We are preparing for our fall youth conference here in Kaharlyk. The Lord has laid on my heart the verses in Romans 13:11-14. The theme...Wake Up! These verses have been on my heart for some time. They are an incredible motivation and encouragement to keep looking ahead...heaven will soon be here. In light of our salvation, let us continue to live it out daily as we look forward to His return. The date is scheduled for Nov. 21. The conference will include about 5 or 6 other youth groups from nearby villages. Our youth team is putting all the pieces together and serving with joy. Please pray the Lord will open hearts to Wake up...to a deeper understanding, and commitment to follow God.

M. Claycamp Missionary Page

http://claycampsinukraine.blogspot.com/2009/11/wake-up-youth-conference.html

We have not blogged in the last few weeks so here is look at some of the things that went on in our lives... We attended a youth conference in Zhovti Vodi (Yellow Waters). We piled into our van along with the Zschech family and drove 5 hours through pot-hole filled roads to meet the rest of our youth group at the conference. We enjoyed 2 days of worship, teaching, great fellowship and wonderful hospitality. I taught a 2 hr. workshop on design principles and how to apply it in photoshop. I shared about looking to creation for design inspiration created by the "great Designer".

Last year, I got to know the village veterinarian. Emily, our dog, was having some stomach issues, and someone directed us to Sergei. When my mom was here, we all went out to Sergei's home for an authentic Ukrainian meal. His wife, Lyena, laid out quite a spread and we enjoyed an amazing meal and fun conversation, thanks to our translator, Anya. We decided to return the favor and invited them over for an "American" meal at our home. We also invited Yura and Oksana. So, Christy actually went with the Italian dish, lasagna, complete with garlic bread, fruit salad and carrot cake for dessert. We think that they enjoyed the food or they were being very polite. Sergei and his son, Dima, tested out the Wii bowling and loved it. It was a fun evening and we pray that God would give us more opportunities to spend time with this family in the future and share with them the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

The men in our church decided to put on a special dinner for the ladies in our church. Yura was the head chef and other men helped cook, serve, or provide entertainment. The ladies had a nice time being served and just relaxing and chatting with each other. According to my wife, "I had a great time and loved the food Yura cooked for us. It was wonderful to be able to enjoy a quiet meal with friends and not having to lift a finger to help with cooking or dishes! So, when is the next one?"

The Lord has provided me with some little work projects to help some of the ladies in our church. I helped out with a remodel at Natasha Semenenko's place, plastering and patching up her ceiling. Another project that came my way was building a temporary outhouse for a babushka in our church. Baba Olya has a feuding neighbor who has been harassing her and tends to destroy her property. His last rage was against her outhouse. She lives alone and usually has many jobs that need to be done around her house.

The church had a work day to clean up the building and surrounding property. We showed up ready to work. Our cleaning arsenal consisted of rakes, shovels, brushes and a tractor complete with trailer for all the trash and rubble. The Lord gave us a beautiful day to serve him!

The Claycamps in Ukraine: The last few weeks...

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After months of preparations and awaiting the Samaritan's Purse shoebox gifts to arrive, our church put on a puppet show for the needy kids in town and from surrounding villages. We held two shows, one on Saturday and one on Sunday and over 150 kids came. The kids sang songs, watched a puppet show about the birth of Jesus, had cake and juice, and received a shoebox filled with gifts. It was a great time for all involved and we were blessed to be able to take part in this outreach. Here is a video we put together of the shows...

We had the blessed opportunity to have my mom out here again in Ukraine. Winter is probably not the best time to come to Ukraine. Its cold and dreary and things tend to slow down during this season. But the Lord opened a door for her to come and really blessed the time we have spent with her. She came out mostly to visit and not necessarily for ministry, but it looked as though God had other plans. He opened doors to be involved in some orphanage trips, women's bible studies, an elderly dinner night and a children's puppet show. Our kids have had a blast tubing with "mimi" and just enjoying her around the house. We have been blessed with the extra help. My mom has the gift of servanthood...and might I add cleaning. Our house has never looked so good. Thanks mom! Here are some pics, more info and details to come in our monthly newsletter.

The Claycamps in Ukraine: My mom visits Ukraine again

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Here are some pictures of Christy and Josie's trip to the States...

After 3 months of Yura's van sitting in my driveway awaiting paint, I can happily say the project is completed. A lot of factors were involved that contributed to the length of this project...but I have learned living in Ukraine that waiting for a completed project is normal. Let me take you back to the beginning of the story...

Yura purchased Dan Gollan's old Ford Transit and had it towed from Rzhyshiv to Kaharlyk. It needed a lot of work as well as an engine overhaul. It had been 5 years at least since this vehicle was in use. When it quit running it was left to rot next to Dan's house. Yura got a great deal and we towed it home. He took it to a local repair shop for body work and primer. Then it came to my house and sat until I finished some other projects I was working on.

I told Yura that we could use my garage as a paint booth. I used a large gas heater to warm up my garage before I could paint. Paint doesn't dry too well when it is freezing outside. I alternated painting and turning on the heat so the paint could dry. Not a good idea to paint with the heater going...it's an explosion waiting to happen. After 5 coats of white and 3 coats of clear I finally finished...well that's all the paint I had.

Since I had never painted a vehicle before, there was a lot of trial and error involved. My compressor and spray gun gave me problems at first. But after some adjustments I was back in business. Yura wants me to airbrush a mural on his van later (my first time for that as well). I will keep you posted. Christy will be buying the airbrush paints in America...they are no where to be found here in Ukraine. I plan on starting this project in the spring. Thanks Yura for the opportunity to bless you and for the willingness to try new things!

The Claycamps in Ukraine: Yura's van finally painted

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Make a Smilebox slideshow

The Claycamps in Ukraine: Merry Christmas from the Claycamps!

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Last night as I was laying in bed I heard a crash of my neighbors fence. Its 12:30am so I awoke and looked out the window. I saw nothing. Partly because all street lights are shut off after midnight anyway. I did hear the yelling of a few voices, but saw nothing. A few moments later I heard our doorbell ring. I jumped out of bed trying to put my pants on and hurry to answer the door. Emily our dog was barking as well. She sleeps inside by the door and I could tell she was curious to see who was outside. I turned on the porch light and looked out the peep hole. There was a man standing there with his face covered in blood. I quickly opened the door, and he began to rattle off in Ukrainian. I caught a few of his words, but was more interested in getting him a wet towel for his face. I gave him the towel grabbed a flashlight and headed out the door. In the street I was met by 3 others. One was a babushka who came up to me and gave me a hug. The other was a dedushka who shook my hand and said thank you. The 3rd person was a lady who looked like she was his wife or girlfriend. They began to rattle off about what happened...but I really understood nothing. We parted ways, I said goodnight and went back to bed. Who were these people? Would I ever see them again? What happened?

The next morning I awoke and shared this story with some friends who were staying with us. I had no idea what happened but wish I had a translator with me at that moment. I also noticed our one of our cats was missing. I searched for her all day...but she was no where to be found. I thought maybe the situation last night had something to do with our cat but was not sure. On the way to youth group that night I saw our cat dead in our neighbor's yard. It was near the road and had probably been struck by a vehicle that night. I still wondered if the events were related but figured I would never know. Driving home from youth group I thought about all that happened, boggled but curious. As I drove down my street I just so happened to come across those same people I dealt with at night. They were walking somewhere but I had to stop and ask them. I quickly telephoned my friend and had her translate to me what happened. She said this guy got jumped by some guys last night and jumped our fence to get away. He came to my door seeking help but not wanting the police to be involved. Looking back, I was thankful that the Lord allowed me to know what happened. I am at rest now. Well,so is my cat...I just buried her. Such is life in Ukraine.

The Claycamps in Ukraine: A late knock on the door...

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  We celebrated another Elderly Outreach on Wednesday. It's a neat thing to watch the church function together in serving the needs of the elderly. Some cook, some clean, some drive, some entertain, but all love. We had a great night. We served a meal of chicken, potatoes and beet salad. Notice in the picture Danny is mixing the potatoes with a drill and mixer attachment. Hey, its Ukraine! It might not be grammas way of doin it, but it's not grammas kitchen and you gotta do what works. The entertainment for the night was musical. Mostly they sang songs and a few played instruments. My daughter Josie even played a song on the piano and sang with her friend Anya. Thanks for all your prayers and financial contributions to make this a monthly outreach a blessing to those who come.

The Claycamps in Ukraine: Golden Oldies Night

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Last week, my mom came to visit us in Ukraine! We were all so thrilled to spend time with her and have her see firsthand the place God has called us to. The trip was only 6 days, but it was so worth it! We had a great time showing her around town and Kiev and introducing her to the awesome people in our lives. She had plenty of play time with the grandkids and even climbed up into their treehouse one day! I enjoyed some great talks with my mom, just catching up on all that God is doing in our lives and in hers. Thank you, Mom, for making the trip out to see us! It meant so much to us! We love you!!!

The Claycamps in Ukraine: A Visit From My Mom!

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