UKRAINE NEWSLETTER

NEWSLETTER FOR JULY 2004

GENE AND MARY PARKER

DONETSK, UKRAINE

 

Dear Supporters, Friends and Family,

 

July was an eventful month. We have many things to report. It was unusually wet and cool here. Summer finally arrived on July 26. That was the day we chose to go and visit the teens at camp. We rode with Alexander Maluga , his wife Natasha and their three month old baby, Regina. It was a hot ride over many miles of bad roads. It took three hours each way. The baby was a very good traveler. We really enjoyed the three hours we spent at the camp visiting with all the campers. Ray Grayham and Lynn Allison do a fantastic job with this camp every year. This was the fourth year. Alexander Maluga is the new preacher at Budyonnevski effective Aug 1. Five of the campers were from Budyonnevski.

 

We finally got all the paper work approved and began work on the new roof for the Proletarski building. The workers had to first remove the old roof and put down a protective rubber like covering over the concrete roof to protect from rain the two to three weeks while the new steel framing and covering is prepared. The building was exposed for five days. God was very kind to us as we had nearby thunderstorms three of the five days but they all missed us. We are now waiting for the architect to complete the paper work for construction of the front of the building. We’ve been promised that this week.

 

 We lost one of our members and gained one this month. One died and one was reborn. Alexey was a Russian pilot in WWII. His eyesight and health had been failing ever since he was baptized about five years ago. Reborn was a teen age girl, Anna, very sweet from a bad home situation.

 

The young man we call Alex, went to Kiev the week of the fourth to attend a singing school. He has been leading singing for us often at Proletarski and with Lynn’s help has done real well. Now he is doing much better. He will be beginning his second year at  the preacher training school here on the 9^th of August. He surprised us with his development last year. He is eager to preach and teach every opportunity he gets. He grew up with only a mother for family so did not do well in school. He is 20 years old now and we think another year in the school will be a big help in his maturity.

 

We are so thankful to God to have such a loving caring family of Christian brothers and sisters that sustain us here with your support through prayers and finances. We pray God’s blessings on all of you.

 

In His service,

Gene and Mary