Quite a Journey

It has been quite a while since I last posted anything here.  Most of you (if not all) know we have returned to Canada early.  However, I am still teaching at KCA, just online from the safety of these Canadian borders.

A lot has happened in Ukraine since the previous President was impeached and Russia took control of Crimea.  Although there has been tension since the middle of November, it all came to a head in Kyiv and 100 people lost their lives in the people’s stand against corruption.  At the end of February, our organization phoned us and gave us the opportunity to get away from Ukraine and have a rest period in Poland.  We took this chance as I was teaching online anyways and I could fulfil my commitment to KCA there.  It was a wonderful time of refreshing and we felt de-stressed and ready to return to Ukraine.  But, things in Crimea escalated and we were asked to stay another week, bringing stress back into the fold.  We were able to return to Ukraine.  Our hope and request was that we not be asked to leave again, that things would get back to normal.  Well, a week later, we were strongly advised to leave again.  More stress on the family.  After another week, SEND gave us the choice, we could return to Kyiv, with bags packed, ready to leave within 1 hour at any time, or return to Canada.

In previous posts, I have mentioned how God has been teaching me the importance of family and they need to come first, not ministry.  The time had come to put my money where my mouth was.  Put my family over ministry, even though it was not completed, but midstream.  A very easy choice to make, yet extremely difficult.

Have you ever heard the joke about the sailor whose ship was sinking.  Well, along came another ship and offered assistance.  The reply “I trust God and He will save me!”  Another ship to the rescue and the same response.  “I trust God and He will save me!”  A third ship – “I trust God and He will save me!”

The man drowns.

In heaven, the man asks God, “Why didn’t you save me?”

God replies, “I sent 3 ships to save you!”

Sometimes the answer God has for us is staring us right in the face and we thinking it is too simple for God to act this way.  But the reality is that sometimes God calls us off of our knees to action.

We are called to be people of prayer.

We are called to be people of action as well.

Our tentative schedule right now is to be in the Vegreville region Mid April.  Bow Island – Beginning of May and Grande Prairie at the end of May.  And then off to Dauphin, MB where I have been offered a Youth Pastor position in the community.

As of right now, we are currently on support through SEND until June and then we start our salary + support position in Dauphin, so if you are interested in continuing Supporting us in prayer and finances, we will have details for you, all you need to do is ask.

Until Next week (Lord willing)!

Blessings,

Blake, Colleen, Ellianna and Jolen

P.S. funny story trying to buy groceries the other day.  In Ukraine, you buy your groceries and bag them yourself.  You hold onto your bags you bring and you do it yourself.  Well, I was in line and the clerk asked me for my bag.  Not wanting to be charged for it as I had brought it, I refused.  She then explained she simply wanted to bag my groceries for me.  It was very awkward and slow as she scanned each item and placed them in the bag while I twiddled my thumbs, checked the weather, danced a jig, and then paid for my groceries and left the store feeling quite useless.