Snow Storm of 2014

NEXT DAY: We got another inch or two....so the boys are back outside and at it again.  This time they built a ramp.....

brrrr....it's cold....

Zach and Corey Sledding together...

 



UPDDATE (A day later.....):  As predicted, we did get 10 inches...and more children outside to sled...



Weather men have predicted that we should get 10+ inches of snow over the next couple of days.  I just praise the Lord that we are not traveling until Saturday!!  I'm glad that we were home and able to enjoy the snow!!!  I have included a video of Zach supper sledding down our driveway... he looked like he was having fun!!  He tried to get me to do it... he hasn't succeeded.... yet?!?

Zach sledding.... 

Corey Sledding....

Briana Sledding....

Crossroads

 

I do not even know how to start.  My heart is so overwhelmed, every time I think about our current situation, I break out in tears.  Sometimes I wonder, why is everything so hard for us.  It seems like our deputation was harder for us than for others.  Situations always seem more dramatic and harder than it is for others.  I know the Lord has a plan, but it seems like he is taking us the long way around to get to our destination.  There are so many things we need to pray for.  The most important is direction from the Lord, so we know which way to go.  Right now, we are at a crossroad, and have no idea which road to take.  So many things have changed over the last couple of weeks, and I personally do not know how to react to it all.  All I know to do is to walk by faith!  Wait on the Lord. Psalm 37:7a Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:

♪♫ Stand still and let God move,

Standing still is hard to do

When you f eel you have reached the end,

He'll make a way for you

Stand still and let God move ♪♫

Happy 13th Birthday Orion

Orion is now a teenager...imagine that!!!  Orion was 7 years old when he came to live with us...he has grown so much over the last 6 years!!!  I'm very proud of him!!!  I know the Lord will use him, he has such a heart for people!!  My prayer to God is that he would mold my son into what he would have him to be, to be a great man of God that would be a great witness for him!!

Orion and Bri in Charleston, SC

 

Briana's 20 ~ Oh MY

Wow...my precious little girl is 20.  Where have the years gone?  She is now out of teendom....and heading full speed in to adulthood.  But to her own admittance, she would love to turn back time and stay a child!  The fears and anxiety of leaving mom and dad and going out on her own is something that frightens her to the core.  We have told her to pray and seek God's will, then pray for peace in what he would have her to do and have her to go, or even just to stay still until further notice. 

With that off of my chest, I want to wish my daughter Briana, a very Happy 20th Birthday!!!

Ukraine ~ EuroMaidan

 

For those not keeping up with current foreign affairs...here is a link to the Kiev Post.  A great source for information on what's going on in Ukraine!

http://www.kyivpost.com/hot/euromaidan/
 

So Close...Yet so Far Away

In the beginning of 2013, it was a struggle.  I struggled with whether God's was really calling us to Ukraine, struggling with the seemingly empty deputation schedule, struggling with the fact that no one seemed to care, so I started not to.  The support was not coming in and we didn't have as many meetings as I thought we ought to. But you know, the Lord has helped me grow through all that.  Strengthen my faith through those struggles.  Building my "faith" muscles!  I have heard over and over that your time on deputation helps you with the situations you will face on the mission field.  And I do believe that now.  I am defiantly more dependent on God now than I was 2 1/2 years ago!  I started to pray more, and trust God to work.  Yes, my husband stands before and church and shares our burden, but that is just information.  Behind the scenes, we prayed and put the raising of our support in the hands of the one who owns the cattle on a thousand hills. The one who can turn the heart of man like water.

The last part of 2013 was the opposite of the beginning. We have seen the Lord work and move in the hearts of Pastors and people in support, prayer, and giving.  I think the Lord has rewarded our complete trust in Him as Provider!  And now, we are only 12% away from stepping foot on Ukrainian soil, to begin our training... I am so humbled by my Lords kindness to me and my family!  I am no stranger to GRACE... and never get tired of experiencing kindness that we do not deserve!

 

Merry Christmas from The Faulkner Family

Merry Christmas from The Faulkner Family