Tree of Life Ukraine

...or I should say "Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks"! But I wanted to stay with the tree theme. :) Speaking of which (tree themes, that is) I can't believe none of my dear, pun-loving friends didn't point out in my last blog how I missed the chance to say "LEAF things alone" (last sentence in first paragraph).

And just one other "house-keeping" note...in my last blog I said that Tree of Life was "primarily a non-profit publishing venture". To clarify - we are COMPLETELY a non-profit venture PRIMARILY focused on publishing.

Ok...I know it's tough reading things from a "word obsessive" person like me...but imagine what its like in my brain! Scary! :)

Anyway...back to more serious matters. :)

A NEW LEAF...

I am a firm believer that if something is truly of God, it benefits all involved. In that case, in missions, if a project or ministry or whatever is really of God, then everyone involved grows, is stretched, etc.

I battle with pride as much as the next (maybe more?), but I hope that if I ever get the idea that I am in Ukraine to "help these poor Ukrainians" that I would quickly leave. I am here because I believe that God, in His infinite wisdom called me here. The same reason, hopefully, why you are where you are, doing what you do with the people in your lives.

All that having said, I OFTEN feel like God brought me to Ukraine more to shave off my rough edges than for anything I can offer Ukrainians. People have said "God works in you, before He works through you". I'm not positive about that. There have been many times when God has worked through me before or as He was working in me.

But "enough about me" already! :) The point is, we are doing a conference soon. Meaning we were invited by an organization to do a bookstore for them at their conference (see the prayer request about this on our prayer request page. Click on the sidebar link to the right here, or go to www.prayerandpraise.blog.com )

I have been doing conferences for about 4 of the 7 years I have been in Ukraine. Often I gathered all the books, got them ready and sold them basically by myself. I don't say that to brag, just to give you the background of the "new trick" God is teaching this old dog. :)

Over the last year God has given me some great new employees and guess what? They are TOTALLY gifted in the areas where I am not! Imagine that. :) (see a Praise Report note on that from Oct. 5th) 

So here we are, doing our second conference together (notes on that in the previous post here) and it is taking SO LONG to get everything ready! A few times I have started to get so impatient inside because I think..."I used to do this all myself in half the time! Why is it taking so long now with 3 people doing it?!?!"

BUT THEN...I have to remind myself that while I got the books there to sell it was nothing like things are now. I gathered the books, and I picked out good ones. But where did I get them from? And what did I pay for them? And how much was I charging now? (I had all that info, it just would take me a bit to gather it all). Now I realize these are not the things someone should be saying publicly when they are in the position as a supported missionary. But its the truth! I was trying to do too much and I was doing things "not in my giftings" (as a friend would say).

Now we have excellent records of everything. We can know quickly what our boundaries are in discounting (I always want to offer the books as cheap as possible. My staff teases me that the one thing we are being really succesful in is the "non-profit" part of things! ha!). We know exactly where our money is being used: what we bought, what we sold, what we gave away.

In point: IT IS ALL TAKING LONGER BECAUSE GOD IS TEACHING ME A NEW WAY AND THE RESULT WILL BE  BETTER.

Ok, duh. Probably all of you got that point ages ago, either in your own lives or while wading through this too long posting! :) And I've had to have this lesson before. But this time I really sense a deep digging-down-and-planting-a-root-type of instruction from God.

I have been so used to most of my life just diving in, getting it done and being glad with "good enough" results. But God loves us too much. He wants more for us. In every area of our lives.

I started to make a quick, cheap predictable application of this, but I won't insult you all like that. I don't know why things take longer. Sometimes saying that its because God wants to teach us a new way, wants a better result...sometimes the ache of waiting just won't be salved by an answer like that.

I have dear friends that waited 8 years for their little (BIG now!) bundle of joy. I am not about to try and put words in God's mouth and say why she had to cry many tears and wait many years for God's answer on that. She can comment here on my blog spot if she wants to :) but that's her story to tell.

All I do know is that right now, this lesson through my wonderfully organized left-brain employees is encouraging me. Waiting doesn't mean I'm stupid and just can't get it. Waiting doesn't mean I'm bad and don't deserve it. Waiting doesn't mean others around me involved in the process are going too slow or messing up somehow. Waiting means what it means in every life such as God has ordained and only God and (sometimes) that person can say the reason.

But for me, right now, I'm encouraged through this S-L-O-W process of getting ready for this conference that waiting for me means: GOD IS TEACHING ME A NEW WAY BECAUSE HE LOVES ME AND WANTS A BETTER RESULT IN THE LONG RUN FOR ME!

When I explained how I had been so used to doing things at Tree of Life (doing too much and all by myself) one of my sweet employees, Anya, said to me "Well, ok, you've lived that way, now it's time for something new". :) I thought she was joking she said it so matter of a fact. I was waiting for the "ha-ha-ha". But she was dead serious.

So, dear friends...whomever this is for..."You've lived this way, now maybe it's time for something new". :)

"Do not grow weary in doing good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time".

Galations 6:9 (KJV + NLT= New Cara-phrased Version)