Long Day’s Journey into Night.
I know this update has been a long time coming, and I’m grateful for your patience.
This past year has been a hard one for me, especially with my health and finances. Even in the middle of those challenges, God was so kind to provide a new opportunity for me to return to work with Timofey. I truly love working with him, and I’m deeply grateful for the work I get to do. In late summer 2025, God blessed me by bringing me back to a job and a team I love. My health challenges, however, continued into 2026. From March 2025 through January 2026, I dealt with recurring ear infections. I eventually had two surgeries to clear the infection from my mastoid bone and completed four weeks of IV antibiotics. By God’s grace, the infection was finally defeated.
More recently, a sleep study showed that I have severe sleep apnea—the worst my ENT has ever seen. On June 9, I will have two procedures: a hyoid suspension and a uvulopalatopharyngoplasty. I had hoped to spend this summer in Ukraine, but God seems to be gently redirecting me toward a season of healing and restoration. During the months of ear infections, I became much more sedentary and gained weight. My hope is to use this surgery as a turning point—to begin caring for my health more intentionally through better eating and more movement. I have been tired and, at times, discouraged, but I am trusting God to meet me in this season.
My ENT believes my hearing loss may be caused by an autoimmune disease. These conditions can be difficult to diagnose, and treatment typically involves suppressing the immune system. He advised against that approach because my body does not produce staph antibodies, and I frequently develop staph-related infections, including MRSA and scarlet fever. He thought I might be a good candidate for cochlear implants, so I completed a two-hour hearing test. In a soundproof room, I recognized 87% of the words, but when background noise was added, I could not recognize any. I was told my hearing is not poor enough to qualify for implants and was instead diagnosed with auditory processing disorder. That diagnosis felt like another out-of-pocket label. I left feeling discouraged and defeated; I do not need another disorder.
“If at times I tried to forget all this, oh how harshly was I flung back by the doubly sad experience of my bad hearing. Yet it was impossible for me to say to people, ‘Speak louder, shout, for I am deaf”
In late 2025, God began stirring an idea that had been tucked in my heart for far too long. A close friend shared how difficult it had been to find suitable housing for their disabled young adult daughter, and God used their story to bring my own long-held ideas about housing back to the surface. I started writing them down and sharing them with Timofey. We were excited. It felt like God was moving. Then, almost immediately, spiritual attacks came from many directions—relationships, health, finances, and mental health. The more those ideas began to take shape as real plans and strategies, the more intense the attacks seemed to become. Out of the burden of my friend’s housing search, The Neighborhood began to take shape.
Timofey (SALT Movement) and I are now partnering to launch The Neighborhood in a village in Ukraine. This village is already helping change the culture by serving its neighbors well. At its heart, The Neighborhood is about living out Jesus’ call to love our neighbors. It will be a community of belonging where people with various disabilities are encouraged to thrive and live as independently as possible, because with God, all things are possible. My prayer is that it will be a place where grace lives, gratitude grows, and generosity builds something lasting.
I also reached out to SEED’s (a luxury design-build company in the Washington, DC area) Ukrainian design team about partnering on this project. The head of the design team was immediately excited and said, “This is an important project!” I shared the initial layout with her, and in a very short time, she sent me the first-floor plan. Seeing it on paper was such an encouragement. In April 2025, I had the opportunity to speak about The Neighborhood at Key Ministry’s Disability and the Church 2026. The response was incredibly encouraging. During the conference, I handed out paper houses as a simple way to invite people to share in the vision and pray for this project.
Ministry Update:
The Neighborhood: Living Out Loving Your Neighbor through a Culture of Grace, Gratitude, and Generosity
Belonging means having a place to thrive in community. I would love for you to partner with us as we build a dream that is truly impossible without Jesus. For many people with disabilities, finding accessible, supportive housing is one of the greatest challenges of adulthood. I believe churches, private enterprises, and public sectors can come together to provide housing that encourages independence within a caring, sheltered community. If you would like more information, please email me at linda@abnormalmissionary.org. To connect or donate, visit abnormalmissionary.org.
Next ministry travel dates: October 1–2 in Nashville, TN; October 15–16 in Jacksonville, FL; and November 12–13 in Phoenix, AZ, Europe: Latvia, Germany, Poland, and Ukraine TBD.
Would you please pray with me for God’s provision, open hearts, and the funds needed for travel?
“As each one has received a gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God—”
Special Fundraising Request
I’m writing with a grateful heart and trust in God’s provision to share a personal ministry need. My laptop is nearly 10 years old and no longer reliable, and I am prayerfully raising funds for a new one to continue mission work.
This laptop would help me serve the Lord more effectively in practical, daily ways—preparing ministry materials, communicating with partners, staying connected with fellow harvesters, sharing photographs with those I serve, and photographs that tell the story of what God is doing.
I am praying to raise $2500 for a dependable laptop. If you feel led to give, any amount would mean so much to me and would directly support the work God has placed before me.
If you are not able to give right now, I would be truly grateful for your prayers and for sharing this need with someone who may want to partner in this work.
Thank you for taking time to read this and prayerfully consider helping. Your kindness, encouragement, and generosity are a blessing to me and help me continue serving others with the love and message of Christ.