Photo Contest

At our recent Couple's Retreat, the 24 couples who attended were split up into four groups. One of the games we participated in was a photo contest. Each team was given 24 hours and a list of 20 ways to photograph themselves. Whichever team participated with the most imagination won. Well, I'm very excited to announce that our team, the "Joint-Heirs" won! However, I WILL say that every team worked really hard and some really great pictures were taken. The winning picture, hands-down, was not even taken by our team. I hope to share that picture with you too, soon... It was a CLASSIC! For now, enjoy these pictures, keeping in mind what we were asked to do and seeing how we used our creative imaginations to do that. I'll list the items, and then show our team's picture for that item... Oh, and by the way, I would highly recommend this game! It was a great "ice-breaker" and kept us laughing for... well, more than 24 hours!

1. Acting out a scene from a Biblical event
2. Doing what a sign says

3. I can't believe we all fit in here!
4. Mimic a statue
5. Can you find us?
6. Spell something in people (They're spelling "God" with Russian letters!) 7. Make yourself appear really small

8. Unusual perspective

9. Catalog pose 10. Sit between two strangers on a bench
11. Hug a grandma (By the way, this grandma was a stranger... didn't she do great?!) 12. Entire team on the beach13. Entire team in your morning devotions 14. Entire team participating in a game 15. Entire team in front of the hotel
16. One couple drinking tea together
17. One couple hugging
18. One couple being romantic (This was our visiting preacher and his wife!!)
19. One couple praying together 20. One couple in a store shopping I'd love for you to leave me a comment and let me know which picture from this contest you enjoyed the most!

1+1=1

No, my title is not a mistake. In God's equation, when it comes to marriage, 1+1=1. We are taught this in Ephesians 5:31, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This was the theme of our recent Couples Retreat, in which 24 couples attended.... about half of the couples were from our church and the other half were from other churches throughout Ukraine.

Our special speaker came all of the way from St. Louis, Missouri. Pastor Ken Spilger and his wife Beth were a special blessing to our people. Pastor Spilger was in a horrific airplane crash when he was in his early thirties. Four Baptist pastors were flying together to a Conference, and Pastor Spilger was the only survivor. He suffered serious burns and underwent three major skin grafts. His testimony was a real eye-opener to our people, as they saw an example of God's mercy and grace stand before them and speak. We were all truly touched by God's evident hand in this man's life.

This Conference was truly the best I have ever attended here in Ukraine. I don't think I have ever laughed more and had a better time. In my next post, I will share with you why. For now, I will leave you with these pictures...

GROUP SHOT AT OUR '09 COUPLES RETREAT
THE AUDITORIUM WHERE ALL SERVICES WERE HELD PASTOR SPILGER PREACHING, USING HIS WIFE AND A CHAIR AS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW WE AS MARRIED COUPLES SEE PROBLEMS FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES SPLIT SESSION, WITH MRS. SPILGER SPEAKING TO THE WIVES

SPECIAL FROM THE GROUP FROM ODESSA, UKRAINE

GIFT FOR EACH COUPLE... FOUR OF US MISSIONARY WIVES PAINTED THESE CUPS AND SAUCERS WITH SPECIAL CERAMIC PAINT PENS. THEY HAD OUR THEME VERSE AND PICTURE ON THEM!...)

21 Love Letters

Friday, the 23rd was my birthday and I turned the glorious age of 31. I'm sure it is going to be a wonderful year because of the incredible way it has already begun. David and I were on a 2-day Couple's Retreat (which I plan to write about soon), and we were surrounded with many people we love dearly... except for our children who were at their babysitter's house. Since the children could not go with us and could not be with me on my birthday, their babysitter let them help her bake a birthday cake and they ate it in my honor. Hearing about that meant the world to me! Like any mother, I'm sure, I am always very touched when people do something special for my children.

I received countless hugs, notes, flowers, boxes of chocolates, many gifts, and even a very special telephone call from my precious mother-in-law, sister-in-law (Anna) and her children. But the most special gift I received this year was from my sweet husband. Beginning October 1st, he began buying birthday cards and writing in them each day. He only missed two days and that was because he was seriously sick those days with a stomach virus. So, during the Retreat, I found these 21 love letters and a rose laying across my (hotel) bed. This is not the first time David has done such a thoughtful thing for me... when we were dating he filled an entire journal with love letters to me, one letter a day for a year. I LOVE having such a sweet, thoughtful, sentimental husband!

I must honestly say that I got the better deal in this marriage of ours. I am not nearly as good as a wife to him as he is a husband to me.... and I say that with all of my heart. I could never compete with him and his love for me, though I enjoy the challenge of trying! So, here it is for the world to read: David, I love you deeply and I thank you for being the most wonderful husband in the world! I treasure you and our love for each other and thank you for being my BEST FRIEND!

MY HOTEL BED AND 21 LOVE LETTERSLOVE LETTERS AND RED ROSE

ME WITH MY BEST FRIEND!

By the way, David does NOT like for me to share personal things like this, and I know he is going to be more than embarrased to read this post.... but I really wanted you to know what a great husband the Lord has given me (and if you know anything about my childhood, you will understand what a great miracle it is for me to have such a godly, loving husband...)

Our home - bedrooms

Okay, please don't be terrified after you look at these pictures, because we really are doing just fine! At times the work on our house seems to be moving at a snail's pace, but I have to remind myself that we are not here to live comfortably (though I do expect to live comfortably here one day!), but we are here to share the Gospel and encourage others to grow in Christ. Jesus chose to be born in the lowliest of places, so why should I expect more, right? Truly my God is so good to me, and I am constantly amazed at His goodness to us. For example...

Just yesterday morning we had a fire on our property. The people in the house next to us were burning their dead autumn leaves and brush and were not paying close enough attention to the fire. We were in the house and did not even know what was going on, but the fire jumped the fence and burned 30% of the weeds on our land before we were able to put it out. David was not even home at the time, but a worker (one of the men who is building our house) and I put the fire out with buckets of water! Once we were breathing relief at having the fire out, we realized what a blessing it was that there was NO WIND at the time. An hour later, when David got home, the winds became so strong that trees were bending over. My heart began beating once again (as it had been during the fire) as I realized that God had held these strong winds back especially for us, to protect us and our home. Now I have no doubt that my God loves me! With that in mind, enjoy these pictures!

OUR BEDROOM (concrete floors and walls... for now...)

HERE IS HOW THE KIDS SLEEP... STILL "CAMPING" AFTER MORE THAN 2 MONTHS (also concrete floors covered by strips of carpet and concrete walls with water spots... evidence of rain when there was still not a roof) DAVEY HOMESCHOOLING (concrete floors and sheet rock walls here)
NATE HOMESCHOOLING WHILE 2-YEAR OLD BRIANNA "PLAYS SCHOOL"

OUR DRESSERS :) AS LONG AS WE HAVE MOMENTS LIKE THESE, WE ARE DOING JUST FINE!

Levi William Miller

Just as I promised, here are pictures of Ruthie with her sweet, new baby boy whom she decided to name Levi William. My Davey (7 years old) looked at these pictures with me, then laughed and laughed at the little sign on Levi's bed that says "I'm a Boy." To us, that is just a normal sign, but I love to see the reaction of my kids when they see something for the first time! Children are truly a gift from God!

Levi, welcome to this world where you are already loved and prayed for! And congratulations on being your Grandma "Mimi" Sloan's 30th grandbaby. You are already a little record setter!

Ruthie had her baby!

I wanted to let everyone know that my sister-in-law Ruthie had her baby! Many of you have been praying for her pregnancy since her attack in Mexico on September 11th (if you missed it, check for my earlier posts).

Ruthie gave birth to her 5th child on Saturday, October 17, at 5:30pm (Washington time). Last we heard, she still has not named him, but sweet baby boy Miller weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces and was 18 1/2 inches long. After several days of painful contractions, I'm sure Ruthie is very happy to now be holding her baby boy in her arms. As soon as I get pictures, I will be sure to upload them and share them with you.

Congratulations, Steve and Ruthie! We love you guys and are so proud of you! You have been through so many trials, but God has counted you worthy to give you the treasure of another precious life. HE is so GOOD!

Our home - tile and concrete floors

In this post you will see exactly what part of our house looks like today. The tiling in the main area is about half done, so I wanted you to see it already. If the tile looks two-toned, it is only because part of it is "dusty" and the other part is "extra dusty." Smile. :) LIVING ROOM

LIVING ROOMTHIS FLOOR BORDER VISUALLY SEPARATES OUR LIVING ROOM FROM OUR KITCHEN/DINING ROOM, SINCE IT IS ALL ONE OPEN SPACE DAILY SWEEPING OF MY CONCRETE FLOORS

I feel like the woman in the Bible who was sweeping her floors and looking for her lost coin. :)

Harvest Sunday

Today was Harvest Sunday and we had 94 people in church today! To celebrate the harvest God has blessed us with this year, our people were encouraged to bring foods from their gardens to decorate the auditorium. All that was brought in will later be taken and donated to the city orphanage we work in and to the orphanage close to the land we are still working on buying for our camp grounds.

For Harvest Sunday, we also planned a Fall Fair. Leading up to today, invitations were passed out and announcements were posted throughout the neighborhood around the church to attract children. Each Sunday School class was assigned two game booths and an item to bring for the dinner that was to be served afterwards. Every aspect of the day was geared towards salvation, and a verse from the Romans Road was posted at each booth. Those verses were later implemented into the preaching. Though no one was saved today, all heard the Gospel and we trust that great fruit will come as a result of all of the hard work that was put in! So many great things happened today... so I hope you will enjoy looking as I share many of the pictures I took! The most rewarding part for me was to see how many different people in our church participated in serving others.

WELCOME BANNER JUST OUTSIDE THE CHURCH COURTYARDBEAN BAG TOSSCUP TOSSCAKE WALKBALLOON DARTSINNER-TUBE FOOTBALLGUESSING GAME (HOW MANY PIECES OF CANDY ARE IN THE JARS?)GUESSING GAME WINNERSMINI BASKETBALLFACE PAINTINGFREE HOT DOGS!CHURCH ASSEMBLYSALVATION SKITKID'S CHOIRSPECIAL MUSICPREACHINGGETTING A HOT MEAL READYBAPTIST BUFFET!A CROWDED KIDS SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS!