Woodland Hills Church of Christ

September, 2003

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We never cease to be grateful to you and to our Lord for giving us this opportunity to work with the people of Donetsk. While we sometimes have problems to work through, each month brings new challenges and new joys.

September began with rather cool temperatures, but warmed up and was just beautiful, which is a real blessing, since the heat will not be turned on until October 15^th. It is a very busy time for the ladies as they are working hard to can fruits and vegetables to see their families through the winter. Lynn made some good pickles and jelly, but was not so successful in some other areas. The green beans soured and the lid blew off of one jar of tomatoes.

The best news in September was the addition of three new souls into the Body of Christ. On the 7^th Nina and Victor Tretyakov were baptized. The are a delightful middle aged couple who attended our campaign in July at the invitation of Yevdukeea, who was baptized in May. They need our prayers because of the ridicule they are getting from their children.

Last month we mentioned Natasha and her grandmother, Nadia. We were thrilled when Nadia was baptized on the 14^th. She has been attending worship and our ladies class on Acts and decided to dedicate her life to God. We pray that she will be able to help Natasha understand and want to make the same commitment.

Misha, the preacher for the Magistralney congregation, continues to hunt a house or flat to rent for their meetings, but has not found anything yet. Ray sent our Vanya over to walk the streets and ask around. Vanya never sees a stranger and is never at a loss for words and the most effective way of finding places is "word of mouth." We pray that a place will be found soon, as meeting in the library is not a good situation. They have only one room and it is rather small.

Our ladies class took a dip in attendance the first of September, as several ladies returned to teaching or studying. However, the slack has been taken up by some of our newer members. We usually have 8-10 on Tuesday mornings and enjoy a time of study and fellowship.

The sad note of the month was the departure of Gene and Mary Parker. They left a little earlier this year, so they could attend the Missions Workshop in Lubbock, Texas. We know it is best for them to be in the States for the winter, but we miss having them here.

Our program to feed the elderly and invalid continues. We now help about 30 people. The number changes as a few have died and some still can not believe we are not expecting anything in return. One lady refused the help this month, saying that her neighbors said she should not accept the food, if she is not going to the church. It is sad to see such skepticism. One 76 year old lady has become a regular visitor at the worship services. She has no family and has been rejected by her brother’s family. She is really excited to find a place where she can make some new friends. Of course, we pray that she will also find the Truth.

We have regularly told you about our sister, Anna, who has been suffering for many months. She has had both legs amputated because of diabetes and has been bedfast for a year now. Her daughter, Ira, is her primary caregiver and is, understandably, worn out in every way. Please remember these ladies in you prayers during these difficult days.

May God bless each of you.

Ray and Lynn