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HOPE4KYIV #22 ---- 7/24/04
#1 · July 26, 2004, 10:34 am
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
HOPE 4 KYIVNumber 22July 26, 2004The In-Pact Prayer Newsletter ofBob and Jo Ann TolliverMissionaries to Kiev, Ukraine
To our Dear Friends, In-Pact Partners, Family, and other Intercessors:
Every day we praise God for you, and for your great faithfulness in thinking of us and praying for us. This has been an extraordinary journey, to say the least . . . . especially in recent months as we've faced decisions concerning our future ministry, and the birth of Nicole Grace. There is no doubt that we could not have gone through all of these challenges so smoothly if it had not been for your great prayer support.
What's Been Happening:
+ Our trip to the annual International Baptist Convention conference at Interlaken, Switzerland was more than we can describe. We had no idea we were so emotionally and physically weary until we got there. Everything was wonderful . . . . just what we needed. Gary Smith, pastor of Fielder Road BC in Ft. Worth, TX and evangelist Junior Smith were our two keynote speakers. We could not have had better men for the occasion. They both ministered grace and encouragement to the 800 or so people who attended. Simeon Nix and part of his praise team from Bell Shoals BC in Brandenton, FL led us into the Father's presence through music and prayer. The seminar we attended on Islam was revealing and alarming as we learned details as to a specific agenda that is being followed to make Islam the dominant religion of the world.
In addition, we had some very good contacts with people both in the U.S. and in Europe that have at least the potential of becoming a benefit to the church here as we continue the transitioning time that will ultimately lead to our concluding our work with the church.
And, what can we say about Switzerland! All the pictures we've ever seen and descriptions we've ever heard all simply understated reality. It is by far one of the most beautiful places we've ever seen. It was our joy to spend five extra days just vacationing in the Bern Oberland region . . . . taking boat rides, train rides, cable car rides, walking, sitting, . . . . just taking in such majestic beauty. We hope to get an album or two set up soon on our Webshots page so you can see some of what we enjoyed.
+ Our Summer schedule has lightened a little, and it's giving us some time to make significant plans for the next phase of our ministry. Many westerners go back to their home countries for the Summer (especially missionaries), students scatter to the four corners, locals go to their dacha's for gardening and relaxing on week-ends, and vacation times to Crimea or the Carpathians or Caucasus's start taking place in July. Then, in August all of Ukraine goes on holiday for a month . . . . or so it seems. National law requires that every person gets a month of holiday time. Add to that the insurgence of volunteer mission teams, and the "re-designing" of many of our church's ministries, and it makes for an interesting and still busy Summer.
+ Interestingly, attendance at church has held fairly steady, probably double the attendance we saw last Summer. Fellowship is deepening, and our Church Leadership Council is hard at work making major decisions that will affect the future of the church long after we're gone.
+ We are still in the process of developing the "PrayKIEV" website, and will probably release that address to you very soon. We're just trying to get a little "meat" on the "bones" first.
+ The weather is currently very hot and humid . . . . much like Southwest Missouri. The only difference is that we don't have air conditioning in our apartment ---- just windows with no screens and three oscillating fans that run constantly. It really takes the energy out of us, and we have difficulty doing much more than is absolutely necessary.
Update on Nicole Grace:
Because quite a number do not receive the e-mails we've been sending, here is a quick summary of her condition and development. She continues to stabilize, at least in the short haul. She has lived longer than 30% to 50% of babies with Mosaic Trisomy 18, and is now nearly seven weeks old.
+ Her erratic heart beat has all but disappeared,
+ Her blood pressure is steady,
+ Her food intake from a bottle continues to increase,
+ She is gaining weight and is now over five pounds, and she has also grown a couple of inches,
+ Her eyes seem to be clear and alert,
+ She faithfully dirties her diapers,
+ The low-grade infection seems to have either cleared up or significantly stabilized,
+ She cries a healthy cry, and
+ Saturday she had her surgery to implant the G-plug for her feeding tube, and is already way ahead of schedule on weaning away from the oxygen equipment.
That notwithstanding, she still has major critical physical problems that only time will reveal to which those problems extend. Her most immediate need is to recover successfully from the G-plug surgery, avoid any infection, and be "re-weaned" off the oxygen equipment entirely.
The most serious and immediate need is for the doctors to find out why she sometimes stops breathing. The suspicion is that it may be neurological in nature because of some type of "circuitry" breakdown in the brain.
And, pray specifically that . . . .
+ The holes in heart will fill in naturally/supernaturally.
+ The three valves in her heart will revitalize to proper shape and function.
+ She will be kept from infection and that the G-plug surgery will heal quickly.
+ She will be quickly weaned away from all breathing apparatus and will breathe normally with no occurrence of apnea.
+ Any and all neurological problems will correct themselves.
+ The brain will be flawlessly re-circuited to compensate fully for the absence of the two portions of her brain.
+ Jim, Deanna, and the other children will be sustained by unexplainable supernatural strength and energy.
+ Nicole Grace will continue being a testimony to the thousands of others who pray for her.
+ Jim's and Deanna's church will remain strong, faithful, and supportive for the long haul in every respect, and that it will grow unexplainably because of their servant heart and God's faithfulness.
+ In every respect she will truly demonstrate the meaning of her name, "Victorious Heart."
A recent special blessing that is akin to the Lord providing us an intercessor with our "Dr. Anya" here in Kiev, is the introduction of "Jill" into our lives. Jill is a "military wife" in Europe who recently wrote about her little "Ashley" who was also born with Mosaic Trisomy 18. Ashley is now five and one-half years old and is getting ready to enter Kindergarten. All the prognostications from the doctors were proven wrong by the grace of God. You can go to our webshots album to see a picture of beautiful Ashley.
Because Jill's story is so appropriate and touching, we're going to send a separate "update" letter with excerpts from her letters to us. We hope her remarks will stir up your passion for intercession and prayer. Look for that. If you'd don't have e-mail, you'll not get that letter unless you contact us and request it. We'll also send you a composite of Jim's and Deanna's most recent letters of the past few days.
What's Ahead:
+ Development of a pastoral shepherding team. Our Leadership Council is in full agreement to form a multi-national team of men who will provide pastoral care and leadership. This will bring stability to the church, and will make the transition away from IMB missionary/pastors to other pastoral leadership much easier. It will also provide continuity as senior pastors may come and go in the future. This will be a daunting task; Ukrainians are accustomed to strong authority-wielding individual pastors while Americans insist on forming committees, discussing everything, and voting with majority rule. Finding a balance will be a challenge.
+ Re-defining the church membership role. Because of the Ukrainian hesitancy to "join" anything that requires a registration or signature, and because so many of those attending IBC are either here for shorter terms or are involved in other churches and/or ministries, the maintenance of an official church role has been difficult and often neglected. While we consistently have over 100 people in attendance from Fall through Spring, our actual official membership stands at slightly more than thirty members, most of whom are women and young people. An official membership role like this will be very important to the future when the church faces major decisions that must be made (calling a pastor, taking disciplinary action, renting or purchasing a building, etc.).
We are also resurrecting the "associate fellowship" roster of people who, for some reason, cannot or choose not to be official members (short tenure, missionary obligations, etc.). We hope to have this complete by September.
+ Development of a "Timothy Fellowship". Bob is trying to mentor and train a number of young men into godly character and leadership so the church will have a "pool" of spiritual minded and equipped leaders for the future. He hopes to begin meeting with this group next week.
+ Fine-tuning the ESL and student ministries. Both of these ministries are shut down for a few weeks in July and August, and this provides an opportunity to make adjustments, course corrections, and improvements. Jo Ann is trying very hard to help define and stabilize a solid ESL program which, by the way, will probably also include classes for learning Russian and Spanish as well. These improvements, along with strengthening the optional follow-up Bible study groups in Russian and English (and possibly Spanish) will go a long way to extend the outreach ministry of the church. We wish you could see the potential that is here.
+ Expanding and strengthening the prayer ministry. Unfortunately, while many of our people are praying, and prayer is becoming a more integral part of church life every day, it has been difficult to develop a coordinated and comprehensive plan that allows for systematic, strategic, and targeted praying. So, we hope to tighten up some nuts and bolts in this area.
+ Initiation of small group ministry. It is becoming more apparent each day that this ministry is needed. It is the very best way for mutual ministry to take place, and it is the very best way to engage non-believers into the church's influence by way of personal relationships. It will also be the way by which some serious church planting can eventually take place.
+ Establishment of a Spanish speaking church. Just Sunday Bob discussed with our Spanish pastor the possible need to begin services for Spanish speaking people. Recently 'Jesus established a relationship with a group from Cuba through the use of sports, and apparently there are a number of them who would like to begin having services. As far as we know, there is no evangelical Spanish speaking ministry in Kiev other than ours (the Roman Catholic church has services in Spanish). So, it seems eminent that this group will form into a church sometime this Fall, in spite of the fact that we are probably going to lose 'Jesus, Carmen, and Tania by the end of Summer. This is a very exciting ministry.
+ Preparing for the church's 10th anniversary. Ten years ago August the church officially constituted, although it had met as a group for some time prior. We have set September 18th and 19th for our anniversary celebration. If you think it's a challenge to put together a great celebration in America, think how it must be to do the same thing when you're dealing with multiple languages, dissimilar traditions, and a former membership and pastor list that includes people scattered to numerous countries on several continents.
+ Solicitation of Volunteers. It becomes more obvious every day that volunteers who can come and help for a few months at a time is a major need. The open doors far exceed the number of people we currently have who can walk through them. We desperately need Americans and others who would be willing to raise their own support and come and help us in some specific way. Retired people, widows/widowers, students or pastors willing to take a "sabbatical", and others are ideal persons for this. Even churches who would send a staff member or a lay member for six months to two years and would underwrite the costs would be a great blessing.
+ Partnership Development. IBC has a deep and serious need to have some churches in America come along side and help this "toddler" get on its feet and become strong. It cannot do it alone; it must have some "elder brothers and sisters" who would be willing to become "co-laborers" in the harvest for a year to three years. This very fact may well "make or break" the future of the church. IBC desperately needs congregations who would "harness up" with her for some serious and strategic strengthening and developing.
+ Other Language Ministries. For every language represented in Kiev, there is a need . . . . a need for a work, and a need for workers. We are watching IBC change from being a mission field to becoming a mission force. There are 6,000 Chinese students in Kiev. There are 4,000 Roma's, and untold numbers whose heart language is French, Portuguese, German, or some other language. Again, we are watching God open doors in some of these areas just as we have seen in the Spanish community.
+ City-wide Prayer Ministry. As you recall, with our new assignment extension, developing a city-wide prayer strategy has been included. Since Bob had already been working in that area, it will be easy to incorporate the IMB and IBC work into that. We know there are hundreds locally who are praying for Kiev regularly. We know of churches and ministries who are doing the same. The "PrayKIEV" e-letter goes to several thousand people world wide. Volunteer teams who come to town are including prayer walking as a vital part of their time here. The website PrayKIEV will soon go on line, even though it still has much to be added. We remain convinced that prayer must be the foundational strategy upon which everything else is built. We continue developing this area of our work.
Personally.
Because of our recent trip to Switzerland and subsequent holidays, our dental work has been put on hold. Jo Ann is just about finished, but Bob still has a tooth to be pulled and two bridges "installed", along with a few other things.
Other than the heat, we're both doing fine. With late sunsets and early sunrises (it's actually totally dark here only about four to five hours a night right now), and the recent heat increase, we sometimes don't sleep as well as we'd like, but we manage. We're trying to get to bed earlier (by 11:00 or 11:30 if possible), and we're making sure we drink plenty of fluids and don't go out unless necessary. We're learning to not over extend ourselves with unrealistic schedules, but that sometimes means things take longer to get accomplished.
Our current plans, subject to circumstances, call for us to return to the States sometime around mid November for several weeks to spend Christmas with our family and to also do some mobilization speaking engagements in various churches. We look forward to that. We've already had four or five requests to speak in churches, and are hoping to finalize those requests very soon so we know exactly where we plan to be, and when.
Prayer Requests:
In some ways, our entire letter today is one enormous prayer request. All you'd have to do is go back through and read the report on Nicole Grace and study the "What's Ahead" section. So, we ask you to do just that. Take each section, point by point, and pray over it. So, instead of thinking our prayer request section is short, just realize that it includes the entire letter. Ask God specifically to respond in His power and wisdom to each item pertaining to Nicole Grace and to our "What's Ahead" projections.
Finally.
Dear friends, we would love to hear from you. As in many cases, "out of sight, out of mind" holds true in missionary work. The longer one is on the mission field, the less frequently word comes from the home front. So, when you have time, we'd love to hear from you.
Thanks for praying for us, especially during these times of ministry decisions and the birth of Nicole Grace. Such times remind us clearly of just how important you are to us and to the work God has given us.
In His Bond, By His Grace, and For His Kingdom,
Bob and Jo Ann
Our Websites:
To receive "PrayKiev", a monthly (or more) prayer letter on a city-wide prayer
network, send a blank message to praykiev-subscribe@associate.com.
To reach the "PrayKIEV" website, go to http://www.praykiev.org. (Still in development)
To Receive an e-mail prayer guide on Central and Eastern Europe, write
For weekly spiritual encouragement and current stories of our work here,
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