Erinitchka

Last week we lost our Erin or Erinitchka (Slavic people put an ”itchka” on the end of names when they want to show affection) Many of you know about Erin Brassart from previous post or just from hearing us speak about her at home. Many of you have also been praying for her since she came here almost two years ago.

Erin came here through the journeyman (or woman) missionary program with the International Mission Board. She worked here in Poltava as an English teacher. She worked in cooperation with the Ray family, many of you know and pray for Mike and his family, who are oversee all IMB work for East Central Ukraine.

God has used this young lady so much here over the past two years to touch the lives of many students and teachers as well as lead many volunteer teams from the states to do work in the city of Poltava. We have been so blessed to work with her over the last two summers and already miss her tremendously! She has made such an impact on the lives of my two daughters, Tuesdae and Page. God has used Erin’s example so much in the life of my family and we cherish every moment we got to spend serving with her here in Poltava. Our family has an extra special bond with her because GOD has placed such a deep love for the people of Poltava in both of our hearts. It’s a bond that we share with her like no one else. This city is so special to all of us and we long to see the LORD’S hand continue to work here.

She is the kind of person who doesn’t want any recognition so I had to wait for her to go back home to Alabama to write this. She will probably get on to me but it’s ok, I know she will forgive me cause she tries her best to stay as close as she can to JESUS.

The thing that’s special to me about Erin is that I was praying for her long before I met her. I know several other people who prayed for her to, even though we didn’t know who she would be. People like the Ray family, Salvation Church and probably many more who were praying for someone like Erin to come and live in Poltava and help bring in the harvest here. That’s the hardest part of coming here to me, the leaving, the not knowing if we will ever get to come back or not, the wondering, will there be someone to continue to plow the seeds we try to plant or will they fall by the wayside, be stolen. You see here in Poltava just like all over the world “the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are very few.” (Especially compared to growing up in Mississippi and Alabama)

Please pray for Erin as she makes her adjustment back to life in the U.S.A. Please pray for all the Ukrainians here who miss her very much, and please pray especially for all the seeds that she planted during her time here in Poltava. If you would like to read more about her ministry here over the last two years you can go to http://erininukraine.blogspot.com/

Erinitchka, if you read this I publically apologize for all the Alabama jokes. Most of them I heard on Mississippi, I just changed the names. When we get back home I would like for you to show us how to run an Alabama power point though, harashaw?
We miss you ochen, ochen, much ! GOD bless you!

Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. Prov 31:30