It's Here

The first snow storm!

Gavin Turns 9

сестры

I Came Across These

These were taken awhile ago, but I still wanted to stick them up here. Adren was so little! I am so thankful for these two little girls!

Ten Great Years

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This month marks our tenth year in Ukraine. We were looking through our old prayer cards remembering how gracious and merciful the Lord has been to allow us to live here. To witness God's power in saving lives here has been amazing. We are so very grateful for how He has cared for us and provided for our every need these past ten years. We are blessed to be able to live in Chernigov and be part of the church family here.
Thank you to all who have prayed for us for so long!!! Please keep praying for Ukraine.

The Money Box

Yes, "the money box". It all started with a little cardboard box with a hole in the top. While we were in CA this summer, Emma came to me with a shoe box and asked me to cut a hole in the top. So, I did and didn't really think much more about it. But them Emma kept on asking me for the change in my pockets. "Papa, do you have any coin money?" Every time she would see my wallet out she would ask, "Do you have a one dollar I could have? Please, Dad! " We started to think that this little girl was getting a little money hungry! Then, after being asked yet again if I had any money for her "money box", I asked Emma what she was planning on doing with all her money. Her answer was this, "I want to buy toys for the kids with no moms and dads at the orphanage when we get back to Ukraine." Hearing this response made Koren and I so happy. Our little girl was not becoming a little miser. God was working in her heart love for others.
Soon after, Emma had the idea to put up a Lemon-aide stand at Grandma Kathy's house to see if she could raise a little more money for the kids. (I think that Grandma bought most of the lemon-aide). As word spread about Emma's box, the Lord put it on a dear friend's heart to give a donation for the children. We soon were informed that a church had given a donation as well. It blew us away how the Lord provided this money and how He was using Emma to be a part of His work.



So here we are... Yesterday we took that "money box" money and bought soap, toothpaste, tooth brushes, shampoo, fruit, and a few other things and made up twenty-five gift bags. Recently we found out about an orphanage that we didn't know existed. It is a home for children that have just lost their parents or have had to be taken from their homes for a number of reasons. I was told that there were about twenty kids right now and that they ranged from ages three to sixteen. After visiting the place a few times by myself, we thought that it would be a great place to use the money. We told Emma about these 2o kids and she thought it was the perfect place to take gifts. After talking with the staff we thought that tooth brushes and that sort of thing would be the best way to use the money. You can see by the pictures that the kids were very excited about these little bags.

Emma was so happy to see this whole thing coming together!

It was all up to the kids to get these bags ready.

It was a wonderful time with the children and the staff. The head teacher even asked me if I would say a few words to the children and the entire staff about the gifts. It was a great time to share who these gift were really from. I was able to share with them how much God loves them and what He has done for them! The head teacher also invited us to start coming in weekly from now on. Please be in prayer for this orphanage. There are currently twenty-four children living there. The Lord has opened wide the doors for us to minister there. Gavin and Emma are thrilled to be a part of it and we are excited to see the Lord using them.

Thank you Lord and thank you for using our five year old!

We love you Emmushka!





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2 & 1/2 Months

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The Whole Gang

Arden Paige McNamee

What's Been Happening

Winter has ended and spring has finally come. This winter we had more snow than we've ever had in the past nine years. Needless to say, we are really enjoying the blue skies, dry ground and warmer temperatures. It was a long winter, but we have seen so many blessing during it!

Since December, we have been seeing new people in church almost every week! It has been amazing. Whole families, single moms, children, and lots of guys! Our church is growing and we are literally running out of chairs! This is encouraging to all of us. During the past month Jake and Anya hosted Sunday lunches at their house. This came at a perfect time. It meant for great fellowship with all the new people who have been coming. Thanks Anya for all that good cooking!

The weekly ministries to the mental hospital and orphanage are also going well. Conor constantly says how blessed he is to serve with the people in our church at these places. Please continue to pray for the children to grow in the Lord and for those who do not know Christ to come to know him and receive His love for them.

Gavin and Emma also grew a lot this winter. We've been homeschooling and really learning a lot together. Gavin is finally enjoying reading and we're having a lot of fun reading together. Our favorite part of school is Bible. I love it when the kids constantly ask for more! Praise God for their passion for His Word! Emma turned five last month. She recently started taking violin lessons. God blessed her with an amazing teacher and she is really enjoying learning something new. Our newest little member of the family is growing well and we are all anxiously awaiting her arrival!

Here are a few pictures of the last few months. We love you all so much! Thank you for all your prayers. We are very blessed by all the Lord has done and is doing. Please keep praying for Chernigov. Pray that this springtime would be a time of new birth and growth for many!