Well, I spent most of the afternoon working in our garage until I knew I better stop, and then it was too late! I'm totally trashed.
So since I can't do much else, I will finish this post that I started last night.
They had spent several years working in Ukraine, (they were there most of the time we were) and then moved home to put their daughter in school.
Now 9 years later, Ed shared how the Lord has led them to work as Regional Director for Eastern Europe under Hope International Ministries, and how they are headquartered in Budapest, Hungary.
And Heather shared about their work in Hungary with youth camps, teaching English in nearby schools, and their hospital ministry.
She loves to pack little gifts such as soap, kleenex packs, a tract, a gospel of John, a granola bar, and whatever else into a pretty gift bag with a card expressing that since "God has been good to us, we want to share His love with you."
A little cross made by ladies in Florida shares the verse on the back
of it, "Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."
People in the hospital, bereft of the care we typically expect in western countries, are deeply touched by these small tokens of love and care. It's a wide open door to share the gospel.
Of course, I'm intrigued with anything along this line.
Ed also then shared about how they are opening a transition home for orphans who have been turned out of orphanages and have nowhere to go, so they end up on the streets or trapped into sex slavery and other horrible situations. A house has been bought and they are working toward getting it and a home mother ready for the first set of girls. The hope is to teach the girls skills that they can use to get a job and navigate life and learn to keep their own home
.
On their display table, they had a very old Bible that had been brought
into Hungary during Communist days by a 15-year-old boy who is now a
pastor.
Durhams also passed out ball point pens to each family at church, since it was a woman from Hungary who invented the first ball point pen. The pen is to help us remember to pray for Hungary and the missionaries there. I thought that was a really nifty idea.Heather had slipped into my pew before service to give me a little gift from Hungary--a package of paprika, a Hungarian specialty--with a recipe she uses for a Hungarian stew made with this paprika!
I remembered that the mother of my home school friend is also from Hungary and likes to cook with paprika!
While Durhams were here, they told us about the lady who is willing to work at the transition house they are setting up for orphans.
So since I can't do much else, I will finish this post that I started last night.
It was such a privilege to get to visit with Ed and Heather Durham again on Sunday after they spoke at our church.
Now 9 years later, Ed shared how the Lord has led them to work as Regional Director for Eastern Europe under Hope International Ministries, and how they are headquartered in Budapest, Hungary.
She loves to pack little gifts such as soap, kleenex packs, a tract, a gospel of John, a granola bar, and whatever else into a pretty gift bag with a card expressing that since "God has been good to us, we want to share His love with you."
People in the hospital, bereft of the care we typically expect in western countries, are deeply touched by these small tokens of love and care. It's a wide open door to share the gospel.
Of course, I'm intrigued with anything along this line.
Ed also then shared about how they are opening a transition home for orphans who have been turned out of orphanages and have nowhere to go, so they end up on the streets or trapped into sex slavery and other horrible situations. A house has been bought and they are working toward getting it and a home mother ready for the first set of girls. The hope is to teach the girls skills that they can use to get a job and navigate life and learn to keep their own home
.
Durhams also passed out ball point pens to each family at church, since it was a woman from Hungary who invented the first ball point pen. The pen is to help us remember to pray for Hungary and the missionaries there. I thought that was a really nifty idea.Heather had slipped into my pew before service to give me a little gift from Hungary--a package of paprika, a Hungarian specialty--with a recipe she uses for a Hungarian stew made with this paprika!
I remembered that the mother of my home school friend is also from Hungary and likes to cook with paprika!
While Durhams were here, they told us about the lady who is willing to work at the transition house they are setting up for orphans.
It's a young lady (no longer so young anymore!) who attended the Bible College while we were in Ukraine.
In fact, it struck me as we were driving home afterward, that this was almost certainly the Natasha who had spent a day in our log home with me once.
I vividly remembered sitting and visiting with this precious girl in our kitchen as she poured out her heart.
She had recently suffered a bitter disappointment and was at wits end what to do with her life.
I had written about it in a newsletter which I found yesterday as I searched through my newsletters from Ukraine. There it was, what I had written about that day.
"Once a young lady named Natasha came for the day. She helped me lacquer kitchen shelves and after supper we sat down together to talk. She felt she had no talents and low self-esteem and was despairing as to the next step in her life.
I shared with her the Scripture that says how God has chosen not the noble or mighty [or talented] but "the weak...the base," the insignificant. I showed her that Proverbs 31 said nothing about a virtuous woman being talented, but that she was trustworthy, hardworking, kind, loving, and feared the Lord. What is of value to God is not talent, but a meek and quiet spirit.
She listened with tears in her eyes. Pray for Natasha that she will sense the leading and love of God and will find new hope in Him."
We learned from Durhams that Natasha had lost her way for a while, but had come back to God several years ago. She is a single mother now with a six-year-old son, but she has had a desire to work in some type of orphanage, and she's their candidate for their transition home!
My eyes kept brimming with tears as I thought how our work and the work of the missionaries working with young people over there in Ukraine had not been in vain.
I thought how that perhaps even that evening of listening to a disheartened young lady and sharing comforting truth from God's Word may have somehow borne fruit years later.
My eyes could hardly stop brimming with tears.
I pulled out our photo album of pictures in Ukraine to see if I could find a picture of Natasha, but I couldn't find one. I did find pictures of the campus of several missionary homes that Jonathan had helped to build during those 4 1/2 years we were in Ukraine and which ended up being taken over by a national leader.
It hurt to look at those pictures.
I pointed the one picture out to Jonathan, all those houses he worked so hard to build.
And I said how it seemed like such a waste.
"But," I went on, and
"But--" he agreed almost in the same breath.
I finished, "That's not what we went for.
Our work was not in vain!"
The houses were not the point.
It was the people, and now years later, we see and hear of fruit for us missionaries' labors.
The Durhams had paid a dear sacrifice for
ministering in Ukraine. They had lost their eleven-year-old daughter
Janette to a tragic accident in Kiev, Ukraine, when we were home for baby Sammy's birth.
They had flown home to Canada with Janette's body, and we had driven to Canada for the funeral.
I still remember sitting in the nursery at the funeral with little Crystal and new baby Sammy, crying and crying, and Crystal wondering what was wrong.
We had gone to support and comfort the Durhams, and instead, they met us with brave faces and smiles, thankful that their daughter had left a precious Christian testimony.
Souls had come to Christ in the funeral service of this precious girl who left behind a sweet testimony of her love for Jesus and others.
That sacrifice was not in vain.
In a month or two, Jason Sturtevant is planning to spend a week in Ukraine visiting with and encouraging Pastor Roman,
another Kiev Wesley Bible School student, who was mentored by dear, deceased Bro. Glenn Pelfrey and who has remained faithful to what he was taught.
My eyes could hardly stop brimming with tears.
I pulled out our photo album of pictures in Ukraine to see if I could find a picture of Natasha, but I couldn't find one. I did find pictures of the campus of several missionary homes that Jonathan had helped to build during those 4 1/2 years we were in Ukraine and which ended up being taken over by a national leader.
It hurt to look at those pictures.
I pointed the one picture out to Jonathan, all those houses he worked so hard to build.
And I said how it seemed like such a waste.
"But," I went on, and
"But--" he agreed almost in the same breath.
I finished, "That's not what we went for.
Our work was not in vain!"
The houses were not the point.
It was the people, and now years later, we see and hear of fruit for us missionaries' labors.
They had flown home to Canada with Janette's body, and we had driven to Canada for the funeral.
I still remember sitting in the nursery at the funeral with little Crystal and new baby Sammy, crying and crying, and Crystal wondering what was wrong.
We had gone to support and comfort the Durhams, and instead, they met us with brave faces and smiles, thankful that their daughter had left a precious Christian testimony.
Souls had come to Christ in the funeral service of this precious girl who left behind a sweet testimony of her love for Jesus and others.
That sacrifice was not in vain.
another Kiev Wesley Bible School student, who was mentored by dear, deceased Bro. Glenn Pelfrey and who has remained faithful to what he was taught.
As I shared a quote a couple posts back, "When it looks like he is buried for good, Jesus is doing something
awesome in the dark."
"His hands will be full of fruit made in the dark."
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