Odessa Mission
Hristos Voskres!
(Christ is Risen!)
In April, Rick Deighton will be returning to serve alongside us for about a week and a half here in Odessa. We have arranged for him to speak at the local pedagogical institute and we certainly hope and pray that his words and actions will have a lasting impact on the young lives there. Please be praying for him, for his safety, and for his overall ministry, which includes at least four other Ukrainian cities. He is truly a great example to all of us and we're encouraged just by being with him during his brief visits.
As we have mentioned in previous newsletters and updates, both Oxonna and Tatyana have found their particular areas of service and have already begun moving in that direction. Tatyana is developing a drama ministry at KRCC and is already active in that role. In fact, she's presently collaborating both with Ira and the KRCC kids in order to make the Easter program all it can and should be, to the glory of God. She's also signed up to enroll in a local drama class, which is actually considered to be one of the best programs in the country. As far as Oxonna is concerned, she's chosen to teach English to children at the local school for the handicapped. She's even met with the principal who has agreed to help in any way possible. Free English lessons are pretty hard to come by in a city like Odessa so this is quite an opportunity for the students. English is a real plus for most people here regardless of their vocation. A knowledge of English will frequently increase one's earning potential also. Please keep these two young ladies in your prayers as they go forth and make His dreams come true.
We have two special prayer requests this month. First, we ask you to pray for Larissa (Tatyana's mother). As you know, she's not only my Russian tutor but she's also a devoted member of KRCC. Unfortunately, she's been missing church lately because of health issues. Her back is especially giving her trouble and the doctors discovered an issue with her spine that, if left alone, could leave her paralyzed. Thanks to His intervention, they were able to find the problem in time. So please be praying for her health and recovery. The second request has to do with an acquaintance of ours who happens to attend one of the Charismatic churches here in Odessa. We have chosen not to mention his name here because of the circumstances, but we do ask for your prayer support. God knows who you are praying about even if you don't use specific names. Our friend is a good man who prays for KRCC daily. However, spiritually speaking, he seems very confused about some things, which may be either a result of his condition or the root cause itself. His brother, who lives with him, has been concerned for some time about the situation. The fact is that at around midnight every evening when our friend begins to pray, he shows many signs of being demon-possessed. We even loaned his brother our mini tape player to secretly record everything and the things we heard and the results are very disturbing. So, please pray for us as we attempt to resolve this issue with God's help and please pray especially for our friend as he continues to resist the forces within.
To close, we want to include the tentative preaching schedule
for 2006 at KRCC (in case any of you happen to be in the neighborhood on a
Sunday morning and decide to drop in), which will hopefully help you to pray
more specifically for the needs of our folks here and be more familiar with what
is happening here in Odessa:
Easter
Themes: Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection.(March 19-April 23.)
* The NT Church: Its characteristics, its
health, and its obligations. (April 30-July 9.)
* The Role of Suffering: How God uses
suffering in our lives. (July 16-August 6.)
* Why We Believe: Series on basic
apologetics.(August 13-27.)
*September 3 - October 1 (Guest speakers during our furlough in the U.S.)
*Rick Deighton speaks (Mid-October)*
* Practical Methods of Personal Evangelism:
How to witness.(Oct.29-Nov.19.)
* High Impact Devotions: Training yourself
to be godly (1 Tim.4:7).(Nov.26-Dec.10.)
* Christmas Themes:The overall significance and relevance of His birth.(Dec.17-Jan.8.)