WORD OF THE DAY - 27 August 2011 from Magadan, Russia

It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:26)

во время долготерпения Божия, к показанию правды Его в настоящее время, да явится Он праведным и оправдывающим верующего в Иисуса. (К Римлянам 3:26 Russian)

Con la mira de manifestar su justicia en este tiempo: para que él sea el justo, y el que justifica al que es de la fe de Jesús. (Romanos 3:26 Spanish)

Our Dear Heavenly Father ~ Thank you for the spectacular gift of life on this new day that breaks over the horizon with proof positive that we are loved and cared for by your providential care. Give us wisdom as we think about those who boldly presume that their sins are insignificant and hidden from your eyes. Help us to be more effective in communicating your message to the lost that we can be fully justified in your sight because of our faith in Christ our Lord who died on the Cross to remove the guilt we bear and the penalty for our many sins. With faith in Jesus, we pray in His name, Amen.

Dima, who is he son of our Olga has "grown up in the church", came by yesterday for some conversation and counsel. We enjoy talking with him and sympathize with his attempts to get some direction in his life. Our study with Maxim began on time and he was well prepared and when he realized that he would not have only one more class before we leave Magadan tomorrow, he decided to complete Advanced Course Lesson 7 & 8. We plan to spend a little time with him later today going over his results. We had good attendance and participation in our Bible study about the Kingdom of God - the glorious Church. Following the study, we had our usual time of tea and fellowship. Olga always has some snack prepared to share, and we decided to buy another watermelon since it is a rare treat here in Magadan. Then, Anna came in with some freshly cooked halibut and some salmon caviar. It was another feast and occasion to enjoy one another’s company. As we were setting up for the tea, a young man came in with his girlfriend and asked about English classes. Alexander is 21 and Rita is 17. We went over the World English Institute course in brief with them and explained that we will be leaving on Sunday. He asked "and what are we supposed to do?" So, we will meet with them again today for a few minutes since we have so many people to see today. We suggested that they register for the WEI on-line course and ask for DB to be their teacher. They agreed with this and Alexander said they would go and register immediately. While we were having tea and I was still discussing our lesson with Maxim, Ivan was helping Vasily get registered as a student with the Institute of Theology and Christian Missions in St. Petersburg. Ivan is already a student with ITCM. Earlier in the day, Galina helped me scan and send a letter of recommendation for Vasily who was baptized along with his wife Katya here in our bathtub over 12 years ago. Vasily preaches when Ivan is working or away from Magadan as he will be soon when he comes to Nikolaev to preach for several Sundays while we are in the USA. We are getting down to the wire as the time approaches for us to leave Magadan and we realized how much this trip means to us and the local church since they very seldom have any visitors either from the USA or Russia. Hopefully, regular airline service will be resumed between Alaska and Magadan in the near future. Thank you for the prayers for this work and our work in Nikolaev, Ukraine.

WORD OF THE DAY - Friday 05 August 2011 Nikolaev, Ukraine

Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. (John 3:23 NIV)

А Иоанн также крестил в Еноне, близ Салима, потому что там было много воды; и приходили туда и крестились, (От Иоанна 3:23 Russian)

Y bautizaba también Juan en Enón junto á Salim, porque había allí muchas aguas; y venían, y eran bautizados. (Juan 3:23 Spanish)

Dear God, our Gracious and Loving Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for this new day and the message of salvation that motivates sinners to surrender to Christ as Lord and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. Help all new Christians who have been saved by the blood of our Savior to remain faithful to their sincere repentance, confession of faith and baptism that unites them with all other believers around the world. Give church leaders the wisdom they need in order to restore New Testament baptism to its proper place in preaching and teaching. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

We had another highly charged day as we basked in God's amazing grace. At 09.30 we went down to the river for a brief Bible study, prayer and then we heard Olya's confession of faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Even at that time of day, we had the usual crowd of bikini clad senior witnesses who stopped what they were doing to witness all details of this baptism. After Olya came up out of the water we heard a Hallelujah from the shore and thought it was probably Natasha. Back on the shore, we sang our favorite baptism song "O Happy Day" and prayed again before we went back up to the church meeting place. Elena the director of the hall was there and shared our joy as did a few others. We have more pictures of this joyous event, and I will post more on Facebook. When I put too many pictures with E-mail it gives some people severe complications to open their mail. We had English classes using the Bible and World English Institute courses yesterday with Olya, Dasha, Maria, Anna, Oksana and Lera a new student brought by Oksana. Then in the evening, we had our Thursday night Bible study with Luda, Stepan, Natasha and her neighbor Tatiana. The 6 of us enjoyed a good time together in thanksgiving and being discipled by the Word. Thank you for your prayers of faith for this mission work here in southern Ukraine.

WORD OF THE DAY - Friday 15 July 2011 from Mykolaiv, Ukraine

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, (Ephesians 3:20 ESV)

А Тому, Кто действующею в нас силою может сделать несравненно больше всего, чего мы просим, или о чем помышляем, (К Ефесянам 3:20 Russian)

Y á Aquel que es poderoso para hacer todas las cosas mucho más abundantemente de lo que pedimos ó entendemos, por la potencia que obra en nosotros, (Efesios 3:20 Spanish)

Most Holy and Awesome God, our Dear Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for the invigorating spark of life that awakens our mortal bodies on this new day that is pulsing with fresh opportunities to allow your love within us to shine forth to others. Grant us more of your wisdom so that we will comprehend the exceedingly great power of your Spirit who is working in the church around the world. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Anna, one of our Advanced WEI students was the first person to study with yesterday morning. We have become friends with her and she now attends our Sunday worship on a regular basis.

Olamide was our next student of the day. Like Anna, he is an Advanced WEI student and yesterday passed the Grammar Test in Book Two of the Advanced English course. Olamide recently brought his friend Omo (also known as Elijah) and fellow student at the Shipbuilding University. Elijah is currently studying Russian language in preparation to beginning his regular studies in the fall. He completed the Introductory Lesson of WEI course and we gave him Lesson One.

Olya and Dasha came next for their studies. Dasha already completed the Intermediate Course and received her diploma. She is now studying the WEI Advanced Course with us. Then we studied with her friend Olya who has now completed all 7 lessons in Book One of the Intermediate Course.

We had about an hour of free time to make a run down to the mobile phone company to pay our bill so that we can have computer access in the office and also pay for our cell phone usage. Then after we dashed back in the heat, we got back in time to greet Luda who arrived first for our Thursday evening Bible study. Also present were our two new sisters Natasha and Elena who was baptized on Wednesday. She was very happy to show that she has marked the pages of the books of the Bible in the Russian Bible we gave her when we began to study with her. Later, our faithful brother Stepan arrived after he missed the tram that he and Luda usually ride together. We had a phone call in the evening from Pavel whose mother is very ill here in Nikolaev. He said she is not showing much improvement. Thank you for the prayers and encouragement.

WORD OF THE DAY - Thursday 14 July 2011 from Nikolaev, Ukraine

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:13)

А теперь во Христе Иисусе вы, бывшие некогда далеко, стали близки Кровию Христовою. (К Ефесянам 2:13 Russian)

Mas ahora en Cristo Jesús, vosotros que en otro tiempo estabais lejos, habéis sido hechos cercanos por la sangre de Cristo. (Efesios 2:13 Spanish)

Almighty God, our Dear Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for the amazing gift of life on this new day that brings more blessings along with trials to strengthen our faith. Give us more of your perfect wisdom so that we will more fully appreciate the glorious nature of the church of God which Jesus purchased with his own blood. Give all believers the indisputable understanding that all people on earth can now be entirely united with one another in the one Body of Christ. In the blessed name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Wednesday was another blessing filled day! We concluded our activities with the church after we assembled for our mid-week Bible study and prayer meeting when we walked down to the river. We heard Elena make her confession of faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. She also confessed that "He died for my sins." There were many spectators down at the little beach near the Yacht Club. We tried to walk to an area where we would not disturb them, but many of them wanted to observe the baptism. Some were even capturing the event on their cameras and videos. One man in the crowd was from America and he came over to tell us how much this scene revived his faith in the Lord. We hope we will have another opportunity to meet with him while he is here.

Elena, between Olya and DB walks down to the river with a joyful heart over her salvation that has everyone rejoicing in the power of the gospel of Christ!

 Earlier in the day we were busy with our WEI students, Kesha and his wife Nadya. They suggested to study with us together, so we met with them in the room we rented for the recent WEI campaign. It is slightly cooler than our regular room, so I used Jon's desk and let them doodle on his pad. Everyone misses each of the 4 teachers we had with us. They all worked with great energy and sharp focus on our mission.

Olamide came by and we worked some with him on his Advanced Course lessons.

Then we had a good time of studies with Dasha and Olya the teenage girls who add so much spark to our daily activities. They wanted to be with us for the baptism and Olya made a video of much of the event.

We had another very productive session with Tatiana and her son Kyrill. While I was teaching them, Tatiana's husband Andrey was studying with Galina. He needs more help with English since he resorts back to Russian in his conversations. Kyrill left yesterday by train to return to his work in Kiev. He is a very bright young man and we will continue studying with him utilizing the convenient World English Institute on-line lessons.

Wednesday night Bible as we prepared for Elena's baptism. Thank you for remembering this rich harvest field in your prayers.

WORD OF THE DAY - Thursday 07 July 2011 from Nikolaev, Ukraine

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. (Romans 6:12 NIV)

Итак да не царствует грех в смертном вашем теле, чтобы вам повиноваться ему в похотях его; (К Римлянам 6:12 Russian)

No reine, pues, el pecado en vuestro cuerpo mortal, para que le obedezcáis en sus concupiscencias; (Romanos 6:12 Spanish)

O LORD God, our Dear Father in Heaven ~ Thank you for the joy and bliss we experience on another new day as we ponder the amazing gift of life that resides in our frail bodies. Give us wisdom and stronger faith so that we will not allow sin to dominate our lives. Help us to maintain control over our thoughts, desires and plans so that we are engaged in thinking and doing good which is the mark of all true followers of Christ. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Yesterday was another day of experiencing the joy of hard labor. The only problem we have with living in an apartment in Nikolaev is the lack of outdoor activities except for our frequent walks which more than makes up for the joy of gardening. We went to the train station here in Slavyansk and bought our tickets back to Nikolaev. We are scheduled to leave tomorrow night and arrive on Saturday in the early afternoon. Many people are going south to the Black Sea, so we had to take this train instead of one that would get us home earlier in the day. It is very efficient that we are able to receive phone calls here in Slavyansk from our fellow Christians, WEI students and prospective students. We continue to schedule people for appointments while we are here. Thank you for the prayers.

WORD OF THE DAY - Wednesday 06 July 2011 from Mykolaiv, Ukraine

Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. (Psalm 5:12 NIV)

Ибо Ты благословляешь праведника, Господи; благоволением, как щитом, венчаешь его. (Псалтирь 5:12 Russian 5-13)

Porque tú, Señor, bendices a los justos; cual escudo los rodeas con tu buena voluntad. (Salmos 5:12 Spanish NVI)

Dear LORD God Almighty, our Heavenly Father ~ Thank you for the indescribable gift of life that ignites a burning fire within our feeble bodies so that we can rejoice in the knowledge that we are being overseen and cared for by your providence. Give us wisdom so that we will always perceive righteousness as superior to the boastings of the wicked. Surround us by your mercy and grace as we travel through this life on our way home. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

In this part of Ukraine which is north of the city of Donetsk and south of Kharkov, we have been getting some rain each day. That means the garden is lush with vibrantly growing vegetable plants, fruit trees and bushes along with grape vines. There are also plenty of fresh weeds that I enjoyed culling out while Galina washed clothes the old fashioned way outside in the big wash tub near the well. We spent much time yesterday in long lines at the passport office which seems like something we always do in Ukraine. The old archaic residency requirements that hark back to Soviet days give citizens plenty to fume about when they think about their politicians. We had good news yesterday that our brother Ivan from Magadan, is planning to visit Nikolaev along with his wife Nadya in September. Each time we visit America and I have an opportunity to say something about our work in Ukraine or Russia, I always ask for fresh helpers in this vineyard of the Lord. We are always looking for people who will say, "I will work, I will pray, I will labor everyday in the vineyard of the Lord." The church here benefited greatly from the recent visit of Dick Ady's group which also included Charles Chandler, Jon Rawlings and Mike Soto. Last year we were blessed with the visit of Brian and Liz Wakefield and the love and energy they left behind is still energizing for the church. Brother Ivan worked among us in 2009 in order for us to be away and the church still fondly remembers his contribution. We were also encouraged by a visit from our sister Olga in Magadan. As we make plans for the future work here in Nikolaev, we hope that more people will make their plans to come over here and help us sow the active and productive seeds of the gospel in good and honest hearts that will bring much fruit. Thank you for never giving up praying about this work. As always, it remains our high priority to identify a Ukrainian person who will have a burning desire to work for the Lord here in this part of Ukraine.

WORD OF THE DAY Tuesday 05 July 2011 from Nikolaev, Ukraine

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4)

 Блаженны плачущие, ибо они утешатся. (От Матфея 5:4 Russian)

Bienaventurados los que lloran: porque ellos recibirán consolación. (Mateo 5:4 Spanish)

Dear God, our Father of comfort in this life ~ Thank you for the blessing of joy on this new day as we find fresh reasons to rejoice because of our faith in what we do not see with our physical eyes, but with our eyes of faith. As we witness so much suffering among people we know and love due to the ravages of sin, help us not to be overcome by grief since we know Christ has conquered sin and we shall also overcome this world with our obedient faith. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Yesterday after we arrived here in Slavyansk, our young friend Nastya called to greet us for the 4th of July holiday. She is very kind and thoughtful girl and is responsible for us having a Sunday school even though she is often the only one in attendance. We also had calls from new prospective students who want to meet with us next week to begin their World English Institute studies. Olya, our 16 year old friend who will begin her studies next week called to hear our voice. She and her friend Dasha miss us and want us back in Nikolaev.

While we were riding the train from Nikolaev to Donetsk yesterday morning, it was enjoyable to see the beautiful Ukrainian countryside and the homes with fresh flowers, prosperous gardens and numerous fruit trees along with chickens, cows, pigs, goats, ducks and geese. It is a way of life in Ukraine that I hope modern urbanization never changes. We also received a phone message from Ivan in Magadan, Russia. Later we learned from him that our sister Galina Gerkina will be visiting with us on her vacation in a few days. Today we have much work to do here to help Mama Elena with her large garden. She will give us instructions and we must carefully follow them so that we don't disturb the producing plants. She is having kidney problems and refuses to see a doctor. Last night as we talked things over, she said that she will continue to use herbs from her garden that are good for the kidneys and be content with whatever life God gives her. Early this morning we received a message from Mike Soto that he and his wife have been talking things over and they want to come and work with us in Nikolaev for 3 months and then make a decision about a longer commitment. They already home school their children, so that will not be a hindrance. We hope they will be able to work all this out. Mike wants to be able to use his Russian language skills he acquired from Uncle Sam to the glory of Christ. Now he preaches for a church in Portland, Oregon. Thank you for the prayers.