Gainerville

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2010-03-10T03:24:00.001-06:00

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Stalin is my Neighbor

2010-01-13T10:23:00.004-06:00

Well as most of you know, we've made it safely to Kremenchuk, Ukraine. We are staying in a great little flat in the center of the city right on the square. The flat belongs to another missionary couple, and they have graciously allowed us to sublet it from them, thank you Jon and Andrea. This was a great blessing. It has allowed us to make our transition to living in Ukraine quite easily, and given us time to find our own home. One of the great benefits of this Apartment is the view of the square, last weekend a few friends and us watch the prime minister come and hold a concert. And lastly every morning, I get to say hello to my new neighbor, Lenin. Good morning 'Papa Lenin.'

Smell you later Trailer!

2009-12-12T07:50:00.005-06:00

Well we are back in the QCA! Russian School was great success! I was just struck by how much we learned the other day when one of my professors was praying in Russian, and understanding him was no big deal. Just then it occured to me, it was only June of this year when I sat in class having absolutely no idea what was going on. I didn't even know the alphabet! We are so grateful to the Russian Language institute and all they've taught us. And we also thank God for how he through our teachers and other missionaries have drawn us close to him.

The News with the Gainers

2009-09-30T12:35:00.002-05:00

Here's a little video that our family made for a quick look into what we've been up to in SC.
I hope you enjoy it.

Birthday Fun!!!!

2009-08-11T18:28:00.003-05:00

Well, Alex and I are officially one year older. Alex turned 5 on the 4th, and I turned....okay, 32 on the 8th. The celebrations started on the 1st, when we stopped by JT and Andrea's in Missouri. Their little girl Anna turned 5 on the 5th, so we had a combined party for our kiddos. It was a great time filled with balloons, candy, cake, games, face painting and great food. On the 4th, we had another party with some family and friends. We had a great time playing with waterballoons! On Friday the 6th, I had a family party, and on Sunday night, some of my friends took me out to one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, and then we went Karaoking! It was a great night!!! Thank you so much to all of our friends and family for making our special day EXTRA special! We love you!!!!

Sunsets are way cooler than sunrises.

2009-07-04T13:24:00.004-05:00

Perhaps this statement needs some explanation. This morning I laid in my bed in the wee hours before the sun rose enjoying the blessing of sleep knowing that the day to follow would be without intense Russian course work. (in case my professors are reading this they should know I was looking forward to hours and hours of independent study LOL) As I drifted in and out consciousness, I heard the muffled voices of three of the smaller citizens of Gainerville. I pried open one eye to look at the clock, 5:45 am. Now I've always considered myself a morning person, but this is not morning. Frankly I think I could make a pretty convincing argument that it was still night. For this reason I let out an audible grown as I watched Jonah (3) and Isaac (2) following their fearless leader Alexander (4 1/2) on a crusade to the living room. I ought mention that the only way from their room to the living room is to "march" through our room. As the grand procession slipped past my vision into the other room I silently hoped that they would all lay down on the couch and fall back asleep (as if this were even possible for 3 little boys). I must admit, after a couple grumbled murmers from mom and dad to be quiet, they were pretty good. Through the silence though I caught a utterance that reminded me of the preciousness of children and why I dispise sunrises all at the same time. "Alex the Articulate" whispered (a whisper for those of you who don't have toddlers is little more than a hissing scream from a 4 year old), "Jonah! Isn't the the sunrise beautiful!?" I could only smile, role over, and thank God for life's little gifts.

Jon

Together Again at Last!!!

2009-06-27T08:22:00.002-05:00

When Jon and I left for South Carolina to go to Russian Language School, we left the boys in Davenport with both of our parents for their own little vacation. The boys had a great time, going to the children's library, the zoo, and they even got to go to a party where they got to go swimming and watch the Blue Angels fly overhead. Jon and I had a good time too, and enjoyed some much needed time for just the two of us. But, I knew about 4 days in that I wished that I had not left the boys for 2 1/2 weeks. The boys flew for the first time on Wednesday, and Grandma said that they loved it!!! They were in complete awe, and were very well behaved. (Thank you for all of the prayers!) Our reunion on Wednesday night was just like I dreamed it would be. The boys saw us from the end of the corridor, and came tearing down the hall screaming, "MOMMY!!! DADDY!!!" We hugged, I cried, and we hugged some more. We went out for a wonderful seafood dinner at A.W. Shucks, and then made the trip back to Columbia. Grandma Barbie took them to the sprinkler pad at a local park yesterday, and they had a great time. Tomorrow, we are planning on taking them to the beach for the first time. They are really excited to build sand castles and collect sea shells. Today, we are just hanging out as a family, and enjoying the fact that we are all together again!

I wish Ukrainians spoke English and other adventures

2009-06-09T13:56:00.004-05:00

Well we've made it. Amazing isn't? Jenny and I left DesMoines (from my niece's wedding, congratulations Rachel) at 5:00 pm on Sat. and started the road trip down to Columbia SC. As in any good Gainer story, our trip was safe, but not without classic Ganerville moments. At one point I (Jon) went to change lanes and almost had an accident because I didn't see a gray car in my blind spot. God was was watching out for us though, and after leaving a bit of rubber on the asphalt somewhere in KY I regained control of the vehicle,avoiding collision. Not to be out done by my reckless driving, Jenny managed to leave our cell phone in a Hardees in TN. The South hasn't seen anything like us! Luckily the manager of the Hardees was willing to take it and ship it to us. Thank you Hardees! We have several moments where we have felt terrified and wondering what we have gotten ourselves into when it comes to the language. Why didn't someone tell me Russian was hard!? At any rate we are enjoying class despite its difficulty and working thought it. We haven't had a lot of time to write the last couple weeks. But we will be emailing you all a newsletter soon.

In Christ,
Jon (my new name is Dimitri Johanviech Gainer and Jenny is Jyanna Davidavnya Gainer)

Dessert Night was so Sweet!!!!

2009-05-03T21:38:00.003-05:00

Tonight we had a "Dessert Night"/Presentation at Mount Pulaski Christian Church. It was wonderful! We feel so loved! From everyone who brought desserts, to the people that came, to the people that helped clean it all up, there was no task left undone! We were excited to see how many people were there to support us. A special thank you goes out to Michelle and Randy, Cindy, Glenda, Carol and everyone who brought desserts. Thanks for making our Dessert Night such a sweet success!

A crazy month ahead!

2009-04-28T09:10:00.003-05:00

As we approach May, our calendar is getting more and more crazy! Jon is preaching on May 3rd, and we have a dessert night/presentation that night. May 6-9th we are having a HUGE garage sale. May 8th the praise team at MPCC are having a going-away party for us. May 15th there is a "trivia night" fundraiser for us at BCC. May 16th and 17th we will be packing up the remainder of our belongings, and on May 18th we will be moving back to the Quad Cities! Once we are in the Quad Cities, we will begin living on the support that we have raised to this point. We are so thankful for all of you that have committed to support us. However, we are still a long way from our goal! We currently have about 43% of our monthly support raised, but we are still looking for people who are willing to team with us! Would you please prayerfully consider how you can become part of our team? Thanks! We love you!

God is SO GOOD!!!!!

2009-04-21T13:36:00.003-05:00

As we get closer to getting ready to go to language school for the summer, we are getting a little more nervous. But just when we start to feel unsure about God's plan for us, He makes it clear that He has everything under control, and that He will provide for our every need.

A little while ago, we wrote about how God had blessed us with a place to live while we attend language school in South Carolina. Now we are so excited to be able to say that God has also supplied us with a place to live for our first year in Ukraine! When Jon and I went to Ukraine in the spring of 2008, we stayed with another missionary couple from the US. They will be leaving Ukraine in June 2009 for their furlow, and are going to let us stay in their 3 bedroom apartment while they are gone! They will not return to Ukraine until August 2010, so our first year of housing is covered!

This is wonderful in so many ways. First of all, when we arrive in Ukraine, we will have 10-15 suitcases and 3 tired boys. Since most people in Ukraine live in 1-2 bedroom apartments, I was a little concerned that we would have to move in with someone else while we looked for our own place. Second, because the apartment we will be living in is fully furnished, we won't have to worry about buying everything right when we get there, and will have a little more time to be able to scope out where we can get the best deals on stuff. And thirdly, we will have some time to figure out where would be the best place for us to live for the remainder of our time in Ukraine, and will give us time to fix it up and get our furniture before we actually have to move in.

It is so wonderful how clearly God is speaking to us about his will for us. We thank all of you who have been praying for us. It is very obvious that God is listening!

A great weekend in Fort Wayne, IN

2009-04-06T16:42:00.003-05:00

This last weekend, I had the priviledge to meet one of our vendors and his wife in Fort Wayne, In. Mike owns one of the companies that we buy products from, and he is really excited about what Jon and I are going to be doing in Ukraine. He asked us if we wanted to come to Fort Wayne and stay with him and his wife Diane, and speak at his church. Boy are we glad we said, "Yes"!!!

When you go to stay with someone you have never met before, there is always some uncertainty about how you will get along. Will the conversation be strained or forced? Will you feel wierd? Will they like you? Well, this weekend certainly exceeded my expectations. I felt at home immediately. Diane and Mike were warm, and welcoming, and were very gracious hosts. We talked, we joked, we played with the boys. We had a great time getting to know them, and were very sad when we had to leave. It was amazing how quickly I made a connection, especially to Diane, and it was evident that she felt similar when we both started crying while saying our goodbyes. I am so thankful that God allowed our paths to cross, and can only hope that they will cross again soon.

Thank you Mike and Diane (GiGi) for a wonderful weekend!

Our first goodbyes.....

2009-03-23T07:57:00.003-05:00

This weekend, we had to say the first of many goodbyes to some of our family. My grandfather from Green Bay, and my aunt, uncle and cousins from Michigan were in the Quad Cities this weekend, so the boys and I went up for a belated Christmas gift exchange. We had a great time catching up and just hanging out together, and I honestly didn't even think about the fact that I wouldn't see them again for at least 2 years. Then, it came time for us to leave. I was surprised at how quickly the feeling hit me. How all at once, I was overcome by sadness and how I wanted those hugs to last just a few seconds more. I know that it is going to be a hard couple of months for us as we say our goodbyes to all of our friends and family. But, we are also growing increasingly excited to see what God has in store for us in Ukraine. Thank you to all of you for all of your love and support to us over the last couple of years. The fact that we are sad when we have to say goodbye just means that you all have a special place in our hearts, and that we love you.

A great day in Athens!

2009-03-03T13:53:00.004-06:00

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to Shane and Lorna Baker and Athens Christian Church. We have been friends with Shane and Lorna since Shane was a Youth Pastor at Bettendorf Christian Church. Shortly before we moved to Lincoln, Shane and Lorna moved to Athens, IL which is only 20 minutes from Lincoln! Because of our friendship with the Bakers, Jon was able to preach at the Sunday night service at Athens Christian Church. We also set up a table filled with brochures, magnets and newsletters giving people more information about our family and our mission. We were astounded by how many people already knew about us! Everyone was so friendly and welcoming, and we really felt at home and loved. And a special "THANK YOU!!!" goes out to Shane and Lorna who made this opportunity possible. We had a great time hanging out with you guys and playing Wii Rock Band! We hope that we will be able to get together again before we leave, but until then we will continue to thank God for your kindness, hospitality and friendship.

Isaac is 2!!!!!

2009-02-25T16:27:00.005-06:00

Wow! Our baby boy is 2 today! It is amazing how fast time flies. I can still remember the morning we found out miracle #3 was on the way. We were a little surprised to say the least, but wouldn't trade Isaac in for the world! As crazy as it is to think about Isaac already being 2, it is just as crazy to think about all of the other things that have happened over the last 2 years.

In the last 2 years, we:

Switched Jon from traditional classes, to the LincUp program.
Had a beautiful baby boy!
Were blessed with a bigger place to live for less money.
Were accepted to our sending organization, KontaktMissionUSA.
Started learning Russian.
Sent Alex to preschool.
Started babysitting Aidan.
Made a lot of new friends at Mt. Pulaski Christian Church.
Jon was elected to be the Deacon of Missions at MPCC.
Visited Germany and Ukraine. (After Jenny's passport problems!!!)
Decided that it is definitely God's will for us to go to Ukraine.
Have done lots of presentations.
Have made lots of phone calls.
Have sent out LOTS of letters and newsletters.
Have learned how to Facebook and Blog!
Have learned to trust and rely on God through it all.

The last 2 years have been a whirlwind, but we have learned so much about ourselves and God in the process! We are thankful for every minute, and look forward to what exciting things the next 2 years hold!

Open Doors

2009-02-19T07:14:00.003-06:00

Throughout this whole process, we have asked God to make it very obvious what He wants us to do by opening and shutting all the right doors.

Yesterday, God definitely opened a door. We have been wondering where we might be living when we go down to Columbia, S.C. for our Russian Language School. Well, yesterday we received an e-mail from a young couple who currently rent a house, that are looking for someone to sublet it while they are gone for the summer. It is directly across the street from the Russian Language Institute, and it is completely furnished! Literally all we have to bring with us is clothes for 8 weeks, and toys for the boys! What an amazing blessing!

I think that God opens and shuts doors in all of our lives all the time. The question is, do we gladly walk through the open ones and accept the closed ones? Or do we shut the ones that are openned for us while we try to pry open the closed ones? Only God knows what He has planned for our lives. And our lives will be a lot easier if we just follow Him, and the open and shut doors.

Boring Christians

2009-02-18T07:38:00.002-06:00

I was doing some reading this morning and came across a great quote from Howard Hendricks that I thought I would pass on to you all. Hendricks stated, "If you are going to bore people, don't bore them with the Gospel. Bore them with calculus, bore them with earth science, bore them with the world history. But is is a sin to bore people with the Gospel."

For most of my teenage years I thought the Bible was boring, and unapplicable to real life. As I've grown in my faith and matured in my walk, I've found just the opposite is true. I think it's important that we live lives that show that a relationship with Christ makes a difference. Here's a question that always gets me, if I didn't tell people I was a follower of Christ, would they know by my life? Further more, if they didn't know by my life I was a follower, what or who would they say I was a follower of? We need to be more than nice people.

-Jon

2009-02-16T10:42:00.002-06:00

This weekend was another fun filled weekend for the Gainer family. The boys had chili dogs for the first time and floats. It was quite the gourmet meal. We also had a great Saturday night at our churches Valentine Day banquet and a encouraging presentation with a small group of friends from Jefferson Street Christian Church. We took some fun photos of our floats night.

Welcome

2009-01-22T11:53:00.000-06:00

Welcome to five4one.org 's blog, affectionately known as Gainerville. We welcome your comments, thoughts, and prayers; they are of great encouragement to us. Feel free to enjoy our photos, videos, and stories. We encourage you to share them with friends and family.

Thank you for visiting.

The Gainer Family