Catching up

 It's been a while since I posted, and much has happened in our lives, but let's start with  some news from our project in Ukraine! 

I've been meaning to post an update on the cheesemaking house and the good work that the staff has done expanding the sales of cheese and milk in Ukraine. Here's a few photos from when Garry was there in October. They have purchased a bigger refrigerated van to make deliveries, which will be very useful when the hot weather arrives to preserve milk quality. 

That's right, milk is being bottled in plastic bottles that they in buy in bulk to fill and take to the stores. In October they had a 13 store contract, however, they have gotten anther brand of convenience stores in Zaporosia signed on since Garry was there. So they are selling more milk and cheese products  through the stores and selling less milk to the milk company, and making more money to run the project, since they get paid more for this milk. The cheese house is busy day and night, and they are adding on. In October they added a room for the old milk tank, because they bought a bigger better one for the barn, and will use the old one to put milk in to process into cheese. In November, the milk tank was installed. 

Yesterday we got a photo of the newest addition that's getting started on the cheese house. Garry has bought his tickets for a three week trip to see them in March.

 The war drags on, and one of the guys went to the store in the village and didn't come back and he's in the army now, so keep Misha in your prayers. 

The village church continues to grow stronger, more young people go now than three years ago.

As for us, we are at the lake right now, after Christmas on the farm with the family, Garry spends a lot of time on the ice fishing. The new house is mostly finished and we've enjoyed have friends out to visit.

 After a couple years of trying to come to terms, since Garry got in trouble for going to Ukraine without their blessing two years ago, and mending fences with Serve Beyond in October, we are going to be looking for a new mission organization. The EFree church mission arm is no longer going to have any full-time missionaries in foreign countries in April , so many missionaries we have come to know are currently trying to find new mission homes.