Odessa Mission
August 2005 Newsletter
Dva Meerov Stolknoolas! (Two Worlds Meet!)
KRCC welcomed its first visiting American team this past month and to say that their trip was a smashing success would definitely be putting it mildly. Most of the team members were from Olivet Christian Church in Newport News, Virginia, which also happens to be one of our supporting congregations. First of all, my parents, Emmett and Dolores Murphy, were a part of the team and that just made the experience all the more special for us here. My father arrived first after speaking at a Christian conference in Poland before traveling on to Odessa . So spending a couple of days with him before the rest of the team arrived was an added treat. My Dad preached for us twice and focused both messages on John chapter three. His second sermon was especially powerful since it was based primarily on John 3:16. Since Ira's parents were planning to attend that Sunday for the very first time ever, I requested that he prepare an evangelistic message. They actually live in Crimea which is fourteen hours away by train but they still made it to church anyway, and they were obviously touched by the service too! My Dad also offered a great workshop on church-growth that presented some keen practical ideas that could really help here at KRCC. In addition to Dad's thoughts, my Mom also conducted an outstanding seminar on depression that attracted many new faces. In fact, one of them was the face of Sergei, a 21-year old archaeology student who's now attending KRCC regularly.
Following Mom's seminar on Saturday, July 9th, Sergei decided to come to church the following day and decided to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. He was baptized into Christ on Monday, July 11th. Praise the Lord!
Vance and Angie Fitzgerald also contributed to the team's success in a variety of ways. Their help with the VBS speaks for itself and we'll get to that later in this newsletter. Angie is a hand therapist who chose to share lots of helpful tips on the proper use of hands and wrists, which was especially beneficial for anyone suffering from arthritis and the like, and she also incorporated some spiritual thoughts into her fascinating talk. Interestingly enough, Alexander, the driver of the mini-van we rented to transport our visitors around together rather than having to rely on local buses, had a special interest in Angie's subject and so he came to hear what she had to offer. Alexander is a neighbor of someone we met at the Baptist church (Sveta), where the team stayed, and he's just a nice guy all around. Well, our group instantly fell in love with him and it was definitely clear that the feeling was mutual. Of course, since Vance and Alexander are both veterans there was an immediate connection there also.
After the team departed, Sveta happily shared the good news with me. "John," she blurted, "you'll never guess what happened this past Sunday!" "Ah, I think you're probably right." I replied. "So why don't you just tell me?" She explained, "Well, we've tried to get Alexander to come to church for a long time but he's never really shown any interest. However, the American team made such an impression on him that he actually came on Sunday!" It's wonderful how God puts the right people together at the right times and places to accomplish His perfect will.
John and Jean Wilson also were on the team and they allowed God to use them the way that only He can. Given John's background in the military and his experience as a veteran, the rapport with Alexander was just rock solid. They had a lot in common and a lot to share with each other. Furthermore, John's ability to pick up a few Russian words here and there also helped build bridges in that regard. Jean was essentially the one who organized the VBS (with Angie's help) and did a marvelous job. The first day was somewhat chaotic as many first days of VBS usually are, but the next two days ran exceptionally smooth due to Jean's ability to step back, see the problem, and in-turn find a working solution. And that she did to perfection! The VBS program was a tremendous evangelistic tool that presented the entire gospel message to upwards of fifty newcomers (packing our facility to capacity) and also bringing several adults to one or more of KRCC's current ministry programs. Although we haven't seen many of the new kids who attended VBS return to one of our many programs, we've seen a few and have certainly made our presence known in the community. Our sincere gratitude goes out to all of the visiting team members for all of their involvement in the crafts, lessons, games, refreshments, and songs at KRCC's first official VBS. Slava Gospodu! (Praise God!)
Finally, I'd like to close by mentioning Marj Hubbard because she played a uniquely God-given role in arguably the highlight-event of the team's week here in Odessa. Marj is a former member of Olivet who's now living in Washington State. She essentially made the choice to visit KRCC for the purpose of going to the cancer ward, something the team did together while they were here. When Marj heard about our ministry to the sick at the ward, the Lord called her to consider that particular ministry for herself. So in deciding to join the team, she was giving God the chance to speak to her heart about that opportunity. I had the chance to speak with her at length while she was here and it's clear that God touched her spirit in a way that will change her forever. Many years ago, Marj lost her four-year old son to leukemia. While all of us were laying hands on the kids gathered together in the corridor at the hospital and praying for God to heal them, only Marj was able to turn to the parents and share a powerful testimony that brought tears to everyone's eyes. She told of how she lost her boy, describing the pain and confusion she experienced. "I never thought that I'd ever recover from that loss." she explained to them. In closing, she encouraged them with these words: "When I asked God to heal my heart, He worked a miracle of healing in my life, and He can do the same for you if you ask Him."
Shalom, John and Ira, The Odessa Mission