I have had a busy summer with the Mercy Truck ministry at camps, villages and orphanages throughout Ukraine. We traveled from Kyiv to the north of Ukraine, starting with an orphanage only 15 kilometers from the Chernobyl reactor site. From there we drove to Lugansk in the far east, then to Uzhgorod in the farthest west and to many stops in between. Roughly 2,100 miles (3,400 km) of Ukrainian roads,  towns and villages. We were blessed along the way to have only a few set backs, namely two flat tires, and the failure of two compressors and two dental instrument tables.  Along the way we surpassed our 1,000 th patient for our first year! Praise God for all He has provided! We were able to relieve much suffering and provide material blessings to those most in need. God did much in the lives of our team members as well, stretching us like we've never been stretched before, revealing, teaching and growing us along the way. 

Our travels focused on our main objective of children in need at numerous orphanages and orphan camps, a disabled children's center in Mukachevo and a Gypsy village. In addition to the kids, we were also blessed with the opportunity to bring the ministry to a home for the elderly. It was a big change for our team to work on mouths with little to no teeth versus mouths full of "milk teeth."  For more news of the Mercy Truck summer go to: http://www.MercyTrucksUA.org/news

One of my greatest joys was of visiting the Gypsy village of Sabatano. You might remember reading of my outreach there in the summer of 2005. I was amazed to see how the children had grown and that they remembered me. Not everyone was there, Nina and Joseph who I wrote of two years ago had left with their families in search of work somewhere in Western Europe. I was a wonderful visit and a huge blessing for me.

Greg completed his Discipleship Training School with YWAM in Northern Ireland after his outreach in China. After six months away, he joined the family in the US for a short time of rest. To read of Greg's next steps in his missionary journey to go: http://greg.colkerfamily.org

The news from the US where Pam and the kids are on furlough is,  in a word, "blessed." We were blessed with the support needed to make the summer in the states a reality for them. They have been having a wonderful time of rest and relaxation, and have been refueled for their return to Ukraine. During their time kids are enjoying swimming, boating, art classes, the library, horse back riding, friends, family, familiar food and English!

Amid our blessings, we had a short term medical issue with a severely sprained ankle which took Emily off her feet for two weeks, and a long term medical issue with Steven about which we have been praying  and for which we request your prayers.  We'll share specifics when we have a clearer picture of the best plan for treatment. We ask for your prayers of thanksgiving for all God has blessed our ministry with this summer. Thank you for your continued love, prayers and support for our family and our mission. Blessings, Jeff