New Teammates!

We have had a very exciting week: Max came early Monday morning, Nancy (Liv's mom) arrived later that afternoon for an extended visit, a package from our liaison team at Legacy came on Tuesday and we felt that our cup was almost over-flowing. Well, Saturday evening our cup reached the brim and ran over with blessings. Brandon and Katie Price called our team to let us know they were accepting the invitation to join our team here in Kharkov!

We had invited Brandon and Katie to join our team earlier last year. They have been prayerfully considering our request. In December, over the holidays, they were able to come to Kharkov to visit the team, spending time with each family and interacting with our whole team. We all got on wonderfully and it was easy to see how they could fit into our team and be a great asset to the work here in Kharkov. The went back home and have spent the last month praying, fasting, and seeking wise counsel about this decision. On Saturday night, they let us know their decision.

Please be praying for the Prices and our team as we all begin to work together. They will continue to work in Lubbock (coordinating and running an after school outreach at Central Lubbock Church of Christ and working as assistants for the Adventures in Missions program at SIBI) while they seek support. Please keep them in your prayers as we are apart, yet grow together as a team, and also as they begin raising support to be with us here in Kharkov.

What a wonderful end to a great week! Here is our latest team picture, including them. If you'd like to check out their blog you click here: http://www.brandonandkatie.com/

What A Week!!

New Addition
Our week is off to a fabulous start! :) On Sunday evening, David and I got a phone call just before midnight from the McDougles... Lucy was having contractions and they needed to head up to the hospital. So, we quickly put on our snow gear and headed over to their place to stay the night with their two year old, Canaan, while they went to the hospital. They left and within an hour and a half we received another phone call telling us he'd been born! Lucy made it to the hospital just in time, but had a very short labor! So, we have a new nephew and teammember: Maximus Craig McDougle, 8 lbs 2 oz and 53 cm long! I was able to go up and see Max and Lucy on Monday afternoon and David went up today. The hospital here is a huge answer to prayer. They have really treated the McDougles well and gone above and beyond helping them. Hospitals here in Ukraine are much different than in the states. You have to take basically everything you need with you (including drinking water, bed sheets, blankets, cups, plates, silverware, toliet paper, etc. etc.). Visiting is also different because only one person is allowed in the room at a time. So, while one person is up there, the others have to wait in the lobby downstairs! The hospital is also a good distance away, so our visiting has been a little limited because of that. It's all a different experience for sure, but we are really glad they have been so good for the McDougles, making their child's birth in Ukraine a good one! They will hopefully be coming home tomorrow sometime, so keep them all in your prayers!

Mom Visiting
On Monday afternoon David and Rob headed out to the airport to pick up my mom who had flown in for the month. She left on Sunday morning, so was suprised to hear that Max was already here! Fortunately, she made it in safely, on time, and with all her bags. (And boy did she have a lot to carry for Max and the rest of us!) Later on that afternoon Dougle came and picked her, Denyce, and I up to go to the hospital to visit Lucy and Max, so she didn't even miss out on the first visit to the hospital! She will be here for most of the month of February, visiting us and helping the McDougles out as they adjust to life with two kidos. Needless to say, she's been playing heaps with Canaan here and he's loving it! Tonight she went to stay at the hospital with Lucy and Max so Dougle could come home for some rest finally.

Our First Package
As if having Max and Mom around aren't big enough blessings, we received our first package since we have been here in Kharkov. It was sent from our liaison team at Legacy, stuffed full of goodies from peanut butter, salsa, spices, and velveeta to scarfs, ear muffs, and English books-- just to name a few things! We felt like Christmas had come again, it was so wonderful!! We are so excited to eat some of the goodies this week and break in some of our new winter gear. We've been looking forward to some of the items like maple flavoring so we can make maple syrup and have pancakes now. I had also finshed my last English book a while back and was really looking forward to new stuff. The selection of English books we've been able to find here in Kharkov has been slim, so it was nice to receive more-- and books more geared at what we'd like to read.

It's been a great week and we're certainly thanking God for all He's done to pour out blessings on us!