May, 2003
Dear
Christian Friends,
Greetings from hot and dry Donetsk!
We pretty much skipped the Spring season this year (rain included) and
are scorching in some quite warm weather. This
is a serious situation as so many depend upon their gardens for food and all
will be affected by high food prices if there is a poor harvest in the fall.
May has been quite a busy month for us.
First of all, Ray finally got settled into his new apartment.
Property values have increased considerably to the extent that it is
quite difficult to find any apartments at all for rent; everyone seems to want
to sell. We are thankful that the
new apartment is very comfortable and on the same street as our church building.
We have been involved with making summer plans for our youth group.
Lord willing, we will have the 3rd annual Bible Camp in July
near the small town of Slavyanogorsk. We
had considered moving the location of the camp to the nearer Sea of Azos, but
were unable to find a suitable facility there.
As many of you have experienced, Bible Camp can be a valuable time to
spend in study, play and Christian fellowship.
In our experience, it has helped to strengthen and bond our young people
together and we pray that this year’s camp will be beneficial as well.
This weekend will be a busy time for the youth as well.
Saturday, May 31, is the official celebration for the last day of the
school year. Particularly the
graduates, but for all practical purposes---ALL students, traditionally
celebrate with their friends by ‘partying’ all night long.
We decided to present a Christian alternative on that evening, so in
partnership with Rhett Rogers, we are planning a get-together at the Ukrainian
Bible Institute on Saturday night. Youth
from several congregations are invited and we look forward to a good evening of
Christian fellowship.
The following day, Sunday (June1), our young folks have a unique
opportunity for evangelism. The 1st
of June is officially Day of Children’s Defense in Ukraine.
We have been invited to present a program for a gathering of children in
celebration of this day. We plan
skits, songs and a brief talk by one of our young men, Vanya.
This meeting is in a neighborhood of Donetsk in which we are planning a
3-day campaign later in June, so this should be a good opportunity to make
contacts and spark interest in the upcoming campaign.
Please remember this effort in your prayers.
May 24 was the UBI graduation and we had one graduate this year from the Proletarsky congregation. Alexander Naumenko, whose wife and teenage sons are active members of the congregation, graduated from the 2-year program at the Bible institute administered by Sunset School of Preaching in Lubbock, Texas. We are quite proud of Alexander and pray that he will grow and develop as a servant in the Lord’s church.
We
are happy to share with you the news of 2 baptisms in May. One young man,
Sergei, was brought by one of our teens, Vadik. And Yevdokeya was
influenced by a couple of the ladies in her building who are Christians.
What a joy to see the Ukrainian Christians reaching out to their close ones and
sharing the gospel with them!
Finally,
we want to ask for your prayers on behalf of Anatoly Pisarev, whom many of you
know. He was involved in an accident early in May and nearly lost his arm.
He was immediately taken to the regional trauma hospital in Donetsk and the
operation appears to have been a great success. We are so thankful for
Anatole's recovery and pray for his continued improvement.
We
always remember you with love and gratitude. Thank you for your prayers
and your partnership in taking the gospel of Christ to the good people of
Ukraine. In Christian Love,
Lynn and Ray
1) Evdokeya – new convert
2) Sergei – new convert with his friend Vadik
3) Zachar & Alina – a sweet couple
4) Teens visiting the orphanage in Karlovka
5) Alexander – UBI graduate with his wife, Victoria
6) Alexander receiving his diploma from UBI President, Jay Don Rogers
