My son and I watching his friend Dusty play for the Sundogs!! Great seats, free tickets and a packed stadium! We saw three fights within 10 minutes. Dusty was called up to play for the NHL's Chicago Black Hawks on Chirstmas morning!

what's in the box?

It's the day before Christmas & mom and gigi put together this present; it took hours as you can see. The gift came from both grandparents and was her bday gift and Christmas gift combined. Here's Kylie quessing what might be in it and insisting that 'we' stay right here until Christmas. What's in the box? A pink tree?

Nat'l Abstience Clearinghouse

http://www.abstinence.net/library/index.php?entryid=3537
A write up from the National Abstinence Clearinghouse about speaking in Ukraine schools on abstinence until marriage was posted! Check it out!

iron girl

the sky was blue today, even though the past few days have been cold and rainy, and we ran a 5K at Tempe Town Lake. It was fun! There was 2000 participants! Kimmi did it with me so we did the "mother daughter run" Ah, very special. So I kept up with Kimmi's pace which is good and never once stoped for my 1 minute breaks. father of love, thank you for gift of my daughter and spending this special time with her and the ability to run wihtout injuries. we give You our lives...

_everything is relevant...even in Ukraine!

Here's a glimpse of what the skits were teaching...

_heart skit
explanation_2 students role playing how hearts gets torn by 'going to far'; end result torn heart on wedding day once they are exchanged.
purpose_draw an understanding that 'it's never too late to do what's right' and the importance of 'saving yourself' regardless of peer pressure

_time line
explanation_5 students role playing (birth, death, marriage & puperty) how sexual self control is actually a short time from puperity to marriage compared to marriage to death.
purpose_catching the WHY be abstinence and HOW to be; two most important ?s students want to know

_fuzzy dice
explanation_6 students role play by throwing the dice and writing the 2 numbers on the board
purpose_every # represents a RISK one is willing to take if they 'gamble' by having sex before marriage #1 life goals #2 pregnancy #3 sti's #4 hiv/aids #5 emotional impact #6 relationships effected

_gift
explanation_sex is gift to cherish, save for the security of marriage where it's shared
purpose_sex not being a game or sport but a GIFT for your wedding day

_fetal models
explanation_7, 8, 9, and 10 week fetal model
purpose_the miracle of life in the womb and how abortion ends that life. It's not a blob of cells or a procedure but a miracle of life in the womb.

_students reaction_LOVE IT! Did I say LOVED IT! They were 100% engaged. A topic NOT talked about & yet high pregnancy rate and STI's. Remember students have NEVER heard this before. NEVER

All students were extremely thankful! We even interviewed students at two schools!! Once we get this translated you'll be able to hear first hand thier remarks. I'll never forget the girl after class who ran up to me, while I was walking through the halls to leave, and grabbed by arm saying, "I just loved everything you taught us. Thank you so very much for coming to Ukraine!" She spoke english sharing her heart not only for herself but I'm sure for other students. Not only in America but NOW in Ukraine God used this platform of abstinence for the gospel. It has always been my intention since the beginning in 1994; the topic of abstinence would open the doors for the Gospel.

Now, about 500 students have seen Micah so if he's on the streets playing guitar in front of the disco on Friday nights, walking into the boomi (store) or just around town he has the chance of building relationships with students!

a meeting with the mayor...

We had a meeting with mayor, the head of social service, a regional social worker, the school superintendent, news reporter and journalist. The mayor has been to America, so his first question asked was, "How were the students' responses compared to America?" We talked about the comparisons, as well as the impact this will have in the community. It was exciting when the regional social worker spoke up and said, "I sat in on one of the presentations. The students engaged in all activities and it was a presentation much needed. I have a 13 year old son whom I need to talk to about this."

This brought up the topic of parent presentations, which I do in America through one of the school districts. The mayor is aware that this message is not only important for students but also for parents. The journalist said, "I'll be the first to attend!" with a smile. This practical presentation called, "Talk to Me" helps educate parents on how to bring up the subject while making it relevant.

The mayor has actually been to America. He understands how "loose" the society is in Ukraine. Alchohol & cigarettes are both easily available to purchase. It is not uncommon to see a person walking the streets carrying a beer bottle. It's like drinking water. So at a very young age people are becoming addicted.

In this town, nothing is being done. Nothing has been done until "Tserkva Golgava" (translated...Calvary Chapel). It's ONLY the Christians whom are reaching out. The people who are starting up new things and reaching out are the people with a passion, coming from the church. Well, we have been invited back with full support to share further in Kaharlyk showing slides, materials translated in Ukrainian and more testimonies shared. The mayor wants to use this time to prepare and plan for March or April 2008! This is an AMAZING TESTIMONY... all GLORY & HONOR & PRAISE to Jesus!

my ukrainian adventures

Over the past fews days i've been experiencing so much!
let me capture the adventures...


had to try one of these on! a typical winter hat made out of rabbit, mink and other animal skins...prices range from $10 to $130. this one was the $130 Real mink. haha


Below is Father Frost whom they celebrate on january 7th vs. dec. 25th The new years is when you open presents too!


here's a taste of home in Ukraine. TGIF...where there's all english speaking & very similar to America but you can get a menu here in Russian.





I loved experiencing the traditional ukranian family home. (notice no water_it's in the box brought in by the well) We're always greeted with Ukranian cookies, like i need to eat any of those, and Chai tea.

14 ladies squeezed in the tiny living room to openly discuss the Luke 7:11-24 "john the baptist doubting the messiah in prison". I was in awe listening to their language, prayers, deepest concerns from the heart while Annaleise whispered it in English to both Christy and I.

super cool!

Slava Bogu (russian for 'praise the Lord')

giving thanks in Ukraine...

Even though i'm far from home...really far from home, I had a marvelous celebration of God's goodness with all the American Missionaries here in the Claycamp Home! The night before we did turkey marshmallow stamps, something Micah invented, for placecards. The kids had so much fun! We later coaxed Micah into going outside and cutting down 2 tree branches in the cold...this was for our 'be thankful' leaf tree where everyone would write down what they were thankful for.

Well, you are probably wondering...is there turkey in Ukraine? There isn't, but at local Boomi (store) we picked up 5 rotaisserie chickens. Oh, we had all the rest of the traditional thanksgiving because the American Missionaries planned ahead and brought green bean casserole, stuffing, pies (lemon, pumpkin, and chocolate silk) and even gravy! You can see by the picture that the Claycamp home has the American influence.

Tomorrow we'll be in a traditional Ukrainian home for a ladies bible study. i'll send pix...

You Are Worth Waiting For!

these kids need hope...

Today students at School #1 heard the message of HOPE...During Q&A time, one student asked, "What's the most important thing in life?" Some giggled under their breath "sex". Micah stood up and looked straight into their eyes and said, "You must have a goal, you must have HOPE that will drive you to the most important thing in life. I have HOPE and I have dreams. You need to strive for that most important thing in life".

You see in Kaharlyk Ukraine, these people don't have HOPE. The town is 870 years old and most will die here of depression. These kids need to hear the hope of eternal life with Christ!

When the Dice Game was presented and the #2 was rolled, their answer for what the options are was always, "Abortion!" It was an amazing opportunity for students to hear and see TRUTH about the miracle of life in the womb at 7, 8, 9 and 10 weeks.

The word "adoption" is very foreign to them. I shared my testimony of being a birth-mom and placing my child in a two parent Christian family home.

Teachers, social workers, country officials are very open to this message being brought to their students. Ignorance is the #1 reason why the epidemic of HIV/AIDS and STD's are so prevalent in Ukraine. Through God's help, we are starting to bring much needed knowledge to these kids and at the same time, sharing the hope we have...

Please continue to pray. Tomorrow I will teach in another school and meet so many hurting kids. God is doing a huge work here and it is a privilege to be able to be here to witness it.

stepping into a new world

Your prayers are being answered! It is absolutely amazing. It's like I stepped into a whole new world that I thought never existed. It's my 2nd time going into schools this morning speaking. This time when I walked in tears rolled from my eyes as I experienced the very poor condition of the high school; dark, cold and ancient. But regardless, laughter filled the halls as children ran up and down the stairs ranging from 2nd grade to 12th.

The town Kaharlyk, means "Cursed" and Calvary Chapel means "Church of the Skull" so it's kinda unique how this seems to work for these people. The Ukrainian's don't know what Christians look like cuz they've NEVER seen one; it's all about building relationships. The average wage is $80 a month, which means most people here are poor.

Micah said moving here was like going 100 miles an hour then everything coming to a complete STOP. it's true. So very different.

Well, I will be having Micah & Christy over to the home in Chandler when they are on furlough in January so you can hear about their amazing goals, vision, and life as a missionary family in Ukraine. You will be blessed. Check out their blog!

first day in Ukraine...

Well, last night Pastor Wayne (an Aussie) and his wife Olya (she's Ukrainan) came over to welcome me to Ukraine. We discussed the schedule they advised me on how to make the presentation relevant. I got stats on abortion, aids, stds, etc for the presentation. Olya told me that 10 years ago they tried to get into the schools to teach English but got kicked out, so this is really an amazing thing to be able to start this for the 1st time EVER!

Micah will be going to all of the presentations with me so that the kids know him as the youth pastor and contact in town. It's all about relationship building.

We had a prayer time which was SO humbling for me just to be a part of what God is doing. This blows me away.

I have a schedule for the week. This morning my first school is at 12:30 for 2 classes at 2 hrs. each. That'll be challenging but in GOD we trust.

Here's some stats about Ukraine:
• 60,000 peoople infected by HIV virus, but real figure is probably 400,000
• 1996 20,000 infected with HIV and projected deaths by 2016 (8 more years) 800,000
• 2002 Ukraine has become Eupopean leader in HIV infection...over 80,000 registered HIV positive people
• Eastern Europe has the highest proportion of pregnancies ended by abortion 65% Ukraine 57%
• Ukraine has 1.6 million abortions per year; it's the 6th highest in the world!!!

I ate Borshcht last night made from a local Ukrainian mom. It is a soup made with
cabbage, beets and pork. Micah and Christy hired her to cook 3 meals a week which brings some income for her. It was really yummy.


Micah & Wayne do have a vision of starting up a coffee house for the
community and to just love on the people. These Ukrainians don't know
what a Christian is so modeling it is where it all starts.

more later....

much love!