered missional activity. We are doing this by faith, without a specific model to follow besides some guiding principles from scripture. I love working from a blank slate – pioneering together with other sojourning souls.
Several new partners and things to pray about too! Partners in Eastern Ukraine ready and willing, sponsors and another charity entrusting us with a discretionary children’s fund for those in most desperate situations – sometimes my head and heart isn’t sure where to focus attention. I’m reminded recently of the centrality of the Cross, the place where we find life ultimately. There is no life without first death, considering ourselves new creatures, our lives hidden now in Christ – our answers, direction, wisdom, joy all in Him. When we’re not sure where to focus, centering our hearts in this place, the Cross of Christ, is a very safe, and rewarding place to begin!
Thanks for checking in! I lost my tools that track if anyone visits our blog anymore, so I’m not sure if I’m writing to anyone out there, or just posterity. Feel free to shoot me an email or post a comment 🙂
Bruce & Deb