Awkward!

It was another lovely day at Sand Creek yesterday.  The weather was perfect, the group absolutely the best!  We had the staff from a Spanish immersion elementary school and it was a hoot!  My group of nine came from seven different countries, all but one spoke both Spanish and English.  Everything was going great until we were at the high ropes course after lunch . . . 

I was helping one of the female staff tighten her harness and noticed that it appeared to have blood on it.  When she finished her element, I took her harness and realized my assumption was correct.  I explained the situation to our owner, Duane (who is married) and he told me to tuck the harness into the glove compartment of the Bobcat and he would deal with it later.

Unfortunately, later came sooner.  We took the group up for a zip at the end of the day.  I caught one of our new staff handing my lady a new harness.  At a cost of easily $50.00 a harness, I knew I had to intervene.  So I boldly went where no staff had gone before and asked her if she had her period.  Bingo!  As graciously as possible I told her what had happened to her previous harness and asked is she would be okay wearing it again.  She agreed.

I began launching the group and when I had finished she was there waiting for me, the harness neatly wrapped up in her hand and full of apologies.  What do you do?  Offer grace . . . just grace.  

It'd be awesome if the story ended there, but I work at Sand Creek.  It didn't!  I went into the welcome center and told Duane and Alan (our course manager) I had the harness and I needed a plastic bag.  Alan grabbed somebody's lunch from the fridge, dumped it out and said, "Here."  I put the harness in it and laid the bag down in a corner.  My buddy Trevor walked in right then and grabbed the bag and said, "What's in here?"  I said, "Don't look."  He opened it.  The look on his face was priceless.  He has two sisters and a mom!  it was all in a day's work . . .        

What next?  Trevor and I went zipping!

Only at Sand Creek . . .

In the mist, can you have a wonderful day!  Deana and I started out team building with the Girl Scouts and then took them zip lining.  We followed them with two families on the high ropes course and then finished off our day with thirteen zippers!  And it never rained!  Praise God!

Mercy Ships and No Longer Music

Was it just a few short weeks ago that I found myself in Ukraine, traveling with No Longer Music sharing Mercy Ships?  Go figure!  

I had run into a young Christian man who was going to school to become a third officer.  I asked him if he had ever heard of Mercy Ships?  They were in need of maritime professionals - third officers being one of the options.  Google and apply! 

I spoke with one of the NLM drivers who wondered what he and his wife were going to do when they retired.  I asked him if he had ever heard of Mercy Ships?  He was a professional photographer on sabbatical to serve with NLM and his wife worked in finance, both professions needed on the ship.  Google and apply!

And the list goes on - here a nurse, there a mechanic, here a chef . . . So my brain began to process.  Why these two organizations?  What do they have in common?  Why do I love them both?

My reasons are:

1. Unequivocally Jesus.  Through free life changing surgeries, Mercy Ships shares Jesus.  Through free drama and music, NLM shares Jesus.
2. Prayer.  Both organizations come before the throne of Almighty God and seek His will and His alone.
3. Everyone deserves . . . In Mercy Ships, we say the right to look human.  In Steiger/NLM, to know Jesus.  While I had no desire to talk to the drunk on the street, my Ukrainian teammates saw someone who deserved to know Jesus.
4. We are one.  In both organizations, it didn't matter who you were or what your job was, everyone was important, necessary and valued.  Because if everyone wasn't there, our mission wouldn't work. 
5. Both glorified God in two totally different and equally amazing ways because that is our God  - total and amazing!  To Him be the glory! 

Thankful Thursday!

I've spent the week at Black Hawk Middle School in Eagan training thirteen and fourteen year olds how to be water safety aides.  I had a small group of six, but what a great group!  It was fun to watch them bond.  

On Monday, three members of our class brought glasses for the eclipse.  I asked them if they would be willing to share with those who didn't have them.  Not only did they share with our class, but the lifeguard class and the water safety instructor class.

Today, we had a junk food lunch.  I told them I would bring brownies (thank you for baking, Micah!) and they could bring whatever they wanted.  Would you believe we had four pans of brownies, two bags of cookies and watermelon?  By no means healthy, but what fun!

I am thankful for the opportunity to invest my life and teaching knowledge into their lives and I am thankful for them - Sam, Henry, Nina, Olivia, Maggie and Makayla!

Destination: Cameroon

The good ship Mercy arrived for it's first ever outreach to the country of Cameroon on Friday, after a twelve day sail.  The Africa Mercy will spend the next ten months reaching out to the world's forgotten poor.

Day workers and advance team celebrating the ship's arrival

Crew looking forward to standing on land once again.

Our dear friend, Warrie (black dress), is in charge of the good ship.  Keep her in your prayers!

 

Only at the Y . . .

Could I be sharing with three Muslim co-workers why I went to Ukraine and who I met there!  May He open their hearts to His truth . . .

The Miracle Chairs

Those are the chairs.

They look ordinary.

This is the team.

They were extraordinary.

We asked God for miracles.

We know He answered.

To Him be the glory!

Fire Dancer!

When the main program is delayed due to circumstances beyond their control, No Longer Music provides alternate entertainment!

Surely there will be more to come . . .

We had our final Ukraine team meeting on Wednesday and discovered that sooner or later (most likely later!), Tim is going to put all the photos he took up on cloud (or somewhere) and we'll be able to add our photos, too.  Once that happens, there will be more to come . . .

Tour Guide Barbie!

Taken from "Toy Story", someday I want to be a Tour Guide Barbie!  But until then, join us from Kherson to Kiev . . . 

Three guesses why I liked this bathroom best!  It was in Kherson.

Micah took this on the flight from Kherson to Kiev.

Lovely fountain in the park.

Welcoming lady by the river.

The Presidential Palace (no one was home!)

Our Kiev hotel in day light!

Our hotel at night, taken from Center Square.

Ukrainian flags and a football!

Ukraine map in red poppies.

Another lovely evening in Ukraine

 

Ben racing to the arch!

The Ukrainian Missionary Team

Joining us was a team of roughly a dozen Ukrainian young people (ages eighteen to twenty-eight) who worked along side us sharing the good news of Jesus.  They were amazing!

Max, our awesome interpreter!  We wouldn't have done so well without him!

Tim, Dema and Igor - these men were a blast!  Fortunately for us, Tim spoke English.

They loved to pose - this was in Pavlograd!

A caption just won't do!  Read the story . . .

Meet some of my dearest Ukrainian friends - front row:  Max, the beloved interpreter; Sushi, tried so hard to speak English with me; Olya's sister - I never knew her name, but she was ever so fun!; Anna was a fashionista - she had an outfit for every occasion and we had several good conversations; middle row:  Dennis bleached his hair the night we were at the hostel.  After twenty-five years of praying for his mom, she came to one of the concerts prior and committed her life to Christ.  What a cause for celebration!  Me you know; Masha is next to me - she's "looking for a man of God" and I'm praying that He will provide.  Next to her is Diana - named after Princess Di herself!  In the back row, you'll find Jimmy looking like Kilroy!  He's a hometown boy - from New Prague/Lonsdale.  He drives the truck and loves the Lord.  Micah's back there, too!

 

Olya and me one more time!

On Tour!

We have lots of shots of the band, but they're all so similar.  We'd encourage you to go on-line and check out one of the concerts - either No Longer Music or NUTEKI.  And our friend, Mark, would encourage you to turn down the music as you listen!  Here are some of our favorite shots taken by Micah:

This was our first concert!

On the mic is Misha, the lead singer for NUTEKI, the opening band.

Alex on fire!  The crowds loved it!

Kippy with the amazing dreads is the NLM drummer - with a heart more powerful than the hair!

This is a "meet the band party" the day following a concert

.

 

A Nice Old Lady . . .

Tuesday, I taught seventeen students CPR for ISD 196 along with Caroline.  Wednesday found seven of those students back with me for First Aid.  It was a hoot!  Six of my students were in the water safety aid class (translation:  forced to be there because they want a job teaching swimming for the district) and one was a seventy year old grandmother preparing to do child care for her daughter when the baby arrives in December.  It was amazing how well they did together - the teens and the happy grandma!  The best part of the day, though, happened at the very end when one of the boys turned to "Grandma" and said, "You're really fun for an old lady." 

Only at Sand Creek!

Before we head back to Ukraine, I worked an eight (am) to five-thirty (pm) shift at Sand Creek on Saturday.  Jen and I were both thrilled when we got there (NOT!) and found out that we really didn't need to be there until 9:30 a.m. but we managed to find plenty of work to do while we waited - including me almost driving the Bobcat over the edge - opps!

My first group was from Crown College.  What an amazing time with fellow believers!  I was able to challenge, encourage and have so much fun with them!

Sometime after lunch, we had a family of four arrive early - mom, dad, and twin sons who had just graduated from high school.  One of the sons, Luke, had just found out that he was going to need a heart and kidney transplant.  Mom was afraid to send him down the zip, but staff encouragement won and they finally decided to go.  As I locked Luke in, I looked at him and said, "You know, if you're heart gives out now, I'm the one who's going to have to do CPR, so I suggest you don't do that!"  (Like he has any say in the matter!).  But with a smile he took off - and the family had a wonderful time.   

Days at Sand Creek always seem to be so good . . .    

No Longer Chicken!

My friend Jana had warned me before we left that a lot of our meals would be chicken and potatoes.  She was right!  While we were on the road with the band, only ONE meal in ten (not including breakfast) did NOT have chicken or potatoes.  This was it:

Of course, we could have been like Valarie and purchased some chicken-free snacks . . .

This is the man that made everything run smooth!!!

 But we waited for our first day off the tour and went out for burgers . . .

Ben at Rock Burger Bar in Kherson

And pizza . . . 

The food got even better in Kiev . . . 

 

Home!

Olya and I

We arrived home safely Tuesday afternoon, with all of our luggage intact.  Micah is doing well - I'm recovering from jet-lag.  We both return to work tomorrow - not sure how I'm going to do a 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. shift.  But I have downloaded one picture from Ukraine - in anticipation of more to come!

 

Kiev

We arrived in Kiev yesterday morning, grabbed something to eat and then wisely decided to explore while the sun was shining.  After we download our pictures, we'll show you the sights.  We had a light, late snack, rested up and spent a lovely evening together at a Ukrainian restaurant where only Micah had chicken. 

Today has been wet and rainy.  We're on city square so we partook of the underground shopping and spent some alone time in our rooms. We'll meet for supper in a bit and then attempt an early evening.

We have to be ready to roll at 3 a.m. tomorrow morning.  It's a half hour drive to the airport and we have a 5:30 a.m. flight into Amsterdam.  A three hour layover there, and if all goes well, we'll be landing in Minneapolis at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow!  We're thinking that's close to twenty-four hours of travel time, but we'll give you the actual factual once we return.

Until then, thank you for sharing in our journey.  God has done many amazing things during this time. People have come into the Kingdom. Friendships formed.  Lives changed forever and to His glory.

But the greatest of all, in my mind, twenty-seven months almost to the date of my traumatic brain injury, with little to no sleep while on insane schedule, I have stopped stuttering.  To God be the glory!

Next post?  From Minnesota!

Karhova to Kherson

After discovering it was a five hour bus trip to the next concert location and then five plus hours back to Kherson to catch a 6:50 a.m. flight to Kiev, it was decided that we would go from the meet the band time Saturday morning directly to Kherson.  

It was a time of great sadness and many photos as we bid farewell to the bands and our new friends, the Ukrainian missionaries.  Once I get home and am able to download load we'll have a post of pictures.  Until then, know that I am ever grateful that I had this time to encourage and be encouraged by these young believers and by the bands.

Now, as only God can do, He provided us with a ride to Kherson with Pastor Sergei who just happened to be going there to see his family and then pick up a friend from the airport.

Once we checked into our hotel, this crazy group of Americans who had just enjoyed a solid week of chicken and potatoes took off for the Rock Burger Bar.  Not only did we find the absolute best bathroom in all of Ukraine, we had BEEF!!!

Micah, Jayna and I walked for a bit afterward, sharing our stories.  Then Hannah, Ben, Micah and I went out for pizza.  We declared it phone free family time and everyone got to ask one question that everyone had to answer.  The first question was "What has been your most embarrassing moment?"  We were rolling on the floor with Hannah's (Sorry.  We promised her - what was said in Ukraine, stays in Ukraine."  But if you ever get the chance to ask her, it's a good one!)  Then Ben shared his and we were literally dying!  I will not publish it in my blog, but feel free to ask me what happens to NFL players who get hit just right on national TV.  It's a hoot!

Anyway, it was off to bed early that night because we had a 3:30 a.m. wake up call!

Karhova

With breakfast on the bus our six to seven hour journey to Karhova began, taking just a bit over eight hours.  As I texted my friend from Liberia, the only reason the roads in Liberia were worse was because there was more traffic there.  We actually could attempt to avoid pot holes!  We did arrive, though, and a family from a church there had us over for ... drum roll ... chicken and potatoes!  Praise God for delicious meals for there are many ways to make chicken and potato!

Once again it was well over 100°F and we received an opportunity to rest as the churches in Karhova did all the inviting.  And onces again the band set up with out grumbling or complaining in that horrendous heat. Talk about living Jesus!

It was a night of spiritual battles.  I found myself praying over the venue and the people.  While I was praying, and unbeknownst to me, the NLM electric guitar player, Alex from Brazil, was hit in the face with pepper spray.  Only by the grace and mercies of God he was able to finish the show.  

I met up with Max after the concert and we tried to share the gospel with a group of young men. It became argumentative - and in Ukrainian - so I prayed over the situation.  God brought Dema, who I had met at lunch over, and he was able to de-escalate the situation.  Praise God for our Karhovian brother.

Max was beating himself up afterward, because he felt he had allowed the situation to become aggressive.  I shared with him Isaiah 40:5 which says,"The Lord will give you an instructed tongue ..." and I encouraged him to ask God for that.

Pavlograd

Pavlograd is where the heat hit.  It was well over 100°F as the band's set up - never a complaint.  Such a joyful loving gracious group of men (plus Julia, the dancer from Poland, who was equally gracious)!  There were many Christians at that concert and they had done all the inviting so we had a free afternoon, chicken and potatoes for dinner, the concert and then time with other believers.

Poltova - Day Two

After a breakfast which included chicken, of course,and a time of prayer, we divided into four groups and went into the city.  Micah and I joined the "miracle chair" team.  There we literally prayed for miracles for people.  At first just the children came, with their parents standing nearby.  

Then Ben prayed for Robert, a man from California who had had a vision that while he was in the Ukraine his knee would be healed.

Max, our interpreter, and I prayed for Ludmilla who had just been diagnosed with an inflammation in the lining of her lungs. When I finished praying, she and Max began a rapid fire conversation in Ukrainian.  It turns out that Ludmilla"s daughter had been murdered sixteen years ago and she had been bitter and angry toward God ever since.  Max prayed with her and she received forgiveness for her bitterness and anger and gave her life to the Lord.  The look of peace and joy that came over her face was absolutely radiant.

When we weren't praying, I was speaking with the Ukrainian team.  They are young and single and desired to be married.  We prayed for that.  We talked about praying specifically for a spouse and how I had prayed for and met Sam.  Then I taught them that old Larry Norman tune, "Lookin for a man of God, a man with a righteous heart . . ."  It was a lovely afternoon.

Chicken and potatoes for dinner (surprised?) and we were off to meet the band!  Sadly, no one had put the air conditioning on in the hall and we were all sweating bullets.  However, several good things happened.  I ran into Gena (use that accent!) who brought me to Marina. She had brought me a pair of earrings that she had designed.  So not my style but so absolutely beautiful because they were a gift of the heart.  I will wear them with joy. We were able to spend some time encouraging Andy, a Ukrainian believer.  Micah and I spent some time with Ben, the leader of No Longer Music.  What a gracious godly young man.  We were honored.  Then it was off to our hotel for a good night's sleep.

Interesting note: While talking with Marina that night, I found out that she met Jesus at the first No Longer Music tour in Poltava five years ago.  She had helped with their concerts ever since.  I told Kippy, our crazy drummer and Marina was interviewed by NLM to potentially be used in the future.

Second interesting note:  When your systems become corked in Ukraine, you can go to the pharmacy and purchase a package of magnesium.  Pour it into a litre of water, drink down that nasty metallic tasting stuff and within four hours, everything's all gone.

Poltova

After McDonald's for breakfast (sad, but true), we boarded the bus for Poltova.  Another chicken and potatoes lunch was followed by inviting people to the concert that night.  I was able to go to a park with a lovely young Ukrainian woman from Poltova, a jewelry designer named Marina.

After the concert, one of Marina"s friends, Eugene (or Gena as he prefers - say it with an accent!) came with me as my interpreter.  We were able to pray with and for several people. Seeds were planted.

Then it was off to our first hostel. The four American ladies were put into the same room. It was a lovely night with my best sleep ever - all six hours.

Vyshneve - Day 2

We met back at the church for a delicious lunch of chicken and potatoes, of course!  Spent time in prayer and then had our first "meet the band" party with NUTEKI.  It was excellent and followed by a spaghetti dinner - with a chicken and potato sauce!

Somewhere that day I found my calling and began to reach out to the Ukrainian missionaries.  They were young single adults and they wanted to talk.  Since talking is one of my spiritual gifts, I began to minister to them.  It was a neat experience.

Sadly that night, even though we had gotten home early and had the possibility of a good night's sleep, the electricity had gone out in our room and it wasn't until 11:30 p.m. we were given a new room.

Interesting note: God heard your prayers and we were able to live and love well with no sleep.

It was a long and crazy night . . .

We boarded the bus at 11:00 p.m. to go find our hotel.  It was 11:23 p.m. when the train crossing closed the road.  The bars were down and we sat there for thirty minutes watching a train go by in each direction.  Little did we know at that time that there were two roads in that town with the same name and we were on the wrong road.  The bus couldn't make it down the narrow alley (should have been our first clue!) so we grabbed our bags and headed down a dark alley full of potholes and barking dogs to nowhere.  It didn't take us long to figure out we were in the wrong place so back down the dark alley filled with potholes and barking dogs where the bus was waiting, back over the railroad tracks where fortunately there were no more trains and on to the right hotel where . . .

Micah and I were given a room with three beds.  Lucky us!  However it didn't take long for our three men to figure out they only had two beds and a switch was made.  Praise God we did not have to get up early the next morning!

Vyshneve

Sunday morning while waiting for the bus to arrive, I began speaking with one of the Russians.  Little did I know that I was speaking with the lead singer from NUTEKI!  What a godly man with strong family values!  It was a pleasure and a joy to work with, encourage and pray for the Belarusian who formed NUTEKI.

After setting my hopes low, we got on a wonderfully air conditioned coach bus and traveled to Vyshneve where these absolutely delightful church ladies had prepared chicken and potatoes for us, of course.  After lunch, it was prayer, pass out flyers and another concert with NUTEKI and No Longer Music.  We talked to people again afterward and those we found were all believers.
It was another excellent day, even with squatting potties.

Interesting note: Someone tried to attack David Pierce that night so our NFL football player began a new career as soundboard body guard.

Zhytomyr

We arrived in Zhytomyr in time for lunch with our team.  It included our group from Berean, the No Longer Music team, the Belarusian band NUTEKI and the Ukrainian missionaries, a group of mostly college aged students who came to share Jesus.  Lunch was chicken, potatoes and coleslaw - soon to become a common theme! After lunch we prayed together in many languages and tongues (English, Russian, Ukrainian, Portuguese, Spanish, Indonesian, and Finnish to name a few), then hit the streets to invite people to the "free American concert".  It was amazing, fun and tiring all at the same time!

NUTEKI hit the stage around 8:30 p.m. and we were off and running!  I can only describe the No Longer Music portion as Billy Graham on steroids, designed by someone with ADHD.  Feel free to go online and check them out!

After the concert, we walked up to people asking them what they thought of the concert, what was their favorite part, and what did they think of the Jesus story at the end.  People were very open. Hannah on our team was able to pray with two girls who asked Jesus into their hearts.  It was an awesome and late night.

Interesting note:  At the concert the previous night, all the electricity in the city had gone out. The city brought in a generator so the concert could go on!  Isn't God faithful? The only light shining that night was His light! t

Greetings from Ukraine!

With a bit of time and working Wi-Fi, we are able to send greetings from Ukraine!  We arrived in this lovely country as expected last Friday evening.  Even our luggage joined us in full!

Our hotel was lovely, our first night early - as was the morning!  Max, our 22-year-old Ukrainian translator, joined us after breakfast, and we headed to the bus station. Or we would have had the taxi arrived! Fortunately the hotel desk clerk had taken a liking to us and when her husband picked her up after her night shift, they called an Uber for us so we could get to the bus station two minutes before the bus left!