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Hope4Kyiv #043 ---- 3/23/06

#1 · March 21, 2006, 3:15 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on March 21, 2006, 3:15 pm
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
                                Hope 4 Kyiv

                The Twice-Monthly "In-Pact" Praise and Prayer Letter Of

                                            Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver

                                        Missionaries to Kiev, Ukraine

                                                        Number 043

                                                      March 23, 2006

Dear Friends, Family, and "InPact" Partners:

How embarrassed and sorry we are! We had promised you that we'd start writing once every two or three weeks instead of once a month, and to our shock, when we began writing today we could not find any letter that had been sent since February 16th! Please forgive us!

So, there is much to share and much to ask, as the Lord continues to bless us and open new doors of opportunity. Let's get right to it.

Update:

+ Gas yet? No.      High speed internet yet?  No.     Dryer, stove, and oven yet? No.       Into new auditorium yet? No.

+ The "dating and marriage" week-end seminar ended up being five consecutive Tuesday nights instead. Attendance was consistently in the 20's, and was extremely well received. Just one thing ---- the "live together" couples who needed it most dropped out after the second session.

+ The Iranian, "Rick" who was saved several weeks ago, had some financial and schooling problems that took him out of circulation for quite some time, but all reports indicate he is filled with joy, and is faithfully following the Lord and growing rapidly. Several other young singles are in various stages of being ready to receive Christ.

+ The Timothy Fellowship continues growing. Last week we had ten, with four regulars absent. Bob is currently leading them in a study on the doctrine of salvation. Because of false teachings and syncretism even within the evangelical churches here, there is a great need for clear teaching in this area. So far they've studied "What Salvation Is", "What Salvation Includes", and "Why Salvation is Needed". Future studies include "Evidences of Salvation", "Is Salvation Really Forever?" (eternal security), and "Problem Texts of Salvation".

+ Our first "Praise Fest" was very good, but attendance was only around 15. But, we had a great time, and people didn't want to leave. We'll plan another one soon.

+ Brent Holt, from West Plains, MO, was very well received by the church. Active as a leader and intercessor in the AG church there, he did a masterful job of helping our worship team to "gel", and leading us in worship the three Sundays he was with us. He is ready to return to Kiev and become part of our leadership; and the church wants him. He just wants to be certain the Lord is in it, and he needs to build his prayer and financial support base. He really wants to return by the first of May.

Developments:

+ We're still working on our horrible internet arrangement, and have found a couple of companies that offer service by radio frequency. While they're not quite as fast as Ethernet, they are still very fast. The best we can do on our current service that uses a pre-paid card on a land line is get a 26K connection (if we're fortunate), and then have actual transmission at about 3 to 4 K. That's slightly slower than molasses in winter. Hopefully we can get that settled this week or next. It will probably cost us $60 to $80 a month, but we can't do without it.

+ Our Pete has returned from the States after four months there for medical purposes. This 71-year old puts most of us to shame. He's been back just three days and already has all the sound system back up to maximum performance, is picking up a couple more microphones, and has expanded the current sound system to where we can operate eight microphones and four guitars/keyboards simultaneously. This is very good news, since our worship team is really growing.

+ It has been amazing to see the worship team develop. We've had two major hurdles to overcome, and we know your prayers have helped us do that. One, is we have quite an age span from 14 to mid 60's in the membership. The other is the broad scope of music type and musical training represented. But, while Brent Holt was here the team seemed to find its stride, and they really sound good. On a normal Sunday we'll have four female vocals, two guitars, one or two keyboards, and a violin. If everyone came at the same time, we'd have four to five guitars, six female vocals, two to three keyboards, and violin. And that doesn't include Brent who plays guitar, keyboard, drums, and saxophone himself.

Bob is really enjoying not having to be the "leading voice". As you know, while his voice isn't particularly "loud", it certainly does "carry", and he really doesn't like being up front in a leadership position. Jo Ann is coordinating all the music, beginning with a Monday night "learning and rehearsing" session, followed by assembling the format together with other ingredients, assigning responsibilities, getting the order printed and sent to the team, then meeting early to run through things before services on Sunday. It's a big job for her, especially since she also prepares all the refreshments for the after-service fellowship time each week.

+ We rejoice that a few have responded to our request for "Mark" from an Islamic country with a desire to help him financially. We hope others will join in. Right now in addition to helping us in our new work with Persian speakers and being part of our worship team, he is having to take classes from 8:00 am to 6:30 pm six days a week. Then he attends our Timothy Fellowship and tries to constantly share his faith with others. We're not only concerned for his financial needs, but also his safety, and his physical and emotional health. If you'd like to be part of his support team through us, please let us know.

+ We continue watching the ministry to university students develop. Each week there are more and more who attend services on Sunday. As a result, we're going to begin a "Singles Fellowship and Bible study" time once or twice a month. We had a trial run a couple of weeks ago and, with virtually no publicity other than a few last-minute phone calls, we had more than a dozen in our home for fellowship, some worship time, and a movie. We had a fantastic time.

+ Our Sunday attendance continues to amaze us, especially in light of the cramped seating capacity in the room where we currently meet. Last Sunday we had the largest attendance yet, with almost 70 people present. We've had new faces almost every week for nearly two months, and we're finding more and more Americans attending, as well as Ukrainians. One of our deep burdens has been to minister to the people who work at the U.S. Embassy. While at the other church we had none, and it was the same in the early stages of this new work. However, a few weeks ago a single woman started attending occasionally. Since that time she has committed herself totally to this new work, has taken on some major responsibilities, and two other families have begun attending, one of them for the first time last Sunday. And, of course, the students just keep coming.

+ God is expanding our vision for the church to not only plant new churches in the many language and culture groups in the city, but also now to position ourselves so we can network with other ministries. We did this to some extent at the other church and found it to be a blessing. So, now, we're connecting again with that same ministry, but are also talking with a number of other missionaries about how we can serve them and be a "safe place" for those to whom they minister. In other words, for those who need it we can become an English language resource for them where they can bring their converts and disciples for growth, and we also can, in turn, provide manpower and leadership to help them in what they're doing. It's an exciting idea. Seems like it may be Biblical.

+ Things are really up in the air as far as volunteer teams are concerned. At one time we had as many as four who might be coming to work with us this year. Now it's down to one definite, one probable, and two totally unknown. But, we're not bothered. Frankly, preparing to host a volunteer team is far more difficult than assembling and training a team to go. So, we're not overly disappointed, although we really will miss the opportunity to motivate those folks. One of the greatest benefits of volunteer teams is not what they do on the trip, but rather what the trip does to them and, in turn, how it then impacts their churches. So, when a team decides not to come, it is not only a disappointment to us, but it's also a lost opportunity for growth for their church.

+ The Egypt team is still on schedule, and will arrive here late April 14th . . . all eleven members. It will be great to see John Tucker again, and, to our shock, one of the team members is an acquaintance of one of our girls here at the church; they met each other in Hungary. Small world.

+ Our personal plans currently include our return to the States in early to mid May where we will stay for around six weeks. Our current target date is to leave Kiev sometime between May 5th and 10th, and return to Kiev (with two granddaughters, Abby and Anya) on June 16th. We also plan to take them with us as we attend the IBC's annual conference in Interlaken, Switzerland. There is an international youth conference at the same time which they will attend before they return to the states. So, we look forward to seeing many of our family members and friends.

While in the States, we will attend Abby's high school graduation in Fort Worth, and visit some friends in Oklahoma and Texas along with possible contact with some other ministries while on that trip. We also will be speaking in some churches who have partnered with us, or are considering a partnership. We also want to visit Brent's home church in West Plains and perhaps drop in on the folks at FBC there where we once served on staff back not too long after the Genesis Flood.

Inter-Mission: A New Feature ----

Having served now as missionaries in some form for several years, and both having been raised around missionaries all our lives, our understanding of missionary life and the hardships involved become more clear day by day. For several months we have felt a great need to focus prayer attention on our colleagues who serve in this great city of Kiev. There are literally hundreds of missionaries representing scores of both large and small ministries . . . all trying to share the Gospel, train leaders, and minister to the hurting and neglected. As a result of an incentive to gather missionaries together for prayer on a regular basis, God has given birth to a plan where missionaries will pray for missionaries, and intercessors around the world will also pray for us. Putting the words "missionaries" and "intercessors" together, we have come up with the idea of people around the world taking time to pray for Kiev's missionaries. We call it, "Inter-Mission" . . . . "Interceding for Missionaries".

Our very first meeting will be held today, Wednesday, March 22nd. At this writing, we have no idea how many will attend, but we know nearly 100 have been invited. We will gather at 1:30 pm (5:30 am CST in Missouri). Then we will follow up with some exciting plans that will include special internet links to those respective ministries through our PrayKIEV website. We will also form into several regional prayer groups to pray together on alternate months or weeks. We will also be creating a special missionary newsletter of encouragement and intercession for our colleagues called, of course, "Inter-Mission". We hope you are as excited as we are.

Special Needs:

As part of our list of prayer requests, we need to share some practical material needs with you. As we continue growing, we find ourselves in need of certain items, some of which can be rather expensive. So, we ask you to pray about these things as you run through the list in days ahead. We know God will either provide, or will lead us to take other alternatives.

+ Material support for two or three of our single adults who are either refugees or students with no funds. Our hearts go out to these kids who love the Lord so much, and live on so little. Please pray that God will stir the hearts of some American believers to become partners with these kids as they study and prepare for the future, and as they minister with us here at KIBC.

+ Sound equipment is becoming a growing priority. Some items are relatively inexpensive (such as microphone stands, music stands, etc.), while other needs are greater (additional keyboard, drums, bass guitar, etc.) Because of our special focus on students, we have the talent and we have the need to provide quality worship opportunities. We just don't have the equipment we need. 99% of the sound equipment we use actually belongs to an individual who has chosen to let us use it without reservation. As we get into the new auditorium, that will need to be expanded significantly.

+ Worship Banners may not seem important to some people, but they are excellent tools for worship. However, they cannot be purchased in Ukraine, and fabric here is extremely expensive. So, even though it will be difficult to transport them, we really need to bring three or four back with us in June when we return from the States. They are also still expensive in the States usually costing $100 or more each. We really need six or eight such banners.

+ Books, DVD's, CD's etc. for our church resource library. Numerous missionaries and other believers have already donated items like this to us, but we have an enormous need for much more. A resource library is a necessity for a church like KIBC. Remember that we do two things constantly ---- we try to reach unbelievers through things like evangelistic Bible studies, movie nights, etc., and we also train and equip them to become strong witnesses and leaders. Because we work with people from many nations, any media tools we can find that have the English language either in print, in sound, or in visual form are tools that are indispensable to us. Even secular DVD's, for example, become part of our arsenal as we use them to draw people into a group setting where we can talk about the movies and the values expressed there, and then compare that to the claims of Christ. The media ministry is a mighty one. Thus, our need for a large resource.

Prayer Requests: Pray For . . . .

+ The Spanish Group as they face future transitions that will affect leadership and ministry effectiveness. Igor will marry Keri (from Stockton) possibly as early as June. The other co-pastor Raidel's wife is pregnant and having difficulties. There are simply many elements involved that make it difficult to see what the future leadership profile will be. And yet, they are growing and reaching people, even people from non-Spanish countries such as Pakistan, Ukraine, and Iran.

+ The two of us. Our schedule is consistently strenuous, and it affects us physically and emotionally; we seem to be living tired all the time . . . joyous but tired. Jo Ann has had constant headaches since our return to Kiev in January; Bob has had almost constant lower back pain. Neither of us are getting the exercise we need. There is little time left in a week for us to really kick back, crash, and relax. Sundays begin early with breakfast around 8:00 and then we go non-stop until 3:30 to 5:00, and then crash for the evening. Monday Jo Ann is already working on music for the worship team practice that night, and Bob writes his "Shoulder To Shoulder" letter. Tuesday we try to shop for groceries, Jo Ann works on next Sunday's worship format, and Bob prepares for his Tuesday evening mentoring session with the Hispanic pastors. Wednesday he writes and prepares for Timothy Fellowship that night while Jo Ann does more work toward Sunday. We try to keep Thursdays and Fridays clear, but they always end up being filled with preparing sermon notes, finalizing the order of service for Sunday, and preparing PowerPoint for the pre-service promotional slides, the worship service, and Bob's sermon. Even though we try to keep Saturday completely free, Bob usually spends five to eight hours finishing up things for Sunday. So, it's usually a "no break" week al the time.

+ Plans for our return to the States in May. Pray that God enables us to get the flights we need to and from, and that we can also secure the related tickets for Abby and Anya.

+ Continued financial support needs for us, and for the two or three internationals we mentioned earlier who have such great needs.

+ Brent Holt as he considers coming to join us as part of our worship, student, and prayer ministries. Pray that God will make His plan clear, that Brent will secure the needed prayer base and financial support.

+ John Tucker and the volunteer team from Cairo, Egypt as they come to spend nine days with us in ministry. Pray that their needs will be provided, and that we will have ministry opportunities that are just what they need. Pray that they will be used mightily and that the Holy Spirit will rest on them in power.

+ Completion of the auditorium. It looks so great, but there is still so much to do. With our rapid attendance increase, we desperately need to get into the room.

+ Several people who have volunteered to handle certain ministries of the church ---- Debbie Ash as she takes over a number of desktop publishing tasks and becomes more involved in a single women's Bible study group. Marie Herling as she leads a Bible study and, at the same time, goes through the challenges of moving to another location and also anticipating her Summer return to the States. Stan Jorash as he continues moving toward a sports evangelism program in the church while, at the same time, maintaining and developing projects for his missionary organization. Igor Vasiliev as he assumes coordination of our "Christian Pen Pal" program with people in the churches who have partnered with us. Also pray that those churches will have people there willing to assume that responsibility on stateside. "Mark" as he heads up our newly-birthed ministry to Persian speaking people from the Middle East. Pete Wolgumuth as he gives leadership and direction to our media ministry and begins the process of setting audio and video equipment into the new auditorium.

+ Several missionaries who are stateside or going soon. Joe Colon, who helps out with the Spanish group and works with a major church planting movement in Ukraine. The Sargents who helped us plant the new church. Marie Herling as she heads back to the States in late June.

+ For our Pastoral leadership Team. Besides us, remember Vitaly Babych, our Ukrainian brother who has been at the very heart of this new church from the beginning. A professional translator, pray for him as he not only holds down his secular job, but also as he continues providing motivation and leadership. Pray for him especially as his preaching load will increase here as we move closer to our departure date. Also remember Stan Jorash and his family as they all travel extensively in April. Stan will be in Croatia, and a couple of other countries over a period of three weeks. Pray for the family as they join him the last week. Their plates are really full; they need your prayer support.

+ For new members and participants in the church. New people come every week; pray that it continues. Pray that more and more will volunteer to take positions of responsibility.

Finally:

As you see, things are really popping here, and we're having a challenge trying to keep up. Just remember that you are involved in this. It is not a "Lone Ranger" event, but it is a joint venture. We're not just connected by some spiritual "umbilical cord", but are connected body part to body part. We are one body with One Head, one purpose, and one strategy. And we praise God for you. Thank you for being who you are, and for standing with us as you so faithfully do.

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

Bob and Jo Ann

The Tollivers

Missionaries in Kiev

Bob Tolliver
lifeunlimited@pobox.com
http://community.webshots.com/user/kic4n
www.praykiev.org
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Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>

Hope 4 Kyiv

The Twice-Monthly "In-Pact" Praise and Prayer Letter Of

Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver

Missionaries to Kiev, Ukraine

Number 043

March 23, 2006

Dear Friends, Family, and "InPact" Partners:

How embarrassed and sorry we are! We had promised you that we'd start writing once every two or three weeks instead of once a month, and to our shock, when we began writing today we could not find any letter that had been sent since February 16th! Please forgive us!

So, there is much to share and much to ask, as the Lord continues to bless us and open new doors of opportunity. Let's get right to it.

Update:

+ Gas yet? No. High speed internet yet? No. Dryer, stove, and oven yet? No. Into new auditorium yet? No.

+ The "dating and marriage" week-end seminar ended up being five consecutive Tuesday nights instead. Attendance was consistently in the 20's, and was extremely well received. Just one thing ---- the "live together" couples who needed it most dropped out after the second session.

+ The Iranian, "Rick" who was saved several weeks ago, had some financial and schooling problems that took him out of circulation for quite some time, but all reports indicate he is filled with joy, and is faithfully following the Lord and growing rapidly. Several other young singles are in various stages of being ready to receive Christ.

+ The Timothy Fellowship continues growing. Last week we had ten, with four regulars absent. Bob is currently leading them in a study on the doctrine of salvation. Because of false teachings and syncretism even within the evangelical churches here, there is a great need for clear teaching in this area. So far they've studied "What Salvation Is", "What Salvation Includes", and "Why Salvation is Needed". Future studies include "Evidences of Salvation", "Is Salvation Really Forever?" (eternal security), and "Problem Texts of Salvation".

+ Our first "Praise Fest" was very good, but attendance was only around 15. But, we had a great time, and people didn't want to leave. We'll plan another one soon.

+ Brent Holt, from West Plains, MO, was very well received by the church. Active as a leader and intercessor in the AG church there, he did a masterful job of helping our worship team to "gel", and leading us in worship the three Sundays he was with us. He is ready to return to Kiev and become part of our leadership; and the church wants him. He just wants to be certain the Lord is in it, and he needs to build his prayer and financial support base. He really wants to return by the first of May.

Developments:

+ We're still working on our horrible internet arrangement, and have found a couple of companies that offer service by radio frequency. While they're not quite as fast as Ethernet, they are still very fast. The best we can do on our current service that uses a pre-paid card on a land line is get a 26K connection (if we're fortunate), and then have actual transmission at about 3 to 4 K. That's slightly slower than molasses in winter. Hopefully we can get that settled this week or next. It will probably cost us $60 to $80 a month, but we can't do without it.

+ Our Pete has returned from the States after four months there for medical purposes. This 71-year old puts most of us to shame. He's been back just three days and already has all the sound system back up to maximum performance, is picking up a couple more microphones, and has expanded the current sound system to where we can operate eight microphones and four guitars/keyboards simultaneously. This is very good news, since our worship team is really growing.

+ It has been amazing to see the worship team develop. We've had two major hurdles to overcome, and we know your prayers have helped us do that. One, is we have quite an age span from 14 to mid 60's in the membership. The other is the broad scope of music type and musical training represented. But, while Brent Holt was here the team seemed to find its stride, and they really sound good. On a normal Sunday we'll have four female vocals, two guitars, one or two keyboards, and a violin. If everyone came at the same time, we'd have four to five guitars, six female vocals, two to three keyboards, and violin. And that doesn't include Brent who plays guitar, keyboard, drums, and saxophone himself.

Bob is really enjoying not having to be the "leading voice". As you know, while his voice isn't particularly "loud", it certainly does "carry", and he really doesn't like being up front in a leadership position. Jo Ann is coordinating all the music, beginning with a Monday night "learning and rehearsing" session, followed by assembling the format together with other ingredients, assigning responsibilities, getting the order printed and sent to the team, then meeting early to run through things before services on Sunday. It's a big job for her, especially since she also prepares all the refreshments for the after-service fellowship time each week.

+ We rejoice that a few have responded to our request for "Mark" from an Islamic country with a desire to help him financially. We hope others will join in. Right now in addition to helping us in our new work with Persian speakers and being part of our worship team, he is having to take classes from 8:00 am to 6:30 pm six days a week. Then he attends our Timothy Fellowship and tries to constantly share his faith with others. We're not only concerned for his financial needs, but also his safety, and his physical and emotional health. If you'd like to be part of his support team through us, please let us know.

+ We continue watching the ministry to university students develop. Each week there are more and more who attend services on Sunday. As a result, we're going to begin a "Singles Fellowship and Bible study" time once or twice a month. We had a trial run a couple of weeks ago and, with virtually no publicity other than a few last-minute phone calls, we had more than a dozen in our home for fellowship, some worship time, and a movie. We had a fantastic time.

+ Our Sunday attendance continues to amaze us, especially in light of the cramped seating capacity in the room where we currently meet. Last Sunday we had the largest attendance yet, with almost 70 people present. We've had new faces almost every week for nearly two months, and we're finding more and more Americans attending, as well as Ukrainians. One of our deep burdens has been to minister to the people who work at the U.S. Embassy. While at the other church we had none, and it was the same in the early stages of this new work. However, a few weeks ago a single woman started attending occasionally. Since that time she has committed herself totally to this new work, has taken on some major responsibilities, and two other families have begun attending, one of them for the first time last Sunday. And, of course, the students just keep coming.

+ God is expanding our vision for the church to not only plant new churches in the many language and culture groups in the city, but also now to position ourselves so we can network with other ministries. We did this to some extent at the other church and found it to be a blessing. So, now, we're connecting again with that same ministry, but are also talking with a number of other missionaries about how we can serve them and be a "safe place" for those to whom they minister. In other words, for those who need it we can become an English language resource for them where they can bring their converts and disciples for growth, and we also can, in turn, provide manpower and leadership to help them in what they're doing. It's an exciting idea. Seems like it may be Biblical.

+ Things are really up in the air as far as volunteer teams are concerned. At one time we had as many as four who might be coming to work with us this year. Now it's down to one definite, one probable, and two totally unknown. But, we're not bothered. Frankly, preparing to host a volunteer team is far more difficult than assembling and training a team to go. So, we're not overly disappointed, although we really will miss the opportunity to motivate those folks. One of the greatest benefits of volunteer teams is not what they do on the trip, but rather what the trip does to them and, in turn, how it then impacts their churches. So, when a team decides not to come, it is not only a disappointment to us, but it's also a lost opportunity for growth for their church.

+ The Egypt team is still on schedule, and will arrive here late April 14th . . . all eleven members. It will be great to see John Tucker again, and, to our shock, one of the team members is an acquaintance of one of our girls here at the church; they met each other in Hungary. Small world.

+ Our personal plans currently include our return to the States in early to mid May where we will stay for around six weeks. Our current target date is to leave Kiev sometime between May 5th and 10th, and return to Kiev (with two granddaughters, Abby and Anya) on June 16th. We also plan to take them with us as we attend the IBC's annual conference in Interlaken, Switzerland. There is an international youth conference at the same time which they will attend before they return to the states. So, we look forward to seeing many of our family members and friends.

While in the States, we will attend Abby's high school graduation in Fort Worth, and visit some friends in Oklahoma and Texas along with possible contact with some other ministries while on that trip. We also will be speaking in some churches who have partnered with us, or are considering a partnership. We also want to visit Brent's home church in West Plains and perhaps drop in on the folks at FBC there where we once served on staff back not too long after the Genesis Flood.

Inter-Mission: A New Feature ----

Having served now as missionaries in some form for several years, and both having been raised around missionaries all our lives, our understanding of missionary life and the hardships involved become more clear day by day. For several months we have felt a great need to focus prayer attention on our colleagues who serve in this great city of Kiev. There are literally hundreds of missionaries representing scores of both large and small ministries . . . all trying to share the Gospel, train leaders, and minister to the hurting and neglected. As a result of an incentive to gather missionaries together for prayer on a regular basis, God has given birth to a plan where missionaries will pray for missionaries, and intercessors around the world will also pray for us. Putting the words "missionaries" and "intercessors" together, we have come up with the idea of people around the world taking time to pray for Kiev's missionaries. We call it, "Inter-Mission" . . . . "Interceding for Missionaries".

Our very first meeting will be held today, Wednesday, March 22nd. At this writing, we have no idea how many will attend, but we know nearly 100 have been invited. We will gather at 1:30 pm (5:30 am CST in Missouri). Then we will follow up with some exciting plans that will include special internet links to those respective ministries through our PrayKIEV website. We will also form into several regional prayer groups to pray together on alternate months or weeks. We will also be creating a special missionary newsletter of encouragement and intercession for our colleagues called, of course, "Inter-Mission". We hope you are as excited as we are.

Special Needs:

As part of our list of prayer requests, we need to share some practical material needs with you. As we continue growing, we find ourselves in need of certain items, some of which can be rather expensive. So, we ask you to pray about these things as you run through the list in days ahead. We know God will either provide, or will lead us to take other alternatives.

+ Material support for two or three of our single adults who are either refugees or students with no funds. Our hearts go out to these kids who love the Lord so much, and live on so little. Please pray that God will stir the hearts of some American believers to become partners with these kids as they study and prepare for the future, and as they minister with us here at KIBC.

+ Sound equipment is becoming a growing priority. Some items are relatively inexpensive (such as microphone stands, music stands, etc.), while other needs are greater (additional keyboard, drums, bass guitar, etc.) Because of our special focus on students, we have the talent and we have the need to provide quality worship opportunities. We just don't have the equipment we need. 99% of the sound equipment we use actually belongs to an individual who has chosen to let us use it without reservation. As we get into the new auditorium, that will need to be expanded significantly.

+ Worship Banners may not seem important to some people, but they are excellent tools for worship. However, they cannot be purchased in Ukraine, and fabric here is extremely expensive. So, even though it will be difficult to transport them, we really need to bring three or four back with us in June when we return from the States. They are also still expensive in the States usually costing $100 or more each. We really need six or eight such banners.

+ Books, DVD's, CD's etc. for our church resource library. Numerous missionaries and other believers have already donated items like this to us, but we have an enormous need for much more. A resource library is a necessity for a church like KIBC. Remember that we do two things constantly ---- we try to reach unbelievers through things like evangelistic Bible studies, movie nights, etc., and we also train and equip them to become strong witnesses and leaders. Because we work with people from many nations, any media tools we can find that have the English language either in print, in sound, or in visual form are tools that are indispensable to us. Even secular DVD's, for example, become part of our arsenal as we use them to draw people into a group setting where we can talk about the movies and the values expressed there, and then compare that to the claims of Christ. The media ministry is a mighty one. Thus, our need for a large resource.

Prayer Requests: Pray For . . . .

+ The Spanish Group as they face future transitions that will affect leadership and ministry effectiveness. Igor will marry Keri (from Stockton) possibly as early as June. The other co-pastor Raidel's wife is pregnant and having difficulties. There are simply many elements involved that make it difficult to see what the future leadership profile will be. And yet, they are growing and reaching people, even people from non-Spanish countries such as Pakistan, Ukraine, and Iran.

+ The two of us. Our schedule is consistently strenuous, and it affects us physically and emotionally; we seem to be living tired all the time . . . joyous but tired. Jo Ann has had constant headaches since our return to Kiev in January; Bob has had almost constant lower back pain. Neither of us are getting the exercise we need. There is little time left in a week for us to really kick back, crash, and relax. Sundays begin early with breakfast around 8:00 and then we go non-stop until 3:30 to 5:00, and then crash for the evening. Monday Jo Ann is already working on music for the worship team practice that night, and Bob writes his "Shoulder To Shoulder" letter. Tuesday we try to shop for groceries, Jo Ann works on next Sunday's worship format, and Bob prepares for his Tuesday evening mentoring session with the Hispanic pastors. Wednesday he writes and prepares for Timothy Fellowship that night while Jo Ann does more work toward Sunday. We try to keep Thursdays and Fridays clear, but they always end up being filled with preparing sermon notes, finalizing the order of service for Sunday, and preparing PowerPoint for the pre-service promotional slides, the worship service, and Bob's sermon. Even though we try to keep Saturday completely free, Bob usually spends five to eight hours finishing up things for Sunday. So, it's usually a "no break" week al the time.

+ Plans for our return to the States in May. Pray that God enables us to get the flights we need to and from, and that we can also secure the related tickets for Abby and Anya.

+ Continued financial support needs for us, and for the two or three internationals we mentioned earlier who have such great needs.

+ Brent Holt as he considers coming to join us as part of our worship, student, and prayer ministries. Pray that God will make His plan clear, that Brent will secure the needed prayer base and financial support.

+ John Tucker and the volunteer team from Cairo, Egypt as they come to spend nine days with us in ministry. Pray that their needs will be provided, and that we will have ministry opportunities that are just what they need. Pray that they will be used mightily and that the Holy Spirit will rest on them in power.

+ Completion of the auditorium. It looks so great, but there is still so much to do. With our rapid attendance increase, we desperately need to get into the room.

+ Several people who have volunteered to handle certain ministries of the church ---- Debbie Ash as she takes over a number of desktop publishing tasks and becomes more involved in a single women's Bible study group. Marie Herling as she leads a Bible study and, at the same time, goes through the challenges of moving to another location and also anticipating her Summer return to the States. Stan Jorash as he continues moving toward a sports evangelism program in the church while, at the same time, maintaining and developing projects for his missionary organization. Igor Vasiliev as he assumes coordination of our "Christian Pen Pal" program with people in the churches who have partnered with us. Also pray that those churches will have people there willing to assume that responsibility on stateside. "Mark" as he heads up our newly-birthed ministry to Persian speaking people from the Middle East. Pete Wolgumuth as he gives leadership and direction to our media ministry and begins the process of setting audio and video equipment into the new auditorium.

+ Several missionaries who are stateside or going soon. Joe Colon, who helps out with the Spanish group and works with a major church planting movement in Ukraine. The Sargents who helped us plant the new church. Marie Herling as she heads back to the States in late June.

+ For our Pastoral leadership Team. Besides us, remember Vitaly Babych, our Ukrainian brother who has been at the very heart of this new church from the beginning. A professional translator, pray for him as he not only holds down his secular job, but also as he continues providing motivation and leadership. Pray for him especially as his preaching load will increase here as we move closer to our departure date. Also remember Stan Jorash and his family as they all travel extensively in April. Stan will be in Croatia, and a couple of other countries over a period of three weeks. Pray for the family as they join him the last week. Their plates are really full; they need your prayer support.

+ For new members and participants in the church. New people come every week; pray that it continues. Pray that more and more will volunteer to take positions of responsibility.

Finally:

As you see, things are really popping here, and we're having a challenge trying to keep up. Just remember that you are involved in this. It is not a "Lone Ranger" event, but it is a joint venture. We're not just connected by some spiritual "umbilical cord", but are connected body part to body part. We are one body with One Head, one purpose, and one strategy. And we praise God for you. Thank you for being who you are, and for standing with us as you so faithfully do.

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

Bob and Jo Ann

The Tollivers

Missionaries in Kiev

Bob Tolliver
lifeunlimited@pobox.com
http://community.webshots.com/user/kic4n
http://www.praykiev.org

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