June Is Here

June 1, 2022June 1, 2022 ~ jesusluvsall ~ 10 Comments

June is here. In the past June has been a month of adventures for me having had seven of my eleven international trips in June. But alas I won’t have any international trips this year. Not to fear my dear readers because hopefully I will have a local adventure meeting new arrivals from Ukraine and teaching them English at a Ukrainian church.

Still there is nothing quite like going to the airport and getting on the plane to head off to another country. The flying part is a bit boring for me now although my last international flight I did enjoy watching the three Hobbit movies flying from Houston Texas to Rio de Janeiro Brazil.

For me international travel is all about meeting new people, experiencing their culture, and sharing the love of Jesus. Jesus has blessed me to be able to do so in Brazil, France, Mexico, and Romania. This might surprise you but I have also managed to enjoy time in a coffee shop in all the countries I have visited. 🙂

To give you an idea of my sense of adventure when I travel, during my first trip to Constanta Romania in June 1997, I suggested we get lost in the city so we could walk around to learn the city. My fellow team members from my church looked at me as if they were wondering if I was crazy.

For this June, there are no such travel adventures awaiting me. But I am trusting Jesus to bring some meaningful interactions with people to me.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Burgers With A Friend

May 26, 2022 ~ jesusluvsall ~ 14 Comments

The doctor appointment went well yesterday. My blood tests were good, which was a relief because I did not study for them. 🙂

After the appointment, my friend who drove me up to Omaha and I went to lunch. What could have been better after a doctor appointment than cheeseburgers?

Photo by Anna Tukhfatullina Food Photographer/Stylist on Pexels.com

On the way to Omaha, on the way back, and during lunch, we had time for some good conversation. My friend oversees missions and outreach for our church, so as someone with a ministry for refugees and immigrants my friend and I had a lot to talk about.

Photo by u0410u043bu0435u0441u044c u0423u0441u0446u0456u043du0430u045e on Pexels.com

One of those topics was helping new arrival Ukrainian families in my city. We have 25 new arrival families so far. I anticipate more will come. One of the things will be partnering with the Ukrainian church to offer English classes for the families. Another is coordinating with medical and dental providers for care for them.

About the doctor’s appointment, I knew he would look at my feet as part of the exam, So when he said he wanted to look at them, I told him that he didn’t need to worry because I wore clean socks. 🙂

So I survived yet another doctor appointment. The adventures of this spoonie, person with chronic illness, shall continue.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Doctor Day Is Here

May 25, 2022 ~ jesusluvsall ~ 13 Comments

The day has come. Not a day that is exciting like one’s birthday or a holiday. Today is doctor day. This afternoon I will make the one hour trip to see my Rheumatologist. Fortunately this doctor is one who is easy to talk with and I can joke with.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

Even better my friend, who is one of the pastors from my church, will drive me to the appointment. He oversees outreach for my church. We will have time to talk about and plan how our church will partner with a Ukrainian church to help some new arrivals from Ukraine in my city. So it will be an afternoon of combining a doctor visit with ministry.

We will have lunch after my appointment, so I feel a cheeseburger day coming. I have not had a cheeseburger since last week. Not to worry I am surviving.

So it is off to see the doctor today. If I post tomorrow, it will be because I survived the doctor. 🙂

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

What A Wonderful Way to Start Summer Break

May 20, 2022May 19, 2022 ~ jesusluvsall ~ 2 Comments

Yesterday was the first day of summer break from my morning and afternoon classes. Wednesday was a bit draining having final meetings and saying goodbye to children I have connected with, so I was wondering about first day of break.

God gave me a sign right at the start. I went to meet two pastors from my church and a pastor from a Ukrainian church to talk about how we can work together. When I got to the coffee shop, there was a woman sitting outside at one of the tables with her golden retriever. Her dog Norman came to me to greet me. I spent a few minutes petting him and chatting with her. Why is that a sign? I had a golden retriever when I was a boy. I LOVE golden retrievers.

The coffee meeting went great and I made plans to teach new arrivals from Ukraine English at the Ukrainian church. We will also work on other joint endeavors and as they develop, I will share more.

I know this will be hard to believe, but my next stop was at my favorite coffee shop where I was able to tell a few jokes and enjoy a cup of coffee.

So one aspect of summer has begun. More to come 🙂

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Coffee Meeting About Ukraine

April 24, 2022 ~ jesusluvsall ~ 3 Comments

A few weeks ago, I met with the Youth Pastor of a Ukrainian church in my city. I found out about the work they are doing to help refugees from Ukraine in Poland. I shared the information with the Missions Pastor from my church. It is my privilege to set up a meeting at a coffee shop for the Lead Pastor and Missions Pastor from my church to meet the Youth Pastor from the Ukrainian church.

Photo by Mathias P.R. Reding on Pexels.com

Hopefully we can meet later this week. I will find out this morning. It will be a wonderful combination of meeting to discuss helping refugees, introducing pastors, and of course coffee.

This afternoon will involve a solo trip to my coffee shop to do some writing while eating nachos and drinking coffee. I have free nachos coming thanks to my punch card.

I am hopeful we will have a new person come to my Sunday morning group a young man from Guatemala. It is a blessing to see my Hispanic friends each Sunday. Last Sunday we shared about Easter, listened to songs in Spanish about Jesus, and prayed together.

What are your Sunday plans?

Thank you for reading. God Bless.