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.

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!

Christmas Joy!

If you were to ask me what my favorite gift fro Christmas was, it is a toss-up between an awesome watch

This watch screams Blake Johnson!

and having two wonderful visitors!

If you look closely, there are fish eating my parent's feet!

A wonderful Christmas meal

It is always a joy to go out and buy your turkey for exciting events as the smallest turkey breast we could buy was 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) and leg with thigh (they would not cut off the just the leg for me) was 2.5 kilos (5.5 lbs), so needless to say, we cut up the pieces of the bird, totaling about 10 lbs, when we got home into thirds and still had leftovers cooking only 3 pounds of meat.

We were fortunate to have some people send presents and were very blessed to have a full tree

and presents for our kids

We went swimming Christmas day

Ellianna and Jolen's favorite present was Crazy Forts as Ellianna now sleeps every nap and night in her new fort.

Those of you who have grown up with Ukrainian culture know about Ukrainian Christmas, so that means December 25 in Ukraine is a normal working day.  We received Christmas greetings from another team-member here in Ukraine about how Jesus was probably born on a working days as well.

I was reading Facebook and many people commented how this year doesn't feel like Christmas and it reminded me of the first Christmas.  Did it feel like Christmas when Jesus was born?  Probably to the shepherds and the Magi who saw the star, and Mary and Joseph had a special gift, a child!  But in the grand scheme of things, was the day so special to the world?  Eventually the birth of our Saviour would turn the world upside down: Herod's murder of the children of Bethlehem, Pilate's condemnation of and innocent man, the Stone rolled away, tongues of fire spreading to this day to the whole world!  What a special day and a wonderful reminder over here as to the "normality" that was the virgin birth.

I pray blessings for you and your family as you enjoy each other's company in Ukraine, South Africa, Canada, USA and wherever you are reading these humble ramblings of someone who is truly blessed to have a beautiful, loving wife, 2 beautiful, crazy and busy children and parents who were able to come over and share in the normal Christmas festivities!  Merry Christmas!

A little piece of Canada

As we anticipated the arrival of my parents, Ellianna get more excited each day, until the day we were going to the airport to pick them up.  She squealed with glee!  "Canada is Coming!!!"

They arrived safe with lots of goodies (I think they only packed 1 extra pair of clothes and filled the rest with stuff for us).  Kevin and Penny just went to visit their daughter for Christmas as well and I am assuming they did the same thing.

This is suitcase 1 of 3 so we got spoiled!

Jolen is now walking like a pro and does not want to be fed.  He will only eat if he gets to do it himself... well... last night we had perogies, with sour cream of course and how can you not love a face like his?

Another thing we were blessed to have my parents for is St. Nicholas' day in Ukraine.  The Ukrainian Orthodox Church celebrates it on Dec 19 (today) and instead of stockings on Christmas morning, you put your shoe out on Dec 18 night and get your shoe filled with goodies, or coal if you were naughty.

Funny thing I noticed though when taking my parents out and about here in Kiev is they notice how different things are.  I was talking to Colleen just the other night how even though we have been here only 6 months, you forget what things used to be like in Canada.  When I think of things here and Canada, I cannot differentiate the difference.  As far as I can tell, they are the same.  Canada, in some ways has become a distant memory, so much so that I forget what it is like.  I was reminded of this when "fresh" eyes came here and the differences are glaring and you remember for a little bit where you came from.

I know I have written about heaven alot lately and this time is not different.  Will we remember Earth, or our life here, when we get to heaven?  Will it be a distant memory, and more distant than when we have been there ten thousand years?  When we get to heaven and get "used" to it there, when new people "arrive" will we remember what we have been saved from more vividly?  My parents were asking us tonight if we like Ukraine and we both said "We Love It!"  Will I like/love heaven more than Ukraine?  I, in some ways, cannot imagine this as Ukraine is so real and home, but heaven (I know) will be my permanent home, a home with Jesus!  A home that will never be destroyed!  Not a temporary location like Canada, Ukraine, Earth, or even our sinful bodies, but a truly REAL Home!

I can't wait, and yet, I am terrified I will forget the love and friendships on this side of heaven.

You know what happens when you assume?

So, the secretary of KCA, a Ukrainian, told us of this great store that is friendly to foreigners and has lots of foreign stuff and we should try it out.  Well, we have been looking for black beans for the last 6 months and have come up empty; so we figured this was our last hope!  We looked up our transportation route and headed on our way.  Just like the internet said, the bus stopped right in front of the store so we went on our merry way shopping.  Just as we were told, we went into this "Costco" style store, showed our passports and were given a temporary card to shop until we dropped!

We found black beans!  After countless stores and time after time of failed attempts, our mission was successful!  I told Colleen she better stock up on these as you never do know when you can find these again.  So we continued shopping and our final bill came out to roughly $75.  And, me being the assuming Canadian, paid the bill and we began our adventure home.

The wonderful website www.eway.in.ua/en/cities/Kyiv failed to mention that this store is on a busy street, without any way to cross to get to the other side where we can catch a bus back.  Us being the daring Canadians trudged against the snow and wind for a good kilometer with kids and our goodies in hand towards a place where maybe we could cross the street and get on a bus home.  While waiting for the bus, Colleen asks me what the bill was.  "$75"

"Wow, something is definitely wrong, those beans didn't cost $10 a bag did they?  Let me see the receipt."‎

 

I showed her the receipt and sure enough, we bought a purse for $25.  Now you have to realize, $25 dollars can feed your family for a week here in Ukraine, so this wasn't just pocket change we had spent on an item that was not in our possession.  But, be being the assuming Canadian did not even think that the cashiers would possibly scan items and add them to your bill for personal gain, but we all know what assuming does.  And boy did it ever.

 

Needless to say, we did not walk back the 1 kilometer back to the store to try to explain why we did not have a purse in our possession but it is on our receipt and we would like our money back, please (very polite Canadian!).  In the end though, we were thankful that we are very fortunate to be able to cushion the $25 blow and still be surviving.  What if this had happened to a Ukrainian who had been ripped off food for his family for a week?

 

Christmas is upon us so we decided that cookies are the way to go.  Sugar cookies, nice and simple.  At least I assumed they were.  All the ingredients are easy to find here so we baked them, made icing and then we wanted to colour the icing.  Food colouring and sprinkles.  Sounds simple; but not at all simple.  I went to the store and to my surprise, there is no food colouring and no sprinkles.  Even IGA in Bow Island or the grocery store in Sexsmith has these things, but Ukraine, No way Jose.

 

So, I had a brainwave!  Jello!  we could buy coloured jello mix it and then we would have colours for our icing.

I think the colours turned out ok.

Next, sprinkles.  I found pastiage in the shape of ladybugs on leaves, and what colours are those?  Red and Green; Hello Christmas!

And the knife came out and I cut until I could cut no more, but we had sprinkes and coloured icing!


Can you tell where the countertop ends and where the cookies start?

In life, we often assume things will always be the same and then when things do not go as expected, you lose your job, you get sick, your children start dating someone who you have never met, that life that is nice and cozy is then brought into disarray.  I remember praying a prayer in contemporary issues in missions and it went like this:

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

By Francis Drake

 As much as it pains me to imagine a life with Jesus that is not assumed I am terrified of what that could mean by asking God to disturb my cozy, comfortable life.

So after a week of assuming things and realizing what that does to you, we all relaxed, exited that it is just 4 more sleeps until Grandma and Grandpa Johnson come visit!