Usually February is a month of planning and deploying the projects for a year and it was in many ways. We have started the legal and architect paperwork on the office remodeling, planning the creation evangelism children camp for summer, May and October symposiums, brainstorming a new movie for teenagers we are going to produce. But first of all it was a month of great changes.
First, while my D. Min. program requires two more years, the end is seen forward. I have met with the mentor and we approved the dissertation draft version of the title – ‘Worldview persuasion as a missing link of Evangelism’ and I can work toward the final project now.
Second great change was the eye surgery. I had a perfect sight most of my life, but at the age of 40 it went down considerably. As a result one eye did not see properly at all, another – the middle distance only. However after the both eyes surgery on Friday February 9 I was even able to work with the computer without any glasses Monday! Isn’t it amazing?! No need to wear and take anywhere I go three various pairs of glasses anymore! What a blessing! Thank you very much for your prayers!
My return home on February 21-23 was quite an adventure – the first connected flight was canceled because of a snow storm, and instead of flying NY – Kiev direct I spend three sleepless days in airports approaching home step by step with debating the agents and waiting for the flights.
I had a great reason to hurry up home instead of waiting for the next direct flight (which could be more successful, but could be the same any way). A young man Sasha had to come from Kiev over again to ask my permission to propose our daughter Zhenya. It was his second visit (the first time he came right after I left to the States), and I did not want to leave my daughter without the father’s blessing second time. As a result I was right in time – we flew the same plane with the boy from Kiev to Simferopol. We had a talk during the flight and later on.
Sasha is a good godly young man, and he was in love with Zhenya from the first glance, but it took four years for him to win her heart with his care and faithfulness. Olga and I have given our blessing to the children with joy and tears. This weekend Sasha’s family is coming from Lugansk (Eastern Ukraine) to meet us. Probably during this visit the planned day of the wedding is going to be announced. Right now Zhenya works at our ministry as a projects and development manager.
Another exciting change – our video production team has showed me first 15 minutes of the Urok (Tough Choices) video. So the end of this project is really at the hand now.