Another English Lesson, Another Friday

Oleh and Edna

Fridays are when Edna teaches English to Oleh and Kristina. It's been a blessing to be able to serve God's children in this way. Edna does most of the lesson planning and teaching, but I sometimes help her out by coming up with interesting ways to challenge Kristina. Kristina already has a good knowledge of English so we are focusing on Biblical terms and getting her used to interpreting. She usually goes to English Club with us on Saturdays and is a huge help when it comes time for Children's Ministry on Sundays. Kristina's mother and grandmother also attend church with us.

Kristina modeling her new coat after church

Oleh didn't know any English before Edna started teaching him, so he was more of a challenge. Oleh is our landlord's son and he lived in our apartment before they built a new house across the river. His parents aren't believers so it has always been our goal to show them Christ by how we live. It's a slow process, but we've seen a big difference in how they look at us. They were convinced when they first met us that we would skip out on the rent and leave them with a huge phone bill and a dirty apartment. Now, they regularly invite Joshua over to spend the night with Oleh and have been really good about helping us out whenever we've had any problems. We realize that it might be awhile before Oleh goes to church with us, but we intend to keep investing our time in him knowing that all things are possible in Christ Jesus. Please keep Oleh, his mother Olena, and his father Vitali in your prayers.

As soon as Oleh left after his lesson, Maxime and Dominic were in the kitchen waiting on dinner. We gave Maxime a special treat and fixed Hamburgers Americanski with fries. Maxime ate until he was about to pop, but he loved every bite. We know that God has placed this little boy in our lives for a reason. Our hearts break when we think about the conditions in Maxime's home so we do our best to open our home and our lives to him. We know that Maxime's life is in God's hands and we take great comfort in knowing that he reads the Ukrainian Bible we got him every night before he goes to bed. Seeing Maxime's zeal for learning about Jesus has been our greatest encouragement since coming to Bila Tserkva. Please pray for his continued growth in the Lord and that his mother and father might someday come to know the hope that is in Christ.

Maxime helping Edna eat some fries

We thought our day was finally winding down as Maxime went home for the night, but before our door could close, Oksana from downstairs was coming in. She asked Edna to help her with her English homework while I helped her print up some business cards. Oksana sells Oriflame Swedish cosmetics, so we helped her out by giving her the professional edge you need in competitive cosmetic sales. Oksana is also a regular at our Saturday night English Club. Keep her in your prayers also as she has just recently considered going to church with us.

Edna and Oksana

This has to have been one of our busiest Fridays yet, but it has all been to our joy.