| I have given them the glory that you gave me, so that they may be one, just as we are one. I am in them, and you are in me. May they be completely one, so that the world may know that you sent me and that you have loved them as you loved me. John 17:22 & 23 |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Create your own
and pasting this
River of Joy button
into your website.
Let us know
your intentions,
then when you get
our OK, Link it to:
and pasting this
River of Joy button
into your website.
Let us know
your intentions,
then when you get
our OK, Link it to:
www.riverofjoy-crimea.org
| Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest. ~ Mark Twain |
| April 2009 NEWS of CRIMEA ~ Pg.2 |
| PRUNING... Now I've moved out and am living in our office. It's not bad, has all the necessities. My move cut our rent and utilities outlay by $600+ a month. Perhaps even before we get the septic tanks and water pipes in at the ROJ project I will make my second move...out there. That move will cut rent expenditures altogether. Why? It is about fruit production. Pruning isn't comfortable, but it's needful for the sake of fruitfulness. That project is going to bless and project languishing for lack of funds. Our mission to the children of Crimea has gone through several transition stages in its life. During that time we have learned that not every opportunity, and not every offer of help is God sent. Some new ways to spend God's resources divert us from our goal. We have also learned that the help we have been encouraged to give here usually helps the children's institution more than it does the children. WE NEED EFFECTIVE INSTITUTIONS! So we are handing the reins of Light of Crimea Foundation to Eugene Navitsky, who's mission to children with cancer as been under our umbrella for years already, and we are concentrating our efforts on the River of Joy project, which encompasses street child rehabilitation, children's camps and village transition in the Belogorsk region. ROJ foundation will distribute humanitarian aid to ruined villages in that region, therefore to some governmental children's organs such as newly reopened kindergartens, but the focus will not be institutional help primarily. It is more directly about placing abandoned children in homes and about training foster and adopting parents in Ukraine to raise children into men and women of God. It is also about changing villages and villagers to become responsible people who do not leave children alone to shift for themselves in the first place. For this project to accomplish these goals and work as it must, we have begun to build a base. For more on the ROJ project see our Mission page. To HELP US HELP A CHILD send a HELP THE RIVER FLOW donation today. A serious athlete prepares to race by losing extra weight and by focusing intently on the goal as he prepares for the race and runs it. "I press toward the mark..." ~dgh |
| Svetochnoe is a large village strung out mostly on humanitarian Aid has allowed them to restart a kindergarten that has been closed for many years. They are very grateful. Below the Director and her assistant guard their new treasures at our rented warehouse door. |
| Children in Simferopol Street Kid Shelter reach out during a Laser Team ministry visit. The shelter is where we started children's ministry. It is still offering a primary seedbed for God's Word. |
| CRIMEA PRAYER WALK (continued from Page 1) Crimea's DNA is also about hard soil. It apparently got its name (Krima) from the Greeks, who used to banish convicted criminals and religious misfits north to these uncivilized shores get them well out of Greece proper. Later icon lovers hid here from the iconoclasts in mountain cave towns. Today the colder climes of Eastern Europe send people here for a warm rest. During the last ten years Casinos, bars and 'adult' entertainment has sprung up. Our prayers in 1999 stopped racial killing for years, but now racially motivated killings have begun again. The 2009 May 18th Tatar Memorial Day will include a World Tatar Congress. Add that plan to the increased Russian fears about losing Sevastopol port and perhaps you can see why we need to pray for Crimea. It is a powder keg with fuse inserted. Please pray for racial peace, denominational unity and REVIVAL! |
| MAY 1999 AT THE SAME PLACE THIS CRIMEAN TATAR PASTOR, BRAVELY SERVING THE LORD IN A MUSLIM LAND REPRESENTED TATARS DURING IDENTIFICATIONAL REPENTANCE ACTIONS |
MORE GUIDANCE MIRACLES
| 2009 PRAYER WALK GROUP PHOTO |
| TRAVEL MIRACLES MARKING THE WAY AHEAD |
Last year it was the GPS 2AM Miracle and some surprise first
class flight upgrades. This year travel miracles are continuing
here in the field. Back in mid-February we were trying to take an
expat Scotsman and his bride to be out to see the ROJ site and
we missed the bus. But when the bus that we had missed got to
later bus driver, who was not making a right turn toward the
mountains that we needed, called the driver of our missed bus
and he was waiting for us at the crossroads! All I could think of
was Proverbs 3:5 & 6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and
lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways
acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths."
Then just a month ago I was running late on my way to the
Eastern Bus Station to catch the bus out to the ROJ site.
Checking my watch at Belokuna, I only had five minutes to make
the inter-city bus and three stops to go. I was too late. I prayed a
panicky prayer, "Do something Lord!" He did. By the time I got off
the city transport march-route taxi I had ten minutes to make it!
WOW! Time had run backwards! Needless to say a totally
amazed David caught the bus with time to spare. That miracle
was way out there past unexpected....but I could get used to this!
It wasn't that this particular trip was so important in itself...,
so it must be a sign that our plan to move to the country is being
miraculously supported by God. A couple of weeks later David
Livingston's son Bryan sent our first big gift for site building. Now
it's confirmed. We still haven't been fully assured that I will be
able to connect with the Internet out there but God can do
anything (and He does) so I'm not worried. ~ dgh
class flight upgrades. This year travel miracles are continuing
here in the field. Back in mid-February we were trying to take an
expat Scotsman and his bride to be out to see the ROJ site and
we missed the bus. But when the bus that we had missed got to
later bus driver, who was not making a right turn toward the
mountains that we needed, called the driver of our missed bus
and he was waiting for us at the crossroads! All I could think of
was Proverbs 3:5 & 6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and
lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways
acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths."
Then just a month ago I was running late on my way to the
Eastern Bus Station to catch the bus out to the ROJ site.
Checking my watch at Belokuna, I only had five minutes to make
the inter-city bus and three stops to go. I was too late. I prayed a
panicky prayer, "Do something Lord!" He did. By the time I got off
the city transport march-route taxi I had ten minutes to make it!
WOW! Time had run backwards! Needless to say a totally
amazed David caught the bus with time to spare. That miracle
was way out there past unexpected....but I could get used to this!
It wasn't that this particular trip was so important in itself...,
so it must be a sign that our plan to move to the country is being
miraculously supported by God. A couple of weeks later David
Livingston's son Bryan sent our first big gift for site building. Now
it's confirmed. We still haven't been fully assured that I will be
able to connect with the Internet out there but God can do
anything (and He does) so I'm not worried. ~ dgh
| HELP FROM OLD FRIENDS GREAT EXPECTATIONS REBORN AT R.O.J. SITE |
In May we received $20K, our largest gift to date, a real encouragement.
We have restarted our building project which has been lying dormant
for lack of funds since before the advent of the financial crisis. Thank
you Bryan Livingston and dad David for a wonderful renewal of
enthusiasm for completion of this vision.
Before we can go any farther with the physical building we have some
thorny land issues to resolve with the local powers. Please help us
pray that the new better privatisation law now in the Kiev house of
parliament will help us wade quickly through the bureaucratic mess
and that we can begin to build again soon. ~ dgh
We have restarted our building project which has been lying dormant
for lack of funds since before the advent of the financial crisis. Thank
you Bryan Livingston and dad David for a wonderful renewal of
enthusiasm for completion of this vision.
Before we can go any farther with the physical building we have some
thorny land issues to resolve with the local powers. Please help us
pray that the new better privatisation law now in the Kiev house of
parliament will help us wade quickly through the bureaucratic mess
and that we can begin to build again soon. ~ dgh
LIGHT OF CRIMEA'S LAST FOUR CONTAINER
DISTRIBUTION REPORT Each received humanitarian aid
container has been different in timing, contents and in how hard or
easy it has been to clear customs. The last four containers to be
received by Light of Crimea were two of the easiest and two of the
hardest we have ever cleared and distributed. Costs of warehousing
have skyrocketed while donations have languished. We plan to send
containers through River of Joy now. See the distributions in the links
DISTRIBUTION REPORT Each received humanitarian aid
container has been different in timing, contents and in how hard or
easy it has been to clear customs. The last four containers to be
received by Light of Crimea were two of the easiest and two of the
hardest we have ever cleared and distributed. Costs of warehousing
have skyrocketed while donations have languished. We plan to send
containers through River of Joy now. See the distributions in the links
GETTING OUR DUCKS
IN A ROW, ROW, ROW
Watching a generation of children grow up in the
clutches of the patched up old institutional artifacts of
the Soviet Union has been a frustrating experience to
say the least. We have some wonderful God given
ideas for turning the tide by setting an example of how
much God loves children, but we have been fighting
an inexperienced and unyielding bureaucracy and
working with little funding. We do not pay bribes so as
to get appropriate and timely service. Therefore our
requests have been tabled and sent to the bottom of
the local corrupt official's, "To Do" list time and again.
Recently some have admitted to us that they don't
even know how to handle our case because nobody
has ever given away land here before!
That admission came after we had waited for months
and before we got sent to another town to begin to
beginning to see signs, like Elijah's small cloud on
the horizon. Now to hang in for an abundance of rain.
IN A ROW, ROW, ROW
Watching a generation of children grow up in the
clutches of the patched up old institutional artifacts of
the Soviet Union has been a frustrating experience to
say the least. We have some wonderful God given
ideas for turning the tide by setting an example of how
much God loves children, but we have been fighting
an inexperienced and unyielding bureaucracy and
working with little funding. We do not pay bribes so as
to get appropriate and timely service. Therefore our
requests have been tabled and sent to the bottom of
the local corrupt official's, "To Do" list time and again.
Recently some have admitted to us that they don't
even know how to handle our case because nobody
has ever given away land here before!
That admission came after we had waited for months
and before we got sent to another town to begin to
beginning to see signs, like Elijah's small cloud on
the horizon. Now to hang in for an abundance of rain.
* Pray for the Salvation of all Crimean races
* Pray for the River of Joy Project Completion
* Pray for fast land document clearance
* Pray for camp building project funding
* Pray for thousands of abandoned children
* Pray for 2009 ROJ Child Summer Camp
* Pray for the new Gypsy Church
* Pray for David's health and Visa Issues
* Pray we hear clearly from the Lord
* Pray for new jobs - Light of Crimea workers
* Pray in $ for Kiril Xristchenko's Music Album
* Pray for David's move to the country
* Pray for David's upcoming trip to the USA
* Pray for more partnering sponsors
* Pray without ceasing
* Pray for the River of Joy Project Completion
* Pray for fast land document clearance
* Pray for camp building project funding
* Pray for thousands of abandoned children
* Pray for 2009 ROJ Child Summer Camp
* Pray for the new Gypsy Church
* Pray for David's health and Visa Issues
* Pray we hear clearly from the Lord
* Pray for new jobs - Light of Crimea workers
* Pray in $ for Kiril Xristchenko's Music Album
* Pray for David's move to the country
* Pray for David's upcoming trip to the USA
* Pray for more partnering sponsors
* Pray without ceasing
