WORD OF THE DAY - Friday 13 April 2012 Nikolaev, Ukraine

Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; (2 Timothy 2:11-12 NIV)

Верно слово: если мы с Ним умерли, то с Ним и оживем; если терпим, то с Ним и царствовать будем; если отречемся, и Он отречется от нас; (2-е Тимофею 2:11-12 Russian)

Вірне слово: коли разом із Ним ми померли, то й житимемо разом із Ним! А коли терпимо, то будемо разом також царювати. А коли відцураємось, то й Він відцурається нас! (2 Тимотей

2:11-12 Ukrainian)

Kind and Merciful Father in Heaven ~ thank you for giving us life along with necessary provisions and everything needed for our enjoyment. Give us wisdom to encourage one another to actively persevere in the one true faith of Christ Jesus that leads to eternal life. Help us as we encourage those outside of Christ to believe, repent, confess and die with Christ in baptism and rise up from the watery grave a new creature with hope of reigning with the Lord. We pray in Jesus name, Amen. 

Yesterday we realized our opportunity to go hunting the city for those ceramic cups and dishes that we promised the House of Babies this week was rapidly running out. So, we had to postpone several studies with eager WEI students and go shopping. We ended up where we started back at the large central market. We found a dealer there who had some of just what we needed tucked back in a warehouse storage area. He let us help him dig them out and blow the dust off the wrappers. These were made at a factory in Ukraine and are made so that the home of orphan babies can boil them in order to sanitize them. They don't have a dishwasher, so they wash dishes by hand and boil them. We called a taxi to help us deliver the 70 cups and 30 plates. We still need to buy 30 more cups and 70 plates. That will hopefully be a project for one day next week. By the time we arrived at the Babies Home, Olga - the director was almost ready to go home. But, she knew we were tying to get there by the end of the day and waited. She was very pleased with the quality. She said "Perfect, that is exactly what we need!" She showed us how they had already purchased some paint and started painting the outdoor playground equipment. In their gardens, we noticed some tulips about to bloom and a few buttercups already shining their spring blooms. We let the taxi go and took our long and pleasant walk back toward the center of the city. 

WORD OF THE DAY - Tuesday 03 April Nikolaev, Ukraine

The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:26)

Последний же враг истребится--смерть, (1-е Коринфянам 15:26 Russian)

Як ворог останній смерть знищиться, (1 Коринтяни 15:26 Ukrainian)

Almighty God, our Dear Heavenly Father ~ our hearts overflow with praise on this new day as we consider the wonder and fragility of life. Our passion for life is stirred up as we witness the indomitable strength of the spanking new shoots that are bursting up through hard ground at this time of year and will soon be beautiful flowers. Give us wisdom so that we will believe even more strongly that all those who are in Christ will see the end of sin and death when we receive our new eternal bodies when Christ comes to take us home. We pray in the precious name of Jesus, Amen.

We began the week yesterday morning by a visit with Olga Ivanovna who is the director of the House of Babies here in Nikolaev. In 2009, we first became acquainted with Dr. Olga and this very well managed institution that is always tidy inside and now looks great outside with beautiful spring bulbs beginning to peep up from the ground. We took some "pampers" that we purchase locally, and some "Teddy Bears" that were shipped with love from Kathy Taylor at the University Church of Christ in Oxford, Ohio. Olga let us know how much the children will enjoy these gifts and the staff will enjoy the “pampers”. She gave us a list of items that they really need help with at the present time. They need to paint the playground equipment and we made a partial donation to help with this. The total cost of paint will be $75. They really need to purchase some "rubber sheets" to cover the beds of the 125 children ages 0 - 4. They use this as well on the changing tables. Olga made a phone call to a supplier of this medical plastic sheeting and she can buy 50 meters for $158. We also agreed to purchase some china cups and plates for the 125 kids since they must sterilize them each time and cannot use plastic or paper cups. We did a little window shopping for this yesterday and think we know where we can buy those. Thirty of the children are ages 4 to 7 and are in a special needs group. These are Down's syndrome, autistic and cerebral palsy and other debilitating conditions. Some of these children have families who are not able to care for them due to their work schedules.

After doing a little shopping, we stopped by one of the places where we like to go when Americans are visiting us. It has a Southwestern U.S. and Ukrainian mix menu. We shared a quesadilla and some American style coffee. After that we kept walking back to the church meeting place where we only had a few minutes for me to make my final rushed preparations for our first session with some 4th year students. We arrived huffing and puffing to our 5th floor meeting room exactly on-time. We will be meeting with this group each Monday at noon. Some of them remembered us when we visited them in 2009 when they were in lower classes. There were only 8 students present and we hope to have more next week. They are very bright and eager to study. When we returned to the office, we met with Elena the directory and she agreed to let us give up room 33 - our WEI room until we need it in September when we plan to conduct another campaign. As we were leaving the University, once again we ran into Denis who received a diploma back in the summer when we had our campaign. He and Marina (also one of our graduates) will be going to the USA this summer on the Work Travel program. They are both very bright young people who will learn what it is like to clean hotel rooms and or bus tables for a few months. This program will allow them to save some money for next year.

Once back at the office, we had more time to devote to Alexander yesterday afternoon. He continues to amaze us with the way he continues to improve in his knowledge of English and the Bible. He is hoping to win a scholarship to study for a Master's Degree in the USA.

WORD OF THE DAY - Sunday 01 April 2012 Nikolaev, Ukraine

Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:64)

Иисус говорит ему: ты сказал; даже сказываю вам: отныне узрите Сына Человеческого, сидящего одесную силы и грядущего на облаках небесных. (От Матфея 26:64 Russian)

Промовляє до нього Ісус: Ти сказав... А навіть повім вам: відтепер ви побачите Людського Сина, що сидітиме праворуч сили Божої, і на хмарах небесних приходитиме! (Матей 26:64 Ukrainian)

Almighty God, our Dear Father in Heaven ~ thank you for this new Lord’s Day that greets fellow believers around the world with the challenge and joyful opportunity to assemble with others of the same precious faith. Be with us Lord as we gather to honor our Savior with our lips and sincere hearts. Give us wisdom and boldness so that we will not be slack in declaring the majestic wonders of Christ our Lord and King. We pray in the blessed name of Jesus, Amen.

We were so thrilled Saturday morning when we called to be sure we could come be with the boys. We always enjoy spending quality time with the orphan boys. Some of the boys were still on their spring break. They must return today from their relatives. The boys we were with yesterday have no relatives who care about them. The lesson we studied from the scriptures had to do with being honest people. We love it when they tell us what the Bible verse they memorized means to them! The taxi driver who carried us out there recognized us and commented that he hopes all our efforts were not in vain. We assured him that God's Word never comes back void. Not exactly with those words, but he got the message. Many people in the community are cynical about this place because the boys all leave when they finish 9th grade and then go to trade school where they can also get a diploma. The sad statistics are that most of these young folks will get in trouble once they are back out on their own and so many eventually go to prison. That sad truth is not just about Ukraine, it is a worldwide reality. We are praying and working fervently to put some small spark of hope in their minds as they learn what it means to live with faith in the Son of God. I was telling them to never forget how much God loves them and D & G love them. Nikolai (Kolya) responded before the sentence was finished that they love us. One boy told us yesterday told Mama Galina how his mother left him when he was three. His father is serving a long prison sentence for killing a person. He has a sister that he doesn't remember and longs to have contact with her. We will try our best to help him. It will be very difficult since she lives in Russia. Galina had prepared a nice gift bag for each boy with a pair of underwear (from Pudzis), socks (Peggy Nims), toothpaste and all boys got a Hot Wheels (from several friends in USA) car and some bite size Hershey candy from Chuck in the USA. We always give them a Snickers bar that we purchase locally. The boys who were not here yesterday will receive their package next week when they return. We also gave everyone a 48 page composition notebook for their exams. We buy these locally from a merchant we met on our first trip here. As they always like to do, a group of boys followed us outside and had some fun with us. Several of them had fun trying on my tri-focals.

WORD OF THE DAY - Wednesday 21 March 2012

5th yr English students Mykolaiv State Pedagogical Universtiy

You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. (James 2:24)

Видите ли, что человек оправдывается делами, а не верою только? (Иакова 2:24 Russian)

Отож, чи ви бачите, що людина виправдується від діл, а не тільки від віри? (Яков 2:24 Ukrainian)

Oleh - Advanced WEI student

Dear God, our Merciful Father in Heaven ~ we thank you on this new day that sparkles with fresh proof of your real presence in our lives. Help all believers and those outside of Christ to realize that we are all accountable for how we obey Christ as Lord. Give us wisdom to comprehend that a mere profession of faith is not the same as becoming an obedient follower of the Way. We pray in the precious name of Jesus, Amen. 

New WEI student - Olga

Olamide - Graduate of WEI Advanced course now studying scriptures

WORD OF THE DAY- Friday 16 March 2012 from Nikolaev, Ukraine

Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. (2 Corinthians 6:1 ESV)

Мы же, как споспешники, умоляем вас, чтобы благодать Божия не тщетно была принята вами.  (2-е Коринфянам 6:1 Russian)

Ми працюємо разом з Богом. Тож благаємо вас усіх: не змарнуйте благодаті Божої, яку ви одержали. (2 Коринтяни 6:1 Ukrainian ERV)

Dear God, our Most Holy Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for this new day that arrives with clear hopes for a bright tomorrow. Give us greater understanding of your word as we continue to be submissive to the rule of Christ. Help us to live righteously as the recipients of your amazing grace that brings us reconciliation. In the blessed name of Jesus we pray, Amen. 

Yesterday, we spent valuable time at the University with our 5th year English students. Lesya is the contact person who makes these appointments on behalf of Tetyana who is the Chair of the English department. Due to the nationwide impact of the Euro 2012 Football extravaganza that will be held in Donetsk, universities will be ending their year practically a month early. They are scrambling to finish up their studies in preparation for final exams next month.  Lesya explained that we only have a couple more weeks with our students. When we finished up at the university, on the way down from the 5^th floor we met Nastya in the stairwell. She was delighted to see us and walked with us back to the church meeting place since she had an appointment for her WEI study at 2.00. Vladimir, the director of the Boys Home came to meet with us and showed us the paperwork regarding their desperate situation with their electricity bill. Even though we have no such money in our budget, we agreed to help them pay the bill so that he could go and pay before they cut off power to the school. They have been cutting back tremendously on their usage by not using the shop’s power tools, rarely using overhead lights, and reducing heat and cooking time. The shop teacher has still been teaching the boys to do many useful things with their hand tools. The problem stems from the budgetary cuts made by the powers that be in the federal education department in Kiev. The amount of funding they receive was reduced almost 6 times the previous amount which was barely sustainable. This school does not come under the local administration and depends upon federal support. Later we had a very productive study with Nastya and when she was finished, it was time for our appointment with Tanya. Tanya has almost completed all lessons in the WEI Intermediate Course. Her sister Anya as scheduled to come at 5.30, but since she could not come we continued working with Tanya. We are always amazed at the many exciting opportunities and challenges that God brings our way each day. 

WORD OF THE DAY - Tuesday 07 February 2012

 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Timothy 4:16 ESV)

Вникай в себя и в учение; занимайся сим постоянно: ибо, так поступая, и себя спасешь и слушающих тебя. (1-е Тимофею 4:16 Russian)

Дбай про своє життя і вчення. Будь наполегливим у цьому, бо так ти спасеш і себе, і тих, хто тебе слухає. (1 Тимотей 4:16 Ukrainian ERV)

Dear Heavenly Father ~ thank you for the brightness of your love that greets us on this new day. Give wisdom, strength and courage to all who preach the doctrine of Christ so that our lives will be in harmony with our teaching. Help us to always be vigilant in order to win more souls to Christ. We pray in the blessed name of Jesus our Lord, Amen. 

In spite of the lingering cold yesterday that still hangs on and refuses to go above freezing all over Ukraine, we were blessed to study English using the Bible and the WEI lessons with four dedicated students. Anna, Tatyana, Igor and Andrei braved the cold with us. Alexander also came by for his appointment in the afternoon, but by that time we learned from Elena the director of our building that they suffered a serious breakdown in the heating of the building. We appointed a new time for Sasha and abandoned the room when it felt like a good place to hang meat. The temperature in the building never went above 7 C /45 F. We are hoping that it will be repaired by tomorrow. Today we remained home since we got too cold yesterday and our bodies need to recover from the aches and pains that go with getting cold especially when you are young at heart. Since we use portable computers, we maintain an office here at our apartment and one at the church meeting place. Today we got out in the cold for a couple of hours to take care of some things at the Post Office and to shop for things we need for visiting the Boys Home Saturday and the University on Thursday. We regularly correspond with the church in Magadan. Olga shared some good news about one girl that we met sometime ago when her Papa, who was a friend of Ivan would give us a ride from the airport or to the airport from our apartment in Magadan. She is now 11 years old and Olga discussed the Bible with her and the excellent lessons in the children's "My First Bible" from EEM that we often use in teaching children. Her father recently died and he prevented the family from learning much about Jesus Christ since he was devoted to Islam to a degree. Now the girl wants all her family to know about Jesus! This is a very exciting development for all the work that Olga and the church have been doing in Magadan for many years with children of all ages. 

WORD OF THE DAY - Monday 06 February 2012 from Nikolaev, Ukraine

 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.  (Acts 1:14 ESV)

Все они единодушно пребывали в молитве и молении, с [некоторыми] женами и Мариею, Материю Иисуса, и с братьями Его. (Деяния 1:14 Russian)

Всі вони постійно молилися разом. З ними було й кілька жінок, а також Марія, Ісусова мати, і Його брати. (Деяния 1:14 Ukrainian ERV)

Dear LORD God, our Heavenly Father ~ Thank you for bringing us safely to this new day that pulses with even more spectacular opportunities and blessings that emanate from your vast treasure of goodness and mercy. Grant us more of the wisdom of Christ so that we will make sound plans and execute them in such a manner that many souls will be turned to Christ around the world in our generation. Help us to be more like those early disciples who always found time to pray with fervent faith. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, Amen. 

We had only 11 souls who came to our services yesterday. Nevertheless, we had a most refreshing service with a study of God's plan of salvation. Later, we had our time of "tea" or fellowship. Our brother Stepan called us on Saturday evening telling us that he was feeling very sick. We offered to visit with him and take him some medicine. He lives with his grandson, and he got on the phone and assured us that he would make sure that Stepan had medicine or whatever he needed. We missed him during worship and later called to tell him hello from everyone. We also learned that our sister Elena is home sick and we let everyone greet her over the phone. After the fellowship, we had studies with Omo and Natasha. Omo has been studying the church with me and we also discussed God's salvation. He has been sick for several days and we were very happy to see him. We noticed that he is still harboring some congestion. Natasha is one of our very first students. We met her before we were doing any regular paid advertising. She has completed all her work in the Intermediate course. Next Sunday we will present her a certificate signed by Dick Ady that he left with us from our campaign. Two people have indicated that they are ready to obey the gospel of Christ in baptism. One wants to wait for 2 weeks. We will use this time to find a suitable place for the baptism and continue to study with them about faith and repentance. Ukrainians who have lived here for many decades do not recall a winter month where the temperatures do not rise above the freezing level for any 24 hour period. In this kind of weather everything gets cold and stays that way. We are mindful of the many poor people who are looking for a bite to eat and something warm to wear. We continue to be amazed at the good people who come to us with sincere hearts wanting to learn English using the Bible. They quickly become our dear friends and we think of them like family.