The Amazing Fumias

For the longest time, she was just "Ashley" who always left uplifting comments on our blog. Aside from knowing that she is in the process of adopting a fine young man I had met in Odessa, I figured she was another adoptive parent who was pretty much like me.

Oh my, was I wrong! It is such a privilege to learn about the lives of other adoptive families and I just read about the remarkable Fumia family of Mississippi. Ashley and her husband J.C. are in the process of raising money for their adoption. You must go and read the entire post on Ashley's blog, but here's an excerpt:

I first would like to tell you how God has blessed us. He has blessed us in so many ways, but I'd like to tell you about this one. As most of you know, we like to live off the land. We grow our vegetables and hunt for our meat. For the non-hunters out there you may not appreciate this but for those of you that are, you will certainly know where we are coming from. This is our source of food and how we live. We do not hunt for sport. It is strictly to feed our family.

How we honor God with our lifestyle is a question I've been wrestling with lately, and I am grateful to the Fumias for their awesome demonstration of simple, abundant living. As Dana and I consider making some radical changes, the Fumias inspire. We can't all go out and hunt for our own food, but I think all of us have much to learn from this family.

In fact, the rest of the country could stand to learn alot from Mississippians in general. Yep, the poorest state in the nation is also the most giving of all states when it comes to per-capita charitable donations! (In case you were wondering, the wealthy New England states are the worst....hmmm).


Hooray for Grisha, that he will live in the great state of Mississippi and be part of a family that brings great glory to God!

Congratulations Slava and Alyona!

No, these are not Ukrainian movie stars! Slava and Alyona served as our adoption team in Odessa, but soon became our friends and now they are husband and wife. I spent alot of time with this couple and was struck by how much they focused on their ministry together (read about it here). They weren't preoccupied with buying a big house or moving up in their careers, but with how much they could help the poor children of a small town near Odessa. We pray for all God's blessings upon their ministry and marriage.


We had the privilege of getting to know most of the amazing Puzanov family and wish we could've been there to celebrate with them! So Tolik, who's the young lady?

For Grandma Lela

This shot is an answered prayer for one special woman affectionately known in Odessa as Grandma Lela. Lela Steel has been a missionary to Odessa's orphans for ten years. For hundreds of these forgotten kids, the only time they've ever heard the words "I love you" came from Lela. She also never fails to let them know that they are loved by Jesus and indeed God has worked through Grandma Lela to convert dozens of orphans to faith in Christ. But our daughter Galyna never responded to Lela's attempts to reach out. Galyna was reportedly rude to her on many occasions. Of course that never stopped Grandma Lela from praying for her and I wanted her to see this picture of Galyna studying her Bible. She recently told me that "Bible" was her favorite class at school. The seeds that Grandma Lela planted years ago are beginning to take root.

We love you Grandma Lela, and thank God for your service in the name of Christ.

Close To The Earth

"All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast." (Proverbs 15:15)

Ukrainians live close to the earth. Even in the cities, those fresh fruits and vegetables being sold on the street don't travel very far. The family farm is still a way of life for many here, and we have had the honor of getting to know some real Ukrainian farmers. The Puzanovs don't actually own this farm, it belongs to the Baptist Church and exists to provide for children at the Church's private orphanage.

Apple and peach orchard

Pork is a staple of Ukrainian cooking....

But it's the strawberries that give Valeriy the biggest smile.

Not bad for a lousy growing season!

This bad boy didn't take kindly to Christian playing chase with him, as my little man has been doing with the pigeons in the park....

So, Christian learned a hard lesson (a few pecks on the leg) and our friend Slava presented him with some hard-earned feathers from his attacker!

Ludmilla and Valeriy Puzanov labor 6-7 days a week to feed the orphans. The work they have performed for decades is grueling, and they have faced severe hardship. But they are some of the most joyful, soulful, and grateful people I've ever met. I hope I never forget their example of what it means to live sacrificially.