WORD OF THE DAY - Thursday 06 September 2012 from Nikolaev, Ukraine

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)

научает руки мои брани, и мышцы мои сокрушают медный лук. (Псалтирь 17-35 Russia)

мої руки навчає до бою, і на рамена мої лука мідяного напинає. (Псалми 18-35 Ukrainian)

 O LORD our God, dear heavenly Father ~ we bow in your presence with hearts bursting with thanksgiving for all your merciful blessings on this new day. Give us the wisdom we need in order to have compassion on those whom you have mercy. Forgive us for the times when we have turned a deaf ear to the cries of those in deep despair. Help us to initiate contact with those who are open to your great love and kindness. We pray in Jesus name, Amen. 

 We were anticipating a great meeting with our new group of 4th year English students at the University, and we were not disappointed. This group will be the best we have had so far. Of course that is what we said about the previous ones and it was certainly true. When we walked in the door of the University, the first person we saw sitting in the rotunda area was Dasha, one of our previous WEI students. She is a first year student at the university and should do very well in the English language program. After we started walking up to the 5th floor where our room we use is located, Lesya came down to meet us halfway. She is the faculty member that these students must answer to for their work and grades. Once upstairs, we learned that two teachers in the program were cut and that is why Lesya has such a large group. We expected 30, but 1 was out sick and 2 were working. We used this first session to get acquainted with these new people and let each one tell about themselves. Several have travelled abroad and told about that. Two of the young women enjoyed time in America over the summer, even though their work was very difficult working at a hotels and restaurants. They were able to save some of the money they earned and came back with positive feelings about America. Other students told about the places they would love to go if they ever had the chance. New York, Chicago and Los Angeles topped their lists, and Germany came in second with Great Britain third. One poor girl touched our heart by telling how she would travel to Moldova if she could travel to another country because that is where her grandparents live. At the conclusion, I shared a handout with them about the Bible and offered a free New Testament to each person. We only had to carry a few back to the church office. These students and faculty members were delighted to receive the ballpoint pens with the light and imprint of a thought about Jesus Christ. Charles Campbell, our friend and brother from Montgomery, Alabama sent these for us to give away. In the evening, we only had 4 of us for the Wednesday evening Bible study. As Olamide says when we asked him from America how many were present, he would always say it seemed like a crowd to me. Thank you for the prayers.