Odessa Mission
August 2006 Newsletter
Skora Ewvidimsa!
(See You Soon!)
Most of you know that Ira and I will soon be taking our first extended furlough since starting the Odessa Mission in 2003. Many missionaries take extended furloughs every year for the purpose of recruiting potential workers, inviting mission teams to the field, broadening their prayer and financial support base, and strengthening their ties with existing supporters, which often tends to be even more tiring than staying on the field. Due to our unique circumstances, however, Ira and I haven't been able to do that regularly and probably won't for some time yet, that is until KRCC increases its team of indigenous workers. Of course, in an ideal world, with a team church-planting approach, other missionaries step in and often pick up the slack when their fellow workers are stateside, but, as lone-ranger workers, we don't yet have that luxury. Hopefully, in time that will change.
Ira and I are slated to arrive in the nation's capital on September 1 and depart on October 24, so we're now in the process of scheduling our speaking appointments. Our main goal this time around is to establish meaningful contact with churches that don't currently support the Odessa Mission. However, it's difficult for me to do that by email when I'm living thousands of miles away and so we could sure use your help! I've written a number of churches using a cold-turkey approach but haven't had much luck yet. So, if you happen to know of a church that has never heard from us personally, then we would certainly be open to visiting with them and our work here in Odessa if we can arrange a mutually agreeable date. If you're interested in helping us line up speaking engagements, then please don't hesitate to contact our Forwarding Agent: Al Kunkel, 18 Ardmoor Drive, Hampton, VA 23666 or by telephone at 757-826-9544; or by email at alkunkel@cox.net with any ideas or speaking requests. You can also email me at: johnmurphy@odessamission.com. We would really love to visit some new churches in the early fall and challenge more and more people with the message that God has given us concerning global outreach. Please pray that the Lord will open doors and hearts throughout this entire process so that His plans and desires are fulfilled.
Now, some may be asking: "Well, I realize that an extended furlough is necessary from time to time, but EIGHT WEEKS? And what's going to happen to KRCC when John and Ira are gone?" If all American churches offered services three or four days a week like many Baptist churches in Ukraine do and people actually attended them, then we'd certainly be able to take care of business in a hurry. Unfortunately, in the United States we are generally limited to Sundays and Wednesdays and some churches don't even meet on Sunday or Wednesday nights. Unless we're fortunate enough to be penciled into special events or mission-committee meetings, which is a rarity, we are limited in opportunities to present the Odessa message. In simple English, we just need more time to cover more territory. More time also gives churches more options (i.e. particular Sundays or Wednesdays) to choose from, which is good because they also have their own special events planned, often months or even years in advance. So, having a longer availability time frame allows us to be able to work around their schedules which is another plus. As far as KRCC goes, I'm still working out all those details and tying up any potential loose ends so its needs will be met during our absence. Tatyana has agreed to handle the kids'program while we're gone, so God is already providing.
At the end of July, our church visited the cancer ward and put on a concert for the kids there. We also told the children a few Bible stories and made salvation bracelets with them, in addition to taking group photos and distributing toys. I also delivered a short message to the adults, based on Romans 8:37. I really emphasized Paul's Greek word for 'more than conquerors' (NIV) which literally means: 'super conquerors'. I challenged them to devote their lives to Christ and depend on His strength for the purpose of defeating their circumstances instead of just surviving them. Of course, that is much easier said than done, especially since most of the folks I was talking to have never even been to church before. Nevertheless, as you know, our main job is simply to plant the seed, which is what God graciously allowed us to do. We also gave out free copies of Rubel Shelly's little booklet: The ABC's of Christian Faith. Please be praying that our folks will continue to minister to the cancer ward in effective ways and that the Lord will bring the increase. Also, by the time you get this newsletter, new photos/movies of our visit will be on the website.
Finally, I'd like to close with some wonderful news. My wife, Ira, and I are expecting our first child somewhere around the end of February or early March. We have begun the name-seeking ritual (although if it is a girl her first name is just about set in stone) but a boy's name hasn't popped out at us yet. We'll be sure to keep you in the loop.
Grace and Peace, John and Ira
The Odessa Mission