Do you remember being age sixteen?  What if you were told that you were ready to be on your own at that age?  Every year, thousands of teenagers around 16 and 17 are released by the Ukrainian orphanage system and are considered adults.          Shortly before I arrived here, Key of Hope completed the paperwork to take responsibility for four kids who had graduated from the orphanage in Makarov, where we visit weekly.  We have three girls, Anya, Yana, and Lena, and one boy Valera.  Two of the kids are social orphans, removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect or other problems.  The other two have no surviving parents.
     I’ll be spending my New Year’s with these teenagers.  I don’t know anything about Ukrainian New Year’s celebrations but apparently here it’s a very big deal.  Let’s face it, back home the holiday was just another excuse to eat.  Or, if you’re not a Christian, an excuse to drink.  We’ll be spending New Year’s in Kreshatik, downtown Kyiv, where my roommate says President Yushchenko will be speaking.  Oh, now that I’ve written it down, Rosen’s not so sure the president will be there.  So it’s a definite maybe.
     But they’ll definitely have some kind of concerts down there.  And I’ll try to keep my mouth shut because when strangers find out I’m an American, they’ll want me to drink vodka with them.  
     New Year’s is a good time to reflect on what the year has brought.  For me, 2005 has been the year of more changes than any other.  When I started the year, I was preparing for a short missions outreach to Malaysia.  After that I went home for a time and prepared for my journey here.  Now I’m in a new country, new culture, and learning a new language.
     We’ve been asked as a team to begin praying about where God wants us to focus our time and energy as individuals in 2006.  As I’ve prayed about it, there weren’t many surprises.  My heart burns for the orphans and for the abandoned babies in the hospital, the Fatherless ones.  The other ministry opportunities are great; working with English club, street kids, youth ministry.  But my direction is toward these two.
     And beyond 2006, I don’t know.  When I ask God about where this is heading, I feel in my spirit that He’s saying, “Now is the time to work in another man’s vineyard.  Learn the people, learn the methods, learn about the needs and wants of the Little Lost Ones.”  That’s not really a prophetic word so much as the thought process that rings in me when I pray.  
     I want to thank you for your continual prayers for me, and for your support in other ways.  There are many people here who don’t have the backing of their church, or the encouragement of their families.  I’ve met already two Christian workers who don’t even have a home country to go back to for fear of their lives.  While I miss the security of a steady paycheck and Thursdays with Isaiah, I really don’t have any fear of the future.     

¶ 11:39 AM

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