Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Вітаю з Новим Роком та Різдвом!

Click on this title and view our 'Christmas '08' photo album...

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints..." Ephesians 1:18

Preparing for the holidays...

at home...

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

our hearts...
read one of these with me this Christmas...

Divinity entering the world on the floor of a stable... God had come near! Max Lucado views the Savior who walked among us through a distinctly human lens. He speaks plainly to those of us who prefer to keep Jesus otherworldly, distant, and predictable: "Don't do it. For heaven's sake, don't. Let Him into the mire and muck of our world. For only if we let him in can he pull us out."

Yancey writes: If Jesus came to reveal God to us, then what do I learn about God from that first Christmas? The word associations that come to mind as I ponder that question take me by surprise. Humble, approachable, underdog, courageous - these hardly seem appropriate words to apply to deity. Yancey reveals the real Jesus beyond the stereotypes...

Heaven came near.... an unwanted good-bye

We had a very sad week. My dear sister, Aimee, unexpectedly passed away last week. Words cannot express our grief.



Memories of her even in this past year fill our minds:
- She met me at the airport w/ my other sister, Genevieve, when I flew back from Ukraine to be rediagonsed w/ cancer
- went with me to all those initial doctor appts.
- was the family hostess for the holidays of our northern family
- met Josh in Sacramento on his field trip
- flew down for Josh and Mark's birthdays
- came down to visit me w/ Genevieve
- gathered the birthday and Christmas lists from Ben and Josh and bought everything on the lists for them!
- came down w/ Gen and Mom to celebrate my birthday
- called on the exact date of our birthdays and sang "Happy Birthday" to us
- always kept in touch thru e-mails and phone calls
The list goes on. She leaves a big hole for many.

If you look at my last blog entry, she is the one who left a comment. Now she is in that place - Heaven - enjoying our Lord and Savior, for it was thru her that I became a Christian...
"...and thus we shall always be with the Lord." 1 Thess 4:17
"...depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better." Phil 1:23

Smoke - Filled Vision

We woke this morning to a smoke filled sky and ashes on the ground.
...9:00am

...ashes

We are still quite a distance from the roaring wildfires that have scorched So. California over the weekend. It has been the worst fires since 1961. Around 1,000 homes have been destroyed, 20,000 acres scorched and tens of thousands evacuated and it is still roaring. What words come to mind watching the newscasts?... loss... compassion... and all the emotions that go with that... a huge loss for many.

I have been so blessed by updates from a dear man with SEND International who has Lou Gehrig's disease. He writes: "...outdoor activities such as camping, fishing, canoeing, boating, jet skiing, bicycling, motor cycling, etc, etc. Well…almost all of these activities and joys have come to a halt. So I have been divesting myself of ‘my toys’... A keen awareness of Matt 6:19-21 has been growing in my heart,
"Stop storing up treasures for yourselves on earth,... Instead, store up treasures for yourselves in heaven,..."
With my mortality staring me in the face daily, I have been thinking a lot more about life beyond this arena in which we are now living. What is beyond? What is Heaven like? ...Here are a few gems from Alcorn's book 'Heaven': [460]
“If we build our lives on the redemptive work of Christ, we should all be optimists. Why? Because even our most painful experience in life is but a temporary setback. Our pain and suffering may or may not be relieved, but they will certainly be relieved in the next.”
... thanks for clearing the smoke, Don!

Test Results...

I had a check up with my doctor yesterday.
Mark's update:

"The news from what results the doctor had available yesterday was good, but other results that came in just this morning were not what we hoped for because they indicated that Bonnie's cancer could again be active. Her numbers are now barely in the normal range and moving in the undesired direction. She's getting checked again in 6 weeks instead of the 3 month schedule we were on. We're clinging to the Lord and appreciate your prayers."

My reaction: In 6 weeks, it will be right before Christmas... (sigh)... I need Your perspective on this God...
"...I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands..." Isaiah 49:15,16

Oбще язык...

Our dear friends Anatoly and Galyna Prokopchuk (President of Kyiv Theological Seminary) just left after having visited with us for 4 days. In Ukraine, we always felt like we shared "Oбще язык" - understood each other - "spoke the same language". We couldn't have survived without them. We love them and miss them already.


On their way to the airport back to Ukraine... til we meet again.

Ukraine on our minds...

Mark is in Ukraine right now teaching in the Talbot program, so the topic of our dinner conversations have been:
"Lucky, Dad - eating in the seminary's cafeteria every day..."
"Yesterday he said he ate there twice! Dinner was картошки (potatoes) with meeeeeat sauce."
"Remember their борщ?(beet soup)... ohhhhh and their котлеты!" (meat cutlets)
"Remember the пампушки (filled biscuits) in the рынок!" (outdoor market)
Mom: "In June when we go to Ukraine, we might stay at the seminary."
"Yes! I can't wait to eat there!"
"Are we going to 'Два Гуся'?" (a restaurant in Kiev w/ Ukrainian food)
Mom: "Anatoly is coming in 1 1/2 weeks."
"Is he going to make us his плоф?" (rice pilaf)

Yes, Ben and Josh are their stomachs... but they don't just miss Ukrainian food. We have also reminisced about riding the метро (subway), Шевшенко Park, Уман, various people, and their days in their Ukrainian school - I didn't know that during break time, Ben wrestled w/ the other boys and threw Misha down once! They vividly remember their first day in their Ukrainian school as you see in the photos:

Sept 1, 2000
Sept 1, 2004

Oct. 19, 2008 - Ben carrying the Ukrainian-type flag in our church's mission's flag parade last Sunday.

How Young...?

A birthday fit for a Queen...


...with family. Thank you for driving down Mom, Aimee and Genevieve..
..and Bob and Nancy!
...The Royal Shiroma Ladies having a queen's brunch at her favorite restaurant.


A surprise from the king...

...2 days in Santa Barbara..

...a perfect gift - thanks hubby.
High Tea with a faithful friend - Thanks, June!


...and a bouquet of Plumerias waiting in Her Highness' garden from her Creator and Heavenly Father.
Lord, thank you for all the thoughtful friends and family... and bouquet of Plumerias!

Saving fuel + absentmindedness = only good intentions

Our 3 men are doing their share in saving on gasoline a few days a week...


Ben bikes 3.6 miles to school... (calling us on his cell upon arrival and departure)




Josh rides his scooter .8 miles to school... (Mom walks -to and from- half way w/ him)

Mark bikes 2.7 miles to Biola...

Yes, we are the "savers", except when absentmindedness sets in...

This morning when Ben arrived at school, he called - he forgot his bike lock... so Dad drove to his school to deliver the lock. When Josh arrived at school, he realized it was picture day... so Mom quickly drove to his school delivering him a nicer shirt and money... then was told Josh needed to bring homemade playdough today, if not, he would get a lower grade... so Mom drove home to make it and realized we didn't have white flour, so drove to the market to buy some, drove back home - made the playdough and drove back to Josh's school to deliver it.

Well, so much for saving on gasoline today ...we had good intentions.

A New Regime...

School has begun for all of us.

Ben is in 9th grade at La Habra High School.
Favorite class: German
Activities: German Club, Christian Club, Heritage Program
Highlight: High School group at church
Bummer: Freshman Basketball
...coming home from school

Josh is in 5th grade at La Mirada Heights Christian School (thanks Grandma Kay!)
Favorite subject: PE
Activities: Friends, friends, friends
Highlight: Being at LMHCS, Louay is in his class
Bummer: Didn't make the flag football team

Mark is teaching 5 classes this semester, instead of the normal 3.
The unique ones: Theo 3 for the MBA program, Theo 3 in Kiev (Oct 9-19), and Eastern Orthodox Theology.
Highlight: Cycling

Bonnie is also in school - auditing a class at Talbot.
Class: Hermeneutics & the Word in Spiritual Formation
Highlight: Taking the class with Julie Mosse, women's Bible Study at church
Activities: Being part of my guys' lives - Parent Booster Clubs, Moms In Touch, students over, keeping my guys fed!

A Prayer for Ukraine...

During these Olympics, our family has been cheering for the United States and for Ukraine. It reminds us to pray for Ukraine, esp. w/ instability at their border near Georgia. One of our favorite songs in Ukraine was, "Молитва за Україну - A Prayer for Ukraine". I tried to find a good rendition of it on You Tube with no success. Do any of you have one? The words are:

A Prayer for Ukraine
May my prayer go
To you like the aroma of incense
And the heart drawn without ceasing
Into your glorious heavenly temple

God, I pray for Ukraine
God, I pray for its people
May you forgive them
May you save them
And show us your mercy

God, I know you are going to be with us
In your temple under the heavens
You gifted us with your joy and peace
You gave your life for the people
You inscribed us in the Book of Life

In your Living Word
You laid out the vision for life
So that all the people would pray to God
To the one who died for them on the cross

Молитва за Україну
Моя молитва нехай лине
До Тебе, наче фіміам.
І серце лине без зупину
В чудовий Твій небесний храм.

Боже, я молю за Україну,
Боже, молю тебе за людей,
Ти їх прости,
Ти їх спаси,
І милість Твою нам яви.
Боже, я знаю,
Що Ти будеш з нами
В храмі Твоєму під небесами
Радість і мир Ти дарував,
Життя для людей віддав,
В Книгу Життя нас записав!

В Своєму Слові Живому,
Ти для людей ведіння дав,
Щоб люди всі молились Богу,
Що на Хресті за нас вмирав.

Lake Tahoe...

We just returned from a short vacation in Lake Tahoe. It is famous for it's beautiful blues - it certainly is a slice of Heaven. Thanks Gen and Michael for the use of your cabin!

...a familiar language for your bumper, "Keep Tahoe Blue"(clean) - apparently Lake Tahoe and Lake Baikal in Siberia are partners: see the link


View the rest of our Tahoe Photo Album under our links.

To make our vacation even more perfect ...a stop in Sacramento to celebrate Ben's birthday with Bonnie's side - thanks everyone!

Ol' Friends...

The last 2 weeks have been filled with time with ol' friends from Ukraine. We spent a week in Michigan at SEND's annual conference enjoying reconnecting, and hearing reports from SEND's various fields all over the world, praying for them... and having fun in the 'Olympics'...

This is the динамo team representing Ukraine.
We also had 2 days of bliss vacationing with the Magwood family after the conference.

Then, guess who flew into town from Kyiv... the White family! James, Joseph, Ben and Josh grew up together in Ukraine and will probably be forever friends.

...all just in time for Ben's 15th birthday!

Summer sports have ended...

Swimming lessons for Josh at Biola...


Josh has never had swimming lessons, so we signed him up with some school buddies in hopes that he would become a more confident swimmer. As you see ...it worked!




Our 'Highlander' practicing...


We got an orientation to La Habra High School basketball during this summer league. Ben and his buddies sat on the bench most games but enjoyed them and practices anyway. His team lost only one game and played for championships in the weekend tournament, coming in 2nd.

It was a pretty wild championship game - 4 technicals! (2 on our team, 2 on the other) - the first was when one of the other team's players took a swing at one of our players ...it became more and more interesting from that point on :). Apparently, if you came out for the summer league, you're on the freshman team for this coming year. Ben is still game and wants to go for it.


...some of the basketball fans: 2 good friends - Yvonne (missionary in Brazil), Janie (soon to go on a 2 week mission trip to Malawi).

...however mountain-biking has just begun for this guy. Thanks for the birthday $ everyone!

Still Clear!!!!

My CT scan was all clear with no sign of tumors still and my CA-15 (cancer count) is 12.5! - under 31 - still very much in the normal range. My doctor says that since I'm doing so well, he doesn't need to see me for 3 months. We're thanking the Lord again for His grace to us in this way - never forgetting that a year ago April, tumors were in my lungs, liver and bones and my CA-15 was over 200. Remember my verse from a year ago?
"You are my Shepherd; You gather me in Your arms and carry me close to Your heart, You gently lead me with my children." Isaiah 40:11.
It's been a hard year, yet filled with God's grace, holding us close to Himself and watching Him take care of Ben and Josh. Thank you, Jesus... we continue with You...

18 Miles and the "Pied Piper"...

Actually, right now I am sitting in Panera sipping a latte between doctor appts at City of Hope. I had a CT scan this morning, next is a blood panel, doctor appt and then my monthly infusion (with a nap). My doctor will have most of the results by the time I see him, so I'll let you know tomorrow how things went.

In the meantime, here are some photos of our church campout from last week in Mammoth. I must admit that I'm not the "camper". I don't like dirt or bugs much, but the fellowship was completely worth it, in fact I may be open to doing it again. Our highlights: besides the 3 speakers (1 being my husband :), the great fellowship - getting to know people better, the morning devotions with the small group of us who woke up, and watching Ben and Josh have so much fun.

Ben all of a sudden seems older and had a great time hanging out with the older youth. He even went on an 18 mile hike with them up a mountain.


Josh had a little following of pre-schoolers all week. He does amazingly well with younger kids and likes playing with them and they with him! Barefoot and dirty was their motto all week - loving every minute!

a cold dip at Rainbow Falls...

Half a Century and a Decade...

Guess who turned the big FIVE O on Friday?!


This Ol' Guy does deserve to Rule after finishing a 100 mile bike ride from Seal Beach to San Diego on his birthday!


'High Mileage, Low Maintenance'



...and guess who finished his first decade turning 11?!


The birthday present he's been wanting...

..."Booster".


Thank you for helping us celebrate, Grandma and Grandpa and for flying down, Aunt Aimee.

...a new wave of culture shock?

Well, as you know, Ben graduated from 8th grade a week ago from Heights Christian Junior High. A week later, Ben is already a high schooler - He started going to the high school group on Sunday at church and yesterday started summer school at La Habra High School - a public school. He's taking the recommended health class for freshmen and is in their freshman summer basketball league.

I think I'm feeling a new wave of culture shock - is it the police presence at Ben's high school every time I drop him off and pick him up? - actually, I'm glad for it considering what I see. I find myself staring and wondering about this "new culture". Or was it the very aggressive, in your face, intimidating basketball that his team played in their first game today - after their first practice yesterday? Should I cheer for that kind of team? or is that good basketball and I'm just a pansy? Yep - we have definitely been in a bubble this past year. This is reeeeally different.

Is Mom a little worried? ...a little ...in shock? ...ya, but thankful... On Sunday at church, Ben enjoyed the high school group and was invited to join a small group. Picking him up from the small group, he exclaimed, "That was so much fun!" And tonight a high schooler from church called and told Ben that they want him to be on the leadership team - our quiet Ben?! He also has several classmates from his Jr. High in his health class and on his basketball team and they will all be in this semi-honors program together in the fall.

Thank you, Lord. In spite of my shock, You are active in Ben's life - may he reflect You.


Supporting our La Habra Highlander in his 'room to grow into' jersey.


Making the most of summer vacation with a neighbor.

Class of 2008

8th Grade Graduation
Congratulations Ben!

Aunt Genevieve, Thank you for flying down.

Another generation of Saucys... on to High School... Monday... yikes!... Summer School begins already! Help! ...already a High Schooler?!