Hope4KYIV #045 ---- 6/14/06
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
Hope 4 Kyiv
The Monthly Praise and Prayer Letter Of
Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver
Missionaries to Kiev, Ukraine
Number 045
June 14, 2006
Dear Friends, Family, and Ministry Partners:
We cannot believe it has been so long since we last wrote. We were certain we wrote to you soon after we returned to the States May 9th, but cannot find a letter posted anywhere, either in our files or on our newsletter website. So . . . . WE APOLOGIZE!!!!! And, all of this after we decided to write a letter every two or three weeks instead of monthly. Anyhow, here goes on lots of update news.
Update -- Report on Past Matters:
+ Progress continues on the apartment, even while we're gone. Tania from Cuba has been living there for us and we understand work has been done on the hallway closet and a few other items. We think the vent over the stove has also been installed.
+ Brent Holt arrived safely and immediately jumped right into the flow of things as our worship leader. The people really love him, and he's doing a wonderful job of solidifying the worship team. We're anxious to get back and work with him.
+ Internet service has been on hold while we've been gone, but we've learned of a couple possibilities which we'll investigate when we return.
+ Church attendance has remained good, although with Summer now upon us, it has dropped just a bit. So many of our people are either missionaries or students who leave for larger portions of the Summer.
+ Material for "PrayKIEV" has been sent to our webmaster, but nothing has come up on the website yet. We're hoping for something soon.
+ Perhaps the biggest news is that the new sanctuary is finally complete, and we will have our first service this coming Sunday, June 18th, the day after we return to Kiev. All reports tell us it is beautiful.
Recent Happenings:
+ God has opened up some new possibilities for ministry the past weeks before we returned to the States ---- working with neighborhood children in a nearby village, working with a couple of orphanages, and working with a Ukrainian pastor in planting a church in a village near Chernobyl. The Lord has also made it clear to us that our church is to be a "haven of rest" for missionaries who sometimes need someplace to decompress or to receive encouragement and counsel. These are very exciting developments which we did not anticipate.
+ Shortly before we returned to the States, Bob had an opportunity to baptize Pahola from Peru and Mohammad from Iran. While we were in the States the Spanish leaders also baptized Nandy from Dominican Republic, Alexandar from Ukraine, and a third member of the group. God is very good!
+ Upon our return to Collins, we had more air conditioner problems, caused primarily because of the carelessness of the guy who was doing the work for us. So, after two more compressors, we finally decided to scrap that company and go to another guy who had done work for us in the past. He installed a complete new heating and air-conditioning system in the house (at the tune of $3,000!!!), putting a four ton unit in place of the three ton that had been in the house since its construction. We also had to shell out about $600 more for work on the two cars (door hinge bushings, muffler, tire replacement, brakes) ---- maybe driving twelve-year-old and fifteen-year-old vehicles is not the best way to save money.
+ We took two days for a little "down time" in Branson, MO, and enjoyed three great shows, "Country Comedy", "Chinese Acrobats", and "Jim Stafford Show". We really needed that.
+ While we made our respective trips to Texas and Minnesota we were able to see several longtime friends and supporters ---- Ricky and Marina from Houston, the Carstens from Elkhart, IA, the Kallems from Pleasant Hill, IA, and others. In addition, our friends, Richard and Stephanie have been strongly promoting our ministry to churches around the States. We really appreciate that; two churches in particular have expressed interest in our work, and we hope to follow up with some helpful information to them. It was great to see Abby graduate near the top of her 400+ member class, and then to celebrate Anya's 18th birthday.
+ On May 31st we had the opportunity to share our ministry with The Potter's House Church in Camdenton, MO where their pastor, Tom Ford, is leading the church into aggressive missions involvement. We hope to see them bring a volunteer team later this year. Two families from that church are part of our support team, and one of them has made five or six trips with us to Croatia, Bosnia, and Ukraine.
+ We are continuing the church's registration process and hope to have it completed by the end of Summer. We have an excellent Christian attorney who has done this often, so we are in good heands. following the initial registration, we will then need to do a pretty thorough re-write on the constitution.
+ Stan and Vitaly have done a masterful job of keeping things in order and moving well while we've been gone. They are incredible co-laborers. Stan has also filled in faithfully with my two mentoring groups, the Spanish church pastors and the Timothy Fellowship. Bob really enjoys having him partner with him in these two ministries.
+ We were not able to purchase the worship banners we had hoped to take back with us. Maybe in December.
Looking Ahead:
+ During Summer months many things slow down, but we will continue meeting with our Singles and other groups as we have the opportunity. And, of course, we'll have ongoing services. We will use that time for extensive planning for coming ministries that will either resume or begin in September and October.
+ Finally, after nine months of delays, this coming Sunday we will move into our new sanctuary. It will be a special service of praise and worship (and reunion for us) as we focus on its dedication, and as we also commission Becky Jorash (teen daughter of Stan and Jeanne) to the mission field where she will serve for a year in Russia.
+ We continue developing the "PrayKIEV" strategy, especially the "Inter-Mission" focus on praying for Kiev missionaries. During the Summer months things will go rather slowly, but we anticipate a strong resurgence in September.
+ On July 1st Bob will perform the Christian wedding ceremony for Nandy and Alexandar, who were recently baptized. They both became believers through our Spanish work. It appears another wedding may be in the future (that's all we'll say at this time).
+ Bob will resume meeting with the Spanish pastors and the Timothy Fellowship, along with Stan's help when we are gone a couple of more weeks.
+ Summer is generally slow in Ukraine because so many Ukrainians go to the Black Sea, missionaries return to the States, and internationals go to other countries. So, we'll take advantage of that to do some extra writing, planning, and preparing for the Fall, which looks amazingly exciting.
+ We will leave July 5th to attend a conference again in Switzerland, returning July 17th. This time it will be different because we'll take Abby and Anya along so they can also attend an international youth conference nearby. Then we'll go by train through the Alps to Munich and possibly Salzburg before putting them on the plane back to the States while we return to Kiev.
Prayer Requests:
+ Pray for our safety as the four of us (Bob, Jo Ann, Abby, and Anya) leave tomorrow morning for Kiev. We go from Springfield, MO to Memphis (6.5 hour layover!), to Amsterdam, to Kiev, arriving 4:30 pm (8:30 am CDT) on Saturday.
+ Pray for alertness and freshness as we jump right into the special services on Sunday. Pray that Bob will be anointed with a special message for such a special moment. Pray that everything will be set up and in working order. Pray for Pete, Stan, and others as they get everything ready. Pray that the presence of God will be in the new sanctuary in ways similar to when Solomon dedicated the temple (II Chron 5-8).
+ Pray that the Lord will replenish our financial storehouse from the house and vehicle expenses we did not expect to incur. Pray that He will increase our monthly support base. Pray that funds will be available for the equipment and supplies we need for the new sanctuary (speakers, prayer benches, microphones, Lord's Supper service, praise and worship banners, etc.), and for expanding ministries that are developing this Summer and for the Fall.
+ Pray for Brent as he continues trying to assemble a strong worship team. While we are gaining some new faces, we are losing some familiar ones. Pray that the team will become truly unified in worship and that people will be drawn to the Lord through their ministry.
+ Pray that the church's strategic prayer ministry can truly get off the ground. It should come as no surprise that this foundational ministry of the church has been the most difficult to establish. Our people certainly pray, but it has been very hard to implement a coordinated strategy that is authoritative, bold, and focused. Pray that God will raise up someone to lead this ministry.
+ Pray for the possibility of ministering to skateboarders, punkers, and street teens as one of our members tries to establish a ministry with them by teaching English. Tens of thousands of teens live in Kiev, and most of them are living aimlessly with no clarity or confidence toward the future.
+ Pray that Abby and Anya will have a great time in Kiev with us. Pray that we can be good tour guides and hosts, and that we'll just have a great time together. Both of them have real hearts for missions and for the Lord. Pray for Abby as she prepares to attend school at University of Missouri and for Anya as she finishes up her six credits for high school graduation and also takes university classes. Pray for them both as they seek the Lord regarding how He wants to use them in the future. Anya has talked seriously about returning to Russia as a missionary to work with orphans.
+ Pray for the possibilities of new ministries as noted earlier. Pray for the Pastoral Leadership Team as we finalize the church's registration and as we take the next step of formulating our statement of beliefs and further developing our strategy. Pray for us especially as we find ourselves separated from each other by travel. This next Sunday, June 18th, is the only Sunday all three of us will be here at the same time until at least August 6th.
+ Pray for the Spirit of God to rest on our church services in ways that will draw people inexplicably into His presence. Pray that every person who attends will be touched in some way.
+ Pray for several families who are either planning on joining our work or are seriously considering it ---- for Jim and his wife as they consider returning this Fall to head up our university student ministry, for Landon and family as they come to work in the American Embassy, for Zhenia and Natasha as they consider joining our team in the areas of youth and small group ministry following their wedding, and others. We are asking God to bring people to us, just as He did Stan and his family, and as He did Brent.
+ Pray that the full potential of this church will be met. We still believe that this church can become one of the most strategic churches in all of Kiev. The vision is not from man, but from God, and we believe He wants to see it fulfilled. Pray that we will be physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually up to the task. It's enormous.
Finally:
As always, we cannot close without thanking you again for standing with us through prayer, friendship, encouragement, and/or financial support. The more we serve in Kiev, the more we recognize just how much this is truly a partnership of "senders and supporters" who have enabled the two of us to be the "goers". It's all part of God's way of doing things. Thanks for being part of that.
As we pack our last bags and anticipate that long and wearisome plane ride, our hearts are already in Kiev. There is so much to be done. There are so many to be reached! Our abilities are so flawed! Our energies are so easily exhausted! We cannot do this without people like you. Thank you!
In His Bond, By His Grace, and For His Kingdom,
Bob and Jo Ann
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