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HOPE4KYIV #009 ---- 6/25/03

#1 · June 25, 2003, 9:54 am

Quote from Forum Archives on June 25, 2003, 9:54 am
Posted by: btolliver <btolliver@...>

  HOPE 4 KYIV

                       NUMBER 009

                        June 25, 2003

       The In-Pact Prayer Newsletter of

             Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver

           Missionaries to Kiev, Ukraine

Dear Friends and In-Pact Prayer Partners:

We never expected to be writing to you from Collins, MO, but today we are. What began as an urgent trip on May 27th to see my father whose health was failing ended up being an extended stay to honor Dad at his home going to heaven on Father's Day, and then an additional extension caused by a lack of available seating for the return to Kiev. So, at this point, we are stuck here until July 1st. However, in spite of the fact that we are so anxious to get back home in Kiev, we know the Lord must have a reason for us to stay here for those extra days.

We must thank you from the depths of our hearts for your encouragement and prayer support. We've received it in abundance from so many people, particularly folks from FBC, Eldorado Springs, Southern Hills BC in Bolivar, and too many missionaries to name. Not to diminish the true intend of the song writer, we can certainly borrow from Andre' Crouch's "My Tribute", where it says, "How can (we) say 'thanks' for the things you have done for us?"

That has certainly been the case these past two months as you have journeyed with us through the process of Dad's terminal illness; and we know it will continue for the days ahead as we tackle the legal paper work and then continue packing to head back home next Tuesday, July 1st. Your prayers helped sustain us through the process of returning to Missouri, encouraging Dad in making decisions pertaining to moving to the nursing home, having a garage sale to dispose of many of his things, moving the rest to our place, distributing some of it to our children, then facing his "earlier than expected" home going, and now the tasks at hand and our return home to Kiev.

Just to give you an idea of how important your prayers are, here are some things that happened in recent days; we believe they did clearly because of the multiplied hundreds of "In-Pact" prayer warriors on our ministry team . . . . and that includes you. We have no doubt that it was your prayers that laid the groundwork for God to work in such extraordinary ways.

Benefits of Prayer Support:

We believe that, because of your consistent intercession and prayer support over the past weeks, . . . .

1. . . . We were able to get tickets at the last minute enabling us to return home, even though they were almost $1200 each.

2. . . . Dad was in excellent spirits and we had more than two good weeks together before he was called home. During that time Bob was able to video tape almost two hours of interviews where Dad talked about his childhood, his conversion, his call to preach, his marriage, and some of his early pastorates. Unfortunately he never completed the interviews, but we have a precious record just days before his death.

3. . . . A special visit from one of his "Timothy's" from the 1960's included an astonishing and completely unexpected gift of $2,000 which covered most of our plane ticket costs. God is awesome!

4. . . . After recognizing the impracticality and excessive cost of staying at home and trying to use volunteers and paid professional care, Dad rationally and objectively chose to go the nursing home even though he really didn't want to. At no time did we tell him what we thought he should do; it was his decision alone, he knew it was the right one, and he had no regrets. In fact, when we asked whether he wanted to go "tomorrow" (Friday) or wait until Monday, he said, "I'm ready to go right now (Thursday); I know God has a ministry for me there."

5. . . . Except for one day, Dad was completely pain free, and had been since the surgery on his neck back in April.

6. . . . Bob and his Dad had good times of conversation, and Bob was able in a small way to repay some "fathering" ministry to him during his special time of need.

7. . . . Even though he slept almost constantly, Dad would wake up and carry on intelligent conversation (though brief and with short sentences) right up to the last time Bob visited with him on Saturday morning. That morning he was sitting up in bed and eating breakfast quite well when Bob arrived. After a few minutes, he said, "You know, when they put Mother on morphine (they had begun that just the afternoon before), she didn't live much longer. I really think I don't have much time left."

8. . . . It appears the Lord sent a special person to care for Dad those nine days he was in the nursing home. Her name is Luba (Russian for "love"), and she is from St. Petersburg, Russia, which is the same city from which our grandchildren Roma and Anya come. This was not accidental. After a light lunch, Dad indicated he was tired of lying in bed and wanted to sit up in his chair. Luba accommodated him, changed his bedding, and then helped him back in bed. She talked with him with great care and concern. While she was combing his hair and continuing to talk, he softly and quietly sneaked out of town and into the presence of the Lord. He died at 12:45 . . . . on a Sunday (the Lord's Day), and on Fathers' Day.

9. . . . Luba is a self-proclaimed atheist. But, Dad's death profoundly affected him. She told Harold and Willa Chambers (his Hospice volunteers who are also members of his home church) that she had never seen anyone die so peacefully and quietly; everyone she had ever seen before always fought death. A few days later during a conversation with another church member, Luba said, "Now I am beginning to believe." She has returned to Russia to visit family; this is her first time in ten years. Please pray for Luba! We will write her a letter which will be waiting for her when she returns.

10. . . . Our oldest daughter, Cindy, and her family (Kevin and Christopher) were able to begin their one year furlough stateside a few days early. Even though they didn't arrive in time to see Dad before he died, they were able to be here for all the subsequent activities. It was good to have them in our home for about seven days before they left Monday for Des Moines, Iowa where they will live while in the States. They were a great blessing to us.

11. . . . The memorial service was truly a time of celebration, which was the family's unanimous desire. Would you believe, it lasted almost two hours! And NOBODY complained! We used a sound track of Dad playing the piano on his 84th birthday for about 30 minutes of prelude, followed by congregational singing of several of his favorite songs, and lots of his favorite scriptures. We printed a special tri-fold brochure (if you'd like one, write to us or e-mail us) on Dad's life and ministry. Our daughter, Deanna, sang "I'd Rather Have Jesus", one of Dad's signature solos for many years, and we opened the microphone up for family members and friends to share some brief thoughts. One of the highlights was to hear from five of Dad's "Timothy's", two by letter and three who attended in person. Then his pastor, Gary Urich, brought a most appropriate message on Psalm 1. Take time to read it; it clearly describes the life Dad lived.

12. . . . More than $600 was given to the "Robert and Elaine Tolliver Memorial Missions Fund", and will be used specifically for mission projects in eastern Europe. We praise God for that. We are still receiving such gifts. This fund was originally begun in July, 2000, upon the death of Bob's mother. They both believe so strongly in how God has used us in eastern Europe since 1995 and we wanted to honor them for their belief in us. If you know someone who wants to participate, just drop us a note and we'll tell you what to do.

13. . . . God choreographed His own timetable for our return to Kiev. We were scheduled for last Sunday but had already decided to postpone a few days even though it would cost us an additional $300 to change dates. When our travel agent began making those changes on Saturday he discovered that the airlines had us down to leave the day before on Friday, so they had scratched us as a "no show". Eddie, our favorite travel man, was able to convince them to put us back on, but no seats were available until July 1st. Now that we've had a few days behind us, we realize we couldn't have left any earlier. So, it's another evidence of God's hand on this entire episode.

14. . . . God also arranged some very special ministry related extra appointments which we did not anticipate. First, we had the opportunity to speak in our home church in Eldorado Springs and also speak and give a PowerPoint presentation of our work to Dad's home church, Southern Hills. And, we had a chance to visit a couple of times with Jason, one of our guys from last January's trip who is trying to come to Kiev to help us with student ministry on various university campuses in Kiev. We also got to see Keri, who is already approved to come next January to begin working with our student ministry.

We also had the opportunity to visit with Brandon and Kassie, a young couple who went with us to Bosnia and are very interested in coming both for a short term volunteer trip and also possibly coming to help as ISC'ers. Finally, we had wonderful discussions with our pastor, Tom, regarding a probable volunteer team coming to Kiev next Spring to do some very special types of ministries about which we'll write later. So, all the while we were being ministered to and were taking care of family matters, God opened the door to share our vision with these and with others.

So, dear friends, as you can certainly see, we are convinced that these things happening the way they have is a clear indication of your being "In-Pact" with us through prayer and encouragement. There is no other explanation. That's why we are so indebted to the more than 650 individuals and families who pray for us regularly. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Upcoming Plans:

Now that our children are all gone to their respective homes, the two of us are concentrating on storing things, getting legal matters taken care of, buying supplies and other things for our return to Kiev, packing, and trying to see a few friends at the last minute. Here's what our schedule looks like for the next week:

    Wednesday the 25th -- finish up work in the garage, "de-bug" our computers (we've been inundated with viruses), sort through more of Dad's things, and go to Bolivar to pick up some legal documents. Hopefully eat with some friends.

    Thursday the 26th -- do more office work, finish filling out all the legal documents for insurance policies, etc., copy audio and video tapes of Dad's music, contact Social Security Administration, finish storing things. Hopefully eat with some friends.

    Friday the 27th -- Drop off some things at Dad's church, make final purchase of supplies, get new money for our return from bank, move into final stages of packing. Hopefully eat with some friends.

    Saturday the 28th -- Finish packing major things, finish up any outside work needing to be done, etc. Begin writing "Shoulder To Shoulder" letter for Monday. Eat with some friends at Smith's.

    Sunday the 29th -- Church at FBC in Eldorado Springs, finish writing "Shoulder To Shoulder" for Monday. Say our final "Good-bye's" to friends. Send out "Shoulder To Shoulder" on the internet.

    Monday the 30th -- Complete last minute correspondence, batten down the hatches, leave around 1:30 or 2:00 for Kansas City, check in to Quality Inn Motel, eat supper with our friend, Tami. Go to bed and try to get plenty of rest for travel.

    Tuesday the 1st -- Last minute e-mail check, lunch, head to airport around 11:00 for a 1:30 departure to Kiev. Our schedule is as follows:

        Flight: LH 9189 UNITED AIRLINES. Leave KC at 1:35 pm, arriving Chicago at 2:54.

        Flight: LH 431 LUFTHANSA AIRLINES. Leave Chicago at 3:50 pm, arriving Frankfurt, GER at 6:50 am Wednesday.

    Wednesday the 2nd -- Complete travel to Kiev as follows:

        Flight: LH 431 LUFTHANSA AIRLINES, arrive Frankfurt, GER at 6:50 am.

        Flight: LH 3372 LUFTHANSA AIRLINES. Leave Frankfurt at 9:35 am, arriving Kiev at 1:00 pm.

Prayer Requests:

    1. Please pray for Luba! Pray that God will soften her heart, open her eyes to the truth, and put someone in her path to lead her to Christ. Pray that Dad's unusual witness to her will not let her go on until she deals with the "peace that passes all understanding" which she saw in him as he entered eternity.

    2. Pray for our beloved church in Kiev. They have carried on faithfully during this time, and have not lost the cadence count one time. Pray for Joel, Ricky, and Vitaly as they lead another Sunday before our return. Pray that the vision grows and momentum builds. Pray for Ricky and Marina as they continue the process or Marina getting her "green card" and as they both complete the application process to return to Kiev as IMB missionaries. We need them desperately!

    3. Pray for our ESL program as it winds down in a few weeks for a brief Summer break in August. Pray for Jo Ann as she leads the ESL team to revamp and improve the program. Pray for the optional Bible studies filled each Tuesday with unbelievers, new believers, and a few church members. Pray for Olga (Beginner class), Jo Ann (pre-intermediate class), John and Betsy (university class), and Carol (advanced class) as they teach that God will anoint them and that Jesus will be revealed even through English classes.

    4. Pray for our developing student ministry. There are over 45 college and university campuses on Kiev. God is already opening doors in places such as Wisconsin International University where the Dean of Students is a committed believer and is asking us when we will come. Pray that we can train young singles in our church in Kiev to become the vanguard squad that blazes the initial trail and prepares the way for others to join them. The key to reaching Kiev is by reaching students who will plant "new generations" churches. Our goal should be a new house church in every apartment building in Kiev.

    5. Pray for our leadership training and mentoring plans we will initiate this Summer. We need lay leaders from within our church, and we need to mentor and train young men and women from the seminary and other Bible schools in the area; Ukraine desperately needs Spirit filled, courageous, and adequately equipped new leaders for the churches of that country.

    6. Pray for our home church in Eldorado Springs and for Dad's home church in Bolivar that God will stir up even more the fervor for the salvation of the lost, obedience to God's Word, and response to special mission trip needs and opportunities.

    7. Pray for us as we finalize things as noted above. Pray that we will get the rest we need. Pray that our minds will not get muddled and confused from the pressure of many things yet to be done. Pray that we won't get on each other's nerves.

    8. Pray for our family while we're gone. Cindy and her family as they spend a year stateside doing deputation for their return to Colombia next year. Debbie and her girls as they do mission trips, ministry, and continue battling with Debbie's un-named illness. Cheri and her tribe as they think about buying a new home, and Roma on his mission trip to Mexico. Deanna and hers as they continue seeking the will of God for their church and ministry in LaGrange, MO. Pray especially that they all will walk, work, and war in the anointing power of the Holy Spirit.

    9. Pray, pray, pray! That Southern Baptist will respond to the financial crisis within the IMB that is forcing major delays in training and sending new missionaries to the field. It affects us personally; it could set our work back a year or more if we do not get the personnel we so desperately need.

You've just read some small record of what prayer has done for us and through us during these few short weeks. Knowing the outcome about which we've written will hopefully stir you up and prod you on to even deeper levels of intercession. It is true beyond doubt that "the effective fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much." (James 5:16b)

Finally: As you can tell, it's hard for us to find a good stopping place when we write you each month. We hope you understand and will humor us. On this trip to the States we've had so many people who have thanked us for the reports and the descriptions we've tried to make clear to you. We know that this is one way that God can stir you up to become an even greater intercessor. And that is our greatest need. We wish we had at least a thousand intercessors doing like Naoma in Bolivar does for us . . . . praying every morning. We know there are many more who pray daily. People have our prayer cards on refrigerators, car dashboards, computers, bulletin boards, inside their Bibles, and many other places. We praise God for that.

We love you so much, and wish we could have seen you while back in the States. Some we did, some we didn't. But regardless, our appreciation for you grows and our love for you deepens each day. Thank you for being part of our lives. We are able to do what we do because you do what you do . . . . you pray for us and support us with your love, your missions giving to the CP, and your belief in what we're doing.

In His Bond,

Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver

IBC - Hope4Kyiv
Bob: lifeunlimited@pobox.com

Jo Ann: grandma11@pobox.com

For weekly spiritual encouragement and current updates on our work here, ask us to subscribe you to "Shoulder To Shoulder" letter (e-mail only).

Some Good Sites:

    www.uazone.net for general info on Ukraine and Kiev

    www.ukraineinfo.us for general current info

    www.hope4cee.com for our type of work in central and eastern Europe.

    www.peopleteams.org/ukrainians and www.reachukraine.org for a couple of good virtual prayer walking sites.

Posted by: btolliver <btolliver@...>

HOPE 4 KYIV

NUMBER 009

June 25, 2003

The In-Pact Prayer Newsletter of

Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver

Missionaries to Kiev, Ukraine

Dear Friends and In-Pact Prayer Partners:

We never expected to be writing to you from Collins, MO, but today we are. What began as an urgent trip on May 27th to see my father whose health was failing ended up being an extended stay to honor Dad at his home going to heaven on Father's Day, and then an additional extension caused by a lack of available seating for the return to Kiev. So, at this point, we are stuck here until July 1st. However, in spite of the fact that we are so anxious to get back home in Kiev, we know the Lord must have a reason for us to stay here for those extra days.

We must thank you from the depths of our hearts for your encouragement and prayer support. We've received it in abundance from so many people, particularly folks from FBC, Eldorado Springs, Southern Hills BC in Bolivar, and too many missionaries to name. Not to diminish the true intend of the song writer, we can certainly borrow from Andre' Crouch's "My Tribute", where it says, "How can (we) say 'thanks' for the things you have done for us?"

That has certainly been the case these past two months as you have journeyed with us through the process of Dad's terminal illness; and we know it will continue for the days ahead as we tackle the legal paper work and then continue packing to head back home next Tuesday, July 1st. Your prayers helped sustain us through the process of returning to Missouri, encouraging Dad in making decisions pertaining to moving to the nursing home, having a garage sale to dispose of many of his things, moving the rest to our place, distributing some of it to our children, then facing his "earlier than expected" home going, and now the tasks at hand and our return home to Kiev.

Just to give you an idea of how important your prayers are, here are some things that happened in recent days; we believe they did clearly because of the multiplied hundreds of "In-Pact" prayer warriors on our ministry team . . . . and that includes you. We have no doubt that it was your prayers that laid the groundwork for God to work in such extraordinary ways.

Benefits of Prayer Support:

We believe that, because of your consistent intercession and prayer support over the past weeks, . . . .

1. . . . We were able to get tickets at the last minute enabling us to return home, even though they were almost $1200 each.

2. . . . Dad was in excellent spirits and we had more than two good weeks together before he was called home. During that time Bob was able to video tape almost two hours of interviews where Dad talked about his childhood, his conversion, his call to preach, his marriage, and some of his early pastorates. Unfortunately he never completed the interviews, but we have a precious record just days before his death.

3. . . . A special visit from one of his "Timothy's" from the 1960's included an astonishing and completely unexpected gift of $2,000 which covered most of our plane ticket costs. God is awesome!

4. . . . After recognizing the impracticality and excessive cost of staying at home and trying to use volunteers and paid professional care, Dad rationally and objectively chose to go the nursing home even though he really didn't want to. At no time did we tell him what we thought he should do; it was his decision alone, he knew it was the right one, and he had no regrets. In fact, when we asked whether he wanted to go "tomorrow" (Friday) or wait until Monday, he said, "I'm ready to go right now (Thursday); I know God has a ministry for me there."

5. . . . Except for one day, Dad was completely pain free, and had been since the surgery on his neck back in April.

6. . . . Bob and his Dad had good times of conversation, and Bob was able in a small way to repay some "fathering" ministry to him during his special time of need.

7. . . . Even though he slept almost constantly, Dad would wake up and carry on intelligent conversation (though brief and with short sentences) right up to the last time Bob visited with him on Saturday morning. That morning he was sitting up in bed and eating breakfast quite well when Bob arrived. After a few minutes, he said, "You know, when they put Mother on morphine (they had begun that just the afternoon before), she didn't live much longer. I really think I don't have much time left."

8. . . . It appears the Lord sent a special person to care for Dad those nine days he was in the nursing home. Her name is Luba (Russian for "love"), and she is from St. Petersburg, Russia, which is the same city from which our grandchildren Roma and Anya come. This was not accidental. After a light lunch, Dad indicated he was tired of lying in bed and wanted to sit up in his chair. Luba accommodated him, changed his bedding, and then helped him back in bed. She talked with him with great care and concern. While she was combing his hair and continuing to talk, he softly and quietly sneaked out of town and into the presence of the Lord. He died at 12:45 . . . . on a Sunday (the Lord's Day), and on Fathers' Day.

9. . . . Luba is a self-proclaimed atheist. But, Dad's death profoundly affected him. She told Harold and Willa Chambers (his Hospice volunteers who are also members of his home church) that she had never seen anyone die so peacefully and quietly; everyone she had ever seen before always fought death. A few days later during a conversation with another church member, Luba said, "Now I am beginning to believe." She has returned to Russia to visit family; this is her first time in ten years. Please pray for Luba! We will write her a letter which will be waiting for her when she returns.

10. . . . Our oldest daughter, Cindy, and her family (Kevin and Christopher) were able to begin their one year furlough stateside a few days early. Even though they didn't arrive in time to see Dad before he died, they were able to be here for all the subsequent activities. It was good to have them in our home for about seven days before they left Monday for Des Moines, Iowa where they will live while in the States. They were a great blessing to us.

11. . . . The memorial service was truly a time of celebration, which was the family's unanimous desire. Would you believe, it lasted almost two hours! And NOBODY complained! We used a sound track of Dad playing the piano on his 84th birthday for about 30 minutes of prelude, followed by congregational singing of several of his favorite songs, and lots of his favorite scriptures. We printed a special tri-fold brochure (if you'd like one, write to us or e-mail us) on Dad's life and ministry. Our daughter, Deanna, sang "I'd Rather Have Jesus", one of Dad's signature solos for many years, and we opened the microphone up for family members and friends to share some brief thoughts. One of the highlights was to hear from five of Dad's "Timothy's", two by letter and three who attended in person. Then his pastor, Gary Urich, brought a most appropriate message on Psalm 1. Take time to read it; it clearly describes the life Dad lived.

12. . . . More than $600 was given to the "Robert and Elaine Tolliver Memorial Missions Fund", and will be used specifically for mission projects in eastern Europe. We praise God for that. We are still receiving such gifts. This fund was originally begun in July, 2000, upon the death of Bob's mother. They both believe so strongly in how God has used us in eastern Europe since 1995 and we wanted to honor them for their belief in us. If you know someone who wants to participate, just drop us a note and we'll tell you what to do.

13. . . . God choreographed His own timetable for our return to Kiev. We were scheduled for last Sunday but had already decided to postpone a few days even though it would cost us an additional $300 to change dates. When our travel agent began making those changes on Saturday he discovered that the airlines had us down to leave the day before on Friday, so they had scratched us as a "no show". Eddie, our favorite travel man, was able to convince them to put us back on, but no seats were available until July 1st. Now that we've had a few days behind us, we realize we couldn't have left any earlier. So, it's another evidence of God's hand on this entire episode.

14. . . . God also arranged some very special ministry related extra appointments which we did not anticipate. First, we had the opportunity to speak in our home church in Eldorado Springs and also speak and give a PowerPoint presentation of our work to Dad's home church, Southern Hills. And, we had a chance to visit a couple of times with Jason, one of our guys from last January's trip who is trying to come to Kiev to help us with student ministry on various university campuses in Kiev. We also got to see Keri, who is already approved to come next January to begin working with our student ministry.

We also had the opportunity to visit with Brandon and Kassie, a young couple who went with us to Bosnia and are very interested in coming both for a short term volunteer trip and also possibly coming to help as ISC'ers. Finally, we had wonderful discussions with our pastor, Tom, regarding a probable volunteer team coming to Kiev next Spring to do some very special types of ministries about which we'll write later. So, all the while we were being ministered to and were taking care of family matters, God opened the door to share our vision with these and with others.

So, dear friends, as you can certainly see, we are convinced that these things happening the way they have is a clear indication of your being "In-Pact" with us through prayer and encouragement. There is no other explanation. That's why we are so indebted to the more than 650 individuals and families who pray for us regularly. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Upcoming Plans:

Now that our children are all gone to their respective homes, the two of us are concentrating on storing things, getting legal matters taken care of, buying supplies and other things for our return to Kiev, packing, and trying to see a few friends at the last minute. Here's what our schedule looks like for the next week:

Wednesday the 25th -- finish up work in the garage, "de-bug" our computers (we've been inundated with viruses), sort through more of Dad's things, and go to Bolivar to pick up some legal documents. Hopefully eat with some friends.

Thursday the 26th -- do more office work, finish filling out all the legal documents for insurance policies, etc., copy audio and video tapes of Dad's music, contact Social Security Administration, finish storing things. Hopefully eat with some friends.

Friday the 27th -- Drop off some things at Dad's church, make final purchase of supplies, get new money for our return from bank, move into final stages of packing. Hopefully eat with some friends.

Saturday the 28th -- Finish packing major things, finish up any outside work needing to be done, etc. Begin writing "Shoulder To Shoulder" letter for Monday. Eat with some friends at Smith's.

Sunday the 29th -- Church at FBC in Eldorado Springs, finish writing "Shoulder To Shoulder" for Monday. Say our final "Good-bye's" to friends. Send out "Shoulder To Shoulder" on the internet.

Monday the 30th -- Complete last minute correspondence, batten down the hatches, leave around 1:30 or 2:00 for Kansas City, check in to Quality Inn Motel, eat supper with our friend, Tami. Go to bed and try to get plenty of rest for travel.

Tuesday the 1st -- Last minute e-mail check, lunch, head to airport around 11:00 for a 1:30 departure to Kiev. Our schedule is as follows:

Flight: LH 9189 UNITED AIRLINES. Leave KC at 1:35 pm, arriving Chicago at 2:54.

Flight: LH 431 LUFTHANSA AIRLINES. Leave Chicago at 3:50 pm, arriving Frankfurt, GER at 6:50 am Wednesday.

Wednesday the 2nd -- Complete travel to Kiev as follows:

Flight: LH 431 LUFTHANSA AIRLINES, arrive Frankfurt, GER at 6:50 am.

Flight: LH 3372 LUFTHANSA AIRLINES. Leave Frankfurt at 9:35 am, arriving Kiev at 1:00 pm.

Prayer Requests:

1. Please pray for Luba! Pray that God will soften her heart, open her eyes to the truth, and put someone in her path to lead her to Christ. Pray that Dad's unusual witness to her will not let her go on until she deals with the "peace that passes all understanding" which she saw in him as he entered eternity.

2. Pray for our beloved church in Kiev. They have carried on faithfully during this time, and have not lost the cadence count one time. Pray for Joel, Ricky, and Vitaly as they lead another Sunday before our return. Pray that the vision grows and momentum builds. Pray for Ricky and Marina as they continue the process or Marina getting her "green card" and as they both complete the application process to return to Kiev as IMB missionaries. We need them desperately!

3. Pray for our ESL program as it winds down in a few weeks for a brief Summer break in August. Pray for Jo Ann as she leads the ESL team to revamp and improve the program. Pray for the optional Bible studies filled each Tuesday with unbelievers, new believers, and a few church members. Pray for Olga (Beginner class), Jo Ann (pre-intermediate class), John and Betsy (university class), and Carol (advanced class) as they teach that God will anoint them and that Jesus will be revealed even through English classes.

4. Pray for our developing student ministry. There are over 45 college and university campuses on Kiev. God is already opening doors in places such as Wisconsin International University where the Dean of Students is a committed believer and is asking us when we will come. Pray that we can train young singles in our church in Kiev to become the vanguard squad that blazes the initial trail and prepares the way for others to join them. The key to reaching Kiev is by reaching students who will plant "new generations" churches. Our goal should be a new house church in every apartment building in Kiev.

5. Pray for our leadership training and mentoring plans we will initiate this Summer. We need lay leaders from within our church, and we need to mentor and train young men and women from the seminary and other Bible schools in the area; Ukraine desperately needs Spirit filled, courageous, and adequately equipped new leaders for the churches of that country.

6. Pray for our home church in Eldorado Springs and for Dad's home church in Bolivar that God will stir up even more the fervor for the salvation of the lost, obedience to God's Word, and response to special mission trip needs and opportunities.

7. Pray for us as we finalize things as noted above. Pray that we will get the rest we need. Pray that our minds will not get muddled and confused from the pressure of many things yet to be done. Pray that we won't get on each other's nerves.

8. Pray for our family while we're gone. Cindy and her family as they spend a year stateside doing deputation for their return to Colombia next year. Debbie and her girls as they do mission trips, ministry, and continue battling with Debbie's un-named illness. Cheri and her tribe as they think about buying a new home, and Roma on his mission trip to Mexico. Deanna and hers as they continue seeking the will of God for their church and ministry in LaGrange, MO. Pray especially that they all will walk, work, and war in the anointing power of the Holy Spirit.

9. Pray, pray, pray! That Southern Baptist will respond to the financial crisis within the IMB that is forcing major delays in training and sending new missionaries to the field. It affects us personally; it could set our work back a year or more if we do not get the personnel we so desperately need.

You've just read some small record of what prayer has done for us and through us during these few short weeks. Knowing the outcome about which we've written will hopefully stir you up and prod you on to even deeper levels of intercession. It is true beyond doubt that "the effective fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much." (James 5:16b)

Finally: As you can tell, it's hard for us to find a good stopping place when we write you each month. We hope you understand and will humor us. On this trip to the States we've had so many people who have thanked us for the reports and the descriptions we've tried to make clear to you. We know that this is one way that God can stir you up to become an even greater intercessor. And that is our greatest need. We wish we had at least a thousand intercessors doing like Naoma in Bolivar does for us . . . . praying every morning. We know there are many more who pray daily. People have our prayer cards on refrigerators, car dashboards, computers, bulletin boards, inside their Bibles, and many other places. We praise God for that.

We love you so much, and wish we could have seen you while back in the States. Some we did, some we didn't. But regardless, our appreciation for you grows and our love for you deepens each day. Thank you for being part of our lives. We are able to do what we do because you do what you do . . . . you pray for us and support us with your love, your missions giving to the CP, and your belief in what we're doing.

In His Bond,

Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver

IBC - Hope4Kyiv
Bob: lifeunlimited@pobox.com

Jo Ann: grandma11@pobox.com

For weekly spiritual encouragement and current updates on our work here, ask us to subscribe you to "Shoulder To Shoulder" letter (e-mail only).

Some Good Sites:

http://www.uazone.net for general info on Ukraine and Kiev

http://www.ukraineinfo.us for general current info

http://www.hope4cee.com for our type of work in central and eastern Europe.

http://www.peopleteams.org/ukrainians and http://www.reachukraine.org for a couple of good virtual prayer walking sites.