Going Stateside To Receive A Blessing

by Andy Langeland
Co-Director of OPERATION LAZARUS

For Jaimee Joye and me it is always very exciting to travel. We love seeing new places as well as the daily adventures that come with living in a developing nation such as Ukraine. However, as much as we love to explore and live abroad, we also love to come home! Those of you that have traveled abroad can agree with me I’m sure, there is no place like the United States of America! Dr. Pepper, Mexican food and other creature comforts aside, we are very excited to be reunited with our dog, friends and family in Southern California. We are also looking forward to the opportunity to see all of you, our friends and family in the various parts of the United States over the next 7 months. We already have our tickets purchased for our return to Ukraine in March 2010, and with many plans already made it seems like our time here is so short!

Jaimee Joye and I are expecting our first child (a girl) on September 17. For all of our jet-setting, this is definitely uncharted waters for us! We are very excited of course, and have been preparing everything we can before the baby’s arrival. Jaimee is a real trooper and has slowed her usual activities very little. We have been actively working with youth for about 7 years now and it will be quite a shift from filling a parental roll with teenagers to parenting a newborn! Please pray for us to figure it out in a hurry! (ok, I already know Jaimee will be a natural, I’m actually just talking about myself!!)

Our plans for this winter remain the same as the past two years, traveling around the United States sharing about our work in Ukraine and the plight of orphan children. Last year we filled our time with speaking engagements and needed more calendar time in order to branch out and speak in any new locales and make new connections with additional supporters. This year we will devote October and November to that task. Please pray for the Lord to bring us new connections and an abundance of speaking opportunities! You can also help in this by inviting us to your group. We LOVE to share about our work as well as inspire others to do something meaningful with their lives! If you would like to have us share at your church, youth, school or home group or know someone else who can – drop us a line! Andy@operationlazarus.com or Jaimee@operationlazarus.com

Our newest venture is a side business in photography. For those of you who may not be aware, I have acquired an affinity for photography over the last few years to the point that it would be a waste not to use this skill as a supplemental income-earner. Jaimee and I live on a very thin monthly budget of fundraised support and with the addition of our first child this budget seems even thinner. There is plenty of Biblical support for missionaries raising part or all of their funds through a side business, as you know even the Apostle Paul supported his missionary jouneys through tent making! And we would be excited to be able to put more of our fundraised monies toward projects while not being dependent on fundraising for our own basic needs. If you or anyone you know needs photographic services in California (or anywhere really!) please visit our webpage www.paradigmphotographyoc.com to see a sample of some of our recent work! You can have beautiful wedding photograpy and support a missionary at the same time! Thank you for spreading the word!!!