Shcherbans

Author: Angela Shcherban

  • Christmas 2021

    Christmas 2021

    Note: The Christmas season in Ukraine lasts from mid-December to mid/late January. That gives us a little more time to stretch out our events and outreach programs during this season!

    If the Lord puts it on your heart and you are interested in helping financially in any of these projects, we ask that you reach out to us at shcherban.va@gmail.com or simply hit reply on the newsletter to send an email to valera@shcherbans.com.

    1. Christmas Outreach Services

     Several festive Christmas Services, one followed by a free hot lunch for adults and children, and another Christmas drama play followed by a handmade Christmas Crafts & Sweets display for parents, neighbors, locals and whoever God brings to hear the gospel during this time. We’d also like to show our Christmas drama in a neighboring village.

    Financial goal: $300 *Invitations, Christmas Décor, lunch, craft and drama supplies, transportation costs*

    2. “Sounds of Christmas” Caroling

    The second year that a group of teens and adults will be singing of Christ’s birth in the main squares and government buildings in areas around our region. We’d like to include a small treat (a wrapped-up tangerine, a sweet treat, and Christmas tract) to passerby.

    Financial goal: $200 *gasoline, tangerine/sweet gift*

    3. Gifting Christmas to the Elderly

    Food packages with produce, such as sausages, sugar, milk and grains, for needy and lonely old folks in the city.

    Financial Goal: $300 (Produce and bags)

    4. Personal/ministry need for our family

    Our faithful car, an Opel that’s trekked through many territories of Ukraine for the past 33 years, is slowly giving up on us. Val sometimes spend hours under the hood; trying to figure out what the problem could be; is it a problem with the engine, the carburetor–or something else? We’re praying for God’s blessing on a slightly bigger car (7-seater) for ministry needs such as transporting more than 3 people from city to city, as well as a newer model for spending less time and money on repairs.

    Financial Goal: $5,500 – hoping to purchase something like an Opel Zafira (between a minivan and hatchback car).

  • Christmas Projects

    Christmas Projects

    NOTE: This is the first time some of these Christmas projects will take place in these areas (a few small cities in the Donbas region of Ukraine). We’d love to spread the Christmas joy; so if you’re interested, we ask that you read, pray, and reach out to us if the Lord puts it on your heart to help us reach our financial goals for these projects.

    Send us an email and we’d love to get back to you with info: shcherban.va@gmail.com or valera@shcherbans.com

    1.

    Christmas Church Service: A Festive Christmas Day Service followed by a free hot lunch for adults and children. Invitations will be given out so that the gospel message would be heard by many unbelievers.

    Financial goal: $200 *Invitations, Christmas Décor, lunch, treats*

    2.

    “Sounds of Christmas” Caroling- A group of teens and adults will be caroling and singing of Christ’s birth in the main squares of three cities: Novohrodivka, Grodivka, and Selidovo. We would also like to give away a small treat (a wrapped-up tangerine, a sweet treat, and a Christmas tract) to passerby.

    Financial goal: $200 *gasoline, Christmas manger scene, tangerine and sweets gifts*

    3.

    Children’s Christmas Outreach: Kids who attend our Children’s Center will take part in a Christmas program and nativity play for other children in the city and their parents. The program will be complete with small gifts and a tea-time with sweets for all who attend.

    Financial Goal: $200 *Gifts, props, tea-time sweets*

    4.

    Youth Christmas Night: A Christmas celebration and gospel message, followed by tea and treats for the young people of both Novohrodivka and the nearby city Mirnohrad.

    Financial Goal: $200 *Christmas tea and treats, small gifts and Photoshoot Corner*

    5.

    Gifting Christmas to the Elderly: Food packages with produce, such as sausages, sugar, milk and grains, for needy and lonely old folks in the city.

    Financial Goal: $300 (Produce and bags)

  • Peace on Earth

    Peace on Earth

    Ukraine’s still a mess right now. The world’s heard about the comedian-turned-president, the pro-longed conflict with Russia and the country’s desire for growth and prosperity. The people have high hopes that have yet to become a reality: high hopes of a president who will fight to end the years of war, corruption and unending lies.

    And as we join in on the prayers for peace upon this land; we’re reminded of a time more than 2,000 years ago. A time when His chosen people prayed and desired change, wept for salvation to come and His promises to be fulfilled.

    When unexpectedly the choirs of angels appeared to simple folk out on the fields and the rich, wise men out in the East, and brought the news that they’d all been waiting for. News of peace; an end to the suffering. An end to the long period of pain and waiting and confusion.

    He came so unexpectedly, so quiet and humble in His approach. A working-class family, a manger, an offering of two small birds. He grew in obedience and truth, and then His ministry started. Soon villages, cities and countries heard of the One who did all things. The One who was different than all others. The One who was the Son of God.

    And yes, He truly brought peace. Perhaps not the peace the world was waiting for… Perhaps not the overthrowing of government and the breaking down of city walls that they so desperately wanted.

    But His peace ran much deeper; peace that filled the deepest longings of the soul; peace that melted glaciers of pain, unforgiveness and sin in hearts, peace that the eye didn’t see but heaven proclaimed.

    Peace much wider and more profound than anything the earth ever had to offer.

    Peace that came upon that midnight clear to last forevermore.

    And soldiers still struggle in the East of Ukraine, mothers face their first holidays without their beloved sons; and suffering, loneliness and pain continue growing all across the globe. The world is still in need, in need of peace to come and heal the holes and emptiness.

    So as Christmas music plays in stores, and brightly-lit stars and snowflakes line the streets, we can still hear the voices of the angels, singing “Peace on Earth, good will toward men…”

    And they remind us to listen, listen to obey; listen to be the carriers of a peace everlasting and all-fulfilling to a world that needs it as much now as Bethlehem did then.

    “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Luke 2:14

  • Kingdom-First

    Kingdom-First

    “The business was going very well”, she said. “Staff from the company next door and across the street and the kids from the center, they all crowded in and we took their orders and the café was real busy all those months”.

    She continued talking as she put a dish of steaming hot lagman in front of us. The aroma of thick noodles covered with sauce from the stir-fried beef and veggies was more than inviting. “Welcome home”, I whispered to my husband as we broke the lepeshka bread into pieces. Their 8-year-old son had a twinkle in his eye as he excitedly informed us, “There’s even chocolate cake for dessert!”.

    I smiled as we listened on. It felt so comfortable, so good to be back with our Kyrgyz friends in the southern region of the republic. She continued talking about the things they experienced when they opened their café. “Of course, we were hardly ever home. We would leave early in the morning, and two of the kids would go with us and our third one joined us after school. We ate all our meals there, and would come home late and tired. But it was going really well. We even stopped counting our change.”

    And she went on explaining more, but she’d already lost me. I stopped in my thoughts, pondering over her last statement. Change? Stopped counting their change?? Did they really collect it all and count it, every last penny?

    When was the last time I even noticed ours?

    And I looked around me as if seeing everything for the first time. I noticed the handmade drapes from wallpaper that she’d carefully hung in the window to hide the sun. I watched the kids as they toppled over each other, tickling and giggling and playing; and I listened as they squealed in excitement over the new pens we brought them, fighting over who would open them first. I looked at the dresses that the mom and little girl wore, and listened as the husband told us that she sews all of her clothes on a 60-year old sewing machine that she had to keep turning with her hands because they didn’t have an automatic one. I listened to the husband’s prayer as he thanked the Lord for His grace and for blessing their home with our arrival. I noted the bible verses that hung on the wall and the deep satisfaction in the eyes of them all.

    I took it in and I was stunned. Not a word of complaint, not a hint of disappointment of not having or even wanting more…

    “So why did you give up the business, why did you stop running the café?”, I asked.

    “Summer outreach programs and children’s camps are starting, and there’s construction to do in church and lots of other things coming up. When we ran the café, we couldn’t do ministry whole-heartedly like we used to”, she answered. “Besides, we have peace and true joy in our hearts now, even though we don’t know what’s ahead. I’ll probably bake from home and we will sell the goods in stores, at our own pace and schedule. But we know He will be faithful, as He always has been.”

    And we looked at them again, this family of five. This family that put Him first; put the needs of the Kingdom above their own desires. This family that treasured inner peace above outward prosperity, treasured eternal deposits above earthly possessions and treasured faith above finances.

    This family that held a Kingdom perspective and lived out Kingdom principles as they passed their days by on Earth – and their life painted out Jesus’ words,

    “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these thing will be added to you…” Matt. 6:33

    A living application of His teaching, they live by the principle Kingdom-first;

                  So that Kingdom-first would become Kingdom-forever.

    We went home that night, to the apartment we are staying at for two months, and before bed I got on my knees and prayed for forgiveness. I needed to confess that, sometimes, I speak things that I don’t live out. I worry and fret and think about things that, ultimately, don’t matter. I cloud my mind with earthly desires and leave little room for thoughts of the Kingdom. I forget about the One who left everything to bring the Kingdom for a short time here.

                  Left everything – so that, one day, we could live with Him in His kingdom forever.

  • Homeward Bound

    Homeward Bound

    No, the title’s not mine. It comes from a movie about three pets who went on incredible journey in search of their home. Two dogs and a cat who, despite endless days of trouble and risk, kept their focus firm as they kept going, thinking only of the welcome, open arms of their owners.

    It may sound a bit silly; but what if we took the dogs and the cat aside and put ourselves in their place? What if we were the ones who, without being sidetracked by things that seize our attention and without giving in to the comfort of inactivity, kept our focus sharply on home?

    Would our lives be different if we kept our focus on eternity?

    It’s fascinating to learn how the early Christians lived. Day after day, they awaited the return of their Savior. They would meet together, investing time in relationships, fellowship, prayer and worship. They read the Scriptures and listened to the Word, they shared life and belongings; rarely making use of the word “mine”. They had hardships and trials and temptations; and they were beat and imprisoned and persecuted. Yet their mind was sober and their eyes were focused—because they lived in constant anticipation of their Savior.

    And it seems that the more they were persecuted, the more the Church grew.

    The more they were persecuted—the more they anticipated.

    And they found relief in the fear and pain and sorrow because their mind was sober and their eyes were

                                        focused

                                        on

                                        Him.

    Those who came before us showed us the way. The early Christians and the early church have much to offer in living joyfully amidst present sorrows, because their joy didn’t depend on their status or possessions or wealth. They trained their hearts and minds to focus on their Savior as they journeyed towards home.

    An apologetic letter dating back to the 2nd or 3rd century describes:

    Christians… there is something extraordinary about their lives. They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through. As citizens, they share in all things with others, yet endure all things as if foreigners. Any country can be their homeland, but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country. Like others, they marry and have children, but they do not destroy their offspring. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh. They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven. Obedient to the laws, they yet live on a level that transcends the law. Christians love all men, but all men persecute them. Condemned because they are not understood, they are put to death, but raised to life again. They live in poverty, but enrich many; they are totally destitute, but possess an abundance of everything. They suffer dishonor, but that is their glory. They are defamed, but vindicated. A blessing is their answer to abuse, deference their response to insult. For the good they do – they receive the punishment of malefactors, but even then they, rejoice, as though receiving the gift of life…

                                                         -from the letter to Diognetus, author unknown

    They were homeward bound.

    May He help us also be home-ward bound, keeping our focus firm as we keep going, thinking only of the welcome, open arms of our Savior.  

  • What They See

    What They See

    It’s not that easy to get used to.

    Every time you walk up the road and every time you pass by a group. As you stroll out of your house and head to the store, as you pass the women with bright head scarves who sell vegetables at the market and the men with white beards who spit sunflower seeds on the ground. As you pay for the internet and your phone service and your bills, when you throw out your garbage and run through your daily errands.

    As you live near them and with them and among them- they’re watching.

    And it seems that all across the country of Tajikistan; they’re watching closely. They aren’t ashamed of staring intently. In fact, they don’t even notice it. You feel uncomfortable and awkward; sometimes you even feel afraid. But it’s accepted here, it’s just something they all do; openly stare and watch as you walk from place to place, turn their heads and look you up and down. Look into your eyes and study you. Notice your differences and pick up on your accent.

    And it doesn’t really matter that it feels strange and awkward and uncomfortable.

    What really matters is what they see.

    Because wherever we go and whatever we do, people are watching. And candles aren’t put under baskets nor cities hidden that are set on hills. Our words and our deeds and our works- they either shine and bring much-needed light…or hide their warmth and cover their light.

    And the tone I use when I speak, the words that fly out of my mouth when I get upset, the expression on my face when my patience runs thin… those things speak. My life speaks. And I waste my time teaching and preaching if my life doesn’t mirror those words. When others see me and watch me and study me; they should see Him. They should hear Christ in my words and see Jesus in my actions.

    Because candles give light. They light up corners and rooms and cities. They stand in different quarters of the world and do their job. In some places, the darkness is so strong and threatening and the candles so few and bleak that they’re barely visible; but they stand there nonetheless, shining their light. In other places, they light each other and start fires that spread so rapidly that entire communities shine. Yet in other places, they’re just put under baskets, hidden in the darkness and useless to their surroundings.

    And those women with bright head scarves at the market and the men with white beards in the street, perhaps they’re cold and they’re stiff and they’re icy inside; waiting for the light of a candle to warm them.

    Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a basket, but on a candlestick; and it gives light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

    –Matthew 5:14-16

  • Love

    Love

    “Hun, do you love me?”, I ask, fully aware of the answer. Fully aware and certain that absolutely everything that he surrounds me with and does for me confirms it, the small things and big things alike. From the great steps of courage to the tiny decisions that include me, he reveals that I am the object of his love.

    And yet I ask. I want to hear, I want to be reminded, I yearn to continuously feel it.

    Maybe I’m just a girl, and us girls like being told good things. We like to hear the expressions coming out of our husband’s mouths, the lovely sound of the three words that soothe, comfort and allow us to feel loved.

    Even when we know that we already are.

    It’s funny, because I look at myself from the spiritual side, and I see the same thing. I am surrounded, I am engulfed by the love of my Father. He has given me more than I deserve. He has done small things and big things for me, has gifted and taken, for my good. He has reached out and offered me a way out, a life more abundant than anything I’ve ever thought of and anything I’ve ever asked for.

    Yet I doubt and fret and get upset when something doesn’t go the way I planned it to go. Or when something I thought I was building comes crashing down. I get anxious while waiting, doubtful when tired.

    And I fail to remember that the Creator of the Universe has already stepped down from heaven to prove those three words.

    To prove that there is a love that is perfect, a love that is patient and a love that is kind. One that is never-ending, all-encompassing and all-sufficient. A love that gives and fills and changes.

    And a Love that calls me to give, to fill, and to change.

    I know that I don’t have to ask, “Lord, do you love me?” because I am fully aware of the answer. I just need to look up. Look at the sky. Look at the Cross. Embrace the Love and let it change me.  Then, give it away so that others can find it.

    Because there’s no doubt that a spouse, parent, friend or neighbor is in need of that reminder today. There is someone who’s upset, anxious, or doubtful. Someone is struggling with forgiveness, and someone is battling their fears. Someone is dreadfully lonely and desperately tired. Someone is dealing with pain and someone is dealing with bitterness.

    Someone wants to hear it, wants to be reminded of it, and yearns to feel it.

    Because truth is, love is still the only thing that makes the world go ‘round, the only thing that truly changes the world.

    And the more we give it away, the more it spreads.

    So I think that next time, instead of asking my husband if he loves me, I’ll just tell him. I’ll say those three words, I’ll mean them, and I’ll live them out.

    “Let all that you do be done in love.”

    1 Corinthians 16:14

  • Comfort Kills

    Comfort Kills

    I know those words sound like they shouldn’t be put together. One of them is positive, connoting good feelings and emotions; the other harsh, abrupt and merciless.

    But to be honest, there’s no better way to describe it. And I don’t think I’ve ever understood it as well as I do now.

    Comfort kills. It does, if you let it.

    Owning a car isn’t a given in the majority of the world, it’s a comfort. Yet it kills our need to walk somewhere instead of getting in the car and driving there, even if our destination is close. Not to mention the fumes that fill the air and kill clean oxygen.

    TV’s and computers kill time, calculators kill mental math skills, air conditioners kill balanced humidity levels, and dishwashers, washing machines and pressure cookers kill knowledge of doing it any other way.

    Electronic books kill the need for libraries and virtual communication kills the need for physical relationships.

    And the list goes on… but those things don’t worry me.  They’re inevitable in our day and age, and quite a blessing to those who have them.

    What worries me is what I’ve noticed inside of me. The cravings, desires and feelings I feel. The wants and the needs that change once my surroundings change.

    Once I’m away from the hurt and the pain on the faces of passerby, the dust and the dirt and the flies sitting on meat. Away from the sounds of children playing on broken swings, dogs barking and angry men fighting. Away from feeling the joy that comes from biting into my favorite cookies after a year of not having them. Away from the heat that drains me of energy yet forces me to keep moving forward. Away from honking cars that startle me. Away from having to watch my use of Christian vocabulary in public and from having to worry about the pickpocket standing next to me on the ever-crowded bus as I travel home.

    Away from the utter dependency and absolute reliance on my Father.

    When the comfort creeps in, and I see smiling faces and overstocked shelves, bursting closets and fancy shoes. Packaged meat and scrubbed-clean vegetables, busy restaurants and full stomachs. Big, fancy churches lining beautiful streets and parking lots boasting expensive vehicles.

    And I don’t even realize how it’s all slowly killing me. Killing my urgent need to pray. Killing my sense of satisfaction in Him and substituting it for temporary things. Killing my desires to wake up early and come bowing in worship, come to the One who gives peace when it’s absent and rest when it’s rare. The One who fills the void and wipes the tears that fall with others who suffer pain.

    And I know that something’s wrong. I’m the one letting the comfort kill.

    It doesn’t matter where you live, in luxury or in poverty.

    Because the visible comfort only masks the raw pain that unites us humans. It creates a sense of security, of happiness and bliss. It paints a picture of contentment and satisfaction that disguises reality. But on the inside, we will always be empty until we come to be filled.

    What really matters is how much you allow the earthly comfort to influence your eternal soul.

    Because ultimately, it’s not about comfort.

    It’s about the Comforter.

    And every comfort on this Earth is meaningless in comparison to what He gives.

    If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 

    Colossians 3:1-2

  • What I’ve Learned

    What I’ve Learned

    It’s hard, putting into words things that have passed through your heart. Things that have left you thinking and pondering and wondering, have left you joyful and smiling, have left you asking all kinds of questions, and sometimes, things that have left you just plain speechless.

    Things that have connected with your emotions on a number of different levels.

    But it’s worth a try:

    1. Poor people often have rich culture.

    Family and relationships and food and traditions passed on from generation to generation.

    1. Modest clothing is quite pleasant to the eyes; yet long skirts don’t equal holy hearts.

    And being religious doesn’t mean that you have faith.

    1. Decisions are made much quicker when choices are limited.

    Two flavors of cheese, bread and drinks save you a lot of time (and money!)

    1. You’ve got to listen to understand before listening to reply.

    You’ll do so much more for someone if you really listen. Understanding them is caring for them.

    1. Values lost in the West are abundant in the East.

    Real values. Real meaning. Real relationships.

    1. Sometimes, helping others is so much easier than we make it out to be.

    It’s just about finding out what they really need.

    1. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, not a fruit of your salary.

    Contentment stems from your attitude, not your belongings or surroundings.

    1. Rest.

    You can only give away as much as you receive from one another and God.

    1. Big need brings big gratitude.

    And gratitude brings joy.

    1. If you want to be heard, speak simply.

    There are enough resources out there with long, fancy words.

    1. True friendship has no nationality.

    There is no race or color when the heart is understood.

    Honestly, there’s so much more. So many people and conversations and experiences that have left an imprint somewhere inside. And I want them to stay with me, all these things to continue shaping me and teaching me to look further than what is visible.

    And to be thankful for what I see.

  • there is Someone

    there is Someone

    “Who cares about people anyway?”, she asked as we sipped tea from chipped teacups. “The state doesn’t, the country doesn’t, the officials don’t…”

    I restrained from commenting as I continued sitting there, waiting for what would be said next.

    She was a mother of seven and grandmother of one. The children ranged in age from one to 20, with plenty of numbers in between. Although she was barely past 40, she looked well beyond 50. The wrinkled skin on her face and her slow footsteps spoke of back pain and endless days tilling the ground under the hot steppe sun of central Kazakhstan.

    She continued slowly, brows furrowed as she went back in time to tough memories and difficult days. And once she started sharing her story, the words flowed from her lips as though they’d been struggling to come out for a long, long time.

    And we sat and we listened. Listened long and hard as it all came together, as her life story played out.

    It was a life lived in deep poverty and painful mistakes, of suffering and pain and injustice, of ignorance and betrayal and loss, of alcohol and failure and a seemingly endless list of dark words and dark worlds.

    Until the light broke through. And the darkness scattered, and the Light became life, and life became new for this woman who’d been battered and beaten and almost overtaken.

    And she sat there, and we talked and we cried and we prayed together. Together in that kitchen where mold covers the walls every season and food morsels cover the floor, where the babies cry and shout and the other kids argue, where the window goes out to show the children’s worn socks drying on the fence post. And money is tight and they’re always low on clothes and backpacks, on toys and meat and sugar. And radiation levels in that village, they’re high, and babies are born with defects and illnesses, and countless families suffer pain and loss and sickness as they struggle to make a living.

    But the people have somewhere to come. They come to that house. And because Jesus lives among that family of ten, there is refuge and there is hope and there is life. They are now the pastor and wife in that village church. And at home, half of that household is now baptized believers. They gather in the evenings to read together and pray, to worship and sing.

    The picture of grace that breaks the cycle of sin shines bright. Bright as the hot steppe sun that burns their hands and shoulders as they till the ground.

    After hearing her story, I had to agree. In some places, the state and the country and the officials don’t care. They don’t see and they don’t hear and they don’t bother.

    But together, we came to a conclusion. There is still Someone who cares about people.

    And even if no one else does, He will and He did and He does.

    “What is man that you are mindful of him,
        and the son of man that you care for him?”

    Psalm 8:4

    And some days, even the strongest of us need to be reminded of that.