John 3:16—For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.
Luke 2:10-14– And so the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is [h]Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a [i]manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly [j]army of angels praising God and saying,14 “ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
Dear Friends,
As I was out working on some fences a couple of days ago, I was thinking about how blessed we are as a people and as a nation. I was also thinking of how we so often take things for granted. As I was working on the fence, I was thinking of how blessed I am to have the health and ability to do a simple job such as repairing a fence. As I thought of that, and of other things, I heard a bird singing and the verse came to my mind referring as to how if our Lord cares so much for the birds, how much more does he care of us, for whom He sacrificed His son? I often ask the Lord to forgive me for taking so many things for granted.
Matthew 6:25-27–“For this reason I say to you, [a]do not be worried about your [b]life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the [c]air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 And who of you by being worried can add a single [d]hour to his [e]life?
So many of you donated in many ways to make the shipment to Ukraine a very special blessing to many. Attached, you will finds pictures, and a letter, of a couple of the families that were recipients of your kindness and compassion. These 2 families are Ukrainian refugees in Poland. The other pictures are of some of the places inside Ukraine where some of the supplies went to be distributed.
Another attachment is a story I have shared before but that I often think of, especially at this time of the year. It was written by Anton Osoinach and is about an incident/blessing that he and his son, Benjamin, were involved in at Christmas, in Romania, many years ago. I hope it will be a blessing to you also as you read of a man’s trust and faithfulness in God’s provision for his family.
Here at Fairhaven, the Lord continually allows us to be a conduit of His love and compassion as He provides so that the needs of many are met in many different ways. I do believe that if there was ever a time when Christians should be open to the Lord using them to be a blessing to others, it is now. By “being a blessing”, I am not telling you “how” you are to be a blessing because the Lord works through each of us in different ways. Sometimes it is simply a kind word, or a word of encouragement, or it can be simply seeing someone that looks to be having a difficult time and, at that moment, asking the Lord to bless them and meet their needs as only He can. Then, sometimes, He wants us to share our blessings in different ways. Our responsibility is simply to be open, and willing, to be used as He sees fit, that through our words and actions He is lifted up and glorified.
Again, thank you all for your prayers and support. Please continue to pray that whatever is accomplished through Fairhaven will only glorify our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ—that we will be a conduit of his unconditional love and compassion.
From all of us here at Fairhaven, we wish you all a very Blessed and Merry Christmas.
In His Service,
Johnny, Sissie, and Kids
Fairhaven Ministry of Faith, Hope, and Love
21066 Fairhaven Road
Covington, La. 70435
Office: 985-892-1134
Mobil: 985-264-5052
Email: johnny@fairhavenministry.com
Web: hopeforothers.org
Philippians 2:4–Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Love is God’s will in action.
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Anton’s Christmas Story
Johnny I do remember Christmas eve of 2007. It was a wild night, the icy cold temperatures were well established. Sorin and I were trying to get the last Christmas shoe boxes delivered before we joined a group of carolers to serenade the main street of Arad. Our last stops were in the village of Zimandu Nou about 15 miles outside of Arad. There were 5 families we had been spending time with in this village over the past 3 years. Our last delivery of the night was at Daniel and Olivia’s house and as we had done at each of the other 4 houses we visited in this village already, we climbed awkwardly over the fence with Christmas shoe boxes for each of their 8 children. Then returned to the van to head home no one having seen us come or go on this cold night. We were excited to have finished our rounds for the day knowing each child would have a gift on Christmas morning. It had been a long day but a fun one having given out over 100 Christmas boxes just that day. As we got into my apartment and filled our cups with something warm to drink my phone rang. It was Daniel calling.
“Yes?”
“Anton you came by didn’t you?”
“Yes”
“When you came I was at my neighbor’s house, my neighbor asked me what we had gotten for our children. I told him we had not had money to get them anything but I told him I knew God loved my kids and would provide for them. My neighbor scoffed. But when I got home and found all those gifts sitting outside our door I didn’t even go inside I went right back to Gregor’s house and told him to come and see just how God had provided.”
It was great to hear Daniels excitement about what God had done for his family and to see him giving God the glory and not trying to look at me, “the delivery man” with thanks as though the gifts had come from me. Those boxes were from God I was just the mailman.
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– Hi. My name is David Murashko. I’m 43 years old. I have a wife and 6 children. We came from the city of Kherson.
– Introduce us to your children.
– The eldest son – Artyom Murashko, 15 years old. Murashko Stanislav, 12 years old. Murashko Ellana, 13 years old. Murashko Kira, 11 years old. Murashko Maria, 6 years old. Murashko Pavel, 2 years old.
– There are so many of you. Tell us why you decided to leave right now?
– It’s simple. There was such an opportunity. The city is run by the Russians. Children are scared to go outside. And a week before leaving, a boy from a family of neighbors had his leg amputated because he stepped on a mine. Constant shelling, and more recently street fighting. My friend offered to withdraw us from the occupation zone. He took it out, then we contacted pastor Ruslan. And he helped us get to the place where we live now. The pastor helped find a home for such a large family.
– Do you plan to return after the end of the war?
– Yes. Of course. “We would like to go home, but there is no home”
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– Hello, my name is Eugene, these are my daughters Sophia and Zlata, – he points to the girls who are unpacking the packages. – Irina Protkina is my wife. We would like to return home, but the house is no longer there. A Russian rocket hit our house… Part of the house collapsed, our entrance was intact, but with serious damage. It is impossible to live in it, as there is a danger of collapse. Often turn off the light and heat. Why should we go back there?
We met before. Tell us how your life has changed?
It has become much easier. I work, Irina (wife) works. Sofia goes to school, speaks Polish better than us, (laughs). And Zlata is in kindergarten. –
It’s a pity to think that at home, in Ukraine, we had everything and we didn’t need anything. Unfortunately, a crisis has begun in Poland, basic products have risen in price, I generally keep quiet about clothes.
– Do you have any plans to return home?
– Where to return? Not home. To return means to start life from scratch. I think we will stay here.