Kyivlanin

Whiner!

2010-11-30T23:44:00.003+02:00

It's mornings like these that remind me how good I have it. Watching this man dig for food, find it, and then eat it is sometimes too much for me to bear. As I watched him dig with a sense of determination I couldn't help but wonder what was going through his head. Did he feel shame, sadness, or just hunger? Was he able to work or was he a drug addict? I pondered helplessly through my own soul and wondered if I too could ever end up like this poor man. I thought of his life before this, what he might have been like if I had met him at a better time in life's journey.

I came to the overwhelming conclusion that I'm a whiner. I have it so good, and yet find something to complain about everyday. I'm surrounded by loving people, a roof over my head, food to eat, and a wonderful family.

Maybe I should live his life for a day, perhaps then I would be more grateful.

Muddy Waters

2010-09-21T07:53:00.002+03:00

As we enter this new season we are faced with many decisions, planning, and general restructuring of our mission. There have been small decisions, big ones, but none are bigger than what we are facing now.

Anya and I were given something that we really didn't pioneer or have any involvement in up to this point. Our mission built several big buildings on a piece of land outside of Kyiv. The process of actually building was rather short, but what followed has been a nightmare to say the least.

Unfortunately, decisions were made that have made things very difficult for us. To make a long story short, the buildings may have to come down. They were built on a sandy, clay soil which means that the foundation should be very deep, actually many meters deeper than we actually set the foundation at. This fact, plus the fact that a lot of the codes were not up to standards with the law here, plus the fact that the company that was hired was not legally allowed to build for us, or anywhere in Ukraine for that matter, has made this a very challenging time for us.

See, we didn't pioneer this vision, but they way it is going, and the new position we are in, we have to see it through now. We are running into walls, but some good things are happening as well.

One of the things that is hard is the fact that we are getting pressure from all sides about what to do with these buildings. Do we keep trying to find a way to save them, or do we take them down and let the vision sit for awhile?

My personal heart for our land is different from those that pioneered the vision for the land. I would like to see a facility for the University that is a part of YWAM, but I would be hesitant to build such a big place for schools that we just don't have. I would rather start it small, with the idea that churches and local ministries could use our facilities for retreats, camps, and other uses. As well, I would love to have some staff housing if they wanted that.

I guess there are lots of things to decide; the waters are muddy right now :(

Take a Knee

2010-09-19T19:46:00.009+03:00

Reality hit us right on the knee!

It wasn't that long ago when all this was just a process, a thought in our mind. Now, here we were, getting prayed in as the YWAM Kyiv base directors.

It was a great day. We had a lot of meetings that day, and were really excited about the event to come. Phil was meeting with us, sharing about how things were under God's control, and that we were the right people for the job. It's amazing that we knew and understood that, but the closer it actually got for us to be prayed in, the more we questioned what God had called us to do. I guess this is normal though. We are humans and have our doubts.

The time finally arrived! It was time for us to be prayed in, followed by a short speech on what God had showed us during our time home; what God was speaking to us on behalf of YWAM Kyiv. As the nerves set in, the reality that we were now in charge of 50 some people; the reality that we were now responsible to help them grow in their ministries and their relationship with the Lord; the understanding that we had to rebuild YWAM Kyiv, strangely enough, there was peace. It was our time. God had called us and we knew clearly the next steps we were to take.

We took our knee, and took our position, and felt the love and peace of the Lord over us; the rest is still to come :)

River Road

2010-08-16T08:19:00.007+03:00

What a beautiful morning on the Dniper River. It's so nice to sit here and actually be pretty cool in this 99 degree heat. The mornings and evenings are actually quite nice. Our apartment is actually hotter than it is outside, crazy!!!

I forgot how peaceful it is to sit out on our YWAM boat. With Ukraine, so much anxiety, hopelessness, and general problems come. The nation is in despair, people are angry, hurt, and feel like this season will never end. The new regime is increasing gas costs, and raising the pension age by five years.

Even in YWAM, there is a bit of depression. Some on our base seem so lost and just don't see anything good. I can relate with them. Everyone goes through seasons like this one that some of them are going through. The trick is to get through it with a good attitude. Our attitude defines us in the midst of the chaos. This transition time for our base will not be easy, but it will make us better. It will bring us closer to the Lord. It will bring us peace, like the river this morning.

Old Heads

2009-10-14T14:35:00.005+03:00

We are trying to get our kids into our local preschool for a few days a week. It has been a real interesting experience to say the least. With all the documents, shots, eye doctors, dentist's, and every other kind of test you can think of it just feels like your sending your kid to a high-tech germ free medical research facility.

Today we finally finished everything and went to get them registered and everything.
The director was a little busy so we waited patiently in the hallway looking at all the classrooms and different pictures of the kids on the walls. As we looked at the pictures we seemed to feel that it was a great preschool. Afterall they had swimming, dancing, gymnastics, basketball, and even a small room with ping pong tables in them.

After about fifteen minutes the director comes to us and understands that we are Americans. She says "what are you gonna give us, we need a projector." She proceeds to tell us that "the preschool is full and if you don't give us what we need, your kids can't come". She understood we were Christians and told us that we need to give so that we can receive. Anya and I about lost it. We simply left the preschool and realized that we don't really need her preschool.

It's not about the fact that I have to invest into the preschool, it's the fact that it is these very kinds of issues that we are fighting against. You don't extort!!!
I know that maybe a little extreme but it happens everyday of our lives in some form or another. It's the disease that plagues this country. It's the current way of living, there is no other.

Maybe some day these "old heads" will learn that if you treat others with respect, they will do the same for you.

No Surprise

2009-10-06T19:26:00.004+03:00

It was just a matter of time. We knew it would happen. We prepared our minds for when it would happen. We went over it time and time again. We thought over how we could prevent it from happening. We failed.

She said she wanted to look like momma.

I give you our new daughter Denae, a.k.a., Josephine Dirt :)

She looks like her grandpap now :)

The Throat Slicer

2009-10-06T19:11:00.002+03:00

It's been real interesting in life lately. I've always thought of myself as everyone's friend you know. Lately though, there has been a few or more than a few people in my life that have been pretty aggressively against me for no reason whatsoever.

The other day I was standing at my window. We are on the first floor with around 9 meters of windows making up the back of our apartment. Well i was standing there talking to one of my little buddies from the orphanage when a man approached the window and starting yelling, lit up a cigarette and then proceeded to show my the "slice your throat" sign. I kind of laughed and kind of hoped that he would just walk away. He did. Either way here was a complete stranger wanting to fight me. Most of the people who want to fight me right now in life know me.

At least I should be happy he didn't moon me :)

Lettin Go

2009-09-22T13:17:00.006+03:00

As this season progresses on it's high time for me to let go. I've realized something about myself that I've always known but have never really thought was an issue. It's justice. I want justice, I want things to be fair. When me or my family, friends, or even a stranger is being treated unfairly it drives me crazy. I want that person to get dealt with. I'm not saying like beaten or killed, but dealt with. I hate when people get away with things.

Anyway it's time for me to let God deal with these people that have destroyed and ployed and brought storm upon storm into my family's life. I will no longer stand by and let my thirst for justice ruin my life and those around me. I will let go and I will forgive and forget. And I know that as I make the steps to do so I will be tested. Those people will test me again. I will be strong , I will be the bigger man. I will be gracious and let God deal with them how He wishes.

By the way, this is Schindler's factory in Krakow, Poland.

Not When, Why

2009-08-30T21:53:00.004+03:00

Been awhile since I wrote a post, I miss it!! It's been over a year now since we left America and came back to Ukraine. And as I look back I can't really say it's been an easy year, it's been kind of tough. Sure we've had our great times and good seasons but it's been an emotional year for us, filled with obstacles that we could have never imagined.

As we continue to go through this tough 1 1/2 season I'm kind of gettin pissed about being in it. I really wrestle with God, I yell, I get mad at him and want Him just to bring us out of it. Then the next day I say I'm sorry and thank him for the trial, like James says. I have to think God gets a kick out of me.

Now I'm coming to a place where I feel and we feel for that matter we need to stop worrying about when this crazy season is gonna end. We just need to seek God and simply ask Him Why? What are you trying to teach me and Why?

Bring me back that smile

2009-05-16T10:00:00.002+03:00

It's been a tough week this week for our family. Our oldest daughter Bianca has been diagnosed with Bells Palsy. It's a disease that doctors know little about. After listening to the doctor and researching the disease i understand this, that it affects the facial nerve on either side of your face, in Bianca's case, the left side.

Thank God she is in no pain or anything. We are grateful for our health and count in fortunate that this disease can be fixed.

It's been such a test of faith for me. Everytime I see her smile it is just breaking my heart. She's my little model, princess, daughter. As I watch her and how she interacts with other kids and adults, she has such big faith. She tells people, "dont worry, God is gonna take care of me". Everytime she says it I thank God for my wonderful daughter. She challenges me so much with my faith in God.

Please continue to pray for my daughter Bianca. She is doing well, but is worried about our trip to the hospital on Monday, because she understands that there will be a shot to draw some blood for tests.

"Dear God I pray, please bring me back that smile".......

Princess Frosty

2009-05-01T11:13:00.003+03:00

Everyday my children amaze me. New words, new phrases and lots of energy. Not long ago we aquired our first family pet here in Ukraine. A cat named Princess Frosty. She is a cat aquired by my little girl Bianca's immense faith.

Anya was putting the girls to bed when she asked Bianca to ask Jesus for one thing she would like to have. So Bianca decided to ask Jesus for a cat. Anya was in shock, she didn't think it through and wondered how in the world she would tell me, and how in the world I would ever agree to getting a family cat. So everyone went to sleep without me knowing what Bianca prayed for. The next morning I sat down and checked my email. The first email I opened was a list of things for sale from missionaries around Kiev. The first ad was for a group of kittens needing a good home. Something inside me said we should get a cat. When I told Anya my idea to get a cat, she nearly cried. She told me that Bianca had prayed the night before for a cat. Of course, upon hearing the story, I told my daughter Jesus had answered her prayer and we were going to get a cat the next day.

I was blown away by God. Bianca was so thrilled that Jesus had answered her prayer and I can only imagine how much her faith grew. It made me long for that kind of faith, that innocent faith of a child.

So we are happy with our miracle cat, Princess Frosty. Of course, Bianca named her.

The Golden Kitty

2009-02-18T10:47:00.003+02:00

So I've always know we as Americans get a little crazy when it comes to our pets. You know, clothes, pedicure's, gourmet dog biscuits, beatiful haircuts and so on and so on. My family had a dog named Gracie. She got diabetes and we had to give her insulin everyday. The poor dog was blind and ran into everything. I loved the dog, but I thought maybe she should just go.
Why am i talking about pets and their royal treatment?

Get this, i have a very close source that works in Ukraine's biggest jewelry factory. According to the source, the mayor of Kyiv, just recently made an order for his cat "Yasha". What did he order you ask. A set of six golden plates, spoons, and cups with the words "Yasha" engraved in them. Yes for his cat. We estimated the cost at around $20,000. Come on Mayor are you really that dumb, dont you know people are going to find out and be enraged, epecially since Kiev is in it's worst financial crisis ever as a nation?

For the record, our dear Kyiv mayor was elected pretty much by the church, or several Kyiv churches. I remember when he was running and all these big churches were backing him and telling everyone to vote for him. My wife Anya was one of the ones that was bombarded with brochures and other information encouraging her to vote for him. She was pretty convinced that he was a good guy and voted for him, against my recommendation. I could see from his ideas and his platform where he was going to take the city. Take from the rich and give to the poor was one of his biggest reforms. Another was that he wanted to take away all government privelages, cars, homes, medical stuff, things that should be provided for by the state. Well anytime you take away privelages on that scale, your going to get a bunch of politicians seeking money from other sources, which in turn leads to largescale corruption.

So here we are how many years later and our taxes have gone up, public transportation has gone up 400%, our utilities are in the process of being jacked up 300%, you have to pay to go to the cemetary now and just as of yesterday we learned that the awesome mayor wants to tax those with air conditioners and satellite TV, because they appear wealthier. He sings, he dances, he tells the pensioners in the city he understands them and he listens to God. Then he turns around and spends $20,000 on a cat.

Two thumbs down for our great "cat loving" mayor.

News!!

2009-02-16T18:00:00.002+02:00

February, February. In Ukrainian it's called "lutyi" which is like ugly, unbearable, nasty. Something like that anyway. But February has actually been kind of nice weather-wise for us here. No snow and quite warm temperatures for Kiev. The political and economical climate is more like the Ukrainian translation, not the weather climate.

It's been a pretty busy first part of the year for us, the Schlegel family. One of the first big things is that we are now heading up the organization of the U of N seminar, which will take place on Youth With A Mission's (YWAM's) campus this September. Anya and I were approached and asked to take the lead in organizing it, we prayed and felt like it was a great opportunity for us and our ministry, as we will be exposed to a wide range of leaders and people. The seminar figures to be about 400-500 people, so we have our hands full. I have to admit, i feel a bit like the an Apprentice contestant, you know at the end where they go head to head organizing a big concert or other event. So anyway we are excited and looking forward to this event.

Anya has been working her tail off editing and working on Fundamentos. We never thought it would take so long. But technicalities and translation, editing, finding heroes for a nation that is less than 20 years old has been a challenge. The good news is we are done with the editing of the text. Woo hoo and Praise God!!!! The bad news is we are not completely finished. We have two more heroes to find to fill in the last two principles. Then with some design work and some other little details we should be well on our way to getting this thing into our first school. We are disappointed it has taken so long, but realize we have worked hard on it and this is what God wants, it will happen when he wants it to happen. We just keep moving and getting our job done.

Anya as well took her first prayer trip. It was an awesome time, her and a team of just women, travelled to Ternopil in Western Ukraine and prayed for a whole weekend. The team just loved it and was amazed with what God was opening up to them about their country. Ukraine is in a very dark time right now and every team member felt the deception the nation is going through, the history and where all the deception started from. I am sad i wasn't there, but anya feels this is a women's movement and that's why Tanya and Melanie are coming in March. They as women of God, are going to March for Ukraine in March. Praise God for this nation and what he is doing.

I as well took another trip to one of the orphanages with the Dental Ministry. It was great to see the kids again and serve them. This time was so cool in that they remembered me, and that we just got to hang out with the teachers and the children and just minister to them by spending time with them. I really feel a relationship has been built there.

Our family is doing well, we just got off of a 21 day cleanse in which Kyle lost 20 plus pounds. Yeah, I'm the man, you can say it. The girls and Anya are doing just great. Please pray for Denae as she did something to her ankle and/or foot. She cant walk on it. We took her to the hospital for X-rays and they came back negative for a break or crack of any kind, so that is good. We are keeping her off of it for three days and then we will see.

Adios......

Virus

2009-02-10T09:20:00.006+02:00

Ah yes, viruses. So much fun aren't they. This was a virtual virus. It shutdown our PC for a couple of days, and thankfully enough we are up and running again. Thank goodness that I had enough brain to save our documents and projects to a flashdrive before the whole thing went kaput. Thank God that our Fundamentals project was on that flashdrive. What did I learn throughout this whole scary moment?
Mac is better than PC :)

Russia has Gas

2009-01-01T22:04:00.007+02:00

Happy New Year everyone!!!
Hope you are having a great day with your families.
So here is the situation. Russia cut Ukraine's gas again.
This is not the first time nor will it be the last. Dont let the media
tell you it's because of the $2 billion debt, it is, partly. Let's not forget
that Ukraine already payed $1.5 billion of it already. Now the
Russians want another $600 million in late fees, plus the $2 billion.
Ridiculous!!! Russia is being a bully again, and i only hope Ukraine's
sloppy government will stand up to them. Ukraine has enough gas reserves to last it through April. That seems fine to me. Ukraine needs to not let the Russians run over them. They want this debt back plus they want to up the cost of it, signifigantly none the less. The thing is Ukraine could really just say hey, "we are not transporting your gas to Europe". That would be it. In my opinion Ukraine has the upper hand in this battle, it's just the corrruption of the crazy government here that will make Ukraine lose this battle. Too many agendas are on the line with the gas, and too
many $'s would be lost to top officials if they don't play ball with Russia. Either way this is a ridiculous situation that Ukraine has gotten itself into. If things were done honest and right like God wants it done, everything would be great, but it's not. Your seeing the fruit of corruption as we open the New Year. That's why we are here, to help rid it out with God's fruit. So, we will see what happens, for now we are warm, but for how long nobody knows.

Our Christmas

2008-12-27T17:35:00.005+02:00

What a blessing it is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with family
and friends in another country. Although it has a different feel than
when you celebrate in the States.
One of the main reasons is that it is not celebrated here in Ukraine.
Ukraine celebrates Christmas on the 7th of January.
I think another reason is that New Year's is the biggest holiday here.
I also think it has something to do with alot of the country still being
Orthodox. Whatever the reason the feeling of Christmas, or the
"Christmas Spirit" is lacking. I'm not upset about it, it's just different.
Either way we had a wonderful Christmas together.
When the kids wake up and thank Jesus and sing happy birthday
to their Savior, the true meaning of Christmas is never so evident.

We want to say thank you to everyone back home who made this
Christmas so special for us. It was such a blessing to receive the
boxes of goodies and the cards, and especially the prayers.
We love you all and want to wish you all a Happy New Year!!!

Orphan Christmas

2008-12-18T13:50:00.005+02:00

Anya has been working with an Austrailian team for the last month
or so, travelling to orphanages around the Kyiv region. The team
is here on practice from their universtity in Perth. They were all girls studying
to be physical therapists for the disabled and paralyzed. It was a great
time spending with them, translating and developing relationships with
the hospital nurses and directors. Anya enjoyed it but said it was the
most emotional month of her life. To see the kids laying crippled and
unable to move or do anything just put her in tears. Also the fact that
they could have been helped when they were young, but because the
doctors and nurses don't know how and don't really care, makes it all
the worse. Either way it shows that Ukraine has a long way to go in how
they treat eachother and their children.

While all this was going on Kyle travelled back to Uzhgorod to see the
children from the camp that he helped with this summer. The kids were
so happy to see him and the team, especially since they have been calling
him since July, asking him when he is coming back. He and the team did
a whole program for the kids in the gypsie orphanage. They told the Christmas
story as an act, of course Kyle was the donkey :) Anyway it was a great time
and much more fufilling as they were able to give each kid gifts. If you can
understand the kids in the orphanges out there have really nothing. The team
was able to give them candy, toothbrushes, toys and even clothes for each child.
It was a great time and full of fun and God's love.

I went to a new place this time when he was out with the team in Uzhgorod.
It was actually a gypsie village with a lot of kids, but not a lot of adults, pretty typical
for a gypsie community. I honestly didn't know what to expect coming in and
was pretty shocked when I walked onto their street. See the village has mostly
Ukrainains and then a street full of gypsies. I expected poorer conditions but not
the level that I saw. I have been to Africa and have seen the poorest of the poor, but
have never witnessed really any poverty in Ukraine.

This was poverty (see picture above).
Most of them don't speak Russian, they speak Hungarian which I completely don't
understand. The pastor in the village did speak Russian so I had a good time chatting
with him. I learned that they don't really harvest anything. Ukrainians are the best
stewards of their land I have seen in the world, so i was shocked that i didn't see
any gardens behind any of their homes. But then it hit me, these aren't Ukrainians,
they are gypsies, this is what they are known for. I'm not being predjudice but the
Ukrainian are, and right then i understand why they don't like the gypsies. They
don't like the rudeness and the laziness, and the gypsies don't help their cause by doing
and living like they do. So they make their money by selling scrap metal, fixing appliances,
but they don't have gardens. It made me want to scold them, but i restrained. It
did light a flame in me in that I realize again how much I love to help God transform
mindsets like the gypsies and the Ukrainians.

The kids were adorable though as you can see. They listened and were very receptive
to our message as it was translated into Hungarian. None of them can really read our
write in Russian or anything. So one of our team members that lives our their, Sylvia,
is teaching them every week in Russian. Maybe next time we go they will be fluent.

Nazarene Conference

2008-12-18T13:21:00.005+02:00

Thanks for all of your prayers and words for this conference.
First of all the conference went better than expected. We had 55 Nazarene pastors
from all over Ukraine come into Vinnitsa (a city 3 hours S. of Kyiv).
Everyone that attended had a great time and was really blessed by Chet Marshall's
seminars. The LaRed part went very well with all 55 pastors officially
being trained as LaRed roundtable facillitators. Everyone loved the material
and are looking forward to working with us in the future.

We got new invitations to Odessa and new doors opened up even for
Fundamentals. A very influential man that came to this conference told
us that during his daughter's graduation he observed and was shocked to
see six pregnant girls graduating. He explained to us the corruption in the
schools and the plain lack of teaching and invited us to come down and
present the material when it is ready. He would also like to have possibly
another conference in Odessa at a later time.

Again thank you so much for your support and love, we can't do this stuff without
all of you. Please continue to pray for the transformation of the Ukrainian church.

Hope for Ukraine?

2008-10-24T11:24:00.004+03:00

For all you interested in the current situation in Ukraine, it's not good, but it's not horrific, yet.
Ukraine's biggest problem is that the people put up with way too much crap from their goverment. The government of Ukraine are a bunch of liars, they don't do anything for the country because they are too busy jockeying for power. Because with power comes riches. Whoever is in power can take more land, more factories and more of everything. And that is what is happening right now.

Inflation is at 25% or so, so the economy is taking a hit just like the rest of the world. When we came to Ukraine, we could change 1$ for about 4.50grv. (hryvnia is the Ukrainian currency). Now we can change 1$ for 5.80grv. Huge change. This is good for us because we are supported in $'s. But it's not good for the middle class Ukrainians who are payed in hryvnia.
See the prices are escalating while the hryvnia is falling creating the wild inflation and making it a little crazy over here. People are worried and th president's latest moves haven't helped that worry. Here's the scoop.

Victor Yushenko, the president of Ukraine, for the 3rd time in 3 years fired the parlaiment. What does this mean, was it the right thing to do, I'm not sure. What it does mean though is that there is no working government right now in the country, which in turn means nothing is getting done. The president and the prime minister (Yulia Tymoshenko) just cant seem to get along. There are alot of underlying factors involved in this. The main one I see is that Yulia is trying to buy votes and get the president out so that she can run for power in 2010, thus making her the president of Ukraine. The lower Yushenkos rating, the better chance she has to become president. Yushenko has ratings in the single digits right now, so i don't see him having a chance to win presidency anyway.

Another reason for Yushenko and Yulia's fighting is Russia. Yulia didn't back Georgia during the conflict and the president did, as a matter of fact, Yulia remained completely silent during the whole conflict. Yushenko saw this and accused her of treason because she is siding with Russia, which i think is partly true. Yulia used to be against Russia even moreso than Yushenko a few years back, and now all of a sudden she is for building closer ties with Russia? Seems kind of fishy to me.
I personally think that Russia is backing Yulia for president in 2010 and will do anything to get her in. Remember the 2004 revolution in Ukraine, that was Russia who picked Yanukovych (the guy who got in because of corrupt voting). Mr. Putin even came to Ukraine to stand with him several months before the elections, where does that happen anywhere else in the world?
So you see there is a conflict of interest. Yushenko wants to break away from Russia, he wants the Russian Navy to leave the Crimean penninsula (i'll explain later) and he wants to join NATO. Yulia wants to build closer ties with Russia and seems quiet about the NATO issue. In my mind, Yushenko is the better choice here, Yulia seems to nuts and power-crazy to run this country.

So with the Russian Navy in Crimea. In 2017 Russia's Navy contract with Ukraine will expire. The contract will either be extended or the Russian Navy will have to leave. The president and the prime minister do agree that the Russians have to leave, Praise God they agree on this, so far anyway. That is why many people are concerned about another war in this region, much like in Georgia. They think that Russia will stop at nothing to get Crimea back. Crimea is a republic of Ukraine that Krushev gave to Ukraine during the Soviet Union, I think in the 60's maybe, not sure, but anyway he gave it to Ukraine as a sign of good faith. Russia doesn't consider that gift legal, they say Crimea will always be Russia's. They have even gone so far as to start handing our passports to Ukrainian citizens living there. This is the exact same thing they did in Georgia, and then they had justification to start the war with Georgia, "we are protecting our citizens". Mark my words, Ukraine will be the next Georgia, sooner or later. 90% of the people living in the Crimea want to be with Russia. On independence day in Ukraine the Russian ships returned to the Crimean port after the war with Georgia. Instead of celebrating Ukraine's independence day, certain Ukrainians in Crimea had a celebration welcoming back the Russian ships. The ships pulled into Ukrainian territory to the sight of Ukrainian citizens waving Russian flags, praising them for the war with Georgia, that's sick. I understand them in a sense. I mean afterall the media is controlled by Russia there. There are no Ukrainian channels in Crimea, at leat very few. My friend told me that all they show on TV every night is how great Putin is in the news and then it is followed by war movies, showing Russia's might as a superpower. If I watched that crap and lies every night I'd think Russia is great to. So why don't they just go to Russia? Good question. It's the territory they want, same as in Georgia. Russia is expanding it's territory once again and Crimea is key to it's greater plan for world recognition as a the only superpower. Afterall even Mr. Putin told Mr. Bush, "Ukraine is merely a territory". Pretty strong signal there from the Russian Czar. So i think your going to see more and more Russian agression to take back the Crimea.
And I think we are going to see that politically before we see it militarily. Russia is meddling in Ukrainian politics, Mr. Putin is going to make sure that his man or woman gets into power so that somehow he can work a deal to get Crimea back. Afterall he controls all the natural gas up North and he controls 70% of Ukraines gas. That's a pretty big bargaining chip for Big Bad Brother Russia. Where is Europe in all this, they are just pawns, chickens who can't stand up to Russia because they are afraid that that precious natural gas that heats their big homes, will be cut off. I don't know what's going to happen, but I do know that God is in control and that Russia is playing a very dangerous game with Ukraine and the West.

I'll post new events as they occur.

Favorites

2008-10-24T10:54:00.004+03:00

The Family is doing great. The girls are getting so big it's unbelievable. Bianca is doing so well with her alphabet and numbers, her mom is a great teacher of course. Denae is well, Denae. She wakes up every morning with some sort of song, usually its the National Anthem, it's hillarious. She only really says "America, America". They are both doing great and are getting more social time in now with other American kids, so that is great. Bianca is speaking Russian great. Kids are so amazing. She will go up and ask if you speak English, if they answer no in Russian, she will start speaking Russian to them.
The people that she knows well that speak Russian she will automatically switch to Russian. So they recently got a care package, well Anya did too, she loves those rice krispy treats, thanks Berta. Some of you have asked before what we like and stuff so im posting a list of our Favorite stuff from America. If you want to send a care package that would be awesome and the kids would be very grateful. If you need our address just email me.

Foods: Mac N Cheese, Brown Sugar, Vanilla Extract, Chocolate Chips, Ranch Dressing (powder mix), JIF peanut butter, Rice Krispy Treats, Oreo cookies, Shaker cheese (parmesean), any kind of spices, anything little debbie (nutty bars especially), baking powder, cap n crunch (crunch berries), hershey's syrup

Toys, games, etc: my little pony, winnie the pooh, princess stuff, play make-up, coloring books, crayons, baby dolls and barbies, animal toys of any kind, play-doh, any DVD's used or new (comedy, action,
kids love anything not violent or scary), cards (playing cards for nerts).

Misc: disenfectant wipes, spatulas, worship music of any kind, nyquil, whitening stips, ibuprofen, vitamins, echynasia, pens (ask Jason Stephens what kind Kyle likes :).

Kyle the Dentist

2008-10-24T10:25:00.005+03:00

Yes, that's right in Ukraine you can be a dentist without the schooling, well almost. Anyway, Kyle has had the opportunity of joining the YWAM Mercy Truck, which specializes in Dentistry. The truck is really a full-blown Dental office on wheels.
The ministry started some time ago after the YWAM base in England donated the truck to YWAM Kyiv, and ever since the ministry has been going strong. Basically what they do is go out to a orphanage, sometimes a small village and do an outreach, by fixing kid's teeth. It is really an amazing and rewarding ministry. They have two dentists, one is a retired American dentist and the other is a Ukrainian dentist. They are always looking for dentists from the States to come over short term and serve, so if you know of anyone who would like to do something like this, have them email me.

So Kyle has joined them in order to build relationship with the kids and the orphanage directors. It has been such a joy to get to know the kids and to see them smiling and getting good dental work done. Most kids dont even get anything done with their teeth so you can imagine what we run into inside their tiny little mouths. Many of them have never had an anisthetic (dont know if that's the right spellin) before. So they usually are reluctant to get the shot but once they do it's pain free, something they have never had before. They are used to getting fillings and extractions by the local village dentist who doesn't have the money to give them a number. But the kids are just amazing and are so open to God. We pray with them, tell them stories from the Bible, but I realize they have a long way to go. There has to be someone to teach them character. And that is the reason I am going out there to be with them.

Both trips I have taken the directors have been open to receiving the program we have. As a matter of fact the last trip I took the local school told us to bring it to them as soon as possible. So it is such a blessing to us to see God opening doors for this program. We have been invited by 3 public schools so far and that is totally God, because they haven't even seen the program yet.

Please pray for Kyle as he goes on these dental trips, he has another one coming up in November if he can squeeze it in. These trips are great for him and for the kids he's serving. Also please pray for more opportunity to serve for this ministry.

Fundamentals

2008-10-24T10:02:00.004+03:00

Well it's been awhile I know. I knew when I started this blog it would be difficult for me to keep up with it, becuase I know my personality. Anyway now that I'm updating it I should tell you what's going on with the Schlegel Family in Ukraine.

Fundamentos is nearly finished. Anya has been working hard to finish it and the translation portion of it is completed, hoorah!!!! Tuesday we are meeting with a friend of ours to help us put in heroes for each principle and then we will be on to editing. We are both so excited about it's near completion.

We have two conferences coming up, one is very soon. We are doing a LaRed/business conference for the Nazarene church in Vinnitsa, it's a city about 3 hours from Kyiv. It will be 3 days in November and will have around 100 pastors from the
Nazarene church in attendance. Our friend and colleague, Chet Marshall will be traveling over to do the main part of the conference. Chet is a gifted teacher who will be sharing on some great topics. Anya and I will be doing the LaRed part of it,
by holding a facillitator training. We will be exposing them to LaRed, training them to be facillitators and then giving them the materials. Should be an excellent time, keep us in your prayers for that one. Then in March/April we will be organizing a trip for the Business As Missions organization. Anya and I have been asked to be the host missionaries for this trip. This will be a week long trip and will require and immense amount of organizing and planning. Please pray for Kyle as many of you know it's not his gift to organize :) But anyway we look forward to serving this ministry here in Ukraine.

The first week of December Kyle is travelling back to Uzgorod to spend some Christmas time with the orphans he was with this summer. It should be a great trip. Please pray that Kyle will make more of a relationship with the right people, so that
Fundamentos can get in out there and impact the kids.

The End.

Wakeboard Camp

2008-07-27T11:51:00.004+03:00

Wow, what a camp!!!! It was so great to have the team come over.
So we had about 8 kids from our contacts and relationships.
Three of them were orphans. And it was just a fun three days.
Everyone was able to get up after the second day, so the third day
the campers were jumping and trying all sorts of stuff. At the end
of each day one of the team members would just share a testimony or
short lesson and the kids really did well and related to what they were
saying. The last day was really amazing to me. Each of the kids shared
how much they learned and how grateful they were to learn to
wakeboard. They all said the most important thing they learned was
to beleive in themselves. They were so grateful to have the encouragement
they had when they were trying to get out of the water. The team
just wouldn't let them fail and it was exactly that.

It was an awesome first time camp and can be repeated easily.
We talked with Ryan and Nate about coming back in February for a
snowboard outreach, possibly with the same kids, we'll see. We would
love to see them back and do something like that. Who knows what
God will do!!!

Thanks again for coming team, and thanks BCF for sending them, they
were a tremendous blessing to us and to Ukraine.

Cool Stuff

2008-07-27T11:34:00.003+03:00

A Giant thank you to everyone who sent stuff over for us
with the team. I know Andrea, Tanya and Jeff and Bekah for sure
did, so thanks. Anyone else who did your awesome. It is so
awesome when we have great friends like you to take care of
us in a foreign land. The kids were absolutely thrilled to have
Mac and Cheese for lunch. Bianca kept saying, "papa don't eat
it all". She's a hoot. And Denae, much to Anya's dismay, was
munching down the rice krispy treats. Anya hordes them a bit.
Anyway you really did make our day and then some.

We are doing great as a family. Anya is going through some
counseling which is good, it's not serious its just some things
God is dealing with in her. So please keep her in prayer as it
is an emotional time for her. The kids are both so great and enjoy
seeing some of you on the computer. We finally got a camera
for our computer so now when you skype us you can see us as well.
For those who don't know our skype name is (schlegsua).
There is a 7 hour difference in time, so if you call don't call us at
3 in the morning our time. We are 7 hours ahead of you.

We have started two companies now, well one and another starts on
Monday. A pizza shop has asked us to start training there employees
with the LaRed principles and also customer service, team work and
other things, should be great. Most of them are Christians but some
are not. They are bringing church into the work place and driving
their boss crazy. And then the other is Anya's work in the bank,
they want to expand Anya so she does a bit more. We need prayer on
this one, we don't want to get bogged down, Anya still is translating
Fundamentals and still has a family and ministry.

Well that's it for us, thanks again so much for all your love and support.

It's Over, We Think

2008-07-27T11:25:00.002+03:00

In other news.
We think the situation with our building is over. The Kiev council
passed a vote for us not allowing the land to be rented or anyone
to build on the land. Thanks God for the Victory!!!! They reopened
the road in front of our building and the tents are coming down.
The council gave the builder another piece of land because he did
pay bribes and stuff to buy this one. As long as he is happy with the
land they will give him it's over. If he doesn't like it he can sue us as
a building and then things will carry on. Anyway it's great news and it
shows that a small group of people can make a difference.
Thanks for all your prayers, it's looks like our building won't collapse
on top of us for the time being :)

Camp Uzhgorod

2008-07-27T11:06:00.004+03:00

Hey Everyone!!!!! Sorry it's been so long since we've given you an update.
Things have been crazy busy this summer, camp after camp. It's always
like this here in the summer.

Anway Kyle had a great two weeks at the
orphan camp in the Carpathian mountains. It's a 17 hour train ride from Kyiv.
There were about 30 or so team members and 150 or so kids to work and play
with. All of them are orphans from two orphanages and ranged from 7-18.
It was quite a diverse camp. Most of the orphans were gypsies. It was
amazing talking with the kids as most of them actually have parents but the
state took them because of abuse, achoholism or drugs in their families.
They were so open to be prayed for and talk about God. It was really an
amazing thing to be able to minister to these kids. It was something I didn't
think could be so rewarding but something I just loved and want to do again.
We basically hung out with them, played games, taught Bible stories and character.
Everyday we had a chapel time with the kids and tell them stories from the Bible
and relate them to our lives. I couldn't beleive they could sit that long, the
kids are so hyper and active. It was a very fruitful trip and I thank you for
your support and prayers.

We are going back the first week of December to
do a Christmas program and pass out gifts. It will be a five day trip. The
kids are so excited to have us back, they call me once a week or so and ask
when we are coming. If you could specifically pray for Artina, Dylo and Vassya.
These are my closest buddies from the trip.

Family!!

2008-06-29T12:56:00.005+03:00

Our kids are doing great. They still frequently ask about America
and when we are going back, especially Bianc as she misses Mikaela
and her friend Kailynn. And of course they both miss Mac N Cheese.

Bianca just turned four on June 24th. She had a great time celebrating
with a princess party. Her favorite present was her bike. She asks every
morning when she wakes up to go out and ride around.

Denae is well, she is quite the little hurricane. She is talking more and
more and even sang happy birthday to her big sister. She is really happy
wherever she is, which is so good on us.

Anya and I celebrated 5 years of marriage on June 28th, hard to believe
its already five years, anya says it feels like we have been married forever.
I'm gonna brag on her now and say the best decision of my life was to take
her as my wife five years ago. I would never be where I am today without her,
she is just a gem of a wife.

Well I think thats it, thanks again for all your support and love.
We could not be here doing the things we are doing without all of you behind us.

Ministry

2008-06-29T12:39:00.003+03:00

Things are going better with ministry.
Anya is now working with bankers, teaching english.
She uses an hour of her time with them to study the LaRed principles.
The students really enjoy them because they are written in a
language they can understand, plus they are in english. Anya said that
they had a great discussion on pressure and that many of them didn't agree
that pressure is good, it only causes stress and health problems. She was
happy to explain and it's great that they are thinking. God is awesome, the
banks are one of the most corrupt places in Ukraine and now God is using
Anya to transform and they don't even know it.

Translation has started on fundamentals and then wolla, our computer
decides it doesnt want to type in Ukrainian anymore. We have a guy coming
tonight to reboot the thing, please pray it gets figured out, we need
to keep on schedule. Guess thats what happens when you work on a PC:)

Kyle has contacted the Nazarene church and has been meeting with other
church leaders. Some doors are opening, some aren't. It seems Kiev is
overloaded but small churches in other small towns are bored and waiting
for something, which can be a great opportunity for LaRed. Pray for him
as we will be without him for two weeks. He is leaving Wed. for Uzhgorod
to work with gypsy orphans. This is new for him but he is hoping it will
open greater doors for fundamentals and LaRed, plus he loves kids.

Well that is it for now, we love you all and keep you in our prayers!!!

Protest!!!!

2008-06-29T12:27:00.001+03:00

Ukraine, Ukraine!!!! Just wanted to fill everyone in on what's going on.
Our protests in front of our building have been quiet.
The mayor came and visited us and told us that he is totally against the
project and then he signed a document prohibiting the company to
build on the piece of land. Now we are waiting for him to sign off on
prohibiting the rental of the land. What happens is building companies
rent land in Kiev, they are not allowed to buy it, so we want this to
be blocked so the company can't keep coming up with ways to use the land.
The only way he could rent this land is through corruption. He definately
paid the head of our building, because when the whole thing started she
was nowhere to be found and had all the documents. The people in our
building are now firing her and looking for a new head. This is how things
work here, continue to fight with us over this matter!!!
We will win with God's help.

Finally!!!!

2008-06-08T22:44:00.000+03:00

Our first blog.
We are finally back into our apartment and our settled in.
The kids are having a great time getting into things and discovering their old toys. Bianca asked the other day "is this America"?
Anyway ministry is moving good. We have been reconnecting with old contacts and making new ones.
Today we went to celebrate with Anya's parents, as they were baptized for the first time. It was great to see that.
During Communism this wasn't allowed so Anya's mom had to secretly baptize the her and her sister because Anya's dad was in the party. They were baptized in an Orthodox church. But what a joy to see her parents dunked with the Holy Spirit.
I forgot how long Ukrainain churches last, three hours today, yikes!!!!, very tough on the kids.
Anyway we made it and are going strong. Anya is busy translating and is now going to help out on the YWAM base with some of the administration of documents and what not. Kyle is planning a trip to Uzhgorod, to help out with an orphan camp in July, it will be a great opportunity to make contacts and get to know the kids. It's a gypsy kid camp so should be pretty interesting. I think that is it for now, continue to pray for Ukraine as it needs stability!!!