Monday, July 27, 2009

The Cost of Following Christ

If you're reading this then you've either already glossed over the title or have read through the article linked to in it. Either way I encourage you to reread the article. Often times we forget that following Christ should be costly. In North Korea, picking-up your cross and following Christ has an almost literal meaning. That made me stop and think about costs.

What has following Christ cost me? Sadly, or gratefully, I'm not sure exactly which, I've not had to sacrifice too much. I've been blessed to live in a country where religious freedom is (or at least used to be promoted) and where there is a distinct separation between state and church. Quite a comfortable position. Yet this comfort has a cost as well. It has led me to a state of weakened faith, one that often lacks luster, a faith that at times seems to border on the kind of luke-warmness Jesus often warns about in Revelation. I don't always hunger and thirst for God's Word because it is so readily available here. Also because of my comfortable state, I often shy away from doing what is right.

Perhaps then this should be my outlook, if I am to be a faithful follower of Christ here in the U.S. I must be willing to give up comfort. Can I pray, Lord make me uncomfortable so my faith and love for you will grow strong? Am I willing to do this? Are you? Christ was and Christ did!

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Updates from the Ukraine


Many of you are probably not aware that Mt. Carmel supports a ministry in Ukraine known as Mulberry International. Mulberry is actually the name of the U.S. body that governs three ministries in the Ukraine. The photo at left is take from one of those ministries Project Sasha which primarily works at finding and helping street children. What follows is personal reflections from national field directors of these ministries. Charles McKibben is the stateside director mentioned in the updates.

Camp Report
(This is a report from Galya. Hopefully, we will get pictures later.)

Piece to you, Charles and everyone there!

This is the time when I can write to you about our life here. So the first shift of our camp has been finished and it was a great time when God has shown His mercy and His blessings to us all, it was not just good time, it was also difficult time. There were 65 kids that went the whole time with us.
The kids are all different and our sisters and brother from the US were helping us with them. The kids were crying when they had to leave and were thinking and talking about them all the time afterwards. Those kids who received letters from Christa, couldn't wait to get home to read it. Everything was great! We thank You all for everything.

When we came back to Simferopol we were met by the government officials and parents - they were so much happy that started buying the tickets to the camp next year! Both children and the government officials are thinking good about us!
The second shift of camp has started! There are 60 kids now.
So, this seems to be all. We love you and bless you!

Ministry Update from Kostya

We have got a few good news that I would like to share with you. We've made the tables for SImferopol hospital and the chief of the department has asked us to thank the brothers who have donated money for this. We have installed the window in Sevastopol hospital in the baby's ward and the chief of the department is also telling thank you to the brothers.
Pilgrim staff is still working in the camp. The second camp is going much easier for them. Probably, it's because of the experience they've got in the first camp. We are doing some small renovation in the building of Pilgrim, with our own strength. The room above the garage is slowly turning into a big storage room for clothes, with a lot of shelves and hangers.
Chernov family is so thankful for the construction to keep going and very happy about the family ministry that they are a part of right now. Respectfully, Konstantin. We are doing fine. We thank you for the encouragement and the support in the ministry. Our families are doing great. Galina Gudwill went to the Crimean mountains, to the lake area with the kids for a week. She is planning to send children to the summer camp this month. She had a trip with Vanya to Kiev, a month ago, where they had additional examination for Israel. They have planned another trip to Israel but haven't dated it yet. Right now they are thinking of Yana - she's got a heart disease and needs a surgery in Kiev. She has had a medical examination in Simferopol and she will be getting ready for a surgery in September.Families of Macevich and Goryainov and Chernov are arranging the vacation time for their kids by themselves and are also having computer lessons in the lab. The construction keeps moving. We will try to direct all the work to the finishing works(walls and the ceiling). These are the most expensive works. The price for the finishing work is the highest. We will do everything possible to keep the expenses down. The time will show the results. We all are so thankful to the Lord for the movement that has been done in construction and for the temp. Dear brother Charles, you and your family and all our helpers are in our prayers.Respectfully. Konstantin.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Clapping Hands

Children from VBS in Albania.

Just tonight while reading Bible stories with our children, I experienced an amazing moment. We were reading about the women going to the tomb and finding, (or should I say NOT finding) something amazing. Jesus had risen! When I read the part about the angel's announcment to the women, my oldest daughter sat up in her bed and started to clap. She loved the happy ending! Don't we all. In Christ, there can be a happily ever after to all of our lives, and this is something we can sit up and clap about!

Also I wanted to share with you some news about work currently being done by friends in Italy and Albania:


LECCE CHRISTIAN MISSION
(Italy and Albania)
CASELLA POSTALE 36 (73100) LECCE, ITALY
Mission E-mail:
chcr.lecce@tiscali.it;

July, 2009
Pino Neglia – Jessie Lee Troyer

Special Albania
Again this year we had our usual VBS in Albania in the city of Elbasan and in the village of Gostime. It began only a few days after the conclusion of our annual Italian Churches of Christ convention , the details of which I gave you in our June newsletter. In this VBS Chuck Schmidt, from Wichita, KS., was to have participated but because of continuous delays and flight cancellations of Delta Air Line he was blocked at Atlanta on standby for some days and finally was compelled to return home. He felt both embittered and frustated. He was to have accompanied our singing in VBS on his guitar, was to sing solos, and planned to bring with him the portable baptistry which his church had donated to the Church at Elbasan. On my next mission trip to Albania in September, I’ll take the baptistry with me . (providing it arrives in time.)

The first stop of my trip to Albania was at the Christian clinic at Durres where I took the usual supply of medicines . In the first photo to the left are the doctors and nurses who run the clinic. Much to our dismay, in the period when I was in Albania there were extreme climatic conditions; in fact, on Albanian TV they said such storms had not occurred in more than 100 years. The roads turned into torrents of water and mud. Water was in our church location at Gostime. We managed to keep the water from flooding the location by digging trenches.

In spite of the torrential rains the young people came to our VBS. We had a maximum number of 31 at Gostime and 29 at Elbasan. The team of teachers were: Arian Kosta, evangelist at the Durres Church; Koli, member of the Church at Elbasan, Mondi Gjoni, our native evangelist at Gostime and Elbasan; and I. At Elbasan we used the usual elementary and middle school building. The theme was: “Conversions in Acts of the Apostles.” Due to the bad weather we prolonged VBS for a few days. The road from Elbasan to Gostime was a disaster. I never before saw so much mud.

Sunday, July 5th, the only day of sun and no rain, we had the inauguration of the new center and church location at Elbasan which we had rented on my preceding trip in April. There are four rooms and removing the dividing wall between two of them will give us our worship room. One other room will be used for Bible study and the fourth will have a ping-pong table. A sign like that at Gostime reads: Youth Center – Church of Christ. Under the name is Mark 16:16. I had taken chairs bought in Italy. The bath is very small…but at least…there is a bath…!!!

I had taken balloons for VBS which we used also in this occasion. Koli was baptized several years ago and his wife, from Muslim background, is studying the Bible. Another person present for the first time at Christian worship was Genny, economics teacher, who is also of Muslim origin. I had the privilege of sharing at length the Word of God with her. She promised to continue attending services and to study the Bible.

Don’t forget to pray for these children that the seed of the Gospel that we have planted will produce the spiritual fruit of conversion to Jesus Christ Lord and Saviour and re-birth of water and of the Spirit.




Pino Neglia – Jessie Lee Troyer
Lecce Christian Mission

Monday, July 20, 2009

W-mart -- Picture of Heaven?

Recently while travelling, the wife and I made a stop at a certain well-known super center to pick-up some necessities for our journey. I was amazed at the sights, sounds, and smells of the this facility. Persons of what seemed like every tongue, tribe, and nation seemed to be out in the aisles looking for cereal, deodorant, fresh fruit, etc. I couldn't help but think that maybe this was what heaven would one day look like. No not the discount racks and the fake jewelry, rather the buzz of excitement that fills the air because persons of every tongue, tribe, and nation will be there, praising GOD the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ. Then a sad thought crossed my mind, how many of these W-marters will not be there? How many will not be there because I was too busy in my own W-mart quests not to notice the tired, the poor, the hurting, etc. How many will not be there because I believed language to be too big a barrier to sharing God's love. How many will not be there, simply because I was too concerned with my own needs, desires, and wants, and did not do the right thing?

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Interesting Video

A friend sent this to me today. The video is powerful. It was taken from a missions conference somewhere in Knoxville.

http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8742977b76e3475fae47&sp=1

Sunday, July 05, 2009

Photos from Pakistan


From time to time the information we hear about the persecution on other lands seems so far-fetched that few would believe. My friend from Pakistan recently sent this photo of a young Christian girl who was involved in an attack against Christians there. Acid was thrown on this girl.

Thursday, July 02, 2009

Trouble in Pakistan

Friends,

I recently received an urgent prayer request for Christians in Pakistan. My friend writes: Two days ago in Mann Village, Kasur, a mob of fanatic Muslims attacked 117 Christian families. Powerful Muslims claimed that Christians were standing on their way--like standing in the street. They started a quarl and start beating them and burnt their houses of 117 Christian families--total 155 Christian families live in that village. Christians suffered a lot. Please pray for them.

Please keep these families and my friend in your thoughts and prayers.

So the world may know.

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Welcome Back!

Wow! It's been a really long time since I've been here. What seemed like a good idea 3 years ago has now found time and fruition (sp?). I am still new at this blogging stuff so please be patient with me. Today I wanted to simply encourage you all to share the fact the Jesus loves you, he died for you and rose again,and he wants a genuine love relationship with you.Find out more next time.Blogging so the World May Know,