Quote from Forum Archives on September 20, 2010, 1:05 am

Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>

Friends;

 

We are overjoyed to be making a very special trip to Finland and then to Kyiv, Ukraine beginning the first part of next week, Tuesday, September 28th.  The trip is both personal but also ministry related.  Our Tania is getting married in Tampere, Finland on Thursday evening, October 7th.  Because we will arrive there on October 2nd to help Tania in final wedding preparations, we are hoping to speak briefly in a church on the 3rd.

 

We will return to Helsinki on the 8th and then fly to Kyiv on the 9th.  We will be speaking at the English language KIBC that we planted five years ago on the 10th, and later that day at the Spanish church we helped plant earlier.  We also hope to speak to some of the Farsi church members while there as well.

 

This trip will put us in contact with several who have been involved in significant ministry, and it has occurred to us that, as has already bheen expressed, some of you might want to financially bless these our friends.

 

So, if you would like to send a financial gift to Tania and Arto for their wedding, to "M" and Ira as they lead the Farsi church (they live on about $300 a month), or Maxim who is a missionary in Bangkok, Thailand, we would be happy to take that money with us to give them.  Max is arriving in Kyiv on October 3rd for a month, and we plan to get together.

 

If that is your desire, you need to get the money to us no later than Friday of this week, so it will take quick action on your part.  Make any check out to Life Unlimited Ministries, designate its purpose on the Memo line, and send it to us at Box 228, Collins, MO, 64738.

 

In that the trip is both personal and ministry related, we wouldn't refuse anything that might come our way, though our greatest desire is for our friends.

 

Finally, you will find below "M"s latest praise report.  We never cease to be amazed at how God is blessing the Farsi work.  Be blessed as you read it.

 

In His Bond,

 

Bob and Jo Ann

The Tollivers

 

<><  <><  <><  <>< 

 

Dear Kingdom partners,

 

I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. There are so many things I’d like to write about that I decided to cut off introduction and get right to the report. I hope you find this letter encouraging.

 

(City #2) mission trip

 

F and M2 made a trip to (city #2) to visit with believers and share the gospel with some new Iranians. It all went very well.  Especially it was a new experience for M2 as a new believer to go along with F and learn to share God's word with people.  They had a chance to encourage believers there as well.

 

8 former Iranian Muslims got saved

 

M2 shared the gospel with a new Iranian and he came to our bible study to hear more about the gospel. Soon, he began to realize his need for a savior. He then repented and got baptized afterwards. I have to add that his father is one of the top counselors of Iranian president in his town.

 

One of our believer friends goes to down town on the weekends carrying tens of Bibles in her hiking bag pack. She looks like a hiker that is going to conquer the Everest. She then gives out the Farsi Bible and shares the gospel with Iranians on the street. We’ve been also actively involved in sharing the gospel with new Iranian students who have arrived in (city #1) recently.

 

As we have been giving out the Bibles which we have stamped with a contact number and an email address, many people have contacted us and expressed a desire to meet and hear more about the Lord.  One family contacted us not long ago. We met them and shared God’s word with them. In the same day, Father, mother and their son all put their faith in Christ. V and I baptized them in their apartment’s bath tub few days later.

 

Two people called us as the result of meeting our believer friend in the downtown. When we met them, they had all kinds of problems. They had arrived in Ukraine to illegally immigrate to another country. They were then deceived and lost all their money. So we helped them and shared the gospel with them. They were so amazed to see the love of Christ demonstrated in the lives. They both believed and we baptized them 2 days later in a lake near V’s apartment.

 

We also baptized an Iranian dentist who has believed in the Lord. The day we had scheduled to baptize him, another Iranian with whom we had got acquainted on the street showed up. He was looking really depressed. After talking to him for few minutes, he expressed a need for Jesus to save him. We all then prayed together and he accepted the Lord into his life. So on that day, we baptized both of them.

 

We also had a new believer who joined our church. He had believed in Iran around 5 years ago. He has come to Ukraine because of all the troubles he faced in Iran and now he's serving in our church.  His testimony is worth mentioning:

 

“I had been living in depression for many years since I lost my father in a terrible car crash at the age of 7. I had tried to commit suicide several times but every time, someone had found me and saved my life. One night when I wanted to commit suicide again, because of fatigue, I fell asleep on my bed. In my dream, I found myself in a big hall. The hall was filled with people who had whiter complexion; kind of like European or Americans. I could understand them singing a song to Jesus.

 

"Then when I turned around to leave the room, I saw Jesus standing right behind me and smiling at me. I could clearly see his pierced hands. He then told me all will be fine. When I woke up, I was filled with peace. 2 days later, I was in a bus going to the border to buy some goods for my shop. In the bus, there was only one empty seat and it was right next to me. In the middle of the trip, someone came and asked if he could sit next to me. He then started reading a book that was called Holy Bible. Then I asked him about the book and he shared the gospel with me. I told him about my dream and he gave me a phone number of an Iranian pastor in my town. So I met the pastor when I returned from my trip and I put my faith in Christ”

 

6 people got saved in Iran through Skype Bible Study

 

The Skype Bible study led by M2 and his friend has been extremely fruitful. As the result of that, F’s sister and cousin, along with 4 more Iranians have believed in the Lord. Some Iranians located in countries like India or Indonesia have been attending the online Bible study as well. M also has made a facebook account in which he sends Bible verses to more than 60 people every day. Most of them are not believer but like to receive encouraging messages from the Bible.

 

F went back to Iran

 

After graduating from the university, F decided to go back to Iran for about a year. He doesn't know what God has for him in one year, but for now he's sure he will be in Iran for a year. We're glad and sad, glad because God is going to use him to advance the gospel message, and sad because we don't see him in person. Meanwhile, we regularly keep contact via Internet. He has started a Bible study on Fridays. His sister and cousin along with few others gather to hear God’s word as F leads the Bible study. They meet in a safe place outdoor and hold their meetings.

 

More Farsi Bibles were received

 

We received another 1500 Bibles lately. We also are printing around 1000 small pocket size gospels of John as well. As the new education year has begun, our goal is to start a door-to-door Evangelism in (city #2),(xiry #3) and (City #1) giving out Bibles to Iranian students and share the gospel with them.

 

Mission trips

 

As I mentioned, we are planning on making some mission trips to (City #3), (city #2) and possibly (city #4). The trips are usually very expensive as 3 of us travel to cities for few days to share the gospel and give out Bibles in hostels and strengthen and encourage the believers. We’d like to ask you to join us in prayer and also if you had on your heart, consider helping us financially for mission trips.

 

Ira’s ministry

 

Ira has started a ministry in a private house of a believer about 10 minutes away from our apartment. She teaches several ladies practical Christian counseling using a book called “How to Get Along With People You Love”. She has translated the book into Russian and shares notes and materials with people. She’s very excited about this opportunity and is hoping to invite those ladies with whom she has shared the gospel on the street.

 

She’s also planning to invite an American missionary that has a small child to our apartment to teach all the Ukrainian mothers (with whom Ira has shared the gospel) to cook American food or bake brownies. She has shared the gospel with more than 12 mothers on the street and they are all eager to hear more about the Lord. While baking brownies or cooking food, the American lady and Ira can share the gospel with them.

 

What’s up in our life?

 

Our son Roman is doing great. He’s now in his sixth month and tried domestic duck meat today. Like his dad, he is carnivorous and loves the taste of the meat. Ira and I are both fine and praise the Lord for the health and strength He grants us every day. I have graduated from university. I was offered a job in a company as a web programmer, but I declined. I’d like to work in my own schedule as a website designer so I would be able to spend as much time on ministry as needed. Currently, once a week, I meet with the family who has believed recently, and a new Iranian believer to do discipleship, I also teach in Bible study on Wednesdays and preach in Farsi Church and my International church on Sundays from time to time. I also lead coffee shop Bible studies on Monday. I’m also involved in planning and making mission trips to other towns.

 

So making a long story short, I can’t really work in a company from morning till Evening and do ministry at the same time and have enough time to spend with my family and help my wife. At the same time, getting my own business going is pretty difficult and time consuming. It also needs some good financial investment as regards advertisement. But I trust the Lord, as He’s the one who provides for His children and has never forsaken us (Ps 37:25).

 

Prayer requests

 

Please pray for:

    1. F and his safety while he's in Iran. Pray for the new Bible study he has started.

    2. New believers in (city #1), for their growth in the Lord

    3. Our Evangelistic Plans and mission trips. Please pray for us to see the clear direction of the Lord.

    4. My business as I’m trying to start it and for the Lord to bring clients to my path.

    5. One of the Iranians believers who his father has rejected him when he found out his son is a believer, and doesn’t want to send him money for his last year of university. We all have helped him as much as we could, but he lacks another $800.  So please make it a matter of prayer and consider helping him as the Lord leads you. He has to pay his tuition during the next 10-15 days; otherwise he will be expelled from the university and will be left without visa.

 

Thank you for your love, care and support. We praise the Lord every single for the friends and families like you that we have in Christ. We look forward to the Day we can all gather, and praise His name together…

 

Peace in Christ,

"M"

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