Final Countdown

Flying to Moldova today, I can’t help but remember 2 years ago, Daniel and I flying from L’viv to America planning our life together. We had fallen in love in L’viv and couldn’t wait to get our life started. Time stood still. That 9 hour plane ride could have been 20 hours and I wouldn’t have known the difference. It’s amazing where 2 years can take you. Before you start to question, yes, I am still madly in love with the man who stole my heart in L’viv. More so today than in 2012. But, Instead of flying away planning our life, we are flying into fulfilling the calling on our life.

Nothing is better than knowing that you’re walking in God’s plan. Being camp directors is a privilege God has entrusted to us that is not taken lightly. Last summer when the ranks were passed down there was no question in our hearts. It was clear God was bringing us into a new authority, all we needed was the faith behind it.

After twelve months of planning, 3 craft fairs, continuous prayer, 3 Wine and Palette fundraisers, countless hours creating custom art/wood work, Skype calls, Facebook posts, Hobby Lobby runs, paper work, 18 suitcases, e-mails, training a team of 9, spreading the word about what God is doing, literally any way we can; the time has finally come.

God gave us an extra dose of strength to make it through the tough moments. An extra amount of wisdom when planning and sufficient grace when we failed to hear what He was saying.  Twelve months packed into 14 [full] days of reaching the least of these. Putting on a camp that we feel is God’s design. He knows best how to reach the children and as we listen, He will continue to provide the strength, wisdom and grace He has so graciously provided all along.

I want to thank each of you who has been a part of the planning, giving and spirit behind Moldova Deaf Camp 2014! Be praying and expecting. Many praise reports coming your way, we give God the glory for each one in advance!

The American names you can be praying over are: Patty Cruthirds, Linsay Wise, Rachel Hollis, Christian Woodall, Hahn Bielfeldt, Shaquille Lee and Joseph Webster. They arrive Tuesday about 7am CST

So how does Daniel and I falling in love relevant to this letter?? It’s not directly, but a good love story is always worth writing about. Smile.

-thewoodalls

In L’viv, 2012

from 2012

 

 

Saying “pаpа” (Goodbye)

Sunday we shared our last couple hours with the people we grew close to this summer. Saying папа [papa] is never an easy thing for me. I am my mothers daughter and cry on whim! No matter how hard I try to hold it in, the first one drops and from there it is an unstoppable flood.

As a missionary, you meet people that you could potentially never meet again. You invest in lives that you may never see fully develop. You create friendships that Facebook can’t replace. You see God work in your own life and hope that the busyness of home life doesn’t dissipate. These are the things that make it hard to say папа.

Living in Ukraine has been an eye opening experience for both of us. We have learned many lessons, good and bad. If you ask us individually you may get different answers, but mostly the same. God has worked in and through both of us, teaching us through His spirit what he wanted us to learn. Most of what we learned is related to how to be missionaries and how to live under authority. The Word teaches about respecting our earthly authority, while remembering who our final authority is, knowing HE is the one we will have to answer to.

I thank God for these last 2 days here, and look back with happiness. The joy of The Lord has been our strength and we look forward to carrying this happiness with all the things we learned to Moldova! God has a lot in store there and can’t wait to share everything with you! To GOD be the glory for all accomplished. Amen.

We fly out Thursday 7:00am-1:50pm (8 hrs ahead of CST). Thanks in advance for all your prayers!

-thewoodalls

Water Baptism!

Below are pictures from Saturday’s water baptism. It was the perfect day! The members of the church were picked up by a van and we drove out an hour outside L’viv to a lake. There we had a picnic, worshipped and witnessed the baptism. What is cool about doing here, is there were many people there just to swim and enjoy their day. Many were watching and listening to Mark speak. It was a great thing for them to witness as well. It could be the thing that changes their lives, you never know! Six in total were baptized, all proclaiming Jesus as Lord of their lives.

Scroll down through the pictures. I didn’t take the time to organize or make them pretty. I think the meaning behind them makes the beauty. Buried with Christ and raised to live a new creation! (Romans 6:11-13)

 

-thewoodalls

What have we been doing here??

Good morning family and friends!! The weeks are flying by! We now only have 2 weeks until we make our way to Moldova for camp! We wanted to send you some images from the work we accomplished here this summer. Besides the things shown below we have had the opportunity, as you’ve read from past posts to lead the youth Thursday night meetings, weekly orphanage visit, yard and garden work. Daniel’s ministry has been mostly completing the home on the 3rd floor. The rest of our time here he will be making furniture pieces. My ministry has been making art pieces for the house in both Ukrainian and English. I have enjoyed being able to write on the walls! By the end of the summer I will complete almost, if not more than, 25 pieces plus wall writing.

 

 

And to think that I only misspelled 4 words! All were fixable, thank the Lord!

 

 

Below are various projects Daniel has completed, including a shelf for the pantry, a chest, a platform, laminate flooring, trim and thresholds in a den, 3 bedrooms, 2 closets and hallway, put a mirror up in a bathroom, organizaed the garage and outside storage unit. (He obviously sweat more than I did, smile) We both helped paint a bedroom and closet and put up 2 shelves in a storage closet.

   

 

 

          

 

          

 

Looking forward to our last 2 weeks here and finishing up these projects. Thanks for all your prayers, we feel them!

 

-thewoodalls

 

Live with Purpose

I know I wrote you a short email yesterday about how I hadn’t made a blog… well that inspired me to write 🙂

I wanted to share more about our time and encourage you. Sometimes it not clear why your gut feeling (for me that’s the Holy Spirit) tells you to do something or that something is right but you just know it’s what you’re supposed to follow in. We were unsure why God led us to Ukraine this summer, even after being here over a month I have moments of uncertainty. Our human instinct it to run when something goes wrong or not as expected. The gut feeling or Holy Spirit is what keeps us motivated to push through.

 “Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil. Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:15-17

 When I read that this morning it hit me how little time we actually have on earth. So many people complain of how quickly time passes. So make the most of it!

I have begun to look at big and small areas of my life and search if I am truly walking in His will. Am I making the most of my time? Not just in Ukraine and Moldova but even at home with my friends and family. Do I live purposefully, worthily and accurately according to scripture? The values I uphold, are they consistent or do I only abide by then when its convenient for me? These are the kinds of questions laid on my heart.

 “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Ps 37:4. That is the verse I have lived on this year! What a beautiful promise. When we don’t look at God, vaguely as a spiritual being that rules over and judges all mankind, but rather a just King who loves us so much that he “works everything for our good” and “gives us the desires of our heart” and sent his Son to save us so that our sins can be washed CLEAN. When you look at the relationship you can have with God it puts life in a whole new perspective. God will give you an understanding of His will. James 1:5 tells us that, “If you are lacking wisdom, ask for it and God will give it to you. But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone.”

 If you are at a place in your life where you don’t know what the next step is ASK God for wisdom. When you do ask Him be sure you have the faith to back it up! We couldn’t have asked God for wisdom on how to raise money for Moldova Deaf Camp then turned around stressing about every move and taking all the glory for ourselves. That is not faith. That is only asking God cause it feels like the right thing to do… but do you really believe that He will provide for you??

I want to encourage you to seek the Lord, ask him for wisdom and believe that He will come through for you. Seek your heart and find the areas in your life that your not consistently walking purposefully, worthily and accurately. Ask for forgiveness and start making the changes in your life that will bring you closer to God and be filled to the brim!

 

-thewoodalls