Hello Friends

It has been a long time since I last posted.  With the start of school again after the Christmas break, having a very active, everyone can now walk, family, and the current events happening in our city, we just wanted to let everyone know we are safe and are so thankful for the team of people we have standing behind us in prayer.

We covet your prayers at this time for us and Ukraine.  We have been asked by our leadership not to comment and so we ask that you not post any questions or links to our site regarding the current events transpiring here.

Thank you.  God bless.  The timing of my next post will be determined by the state of events here.

We love you all and if you have questions, you may direct them towards either of our parents.

Haircut #2

Well, it was that time again.  Haircut time.  Not just for me but Jolen too.  Jolen was in the skilled hands of Colleen, who knew exactly how it should be cut.

My boy the model

Not my first bruise an definitely not my last

Jolen is very, very different than Ellianna.  They both love climbing, but with Ellianna, I always knew she would be careful.  I can think of one bruise she ever got on her head, and I am the one who tipped the stroller when she was in it.  Jolen, since he has started walking, it is like there is a new bruise everyday.  Boys are so awesome!  and yet so crazy!

They look so happy, yet they started fighting this week.  Sibling rivalry here we come.

I, also had to get myself a haircut.  The one instruction I was given before I left.  "Make sure it is short"  Well, to make  long story short, or in my case long, I think I left the hairdresser with more hair than I went in with.

In my broken Russian, I know the word for "like this" and "more" so it wasn't that I was misunderstood.  It is just that I was in the skilled hands of my hairdresser, who knew exactly how it should be cut.  However, I am not alone.  Everyone I talk to here has an adventure story every time they go to the hairdresser.

Although a funny story, it didn't really phase me.  I thought I had become accustom to life in Ukraine.  I even told my dad "It is normal to live here now.  To wait 1 hour for a bus that should be departing every 10 minutes (we did wait that long)"  only to have an awesome ride, a marshutka to pick us up.

A normally wonderful way to get around the city.  And not just people.  They become cargo vans.  And what I have seen on a marshutka, still amazes me.

Why walk your big dog when he can ride for free?

Yes, a real live Christmas tree on public transportation

I am not sure how long a marshutka is, but long enough to fit baseboards

We will have your pizza there in 20-120 minutes, depending on traffic and how crazy the bus driver is.

It is quite an adventure living somewhere that is not your home and native land.  I would recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity to live for an extended period to jump at it, because you may never know when a chance like this will come around again.

I had a nice reminder of the little things today.  I went to the grocery store, as I do everyday, and got my groceries and wanted to get a chocolate bar for Colleen.  I put it in my cart, and went to the checkout, payed for my groceries, bagged them myself and left the store.  While I was leaving, I got a text from Colleen saying the kids wanted pickles (give them a choice between cookies and pickles, brine wins every time) so I wen back, got my pickles and looked for the shortest line and low and behold, it was at the same cashier I had gone to before.  A little embarrassed I was back, I still went to the cashier, looked at her till and there was the chocolate.  I had bought it, but forgot to bag it.  How neat that God, even with a little thing like that cared enough to get me back into the store and in the same line as before so I could treat my wife.

I wonder about our future alot.  Especially lately as we have decided to leave Ukraine after the school year is over.  If God cares about a measly chocolate bar, I know he cares about our future.  It may take a few trips to the store, but God, in His timing knows what is best!

A New Resolution

Reflecting back on 2013, I have certainly learned alot.  I have learnt that I easily look at faults in others yet do not wish to see them in myself.  I also learnt that I am not everything I have thought I am.  I am not sure if I have mentioned this before, but one thing that I have always had in my life is music and/or sports.  Grade 12, I played basketball and soccer, the next two years after graduation I was on a tour team learning the art of worship leading.  After that, Soccer at PRBI as well as continued piano lessons.  Moving to Bow Island, playing rec hockey and leading worship.  Back to PRBI, Soccer again, and now I find myself, for the last 8 months or so, without sports or music.  I can actually think of maybe 5 times in the last 8 months that a guitar has been in my hands or that I have kicked around a soccer ball.

Basically I have been without an identity for 8 months, and it is hard... Not because I am not playing sports or music, but because I have come to the inexcusable wall facing me stating "My Identity is not in Christ."

What does it mean to bear the name of Christ, to find myself in Him and Him in me?  That when people see me, they do not see a soccer player, a teacher, a Canadian, a musician, they see Christ.  And, if I am really honest with myself, I have not done a good job of that in 2013.  It has been Blake first, Jesus second.

Now what does 2014 look like?  Will Jesus be proclaimed throughout my whole being?  When I go out on the street, will people recognize Christ in me?  What does it mean to represent Jesus.  If you have 8 or so minutes to spare, This video gives a glimpse of a different point of view of the Life we have in Jesus.

This past semester I talked with my Grade 12 class about what Evangelism is.  Is it going up to people every day and blasting them with Jesus?  Some people my think it is.  Is it going into the secular world and being yourself, no scratch that, being humble enough to share Jesus, or even be Jesus as you go about your normal life.  I really enjoyed the "Sons of Snakes" comment.  Maybe, Christianity is not this simple little formula, but we have become so accustomed to the way things are, that we lose sight of what it really means to follow Jesus.  Are we truly being Jesus to the world, ore are we being ourselves, making sure that Jesus shines through us (notice the underline) instead of simple leaving ourselves out of it and letting Jesus do the talking.

I know it is a different concept, but as I reflect on this new year, I realize that I was doing alot of the talking in my life, on Jesus' behalf of course, instead of letting Jesus be the shining light.

And to be honest with you, I don't know what that even looks like in my life.  I don't actually know if things will change, I desire myself to become smaller as Christ becomes larger, but what does that look like?  The only thing I can think of, is that it looks like anything but me, but only Jesus.  I am very blessed to be given life, a beautiful son (who celebrated his 1st birthday this past week), a breathtaking daughter, wonderful parents who taught me about Jesus, faithful friends back in Canada, a truly awesome wife (inside and out), but most importantly (and i need to remember that this is the most important) is a Saviour, who came to earth, with the plan to die so I might have life in Him.

And a happy birthday to our little man!

I know everyone else is tired, but I want more Birthday Party!