Quote from Forum Archives on October 30, 2009, 9:56 pm

Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>

 

 

   Monthly Praise and Prayer Letter Of

           Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver

                Life Unlimited Ministries

       "Touching Nations Here and There"

 

                       Number 085

                 October 30th, 2009

 

Dear Friends, Family, and In-Pact Partners:

 

Greetings again from our little abode among the mostly-defoliated trees of southwestern Missouri.  Yesterday and today have been mostly cloudy and "brisky-breezy" with occasional rain.  Today the strong and gusty winds eventually blew the clouds away, leaving a pristine azure sky that betrayed the chill reaching into your bones.  Wherever you are, we trust that, like us, you continue to revel in God's goodness and rejoice over His lovingkindness and tender mercies.  We just returned Wednesday from a four-day trip to the Kansas City area where we attended the annual meeting of the MBC.  What a joy it was to reconnect with numerous friends after so long a time overseas.

 

If You're A Facebook Subscriber, be alert to a notice supposedly coming from Facebook that says "Facebook Password Reset Confirmation".  Don't respond!  It's not from Facebook, and is probably either a phishing or virus connection.  Simple delete it.  We've received several of these the past few days and fortunately our anti-Spam filters have blocked them from our Inbox.

 

What's Been Happening Personally:  Since our last letter, . . .

 

+  We continue working on projects around the house -- as weather permits!  September and October were two more rainy months.  Between rains the landscaper brought in about ten truckloads of top soil, fertilized the ground, tried, somewhat unsuccessfully, to level the dirt, planted a mixture of five different types of grass seed, and covered it all with straw -- only to have nine inches (yes, nine!) of rain in one day wash out pockets of dirt and seed.  What remains, though, is healthy and lush.  Now that most of the leaves have fallen, we'll rake away leaves and straw, fill in depressions and sow more seed, hoping that it will take root before winter sets in.

 

+  Just about the time Bob got the riding mower to where he thought it would run again, an expensive part broke.  Oh, well . . . !  So, Jo Ann, tired of him having to tie up so much time working on the mower, urged him to buy a new one.  Bought a 2009 slightly used Craftsman 20 Hp at a good price.  What once took him seven hours with the walking mower took him less than two hours with the new rider.

 

+  We also were able to get our wished-for flagstone patio off the front porch done.  It's very appealing, and adds so much to the beauty of the house.  Jo Ann has it and the front porch tastefully decorated with an inviting and warm Fall harvest theme.  It was even more beautiful during the peak season of colors.  We still hope to complete the reconfiguration of the old front deck and tie it to the front porch with a walkway.  Next week is forecast to be mostly warm (in the 60's) and sunny, so Bob hopes to get lots of work done on that.

 

         

 

+  Wildlife still is found in abundance, although it is currently deer hunting season, so they tend to stay hidden in the woods more than usual.  As far as we know, none of "ours" have been shot by hunters in the area.  It's fascinating to see the squirrels scamper everywhere looking for nuts as cold weather draws closer.  Yesterday Bob took the picture of the doe right outside our sun room window.  This morning Bob looked out the bedroom window to see about a dozen wild turkeys, a "Tom" and his harem, feeding in the edge of our new yard.  

 

         

 

+  Cindy, Kevin, and Christopher continue their itineration, traveling somewhere almost every week sharing their missionary work in Colombia.  Christopher, age 13 now, speaks regularly to youth groups and shows an outstanding video clip he personally (and professionally) created of his life as an MK.  No news from Debbie and the girls.  Bob and Cheri will be grandparents this month, and Bob's prostate cancer surgery was a total success.  Deanna, Jim, and the kids have survived Michael and JoyLinn both having the flu (apparently H1N1) and recovering well.  Michael had a slight case of accompanying pneumonia as well.  We praise God that all are under God's protecting and providing hand.

 

+  What a personal blessing it was to have Gordon and Doris Dorian visit us two weeks ago on their way to a meeting in Branson, MO.  Brother Dorian pastored the church to which we went from seminary in 1964.  Now 87 years old, he continues preaching, leading stewardship campaigns, and serving as company chaplain for a large auto dealership in Wichita, KS where they still reside after his 1988 retirement.  We had lots of fun relating memories of days gone by.

 

+  Personally, we're doing fine.  We're still working on getting our weight down, Jo Ann had a bout with something causing her to be dizzy, and Bob still battles chronic pain in his shoulders.  Bob has concluded that the stiffness and swelling remaining in his right knee from a fall from a ladder last August may be caused by "water on the knee".  We've decided he may need to have a general overhaul and tune-up.

 

What's Been Happening In Ministry:

 

God has been more than faithful to keep us patient but available for opportunities of ministry.  Though scarce and long in coming these last ten months, the pace is picking up, and we're very excited about what lies ahead.  It appears that the time is right, and doors are beginning to steadily open.

 

+  A church nearby has asked us to preach while they try to recover from a hard experience which resulted in losing their pastor.  Our hearts go out both to pastors and churches who experience such things, and God has used us in the past to help bring healing and restoration to such congregations.  We've been there three different Sundays thus far, and will preach again this coming Sunday, Nov 1st.  We're personally praying that we might be able to continue for an extended period of time to encourage them and help them get back on their feet.  There are wonderful people there, and it is in a strategic location in the area with the potential for some very effective ministry.

 

+  We have committed ourselves to be part of a leadership training team to southeastern India in November 2010, where we will help train about 250 village pastors, work in a couple of leper colonies, and do evangelistic ministry in several villages.  With that in mind, we are now trying to build an expanded itinerary that might include northern Europe, eastern Europe, and the Middle East.  While the India portion is two weeks in length, we'd like to develop an itinerary that would take perhaps two months.  We'll keep you posted on this.

 

+  We were privileged to attend the annual State Convention last week in the Kansas City area, and numerous contacts proved highly fruitful.  While there, we were asked to sing at next January's annual State Evangelism Conference in Branson, MO.  Bob has done that before, and has also preached at previous meetings.  One pastor who is Director of Evangelism in his district repeated his earlier desire to have us come to the association's evangelism conference next March.  Another pastor whom we don't know stopped Bob in front of the Fellowship of Evangelists' display table and inquired of Bob about our coming to his church next Spring to do a conference.  His interest seemed pretty specific.  Finally, a long-time former missionary colleague who was our "boss" two levels up when we were in Kiev is now a Director of Missions in the greater Kansas City area, and has expressed genuine interest in our coming to speak both to the Executive Board and also to a pastors' meeting within the next few months.

 

+  While we were in that State Convention meeting, we had the unbelievably special joy of reconnecting with the young man, Brent, who was our worship leader in Kiev for nearly two years, and also his wife, Becky, and her two sisters, Katy and Joanie.  The gals and their family were founding members of the church we planted in Kiev in September, 2005.  They are all now in the Kansas City area going to school and receiving further training for ministry.  What a special blessing, beyond words, to spend about an hour with them over a "famous" McDonald's breakfast!  Then it was off to school and work for them, and off to three packed days of meetings for us.

 

         

 

+  During the time we attended the State Convention, we used our ministry travel trailer instead of staying in an expensive motel.  What a privilege it was to find the Lake Jacomo County Park campground only ten minutes away where we could park and enjoy a few brief glimpses of Missouri Fall colors such as you see above.  We plan to go again when we can spend more time and enjoy the beauty of the lake.

 

+  The day we returned from the Kansas City meeting, Bob had an e-mail from a former IBC pastoral colleague asking us if we would consider joining him in an upcoming ministry leadership training trip to Cuba.  We have wanted to go to Cuba for quite some time, so are anxious to receive more information.  We truly hope it is at a time when we can make that trip.

 

+  God has been faithful to meet our needs financially during times when ministry support has dropped and costs have increased.  We are so grateful for those who have remained faithful, often in spite of their own severe financial needs.  We are constantly reminded of George Mueller's famous statement, "God's work done God's way never lacks for God's supply."

 

The Farsi Ministry:

 

We are still in close contact with "M", his wife, and others who are part of the Farsi ministry in Ukraine.  We received the following report a couple of weeks ago, and want to pass it on to you so you can rejoice with us and pray with us for this amazing team and the ministry God has given them.

 

Since I wrote you a report, God has been doing so many amazing things that I have a real hard time catching up. We could never imagine that one day, God will do so much things through Farsi ministry. We all rejoice as we just make ourselves available to do what the Lord has in mind. To save your time, I just get right to the points.

 

Giving out Bibles in Kiev

As we got back from [city #2], we began reaching hostels in Kiev. We visited many hostels in Kiev and kept giving Bibles out. As usual, we had stamped all the Bibles with the name and the email address of our church so that people could contact us.

 

Evangelistic meetings

We’ve been holding many Evangelistic meetings at “Mother T” rented flat. We invited people to come and they invited their friends. One evening, an Iranian showed up who used to attend our Bible studies from time to time. He had brought his girlfriend too. After we talked to him again about the Lord, his heart was soften. He knelt down with his Ukrainian girlfriend and they both received the Christ. That night, they made a commitment to the Lord that they won’t live together and have sexual relationship until they get married. It brought joy to our hearts because “A” had been struggling with faith in Christ for such a long time and had never fully trusted in the Lord. But that night, he genuinely invited Jesus into his heart along with his fiancé.

 

In another meeting, another Iranian showed up with his girlfriend. As we were giving out Bibles in his dorm, he had showed interest and asked for the address of our meetings. As we shared the gospel with them and talked about the salvation, they both knelt and gave their lives to Christ. We then baptized him in the bathtub.

 

Few days ago, an Iranian showed up who I can definitely say that he was the hardest person we had ever shared with. He was very proud and always resisted the message of the gospel. I personally had given up and stopped talking to him about the Lord. His wife is a Ukrainian woman who has a PhD degree in Farsi language from one of the most prestigious universities in Tehran and knows Farsi better than I do! But However, as God’s ways are always better our ways, he showed up few nights ago in “Mother T’s” apartment and after he was shared with again, all of the sudden, that I can’t explain how, the lights went on before his eyes and he knelt down and accepted the Christ.

 

We have hosted more than 10 new Iranians as the result of giving out Bibles in dorms. They have called afterwards, or have found out through a friend and wanted to attend our Evangelistic meetings. There are still new people coming almost everyday.

 

Arrival of my brother

Can you believe that? After 7 years, I finally met my brother. He flew all the way from Iran to come to Ukraine to meet me. I had a great 13- days visit with him. Ira and I showed him the city, and got him acquainted with our friends. He is a very educated man and has always tried to believe in God through a written formula using his intellect. I shared with him about the Lord in a very loving way. Ira and I tried to show him the love of Christ and I can testify that he saw this in Kiev. You know what he told me? “You have changed a lot”. He was very opened and even attended our coffee shop Bible study. Before his departure, I gave him a Bible and he agreed to take it to Iran and read it! It’s unbelievable!

 

Mission trips to other cities

Besides [city #2], we went to [city #4], and [city #3] and gave out Farsi Bibles. “Mother T” and “F” took time to travel extensively to these cities. “V” had to work very hard at his job in Kiev, and I had to stay with my brother. But we supported them in our prayers and sent them out as our missionaries. In [city #4] they met with 2 new Iranians that were very interested in Gospel message and they got Bibles. They also met a Ukrainian pastor who agreed to get tens of Bibles and give them out to any Iranians he meets in [city #4]. You might remember from my last report that “M” was the guy who got saved in [city #4]. In [city #4], he had brought his friends to meet “F” and “Mother T” and hear the message of the gospel. “M” came back with “F” and “Mother T” to Kiev and got baptized in bathtub. Due to his financial problems, he chose to go back to Iran and we sent him back with prayers and supports. We know that God has an amazing plan for him in Iran.

 

In [CITY #3], many hostels were visited and many Iranians heard the message of the gospel again. Many Bibles were given out as well.

 

Posting Bibles to other countries

Besides reaching out to Iranians in Ukraine, we have been posting Bibles through local post office to more than 25 locations in the world where many Iranian students study. “F” came up with this brilliant idea of posting Farsi Bibles. Since we are not able to fly to other countries to share the gospel with Iranians, we have stamped the Bibles and have already sent to 25 locations in Russia, Armenia and  Malaysia. We have made Bible packages, each package containing almost 20 Bibles. Then we have targeted the dorms and universities where many Iranian study in these 3 countries. We are planning to locate more places in India and post some Bibles there as well.

 

Ira’s ministry

Ira enjoys reading books about “becoming a mom”. She’s beginning her 5^th month of pregnancy. As her state is changing, she’s finding new ways of Evangelism. One new idea she has come up with is to organize a small meeting for pregnant women of our neighborhood. She has already built a good relationship with 2 of them. She wants to use that meeting to build friendship and eventually share the gospel with people. Few days ago, she went for a walk with one of the pregnant woman of our neighborhood. She shared the gospel with her while they were walking together and as they sat down on a bench to rest, that neighbor prayed with Ira and received the Lord in her life.

 

Ira now has 2 new believer friends that she mentors. One is this neighbor and the other one is a former Jehovah Witness girl that has received the Lord few months ago as Ira had shared the gospel with her.

 

Prayer request

Please pray for:

• The salvation of those new Iranians who have come and heard the gospel message
• Those who have received Farsi Bibles, for God to open their hearts
• My brother to get saved
• We would see result from sending Bibles to other countries
• Our safety – specially safety of “F” and other brothers holding Iranian passport
• Ira’s idea regarding forming a small group
• Ira’s ministry and the people she’s mentoring, Please pray for our baby and Ira’s health. Praise God, Ira in perfect health now. Please pray that all will go smoothly and baby will be born healthy.

 

At the end, we would like to thank you for your love, care, support and prayers. We indeed appreciate that you care for us and we praise God for a family like you. Please continue praying for us in your daily time of devotion.

 

Love & Peace in Him,   “M”

 

We might add that "M" and Ira have some serious financial needs.  We usually have to pry that information from them, but they recently indicated their typical income is usually around only $375 per month.  Yes, that's per month!  So, we've asked some of our friends and relatives to consider supporting these two missionaries.  Now, we ask you to consider doing that, either in an ongoing way, or in a one-time gift.  If this moves your heart and you want more information, just drop us a note.

 

Prayer Requests:

 

We cherish your prayer more than you can ever know.  Scripture is clear that the Lord responds to serious praying, and that this type of praying "avails much".  So, please pray about the following:

 

+  Our ongoing ministry and personal financial needs are very real, especially as we enter into a time when we do much work that is not compensated.  We don't decry that, because we love to volunteer, but there are always costs involved even in volunteer work.  Pray that God will provide both the ministry challenges ahead as well as our personal needs.

 

+  Pray for "M" and Ira, as well as "F", "V", "M", and others involved in that most strategic ministry in Ukraine that is reaching Muslims in four major cities in that country Plus many places globally through the Internet and the distribution of Bibles.

 

+  Pray that God will open some of the doors we mentioned earlier, and that we will be able to resume a good strong ministry both stateside as well as overseas.  Pray especially about the possible March conference, the greater Kansas City possibilities, the pastor talking about a Spring conference in his church, a possible trip to Cuba, a possible meeting in a church situated in central Missouri, and the upcoming trip to India and other places.

 

+  Pray that our physical needs will be met and that God will continue to endow us with good health.  Pray that the "nagging" things that pain us and irritate us will be relieved.

 

+  Pray for daughter Cindy and family as they continue raising financial support for their ministry in Colombia, and for some special building projects they're promoting at this time.  Pray for Debbie and girls.  Pray for Cheri and Bob and a complete recovery for him.  Pray for Deanna and family as they minister in Galesburg, IL.  Pray for total recovery from flu and pneumonia.

 

+  Pray for the White House and Congress in Washington that they will return to the values and goals upon which our nation was founded.  Just today we learned that through various actions and bills passed in the past twelve months, the government now controls 40% of the private sector economy.  If a health care bill passes, it will control another 18%.  Socialism is on the verge of becoming a reality in America.  Deep and agonizing prayer is in order for our nation.

 

Finally:

 

Again, we thank you for your friendship, your encouragement, your prayers, and your support.  We continue to see ourselves as an extension of your own heart for the Lord, doing what you otherwise might not be able to do, and going where you might not be able to go.  We indeed are "fellow workmen" together with Christ.  We thank God for who you are, and pray that His abundant blessings and wisdom will rain down on you like life-giving showers of Springtime.

 

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

 

Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver

Missionaries/Evangelists

Life Unlimited Ministries

 

Bob:  lifeunlimited@centurytel.net

Jo Ann:  grandma12@pobox.com or grandma12@centurytel.net

 

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