Returning to our apartment in Kiev which lacks many of our modern conveniences of home - now seems like a palace compared to where we have been.

It's hard to put into words how the people of Tiraspol live. Most everything looks run down.  I can maybe liken it to living in the slums. There are so many things that we Americans would be outraged about....like water being shut off in apartments with out any explanation or warning, policemen randomly flagging down cars for no apparent reason except for some trumped up violation to get their quota of money thru bribes paid directly to the officer from the drivers without questioning.  They are a people who have lived with domination and have no expectation for anything else.

The believers there stand out like a beacon of hope and light which is evident in the peace they have and the evidence of God's blessing on their lives.

The needs there are so great, it is hard to know where to start.  The villages we visted remnd me of our pioneer days except instead of wooded cabins they have cement homes. They grow their own vegetables but walk for miles for bread and meat, those who are fortunate have a horse and wagon!  We past one little babuska grandmother walking back to her village with one small loaf of bread in her bag!

The orphanage back in Tiraspol had about 36 children.  Their stories alone would make you go thru a package of kleenex.  One story more heartrenching than the next.  We'll share some with you when we get home.  They LOVED their t-shirts and candy and were so appreciative.  

The strategy of the churches in Tiraspol is to reach out to the children and teens with the message of hope and practical needs and their parent's hearts will soon follow.  The church's mission is to reach their people with the message of God's love and hope and deliverance from the many chains that keep them bound.  We were so honored and privileged to help be a part of what God is doing in this part of the world! 

We love you all and feel your prayers!!

In His Love & Mine,

Susie Williamson

Found wifi in Tiraspol for a few minutes. We are well. Went to villages today. Hard to put into words. Even harder to imagine. There is no water and the only wells are in the villages. Can't even use the word 'outhouse' for bathroom facilities. These people have absolutley nothing, but so much love and passion for Christ. We tried to get to the village where girl with doll in cafe picture lives, but the roads where to bad because of rain. However, we spent the day with the pastor who ministers to her and her family. He showed us more pics and told us more about her. Just heartbreaking. There is a great need for community showers here, and I hope one day the Valley family will be able to help make this happen. Things are VERY different here in this communist country...unlike Ukraine.

Thanks for all the prayers.
They are all felt!! Love to all!

Greg, Susie & Sophia.

We're finishing up an incredible day, today in Kiev. Many of the churches in Kiev meet in rented facilities, so today seemed more like a Sunday than a Saturday. I preached at Living Word Church at 10am. It was great to be reunited with so many wonderful friends we made back in 2008 when I preached there. The message was, "The Significance of Small Things". It was an edited version of last weeks message about Joshua. The message was received very well and I felt like I was able to communicate what God had placed on my heart for their church, even through translation.

After church, one of the pastors of the church that we have grown close to, took us out for lunch to get some REAL Ukrainian food. It was delicious and it was great to eat something other than pizza for a change.

Dwayne and Janice Lusk were at His River Church, where Dwayne preached. There were many good reports of the grown of the church since we visited it in 2008 (the year that it was planted). After lunch we met back at the apartment and Pastor Victor of His River Church stayed for some Q&A and encouragement.

In the evening, we were invited to participate in the Accelerated School of Ministry International's (ASCMI) commencement. We wore I full academic regalia as part of the processional. Dwayne gave the keynote graduation address and Susie and I were asked to award the diplomas. ASCMI is led by a wonderful man named Alfred Kitcher. He is from Ghana and came to Kiev in 1992. I was shocked at how emotional I was watching these African students who took the time to prepare themselves spiritually here in Kiev, before launching out into God's plan for their lives. Alfred asked me to close the ceremony in prayer and after saying a sentence or two I broke down crying and was hardly able to gain my composure to speak. God's power and greatness were so evident in the lives of those graduates it was more than I could contain.

At the graduation we also met another group sent from churches in England and Scotland. It was great to be able to converse with someone without an interpreter. I think they felt the same way too.

Tomorrow morning I will finish teaching my class (another 5-7 hours). In the evening we will board the trian to Tiraspol. Please keep us in your prayers for this leg of the trip. It will be the hardest for us. We will be back in Kiev on Thurs. morning and have been invited to visit one of the abandoned children's homes that we visited in 2008 again.

We are praying for the whole VALLEY family for our gathering tomorrow. Make sure you don't miss it, as I know that Josh Brossia is going to do an incredible job. Much love to all!

-Greg Williamson

Today I began teaching my class for CLST. Five hours of lectures became 7 hours with translation and a couple of breaks. The class was received well and I will finish the class on Sunday AM. Tomorrow, (Saturday) Many of the Christian churches in Kiev meet because they meet in rented facilities. The Williamsons will be at Living Word Church and I will be preaching. Dwayne and Janice Lusk will be at His River Church and Dwayne will be preaching. Tomorrow night, we will all attend another church that will be conducted a graduation for their theology students. Dwayne, Susie and I will be in full academic regalia (and without A/C it should be sweltering).

Susie had a much needed day off today and did some shopping in Kiev and was treated to dinner at McDonald's! We really appreciate all of your prayers as we are getting a better picture of what our three day trip to Tarispol will be like. We will leave on Sunday night by train. The ride will be about 11 hours through the night. I have a feeling we will have many stories to tell about the train ride and our time at the church, children's home and rehab center there. Internet connection will be highly unlikely so we will not be able to post anything on the blog for a few days (after tomorrow night's post).

It is REALLY working out great being able to Skype with Michaela and Brooke every night. It is helping them and us, here in Kiev, not to miss each other too much. There is much fun and laughing when we Skype and for that we are thankful.

Again, thanks for all of your prayers and feedback on these posts and on facebook. It means s much to us. We hope to take more pictures and post them on the VALLEY page of facebook. Everyone have a great weekend and we will post again tomorrow night.

-Greg Williamson

Wow! We are really shot tonight. Susie and I just got back to the apartment just in time to Skype with Michaela and Brooke back at home. Susie was gone from 9am-10pm. She taught a seminar to a number of ladies for about 5 hours. They were hanging on Susie's every (translated) word. I then joined Susie at 3pm and we taught on marriage and parenting for the rest of the night until after 9pm. Many came forward and shared with us their deep appreciation for the practical messages we shared with them. One woman in particular stands out in my mind who said with tears streaming down her face, "You have served us fresh bread and we have feasted on your words today".

The people here are so eager to learn that almost everyone stayed for the 11 hours of teaching! Finally, the lights had to be turned off to stop those in attendance from asking any more questions.

Tomorrow at 2pm I get started teaching my class, "Reaching A Postmodern World". I expect that I'll feel just about as tired tomorrow night as well. We feel an odd combination of physical exhaustion and spiritual elation all at the same time and it it great seeing the impact God is allowing us to make on these dear people.

Sophia is really enjoying herself as she went shopping today with Dwayne and Janice Lusk and welcomed some friends back at our apartment with the Lusks while Susie and I were teaching at the school. Thanks for the comments here on the blog and on Facebook. It makes us feel we are not so far away from our VALLEY family and that you are all here with us too!

-Greg Williamson