LUMglobal -- A Special Farsi Need

#1 · November 20, 2013, 5:51 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on November 20, 2013, 5:51 pm
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>

Dear Friends, "In-Pact" Partners, and Family:

We still plan to send you a final report of our recent trip to Europe, but we have a special need we must share with you now, and apart from our upcoming report.

As a result of our trip and the time we spent with "F" in Germany, "H" in Sweden, and "M" in Kiev, we have a pretty clear picture of what the Farsi ministry looks like and how it is facing major transitions and changes. These changes are necessitating "M" and his family spending a month in Germany with "F" to consider the possibility of moving from Kiev to Germany next year. This month in Germany will necessitate our helping raise $2,000 to help cover the cost of air travel, visa costs, and rent for "M" and his family.

Even though many of you generously supported our trip and then the cost of "M's" kidney surgery, we feel we need to ask you to prayerfully consider this immediate need. "M" and his family are scheduled to travel to Germany on December 10th and remain until January 10th. While there, they will work with "F" in ministering to many of the thousands of Farsi speakers who live in the area. They will also discuss with various Christian leaders the situation regarding the rapid increase of Farsi speaking immigrants and refugees in the area. Today there are over 900,000 Iranians in Germany, plus hundreds of thousands of other Farsi speakers from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan. Many of them enter Germany through the facilities in Giessen, the capital city of the state of Hessen. This is where "F" lives and where the local FeG "Free" church is located and the "Cafe' Hope" is also located. This is where we served during our time in Germany.

In order for you to understand what is currently happening with the Farsi work, let us spell it out in simple terms:

+ The Farsi work began in 2005 with just "M" and "V" as part of KIBC's focus on reaching internationals. Bob met regular with them both, mentoring, discipling, and training them to reach Farsi speakers living in Kiev. During that time there were thousands of Farsi speakers in Ukraine, and several hundred as students in the university "M" attended.

+ "M" began sharing the Gospel with Farsi-speaking students in his university, and soon "F" accepted Christ as the first Farsi convert in the ministry. "F" shared the Gospel with his friend, "M2", who also accepted Christ. Bob baptized them both, along with another Farsi speaker from Kharkiv, on the same day. "F" quickly became a leader with "M", and the Farsi ministry grew exponentially in Kiev and also spread over time to four other cities in Ukraine. It was the beginning of a burgeoning network to come, with salvations quickly becoming four generations deep and leadership three levels deep.

+ Upon the completion of his university studies, "F" had to return to his home country. While there, he felt God leading him to go to Germany to pursue graduate studies in his field of computer science. Student visas were rare and hard to get, and depended on being accepted by a German university. Most applicants would pay significant sums of money in order to apply to dozens or universities, hoping to be accepted by one. "F" applied to only five and was accepted by four, one of them not far from Giessen. So, he moved there, thinking he had lodging that had been promised by a Farsi speaking missionary who lived there.

+ That turned out to not be the case. While "F" was visiting an international church in Giessen, a young man there provided him temporary lodging. At the same time, a man in the FeG church approached him and asked him to translate the church's morning services into Farsi. "F" agreed. In addition, he began meeting after services with a small group of Farsi speakers to study the Bible. The group grew quickly into scores of people, sometimes running as high as 90 or more people listening as "F" taught them the Bible. In addition, "F" began translating Gospel presentations at the "Cafe' Hope" coffee house operated as a ministry to refugees by teaching them the German language and sharing the Gospel with them following the lessons.

+ At the same time, because of police brutality/corruption in Kiev, and economic pressures, most of the Farsi speakers in Kiev have moved to outlying towns and villages where harassment is less and living costs are not as great. As a result, fewer than 20 Farsi speaking students are now at the university that once had hundreds, and the group of 40 to 60 people with whom the Farsi ministry shared has now diminished to only a handful ranging from 4 to 10 people in attendance.

+ During this time, "M" has systematically continued training and mentoring "V", "M3" and "B" as leaders of the Kiev ministry. They are fully capable of leading that group. So, it would be easy for "M" and his family to relocate to Giessen, Germany, where he could not only help "F" and provide "pastoral" ministry to all the refugees, but he could also work closely with "H" in Sweden, and work with "F", "M3", and "V" in expanding the ongoing ministry of video production, book translations and website expansion.

+ The first step in making such a transition is to "test the waters" by spending a month in "Giessen" where "M" and "F" can work together, share the Gospel, and talk with various church and ministry leaders in the area to see whether or not a more permanent move is viable. And, that costs money.

SO . . . we are asking you to pray about and seriously consider helping us raise the additional $2,000 still needed to cover the airline tickets, apartment rent, living costs, and ministry expenses to sustain "M" and his family for that period of time. We understand that this is probably not the most ideal time to support this endeavor . . . some have already given generously, taxes may be due, Christmas is coming. But, the need is still very real and very significant.

If you are able and willing to help, please let us know right away. The funds need to be raised by the first of December or sooner. You can do it through Life Unlimited Ministries, as in every case. In the past four months, God has faithfully enabled us to raise over $41,000 for our trip to Europe plus "M's" kidney surgery, so we know this other need can also be met.

We look forward to hearing from you soon if you can help "M" and his family make this ministry trip. Drop us an e-mail or give us a call and tell us what you plan to do. Then, send it off to us as soon as you can. Simply make any check out to Life Unlimited Ministries so we can give you a contribution receipt, and put "Farsi Germany Trip" on the Memo line. 100% of it will go for that purpose if it is designated in that way.

We stand in awe at how this ministry has grown from a small Bible study group of two or three people back in 2005 to one that is now a network covering many countries in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa where Farsi speakers live . . . Skype mentoring, Bible study groups, Gospel presentations, book translations, Bible distribution, website evangelism and discipleship, and video production. It is absolutely amazing.

Help us consider the next step in this kingdom venture.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver
Life Unlimited Ministries
LUMglobal

Bob: lifeunlimited@pobox.com
Jo Ann: grandma12@pobox.com
Bob: 417-2693-5149
Jo Ann 417-693-5313

Life Unlimited Ministries
P.O. Box 228
Collins, MO 64738

--
Life Unlimited Ministries LUMglobal Box 228 Collins, MO 64738

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

Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>

Dear Friends, "In-Pact" Partners, and Family:

We still plan to send you a final report of our recent trip to Europe, but we have a special need we must share with you now, and apart from our upcoming report.

As a result of our trip and the time we spent with "F" in Germany, "H" in Sweden, and "M" in Kiev, we have a pretty clear picture of what the Farsi ministry looks like and how it is facing major transitions and changes. These changes are necessitating "M" and his family spending a month in Germany with "F" to consider the possibility of moving from Kiev to Germany next year. This month in Germany will necessitate our helping raise $2,000 to help cover the cost of air travel, visa costs, and rent for "M" and his family.

Even though many of you generously supported our trip and then the cost of "M's" kidney surgery, we feel we need to ask you to prayerfully consider this immediate need. "M" and his family are scheduled to travel to Germany on December 10th and remain until January 10th. While there, they will work with "F" in ministering to many of the thousands of Farsi speakers who live in the area. They will also discuss with various Christian leaders the situation regarding the rapid increase of Farsi speaking immigrants and refugees in the area. Today there are over 900,000 Iranians in Germany, plus hundreds of thousands of other Farsi speakers from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan. Many of them enter Germany through the facilities in Giessen, the capital city of the state of Hessen. This is where "F" lives and where the local FeG "Free" church is located and the "Cafe' Hope" is also located. This is where we served during our time in Germany.

In order for you to understand what is currently happening with the Farsi work, let us spell it out in simple terms:

+ The Farsi work began in 2005 with just "M" and "V" as part of KIBC's focus on reaching internationals. Bob met regular with them both, mentoring, discipling, and training them to reach Farsi speakers living in Kiev. During that time there were thousands of Farsi speakers in Ukraine, and several hundred as students in the university "M" attended.

+ "M" began sharing the Gospel with Farsi-speaking students in his university, and soon "F" accepted Christ as the first Farsi convert in the ministry. "F" shared the Gospel with his friend, "M2", who also accepted Christ. Bob baptized them both, along with another Farsi speaker from Kharkiv, on the same day. "F" quickly became a leader with "M", and the Farsi ministry grew exponentially in Kiev and also spread over time to four other cities in Ukraine. It was the beginning of a burgeoning network to come, with salvations quickly becoming four generations deep and leadership three levels deep.

+ Upon the completion of his university studies, "F" had to return to his home country. While there, he felt God leading him to go to Germany to pursue graduate studies in his field of computer science. Student visas were rare and hard to get, and depended on being accepted by a German university. Most applicants would pay significant sums of money in order to apply to dozens or universities, hoping to be accepted by one. "F" applied to only five and was accepted by four, one of them not far from Giessen. So, he moved there, thinking he had lodging that had been promised by a Farsi speaking missionary who lived there.

+ That turned out to not be the case. While "F" was visiting an international church in Giessen, a young man there provided him temporary lodging. At the same time, a man in the FeG church approached him and asked him to translate the church's morning services into Farsi. "F" agreed. In addition, he began meeting after services with a small group of Farsi speakers to study the Bible. The group grew quickly into scores of people, sometimes running as high as 90 or more people listening as "F" taught them the Bible. In addition, "F" began translating Gospel presentations at the "Cafe' Hope" coffee house operated as a ministry to refugees by teaching them the German language and sharing the Gospel with them following the lessons.

+ At the same time, because of police brutality/corruption in Kiev, and economic pressures, most of the Farsi speakers in Kiev have moved to outlying towns and villages where harassment is less and living costs are not as great. As a result, fewer than 20 Farsi speaking students are now at the university that once had hundreds, and the group of 40 to 60 people with whom the Farsi ministry shared has now diminished to only a handful ranging from 4 to 10 people in attendance.

+ During this time, "M" has systematically continued training and mentoring "V", "M3" and "B" as leaders of the Kiev ministry. They are fully capable of leading that group. So, it would be easy for "M" and his family to relocate to Giessen, Germany, where he could not only help "F" and provide "pastoral" ministry to all the refugees, but he could also work closely with "H" in Sweden, and work with "F", "M3", and "V" in expanding the ongoing ministry of video production, book translations and website expansion.

+ The first step in making such a transition is to "test the waters" by spending a month in "Giessen" where "M" and "F" can work together, share the Gospel, and talk with various church and ministry leaders in the area to see whether or not a more permanent move is viable. And, that costs money.

SO . . . we are asking you to pray about and seriously consider helping us raise the additional $2,000 still needed to cover the airline tickets, apartment rent, living costs, and ministry expenses to sustain "M" and his family for that period of time. We understand that this is probably not the most ideal time to support this endeavor . . . some have already given generously, taxes may be due, Christmas is coming. But, the need is still very real and very significant.

If you are able and willing to help, please let us know right away. The funds need to be raised by the first of December or sooner. You can do it through Life Unlimited Ministries, as in every case. In the past four months, God has faithfully enabled us to raise over $41,000 for our trip to Europe plus "M's" kidney surgery, so we know this other need can also be met.

We look forward to hearing from you soon if you can help "M" and his family make this ministry trip. Drop us an e-mail or give us a call and tell us what you plan to do. Then, send it off to us as soon as you can. Simply make any check out to Life Unlimited Ministries so we can give you a contribution receipt, and put "Farsi Germany Trip" on the Memo line. 100% of it will go for that purpose if it is designated in that way.

We stand in awe at how this ministry has grown from a small Bible study group of two or three people back in 2005 to one that is now a network covering many countries in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa where Farsi speakers live . . . Skype mentoring, Bible study groups, Gospel presentations, book translations, Bible distribution, website evangelism and discipleship, and video production. It is absolutely amazing.

Help us consider the next step in this kingdom venture.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver
Life Unlimited Ministries
LUMglobal

Bob: lifeunlimited@pobox.com
Jo Ann: grandma12@pobox.com
Bob: 417-2693-5149
Jo Ann 417-693-5313

Life Unlimited Ministries
P.O. Box 228
Collins, MO 64738

--
Life Unlimited Ministries LUMglobal Box 228 Collins, MO 64738

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