Jono Miller

WATCH THIS SPACE

This month has turned crazy. I feel too busy and too tired to write something inspirational, challenging, motivating or even funny. I can’t tell you all that is on my mind. I’m not sure I can even understand myself – but next month . . . .

UTSIM

There’s not a lot to talk about for UTSIM in the month of July. Basically the main activity is the documentation process required for some teachers who we are inviting to come and work with us in the coming school year. Please pray about this. Please also pray for some documentation issues I have regarding my University degree. It has been lost in transit while I was sending it away to get an Apostil required for authentication here in Ukraine. I will need an authenticated replacement before September or October.

LIFE OUTSIDE OF BUSINESS

CAMP 120

Everything is go go go for camp now. Praise God we have bought a motor (almost). Tomorrow will be the test run. A mechanic friend in Rzhyshchiv has helped us to get a Yamaha 25hp for a good price. Pray that a practical thing like a boat motor will be the means to bless many people.

Pray also for the following aspects of camp:

HOW CAN WE LIVE WITHOUT LIFE!!

One of the mobile phone companies in Ukraine is called “Life”. It is the company I use and most of my friends also use it as it has free calls between users. But last week Life was broken in Rzh for about 4-5 days. It was almost a minor catastrophe. We wondered how people ever managed to live and accomplish their daily lives before mobile phones. I couldn’t call my workers when I needed to. Social gatherings were hard to organise. It was eye-opening to see how much of our lives we have made dependent upon a piece of technology. It was also wonderful to realise that meaningful time spent with people, uninterrupted by telephones, is a lost art worth rediscovering

STOP TO SMELL THE FLOWERS

I’ve got nothing to write. No great quotes, no special illustrations from life. It’s late and I’ve been sitting in front of the computer wondering what is special that I can share. The only thing I can think of is spring. Spring is pretty special here in Ukraine. After a long harsh winter – the waking up and coming to life of so many trees and flowers is special. But I thought that was a bit boring to share with you. Then I realised – it is only boring because we have made it boring. We live fast-paced, modern technological lives. We update our Facebook statuses, we listen to our iPods or play doodle jump on our iPhones . We forget to look at the grass, the flowers, the trees, the bugs, the bees, the river, the clouds etc. Spring is beautiful. On Friday night the trees on my street were so laden with white blossoms that in the headlights of my van I almost thought it was winter and the snow had returned. I hope I don’t get so busy or so distracted that I forget to enjoy the miracle of spring that God has given to us.

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!

Easter is a very big deal in Ukraine. Especially in Rzhyshchiv. Most people go to church before sunrise, many of them from Saturday night til the next morning. This week in classes I talked with most of my students about Easter. Eggs are a very big tradition. Not the chocolate kind but hard boiled and painted (or stickers if you are bit too lazy to paint or dye them). We talked about the hope of new life of which an egg can remind us and which Jesus offers because He died and rose again.

Twenty-eight of us gathered on the cliff top of a new property that Dan has purchased just outside Rzhyshchiv. The view was stunning, and for once we watched the sunrise – usually it’s cloudy. It was a beautiful reminder of God’s love for us. Not a once a year thing to be remembered at Easter, but always, often, every day. Christ is risen!? Yes, yes, yes, He is risen indeed!

HOUSE WIFE FOR RENT

A while ago I watched the movie Julie and Julia. I’ve discovered how therapeutic cooking can be. On the odd occasion that I don’t eat up the road at Ruth and Jon’s, I’ve enjoyed trying to cook with a bit of creativity. Last week I decided to make bread. It came out perfectly. Nice fresh homemade bread – it rose so high it nearly hit the top of the oven. So today I tried again. Igor and I ate a slice of the rocks I produced. What went wrong? I don’t know. I used the same recipe, same ingredients. I tried to copy exactly the same methods as last time – but this time it all went pear shaped.