My treasured keepsakes bulge in pockets of time—rather moments—that are tucked hard against the bones of my heart. They remain as fresh and life-giving as the first-offerings of spring rosesbuds, tight with fragrance and bleeding of crimson that smears across my fingers as I pull them out one petal at a time. The edges are…
Tag: Ukraine
Treasures of Darkness
“I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.” Isaiah 45:3 “But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.”Matthew 7:4…
Dark, Narrow Place
“You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.” Psalm 32:7 From my childhood and years after, I have clung to this scripture as a sweet and constant source of strength and fortitude. Most of the suffering in life that I have endured has been from…
Ukraine, Israel, and More
The criminal, deathly Russian aggression against Ukraine in the last week has touched a deep place of both shock and compassion in hearts around the world, especially Wayne and me. We moved our family to Odessa, Ukraine some years ago to start Bible schools and congregations. When the flames of Communism went underground, the gospel…
I Quit Every Day!
Ever-Increasing Light A Messianic Daily Devotional “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). In 1996 my husband, daughter, and I traveled across the ocean to Myaki, Ukraine, a small fishing village just outside of…
Bonnie’s Stuffed Bells
I learned how to cook stuffed bell peppers while living in Odessa, Ukraine. In fact, that’s where I learned to cook and to entertain in general. Who knew life abroad would became all about hospitality? But it was and still is, and I am so glad I learned it. I love to entertain and have…
Random Ukrainography
Just out enjoying Odessa, Ukraine, on this sunny spring morning. Some sights are unique to Ukraine, like these street cleaning women in their neon-colored vests… Others are not… The city is beginning to show a few signs of spring… Some buildings are in desperate need of refurbishing… I would love to have seen this city…
Black Sea
Odessa sits on the Black Sea and is known through the former-Soviet Union as the “pearl of the Black Sea.” I never really considered the sea near this port very pretty–rather dirty and cold. But today the sea seemed prettier than I remembered, even though we were cold… I saw these cute little birds in…
Bonnie Saul Wilks 