Before getting this property, it seemed the enemy was fighting against me. This week, I think I figured out why. Tuesday, September 23rd, The conversations about Jesus grew to a whole new level. My children were playing on our new property and found three crosses in the woods. They each ran in to show me the "Jesus Crosses." I saw that a card on the cross said, "Sons of Ruth," so I told them the Bible story of Ruth and felt pretty good about the opportunity to share a little about the Bible that day. Before going to Ukraine, I would have Bible time with our kids before starting the day, but I haven't done that to the degree that I want to. I was afraid . Afraid that in describing Jesus, I would miss-communicate something - mainly his reason for dying and that he did, indeed, rise again. After the story of Ruth, my children ran outside with more exploring on their minds. An hour later, I was ready to go to our other house and get more things packed, when my newest oldest son runs in to tell me all about how Jesus died - the nails and the blood that was shed. I asked him where he learned that.
"At the orphanage?"
"NO!" (he said with quite an emphasis)
"At church?"
"No."
"Here?"
He just looked at me with a very confused look.
Then our newest oldest daughter ran in the room with our original oldest daughter. She came in to tell me all about how Jesus is good, Satan is bad. Jesus came as a baby to save us, and he died. But, He didn't stay dead. He rose and is alive again. She continued, "Jesus is lots of truth, Momma. And Sayin (Satan) is not full of truth." When she couldn't communicate, she'd do gestures and our original oldest would fill in the words for her.
In tears, I told our original oldest how pleased I am that she fulfilled the calling that we all have - to share Jesus and the gospel with others. I remember when she first told her little sister all about Jesus. I walked in on them discussing it over breakfast when Abi was just 3 and Lili was just 2. Now, at 7 years old, she's shared the gospel with her newest 5 siblings.
After much discussion and tears and excitement, we finally got into the van to head to do more packing and for me to get to Bible study. On the way there, they asked me to turn on the music, which they just love. Then we passed the cemetery and they all erupted in more questions about Jesus:
"Where is He?"
"Does He hear me?"
"Does He always see me?"
"How can I get Him in my heart?"
"How can I give Him a gift?"
"How does He give us gifts?"
"How does He give Daddy a job and us food and a house?"
"Can I ask Him to be in my heart now?"
I stand amazed.
God used a moved to spark such deep conversations in my children, and the seed for their salvation has been planted and begun to grow.
Today my newest oldest son described to me how he watches our dog and sees how she sniffs before she eats. He said, I sniff before I eat too. As he was telling me all about what dogs do, I realized something.
So often at the orphanage I wondered why our children acted so much like wild animals. Today I think I found that out.
In Ukraine there are so many wild dogs. The children were constantly looking out the gates of the orphanage grounds, and they must have seen a hundred or more dogs pass by in a day. These dogs do not belong, they fight for food, they fight to survive.
Today Jonathan expressed to me that he isn't a dog, he's a person. When he said that, I realized that he must have thought of himself as a dog before. But, he's learning that he isn't. Here's progress on our journey to teach our children that they are indeed people, people worthy to be sons and daughters, people who are called sons and daughters of the King of Kings.