We are a family of three who have been sent to Ukraine to plant churches. We are constantly growing and learning how to be the people God calls us to be.
We enjoy life, and want to share with others the things that make our lives so great.
In the month of September, we were blessed to welcome our second parents - Jim and Nancy Snelson - to Kharkov, Ukraine. Jim and Nancy have been our liaisons at Legacy for over three years now. They have become very dear to our hearts, so it was a joy to have them visit. They blessed us so much while they were here, emotionally, spiritually, and physically! They came with bags stuffed to the gills and we had an early Christmas. Then came the letters from many friends at Legacy who just wanted to let us know they were thinking of us. Over the next 8 days, we had a wonderful time sharing Kharkov and our friends here with them. Our worlds collided again. We can't express enough gratitude to the Legacy eldership and Missions Ministry Team for sending them our way!
Jim and Nancy were kind enough to write a little paragraph of their perspective of their visit here, and we wanted to share it with you:
The Legacy church sent us to Kharkov to encourage and bless the Nelson family, but as so often happens in ministry, we came away as the ones who were blessed and encouraged. Eight days can only give a brief glimpse into lives that are dedicated to planting a church in a foreign tongue and culture. But what a glimpse into how God uses his people to work out his plan! An intentional afternoon of Ultimate Frisbee at the park builds relationships with new seekers and opportunity to meet neighborhood kids. A Ukrainian man offers his interpretation services to Jim and Nancy at the supermarket, as Olivia jumps right in and invites him to their English group using the Bible. Praises ring out from the apartment of a Nigerian Christian attending university in Kharkov, where two of the friends he invited, one a Muslim and another with family issues, join in a study of Luke. Sunday worship service in English is followed several hours later by a Russian service primarily attended by neighbors and friends who are non-believers. We pick up only a few words of David’s lesson when he uses words that have no Russian translation (he’s making application with a story about his New Zealand All Black rugby team), but we enjoy watching him share the Word in a language that he’s worked so hard to learn. And Russian songs of praise are beautiful, familiar not by the words but by the tune and the bond of a common faith. Hours are spent around the kitchen table enjoying great food and conversation, meeting friends and joining in Olivia’s Bible study with Ukrainian and Chinese women. The Friday night English group that meets in the Nelson’s home brings together men and women of divergent cultures and languages who read and discuss Bible stories and proverbs. They see it as a time to improve their language skills, but seeds are being planted and more is happening than just English practice. Caleb is a joyful bundle of energy – loving life, food, toys, books, puzzles, making animal sounds and learning to walk. The Nelson’s teammates welcome us as well, at team meetings and prayer sessions, lunches, dinners and tea. Everyday city life in Kharkov was shared as we rode the metro (subway), visited the markets, parks and cathedrals, and experienced the traffic. The elevator wasn’t working the day we arrived (they live on the 6th floor and we had 4 LARGE bags), and the water was off a few days later, but these inconveniences were taken in stride as normal occurrences in Kharkov. Along with all the ministry activities and opportunities, there are times of disappointment, doubt and trial. We went to listen, to act as a sounding board, to ask questions, and most importantly, to pray. Those were some of the sweetest times of our trip – praying around the kitchen table, praying late at night, praying with teammates and AIM students, praying for wisdom, discernment and patience. The seed is being sown in Kharkov, pray that the Lord of the harvest will give the increase.