WORD OF THE DAY - Tuesday 01 September 2009

“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, O house of Israel: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust?” (Ezekiel 18:25 NIV)

Most Holy God, our Merciful Father in Heaven ~ We offer or highest praise on this new blessing filled day as we lift our hearts and voices in thanksgiving for your perfect Way that is revealed to us by Jesus Christ. Help us not to forget the duty and wisdom of recognizing that our sinful ways are not the perfect Way that leads to eternal life. Give us courage and good judgment to live with obedient faith in the Son. Please hear this prayer, in Jesus name, Amen.

Photo: Children from our Saturday Bible Class observe worshippers taking Lord's Supper for the first time. Sunday was a joyful day to make use of our new room that will serve us for weekday day Bible studies and an office where we can meet with people. Today we must organize everything in this room and a small storage room downstairs where we will keep song books, some Bibles and literature close to the room where we will conduct worship on Sundays. This week we will start doing some advertising in the local paper to announce to more people our location. We must continue to painstakingly search for that good soil that is receptive to the good seed. Thank you for joining us in prayer for a great harvest of souls here in Nikolaev, Ukraine.

WORD OF THE DAY - Monday 31 August 2009

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; and before you came out of the womb I sanctified you, and I ordained you a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5)

Almighty God, Most Holy and Merciful Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for the wind that blows and reminds us of the words of Jesus that are immortal. Help all people to remember that our soul comes from you before we were even shaped into a human body in our mother's womb. Please help us to awaken this generation to the evil of destroying unborn babies. Help young mothers and fathers to be willing to make sacrifices to raise children who will be devoted to the faith of our fathers that we learn from Christ, the apostles and other inspired writers of the scriptures. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.

This morning we are having connection problems, hence the need to be sending this from a smoke filled Internet cafe. We need to get out of here quick before I start hacking. We had a wonderful day yesterday (Sunday) in our new meeting place. We had 18 present for our first service in the new facility. Two were new visitors we had not previously met. God is giving us plenty of opportunities to share the Word with people here in Ukraine. It was a great blessing that our brother Nikolai was able to be present. He is often out of town with his work. He, along with Evgeny Shevchenko suggested that it would be good for us to help get a church of Christ started in Nikolaev. This is not a small city, with a population somewhere around 500,000 souls. We just need the wisdom to take advantage of each situation with the greatest amount of tact and skill. We are praying for more workers in this harvest field. Our brother Ivan Tupchanenko from Magadan is originally from Ukraine, and will be taking his vacation in October. He plans to spend some time with us, and he will be a valuable helper. He serves the church there as the preacher when he is not working out of town. In his absence, Vasily usually handles the preaching responsibilities. Three of the children who attended our Bible classes when we met in Nikolai's office, found our new meeting place. They came with parents permission and we noticed how nice they were dressed for Sunday morning worship. Thank you for your prayers.

David Binkley, Sr., evangelist

RUSSIA UKRAINE GOSPEL MISSION

http://facebook.com/david.binkley/

http://gospeltorussia.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/binkword/

334-277-4628 USA (voice mail)

Ukraine phone: 380501379199

Mail address in Ukraine:
P.O. Box 196Nikolaev 17, Ukraine 54017

Sponsoring church:

DALRAIDA CHURCH OF CHRIST

3740 Atlanta Highway

P.O. Box 3085

Montgomery, AL 36109

WORD OF THE DAY - Sunday 30 August 2009

O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. (Psalm 95:6-7f)

Almighty God, our Maker, Redeemer and Friend ~ Thank you for the precious gift of life on this new Lord’s Day. Bless Christians around the world as they assemble in small and large meetings for the purpose of offering our worship. Please accept our praise as we honor Christ our Lord. Help those believers who must assemble in secret not to be afraid of anything that man can do. In Jesus name, Amen.

Today is the first Sunday that we begin to conduct our meetings in this new location. The director of this facility suggested that she will allow us to use a side door that opens directly to the stairs that lead up to the second floor area where our room is located. We will be allowed to place our sign above that door. Beginning next Lord's Day, we will use the big hall for worship and Bible study. This Sunday we assemble in our office/Bible study room. Therefore, we will likely have our usual faithful few. Yesterday, Galina and I worked on unpacking what we moved and straightening things up in preparation for this great day to honor Christ and the first day that the Church of Christ in Nikolaev meets in a public place. English language is in big demand here in this seaport city, so we have some plans in our mind about offering some free conversational English classes. In addition, we tell people about the wonderful free internet course offered http://www.worldenglishinstitute.org/.
Thank you for the many prayers regarding our work in the abundant Ukraine harvest field.

WORD OF THE DAY - Saturday 29 August 2009

He that believes on the Son has everlasting life: and he that believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him. (John 3:36)

Merciful and Holy God, our Dear Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for the hope of eternal life on this new day that arrives with reminders of your watchfulness and involvement in our daily lives. Give us wisdom and courage to live according to the faith for which we take our stand. Lead us to people whose heart is open to learn about eternal life through obedient faith in Jesus Christ. We offer this prayer in Christ name, Amen.

Yesterday was moving day, so we called a taxi company and they referred us to a man that owns an older Mercedes 'bread truck' with seats for two in the front and some cushions in the back. We were able to get all our Bibles, song books, other literature and supplies on one trip. We are truly indebted to our young men Afolabi and Akinrinde who are both strong in body and spirit. No box or bag was too heavy for them. They delighted in telling "mom" and "dad" not to overdo it. These two never miss a meeting unless there is some unusual circumstance at their university that would prevent them from being there. They now bring many other students to our Gospel meetings. We thought of having this series to last two weeks, now we see no end in sight. People continue to come. Now that we have a new and more public location, we can do more advertising to attract more people to our meetings. So far, the only advertising we have done is by word of mouth and some small handouts to give to people we meet on the streets. Alexander Prokopchuk's response team has sent out letters to their viewers that have proved to be effective. So far, most of the visitors are from other towns in this region, but at least we have an opportunity to have their encouragement and to teach them God's word. All the going back and forth between the two places consumed the majority of our day. We met more people at our new location who gave us some good advice about where to put our sign out front and other suggestions. We realized when we got our big load over to the new place that we needed a storage room. God provides. There is a small room downstairs near the large hall that we will use for Sunday meetings and special Gospel Revival meetings. They made this available to us at an affordable price. Now we will keep some Bibles and song books downstairs along with the majority of our literature. We will need shelves in that room, and can have them built. We are very excited about our new location and hope against hope that we will begin to see new people in our meetings to hear God's eternal Word. Whenever we think about you and your prayers on our behalf, we are humbled and encouraged.

WORD OF THE DAY - Friday 28 August 2009

Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Most Kind and Loving God, our Dear Heavenly Father ~ Thank you for another day that pulses with sights, sounds and other sensations that cause us to be aware of life and the wonderful physical world that has been given to us by your spectacular creativity and providence. Give us wisdom, courage, joy and peace as we study and obey the perfect will of Christ our Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

Thursday night was our last meeting in the nice rooms that have been provided for us by our good friend and brother - Dr. Nikolai. Today we begin to move our belongings to our newly rented room on the second floor of "Dom Culturi Stroiteley". (House of Culture Constructors)
We purchased some chairs yesterday since there are not enough in the room we are renting. They will be delivered today as we are moving some of our boxes of books and literature that we have stored in our old location. This is a very exciting move for us in this early stage. We had two more visitors last night as a result of the invitations sent out from Alexander Prokopchuk, the preacher of the Church of Christ broadcast that airs each Sunday morning all over Ukraine. There are 77 viewers that are on their regular mailing list from the Nikolaev Oblast (state). This new couple, Vasily and Olga Kopous, live in the city of Voznesensk. This city is about 80 miles to the north of the city of Nikolaev, but in the Nikolaev Oblast. They are a wonderful couple that drove down to meet with us, belong to a 'Christians of the Evangelical Faith - Baptists' church in their city. This group is well known to missionaries as a Biblically conservative group that descends from a restoration movement in Russia and Ukraine that began in the late 19th century. Many of their views and practices mirror our own since they have been striving to use the scripture as their only source of faith and practice. The word Baptists was added to distinguish between a branch of this movement that is known the same way except the word Pentecostal is added to the name reflecting their affinity with the modern Pentecostal and/or Charismatic movement. We had a good meeting with them before our services began and received an invitation to visit with them in the future. This we plan to do - God willing. Yesterday morning, we took our new 83 year old regular visitor to the optician so that he could have some glasses to help him read. As always, it was a joy to be with Stepan and Luda for a while. The children were so wonderful yesterday afternoon. They started calling us around 12.00 on our cell phone as we were going around town shopping for chairs and some other necessities. None of them have a watch, so they just couldn't wait until the appointed time for our Bible class. Thank you for the prayers for this vital work with the children as well as our Bible studies with others who visit our nightly meetings. Thank you for the prayers!

WORD OF THE DAY - Thursday 27 August 2009

Now when Jesus rose early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. (Mark 16:9-10)

Dear God, our Powerful and Merciful Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for the indescribable gifts that we receive from your bounty and grace on this new day. As we ponder over the huge grace that Mary from Magdala received by being freed from the power of demons, and then turned into an effective messenger of Good News, help us to realize that all Christians have an important function in your blessed and eternal Kingdom. We receive fresh motivation for eternal life as we consider the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Guard us and protect us as we await his coming. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Yesterday we completed an agreement to rent one room on the second floor of the Constructors House of Culture. These type buildings were built in nearly every Soviet city as gathering places for drama, opera as well as many other activities. Most are falling apart as they do not serve much purpose under the new form of government. However, this one is still available to us to use for our meetings. The room we rent is an office that will serve for our small Bible studies, Children's Bible Class, and meetings with individuals. There is one more office next to this one that we can rent when we grow to that point. We can use the large auditorium at 1.00 on Sundays for our worship services. Also, we can use the large room at other times when we want to have special evangelistic meetings. Perhaps, we will someday have some other workers come over and help us. We had to sign an agreement for one year to get this place, and we have done this in faith that God will provide the funds. The building is conveniently located in an area of the city where many thousands of people live. It is accessible by tram, route taxis, and other public transportation. Last night before our regular meeting at 6.30 some of our children from our 'Bible Camp' came and wanted a Bible Study. They committed to coming to our new location if their parents allow. They are very precious indeed and have a great interest in God's Word. Sergei is in the fourth grade and delighted in reading Bible stories to the others. He received one of these Children's Bibles from us earlier, and told us that he had read to page 488 and wanted to finish reading the book to us. Tonight he wants to recite a verse he has memorized. Last night, two of the maritime students from Nigeria who had not been with us for a while, returned to our meetings. We hope they will continue their attendance and Bible studies. Just as the last people were leaving the meeting, our dear friend and brother Nikolai called us from Kiev where he is working. We hope to see him here in Nikolaev in a few days. Thank you for the many prayers and words of encouragement!

WORD OF THE DAY - Wednesday 26 August 2009

They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and merciful slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them. (Nehemiah 9:17)

Most Holy and Kind God, our Merciful Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for the joy that we experience on this new day as we consider the wonders of your creation and the care for all creatures down to the most minute detail. Help us not to be hoodwinked by those who would carry us back into the slavery of sin. Renew our faith as we study and obey Christ Jesus - the true Captain of our souls who will never mislead us or point us in the wrong direction. In Jesus name, Amen.

God answers our prayers for new people to visit our meetings. Valentina came last night (Tuesday) after traveling about 75 miles by bus. She also heard about us from the letter that Alexander Prokopchuk's response team mailed out announcing our meetings. They sent letters to 70 people who live in the Nikolaev region, not only the city, suggesting that they visit our meetings. All these people watch Alexander's excellent program that has coverage all over Ukraine each Sunday morning at 7.45. His broadcasts are simple, heartwarming and to the point in explaining God's message of hope and salvation. He makes constant reference to the Bible as the source of authority. Valentina occasionally visits Nikolaev and enthusiastically told us before she left that she will always attend our services when she visits the city. She lives in a small farming village. We gave her some literature to complement what she already received from the Church of Christ broadcast. Several of the children who attended our "Bible Camp" a few weeks ago also appeared about half-way through our meeting. They asked "is it open"? They are so cute, and explained that they had their parents’ permission to be there. These are some who did not make it the final day to receive their free Children's Bible. They patiently sat through about 15 minutes of my preaching while thumbing through their children's Bible. During the day we walked many more miles in search of a new meeting place. We believe we have identified one, and will meet with some people at 08.00 this morning for further discussion. Please keep this work in your prayers as well as other efforts that are being put forth to spread the gospel.

WORD OF THE DAY - Tuesday 25 August 2009

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” (Mark 9:23 NIV)

Almighty God, our Dear Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for the numerous benefits that are ours to enjoy because of our faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. Help us to be more confident as we make plans and execute them, knowing that we are not alone. Lead us into situations today where we may have the opportunity to tell another soul the wonderful story of love. In Jesus name, Amen.

Our new friends Lyudmila and Stepan showed up early for their appointed Bible study, and also returned in the evening for our regular Gospel preaching services. She has many good questions, which make it convenient to use God's word to provide the truth. Both of these good people have deep respect for the Bible as the Word of God. Today we meet with them again at 2.00. We introduced them to some Bible study material that has been translated to the Russian language. These lessons were partially developed by Charles Chandler, a preacher of the Gospel. Charles now resides in Farmersville, TX and is caring for his dear wife Sue. We are very thankful to everyone who has left home and gone to the former Soviet Union for the purpose of teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This morning, we have an appointment to look at a possible place for the church to conduct meetings. Thank you for taking us and this important work to the Father in Heaven.

WORD OF THE DAY - Monday 24 August 2009

Justice is turned away backward, and righteousness stands far off; truth has stumbled in the streets and equity cannot enter. (Isaiah 59:14)

Dear God, our Most Holy and Kind Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for the breath of life and the hope of spending eternity in your presence as we face what you have in mind for us on this new day. Give us wisdom and courage to help expose the truth to the light of day in all public situations so that righteousness will be welcome by those in power in all nations of the world. In Christ name, Amen.

"Where two or three are gathered together..." Yesterday only four people joined us for worship. The faithful and loyal attendees - Afolabi and Akinrinde had the company of us and Luda and Stepan who now comes to almost each meeting. We have a meeting for Bible study today with Luda. I've learned that she used to attend SDA meetings, but apparently is now searching for truth. This morning we hope to learn more details about some possible meeting places. We are still enjoying beautiful weather, and notice that places in the north of Ukraine are already having temperatures in the 40's, so we are very pleased for these balmy skies that make it convenient for us to walk to our various places that we must visit. Thank you for the kind words of encouragement and the many prayers that we will be able to effectively communicate the message of salvation to the lost here in Nikolaev.

WORD OF THE DAY - Sunday 23 August 2009

Hallelujah! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, who is good, for his love endures forever. (Psalm 106:1)

Almighty God, our Just and Merciful Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for this Lord’s Day on which we join all the heavenly beings in worship of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ in whom we put all our trust for eternal life. Give us wisdom so that we will more fully absorb the meaning of worshipping in spirit and in truth. Bless all believers who are faithfully serving Christ each day so that they will be able to influence some friend or neighbor to obey Christ while there is time. In Christ name, Amen.

Now that we are having new visitors who need translation into the Russian language, Galina is very busy keeping up with everything and everybody along with doing her work as an interpreter. She loves being able to use this given and acquired talent to help communicate the message of salvation. We have been enjoying the use of the offices of Dr. Nikolai, but it is a temporary situation, and now he needs to have some of these spaces back for use of his family's various activities. We have found a couple of rooms in a House of Culture that is situated in an area of the city where many people live. They already have a couple of religious groups meeting there and are not opposed to us using the space for religious purposes. We even heard the mayor of Nikolaev on TV last night make comments favorable to all the different confessions of faith in his address to the citizens of the city. Monday is the holiday that celebrates the 220th anniversary of the city of Nikolaev or Mykolaiv (transliterated from Ukrainian). Thank you for the words of encouragement and your faithful prayers.

WORD OF THE DAY - Saturday 22 August 2009

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (Revelation 1:17-18 NIV)

All Glorious and Majestic God, our Dear Heavenly Father ~ Thank you for this new day that arrives with various blessings and opportunities to accomplish our duty to Christ our Master. Help us never to be afraid as we put all our trust in Him who came to be like us in all respects. Enliven our hopes as we consider the fact that we can have total confidence in Jesus to lead us safely to our heavenly home. In Jesus name, Amen.

New friends Luda and Stepan attended our meetings this week and had many good questions and expressed their intention to return for our worship services on Sunday. Luda received a letter from the response team that works with the TV program where Alexander Prokopchuk preaches to a large audience throughout the country of Ukraine. Today we look forward to our Saturday Children's Bible class. Several of the children have been running up to speak to us this week as we walk around the area near where the church is meeting. All of them have the approval from their parents to attend our Bible classes. Thanks for the prayers.

WORD OF THE DAY - Friday 21 August 2009

Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron. (Psalm 107.86 NIV)

Most Kind and Merciful God of our salvation ~ Thank you for this new day that burns bright with increased evidence of your abiding presence. Open our spiritual eyes so that we will be able to comprehend the wonder and majesty of belonging to Christ our Lord. Give us wisdom as we search the scriptures daily to know the perfect will for our lives. In Jesus name, Amen.

Photos: Yesterday (Thursday) we were privileged to spend some time visiting with some of the 100+ children at the local children's home that cares for unwanted children until they reach age 4. We learned that they do not have sufficient funds to provide enough fruit for the children. So, we committed to shopping for some apples and other fruits on the local market. We hope to be able to make a delivery on Monday. Some of the kids are adopted and given new homes, but please join us in prayer for those who never have a home except institutions like this.
Last night at our Gospel meeting, our new visitor Luda brought her friend Stepan. They are both wonderful people and said they will be with us on Sunday. Thanks for the prayers.

WORD OF THE DAY - Thursday 20 August 2009

Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, “Shall your countrymen go to war while you sit here? (Numbers 32:6 NIV)

Our Dear Heavenly Father ~ Thank you for the blessings that overflow from your endless supply on this new day. Give us wisdom and courage so that we will rise up and fight and not sit idly by while new ideas and old sins destroy the church of Christ that we read about in the Bible. We offer this prayer in Christ name. Amen.

We spent Wednesday wearing out our shoes while making new blisters, in search of a semi-permanent meeting place for the church. We investigated a building that served as the House of Culture for a specific trade group during the Soviet years. It is in a location where many people reside and is convenient to various means of transportation. We barely made it back to our present meeting place in time for our meeting at 6.30. We received a nice boost for our weekday meetings when the first person to arrive was a lady carrying a letter with our address and time of meeting. A few weeks ago, some brothers at North Atlanta Church of Christ suggested that I make contact with Alexander Prokopchuk in Donetsk. Sasha conducts a TV program that is aired throughout the country of Ukraine on Sunday mornings at 7.45. This highly successful broadcast attracts many regular viewers. Thousands of these people write in requesting information about the Churches of Christ. There is a response center in Donetsk that handles the thousands of letters that arrive regularly from the program. I contacted Sasha’s office and spoke with Dasha who handles much of the office work. Sasha agreed to send out a letter giving the time and place of our special evangelistic meetings. Lyudmila was the first person to come in carrying one of the letters. She has been a resident of Nikolaev most of her life except for a period when she moved away. We were able to have a nice conversation with her before our meeting began. We expect to see more of Luda and will be getting her a Bible and more information that she requested. A little later two of the Nigerian students who regularly attend our meetings showed up with a new student. We were very happy to meet ‘Patrick’ and observe his note taking, along with good questions at the end. He also has a good singing voice and loves to participate in singing. Not long after they arrived, three more people showed up. Two of these folks were Ukrainians who had received the letter from Sasha’s office. Uri does some preaching while trying to establish a small house church in the city where they live. We hope to have opportunity to show him the way more perfectly. His mother Ekaterina was with him. The other was a young man from Portland, OR who had ridden with them to our meeting. They live about a twenty minute drive from where we presently meet. (Over an hour by bus) We had a wonderful discussion with all these people and it made for a lively meeting. Matthew was very surprised to see the Nigerian students here in Ukraine. He is on leave from his job and spending time working here with some ‘ministry’ in Portland. God richly blessed us just when we needed a dose of encouragement. We were a mite exhausted from all the walking around this large city, and almost – not quite allowing ourselves to be a little discouraged at the small amount of people who were coming to our meetings. Galina keeps reminding me of how we prayed in Magadan for just one more person, and people began to show up at our meetings on a regular basis and conversions began to occur with frequency. We are praying the same here in Nikolaev for one more person, and we believe that God will lead us in the right direction so that His church will be planted here and thriving for people in whatever future God has in mind. We have an appointment at 9.00 this morning with the director of the local Children’s Home that cares for babies until they are three years old at which time the ones who have not been adopted are transferred to an orphan’s home. Based upon experiences in Magadan and other places, we expect to find some needs here. Thank you for the many prayers!

WORD OF THE DAY - Wednesday 19 August 2009

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Most Holy and Beneficent God, our Beloved Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for the highly treasured gift of life that occupies our mortal bodies. Open our eyes so that we will have a better understanding about the grand and noble purpose you have for us even while we remain on this earth. Give us wisdom so that we will see the good possibilities even when we are not experiencing successes. Help us not to fall prey to the hopeless attitude that afflicts unbelievers. Please hear this prayer we offer in Jesus name, Amen.
Photo: Alexandr, the doctor in charge of the regional children's hospital, came in to visit with us on his day off. We hope that this meeting will result in more contacts with workers at this institution that assists families in their hours of distress.

WORD OF THE DAY - Tuesday 18 August 2009

I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But you said, ‘We will not listen.’ (Jeremiah 6:17 NIV)

Most Holy and Adorable God, our Dear Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for the many blessings that shine upon us on this new day. Give us strength and wisdom so that we will never become cold and callous toward your accurate and complete Word that contains everything we must know in order to live a good life and die with peace of mind that we will wake up to a brighter and endless day. We offer this prayer in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Monday morning, we went up to the regional Children’s Hospital to meet with the Chief Doctor, Alexandr who also serves as the Director of this institution. He invited us to come in order to acknowledge the donation we recently made for the orphan children who stay there for long times. The TV will be installed on the wall in the cafeteria where these children and others will be able to watch cartoons and other children’s programs as well as DVD’s that we plan to provide later. The excellent Children’s Bible is available on DVD and we want to give them a copy of that as soon as we figure out where to order it. We think it will be available from EEM in Donetsk, and plan to make a phone call there today in order to find out. Four orphan children were present when we were there and one little boy did not want to turn loose of my hand. Galina had the same experience with a couple of little girls. Forty five children currently receive treatment and care and this location that reminds me of an ancient hospital from the 30's or 40's. A teenage girl, is about to reach the age where she must quickly learn to fend for herself. We hope that we can reach her with God’s love. We constantly stumble (or are led) into situations that require us to respond quickly with the right word of comfort and encouragement. We truly appreciate your fervent prayers so that we will be effective in communicating God’s message of eternal hope and salvation to those we encounter each day. Dr. Alexandr called and arranged for us to make contact with the Dr. in charge of the Children's Home. That is on our agenda for today.

WORD OF THE DAY - Monday 17 August 2009

And those who do wickedly against the covenant he will corrupt by flatteries: but the people who know their God will be strong and take action. (Daniel 11:32)

Most Excellent and Holy God, our Heavenly Father ~ Thank you for the joy of life on this new day that arrives with sensational benefits for those who are in Christ. Help us to gain more knowledge of Christ as we study and obey His perfect doctrine that we find in the blessed Word. Give us courage and wisdom so that we will respond to deceivers with convincing words and useful action. In Jesus name, Amen.

We had two new visitors in our services on Sunday. One Nigerian female student from the Maritime University, and a student who hails from the African nation of Guinea. Galina and I commented later in the day how remarkable it is that we have come to Ukraine and are able to teach people from Africa. Only God knows the future of this effort. We trust in His perfect seed -the Word, to bring results. This morning we will visit the Nikolaev Children's Hospital and present a gift for the children. The effort to get a container of goods from America is a slow process, and I'm not sure how it will proceed since it is based upon others motivation to fill out all the proper documents. In any event, we continue to do good as we see opportunity and Christ receives the glory. Thank you for the prayers.

WORD OF THE DAY - Sunday 16 August 2009

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: though perhaps for a good man some would even dare to die. But God proves his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:7-8)

Almighty God, our Dear Father in Heaven ~ We bring our praises into your awesome presence on this new Lord’s Day. We cannot comprehend the height and depth of your love for us sinners for whom Christ died on that awful cross. Bless all faithful believers around the world who assemble today to celebrate the death, burial, resurrection and appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us not to lose our sense of responsibility to obey Christ in doing deeds of kindness while we focus on worship. In Jesus name, Amen.

WORD OF THE DAY - Saturday 15 August 2009

The city had no need of the sun or the moon to shine in it: for the glory of God illuminated it and the Lamb is its light. (Revelation 21:23)

Most Kind and Loving God, our Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for granting us the surprise gift of life on this new day that we enjoy because of your great love. Enlighten our minds as we bring our thoughts into the discipline of Christ’s perfect doctrine. All our hopes of eternal life are certain because of the huge sacrifice made by the Lamb and our obedience to His will. We long to see the face of the One who made this exalted hope possible. In Jesus name, Amen.

Yesterday- Friday, we spent much of the day in search of various items we need for daily living and preparing for today’s Children’s Bible Class at 2.00 this afternoon. On Thursday we had the privilege to take Ilya and Nazar to the McDonalds for one final treat before they headed back home. Their train and bus ride to Slavyansk took almost 22 hours. We were relieved to learn that they made it home safely and the boys were already reporting about their mission trip to the entire neighborhood. In addition to preaching at the church in Svyatogorsk, Viktor also teaches classes at the Gorlovka Bible Institute. One of the pictures shows some of the many wares available on these makeshift shops that pop-up on the side of the road just about anywhere you can find some spare room. Ukrainians love to buy, sell, trade, barter and anything else that involves working with people and goods and services. Having spent a major part of my life as a salesman of various products and ideas, perhaps that is why this is all so attractive. We have been praying for a way to reach these busy masses. They don’t seem to have time for anything that doesn’t pertain to these daily pursuits and their beloved children and grandchildren. Yesterday while I was waiting for a lady at a little stand to fix us a greasy lunch of a hotdog and fried pie, the thought occurred to me that this place and a few others like it in various parts of the city, is precisely where we can meet the people. You know how successful some of the booths we have had at state fairs, county fairs, and the like? Well, why not have a booth right in the middle of this entire ruckus. I have in mind an aid-station with a cross symbol (not red) that will offer anyone a drink of water along with some information about the church, salvation and perhaps some free New Testaments – if I can round up all that we need. Our preliminary investigation revealed that each vendor makes their own little stand and rents the space from the owner of the building where they want to set-up the stand. We don’t know prices yet, but I think it will be well worth the price and the effort. We meet many people in these markets, and what an ideal place to meet more people who will stop by for a drink of water and receive a taste of the Water of Life. I’m not giving up on regular newspaper advertising and flyers, but we want to give this our concerted effort, and hopefully when other workers visit us, they can help us man the booths. We will need more than one around the city, due to the nature of this type of activity, and the fact that Nikolaev is a very spread out city. In fact, the street we live on is called the longest street in Europe. We have not been able to walk from one end to the other yet. Thank you for the fervent prayers for this work in God’s harvest field of Ukraine.

WORD OF THE DAY - Friday 14 August 2009

In him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things in agreement to the counsel of his will. (Ephesians 1:11)

All Glorious and Supremely Kind and Loving God, our Father in Heaven ~ We enter your presence on this new day with hearts overflowing with a sense of awe and wonder at the minute detail involved in every part of creation. Nothing you created was unintended. Everything was done for a grand and noble purpose, even more so, your plan of eternal salvation for all humanity who will obey Christ as Lord. Help us to be more effective in sharing this good news with others. In Jesus name, Amen.

Photo: Viktor and Oxana, along with our beloved Ilya and Nazar, stopped by on their way back home to Slavyansk. They relaxed in our home for a few hours before catching that long overnight train ride north. God willing, they will be able to return and assist us in this great work for the Lord and his glorious church. Yesterday, another man in the community dropped by to check us out. We remain hopeful that some of these contacts will result in Bible studies. Thank you for the prayers.
Nikolaev address:

David Binkley
P.O. Box 196
Nikolaev 17, Ukraine 54017

WORD OF THE DAY - Thursday 13 August 2009

You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. (Psalm 65:11 NIV)

Most Kind and Generous God, our Dear Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for another day that overflows with even more bountiful blessings from your constant kindness toward all creation. Give us greater wisdom so that we will make proper choices regarding the good use of the constantly sprouting abundance. Forgive us for the times when we have not been good caretakers over your blessings. In Jesus name, Amen.

Children constantly ask when we will have the Bible classes again! Yesterday evening at our 6.30 Bible study, Sasha came by around 5.00 and stayed with us as we made preparations for various activities. We hope to have a good group of kids for our Saturday Bible class, and hopefully some of these will also come on Sunday morning and stay for worship. We must be careful not to do anything with these kids that will upset the parents, and so far, they have a favorable opinion of our activities. We plan to continue to invite the parents and others to our services. Yesterday, we printed many new hand-outs that we use each day to invite people to our services. Two men came by to meet us, and they both promised to come back again. Thank you very much for your prayers and constant encouragement. PS Please take note of our mailing address here in Nikolaev. We visited the Post Office yesterday and rented a P.O. Box so that we can receive mail from abroad as well as from sources that will send us Bibles and other literature.

WORD OF THE DAY - Wednesday 12 August 2009

And the second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And when he thought about it, he wept. (Mark 14:72)

All Glorious and Magnificent God, our Dear Heavenly Father ~ We praise you on this new day for the stimulating gift of life that gives us fresh hope for that bright land of promise. Grant us more of your wisdom as we study your word, so that we will not forget our foolish boasting. Help us instead, to be quick to admit our sins and as we repent with tears as did David, Peter and other great characters; then Lord guide us by your Holy Spirit through this treacherous journey of human life. In Jesus name, Amen.

Photo: There's a guy down this alley that is supposed to be able to make keys.
Monday and Tuesday we walked the streets meeting people and doing some shopping around for the Television set that we eventually purchased yesterday. We hired a taxi and delivered a 26" flat screen TV to the Nikolaev Children's Hospital for the benefit of children who must remain in the hospital for long periods of time during treatment and recovery. Some kids who are brought to the hospital are homeless children found in the street, or from dysfunctional families. The staff must work with the parents, or if no hope, then children remain there for up to six months during treatment or residence. Then the staff works to place them in permanent orphan's homes. This $533 was not in our budget, but it is a need that jumped out at us on our last visit in May. We compared many shops and electronic discounters, and settled on a company located not too far from where we live. We were able to invite several people at these stores to our services, and two of them warmly received our invitation. Several people in the streets asked when we have our meetings. If you are able to participate in this donation for these children, please send your help to the Dalraida Church of Christ and mark for Binkley Russia Ukraine Missions. The address is included with this letter. Today we plan to open a Post Office Box so that we can begin to receive valuable Russian Language literature from East European Missions and Truth for Today. We also have a need for some English language Bibles for the Nigerian students who attend or services. Some of them only have the Bible that they brought from Nigeria in their native tongue. They know English better than Russian and are more comfortable with English during our studies. Yesterday, we started to organize a storage area in the office building where we meet so that we can make better use of our facilities. Our friend and brother Nikolai makes some of this space available to us free of charge, but since other family members are joint owners of part of the building, he must collect some rent from us for the space that we use. He gave us his keys to various rooms and we searched long and hard to find a person to make us copies. We were successful in the central bazaar! We are trying to cooperate with Nikolai by paying him partially for the space that we use. Tonight (Wednesday) we begin our "normal" mid-week Bible studies that will include Wednesday and Thursday nights. People push us to re-start the daily evening Bible studies, and God willing, we will do that as soon as we can take care of some other pressing matters connected with our living here. The work here brings great joy and hope as we serve our Lord Jesus Christ in this part of the world that was once a haven for many people who were aggressively opposed to the Gospel message. Now, we must work while it is day!

WORD OF THE DAY - Tuesday 11 August 2009

And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which sees the Son, and believes on him, may have eternal life: and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:40)

Our Dear God, Everlasting and Merciful Father in Heaven ~ Because of the huge gift of salvation made possible by the sacrifice of Christ our Lord, we praise you today for the true hope we have of eternal life that not even death can take away. Give us wisdom so that we will persevere through all the many trials and temptations of this earthly life and not turn away from being obedient to our precious Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

WORD OF THE DAY - Monday 10 August 2009

Nevertheless, I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. (Psalm 73:23)

Almighty God, Eternal and Glorious Father from whom comes all good things ~ Thank you for permitting us to enter your presence on this new day that is resplendent with blessings and challenges. You know us perfectly well, even to the point of knowing how we have often behaved stupidly and shamefully; even so, Father we are humbled and sincerely grateful that we can always count on your strong arm of help at all times. Please forgive us and strengthen us as we strive harder to be like Christ our Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

Sunday was another day of rejoicing due to the presence in our worship services of two teenage girls that were in attendance at our daily Children's Bible classes. We pray that Anna and Veronica will keep up their interest in the Lord and his word. The four university students from Nigeria are always a blessing with their excellent singing and the way they encourage everyone. It was also wonderful that Nikolai was back from a business trip, and able to be with us. We wanted all the students to have lunch with us at a cafeteria style place, but they had to be at a meeting at 2.00 and were concerned they would not have enough time to get there with all our fellowshipping. Later in the day, Viktor and Oxana with the boys came to our apartment and we had a delicious meal of some food left over from their Nikolaev rented apartment. Along with his other gifts, he is a good chef. At first they just wanted to feed the boys some soup that was left over since they checked out of the rented apartment Sunday morning. But it turned into a feast for all. They are now giving the boys a treat for a few days on the Black Sea that is only about an hour away. He hopes to catch some fish and the others want to play on the beach. We will see them again on Thursday as they pass back through Nikolaev on their way back to their home in Slavyansk.

WORD OF THE DAY - Sunday 09 August 2009

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38)

O LORD, our only God of refuge and strength! Hear our prayer on this new Lord's day as we assemble with other Christians in sweet Communion. We are indebted to Christ for making it possible for us to receive a full pardon for our sins by His death on that cruel cross. Help us also to remember the great things that He did while upon this earth and give us boldness and wisdom to truly be His followers by going around doing good wherever we find opportunities. In Jesus name, Amen.

We completed our special children's Bible classes on Friday. The last lesson that the children heard from the Bible was about Jesus on the cross. In those 8 intensive days, we covered the Bible in a broad stroke from beginning to end. They all went home with their own copy of the wonderful Children's Bible that is distributed by Eastern European Missions (EEM). They all were very excited about this and could hardly believe it was a gift to them. Saturday afternoon, Galina and I had some things to do at the office before today's worship, and as we were approaching the building where the church meets, one boy once again asked if they needed to pay for the things they received. His mother could not believe that we gave them things to take home!
Saturday afternoon, we had the opportunity to meet with our brother Nikolai, the man who invited us to come to Nikolaev and help begin a church of Christ in this city. We had a nice visit and ate some ice cream together at one of the many sidewalk cafes. We discussed some plans for the work of the church. Thank you for the many prayers! God is good, indeed.