Jones Family Ministries

Under Attack

2009-08-14T11:59:00.000-07:00

We are finally all together in Ukraine after the kids and I spent 10 weeks with family and friends. The time was great! We were able to reconnect and make deeper relationship with people who we knew for years, but never really spent time with. We participated in James’, my brother’s, wedding. We had the opportunity to go to the Jones family 4th of July picnic in Oklahoma, which is like a family reunion each year. My siblings and I realized that it had been over 30 years since the last time we all drove together to Oklahoma and about 15 years that we were all together. The time was also filled with surprises. Mairam learned that we are expected our 4th child, due in January. We learned that because of our economic situation we could no longer afford to live in Kiev. We sold what we could to pay our bills. Now it seems like it has gone from bad to worst.

I’m not usually one who says that they are under spiritual attack, but I can’t explain what is going on with us any other way. I can point to an event that happened and ever since that time things has being going down the drain. I was invited with our pastor by a group of young guys from our church in Kiev to meet once a week with them, pray, fast, and seek God for what God wanted from them. Before that, things weren’t great, but it was all durable. Now we feel like all hell has broken out. We can use your prayers.

Today the apartment that we started moving in to has been taken from us. The owner called and said that she sold it. We have until the 15th to be in the one we are currently in. We need to fine a place and it has not been easy. Today we also got word that two of our three cooks are quitting on Monday with no advance warning. Our finances have been attacked. It cost us an extra $600 and 36 hours later for me and the kids to make it to Kiev. Everyone was outrageously tired. I am only started to feel like myself again. But this was money that we did not have to spend. I had a large sum of money taken out of my bank account that was not supposed to be taken out. That cost us bank fees and NSFs and more problems with our creditors. I’m still trying to get it straightened out.

Today was hard. Mairam was in tears asking what next. It took everything in me not to breakdown at the same time. Pray for us. We could really use them.

We have made some hard decisions. We will not raise our children in a state of need. We want them to understand that serving God is not a sentence of poverty. We don’t see it anywhere in scripture where it says that being impoverished is a requirement for serving him. We will wait until the end of October to finish with all our obligations. During this time, we will seek God for guidance. If by that time our financial status has changed, then that means he wants us to stay and serve him here in Ukraine. If things don’t get better, then we will leave the mission field after 10 years of service to God in this country, I will get a job in the States, and we will seek him on what to do next. This is a sad time for us, because our lives our here, but we know that God only has the BEST in store for us, so we will follow him even if it takes us away from our passion.

Pray that are basic needs will be covered: we will be able to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads.
Pray for wisdom, strength, and understanding. We are at a lost for what has been happening. There must be something wonderful at the end of this trial.
Pray we will be able to find money to fly to California (if it comes to that), around $5,000.

Blessings!

Announcing the birth of our son

2008-12-04T16:50:00.000-08:00

Announcing the arrival of the latest addition to the Jones family. Ernest Simon was born November 15 at 8:50 weighting in at 3.6kg and 54cm. Attached is a picture of him when he was in the hospital. Mairam and Ernest are doing well. Eliza and Eric are loving having a new brother. Mairam’s mother, Rema, is here helping out and making the transition a little easier.

New Direction

2008-11-12T14:31:00.000-08:00

It is not really a new direction, but it is more like moving forward and onward. I am taking a leave of absence from missions to concentrate more on family. One thing I was told when I started on the mission field was that "if I failed at raising my children then I failed at being a missionary." I took these words to heart and am trying to live by them.
I am not seeing clients, but I'm very active in our local church. I find that I'm preaching, teaching, and hanging out with the young more. This is great, because I can do it with my family. I feel that every time I turn around, God is presenting me with a new opportunity to minister to someone. I'm happy to experience this, because it was hard to step out of missions and not know how I would continue working at building God's kingdom.

Our Newest Addition

2008-09-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

We are overjoyed to announce that we are expecting a boy this coming November. The ultrasound has confirmed that our third child will be a boy(check out the ultrasound picture on our blog). We are talking over names and so far Ernest Jaidon is in first place. Pray for his health and birth as the days are winding down. Pray also for Mairam as the third trimester can be the most difficult.

Opening Doors

2008-09-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how God works. When one door closes, he opens another. What do I mean? Well, some of you may recall that I, Eric, am on family leave. I have stopped see clients and have not been involve in YWAM ministry, but that does not stop God from offering me opportunities to serve. There are two great types of service they have fallen into my laps.
One is teaching on Sundays at the Kiev Vineyard Church that we attend. The pastor has given me more and more time in the teaching schedule to share my heart with the congregation. I’m loving it. I enjoy the interaction and it is giving us a chance to plant roots in the church.
Two is mentoring young guys. It is funny how this has come about. I did not seek this ministry. It sought me. Through various interactions with different Christian young men, I find that I have a small group of people who I meet with on a regular base to share, pray, and encourage. I’m enjoying the new ministries God is bringing my way. They are filling in to my schedule with taking away from focusing on the family and business. God is amazing how he gives chances to serve him that are not taxing in anyway.

Our Latest Seminar

2008-05-25T14:34:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful time our team had running “The Divine Plumb Line” Seminar for 50 people on Thursday, Friday, and all day Saturday of this past week. This was the first time our counseling team held this seminar outside of a training school or in cooperation of a church. It was a big stretch for us. We learned some good insights about what we can do as a team. This setting was fantastic. There were people from various church, denominations, and organizations. I liked this venue better, because I felt that we were about to impact a great number of people who have different spheres of influence. In short, their testimonies of what God did in their lives are farther reaching then anything our team of six can do. I immensely enjoyed putting on the seminar, because I was about to see again how God dramatically changes the lives of individuals who are open to receiving what he has for them.

The Divine Plumb Line teaching is about God’s desire to bring truth in a person’s life, so that the individual can be the person God created him to be. The fact is that most people hide the real person they are from the world and sometimes from themselves as a protective device against the pains and hurts they received from close people who were authority figures in their lives. Those authority figures gave incorrect messages that destroy the true person that God made them to be. God wants to heal and restore each person back to who he created them to be. This is what the teaching is about in a nutshell. I love it, because there is a great deal a time dedicated to allowing God to speak to each participate. I have seen many people come into revelation, except the truth about God, and then allow him to bring healing to their hearts and souls.

What a blessing to be part of this process. You are part of it too. So thank you for your support and prayers. You are helping in the process of bring the healing touch of God to this part of the world.

Starting up again

2008-04-24T12:25:00.000-07:00

I’m starting up again to update my blog. I understand that it does not take that much time, I just to do it.

Today’s ministry time was fantastic. My client has a major breakthrough. Today, God help him make some connection between his heart and mind. I find that many people live disconnected for the heart they Jesus gave us. Because of this, these people live a life less then what God wants to them to have. It is amazing to see how God does this delicate surgery. The most vivid thing that stands out for me during this session was the picture God gave the client. He saw his heart as an orange marble stone, and then he saw God pick it up. He was terrified. God did not take it from him. But after taking about what he was experiencing. He decided to give his heart to God. And God gave him a fleshly heart in its place. The imagery was powerful for him. God was letting him know that he was about to feel and experience his range of emotions as he was created to do. Now he needs to learn how to use the heart God has given him and to live out of it. What a wonderful miracle of God’s ability to heal and change the heart of men.

A music project where I'm singing in Ukrainian

2008-03-28T16:24:00.000-07:00

The Trap of Pleasing

2007-11-28T11:46:00.000-08:00

Today’s client was very key for me. He helped me see firsthand the consequences of building a life where one is always looking out for the “best” for others. This guy has had some serious deep hurts in his life, because he had a wrong understanding of what it meant to be “all things to all people.” He is the “good guys” that everyone can depend on to get the job done. The problem is that he has a big heart and poor boundaries. This combination has allowed him to be a doormat for the many users of the world. And unfortunately since he has been a Christian he has ran into more of this type of person, especially in leadership.
As I listened to one story, I saw myself relating to his situation. I’m happy that God has taken me through similar experiences and I am learning how to workout of the heart that God gave me with proper boundaries.
This guy is at the beginning of his process. He has some imperative skills to learn. One thing that kept coming up during our time was the importance of him valuing himself. It is all right to help others, or to give 110% when doing a job, but it is just as vital for him to make time for himself. If he will not do it, no one else will, especially in ministry. The way in which he was working leads directly to burnout and that is what he keeps experiencing. On this topic, God reminded me about something he taught me that the client could really use that God needed to be first, and then I needed in the second space. This is important, because only through my relationship with God can I help others and not burnout. Working on myself first releases me to be able to better assist others. Because I am not working out of my pain, but I am working out of the wholeness that God has created in me. This way my energy is streaming from God and what he is doing in me, and not from trying to full the emptiness that lurked in my life. This was a hard lesson to learn and the client is only waking up to this reality. He started grieving over what has happened in his Christian life by recognizing the depth of the pain he has received at the hands of the leaders he has submitted himself to. He is starting to understand that it was not all his fault. Yes, he had a part to play in what took place, but he needs to accept the fact that Christian leaders are human, not perfect, and that he needs to allow himself to feel what he feels about each situation without justifying the actions of the other person.
I know that we have only touched the tip of the iceberg. He has expressed a desire to meet again and I pray that we will be able to squeeze in two more times before I leave.

My Youngest Client Yet

2007-10-06T11:57:00.000-07:00

Talk about a personally scary time for me. I understand how much harder it is for me to work with someone so young. I was counseling a 15 year old boy who has questions about his sexual orientation. The topic was not the thing that threw me for a whirl, but his age. This was my first time talking with someone so young. For the start, his age was blocking me from going forward. I thought how great it is that he is seeking help. Then I would remind myself that his mother kind of put him up to it. I did not know how much of a desire he had to be there talking with me. He was very open and honest with what he was going through.
After God calmed me down I was able to really listen to what the guy was saying. His problem is real, because he feels that he has one. But it is in the beginning stages and can turn into something that can cause him years of grief. From the books I have read, I know that he only needs to know the truth about who God has made him to be. He needs to find his real self by being affirmed in his masculinity. As the client shared his story with me, I would clearly see that in his short life that he has not been affirmed in any area of his life. The biggest challenge is that his life as been monotone. He has no highs and no lows. How does one receive life when one has never known it?
We spend time praying and talking about his life. He was very open, but he was not able to express his feelings. He is highly intelligent, he is well mannered, he is highly respected, but he is as cooled as ice. His emotions are frozen. I could say that they were never developed. I feel that this was major block in our time together. He was able to do some great things during our session like honestly speak about what is going on in his mind. I believe that he felt accepted by me as he was sharing, and I know that this is very important.We were not able to really attack the problem. I found that we were going around in circles. I could see some threads that could lead to the root of his problem of why he feels like he is homosexual. We were able to notice two events that need farther investigation. I asked him to continue to reflect on these two events with God to see what he wants to say to you about them. With that, I stopped our session, because I felt that it was enough for our first time. My hope is that I will be able to meet with him at less two more time before I leave to go back to Kiev. I pray that it will happen, because I know that God has not gotten to the heart of the predicament with him

2007-07-30T04:19:00.000-07:00

Monday, 23, July 2007 – We arrived in Korosten safely. We were met by Larisa’s dad, the pastor of the church we’ll be working with, Sasha, and his wife, Tanya. Sergey and I were taken to the pastor’s house. We will stay there for the week of ministry.
We sat down together to share a meal and discuss who we are and what we will be doing. We wanted to schedule out the week. It is interesting for me that such a small and new church was willing to allow us to come. The church is not yet 2 months old, they have about 50 members. The pastor and his wife are a one man show. They did it all. It is taking a toll on their marriage and on their family. They have two young boys, 6 and 4.
Still they are very giving. They cleared out to rooms in their three room apartment for us to be in. We told them that we could sleep in the same room. It would not be a problem. It was good that we decided to stay together, because that evening they got a call from another people who wanted to participate in the seminar and they were able to put him up in the other room they had prepared for us. Isn’t it fascinating how God works?

Tuesday, 24 July 2007 – Sergey started us off in Korosten by teaching on addictions. There were about 12 people present. It was a great time. I was put off by Sergey’s question to me to share about my struggles with the group on the first day. I don’t know if it was a good idea to do it or not. I remembered with Natasha said about the importance of respect with the audience. It is good to share, but make such that your sharing is giving them hope and that they see that you are ahead of them in their process. They don’t want to hear from someone who is in the same shape as them or worst off then them. This is not to lie to them, but to share about the victories you have won. Because if you don’t paint the right picture in your personal sharing, then they may miss out on the message you have on your heart to share with them. They may count you unfit to speak into their lives. I understand that it is vital not to get in the way of message.
I shared with them briefly about where I was with some of my struggles and how God has given me victory in my process of redemption. I thought that may be it was not the right thing to do, then I found that the one person who wanted to know more about how God was restoring me did not hear what I had been struggling with. It showed me that people hear what they want to hear. They may be looking at you like they are with you, but they can be far away in their own thoughts.
Our morning session when quite well, I was about to see how open and ready this church was to receive what we were offering. I am often dumbfounded at how incapability people can be in handling the basics of life. I say this not as a judgment call, but as an observation of the depravity we live in today. I can see how the enemy has planted seeds in the families many generations ago. These seeds have taken root and through cross breeding have born offspring that are more devious then the original plant that was created. I say this after reflecting on the lives of the individuals we met and the complexity of the problems they have. The solution is easy, Jesus. But to get then to the place where they will allow God to work in their lives in ways that will bring healing is sometimes a whole other thing.

After Lunch – We were talking with the young lady and the woman who helped serve us lunch. It was good to hear the positive feedback they gave us. I found that as they were sharing about their own lives, God placed questions on my heart to say them. I should be truthful; I asked God want to do? I was hearing a great deal of pain and distress. I figured that it was not a coincident that they were the ones serving us lunch and talking to us afterwards. Sergey went to our room study up for his talk this evening. I continued to asked questions. The woman was very serious about getting help. I told her that it would be good for her go for a personal time of counseling with the female counselors on our time. The young lady keep telling stories of how wonderful everything was for her, but nothing added up. By the end of our time I saw clearly what was going on, but is was still not there. She later told Sergey that she thought that everything was alright with her before she talked with me. I thought about it. I felt bad a first, then I remembered that I didn’t do anything to change her opinion. All I did was ask her clarifying questioning that caused her to think about what she was saying.

Evening Session – I was not there for most of it, because I was called out to counsel a Christian guy who is struggling with masculinity. He is marriage with two kids. His family is on the verge of imploding. I was challenged by the thought of working with someone who has this issue. For me it is a perfect opportunity to depend upon God. I know I don’t have enough tools under my belts to really help him. I have read some books, but I have not had any practice in the “real” world to gain confidence or understanding on how to best handle these types of situations.
When I saw him, I didn’t think anything was “wrong” with him. As we talked, I was aware of the fact that he was torn between his desires and his faith. He was fully engrossed in a homosexual lifestyle. His struggles had made him turn to what he thought he needed – the love of other men. In some ways this was true, but he was going at it in the worst way. I did not have that much time. We spent some time in prayer. I shared with him what God led on my heart. I gave him a book that talks about recovery in this area. I remembered what Leanne Payne said in her book Crisis in Masculinity. She compared homosexuality with cannibalism. See cannibals only eat those who they like. They believe that by consuming the person that they will inherit that quality that they like about the person. In the same way, a man who does not feel he is masculine can turn homosexual in order to “digest” the masculinity of another man. The problem with this is that it DOES NOT work. In stead of filling the hole, it creates more problems, more wounds, and deeper pain. This was what the man I was counseling was trying to do. I did not have much time to get into the finer details, but I try to let him know that he was not alone. He has been turned out of churches as he is trying to deal with his issues. I laid my hand on his shoulder and prayed for him. During this time God gave me words of encouragement to speak directly with him. It was interesting for me, because I was not able to pray. I was say a couple of words, then I would start talking directly to him about how God see him, cares for him, loves him, and wants to free him for his internal torment. I know that it was not just me, because of the man’s reaction to what was being said. During our time, I give him a book that can go into more details on recovery from homosexual tendencies. I ended our time with a hug and words of encouragements in his ear. I pray that God will teach him through the book how recovery and healing his possible. I also pray that God will but strong Christian males in his life that will love him for him and help with the healing process.
I got back about 20 minutes before Sergey finished. I was able to her the response of the people. He talked on trauma. I think that it was an eye opener for most people to hear and understand how what happened in our childhood can and does affect them in their adult life.

That night – I was talking with Sergey. As he was sharing with them, I felt led to ask God to come be part of our time. I felt that what he was talking about was leading deeper then just a friendly conversation between buds. I was not trying to have another counseling session, but I felt that God could use me to help him make sense of what was going through his mind and heart. I understand that God will only use me when I make myself available to him. It is my prerogative. God is a gentleman. He will never make me do what I choice not to do. This does not matter how right or beneficial it is. He has given me free will and will not take it back. I say this now; because I know at time I don’t feel like helping someone else understand what is going on in there live. Sometimes I feel that maybe I am overstepping some invisible line. I know that if I had a friend who always was out there trying to help me go deeper, I would not always come around. I am learning how to use the tools I have to help others. This includes my friends and family. I am learning how to balance to two, so that I don’t become a nuisance. I want to be a friend. And this means helping when you are given permission to do so.
I asked him if I could give him some feedback on what he was sharing with me. I started with a simple comment, through the course of the night; God led me to ask him a question that he never thought about. This was the key to what he was looking for. I prayer with him and then we went to bed. Boy was I tired after time. It was a long day and only the first full day we were there.

2007-07-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

Monday, 16 July 2007 – My time with my client went to a new level. I can’t say that he has received more healing, but he has obtained a greater understanding of himself and his struggle. For me, this is a break through. He can take the knowledge he has and apply it to his issues. The problem can be that it is easy to make rational decisions and discoveries without every moving forward in recovery. This is because recovery happens at the heart level and knowledge is all head. Change of character takes place deep inside our soul or heart. Without God’s assistance an individual can not make the leap from head to heart. I pray that the person I’m working with will allow God to work in his life to take the longest journey in a human’s life with his new discovery to the level of eternal change of the heart.

Tuesday, 17 July 2007 – Our time at the male rehab center was hard this time around, because it seemed that everyone was tired. They were given extra assignments from their program that caused them to be non-responsive with more sitting, listening, and sharing. Even though it was hard, Larissa did an excellent job in relaying the information in her topic and getting the guys to interact with each other. I know that it was a different for her being the only female in the midst of men. While she was teaching, she put forth a professional persona that gentling demanded respect and this helped her gain the needed admiration amongst the guys to be listened to. I found it interesting seeing how they changed their idea of her. What I mean is that she is a young beauty lady who may not seem like she knows what she is talking about with some recovering drug addicts. But when she started talking, it was easy to see the change in their response to her. It was entertaining for me, because I was planning to work on another talk I was to give this week, but I get all rapped up in what was going on. I believe that it was a good growth experience for Larissa.

That evening – It was a scorching 90+ with humidity during the day and it looked like it was going to be the say during the evening. You should know that the sun does not go down throughout the summer here until after 10 pm, so meeting at 7 pm means that there is still a great deal of heat left in the blazing day sun. When we got to the mom’s group it was starting to rain. This was good and bad. It was good because the humidity finally reached 100% to rain and to cool things off. The bad side was that it could stop some of the moms from coming out. But in all, we had a good number of moms. It seems like a little tropical style down pour will not stop them.
It was great that so many moms showed up that evening, because Sergey was teaching on addictions. It was a good follow up to the codependency talk I gave last week, because it takes them from understanding their own issues to the problems with their families while giving them another chance to exam what has led them to this point in their own lives. I believe that this was what was happening this evening. Through questions and sharing that was done during this time, it was clear that God was taking some of them deeper in breaking the denial and for others starting them down the road to recovery. It is exciting to see how God is using us to bring truth and change to these women. I know that they have a long haul in front of them, but they are trying to move forward. I am encouraged especially when I see someone who is in her 60’s or 70’s making the decision that it is not too late to make changed in her life. I am always amazed at how God works. If we are open, God will show us the way to healing. This is not depended on age, situation, or circumstances, but only on our willingness to allow God into the damaged parts of our lives to work. No matter how far we feel we have gone beyond redemption. God is there to redeem. Seeing elderly people make the move also encourages in my own process of recovery. I understand God’s love for me at a deeper level through what I see him doing in their lives. He does not give in or give up on us. When we am ready, he is wanting. This tells me that my recovery is based on me and my willingness to allow God to work in and on my life. For me this is good news. It makes me want to shout for joy, even though I know that it not as easy I’m putting it.

Wednesday, 18 July 2007 – What a day! This was the first day that our supervisor was going to go with us to one of places to hear and see what we were doing. I know that it is not that big of a deal, but I just had to laugh about it. After minister time yesterday, I tried to finalize the new topic I was going to teach on. I had everything in set. All I needed to do was to sit down and type it out. And you know how Murphy’s Law works, so my computer decided that it was not going to working. I felt good about the topic, but I would have felt better if I was able to type it out, because it would have helped me put things in my own words and in an order that would be easy for me to work with it. I ended up making copies of the pages in the books where I got the information. I highlighted stuff and wrote what I could in the margins. Still I was feeling unprepared for what I needed to do. I gave it up to God and decided to go to bed. I know that it was better for me to be well rested then having everything “prefect.”
With that said let me tell you how things went. I believe that my teaching on recovery was like a continuation of what Sergey taught the evening before. Some of the same people came out to hear what I was teaching on. I know that it was a God thing. I say this for many reason, but one example of why is with happen with one woman. One of the women who is part of the moms’ group opened up for the first time with some of the pain that she has experienced in her life. I believe that my unprepared-ness help me be more in tune with allowing God to use me, because where I wanted to go, but I did not know how I was going to get there. From my past experiences in teaching, I know that I don’t do as well with material that I have not made my own. Having book page copies is not how I like to enter into a teaching session. I know from my experience too that God works through it all. So seeing this woman share reminded me that I’m not the one who is in control. It is all about God and what he is doing in the lives of these people we are interacting with for a point in time in their lives.

That evening – I am co-counseling with Sergey a guy who is working on staff at one of the rehabilitation centers we have been in contact with over the course of these outreaches. All I can say is to pray for me and for this guy. The things he is struggling with are more advanced then anyone I have worked with so far. I’m glad that I am in outreach and have to opportunity to have guidance. I believe that he is fragile and this is what scares me the most. I could really use your prayers on this one. I know you don’t know what is going on. I’m not about to share that, but God knows and he knows what the man needs from him and what is standing in the way of this man receiving it.
Father, use me as a vessel in this man’s life to bring your truth, freedom, and love into his life.

Thursday, 19 July 2007 – Our team has been going to the street kids club, but I have been trying to keep my hours down, so that I will have a better balance of work and family time. This week I went, because I was not sure that I would have enough hours. I’m glad that I went, because I understood that working with this group is not what is on my heart to do. I can do it for the outreach, but I don’t have a desire to continue on doing it as my ministry starts to unfold.
Larissa taught on feeling with the kids. This was like a review of what I had already taught them, but in other ways it went in a different direction to get the some point across. Sometimes it is good to look at the some stuff several time using different angles. She did a great job, but there were a couple of kids who did not really want to be there and took away from the teaching time. This is not what made me decide that street kids club is not for me. I was looking and searched inside myself to notice that I was not into what was going on. I did not have the level of interest that I like to have as I am ministering to others. In short, there was no passion.

Friday, 20 July 2007 – I met with a new client. I met with him once before with Sergey, but it was a one time session deal with no planned follow up. Now he is looking at working on his addiction. God has brought him to a point where he understands that without God’s help in healing him, he will not survive. As he put it, “I have come to the place where I don’t want to hurt anyone any more. And I will die if I lose anyone dear to me, because of my addiction.” He has a tough road ahead of him, but with God it is possible to overcome and receive healing from life’s hurts and pains. God will fill the hole that he feels in his soul. It will take time, care, understanding, and forgiveness, but it is possible.

2007-07-19T22:41:00.000-07:00

Monday, 9 July 2007 – I met with one of the clients I had before I went to California. I don’t know how to share about it. So this entry will be short. He has been moving forward in his healing process while I was away. That makes me happy, because it shows me that he wants to change and he can work on it without me.

Tuesday, 10 July 2007 – We went to the men’s rehab center. I taught on codependency. The first half was very difficult. I thought that I was not reaching them. They were looking back at me like they were bored out of their minds. I was fighting with myself. I wanted to cut the teaching short and do something else. But I’m glad that I did not give in to my insecurity. When I gave them an excise to do, as they started to share I understand why they had this blank look on their faces. I was stocked. The look they were giving me was, because God was working on their hearts. As they shared they talked about how they noticed that they were codependent or knew someone close to them who was codependent. As they dealt with the reality of the matter, there was one guy who went right into denial. He noticed that he was codependent, but he rationalized his actions. He stated how they were not wrong. He could not understand how what I was talking about was a problem. He figured it was how it ought to be. He was doing it all out of love. There is nothing wrong with that! He became indigent. I figure that he needs to think through everything he heard and give himself time to review his notes without putting up any defenses. I pray that God will allow him to see the situation clearly so that he can receive healing from this addiction.

That evening – We went to the moms’ group were mothers meet weekly for support for dealing with the addictions of their children and/or husbands. I taught this time around on the some topic I finished up in the morning, codependency. This time I taught it all in one sitting, about an hour and a half with translation. What a difficult time the mothers had. It was easily seen on each of their faces from the leader to the new comer. God was giving them some things to think about. I wanted to cry as I was teaching, because seeing their pain reminded me of the process God is taking me through as he heals me from this addiction.
The highlight for me was when one young mother who is married to a drug addict understood that what she was doing was not helping and if she started working on her own issues like codependency only then can the situation she is in get better. You know that this is a big revelation. She has reached the halfway point in her recover. I pray that God will continue to give her revelation so that she will go the rest of the journey to wholeness in this area of her life. This will help her and possibly save her husband.

Wednesday, 11 July 2007 - We went to the day rehab center. Sergey continued his teaching on addiction. There were less people there on this day, but what was good was that on of the mothers come to hear about addiction. Sergey summarized what he talked about for diving in to what he prepared. This was good for the mother to feel part of what was being talked about. It was important for her to be up to par, because she is new to the group and she keeps saying that she has no problems, denial – big time. She said that she learned some new things and that it challenged her. I believe that she walked away with a better understand of her husband’s, her son’s and her own addictions. I pray that she will be able to explore her feelings and look at her pain. Before she left, she shared how she is struggling with a new thing – food. She has taken on a new addiction, because she has not gotten down to the core of her problem. Until she avoids looking at the underlying roots, she will continue to add to her addictions.

That evening – I meet with a new client with Sergey. Wow! This is one that I will be asking questions of my supervisor on help to best proceed. He has one major problem with a few underlying ones. He scares me, because it seems to be at the edge and could snap. I see how delicate and vulnerable he is and I want to work with cause. God give us wisdom as we work with him and help him turn to you for healing.

2007-07-13T13:23:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, 3 July 2007 – In the evening we went to a moms’ codependency group. We have been there before, but this was the first time we came as observers. It was interesting to see how the group works. We were able to notice several ways we can aid the group in being more effective. We saw that there is a need to create a venue where there is more sharing form each group member. Next week we will have a chance to teach, so we are going to introduce the topic, give some points, and then open it up for people to share their experience. We know that only through share can one start to receive healing.

Friday 6 July 2007 – We went to the day program rehab center where Sergey taught on addictions. It was an interactive time. Sergey did a great job with involving everyone. He asked questions and made comments that helped open up and participate. Through the interaction it was easy to see how they were understood the topic and important points. But personally, it was a hard time for me, because I wanted to share more. There words were not coming fast enough. I just like my tongue could not convey what I wanted to say. I know that God worked, but I would of liked to contributed more to the discussion.

2007-07-05T10:03:00.001-07:00

Tuesday 3 July 2007 – We went back to one of the rehab centers we worked with before. This is a men center where most people used drugs of some sort and are now in a plan of recovery. I had the opportunity this week to teach on the topic of codependency. It was good, but hard for me. It was good, because I know that statistics show that an overwhelming number of people who go through rehab pick up this type of addictive behavior. I was about to share about it passionately, but I did not feel confident about the teaching. It was the first time I spoke on it. But I saw how God work on the people there by challenging their understanding of what is to be in a good relationship. Next week I will continue teaching on this subject by offering steps to healing.

2007-07-02T22:58:00.000-07:00

Monday 2 July 2007 – I am back from California. I have been here for a week. Outreach has started up for me again. I will be making entries once more based on the ministry opportunities I have during the week. I hope that you will enjoy hearing from me. Please write commitments. I would LOVE to hear from you.
My time in California was good, but not what I had planned. The biggest way I think God used me was to help a woman who had lost sight the desire to live. She was in depression and was heading down the road of death. She lost her will to live. She has some medical problems, but nothing terminal. Life has turned out not has she wanted it. So it was easier just to give up. I am happy to say that she is in the process of recovering from her depression. My prayer for her is that God will put people in her life who will encourage her and help her see the good in life.

2007-06-12T16:04:00.001-07:00

Today’s entry is more of a summary of various events then a daily breakdown of ministry. As you know I’m in California on family business. I did not realize that God would use me her too to draw people closer to Him. There are three occasions that stick out in my mind over the course of the last 10 days when I said how God was using me to bring truth to the person.
The first time was with a woman who we were having a friendly conversation. I felt God prompted me to pose a more serious question. I asked if it was all right to offer a deeper question. I saw through that one question God open up trust to the woman. She understood better why she was feeling the way is was and what God wanted her to do. I did nothing but ask questions and speak from my own personal life. God filled in it in and help her to see how everything related together. I pray that she will continue to seek God for help and growth, so that she can live in the freedom that God gave us through his son, Jesus.
The next two times were guys. It was not as striking as with the women. She was more open and hungry for help from God. But the time was good. I don’t know why God does it this way through me sometimes, but I was prompted to ask a question that I thought was farfetched. I asked if I could ask a more serious question and told each of them that if they did not want to answer it would be all right with me. I put forth the question and in seconds we were talking about more meaningful things. We talked about where they were with God, fears, believes, etc. I know that God used me to challenge them as they seek after him with their whole hearts.
I’m here in California for another 12 days. I pray that God will continue to use me in unexpected ways to bring glory to his name.

2007-05-30T03:20:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 27 May 2007 – What an unexpected time it was for us. One of Mairam’s girlfriends came to Kiev for a conference. Things were mixed up and she was without a place to stay for a night. We invited her to stay with us. Mairam and her spent some time together talking, laughing and catching up with each other. Later that evening Mairam shared with me that our guest wanted me to pray for her. I was very open to spending time in prayer. Right away God placed it on my heart to ask her if she was opened to hear from God on any topic. She gazed at me with an odd sort of look on her face. I clarified what I thought God was asking. She hesitated and then said sure. I prayed that God would encourage her. Even as I was praying I felt that God was encouraging her. During the time of prayer, God brought up a deeper issue in her life. I offered to walk her through a time of bringing it before God for him to start the healing process. She first said no, but then after a few minutes she reconsidered. The time of ministry with her was uplifting. God took her back in time in her mind to a place where she needed healing. I helped as God freed her from the burden she carried for 17 years that was not even hers to carry. She received freedom that evening from that event. I praise God each time he allows me to participate in this type of ministry. It is amazing what God can do in an hour’s time that has an everlasting effect.

Monday, 28 May 2007 – Dima and I met together for a time of fellowship and mentoring. It was a hot day, so we decided to go down to the riverside to sit in the shade and hopefully catch a cool breeze every now and then. I enjoy our time together. He is a deep thinker. This is great and it has its shortcomings. For now our time is less structured. As I have shared before that we are waiting until I come back from California before we start a study. Anyway, our times are having a positive affect on his life. This is what he has told me. He shared how God has challenged him and why he believes what he believes. Dima is a young minister and one of the main speakers in his church. It is important for him not to just read and speak what he has heard, but to have convection about who he is in Christ. I see that our time together has been doing this. The easiest place to see this is when we take about religious traditions. His church has adopted a lot of cultural traditions and presented them as gospel. He challenge has been is find out what the Bible says about it. Some things are good, but more of this things he has found out that they are just traditions.

2007-05-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

Our team on my last day of outreach. Two students (Sergey and Larissa) are staying to do a 12 week outrech. I and Mariana took an 8 week outreach. The other two people in the picture are the two leaders (Sharon and Claire).

Monday, 21 May 2007 – I met with my leader for the last time to evaluate my time and growth during the outreach. She shared how enjoyable it was to work with me. She stated that in general this was the best and easiest team to work with. I agree with her. I enjoyed working with each person. The biggest thing I walk away with is the understanding of how important it is to allow God to do the work. What I mean is that I can give out information, but it is God who brings change to a person’s life. I know that it is NOT me bringing change to people, but God working through me as much as I give him room to work. I found out that the more I depended on God to direct my teaching or one on one time, the more I saw people impacted for change. I saw people walk in feeling one way about themselves or their lives and walk out as a new person. It does not matter how long the person has been a believer. All that matter is how much the person is willing to face what is going on and receive God’s help in the matter. See it is only God. He is the only one who can work at the level of change.

Wednesday, 23 May 2007 – Things have slowed way down for me now that IBC outreach is over. I have a light schedule with just a few meetings until I leave for California.
I met with a guy who God put on my heart to mentor. Our meetings are focused on laying a good foundation of trust and understand until I return from my trip. I should say that this is my goal. Later we will study some material, but the main focus I feel still needs to be on him learning to trust and to bond with a male figure in his life. I believe that this will aid him in his desire to draw closer to God. For now, he has some personal issue to work out first before he will trust God enough to come close to him.

Thursday, 24 May 2007 – I met with a client. It was a fantastic time. I saw God open his eyes to a big stronghold in his life. My client was willing to deal with the problem by taking it to God, confusing, repenting for his part, asking for God’s help to move forward, and making the first steps into healing for it. I love seeing God at work in someone’s life. It encourages me in my own process journey with God.

2007-05-19T12:35:00.000-07:00

Monday, 14 May 2007 – We finished up the topic on dysfunctional families. I see how this topic is one of the foundational ones for helping in the process of healing. When a person realizes what they missed and how it affected them, their denial becomes shaken. They have the decision to continue in denial or to face the truth. When denial is broken the work is half done. In my book, the breaking of denial is one of the hardest things to see happen. So when it does, I rejoice.

Tuesday 15 May 2007 – Sergey taught on trauma at the male rehab center. It was a time of many questions and comments as they tried to understand their own life and the process that led them to be a client at a rehab center.
The guys there are opening up more and more to us. We met with one of the leaders who is dealing with his own issues. It was hard for me, because he does not see things clearly. It is not my job to force him to see it. I know that it is all about timing. This is something that I am learning to let it be. I am not there to fix him that is God's job. I am there to assist in the process and not to take it to a place where the person is not ready to go.

We went to the mom's meeting in the evening to finish up the topic of dysfunctional families. This time around there were questions coming left and right. Sergey was not able to present all the material he had prepared to give. This was not a problem. The more interaction we can have on the topic with the listeners, the more we are able to understand how well they understand the topic.

Wednesday 16 May 2007 – I have been asked to mentor a young guy in local ministry. He is one of the teachers in his church and he leads several groups too. I see it as an honor to be able to feed into another person's life. We had our first meeting today. I will meet with him again next week, and then we will start back up after I come back from the States.

Thursday 17 May 2007 – Today was a great example of how something simple can turn complicated. We planned to have a barbeque with the street kids. It went fine, but we had a problem with the grill. We used choral coal on the grill and half way through they died and the fuel ran out. I had half cooked meat on the grill and hungry kids. We worked it out, praise God. Overall, it was a good time of fellowship and fun. I feel bad about the grill, because I was in charge. I know that I rushed the process and that is why they went out.

Friday, 18 May 2007 – Today the team with to the outpatient rehab center. Larissa taught on codependency. I was not there, but I heard that it was a great time of teaching and discussion. I leaving outreach at 8 weeks, but there are two more people who are going on to do the full 12 weeks, Larissa and Sergey.
Today was my last day for IBC (Introduction to Biblical Counseling) outreach. So I met with my leader for final evaluation. It went well. I see how God has grown me. He has brought healing, understanding, and peace in my life as I have been serving others. For me the most important thing I walk way with from outreach is my confidence in my ability to listen, to hear clearly, and to respond correctly on how God lead me in ministry. This may sound funny, but what I have learned is that my job is to listen to others, ask God how to help, and to employ what he tells me. I have seen God get to the heart of the matter and bring healing in the life of people, because he said something to me that I did not make complete sense me, but had meaning to the other person to help him surrender his issue to God.
In the evening we met together as a team for dinning and reflection. It was good to have one more chance to be together as a team. This was the best outreach I have even done. I enjoyed the leaders, Sharon and Claire. I love the other students, Sergey, Marianna, and Larissa. They all helped me to grow personally, spiritually, and professionally. Thank you guys.

After next week, I will be traveling to California. I will be sharing about what God is doing there. And then I will come back at the end of June to start ABC (Addictive Behavior Counseling) outreach. This will be my last outreach for the year. I am planning to work full time with the counseling ministry here at YWAM Kiev starting in September, but I will have to wait to see.

2007-05-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 10 May 2007 – It was a hard time with the kids this time around. There was only one that we knew and everyone was very antsy. Half of them were under 10 making it even more difficult. The younger ones did not want to even introduce themselves. They were very stand offish. We tried the best we would to connect. All our efforts seemed to go to naught until we said lets watch a cartoon. Then it seemed that we reached a starting point for connecting. I hope that next week will not be so hard to reach them.

Friday, 11 May 2007 – We went back to the outpatient rehab center for the third time this week. And this time there were people there compared to last Friday when no one showed up. Larissa taught on Rational Christian Thinking. It is a very simple lesson to teach, but when you ask people to work it through a situation, it becomes more challenging. We helped on person who has been seriously struggling with his sobriety look at one reason why he relapses through a situation he gave us. I kind of felt sorry for him, because as we were helping him it was like 4 on 1. He had no hope but to find what the false beliefs were. I know that God knew just want he needed and that is why we all together were there to help me.

Saturday, 12 May 2007 – I started the counseling process with a new guy that my leader recommended to me for one on one counseling. I don’t know how to share about my counseling. I can’t give names or any details to you. This is why I have not mentioned any other long term counseling sessions to you. I will have to figure out what to do. I am sure as I develop more skills I will have more one on ones and I would like to give you a break down of what is going on in our ministry, so we will see. I’ll ask for some help on how best to handle this part.

This was a busy week.

2007-05-09T12:08:00.000-07:00

Monday, 7 May 2007 – Today I taught on dysfunctional families at the women’s rehab center. It was a very powerful time. The women were very stocked, moved, and intrigued. They asked a lot of questions that let me know that God was touching their hearts. They asked so many questions that we were not able to finish the teaching in one session. We will finish it next week. I can’t want to hear about what God opened up to them during their time of completing their homework.

Tuesday, 8 May 2007 – WOW! What a long day. This was the first time we did two ministries in one day. In the morning we went to a men’s rehab center where I taught on relational bonds: fear bonds vs. love bonds. It was a good time with the guys. We have built a strong relationship with them, so they are opening up to us. We see how God is changing them through the work we are doing with them. The climax for me during this teaching was when I shared about the importance of enjoying ourselves. I felt like I was talking to a bunch of junior highers. But with the help of Sergey, we were able to give them examples of what it means to enjoy ourselves. Basically, it is learning to love ourselves for us inside and out.
The second place for today was going in the evening to a parent’s of addicted children meeting. I taught on dysfunctional families, but it was hard. For two days I worked with people who were responsive, but this group was like talking to a wall. I had to put that aside and look into their eyes. God was moving. I had to stop to remain them not to blame yourself for the state of your family. If you were not taught how to do something a better way and you did the best you could then you don’t need to feel guilty. What is important is that as you learn how to change yourself it will change your family. But because we started late, we were also not able to finish this topic. We will finish it on next week. I pray that God will give them revelation as they do their homework.

Wednesday, 9 May 2007 – Our plans original got cancelled for today. But we were invited to go to the outpatient center last night for a time of fellowship and we decided to take them up on the order. When we got there we realized that they were waiting for us to teach them something. We were not prepared for that, but we share about our own testimonies. I prayed and felt that I should share about the process God is taking me through on how to love all of me with the people there. After our time was over, one of the guys came up to share with me that yesterday God started sharing with him about how he did not love himself and was not able to receive the love he had for him. He was encouraged to hear my story and the process God is taking me through to help me learn how to love all of myself. It was an encouraging time for all. We hope to see them on Friday when we plan to teach there again for the outpatients

2007-05-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 3 May 2007 – We had an interesting time with the street kids today. There were not too many of them. Marianna and Sergey taught about boundaries, walls, and gates. The some of the kids did not stay for the whole time, but the ones who stayed seemed to have learned from the teaching. One kid shared about his family life. I wanted to cry. The things his father does to him. There is no system here to protect children, so a lot of them opt for the streets. Sergey did a good job in sharing from his own experience of how God can help anyone who turns to him get the things that their earthly father did not get.

Friday, 4 May 2007 – Today we went to our third new rehab center this week. This place is an outpatient facility that services the whole family. But there is no way to know how many people will show up on a given day, because the problem is voluntary for the participants. On this day there were no patients in the morning session. But it was still good. We had a chance to share with the director and her assist. This gave us the opportunity to hear about their program and for us to understand how we can work together.

2007-05-03T00:02:00.000-07:00

Monday, 30 April 2007 – We went to a new rehab center that we will be working with on Mondays. It is a women’s facility. The women were open and receptive with what Marianna share with them. During the teaching, they asked questions that helped us understand where they are dealing with in their lives. We are going to teach on dysfunctional families next week and then boundaries. This should be fun. I have prepared a teaching for both. I believe that God is going to really work in there lives if they will continue to be open to God.

Tuesday, 1 May 2007 – It was a difficult time teaching at the rehab center today. There was only two patients who where free to listen to what we had to share and two staff. The biggest problem was that people kept coming and going as Sergey taught. Now on the other hand it was the best time we had yet. They did not sit still, but they asked questions and shared about themselves. There was only one patient who listened to both parts of the teaching (two weeks ago and today). We noticed how God broke his denial. The first week he told us that everything was prefect. His family did not have any type of problems. He was just there because he had an issue with alcohol. Today he started to notice that things are not right in his marriage and that there were problems how his problems related to him. This is a great thing. All the disturbances were worth it to see how much work God did in the heart of this one person.

Wednesday, 2 May 2007 – We went to a new male rehab center outside of Kiev. It is a very simple place that focuses on God and his power to change a life. They don’t have any other recovery program. We hope that we will be able to work with them to help each person get down to the root of their addiction, so that God can do some specific healing in their life, in order for them to stand on the truth of God manifested in their lives. We will see how God will use us.

2007-04-30T05:31:00.000-07:00

Monday, 23 April 2007 – We traveled to a different city for the week. It is a small town of about 90,000 people. It is known for its amount of drug addicts. There are 6 Christian churches and only 1%, 900 people, are believers. We were invited to run a two hour seminar for four day with at the request of two churches. Tonight will be our first session on true identity.

Tuesday, 24 April 2007 – Last night there were about 60 people who showed up for the seminar. It was a good time to meet some of the leaders of the two churches. We will offer one on one counseling along with the seminars. There maybe time to visit a school and an orphanage. I will be teaching tonight on functional/dysfunctional families with two other members of out team.

Wednesday, 25 April 2007 – The teaching was very well accepted. I believe that God has started to break the denial in order to accept God’s truth. As guys we don’t have anyone other guys who want to counsel. The other members of the team schedule are full. The girl in training will be teaming up with leaders. They don’t feel like they are ready to counsel others.

Thursday, 26 April 2007 – What a long day! I teamed up with Sergey in counseling. It was good, because half of the people we met with spoke in Ukrainian, which I only started to understand that I can understand it. There was only a few time when I did not know what was going on. Sergey spoke in Russian, which helped me to make sure I was getting in the right direction. We went to a school where I taught about emotions. It is a basic teaching, but has some great practical points to it. After the seminar on the father’s heart of God, we had one more counseling session. We did not get home until after one o’clock in the morning.

Friday, 27 April 2007 – Today is a time to see the city and to meet with some of the leaders. It has been a good trip. We all want to come back during the ABC outreach to work more with addictions and to be able to go deeper in processing. It will all depend on what our leader for the next outreach will say. I hope that she will say yes. Also looking back over this week, I see how God has brought healing to the lives of many people in this town through one on one counseling and through the seminar. It was great to see how people where starving for the help from God. And he provided.

2007-04-21T23:56:00.000-07:00

Monday, 16 April 2007 – The counseling ministry held a seminar entitled “The Father’s Heart of God” taught by Sharon. It looks at what are some of the way we get a wrong impress of God as father. It was very moving time for the participants. I could see God working on the hearts of people through their facial expression. It was great that one person I am starting to work with was there. I could see that some doors were opened and some lights turned on. I can’t wait for our time to meet together to see what revelations God gave him during this time.

Tuesday, 17 April 2007 – At the rehab center I started a series on dysfunctional families. The response was varied. Some people where in denial. They were not able to connect their addiction with some unresolved issues of childhood. As I was taught by Jim Isom, when I person says that he has a prefect family and great parents that there such be a red flag going up. No one is prefect. And even in the best of families there where unmet needs that have a negative affect on a person’s life. These are the things that stop a person from fully understanding and accepting God and his plan for his life.

Wednesday, 18 April 2007 – Today I team taught the topic of dysfunctional families with Larissa to social worker at one of the AIDS clinics in the city. It was interesting to see how God was able to work amongst a group of mainly unbelievers to share his love. The type of questions they were asking helped me to see that we were not only teaching him how to better understand their clients, but giving the Holy Spirit an opportunity to use us to work in the lives of the staff there. It was a good time.

Thursday, 19 April 2007 – Wow! What a wonderful time of blessing we had with at the street kids club. Marianna taught on “if and only if,” then we play a counseling game on how to accept and reject personal statements. It was amazing is literally see the hardness wash away as each kid was given a chance to hear positive feedback of what others liked in them. When some of them shared how they felt afterwards they were emotionally overwhelmed. It surprisingly happened more with the boys then with the girls.

Friday, 20 April 2007 – I went with a group from the base to go feed the poor in front of the monastery in town. It is hard to get started, but once I start to talk with the ones who don’t mean sharing, it is a heart retching experience that brings a little light in the life of a person who is an outcast of society. To listening to their stories are sometimes hard to deal with, but to be able to point them to a loving God is encouraging.

Saturday, 21 April 2007 – We went to the kids club. It is fascinating to see the strength of the human soul in kids. No matter how tragedy their situations there are able to enjoy the moment and learn that the way things are for them at him is not the norm. For example, there is one girl who has been coming for several years. She is going to university now and still likes to spend her free time there helping others, because as she has shared that this is only place where people believe in me. And she is trying to caring the same message on to the next generation.

2007-04-15T06:25:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 14 April 2007 – We went to a kids’ club. It was fantastic. I know that it was another God thing. There was a new person who showed up. He is 20, so he does not fit into the program. He came in with a guy who went to the club and still comes around now and then. This 20 year old man has two kids and living in his mother-in-law house. His father was from Africa and his mother is Ukrainian. He had a lot of pain, hurt, and anger in him. I spent most of my time with him. It was a challenge for me, because my Russian was not coming to me at the speed I would have liked. He is looking for something. He knows about God. He came up with different excuses why he did not need to make a decision for accepting Christ as Savior. I invited him to come to a teaching on Monday and let him know that we will be back next Saturday. Pray that God will continually speak to him in ways that he can understand.

Friday, 13 April 2007 – Feeding the poor was more difficult this week for the team I was on. We were able to find some people but I only made a connection with one of them. There were to old women who did not wish to talk, but was overly thankful for the meal.

Thursday, 12 April 2007 – Our time at the street kids’ center started in crisis. When we showed up there was only on kid there. We found out that a 15 year kid who comes to that center was found semi-conscious with a bloody nose. He had been sniffing glue and had a bad reaction to it. I was a good time for us to support the staff and the kids who started showing up. It was a good time of sharing our faith with them in the midst of crisis. I taught on feelings: why they are ok. It leads to a great time of sharing. Most of these kids only know the negative side of emotions. My focus was on that emotions are not good or bad. It all depends on how we act on our emotions.

Wednesday, 11 April 2007 – Our whole team went to a government ran AIDS center. We were schedule to teach some of the patients, but there was a miss understanding. We met with the social workers. I believe that this was a God thing. After talking with the workers, we understood that our time would be better spent with them in the future working directly with the staff. We found that they don’t have very strong relational skills for working with clients. With the help of our leaders, we will be training, sharing, and learning with the social workers.

Tuesday, 10 April 2007 – Today Sergey taught on forgiveness at a rehab center. It was a very powerful time. Each person was touched in some way through the teaching about where they are in the process of forgiving those who have hurt them. We had a time a ministry with one of the clients there. The guys who wanted to deal with some things from his past will have time next Tuesday with a one-on-one session with our leader. Eric is hoping to be part of this time to observe. We will see how that part goes.

2007-04-12T21:18:00.000-07:00

Friday, 6 April 2007 – Wow! What an eye opening experience. Today we went out to feed the poor and homeless on the streets of Kiev. I could not believe the reality check I received. There were people from all walks of life who through poor choices on their part or from someone close to them ended up on the street. It is true that only by the grace of God, go I.
As we were walking around looking for people who we could talk to, pray with, and give a small meal to, we can across many people who have become an outcast of society. On person that sticks out to me is a man who was not able to walk and had a total of six figures between his two hands, and he was sitting in his own urine. We listened to him, gave him food, and prayed for him. For me it seems like so little, but as he expressed to us. He was sitting thinking how hungry he was and if he was going to be able to eat. He was very thankful for our kindness toward him. My time with him remembers me that it does not take much to make a difference in a person’s life. I believe that if there are enough little differences made in a person’s life then their life would be dramatically chanced. I know that God uses even the smallest efforts to bring enormous chance in a person’s life.

Wednesday, 4 April 2007 – We went to a kid’s club for children from broken families and for street kids. What a great start. It was a powerful time. On of our team members shared his story with them. It was one that everybody at the club could relate to. I felt God moving in the room as I saw on their faces how they wanted more then what they have been given. I believe that God really spoke to their souls on this day.

2007-04-03T10:44:00.000-07:00

Monday, 2 April 2007 – Today Eric supported Emily, a counselor on the base, as she taught on Healthy Families. The seminar was for two hours on premarital relations and child rising, but it was not enough time to get everything said. She did an excellent job and even inspired me to evaluate how we are setting down our foundation for our kids in our family.

Tuesday, 3 April 2007 – We (Sergey and Eric) went to a Christian male rehabilitation center on the edge of Kiev. It was our first time there, so we spent time getting to know the people we will be teaching and serving for the next few months. They gave us a warm welcome. We shared our own testimonies and then they had time to share their own. This was a great time, because it “broke the ice” so that what we will share will be better received. It was such a great time, we were schedule for 1 to 1 ½ hours session, but we stayed there talking and listening for 3 hours. When we left both of us commented how fast the time flew. We are excited about going back again.

The Week Continues

2007-04-01T13:44:00.000-07:00

Friday – Eric taught on Love Bonds and Fear Bonds. It was a practice run within the group, but God touched one student heart and he was given a revelation about himself from the teaching. It shows that God works on us on his own timing and that there is really on such thing as a practice run.

Saturday – Supported another one of our missionaries by helping with the monthly family club. We did a lot of the background work like setting up chairs and preparing food. Eric was also given ½ hours to share. He shared about the important of good communication in relationships. It went great. There were a mixture of believers and non-believers there. During the time to mingle some people asked different members of our group how they can achieve better communication in their marriage or other important relationships.

Starting A Ministry Training Time

2007-03-27T22:04:00.000-07:00

Monday – Eric started the second stage of his counseling training. He will be involved with teaching and assisted counseling in churches, home groups, rehab centers, and any other place that will allow the team of 4 students and 2 leaders to come and minister. He will be training for eight weeks, taking a break, and then for another twelve weeks. It is a big commitment of time, but he feels that it is well worth it.

Tuesday – We had a time of worship in our team that turned into a time of ministry. One member of our team was struggling with some personal issues that God reminded him of from the past. We prayed, shared, but mainly we observed how our leader counseled with him. Our leaders encouraged us to workout any issue that God is bringing up in the group and/or with them. Because this will help us be able to better reach out to others who are in need.

Back In Ukraine

2007-03-10T14:27:00.000-08:00

A big hearty thank you to all of you for your prayer and support!

We made it back safely to Kiev, Ukraine. The trip was very tiring, because both our kids were sick, the 14 hours past very slowly.

God’s grace has continued to shine upon us. News came the first day we were here about a two room apartment that we could rent without going through an agent and plus it was priced below the market standard. We have move into that apartment. The landlord is nice and the place is clean. We thank God for a good reasonable priced place to live.

During these few days we have been here, God has reconfirmed the need for Eric to start a sex addiction ministry here. It will be a few more months out before Eric can get started in that direction, but he sees little ways he can begin. He has already talked to a couple of Christian guys who have become conscious of their own struggle in this area. Pray that the preparation that needs to go forth will happen expediently, so that the ministry will launch with no hang ups. Families and men are being devoured by this addiction.

We are still in the mode of settling in and our next step is to get our stuff from Simferopol (18 hours by train south of where we are now). We will need to be out of the apartment there by the end of the month. We have 4 years of stuff in that place to sort through. Pray that God will open our eyes to how we can be a blessing to others we ministered to in that area as we close out our time there. Also pray for wisdom as we have to down size our belongings to fit in the place where we are now.

Praise!!!
We make it back safely.
During this time Mairam has felt great and continues to feel good. This is a true blessing.
We have a place to live and it cost us a fiction of the price to move in.

Prayer points:
The kids’ health as they get over the flu and Mairam’s continue good start of health.
The ground work for starting a new ministry in counseling.
An increase in our monthly support.

Time is running out

2007-02-10T22:08:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone.

We are coming up on the end of our time in the States. We have 18 days left before we hop on the plane to head back to Ukraine. Our time here was very rewarding. We were able to reconnect with family and friends, workout some personal things like working on the question about Mairam’s health, and to plot some new courses. I believe one of the biggest joys for us was being able to spend more time with my parents. It was great to see our children grow to care for them. Today, Eliza was crying for her grandfather, because he had left from the play area where we were and she wanted him to come back. To me, with all the logistical madness connected for us to stay at my parents’ house paid off in that one moment, because one of our goals was for the grandchildren to get to know their grandparents.

As we look at our schedule for the next 2 ½ weeks, we do apologize to you who we planned to see outside of the greater LA area that we were not able to visit. We are hoping that our next trip this way will come around in a shorter time then it came away this last time (3 years). We will have to rethink how we travel, so that we can fit more people in.

I was looking at the goals we set out to accomplish for our time here and we succeeded in meeting most of them. Here they are for you to review:

1. We want to spend time with family and friends to catch up and to allow our kids to get to know them a little bit.
2. Have general physical work up done for on the whole family. Also to have lab work done on Mairam’s thyroid glands. She has three small growths and has been having hormone issues.
3. Share about what we have been doing and what God has laid on our hearts for the near future.
4. Become involved with ministry: prayer, teaching, support groups, counseling, etc.
5. Find more people who are willing to support our ministry. Moving back to Kiev means that our cost of living will triple on every level.
6. Borrow money to purchase a house and car.
7. Go to a Mark Laaser conference on addiction. Also to meet with him about going to Ukraine in 2007 to run a male conference on addiction in Kiev.
8. Find a Master correspondence program in counseling for Eric.
9. Find funding to start a small business.

1, 3, 4 and 7 we nailed. These were very important for relationship and ministry.
2 and 5 were started and almost completed. For example: we were not able to have our whole family get a general physical work up, but we were able to apply for MediCal insurance which will make it easier for us to see a doctor the next time we come back. Also we have found one more church and some more people to strengthen our support base, but we are still short about $500 in committed monthly support as of today.
6 and 9 got nowhere. God knows that they are close to our hearts, but he has not bought the vehicle around for us to be able to see them take form.
8 I have put on the backburners for now. I believe that there are some other things that need to take place before venturing out to earn a Masters

It is fun to see how God has directed our steps during our time in the US. He has allowed us to achieve most of the things that we set out to complete and helped us realize some others that we were ready to handle.

Thank you all for your love and support. We are truly grateful. We are able to do what we do, because of your support. We are thankful to God for each of you.

Prayer
* For a place to live. We will be looking for a new place to live when we get back to Ukraine. We are moving from Simferopol to Kiev. There is a lot of work that needs to take place in the first month before I start completion of my counseling classes.
* For more monthly support. We have two churches who have not told us how much they will be committing to supporting us for this year and there are people who are still thinking about what type of commitment they would like to do. We know that God is going to take care of us, but we do not know how he will cover our financial needs. Pray for added faith and peace in this area.
* For the rest of our time here in the States. We have our schedule full of activities up until the time we leave. Pray that we would be able to do what is needed and to let go of the rest, so that we don’t go crazy in the process. We need wisdom.
* For health and safety during traveling.

God bless you,
Eric, Mairam, Eliza, Eric II

SUPPORT:
Make payable to: YWAM
Send to: YWAM Lakeside
501 Blacktail Road, Lakeside, MT 59922
(On the memo line of the check write: project #3268)

Time is coming to a close

2007-01-28T11:12:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

Our time in the States is readily coming to end. We have five weeks left. During this time we are trying to finish visiting people who we have not yet had a chance to see. We will be going to Catalina Island to visit with Catalina Bible Church and we may take a trip out to Colorado and Oklahoma, but they depend on finances.

Our time here has been very relaxing and rewarding. We have been living with Eric's parents, so that they will have more chances to get to know their second set of children. It has been a challenge, because they live in LA area and most of our business takes place in OC. God was gracious by giving us a car we could use. It has been a great blessing to us. Thank you Father.

Pray for us

We are still looking for more support in these last days to cover the increases of cost in our ministry. We are moving back to Kiev where the cost of living is 3 times more then where we where living.

We have some medical bills that will need to be paid. We have applied for MediCal (state insurance), but the process is long. When it come through, the insurance should cover all the bills. Plus, we would still like to go to the doctor to finish finding out what is going on with Mairam's health. So far we now that Mairam has a strong heart. There is nothing wrong with it. We would like to know more.

The ability to go to Colorado and Oklahoma to see friends, family and supporters.Many blessings to you all.

If we can still have a chance to see you before would leave, then we would love to see you.

Thanks!

Going Home

2006-10-09T12:48:00.000-07:00

We are arriving in California on the 10 October. We will be in the States for 5 months, until 1 March. We are so very excited about being home after almost three years on the field. We would like to meet with each of as our schedule matches up. We are also hoping to do some traveling. Where we will go will depend greatly on the invitations we receive from that area.

We are traveling back for a furlough, but we have some specific goals in mind. We ask that you would pray with us that God would allow us to fulfill each of them during our time.

We want to spend time with family and friends to catch up and to allow our kids to get to know them a little bit.
Have general physical work up done for on the whole family. Also to have lab work done on Mairam’s thyroid glands. She has three small growths and has been having hormone issues.
Share about what we have been doing and what God has laid on our hearts for the near future.
Become involved with ministry: prayer, teaching, support groups, counseling, etc.
Find more people who are willing to support our ministry. Moving back to Kiev means that our cost of living will triple on every level.
Borrow money to purchase a house and car.
Go to a Mark Laaser conference on addiction. Also to meet with him about going to Ukraine in 2007 to run a male conference on addiction in Kiev.
Find a Master correspondence program in counseling for Eric.
Find funding to start a small business.

If you would like more info about what has been going in our ministry then check out our website. Yes, it has been updated, well parts of it anyway.

Last note is that we have paid off the credit card, paid for Eric’s school. Now we only have to pay for our tickets, $2,800 round trip.

Eric, Mairam, Eliza, and Eric II

Jones Family Ministries

2006-09-26T01:17:00.000-07:00

This site is under constructions