Just in case you missed it...

*This is the newsletter that was sent out in the mail two weeks ago. So if you missed getting a copy, you can read it here! Thank you all for your love and support over these last 6 months... And I am looking forward to what God has in stored these next 6 months:) 

Radical Feet Ministries

“The Sixth Month Mark Newsletter”

Dear Friends and Family,

Time has gone by so quickly. I can no believe that is has been six months since I first packed my bags and move to L’viv. The time I have spent here so far has been filled with so many adventures, trials, and God’s provisions! I am so excited to share with you through this newsletter some of the stories that have taken place over these past few months; share with you stories of ministry, and also let you in on the things that are to come for me and Radical Feet! 

         First, I would like to start with sharing about this picture shown above. The picture was taken from the top of the L’viv government building that is in the city center. You go through the front doors and mosey your way up to the fourth floor. When you reach that floor you then enter this tiny, tiny stair well and begin to ascend through a clock tower. Yes it is a working clock that chimes loud enough for the whole city to hear, so you can imagine the feeling of panic when you are in this tiny stairwell that homes this huge clock. After the 10 minutes or so it takes to climb all the little stairs in the tower, you finally arrive on a metal platform (not the most sturdiest of places) and a magnificent view welcomes you. It is so amazing, by the time you get to the top, you are out of breath and sweaty, but when you see the panoramic view of the whole city, it makes it all worth it! And while I was taking in the view, I noticed that one of the ledges was marked with “God is Love” and I think that phrase is truly one of the lessons God has been teaching me since arriving to L’viv. The lesson is on Love. What does it really mean to Love? How can I show Love in way that reflects Christ’s love in me? It has been an amazing event to witness as God has challenged me to love more deeply, love so deeply to forgive, to give compassionately and to truly appreciate just how vast is God love for me!  Loving is not always easy, but as followers of Christ we are called to love. 

        Another area of growth for has come from a food ministry through the church I attend. Every other Saturday we meet and distribute bags of food to the homeless, poor and elderly. Many people in L’viv struggle to survive. Food prices rise and their level of income does not. Many who are physically unable to work struggle the most because there is no way for them to increase their income. Their only option is to stand on the streets and beg. Even when the temperatures are below freezing, you will find the elderly and lame singing, begging, selling seeds, ANYTHING, to try and get a few cents from you into their cup. But by giving these bags of food out, we bring hope and conversation. Not many people take the time to talk to these people who may appear dirty or handicapped. Not too many people are willing to listen to a widow’s story, who finds herself all alone. These bags of food mean more then what meets the eye. These bags mean hope, love and conversation. Jesus met people where they were, and he was big on making sure they were fed (fish and bread anyone?) and that is the best way to do missions, one life at a time like Jesus did, and by doing so, you see the difference that one small step can make, just by meeting people on the streets, and taking the time to listen and to love.

    Another part of my normal weekly routine is working with unwanted children. Some kids have parents who just can’t care for them and they attend a boarding school that is government ran, others are completely abandoned and left to be cared in State Orphanages. Both groups of kids are left to be forgotten. And these kids are at the highest risk to becoming a human trafficking statistic. When you feel unloved, abandoned and alone, you will try to find love in unhealthy ways such as prostitution. Or you will try to drown your sorrows in alcohol and drugs. Many of these kids become alcoholics by the age of 12. All because no one says “I love you” to them. So the most important thing I can do here is let every child I meet know that God truly loves them. I cannot protect them from all the evils, but I can teach them to reflect back on the stories they learn from the Bible so that they can face whatever may come their way, and have victory through Christ. That we are here, and that we care for them and want them to grow up and be successful and safe in life. If you support Radical Feet you are supporting these kids. You are letting it be possible to reach out to them and let them know that they have a heavenly father who loves them dearly. You are saving lives, preventing Human Trafficking and helping fight addictions. So thank you from me and from all of them!  

On the note of Human Trafficking- At the end of August I have a trip planned to go and visit a Project Rescue Home in Moldova. It is a home that women who have been rescued from Human Trafficking can live and put their lives back together. I am very excited to see the road this leads too, and ways that I may be able to help make a difference in this world. So please be praying for me and for this mission that helps change so many women’s lives!

Also this summer Radical Feet will have its first summer intern! It is very exciting! We will be doing a lot of children’s outreach programs. We will be working not only in the orphanages but with children on the streets as well.  I hope that you will join me in praying for this summer and for the opportunities that will arise. Hoping to plant many seeds in the hearts of little ones so that they can grow up to have zeal to serve the Lord and make a difference in the lives of those around them! They are the future! SO please pray for the intern, her safety and blessings as she works with us in Ukraine.

  These past six months have been great, but it has not been easy. Mostly since I have been here besides ministry, I was running around trying to get all the documents I needed to be legal in Ukraine. It took three months of crazy, and $1000 dollars, but I am now legal! Praise God. It only took a trip to Poland, where the Ukrainian Consulate took my passport hostage for a ransom-which led to a long conversation with the US Embassy, and that call saved my passport and it was returned to me with a 45 day Visa and I returned to Ukraine. Then I had 45 days to register my visa with the local authorities in L’viv. And it took everyone single one of those days to find all the paperwork that was required. And to end the story, I found myself sitting in a police station, while the police waited for a bribe before they would stamp my registration to make it valid. Four hours of sitting in a dark, unheated corridor, and finally without a bribe, they finally stamped my registration card that ended all the trials of becoming legal. So now I get to carry this white card along with my passport, everywhere I go—Not sure it looks like it is worth the money, but I guess you can’t put a price on serving God where he calls! Thank You again to all of you who came to my aid, and gave extra gifts to help cover the costs!

    I think that that about covers these past few months. I have been blessed and stretched in so many ways! If you have been missing out on these updates, I hope you will check out my blog! There I am posting weekly updates and stories of ministry as well as personal testimonies of what God is teaching me and doing in my life! Also, if you haven’t yet, I have a website that is filled with information and updates as well!             

www.keepupwithchelsey.blogspot.com

www.radicalfeet.weebly.com

    My prayer is that through this newsletter you get a glimpse into all that is taking place here in L’viv. I pray that you see the work that, because of your donations- which allow me to live here- is making a difference. It has been six months now, and to each of you who have given any amount, thank you! I hope to be here another six months and to see even more accomplished for the Kingdom and I can only do that with your help. Your partnership in this ministry is the only way I can stay and serve the people and kids that have been placed in my life.

  One of my biggest needs right now is financial. I lack the monthly support needed to keep the ministry stable. I am still hoping to have the monthly support to rent an apartment. This may seem unnecessary but so many ministries can be done from an apartment of my own. Bible studies and home groups to name a few, but more importantly it can be a place where I can open the door to visitors, maybe even you one day? So please pray about becoming a monthly giver. If you belong to a Bible Study or small group- say a group of ten. *If each person gives ten dollars, then that would pay half a month’s rent, which would be a HUGE blessing for me! If you can’t make a commitment to give monthly, that is okay, any amount, any time, means more to me and this ministry then words can ever express, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart! Without you I cannot be here, so just as much as I am here seeing and doing, so are you! So again THANK YOU!

    If you would like more information on how to give, again, all that information is on my website and blog!  You can also make a donation to Hands On Missions. Hands On Missions is a 501(c) 3 Non Profit Organization out of Shelby NC. All donations sent to HOM are tax deductible and can be made to: 

Hands on Missions
PO Box 279
Shelby, NC 28151
Marked: Chelsey Ledford

There is also now a PayPal option on the website. This donation is just a gift and is not tax deductible, but does offer an easy access to giving.

  “... The world needs to know about this Love, they need healing. But for them to see that Love, they need to see you, exemplifying that love from a meaningful relationship you have with our creator. We are to be radical. Transformed and renewed. We are to be like Jesus. Radical.” –Radical Feet Website.

So I hope this newsletter has blessed you in some way and has given you a glimpse to all that is taking place in L’viv. And I hope that you know how grateful I am to have you in my life, praying for me, supporting me, and networking on my behalf. I love being where God has called me, and I am so thankful you are a part of that call.

May the Lord bless you and keep you, may he make his face shine upon you and give you peace!

In him,

       Chelsey Ledford

PS. Remember to read the blog updates, and to tell your friends about Radical Feet. The more people know and read about the ministry, the wider the network. The wider the network, the more stable the ministry will become through financial blessings! God Bless and remember to live Radically for JesusJ