I find that as I get older I'm not as organized as I used to be. Or, maybe it is that I just procrastinate too much. Anyway, I've lost an important email address, and it's really frustrating me. Have you ever done that?

I was supposed to email a potential client pictures of some of my jewelry creations. Yes, I make jewelry. It's way fun. Here is a pic for your viewing pleasure:

http://semwife.shutterfly.com/action/ (Click on the link for more pics.)

P.S. Pardon the fuzziness. My camera is not equipped with a macro lens. One of these days, maybe...

What is it they say about the best laid plans? Well, my plans to post, oh, 4 months ago (!), definitely went awry. And, why is it, when you have newsworthy posts, you don't have time to post? It's only when life slows down to its normal, non-noteworthy pace that I actually have time to "catch-up." Let's see if I can run through that past 4 months in a nutshell:

October: I turned 40 and cut my hair. Short. (I donated it.)
November: My nephew Max (age 17) became seriously ill with pancreatitis. He was in the hospital for most of the month.
December: Max went to the Mayo Clinic to find out a definitive diagnosis and cause. He has a genetic condition and so will battle this the rest of his life. Praise God that he was able to spend Christmas with us.
January: The Rev. David Lauten began as Associate Pastor of Congregational Care and Nurture. It's been great. But that also means that January didn't slow down. David (my hubbie)also started his Pastoral Internship at church. The very Sunday he assisted with Evening Worship he also preached in Summerville in the morning. We were both zonked. The day before I had helped my best friend and her siblings at a 50th anniversary party for her folks.

We're now up to February. What's in store? I don't know. Except that we will probably have 2 nephews at the end of this week/beginning of next.

Okay, that's it. As busy as I have been, it seems like it should be more. But we're awfully busy just with the day to day stuff. Oh, I did set up a link to my pics. Should you so desire to look, here they are:

http://semwife.shutterfly.com/action/

I realize that it's been too long since I've blogged. I need to blog more, I know. But, while we've been busy, only recently has anything happened that I consider blog-worthy.

Last week David came under care of our presbytery. For all my non-presbyterian friends let me explain what a presbytery is and what coming under care means. Within any presbyterian denomination (there are a number; we're in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian denomination) a group of local churches come together to be a presbytery. Presbyteries in turn, come together to form the larger body of church government; in our case it's called General Synod. Each level is a system of accountability -- churches are accountable to presbyteries, who are accountable to the general synod. Presbyteries are made up of teaching elders (ministers) and ruling elders. Ruling elders are also members of their local church. Ministers are members of presbyteries only. First Presbyterian Church is in the Catawba Presbytery.

Now that you have a glimpse of a presbytery, let me explain what coming under care means. David stood, first before our Session (elders in the church), and then before presbytery, and stated his intention of pursuing the Gospel Ministry as a preacher. He was required to give his testimony and why he felt like God was calling him to the ministry. By voting to allow him to come under care, the presbytery 1. affirmed his call to the ministry and 2. will begin to hold him accountable as he moves forward in his studies. He will also begin fulfilling the requirements of liscensure and ultimately ordination.

The reason why he came under care even though he is still several years away from completing his studies is that Dr. Ferguson wanted him to. David actually wanted to wait, but Dr. Ferguson wants to start including our seminary students (3 of them) in participating in our eveing service. That is very exciting for David. On the flip side, it does put a bit more pressure on him to finish his studies.

David also broke up with his business partner this fall. As the year has progressed, it became apparent that they had very different goals and ideas about work. It was a stressful year. Please pray for him as he faces some big projects on his own now. And pray for me that I will know best how to support him.

As for me, in about 6 weeks my boss celebrates his one-year anniversary as being senior minister of First Pres. Have I enjoyed working for him? You bet! He's godly, pleasant, funny, respectful of me and pretty easy to work for. Besides, I've had more overseas phone calls in 1 year than I ever have in my life. What fun is that? And, I've been pretty busy. It's exciting to see all the positive changes at church (they also have me busy trying to keep up with him).

That's about it. I do suspect I'll have more to blog soon. After all, next Wednesday is a very big day in my life.

I finally finished editing my pics. Click on the link to view them.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1AcuGThm4ZsXPA

A Couple of Pictures

I haven't finished editing my pictures yet (there are only 173!), but here are a few to show you what we did.

Correction

I was reading my post today, when I realize I said I love blini. Well, I actually love blintz. There's a big difference.

Oops!

Home Again

After way too many hours of traveling, I am home! Yey!!! But yet, What an awesome 2 weeks!!! Words cannot begin to describe what I have experienced. Here is a brief description.

We hit the ground running when we got into Vinnitsa. After visiting Grace Baptist on Sunday morning, we visited Maximovicha Church that evening. (Maximovicha is the central church for the Vinnitsa region. This is an amazing church. Pictures of it can't begin to describe how awesome and beautiful this church is. And the members built it with their own hands.) We were the central part of the service. Craig and Henry gave messages, and I had the opportunity to give my testimony. Afterwards we sang. Then the choir sang. They made us sound pathetic. All the music was accapella. It was so beautiful. It turns out this was the summer choir - the "B" team. Well, it makes our "A" team sound a little weak (sorry, Larry).

Monday morning began the week of Bible camp. We would get up at 5:30 every morning and leave at 7:45 to be at camp by 10:00. The camp was in a small village a short drive from Kmelnick, which is where the nearest church was. We worked with a team from that church as well as interpreters from Vinnitsa. The first day 100 kids showed up. By the end of the week we had 200 kids. It was apparent that the youngest children would have to be broken up into 2 groups. So on Tuesday we added an English class. Karen and I were reassigned to teach it. I think my arms still ache from repeating "Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes" over and over. We also learned John 3:16 in English, "Jesus Loves Me", "1,2,3 Jesus Loves Me" and the "Hokey Pokey." Okay, they didn't really understand the hokey pokey, but they sure had fun doing it.

This camp really took me back many years to mission trips to Haysi, VA. It was really similar, except the kids were more difficult to understand, but I think they were a little cleaner (not much, as bathing and washing clothes aren't overly stressed). I completely fell in love with the children. The first day at camp I spent a good deal of time with the 6-7 graders. I confess, they were my favorite. The little boys in the class learned "We love you, Eve." (This is pronounced "E-vee," even though my name is actually pronounced "Yay-va.")

On Friday after camp we had closing ceremonies and invited parents. The children sang, recited verses in Ukranian and English, the gospel was presented. I again had to opportunity to give my testimony.

After camp each day we would go back to Kmelnick for lunch. Ah, the food!! It was sooo good, and so much. They kept pushing me to eat. (I would have gained 25 pounds on this trip if it weren't for "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and squats.) Then we would head out most nights for various ministry opportunities. On Monday we took food to shut-ins. On Wednesday we broke up into 2 teams and visited church in Lipovits and Rososha. On Thursday we took food and Bibles to a retirement home.

Most nights we got home around 10:00. Our hostesses always had a meal waiting. On Wednesday we actually had 4 meals. Our host families became very real to us. My host family were not Christians, so we prayed for them and looked for opportunities to witness. They were very nervous about hosting, having never done it before. They apologized at the end of the week for any mistakes. What mistakes? They were so gracious.

Saturday was a 12 hours picnic for us, our Ukranian partners and the host families. It was a day full of laughter and relaxing. The picnic was at a popular lake much like Lake Murray. I must confess, I've seen more speedos and thongs than I ever care to see again!!!!

Sunday morning again found us at Kmelnick for church. The little building was full to the rafters. It was hot and stuffy, but it was an incredible 2 1/2 hours for me. The joy of the Lord was truly in that place as we worship in English, Russian and Ukranian. We felt the spirit of true fellowship in Christ there. What love for the Lord and His people! It was so refreshing for me.

It was so nice to eat together under the trees outside (even if we were downwind of the outhouse). One of the deacons dumped at plate of chicken in my plate for me to eat (he said I was too small). When we left, he gave me a bag full of fresh, hot blini (which I have decided is one of my favorite desserts).

Sunday nights found us at Noah's Ark church. It is very new and modern. It even has a screen for slide shows, etc. It especially had modern toilets. No squatting over a hole! Woo Hoo! We were very excited.

On Monday we drove back to Kiev and spent the day sightseeing and shopping. We got to the central square (where the Orange Revolution took plane) and a huge political demonstration took place. I later found out that the demostration was calling for the president to dissolve Parliament, because right now the hardline Communists are taking control fast. It's very scary for this country that many would like to take it back to Soviet times. Everywhere you look you see evidence of these times. Not just in the buildings and the occasional statue of Lenin (some still standing, and some lying on the ground), but also in the low standard of living and the lack of understanding of the people that they must do for themselves and not wait for others to do for them.

Tuesday found us in Misadventures in Traveling II. It all started with the girl checking us in. She can blame the computer all she wants, but she was either a trainee or downright incompetent. It took us over an hour, because she wouldn't or couldn't understand that our luggage needed to be tagged for Columbia, not Dulles. Then, on the plane, a young guy from Latvia sat beside me. He was nervous about flying, so he had a bottle of whiskey, half of which he had already consumed. He finished off the bottle, and then he had 2 glasses of wine. After sleeping on his tray and drooling all over it, he decided to lean on me. Then he put his hand on my knee. He woke up real quick then!!! (He should be happy I didn't slap him.) In Germany we got to our gate just as they were making the final boarding call. That flight was long but uneventful until the very end. As we were waiting to get off, we were informed the jetway was working right, and they had to work on it. We waited 30 minutes to get off the plane. (This is very significant.) Then through customs, and to our gate JUST AS OUR PLANE TO COLUMBIA WAS LEAVING. Yes, once again we missed our flight. Only this time they refused to put us up in a hotel. We were all set to spend the night in the airport, when we found a hotel that had rooms (which we had to pay for, of course). We got there around midnight for about 4 1/2 hours of sleep then back to the airport. We insisted that we get vouchers for food, which we took great delight in spending every dime of. Thankfully, the flight home was uneventful and blessedly short. (All in all, I would say that I wouldn't fly United again unless I had to.) I got to the airport to find all my luggage and my sweet husband carrying 2 dozen roses. What a guy!

How do I describe Ukraine and its people? Rich in natural resources, beautiful, gracious, warm, hospitable, creative, musical. I wish everyone in here could visit this amazing place. I think it would not only give them an appreciation for its beauty and people, but also a deep gratitude to God for all the rich blessings He has given us here. I have also come to appreciate the team I worked with. Each person brought unique gifts to use for the Lord, and I cherish the time I spent with them.

Next week I hope to post pictures. Until then, I need a nap.

Semwife

Misadventures in traveling
Our plane was supposed to leave Columbia at 2:30 bound for Dulles in Washington D.C. We had a semi-tight schedule, but still had a long enough layover that if we left, say 45 minutes late, we had enough time. We didn't leave 45 minutes late, though we left 1 1/2 hours late. And then, we found out the plane was too heave so some luggage was removed. Was it ours, we wondered?

We made it to Washington just as our plane bound for Frankfurt was taking off. We booked it to the nearest gate leaving for Frankfurt, but they said they were full, and we had to go to customer service. We went to customer service at the other end of the concourse (shoulders starting to hurt), and they wanted to know why we weren't on the plane (you know, the one that just turned us away). Evidently the airline transferred us to that flight when they realized we weren't going to make our original flight. One little problem: NO ONE TOLD US!!! The nice Iranian customer service man(he was happy to be in US) rebooked us for the next day and told us to be back at the airport by 2:00 p.m. So, after approximately 5 hours sitting in Dulles airport, we obtained vouchers to the nearest Hyatt (thanks to Tony and Henry, as the airline didn't want to help us out) and off we went. We got there, and there wasn't enough room. So off we went to another Hyatt. (Actually, it was pretty nice). We get back to the airport the next day at 1:00, load up on free food with our food vouchers and hang out.

The flight to Germany was typical of long flights: boring, uneventful (that's a good thing) and extremely tiring. Poor Gus was sitting directly in front of the movie screen, so he had a massive headache by the time we got there. Frankfurt was cool. We boarded the next flight only 30 minutes late and made our way to Kiev. (Food was horrible!!!)

Once we got to Kiev we went through passport control. Henry said act dumb. I was so tired there was no acting to it. We went to collect our bags. Uh oh, 2 bags got left in Columbia. Oh well. We should have them by mid-week. Next: customs. As we were waiting to file a claim for lost luggage, one of the customs officials walked by and recognized Henry. Customs? What's that? He wisked us through doors without even going through customs, and there were Mark and Natalie. Thank you God.

Only 5 hours of driving, and we make it to Vinnitsa. The church is AMAZING! Priscilla and I are roomies. We're staying with Natalie's aunt and uncle. We left with her last night along with Anna, because Tony was expected to stay for a meeting. We took baths, ate a little and crashed. Seven hours of sleep after being up for 32. Who cares if the bed was a little lumpy. It was the most comfortable thing in the world last night.

Our sweet and anxious to please hostess misunderstood Natalie about which church to go to, so she walked us to the big, main Maxivocha Church instead of the smaller church Natalie's dad is pastor of. Then we walked back to the other church when we finally got her to realize "Nyet Maximovicha." We were only 30 minutes late. Natalie was worried. But all is okay now.

I do realize I may have to volunteer to rewrite the orientation manual for future trips. But more on that later.

Until the next time I can get to an internet cafe...

I have news. I'm going to Ukraine! (Okay, I've known this for a while, but I only just decided it was news worth to post BEFORE I went.)

I'll be leaving next week, July 13, and will return Tuesday, July 25. I'll be going to the city of Vinnitsa. I'll will be with a team from my church (First Presbyterian Church of Columbia, www.firstprescolumbia.org) and our sister church there in Vinnitsa, Grace Baptist Church. We will be conducting a VBS each morning in a small village about 1 1/2 hours away. In the afternoons we will be visiting churches, retirement homes, conducting men's and teens' seminars, etc. One of our major goals is to help the church in Vinnitsa establish relationships in this village.

I have a few prayer requests:

• Pray for our traveling safety. We will be flying straight to Kiev with 2 short transfers in Washington D.C. and Frankfurt. As soon as we get through customs (not an easy task, I am told) we will board a bus and be driven 4 hours to Vinnitsa.
• Pray that all of our luggage arrives when we do.
• Pray for my family while I am gone. This is the first time my husband and I have been apart for so long (that's the part about the trip I don't like). I know he'll be fine, but I still worry about him.
• One of my brothers is also having major surgery while I am gone.
• Pray that relationships can be established.
• Pray that seeds would be effectively planted in the hearts of all whom we come in contact with - that the Holy Spirit would work in hearts and change them.
• Pray for cohesiveness amoung the team. 9 adults and 4 pre-teens/teens mean very different personalities.

I'll tell you all about it when I come back. Until then - Ciao! (I would say it in Ukranian, but I'm not sure how it's spelled.)

I created this blogspot, not because I necessarily wanted to blog. I simply wanted to reply to a friend's blog and was required to create before I could comment. I have, in the past few weeks, been pondering why I should even blog. I've determined a few things about myself:

1. I'm not a blogger, per se, and do not want to be. I don't even like most of the blogs I've read. To get straight to the point, they're boring. They tend to ramble (as I am now) about things that don't matter to anyone except themselves. A friend of mine made the comment that some bloggers use blogs as their personal diaries--only these diaries aren't private. They're quite the opposite. My life is not that interesting to anyone except for myself (and perhaps my husband and maybe even closest friends, maybe). I don't even email friends all that often, because my life mostly involves work and home. Trust me, I'm not pretty cleaning bathrooms.

2. I do enjoy blogs with a purpose. My friend Mike's is a good example of this. Or my dear friend and sil, who blogged to work through the pain of 2 miscarriages in 2 years - one well into pregnancy. (I still mourn not knowing my sweet nephew. But God used that to help me through my own pain of infertility.) Hubby does a pretty good job blogging, too. Of course, he only puts out about 1 blog a quarter, so we'll see.

3. I completely understand why men, after working years on the computer, retire and refuse to have one in their homes. I work on the computer at least 10-12 hours a day (ft and pt jobs). Some days I don't even want to know what one looks like. Besides, man shall not live by computer alone. Go outside! Breathe fresh air! Dig in the dirt! It's good for you.

That being said, you will probably not see many blogs from me. When I think something is interesting enough for the whole world to know, I'll tell the world.

Until then,

Semwife