It has been a long month and yet the time flew by really fast! We surely appreciate all of your prayers for us this past month. The Lord has been good and gracious to us. The transition to Odessa went well and the Lord protected us as we traveled through the areas which were hit by the FLU the most. Mikael behaved well and seemed to enjoy the train ride. We were grateful that Arkadiy’s dad was able to come and help us set up a little bit. He spent two days with us and it was a great help!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Looking Back at November
Reconnecting:
It was wonderful to get back into the routine of ministry yet challenging because there are three of us now and we are all in need of each another. You might recall that as we were leaving we asked you to pray for the people we minister to, to continue to grow and the Lord has answered this prayer in a wonderful way.
After getting back Anneke was able to meet with the girls she serves to as she would take Mikael outside, so she and the girls would walk around the area learning how they can grow in the Lord together. Slowly but surely we met with all of the people we minister to and what a delight it was to hear how they grew in God and got to know Him better. It was a real encouragement to us! We are excited to continue to work with those people the Lord has brought into our lives. They are precious!
Looking Back at November
Weddings and Funerals:
One cultural/historical thing we never shared with you before is that under the USSR pretty much the only mass outreaches were done only at the funerals and weddings. These would be the times when people would be willing to hear about the Lord and not turn the believers over to the Police. The reason we have recalled that is because Arkadiy was approached by a good friend and asked to preach at his wedding. His reason was that most of the people he knows and works with are unbelievers and if he would invite them to Church they would never come, but if he would invite them to his wedding then they will come. So, he wanted to make sure that most of the people in his life would hear the Gospel. The room was packed with people and I think it was about 150 – 200 people who came. Most of them are unbelievers. It was a privilege to share the Gospel with that many at the same time. We met with the couple before they got married and talked to them about the follow up with the people who will hear the Gospel and both the bride and the groom were excited about it. We will see how the Lord will use it.
Looking Back at November
Missionary training School:
Last week Arkadiy has taught a course on World Cults and Religions at the Missionary Training Center. It was a joy to teach a class where the students wanted to learn. The week flew by really quickly and that was an exciting time with a lot of interesting questions and discussions. We praise the Lord for these students and are looking forward to see how the Lord will use them in the future. It is always a joy to teach people who WANT to follow God, who WANT to become stronger in their relationship with Him and who WANT to fulfill His will in their lives and the lives of others.
Current Matters:
Mikael:
Our son is a great blessing! Over and over again we are reminded of God’s goodness, love and mercy as we take care of him. We were able to register Mikael at the local medical facility for kids (required by law) without any problems, praise the Lord. And we were asked by the doctor to come for a monthly check up, and so we did. The doctor was really surprised because Mikael being two months old (at the time of our visit) was bigger in size than a 3.5 months old (his weight 14.3 pounds, height 24.4 inches). We were delighted to know that he is doing just fine!
Answered prayers:
Answered prayers:
**For 19 hour train ride back to Odessa
The ride went fine and we were so happy to see our team members who came to meet us at the train station. It is great to be back!
**For wisdom to make all the necessary adjustments once back in Odessa
All of the adjustments went smooth. We are tired but the Lord gave all the strength we needed to be able to adjust and get back into the routine of life and ministry.
**For Mikael and Anneke to stay healthy
Mikael is healthy and is growing well. He is a great blessing to his parents.
Current Prayer Requests- November
Please pray
*On the 6th of December Arkadiy is speaking at another wedding and is taking an outreach team to one of the village Churches. Pray for the Gospel messages which he would have to deliver and for him leading the team.150 -200 people are expected at the wedding and 60 people are expected in the village. Pray for the hearts of those who will hear the Gospel will be opened to His call.
*Pray for our health.
*Please pray for the people we disciple, that we would be sensitive to their needs and would continue to direct them to follow the Lord’s way.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Greetings!
It has been a very busy month for us and it is a great delight for us to write to you about what the Lord has done. We sent our previous letter to you shortly before we left for the English Evangelistic Youth Camp. So let’s start in chronological order.
Looking back at June- August
English Evangelistic Youth Camp:
Around 50 campers came to the camp. Most of them were unbelievers. Around 18 of them came from the Medical University. We ended up with a very diverse crowd. However it made the camp very interesting. This diversity was not only seen through their walks in life but also through their spiritual condition as well. Some of the campers came interested, opened and hungry for the Gospel and some campers came completely closed to the Gospel- even talking about it, they just wanted to have fun with their friends. But as the camp continued, it was wonderful to observe how the Lord changed the hearts of people throughout the week. At the end of camp we still had people who did not really care and wanted to know nothing about Christ and HIS sacrifice for THEIR sins. But most of the campers had a good response and were willing to learn about what Christ has done for them and what they need to do now.
Gospel night was a great encouragement! The same Gospel message was presented and then, when we asked people whether they understand this message and would like to trust Christ for their salvation around 13 people responded that this is what they would want to do. Praise the Lord! After the Gospel night I was talking to one of the team members and told him that despite the fact that Anneke and I have been involved in about 35 camps I am still amazed how God uses simple words of the Gospel and convicts people’s hearts and draws them closer to Him. I was reminded of Romans 1:16 :
"For I am not ashamed of the Gospel: for it is the power of God unto Salvation to every one that believeth; to Jew first, and also to the Greek."
It was wonderful to realize that it is not human words that convict the hearts of the campers, but God Himself, and it is a blessing to be an obedient tool in God’s hands and to watch Him work through us despite our weaknesses. We do serve the Great and Big God!
Looking back at August
English Evangelistic Family Camp:
Thank you so much for all your prayers! The Lord has blessed us with many families that came to the family camp. It is wonderful to witness the Lord answer prayers. Some of the families dropped out shortly before the camp started, but we did not have a shortage of people by no means.
Campers came with different agendas as well. One family who came said that they had brought a bottle of cognac with them so they could enjoy their time at camp better. But through out the camp the Lord used the team and the believers at camp to reveal Himself to the unbelievers. We had a few people from Russia at this camp: a lady from St. Petersburg with her son (both believers) and an unbeliever friend, and another young lady, an unbeliever, from Tver area Russia (not very far from Moscow). These two unbelievers made a commitment to follow Christ at the end of the camp. The older lady from Russia was a great help. She was on fire to share the Lord’s message of the Cross, and she would also help the campers understand. She was so excited about the work that the Lord has done at camp, that she wants to bring more families from Russia next year, or even have camps like that in Russia. It was interesting to see who the Lord brought to camp to accomplish His work. He is an amazing God! Watching the team and the local believers serve at camp I was reminded of John 13:34-35 :
"A new commandment I give unto you, that you would love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another . By this shall men know hat you are my disciples, if you have love one to another."
We saw only three people respond to the message of the Gospel at camp. But many more said that they still needed more information. So, they keep coming to our events and we try to set up meetings with them to help them find those answers to their questions and we are praying for them to trust their lives to Christ. Would you please join us in praying for them?
Current Matters
News from our Church's life:
On the Sunday of the 23rd we had our first Baptism service. What an exciting time for our Church! Four girls got baptised. After our Church service all of our Church headed down to the beach and had a Baptism service there. Dasha and Alena, two of the girls who were baptised, invited their parents who are unbelievers to come to their baptism and they did! They are nice people and it seemed they enjoyed the whole thing. Please join us, Dasha and Alena in prayer for the salvation of their parents.
What’s next?
What’s next?
Anneke and I left for my hometown to have the baby there. The new chapter in our lives is about to begin and we are excited about it. The due date is somewhere between the 18 of September till the 7th of October.
Answered Prayers
Answered prayers:
*Please pray for all of the little details as far as the camp planning goes.
Everything worked out great. All of the logistics and small details worked out and we were able to have wonderful camps.
*Please pray for safety at the camps.
No one got seriously hurt or sick at camp. Praise the Lord!
*Please pray for strength for Anneke and I as we go through camps.
The Lord has given Anneke and I sufficient strength for both of the camps (she has done such an amazing job!)
*Please pray for Mikael’s and Anneke’s health as they serve at camps.
Both Anneke and Mikael stayed healthy throughout the camps.
Current Prayer Requests-Aug-Sept
Please pray :
*For Anneke and Mikael to stay healthy.
*For the safe delivery
*For all of the arrangements with the doctors and the hospital to work out.
*For all of the paperwork for Anneke’s name change and registering the baby would work out.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Greetings!
It has been a really hot and busy month! The Lord has provided lots of different opportunities to serve Him in many ways.
Looking back at July:
Royal Servant:
We along with a team from US, The Royal Servants have spent most of the month evangelizing the community where we live. It was a team of 29 youth and adults who came to help us in the work of the ministry here in Odessa. We served with them from the 1st of July till the 22nd. Our days consisted of evangelizing through skits, dramas and dances on the beaches and surveys on the streets of our area (with the purpose to bring the survey to the point when it would be possible to share the Gospel). In the evenings we would split into 5-6 groups and go to different courts to play basketball. That would attract lots of people whom we would invite to the basketball tournaments which we would host on weekends. It went great. We were able to have 3 tournaments and present the Gospel to a few hundred people in our area. Praise the Lord for the numerous opportunities to share the Good News. (See pictures below)
Looking back at July:
Discipleship:
It was wonderful to see people we disciple getting plugged into this month of ministry with us and the Royal Servants. It was a joy to serve with them side by side and help them practice many things that they have already learned. It was wonderful to be by them when they would struggle and go through those struggles of ministry together, using difficulties as a God given opportunity for growth.
Current Matters
Summer camps:
Thank you so much for praying for the recruitment. The Lord has provided people and both camps are full! We are excited to see what the Lord will do. We have done a lot of preparations for the camps last month and are ready (as much as we can be) to leave for camp on Friday (tomorrow) along with the team and start the camp on Sunday.
Current Prayer Requests
Prayer requests:
Please pray for all of the little details as far as the camp planning goes.
Please pray for safety at the camps.
Please pray for strength for Anneke and I as we go through camps.
Please pray for Mikael’s and Anneke’s health as they serve at camps.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Greetings!
Dearest Friends and Family!!!
Odessa starts to get hot this time of year, but the hottest season is still to come. One can see more and more tourists coming and staying in Odessa to enjoy the beach and the beautiful city. Along with that the Lord has blessed us with a wonderful time of ministry. Well, let me share the joys which the Lord allowed us to experience with Him this past month.
Current Matters
The highlight of the month:
Let me start off with a story that has been a highlight and huge personal encouragement to me. In the previous e-mail I have mentioned that the Lord brought a wonderful young man into my life to disciple, his name is Vanya. Vanya has been sharing the Gospel with pretty much everyone God would send his way. His neighbors weren’t an exception. It is a young family husband, wife and a child. The husband and wife are in their early thirties; both of them are into drinking. They would listen to Vanya, but the reality of God would not come through to them. The other day Vanya saw the wife in tears. When he asked what was wrong she said that either her husband or their landlord stole the money she has been saving for her child to buy some things. It was around $150 -$200. Vanya sat down and shared the Gospel with her once again, sharing how much she cost Christ and about His plan for her life. She did not want to make any decision yet but she was willing to listen and did not mind Vanya prayed for her and her situation. When Vanya went back to his place he prayed “Lord, show her Your power, show her Your power!”. The next day he saw her as happy as one can be, he asked what had happened and she said that she went outside and found $300 just lying on the corner of the street! God did show His power! Please join us in prayer for this lady (her name is Natasha) that being a witness of God’s strength and love she would respond properly to the love of Christ and His call.
Vanya will be leaving Odessa shortly for the summer. He is from Russia where he will be spending the time of holiday with his family and ministering at his Church. He is so excited to get back in order to minister there to the local body of believers and to share the Gospel with his friends who aren’t believers yet, who he used to spend a lot of time with. I will miss him! Ministering to him is God’s blessing to me and a privilege.
Current Matters
Upward Soccer Ministry:
Upward soccer ministry has finished. It has been a good time of ministering to the local community through participating in their needs and sharing the Gospel with them. It is sad that hardly any parents participated. But that just reflects the current state of the families in Ukraine and the interest they show in the lives of their children…it is very sad, but we know that it is through Christ the real change can occur. So, we keep sharing Christ with those families the Lord sends our way. Upward soccer ministry has been a wonderful opportunity for our young Church to experience what ministry is. They have learned a lot and are excited about more opportunities to serve. We are looking at having Upward soccer ministry again next year.
Current Matters
Evangelizing at the local school:
God has opened another door for the Church to minister at. We have been allowed to come to school 72 (school in our neighborhood) and participate in their summer day camp. Teachers know us pretty well and they don’t mind us sharing the Gospel with the kids after we are done playing with them. It is a miracle because it is illegal to share the Gospel at the public schools in Ukraine. Some other teachers just come and drop off kids with us (during the time when they are supposed to be with them). It is a bit of a challenge because sometimes we get over 60 kids, but then more kids will get to hear the Gospel. This week was the last week of this camp. (Pictures to come soon)
Friday, June 26, 2009
Current Matters
Discipleship:
The Discipleship has been going wonderfully for both Anneke and I. The Lord has blessed us with people who want to grow and to know the Lord better. One of the men I disciple asked me to meet with his classmate because she had some questions about life, purpose of her being here etc, what a wonderful opportunity it was. So, we met and shared the Gospel with her, explaining who God is, His plan for her life, who is she and what is the purpose of her being here. It has been a really exciting meeting, this unbelieving girl wants to get together more and learn more about God. A friend who I disciple got so excited about this time when we could share the Gospel with this gal that he wants to learn how he can reach out to the unbelievers better. Anneke has been having wonderful experiences this past month as well, seeing growth in the gals she works with. Over all we feel so blessed by the Lord when we look at the people He gave us. They want to learn, they want to serve and they LOVE GOD with all of their hearts, minds and souls. God has blessed us with precious jewels!
Current Matters
In less than a week (the 30th of June) we will have 32 Americans arrive to Odessa (Royal Servants) to help us reach out to the community over here. They will be staying in Odessa for 4 weeks total. We are excited to see what the Lord will do. We have never done it before in this manner, so it should be interesting.
Answered Prayers
Answered Prayers:
*Please continue to pray for the Mikael’s and Anneke’s health
Thank you so much for praying! Both Mikael and Anneke are feeling well. Mikael is kicking a lot! It is wonderful to see and feel him kick! He seems to be a very active little boy.
*Please pray for us as we move to the new apartment, that all will go smoothly.
The move to a new apartment went well. Lot’s of guys came to help, it went really smooth and nice. We are very grateful.
*Please pray for the summer camps, we still need people to come and join us in this ministry.
Camps are filling up slowly but surely. It seems like the Lord is bringing a very nice group of campers together. We are so excited to see what he will do at camp!
*Please continue to pray for the one on one meetings we have, that we would be His tool in the lives of those we serve.
Thanks a ton for praying! It has been a true joy and a tremendous blessing to see what the Lord has been doing in the lives of those whom He has entrusted us to serve to. We
have no words to describe how blessed and encouraged we are.
*Please pray for the new place to meet for the Church. We have pretty much outgrown the apartment we were getting together at by now.
Thanks again for praying! The Lord has blessed us with a nice place to meet. Our Church members like it and so do we.
Current Prayer Requests
Please pray:
•Please pray for more campers for the summer camps. Especially for the family camp campers, we need more families to come.
•Please pray for the time with the Royal Servants (the 32 Americans who come) that it would be an effective time of ministry through which the Lord would be glorified.
•Arkadiy’s family came to visit. Please also pray for the time with them. They are unbelievers (except for Arkadiy’s little sister) and are in need of Christ. Please pray that we would shine His light to them and for the Lord to turn their hearts to Himself. (Please note, in the picture of Ira and dad, the beverage is "KVAS" which is similar to what rootbeer is)
•Please continue to pray for the health of Anneke and little Mikael.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Greetings!
We have had a very busy and exciting month and we are thrilled to share with you with what the Lord has been doing in our lives and ministries this past month.
Looking back at May:
The discipleship seminar that Arkadiy was asked to teach was rescheduled and occurred on the 10th of May instead of the 26th of April. It was not that bad as it gave Arkadiy and Zhenya (
Looking back at May:
Vanya:
God has brought a wonderful young man into Arkadiy’s life named Vanya. He is committed to serving Him, has a hunger for God and is very teachable. We discussed the opportunity of getting together and helping one another grow. He has a huge potential and Arkadiy is grateful that the Lord has given him this opportunity to disciple Vanya. Arkadiy offered Vanya to join them and attend the seminar on discipleship that they were teaching at, and he agreed. It was great to have him with us and he learned a lot! We had a wonderful time of worshiping God together through singing and sharing His Word on the way to the seminar location and on the way back to Odessa (the village where we taught is about 2 hours away driving). It has truly been a wonderful time. After we came back Vanya walked up to Arkadiy and whispered into his ear: “If you will go and serve somewhere again, please take me with you!”. The Lord has a wonderful way of encouraging us as we do His work. Vanya and Arkadiy are getting together on a weekly basis now to help one another change and become more like Christ.
Looking back at May:
Upward Ministry:
Upward ministry is also going well. The Lord has been bringing around 15 kids each week. The kids seem to enjoy playing soccer a lot, and not only kids , the team involved in planning and running the ministry is excited to play soccer as well. It is also a wonderful opportunity for our Church members to share the Gospel with the kids and to serve them through organizing and running the Saturday Upward event. We want to thank each of you as well for being part of this ministry through prayer! We could not do it without you!!!!!
Looking back at May:
Orphanage Trip
On the 16th of May we took a group of young men and women from Church to the orphanage in Pridnestrovye (Transnistria). It has been a good trip. It is wonderful to see how the church members grasp the idea of serving these kids more and more with every trip. They have done a wonderful job of loving those kids and sharing the eternal message with them. Being there was a good opportunity to spend some time and encourage two of our interns Lesya and Marina. They will be serving at this orphanage for another 2.5 months. It had been two and a half weeks of their service in the orphanage when we arrived. It was good to debrief with them and to encourage them. They are doing a wonderful work there, teaching the Bible to the kids and sharing the Gospel with the staff of the orphanage (most of them are unbelievers).
Current Matters
Wedding in Romania:
On the 21st of May Arkadiy left for Romania to attend Florin and Avery’s wedding. Avery has been serving with us since 2005. Florin joined our ministry in 2006. He is originally from Romania and Arkadiy has been discipling him since 2006. While in Romania Arkadiy spent time with Cristi, pastor of the Church Florin belongs to in Romania. He is a dear friend of ours. We met while serving in Uganda, Africa. Arkadiy came back home on Monday. Unfortunately Anneke was not able to go with Arkadiy on this trip due to the difficulties she experiences with traveling and the lack of relations between Moldova and South Africa. The Moldovian consul doesn’t know what to do with Anneke because there is apparently a lack of international agreements between the two countries.
Current Matters
One-on-one Discipleship:
One-on-one discipleship has been going great! Arkadiy started meeting with two more guys and both of them have great potential! Arkadiy is really grateful to the Lord for letting him serve to them. Anneke has been approached by a girl from our Church and the girl asked her to disciple her. We are grateful for the opportunities the Lord provides.
Current Matters
New Apartment!!! :)
God has blessed us and helped us find a two room apartment. It is not far away from where we live at the moment. So, now we are in the process of packing and getting ready to move out of our place. It will be sad to leave it; it was a wonderful place for us for the last 4 years. But now we have another family member joining us and thus we’ll need more room.
Current Matters
It's a....
We went for an ultrasound on the 18th of May and they told us it is a BOY! Somehow we knew that it will be a boy, but it was still nice to know. We are really excited about it. His name will be Mikael (we are still working on the spelling). Which is Michael in Russian. The baby is healthy and so is his mommy. We are so grateful for the Lord’s protection over both of them.
Answered Prayers
Answered prayers
*We are hoping to move to a bigger place so that we could at least fit in a cradle. Please pray for God to provide the right place for the right price.
God has provided a place for us and we like it. It costs only $30 more than what we were paying. And it has two rooms instead of just one! :) We are very grateful.
*Please pray for the preparations for the Discipleship seminar.
The seminar went great!
*Please continue to pray for Anneke and the baby’s health.
Both Anneke and the Mikael are doing great!
*Please pray for wisdom with setting the priorities in ministry and time management.
Please continue to pray for that.
Current Prayer Requests
Please Pray:
*Please continue to pray for the Mikael and Anneke’s health
*Please pray for the summer camps, we still need people to come and join us in this ministry.
*Please continue to pray for the one on one meetings we have, that we would be His tool in the lives of those we serve.
*Please pray for the new place to meet for the Church. We have pretty much outgrown the apartment we were getting together at by now.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Greetings!
Dear family!
It is a great joy for us to share what God has been doing in our lives and through our lives since the last time we sent you an update. It has been both a time of great joy in ministry and a time of great challenges. But let me share with you in details…
Matters of the past:
Something that was of a great challenge to us was registering Anneke as a pregnant woman at the local clinic. It was an essential step. If one is pregnant and is not registered at the clinic as a pregnant lady and something goes wrong with the baby or the mother (something that is related to the pregnancy) the person will not be admitted to the hospital, also, the hospital won’t admit a person for the delivery unless she has been registered and supervised throughout the whole pregnancy process. I hope it all makes sense . We are planning on having the baby in Ukraine unless there are complications of some sort then we will have to come up with a different plan. But we were happy to have all of the registration done.
One of the main challenges during this time to me, Arkadiy, personally was registering Anneke at the clinic and looking after her. The latter was most difficult because Anneke was feeling really bad and I did not know what is normal for “feeling bad” during the first trimester. A lot of times I felt very inadequate in helping her, but God has been giving strength and wisdom.
Looking back at April
Looking back at April
Four days after the Basketball camp team left Anneke and I went to my hometown for my dad’s 60th birthday anniversary. It was a big thing and he was happy to have us over. It was a surprise for him. While at my hometown we were able to visit and consult the doctors, make some arrangements for the baby’s delivery and get all of our dental work done. It is much cheaper in my home town than in Odessa. Between Anneke and me we had 6 teeth treated and it cost us $65 total. In Odessa it would be 5-6 times more without any guarantee of the result. We were so happy!
From my hometown we took a trip to Poland (IM annual conference location) via Slovakia (the closest route). The conference went well; it was a very special time of sharing with one another, praying with one another and enjoying studying from God’s word together.
Current Matters April 09
Currents matters #1
It is a blessing to participate and watch what the Lord is doing here in
Current Matters April 09
Current matters #2
The Church is growing in quantity and quality. We keep on training and discipling the Church members to the glory of God equipping them with various tools for the work of the ministry. The equipping process involves one-on-one meetings and small group meetings (like Biblical Training Institute (BTI) and the University Bible Studies). We have finished the topic of Baptism and will start the “Principles of Faith” at the BTI, and at the University Bible Study we are finishing the series on dating.
Current Matters April 09
Current matters #3
On the 25th of April we started an Upward soccer league in our neighborhood. It was encouraging to see that 11 kids came, enough kids for two teams! Another great highlight was to see the people from the church serving and taking their roles in all the organizing and activities. Please keep praying for this ministry, we need more kids to come and join.
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