Odessa Mission
John's July Update
Odessa Menyaitsa Potihoinku!
(Odessa Is Changing Little By Little!)
For so long it seemed as though the Odessa Mission was saying: "Alright, well we're almost ready to start something special here so keep the faith! Just keep praying for patience my friends. Patience is a virtue! Oh, and, ah, in the meantime, please hold onto that terrific smile too!" Thankfully, those cheesy pleas and days of waiting are finally over. Granted, due to a lack of sufficient funds, we cannot yet afford to purchase a decent facility. In fact, the kind of facility we actually need would probably run at least two to three times the amount of money we currently possess. Hence, we are seeking that kind of place to lease despite the fact that it will cost at least six or seven times the amount we're presently spending. Right now we're just renting a cafe on Sundays, but it's clear that people are thirsting for much more than that. Just watching them lingering and fellowshipping after each service says more than enough. Pictures and details of our new venue are pending and will hopefully be on the website sometime within the coming month. In the long term, though, we prayerfully expect that by 2007 we'll have enough revenue to own a building, our new obligations notwithstanding. So, while the waiting game will always continue, which often makes life and ministry so exciting, at least we're not waiting to start something special anymore. We thank our Heavenly Father for making this all possible through your devotion and efforts.
This month I will be receiving my international driver's license, which will allow me to assemble all of the documents necessary for purchasing a vehicle for our new congregation. Depending on the laws, we are either considering a Russian station wagon or a mini-van of some sort. I told Ira that I really wanted a new Mercedes 500, just like the one recently received by one of the area preachers, but she seemed to think that was a bad idea. Since she was so convincing, I defaulted and acquiesced. All joking aside, we earnestly feel that the Lord will greatly enhance and expand our outreach efforts with a vehicle. In fact, our first official evangelistic outreach was held July 8 [more about it next month] and we had about a half-dozen signed up to attend.
Many of you have been visiting our website and following the small growth trends presently occurring at Kind Road Christian Church. The Lord, thus far, has gradually increased our numbers at each successive service. We've gone from seven on May 23rd to twenty on July 4th and we're very excited about the tiny bit of momentum swinging our way. Despite some conflict-resolution techniques we employed with several newcomers over the last month, which seems to have gone successfully, the people are evidently sticking with us and genuinely growing in their enthusiasm. Thankfully, our most recent service, which also saw our largest crowd yet, seemed to have the greatest impact on everyone present. Several even mentioned a desire to meet the Lord in the waters of Baptism sometime in the near future. Along those lines, please do keep the following people in your prayers: Lena, two Sashas, Alla Nicolaevna, Veronika, and Roma. Moreover, Sveta, who's a member of our worship team, said something encouraging the other day: "You know, John, you really seem like a leader that we can follow. It's obvious that you love the people and that means so much, as does your presence at each service. At the July 4th service, however, God's presence seemed so imminent and pronounced that it literally felt like Jesus Himself was there ministering personally." Since just about everyone was touched to the point of tears, I truly believe He was present. Hallelujah and Praise God!!
One final reason why I'm so convinced that Christ was present at that particular service is because our prayers are being answered. First, Lena and Sasha were there with Sasha's five-month old daughter, Valeria, and the Lord clearly heard our prayers for them. Valeria, who's suffering from a lack of platelets in her blood, happens to be one of the patients at the cancer ward. She's a precious little girl with an ever-present smile that's a real winner. All you have to do is look in her direction and, once she notices, she will usually be smiling inside of five seconds. At least that has been my experience with her. Anyway, towards the end of the service we all surrounded Valeria and laid hands on her while I prayed for her condition. Incredibly, on Tuesday, when I visited the hospital I discovered that Valeria's platelet count had skyrocketed to seven times the amount it had been just two days prior. In fact, Valeria's health is improving so much that there's word that she will be released from the hospital within a couple of weeks. Furthermore, Sasha and Lena apparently plan to move to Odessa in the near future and intend to attend Kind Road Christian Church. Lastly, we've all been praying that the Lord bring men to our church because for the first few weeks I was the only man in attendance. However, on July 4th there were a total of six men present in our service. So God is definitely revealing Himself in a big way and we, like you, can't wait to see what He does next.
S Liubovyu (with love), John and Ira
The Odessa Mission