Here is a post specifically for my mother in law, who I affectionately call Mama.

This is Michail and I with Mama, in front of our house.

Today we took a nice 30 minute walk to her house to help her with translation for a service technician who was doing some measuring. Mama is getting a new AC unit this Friday. Her old one broke almost a month ago, and she has weathered the heat all this time.  I am so proud of her. She is a very spiritually and physically strong, Russian woman, who has a passion for God, and loves her children so much. She cares about their souls, like any good mother would. I have seen her weep, and take on loads of stress for those who she may see to be wandering.

I am so blessed that she has accepted me into the Bantseev family with open arms! I love her so much, and its special that she lives only 5 minutes away (driving distance), and we can pop in anytime we want to visit. Like any good Russian, she always has some good food to offer.

Today we had fried salmon, and fresh garden veggies with hummus for supper at her house, quite unexpected too! She was careful to bless us even though she was very obviously exhausted herself today.

Mama Nela - ya loobloo teba, dorogaya!

P.S. My biggest challenge that I cannot afford to put off any longer, is to learn the Russian language. I so want to just sit down and have a heart to heart talk in a language we can both speak fluently!

Wow. Today was a full day. This morning, after helping Michail with his morning routine before the caregiver arrived at 6am, I began my day in the garden. I gave the veggies a good drink, and enjoyed the morning's cool air. Next I prepared our breakfast, which was a hearty raw cereal with banana milk.







Cereal
1/2 C. raw, old fashioned oats, ground to flour consistancy
1/2 C. almonds, ground to almost flour consistancy
1 diced Granny Smith apple (or coarsely chopped in blender is faster!)
1/2 C. unsweetened, shredded coconut
1 T. ground flax seed
1/2 C. raisins
1 t. cinnamon

Grind oats and nuts in an electric coffee grinder - works great! Combine all ingredients.

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Banana Milk
1 banana
1 C. water
1 t. pure vanilla extract
handful almonds

Throw all ingredients in blender, blend on High until smooth. Milk will be thick. Add more water if desired to thin.

Mix into cereal and enjoy. This keeps in the fridge as well - it just gets thicker as the liquid absorbs. We ran errands today and took the rest along - it was a great snack + filler food!


By 7am, my husband was up and ready to start the morning. He made some phone calls, and then we sat down to eat - double time. We spent some time in prayer, and read the scriptures as we ate our breakfast! This morning we were reading in the book of 1 John. It was so awesome what we discovered! We underlined many verses that took on new meaning this morning!  1 John 3:22 was one that we had to stop and say "wow".

And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

What are God's commandments? In the Bible, remember that God made a covenant with His people Israel. He showed them how to live holy, set apart lives, to reflect His image. Yahweh gave them commandments on Mt. Sinai, and laid out explicitly how to walk in His ways.  He showed them the blessings of obedience, and the consequences/curses of disobedience. He said to "Be holy as I am holy"(Lev.11:44).

I was so astounded by the simplicity of this verse this morning. As the children of the Most High, He will give us whatever we ask, as we are faithful to be obedient to the covenant that He made with us.

Another verse, 1 John 3:24 siad this:

Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

In John 15, Yeshua said to "Abide in Me.." By keeping His commandments, we are abiding in Him, and He is abiding in us. (Abide - "to remain as one")


After we had our breakfast, we headed out to have a nice 1/2-hour walk in the air that had grown rather muggy and warm already by 9am. On our way home we stopped at the grocery store! We made it home in enough time to get cleaned up and get ready to head out the door for my doctor appointment. Today I had a 6-month follow up appointment with my oncologist here in London. I felt like we were running late, but, as Michail always likes to say, we are always "right on schedule".  We arrived at the appointment with 1 minute to spare :)
As I always feel when I enter the Cancer Clinic, I again had the sensing that I don't belong here. God has healed me of cancer, and yet in a strange way, I feel a link with all the people that fill the chairs of the waiting room. Bald heads, head scarves, frail, elderly people. In my heart is a cry, and a desire to help them all. I want to tell them all that there is hope..that cancer does not have to be a death sentence.  As I waited for the doctor, I had a lingering hope in my heart. I know my healing has been real. I knew there would be a good report today. Soon I will celebrate 2 years of being cancer free. Praise Yahweh! He has done it.

After the appointment, our day continued to race on, but ended in a quiet Shabbat dinner...just the two of us with our candles lit, and our hearts grateful for our Father and His bountiful supply in our lives.



Learning to walk

This verse has inspired me this week.  I have been meditating on it for a few days since it popped out to me while reading.
Psalm 32:8
    "I will instruct and teach you in this way that you are to go; I will give you counsel; my eyes will be watching you."

What is this way that I am to go?   I believe that scripture interprets scripture.  "Followers of the Way" was the title given to early converts to Messianic Judaism in the book of Acts (22:4). 
"I persecuted to death the followers of this Way, arresting both men and women and throwing them in prison."  -Paul
These believers were Jews or former Gentiles who chose to place their trust in Yeshua as their Messiah (Savior, Anointed One). 

In my understanding ( I have so much more to learn!), I believe that this Way started in the beginning of the scriptures where Yahweh gave instruction (or the Torah) to His people Israel.  Written clearly in the Torah (the first five books of the scriptures) is the way that Yahweh would have His people to walk.  I have been learning so much lately how the Torah is a revelation or representation of God's character. 
"For I am Yahweh your God; therefore, consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am holy..." Leviticus 11:44
When He says to be holy as I am holy, He has already shown His people how.  He gave instruction on how to dress, how to behave, how to grow crops, how to eat, how to be pure and holy before Him, etc. I feel like I am seeing with new eyes, and I am so excited to get to know the God of Avraham, Yitzak, and Ya'acov in a deeper, richer way than I have ever known. This God of Israel is the same God today as He was in the desert with the children of Israel. He does not change.  His ways do not change.  His commandments to His people, whether Jews or grafted-in former Gentiles, do not change.
"But because I, Yahweh, do not change, you sons of Ya'akov will not be destroyed. Malachi 3:6
 I am learning how full and rich my life can really be as I follow God in obedience, and walk in the example of Yeshua my Messiah. 


Michail and I are approaching our first year wedding anniversary on August 2, and I almost can't believe it! The time has really flown by, and we have had quite a year of learning and growing together.  I have learned so much about Michail and grown more accustomed to his needs and how to adjust to the many changes in life relating to being married to a dependent but very independent husband.  We have faced many challenges together this first year, including an operation for removing my wisdom teeth, putting together the necessary paperwork to begin the process of my immigration to Canada, facing financial hurdles (and learning to trust God more!), making big decisions together, and much more.
I cannot express how blessed we have been this year. God has over, above and beyond exceeded our expectations as we have traveled on this journey together so far.  Michail and I have learned the importance of keeping our relationship priority, and even above that, protecting our personal and mutual relationship with God.  We have come to experience in a greater way the need for more of God's Spirit in our lives. The Spirit is what empowers us to do God's will, and be obedient to Him.  Together we have sought God's face, and cried out on behalf of our families and many friends in need.  As we pray, we are drawn closer to God's heart, and we begin more and more to share His burdens, His desires. 

I am looking ahead with joy to all that our Father has in store for us, though at the same time with sobriety, as I know the days are evil.  I want to be on my guard and not to be found lacking when times get hard, as I know they will.  I want to be always ready to give an answer to those who ask me a reason for the hope that is in me.