Quote from Forum Archives on June 30, 2008, 5:12 pm

Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>

            Hope 4 Kyiv

                                     Monthly Praise and Prayer Letter Of

                                          Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver

                                       Missionaries to Kiev, Ukraine

 

                                                      Number #068

                                                      June 29, 2008

 

Dear Friends, Family, and In-Pact Partners:

 

Greetings again from our "little cottage in the woods" in southwestern Missouri.  We hope this note finds you doing well, resting in the sufficiency of the Lord, and enjoying His great blessings.  Even though our departure from Kiev was May 13th, we've still not spent much more than a complete week at any one time here at our stateside home.  Hopefully, that will change for the next few weeks.  As far as we know now, we anticipate only one other short trip for a few days before we return to Kiev.

 

What's Been Happening:

 

+  Our trip to Minnesota to see Cheri and family went well.  We enjoyed visiting with them and supporters and seeing two of our grandchildren (Katya and Misha) graduate from high school.  We were sad, though, to discover at the last minute that another granddaughter (Sarah) was graduating a year early in Ft. Worth, on the same week-end.  We were so disappointed we weren't able to make any last-minute changes that would let us attend her graduation. 

 

On the way back, we circled around to visit our youngest daughter, Deanna, and her family in LaGrange . . . before all the flooding.  We actually arrived early enough in the evening to see Deanna and Jim play softball.  We think Deanna runs faster now than she did when in university.  Maybe it's because of having to chase the kids around.  Jim asked Bob to preach that Sunday morning, and God seemed to bless the people as he spoke from Jeremiah 29, under the working title "Created To Seek The Lord". 

 

+  Because of the condition of our two old cars, we rented one for the Minnesota trip, traveling about 2,500 miles.  We now have one less car to consider when we return to the States to stay.  Performance was great, mileage was good but less than expected, and comfort was horrible . . . at least for Bob.  Jo Ann really like it . . . especially the color.

 

+  Just a few days after we left LaGrange, the Mississippi River started rising.  Jim and Deanna spent many hours almost everyday with other townspeople and Missouri National Guard personnel trying to save as much of LaGrange's lower level as possible.  The pictures below show some of the flooding.  Just this past Friday, a major levee in Winfield, MO broke . . . simply because of alone muskrat who burrowed a hole in the levee.  Thousands of acres were flooded and more of Winfield, already flooded in certain portions, was covered in muddy, debris-laden water.  You can see the break in the right picture and the water rushing through in a torrent.

 

        

 

+  Our next trip just four days later took us to Medellin, Colombia where Bob taught "The Wonders Of Israel" study at a seminary where son-in-law Kevin is director.  You see part of the class in the left picture.  The study was well received, though the translators didn't get the syllabus done in time for the class.  The note sheets Bob prepared did, however, and, thanks to grandson Christopher, we also had PowerPoint slides in Spanish to use during class time.  Christopher's becoming quite the production specialist in video and PowerPoint.  Teaching the class really gave Bob a great opportunity to identify several major modifications that need to be made in the manuscript he's preparing for publication.  Hopefully, he'll have more time this Summer to do some work on it.  And, out of twelve, we enjoyed four days of relatively uninterrupted time with Cindy, Kevin, and Christopher.

 

We also had the joy of attending worship services with fellow Latin American believers in two churches.  We attended one of Medellin's key churches our first Sunday there, and then on the second Sunday Bob preached in the church where Cindy's attend.  It's always a great joy to experience the enthusiasm and genuine friendliness of the believers in Colombia.  The man in the dark coat playing drums is one of only a few drummers we've ever seen who we felt really moved and played in the anointing of the Holy Spirit.  We were impressed as we watched him respond to the Lord and to the people in such a genuine way.

 

              

 

+  It was our joy to spend the night with Andre' and Val Authier and their three girls on our way to Medellin, and then see them again briefly as Andre' picked us up at the airport when we returned, in spite of having taken Val home from surgery just a few hours earlier.  We stored our 1994 Taurus at the Authier home while on the trip.  Upon our return we learned that it had successfully endured a hail storm with hailstones larger than golf balls.  No dents that we could see, though.To our shock, we ran into Board members and supporters Rod and Janie Carsten in Pleasant Hill, MO, just as we were leaving Panera Bread Company to complete our journey home.  Obviously, we sat and visited for an hour more before concluding our trip.  What a blessing!  These are all wonderful friends, encouragers, and supporters. 

 

+  Upon our return from Medellin, we discovered that during our absence a nearby lightning strike had apparently taken out one of our phone lines and several electronic things.  We're continuing to discover more.  So far, Bob has found ten different devices that will have to be replaced.  He also discovered that the insurance company has changed its policies of reimbursement, and we'll be fortunate if we get half of the real cost to replace everything.

 

+  June in southwestern Missouri was the wettest on record with almost 14" of rainfall.  Just yesterday the weather forecasters predicted that July will also have much more rain than usual.  The average annual rainfall in Missouri is only around 40", and about 33" for our area.  We've already had over 34" thus far in 2008, with more to come.  The drought-like conditions of the past three or four years have certainly been broken.  Our well water doesn't have that strong "sulphur" taste it's had the past several years, so we know our well is probably "healthier" than it's been in five or six years.  Praise the Lord that our place sits about 100 feet higher and a half mile away from the nearest creek that has flooded several times the past few weeks.

 

+  We continue facing the challenges of older vehicles needing constant repair or parts replacement.  It's making even local travel a constant unknown adventure.  The 1994 Taurus has a deep unrecognized vibration, shock absorbers going bad, a non-working cruise control, and a rear window that can't be lowered.  Bob's father's 1991 Lincoln needs tire replacement.  We've concluded that it's harder on cars to have them sit and not be used than it is to drive them.

 

+  Good progress has been made concerning insurance needs, but the costs are extreme.  It looks like Bob's stateside insurance will begin covering him July 1st.  Jo Ann still does not have supplemental insurance.  We will still have to take out new overseas policies just before we return to Kiev.

 

+  An unexpected blessing has come recently from a supporter who decided to transfer all of his air travel miles to our accounts.  That will go far toward providing us a pair of free seats on our next ministry trip to or from Kiev.

 

+  The work in Kiev has gone on well in our absence, in spite of many people being gone.  We are especially grateful for the good reports on growing attendance and some new salvations in our Persian work.  The Arabic work also continues growing, and plans continue for the upcoming ESL classes for Ukrainians to begin in September.  The English services have seen several new visitors attending.  At the moment, only three of our Pastoral Leadership Team are in the city . . . Vitaliy, Mohammad, and our apprentice member, Maxim.  Jim and his family are now back in the States permanently, Stan and his family are stateside on furlough, we are stateside, and Alan is in another Ukrainian city for all of July.

 

+  Raidel, the pastor of the Spanish church, has moved to Brazil to take a job.  He will return to Kiev in September to get his family and move there permanently.  This leaves the church in dire need of leadership.  This was the first language church we started upon our move to Kiev in 2003, and many people have come to Christ through that work.  Its future concerns us greatly because there is still a shortage of strong leadership within the body.  It would be wonderful if Igor and Keri could move back to Kiev and resume the leadership they had in the past.

 

+  Hostilities toward internationals seems to be increasing, to our great sadness.  At least two more African men have been killed since we returned to the States.  These hostilities continue spreading throughout the city, and they clearly affect participation in our various language groups, particularly those with non-Caucasian features.  At the same time, our leaders remain strong and faithful in leading, placing themselves at risk by continuing to go out and minister. 

 

A report in the June 18th Kiev Post Newspaper indicated that there are some 1,500 neo-Nazi skinheads now living in Ukraine, over 500 of them in Kiev.  They do not dress in the traditional way (black clothes and shaved heads), but instead look like everyone else.  They have formed small gangs or squads and roam the places where internationals are most likely to be present . . . metro stations, Maidan Square, university dormitories . . . looking for someone to attack.  Even though the police have finally admitted this is a serious problem, they still do little, and can often be bribed into  turning a blind eye to the episode.  Many of them are, themselves, prejudiced against foreigners.  The fact that they are so poorly paid and so poorly equipped tends to encourage taking bribes.  There is little pride among the police force.  Many of them are police officers not because they want to help, but simply because they want to feed their families.

 

Coming Up:

 

At first reading, you may think we're facing many problems and have many needs.  Perhaps from a human perspective, that might be true.  However, we both remember a comment made to our church in Mountain Grove over 40 years ago by missionary Bob Wakefield; it went something like this.  "To the Christian, there are no such things as problems . . . only opportunities; if you had no challenges and difficult times, there would be no opportunity for God to supply for your need, and He'd have to look elsewhere to bless someone."  So, we look at all that is ahead for us with a sense of excited anticipation regarding the future.  Whether it's practical day-to-day responsibilities, or huge impossibilities, our absolute confidence is in God and His sufficiency.  So, keep that in mind for us . . . and for you.

 

+  Our doctors' appointments and tests haven't begun yet, and our primary appointments aren't scheduled until July 11th or 12th.  So, the likelihood of our return to Kiev on July 15th is remote.  In fact, we're already planning on a postponement of at least two to four weeks, depending on exams, tests, and flight scheduling. 

 

+  We still hope to get lots of work done around the house before we return to Kiev.  There are still many broken limbs that need to be removed from trees, protective screening to be put on the gutters, flooring to be replaced in the workshop, massive re-arranging to be done in the garage, telephone lines to be repaired from lightning damage, closets storage rooms in the house to be cleaned out, and so forth.  Obviously, much of it will wait . . . again . . . as in the past.

 

+  We also are trying to get together with supporters and other friends we haven't seen in ages.  So far, we've not been too successful.  In addition, we're trying to gather up much needed supplies and equipment to take back to Kiev.  New airline travel restrictions are making that task much more difficult, so we're having to be prudent in what we decide to purchase.  In anticipation of our eventual departure from KIBC work, the church must replace our personal data projector and laptop computer we've used these years, it needs a new good lapel microphone, some type of translating equipment.  So, it is taking lots of thought and evaluation.

 

+  We are excited over the possibilities of seeing our dear KIBC members Joel Colon and Ira Savochka.  Joel, a missionary, is stateside raising support, and Ira has come to visit him and meet his family and friends.  In the process, they finally became officially engaged.  They're coming to southwestern Missouri to see friends and family, so we'll be able to get together.  We also hope to see Igor and Keri, Jason and his wife, and other members of past mission teams we took to Kiev in the earlier days.  These will all be special blessings.

 

+  We continue preparing for the Fall focus at KIBC.  Plans are already under way for an exciting outreach to Ukrainians through English classes and Bible studies, and there will also be some form of evangelistic Bible study in English for non-Ukrainians.  We're also praying very hard about what God wants KIBC to do regarding ministering to the more than 150,000 Jewish people living in the city.  This has been one of our goals since KIBC's beginning, and we think that this Fall may be the time to begin.

 

In addition, we will resume our personal ministry to our young adults, whom we love very much.  We miss them more than ice cream while we're away. 🙂    We will resume our leadership mentoring with key people both in the Spanish church and KIBC.  We're also considering the possibility that the Persian group needs to become a church in the next several months.  It really already is a church if you take the Biblical description.

 

Prayer Requests:

 

As you can see from our earlier thoughts, there are many serious things about which we need your prayer.  This has been a challenging year for us, both personally, as a ministry, and for the church.  While challenges, opportunities, and needs have increased, we have faced increasing personal inconveniences and financial needs.  We have known all along that 2008 was to be a year of transition, but we probably didn't anticipate some of the issues we've been facing.  So, we ask you to pray specifically and powerfully with us about the following:

 

+  Pray for our "support team" back here in the States.  We seldom mention them, but we cannot do without them.  They provide invaluable service stateside, enabling us to live in Kiev relatively free from worries and concerns for things back here.  Nancy Jobe sees to it that our monthly letters get to the printer for distribution to those who do not have e-mail.  Dallas Jenkins takes care of all our stateside mail and financial transactions, and checks the property and drives the cars every week.  He and his "crew" of kids mow the grass and keep the place looking "lived in", driving up to do that every two to four weeks.  When you're praying for us, remember to pray for them, thanking the Lord for their ministries and asking Him to meet their needs as well.

 

+  Pray for our children as they serve the Lord in their respective locales.  Pray for our grandchildren and great-grandchild as they grow up; pray that they will all know the Lord personally, that they will follow Him faithfully, and that they will learn to be servants to others.

 

+  Pray about our increased financial needs.  Like all missionaries, we experience the "triple whammy" . . . increased costs, decreased dollar value, and having both on-field and stateside duplicate expenses.  Kiev is now one of the top ten most expensive cities in the world.

 

+  Pray that God gives us wisdom as we anticipate a ministry change in the next several months.  When we went to Ukraine in January, 2003, we went for a two-year assignment.  That extended into three, and then the Lord gave us a new vision to plant a new church.  Again, we felt two to three years, and we are now completing our third year.  Even though we are both beyond retirement age (Bob, "way beyond"), that's not in our agenda.  We don't anticipate "ending" our ministry, but do feel the Lord is preparing us for a change in ministry. 

 

+  Pray that we'll get all of our needed doctors' appointments and tests in, and that there will be no major health issues to deal with.  Pray that Bob can get an appointment to have his eyes checked.

 

+  Pray that we will have no problems rescheduling our return flight.  Since we're using free mileage seats, it's often difficult to make changes because there are so few seats available on any given flight.

 

+  Pray that while we're here, we can get lots of the practical tasks completed around the house.

 

 

 

Finally:

 

We know we say it every month, but it remains true every day . . . if it were not for you and others like you, we could not do what we're doing.  We thank God every day for the friendship, encouragement, prayer, and financial support provided by so many people.  Our prayer is that God will bless and prosper you in everything to which you put your hands and heart, and that the kingdom will constantly be the conscious center of your attention.  Too often we slip into the world's way of thinking where everything is segregated and compartmentalized . . . job, family, recreation, church, health, . . . instead of remembering that Christ and His call on our lives is to be the center of our focus, with everything else revolving around that.

 

Drop us a note when you can.  Give us a call.  Stop by.  We'd love to hear from you.

 

On Kingdom Ventures,

 

Bob and Jo Ann

The Tollivers

 

417-275-4854 (H)

417-309-9209 (C)

 

Personal E-mails:

    Bob: lifeunlimited@pobox.com

    Jo Ann:  grandma12@pobox.com

 

Related Websites:

http://community.webshots.com/user/KievIBC?vhost=community
www.praykiev.org

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