WORD OF THE DAY - 02 mAY 2011 from Mykolaiv, Ukraine

And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:11 NIV)

И такими были некоторые из вас; но омылись, но освятились, но оправдались именем Господа нашего Иисуса Христа и Духом Бога нашего.  (1-е Коринфянам 6:11 Russian)

І такими були дехто з вас, але ви обмились, але освятились, але виправдались Іменем Господа Ісуса Христа й Духом нашого Бога. (1 Коринтяни 6:11 Ukrainian)

Y esto erais algunos: mas ya sois lavados, mas ya sois santificados, mas ya sois justificados en el nombre del Señor Jesús, y por el Espíritu de nuestro Dios. (1 Corintios 6:11 Spanish)

Dear God, our Heavenly Father ~ Thank you for the dawn of a new day that arrives with an overabundance of physical, material and spiritual blessings for those whose eyes are open to your kindness. Give us wisdom as we consider our own personal salvation from the guilt of sin and help us to be more successful in teaching others about the true joy that is possible only by obeying Christ as Lord. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

There were only 5 people present for worship yesterday. The morning began with many celebrations and demonstrations marking the May 1 holiday which is a big event here in the former Soviet Union. The first demonstration close to our apartment was a group of people loyal to the old USSR carrying the Hammer & Sickle flags. There are still those who hope for a revival of this atheistic and inhumane form of civil government. Apparently they were among the few who enjoyed special benefits from the Party. Other people marked the 1st of May by going back to the home of their parents and grandparents and decorating the graves. For many people this event is more important than the Lord's Day on which we remember our Lord Jesus Christ. Of course in the USA, some major sport event often trumps worshipping with the saints. It was a special blessing for us that Nastya received permission from her parents to visit our services again. She told about spending 4 years in a special children’s home for children with severe illnesses. We’re not certain what her condition was, but it was something related to her heart or circulatory system. She is very bright and proudly explained that she had read 120 pages of the Children’s Bible we gave her last Sunday. She has an excellent recall of what she has read. Next Sunday Galina invited her to come at 11.30 before we have our worship services and we will restart our Sunday Bible school program with this one child with a sincere desire to know about God’s love. After a period of fellowship with Stepan, Luda and Nastya, we walked home through the center of town to inspect the advertising posters we have around the city. Today is still not a working day since the 1 May holiday came on Sunday. Sadly, for far too many people, this is just another weekend to get drunk. We are not sure if anyone will be thinking about English today or maybe we’ll start receiving calls for appointments tomorrow. Please join us in prayer as we ask God’s help in reaching lost souls in this great city of southern Ukraine.