Odessa Mission
October 2003 Newsletter
Still Warm Greetings From Odessa!
We're thrilled to report that the weather here has been beautiful, although
we're not too sure how long that will last. To start off, Ira and I would like
to share a short note from a young mother at the cancer ward: "Dear Friends,
from the bottom of my heart, I personally want to thank you so much for all of
your efforts in helping my son and I. My boy's name is Rustam and he's
currently suffering from Leukemia. I will be extremely grateful if you'll
continue to keep him in your prayers. Thanks again for all you've done for
the both of us. Sincerely, Anya and Rustam." A few Sundays ago, in the
afternoon, Ira and I visited with and prayed for Anya and her four-year
old son. When I returned to the hospital the following morning, I was
informed that Rustam's hemoglobin levels, without the use of any medicines
whatsoever, skyrocketed from the low fifties to 76, which was actually the
highest it had been all year. Anya told me that on Sunday night, after we
had left the hospital, Rustam was sitting quietly on his bed while Mom was
reading to herself. All of a sudden, Rustam prayed a short audible prayer:
"God, please help me to feel better." Anya told me, through her tears,
how much that moment touched her soul. And she's truly thankful to God for
the difference that all of our prayers and support are really making in
their lives. Rustam's condition is certainly critical, but we're still
hopeful nonetheless.
Many of you have been praying for another patient named Ira. Gratefully, her
condition is slowly beginning to improve, though bad days are sometimes unavoidable.
She's a 13-year old dealing with a mountain called "lung cancer". She's often
quite moody, which is to be expected, but we still try to spend more time with
her than any of the others because she's the only one there without any parental
support. Though we explained the severity of the situation to her mother by
mail, and gave our contact information, there's been no answer. So, we feel
that Ira especially needs our prayers and constant attention. Germany recently
advised the medical team here to alter her treatment based on their analysis of
her test results, and she seems to be responding fairly well.
Regrettably, at the hospital, we lost a very handsome and promising 14-year old
this month. His name was Vladik. The fact that everyone at the cancer ward mourned
for him just shows how special he really was. His parents, Vasily and Slava, are
two people with astounding faith. It was inspiring to see how they dealt with their
son's declining health, believing in God's power and love until the very end. Please
do remember them during this difficult time.
We're glad to say that we've successfully expanded our hospital ministry this past month.
We've added yet another unit at the same hospital, also focusing primarily on kids
from the orphanage, as well as another hospital to our route. Special thanks to Bruce
and Charlene Jaqua from Olivet Christian Church in Newport News, Virginia, for their
generous contribution of toys and coloring books for the kids, arriving just in
time. So God's grace is apparently providing more opportunities, more responsibilities,
more resources, and hopefully more meaningful contacts for our church.
Oh, by the way, speaking of our church, we still hope to eventually plant
one. Clearly everything we're presently involved in is working toward that specific goal
and, like you, we eagerly look forward to our first worship service.
Thankfully, it seems that my visa problem has been resolved. In fact, I've
recently been informed that the Baptist Union has obtained a one-year multi-entry
visa with my name on it. There's just one problem; it's stamped in my passport,
which is still floating around somewhere in Kiev, the capitol city. I'm bound
to receive my passport any day now, given the fact that my tourist visa expires
on October 11. But, as you know, without a valid work visa in my possession I
can neither register our church nor rent a facility in which to meet. On the
flip side, this is yet another refreshing reminder that God's calendar doesn't
necessarily coincide with ours. We'll periodically update you as He gradually
reveals His perfect agenda and timing, on His terms. Honestly, I'm sure we'd
all feel immensely uncomfortable having it any other way because God's
maintenance of a balance between answered and unanswered prayers is normally
a healthy sign indeed.
Three quickies to conclude this update: 1) We will be seeing Alyosha in Crimea
this month and will provide complete details on him in November's newsletter, 2)
We have found worship facilities with decent potential and expect to give a full
report about developments next month, and 3) My book presently resembles a booklet
instead of a short sermon, so progress is plodding/poking along with that project
too. We praise God for each and every one of you and all that He’s accomplishing
through our partnership. Ira and I thank you, our friends, for giving Him the
chance to start something special in Odessa.
Love In Christ, John and Ira - The Odessa Mission