Ukraine Newsletter
April 18, 2004
Dear Friends,
Hope this finds you all doing well, enjoying the onset of spring! Donetsk is beautiful this time of year, with the fragrant apricot trees in full bloom.
Lynn had the opportunity to teach a class at the Ukrainain Bible Institute the first week of March. She taught a group of 15 ladies from 10 congregations how to teach children. Nikka did a lot of translating and Lynn did a lot of cutting, pasting and copying to be able to give each congregation a large packet of teaching materials and visual aids.
Lynn, Vanya and Ray traveled to Kiev to meet Gene and Mary Parker on March 24th. They will be here with us for the next six months working with both Proletarsky and Budjonofsky congregations. One of Gene’s main projects while here will be to oversee some capital repairs on our building.
While we were very happy to have the Parkers return, we were sorry to see Nikka (Lynn’s interpreter) leave. She has been a faithful co-worker and true friend from the first year we came to Donetsk. She married a Ukrainian living in Qatar and went to live with him. She will be returning for the summer and we hope will be able to translate for Lynn, but we are sorry to see her go. On the bright side, Lynn’s Russian is about to improve a whole bunch!
We want to ask you to continue to pray for our brother Sergei who is suffering with cancer. He receives morphine injections each day but is still able to walk around, even doing a little shopping last week. If you have an opportunity, send him a card and let him know that people all over the world are thinking about him and praying for him. (see address below)
Early in March, we enjoyed a visit from Teresa Fillmon (director of His Kids Too) and her daughter, Haley. Lynn and Nikka helped buy and diapers, sheets, blankets, juices, etc. for several children’s homes and hospitals in Donetsk and Dzherzhinsk. Ray and Vanya spent a day in Dzherzhinsk helping Teresa deliver aid to children’s care facilities in that city.
While we were in America in January, the congregation was invited to teach a weekly Bible class for young people in a poor area not far from our building. We had conducted a summer campaign there last summer and the unofficial mayor of the area asked us to come and work with the young people. We go every Saturday morning for a Bible class and 3 young ladies from this area have begun attending services regularly. We hope and pray that more people will be reached in this neighborhood.
Ray has begun studying with one of the men who receives food each month. Victor has a severe case of cerebral palsy. His mind works well, but his ability to walk, work and speak is seriously effected. His mother is a devout Russian Orthodox, but she is always a part of our conversations. Please pray for them.
After consulting with doctors in Memphis and Tallahassee, we have come to the conclusion that it is probably going to be best for Natasha to have her ear/plastic surgery in Kiev. We have sent pictures a number of times and you will remember that she is the 14 year old girl who was born with one deformed ear and both ear canals almost completely closed. She needs to have the operation ASAP as she will be 15 in June and lose some of her Ukrainian benefits. We need $1,500 more to make the total of $4,000 needed. If you can help, please talk with the elders at Woodland Hills.
We appreciate the help that you have been so generous to give to us. Most of all we appreciate your prayers.
In Christian love,
Ray and Lynn
Don’t forget to send a card!
Sergei Korkishko
yl. Bytbipuha dom # 55, kb. #86
Kremenchyg
Ukraine
39600
Woodland
Hills Church of Christ