HOPE4KYIV #074 -- 12/30/08 ---- NAME TO BE CHANGED SOON
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
Monthly Praise and Prayer Letter Of
Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver
Itinerant Missionaries to The Nations
Number #074
December 30, 2008
Dear Friends, Family, and "In-Pact" Supporters:
As 2008 comes to a rapid close, we greet you in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the One whose birth we have just celebrated. We write you from Stillwater, Oklahoma, where we are linking up with former members of Kiev International Bible Church. Janice Evans, missionary now in L'viv, Ukraine, is on holiday furlough spending time with her mother in Duncan, OK. She graciously agreed to take a piece of luggage back with her for us a few weeks ago, and she's meeting us today in Stillwater to give us the bag. She flies back to L'viv tomorrow.
Allan and Carrie Allday were members at KIBC earlier this year while they were Fullbright Scholars teaching in Ukraine. Allan is a professor at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, and Carrie is a mother-to-be working on her doctorate. We have looked forward to this visit for quite some time.
Update:
Much has happened since our November letter. And much is in need of prayer, so we hope you'll carefully and prayerfully read through our report and requests.
+ Our "moving sale" went off wonderfully. We were able to dispose of about 90% of the things we needed to get rid of, and that included virtually every single piece of electronic and office equipment we wanted to sell. What we didn't get rid of, our wonderful Valya who had been cleaning our apartment for nearly six years, made sure the balance went to people who needed them. We're still collecting some of the money from people who have forgotten to send a check, but hopefully that will conclude soon.
+ Saying good-bye to our friends was a difficult experience, as could be expected, but it was also a time of joy as we spent final moments with many of the special people who have been part of our lives. The church held a special farewell party for us attended by around 50 people. The testimonies were moving and encouraging, reminding us that in spite of many challenges, God had indeed done a mighty thing in strengthening and equipping believers. We're so grateful that He allowed us to be a part of that process. We're looking for ways to continue mentoring a few of the young adults there via Skype.
+ Bob's final official act at KIBC was to baptize "H" in our apartment bath tub following services and afternoon lunch. It was an incredible way to conclude our work here. "H" was a young man who had been a bar tender and bouncer, vulgar, and involved in every form of sinful lifestyle. Today, he is humble, joyful, and a courageous witness to his countrymen . . . a classic example of a thoroughly life transformed by the power of Jesus Christ.
+ The night before we left we had a final farewell fellowship with our small leadership development mentoring group just to spend time together and pray together.
+ God was gracious and faithful in our travel back to the States; everything went like clock work. Our friends, Joel and Iryna, took us to the airport, Anya, who is in training as an air traffic controller, came down to see us and then gave directions to the plane's crew at our take-off. It was necessary for us to take an additional bag with us, so that cost us an extra $200+, but we were blessed to check everything all the way through to our Springfield, MO, destination even though we had to spend the night in Amsterdam. We stayed in a brand new "retro" hotel walking distance from the airport, and were able to "sleep in" the next morning before a leisurely walk directly back to our departure gate. The room was only as wide as the length of a bed, and both the shower and the toilet stool were enclosed by giant transparent or translucent "tubes" that looked like "beam me up, Scotty" episodes. We were clearly out of our element.
+ We arrived safely in Springfield where Dallas was waiting for us with his big Suburban to take us all the way to Collins. We got to the house around 10:30 pm, unpacked a few things, and began to decompress. And, believe it or not, once we went to bed, we didn't wake up until around 8:00 the next morning. Since that time we've been busy with unpacking, getting re-attached at church, trying to find places to put our "things", and celebrating Christmas with part of our family. We're happy to say that we were able to get high speed internet which we've been using for about a week. Although it is far from what you would expect in terms of speed, it is still better than our old dial-up system. We were able to set up a wireless system in the house, so that gives both of us the freedom to move our computers around as needed and still do e-mails and web searches.
Future Plans:
+ As you know from our last letter, we feel the Lord has brought us back to the States not to retire, but to begin a new chapter of itinerant ministry that will include
> Short-term trips to various countries to do equipping and training for pastors and churches. Currently we have opportunities at various stages of development in about twelve countries.
> Stateside missions and evangelism conferences in churches, helping them mobilize more effectively for last-days opportunities of missions and evangelism.
> Some type of involvement with local Bible studies, teaching, and training in our home church and the local Christian university.
> Serious writing projects that Bob wants to finish but has never had the opportunity.
+ It is also necessary for us to do something about more reliable transportation, so that is one of our first priorities in the next few weeks. Our newest and best car is our 1994 Ford Taurus with over 140,000 miles on it. It's fine for local travel, but it's a little risky to travel longer distances. We're trying to decide between a mid-to-full-size car or perhaps a mini-van. Fortunately, this is a good time to buy a car, and we hope to be able to pay cash, using what is left of Bob's father's estate funds. Unfortunately, about 80% of that was used up in ministry expense while in Ukraine, but we're hoping there is still enough left to buy a relatively late model vehicle.
+ Next month we will be attending the State Evangelism Conference in Springfield, MO. As you may recall, Bob preached at that conference in 2007. This will give us a good opportunity to re-connect with many of our friends. We also plan to make a trip to Cheri's and Bob's in St. Paul, MN, for the annual Winter Ice Carnival. We'll probably spend several days up there. Guess we just can't get enough of cold winter weather.
+ We hope to do some revivals, conferences, and speaking engagements this Spring as the Lord opens doors. We are not prepared to enter into a "do nothing" mode just because we've returned to the States. God has given us some clear messages we feel the Church in America needs, and we're extremely anxious to begin that phase of our ministry.
+ We've also been feeling that we need to start considering the possibility of a move closer into Bolivar where we can more easily connect with our church, the university, and health care services. We're in no rush, but feel that this process will begin this year. Before we can consider a move, though, we MUST get rid of a bunch of "stuff" filling our garage, attic, and house. There's no way we can move all that has accumulated over the years. So, that will probably be the first step as soon as the weather warms up.
Prayer Requests:
As you can see, we are facing a big future with big challenges. So, we ask you to pray daily for us, especially about the following items:
+ Pray for KIBC, its leadership, its ministry, and its future. Pray that what God began in 2005 and has blessed so wonderfully the past three years will not only continue but will increase in effectiveness. Pray that the Pastoral Leadership Team will be wise in changes, proposals, and plans, and that all they decide will be in harmony with the founding vision and strategy of reaching internationals, sharing the Gospel, equipping leaders, and planting new churches.
+ Pray for the Persian ministry and its leadership. As you remember from a special letter a week or two ago, there have been new threats made toward any Muslim living in Kyiv who converts to Christ. Pray that the work that all churches in Kyiv are doing to reach Muslims will be protected by God's angels and His purposes, and that they will have great success in reaching hundreds for Christ.
+ Pray for the financial situation in Ukraine. It is having major impacts on everyone, including KIBC people. Pray especially for some of the younger adults who are students, unemployed, or holding precarious jobs that could collapse. Pray especially that "M" and "I" will receive financial support so they can continue their ministry. Pray for Stan and family, Doug and Kay, Emily, Alan and AnnMarie, and others, who are experiencing financial lack because of the global economic situation. Pray that God will raise up their support.
+ Pray for us that our own support base will not drop, but will at least remain stable. Our ministry expenses continue, no matter where we live. Pray that new supporters will join with us.
+ Pray that we will find just the right vehicle we need, and that we can do it soon.
+ Pray that God quickly opens doors of ministry in our home church as well as in churches who have a hunger to see God move powerfully in these last days.
+ Pray that we can find an appropriate new name for our "Hope4Kyiv" letter, one that will continue to focus on the work begun there, but also will represent the new international ministry God has given us.
+ Pray for our youngest daughter, Deanna, and family, as they leave the pastorate in LaGrange, MO, to take a new church in Knoxville, IL. They have been in LaGrange for eleven years, and the decision has been most difficult. They leave strong ties with people who stood by them during the death of baby Nicole Grace several years ago. Pray that they will have physical, emotional, spiritual, and financial strength to successful make the move, find a place to live, and begin this new chapter in their lives.
+ Pray for Cheri and Bob as they continue seeing their "nest" empty and their kids continue facing challenging life choices. Pray that God will enable the two of them to stay true to their convictions and exercise the "tough love" that is sometimes needed.
+ Pray for Debbie and the girls in Texas, as they continue facing the challenges of Debbie's MS, and the girls' various schooling. Abby will graduate from University of Missouri next year, Sarah will conclude a year of schooling in a special ministry school, and Rachel continues her schooling in a special "arts and performance" high school.
+ Pray for Cindy, Kevin, and Christopher as they continue their effective missionary work in Medellin, Colombia, and prepare for a year's furlough for itineration beginning next June. Pray that the construction project at the Bible school can be completed before they leave, and that leadership for the school can be securely in place while Kevin is gone as the director. Pray that they remain safe in a hostile, drug-infested environment.
Finally:
Again, we thank you for your love, support, and prayers. Just as we could not function without that undergirding in Kyiv, neither can we do so here in the States. The needs in America are vast, and the Church here is in desperate need of brokenness, repentance, revival, and renewed global vision and action in these precarious days. The return of Christ is near, and whatever needs to be done, must be done quickly. God has given us a message that we feel compelled to share everywhere possible and as often as possible. But, this assignment is impossible without our being strengthened and encouraged by people like you.
So, thanks for the past, . . . and please carry on with us in the coming days.
In His Bond, By His Grace, and For His Kingdom,
Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver
Missionary Evangelists to the Nations
Jo Ann: grandma12@pobox.com
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