The picture above is something Bogdan painted while he and I were watching the summit that Will attended in Kiev. I thought Bogdan's doodle looked remarkably similar to the logo of Ukraine Without Orphans, which is what we were seeing on the screen in front of us as he worked. (Hmm. I should have rotated Bogdan's version a little. That would have made it even better.) Some friends did suggest that it might just be a cup of Ukrainian tea, and that is also highly likely.
Anyway, Will left on Tuesday for the Eastern European Summit for Pastors "Defending the Orphan, Changing the Future" in Kiev. It went all day long Wednesday and Thursday. Then he had a free day, and he came home yesterday. We had originally planned to go all together, but now I'm really glad that we didn't. About the time Will left, Raia started feeling bad, and she spent the next few days down with a stomach bug. Also, they broadcasted all the main sessions online, so we got to see and hear a lot of what went on there, from the comfort of our own living room. Jaan particularly enjoyed the times that the president of Compassion International spoke. I was really excited that I had a few people step up to help me here; I had been feeling kind of isolated since we moved. They even took the three older children out for a whole morning and fed them lunch one day!
Many people were praying that this summit would help us to decide where we're going next. Thank you. I can't say that God spoke directly to Will there; we don't have any instant, definite decision to share. However, Will did get to meet many people, hear about other ministries, and collect contact information from all over Ukraine. He also said that he feels like this conference confirmed and strengthened his desire for us to be actively involved in orphan ministry. Please keep praying with us as we sort through all the information and contacts from the conference and continue to seek God's direction. We're so thankful that he had this opportunity!
3 comments:
I greatly appreciate your update--thank you. We continue to pray for you as you sift through the input received. With much love....
My first thought was that it was a cup of tea too. :) But it looks similar to the symbol too.
Hi, Phyllis! We, too, are praying with you all, as I'm sure you know. So glad that Will was able to gather much info and meet many people. Know that will help.
So nice that you had some help while he was gone, too. And, I hadn't thought about the "cup of Ukrainian tea", but it sure could be that! Love you all!
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