Here are two emails which demonstrate God's work in the Ukraine:
Hello my dearest Mark and Mary.
It was a great pleasure and a very nice surprise to see your name in my mail box. :) I am glad that things are going well for you and that you got home safe.
It's been a week now since we saw each other last. I can say that it was a great pleasure for me to be a part of this mission. Now when I am reflecting on everything we've been through that week I can say that the Lord has touched my heart in a very special way towards these children and I know it'll never stay the same. And I am very bleesed by meeting you guys. Your persistance, Mark, in learning Russian is simply amazing (...and worth a whole separate page on my blog... :) which is to come soon), and there was something very special and very touchy between the two of you that I can hardly describe that touched my heart. I have both a mom and a dad. They are not christians, though both are very good and intelligent people (but can that be an excuse?..). I witnessed many times them arguing or keeping silent for weeks or trying to prove either one right or wrong and a lot of other things. That is why it has always amazed me to see christian couples who've been through SO MUCH together, lived together for so many years and still looking at each other, loving each other, relating to each other like at the first year of marriage. I do not know how to describe it, but you are very precious and special people the Lord has put on my path. And I thank Him for that and pray for you too.
As for me, I'm back to work and usual way of life now. Same things every day.Though last Saturday I had a good one-to-one conversation with my boss about my trip to Rivne, what I was doing there and what the mission was all about. She was very pleased to know about the whole program and I could see that she was very much moved by what she heard. You know that software companies usually have a lot of money. Well, since I work in a Software company in HR deptt., it's one of our responsibilities to arrange and start all kinds of charity programs. Well, if you remember about the invalid center in my town I was telling you about..... my boss offered me to talk with the director of that place and find out about possible ways our company can help out... (there's more about the whole thing on my blog...) So that was a big blessing. Especially when there are not many companies who want to simply share their finances and what they have with poor and needy in Ukraine.
I for one can say that you never know when and how the Lord will work in your life and when and how He'll bless people. Praise Him for that!
Thank you once again for taking time and writing me. I was very glad to hear from you.
May the Lord bless you and guide you every step of your life.
In Christ,
Oksana
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Hi Michelle,
How are things going? I hope that you all returned back to the States safely and recovered from the trip. Did you end up going to the Elton John concert in Kyiv? I wanted to write you and tell you about my visit with Dima last week. I'm sure that you remember him- the adorable 3 year old with Down's syndrome. He only lives about 30 minutes from me, so his mom and I agreed to meet from time to time. She invited me to their house last Friday and I gladly went. Of course, Dima was cute as ever. While I was there, I had more of a chance to talk with his mom, Vika, about the week you were here and I wanted to pass it on to you. She was telling me how wonderful it was to see Dima play with us and the other kids. Before the camp, she was convinced that he had social anxiety and simply couldn't interact with people. In general, she seems more positive about everything. After seeing how much people loved him and getting information at the seminars, she realizes that Dima can really lead a happy life. To tell you the truth, I think that she was really ashamed of his diagnosis before. Still, the only people who she has actually told are her mother and a few friends. Her brother doesn't even know. If anything, we showed that she's not alone and that people support her. In addition, she had the opportunity to meet other mothers with similar problems. So, I really believe that we made a difference in their lives. This is only a story about one person. I can't imagine all the other lives USNOF has touched. I felt like you should hear that. I don't have anyone's Email address from our room, but feel free to pass it on.
I hope that everything is going well.
Best wishes,
Liz Favret
