Odessa Mission
July 2006 Newsletter
Pozdravlayem Ira! (Congratulations Ira!)
Many of you were praying that God would give Ira the strength and abilities to
successfully complete her master's degree program. Well, I'd personally like
to thank you for that support because God answered your prayers. Ira graduated
with honors and is relieved to finally be done. She's been studying music since
she was a kid, so being able to say "I did it!" really hits the spot. I already
mentioned how she did with her mini-concert last month, so I'll just briefly
touch on her oral exam here. The oral exam was based on the thesis she recently
submitted, which focused on a topic that was assigned to her. After a panel
scrutinized her paper, she was to be questioned about various aspects pertaining to it.
However, the panel liked her paper so much that they barely asked any questions at all.
They said that most of the key points of interest were brought out and even
developed adequately in her thesis. So, needless to say, Ira did extremely well.
Some of you are probably also curious about how Tatyana and Oxonna faired during
their three-day seminar this past month. Tatyana's Mom, Larissa, was so shocked
about how much of an impression was made on her seventeen-year old daughter that
she began assuming that hypnosis and the like was used during the event. "My
daughter's maturity level is more like that of a 35-year old woman now!" she
exclaimed. Obviously, no hypnosis or the like was used at the seminar. It was
just some good preaching and teaching, coupled with a variety of skits and discussion
groups, which allowed both girls to see their weaknesses like never before. Step
three in this series of workshops is scheduled for the end of July and Oxonna is
already anxiously planning to attend while Tatyana is still praying about the option.
Either way, both girls benefited greatly from the first two steps and we just
praise the Lord that they were able to be involved.
Along those lines, Oxonna's English class has begun meeting each Thursday though
the summer numbers are very low at this point. Tatyana is still trying to
start a drama ministry though she's a bit inexperienced in that area which
is making it quite a challenge for her. She also expressed a desire to help
Ira with praise and worship. She even sang with Ira and Nastya a couple of
weeks ago. By the same token, after talking with Ira, we both really felt
the need to discourage Tatyana from jumping into praise and worship until
she's able to get the drama ministry established. We asked her, "Tatyana,
what's the sense in leaving the area of your calling to pursue other things,
especially since nothing's been accomplished yet?" Fortunately, she saw
the wisdom in that line of reasoning. As far as our kids go, they're
gearing up for a special program at the cancer ward this summer, so do
stay tuned. Please do keep them all in your prayers as they continue
to grow and serve.
As I mentioned in the last newsletter, our Forwarding Agent Al Kunkel was to
come to Odessa (and he did) during June and I thought it would be appropriate
for him to take some space here to give you his "take" on what is happening at
KRCC and a few of his impressions of the city of Odessa.
In His Grip, John and Ira
Kind Road Christian Church
My hosts/tour guides were outstanding and I would highly recommend their bed
and breakfast accommodations if you happen to be in their area. Meeting the
individuals I have only known in the past by a name and/or picture was exciting.
John and Ira are building a strong Bible based core of members at KRCC and
challenge them to reach out in Christian love to those with whom they have
contact and/or are family members. We visited a school for handicap children
and the children's cancer ward. Although the Russian Orthodox Church
influence is evident, the Lord is providing growth at KRCC based on His timing.
The members really love John, Ira, and the Lord and seem eager to serve Him.
Like the mustard seed in Mark 4:31-32, God can make a great work out of
KRCC but we must do our part. The city of Odessa is old and struggling
to modernize. I am convinced that the taxi drivers could teach some new
tricks to cabbies in New York . See pictures on the internet. Al