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Monday, August 30, 2004
RPD 30 August 2004
Read Pray Delete (RPD) - for 30 August 2004 is now available.
Sunday, August 22, 2004
RPD 23 August 2004
Read Pray Delete (RPD) - for 23 August 2004 is now available.
Aussie Damper 18 August 2004
Sitting round the fire the other night, looking into the glowing red embers, I thought; "we should be cooking damper, I'll introduce these guys to damper".
It was then I realised I've cooked damper many times but never actually made it. How hard can it be? I bought 2 kilos of flour some butter and something I hoped would make it rise. With a bit of sugar and water we had a nice lump of dough. A couple lads helped me prepare some sticks and with a fire deep with hot coals we began to turn and toast some of the best damper I've had. The Ukrainian twist is what to put inside. Honey was too expensive, golden syrup doesn't seem to exist and I couldn't find any jam in the market. So sweetened condensed milk had to do the trick and it was a very tasty alternative.
Why should I tell you all this? After the initial rush of curiosity we ended up with 6 or 7 die-hard, cook all night damper eaters. While I'm sitting turning my stick, Olek, who I've just met, says "Will you please tell me about Jesus." Wow!! Svyeta from our church did her best to translate while I shared that Jesus is my friend, my Saviour and I can talk to Him anywhere and anytime. He asked about church, about prayer and about icons. I didn't speak for long but that brought a couple of other interested folks who spoke to Svyeta and Luda for quite a while about what they believe.
I kept turning my stick and praying silently for them and praising the Lord for Aussie damper!
It was then I realised I've cooked damper many times but never actually made it. How hard can it be? I bought 2 kilos of flour some butter and something I hoped would make it rise. With a bit of sugar and water we had a nice lump of dough. A couple lads helped me prepare some sticks and with a fire deep with hot coals we began to turn and toast some of the best damper I've had. The Ukrainian twist is what to put inside. Honey was too expensive, golden syrup doesn't seem to exist and I couldn't find any jam in the market. So sweetened condensed milk had to do the trick and it was a very tasty alternative.
Why should I tell you all this? After the initial rush of curiosity we ended up with 6 or 7 die-hard, cook all night damper eaters. While I'm sitting turning my stick, Olek, who I've just met, says "Will you please tell me about Jesus." Wow!! Svyeta from our church did her best to translate while I shared that Jesus is my friend, my Saviour and I can talk to Him anywhere and anytime. He asked about church, about prayer and about icons. I didn't speak for long but that brought a couple of other interested folks who spoke to Svyeta and Luda for quite a while about what they believe.
I kept turning my stick and praying silently for them and praising the Lord for Aussie damper!
Incarnation 16 August 2004
Yesterday I went with three of the girls on an excursion. The plan was to visit a garden, a castle and the town of Yalta. Yalta is 30 kms from where we are staying and the castle only another 20 from there.
Well my dislike for Ukrainian public transport managed to grow. Opting not to spend too much we traipsed from trolley bus station to mashrootka station to bus station. We went at 40 kms per hour and sometimes slower.
Standing in the doorway of a crowded bus, as the driver stopped to let more people in I had this thought:
"Back in Australia I have a perfectly good functioning car, and here more than enough money for us all to travel much better than this. But it means nothing."
Then it hit me, God didn't need us, yet to help us he had to become one of us.
(Now right now I know it sounds wrong to compare myself to God and I also don't want to say that we have it all right and they have it all wrong. But this thought stayed all day so I kept running with it.)
After arriving at the Castle at 5PM having had no food all day, I quite assertively told them we would sit down to eat in a cafe. I'm paying, don't look at the price - order whatever you want.
I ordered a reasonable meal. They all ordered the cheapest menu item and ice-cream. Then one of them decided to go out of the cafe and buy us all some cheap biscuits.
To run with the incarnation theme, I thought, everything is provided yet they choose little, what is not helpful, and then try to add their own efforts.
But how much do I do that with my Saviour? He has provided all I need yet I try to do it on my own or take as little as possible from Him.
The difference - I had to work hard to hide my frustration (there were many little things), yet God is so patient and loving with me.
The Incarnation is more than just a theological thought - it is real love in action.
Well my dislike for Ukrainian public transport managed to grow. Opting not to spend too much we traipsed from trolley bus station to mashrootka station to bus station. We went at 40 kms per hour and sometimes slower.
Standing in the doorway of a crowded bus, as the driver stopped to let more people in I had this thought:
"Back in Australia I have a perfectly good functioning car, and here more than enough money for us all to travel much better than this. But it means nothing."
Then it hit me, God didn't need us, yet to help us he had to become one of us.
(Now right now I know it sounds wrong to compare myself to God and I also don't want to say that we have it all right and they have it all wrong. But this thought stayed all day so I kept running with it.)
After arriving at the Castle at 5PM having had no food all day, I quite assertively told them we would sit down to eat in a cafe. I'm paying, don't look at the price - order whatever you want.
I ordered a reasonable meal. They all ordered the cheapest menu item and ice-cream. Then one of them decided to go out of the cafe and buy us all some cheap biscuits.
To run with the incarnation theme, I thought, everything is provided yet they choose little, what is not helpful, and then try to add their own efforts.
But how much do I do that with my Saviour? He has provided all I need yet I try to do it on my own or take as little as possible from Him.
The difference - I had to work hard to hide my frustration (there were many little things), yet God is so patient and loving with me.
The Incarnation is more than just a theological thought - it is real love in action.
So how is this missionary work? 14 August 2004
It's 10:45 Saturday morning. I sit in the mouth of my tent pitched on a hillside overlooking the Black Sea. I'm sipping lukewarm, ultra sweet black tea kindly offered by the people from a neighbouring tent. I turned down their offer of wine last night so thought I’d better drink the tea this morning.
There are about 100 campers here and Yuri Mikoliavich is the organiser. Within the camp are groups from towns all over Kiev Region. One group is about 20 young people from Razhishiv and Nina Alexander is the leader. Nina lives between my house and Dan's house and she is the local athletic trainer. Luda and Svyeta are on camp - two girls we baptised last month - and so is Tamara and her sister. They invited me, so without a translator I bit the bullet and came. It's been awesome so far. I have built a really good rapport with the rest of the Razhishiv group. My language communication skills are being really tested.
Is it a holiday? Yes and no. Its fun and it's full on. I'm reminded every day of God's beauty and then how much they all need Him. From my 40 days of purpose, I'm reminded that love equals TIME. I want to give my time to these people. I took Nina's daughter and niece (8 & 9 yrs) on a giant jumping castle. They rode on my shoulders down side show alley (my name for the beach front). And they loved it!
By the time you read this the trip will be over, but pray anyway. Pray that my time and relationships glorified God and helped spread His love.
There are about 100 campers here and Yuri Mikoliavich is the organiser. Within the camp are groups from towns all over Kiev Region. One group is about 20 young people from Razhishiv and Nina Alexander is the leader. Nina lives between my house and Dan's house and she is the local athletic trainer. Luda and Svyeta are on camp - two girls we baptised last month - and so is Tamara and her sister. They invited me, so without a translator I bit the bullet and came. It's been awesome so far. I have built a really good rapport with the rest of the Razhishiv group. My language communication skills are being really tested.
Is it a holiday? Yes and no. Its fun and it's full on. I'm reminded every day of God's beauty and then how much they all need Him. From my 40 days of purpose, I'm reminded that love equals TIME. I want to give my time to these people. I took Nina's daughter and niece (8 & 9 yrs) on a giant jumping castle. They rode on my shoulders down side show alley (my name for the beach front). And they loved it!
By the time you read this the trip will be over, but pray anyway. Pray that my time and relationships glorified God and helped spread His love.
Conquering the Bear 13 August 2004
He's got a hooked nose any pirate would be proud of and the neck of a good front rower. His style is all his own - and he gets the job done. People like him but with a healthy fear. His name is Yuri Mikoliavich, and no, he is not the bear.
But he is the reason that I awoke at 4 am today, to leave camp before the sun arose and to trek 10 kilometres along the beach front. Past the early morning bathers. (Did I tell you the beach here is made of stones and rocks and every 100 metres or so is divided by a large concrete jetty jutting out about 50 metres into the sea. Great for diving off but some what a detractor from the beauty that God created) Up little rocky outcrops and down through a camp site. The views are spectacular. The sun starts to beat and before its 9 am it feels like the hottest part of the day. Finally we climb through a town centre buy some snacks and wait at an intersection where more than enough policemen are directing hardly any cars, trying to direct pedestrians and blowing aimless whistles at the dogs that just wander out into the streets. And then comes the cavalcade, 1, 2, 3 police cars followed by 7 or 8 black Mercedes with dark tinted glass windows followed by a couple more cop cars. One of these cars contains Ukraine's President, and no, he is not the bear.
We are standing at the bottom of Bear Mountain, 570 metres up out of the sea, and its time to conquer it. A couple hours later my response is "Slava Bog", Praise God!! Views that I thought only existed in N.Z. Green bush, sparkling ocean! 38 exhausted but satisfied campers. Yuri Mikoliavich, take a bow.
But he is the reason that I awoke at 4 am today, to leave camp before the sun arose and to trek 10 kilometres along the beach front. Past the early morning bathers. (Did I tell you the beach here is made of stones and rocks and every 100 metres or so is divided by a large concrete jetty jutting out about 50 metres into the sea. Great for diving off but some what a detractor from the beauty that God created) Up little rocky outcrops and down through a camp site. The views are spectacular. The sun starts to beat and before its 9 am it feels like the hottest part of the day. Finally we climb through a town centre buy some snacks and wait at an intersection where more than enough policemen are directing hardly any cars, trying to direct pedestrians and blowing aimless whistles at the dogs that just wander out into the streets. And then comes the cavalcade, 1, 2, 3 police cars followed by 7 or 8 black Mercedes with dark tinted glass windows followed by a couple more cop cars. One of these cars contains Ukraine's President, and no, he is not the bear.
We are standing at the bottom of Bear Mountain, 570 metres up out of the sea, and its time to conquer it. A couple hours later my response is "Slava Bog", Praise God!! Views that I thought only existed in N.Z. Green bush, sparkling ocean! 38 exhausted but satisfied campers. Yuri Mikoliavich, take a bow.
Side Show Alley 11 August 2004
I jostle slowly through the bustling crowd. I can feel the carnival atmosphere. Every sense is alerted. Late at night it is still pleasant in T shirt and shorts. Lights; people everywhere; little stalls with souvenirs of wood, clay, plastic; vendors selling hotdogs, ice creams, shouting out to be heard above the din. Small restaurants lined side by side, each belting out different tunes from crackling speakers turned up just too much for their system to handle. Smell the popcorn, listen to the whirring of the fairy floss machines, the crying of a spoiled child trying to get his way and the shouting of the frustrated parent wondering why you bring children on holidays. Taste a kebab (shaooma) with juices so succulent I consider sleeping through dinner every night. Welcome to Alushta, my home for the next 10 days. I think I can handle it.
Monday, August 09, 2004
Monthly Update August 2004
The August Monthly Update can be viewed by left clicking the link or downloaded by right clicking and choosing "Save Target As"
Also available in the archived section on the right sidebar.
Also available in the archived section on the right sidebar.
Sunday, August 01, 2004
Apricot Jam - erh - Stew
So Why Did I Make Jam?
That should be attempt to make jam. And why? I mean jam is cheap, always available, in fact I've been given so much I've never needed to buy it. And it is good jam, so why am I spending Saturday night attempting to make jam (really making a sticky mess in the kitchen)?
Because one of the trees I didn't cut down is an apricot tree that has been just covering my front yard with apricots. I already feel guilty about so much fruit going to waste (I'd collected the little that we wanted to eat), but then two of the guys living out the back picked them all up (bucket loads), sorted the good from the bad, washed the good ones and gave them to me to make some jam.
So that is why on a Saturday night I was attempting to make jam. It didn't set so we'll have sweet stewed apricots for breakfast for the next few weeks.
That should be attempt to make jam. And why? I mean jam is cheap, always available, in fact I've been given so much I've never needed to buy it. And it is good jam, so why am I spending Saturday night attempting to make jam (really making a sticky mess in the kitchen)?
Because one of the trees I didn't cut down is an apricot tree that has been just covering my front yard with apricots. I already feel guilty about so much fruit going to waste (I'd collected the little that we wanted to eat), but then two of the guys living out the back picked them all up (bucket loads), sorted the good from the bad, washed the good ones and gave them to me to make some jam.
So that is why on a Saturday night I was attempting to make jam. It didn't set so we'll have sweet stewed apricots for breakfast for the next few weeks.
