I walked out the door yesterday morning and Fall had arrived. I mean basically overnight. One of things we love about Ukraine is that there are four, distinct seasons. And they change quickly. We went from too-warm-to-really-be-comfortable to brisk-rainy-and-leaves-changing weather overnight. The sun is coming up much later (making it easier to sleep till it’s time to get up) but also going down earlier. When winter sets in, we really will have only about 7 hours of sunlight (when the sky is not completely overcast). We love it.
There’s a new Malone in town. Her name is Penny. We’ve been planning to get a dog and really wanted to get a Lab (full or mix breed). On Saturday, the girls heard crying out in the field across from our house and found a sweet little puppy that had been thrown out. She’s not a “street dog.” She’s well fed and clean. She’s probably about 6-7 weeks. She’s weaned, but just barely. Guess what? She’s a Lab mix. She goes to the doctor today to get her shots and get a general stamp of good health. We have officially named her after much discussion. Did YOU know that there are websites devoted to dog names (like there are for baby names)? We didn’t either. Now we do.
Friday night Bible study has started. We are studying the “Women of the Bible.” The ladies seem very interested. We have studied Eve so far. It was surprising how much of the story is brand new to these ladies. It’s surprising and exciting to see the Word come alive for them. Please pray for our sweet ladies (and the couple of guys) that are coming. This year we are so excited to have a Ukrainian friend providing lessons for the children. She’s doing a GREAT job so far. She feels so unable to help these kids, yet she is doing so well with them. She accepts them and loves them. It’s going to be a great year!
School is going very well, too. We are preparing for the annual Fall retreat. I have the opportunity to be the faculty adviser for the worship team. It’s great to be doing this kind of “work” again. It’s a wonderful privilege to have an impact on these young lives from around the world. Only the Lord knows where they will end up and what He has for them in their lives. I’m so thankful to be a part of the journey.
Having Katie here has been even more wonderful than we thought it would. She’s way more than just an extra set of hands for Mary. She is INVESTING in the lives of our kids and in this beautiful country. She’s not afraid of people (even though she can’t understand what they are saying) and she never goes and hides when we have visitors or when we go to someone’s home. Maybe her parents will just let her stay. 🙂
We continue to experience pretty significant spiritual warfare but we are trusting that the Lord has a purpose for all that He is allowing. So we wait and we trust and stand still so God can fight for us.
Bless the Name of the Lord!
