All that was missing was Heidi!

Well here I sit in Gimmelwald, Switzerland coming to grips with the reality that our European adventure is near the end.  After several weeks, many memories, lots of laughs and new experiences we spent our last full day with no travel hiking through the Swiss Alps - and oh the memories.  As we came down the mountains, amongst the green fields, clanging cow bells, herds of sheep and cattle it seemed that the only thing missing was Heidi.

Hard to expain the absolute beauty we have seen here in Switzerland the last few days.  This morning I sat outside our hotel, staring up at the grandeur of the mountains reading Psalm 121 being reminded of the truth that as we look to the mountains we remember that our help comes from God alone.  So tomorrow after hopefully swimming in a lake in the Alps, we'll drive to Frankfurt and board our plane on Sunday headed back for Winnipeg after nearly 4 weeks.



Reflecting on Philippians from the land of Cappucinos, Gelato, Pasta and Vineyards!

Well after an enjoyable walk through the old city of Salzburg, we found ourselves driving into Italy, the country we as a family were longing to see - and it did not disappoint.  We all had that sense that if felt a bit surreal as we found ourselves in Florence gazing at what must be the most incredible Cathedral I will ever find myself near!  And we almost had the joy of meeting friends from Winnipeg here, but we missed each other at the Dome.

Then the next day we found ourselves walking the romantic streets of Venice, strolling along the canals eating Gelato and sipping Lattes! 

What a thrill for us as a family to walk these streets that we are used to seeing in movies, but now walked along and just soaked in the beauty.  From there it was off to the Cinque Terre to enjoy the village of Corniglia, swim in the Mediterranean, and enjoy the views as we enjoyed the Italian Pasta.





One of the treats for us was also to enjoy the hospitality of a local Italian family in rural Italy, not far from Venice.  My family is still raving about the pasta they served us!

But in all of the beauty of these places, it has been a treat to hear my children still talk about and long for Ukraine, the place this journey all began serving God together with Shelter Plus, Morris and Nassau Street Church.  I have been thinking much of Philippians the last day as our children check their facebook accounts and message their new friends from Ukraine realizing the truth of the words that Paul writes in this book.  True fellowship and community does not simply come from hanging out together, but from laboring and struggling together for the sake of the gospel!  What a wonderful truth.



The two sides on reflecting upon Germany!

Sitting in Salzburg, Austria tonight reflecting on the past few days and the beauty of Germany.  What a contrast as we spent the first couple of days driving through the beautiful countryside (still marvelling at the reality that you can drive 165 down the Autobahn and have cars fly by you like you're standing still), gazing at the little villages, church steeples, the Bavarian Alps, and fairyland castles.  And then stopping to enjoy walking the cobblestone streets of old mideval cities, gazing at the beautiful flowers that adorn this land while staying in hotels that are over 600 years old.

Simply put it truly has been a dream to be travelling as a family together through the country of Germany taking in the sights and beauty and wonder of this country.

Then this afternoon we made the drive north of Munich to the village of Dachau to visit what remains of the Dachau concentration camp - a very sobering reminder of the other side of this country - a sobering reminder of sin in this world and the atrocities that occur as a result.  Not sure I can fully explain what it was like to walk through Dachau while trying to take in what actually happened in this place.  As we walked through the old barracks, what remains of the gas chambers and creamatorium, and the road that prisoners would have walked coming into this camp, we did not speak much as a family but rather tried to come to grips with what had actually occured on the very streets we were walking down.  Such a painful part in the history of this world. 

Not sure how one takes in what we experienced here this afternoon, other than to weep over our sinfulness and thank God that He sent His Son to save us in our enmity towards Him!

And now, we get set to walk around historic Salzburg tomorrow, and then drive to Italy!

What was meant for evil, God meant for good!

Well here I am waking up in beautiful Kiev, Ukraine this morning.  Spent the day yesterday walking around this beautiful city that is about 1500 years old - something that boggles the mind coming from a place like Canada.  Of course our tour had to include a stop by the Olympic Stadium, the sight of Euro 2012.

Feels so difficult this morning to put into words the experience of the last two weeks and our time spent with Shelter Plus and their summer camp ministry.  I could not help but think of Genesis and the story of Joseph during my time at camp.  When Joseph meets his brothers after all those years he says to them, this was all a part of God's plan.  What you meant for my harm was really God's plan to save many lives.  We found ourselves these past two weeks in a camp that was originally established by the former Soviet Union for the purpose of teaching and indoctrinating young people in the way of communism.

But what had been meant as a means and form of teaching young people that there is no God, was now used to give the teenagers (many of whom were from the city of Kryvyh Rih) a picture of hope of the God who loves them.  So it was an incredible time for us as a family these past two weeks to teach English, teach activities like football, street hockey, archery and Canadian cooking and have fun playing soccer with our new Ukrainian friends, all for the purpose of partnering with Shelter Plus in presenting the gospel to this country.  I don't know that we realized before we left how rich a time it would actually be. 

Rich with the friendships that were made, rich with seeing our children adapt to ministering in a camp that did not have many of the comforts we take for granted, rich with the renewed sense of the power of the gospel - that can actually bring different lands and cultures together for one common goal of sharing the love of Christ, and rich with seeing some of the teeangers who come from very hard backgrounds discovering a hope and purpose for their lives through Jesus Christ.

So as we leave this afternoon for Frankfurt to carry on our European adventure we do so with the richness of fond memories of two weeks in this wonderful country!  Yes and even in Kryvih Rih, Ukraine they know the jerseys to don!

From the land of my ancestry!

Well after 3 flights; an evening roaming around Kiev enjoying the sights and the wonderful food in the restaurant pictured above, and an overnight train ride the Nassau Street church group has landed in Kryviy Rih, Ukraine.  What a joy yesterday for Monica and I to witness our children riding a crowded subway in Kiev not understanding anything going on, eyes wide open at the scenes and sights on the streets as we roamed this city that is 1500 years old.  That alone was something for us to take in, considering we come from Winnipeg where history is something that took place 50 years ago.  Also, somewhat enjoyable to discover as we made our way here, that the village my grandparents lived in before coming to Canada years ago is only about 150 kilometers away from where we are enjoying this time of ministry.

And so our adventure has begun, meeting Juliy (pictured enjoying the perogies above with Nathan and Zach) who we will have the joy of ministering together with and learning from the next couple of weeks.



As I write this in the early morning here in Ukraine, I am still somewhat in awe that this land we saw via tv all of June as we enjoyed Euro Cup 2012, is now the land I am sitting in with my family and others from Nassau Street Church partnering together with a local ministry to share the gospel to a land that needs a picture of hope!!

Back to where it began!

Well the euphoria is growing in our house these days, as the excitement and anticipation grows as we prepare to head out with a group from our church and Morris, to Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine.  We'll be spending 2 weeks with this group, working in a camp through the ministry Shelter Plus, teaching English and helping to run activities - all a part of bringing hope through the gospel to a group of teens living in a country that often experiences deep hopelessness.

The excitement is so deep in our home that we even forgot who we were for one brief moment this week.  So much so that we even dropped the green and white to don the blue and gold for a brief moment to meet some of the Bombers as the Buck's BBQ chips were unveiled.

But as I sit here, only 3 days from departure there is a deep sene of gratitude to God for giving us this opportunity - gratitude in so many ways.  Though I've never been keenly aware of family roots and trees, it has donned on me how special it is to go back to the land where my Letkeman family started.  Back to the land described to my Dad by his parents as one of beauty, and richness and fertile soil - yet also a land that brought severe hardships and persecutions for them. 

Gratitude for giving Monica and I an opportunity to experience mission with our children in a foreign setting.  To be able to walk through the experiences of being a foreigner, the one who does not know what 's going on with them is one I richly look forward to.  And in that to be able to worship together, knowing that though we may not know all that is going on, and may not always be able to communicate perfectly with those we will be ministering with, it is the cross, the blood of Christ that makes us one.

To be able to witness our children using their gifts in this setting for the kingdom is something I know I will treasure, and will marvel at.  Then I look forward to watching their eyes and see them witness things and experiences for the first time - as we serve God and then take some time after to tour through His creation in a foreign country.

So I leave now to carry on the prep and packing and will hopefully (if internet connections allow) touch base soon from the country of Ukraine.

Thankful for the moments!!

Sometime ago I sat outside in the beauty of creation, reflecting upon Psalm 104 and the greatness of God.  A Psalm that is so rich in declaring who God is, how wonderful His creation is, and how greatly He is to be praised because of this.  As I meditated on this Psalm, I was challenged by reading the following words by Don Postema regarding this Psalm.  He writes: The psalmist's eyes and ears were really in love, discovering the world, penetrating beneath the surface and finding God.  He realized life as He lived it and was albe to celebrate it in thanksgiving and praise.  How much more breathtaking our lives could be if were deeply aware of the gifts of God that surround us and engage us.  If we were awake! 

Those words struck a chord with me as I longed to be awake, long to have a breathtaking life.  And I realized that perhaps I often miss this because I think it is found in something huge, something spectacular, something that is kind of out of my grasp.  So this month I have attempted to be awake, to simply see the gifts God has brought my way, and thus worship God more deeply.  To simply live in gratitude of being His child, and to worship Him in thankfulness.  So this month I found myself living in gratitude and thankfulness for the gift of my family, one of the gifts that tops my list when I think of the blessings in my life.

As Postema writes: A thankful life is a response to seeing life as a gift from God and realizing that our lives belong to God.  God is the Giver; we are the thanks-givers.  But to recognize the gifts and the Giver we need to be alert and awake; to have our eyes, ears, minds, and hearts open to what is going on around us.  We need to savor each moment as thought it were a bowl of homemade soup prepared by someone who loves us very much.  The Psalmist knew that he writes.

How sweet to spend the first few weeks of June, in the final prep for the Manitoba Marathon where Nathan and I ran the 10k together.  The days were so special as he would come home from school, and we'd set out for our run - running and talking about life and enjoying the warm spring air.  Though I probably enjoyed the early start of the run on Marathon Sunday more than he did, what a great way to start Father's Day.

Then, came the weeks towards the end of June when we celebrated Jenna's grad.  What a wonderful and reflective time that was.  To celebrate her accomplishments, to celebrate who she is and has become, to reflect on the fact that time is moving along as we now have a graduate that has her whole life ahead of her to explore the mysteries of God!  Standing next to her as a sinful, messed up man and yet so proud of her and excited for her gave me a small glimpse of God's love towards me.  If I as a sinful, human father can feel so proud of her, how does a perfect Heavenly Father lavish His affection on me.  What a thought hey!!

And then I followed that up with 3 days at Camp Arnes as a parent chaperone for Zach's year end class camp.  To go from the euphoria of grade 12's finishing high school to the pandomonium of soon to be junior high's celebrating their year end was a treat for me.  To be able to spend those days with Zach and his friends was special.
Oh and interspersed in all of this was golfing with my boys and my brother, sitting in the warmth of our garden with Monica just enjoying the days, visiting family in Saskatoon, and the joy of watching my boys persue their basketball interests.  And to top all of that, today I was out for breakfast with Monica as we celebrated 22 rich years of marriage!   Yes many moments to savor as a special bowl of homemade soup, given to me by God.  Yet I realize how so often all the anxiety of life and the things that can cause such worry in me, so richly choke out all of these moments, and I lose sight of the blessings and ultimately of God and the truth that today is the day He has made, so just sit back and be glad, and rejoice in it. 

So today I pray that I, that you, will be awake and alert to live this day in gratitude to God and the sweet moments He has given us to savor!!

So this past month, I have been savoring the moments like that bowl of soup.