Snapshots from Ukraine July 2006 update from Bob & Andrea Burnham, serving with MTW in Odessa, Ukraine (prayer requests in red)

Busier than a... one-legged Riverdancer? How about a one-toothed man in a corn-on-the-cob eating contest? However you want to describe it, that's how we feel! Shortly after our last newsletter the baton was passed to Bob, who then took over as the Team Leader for MTW's Church-planting team in Odessa. From that time until now everything has been a blur! Hosting short term teams, putting on an exhibition showing life in Odessa's orphanages, and moving into yet another flat have been just some of the things keeping us running around lately. Bob's bike has been an incredible blessing because it allows him to zip around the city, bypassing snarled traffic. Thankfully Andrea also has a bike now, so Bob doesn't have to balance all the children at once! In this edition of Snapshots, we'll share a few of the moments that made the past four months memorable.

Behind the Scenes April started out rainy but we enjoyed seeing the new green of the leaves unfurling all over the city. Bob caught an overnight train to Kiev and spent time talking with and observing our Country Coordinator in preparation for his role guiding our team's eleven members (not including children!) After a rough train ride back with little sleep and no shower, Bob rushed Abby to school on his bike in the rain. On his way back home, visiting videographers gathering footage for MTW's new Ukraine Ministries DVD called him on his cell phone and requested an interview before they left town! The DVD is now available for any individuals or churches interested in showing a 12 minute summary of God's work in and through the MTW church plants and their congregations. Contact Marty Davis at (678) 823-0004 for a copy. Oh, and if you notice Bob looking a little "rugged" whenever he's featured, you'll know why!

During much of April and May, Bob was out on the road visiting and taking photos for two extension ministries of our church, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Odessa (EPCO). Please be in prayer for Dawn Christian Day School (DCDS) which provides Covenantal, Christ-centered education to 34 elementary students in this region. Presently the school's generous donors from the States have had to redirect half of their funding, so the school board is seeking alternate funding and local resources in order to continue for its fourth school year. Bob helped provide photos and information for a brochure explaining DCDS needs.

In his "free time," Bob also logged over 25 hours traveling to and from five orphanages, taking photographs and helping another young woman in our church prepare an exhibition capturing all aspects of a Ukrainian orphan's life. Bob was interviewed on two TV stations and the exhibition has been shown in several locations throughout the city in hopes of raising local awareness and funding. You can see more about that and the children of Dawn Christian Day School in our Month in Pictures section on our website.

The Month in Pictures? If you know Bob, you know how many pictures he takes each month! Imagine how difficult it is to only choose 2 or 3 photographs for our "Snapshots" newsletters. To help ease his pain, we've added a feature to our website called "The Month in Pictures." At the end of each month we'll post a dozen or so of our favorite pictures best reflecting what has happened in our family and in our ministry. Click here to be linked directly.

Bob and Abby closed May by participating in a beautiful, Christ-centered wedding at the EPCO. Abby very evenly distributed all the flower petals down the aisle and Bob caught the candid and posed images of the bride, groom, witnesses and family throughout the special day. Then all of us here in Odessa geared up for one of our favorite times of the year - the arrival of short-term summer teams!

Abounding in the Work of the Lord During June and July we've had the privilege of hosting and directing several short-term teams and individuals from Westminster PC in Rock Hill, SC, Covenant PC in Birmingham, Westminster PC in Huntsville, Eastwood PC in Montgomery, Alabama and Coral Ridge PC in Florida. What did these men, women and youth accomplish during their short time here that made such a difference in people's lives? Maybe a better question is, "what didn't they accomplish?!" Evangelism outreach, medical expertise and attention, much needed construction, professional marital and family counseling, business seminars, Biblical teaching regarding addiction treatment and prevention, choral and organ concerts, workshops on music in worship, Vacation Bible School programs, faith and purity outreaches to teens and orphans...honestly, the list goes on and on! About the only thing these groups didn't do is sleep!

To kick off our mild summer, Covenant Presbyterian conducted a phenomenal Vacation Bible School, and also provided new special sessions for girls aged 12-14, called SNAP! (Sisters oN A Purpose) and sessions for boys aged 12-14 (called "Brothers on A Purpose"). Bob suggested a tougher sounding name: "Tender Hearts Under Men's Protection." J

These discussion groups were conducted in a respectful, safe and open environment so that the youth could freely discuss crucial matters like what faith looks like in real-life situations, Biblical guidelines for self-image and sexuality, and what it means to be a woman or man created to honor a holy God. In the States there are numerous avenues for these discussions to take place, but in Ukraine youth are told what to do without explanation. Unfortunately this has produced generations of kids with hardened or broken hearts. At the end of the week, one of the SNAP attendees, Anna, stood up and gushed, "On behalf of the whole group, we want to thank you for letting us talk about these serious issues. No one ever gives us a chance to ask these kinds of questions!" Join us in praying for Anya, a Ukrainian believer who wants to continue the SNAP program, and for the young men and women who attended these forums to seek God and His wisdom as they make decisions which will impact their entire life. Please also pray that the Ukrainian EPCO leadership can continue to grow in their ability to model for and train their congregation in healthy, God-centered parenting, providing Biblical foundations for this new generation of children.

Giving Their Hearts Away As usual, Ukrainians weren't the only ones impacted during the Covenant Pres mission week. We can't think of any of the visiting Americans who didn't become emotionally involved during their stay here. Dr. Chris Old, a nephrologist who came to help the sick, became close to the elderly he met at the church Soup Kitchen. He is now assembling a booklet of their photos and biographies in an effort to raise awareness of the ministry's financial needs.

Both our American friends and the pre-teens and teens at Orphanage #88 bonded during one morning's visit. The youth excitedly showed their guests where they slept and what toys they had, and when everyone went out to the playground, the Birmingham group really let loose. David Gray, CEO of a computer software company, spun children around so long he nearly got sick, and almost everyone climbed on the monkey bars! With their energy out, the kids gathered underneath a tree and listened intently to the story of Jesus personally reaching out to someone that everyone else purposefully overlooked: sinful Zacchaeus. Bob commented later that as he watched this scene unfold, he realized that these children were not only hearing about a forgiving Savior, but they had been feeling His touch and experiencing His love, through the body of Christ, all morning. Saying goodbye was incredibly hard. Long hugs were given, and after the 5th call that the bus really was going to leave without them, everyone boarded. The ride back was quiet and thoughtful. Tricia Prather was moved to tears by the orphans' extremely primitive living conditions. She is now working to raise funds to purchase a hot water system which would benefit all of the kids every day of the year.

Here's a question for you; "Are short-term missions good stewardship?" We've heard some suggest that it would be much better stewardship to just send the same amount of money to the mission field rather than using it to send a team of people to Ukraine for a week. That's understandable -- it does require a lot of money and preparation time. Speaking as permanent residents who watch the long-term effects of these outreaches, we can vouch that no amount of money sent from America could ever impact lives (on both sides!) to the same degree as this kind of personal involvement. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 & Hebrews 13:15-16

Even though the short-term teams have gone, we're still here alongside Ukrainian believers to continue relationships with the many new friends made during the summer. We feel very confident that many of those who came on the short-term teams will be back -- and will stay for longer amounts of time (after all, that's what happened to us!) All of us on the MTW team are sincerely grateful to each of you who partnered with us on this side of the ocean. For those of you who have never experienced a short-term trip, we invite you to come to Odessa and experience it with us!

And while we're saying thank you... You may wonder where Andrea has been in all of this. Besides tending children, hosting/coordinating everyday visitors, and spending hours getting to know the neighbors and find playgrounds for the three girls, Andrea has been promoted to Director of Home Furnishings and dubbed Chief Officer of Unpacking. Three weeks ago we began settling into our new flat and are constantly smiling as we open our boxes and rediscover reminders of all of you in the States who are partners with us in this work. Each recipe, game, book, written note, practical tool, piece of clothing, children's toy, sermon tape, decoration or CD you gave us dots our home and reminds us to pray for you as you seek God's kingdom where you live.

We can't thank you enough for your faithfulness in supporting us with your giving and encouragement.

Contest Congratulations to Scott Bull who won our last contest. . .click here to see and enter the current contest question!

We keep you in our prayers, and hope you'll continue to do the same for us. Bob, Andrea, Abigail,Emily & Iris Burnham

Please see our prayer requests and more information at

www.BurnhamSnapshots.com