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Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>

               (formerly "Hope4Kyiv")

 

Bi-Monthly Praise and Prayer Letter Of

             Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver

                 Life Unlimited Ministries

        "Touching Nations Here and Abroad"

 

                       Number  090

                       May 30, 2010

 

Dear Friends, Family, and In-Pact Partners:

 

We greet you from a very warm and muggy southwestern Missouri.  We are in a season of rain, storms, high humidity, and days of sauna-like sunshine.  After several weeks of frequent rains and chilly weather, it looks like we are approaching June with warmer-than-usual temperatures.

 

As a warning, this letter will be lengthy because we have included important news from several of our ministry sources.  Each item, however, is significant, so we hope you can "endure to the end".  We are holding our pictures down to a minimum this issue for that reason.

 

 

 

What's Been Happening:

 

+  New E-Mail For Bob:  Well, it's actually not new, but a return.  His lifeunlimited@centurytel.net address now gets so much SPAM (apparently Centurytel sells its customers' mailing lists) that he no longer uses it.  So please use ONLY lifeunlimited@pobox.com from now on.

 

+  The Bible Conference at High Point in April was a wonderful experience.  The church is a rural church about a mile outside the town with a population of 88, situated about 35 miles from Jefferson City to the east and 15 miles from Versailles to the west.  This working class church of farmers and blue collar workers has one of the most global mission-minded churches we've ever been in.  Only on rare occasions have we found people with such a genuine hunger for God's Word.  Only there for four days, Bob spoke ten times, four on Sunday alone.  They have an exceptional Awana's program that finds 40 or more kids there every Wednesday evening.  Over 30 members of the church are regularly involved in that ministry.  They have a great "Gospel/Country/Bluegrass" worship team that keeps the place hopping, and they have a great pastoral team in Glen and Juanita Golden.  We were blessed to the max.

 

+  "Sky-ble Study" -- We continue with our international Bible study each Friday morning.  We are currently going through the book of Romans with a study Bob has written called "Road To Redemption".  We currently have thirteen people in the group, covering thirteen time zones.  Four of us are in the U.S. Midwest, two in Sweden, one in Norway, one in Finland, four in Ukraine, and one in Thailand.  In spite of frequent dropped connections, it is one of those special blessings we anticipate each week.  We prepare "student" study notes we e-mail to everyone a couple of days before the study, and then follow the study with another e-mail making any clarification needed.  A special blessing took place a couple of weeks ago when, right in the middle of our study, "F" typed in "My cousin was just saved a few minutes ago in Iran."  What a thrill!  You will read more below.

 

+  Reunited -- It was a special blessing to be reunited with one of our former board members, Dave Peeples, and his wife, Pam, as they traveled back to Seattle.  It had been thirteen years since we had seen Dave, and our first time to meet his wife, Pam, whom he had married after the death of his first wife, LaVonne.  They are a great couple, and we had a highly animated time catching up on the one hand and getting better acquainted on the other.  God clearly brought them together in a very special way for this time in their lives after both couples had been active members in the same church in Seattle some 30 years earlier.

 

+  Support Up -- We rejoice that this past month our monthly financial support increased just a bit.  While we still run about 40% of what is actually needed, we give praise to the Lord for His everlasting faithfulness.  With anticipated Medicare cost increase along with a recent supplemental insurance premium increase, this has been a special blessing.

 

+  Interim Pastorate -- We continue attending First Church in Osceola where Bob serves as interim pastor and Jo Ann as pianist.  We thoroughly enjoy the loving people there.  It appears that the Lord is transitioning our focus from healing and restoration to an emphasis on the future and outreach.  Bob met with the leaders last week to evaluate the past and take the next step toward the future.  May 23rd was the youth pastor's final day as he graduated from the university.  Trying to fill two positions at the same time can be a major challenge.  We have seen churches make unwise choices because of feeling pressured, and we truly want these folks to have a clear understanding of God's agenda.  In the meantime, the church has begun two strategic studies on Sunday and Wednesday evenings.  Last Sunday we began a series of videos with discussion on the role of prayer, spiritual awakening, and Judeo-Christian values in the origin and life of the United States.  This coming Wednesday we begin a study on reaching people through strategic prayer walking and personal witnessing.  Both studies prove to be timely as the church looks to the future.

 

+  NDOP -- It seems that God used all the "hoopla" over the National Day of Prayer to call people to prayer in greater numbers than ever before.  What Satan meant for harm, God used for good.  We participated in a county-wide observance at the Courthouse on that Thursday.  Bob was recruited as a last-minute fill in for a couple of "no-shows" and had the privilege of leading the attendees in praying for the churches and for the nation . . . two of his favorite subjects.

 

+  Small Group Evangelism -- One of the graduation requirements for the Osceola church's youth pastor was to plan and conduct some type of seminar or conference.  He and Bob met with the regional missions director and decided to provide a one-day seminar on how to reach communities by developing small group Bible studies and outreach activities.  Bob was asked to lead the first session on "Common Characteristics of Every Community", followed by "Practical Strategies For Impacting A Community".  Professor Dr. Kelly Malone then concluded the seminar with an excellent presentation of "Small Group Ministry Dynamics".  Dr. Malone teaches at SBU in the Redford School of Christian Ministries.

 

+  India Trip Cancelled -- Following several months of uneasiness and lack of clarity, we have cancelled our Fall trip to India.  While we were in Cuba last month, it became increasingly clear that the Lord didn't want us to make that trip, but had other plans instead.  We struggled with this for a long time, and dreaded the idea of telling our good friend, John Tucker, that we felt we should not go.  He had already lost the participation of his pastor for major health reasons, and knew this was leaving John in a difficult position.  However, we also know God never leaves loose ends dangling, and that He will provide the manpower needed for such a critical ministry opportunity.

 

+  Cuba Connections -- We still stay in touch with new friends in Cuba, especially Pastor Roberto and Maria and also Ivonna and Ainsel by e-mail.  We are anxious to return for future ministry there.

 

+  Tania is Engaged -- What a special thrill it was for us to learn that our Tania in Sweden is engaged to marry Arto in Finland.  She has completed all of her studies under the UNHCR in Sweden and is now working temporarily in a school teaching children with their language skills in either English or Spanish.  Arto is a strong believer, active in an evangelical church and involved in Bible distribution through Gideon's International.  He participates weekly in our "Sky-ble" study and speaks English quite well, as is the case with most Scandinavians.  Tania indicates that he is a very caring, loving, patient, and considerate person.

 

         

 

+  State Study Group -- Bob was invited by the State Director of Evangelism to be part of a 40-member group of pastors, directors of missions, and vocational evangelists to evaluate a recent state-wide evangelistic blitz called "GPS -- God's Plan for Sharing", and to propose suggestions for the second stage scheduled in 2011.  He was one of four vocational evangelists invited.  The strategy covers several months of prayer preparation, prayer walking, literature distribution, personal contact, and Gospel presentation.  It is one of the simplest and yet most comprehensive plans ever developed.

 

+  Max in Thailand -- A couple of weeks ago we received the following message from Maxim in Thailand.  You remember that he was part of our Timothy Fellowship in Kiev when God called him to be a missionary to Bangkok.  While his first year was one of many struggles and challenges, Max's patience and endurance has born fruit.  While his original strategy never materialized, God has placed him in a wonderful mission-minded church and has opened several doors of ministry for him.  We have been particularly concerned for his welfare in light of the political demonstrations and severe governmental retributions going on.  He assures us via Skype that he is safe and that he stays away from where the action is in the city.  Here's his note:

 

Greetings from Bangkok!

How are you doing?  I would like to bring up a short update and few prayer requests with that.

To make a long story short, or even shorter. One of my long-time friends is suffering from severe depression attack (Big parents - children conflict), ended up locked in a small village in the North-East of Thailand with no way out.  We used to have Bibles Studies together while in Bangkok. We've decided we would continue Bible Study over cell phone. So, every day we fix time and do the studies. I am trying to find the appropriate passage that would be very helpful in the time of personal crisis. We spend about 30 - 40 min on the phone every day.

 

But this situation also opens a door to start ministry in the village (it's about 300 - 400 km from the capital city). I am going to go to that village and bring small booklets in Thai. (I am not sure those gospels are complete, I think they are just a story of Jesus and salvation plan). I believe people in that village have never seen a foreigner and have never heard of Jesus. My friend is a converted young Christian and I am sure will face a big pressure from local Buddhists over there. So, it's going to be very challenging experience. I am going to ask some of my other Christian friends (foreigners) to join me in the trip since we all are one team (Every time when I travel alone I get into some kind of trouble and look like dummy).

Last Sunday I finally applied for membership at local church (ICA - Bangkok) and very excited about it.

I would appreciate your prayers about this ministry possibility, and that more people would be willing to join me. People in the village would be open-hearted, my friend would see God's miracle and feel God's presence in the time of sadness and time of happiness.

Thanks!
Max
maximsidor@gmail.com    

 

It has taken us so long to get our letter to you, that we've had an update with pictures from Max.  Here is his update that came Sunday, with pictures.

 

As I said in my previous message I was planning on going to one village in the North-East of Thailand to minister. I went there on Thursday and was warmly welcome by local people. There is a tradition in Thailand when you visit some village or household you must bring some food with you to give to people. So, I brought pizza, (I don't know if it was a good or bad idea), in return people offered me their food, fried frog, But I said I wasn't hungry much... They were very understanding people.

  Anyway, My goal was to give away booklets to the locals, I couldn't say much because my Thai skills are not on that level yet. Then later on one desire came into my heart to set up a church in that village. There are old houses either for rent or for sale, I thought like it would be possible to use one of those houses as a church gathering. I can make a commitment to come once a month to that village to preach. This is something I will pray about, It may become a reality.

Thank you for being with me on this adventure!

 

         

 

+  Farsi Ministry -- We continue regular contact with "M", Ira, and "F" who lead the Farsi work in Ukraine.  They are going through a time of major transition as they adapt to the climate, the decrease in Iranian students in the city, and the probability of significant leadership changes.  Both "M" and "F" finish their university studies very soon, and this requires some major decisions.  It is not possible for "F" to remain in Ukraine without going through a very long and probably unsuccessful process of getting a work visa to replace his expiring student visa.  Success in such an application is doubtful.  So, he has two options available ---- return to his homeland at great risk, or moving to another country.  There are two possibilities he is exploring . . . Germany and the U.S.  In both situations he has Christian missionaries who want him to come and are working on the process.  In both cases he would have the opportunity to receive Bible school training.  So, this is a matter of great importance for which we ask you to pray.

 

Bob recently got a Facebook communique from "H" in his homeland.  He was required to return in order to fulfill his military duties that require a minimum of 20 months of service.  He has been sharing his faith with friends and family, and thus far has not been betrayed or found out by authorities.  He uses prayerful wisdom in selecting with whom to share.  We want to stay in closer contact with him to encourage him.  "M" and "F" talk with him by phone on a regular basis.

 

Here is the latest Farsi report from "M".  As you will read, God continues blessing it abundantly with thrilling results.

 

Dear Kingdom Partners,

 

God’s been faithful and we have been blessed beyond words to be part of His plan here in Kiev. Because of the length of this letter, I’d like to get to the main events directly. Our prayer is that this praise report

would bring encouragement into your lives.

 

"F"’s sister and cousin got saved in Iran: 

 

Since our new brother “M” got saved [several weeks ago as reported earlier], we’ve seen new doors of opportunity opened in front of us. Not long ago, “M” helped us to get in touch with a family of believers in one of the cities of Iran. In that family, there’s an Iranian girl (named “G”) who has devoted her life to sharing the gospel with people around her.

 

We talked to her through Skype and not long after, “F” got her in touch with his sister. She then shared the gospel with "F"’s sister and as the result, she repented and came to faith in Christ. Soon after, "F"’s sister

shared the gospel with her cousin. She made an arrangement so that her cousin could talk to “G”.  During that conversation, "F"’s cousin also put his trust in the Lord and prayed with “G”.

 

Ever since they got saved, "F "has informed us that his sister has been fervently sharing the gospel with her university classmates and the friends around. And "F "has been trying to explain to her how to

prayerfully consider sharing the gospel with the right people. It’s extremely dangerous to share the gospel with trouble makers in Iran.

 

Discipleship plan:

 

“F” and I are planning a discipleship program for those who got saved in Iran. We are currently praying and thinking about an on line Skype Bible study where many people can join us from Iran. F’s sister, his

cousin, “G”, and many other people who are interested in hearing God’s word and studying the Bible can join us in that Bible study. As “Hu” went back to Iran, he’s been experiencing difficulties and he’s

not doing very well spiritually. So we want to find a way to plug him in to the on line study as well.

 

"V" and "M"’s mission trip to [city #2):

 

Several days ago, “V” and “M” made a trip to [city #2] to encourage the believers and share the gospel with new people.  “V” took “M” along with him because we believe this is an effective way of disciplining

“M” who has come to know the Lord only for few months. There they met new people, one of them even invited them to his flat to hear gospel message. They also encouraged believers there to keep

sharing their faith with new people and gather with each other more often.

 

We are planning to make another mission trip to [city #2] in the next month and stop on the way in [city #3]. “V” and “M” told me they have received some phone calls from people in [city #2] telling them

that they have some friends who are interested in hearing the gospel message. It’s so amazing because they themselves are not believer and yet long to see us again and have us share the gospel with their

friends. On the way, as I mentioned, we’d like to stop in [city #3] for a day and see if we can meet new Iranians. Meanwhile we have some friends in [city #3] including “Hu”’s brothers who keep asking us to

come and visit them.

 

New ministry opportunities:

 

As we’ve seen that the Lord brought us in contact with many believers in Iran, we’ve been thinking about new ways in which we could do ministry. We have taken some steps toward updating our website. We continue updating our website with new materials. Currently, we have all the books of NT and OT available individually for download with high quality in the most accurate translation. Our website is the only website that offers this throughout Internet. Another new ministry we are now praying about is establishing a Christian translation club. There are so many good books, booklets, tracts, articles, (you name it…) available in English which needs to be translated into Farsi.

 

Unfortunately, biblical Farsi resources are very limited. As the number of Iranian believers grow in Iran daily, the need of discipleship and accessing good Christian materials increase. And unfortunately, there

are so few Iranian Christians who are currently working in this area of translating.

 

As you might know, "F" and I specialize in building powerful websites. So making a long story short, we are praying about building a very powerful website, and bring together all the people who are currently

translating biblical materials into Farsi; gather all the books, booklets, tracts and other materials which have been translated into Farsi and make a universal database of all the records.

 

The next step will be to come up with translation project on that website and have Iranian Christians who would like to join in translating, editing and helping with resolving the copyright issues join us in that project. Meanwhile, everyone will know which projects have been translated and which ones have yet to be translated because we already have a database record of it. Then these materials would be available for Farsi

speaking believers in Iran and all around the world.

 

New people visited our ministry:

 

“M” has been bringing new people with him. In the past month, he has shared the gospel with 3 people in his hostel and has brought them to our Bible study or Sunday meetings. An Iranian girl and 2 other

men who study here have all visited us, heard the gospel message, and have been given a Bible.

 

Prayer requests:

 

Please pray for the following:

 For "F"’s sister and cousin as they grow in the Lord. especially for their safety as they often talk to “G” over Skype or phone about their faith and God’s word.

 For the discipleship program and our on line Bible study. Please pray that we could work out the details.

 For our mission trip to [city #2] in the next month. Please pray especially for the believers there so they would share their faith more seriously.

 For our Farsi website updates and the planning regarding building the website of the translation club.

 For new people who have come to our Bible study in past month. Please pray that the seed we have planted would bear fruit in their hearts through the work of the Holy Spirit.

 

At the end, on the behalf of everyone involved in our Farsi ministry here, I’d like to thank you for all your support, love and care. We appreciate all of your prayers, little emails you send us to let us know you

are praying and thinking about us and the phone calls you make to assure us that you are remembering us – all of which encourage us beyond words.

 

Peace in Christ,  "M"

 

+  KIBC:  "M" tells us that the growth both in ministry opportunities and in numbers continues.  Several new people have begun to participate, new members have been added to the Worship Team, and they continue their progress in developing various official documents and policies.  Last week Bob got an e-mail from an American affiliated with the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, asking for information about KIBC.  We were glad to enthusiastically recommend KIBC to him.  We get such a letter just about every month, and continue to endorse and encourage the church.

 

+  Writing Projects: -- It seems that Bob continues having his hands full of research and writing projects, often keeping Jo Ann feeling like she's a "football widow".  He writes his "Shoulder to Shoulder" e-letter weekly, currently featuring spiritual awakening in America; he's writing both teacher and student notes on the weekly study of Romans; he's trying to prepare note sheets for the Sunday and Wednesday night studies at church, and doing lots of research at the moment on the historical record of Christian influence in the formation and development of the United States.  The research on the last two subjects actually involves both of us as we review documents and videos covering those subjects.  Even though it is exciting, it is extremely time consuming for us both . . but both important and necessary.

 

 

 

Coming Up:

 

+  Interim Pastorate -- We find ourselves trying to pour our lives as much as possible into the interim pastorate.  There are many things we see that can be done to help further prepare the church for a new pastor, but we are concerned about pushing our role beyond what is appropriate.  We hope to help the church adopt what we believe is the Biblical pattern of a youth director.  We also hope to assist the church in tightening up the bolts and nuts in areas of practical administration and operation.  And, we will be teaching and preaching on several important subjects in the immediate future that will help motivate the people to ongoing ministry instead of waiting for a new pastor to arrive.

 

+  Cuba Ministry Partners --  Later next month (June) Richard and Stephanie Blake will visit us enroute to a conference in St. Louis.  We will be discussing possible future ministry opportunities and needs in Cuba and perhaps other places.  There is much to be done in equipping the people of God and in sharing the Gospel while there is still time left.

 

+  Ministry To Pastors -- Bob is in the process of talking with various regional directors of missions with the hope of having opportunities to bring encouragement and motivation to pastors.  This is still one of his passions, and we feel that our years of experience can be of great benefit to younger pastors.

 

+  Around The House -- Most of what we intended to do shortly after our return to the States seventeen months ago is still on the "To Do" list.  Travel, weather, and other "emergency" things have kept pushing them back.  We hope to capitalize on being home most of the Summer to get many of them done ---- furnish and stock the storm shelter, complete the deck, repair and seal the new flagstone patio, install shelving in the garden shed and move all yard-related equipment from the garage into the shed, dispose of an abundance of "stuff" with a big yard sale, replace the flooring in the workshop, and do some more landscaping.  It will be a very busy Summer.

 

+  Christians As Citizens -- Bob is still working on plans for the new e-letter regarding how Christians, citizens of a spiritual kingdom, are to live those principles out also as citizens of society here on earth.  Unfortunately, we often tend to ignore one to the neglect of the other, even though the Lord's teachings were to the contrary.  "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth . . ." is a clear command as well as a model prayer.  As salt and light, He instructed us often as to how we are to live our lives as Christians so that our secular culture is dramatically impacted by His presence.  We both have been studying and observing what is happening in our country, and are deeply burdened over where we are, how we got there, and where things are headed unless major action by our nation's citizens takes place.  It is frightening to see just how far and comprehensive our national drift away from our founding principles has actually been.  We are in a precarious position that requires the sound of alarmed voices and the actions of courageous citizens.

 

+  Fall Activities --  We are unclear as to specific schedules yet, but it is evident that there is an exciting Fall ahead.  We are currently waiting to hear from Tania and Arto concerning their wedding date, because we want to make every effort to go to Finland for the ceremony.  We will know something from them in July when they meet to plan the event.  It is probable that we will try to tack on a few days to visit our friends in Kiev as well, and do some ministry there and perhaps in other European places.  Depending on that schedule, and depending on what is happening with the interim work at Osceola, we will then make other ministry plans.  Our visit with the Blakes in late June will also give us an idea of what God has planned for us.

 

 

 

PRAYER REQUESTS:

 

+  Praise the Lord for the Osceola church and the good things that are happening there.  Pray that God will reveal His declared purpose as they continue seeing His direction regarding a pastor, a youth director, a renewed vision, and a clear and practical strategy for the future.

 

+  Pray for the two of us as we try to balance ministry at Osceola with other ministries and with necessary practical things needing to be completed around the house.

 

+  Pray for us as we continue to believe God wants to use us to stir up the Church in America for such a critical time as this.

 

+  Pray for "M", "F", "V", and Ira as they lead the Farsi ministry in Kyiv and other cities.  Pray for "F" as he continues seeking God's will for his future.  Pray for "H" as he tries to remain a faithful witness back in homeland where it is so extremely dangerous.

 

+  Pray for God to pour out His Spirit on our nation.  Pray that major course corrections can be made to put us back where we need to be spiritually and politically.  Pray that leaders will recognize that biblical truth is the only assured course that will save us and restore us as a people.

 

+  Pray for all our kids as they face the opportunities and challenges of life.  They all carry on in their respective places, and have many situations facing them that need your prayer.

 

+  Praise the Lord for unexpected offerings and gifts for the ministry.  Pray that our support base continues to increase to meet the needs.

 

+  Pray for Bob and his "constant"  [:-) research and writing projects noted above.

 

 

 

Finally:

 

Once again, we find ourselves fully aware of and deeply touched by the prayer, encouragement, and financial support of many who believe in what God has called us to do.  We thank God for you, and we assure you that we never take your undergirding for granted.  We never presume that all of this is automatic.  We know that each expression of affirmation, intercession, and giving is a deliberate decision and act that was consciously made on our behalf . . . and we simply thank the Lord for you.  We are indebted to all who undergird this ministry, and we remain convinced that we could not do what we do without such support.

 

Drop us a line from time to time by snail mail, e-mail, or Facebook.  Give us a call by phone or by Skype.  We'd love to visit.

 

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

 

        Bob and Jo Ann

        The Tollivers

        Life Unlimited Ministries

"Touching Nations Here and Abroad"

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