Good Evening, Mr. President!

Now I can say that everyone in my immediate family has met our president. That's actually pretty insane.


Here is a pic that my dad took at a concert where my brother and his orchestra played.

God can do what? Use social networking sites?

You all probably know that I've been volunteering at In Lumine for quite a while and now I am working there half time. IL's goal is to equip the church for the furthering of the gospel through creating, publishing, and spreading God-centered Christian resources.

How do you do the spreading part? We try to make our resources as accessible as possible. People can download all the books that we publish @ Desiring God website. I wrote about it on V Kontakte (Russian networking site) and then in 2 months I got a phone call from a pastor in Belrus who saw a link that I posted, never heard of John Piper. But was intrigued by "Don't Waste Your Life" title, got interested, downloaded the book.... and it knocked him out! He printed it out, handmade a hard cover for it. Ordered other Piper titles. Loved them and started giving them away to his friends. Piper's message that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him blew them away.

And it blows me away that it all happened because of 1 link that was posted on a social networking site

How I Feel Today

graduateish


pressing on trying to focus


looking for direction


waiting for the Lord


small


broken-hearted



but blessed

Happy Students' Day

A day of mixed feelings. It hit me today that very soon I'll be done with school forever (at least that's what the plan is now)


Lord willing I'll get my master's in a couple of months and I am really excited about it. But at the same time I'll MISS everything about my school, no joke.

World Orphan Day

This next post is more of a journal entry that I wrote on World Orphan day. Something that touched my heart and I do not want to forget.

O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed (Ps 10: 17-18)

Maryana's Story

Let me share with you a story of a girl who's gripped my heart and moved me greatly. Her name is Maryana. She's been one of those naughty orphans who always ends up getting into trouble. That's why teachers and everyone around her would constantly be saying that there is no bright future for her ahead. Her parents left her, she has no money, no good skills, no nothing.

I met her at the orphanage where I was translating for VU team in May. She was standing with a bunch of friends giggling and probably talking about us. I came up to them and said hello and they were so surprised that I did it that they almost laughed in my face. Every day they were just ignoring us probably thinking they're too cool for all those silly games and Bible stories. When once I was talking to my friend Qwest and they all came up to us and started asking a bunch of questions and asked us if we wanted to go to their classroom and see them dance. Not giving it a second thought we followed them. Kids turned on a ghetto stereo system and started dancing. It was the most beautiful dance routine I've ever seen. Not because it was technically perfect, no... but there was so much passion that it was almost overwhelming. Dancing and music was all they had. Those were the only things that were making the orphans happy.

After getting to know them a little we asked them to write what would be one or two things that they would ask God to do or maybe change. And Maryana gave us her letter in which she was asking God to help her get into a school in Boocha, something that everyone was telling her would never happen. Cause she was not good enough for that. We promised that we'd be praying for her. And told her that there is nothing impossible for God. He is not partial. He loves each and every one of us!

3 months later I got a phone call from Maryana she told me the greatest news crying and yelling into her phone that she got into that school. She was praising the Lord saying that it's only because of him and our prayers she now would be studying in Boocha. I was so stocked for her.

A month later I decided to go to that place and visit her. I was shocked when I saw the school. It was so nice, much better than the one I had gone to. But... for some reason Maryana was not there. No one knew where she was. One of the teachers said she went to another city. And I thought she probably went to a camp or something. When after sometime I found out that she was actually forced to leave that wonderful school because her former principal wanted that. This principal's daughter did not get enough students this year at her school and because of that she would not get as much money from the government. I could not believe my ears. How can someone take control of other people's lives and make them do something that they do not want to. Maryana was broke, she could not understand why this all was happening to her. Has not she had too many trials already?

This whole story breaks my heart because I realize that there are thousands of orphans like Maryana who are hurting and were abandoned and forsaken by people but not the Lord And on this World Orphan Day I want to pray for Maryana and all the orphans I know that they would come to know the perfect Father who is always there for them and loves them unconditionally.

Trip to Russia / Pastors' Conference

Here is a short video that I made when Jake, Marina and I went to pastors' conference in Russia.



Hope you enjoy it! God bless!

Happy Birthday, Papa

I am blessed beyond measure and so incredibly thankful for my family. Looking at all the broken families of almost all of my friends in Ukraine I realise it's a blessing from the Lord. And I keep praying that my fam would come to know the One who is faithful and true and greater than anything in this world!