Hope4Kyiv #064 ---- 2/28/08..
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
Monthly Praise and Prayer Letter Of
Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver
Missionaries to Kiev, Ukraine
Number 064
February 28, 2008
Dear Friends, Family, and In-Pact Partners:
Here we are nearing the end of another month, a leap year month, with March just around the corner. It seems only a week or two ago that we celebrated Christmas. The winter here has been one of the mildest in many years. While our favorite Wisconsin town, Reedsburg, has had over 80" of snow so far this winter, Kyiv has had a total accumulation of less than 14". We've been told that our current hometown of Collins has had more than we have here. At any rate, we greet you with the anticipation of Spring in our hearts.
We've had a difficult time getting this letter to send. Apparently our local ISP is blocking it for some strange reason. In order to possibly solve the problem, we've deleted three or four other pictures we wanted you to see. So, you'll just have to use your imagination.
Updates:
+ While it appears that the episode with the Ukrainian man causing us problems has indeed concluded, Bob still struggles with weariness from time to time, and battles with occasional "lows". That, along with the study on spiritual warfare he is teaching, shows us just how real the battles are. They are not imaginary.
+ We are continuing to understand that our roles will definitely change here in some significant ways over coming months. We are currently evaluating all the various personal ministries we have and are recognizing that more and more of them will be gradually shifted to others, or discontinued altogether. We will see significant changes in our ministry; we just don't know what that means yet. More later.
+ Our trip to Croatia was even more than we had hoped for, in spite of it getting off to an interesting start. Time had run out on Bob's entry date on his passport (if you're not registered in the country, you have to leave the country every 90 days), and he was ten days overdue. So, after walking from one end of the airport to the other and paying a $70 "fine", we got to our gate with plenty of time to spare. The only thing we could have asked on the entire trip is for a few more days and more chances to have really good Croatian pizza.
We spent four days at the Life Center where our Balkans ministry first began in January, 1995. Now a state-of-the-art conference center sitting on the shores of the Adriatic Sea with Krk Island in the distance, it's a perfect place to relax. The picture on the left was taken from our balcony.
It was a pleasant surprise to discover there was a pastors' conference there at the same time, being attended by many Croatian pastors we had known in the past. What a joy it was to visit with Stevo Dereta, Ladislav Ruziska, Georjio, national leaders of that denomination, and to meet new pastors whom we had wanted to know for a long time. It was also a joy to visit Ladislav and Melanja Ruzicka and daughter Matea in Karlovac, along with American missionaries Tim and Danna Berry following the conference. We had met Tim during his single days in Sarajevo in 1998 when he took us to a Serb refugee camp with SFOR troops up in the mountains at the 1980 Winter Olympics site of the ski venue. It was thrilling to watch and listen to Matea at the worship team keyboard during their Sunday services. She's certainly not a little girl anymore!
We were also able to visit other places where we had ministered in the past, seeing again Franjo and Georgina Spicak, their pastor sons Nathanael, and Timothy and their families, as well as Yaroslav Cenjr and his wife who pastors a Czech church whom we have come to love and appreciate. It was a wonderful time of sweet reunion and fellowship. Both couples are suffering from rather serious health problems, so we hope you will support them in prayer. Nathanael pastors a new church plant just a few miles from the Hungarian border. Timothy pastors a church in Pakrac, not far from Sirac. Pakrac was reportedly the second most heavily damaged city in Croatia during the war with over 90% of its buildings either destroyed or damaged.
What's Happening Here:
+ Construction on the new hospital buildings continues. After a lull, the work on the building immediately behind us has resumed; the foundation walls made up primarily of concrete slabs and blocks are now being set. Each of the larger blocks weigh over 2,000 pounds. We anticipate lots of noise and dust when Spring and Summer come. The pictures below were taken this past Monday and Wednesday and show only the end of a building that will eventually extend all the way back to the buildings in the background and will be eighteen stories tall. It is one of three buildings to be built. So, it will be a very long project, probably covering multiple years.
+ Anticipating extreme noise, dust, and debris this Summer, we have decided to go ahead and have air conditioning installed in the apartment. In doing so, we'll not only have a cool and comfortable apartment during the Summer, but we'll also have an auxiliary heat source when needed, and we'll have less problem with ashes and toxic fumes from the hospital's incinerator (we still wonder what all they burn there), as well as dust and debris from the construction site. And, praise the Lord, thanks to the generosity of a handful of friends and family, the cost will be taken care of. That expenditure will also provide us two to three months toward the rental of either our apartment or the church use. We are reminded again of how God sees our needs and makes arrangements to meet them, often through the hands of others. To those of you who participated in that project on such short notice, thank you!
+ The year 2008 is a time of transition and new beginnings for KIBC. Many ministries in America and around the world are reporting how God has shown them that this year is a time of new beginnings; that witness certainly rings true for us as well. Not only is it important for the church to begin a slow transition in which our direct leadership role in the church is modified, but it is also necessary for the church to make changes as we anticipate the future. Currently our body is about 30% American, but 90% of our leadership is American.
+ This transition time includes both personnel losses and gains. In 2007 we lost three key young people to the States and Sweden, we lost our Chinese pastor and wife, a young missionary couple with YWAM returned to America, and we lost our children's ministry coordinator who worked for the U.S. Embassy and was relocated to the Middle East. We are losing more this year. One of our missionary women shifts her ministry to another work in the city, one of our young men went to work with a new church plant focusing on Ukrainian students. Next week we will lose another missionary who is going to work with an orphanage in western Ukraine. In June we will lose one of our PLT members who works at the U.S. Embassy as he completes his assignment here. There is a possibility that we may lose another PLT member and his family if they relocate to another missionary assignment. And, to be expected, we've also lost some who were merely spectators and observers who never really caught the vision of the church. You will never stay motivated long when you don't buy into the work; you'll move on to something else.
At the same time, we are also seeing numerous new people become active in our fellowship . . . two young men from Nigeria, another from Ghana, one from China, a young couple from America, several Ukrainian university students, a young man from Afghanistan, a YWAM couple from Germany, and so forth. But, that's the way international churches are . . . they are always fluid and unpredictable; as such, there is the constant demand to be flexible, and to always be training leaders. It is unlike any other ministry we've ever had. The challenge is good for us, and is also preparing us for the day when the Lord eventually sends us home somewhere in the future and we resume ministry there. This perpetual "losing and gaining" cycle is actually a blessing. First, it keeps us healthy by both pruning and grafting, and second, it reminds us that we are a "winning and sending" church, and not a "winning, gathering, and maintaining" church. It is part of our spiritual DNA.
+ Two Acrostics seem important for KIBC at this time ---- "MAWL" and "SAFE". Gene Garrison, in his book Church Planting Movements, gives the ideal way for a missionary or church planter to view his role with that new church. M = Model (live it out, do it, and show how it's done). A = Assist (begin backing off to become a helper rather than the primary "do-er"). W = Watch (next become an observer and "consultant" available to answer questions and explain things, but letting others do the work. Finally, L = Leave (that's when it's time to move on to another ministry or field with the church in good hands. That has been our agenda from the beginning. When we started KIBC in September, 2005, we felt then we would probably be here between two and five years. We've been here just over two and one-half thus far.
+ The second acrostic which Bob coined in the 1980's, SAFE, describes the way all church structure and systems should be ---- S = Simple as possible and only as complex as absolutely necessary. A = Adaptable, meaning that it is a structure that adapts and fits the vision and purpose of the church. F = Flexible, in that every structure should be responsive to necessary change. E = Expendable simply tells us that any structure is never an end in itself, is never permanent, and can always be discarded if it ever loses its effectiveness. This is also the model we've tried to follow at KIBC. We don't ever want KIBC to become so complex and overloaded that it can't do the fundamental thing for which it was started . . . to share the Gospel with Ukrainians and internationals, reach them, lead them to Christ, train and equip them to do the same thing, and then send them back to their respective people groups to plant new churches.
+ Our Sunday lunches continue to be a special ministry, especially to our international students. The picture below left shows an example of a recent lunch held about three weeks ago. That particular day we had people from about 16 countries in our services, and this group alone represented eight ---- China, Iran, America, Ukraine, Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria, and Kazakhstan. Several of these are brand new Christians. One was one of two survivors of a Bible study group in his home country when police came and killed everyone else. He will be baptized here in the next few weeks.
+ It is amazing to see the Spanish work grow and prosper. They celebrated their third anniversary this past Sunday, and as you see in the picture above right, they are a growing international group in their own right with people from places like Peru, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ukraine . . . even Iran, Pakistan, and America. They are doing discipleship, leadership development, orphanage ministry, prayer walking, and practical ministries. We continue meeting every Tuesday night with the pastor and several leaders training them to train others. Sometimes we go through three languages (English, Spanish, and Russian) to get the point across that we're trying to make.
+ Our Chinese work may possibly discontinue in the next few months. Most of those who were part of that ministry here have either returned to China, gone to the U.S. for graduate studies, or have started attending a Chinese church that has recently called a new pastor. Currently we have only two Chinese members attending English services, and our current leader leads a weekly Bible study for Chinese merchants. Pastor Feng and his wife, as you recall, returned to China last Summer and it appears that our current leader may be considering a return to China in a few months. But, praise the Lord for the nearly 100 Chinese who came to faith in Christ between August, 2006 and last December. We hope to see that ministry remain in some way, but we also know the Lord may want it to shift to a Chinese language church. It's in the Lord's hands.
+ We're also evaluating our Timothy Fellowship and Esther Fellowship to see if they have possibly served their purpose and run their course as they currently exist. Participation has dropped off dramatically the past two months, and we're wondering if it's now time for the participants to go out on their own and begin seriously doing what we've tried to train them to do. These young people have only so many hours in their busy weeks, and if we keep them tied up in "training" there is no time for "doing". Again, we'll see what happens during the next several weeks. We will be discussing this with some of our TF and EF members and the Pastoral Leadership Team.
+ Our Persian ministry continues growing with great effectiveness as more have come to Christ, some "front porch evangelism" tutoring classes have begun, and as "M" and "F" have been able to connect with a new group of believers in another city several hundred miles from here. This past week two of the young men came up here to be mentored and trained. Several guys here are waiting to be baptized, including one man who was one of only two people who survived the attack on his homeland Bible study group in which everyone else was killed. Then this past Tuesday we met another young man who has recently begun two prayer groups in his student hostel in Kyiv. He arrived a few months ago from his homeland where his father oversees a series of house churches. Seven of the house church pastors have been murdered for their faith in recent months. There seems to be a real momentum building for reaching many of the 13,000+ Persian speakers living in Kyiv.
+ The Pastoral Leadership Team is beginning a sustained study on "strategic church planting", designed to better equip our members in the primary objective for which KIBC exists . . . sharing the Gospel with internationals and Ukrainians, and planting churches in those people groups. Sometimes it's difficult to maintain that "SAFE" profile, and hopefully this study will help us do that. We don't want to become a church where the activities are so many, the programs so performance based, and the organizational structure so complex that you get nothing done apart from maintenance. As Bob has said for some twenty five years, "the more structure, programs, and systems you have, the more it takes of your time, money, and energy to maintain. The more that is used for maintenance, the less is available for true ministry and evangelism."
+ Many of our church family have experienced some amazing times of great challenge. We've had everything from major illnesses to apartment losses to misunderstandings to automobile accidents. It's apparent that spiritual warfare has come to KIBC as the enemy has tried to use circumstances of life to debilitate, disarm, and discourage. You can see some details in the prayer requests below.
+ We celebrated our 49th wedding anniversary the 29th of last month; yesterday Jo Ann celebrated birthday # xx, and Bob celebrates number "syem-dyesat" in three weeks. Life moves on whether you like it or not. We are really enjoying growing older ("maturing") together.
+ Next week we travel to Wittenberg, Germany for an international church leadership conference. Located in what was formerly known as East Germany, Wittenberg is where Martin Luther displayed his "95 Theses" against the Catholic Church. We visited there once before for a few hours, but are looking forward to several days there in the conference. We will be gone March 6th through 13th. It's always an exciting time as we gather from many countries in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and now South America to be refreshed and motivated to more effective service.
+ It looks like the dates for our trip to the States has been set . . . not by our choosing, but by the availability of free mileage seats on the airline. We'll say more about this later, but unless something unforeseen happens, we will leave Kyiv May 13th for Stockholm where we'll spend five days with our beloved Tania in Skelleftea (about 100 miles from the Arctic Circle), fly on to Missouri on May 19th, and return to Kyiv July 15th.
Prayer Requests:
+ Pray for wisdom and direction concerning our future, and God's plan both for ministry and for tenure. We want to be doing what is most important as long as we are here, and then be prepared to step aside when He says it's time. Pray that we will be physically and emotionally restored and sustained. Pray that we get our "second wind" and can carry on to the end, no matter how long it may be.
+ Pray for the Pastoral Leadership Team as it faces coming personnel changes, and as it seeks the will of the Lord regarding ministry and strategy. Pray for our young men and women who will be thrust into areas of significant responsibility and leadership. Pray for our older non-American members that they'll take responsibility for the life and future of the church.
+ Pray for the Persian and Spanish works that they will continue to prosper and grow as they press on with amazing courage and fearlessness. Pray for the Persian work in the neighboring city to grow, and that strong leadership there will develop quickly. Pray for the Ukrainian pastor there who is helping the new group. Pray for the "front door evangelism" tutoring classes in Math, English, and Computers, that these classes will generate new relationships opening the door to sharing the Gospel. Pray for safety for "M", "V", and "F", along with Paul and his wife and others as they lead.
+ Pray for "M" and wife Ira as they deal with major flooding in their brand new apartment into which they haven't even yet moved. They have incurred several thousand dollars of damage to their apartment and one below them for which they are responsible. Insurance doesn't cover such things, and contractors don't cover the costs even if the cause is from their own work. If something happens in your apartment that also damages another, you're responsible for both. This was in a brand new building where the contractor installed poor quality plumbing.
+ Pray for Sasha and Valya as they recover from a serious automobile accident on the way back from a skiing trip to western Ukraine. Pray for Sasha's family as they mourn the death of her grandmother.
+ Pray for the Jorash family, hit with numerous illnesses, the most serious of which has been Jeanne's bout with pneumonia. Praise the Lord they did not find TB as feared. Pray for them as they prepare for Becky's marriage to Brent next July. Pray for them as they look at the future and God's will for them in ministry. Stan is one of our PLT members.
+ Pray for the two of us as we travel next week to Germany. Pray that we'll be spiritually, emotionally, and physically refreshed as we fellowship with pastors, wives, and leaders from other international churches from around the world.
+ Pray for our personal financial challenges. As the economy shudders in America, it shakes here. The devaluation of the dollar makes the cost of living here much higher. Today in some sectors it is triple or quadruple what it was three years ago. Pray that God would touch some to rise to the occasion.
+ Pray for Bob as he continues his study on spiritual warfare. The participants in the study are excited and eager to learn more, but it is a tremendous drain on Bob to both prepare, teach, and then face the aftermath. Pray for Jo Ann as she continues ministering love, compassion, and hospitality. Whether in the kitchen, the fellowship hall, a Bible study group, or the Sunday services, her ministry blesses so many people every day. Pray that she sees just how important it is to the life of the church and the personal lives of many people who are touched by it all.
+ Above all, pray that God reveals His thoughts and plans for us all. It seems that everything going on in the world points more clearly to days of great troubles and the soon return of Christ. Pray that we can be confident, fearless, and faithful in the middle of all the challenges.
Again, we praise God for you. More than ever in our lives, we need your prayers! Please put us at the top of your list; pray for us every day . . . every hour. The battle remains intense even though the war has already been won at the Cross and the Empty Tomb.
In His Bond, By His Grace, and For His Kingdom,
Bob and Jo Ann
The Tollivers
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