August is a month of preparation for us. With classes starting at the end of the month and time to put syllabi together and post online, August can be very busy. There are many opinions and views about the return of Christ. But two things are absolutely certain: Christ will return, and we must be ready! While there is a lot of debate over various approaches to eschatology, all views agree with these two certainties. But many often neglect being prepared for His return by spending lots of time searching the Scriptures to find a prophetic clue about the time of His return instead of using the time to serve Him more fully. Jesus warned: “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” He then reminds us about what is most important: “Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.” What matters most is not our eschatological view, but being ready—waiting and watching and serving while we are waiting for His return.
Preparing for Classes …
In just a few weeks, classes will begin again at Kiev Theological Seminary. In July, I worked on syllabi for the fall classes and this month I am putting the classes online for students and getting my notes and PowerPoints ready for the coming semester. First, I will be co-teaching a class on Christology and Soteriology with Eric Oldenburg the second week of September. Then we will be having 2 weeks of English Club outreach at Shevchenko National University in Kiev. This means that my September is completely full! Be praying for my health and strength this coming month. It will be my first time teaching again since my health complications in May.
In October, I also have 2 classes to teach. First, I will be teaching a Church planting class at the beginning of October. Then I will head to Lviv to teach a class on the Theology of Prayer and Worship. So September and October will be very busy months – and we also need to get everything ready for our trip back to the states in November. Pray for my health and also for time management!
Preparing for Harvests …
We have been busy working in July and August collecting and conserving our harvests for the winter. This is especially important for us in Ukraine because our growing season is so short and because prices for vegetables and fruits can be much higher in the winter. Because Ukraine does not have the logistical system (transportation of goods), it is often not possible to get many products in the winter unless they are imported from warmer climates at a much greater price.
So we have been working on conserving our harvests. We now have our freezer full with corn and green beans and fruits. We have our pantry almost full with jars of fruits and tomatoes and juices for the winter. But, because we are running out of storage space, we decided to try our hand at dehydrating what we cannot freeze or can. We are drying various herbs, green beans, red peppers, celery, beets, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, apples, pears, and other fruits and vegetables. We have taste tested a few of these already and they taste great. So hopefully, our dehydrating work will also help to extend our harvests in to the winter. After dehydrating some strawberries, I gave the girls a piece to try. Nadia said, “No, papa, we need to save these for the winter!” Even the girls are starting to understand the process!
In addition to preparing harvests, we are also getting ready for winter by purchasing our wood for heating. Wood here (cut, split and stacked) is inexpensive (although 25% higher than last year). Usually in the states, I paid over $100 for a cord of wood. Here, I usually purchase about 5 cords for the winter for about $150 total!!! It is exciting to see the wood shed filled and know that we will start burning in about a month. Heating with wood has been one of my favorite things to do since living in CT. It is some extra work but the savings are worth it. And we love the smell and feel of wood heat!
Getting Prepared for Homeschool …
This year will mark the beginning of our homeschooling adventure in Ukraine. We received some books and advice from a homeschooling friend in the states and we have purchased our curriculum for this year. Debbie and I homeschooled all our children and loved the experience – except for the amount of time planning the schedule each week. Back then, there were not as many helps as are available now. Then, we chose what we felt was the best material for every subject and the result was a good education but a lot of work trying to coordinate materials from various publishers. This year, we are trying something different – we are using a complete curriculum from My Father’s World. It is a Charlotte Mason approach that emphasizes literature and music and art and outdoor science activities. We are looking forward to getting started! We hope the kids feel the same!
The girls continue to grow and amaze us. Nadia is in her “translator” phase. She thinks she has to translate things into English for me. For example, grandma might say, “Look, Nadia, there’s a cow” (in Russian). Nadia will say, “Look, Papa, there’s a cow” (in English). I think she thinks I don’t understand Russian (and often I didn’t). Kristina is still my go-to translator. If we are out at the store or the market and I don’t understand something, I will ask Kristina what the person said and she translates it for me without hesitation. It is really fun to see how they are growing up bi-lingual.
A few of you asked why I didn’t give a health report in our last update. I just forgot. And I was feeling pretty good that day. My days are up and down. Some days I feel great like I have no health concerns. Other days, I feel like I can hardly get my breath and like I’m having a heart attack. All I can do is lay down and relax until it passes. It is a scary reminder that I have to take it easy. When I over exert, my lung cannot produce enough oxygenated blood for my body and it feels terrible. I’m still working on light exercise (mostly stretching) and hoping I can increase my oxygen capacity little by little. So, I guess I can say that my health is not good still but usually it is stable. Please continue to pray for me, especially these next two very busy months!
A Short Vacation to the Carpathian Mountains …
We have been trying to find time to escape to the Carpathian Mountains in Western Ukraine for the last 3 years. But with building our house and trying to get all our personal documents together, we have not been able to go. We almost didn’t make it again this year. But we decided to go at the last minute and spent 5 days there. We had a great time there relaxing, visiting friends, seeing a castle, hiking and picking blackberries (and making jams!). The place where we stayed even included an unexpected surprise — a children’s swimming pool! Every day we would hike after lunch and return in the evening to a short “swim” in the pool to cool off. We also had a small place where we could cook so we cooked all our meals, including cooking on the small hibachi as much as possible. (more pictures at the end of this update).
One special treat for us was attending a baptism in the river. Some of our friends attend this church and invited us to join them early in the morning before church for a special baptism with 3 new churches from the area. What a blessing! It was made even more special when I realized that one of the pastors baptizing was one of my students in Lviv! What a great joy to see first hand how God is using him in leading others to Christ in a new church plant in a nearby village!
Preparing Ministers …
The military situation in Ukraine continues to be “stable” even though the fighting continues daily in the East with soldiers and civilians dying every week. The situation is sad as there seems to be no end in sight to this conflict. Please pray for our students and friends who have families there and for those who are serving there as pastors and chaplains.
At the end of August, classes begin again. We also will be having entrance exams and interviews for prospective students. Pray for us as we start another year of teaching and training students who will go out share the gospel and disciple many for the Kingdom!
Thankful for you …
We are thankful for you and your prayers and support. We realize daily that our ability to serve here is only because of your generosity. We thank you for helping us prepare others to serve until Jesus comes. And we are grateful that you are serving Him too until He comes! “Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.”
By His Grace,
Jim and Katya
Kristina and Nadia
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