WORD OF THE DAY - Saturday 29 January 2011 Nikolaev, Ukraine

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. (Hebrews 10:35-36 ESV)

Итак не оставляйте упования вашего, которому предстоит великое воздаяние. Терпение нужно вам, чтобы, исполнив волю Божию, получить обещанное; (К Евреям 10:35-36 Russian)

Тож не відкидайте відваги своєї, бо має велику нагороду вона. Бо вам терпеливість потрібна, щоб Божу волю вчинити й прийняти обітницю. (Евреи 10:35-36 Ukrainian)

No perdáis pues vuestra confianza, que tiene grande remuneración de galardón: Porque la paciencia os es necesaria; para que, habiendo hecho la voluntad de Dios, obtengáis la promesa. (Hebreos 10:35-36 Spanish)

Most Holy and Merciful God, our Dear Heavenly Father ~ we praise you for making it possible for us to enjoy another day of life with loved ones, good friends in the faith, and friends in our communities. Give us wisdom and patience so that we will be joyful even in times of severe hardship, and be faithful in carrying out your will for our lives so that we will enter our heavenly home as we trust and obey Christ our Lord. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Yesterday on one of my excursions through the city, I noticed some young folks having fun with a friendly snow ball fight.

The stamina and dogged determination of the local artists to sell their wares regardless of rain, sleet or snow always amazes me. As I passed this area near the central park yesterday, I overheard some haggling over one painting that resulted in the artist and customer with satisfaction in the end. This always makes me wonder why we don’t have more determined workers for the Lord who will keep up the good fight of faith no matter what the conditions or the opposition. Let us pray for a great revival of evangelism in all countries of the world!

There was a story on one of the local Mykolayiv TV channels yesterday about some boys who wandered out onto the frozen river. They came upon a place that looked like the ice was thin. Then they apparently began tamping on the ice to test how hard it was frozen. Then they fell in the frigid water! They all got out safely and in their frozen and wet clothing made it to their homes and hospital where they were receiving care. After seeing that report, I decided to walk up to the river and see just how frozen it was. From the top of the bank near the location of the regional and city government buildings, there is a street that is winding down to the river. Boys were skiing and sledding down this steep incline and seemed to having the time of their lives. Obviously there is not much traffic of boats or ships up the channel these days. This area is also the location of one of the important shipyards here in Nikolaev. The pedestrian bridge makes it possible for people to walk from a residential area north of the river into the center of the city.  It is also a place where many newlyweds go for photographs.

After the closing bell of the banking establishments, our sharp English student Ludmila was able to take some time out of her busy schedule to resume her studies of English using the Bible and the WEI lessons. As always, she had insightful comments and questions. From the 32 people that we previously had studying with us, so far we have 9 that we can count on to continue their studies. Some of the others will trickle back in. Soon, we will resume our advertising and that will hopefully produce more students who have interest in English and the Bible. Thank you for the prayers.

WORD OF THE DAY - Sunday 15 August 2010 From Mykolayiv, Ukraine

In just one small area of Nikolaev, there is a seemingly endless view of high-rise apartment buildings where many families and single people live. Some people live in their own private houses, but the largest segment of the population continues to live in these type structures. Many incomplete construction projects of these buildings flounder for lack of funding due to the prevailing economic crisis. From the vantage point of the building where the church meets, we have a view of where several thousand people live, work, study and play. We hope to be able to influence more of these residents to also add worship to their routine activities. Thank you for your ardent prayers and sincere words of encouragement as we work to increase the exposure of the gospel here in Nikolaev.
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. (Hebrews 10:36 NIV)

Терпение нужно вам, чтобы, исполнив волю Божию, получить обещанное. (К Евреям 10:36 Russian)

Бо вам терпеливість потрібна, щоб Божу волю вчинити й прийняти обітницю. (Евреи 10:36 Ukrainian)

Almighty God, our Dear Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for the gift of life on this new Lord’s Day that arrives with fresh opportunities for believers around the world to assemble with sincere hearts as we honor our risen Lord Jesus Christ. Give us wisdom and patience as we encounter various trials of our faith so that we will muster our resistance to the Devil and endure until the appearance of Christ. Help us to be humble and obedient servants as we wait to receive the great and precious promises. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

WORD OF THE DAY - 16 January 2010

But the one who endures to the end will be saved. (Matthew 24:13)

претерпевший же до конца спасется. (От Матфея 24:13 Russian)

А хто витерпить аж до кінця, той буде спасений! (Матей 24:13 Ukrainian)

Most Holy, Powerful and Righteous God, our Dear Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for the sparkling gift of life on this new day that arrives with reminders of the uncertainty of the number of days on this earth and also the awareness of the many opportunities we encounter to be the good people that you want us to be. Give us wisdom as we study the scriptures in search of truth revealed in Christ our Lord. Give us courage even in the face of calamities to cling to Him for eternal salvation. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.
Our hearts are experiencing mixed emotions as we rush to take care of many necessary last minute details prior to catching the train to Kiev very late tonight - 02.30 Sunday morning. Yesterday as we walked through the beautiful park next to the "church building" (Palace of Culture), we encountered several groups of young people having snow ball fights. If it was not so cold, or another word that rhymes with cold, we would probably have stopped and joined in the fray. We completed paying our various fees in advance so that the church will be able to continue their meetings here without any problems. We also paid advance rent on our apartment so that we can leave many of our belongings until we return in about eight weeks. We are just amazed at the warmth and sincere feelings we receive from people everywhere that we have become friends with. We received a note of "we love you!" from faculty and friends at the University. The nice babushka who looks after many things in the meeting hall, said every time she thinks about us not being there every day she starts crying. One man who works there as a security person and also has a room where he can do his oil paintings said he also feels like crying. Of course we have all the same emotions regarding the love we have for people in the church as well as those friends we have made in many different places in this community. Today, we have a meeting scheduled with members of the church so that I can inform everyone about the opportunities and responsibilities they have while we are gone. Yesterday I completed writing down some of my thoughts and suggestions and Galina then spent time working to translate it into Russian. When I started, I told her it would just be a few words. She calls it First Nikolonians. Since we just entered a period of hard freeze after some melting of snow, we expect it will be very difficult for people to navigate around the city. However, we are never disappointed at their stamina and determination to be faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for the many prayers and words of encouragement about this special harvest field here in Ukraine. God is truly opening hearts to receive the message of salvation through obedient faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.