Help to Renew Ukraine

For a very restful week in Kyiv

PRAISE For a very restful week in Kyiv reminiscing about our 33 years living in Ukraine, enjoying walks in the parks, sermons on the computer, no pressure to get up in the mornings! It was very refreshing in body, soul and spirit. Out of the window of our hotel we could see what used to be the Lenin Museum the first year we lived in Kyiv (building on the right). As soon as freedom came, his statue was torn down (as it was all over the country) and the building has served different purposes through the years. Up in the distance you will see golden cupolas which belong to St Michael’s cathedral. That was totally destroyed under communism and in a few years time after Ukraine’s independence was reconstructed according to the original. For a new financial assistant! What a gift from God. The work is growing and Maria has been bearing the whole load. We began to feel the need of bringing someone else in so that if anything happens to her life can go on! And she won’t feel the stress. Ben is 21 and studying for his Master’s in economics. And we have known his family from before he was born! For an incredibly beautiful and mild September! It has been in the mid or upper 70’s all month. Meaningful for people all across Ukraine and the men fighting as far as physical warmth and comfort is concerned. We have usually turned our furnace on in September. For the season when many churches celebrate Thanksgiving Day or Harvest Day and some of our Centers of Hope are participating in that right now. One of them near the city of Dnipro had 60 unchurched people they shared a meal with and the goodness of God. PRAY For Maria, one of our very faithful workers, who is now in Germany visiting her husband who has been there for several months receiving treatment for cancer. A difficult separation. We are so happy she can finally go. For the next workshop taking place Oct. 2-4. The workshop will be divided between honing preaching skills (or just learning some!) and discipling new believers. Most of the Center of Hope leaders are just willing people who want to serve the Lord and reach people. So experience is on the low end. Abe and Vera are seeking to help them move from Centers of Hope to church bodies. Not traditional churches, but churches who are community focused. For meeting present financial needs. The cost of living has increased almost 30% over the last year. Usually we can stay astride these things because it is a matter of Ukrainian currency losing value. But we are seeing the increases personally also. So we need to increase salaries and funds for workers, and need wisdom to do it wisely. For the people of Ukraine as we enter another season going into winter with no cessation of hostilities. People are fearful and worried. Soldiers on the front lines are disheartened as they watch their fellow soldiers fall and see little progress in taking back territory. Russia is again targeting infrastructure across the country. Even when we were in Kyiv Abe heard explosions in the early morning, which turned out to be missiles/drones being shot down. That ALSO produces damage with people injured etc. And our neighbors told us a drone had flown overhead visible from our street while we were gone. Our son-in-law Daniel recently took a trip to look at the situation near the front. If you have that interest the link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGriIjGvQ20 The latest hero in this war is Roman Kornichuk, a well-known believer in our city, leader of a platoon, serving in the war since February. 35 years old. As I write this believers are gathering at one of the churches for a memorial service for him. He was also a pastor’s son. It isn’t numbers. It’s individuals, real people who are giving their lives for their country. Yes, often our hearts ache. All you want is for it to all be over so that life can go on. But when it is over—life will never be the same for millions of people. Some will not return to Ukraine. Others are maimed or a son or father or husband or brother is missing. Destruction that is unimaginable in the east. At the same time, life does go on. Children still laugh. Young people are still getting married. Babies are still being born. Our comfort is in the Lord. I encourage you not to grow weary in praying for these requests, all of which are centered around the need in Ukraine. Yes, it’s hard to persevere when we don’t see answers. But God does hear. He is listening. Your prayers are valuable to Him. They do make a difference for eternity. Our hope IS in the Lord.

14 Sep

The conference last week was very blessed

PRAISE The conference last week was very blessed. Abe felt that God moved in the hearts of many people and that there will be long term benefits, not just in the Centers of Hope, but in churches who are seeking better ways to reach their communities and youth. Thank you so much for praying! Attendance was good, but not as large as what Abe had hoped. But then, that is always the desire, to see more people participating. Praise God for the people who took the time to both learn and be blessed. And God was taking care of things we didn’t even know about. Abe’s laptop looked like it was cracking open even though he hadn’t dropped it or banged it. He asked our tech guy to look at it right after the conference. Of all things—the battery was swollen—and with that the potential of exploding!! But it held together and now a new battery has been installed. (Rather old for a laptop, going back to 2016 or 17.) We receive many testimonies of people whose lives have been touched by Abe down through the years. One man came to him not long ago and said he heard Abe speak back in the early 90’s and it moved his heart and he responded to God’s call to plant a church which now has over 200 members. It isn’t Abe. It is God. And that is what we are looking for now during all of these sessions and the people who come. For God, His Holy Spirit, to use our limited human efforts to speak and give direction and encouragement and ideas to prosper God’s Kingdom! PRAYER Right now Abe and I are taking another week of vacation (well, most of the time!) before the responsibilities of the autumn really press in. But Abe and Vera know that the direction now is for most of the leaders to back off of evangelism and focus on discipling the new believers. There is a nursery full of them! But babies need care. Without that they will not thrive, and some might not even survive. So pray for Abe and Vera both as they plan and focus on this area. And pray for these new believers to become thriving lovers of Jesus, growing and maturing. Pray for the believers in Russia. Abe spent so many years training leaders there and working with them. One of the former presidents of the Baptist Union, whom Abe knows well and worked under and admired as a very Godly man, has been forced to flee Russia. He has been outspoken against the war with Ukraine from the beginning. You can read the full article if you desire at: https://www2.cbn.com/news/world/exclusive-prominent-christian-pastor-narrowly-escapes-russia-hunted-opposing-war-ukraine

28 Aug

Natalia and Leonid had a beautiful Silver Anniversary

PRAISE Natalia and Leonid had a beautiful Silver Anniversary celebration on the 16th. Natalia thanked us again on Sunday for coming and for all Abe did and prepared to make it a special celebration. The picture shows them with their 4 children and Abe doing an adaptation of the unity candle, including the children. They also repeated vows for their commitment to each other and took communion together. Every part a meaningful aspect of what marriage is about with Christ in the center. There were a number of refugees and unchurched people there whom they minister to regularly. While we were enjoying our week of vacation in Kyiv, friends came to stay at our house again, just to have a break from their difficult living circumstance. And they took advantage of the opportunity to have some refugees in for a Sunday meal. So many people taking opportunities to touch lives during the ongoing stress of war. And what joy! We went to our own church this past Sunday for the first time since my surgery! We moved down to the very front as it is a very large auditorium and in the middle where we usually sit I can no longer read from the screen. But I could participate again and it was wonderful. Nothing like fellowship with God’s people! I’m basically working fully on my computer now with a few adaptations to suit my present vision. But…it’s good to process almost all 200 emails that have been piling up!!!! PRAYER I will just give you one pressing prayer request. Abe has a huge meeting coming up next week September 4-6. He is expecting and hoping for 200 people or more, but we just found out that the center where he always has the meetings have another group coming in at the same time. So they only have place to sleep 100 people! We already have 130 registered plus our own team which will be double in size this time because of the extensive presentations he will be making. Vera is diligently combing the city to find other accommodations. The meetings are in Irpin just outside of Kyiv—a city that was bombed at the beginning of the war. It is a large city but many businesses are closed because so many people left. Pray that God will open up options. It means that the cost of the whole conference will also increase considerably, but…we just need to find lodging. And pray for all the final preparations this week which includes finalizing many things and printing a large amount of materials. Some of this has been on hold as we and others took vacation time. Your prayers are valuable—and effective. Don’t ever doubt that. Our hearts are often lifted up by the knowledge of the prayer community that surrounds us.

14 Aug

EYES. Yes, thank you for praying

PRAISE EYES. Yes, thank you for praying. My left eye continues to improve and from the sight I now have it is obvious that it will be better than in my right eye. Still a ways to go, but that’s okay. God is good. REST. We have already been able to make a couple short breaks here and there keeping the work flow down to necessities, and it has been very good. We leave tomorrow for a whole week of vacation and really look forward to that! This time to Kyiv. It has been a long time since we have done more than pass through. (Even though I talk about Abe’s meetings in Kyiv, that is for simplicity sake. He actually meets with people in a neighboring city where the Baptist Union has it’s headquarters.) We are so grateful for this opportunity. PRAYER Pray for our friends, Leonid and Natalia, who are celebrating their 25th anniversary today. We have known them just a few months short of those 25 years as they applied to become missionaries serving in Russia with us. They served there for about 9 years and then returned to Ukraine and took a pastoral role in the church we attend here. Now they are deeply involved reaching out to the refugees in our city, holding Bible studies with them, inviting them to meals. And this anniversary even will actually include a large number of refugees in a hope of touching their hearts again for the Lord. About 20 couples will be there, plus others, all people they have an active relationship with. What a beautiful thing to do! And Abe will be speaking and participating in the celebration. Pray that people will see the beauty there is in a faithful marriage with Christ in the center. And pray for the Center of Hope ministries. The work goes on. This time I will include a few pictures just so you can “feel” people. Providing physical bread Transforming communities CENTERS OF HOPE—Reaching communities for Christ. Bringing transformation inside and out. Reaching Kids Feeding the spiritually hungry! The war seems endless to us and discouraging when we concentrate on the physical, material, economic devastation, but God wants to do great things. As you pray, be assured those prayers are not lost. One of the most difficult things for us to grab hold of in intercessory prayer is the fact that it doesn’t appear to be doing anything. We want to make something, do something that we can see. The hardest thing to get past when trying to understand intercessory prayer is that it somehow seems we aren’t doing anything. Most of us want to do something for God. The Scriptures teach us something amazing about the activity of intercessory prayer. Remember Moses holding up his arms during the battle with the Amalekites? He wasn’t down there fighting, but he was interceding. What an old man does with his arms on top of the mountain shouldn’t have any effect on the battle in the valley below. But it does in the kingdom of God. And what you do sitting in your homes and churches while praying for the needs in Ukraine shouldn’t seem to have any effect logically, but it does in the kingdom of God. Father, help me to trust that when I intercede on behalf of Your plans and purposes, You are moving in power. Let me continually be aware that this will always be the most effective “doing” I can engage in throughout my life. (Thoughts from Harvest Ministries)

31 Jul

Eyes! The doctor thinks all is well with my eyes

PRAISE Eyes! The doctor thinks all is well with my eyes. Probably more importantly, I am regaining vision now. Still have a bubble running around in there! Just a smaller one. But it is good to feel like there is progress. Abe and Vera made a 3-day trip visiting about half of the Centers of Hope. They had safety on the road, traveling hundreds of miles, leaving from Kyiv at 9 AM on Friday and Abe returned home last night at midnight. Many good reports. Some struggles of course. And the hours of sitting in the car with someone else driving gave them lots of time to plan for the fall. PRAYER Pray for the Center of Hope husband and wife teams. There can be a lot of stresses and figuring out the balancing of family and ministry. Pray that the Lord will protect these marriages and help them be sensitive to each other and not just overcome with the needs around them. Pray specifically for Dennis and Nadia. They just got married recently and work with another couple. There seem to be some frictions. At a later time I will share some of the challenges that our leaders face. But all of them are either working on a team or trying to build a team. We each have individual gifts so teams are essential if you want a Center to actually become a functioning church. But a lot of grace and communication and overcoming of differences has to happen along the way. Pray as invitations begin to go out for the upcoming workshop the beginning of September. Abe will be presenting ideas and actual prototypes for having worship services and sermons that will speak to the unchurched and the “smartphone” generation. This will be open to all church leaders in the Baptist Union, not just our CofH workers. There is a possibility of 200 or more people attending. There is such a need for our churches to be able to connect people with a living, caring God who wants to have a relationship—as opposed to joining a “club” hoping that will give them an inside track to God!! Pray for God to open hearts to come and hear new ideas. Pray for spiritual leaders to be burdened for our suffering people who feel lost with life turned upside down. How desperately people need hope—eternal hope. The hope you and I often take for granted. Rom 10:14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? NLT

23 Jul

People continue to be saved and baptized

PRAISE People continue to be saved and baptized. Because of my eyes I can’t read all that is recorded but this past Sunday 4 people (those with the flowers) were baptized in a Center of Hope in Dnipropetrovsk province. Praise God! Abe received the following note from a young man who attending training in evangelism and church planting before the war began. Brother Abraham,Thank you so much for the time when we were together in Ukraine at your Bible education gathering. I am now living in Latvia where I have helped to start a new Ukrainian church and I am using the information I learned from you to reach other Ukrainians for Christ. You had given me so much information, and today I am able to use it to bless others! It is a very big blessing to me and to others in Latvia. Your ministry is very important and continues to make an impact around the world. Blessings to you in Christ's name!David from East Ukraine, Donetsk region And here is a picture of a dear brother who has also trained with Abe earlier in evangelism etc. He is someone who exudes joy in Christ. He was a soldier on the front and lost his arm months ago. Here he is, still smiling, still going on. “Glory to Jesus Christ!!! Thank you for your prayers, we managed to get a beautiful prosthesis for our brother Volodymyr! Please pray for my brother that the Lord blesses his return to Ukraine and the processing of all further military documents for injuries.” David wrote this message as well.. He was a university student a couple years ago and visiting a mine with a group when there was a terrible accident, and he lost his leg. He and his father had attended monthly sessions very faithfully. Unfortunately, neither the mine nor the government provided much help. But God did! I thought you would rejoice with us in how God is still using some of these men that Abe worked with before the war! PRAYER REQUESTS AND This is a testimony from Dennis who has had a Center of Hope before the war. Using the same principles that Abe uses now except with issues of using and distributing humanitarian aid, helping refugees, and focusing on more troubled areas. “I have been with the military on the front line for the fifth day. In the morning I decided to show the boys Christ in action. I found a tank with a faucet, a wash basin, a shelf, made a drain in the garden, equipped a place for hygiene. Before that, there was just a bottle hanging there. After that, the soldiers listened to the Word of God with pleasure and prayed.” Praise God! Many faithful people are out there trying to minister to soldiers on the front. And why is this under prayer request? Pray for these soldiers who face death daily. Our neighbor lady talked with us and she is worried that her sons who are in their 40’s will be called up. One has a very high job as a programmist. The other one is a businessman. Right now recruiters are going from door to door—at 7 in the morning—and if a man is home he is sent immediately to the registration office. And yes, if you go to the center of our city about 10 or 11 in the morning, you will see a funeral, day after day. The war is real. It drags on. Men die needlessly. But pray that it would not be in vain. That ultimately Ukraine will be free from Russia’s invasion, and more importantly that because of this crisis many people will find peace with God. Jesus doesn’t offer the worldly peace. His peace is eternal.! My eyes. 😊 They are driving me stark raving mad today. Very, very slowly some vision returns but it Is close up vision. It is wiggly vision due to the air bubble in my eye that is supposed to be absorbed. And it is like looking through a magnifying glass. Therefore, my eyes struggle to coordinate and today it is definitely aa no go! Next week I will go back for a checkup, and we will see. Thank you for your prayers! And please forgive me if I’m not responding to emails. Some day….

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