LUMglobal #088 ---- 3/10/10

#1 · March 11, 2010, 8:19 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on March 11, 2010, 8:19 pm
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>



                 (formerly "Hope4Kyiv")

Bi-Monthly Praise and Prayer Letter Of

          Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver

             Life Unlimited Ministries

        Touching Nations Here and Abroad

                      Number 088

                   March 10, 2010

Dear Friends, Family, and In-Pact Partners:

Because we've not written for nearly two months, we have several items of news, and we'll have much to share with you after our upcoming Cuba trip, we want to go ahead and share some brief bits of news that will bring you up to date. For speed and expedience sake, we'll forego pictures. So, . . . here's what's up.

+ Cuba Bound: As we begin writing, we are sitting in Cancun, Mexico, waiting for the third leg of our flight to Havana, Cuba. Our route takes us here where we pick up our second set of tickets and meet up with the rest of our team ---- Richard and Stephanie Blake from Cleburne, TX, and Hilton and Alice Jo Olive from Birmingham, AL. We were all pastors of international churches in Europe while we were in Kyiv. Richard and Stephanie were in Heidelberg, Germany, while the Olive's served short-term ministries in Bucharest, Vienna, Munich, and other places.

We will all be teaching in two two-day leadership conferences for pastors, church leaders, and pastors' wives. We expect an attendance of about 300 pastors and 100 to 150 women between the two conferences . . . the first next Monday and Tuesday in Havana, and the second on Wednesday and Thursday in Pinar del Rio. Then the other two couples return to the U.S. while we remain for the coming week-end to minister in the church where our Tania, 'Jesus, and Carmen were members before immigrating to Ukraine. They are the ones who helped us plant the Spanish church in 2004.

Each of us is speaking on particular topics . . . Jo Ann will speak on a personal walk with God, Bob is speaking on strategic principles of biblical leadership and developing an effective ministry of strategic prayer. The others are speaking on other relevant subjects.

Since we knew this might be a one-time stop in Cancun, we decided to take a couple of days to see the sights. Because this is Spring Break time, we were not able to get a flight either Thursday or Friday, so had to back it up to Wednesday. While there, we hope to relax, enjoy the sunshine, walk the beaches, and hopefully visit one or two of the Mayan ruins in the area. We decided to stay away from "hotel row" because we figured there wouldn't be any parties wild enough for our tastes. {:-) We also saved about $200 per night on hotel costs.

We actually meet the rest of the team on Sunday, and will fly to Havana at that time, arriving mid afternoon. We are excited about this trip, and especially having the opportunity to finally meet and fellowship with people who have been such a part of the lives of our "Cuban church planters" noted earlier.

+ Challenges and the Cuban Mission: Few ministry projects have encountered hurdles like our trip to Cuba. Various indecisions and changes of plans in Cuba itself have led to our team having to make adjustments. Confusing statements from the Mexican Visa Services Department caused us major uncertainty as to whether or not we could even get into the country. The possibility of having to apply for renewed passports threatened to create a problem with entry into Cuba itself, not to mention possibly adding more than $600 more to the cost of the trip. Jo Ann had a major reaction to ongoing use of Polysporin on her eyelids, causing them to turn an angry red and alarmingly swell up. Then she had a "side effects" reaction to the doctor's treatment itself with blood pressure oscillation and massive red blotches all over her face. After all of that came under control, Jo Ann fell the day before we left, bruising and scratching her knees, hurting her right foot, and (most serious of all) then falling on her face seriously bruising her chin and jaw. Praise the Lord, though, none of these episodes kept us from making the trip. We are praying that all the hurdles are now behind us.

+ Interim Pastorate: Bob continues his role as interim pastor in nearby Osceola, and it looks like it will continue for awhile. We have tailored our ministry there primarily with two goals . . . bringing restoration and healing through the exposition of God's Word and explanation of His truths, and lavishingly unconditional love and hope upon the people who are coming. Jo Ann continues serving as pianist since the church doesn't currently have anyone to play. Bob preaches on Sunday mornings and then teaches on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. It has been a great blessing to us personally.

+ Sky-ble Study: Yes, we finally began our global Bible study via Skype through our computers! What an exciting blessing it has already become. Who would ever believe that we would have the technology to talk together and study God's Word simultaneously to people living in countries stretching through thirteen time zones! Yet, every Friday at 11:00 AM our time, we spend up to an hour and a half studying the Word. We are currently studying the Book of Romans, and the study will resume after we complete our Cuba trip. Bob, Jo Ann, and David (youth pastor at the church where we are doing an interim pastorate) are here in Missouri. Tania from Cuba and her friend Jingpin from China are in Sweden. Senthil from India is in Norway. Tania's friend, Arto, is in Finland. "M", Ira, "F", Leo, and Helen are in Ukraine. Max from Ukraine is in Thailand. What a time we have. It's a great blessing.

+ Back To Iran: We learned recently that "H", one of the wonderful young men who came to Christ and Bob baptized during our time in Kyiv has returned to his home country. We've heard conflicting stories that he wants to return to Kyiv in either three or four years or in three or four months. He had to return to deal with the government's requirements for military service. So, he really needs your prayer as he tries to share his faith, settle the military issue, and essentially live in a degree of danger because of his faith in Christ.

+ The Baby Is Here: While we've not heard directly from them personally yet, we did receive a note this last Wednesday from "B" that "M" and Ira finally had their baby . . . a boy, named Roman! We're not sure when, and have no details yet. But, please rejoice with us over God's blessing to these dear friends.

+ Pray for "F": Both "M" and "F" will finish university studies this Spring. Since "M" is married, he has permanent residency. "F", however, will lose his student visa status, and faces some serious decisions concerning his future. Please pray for him that God will make clear what His plan is for "F".

+ Farsi Ministry Grows: Even though we've not received statistical data for some time because of busy schedules and anticipating baby arrival, there are good things happening in the growing Farsi work.

+ Church Growth in Cuba: While it is difficult to put an accurate figure, the evidence is clear that God is doing some powerful things in Cuba. Some estimates are that there are more than 25,000 house churches in the country. Certain changes in government policy are softening some restrictions on religious life. We will say more about that in our next letter.

+ Prayer Requests: Please be in prayer about the following items ----

    > Pray For Ukraine ---- Latest news headlines indicate that newly elected President Yanukovich is now in almost complete control as a result of some Parliamentary votes on March 11th. In the process of governmental appointments, many of President Leonid Kuchma's leaders have come out of the shadows and back into the limelight. It will be a challenging time for our Ukrainian brothers and sisters.

    > Ministry Finances ---- Pray about our ministry financial support. As noted earlier, the support base has dropped dramatically. We currently have less coming in than ministry expenses, so are having to use personal resources. Much of the reduction has come from deaths of supporters and necessary financial adjustments with others. However, others may feel that our ministry expenses end now that we're back in the States and Bob is doing an interim pastorate. God is faithful. Pray that needs will be met.

    > Financial Blessing ---- Praise the Lord that, in spite of our monthly ministry needs, God wonderfully provided for our current special ministry trip to Cuba. As best we can tell, the trip cost has probably been fully covered, even with some unexpected expenses we did not anticipate. Praise God for that.

    > Church Where We Are Interim ---- Pray for the continued healing, restoration, and building-up of the church where we are doing the interim pastorate. Pray that God will completely restore the church. Pray that He will continue giving us wisdom as we provide leadership. Pray that the church will continue to grow and prosper.

    > New Baby ---- Pray for "M" and Ira and Roman as the three of them begin new life together. Pray that Roman will be healthy and free from problems. Pray for Ira as she recovers, and for both parents as they adjust to a newborn in their lives.

    > Return to Iran for "H" ---- Pray for "H" as he adjusts to living back in his home country. Pray that he will be safe, that he will be used of God, and that he can return to Ukraine soon if it is the Lord's will.

    > Jo Ann's Full Recover ---- Pray that the soreness in Jo Ann's foot, knees, and chin will quickly end, and that the discoloration on her chin and jaw will disappear and will not be a distraction in Cuba during her teaching sessions.

    > CUBA MINISTRY ---- Pray that everyone will be safe as we continue traveling to Cuba on Sunday. Pray that many pastors and wives will attend, that those of us who are teaching will sense the anointing presence of god on everything we say, and that the Church in Cuba will be strengthened and encouraged. Pray that many will be blessed and others will come to Christ through these leaders.

+ FINALLY: Thanks for allowing us a chance to update you on a few things that have been happening since our last letter. We look forward to giving you an exciting report in a few weeks.

In His Bond, By His Grace, and For His Kingdom,

Bob and Jo Ann

The Tollivers

Touching Nations Here And Abroad

--
To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: hope4kyiv-unsubscribe@welovegod.org

Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>

(formerly "Hope4Kyiv")

Bi-Monthly Praise and Prayer Letter Of

Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver

Life Unlimited Ministries

Touching Nations Here and Abroad

Number 088

March 10, 2010

Dear Friends, Family, and In-Pact Partners:

Because we've not written for nearly two months, we have several items of news, and we'll have much to share with you after our upcoming Cuba trip, we want to go ahead and share some brief bits of news that will bring you up to date. For speed and expedience sake, we'll forego pictures. So, . . . here's what's up.

+ Cuba Bound: As we begin writing, we are sitting in Cancun, Mexico, waiting for the third leg of our flight to Havana, Cuba. Our route takes us here where we pick up our second set of tickets and meet up with the rest of our team ---- Richard and Stephanie Blake from Cleburne, TX, and Hilton and Alice Jo Olive from Birmingham, AL. We were all pastors of international churches in Europe while we were in Kyiv. Richard and Stephanie were in Heidelberg, Germany, while the Olive's served short-term ministries in Bucharest, Vienna, Munich, and other places.

We will all be teaching in two two-day leadership conferences for pastors, church leaders, and pastors' wives. We expect an attendance of about 300 pastors and 100 to 150 women between the two conferences . . . the first next Monday and Tuesday in Havana, and the second on Wednesday and Thursday in Pinar del Rio. Then the other two couples return to the U.S. while we remain for the coming week-end to minister in the church where our Tania, 'Jesus, and Carmen were members before immigrating to Ukraine. They are the ones who helped us plant the Spanish church in 2004.

Each of us is speaking on particular topics . . . Jo Ann will speak on a personal walk with God, Bob is speaking on strategic principles of biblical leadership and developing an effective ministry of strategic prayer. The others are speaking on other relevant subjects.

Since we knew this might be a one-time stop in Cancun, we decided to take a couple of days to see the sights. Because this is Spring Break time, we were not able to get a flight either Thursday or Friday, so had to back it up to Wednesday. While there, we hope to relax, enjoy the sunshine, walk the beaches, and hopefully visit one or two of the Mayan ruins in the area. We decided to stay away from "hotel row" because we figured there wouldn't be any parties wild enough for our tastes. {:-) We also saved about $200 per night on hotel costs.

We actually meet the rest of the team on Sunday, and will fly to Havana at that time, arriving mid afternoon. We are excited about this trip, and especially having the opportunity to finally meet and fellowship with people who have been such a part of the lives of our "Cuban church planters" noted earlier.

+ Challenges and the Cuban Mission: Few ministry projects have encountered hurdles like our trip to Cuba. Various indecisions and changes of plans in Cuba itself have led to our team having to make adjustments. Confusing statements from the Mexican Visa Services Department caused us major uncertainty as to whether or not we could even get into the country. The possibility of having to apply for renewed passports threatened to create a problem with entry into Cuba itself, not to mention possibly adding more than $600 more to the cost of the trip. Jo Ann had a major reaction to ongoing use of Polysporin on her eyelids, causing them to turn an angry red and alarmingly swell up. Then she had a "side effects" reaction to the doctor's treatment itself with blood pressure oscillation and massive red blotches all over her face. After all of that came under control, Jo Ann fell the day before we left, bruising and scratching her knees, hurting her right foot, and (most serious of all) then falling on her face seriously bruising her chin and jaw. Praise the Lord, though, none of these episodes kept us from making the trip. We are praying that all the hurdles are now behind us.

+ Interim Pastorate: Bob continues his role as interim pastor in nearby Osceola, and it looks like it will continue for awhile. We have tailored our ministry there primarily with two goals . . . bringing restoration and healing through the exposition of God's Word and explanation of His truths, and lavishingly unconditional love and hope upon the people who are coming. Jo Ann continues serving as pianist since the church doesn't currently have anyone to play. Bob preaches on Sunday mornings and then teaches on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. It has been a great blessing to us personally.

+ Sky-ble Study: Yes, we finally began our global Bible study via Skype through our computers! What an exciting blessing it has already become. Who would ever believe that we would have the technology to talk together and study God's Word simultaneously to people living in countries stretching through thirteen time zones! Yet, every Friday at 11:00 AM our time, we spend up to an hour and a half studying the Word. We are currently studying the Book of Romans, and the study will resume after we complete our Cuba trip. Bob, Jo Ann, and David (youth pastor at the church where we are doing an interim pastorate) are here in Missouri. Tania from Cuba and her friend Jingpin from China are in Sweden. Senthil from India is in Norway. Tania's friend, Arto, is in Finland. "M", Ira, "F", Leo, and Helen are in Ukraine. Max from Ukraine is in Thailand. What a time we have. It's a great blessing.

+ Back To Iran: We learned recently that "H", one of the wonderful young men who came to Christ and Bob baptized during our time in Kyiv has returned to his home country. We've heard conflicting stories that he wants to return to Kyiv in either three or four years or in three or four months. He had to return to deal with the government's requirements for military service. So, he really needs your prayer as he tries to share his faith, settle the military issue, and essentially live in a degree of danger because of his faith in Christ.

+ The Baby Is Here: While we've not heard directly from them personally yet, we did receive a note this last Wednesday from "B" that "M" and Ira finally had their baby . . . a boy, named Roman! We're not sure when, and have no details yet. But, please rejoice with us over God's blessing to these dear friends.

+ Pray for "F": Both "M" and "F" will finish university studies this Spring. Since "M" is married, he has permanent residency. "F", however, will lose his student visa status, and faces some serious decisions concerning his future. Please pray for him that God will make clear what His plan is for "F".

+ Farsi Ministry Grows: Even though we've not received statistical data for some time because of busy schedules and anticipating baby arrival, there are good things happening in the growing Farsi work.

+ Church Growth in Cuba: While it is difficult to put an accurate figure, the evidence is clear that God is doing some powerful things in Cuba. Some estimates are that there are more than 25,000 house churches in the country. Certain changes in government policy are softening some restrictions on religious life. We will say more about that in our next letter.

+ Prayer Requests: Please be in prayer about the following items ----

> Pray For Ukraine ---- Latest news headlines indicate that newly elected President Yanukovich is now in almost complete control as a result of some Parliamentary votes on March 11th. In the process of governmental appointments, many of President Leonid Kuchma's leaders have come out of the shadows and back into the limelight. It will be a challenging time for our Ukrainian brothers and sisters.

> Ministry Finances ---- Pray about our ministry financial support. As noted earlier, the support base has dropped dramatically. We currently have less coming in than ministry expenses, so are having to use personal resources. Much of the reduction has come from deaths of supporters and necessary financial adjustments with others. However, others may feel that our ministry expenses end now that we're back in the States and Bob is doing an interim pastorate. God is faithful. Pray that needs will be met.

> Financial Blessing ---- Praise the Lord that, in spite of our monthly ministry needs, God wonderfully provided for our current special ministry trip to Cuba. As best we can tell, the trip cost has probably been fully covered, even with some unexpected expenses we did not anticipate. Praise God for that.

> Church Where We Are Interim ---- Pray for the continued healing, restoration, and building-up of the church where we are doing the interim pastorate. Pray that God will completely restore the church. Pray that He will continue giving us wisdom as we provide leadership. Pray that the church will continue to grow and prosper.

> New Baby ---- Pray for "M" and Ira and Roman as the three of them begin new life together. Pray that Roman will be healthy and free from problems. Pray for Ira as she recovers, and for both parents as they adjust to a newborn in their lives.

> Return to Iran for "H" ---- Pray for "H" as he adjusts to living back in his home country. Pray that he will be safe, that he will be used of God, and that he can return to Ukraine soon if it is the Lord's will.

> Jo Ann's Full Recover ---- Pray that the soreness in Jo Ann's foot, knees, and chin will quickly end, and that the discoloration on her chin and jaw will disappear and will not be a distraction in Cuba during her teaching sessions.

> CUBA MINISTRY ---- Pray that everyone will be safe as we continue traveling to Cuba on Sunday. Pray that many pastors and wives will attend, that those of us who are teaching will sense the anointing presence of god on everything we say, and that the Church in Cuba will be strengthened and encouraged. Pray that many will be blessed and others will come to Christ through these leaders.

+ FINALLY: Thanks for allowing us a chance to update you on a few things that have been happening since our last letter. We look forward to giving you an exciting report in a few weeks.

In His Bond, By His Grace, and For His Kingdom,

Bob and Jo Ann

The Tollivers

Touching Nations Here And Abroad

--
To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: hope4kyiv-unsubscribe@welovegod.org