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.