Progress … (June 2018 Update)
In 1 Timothy 4:15, Paul tells Timothy, “Practice these things; be committed to them, so that your progress may be evident to all” (Christian Standard Bible, Holman). He is speaking about the importance of developing and using the spiritual gifts that God had given to Timothy. Progress is essential to the Christian life — If we are not growing, we are actually slipping back. While this is most important spiritually, it is also important in every area of our lives.
If anything could describe this last month, it would be the idea of progress. This month has been a difficult one but thankfully, not as tough as last month! In every area, we have see much progress — hopefully, our spiritual progress however, will be most evident to those around us.
Health Progress …
One of the best things last month was my health progress. Although I still have a lot of difficulty breathing when I overexert, I am feeling much, much better. First, the doctor stopped all my medicines and I saw an almost immediate improvement. It seems that they saw the BP spikes of 180 and decided I needed BP medicine. But outside of the skipes, my BP is usually 100/60. So the medicine was dropping down to 80/40 and as low as 60/30! Then I would take more medicine to get the pressure back up resulting in high pressures again and so on. It was a real roller coaster– just not fun! Now my pressures are between 100/60 and 110/70 consistently. So consistent that we rarely even check the pressure any more. That’s great progress and is the biggest reason I am feeling better.
Second, I have begun some light exercise each day. My biggest problem is the pulmonary hypertension. When I am doing normal things, I don’t feel any problems. But when I have the least bit of exertion, I get really winded and light-headed and have to rest. This condition is not treatable but it can be controlled. That is why I am trying to be consistent in exercise to develop some cardio-pulmonary strength. Right now, my exercise is mostly stretching and some resistance band exercises (I cannot do any weights because of the pressure it puts on my lungs). I’m also walking daily (see below) and riding my bike. Soon I will begin a light cardio workout so that I can hopefully increase my oxygen output. Right now, I get really tired even from one flight of stairs. Even when I ride my bike, I have to stop and rest after even the smallest incline. I hope to purchase a stationary bike so I can continue the cardio routine even when the bad weather returns. But I have seen great progress in this area.
Third, I have been using a CPAP machine to handle the sleep apnea problem. This has been a great blessing and I‘m finally sleeping consistently now. I will have a follow-up test soon to see what progress I have made with the sleep apnea problem.
Finally, we experienced another of God’s blessings in disguise. After my last sleep study, our car started making a strange noise and stopping running completely after I got home. The problem seems to be a fuel pump failure and possible diesel turbine problem. Since the car is French, they have to order the parts from France and it will take at least a month. So we have been without a car now almost a month. But, God’s timing was great. I just finished all my classes for the year and we are able to spend more time at home. We walk 15 minutes to catch a bus when we need to go into town and I ride my bicycle to the store and buy as much as my backpack can hold. So the exercise and the slower lifestyle without a car has been a blessing in disguise. Even so, we are awaiting word that the part has arrived so they can begin work on the car.
Ministry Progress ..
While summer is a time for some rest and recharging, that does not mean it is a time to stop ministry. While classes are over, I still have papers to grade from them. Last month, I finished the final papers from the BIblical Counseling course I taught in March. This month, I will be working on grading papers from the Research and Writing class from MAy.
Additionally, summer is a time to complete syllabii for next semester and get things posted on our website. I am planning to teach one less class this semester so I am hopeful that I will be able to get some additional rest so I can recover physically. Finally, I am still doing some premarital counseling for one couple.
Progress on the House …
Even with all the health issues, we still had some things to get finished on the house this summer. We were able to have the house painted and the fence put up as well as putting in a number of aesthetic features. I built a stone walkways and also put in a place where we will have a small waterfall and pool. Katya has been busy putting in flowers and everything is really looking great! It is nice to have all the construction equipment and scaffolding gone now too and we are starting to see the grass we planted coming in nicely.
I also built another place for kindling storage and it is almost completely full. We should have enough for a couple of years. I also spent a lot of time chopping up wood (from our leftover building materials) that we will use for kindling. So we are getting ready for winter even though it is still summer.
We have our garden in and we have already been eating peas and radishes. Tomatoes and green beans should be coming in this next month as well as zucchini and other vegetables. June is Cherry Month for us! We have so many cherries that we have been sharing this with friends and family and freezing what we cannot eat. We love eating cherries almost daily and we use them also to make compote (a fruit drink). We also had a small crop of strawberries that were eaten before we could even get them into the house! Pretty soon the pears and apricots will be ready. Then we will have apples in September. We have really loved having a garden and we will have garden fresh vegetables and fruits into the winter!
Family Progress …
The girls are continuing to grow rapidly. Nadia is now i what we call the “translator stage.” She is competent in both English and Russian and, often, if I don’t understand something in Russian, we proudly translates it into English for me! Nadia is also sleeping in a “big bed” now and is potty trained.
Kristina is working on letter recognition and pre-reading skills. We will begin homeschooling this fall and we are excitedly waiting for the books to arrive so we can start planning.
Both girls love being outdoors and they love flowers. They also like helping with the garden and picking cherries and helping Dad with clean up. They have learned to do the hula hoops even though the hoops are a bit big for them! They love swinging and throwing a frisbee and going on nature hikes and bike rides. We are enjoying seeing them grow up so quickly!
Progress for Ukraine …
We haven’t seen much progress in terms of the war in the east. Everything remains the same — Russia continuing to bring more arms into Ukraine while denying it and the Russian-backed forces in Eastern continue their attacks daily. Please continue to pray for peace in Ukraine!
But when we look at Ukraine today compared to when I first came to teach in 1996, the progress is amazing. And even the progress over the last 5 years is evident. But Ukraine has a long way to go.
In terms of ministry in Ukraine, we see much progress. We now see our graduates planting new churches, serving as chaplains, and leading youth ministries. It is amazing to see the progress of the evangelical church in Ukraine! Pray that this will continue and increase no matter what the circumstance are in the country!
Progress in Support …
For the last few months, we have been praying for two new families to join our financial support team. This past month, we received notes from two friends who plan to begin their support of us in the next month. This will help us tremendously. Additionally, a couple of our supporting churches are sending us some extra finances to help with medical bills and travel costs. We are so grateful for you and your support! I have heard missionaries often say that their supporters are their “lifeline.” We can certainly say that about our support team. We are blessed by your faithfulness, your generosity, and your prayers!
By His Grace,
Jim and Katya
Kristina and Nadia
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