I'd like to invite you to pray with me. Tomorrow I will meet with the Director of School Number 1 here in Rzhyshchiv. My hope and plan is that they will be pleased to offer me a permanent room in the school from where I can operate my English Teaching business. I plan to teach after school classes to students to improve their English skills. I met with the Education Director for the Rzhyshchiv region last week. She is keen for the plan to go ahead.

This morning I read in 2 Chronicles 20 about Jehoshaphat going into battle. In verse 12 he says to God, "We don't know what to do, so we look to you for help." He then calls the people together and Jahaziel led by God's Spirit says, "Don't be afraid or discouraged . . . The battle is not your battle, it is God's. Just stand strong in your places and you will see the Lord save you."

I was recently challenged and encouraged by the testimony of a friend who having grown up in Australia, has recently taken part in some relief-based short term mission opportunities. Sometimes I hear well meaning Christians say that instead of sending people on short term missions the money could be better spent going directly to the people in the needy situation. I am a believer in the value of short term missions for many reasons (write and ask me if you like). But here are a few quotes from my friend's testimony which I think may serve as a challenge to many.

My friend recently visited Cambodia with Samaritan's Purse and some refugee camps in Thailand. She learned of hundreds of thousands of people who "have only one meal a day and very few possessions, and many of them have never seen freedom, and never will."

Shane Paxa is a newcomer to Rzhyshchiv from Western Australia. I have yet to meet him but have talked with him via email. I appreciate reading his thoughts and happenings. It's great to keep on the news but also to see things through the eyes of someone new. I like the way he spells people's names - exactly how a newcomer would say them.

Here's one of his days:

1. Pray for missionaries as a family. Keep a list of missionaries near the table to talk about and pray for at meal times.
2. Read missionary biographies to your children. Expose your kids to the captivating stories of Hudson Taylor, Adoniram Judson, William Carey, Glayds Aylward and other missionary pioneers.
3. Draw the whole family into supporting missionaries financially. Teach your kids from a young age that being a good steward of their money involves channeling resources toward the cause of Christ in missions.
4. Find your child a missionary kid pen pal. Many children of missionaries around the world would be delighted to get mail from a child their age in their parents' culture. Your child (and the whole family) will learn valuable insights about living abroad through the eyes of a child.
   

Many people have asked me this year “When are you going back to Ukraine?”

And now I have an answer. July 2008! Yes I am flying out of Brisbane on July 7, have a day in London with my brother Dave, and arrive in Ukraine on July 9.

I’ll be helping set up for the summer camp which my sister and brother in law, Ruth and Jon are leading with my friend Sasha. (I’ll send a prayer request around about this later)

After this I will be seeking with God’s help to set up the language school I registered last year. I am trusting that in those next few months, God will make my future clear as to the role He has for me in Ukraine.

As always – the greatest joy in the journey of life is found solely in Christ. This is my daily experience for which I am greatly thankful.

I want to say thank you so much to everyone who prays. To God be all the glory.

Love Jono

Keep Looking Up

A number of people have asked me over the last few years, "Why do you want to live in Ukraine?"

Today I read an article about corruption in Ukraine. You can read this interesting article from the Kyiv Post here, but I was reminded how deeply ingrained bribery and corruption are in Ukrainian thinking and culture.

I reflected on an interesting situation on a train back in 2005. I wrote about the experience of two Russians telling me that this was the way they liked it (train experience). But what will I ever do to change the corruption I hate. Probably nothing. My life will just be that little more difficult because I refuse to be like them. Maybe it's just a case of pig-headed self righteousness or an unwillingness to accept my new culture. Or maybe it is the right thing to do.

With the support of my elders, I am taking a one year break from formal missionary work.

Some of the reasons are personal but I intend to spend the year earnestly seeking God, knowing Him and following His plans for my life.
Thank you to all who have supported me financially but as I will be able to support myself by working, feel free to take a break
Thank you to those who write to me. I will still endeavour to answer emails. However RPDs and Monthly updates are suspended for a year. I’ll post photos and my whereabouts on the website from time to time.

Thank you so much to those who pray and bring me before God’s throne of grace. Please continue to pray for God’s work in Ukraine, and for His work in my life this next year.
This is a spiritual pilgrimage – but the goal is to bring glory to God and to the Name of Jesus. That is all.

Love Jono
Keep Looking Up

Plans

Plans can be dangerous. Plans can be good too. God declares that He knows the plans he has for us – to give us a future and a hope. I have a lot of things already planned out for the next few months. But recently I have been challenged to wake up every day and say, “Jesus, like a shepherd, lead me.” But if I am locked into my plans made in my humanity, then I may miss out on the better plans God has for me – made in divinity. I am wanting to learn more and more each day to live the divine life instead of the human life. It means that life is about God and not about me. It means that my mind will and emotions must come under God’s guidance. It means that I do not live out of my own strength.

Its nearly midday Sunday. I'm just taking a break in attempting to get water to my house. I have the pump inside thawing out. I have a heater on in the bathroom trying to thaw out the pipes inside the bathroom walls. I have a fire lit outside the house against the wall where the pipes are. The wall obviously needs repairing as the smoke from this fire is going through the wall and filling the bathroom (and these walls are about a foot thick). I have the gas burner going in the pit next to the well (where the pump goes) to thaw the ice from the pipe that leads from the pump to the house.
And its minus 20 outside so as I work outside I come in regularly to get warm again.
Living without water is not fun - but it is a good excuse not to do the washing up!
Love Jono
Keep Looking Up

Jono Miller
Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 73:28

Right now outside it looks like a lovely sunny day. But don't be fooled - the temperature is on the rise and it is now minus 21 outside. I have been outside once for about 3 minutes to get some things out of the van and man it was cold. I'm not sure what the temperature was when I got up this morning because it was lower than my thermometer records. I have the furnace going full blast but the house is still not really warm - I have my thermals on inside!
But the really fun thing is that the water pipes have frozen. I'm not even exactly sure where they are frozen - I think inside the wall where they come out of the ground and into the house. So I have no water.
Soon I need to go out. At least I know my nose won't run - it will freeze before it can drip!
Wow - this is the coldest I have experienced. I wonder how many will turn up for youth group tonight.
Enjoy summer!!