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HOPE4KYIV #033 ---- 7/24/05
#1 · July 24, 2005, 4:48 am
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
HOPE 4 KYIVNumber 33July 24, 2005The In-Pact Prayer Newsletter ofBob and Jo Ann TolliverMissionaries to Kiev, Ukraine
Dear Friends, Family, and "In-Pact" Members:
Greetings from a cloudy and rainy Kiev. Finally, after numerous days of hot weather, we have a slight reprieve. As Bob writes, it's currently early Sunday morning and we're anticipating a good day worshiping the Lord and spending a somewhat relaxing evening celebrating the 22nd birthday of our "right hand girl", Sveta.
What's Been Happening:
So much has happened since our letter last month, and we hardly know where to start. God has more than proven Himself faithful both to meet needs and to give direction. In many ways this section of the letter could be called "Praises".
Family:
+ Cindy, Kevin, and Christopher are still in the States. Cindy recently had a mammary lump containing cancerous cells removed during an out-patient surgery, and will soon begin radiation treatment. This has delayed her return to Colombia, although it is likely that Kevin and/or Christopher may go on back without her. This makes our upcoming temporary return to the States more significant.
+ Debbie's full body MRI to try to determine her five year bout with a debilitating undiagnosed illness was postponed. While she has experienced some slight improvement, the illness still has not been determined. She takes anti-seizure medication to help her cope, but still cannot drive and has continued difficulty being able to see.
+ Cheri and Bob remain in St. Paul where all the gang remain except Roma, who lives in Ft. Worth. They all have Summer jobs and are preparing for public school again this year.
+ Deanna, Jim, and the kids continue in LaGrange, MO where their role as pastor/wife/family continues to reap growth and effective ministry. Deanna has primarily recovered from the hamstring injury she received earlier this Summer playing ball and running a race. Jim is extremely busy with various camps, and they are all gearing up for a new ministry ---- "Back To School Day" where they give away school supplies to children. They and other community churches do many relationship building servant ministries in the town.
+ Three of our four celebrated birthdays in June and July. It's frightening to know our youngest is 40. They can't do that to us!!!
Ministry:
+ Our time in Poland for the annual regional meeting of our colleagues was sensational. More than 850 people from a 25-nation region gathered in Poland's northeastern lake country at a large hotel to worship, fellowship, and learn the strategy for the future. It was an awesome time even though it was "wall to wall" meetings. Our schedule began with a 7:00 am breakfast and, except for two hours in late afternoon, ended sometime after 9:00 pm. It was certainly not a vacation . . . . not even a working vacation! But . . . that's not what it is intended to be anyhow.
We were blessed beyond words to hear our long-time friend, Dr. Tom Elliff speak the first three days on "Building Kingdom Families". And, in spite of the busy schedule he and his wife both had, we were blessed to eat breakfast together one morning. He and his church have such a heart for missions! How we wish all pastors and churches had such world views. It's people and churches like that who keep missionaries like us motivated to stay on the field. You may think that we are here because of God's call only, and that is true, but many times the thing that keeps us here is encouragement and vision from others.
Then, what can we say about Dr. Thom Wolf!!! He's one of a kind, and the brief seminars he conducted should have been triple the time he was allotted. Even though he missed almost all the last session, Mark Edworthy's seminar on church planting gave Bob some good insight for the future work we have in Kiev after we finish with the IMB.
And, one of the very special elements of the meeting was the joy of reunion with colleagues, many of whom we had not seen for three years or longer. We were especially blessed to fellowship with Tim, Troy and Mary, Tami, Todd and Kim, Darrell, Gene and Lolita, and Duane from the Balkan field, as well as friends from our own field. We still remember going into the mountains with Tim to take humanitarian aid with SFOR troops to a Serbian refugee camp of over 600 homeless people. We remember our first day in Sarajevo when Duane drove us up a mountain road to a place were a Serb gun battery had pummeled the city for nearly four years.
We remember far too many events with Troy and Mary such as cups of cappuccino on the Adriatic Sea and baptizings in a hotel swimming pool. And how can we forget the times at training with Gene and Lolita! We were two of the three oldest couples in training, and we all enjoyed the respect and astonishment that our gray hair brought to the younger generations. And the times of strategic prayer walking with Darrell will never be forgotten as it molded our understanding of the principle and the power of faith-filled prayer. Finally, time with Tami brought back the memories of her ministry with us in the Balkans on short-term trips and the years we had known her before that when she roomed with our youngest daughter in the home of Bob's parents. Seeing her now as a career missionary is thrilling.
Sandwiched in between all the scheduled meetings, we also had opportunity to share our future with others. Without exception we received strong affirmation and support from our colleagues. We cannot say enough about the encouragement and support we have received from Mick, our direct supervisor, as well as others in the administrative level of our organization. This upcoming parting, to quote Shakespeare, will clearly be "such sweet sorrow". So, it was a great conference . . . in spite of a hectic non-stop schedule.
+ After being home just three days, we then headed to Interlaken, Switzerland for an international conference with people from the International Baptist Convention. Though it is small in numbers, the IBC is enormous in territory, consisting of cooperating English language churches throughout all of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Opening session is always a heart stopper and a breath catcher as you watch the procession of flags weave its way down the aisles and across the stage. Bob carried the Ukrainian flag and Jo Ann the Bulgarian flag this year.
Keynote speakers this year were Dr. John Bisagno (a man whom Bob has known for over 35 years) and Dr. Ky Bowman. Both men brought powerful messages. Both of them are visionaries who see things globally. It was a great blessing to realize that men with such international recognition and prominence were servants of humility who were willing to go to the little places to minister to the "no name" people like us who are seldom known by the rest of the believing world. They encouraged us greatly. Dr. Bisagno is still one of the great preachers who know how to open scripture with "practical exposition".
And, yes, we did get a chance to take two Swiss train rides up into the mountains where we enjoyed mountain meadow flora, fresh pine-scented air, majestic vistas, and good Swiss lunches. And, we also took one boat trip on Lake Brienz to a village known for its wood carvings where we spent our life savings on figures of an old man and old woman who looked like they'd spent many years together.
+ Returning to Kiev on July 15th, we immediately proceeded full steam ahead, meeting with the church leadership to help prepare them for important future decisions they must make, viewing the progress on the meeting place for the new church plant, and attending an informal fellowship gathering of about 15 people who are considering being part of the new church start. We have returned with an even stronger conviction that this is the right thing, and with even greater joy and excitement over what God has in mind.
Even though we have not (and cannot as long as we're with IMB) done anything official regarding the new church plant, we know of as many as 40 people who have expressed interest in this new project. Once the word gets out and the plans are initiated, there is no reason to believe that this group will reach well over 100 in attendance within the first eight or ten weeks of its beginning. The people are here, both believers and unbelievers. Many believers are just waiting for this type of creative and mission focused ministry.
Looking Ahead:
+ We now find ourselves making many decisions regarding concluding our work with the church, returning to the States, and planning for the new church start. Our schedule is extremely busy from now through the end of August.
+ "Living Vine" faces some very important decisions that pertain to their actual existence. English language international churches are always "fluid" and difficult to define. Nationality ratios are always changing, and along with that come changes to leadership and to financial resources. At this time in its life, all Americans will be gone from "Living Vine" by the end of September (unless others come into the church), and there will be only one member and one attendee who are not Ukrainian. That means that Ukrainian resources, philosophy, and economy will be the driving factors that determine its future. It will be a difficult time for them, a time they have frankly resisted having to face. But it has arrived.
+ The volunteer team of seven from our home church will arrive August 2nd for twelve days of exploration, evaluation, and ministry. Their visit is critical to the future ministry God has opened for us. They will be doing prayer walking, meeting with some of the people who are beginning the new church, going to a village where we have ministered before, and doing some work on the meeting place for the new church plant. They will return to the States on August 13th.
+ Another informational fellowship has been scheduled for August 9th for those interested in this new work. We anticipate 30 to 40 people will probably attend. And, the group will actually meet at the location of the new work.
+ The work on the new meeting place and also the new apartment is scheduled to be completed by mid August.
+ Our final Sunday at "Living Vine" will be August 21st, and we will return to the States as soon after that as possible, depending on how long it takes us to get moved into the new apartment, when we can get our tickets, and other factors. We hope to be in Collins by the first week of September. As you know, we are making this trip primarily because it is required by the Board as part of our tenure termination, and we're doing it at this time because we cannot officially start the new church or raise financial support as long as we're with the Board.
+ While we're in the States, probably for about a month, we must also renew our visas, take care of "home base" matters, see our family, try to locate some "partnership churches", and raise support for our upcoming monthly needs. We'll write more about that later. In the meantime, include that in your prayer time.
+ We hope to return to Kiev no later than early October. Then, depending on how long we stay in the States during this trip, and what the status is on our visa situation and support base, we hope to go back to the States for a few weeks for Christmas. As you look at the prayer requests below, you'll see some of the factors involved as we face the future.
Prayer Requests:
+ Pray for "Living Vine" as they face the next chapter in their lives. Our Ukrainian brothers and sisters are still depending far too much on Americans and others to keep them going. It is going to be a challenging time for them as they are faced with having to decide their future existence and status.
+ Pray that the new group that is beginning to form will eventually establish as a new church. Pray that God will bring only those with the appropriate vision into the group. Pray that He will raise up key leaders to give direction. Pray that we will be able to appropriately fit into that group when our time ends with the Board. Pray that excitement and a global vision to reach the nations represented in Kiev will intensify.
+ Pray for the work on the meeting place and apartment. Pray especially that all aspects of it will be completed, that God will provide funding that is still needed, and that the work will be finished by August 15th. Pray that we will be able to move into the apartment by the end of August.
+ Pray that we can get good travel arrangements back to the States at the time we need them. Pray that God will already begin preparing hearts of churches and individuals whom He wants to be part of our future undergirding. Pray that even now some speaking engagements and appointments can be arranged for September. Pray that God will provide the needed resources to cover our living expenses and horrendous insurance costs upon our return to Kiev.
+ Pray for all our kids and the various needs they have as noted above. They're a great family!
+ Pray that the "PrayKIEV" ministry here will regain momentum. It has been interesting to see just how much spiritual resistance there has been to maintaining a strong city-wide prayer movement. It is clear that such praying is vital to the future of the city. There is an ongoing deep moving of the Holy Spirit, but the need for the Body of Christ to come together in united prayer is being met by intense hindering . . . not by people, but by hidden spiritual forces that try to distract, procrastinate, distort, and otherwise hinder this much needed movement.
Finally:
Bob has recently written two "Shoulder To Shoulder" articles that relate to what God is doing in Ukraine at this time. This is a movement of God that has repercussions far beyond what appears on the surface; something monumental is in the process of taking place. He has also created a "thinking document" that contains many impressions and ideas concerning what the new church plant will look like. If you have not read these, and if you would like to have copies, write to us requesting one or more of the following:
"Fact or Fantasy" Shoulders Letter on what it means to truly be an international and mission minded church.
"Your Place In History" Shoulders Letter on what is really going on in Ukraine, and our role in it. Contains two short research articles from Citizen magazine on the Christian dynamics behind the Orange Revolution.
"Church Plant -- Preliminary Thoughts" article on what the new international church in Kiev may look like. Describes motive, ministry type, opportunities available, etc.
Our next letter will be written shortly before we return to the States for a few weeks. We'll try to give more detail by then as to our future. All we know is it's an exciting one.
We love you, and regularly thank God for you and others like you who are such a vital part of our lives and ministry. The "Go'ers" could never go if it were not for the "Senders" and the "Intercessors". Thank you for being one of those!
Don't forget to ask for any of the articles mentioned above.
In His Bond, By His Grace, and For His Kingdom.
Our Websites:
ministry photo albums.
http://www.praykiev.org for information on our city-wide strategic prayer movement.
To receive "PrayKiev", a monthly (or more) prayer letter on a city-wide prayer
network, send a blank message to praykiev-subscribe@associate.com.
To reach the "PrayKIEV" website, go to http://www.praykiev.org.
For weekly spiritual encouragement and current stories of our work here,
subscribe to "Shoulder To Shoulder", a letter to "lift up hands that
For Back Issues of . . .
More Helpful Resources:
If you have a heart for God and would like to be encouraged in your life and ministry,
and you have a burden for your church, your community, and the world,
then you may want to receive . . .
http://www.answersingenesis.org/ ---- one of the best Creation websites I've ever seen.
http://frangipane.org ---- for excellent brief words of encouragement from
one of America's premier evangelical writers/thinkers.
http://www.jfloydministries.org ---- great website for dealing with hurts and wounds through forgiveness.
http://www.cnsnews.com for daily world news without a liberal, godless bias.
http://www.worldprayerteam.org ---- A world-wide network for praying together.
http://www.watchword.org ---- excellent resources on revival, prayer, missions.
http://www.waymakers.org ---- resources on prayer, evangelism, etc.
http://www.operationiraqcare.org ---- To adopt and pray for a special historic city in Iraq.
http://www.nppn.org ---- "National Pastors' Prayer Network" newsletter. ~
Usprayercenter@cs.com ---- U. S. World Prayer Center.
Other Great Resources Are:
http://www.sermonindex.net for access to over 3900 downloadable audio sermons. Exceptional site.
http://www.biblemaster.com for great Bible resources and downloads. Exceptional site.
http://www.e-sword.net (one of the best free download Bible study site I've ever seen!)
http://www.discipleshipdirect.com/ for new and fresh evangelism & discipleship materials.
http://welovegod.org/camsoc/ctt/"Christian Communications Toolkit" (using internet wisely)
To subscribe to CAMSOC update newsletter, go to grga@myrealbox.com.
Online Resources on Ukraine are . . . .
Secular News on Kiev and Ukraine will give you interesting views at . . .
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