Submitted by Sunset Alumni on Thu, 11/17/2011 - 00:32 from Omar and Tana Palafox, View Original Posting
La Libertad Church and their fellowship time
If we could imagine hearing this: "God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn't get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I'm going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out"
Submitted by Sunset Alumni on Sun, 02/05/2012 - 16:03 from Omar and Tana Palafox, View Original Posting
Weeks have passed and the first month of the year is gone. Ministry has not been a routine for some time now. It is remarkable to realize that in God's kingdom we are moving forward every day to loving people, serving people, and to fight a broken world. In the summer of 2003 we started the process of moving to Leon. And since we started thinking and praying for Leon our prayers were very specific. And God answered every one of those prayers as he saw best. Today we praise His name for the work AIMers, missionaries, churches, and friends have done to achieve what we have now. See it is more than just baptizing people. (Although that is very necessary!) What we mean is that we are commanded to follow "and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." It is this part of the great commission where many missionaries have lacked commitment. Our trust in Jesus' words to build his church is key here.
Submitted by Sunset Alumni on Wed, 02/01/2012 - 15:55 from Brandon and Katie Price, View Original Posting
It was one year ago today—February 1, 2011—that Katie and I arrived in Kharkov. It was one year ago today when we officially joined the work here and began making this foreign city our home. We knew no one besides our teammates, and this city of a million and a half people felt massive.
Today seems like it should be a pretty big day for us. It’s a mile stone, for sure—an entire year—and it seems like I should be writing about how the time has flown by, and how I can’t believe it’s really been as long as it has.
Wednesday.
It feels like Wednesday. And it feels like I have a lot to do before this weekend and I’m not sure how it’s going to get done. I have to get my English class ready for Saturday. I have to keep moving on the articles for our next magazine. I’ve got Russian homework to finish before tomorrow afternoon, and before I can call it a day today I need to get our prayer update sent out.
Submitted by Sunset Alumni on Mon, 01/30/2012 - 20:11 from Brandon and Katie Price, View Original Posting
A couple weeks ago my teammate David and I were doing some Old Testament study together and discovered something we had always thought was true, but was actually one of those kind-of truths that got oversimplified in Bible class, but was never corrected as we got older. The two of us were surprised to come to this realization, and so I thought it’d be interesting to share with you here.
So with that, let me ask you a question:
Which part of Israel wasn’t allowed to enter the Promised Land?
Now your typical, kid-raised-in-the-church answer would be “All those who were 20 years old and older, besides Joshua and Caleb.” And, if you were into citing verses, you’d probably cite this one from Numbers 14:28-30
Submitted by Sunset Alumni on Mon, 01/30/2012 - 03:53 from Omar and Tana Palafox, View Original Posting
Another great Week! Since our last post, we have had more time to finish the Aim boy's apartment. This Sunday was their last sunday with the Leon Sur congregation. They still have one week in Mexico before they head out to the states.
Submitted by Sunset Alumni on Thu, 01/26/2012 - 01:59 from Omar and Tana Palafox, View Original Posting
"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed."
Submitted by Sunset Alumni on Mon, 01/23/2012 - 20:31 from Brandon and Katie Price, View Original Posting
My teammates and I share a lot of emails from day to day. Most of the time they’re work-related, but sometimes they’re offers for acting jobs:
Hey I just got a phone call from a representative of a company who is trying to do a professional advertisement. They need someone to play the part of a foreign CEO or business manager for their ad. The shoot will only take one hour, next Wednesday the 25th at 3pm. They will even pay you $50 for your time.
Apparently this Kharkov-based company had found David’s number online from one of our English events. They gave him a call and offered him the part, but since he had plans he couldn’t change he gave them my number and forwarded the rest of us the email. Though it’s illegal for us to earn money with the visas we have, I went ahead and called to find out more information just to see what this whole thing was about.
The lady told me they were shooting a video testimony to put on their business’ website which specializes in search engine optimization. I would come in and play the part of a foreign CEO by reading some dialogue about how happy I was that I chose to go with this company.
Submitted by dwhitsett on Mon, 01/23/2012 - 14:54 from Dwight Whitsett - Whitticisms, View Original Posting
Do we want to be taken seriously? Do we want to overcome misconceptions about our faith and practice? Do we hope to ever fulfill our mission and make an impact on our culture? Then here (in no particular order) are a few things I believe we must do:
Submitted by Sunset Alumni on Fri, 01/20/2012 - 09:10 from Brandon and Katie Price, View Original Posting
January 19th is the Ukrainian Orthodox holiday called Epiphany. For eastern Orthodox followers, this day is considered the day Jesus was baptized in the Jordan river and manifested himself to the world as the son of God. Though this isn’t one of those holidays that puts a hold on normal life here, it is pretty special day to many. Through all the years I’ve been in Ukraine, I’ve heard about the events that take place on this day, but I hadn’t seen them myself. Determined to see it all this year, a group of us walked down to a consecrated spring to witness the events.
The crowds gathered around a natural spring that people visit year-round for free drinking water. In the last year or two, the park surrounding this spring has been entirely re-landscaped.
