Our kitchen windows As I write this, I am gazing out at a set of three kitchen windows in our second floor apartment.  My desk is nearly level with the window sill. It’s winter, not a leaf in sight. The branches of a gnarly tree 10 yards from our window are chaotic, limbs curling out of broken stubs, and wounds on the side of the trunk, like they belong to another species. These branches divide and divide into twigs, creating a web I see through in winter, while in the summer

( To GIVE CLICK HERE ) “It is a world of magic and mystery, of deep darkness and flickering starlight. It is a world where terrible things happen and wonderful things too.  ...." ( see below Buechner's conclusion...) It's the end of the year; the time most people think about giving to nonprofits and charity.                                 Ukraine is always on my mind. Every essay, news story, novel I read, every film I watch, lyric I listen to, speech I give, or sermon I rea

(Above, Drone attack at night, Daybreak and a ship on fire. Below that, anniversary roses on the kitchen window, in the distance, the ship on fire) ADVENT IN A TIME OF WAR  The Church has a calendar; there are seasons. They begin with Advent, the four Sundays and weeks prior to Christmas morning. The word Advent means “coming” or “arrival,” and by implication: waiting. The calendar is liturgical; it presents the church, and, of course, the preacher, with a selection of Biblic

click to watc h   Friends,  On Sunday night of Nov 16th (our 1 year anniversary!), the city of Izmail, was hit by 27 drones.  The above video (57 sec) records our experience.  The answer to my question, "What's that noise?" is the resulting fire at the port aboard a ship filled with flammable gas. We see it burning from our kitchen window, at about 200 yards. It's now Tuesday and the port and our apartment still have no power. BBC NEWS TANKER ON FIRE In May, we applied for a

Video on FB:   https://www.facebook.com/reel/844612817909098 Words from Oli:  Dear Friends,  Last days on the road and we return to Ukraine Nov 3. Six weeks of traveling to the Presbyterian Churches of New Mexico, New York, Washington, Florida, North and South Carolina, daily commutes 5-7 hours, changing cars and speeches - about the struggle of Ukraine, our NGO Center "This Child is Near" (in Ukrainian)  This Child Here  about the children of war. Supporting the church and c

Veronika will be our next student to come to the USA in August 2026. Her resume is attached. Already we are preparing. Do you have a laptop you would like to donate? We will carry it back to Ukraine in November. Would you like to help sponsor her education? (write to me about either) Below is the latest update for Oli and I and our travel.  And also attached for  Mission Committees and Donors is a Q AND A ON THE HISTORY AND PROGRAMS OF THIS CHILD HERE, INC. TRAVEL FALL 2025 

And still — this life is worth embracing… To hear a voice of truth within the world.To rise above the evil, grief, misfortune,When there is no way to turn aside.To learn to thank — our God, our time, each other,For every step, for all that once was ours.To welcome all that cannot be rewritten,And treasure life itself… and truly love it.For real happiness is simply this:To be, to breathe, to live. -Ukrainian poet, Lina Kostenko These are our current Sunday mornings and week

Children from Ukraine have a childhood with the taste of war. They know the sound of alarm. They know about bomb shelters and the rule of two walls. They know the night of sleep in a hallway, bathroom, parking shelter, or subway. Some know the loss of home, some the loss of those they love. All are traumatized. We cannot turn off the war. But we can empower them to live in war, to respond to challenge, to live as children in childhood. This is what we do. We listen, hold tiny

These are photos (touch and hold any and it will expand) from our Center for Creative Activities in Izmail, Ukraine. First, are portraits...