Singing in Ukraine--and Kindness in a Parking Lot

 Saturday night I could not get to sleep till nearly three o'clock. 

A heart-rending scene of a weeping Ukrainian father saying goodbye to his little daughter was etched in my mind as we glimpsed it shared on Facebook just before going to bed. 

But after praying and blogging a while, I glanced just a bit at Facebook again, and this time our pastor friend was on live. He and another man were singing with the pastor's guitar.

His time was already late Sunday morning, nine hours ahead of us.

And he was singing. In the church basement that Jonathan's Mission Helps team had helped to finish, he was singing apparently during their morning worship service.

And when he laid his guitar aside, he faced his hearers with a smile. Tired bags were under his eyes, but he faced us with a smile, and he talked about God.

He was speaking in Ukrainian, but I kept hearing the word "Bozhay," which means God. 

It calmed my heart, and I went back to bed and managed to get four hours of sleep. 

And then we began receiving amazing news about unusual things happening in Ukraine that seemed to only come from God. Like the picture above. Our missionary friend Ed Durham shared how a coworker Jonathan had in Ukraine 22 years ago had seen unusual sights in the sky like the one above. There were at least four photos of different "clouds" that looked ever so much like angels. It is our understanding that Jonathan's former coworker actually saw the "clouds" he photographed, even though someone on Facebook claimed that these same photos had been circulating years ago.  

Then we saw this message shared above.  

It appeared that God Himself is fighting, sending angelic hosts. 

One things is certain.

God is very involved and concerned about what is happening. 

Even if Scripture must be fulfilled, God is right in the thick of things. 

He will never forsake His people or not remember their prayers!

And right in the middle of God caring for His people in Ukraine, He also does unusual things for His people in America. My mom in Missouri wrote a few days ago about doing some grocery shopping at a Country Mart. On her way out, Mom smiled at a couple ladies passing her going into the store. As Mom was preparing to load her groceries into the car, she heard, "Ma'am! Ma'am!"

    As Mom turned, one of those ladies was holding something out to her.

"I just wanted to bless you today!" the lady said, handing my mom a wad of bills. Then she turned and went back toward the store. 

    Dumb-founded, my mom finished loading the groceries and then sat down in the car. When she counted the money, it added up to about $60!

"So amid all the terrible news we are hearing yesterday and today," Mom wrote, "there are some bright spots to lighten our days."

Yes, whether in a basement where a pastor was singing in Ukraine while sheltering from the enemy, or in a parking lot where someone just decides to bless someone else,

God is at work doing unusual things. 

Whether shapes of angels in the sky, or human angels actually reaching out to an elderly person,

God's love and care is shared and made known and really experienced. 

Keep it up, Lord! 

Make Your beautiful self known to all!