LUMglobal #108 ---- 3/22/13

#1 · March 27, 2013, 1:23 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on March 27, 2013, 1:23 pm
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>

                      (Formerly Hope4Kyiv)
               Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver
               Life Unlimited Ministries
   "Touching Nations Here and Abroad"
.
                           Number 108
                        March 22, 2013

Dear Friends, Family, and "In-Pact" Prayer Partners:
.
Once again we are "without excuse" as we've tried time and time again to send this update of what God has been doing in our ministry and personal lives. Just as we prepared to send a report on our Colombia trip, we got an exciting report with pictures of the Cuba project, and then we received an exciting report from "M" in Ukraine we wanted to send. Then some developments in KC began to emerge that we wanted to see further develop, followed by a Skype call with "F" in Germany that needed prayer before we wrote, and by then we were so close to our March 10 trip to Illinois that, . . . .   Well, you see what we mean. So, at last, here's what's been happening.

UPDATES ON PAST ITEMS: As to things noted last time, here are some updates.
.
+ The "Fusion" girls we entertained have been on the field for several months, but because of serious security issues have left the country of origin and are ministering elsewhere. They are safe and we receive periodic reports of their work. It is wise to not share any more information with you than that. They will be returning to the States this Spring, mission accomplished.
.
+ Our respective mentoring and discipling work with Bob's "Timothy Fellowship" and Jo Ann's "Esther Fellowship" have been a mixed bag with some wonderful experiences, but it has been extremely difficult to meet regularly, and each of us has only a small handful able to come on a regular basis. This has been frustrating for us, and probably for the others as well. We wonder about the future of this part of our ministry in KC.
.
+ The Cuba building project has been completed, and we have an update below . . . exciting and thrilling!
.
+ We rejoice that Jason, lead pastor at Living Faith KC, is returning to his former employer with a much better work environment and schedule, and this is bound to affect the ministry strategy of the church. Our own work with Living Faith has reduced considerably primarily because there aren't many time slots for the things we do best. The elders have been carrying most of the preaching/teaching duties, and also giving two or three of the younger men the slots Bob used to fill. Those guys are there for the long haul, and it's important for them to preach.
.
+ Central Church guys continue to make up the larger portion of Bob's "Timothy Fellowship", but because of various circumstances, we've only met four or five times since Thanksgiving. Pastor Omar and his family will return soon to their house after repairs have been made to the fire damage. They've been living with Janna's parents about 30 miles away. Omar now has a position with the State Convention that has enabled him to quit his UPS job and broaden his ministry throughout the greater KC area. Together, these blessings, though, have been costly to the "Timothy Fellowship" effectiveness. Jo Ann continues trying to meet monthly with her "Esther Fellowship" group, and those who come seem to really enjoy it.
.
+ The Northeast KC Pastors' Prayer Group still meets monthly, each time becoming a meaningful, enriching, and special time. Sadly, one of the original pastors and his associate have chosen to not attend mainly because it doesn't fit his "schedule" (which we think really means "priority" and "not my denominational preferences"). Others who expressed serious interest have not seen it necessarily as a real priority for the spiritual welfare of the community. But, we continue to have six to ten guys mainly from two or three churches who try very hard to meet. Our next meeting is April 1st. We continue praying that pastors and lay leaders will come to comprehend the vital role unified praying plays in reaching a community or a city. Most people never do.

WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING:
.
+ Cuba Building Project Update: We are absolutely thrilled to tell you that by now the house for which we raised funds in Bayamo, Cuba, is probably complete. The missionary church planter, Jose Naranjo and his wife Eugenia, were thrilled by our efforts. What a joy it was to receive the pictures taken in November. We hope to create a Facebook album with many pictures soon. You will see the amazing difference. Just look for Bob on Facebook.
.

.
Not only were we able to provide the $3500 needed to build and furnish that house, but we were also able to provide $200 for repairs on the home of one of our translators on our first trip to Cuba, and also at least $500 to missionary and church planter Yoel Utria for improvements on his dilapidated house and meeting room for the tiny church plant he leads. We are now considering some future projects in Cuba, and will keep you informed.
.
+ "Kingdom Vision" Medellin Conference: Words cannot describe the joy we experienced in ministering together with longtime friend Jim Hylton and our oldest daughter, Cindy, with Kevin and Christopher in Medellin, Colombia. The trip included Jim and Bob each preaching in two key churches in Medellin, speaking two days in the "Kingdom Vision" conference, officially billed as a "Supernatural Skyline" conference. In the pictures immediately below you see Jim and Bob, left to right respectively, teaching at the "Kingdom Vision" conference where Jim spoke on seeking and building the Kingdom here and now and where Bob spoke on biblical vision, "Seeing What God Sees".
.

.
We were blessed to have three highly skilled translators for the church services and the conference. In the right picture you see grandson Christopher on the far left, Kevin,Cindy, Jo Ann, and then another translator, Bonnie Devine. Our good friend Guido translated for Jim in one of the church services. Bonnie is a third-generation missionary who was born and raised in Colombia. Both Bonnie and Christopher are incredibly skilled translators fully capable of being professional. On the final session of the conference Cindy announced that we were celebrating our wedding anniversary, so we received a good round of applause. At the conclusion of the conference, the three of us were prayed over by the participants.
.
The following day we attended a major children's soccer outreach in which a Christian South Korean team played one of Colombia's premier professional team for some 35,000 children, and the trip concluded as we met with one of Medellin's key Christian businessmen and his family regarding making a potential impact into the business environment of this great city. We hope to add more pictures in another album on Bob's Facebook page so you can get a better idea of all that took place.
.
+ Barry County Evangelism Conference: We were unable to attend the State Evangelism Conference as intended due to the deaths of some friends, but three weeks following our return from Medellin, we once again participated in the annual Bible/Evangelism Conference. We were one of 21 evangelist / missionary units to preach in local churches and then the conference itself. To our surprise, we learned that we were some of the earliest evangelists and missionaries to participate in the Conference from its beginning. As best we can tell, we think we've participated in twelve to fourteen conferences, and always enjoy being there.
.
The conference began with a two-hour music fest on Saturday night, preceded by a spaghetti supper. Sunday we had the privilege of returning to First Washburn in the morning where former missionary colleagues Jim and Heike Erwin pastor and then that evening to the little church of Butterfield where we enjoyed very special fellowship with the pastor and his wife as we worshiped with that small congregation. We had an extraordinary service there as we shared how God raised up so many young people in Kiev to become strong leaders and witnesses. Our part of the conference ended when Bob preached the final message in the Tuesday morning session. Believe it or not, there were sixteen sermons preached during the two days.
.
+ Biblical Leadership Conference in Illinois: Last month we returned to lead a five-day conference preaching and training on Principles of Biblical Leadership. It was a full schedule again where Bob preached in the morning service, then did a 10-hour seminar in four days on the topic. Once again we also spoke to their two Monday morning prayer groups, and Jo Ann spoke to a women's group on Wednesday morning. The conference concluded with Bob speaking at the monthly pastors' fellowship meeting where he had an opportunity to encourage the guys to let God create a biblical vision for their ministries . . . "seeing what God sees". Once again, we plan to add a Facebook album soon.
.

.
+ Update on Farsi Ministry: While this report is over a month old, "M's" report is incredibly encouraging. Here is what he wrote:
.
    > New Year Concert: Farsi church began the New Year with an Evangelistic concert that was held for Farsi speaking people. We had more than 25 people along with several new comers. Many Afghans also attended the concert. I played Christmas worship songs on the guitar. There were also a short preaching and sharing of a testimony. The party was concluded with a delicious Persian meal and time of fellowship. The party lasted for 3 hours.
.
    > New People Visiting: As the result of the party, we've been having more students coming to our Bible studies. Farsi church has also continued sowing seeds among Iranian students and refugees. The interesting thing is that we've been getting more Afghan refugees. Afghans are usually not very open, and do not like to attend Bible studies. Nevertheless, the Lord has been putting more Afghans on our path, and Farsi church as used every opportunity to share God's love with them.
.
Tuesdays' Bible studies run from 15 to 30 people. I also meet with people during the week for one on one discipleship and Bible study. There are people who don't attend the Bible study for security reasons, and still others who are refugees and don't have proper documents to travel in the city without begin stopped by cops. So these are the people with whom I mainly meet.
.
We have a new comer who is a quite famous poet. He has several thousand fans in social networking websites and his poems are read by a large number of Iranians all around the world. He and I have been discussing the Bible and the necessity of believing in the Savior to get saved. I can't imagine what will happen if he'd come to faith, and start writing poems about Savior's love for all his fans!
.
    > "M" Got Saved: "M" came to us after a number of problems he had faced in his life. His girlfriend had left him, and all his friends didn't want to be with him because he couldn't spend money as before. The financial crisis in Iran has been intensifying, and his parents haven't been able to provide for him like before. When I met "M", he seemed like being "at the end of the line". I invited him out to a café and we chatted a bit. He then asked a simple but a powerful question: "How can one get saved?" So you can guess what followed our conversation. He put his in Christ as His Lord and Savior.
.
    > Meeting with "A": This past week, I got a chance to invite an Iranian refugee to have dinner with me in café. He's fifty some years old. He's been living in Ukraine for many years and has endured hardship and harsh treatment from Iranians and Ukrainians alike. As the result of many years of addiction to drugs, he hasn't been able to get a good job. He has hard time concentrating and working with people. He came to faith in Christ not long ago, but hasn't been able to grow much because people don't want to communicate with him. So I invited him out, bought him dinner and just listened to him. Much of what he said didn't make much sense to me because he was not able to formulate his thoughts into words, but I think he felt that God loves him and still has a plan for him through my listening. Sometimes I guess that's all we need to do - just hear someone out. He told me he would like to study the Bible with me on regular basis. So Praise the Lord for this opportunity.
.
    > Farsi website: Hopefully new redesigned Farsi website will be up and running in February. There are Iranian Christians who look forward to going to the secure website, and download or read teachings, sermons, music, etc. People from Farsi ministry have been providing materials for the website.   I've been working on the design and the coding of the website.
.
    > A Little Summary about Farsi Ministry: Some people had asked me in emails how Farsi ministry operates financially. I decided to include a little note and explain it. Farsi ministry is a self-supported ministry. There's no monthly supporter who supports us. No one receives salary from the ministry's money. All the expenses are covered by the leaders, one time gifts of other believers and a very little percent of it from those who attend. More than 70% of those who attend our ministry are refugees. They are usually jobless, and suffer from extreme hardship. Refugees in Ukraine don't get ANY benefit from the government besides a monthly bar of soap and a pack of detergent powder.
.
Farsi ministry expenses include a warm meal for Tuesdays' Bible study, paying the transportation cost of some of the refugees who attend, printing Farsi Christian literature, holding Evangelistic events, making mission trips and helping those who are really in need. Unfortunately because of large number of people who are in need, Farsi ministry is not able to cover the cost of transportation for many refugees, those who would otherwise attend the Bible study and the church service, and would grow in their faith. We are not also able to prepare warm meal every week because of financial related issues. The number of mission trips to cities where we have planted churches (Like "Kharkov" in Eastern Ukraine) has dropped down to once a year instead of once in every 3 months.
.
Nevertheless, over the past 5 years, more than 210 Farsi speaking Muslims have come to faith in Christ through Farsi ministry. More than 6 new churches have been planted in 4 countries, and we now minister to Iranians in Iran and worldwide through website, Skype Bible studies, etc. If you every decided to invest in the ministry for saving the souls of the Muslims, please feel free to drop me a note, and I'll let you know how to do that. It's very fast and easy. You can also choose to support a specific area, like holding Evangelistic events or paying the transportation cost for refugees.
.
    > Prayer Requests: Please pray for . . .
        •    The seeds that were sown during the New Year party. Please pray that those who heard the message would respond.
        •    "A" as I meet and study the Bible with him
        •    "M" spiritual growth
.
    > At the end, on the behalf of the Farsi ministry, I'd like to thank you for all your prayer, love, support and encouragement. We look forward to coming of that day, when we'd all meet, and praise our King in one language.
    In His Love,
.
    "M"
.

.
+ Farsi Work In Germany and Sweden: We recently talked on Skype with "F" in Germany about the Farsi work there and in Sweden where "H" serves, and wanted to pass on the following brief report. First, "F" is feeling fine physically other than being tired from his heavy class load, job, and ministry. Like "M" in Kiev, he has such a burden for the Farsi speakers coming to Giessen that he feels a strong urge to do as much as he can. He translates the Sunday services for a German church there each week, and immediately following lunch teaches the Bible to between 90 and 100 Farsi speakers from Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan.
.
Giessen is the only city in Germany to which refugees from those countries are sent when they first enter the country. From there they are eventually dispersed throughout the country after they have sufficiently learned the German language and satisfied immigration requirements. In addition, the city has several colleges and universities including the University of Giessen with a student enrollment of over 25,000. Because of Germany's quality education, there are thousands of students from other countries who come there. The fact that "F" chose to do his schooling there can only be attributed to God's divine plan to evangelize Farsi speakers.
.
"F" shared with us the fact that nearly half of the people attending his Bible study are actually families, many of them with serious problems created by trying to live in a new culture and by the stark contrast between the starkly differing beliefs about marriage. As a single young man, his counsel is often disregarded, and he sees a great need for help. Following the Sunday afternoon Bible study that is always followed by numerous people wanting to talk with him personally, he then meets with about 20 believers discipling them to become trained in witnessing and discipling others. He is asking God to raise up three or four key people from that group who can develop into key leaders to help him carry the load, just as "M" did in Kiev where "F" had been one of those key leaders.
.
During the week, "F" also meets in small groups or one-on-one with some of the believers trying to train and encourage them in their faith, care for people with special needs, and minister in other ways to the refugees. All in all, it is an exhausting regimen that "F" carries on, and he asked us to let you know just how desperately he needs your prayers.
.
In Sweden, "H" continues meeting with 40 to 50 refugees each week, leading them in worship, evangelizing, and teaching the Bible, in spite of the fact he feels totally inadequate to teach the Bible. "I am a driver, not a Bible teacher!" is his confession. He travels over 100 miles a week between villages where refugees live, teaching the Bible, meeting needs, and then conducting Sunday services in a centrally located church building. Periodically, when funds are available, "M" travels to Giessen where he and "F" then go to Sweden to spend a week with "H" in helping strengthen the work there. This whole thing sounds so much like something you'd read in the Book of Acts.
.
+ Future Ministry:
.
In reading this report, you can certainly imagine how the two of us so desperately need to hear the voice of the Father as to how He wants to use us in the future. There are three factors involved as we seek His direction for days ahead. First, the need and opportunity for our ministry in Kansas City seems to be slowly diminishing. Much of what we did during the first year does not seem to be as needed as it once was. We have talked with several of the guys about this, and they recognize the same thing. So, we're asking the Lord to either open some doors there or show us that we were there for a season and that part of our ministry is slowly phasing out.
.
Second, a constant financial shortfall makes it more and more difficult to continue ministering up there. Even though Immanuel Church graciously lets us live in their missionary house rent free, we still have about $700 a month expenditure for utilities, fuel, meals, and other ministry related expenses. It is necessary every month for us to dip into our personal resources to keep going. We have virtually no savings left from which we can draw.
.
Finally, for several months we have had a steadily growing impression to do what the Apostle Paul did in returning to some of the places where he planted churches so he could help encourage and strengthen the saints and further mentor the leaders that came out of his ministry. As we have learned of the challenges and opportunities being faced by those leading the English, Spanish, and Farsi work we helped begin, we've been asked by several of them to consider making a two-to-four-month "tour" so we could assist in further leadership development, evangelistic opportunities, and strategy refining. So, this is a matter that is heavy on our hearts that we are weighing very seriously. We know we can do only so much, and that we can be in only one place at a time.
.
In the meantime until the Lord makes things more clear to us, we will continue to enthusiastically minister in Kansas City, try to fulfill our duties as grandparents, and catch up on a mountain of inside and outside projects around the house. While we have no further conferences or ministry trips on the calendar for the next few months, there are very few Sundays free for us through the month of June.
.
+ Personal and Family Matters: Since we last wrote, we have celebrated our 54th wedding anniversary (Jan 29), Jo Ann's birthday (Feb 27), and Bob's birthday (Mar 19), and several of our grand kids have also had birthdays. In the next several weeks we will see our first grandchild (Abby) married on April 27, our youngest grandchild (JoyLinn) perform in "The Little Mermaid" musical on May 3, and see our second grandchild (Sarah) graduate from college (May 19). We also hope to take a number of days following Sarah's graduation to visit relatives and friends in Texas (and possibly Arizona).
.
Both of us have good health in general, and are grateful to the Lord for protecting us from injury, illness, and disease. Many our age struggle with such matters. However, both of us have serious battles with our weight even though we eat much more nutritionally than most people. We focus primarily on chicken, turkey, and fish, along with trying to eat plenty of veggies and salads. However, because we are not able to be as physically active as we once were, we simply don't burn the calories as we need. In recent days we've tried to get into a regular discipline of strong walking, but that gets interrupted far too frequently by trips between home and KC and by weather. However, this is an issue that we must conquer.
.
+ Prayer Requests: As you can clearly see, we are at a time in our lives where there are some serious prayer requests. Here are just a few:
    > First and foremost, pray that we clearly know God's will concerning some type of an extended trip to minister with some of our young leaders, especially in Ukraine, Germany, Sweden, Finland, and Croatia.
    > Pray for an increase in monthly support so we can maintain our current ministry level. We continue running about $500 a month below what we need.
    > Pray about three potential ministry events this Spring and Summer that are either still undecided or in apparent limbo.
    > Pray that both of us can get the proper exercise and activity we need to get our stamina and weight back into healthy parameters.
    > Pray for "M" and "F" that their financial support will increase, their stamina will be increased, and their fellow workers will carry more of the load.
    > Pray for the two of us as we work on house projects and begin to seriously dispose of way too much "stuff".
    > Pray for us as we more seriously look at the future need to move to a more manageable place to live. We know eventually we'll need to move, and we want to simply be ready when that time comes.
    > Pray that, if God opens the door, He will provide the funds for an extended trip to Europe. We estimate the costs will run $13,000 to $15,000 for up to four months (short term rent is expensive, international travel cost is increasing, we have to have some type of local transportation, we must carry international medical insurance because Medicare and Humana won't cover anything, etc.).
    > Pray that the anointing of the Holy Spirit will rest upon us for every single ministry responsibility we have . . . preaching, teaching, mentoring, giving, etc.
.
Finally: Once again we praise God for folks like you who believe in us, pray for us, encourage us, and financially support Life Unlimited Ministries. This is clearly a partnership ministry that is explainable only apart from God and those who faithfully undergird us in so many ways. It is much more than a nostalgic statement when we say that without you, it would be virtually impossible for us to do what we do. It is by God's grace and strength that we have the energy, endurance, and will to continue in active ministry at this stage of our lives, and it is your support that provide the resources that fuel the ministry. So, we thank God for His faithfulness, and we thank Him for you. Please drop us a note from time to time and let us know what is happening with you.
.
In His Bond, By His Grace, and For His Kingdom,
Bob and Jo Ann
The Tollivers
Life Unlimited Ministries
LUMglobal

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Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>

                      (Formerly Hope4Kyiv)
               Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver
               Life Unlimited Ministries
   "Touching Nations Here and Abroad"
.
                           Number 108
                        March 22, 2013

Dear Friends, Family, and "In-Pact" Prayer Partners:
.
Once again we are "without excuse" as we've tried time and time again to send this update of what God has been doing in our ministry and personal lives. Just as we prepared to send a report on our Colombia trip, we got an exciting report with pictures of the Cuba project, and then we received an exciting report from "M" in Ukraine we wanted to send. Then some developments in KC began to emerge that we wanted to see further develop, followed by a Skype call with "F" in Germany that needed prayer before we wrote, and by then we were so close to our March 10 trip to Illinois that, . . . . Well, you see what we mean. So, at last, here's what's been happening.

UPDATES ON PAST ITEMS: As to things noted last time, here are some updates.
.
+ The "Fusion" girls we entertained have been on the field for several months, but because of serious security issues have left the country of origin and are ministering elsewhere. They are safe and we receive periodic reports of their work. It is wise to not share any more information with you than that. They will be returning to the States this Spring, mission accomplished.
.
+ Our respective mentoring and discipling work with Bob's "Timothy Fellowship" and Jo Ann's "Esther Fellowship" have been a mixed bag with some wonderful experiences, but it has been extremely difficult to meet regularly, and each of us has only a small handful able to come on a regular basis. This has been frustrating for us, and probably for the others as well. We wonder about the future of this part of our ministry in KC.
.
+ The Cuba building project has been completed, and we have an update below . . . exciting and thrilling!
.
+ We rejoice that Jason, lead pastor at Living Faith KC, is returning to his former employer with a much better work environment and schedule, and this is bound to affect the ministry strategy of the church. Our own work with Living Faith has reduced considerably primarily because there aren't many time slots for the things we do best. The elders have been carrying most of the preaching/teaching duties, and also giving two or three of the younger men the slots Bob used to fill. Those guys are there for the long haul, and it's important for them to preach.
.
+ Central Church guys continue to make up the larger portion of Bob's "Timothy Fellowship", but because of various circumstances, we've only met four or five times since Thanksgiving. Pastor Omar and his family will return soon to their house after repairs have been made to the fire damage. They've been living with Janna's parents about 30 miles away. Omar now has a position with the State Convention that has enabled him to quit his UPS job and broaden his ministry throughout the greater KC area. Together, these blessings, though, have been costly to the "Timothy Fellowship" effectiveness. Jo Ann continues trying to meet monthly with her "Esther Fellowship" group, and those who come seem to really enjoy it.
.
+ The Northeast KC Pastors' Prayer Group still meets monthly, each time becoming a meaningful, enriching, and special time. Sadly, one of the original pastors and his associate have chosen to not attend mainly because it doesn't fit his "schedule" (which we think really means "priority" and "not my denominational preferences"). Others who expressed serious interest have not seen it necessarily as a real priority for the spiritual welfare of the community. But, we continue to have six to ten guys mainly from two or three churches who try very hard to meet. Our next meeting is April 1st. We continue praying that pastors and lay leaders will come to comprehend the vital role unified praying plays in reaching a community or a city. Most people never do.

WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING:
.
+ Cuba Building Project Update: We are absolutely thrilled to tell you that by now the house for which we raised funds in Bayamo, Cuba, is probably complete. The missionary church planter, Jose Naranjo and his wife Eugenia, were thrilled by our efforts. What a joy it was to receive the pictures taken in November. We hope to create a Facebook album with many pictures soon. You will see the amazing difference. Just look for Bob on Facebook.
.

.
Not only were we able to provide the $3500 needed to build and furnish that house, but we were also able to provide $200 for repairs on the home of one of our translators on our first trip to Cuba, and also at least $500 to missionary and church planter Yoel Utria for improvements on his dilapidated house and meeting room for the tiny church plant he leads. We are now considering some future projects in Cuba, and will keep you informed.
.
+ "Kingdom Vision" Medellin Conference: Words cannot describe the joy we experienced in ministering together with longtime friend Jim Hylton and our oldest daughter, Cindy, with Kevin and Christopher in Medellin, Colombia. The trip included Jim and Bob each preaching in two key churches in Medellin, speaking two days in the "Kingdom Vision" conference, officially billed as a "Supernatural Skyline" conference. In the pictures immediately below you see Jim and Bob, left to right respectively, teaching at the "Kingdom Vision" conference where Jim spoke on seeking and building the Kingdom here and now and where Bob spoke on biblical vision, "Seeing What God Sees".
.

.
We were blessed to have three highly skilled translators for the church services and the conference. In the right picture you see grandson Christopher on the far left, Kevin,Cindy, Jo Ann, and then another translator, Bonnie Devine. Our good friend Guido translated for Jim in one of the church services. Bonnie is a third-generation missionary who was born and raised in Colombia. Both Bonnie and Christopher are incredibly skilled translators fully capable of being professional. On the final session of the conference Cindy announced that we were celebrating our wedding anniversary, so we received a good round of applause. At the conclusion of the conference, the three of us were prayed over by the participants.
.
The following day we attended a major children's soccer outreach in which a Christian South Korean team played one of Colombia's premier professional team for some 35,000 children, and the trip concluded as we met with one of Medellin's key Christian businessmen and his family regarding making a potential impact into the business environment of this great city. We hope to add more pictures in another album on Bob's Facebook page so you can get a better idea of all that took place.
.
+ Barry County Evangelism Conference: We were unable to attend the State Evangelism Conference as intended due to the deaths of some friends, but three weeks following our return from Medellin, we once again participated in the annual Bible/Evangelism Conference. We were one of 21 evangelist / missionary units to preach in local churches and then the conference itself. To our surprise, we learned that we were some of the earliest evangelists and missionaries to participate in the Conference from its beginning. As best we can tell, we think we've participated in twelve to fourteen conferences, and always enjoy being there.
.
The conference began with a two-hour music fest on Saturday night, preceded by a spaghetti supper. Sunday we had the privilege of returning to First Washburn in the morning where former missionary colleagues Jim and Heike Erwin pastor and then that evening to the little church of Butterfield where we enjoyed very special fellowship with the pastor and his wife as we worshiped with that small congregation. We had an extraordinary service there as we shared how God raised up so many young people in Kiev to become strong leaders and witnesses. Our part of the conference ended when Bob preached the final message in the Tuesday morning session. Believe it or not, there were sixteen sermons preached during the two days.
.
+ Biblical Leadership Conference in Illinois: Last month we returned to lead a five-day conference preaching and training on Principles of Biblical Leadership. It was a full schedule again where Bob preached in the morning service, then did a 10-hour seminar in four days on the topic. Once again we also spoke to their two Monday morning prayer groups, and Jo Ann spoke to a women's group on Wednesday morning. The conference concluded with Bob speaking at the monthly pastors' fellowship meeting where he had an opportunity to encourage the guys to let God create a biblical vision for their ministries . . . "seeing what God sees". Once again, we plan to add a Facebook album soon.
.

.
+ Update on Farsi Ministry: While this report is over a month old, "M's" report is incredibly encouraging. Here is what he wrote:
.
    > New Year Concert: Farsi church began the New Year with an Evangelistic concert that was held for Farsi speaking people. We had more than 25 people along with several new comers. Many Afghans also attended the concert. I played Christmas worship songs on the guitar. There were also a short preaching and sharing of a testimony. The party was concluded with a delicious Persian meal and time of fellowship. The party lasted for 3 hours.
.
    > New People Visiting: As the result of the party, we've been having more students coming to our Bible studies. Farsi church has also continued sowing seeds among Iranian students and refugees. The interesting thing is that we've been getting more Afghan refugees. Afghans are usually not very open, and do not like to attend Bible studies. Nevertheless, the Lord has been putting more Afghans on our path, and Farsi church as used every opportunity to share God's love with them.
.
Tuesdays' Bible studies run from 15 to 30 people. I also meet with people during the week for one on one discipleship and Bible study. There are people who don't attend the Bible study for security reasons, and still others who are refugees and don't have proper documents to travel in the city without begin stopped by cops. So these are the people with whom I mainly meet.
.
We have a new comer who is a quite famous poet. He has several thousand fans in social networking websites and his poems are read by a large number of Iranians all around the world. He and I have been discussing the Bible and the necessity of believing in the Savior to get saved. I can't imagine what will happen if he'd come to faith, and start writing poems about Savior's love for all his fans!
.
    > "M" Got Saved: "M" came to us after a number of problems he had faced in his life. His girlfriend had left him, and all his friends didn't want to be with him because he couldn't spend money as before. The financial crisis in Iran has been intensifying, and his parents haven't been able to provide for him like before. When I met "M", he seemed like being "at the end of the line". I invited him out to a café and we chatted a bit. He then asked a simple but a powerful question: "How can one get saved?" So you can guess what followed our conversation. He put his in Christ as His Lord and Savior.
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    > Meeting with "A": This past week, I got a chance to invite an Iranian refugee to have dinner with me in café. He's fifty some years old. He's been living in Ukraine for many years and has endured hardship and harsh treatment from Iranians and Ukrainians alike. As the result of many years of addiction to drugs, he hasn't been able to get a good job. He has hard time concentrating and working with people. He came to faith in Christ not long ago, but hasn't been able to grow much because people don't want to communicate with him. So I invited him out, bought him dinner and just listened to him. Much of what he said didn't make much sense to me because he was not able to formulate his thoughts into words, but I think he felt that God loves him and still has a plan for him through my listening. Sometimes I guess that's all we need to do - just hear someone out. He told me he would like to study the Bible with me on regular basis. So Praise the Lord for this opportunity.
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    > Farsi website: Hopefully new redesigned Farsi website will be up and running in February. There are Iranian Christians who look forward to going to the secure website, and download or read teachings, sermons, music, etc. People from Farsi ministry have been providing materials for the website.   I've been working on the design and the coding of the website.
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    > A Little Summary about Farsi Ministry: Some people had asked me in emails how Farsi ministry operates financially. I decided to include a little note and explain it. Farsi ministry is a self-supported ministry. There's no monthly supporter who supports us. No one receives salary from the ministry's money. All the expenses are covered by the leaders, one time gifts of other believers and a very little percent of it from those who attend. More than 70% of those who attend our ministry are refugees. They are usually jobless, and suffer from extreme hardship. Refugees in Ukraine don't get ANY benefit from the government besides a monthly bar of soap and a pack of detergent powder.
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Farsi ministry expenses include a warm meal for Tuesdays' Bible study, paying the transportation cost of some of the refugees who attend, printing Farsi Christian literature, holding Evangelistic events, making mission trips and helping those who are really in need. Unfortunately because of large number of people who are in need, Farsi ministry is not able to cover the cost of transportation for many refugees, those who would otherwise attend the Bible study and the church service, and would grow in their faith. We are not also able to prepare warm meal every week because of financial related issues. The number of mission trips to cities where we have planted churches (Like "Kharkov" in Eastern Ukraine) has dropped down to once a year instead of once in every 3 months.
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Nevertheless, over the past 5 years, more than 210 Farsi speaking Muslims have come to faith in Christ through Farsi ministry. More than 6 new churches have been planted in 4 countries, and we now minister to Iranians in Iran and worldwide through website, Skype Bible studies, etc. If you every decided to invest in the ministry for saving the souls of the Muslims, please feel free to drop me a note, and I'll let you know how to do that. It's very fast and easy. You can also choose to support a specific area, like holding Evangelistic events or paying the transportation cost for refugees.
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    > Prayer Requests: Please pray for . . .
        •    The seeds that were sown during the New Year party. Please pray that those who heard the message would respond.
        •    "A" as I meet and study the Bible with him
        •    "M" spiritual growth
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    > At the end, on the behalf of the Farsi ministry, I'd like to thank you for all your prayer, love, support and encouragement. We look forward to coming of that day, when we'd all meet, and praise our King in one language.
    In His Love,
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    "M"
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+ Farsi Work In Germany and Sweden: We recently talked on Skype with "F" in Germany about the Farsi work there and in Sweden where "H" serves, and wanted to pass on the following brief report. First, "F" is feeling fine physically other than being tired from his heavy class load, job, and ministry. Like "M" in Kiev, he has such a burden for the Farsi speakers coming to Giessen that he feels a strong urge to do as much as he can. He translates the Sunday services for a German church there each week, and immediately following lunch teaches the Bible to between 90 and 100 Farsi speakers from Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan.
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Giessen is the only city in Germany to which refugees from those countries are sent when they first enter the country. From there they are eventually dispersed throughout the country after they have sufficiently learned the German language and satisfied immigration requirements. In addition, the city has several colleges and universities including the University of Giessen with a student enrollment of over 25,000. Because of Germany's quality education, there are thousands of students from other countries who come there. The fact that "F" chose to do his schooling there can only be attributed to God's divine plan to evangelize Farsi speakers.
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"F" shared with us the fact that nearly half of the people attending his Bible study are actually families, many of them with serious problems created by trying to live in a new culture and by the stark contrast between the starkly differing beliefs about marriage. As a single young man, his counsel is often disregarded, and he sees a great need for help. Following the Sunday afternoon Bible study that is always followed by numerous people wanting to talk with him personally, he then meets with about 20 believers discipling them to become trained in witnessing and discipling others. He is asking God to raise up three or four key people from that group who can develop into key leaders to help him carry the load, just as "M" did in Kiev where "F" had been one of those key leaders.
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During the week, "F" also meets in small groups or one-on-one with some of the believers trying to train and encourage them in their faith, care for people with special needs, and minister in other ways to the refugees. All in all, it is an exhausting regimen that "F" carries on, and he asked us to let you know just how desperately he needs your prayers.
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In Sweden, "H" continues meeting with 40 to 50 refugees each week, leading them in worship, evangelizing, and teaching the Bible, in spite of the fact he feels totally inadequate to teach the Bible. "I am a driver, not a Bible teacher!" is his confession. He travels over 100 miles a week between villages where refugees live, teaching the Bible, meeting needs, and then conducting Sunday services in a centrally located church building. Periodically, when funds are available, "M" travels to Giessen where he and "F" then go to Sweden to spend a week with "H" in helping strengthen the work there. This whole thing sounds so much like something you'd read in the Book of Acts.
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+ Future Ministry:
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In reading this report, you can certainly imagine how the two of us so desperately need to hear the voice of the Father as to how He wants to use us in the future. There are three factors involved as we seek His direction for days ahead. First, the need and opportunity for our ministry in Kansas City seems to be slowly diminishing. Much of what we did during the first year does not seem to be as needed as it once was. We have talked with several of the guys about this, and they recognize the same thing. So, we're asking the Lord to either open some doors there or show us that we were there for a season and that part of our ministry is slowly phasing out.
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Second, a constant financial shortfall makes it more and more difficult to continue ministering up there. Even though Immanuel Church graciously lets us live in their missionary house rent free, we still have about $700 a month expenditure for utilities, fuel, meals, and other ministry related expenses. It is necessary every month for us to dip into our personal resources to keep going. We have virtually no savings left from which we can draw.
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Finally, for several months we have had a steadily growing impression to do what the Apostle Paul did in returning to some of the places where he planted churches so he could help encourage and strengthen the saints and further mentor the leaders that came out of his ministry. As we have learned of the challenges and opportunities being faced by those leading the English, Spanish, and Farsi work we helped begin, we've been asked by several of them to consider making a two-to-four-month "tour" so we could assist in further leadership development, evangelistic opportunities, and strategy refining. So, this is a matter that is heavy on our hearts that we are weighing very seriously. We know we can do only so much, and that we can be in only one place at a time.
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In the meantime until the Lord makes things more clear to us, we will continue to enthusiastically minister in Kansas City, try to fulfill our duties as grandparents, and catch up on a mountain of inside and outside projects around the house. While we have no further conferences or ministry trips on the calendar for the next few months, there are very few Sundays free for us through the month of June.
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+ Personal and Family Matters: Since we last wrote, we have celebrated our 54th wedding anniversary (Jan 29), Jo Ann's birthday (Feb 27), and Bob's birthday (Mar 19), and several of our grand kids have also had birthdays. In the next several weeks we will see our first grandchild (Abby) married on April 27, our youngest grandchild (JoyLinn) perform in "The Little Mermaid" musical on May 3, and see our second grandchild (Sarah) graduate from college (May 19). We also hope to take a number of days following Sarah's graduation to visit relatives and friends in Texas (and possibly Arizona).
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Both of us have good health in general, and are grateful to the Lord for protecting us from injury, illness, and disease. Many our age struggle with such matters. However, both of us have serious battles with our weight even though we eat much more nutritionally than most people. We focus primarily on chicken, turkey, and fish, along with trying to eat plenty of veggies and salads. However, because we are not able to be as physically active as we once were, we simply don't burn the calories as we need. In recent days we've tried to get into a regular discipline of strong walking, but that gets interrupted far too frequently by trips between home and KC and by weather. However, this is an issue that we must conquer.
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+ Prayer Requests: As you can clearly see, we are at a time in our lives where there are some serious prayer requests. Here are just a few:
    > First and foremost, pray that we clearly know God's will concerning some type of an extended trip to minister with some of our young leaders, especially in Ukraine, Germany, Sweden, Finland, and Croatia.
    > Pray for an increase in monthly support so we can maintain our current ministry level. We continue running about $500 a month below what we need.
    > Pray about three potential ministry events this Spring and Summer that are either still undecided or in apparent limbo.
    > Pray that both of us can get the proper exercise and activity we need to get our stamina and weight back into healthy parameters.
    > Pray for "M" and "F" that their financial support will increase, their stamina will be increased, and their fellow workers will carry more of the load.
    > Pray for the two of us as we work on house projects and begin to seriously dispose of way too much "stuff".
    > Pray for us as we more seriously look at the future need to move to a more manageable place to live. We know eventually we'll need to move, and we want to simply be ready when that time comes.
    > Pray that, if God opens the door, He will provide the funds for an extended trip to Europe. We estimate the costs will run $13,000 to $15,000 for up to four months (short term rent is expensive, international travel cost is increasing, we have to have some type of local transportation, we must carry international medical insurance because Medicare and Humana won't cover anything, etc.).
    > Pray that the anointing of the Holy Spirit will rest upon us for every single ministry responsibility we have . . . preaching, teaching, mentoring, giving, etc.
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Finally: Once again we praise God for folks like you who believe in us, pray for us, encourage us, and financially support Life Unlimited Ministries. This is clearly a partnership ministry that is explainable only apart from God and those who faithfully undergird us in so many ways. It is much more than a nostalgic statement when we say that without you, it would be virtually impossible for us to do what we do. It is by God's grace and strength that we have the energy, endurance, and will to continue in active ministry at this stage of our lives, and it is your support that provide the resources that fuel the ministry. So, we thank God for His faithfulness, and we thank Him for you. Please drop us a note from time to time and let us know what is happening with you.
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In His Bond, By His Grace, and For His Kingdom,
Bob and Jo Ann
The Tollivers
Life Unlimited Ministries
LUMglobal

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