It may have taken a while but we are now posting the last Part of our report on the recent ministry trip to Ukraine. In the weeks and months to come we will continue to provide updates on the ministries of the Calvary Chapel Kaharlyk and Christian Bible Church in Chernihiv. We love them and their work and look forward to watching their ministries flourish.

Finishing Up

Our last day in Chernihiv started with a visit to a local therapeutic clinic for disabled children. The clinic has been in existence for several years and was, until recently, mostly funded by philanthropic organizations in the U.S. and United Kingdom. Clinics like these are very few and depend on outside funding to offer the services they render. With the world economic picture being so bleak for the last few years their support has largely evaporated but they are receiving some Ukrainian governmental funds. The director of the clinic met with us then sent us on a tour of the facility with one of the managers.

The facility was a former kindergarten school and a large one at that. It is a two story multi-wing building. They have completely reconditioned the building and made it handicap accessible. Each segment of the building houses various therapies. They are able to provide speech, occupational, physical, fine motor and a number of other types of therapy in this clinic. The array of capabilities was impressive. Through these therapeutic offerings they are servicing around 200 children each week. Some of the services are paid for by other means but some families do have to pay for services for the children and the clinic has done its best to make the services affordable.

During our tour we asked our guide if the disabled orphans in the area are able to come and be served at the clinic. She said that they are aware of the needs in the orphanages but that they do not have the ability to transport children to and from the orphanages. I’m glad that they see the need and I hope that at some point they are able to respond to that need.

The clinic is an encouraging development and the overall work of the clinic is exceptional. The director told us that they are not able to serve the whole family and he recognizes that that is a critical part of the “whole picture”. He was interested in how we serve families. They are not a “faith based” organization so to understand how we operate is very different to them. He was very cordial and would like to stay in touch.

From the clinic we headed to the InLumine Media office for a meeting with the Christian Bible Church ministry team. Eleven members of their team attended the meeting. The purpose of the meeting was for us to share some practical ways to interact with people affected by disability and to share how our ministry does things in America. Out of that we hoped to encourage them, educate them and stir their hearts towards other means of ministering to the special needs population they are reaching out to. It was a great time! They asked good questions and we were able to address some specific concerns. We spent an hour and a half meeting with them. We loved the fellowship we shared with them. They are a tremendous group of people that God is shining the light of Christ through.

After concluding our time at the InLumine offices it was time to head to Kiev for another meeting and for our final run to Kaharlyk for the early AM departure the next morning out of Kiev.

Upon arriving at the perimeter of the city Anya guided us through the use of the Metro train system to get to the heart of the city where we would make our next appointment, a meeting with an American doctor and his wife. We had fun catching the trains and walking the streets to the doctor’s apartment. Experiencing public transit in different cultures can be interesting!

Dr. Jim Peipon and his wife, Marianna, have been in Kiev for several years serving the disabled and diseased community. Dr. Peipon sold his practice in America to move to Ukraine and invest his skills serving the special needs population there. Marianna describes her role as that of loving and hugging the many children in the HIV children’s hospital. They have been involved in the medical checkups required in the adoption process for special needs children. Dr. Peipon has made significant inroads into the Ukrainian and international medical community which has opened up some great opportunities to aid the disabled in even larger ways.

We were joined by Danny and Liese Foote for the informal meeting with the Peipons. The Footes and Knotts have known the Peipons for some time so it was good to see their friendship on display. We had a short time together with them and enjoyed the conversations, as well as the stories of how God is working in Kiev and the Peipons role in that work. It was great to meet another family serving faithfully. We look forward to future conversations with Jim and Marianna.

And now it was time to say goodbye to Jake and Anya, our Chernihiv hosts, and head back to Kaharlyk with Danny and Liese (our ride to the airport in the morning). We love the Knotts and Foote families and are thankful for how God brought us all together for His glory and our good. We miss them.

Our last night in Ukraine we once again stayed up late talking and sharing with Danny. Such an enjoyable time of fellowship! As we packed our bags that night, Tamara and I were already feeling nostalgic about our time with our new friends there. Beyond that we were also wrestling with how we can support the work of Calvary Chapel Kaharlyk and Christian Bible Church as their people reach out to the marginalized in their communities, particularly the disabled. How could we help provide remedial therapeutic training? How could we help the young ladies who love the disabled to cultivate more tangible skills to serve the disabled? How could we help Danny and Jake train other churches in a biblical perspective on disability? So many other thoughts and questions were flooding our minds, but we are sure of TEF being used as a conduit for the work with the disabled population of Ukraine. We are praying and trusting Jesus for the next steps.

We know that our time there was purposeful and productive. The Footes and Knotts have both expressed thankfulness for our time there and for the benefit it was to their churches. We are praying for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. We are praying for the disabled orphans. We are praying for the families who live under ridicule because of their children’s conditions. We are praying for Christ’s glory to be revealed through the broken things of this world and for that glory to bring others to Him. We are praying for our role in all of this and we are excited about what that will be!

Pray with us.

Justin and Tamara

Sorry for the delay between posts on our Ukraine Report. Just one more after Part 4.

Chernihiv – cont’d.

Just a few days prior to our visit to Chernihiv, Jake was contacted by a local theater group that heard an American disability group was in town and they wanted to meet us. The group leader asked if they could attend church on Sunday and put on a theatrical performance for us immediately after the service. Jake willingly consented.

Sunday morning 20 non-believers showed up at Christian Bible Church. Jake had given me the preaching slot for the service. I preached from 2 Samuel 9, the story of Mephibosheth. Anya Knotts was my translator for the morning. Anya did a great job of navigating some difficult concepts to translate.

Here is brief summary of the sermon:

- the King pursues
- the King brings the outcast into His throne room
- the King calls
- the outcast recognizes his condition and responds
- the King shows kindness
- the King restores
- the King sets a place at His table for the outcast as His adopted son, forever.

God takes us as orphans in our disability, our sin. He takes us from that awful place of desolation and death. He takes that wretched name of sinner and sets us forever at His table feasting with Him and enjoying the blessings of His salvation. He puts His undeserved grace on us and makes us to eat with Him as His sons and daughters, forever. He adopts us (Rom. 8:15, 8:23, 9:4; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:5) and gives us a rich inheritance.

It can be challenging to gauge the reception of what you are sharing in a different culture and through interpretation but I trust the Spirit worked in spite of me and any challenges present. I am grateful that Jake graciously allowed me to speak. What a great opportunity to provide a biblical perspective on disability while sharing the Gospel message that is so clear in the story of Mephibosheth. I enjoyed that time immensely.

After the service came the theatrical production by the visiting group of parents and children. The theater group was formed by a woman who read about a Russian theater group made up of people with Down Syndrome. She wanted to do the same in Chernihiv. She has done so with people with various disabilities. The leading actor was a young man by the name of Peter. Peter is 24 years old and has Down Syndrome. He did an amazing job acting. He was joined by a few others with disabilities ranging from Cerebral Palsy to Paraplegia. They all performed beautifully for us.

It was surreal to be sitting in a country that struggles to accept, care for or help the disabled and to be exceptionally entertained by Ukrainian, disabled children and adults. These performers were joyful and intent on their roles within the production with no thoughts of the burden that the attitudes of the outside world can be to them. This production was like any other in many regards, but at the same time altogether different. Different in the often halting nature of these performers’ abilities, yet not distractingly so, and in the midst of a non-accepting culture they perform for those who do fully accept them. It was 20 minutes of happiness for all of us.

As the clean-up began, Tamara and I talked with the theater group and church members. Tamara spoke with Peter’s mom at length. Peter’s mother is a strong and compassionate woman. She chose to keep Peter rather than put him in an institution. The road has not been easy for her as she has had to endure the trials of raising a disabled child in the midst of a society which sees no value in him. Even now she cannot let Peter go outside alone due to the harsh words and mocking that the other children and young men direct at him. She was touched and encouraged by our story, but if she only knew how touched we were by her…

One of the actresses in the play was a beautiful little girl named Karina. Karina is nine years of age and has limited physical mobility due to Cerebral Palsy and other challenges. But Karina has great cognitive functioning. As I introduced myself using my weak Russian skills, she smiled and said, “Hello, my name is Karina!” She speaks perfect English. I talked with her for a short time and gave her a hug. She was sweet! We were able to speak with Karina’s mother for some time. She and her husband adopted Karina when she was very young. They are believers and are doing a fantastic job caring for Karina and pursuing hard-to-find resources for her development.

Starting the day off with a great time of worship with brothers and sisters thousands of miles from our earthly home was glorious. Being entrusted to the proclamation of the Word was humbling. To tell an audience what God says about disability –perhaps for the first time–was convicting. All in all it was an amazing start to the day!

Sunday afternoon we went to an orphanage near the Knotts’ home. A ministry team from the church has been actively ministering there for some time. This orphanage houses children from ages 6-15 years of age, generally. Conditions in this orphanage are fairly good due in part to its attachment to a sports school, a school that provides standard education with an emphasis on sports training.

Certain orphanages in Ukraine will coordinate cultural exchanges of orphans with other countries. Some of the children in this orphanage have been spending their summers in Italy with Italian host families. For many of them this is a highlight for them as they experience more normal family life. These children pick up on the language which can help them adapt to the working world once they are out of the orphanage.

The team gave a Bible lesson followed up with some scripture memorization exercises. It was wonderful to see the kids interact with questions from the lesson and to see them work intently on their memorization worksheets. The rest of the time was fun and games with all the kids. We were only able to be with these children and the ministry team for a short time but we enjoyed the time with them.

Sunday evening we were given the opportunity to meet with a family that was struggling with their child’s diagnosis of a certain disability. We can’t go into detail for the sake of privacy. Know this, it was a sweet time and a challenging time but God’s word is true and abiding and its counsel sweet. If we were in Ukraine for no other reason than to meet with these dear people then the trip was well worth it. Pray for those living in the midst of such struggles that they would trust Jesus completely.

Justin and Tam

You can read Pt.1 and Pt.2 on the blog. Once we complete our reports we will put together the Parts in one linkable post. Thanks!

Chernihiv – cont’d.

After our visit to the mental hospital, Tamara and I were taken to the Tuberculosis (TB) hospital just outside of town. The TB hospital is not visible from the road, as you must turn off onto a gravel road and approach the building through the forest. As we parked, Jake pointed out the “playground” which consisted of a couple of tree stumps, a teeter-totter and some more tree stumps. Across from the playground was the “soccer field” which was a pot-holed patch of dirt and rocks with skinny logs for goal posts. Looking up to the four- story building, the third floor stood out in contrast to the others, as its windows were modern, shiny and new. Those windows brought light into the children’s ward of the TB hospital and kept out the cold.

TB carries more of a stigma in Ukrainian culture than HIV. If you have TB you are simply an alcoholic, dead-man walking. Rampant alcoholism, leading to poverty and abject living conditions, is responsible for much of the deathly disease, and certainly for the stigma. In the midst of rampant alcoholism another struggle is present. In Ukraine 25% of individuals with TB are also HIV positive. Ukraine has one of the highest rates of HIV in eastern Europe and, if it continues to go unchecked, could result in 25% of the entire population being HIV positive by 2020. These terrifying statistics lead to the marginalization of infirmed people.

The church has been working in the TB hospital for 3 or 4 years. Their efforts have expanded from meeting the spiritual needs to meeting the physical needs as well, resulting in the shiny, new windows on the third floor. One at a time, as they have had funding ($250 per window installed), they have replaced the windows. They are now nearing completion of the window project. Next, they are looking to remodel the bathroom facilities, and to conduct other repairs, that will improve the quality of care for these children.

As we walked through the hallway gate into the ward we were warmly greeted by the workers. We moved through the hallway and two little boys came out, saw the bag with the parachute, and said, “Thank you, thank you!” As they hugged our legs, they looked up at us with wide smiles. The workers delayed “nap time” so we could play with the kids. We had a great time with them. Then as the children then went down for nap time, we were given a tour of the facility. We peeked in on the room where kids from around 4 to 8 years of age sleep. Sweet, smiling and curious faces beamed up at us, but there was one face in particular that was captivating. A sweet, innocent little 5 year old girl with big eyes and long, light brown hair. We greeted the children and as we walked away, Jake explained that the sweet little girl is not only battling TB but also HIV. We pray she knows a Jesus-loving home one day, and that through her disease, the works of God will be displayed.

Much has been done to improve conditions in the TB hospital, but there is still more to be done, and the church is primed to do just that. The genuine expression of the believers’ faith in action was humbling and deeply encouraging. They are engaging the marginalized with the Gospel, with no concern for what the culture dictates. How often do we hold back engaging people with the Gospel because we are too concerned about what others will say or think?

JDR

Earlier we linked to the first Part of an interview that John Piper did with John Knight. Below is Part 3, Part 2 and a re-posting of Part 1.

Part 3

Part 2

Part 1

Last week we posted the first part of a what will be a multi-part report on our recent ministry trip to Ukraine. We hope to post the remaining parts over the next week or so. Part 1 is HERE.

Chernihiv (chair-KNEE-giv)

From Kaharlyk we were taken to Kiev for a quick tour of the historical and cultural sites. Included in our tour was a walk through the grounds of one of the oldest Russian Orthodox churches and its associated campus. Lavra and its caves are hallowed ground to the Orthodox tradition. The walk through Lavra was helpful in understanding the Ukrainian thoughts on religion, with its man-centered, works orientation.

In Kiev we were met by Danny’s InLumine counterpart, and missionary church planter, Jake Knotts. Jake has been ministering in Ukraine for 11 years, with the last few years focused on the town of Chernihiv. Jake is married to Anya (originally from Kiev), and they have two beautiful children, Maia (4) and Lev (2). They planted Christian Bible Church in Chernihiv.

Chernihiv is located 2 hours east, and slightly north, of Kiev and boasts a population of approximately 300,000 people. The city sits reasonably close to the Belorussian border. The primary language is Russian rather than Ukrainian. Again, there is a strong Orthodox presence in this city with several churches around town. The town has both forest and agricultural areas surrounding the city.

Christian Bible Church is made up of about 60 people. They meet in a local art museum. Just as Calvary in Kaharlyk has multifaceted ministries, the same can be said for Christian Bible Church. They have active outreaches for orphan care, tuberculosis (TB) hospitals, mental hospitals, and Gospel-centered English language training among other ministries. The church is made up of primarily younger adults (18-30 years of age).

Our first day in Chernihiv began with a visit to the mental hospital just outside of town. The mental hospital currently houses 12 orphans with disabilities of varying degree, in addition to the other wings, that house many more mentally ill adults. One wing, near the children’s wing, houses the criminally insane and presents a steel-barred facade guarding the outside from its residents. Photography is not permitted at this location so we are unable to share with you pictures.

Mental hospitals in Ukraine are different than what we have in the United States. During the Soviet era, the mental hospitals were one of the primary recipients of those who were disabled and perhaps “timed out” in the orphanages. A mental hospital was not solely for those with mental illnesses, but rather a sort of “catch all” for non-contributors in society. Even now, it is not uncommon to have people with Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy or lesser conditions resident in a mental hospital. Mental hospitals often house orphaned children, although they are intended to be for ages 16 years and up.

Living conditions in mental hospitals are generally lacking in even basic standards of hygiene, environment, accommodations and general care. Often the staff of these facilities operate from the same cultural perspective I mentioned in Part 1, which contributes to a lower quality of care. Although there are success stories of caring directors of mental hospitals or orphanages in places throughout Ukraine, that is not the standard. There are facilities that have reputations of paltry care, and abject negligence of care, both for the disabled and diseased. It is not uncommon for children simply to be left in their beds, receiving attention only for changing and feeding, with no loving care. They are not held nor played with, nor worked with, to develop as they could with such things as walking, crawling, or speaking.

The ministry team from CBC has been going to the hospital once a week to read Bible stories with the children, pray with them and play with them. The director of this wing has allowed them to do this but does not permit photographs or video to be taken of any of the children due to various sensitivities of their patients and their patients’ guardians.

We were able to participate with the team and love on the children. Tamara and I immediately drew the attention and attachment of several of the children. One of the boys had severe autism, and we were informed by one of the workers that he can’t talk and is not toilet trained. He took a liking to Jake, and we were able to give Jake some “hands on” training as to the nature of autism, how it can manifest itself and how to engage it productively. Even the simplest forms of physical or occupational therapy are not tendered to these children, nor are the workers even knowledgeable of what could be done to help them.

We brought along a parachute with plastic balls to play games. They loved it! Some of them loved it to the point of over-stimulation. There were two mothers there visiting their children and we were able to persuade them to participate with us. It was encouraging to see how the Ukrainian ministry team members truly enjoy their time with these children and are sincere in their efforts to bring them the Gospel. These children were cheerful, boisterous and clearly happy to receive attention. Sweet, sweet kids!

After some time, we were ushered out the door so that the children could nap. As the door locked behind us, our minds and hearts were busy thinking of how we could help the church engage them in an ongoing, meaningful way.

JDR

Greg and Kim Lucas are a testament to grace in so many ways as God has worked in and through their son’s disabilities to change their lives. If you have not read Wrestling with an Angel you need to. If you need a copy we will gladly get one in your hands. It is truly a “must read”.

Enjoy this video recently created about their story.

Wrestling With An Angel from Brian Patton on Vimeo.

Thank you all for your prayers for our trip to Ukraine. We arrived home on the night of the 22nd and have been getting settled back in here for a couple of days. What a great trip it was!

It is hard to know where to start in communicating what this trip was for us, for TEF and our friends in Ukraine who hosted us. We have spent hours just decompressing and evaluating our rich time there. We tried to journal faithfully while there so that we didn’t forget the details in the midst of taking in all that the ministries of the two churches there are doing. So bear with as as we share snippets of our time there, hopefully it will be cogent.

Kaharlyk (Kaw-gar-leek)

Danny and Liese Foote were our hosts for the first half of our journey. Danny is co-pastor of Calvary Chapel, a church plant in the town of Kaharlyk. They are Americans but have been serving in Ukraine for about 10 years, they met at a Bible school in Switzerland and have been married for 5 years. Danny is also part of InLumine. They are wonderful people, we enjoyed our time with them immensely. Danny is a master of Ukrainian history and all pertaining facts which was very helpful in understanding the culture.

Kaharlyk is a town of about 10,000 people south and slightly east of Kiev about an hours drive. The area surrounding is made up mostly of agricultural land. Lots of farms. The town serves several villages outside of town. Many of the homes in the villages have no running water and are made up of Soviet era housing. It is a beautiful little country town.

View Larger Map

Calvary Chapel was blessed with a building several years ago that was a former Soviet era sewing factory and they have made great use of the facility. It houses the lead pastor and his family and also has a two bedroom flat for hosting guests and has ample space for the sanctuary and other ministry functions. This is where we stayed during our stay in Kaharlyk.

I will try to summarize the ministry of Calvary as succinctly as I can as it is multifaceted. Pastor Wayne has been there from the start and he and his wife, Olya, and their children live at the church. Pastor Wayne is very entrepreneurial and has always been cognizant of how they can impact the community through job creation. He has undertaken bio-fuel generation as one means of doing this – very interesting to say the least! As I mentioned before Danny co-pastors with Wayne and does quite a bit of teaching, counseling and discipling.

Calvary is very active in the community working with a local alcohol and drug rehabilitation center, abstinence education in the schools and orphan care among other things. It is a very mobilized congregation and one that has grown through conversion in a land that is staunch Orthodox. A contingent of them have taken on the orphan care on their own and are reaching out to area orphanages and have recently started having them in their homes on weekends. There is a group of young girls in particular who have taken orphan ministry and the disabled to heart in a very unique and counter-cultural way by loving on these precious people.

We spent our time there participating in the life of the church (Bible study, prayer meetings, orphanage visitation and a church gathering). It was so enjoyable to be with God’s people on the other side of the world. We were encouraged by the faithful shepherding of Danny and Wayne and by their wonderful wives.

I spoke for a special gathering on ministering to the disabled. It went well considering that I had to learn the “ropes” of speaking through a translator. After I spoke, Danny opened it up for a time of Q&A. The Q&A time went on for about an hour with excellent questions. The sincerity of these believers was remarkable. I spoke with one lady for a while as she faithfully pursues a woman she knows who has a disabled child but the woman rejects her efforts to help. This lady is relentless in her pursuits and I encouraged her to continue with that in all discernment. Tamara and I spent time with three young ladies who have a remarkable affinity for the disabled. As they spoke about a couple of children with disabilities they had huge smiles on their faces and talked about how much they enjoy them and want to help them. It was amazing!

Let me pause here to talk about disability in Ukraine briefly. During the Soviet era those with disabilities or disease were considered a burden to the collective and could not contribute so they were largely institutionalized. Parents were strongly encouraged at the birth of a special needs child to give them over to the institutions. Very few parents kept their children to raise on their own. This governmental stance produced an extremely negative mindset and culture towards disability and disease. Those parents who kept their children or those individuals who lived with disease were ostracized, outcast and oppressed.

The conditions present in the institutions were, and is some places now are, deplorable. We have all heard stories of what these places were like. Children left in their beds laying in their own waste, workers barely providing even the most basic of care, abuse, disease and so much more. As these children would “time out” (at certain ages they would be moved to a facility for the next age group) in one institution they would then be moved to others and over time end up in mental hospitals for life (or death).

For years and, even, generations that is what defined disability in the Soviet states. The mindset is still present in this culture. It is a part of the culture and the Ukrainian mind that has not yet been “westernized” or for the Ukrainian believer has not yet been redeemed in some cases. To see how through Christ and the Spirit’s work in His people these ladies at Calvary could have such a counter-cultural love and desire for the disabled is stark and humbling.

The young lady that heads up the children’s ministry for Calvary has a servants heart and has taken on the cause of the orphans. She and others have been faithfully visiting orphanages in the area and she has recently started having some of these orphans come to her home on weekends. She said, “How can I tell these children I love them and then just leave them?”. These kids are hearing the Gospel and being told of the one true Father.

Calvary is a great church and a great example of fruitful ministry. Danny and Wayne are serving with excellence and humility. The believers are warm, gracious and engaging. We were so encouraged by them.

Danny and Liese are deeply committed to their ministry. They have an intimate grasp on the culture they are serving and are thoughtful and careful about how they approach ministry in their context. Danny and I talked at length about Ukraine, ministry, church, missions and a host of other things and I thoroughly enjoyed him as a Brother and laborer in Christ. Tamara enjoyed her time with Liese and learning from a woman who has immersed herself in this ministry and is discipling the young ladies there with intention. Tremendous people with a Christ-centered, Gospel proclaiming and God glorifying work!

Our time in Kaharlyk was well spent and informative. We are looking forward to seeing how we might partner with them in their work there.

Part 2 of our trip will be up next…check back soon!

Justin and Tam

P.s. this is Danny’s sweet ride that treated us so well in our travels! The infamous Skoda FABIA!

Disabilities in much of the world are under-serviced and, at times, shunned by governments and peoples. A pervasive culture of death dictates the worth of a child by how much he or she contributes to society rather than the fact that the child has a life worth living and worthy of investment.

Although there are many countries whose orphanages and streets are full of children in need, TEF’s focus is on former Eastern Block countries.

Back in October we had the privilege of meeting Jake Knotts and Daniel Foote with In Lumine. Jake and Daniel are church planters in Ukraine – Jake in Chernigov and Daniel in Kaharlyk. The reason for our introduction was their desire to know how to more effectively serve children in the special needs orphanages near them. Since then we collectively desired to partner together in Ukraine.

A time slot that worked for them and us opened up several days ago and through God’s providence we will be heading to Kiev on May 11th! Please pray for us and our Brothers there as we head over to serve and survey the needs in Ukraine.

We are excited to take our first venture with Reach and anticipate an eye opening experience with opportunities abounding to work with and through the people of Ukraine to engage an enfold these precious children.

We will keep the “News” coming as we set out to Ukraine.

- Justin

Almost 14 years ago a boy named Elisha came into this world and out of his life with Down Syndrome was ultimately born The Elisha Foundation. Years of thought and prayerful pursuit went into the endeavor of starting a ministry to those affected by disability. Finally, after eight and a half years the Foundation got its start and shortly thereafter held its first Retreat. That was 5 years ago now. Five years and a lot of ministry and growth.

In those 5 years God has worked in amazing ways to move in the hearts of those we serve and those who serve with us. We have seen lives changed, marriages restored and countless other fruitful evidences of His working in such kind and truly gracious ways. On this journey we have been given more and more opportunity to reach more people. TEF is being used for the great Kingdom work of Christ in building up faith in Christ and proclaiming the Gospel.

Along the way we have recognized the need for more resources to meet the challenges and opportunities before us. A part time effort can only accomplish so much. Early this new year the Board of the Elisha Foundation officially requested that Justin Reimer commit his full time efforts to the Executive Director role of TEF. Justin and Tamara gladly accepted and will begin April 18th!

This is “Big News” for us and a step that is needed but also comes as a large step of faith for both TEF as a ministry and the Reimer family, particularly. Justin will be stepping away from his life long vocation and the security of an established career. Pray for TEF and its continued ministry efforts. Pray for the Reimer family as they step out in faith to lead TEF forward.

Currently, Justin is responsible for the administration and oversight of the various ministry activities inside of Respite, Retreat and Reach. With his acceptance of his new full time role, his primary responsibility will be to raise funds for TEF to continue to provide and expand its ministry functions. Simultaneous to that he will continue to provide the needed administration and oversight for all ministry functions. We have tasked him with a large job encompassing great responsibility. Pray for him as he transitions to this vital role.

Justin and Tamara wanted to share the following:

“When Eli was born, nearly fourteen years ago, we recognized God’s call on us to the community of the disabled. In the time since He has faithfully provided us opportunities to minister to others and to the start of The Elisha Foundation. We have been so ministered to through all that these years have brought and, in the midst of that, have desired to devote more of our lives to the cause of the Gospel in disability.

To now be on the threshold of  our lives/time fully committed to that cause is energizing, anxious and humbling. What a gracious Lord we serve who put this desire in our hearts through the sovereign placement of Eli in our family! Pray for and with us as we take this step and thank you for your support past, present and future.”

As usual we are grateful to all who are a part of this work through being ministered to by us, through ministering with us or through your prayer and financial support.

It is our mission to continue to encourage families of people with special needs to more intimate faith in Christ, passionately lived out in love. Pray with us to that end.

Sincerely,

The Board of Directors of The Elisha Foundation

A short while ago I posted some thoughts about Eli on his birthday. In that post I shared about Eli’s first friend, Mr. Dave. You can read that post here. Just last month while in San Diego we were able to go spend the afternoon with Mr. Dave and his wife Katherine. They are a dear couple and sweet friends that we are honored to know.

Here are some pictures of Elisha and Mr. Dave that we took during our visit. While there Mr. Dave gave us a copy of his memoirs detailing his teenage years in Holland during WWII. What a gift to us to read the story of God’s hand of protection on this man who would become our son’s first friend.

Enjoy!

JDR