In a few short months we will have been in Ukraine two years. Do we miss Canada? Yes. Are we in the right place? Yes. And when you’re in the right place, everything else tends to line up as well; happiness, fulfillment, and fruitfulness. We just need to chase away the vultures.

In Genesis 15, God asked Abram to bring a few animals as a sign of the covenant he would make with him. This was one of Abram’s acts of obedience before God. It was a sign of his trust in what God would later do through him. As Abram slaughtered these animals and placed them the way God had asked, the birds of prey began to circle around the carcasses. Abram was naturally annoyed at the disturbance and so proceeded to bat away those that had the audacity to try and pick at his offering.

Isn’t it like that with us? We have it in our hearts to do something great for God and we offer ourselves up as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—a spiritual act of worship. Yet, all these natural feelings, human situations, let’s call them “unholy” vultures come around to try and pick at our act of worship.

Well, vultures will be vultures and our human lives cannot be rid of those pesky feelings. Why would we want to? God created all of who we are and declared it good. The beauty of the scenario is that we have the ability to be obedient to God as an act of worship despite contradicting circumstances and feelings. And that’s when true happiness, fulfillment, and fruitfulness come. So, if you understood any of this, keep chasing away the vultures in your life too!

This month we have a few pictures and videos (www.lasantes.com) from some of the activities we were involved in: Christmas programs at orphanages, caroling, choir music at church, and of course lots of teaching. I was reminded recently that we don’t often put in any pictures or videos of us while we are teaching or preaching... an oversight I guess since that’s what we spend most of our time doing.

Please continue to pray for...

 The budget of the college. The winter is cold and expensive. Although we are doing all we can to help thanks to your faithfulness in supporting this ministry, getting through another budget year is always a challenge (speaking of vultures!)

 Our graduates this year. We want to follow a few more of our students and support their ministries until they establish themselves. Pray that God would lead us in this endeavour.

 LTSonline. We are still working on broadcasting our Bible School training on the internet in a unique way. Pray that all the details of getting this project going would line up according to plan.

Thanks again for keeping up the interest in what we are doing. Ministry training is by nature a long term project. And certainly the most fruitful in the end.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you too,

Paul & Joanna Lasanté