Quote from Forum Archives on February 6, 2011, 6:37 pm

Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>

 

 

Bi-Monthly Praise and Prayer Letter Of

            Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver

                Life Unlimited Ministries

        "Touching Nations Here and Abroad"

 

                        Number  094

                     February 5, 2011

 

Dear Friends, Family, and In-Pact Partners:

 

We greet you today just three days after one of the largest blizzards and snowfalls in southwest Missouri to have taken place in decades.  We personally received between 16" and 18" of snow and, had it not been for our trusty Suburban with 4-wheel drive, we would have been homebound even to this day.  Even after three days of settling and slight melting, there is still at least 14" to 16" of snow in our driveway, with some areas even deeper as a result of drifting from the high winds that accompanied the blizzard.  Here a few pictures that show what it is still like at our place:

 

         

 

         

 

         

 

If you would like to see these pictures and more in larger sizes, you can find them on Bob's Facebook photo page by going to lifeunlimited01 on your Facebook page.

 

+  Different Format:  This issue of LUMglobal is quite different than most, and focuses primarily on two major issues . . . Bob's health, and a report on the Farsi ministry in Kyiv.  While there is other news we could share, we feel these are both important enough to ask you to focus your attention and your prayer on just these two.

 

 

 

BOB'S HEALTH:

 

We are facing a new era in our lives, one which we have never faced before . . . and that is the presence of significant health issues.  While we have gone through a potentially serious lumpectomy with Jo Ann, a heart attack false alarm for Bob, and a colonoscopy, neither of us have ever had a serious health issue or even any kind of surgery or broken bones.  So, it has come as quite a shock to us when we find ourselves facing a significant issue with Bob's heart.

 

A little over a week ago while we were sorting through some collectibles, Bob sensed a strong "shove" in his chest, followed immediately by extreme weakness, nausea, and then a clammy sweaty feeling.  the weakness was significant enough for him to sit down for an extended period of time.  We took his blood pressure and found both an accelerated pulse rate and a significant rise in his blood pressure.  Just to play it safe, he took one of Jo Ann's low dosage blood pressure tablets. 

 

After resting well during the night, Bob noticed continued weakness and weariness the next day.  We were not able to get a doctor's appointment until the following Monday, so enjoyed an exceptional week-end with great services on Sunday at the church where he continues serving as interim.  Following the exam, the evidence was significant enough that our doctor scheduled an appointment with a cardiologist for this last Thursday.  The cardiologist did an EKG and, following that and a rather extensive questioning session, concluded that he felt there was a strong possibility that Bob had some arterial blockage with the heart.  It was impossible to tell the extent of any possible blockage.

 

So, . . . he is scheduled for an Angiogram for Monday, the 7th, at the hospital in Bolivar.  If there is evidence of blockage that is not too severe, he will be treated at that time through either an angioplasty or a stint.  If the blockage is more severe, then he will undergo bypass surgery in Springfield sometime in the next several days.  We will not know anything definite until Monday after the Angiogram is performed.

 

So, needless to say, we will appreciate your prayer about this matter.  This has essentially caught us off guard.

 

 

 

FARSI MINISTRY REPORT:

 

Several weeks ago we received an extensive and very exciting report from "M" concerning the ministry to the Farsi speakers that we started several years ago.  Please read carefully, and be in prayer for "M" and Ira and the other leaders of the church.  Rejoice over this great report.  It was actually received

 

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Dear Friends and Prayer Partners:

 

I trust the Lord that you are doing great in this special time of the year. Christmas season is my favorite season. I feel like people are more open to hear God’s word, they accept a Christmas gift along with a couple of words about God’s plan for their lives. So I hope you take advantage from this special time and share God’s love with as many friends, coworkers, family members and neighbors as possible. I also hope you find this praise report encouraging.

 

Several Muslims got saved ----

 

+  Two brothers had come from Iran about several weeks ago. They were persecuted because their political views in Iran and had literally run away from the country. When we met them in the down town and shared the gospel with them, they were without a place to stay and without proper food to eat. So we gave them shelter and got them in touch with one of the brothers who provided for their life for some time.  About a week later, they both put their faith in Christ and got baptized. They told us that they had never seen such a love that is in Christ.

 

+  While doing Evangelism, we also met a wealthy Iranian tourist who was walking in the down town. We invited him to our Bible study. He told us right up front that he would come to our Bible study to ridicule our childish faith. He expressed his hatred toward religion. When he showed up in our Bible study, he had a very rude attitude at the beginning of the meeting.

 

While studying the 3rd chapter of the book of Romans, he stopped laughing and mocking the scripture. He began to listen seriously. After about an hour, we saw tears in his eyes. And when our Bible study ended, he came to us with eyes filled with tears and asked: “brothers, please tell me, how holy God can save a wretched like me?” So, we explained, and he accepted Jesus into his heart with tears rolling down his face.

 

The next day, he continued his journey to England, but we gave him a Bible and exchanged contact. He said “I will leave here and go to other countries, but I’ll never be the same person again”. I can tell you that the Lord changed his life in a day.

 

+  The other day, while doing Evangelism in the down town, our friend saw an Iranian couple with their son and gave them 2 Bibles. They asked for our address, and came to our church on Sunday. They had airline tickets to leave for another country on Monday, but they were so touched with the message of the gospel that on Monday morning, they went to airline agency and returned their tickets just to be with us for another week and hear more about the gospel. So we met with them almost every day, answered all their questions and shared the gospel with them for about a week. They all believed in the Lord and at the end of the week. They then caught the plane for the next Monday. We keep in touch with them now via Internet. Those 2-days old believers told me something that I can’t forget, “gospel message is the best message one can ever hear in his life. By accepting Jesus you let this joy to stay in your heart.”

 

+  There was also one Iranian who came to Kiev from another town to get treatment for his health problem. We met him on the street and shared the gospel with him. He then came to our Bible study and at first; he introduced himself as a very devout Muslim. Later on, he needed help with translation in the hospital and we appointed a brother to be with him all day and help him in hospital. He was so amazed at love of Christ that when he went back to his town, he called us on phone and asked how he can believe in Christ. So we explained to him and he repented and put his faith in Christ.

 

New church plant in Bila Tserkva ----

 

Our Farsi ministry had been extended to 4 cities of Kiev, Kharkov, Poltava and Odessa. But we had always prayed for new opportunities to go to other cities. Few weeks ago, we received a call from the city of Bila Tserkva, and an Iranian was on the phone. We had never been to Bila Tserkva, and never had given a single Bible out in that city. But somehow or other, one of our Bibles had got there from Kharkov through one of the students.  In Bila Tserkva, the Iranian who was on the phone, had read our Bible, and since the Bible was stamped with our contact information, he had decided to call us and find our more.  After talking to him for few minutes, “V” then found out that after reading the Bible, he had attended a Ukrainian church and he was so touched by the message of the gospel that he put his faith in Christ.

 

So when he called us, he was already a believer for few days as he had believed in that Ukrainian church. He asked us, “Please tell me, can you come here and tell us more about the gospel? We are six people and have only 1 Bible. Could you bring some more Bible?”  So we organized a mission trip to Bila Tserkva, I felt like it was an answer to all our prayers. We equipped “V” and “M” with enough Bibles and sent them out to Bila Tserkva. The city is located about a 2-hours bus ride from Kiev.  They spent 3 days there and shared the gospel with people. As the result, an Iranian couple came to faith in Christ and got baptized.

 

They themselves took the initiative and asked us to help them get together for a small home church. So now those 3 believers along with some of their non believer friends meet on Sundays to worship and study God’s word. We have started mentoring one of the believers by phone, and he leads the small group on Sundays. We also teach them worship songs by phone. They have a great desire to reach to the Iranians who live in Bila Tserkva. Based on their statistics, there might be around 100 Iranians living there. We have also committed to visit them once in 6 weeks, encourage them and do some more teachings.

 

They have also asked us to bring Bibles so they could help in giving them out to other Iranians.  They live very poorly in Bila Tserkva and lack for their basic needs. The lady who has believed is in her 4th month of pregnancy.  So we have committed to help them for the next few months. We are also going to help her husband to get a job.

 

Evangelistic Persian Concert/Conference for Christmas ----

 

[While this is already a past even by now, I wanted to include this so you could see how "M" and the others use innovative ways of sharing the Gospel.]  On this coming Saturday evening, we are going to hold a concert/conference for Iranian students. We’ve been planning this event for about a month. Five or six former Muslims are going to give their testimonies, and between each testimony, there’s going to be few worship songs in Farsi. There are 3 worship teams that have been preparing for this event. We have also given out about a 1000 invitations in hostels and universities where Iranians students live. We have rented a hall that can contain up to 200 people just 5’ walk from a Metro station not far from the down town. We are also planning a Persian meal for after the conference.

 

Bible studies ----

 

We’ve been getting new people a almost every week in our Bible studies.  Lately, our Bible studies run about 20 to 25 people.  Our goal is to have an extra meeting with new comers in other days of the week and share God’s word with them individually.  Not long ago, we met a student and invited him to come to our Bible study. As he began coming every week and we got to know him better, we found out that he is currently studying in the best Islamic university of Iran in the field of Islamic theology. He’s taken 1 year off of his studies to come to Ukraine to study Russian language.  Making a long story short, those who know Russian in his university in Iran can get a scholarship to study in several majors in Russia or Ukraine for Master degree.

 

So as we shared the gospel with him, he was so interested that invited us to his dorm to share the gospel with all his 11 friends. He also asked me to meet with him on a regular base in his hostels, and he would gather all his friends to hear the word of God on a regular base.  It was so amazing to hear this from him.  He is such a devout Muslim that even doesn’t buy meat from the grocery store (you might know that Muslims only eat meat of the clean animals that have been slaughtered in the Islamic way), and he orders his meat from a Islamic restaurant that does Islamic slaughter.

 

But I praise the Lord that even such a devout Muslim has felt the need for a savior. He also feels that all his friends should hear the good News. So I’m planning to set up a time to meet with him and his friends in his hostels, and maybe do another Bible study during the week.

 

Coffee shop Bible study of the International Church ----

 

I have been really enjoying leading coffee shop Bible study every Monday night [as part of KIBC's ministry].  I have changed the format of the Bible study and have made it more interactive. I pick a theme (for example “money”) and prepare the Bible study based on that.  In the first part of the Bible study (first 45’), I give out few questions and involve everyone into a discussion. Questions like: “What would you do differently in your life if you had 1 billion dollars?” The questions are very interactive and everyone enjoys discussing them. In the second half, I hand out the second sheet that has the title of “What does the Bible say about this?”, and as the title implies, we study God’s word and discuss about what the Bible has to say about the topic. We’ve been getting around 10 people including 4 non believers. We continue meeting in a nice restaurant and International church treat everyone for his or her drinks.

 

Ira’s ministry ----

 

Ira’s been enjoying leading the women’s Bible study in the Private House of a believer about 15’ away from our apartment.  She now does topical Bible study as well. Ladies come up with topics, and she prepares and leads the Bible study.

 

There have been 5 to 7 ladies attending the Bible study including 2 non believers. She hopes and prays for more people to come and hear God’s word. All her group is seriously praying and asking God to provide a baby sitter, so while they are studying God’s word, someone could take care of their children. Well, there are 5 kids that accompany those 7 ladies.

 

She has also been continuing meeting with the American missionary and organizing day of American cooking. She invites mothers with children from our neighborhood and she and the American lady teach Ukrainian mothers to cook an American food. As they cook all together, they share the gospel with the mothers. Ira also continues meeting new mothers on the street and getting acquainted with them so she could invite them to these events. There are many young mothers in our neighborhood. Only in our building, there live about 27 mothers with new born babies.

 

What’s up in our life? ----

 

Our son is growing faster than his dad. He’s in his 9th month and continues to teeth and is learning how to stand on his feet.  Ira and I are getting prepared for the Christmas and are planning to set up our tree in the next day or two. As you might know, Ukrainian Christmas is on 7th of January. But for me and Ira, 25th is very special and we celebrate our Christmas on this day. But it’s our privilege to celebrate the Christmas twice! Believe it or not, we still don’t know how we are going to celebrate Christmas and New Year. So if you have a plan, let us know!

 

    

 

Prayer requests ----

 

Please pray for:

 

Spiritual growth of all the new believers; also for the home church in Bila Tserkva to grow.

 

For Ira’s ministry and their need for a baby sitter, also for it to grow.

 

I wish you a merry Christmas, and I hope that you’ll have a very special time. Thank you for all your love, and all your supports, without which we could not simply do what God has for us. We are blessed beyond words to have you as part of our family, and our prayer is that the Lord would bless your coming year with much love and joy.

 

In Him,

 

"M"

 

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In case you wonder, "M" and his family are not in particular danger, so it is permissible to share their pictures as we have done in the past.  We share these with you with their complete permission.

 

We would like to encourage you to consider undergirding "M" and his wife both in prayer and financially.  It is hard to see how they carry on in the diverse ministry of providing leadership, food, financial help, serving as translators and advisors, and then provide leadership both at the international church and ministry in five cities . . . all on less than $400 a month.  If you would be willing to help, please contact us directly.  Even if it's a small one-time gift, 100% of it will get to them.  Please consider giving the most generous gift you can.

 

FINALLY:

 

As we conclude this note, we share the following prayer requests.

 

+  Pray for Bob's Angiogram Monday morning, that the facts will be clear and that God will restore good health to him.

 

+  Pray for the situation in Egypt.  It involves much more than that country alone, but has international repercussions that will determine future relationships and the stability of the Middle East.

 

+  Pray for "M", Ira, and the rest of the leadership at the Farsi church and KIBC, that God will continue blessing those ministries and giving them much fruit.

 

+  Pray for Cindy as she successfully recovers from her follow up surgery on reconstructive surgery.  She is currently in Des Moines, returning to Medellin, Colombia, in early March.

 

+  Pray for the church where Bob continues serving as interim.  A vote to call a full time pastor three weeks ago was not successful, being only two votes from the call.  The church has been visibly shaken by the circumstances, but God is using the situation to bring a sense of desperation for genuine revival.

 

We look forward to our next letter with good reports on many of these matters.

 

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

 

Bob and Jo Ann

"Touching Nations Here and There"

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