The Claycamps in Ukraine

Jer-Bear turns five!

2009-11-29T22:41:00.000-08:00

Our little Jer-Bear is five! He brings so much joy to our lives. Here are some of our favorite pics...

Happy Birthday, Jeremy!!!

Wake Up! Youth conference

2009-11-11T22:27:00.000-08:00

We are preparing for our fall youth conference here in Kaharlyk. The Lord has laid on my heart the verses in Romans 13:11-14. The theme...Wake Up! These verses have been on my heart for some time. They are an incredible motivation and encouragement to keep looking ahead...heaven will soon be here. In light of our salvation, let us continue to live it out daily as we look forward to His return. The date is scheduled for Nov. 21. The conference will include about 5 or 6 other youth groups from nearby villages. Our youth team is putting all the peices together and serving with joy. Please pray the Lord will open hearts to Wake up...to a deeper understanding, and commitment to follow God.

Josie has a blog

2009-11-03T08:24:00.000-08:00

Josie created her own blog, if anyone would like to check it out!

www.josiejoukraine.blogspot.com

Ministry Video 2009

2009-10-14T02:42:00.000-07:00

This is a video of our ministry in Ukraine over the past year.

Our special friends at the Internaut...

2009-10-05T22:54:00.000-07:00

A Visit with Zhenya

2009-09-12T22:40:00.000-07:00

Zhenya came to our door wanting to spend the night. Our policy has been she needs to call in advance, we are trying to teach her responsibility in the process. She lives about 9 km from Kaharlyk in a small village and said she walked accompanied with her dog. She was dirty, tired and hungry. We fed her, she took a shower and stayed the night in the guest room. She said she came because people in her village don't like her and she was being hit. I'm not sure I totally believe that as we are still having trust issues with her. She is no longer going to cooking school but has decided that working will be much better. She has recently gotten a job in Kaharlyk's cookie factory. I pray she will hold on to the job and not quit for lack of interest or unrealistic reasons. She is an orphan, and she is at risk as an adult. She is learning what it means to live on her own and be self sufficient. We pray the Lord would change her heart to seek Him and then open her eyes to follow and trust Him. It's going to be a difficult road for her.

After lunch and a trip to the playground with the family, Jaden and I took her back to her village. She lives with a very old babooska in a very old house. They have no running water and no gas, just electricity. There is a well located 50 meters from the house where Zhenya says she carries buckets back to her home. Zhenya took me on a tour of her house. (I think this house used to be one of her relatives that died and was passed on to her.) Her room is 8' x 5', just big enough for some cushions she uses for a bed on the floor. Posters and artwork are hanging all over the wall. Many of them are black and white paper printouts of friends. She showed me her kitchen and living room and the bed where the babooska sleeps. It was humbling for me to see such unsanitary conditions and to think someone could live that way. It was a good eye opener for Jaden as well to see what village life looks like.

We have been blessed so much and often can be blinded by the desire for more. This was a good reminder to be thankful in ministry and continue to love to lost and the poor.

Back Home...

2009-09-04T23:11:00.000-07:00

Well, we are back in Ukraine and settling in after our 6 week furlough. Our time in the States was great! It was wonderful to see our friends and family and we have come back to Ukraine refreshed and encouraged. Aside from catching up with people, our family spent a lot of our time in the water. Our kiddos became quite the little swimmers. Another highlight of our time home was a road trip to California where we visited Sea World, Lego Land and the beach. Here are some our favorite pics of our time at the beach...

Enjoying our time in the States...

2009-08-08T09:34:00.000-07:00

We are enjoying our time on furlough in America, spending precious time with friends and family. The first two weeks of our trip we spent in Colorado. It was very relaxing and the kids had a great time playing with their cousins and old friends. The weather was a bit weird, with some hot days mixed with some major rain storms. So, now we are in Phoenix and loving this HOT weather! The kids have been in the pool often and they are loving being with Mimi and Poppi. It will be a busy few weeks, but we are already feeling refreshed and rested! Three more weeks and we return to Ukraine!

Misssion Team from Arizona

2009-07-24T16:29:00.000-07:00

Pastor Chris Ward from Calvary Chapel Maricopa Arizona recently came to Kaharlyk once again. This time he brought a team of 9 excited youths and leaders ready to serve and be a blessing to those they would encounter. We had a great time with the team worshiping, patching walls for our future coffee shop and helping the elderly with some much needed jobs. They finished up their 2 week outreach with Camp 120. I liken it to Survivor Ukraine. It's basically a week long camp for Ukrainian Christian youths and takes place on an island off of the Dnipro river. It's truly "roughin' it", camping in tents and fighting off mosquitos, but it is definitely a highlight of the year. The team had a great time hanging out with the Ukrainian youth and made it through a very unique camping experience!

Looking back, Christy and I were truly blessed by this team and their love for the Lord. We know that God worked through them in ministering to others, as well as in their own hearts. Many of them have already discussed a future trip possibly in the winter or next summer. Either way, we would love to see them again.

For more stories and pics check out their blog http://calvarymissionsukraine2009.blogspot.com/

Servant Leading in Action

2009-07-02T22:19:00.000-07:00

Our Youth group planned a trip to visit our friends in Venihorodka 3 hrs away. The church purchased a rundown dormitory from a closed sugar factory a while back. Their desire is to have kids camps in it and use it for the glory of God. The building is in desperate need of repair and there is lots of work needed. We planned a 2 1/2 day trip to serve and help clean the building in preparation for a kids camp in Aug. We joined our friends and and geared up for the big tasks ahead. The days were spent sweeping, patching walls, painting doors, drawing murals, cleaning carpets and landscaping. I shared about servanthood and that we work as though we are working for the Lord not as unto man. It was great to see the students in action...they did a great job. We spent the evening at a local quarry that has been turned into a lake. Never thought I would be able to pile 14 people into my 7 passenger van...new record! We enjoyed swiming and cliff jumping. We came back to camp and spent the rest of the evening around a campfire eating sala, and singing worship songs. Looking back I was truly blessed to serve alongside these hard working youth. My prayer is that their relationship with God will continue to deepen and they will see some of the fruits of their labors on the kids faces next month. Those students who came to serve will also next month be counselors so teaching them servanthood before leadership is huge.

Legal Graffiti

2009-06-19T01:15:00.000-07:00

Petya, one of my youth teens just graduated. Every year there is a custom to have the graduating class paint on the asphalt on school grounds their farewell address. This year Petya asked me to design a graphic and paint it on the school fence. Here is the finished product...it says 11b Graduation 2009.

Kids, kids, and more kids

2009-06-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

We were blessed to be a part of Jono's English camp last week. Magdala and I led one of the groups in songs and games. It was great to be able to sings songs in English! There were around 50 kids each day and everyone seemed to have a fun time.

We have been visiting the internaut, which is like an orphanage, in a nearby village. This Monday, we took the whole family to visit with the kids there. Magdala brought some dough and we made some interesting pastries over the fire. These special kids have touched our hearts and we look forward to getting to know them better!

Here are a few pictures of our kids while we were hanging out at the stadium here in town...

Jaden graduates!

2009-05-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

Jaden is now officially graduated from kindergarden in Ukraine! He had a little program at school, with lots of singing, dancing and reciting verses. So, now he is ready to start first class! We are so proud of him!!!

Here is a short clip of him saying his line. The translation of the verse he is reciting is this: To school we will soon be going, before long ready for first class; everyone will now call us school-kids!

The kids in their Easter Sunday best...

2009-04-19T22:38:00.001-07:00

Christy's Birthday

2009-04-15T21:09:00.001-07:00

We are so blessed to have great friends here that offer to watch our kids so that Christy and I can get away together. For Christy's birthday, we took a day trip to Kiev. We checked out the mall, Caravan, where we had some good coffee, window-shopped, went bowling, and had some yummy soup bread bowls for lunch. It was chilly outside, but we still enjoyed a walk along the river. For dinner, we tried out one of the many theme restaurants that are just outside of Kiev on the road heading back to Kaharlyk. The one we chose was called Three Musketeers. It was actually very nice...it had ducks, swans, and even a petting zoo. We were the only ones dining in the restaurant, which gave it a very romantic feel. It was a nice get-away and I think Christy had a very relaxing and enjoyable birthday!

Youth Conference in Kaharlyk

2009-04-15T20:57:00.000-07:00

Last week we put on our first youth conference in Kaharlyk. It was a big step, but awesome to see so many come together and be involved to make this event happen. The theme of this one-day conference was "Being Called By God." Jake Knotts, a pastor from Chernihiv came and spoke on God's calling on our lives and also on serving God. The day included worship, games, Bible teaching, dinner and an afterglow. Six towns came and participated. It was wonderful to see a room full of youth eager to love and serve God more. We closed the night with worship and lighting candles. Each person came forward to light a candle symbolizing their desire and commitment to let their light shine in their community.

The last few weeks...

2009-04-09T00:10:00.000-07:00

We have not blogged in the last few weeks so here is look at some of the things that went on in our lives... We attended a youth conference in Zhovti Vodi (Yellow Waters). We piled into our van along with the Zschech family and drove 5 hours through pot-hole filled roads to meet the rest of our youth group at the conference. We enjoyed 2 days of worship, teaching, great fellowship and wonderful hospitality. I taught a 2 hr. workshop on design principles and how to apply it in photoshop. I shared about looking to creation for design inspiration created by the "great Designer".
Last year, I got to know the village veternarian. Emily, our dog, was having some stomach issues, and someone directed us to Sergei. When my mom was here, we all went out to Sergei's home for an authentic Ukrainian meal. His wife, Lyena, laid out quite a spread and we enjoyed an amazing meal and fun conversation, thanks to our translator, Anya. We decided to return the favor and invited them over for an "American" meal at our home. We also invited Yura and Oksana. So, Christy actually went with the Italian dish, lasagna, complete with garlic bread, fruit salad and carrot cake for dessert. We think that they enjoyed the food or they were being very polite. Sergei and his son, Dima, tested out the Wii bowling and loved it. It was a fun evening and we pray that God would give us more opportunities to spend time with this family in the future and share with them the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

Sergei and his son bowling on wii.

The men in our church decided to put on a special dinner for the ladies in our church. Yura was the head chef and other men helped cook, serve, or provide entertainment. The ladies had a nice time being served and just relaxing and chatting with each other. According to my wife, "I had a great time and loved the food Yura cooked for us. It was wonderful to be able to enjoy a quiet meal with friends and not having to lift a finger to help with cooking or dishes! So, when is the next one?"
The Lord has provided me with some little work projects to help some of the ladies in our church. I helped out with a remodel at Natasha Semenenko's place, plastering and patching up her ceiling. Another project that came my way was building a temporary outhouse for a babushka in our church. Baba Olya has a fueding neighbor who has been harassing her and tends to destroy her property. His last rage was against her outhouse. She lives alone and usually has many jobs that need to be done around her house.

Baba Olya stands in front of her destroyed outhouse.

The temporary outhouse I built...4 poles, black plastic and a door.

The church had a work day to clean up the building and surrounding property. We showed up ready to work. Our cleaning arsenal consisted of rakes, shovels, brushes and a tractor complete with trailer for all the trash and rubble. The Lord gave us a beautiful day to serve him!

Puppet Show Outreach

2009-03-02T01:40:00.000-08:00

After months of preparations and awaiting the Samaritan's Purse shoebox gifts to arrive, our church put on a puppet show for the needy kids in town and from surrounding villages. We held two shows, one on Saturday and one on Sunday and over 150 kids came. The kids sang songs, watched a puppet show about the birth of Jesus, had cake and juice, and received a shoebox filled with gifts. It was a great time for all involved and we were blessed to be able to take part in this outreach. Here is a video we put together of the shows...

Dr. J is six!!!

2009-02-27T22:09:00.000-08:00

Jaden celebrated his sixth birthday yesterday. He had been anticipating the big day for months, crossing off days on the calendar leading up to it. It was a nice party with a few good friends, a little bowling and baseball on the wii, lots of spiderman goodies and a cool batman cake. We were blessed to have mimi here to celebrate with us!

We are so proud of Jaden! He is adapting so well to life here in Ukraine. His teacher at kindergarden commented this week on how well he is doing on his classwork and we are amazed at how he is picking up Ukrainian. He is such a sweet and sensitive little man. What a joy you are to us, Jaden! Happy birthday, Dr. J!!!

My mom visits Ukraine again

2009-02-26T23:52:00.000-08:00

We had the blessed opportunity to have my mom out here again in Ukraine. Winter is probably not the best time to come to Ukraine. Its cold and dreary and things tend to slow down during this season. But the Lord opened a door for her to come and really blessed the time we have spent with her. She came out mostly to visit and not necessarily for ministry, but it looked as though God had other plans. He opened doors to be involved in some orphanage trips, women's bible studies, an elderly dinner night and a children's puppet show. Our kids have had a blast tubing with "mimi" and just enjoying her around the house. We have been blessed with the extra help. My mom has the gift of servanthood...and might I add cleaning. Our house has never looked so good. Thanks mom! Here are some pics, more info and details to come in our monthly newsletter.

Who needs a sled when you can purchase a used inner tub from a tire mechanic for half the price. Plus its multi-functional...winter tubing, summer swimming!

A grandma overjoyed at the broach she received. These gifts were made by the women's ministry at Calvary Chapel North Phoenix.

My mom pictured with Alyona, Natasha and Anya. Natasha accepted the Lord as her savior last year and was baptized. Her daughters have been praying for her for a long time.

Justin turns 2!!!

2009-01-24T06:39:00.000-08:00

We can't believe it...our baby is 2! Yes, our little Justin Micah turned two today and we celebrated at home with just the family. Daddy bought him a car he can ride on and he hasn't been off of it all day! Mom and Josie baked some yummy cupcakes in honor of the big day and we all relaxed at home together. Very low-key, but nice! Justin is such a joy to us and he has the cutest smile ever. But he has entered his terrible-twos, as they call it, so we need God's strength daily in raising him. We think he is pretty amazing! Happy Birthday, little bud!

I've been tagged! (Christy's turn)

2009-01-20T05:49:00.000-08:00

So, I have noticed lots of my friends being tagged lately and I was wondering when it would be my turn. Thanks to Edna, I can share a few things about myself with whoever cares. These are supposed to be 7 weird or random things about myself...and, well, they aren't really that weird, but anyway, here goes...

1. I love to bake muffins. I could eat them every morning. All kinds too...my favorite is strawberry/banana. Now, my kids are really into them too and ask me faithfully every night before they go to bed to bake them some muffins in the morning.

2. I love to entertain my kids by dancing around in the living room to music from their kids' shows. My favorite is to dance to the Wiggles. Something about the catchy tunes they sing makes me feel quite silly.

3. I absolutely love naps! My favorite time to nap is actually right after breakfast. I have always been able to wake up early with no problem, but for some reason after I eat something, I get really sleepy.

4. My favorite thing to wear is sweats. I have always cared more about comfort than fashion. Nowadays you can find some pretty stylish matching sweatsuits. I think I would like some pink ones with rhinestones!

5. When I was growing up, I changed the spelling of my name 4 times. My full name is Christina, but I always went by the shorter version. I spelled it Kristy, Christi, Christie and what I use now, Christy.

6. I love to watch American football. When I am at football gatherings, I find myself always drawn to watch it, usually with all the guys, instead of chatting with the girls. My dad was a football fan and taught me everything about the game. He was also a huge Bronco fan...which I also am. I am rooting for the Cardinals for the Superbowl...love that Kurt Warner!

7. My favorite place in the world is Maui, Hawaii. We took our honeymoon there and went back a few years later for my sister's wedding, which Micah performed on the beach. I think it is the most beautiful place on earth, of what I have seen thus far in my life. I would like to go back on our 20 year wedding anniversary!

OK, so I can tag 5 people now. I choose...
1. Lori Gossenauer
2. Cassie Walters
3. Cheryl Lyons
4. Tanya Susidko
5. Karie Hughes

Mom and Josie visit the States...

2009-01-19T02:07:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of Christy and Josie's trip to the States...

New Year celebrations at school...

2008-12-29T20:18:00.000-08:00

Josie, Jaden and Jeremy all had New Year celebrations at school and had shows for the parents. It was so fun for us to watch our kids dancing, singing in Ukrainian and just enjoying being a part of this culture!

Yura's van finally painted

2008-12-22T04:46:00.000-08:00

After 3 months of Yura's van sitting in my driveway awaiting paint, I can happily say the project is completed. A lot of factors were involved that contributed to the length of this project...but I have learned living in Ukraine that waiting for a completed project is normal. Let me take you back to the beginning of the story...

Yura purchased Dan Gollan's old Ford Transit and had it towed from Rzhyshiv to Kaharlyk. It needed a lot of work as well as an engine overhaul. It had been 5 years at least since this vehicle was in use. When it quit running it was left to rot next to Dan's house. Yura got a great deal and we towed it home. He took it to a local repair shop for body work and primer. Then it came to my house and sat until I finished some other projects I was working on.

I told Yura that we could use my garage as a paint booth. I used a large gas heater to warm up my garage before I could paint. Paint doesn't dry too well when it is freezing outside. I alternated painting and turning on the heat so the paint could dry. Not a good idea to paint with the heater going...it's an explosion waiting to happen. After 5 coats of white and 3 coats of clear I finally finished...well that's all the paint I had.

Since I had never painted a vehicle before, there was a lot of trial and error involved. My compressor and spray gun gave me problems at first. But after some adjustments I was back in business. Yura wants me to airbrush a mural on his van later (my first time for that as well). I will keep you posted. Christy will be buying the airbrush paints in America...they are no where to be found here in Ukraine. I plan on starting this project in the spring. Thanks Yura for the opportunity to bless you and for the willingness to try new things!