Quote from Forum Archives on July 31, 2003, 3:14 am

Posted by: btolliver <btolliver@...>

 

  HOPE 4 KYIV

                       NUMBER 010

                        July 31, 2003

 

       The “In-Pact” Prayer Newsletter of

             Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver

           Missionaries to Kiev, Ukraine

 

 

 

Dear Friends, Family, and In-Pact Partners:

 

Forgive us!  Forgive us!  Forgive us!

 

We have been trying for two weeks to get our July letter to you, and have just not had the opportunity to sit down and write.  Nonetheless, we greet you in the joy of the Lord today.  We promise to get back on track with our letters being sent around the third week of each month.

 

How We're Doing:

 

We know you are wondering how we are doing after just over a month since Bob's father's death.  We are actually doing quite well.  However, the first couple of weeks after we returned to Kiev on July 2nd we had some pretty rough days . . . . especially Bob.  It wasn't over his father's death, but rather an extraordinary negative reaction to the culture to which we returned.  We're sure that the physical and emotional drain of Dad's illness and death laid the ground work for it; Bob especially had a really lousy encounter with everything we didn't like about Ukraine.  He wrote about that in his July 7th or 14th "Shoulder To Shoulder" letter.

 

When we were in training last Fall the missionaries there told us such things would happen.  A contributing factor for our battle was the news media here.  As we read through the English newspapers, we read of political corruption, negative attitudes towards America's presence in Iraq, dangers of Chernobyl's weakening sarcophagus, governmental mismanagement, sensual and hedonistic lifestyles, food shortages caused by under-the-table sales of flour and sugar stockpiles, and so forth.

 

God, however, was gracious to show us immediately what was happening, and to sustain us through that dark valley.  Now we're both back on top, feeling great, and wishing we had air conditioning to combat the July and August heat.

 

What's going on:

 

Life is fascinating here.  Late May, June, and early July are filled with one governmental holiday or festival after another.  There is something at least every other week.  Now that is all over . . . . and it's vacation time!  Basically, Kiev does its best to come to a stand still during late July and most of August.  Every chance they get people go on holiday or they go to their dacha's for the week-end.  It is there that they tend their gardens, can vegetables, and store up food for coming months.  Some people actually could not survive without their fruits and vegetables from their dacha's. A "dacha" is a place ranging from a tiny plot of ground with a small building on it that serves as a summer cottage and garden shed combined to more of a summer home (for the more wealthy)  Many are the old home place in a village where they were raised.  Some are smaller houses, but most are very tiny.

 

So, you would think our schedule might slow down a bit.  Not the case!  We are in the middle of developing our student ministry which begins in September, upgrading our English program, working on future volunteer team projects, preparing teaching materials, and a host of other things.  So, while others head to the Crimea on the Black Sea or the Caucasus Mountains or dacha's and villages, we remain in Kiev preparing for September 1st when all the schools begin classes and life returns to its normal crowded and busy patterns.

 

The Leadership Council has taken a recent bold step and has declared the entire month of August as one of prayer and fasting.  "A New Start For A New Day and A New Day For A New People" is our theme.   We are asking everyone to pray and fast beginning August 3rd and continuing through September 6th.  We are encouraging them to spend time each day in prayer for God's will to be revealed for IBC, and we encourage them to fast as God gives them direction. 

 

Each week will feature a special theme.  Each day will feature a special passage of scripture.  In that you might like to join us in this adventure, here are the weekly themes, beginning this coming Sunday.  The scriptures following the dashes are the daily passages we are recommending for personal devotions, praying, and fasting.  The main scriptures are discussed in every group meeting that gathers each week (SS classes, choir practice, etc.)

    Aug 03-09:  Praise and Thanksgiving (Psalm 103) ---- Sn Psalm 103; Mn Psalm 22:3,22-28; Tu Psalm 150:1-6; Wd Psalm 136; Th Ps 145; Fr Ps 47:1-9; St Ps 8.

    Aug 10-16:  Confession and Repentance (Psalm 51) ---- Sn Psalm 51; Mn Ps 66:18; Tu Isa 59:2; Wd Rom 3:23, 6:23; Th Ex 34:7, Isa 1:18, Jer 31:43; Fr Isa 38:17, Ps 103:12, Mic 7:19; St Isa 44:22, Zech 13:1, I Jn 1:9.

    Aug 17-23:  Reconciliation and Restoration (II Cor 5:14-21; Matt 5:21-26) ----

    Aug 24-30:  Intercession -- One Another; International Baptist Church (Phil 4:4-7; James 5:13-20) ----

    Aug 31-Sep 06:  Intercession -- City of Kiev and Kiev Oblast (state) (Isa 61:1-4) ----

If you would like to receive the weekly bulletin inserts and leadership material we've prepared, we will be glad to send it by Word document via e-mail.  Just let us know. 

 

August 10th will be a special day for us as we baptize at least five adults (four men and one woman).  Such events are few and far between here for a number of reasons, so we are especially excited about this.  In fact, we really can't tell you just how excited we are about the future here.  The thought of an English speaking International church impacting this enormous city through strategic prayer initiatives, practical ministries, strong Bible based teaching and training, and relationship outreach ministry such as English classes and student work is sometimes more than we can comprehend.  Add to that the thought of touching other nations as well in the process, and we want to just soar.  Our biggest battle is simply pushing ahead before we are sufficiently prepared.  We can hardly wait for others to join our team.

 

We have recently said good-bye to a number of people who have returned to America or some other country, but God has also been bringing new faces and returning others to us.  August 20 we will say farewell to our beloved Marina and Ricky McCreight as they return to the U.S. and continue their process with IMB to come back as missionaries.  God wonderfully arranged for Marina to get her visa two weeks ago, so now they can return.  We are excited, but also very sad; they are a vital part of our church life and of our own lives personally.  We're going to miss them very much.

 

It has become clear to us that one of the great needs in Ukraine is for belief in solid doctrinal truth.  We are appalled at some of the beliefs the believers here have; things such as losing your salvation, baptismal regeneration, and the like.  One of our greatest needs is the time to teach on such things as we try to develop strong leaders.  This very day, if we had the time and place, we need to teach on Biblical salvation, Spiritual leadership, Prayer, Spiritual warfare, Holiness, Faith, Evangelism, and three or four other subjects.  Frankly, we feel overwhelmed as if hit by a giant wave too high to swim over, too powerful to resist, and too dangerous to surf.  And the under current wants to suck us out to the sea of oblivious ineffectiveness.

 

There have recently been two members of volunteer teams who have expressed great interest in returning to Ukraine; we have corresponded with them both and have shared our vision and need.  We have an unbelievable need for manpower here.

 

God continues adding new missionaries to our team while we say good-bye to others.  Charles and Bonnie Haley just arrived (nice to have someone here older than we are), where Charles will become Office Manager for the Kiev office.  Randy and Helen Greer arrive in a few days.  Joe Ragan arrives next month.  We continue to be amazed at how God is bringing a very special and unique team together.  Praise His Name.

 

Pray About These:

 

We urgently ask your prayer for the following:

 

+  For the two of us that we will continue being rejuvenated and that our vision and strategy will be clarified even more.  For the ability to discern between the "good" and the "best".  For necessary time with the Lord.  For time with each other.  For physical and emotional strength.  For spiritual tenacity.

 

+  For the McCreights as they make their move back to the U.S.  Pray that God will keep the doors open for them to return to us next Spring.  For Jason Myers as he goes to interview conferences next month, that he will be approved for appointment and will be ready to stay with us when he arrives in January.  For the two young women who are considering ministry here.

 

+  For special church needs ---- development of strong leaders, Biblical truth, a strategic prayer ministry and a leader to direct it, our emerging student ministry and necessary leadership, men willing to stand up and be counted, mentoring plans for both men and women as we respectively try to disciple a select group.

 

+  For the development of a web site that can inform you about the church and all it offers.  For the development of a web site for the entire Kiev team.

 

+  For needed equipment and supplies for ministry.

 

+  For more volunteers and volunteer teams to come and help us.  For more missionaries to join us.

 

+  For continued unity and love among our missionaries.  This is an amazing group.  For our Strategy Coordinator Sam Taylor and his family as he leads us in the Kiev Oblast and as they begin to see their nest start to empty.  For our Strategy Associate Mick Stockwell and his family as they travel through numerous countries and as they also see some of their kids leave the next.  These are two incredible families who need your prayer.

 

Thank You!  We cannot close this letter without telling you again just how very special you are to what God is doing in this amazing city.  Kiev is not only a city in itself, but a world in itself with people from scores of countries.  We cannot possibly touch the nations in this city without your prayer support.  You will never know just how important your intercession is until you finally get to heaven and have the Lord show you the saints who arrived there because of you.  We love you more than you'll know, and we are so honored to have an "In-Pact" team such as this which includes you.

 

In His Bond and For His Kingdom,

 

Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver

 

IBC - Hope4Kyiv
Bob:  lifeunlimited@pobox.com

Jo Ann:  grandma11@pobox.com

For weekly spiritual encouragement and current updates on our work here, ask us to subscribe you to "Shoulder To Shoulder" letter (e-mail only).

 

Some Good Sites:

     www.uazone.net for general info on Ukraine and Kiev

    www.ukraineinfo.us for general current info

    www.hope4cee.com for our type of work in central and eastern Europe.

    www.peopleteams.org/ukrainians and www.reachukraine.org for a couple of good virtual prayer walking sites.