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HOPE4KYIV #041 ---- 1/24/06

#1 · January 24, 2006, 9:39 am

Quote from Forum Archives on January 24, 2006, 9:39 am
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
Hope 4 Kyiv

The Monthly "In-Pact" Praise and Prayer Letter Of

Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver

Missionaries to Kiev, Ukraine

Number 041

January 24, 2006

To our Dear Friends, "In-Pact" Partners, and Family:

Greetings from frigid, "deep freeze" Kiev where the temperature has made itself at home in the "way below Zero" Fahrenheit temperatures for the past week. We are experiencing record cold weather, although they are promising us warmer weather later this week. Here's how Bob described it in yesterday's "Shoulder To Shoulder" letter:

"Some apartment buildings have had the temperature reduced to the low to mid 50's because of gas prices/shortages; others have lost electric power because too many people tried to use electric heaters. Schools have been cancelled and people are staying home. The vendors in the renocks and outdoor markets have stayed home so they and their fresh fruits and vegetables won't freeze, and certain foods have been hard to find. The trolley buses stopped running for awhile, and the "marshyutkyas" (mini-buses) are running less frequently because of no passengers. Taxi drivers cannot promise a pick-up time because the demands exceed their abilities to transport passengers. We haven't even been able to get television at all for five days because the signals from the satellite drop off before they can be picked up on the dish on our building. It's so cold the signals just don't get through.

"An American friend who had just come to Kiev from Siberia said the temperature was well below -50 Fahrenheit and that they had experienced what they call "white cold" . . . . weather so cold that the humidity in the air literally freezes and hangs suspended in the air, creating a white haze that is sometimes so thick it will impair your vision. The pastor of our host church walked less than a mile from his apartment to the church building last Friday and said that the "dripping" from his nose literally froze five times and he had to stop and clear his nostrils so he could breathe. Numerous people have told me that they had frost and/or ice build up in their nostrils or moustaches."

At any rate, we are both fine and, other than typical aches and pains of "old people", we're doing great . . . still very excited over what God is doing through the ministry you support.

Change in Mailing:

For several months we have both felt our letters were far too long, but far less frequent than needed. Even though many have indicated they love the detailed descriptions, we feel that waiting an entire month to update you makes us have to write more than we should, but yet often leaving out important things we'd like you to know about. At the same time, the "out of sight, out of mind" syndrome really sets in when you have to wait a full month before you hear from us. You might forget us in the meantime, and we surely don't want that!

So, beginning in February, not long from now, we're going to start sending shorter letters every two to three weeks. The main reason for this is because we realize just how important it is that you are urged to pray for us, and also because there are times when we need to share additional things with you.

So . . . What's Been Happening:

Plenty! Since our last Christmas letter with almost no news included, things have really been popping.

UPDATES: A report on previous conditions ----

+ When the power was turned off in the building last month, it was quickly restored a day or two later. We lost a few things in the refrigerator because it took awhile to get it plugged back in even after electricity had been restored. But, many things were saved.

+ Little has been done otherwise on the apartment or the sanctuary where the church will be meeting. Right now it looks like it will be the first of March before we have a chance of getting into the new sanctuary. But, it sure looks beautiful! The painting of the ceiling is pretty well done, all the taping and mud work on the dry wall has been finished and sanded, the workers are now slowly planing down the risers and putting the sub-flooring down (about 20% complete). After that, the carpeting will be laid, safety railings will be put up, the tile will be installed in the "stage" area, and then the beautiful chairs will be put in place.

Holidays usually result in a mass exodus from work, and they last a long time. The norm here is that almost all of January, July and August are lost to extended holidays and celebrations. When you add extremely cold weather and illnesses to that, the time drags out even longer. That's life in Ukraine.

+ We still have no gas in the apartment, but, after about $2,000 of extra "permit fees" and "fines", approval was finally granted last week. We are now waiting for some masonry adjustments to be made in the wall around the stove and ovens so the utility company can come and hook everything up. IF (and that is an enormous "IF") all goes as planned, that work will all be done and the gas finally turned on THIS WEEK! But . . . "Seeing is believing!"

+ We now have a working washing machine! Hallelujah! It's actually an American machine (Kenmore), and is why we had to spend $175 to have a voltage inverter specially built to carry the load. seven weeks after the inverter was delivered the guy brought a $1.00 adapter and hooked everything up for us. The matching gas dryer is not "officially" going to be hooked up, but after we finally get gas service, it will be "unofficially" used . . . IF we can find a way to run 40 feet of electrical cord to the inverter sitting in another room. Dryer couldn't be put in the laundry room because it had to be vented directly to the outside. (Life in Ukraine is a total adventure 24/7/365!

+ We still do not have permanent internet service. Since returning to Kiev we've discovered that most high speed internet service providers will not use the lines installed by the other company. Because we have been so busy with holidays, getting settled back into the apartment, and enjoying fantastic ministry opportunities, we have settled for pre-paid internet cards that use a regular dial up connection. So, . . . PLEASE don't send us large files yet. We got some pics from family recently that took over 20 minutes to download, and that time all came off of our pre-paid card, shortening the amount of time it will last.

NEW NEWS: Developments since December.

+ Just before our return we learned that John and Betsy, two of our close friends who urged us to begin the new church and who served as part of the leadership team, felt it was time for them to return to the Ukrainian church where they had previously ministered. So, when we returned to Kiev on January 1st, our Pastoral Leadership Team was down to three. But, the Lord has confirmed to them that they did the right thing, and He has been faithful to guide the rest of us in continuing the strategy the Lord laid out for us last Fall.

+ More and more people are volunteering to assume responsibilities in many areas of our church life. We are seeing a pretty good Media team come together to take care of our audio and video equipment and uses during services. Currently, including Pete who's currently in the States for medical purposes, we have five people. So, we hope to split them into two teams that will alternate with each other and can supplement each other when needed.

+ The praise and worship team is very slowly coming together; it seems we can't get all the parts together at the same time so we can create continuity and blend into a unified expression of worship. It intrigues us that the two main areas of struggle for many churches are in the areas of praise and worship and of prayer. It seems the enemy constantly tries to keep the Church from engaging joyously and victoriously in both.

+ Bob has resumed his mentoring time with the Spanish pastors, but now Jo Ann also meets at the same time with the wife of one and the fiancé of the other to share what it's like to be a godly woman and a pastor's wife. (You've really got to be godly woman to be a pastor's wife!) Then, following this Tuesday meeting the core group of the Spanish church meets for leadership development, followed by the entire group coming for Bible study and worship. This all takes place in our apartment.

+ Jo Ann has now begun her evangelistic cooking and crafts class, her first group meeting last Wednesday. There were 12 of them from China, Cuba, Venezuela, Peru, Iran, and America, all learning how to make good old-fashioned chicken and dumplings. While she was doing that, Bob was meeting with his growing "Timothy Fellowship" group; he had seven in the group last week, with two regulars not present. Our evangelistic exercise and aerobics class was to have begun last night, but some of the church leaders were convinced it was going to be "dancing" and other "stuff" that was undesirable to have in their building. So, we're having to look for another location. In the meantime, Keri already has 15 to 20 people waiting to get started.

+ Two Sundays ago we decided to invite some of the young people to stay over after services and have lunch and then watch a movie. The pizza we ordered didn't arrive until 4:30, so we occupied the time with the movie first. Then, after the movie, we put on a "Mercy Me" DVD. While the DVD was playing, Cuban Tania and Paola from Peru were sitting on the floor behind a chair, and Tania was leading Paola to Christ. Then the following Tuesday during small group prayer time, Tania led "Nandi" from the Dominican Republic to Christ. The next day, Wednesday, Bob sat with several of the Spanish believers and answered dozens of genuine heart-source questions from "Mike", a young Iranian who is so open to the Gospel.

+ We've had first-time visitors every Sunday since we've been back ---- people from Iran, China, Peru, Dominican Republic, England, U.S., Ukraine, . . . It's hard to keep up. Several of them have indicated their intent to attend regularly. God is good . . . . MORE than good!

+ As an example, last November on the day we flew back to the States, we met a couple in the airport here in Kiev. He was American and she was Ukrainian . . . not an uncommon occurrence. It turned out they are missionaries who minister from the States in the Ukrainian city of Simferopol. The work primarily with orphans and homeless children. We had a great visit both in the airport and then on the plane all the way to Munich. There we went our separate ways on different flights. While in the States, Tom contacted us about possibly bringing some diabetic test strips back for one of the orphan children, to which we immediately agreed. People with his ministry who live in Kiev were to pick up the strips.

A couple of Sundays later a young couple from his ministry came to services, we assumed to get the strips. It turned out that they were both musicians (she's a vocalist and he's a guitarist), and they had actually come because Tom had told them about this "fantastic older couple" he had met in the airport who were leading a new church in Kiev. They both speak fluent English, and Inga and Andrew (Sasha) have jumped right into the life of the church. They will soon be providing much needed help both with our media systems as well as our praise team. A few days later, the people who were supposed to pick up the strips called. By then, though, we had already given them to Inga. But, they are on the way to the orphan child. Inga and Andrew will be married soon.

+ Not only do we now have our "Let's Talk About The Sermon" discussion group that meets every Sunday after services, but we have now begun an in-depth inductive Bible study, led by an American, Marie. They've met only two Sundays, but it's obvious the participants are enjoying it tremendously, and they're getting some excellent Bible teaching. It is amazing to see how what Marie is teaching dove-tails so perfectly with some of the sermons Bob has been sharing.

+ Last week end we hosted a special training workshop to lay the ground work for an upcoming English (EFL) language ministry in which we will conduct one or two one-week evangelistic English "high octane" classes as a means of establishing relationships with unversity students and others for the purpose of engaging them in ongoing Bible studies and evangelistic opportunities. We had fifteen people from six different ministries represented. All but three were from Kiev. We anticipate this developing into our first such school, hopefully next June or July. Similar schools held in Kiev by other ministries have resulted in enrollments between 800 and 1,000 students. Several of our own church young people were saved as a result of those earlier schools.

Our goal is considerably different in that, not only do we intend to introduce the attendees to the Bible and initiate relationships, but we will work hard at taking the classes the next step into home Bible study groups and ultimately house churches throughout the city. This is a major project that will require volunteer teams from America as well as financial and prayer support and strong leadership from here in Kiev. It has the potential of making a profound impact for the cause of Christ. We are not trying to establish a specific date for the first school.

+ In addition, good contacts have been established with Chinese and Iranian students, and we anticipate some small group Bible studies will begin there in a few weeks. We also want to mobilize our strategic prayer ministry very soon, and we're also in the process of jump-starting the PrayKIEV city-wide prayer strategy very soon. Interest has risen in that recently. In fact, Bob had an e-mail a few weeks ago from an American missionary living in Kiev who was wondering about the missionaries getting together periodically to pray together. Great idea!!!

+ Also, God has been bringing special people into our lives. "M", who used to live in Kiev has returned from his one-year stay in India to work with us. While in India he was trained in church planting and helped plant churches and small groups in Buddhist groups. He also planted a church among some Persians from his home country where his life is in great danger. Now he will help us; and already his safety is of great concern to us. Then, Keri has returned and is involved with the Spanish church, the aerobics program, and small group Bible studies for young women. On top of that, a fine young man, Igor, indicated last week that he wants to be involved with us and will be moving into the city from his village very soon. But, he is already attending and has become a regular part of our ministry, including our "Timothy Fellowship". He is married, and his wife is a cardiologist.

Well, . . . that's enough for now. You can tell that we're busy, and we're super excited about how God continues confirming the ministry He has given us.

Prayer Requests:

+ Upcoming Ukrainian Elections ---- this is a critical time in Ukrainian history. As a result of political deals and meanderings, along with decisions and actions that Yushchenko has found necessary to take, his popularity has waned and the pro-Moscow Yanukovich bloc may very possibly win the most seats in the Parliamentary elections in March. And, when you have over 40 parties bidding for some 400+ seats, you can see how easy it will be for a highly fragmented government that will hamstring any serious attempt to continue building on the ground gained during the Orange Revolution in November/December, 2004. Please pray for Ukraine!

+ The PrayKIEV Prayer Strategy ---- that it will regain momentum, will grow with a mighty ground swell of visionary and courageous intercessors. Pray that an upcoming expansion of the website, the development of a strategic prayer walk in connection with the elections, and the improvement of the "PrayKIEV" e-letter will all take place. Pray also that the area missionaries will see the desperate need to meet together periodically for prayer.

+ Evangelistic Aerobics Meeting Place ---- Unfortunately some of the leaders of our host church are convinced our evangelistic aerobics and exercise class will really be a risqué dancing orgy, and will not let us meet in the church building. This is a big setback because Keri already has 15 to 20 people ready to participate. Pray that they will either reverse their position or that we can find a place very quickly. This is very disappointing for us all, especially Keri and her helpers, Sveta, and Margarita.

+ Newly started Bible study groups ---- especially the one Vitaly leads in discussing the sermon of the day, and the study from II Peter that Marie leads.

+ Spanish Church ---- Even though it is a self-sustaining church, it has become more of a satellite to us in that so many go to both churches and Bob meets regularly with the leadership, and they also use our apartment every Tuesday for leadership training and Bible study. Pray for Igor and Raidel as they lead the church. Pray for Igor and Keri as they prepare for marriage in June. Pray for Raidel and Margarita as they continue adjusting to the many challenges and surprises of married life. Pray for Bob as he mentors Igor and Raidel, and for Jo Ann as she mentors Keri and Margarita. Pray for the new believers, especially Paola and Nandi. Pray for "Mike" from I who attends the Spanish church activities and is asking many questions about Jesus Christ; pray that he will accept Christ very soon.

+ Further Expansion to More Language Groups: Pray for Keri as she develops ministry to single gals. Pray for Jeannie T. as she returns from the States next month to help us minister to Chinese and others. Pray for M. as he tries to develop ministry to people from Persian countries. Pray for other doors to open to other language groups and for leaders to develop those ministries. It is obvious that God is activating the vision He gave us in the first place for KIBC.

+ The upcoming English (EFL) one-week classes: Pray that a good date can be set. Pray that a volunteer team in the States can be formed. Pray that we will have all the needed local help from native English speakers and others to fill all of the logistical slots required for such a huge undertaking. Pray that God will hand pick every teacher, leader, and worker. Pray that the response from the populace will be positive and extensive.

+ Completion of the sanctuary ---- We were supposed to have been in it by the end of last September, and we are at least another month or more away. The benefit is, of course, that we get to use our current room at no cost or deduction of our "rent free" time. The disadvantage is that it is cramped, and we don't have the luxury of this beautiful facility just waiting to be used. Pray that there are no more delays and that there will be no injuries or setbacks during completion.

+ Good internet service ---- We still don't have decent internet, and are using pre-paid dial-up cards that have to be purchased new everytime the time on one is used up. It costs about $20 for around 12 hours of use. All inquiries and news has not been encouraging. It seems, because of politics, service quality, and communications policy, that the only way we can get high speed in the building (at least good quality) is to spend some $400 for a cable to be run by another reputable company. Pray that maybe this could be a joint project with other ministries and businesses in the building. Otherwise, pray that the Lord will provide those funds. High speed internet is an almost indispensable tool for us.

+ Gas Hook-ups and other projects ---- Pray that the gas will actually get hooked up this week and Jo Ann will be able to cook with her own stove and ovens for our special Sunday activities.

+ Anniversary ---- Not only is January our anniversary month for moving to Kiev, but the 29th is also our wedding anniversary (47 years!). Pray that we'll be in good health and can find a few quiet hours to just enjoy being together and sharing our memories.

+ Partnerships and support ---- Three more churches in Missouri and Florida are at various stages of considering partnering with KIBC. Another church in Missouri has committed to financial support for the year 2006. Partnerships include one or more of the following elements ---- prayer support, financial support, volunteer teams, individual volunteers, materials and supplies provision. We praise God for those churches and individuals who support us through prayer and financially. Pray that God will provide through such people the $700 per month additional support still needed to meet full budget.

Finally:

Thank you, dear friends, for all that you are and all that you do in relationship to us and the work to which God has called us. We never dreamed we'd be doing this type of thing at this stage in our lives. And, we know fully that we could not do it without the encouragement and undergirding of believers like you all around the world. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In His Bond and For His Kingdom,

Bob and Jo Ann

Bob: lifeunlimited@pobox.com

Jo Ann: grandma12@pobox.com
http://community.webshots.com/user/kic4n
www.praykiev.org
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Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>

Hope 4 Kyiv

The Monthly "In-Pact" Praise and Prayer Letter Of

Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver

Missionaries to Kiev, Ukraine

Number 041

January 24, 2006

To our Dear Friends, "In-Pact" Partners, and Family:

Greetings from frigid, "deep freeze" Kiev where the temperature has made itself at home in the "way below Zero" Fahrenheit temperatures for the past week. We are experiencing record cold weather, although they are promising us warmer weather later this week. Here's how Bob described it in yesterday's "Shoulder To Shoulder" letter:

"Some apartment buildings have had the temperature reduced to the low to mid 50's because of gas prices/shortages; others have lost electric power because too many people tried to use electric heaters. Schools have been cancelled and people are staying home. The vendors in the renocks and outdoor markets have stayed home so they and their fresh fruits and vegetables won't freeze, and certain foods have been hard to find. The trolley buses stopped running for awhile, and the "marshyutkyas" (mini-buses) are running less frequently because of no passengers. Taxi drivers cannot promise a pick-up time because the demands exceed their abilities to transport passengers. We haven't even been able to get television at all for five days because the signals from the satellite drop off before they can be picked up on the dish on our building. It's so cold the signals just don't get through.

"An American friend who had just come to Kiev from Siberia said the temperature was well below -50 Fahrenheit and that they had experienced what they call "white cold" . . . . weather so cold that the humidity in the air literally freezes and hangs suspended in the air, creating a white haze that is sometimes so thick it will impair your vision. The pastor of our host church walked less than a mile from his apartment to the church building last Friday and said that the "dripping" from his nose literally froze five times and he had to stop and clear his nostrils so he could breathe. Numerous people have told me that they had frost and/or ice build up in their nostrils or moustaches."

At any rate, we are both fine and, other than typical aches and pains of "old people", we're doing great . . . still very excited over what God is doing through the ministry you support.

Change in Mailing:

For several months we have both felt our letters were far too long, but far less frequent than needed. Even though many have indicated they love the detailed descriptions, we feel that waiting an entire month to update you makes us have to write more than we should, but yet often leaving out important things we'd like you to know about. At the same time, the "out of sight, out of mind" syndrome really sets in when you have to wait a full month before you hear from us. You might forget us in the meantime, and we surely don't want that!

So, beginning in February, not long from now, we're going to start sending shorter letters every two to three weeks. The main reason for this is because we realize just how important it is that you are urged to pray for us, and also because there are times when we need to share additional things with you.

So . . . What's Been Happening:

Plenty! Since our last Christmas letter with almost no news included, things have really been popping.

UPDATES: A report on previous conditions ----

+ When the power was turned off in the building last month, it was quickly restored a day or two later. We lost a few things in the refrigerator because it took awhile to get it plugged back in even after electricity had been restored. But, many things were saved.

+ Little has been done otherwise on the apartment or the sanctuary where the church will be meeting. Right now it looks like it will be the first of March before we have a chance of getting into the new sanctuary. But, it sure looks beautiful! The painting of the ceiling is pretty well done, all the taping and mud work on the dry wall has been finished and sanded, the workers are now slowly planing down the risers and putting the sub-flooring down (about 20% complete). After that, the carpeting will be laid, safety railings will be put up, the tile will be installed in the "stage" area, and then the beautiful chairs will be put in place.

Holidays usually result in a mass exodus from work, and they last a long time. The norm here is that almost all of January, July and August are lost to extended holidays and celebrations. When you add extremely cold weather and illnesses to that, the time drags out even longer. That's life in Ukraine.

+ We still have no gas in the apartment, but, after about $2,000 of extra "permit fees" and "fines", approval was finally granted last week. We are now waiting for some masonry adjustments to be made in the wall around the stove and ovens so the utility company can come and hook everything up. IF (and that is an enormous "IF") all goes as planned, that work will all be done and the gas finally turned on THIS WEEK! But . . . "Seeing is believing!"

+ We now have a working washing machine! Hallelujah! It's actually an American machine (Kenmore), and is why we had to spend $175 to have a voltage inverter specially built to carry the load. seven weeks after the inverter was delivered the guy brought a $1.00 adapter and hooked everything up for us. The matching gas dryer is not "officially" going to be hooked up, but after we finally get gas service, it will be "unofficially" used . . . IF we can find a way to run 40 feet of electrical cord to the inverter sitting in another room. Dryer couldn't be put in the laundry room because it had to be vented directly to the outside. (Life in Ukraine is a total adventure 24/7/365!

+ We still do not have permanent internet service. Since returning to Kiev we've discovered that most high speed internet service providers will not use the lines installed by the other company. Because we have been so busy with holidays, getting settled back into the apartment, and enjoying fantastic ministry opportunities, we have settled for pre-paid internet cards that use a regular dial up connection. So, . . . PLEASE don't send us large files yet. We got some pics from family recently that took over 20 minutes to download, and that time all came off of our pre-paid card, shortening the amount of time it will last.

NEW NEWS: Developments since December.

+ Just before our return we learned that John and Betsy, two of our close friends who urged us to begin the new church and who served as part of the leadership team, felt it was time for them to return to the Ukrainian church where they had previously ministered. So, when we returned to Kiev on January 1st, our Pastoral Leadership Team was down to three. But, the Lord has confirmed to them that they did the right thing, and He has been faithful to guide the rest of us in continuing the strategy the Lord laid out for us last Fall.

+ More and more people are volunteering to assume responsibilities in many areas of our church life. We are seeing a pretty good Media team come together to take care of our audio and video equipment and uses during services. Currently, including Pete who's currently in the States for medical purposes, we have five people. So, we hope to split them into two teams that will alternate with each other and can supplement each other when needed.

+ The praise and worship team is very slowly coming together; it seems we can't get all the parts together at the same time so we can create continuity and blend into a unified expression of worship. It intrigues us that the two main areas of struggle for many churches are in the areas of praise and worship and of prayer. It seems the enemy constantly tries to keep the Church from engaging joyously and victoriously in both.

+ Bob has resumed his mentoring time with the Spanish pastors, but now Jo Ann also meets at the same time with the wife of one and the fiancé of the other to share what it's like to be a godly woman and a pastor's wife. (You've really got to be godly woman to be a pastor's wife!) Then, following this Tuesday meeting the core group of the Spanish church meets for leadership development, followed by the entire group coming for Bible study and worship. This all takes place in our apartment.

+ Jo Ann has now begun her evangelistic cooking and crafts class, her first group meeting last Wednesday. There were 12 of them from China, Cuba, Venezuela, Peru, Iran, and America, all learning how to make good old-fashioned chicken and dumplings. While she was doing that, Bob was meeting with his growing "Timothy Fellowship" group; he had seven in the group last week, with two regulars not present. Our evangelistic exercise and aerobics class was to have begun last night, but some of the church leaders were convinced it was going to be "dancing" and other "stuff" that was undesirable to have in their building. So, we're having to look for another location. In the meantime, Keri already has 15 to 20 people waiting to get started.

+ Two Sundays ago we decided to invite some of the young people to stay over after services and have lunch and then watch a movie. The pizza we ordered didn't arrive until 4:30, so we occupied the time with the movie first. Then, after the movie, we put on a "Mercy Me" DVD. While the DVD was playing, Cuban Tania and Paola from Peru were sitting on the floor behind a chair, and Tania was leading Paola to Christ. Then the following Tuesday during small group prayer time, Tania led "Nandi" from the Dominican Republic to Christ. The next day, Wednesday, Bob sat with several of the Spanish believers and answered dozens of genuine heart-source questions from "Mike", a young Iranian who is so open to the Gospel.

+ We've had first-time visitors every Sunday since we've been back ---- people from Iran, China, Peru, Dominican Republic, England, U.S., Ukraine, . . . It's hard to keep up. Several of them have indicated their intent to attend regularly. God is good . . . . MORE than good!

+ As an example, last November on the day we flew back to the States, we met a couple in the airport here in Kiev. He was American and she was Ukrainian . . . not an uncommon occurrence. It turned out they are missionaries who minister from the States in the Ukrainian city of Simferopol. The work primarily with orphans and homeless children. We had a great visit both in the airport and then on the plane all the way to Munich. There we went our separate ways on different flights. While in the States, Tom contacted us about possibly bringing some diabetic test strips back for one of the orphan children, to which we immediately agreed. People with his ministry who live in Kiev were to pick up the strips.

A couple of Sundays later a young couple from his ministry came to services, we assumed to get the strips. It turned out that they were both musicians (she's a vocalist and he's a guitarist), and they had actually come because Tom had told them about this "fantastic older couple" he had met in the airport who were leading a new church in Kiev. They both speak fluent English, and Inga and Andrew (Sasha) have jumped right into the life of the church. They will soon be providing much needed help both with our media systems as well as our praise team. A few days later, the people who were supposed to pick up the strips called. By then, though, we had already given them to Inga. But, they are on the way to the orphan child. Inga and Andrew will be married soon.

+ Not only do we now have our "Let's Talk About The Sermon" discussion group that meets every Sunday after services, but we have now begun an in-depth inductive Bible study, led by an American, Marie. They've met only two Sundays, but it's obvious the participants are enjoying it tremendously, and they're getting some excellent Bible teaching. It is amazing to see how what Marie is teaching dove-tails so perfectly with some of the sermons Bob has been sharing.

+ Last week end we hosted a special training workshop to lay the ground work for an upcoming English (EFL) language ministry in which we will conduct one or two one-week evangelistic English "high octane" classes as a means of establishing relationships with unversity students and others for the purpose of engaging them in ongoing Bible studies and evangelistic opportunities. We had fifteen people from six different ministries represented. All but three were from Kiev. We anticipate this developing into our first such school, hopefully next June or July. Similar schools held in Kiev by other ministries have resulted in enrollments between 800 and 1,000 students. Several of our own church young people were saved as a result of those earlier schools.

Our goal is considerably different in that, not only do we intend to introduce the attendees to the Bible and initiate relationships, but we will work hard at taking the classes the next step into home Bible study groups and ultimately house churches throughout the city. This is a major project that will require volunteer teams from America as well as financial and prayer support and strong leadership from here in Kiev. It has the potential of making a profound impact for the cause of Christ. We are not trying to establish a specific date for the first school.

+ In addition, good contacts have been established with Chinese and Iranian students, and we anticipate some small group Bible studies will begin there in a few weeks. We also want to mobilize our strategic prayer ministry very soon, and we're also in the process of jump-starting the PrayKIEV city-wide prayer strategy very soon. Interest has risen in that recently. In fact, Bob had an e-mail a few weeks ago from an American missionary living in Kiev who was wondering about the missionaries getting together periodically to pray together. Great idea!!!

+ Also, God has been bringing special people into our lives. "M", who used to live in Kiev has returned from his one-year stay in India to work with us. While in India he was trained in church planting and helped plant churches and small groups in Buddhist groups. He also planted a church among some Persians from his home country where his life is in great danger. Now he will help us; and already his safety is of great concern to us. Then, Keri has returned and is involved with the Spanish church, the aerobics program, and small group Bible studies for young women. On top of that, a fine young man, Igor, indicated last week that he wants to be involved with us and will be moving into the city from his village very soon. But, he is already attending and has become a regular part of our ministry, including our "Timothy Fellowship". He is married, and his wife is a cardiologist.

Well, . . . that's enough for now. You can tell that we're busy, and we're super excited about how God continues confirming the ministry He has given us.

Prayer Requests:

+ Upcoming Ukrainian Elections ---- this is a critical time in Ukrainian history. As a result of political deals and meanderings, along with decisions and actions that Yushchenko has found necessary to take, his popularity has waned and the pro-Moscow Yanukovich bloc may very possibly win the most seats in the Parliamentary elections in March. And, when you have over 40 parties bidding for some 400+ seats, you can see how easy it will be for a highly fragmented government that will hamstring any serious attempt to continue building on the ground gained during the Orange Revolution in November/December, 2004. Please pray for Ukraine!

+ The PrayKIEV Prayer Strategy ---- that it will regain momentum, will grow with a mighty ground swell of visionary and courageous intercessors. Pray that an upcoming expansion of the website, the development of a strategic prayer walk in connection with the elections, and the improvement of the "PrayKIEV" e-letter will all take place. Pray also that the area missionaries will see the desperate need to meet together periodically for prayer.

+ Evangelistic Aerobics Meeting Place ---- Unfortunately some of the leaders of our host church are convinced our evangelistic aerobics and exercise class will really be a risqué dancing orgy, and will not let us meet in the church building. This is a big setback because Keri already has 15 to 20 people ready to participate. Pray that they will either reverse their position or that we can find a place very quickly. This is very disappointing for us all, especially Keri and her helpers, Sveta, and Margarita.

+ Newly started Bible study groups ---- especially the one Vitaly leads in discussing the sermon of the day, and the study from II Peter that Marie leads.

+ Spanish Church ---- Even though it is a self-sustaining church, it has become more of a satellite to us in that so many go to both churches and Bob meets regularly with the leadership, and they also use our apartment every Tuesday for leadership training and Bible study. Pray for Igor and Raidel as they lead the church. Pray for Igor and Keri as they prepare for marriage in June. Pray for Raidel and Margarita as they continue adjusting to the many challenges and surprises of married life. Pray for Bob as he mentors Igor and Raidel, and for Jo Ann as she mentors Keri and Margarita. Pray for the new believers, especially Paola and Nandi. Pray for "Mike" from I who attends the Spanish church activities and is asking many questions about Jesus Christ; pray that he will accept Christ very soon.

+ Further Expansion to More Language Groups: Pray for Keri as she develops ministry to single gals. Pray for Jeannie T. as she returns from the States next month to help us minister to Chinese and others. Pray for M. as he tries to develop ministry to people from Persian countries. Pray for other doors to open to other language groups and for leaders to develop those ministries. It is obvious that God is activating the vision He gave us in the first place for KIBC.

+ The upcoming English (EFL) one-week classes: Pray that a good date can be set. Pray that a volunteer team in the States can be formed. Pray that we will have all the needed local help from native English speakers and others to fill all of the logistical slots required for such a huge undertaking. Pray that God will hand pick every teacher, leader, and worker. Pray that the response from the populace will be positive and extensive.

+ Completion of the sanctuary ---- We were supposed to have been in it by the end of last September, and we are at least another month or more away. The benefit is, of course, that we get to use our current room at no cost or deduction of our "rent free" time. The disadvantage is that it is cramped, and we don't have the luxury of this beautiful facility just waiting to be used. Pray that there are no more delays and that there will be no injuries or setbacks during completion.

+ Good internet service ---- We still don't have decent internet, and are using pre-paid dial-up cards that have to be purchased new everytime the time on one is used up. It costs about $20 for around 12 hours of use. All inquiries and news has not been encouraging. It seems, because of politics, service quality, and communications policy, that the only way we can get high speed in the building (at least good quality) is to spend some $400 for a cable to be run by another reputable company. Pray that maybe this could be a joint project with other ministries and businesses in the building. Otherwise, pray that the Lord will provide those funds. High speed internet is an almost indispensable tool for us.

+ Gas Hook-ups and other projects ---- Pray that the gas will actually get hooked up this week and Jo Ann will be able to cook with her own stove and ovens for our special Sunday activities.

+ Anniversary ---- Not only is January our anniversary month for moving to Kiev, but the 29th is also our wedding anniversary (47 years!). Pray that we'll be in good health and can find a few quiet hours to just enjoy being together and sharing our memories.

+ Partnerships and support ---- Three more churches in Missouri and Florida are at various stages of considering partnering with KIBC. Another church in Missouri has committed to financial support for the year 2006. Partnerships include one or more of the following elements ---- prayer support, financial support, volunteer teams, individual volunteers, materials and supplies provision. We praise God for those churches and individuals who support us through prayer and financially. Pray that God will provide through such people the $700 per month additional support still needed to meet full budget.

Finally:

Thank you, dear friends, for all that you are and all that you do in relationship to us and the work to which God has called us. We never dreamed we'd be doing this type of thing at this stage in our lives. And, we know fully that we could not do it without the encouragement and undergirding of believers like you all around the world. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In His Bond and For His Kingdom,

Bob and Jo Ann

Bob: lifeunlimited@pobox.com

Jo Ann: grandma12@pobox.com
http://community.webshots.com/user/kic4n
http://www.praykiev.org

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