"Happy Men's Day!"

(З Днем Захисника Вітчизни)

Today in Ukraine, we are celebrating Men's Day. Yep. This holiday is legit. 

"Defenders Day (23 February) was originally a Soviet holiday where the women of the country thanked their men who served in the military as their defenders. It has been expanded so that women thank their men whether they are veterans or not. It is a very sweet holiday and plays into the basic biological level of men as the protectors of the tribe."

--found this little nugget of gold on Yahoo--

Even though we don't celebrate this in the United States, here's a shout out to my favorite men back home! 

Daddy

Jordan (brother)

Mike (dog)

Charlie (dog)

Granddaddy Bills

Grandpa Geyer

Uncle Lane

Uncle Jeff

Uncle Scott

Jesse (cousin)

Matt (cousin)

Micah (cousin)

...and to all those crazies I call my friends; you know who you are.

Of course, I can't forget the men here in Ukraine:

Ruslan

Sasha

Dima

Yura

Bogdon

Bogdonchik

 

*Thank you all for your love, protection, wisdom, and humor.

I thought it would be cute to attach the music videos for "It's Raining Men" or "Macho Man", but then I watched the videos. Never mind. 
Next idea: What's a movie that is most related to masculinity? Braveheart.
Here's a little something to all the William Wallaces in my life.


Braveheart Trailer

"You Said 'I Am'."

"When I was weak, unable to speak,
still I could call You by name,
and I said 'Heart-ache Healer, Secret-Keeper, be my Best Friend' and You said 'I am'"

--I Am by Nicole Nordeman--

When the moon and stars come out, the house becomes quiet, and the day's busyness winds down, I love to curl up in a big chair with a cup of coffee and talk to my Papa.

Probably in the last three years, I have used "Abba"or "Papa" as a reference for God. I find it to be very real and is a reminder of who HE is. There was a time in my life where I believed that God was very traditional and not personal whatsoever. I had an idea that a God who was SO big and could turn someone into a pillar of salt would never want to listen to the small details of my life. Those were some empty and hopeless days.

However, I can't help but think that while I'm talking to Him, he's sitting right with me. He's laughing with me when I'm reflecting on my joys, crying with me when I share the hurts of my heart,  and whispering 'I AM' when confusion seems to rush in like a hurricane.

Since returning to Ukraine, I have already experienced many mountain tops and valleys. When I look at my quiet time journal, I almost feel like I'm re-writing the book of Psalms. The wave of emotion is very real. It's not always discouraging or a cry for help though. There are days where I am rejoicing over answered prayers, open doors, and life in general. As Psalm 16:11 (NLT) says, "You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever."
I know that in these moments, I can talk to Him about everything in my life. That everything includes the major/minor details: the things that make me angry, my relationships, my purpose in Ukraine, what college I'm attending, my family's health and well-being, the things that make my heart weep, the fears that ground me, and the things that make my spirit soar. I can confide with the Maker of the Stars. The beautiful thing is, the more I look into His face, 'the things of earth (will) grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.'

"Blessed Are Those"

 ³"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

 ⁴"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

 ⁵"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.

 ⁶"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.

 ⁷"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for.

 ⁸"You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

 ⁹"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.

 ¹⁰"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.

 ^11-12"Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

--Matthew 5:3-12 (The Message)

"This Love."

 As everyone knows, yesterday was Valentine's Day. The day where approx. 189 stems of red roses are sold (US), chocolate (35 million heart-shaped boxes) sales shoot through the roof, and restaurants all over are packed out. Not to mention the class parties in schools all over, the trading of Barbie and Spiderman valentines, etc.

When you turn on the television or get on the computer, you see headlines/top stories like: "10 Ways to Say I Love You," "The Perfect Valentine's Day Gift," "Tired of Being Single-Find Your Perfect Match Here" and so on. Does it strike anyone funny other than me that we are almost taught how to love? Like it's almost out of our nature to know how to say "I love you." The better question: Is the love we are being taught true love? Don't get me wrong, I do feel like gifts/words are an expression of love, but it has almost become manufactured (if that's the word I'm searching for). We (including myself) have lost any idea of what love really looks like. 

This month Abba has been really pressing on my heart about His love. Of course, His ultimate act of love was sending His Beloved Son to be the atonement for our sins. However, there's more. I have been reminded of John 13: 12-17 (Jesus washing the feet of his disciples), Luke 7:44-50 (woman with the alabaster jar), Mark 12:31 (love your neighbor as yourself), Deuteronomy 6:5 (love the Lord with heart,soul,and mind), and so many more...

These are the acts and commandments of love that we don't see much anymore. This kind of love has been pushed aside because it is just too challenging or uncomfortable for most of us. I'm not saying that we should run up the next person we see and start kissing their feet or go over to the neighbors house and give a big bear hug. First, that's super creepy. Second, that would be missing the point.

My point is that the love that Christ has clearly shown and taught us is far away from the love we have made. Imagine what it would look like if we showed Love that was loud, selfless, compassionate, extreme, humble. What would happen if we loved not only when it's comfortable or convenient? Our world would be turned upside down. While I was chillin' with Jesus yesterday, this verse came up and I think it just sums up everything that He's been teaching me.

  

*1 John 4:7-12 

(MSG)

 ^"My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can't know him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God.

My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love."

 Happy Valentine's Day!

The Tkachuk home is celebrating this day of ooey-gooey feelings by: 

1. Munching on pink poppy seed muffins 

2. Jamming out to l-o-v-e songs: this is a good time to introduce them to Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra 

3. Trading candy hearts: "Fax Me,"My Pet," "Ur Kind," "Top Dog" 

4. Singing Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You": please note Stevie's wicked awesome outfit in the video. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxoBaEQGMPo

5. Watching Sleepless in Seattle while munching on bon-bons (okay, maybe that's just me) 

Sending my xoxo's to family and friends back home. Love y'all!

Ukrainian Army Ad

*Just because it makes me chuckle.

"Dear Future Husband..."

 

 

 

 

 I hope you're prepared to have Pizza Hut and Chinese take-out on speed dial. Why? I.cannot.cook.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The End.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

^"If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

   Love never gives up.
   Love cares more for others than for self.
   Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
   Love doesn't strut,
   Doesn't have a swelled head,
   Doesn't force itself on others,
   Isn't always "me first,"
   Doesn't fly off the handle,
   Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
   Doesn't revel when others grovel,
   Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
   Puts up with anything,
   Trusts God always,
   Always looks for the best,
   Never looks back,
   But keeps going to the end." 

--1 Corinthians 13:4-7--

(The Message)

"It's Because I Love You."

I know this will probably be a shock to some of you, but Ukraine has had little snow in the past few months. Unfortunately, I missed most of the snow showers while I was home in the United States. Bummer. During January, we had some light snow...but what good is that? If we haven't had snow, we have had lots of ice. This means the kids (and myself) can run as fast as possible and slide across the driveway. Living on the edge, people. It's funtastic except for when it melts. Hello muddy roads! 

I dreaded taking Isabella, Sneezhana, and Yula to sadik this morning due to the yucky weather. They are precious little things but goodness they walk like turtles. Add that with janknasty roads=about a 45 minute walk to school. Since it was drizzling outside, we all took umbrellas. I thought to myself, 'Okay, it's all good in the hood (it's one of those days where I'm going to use phrases that were popular in middle school. Welcome to my life.). We all have umbrellas and we're going to have a nice little stroll to sadik." Wrong. 

We're not even 5 minutes from home when Yula starts complaining about how her umbrella is broken. When I say broken, I mean half the umbrella is just wire. Let me take a moment here to explain that Yula breaks everything she owns. Before we left home, Archie explained to her that she would still have to take it to school even if it was broken because it was her umbrella. Anyway, this little problem didn't fly with Yula. She closed the umbrella and just carried it, letting rain get all over her. This didn't fly with me.

I told the girls that they need to carry umbrellas so they won't get wet and won't get sick. Even though I'm not their Mama, I still feel a great responsibility for their well being. Even if that means carrying a broken umbrella over your head to keep from getting wet. Yula was trying to be a sneaky snake and would walk behind me so I wouldn't see that she had closed her umbrella. I had to stop twice and tell her to put her umbrella back up. The second time I addressed the issue, I looked at Yula in the eyes and asked her if she wanted a spanking. She shook her head no.

So we're all walking and talking, when I turn around to check on the girls (you know, making sure they weren't being attacked by a goose or something). Yula had her umbrella closed and was carrying to beside her. I stopped in my tracks, set my umbrella to the side and walked over to her. I took her hand and spanked it. While she stood there and cried, I explained to her that she did not listen to what I said. As weird as it is, I was deeply hurt that I had to do that to Yula. I got a taste of what it feels like to be a parent. It wasn't fun.

On the rest of the way to sadik, I recalled the many times my parents would sit down with me after I got spanked and said to me, "It's because I love you." I didn't really understand that phrase when I was a kid. I thought that my parents couldn't really love me if they had just popped by behind with a wooden spoon. Now I understand.

Even though these girls are not my own, I still love them enough to protect them in every way I can. I even considered just letting Yula have her way and get wet. However, that would probably be on of the most selfish things I could do. In no way would I want her or the other girls to get sick and be miserable. Before Yula went into her classroom at school, she wrapped her arms around my legs and told me goodbye. Right before I walked out the door to head back home, she ran back to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. At that moment, I felt like what I had done to her was right.

*Whether I want to admit or not, the Lord is preparing me to be a parent.

 

Hillsong LIVE - Forever Reign

*I think of of the best experiences leading up to my journey here in Ukraine was going to see Hillsong Live in August. Probably one of the best concerts I have been too. Sure these performers are beyond talented and have written incredible worship songs...but it's their passion that was most moving. Their passion for their Lord, their passion for pure worship, their passion for reaching out to others in this world.

"Я люблю..."

 (I love...)

In honor of Valentine's Day (or as some of you call it "Single Awareness Day"), I decided that I would write down 50 people,places, or things that I absolutely love. Even while typing this, I can't help but smile at the responses I'll probably get concerning a few of these. So get ready for some real talk and silliness all mixed into one great bowl of L-O-V-E. Okay, so that was super corny, but you get the point.

1. I love my Abba, my Jesus.

2. I love my parents.

3. I love my brother.

4. I love my friends.

5. I love traveling.

6. I love cereal.

7. I love 90's cartoons.

8. I love Almond Joy pieces.

9. I love the newness that comes with each day.

10. I love the changing of seasons.

11. I love when people smirk.

12. I love ferris wheels.

13. I love green tea.

14. I love jazz music. 

15. I love the laughter of children.

16. I love ethnic food.

17. I love Broadway plays.

18. I love the cello and violin.

19. I love Ben Stiller (this is not a joke).

20. I love black and white movies.

21. I love Chicago.

22. I love Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin).

23. I love cold weather.

24. I love having real talk with family and friends.

25. I love sarcasm.

26. I love birds.

27. I love animal print anything.

28. I love when people wink.

29. I love Greenwich Village in New York City.

30. I love over sized jewelry and accessories.

31. I love Jim Morrison (The Doors).

32. I love languages.

33. I love classic literature.

34. I love being tickled.

35. I love movie theater popcorn.

36. I love re-runs of somewhat pointless television shows.

37. I love sending cards to people.

38. I love pearl earrings.

39. I love animals.

40. I love the feeling of being deeply loved.

41. I love coffee.

42. I love Fantasy by Britney Spears.

43. I love the smell of incense.

44. I love laughing for no reason whatsoever.

45. I love getting texts.

46. I love the moonlight and starlight.

47. I love Batman.

48. I love when men go into a soft falsetto voice when they sing.

49. I love Christmas morning.

50. I love the gift of life.