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Wednesday 30 November 2016

Challengeing day but full of progress.

Hi folks, you never know what the day holds when you get up in a morning do you? Except that is that God's mercies are new every morning and that the unexpected may call you to depend on him more than you naturally would.
Surprise no 1 of today... the electrics went off. Given we have been working for just 10 minutes this was a blow literally... all the areas' electrics were off, so we got to work on getting the generator going. Soon when we found a key for" the genny" that sort of fitted (nothing like the one we were trying to find) we were back up and running. In God's providence that today proved more successful than our two previous days even including a sustained power cut.

Surprise no 2... Pieter cooked us a BBQ for a late lunch knowing how we were hammering the work tring to make up for lost time after the power cut. Amazing mouth drooling marinated meat cooked over an open fire, accompanied by several salads and potato dishes, it all made our uk lunches (a soggy ham salad sandwich) look a bit sad.
Surprise no 3... Our massive lunch was cut short because the delivery man arrived with 175 osb boards and 7 bathroom suites (sinks, toilets, water boilers etc).
Surprise no 4...We discover that said truck full needs to be put through a downstairs basement window. So we got cracking....
The window...
 The truck after we'd got rid of half of it... it still felt like we'd only just begun...
1 by 1 we tried to get the 175 boards through the window.
We kept going till the Ukrainian gentleman delivery driver got very animated... we realised it was all about us taking delivery and maybe not paying yet. But he was paid in full and looked very happy about it. I was too... because I was very aware that it is your generosity in sharing what God has given you that made this delivery so wonderful... and give Pieter one of his amazing smiles.... There are 3 words which come from Pieter on such an occasion "Da (good) Slava Borg (praise God)" (repeat).

Surprise 5, our new boss and team member. A little friend from church who enjoyed the day with us.
Surprise 6. We were able to give some small gifts to our wonderful friends at church.


Thank you for those who sent gifts, they were amazingly well received...

Things that went down particularly well were the 3d puzzles of Big Ben, Tower bridge and Eiffel tower.
And who thought "snap" and "pairs" would be such a hit ?
Surprise 7... The faimily "skinnypig" was brought out to see us...
Surprise 8. When you ask folks if there is anything you could pray for... and you got much more than you expected. Please pray for our friends over the next 48 hours especially. These are challenging times. Unconditional love is not a cost-less business or without its practical challenges. I know some of you will be faithful in prayer without knowing the details at this juncture (thank you!).
Surprise 9. We have managed to a acquire a little festive gift for Transition House, which we were able to establish in its new home before bedtime.
Surprise 10 ... who would've thought Mark Swindley and Darren Coffin were in touch with their feminine side and had such a way with home decoration.
 What will I remember from the day...? too many times  in which I discovered that God is keeping his people going in amazing ways. AS for me now... I am mainly dreaming about the feeling of the empty van and the nice Ukrainian gentleman going away from me for some time. Now all we have to do is fit the boards and bathrooms... ay ay ay ski ... that is for another morning.... now where was i ....ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!




Tuesday 29 November 2016

"Slowly but maybe maybe Tuesday !!!!! no problem , maybe Friday Komplete"

As British rail once said "we are getting there!". There are a number of notable differences today.
1) We have more cuts and grazes (from angle grinders, rough walls and metal work)
2) We actually know what we are doing.
3) We have put 10 times more brackets and metal framework up.
4) The new wall is straight today.
5) Igor has remembered to put the central heating plug back in so that tonight we sleep in the warm (true he took it out by accident yesterday for using a drill and forgot to put it back in when we went to bed, we were all too shattered to notice and just found an extra blanket)
But most importantly 6) Pieter hasn't fired us and 7) we had tea break in the sun!!!!!

We have made good progress today, but this is patience testing work. It feels a little like working on the factory floor, with one job needing to be done very well over and over and over again.
As you can see, the object of the exercise is to create a straight framework for boarding, so that when teenagers kick a ball against it (or accidentally run into it) they (or the wall) will not break.
Of course there was our usual billingual committee meeting...
But having discussed the 16 possible options for joining the walls we went for the first idea we thought of.
4 doorway areas now look  a little more like doorways (we considered playing both football and rugby in them but decided that wouldn't go down well with the boss).
There were 4 consistent noises today...
1) Angle grinding
2) SDS drilling
3) Premier Radio Black gospel singing
4) the occasional shout of "AAAAARGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" flippin Nora as anyone got a fresh set of gloves, mine have got blood on!"
We've perfected the art of all looking at the same thing in lots of different ways, in the hope that one of the perspectives might make the job appear correct.
Hope you have also had a successful day. Keep praying for our patience and safety please, and that like in Philippians 2 (which we studied this morning), we might have a servant heart and do this joyfully with our minds fixed on Christ. The team are brilliant together and a joy to work with, our morning fellowship time is something special, we are aware of God's help and your prayers so much. Thank you, praise GOD!

Monday 28 November 2016

Redeeming a basement.

Those of you who have followed the building of transition house from the beginning, know that the land on which it has been built was formerly owned by the Soviet authorities. The building is actually constructed on the basement foundations of what was formerly a government building. 60 years ago the basement was built and used for very different purposes. Of all the stories we have heard of what went on there, none are good. Therefore today was a significant day, as we re-worked on rooms which will be used for meetings, bible studies, recreation, rehabilitation, rest, eating together, cooking together and building friendships. In short the basement will now be used to build a community, not to rule over individuals by fear.



It has been a long but productive day.
7:30am (5:30 UK time) Bible study: We are working through the book of Philippians as a team. How to "man up !" and live for Christ when times are tough. It is amazing how Paul's time of testing and isolation proved so fruitful, because his eyes were fixed on Christ. Our prayer is that we will grow to be men who encourage others even when we go through tough times. That our heart and prayers for our local churches to thrive, would  grow, when we are under pressure. In the world of "the selfie", we pray that our lives would be Christ obsessed and gospel driven, not self obsessed and comfort driven.
Our Main block of work has been 9-6. Having cleared and cleaned the area, we have been aligning all the walls and placing provisional metal framework, so that walls can be "straightened". You can appreciate that the existing walls are not in line, vertically, horizontally, diagonally, or even if you squint and stand on one leg (on a trampoline).
The challenge (the "straightest wall" and the straight line)
 The Ladder
 The committee...

 "The texter" (there's always one!) We think he was trying to "phone a friend" or ask siri "how do i build straight wall?"














The "health and safety" discussion

"The Gaffer!"


 The night shift.



The plans below show something of what we are looking to achieve, with recreation areas and eating areas. Post evening meal we went back for another shift to prepare metal work ready for the morning so we can crack on, This is a big space to work on (27 meters by 20meters). We will have to pace ourselves, pray for patience as the blisters and cuts develop from cutting the metal framework and drilling into solid foundation stones.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. You are with us in spirit and the means the world to us!
We appreciate your encouragement, speak tomorrow,
A dusty crusty team but in good spirits. 

Sunday 27 November 2016

A vintage grace church Sunday

Good evening Blogski,
It has been a wonderful day in Odessa. The weather is damp, cold and miserable, but the fellowship was so warm and encouraging it has been worth the trip just to spend a day in fellowship with these folk. The day started with breakfast and Paul recording a video for the Youth ministry in Sergei's church. Then at grace church, Pastor Igor Kucher led and preached and then Paul preached (here seen with our good friend and wonderful translator Viktor)  The church was finishing their studies on "the sermon on the mount". It was serious stuff about the reality of hell and need for Jesus (our gate to life). Throughout the day there has been a tangible sense of seriousness and joy as we have been reminded of  Jesus Christ in all his uniqueness.

Over lunch we had the privilege of catching up with Pastor Igor Bandura. It was through Igor that we first heard about the project when he was the pastor of Grace church. Now Igor's responsibilities have grown greatly and so it is not as easy to meet up, but there is still a great sense of God's goodness when we do. We talked (reminiscent of two old men on a park bench)  about how God has provided so remarkably for this project over the last 6 years. There was a real twinkle in our eyes as we look now at the exciting way God will be able to use transition house for his purposes. Architect plans have been drawn up for the basement, and tomorrow we work on making them a reality, but as always the greater work is what Christ is doing in people's lives. Like the little people who have just joined the growing church family even in the last few days and sat with us in church this morning. Sperated as siblings they lived in different state homes but would have no possibility of foster care because the rule is you can only be fostered as a complete family group, but who would want to take several children with a huge age-range???? the church that's who !!! This is not an isolated story. The church is showing the love of Christ, that there is a God who cares, even when the world says you are left on a heap and you don't fit in with its uncaring criteria.

This evening, pastor Igor Bandura finished off the series in Matthew, and a guest youth choir sang. As always the music was top notch, but what impressed us was their attitude and discipline. How many teenagers do you know who would sit in church for 2 sermons, sing a solo (boys) with a smile, then recite poems and memorise prose to encourage God's people? I suggested Mark finished the evening with one of his songs (as there was a spare microphone) but sadly no one thought this was a good idea (especially those who'd worked on site with him last time.) Viktor translated all day for us ( 2 longs services and 4 sermons what a hero!)
With a perfect meal to finish the day, it couldn't have got better, but then it did because out came the pumpkin pie. You don't know how good it is until you have had it from the church chef. I won't tell you how many large slices we ate, suffice to say we are all sitting down, and not moving for some time. I am hoping we can still make it through the basement door in the morning.
Thank you for praying for us today, if you did ... your prayers were answered in ways beyond your comprehension. God is good, and each new day here brings fresh joy and understanding of how privileged we are to be part of this work.
Hope your day was as encourageing as ours, chat tomorrowski ...
P on behalf of the crew.

Saturday 26 November 2016

Good evening faithful Odessa supporters and friends. We have arrived safely, and immediately have got to work putting boards and metal framework materials into the basement, ready for next week. Things got even better when the takeaway Pizza arrived... It seems like  the week has started as we mean to go on. We are so amazed at God's goodness as we arrive out here. Here's 6 praise pointers to start with.
1) The huge storms which hit transition house did not do any damage other than minor and cosmetic. All materials for repair were kept in store and no cost was added to the project. Checking the roof also prompted the folks to spot something that was a minor repair but could've been much worse later in the winter. (God is good and by his sovereignty saved the team some money through the provision of a storm.)
2) 2 Kitchens have gone in since we were last here - and look good too (photo's tomorrow)
3) Pieter, Lydia, Alexei, John and Sergei, (the TH team) all look well and in good spirits.
4) We arrived safely on time in Odessa, despite our flight leaving in bad fog, 40 minutes late with lack of ground crew.
5) The team are a great bunch of guys, and go to warm beds full of amazing Pizza.
6) We are thrilled with the way God has provided for materials on this trip. We had a target in mind that we prayed for, but God has given us 3 times this amount. All of it will be extremely well used and appreciated here.
Pray for us tomorrow as we try to encourage the church.
God is so good, and part of that is so much your partnership with us. Whatever part you are playing.. whether coming out, giving, or praying.... keep going, God is working amazingly to his Glory, and it is a privilege to be a small part of it.
Signing out from a slightly chilly Odessa.
Paul, Josh, Kev, Mark, Darren and John C (looking chuffed with a fresh supply of Cadburys and Yorkshire Tea)