Across Ukraine students attend an opening ceremonies that looks like something out of the Oscars. Well, Ukrainian style, outdoors, and not quite as organized. This year two it’s only our two youngest, Abbey and Claire that are attending public school. The others, well, we continue pioneering standards for the no-schooling movement (see Deb for details).

It also marks the beginning of a new year for some of our Lighthouse ministries, including youth, children, and this year our new sewing room. Neat to see how that has emerged and the Lord has kindly provided both material and the hearts to run it.

Skatepark is taking a beating, which is great!

We will be meeting over the next few weeks to pray together, and discern how the Spirit might be guiding us. I’m looking forward to providing some clearer on-ramps for those who desire to deepen their faith, and express it more intentionally in their contexts.

The sewing material and machines finally arrived! Deb and Natasha organizing and prepping to share with some orphanages (shoes, socks, dresses, material, stuffed animals).

Most pressing is the extension of my residence permit, once you turn 45 you need to get a new one.. and my birthday is this week. The time this will take is unknown, which means it could take a while. Without this document, I won’t be able to leave the country.. We have a busy October coming up which requires travel to Belarus and Russia.

Some of this year’s reading. It’s challenging to get hard copies of all of them but I much prefer paper! Benner book has been our favorite. Read at your false-self’s peril.

I just finished my semesters final paper, 30 pages, worth 50% of my grade. There was some wonderful reading this summer, and putting it all into a final document has been rewarding, and exhausting. The title of my paper is “Trinitarian Existentialism.” It might sound confusing, but it’s really just about knowing God within the context of His own revealed personhood (Father, Son, Spirit) and how that might inform our faith
& practice. I’m pretty excited about all I’m learning, and unlearning. This semester “Leading a missional community” couldn’t have come at a more relevant time for us. I’m excited to explore deeper forms of community for the world around us.

We’ve been looking at possible purchase of a house in Pennsylvania. Since our last trip there, and selling our house in Texas, we started to sense a changing season ahead, and one that I think correlates to growing older, prepping to create a homestead, or a US ‘base’ for our children and their families. We have no plans or desires to return to the US full time, but perhaps part time through the year. Deb and I see how a central place might serve to, well, serve our family in this next chapter. Anyway, it’s a consideration that fits within an ever changing vision/outlook how the Lord might be shaping us for future things. Would you pray over this with us?

Deb’s birthday last week. We were suffering from extreme jetlag – so we did smores in the middle of the night instead of a meal and cake 🙂

Thanks for checking in. We are still absorbing and processing the many visits during our travels this trip. It’s neat how we didn’t plan as many stops this time, and less travel, but the conversations and meetings we did have were really cool – the kind you really can’t plan on your own. Thankful!

I’ll be sending out a more private update to our partners & friends. If you are not our MIR monthly (or so) email update, feel free to request a copy by emailing me at bruce@liftupyoureyes.org or message me on social media.

For those who are interested, our Mir Charity projects, which serve not only Ukraine but Belarus, are needing some help to meet this years project budgets. The most pressing is about $2,000 in total to cover our upcoming Worship Conference in Belarus this October. We are anticipating 1,000 youth, musicians, and guests from US/Ukraine. Thank you for your consideration and partnership – for a tax deductible receipt, click here to securely donate online!

As a side personal request, I have been invited to Far East Russia to teach at YWAM base again. I want Deb to come with me and teach 1/2 the course during the day (on prayer) so can also teach evening course on leadership development as an outreach. The tickets are $800, and a brutal 30hr (3 flights) due to air restrictions between Russia and Ukraine – We do not have the funds for this, we just bought a truck for winter and zapped our cash. Send the Deb please! Click here if you don’t need a tax deduction, or here if you do. If you can’t give, pray for this, thanks!

Bruce & Deb