Odessa Mission
Weekly Updates 2004
Sunday Service Update, December 26, 2004
Happy New Year Everybody!
This being the last Sunday of 2004, our kids put on a special New Year's program
that they've been working on for some time now. In my opinion and considering our
circumstances, it was SPECTACULAR! They also performed at the oncology wing of the
hospital last Thursday and, well, we are all just so proud of them. We had
thirteen kids participate in the program even though Ira's Sunday school program
is actually called "The 12 Disciples". I initially told Ira to call it "The 70
Disciples" and it looks like in time we will have that many. We had about 50
people attend the service today, including some folks from area churches who are
interested in the progress our children's ministry is making. Apparently, Odessa's
churches are not known for their kids' ministries so KRCC is starting to attract
lots of attention. Moreover, a couple of parents visited today for the first time
ever, which was also encouraging for us as we prepare for new challenges and
blessings in 2005.
Glory To God, John and Ira
Sunday Service Update, December 19, 2004
Hi team,
I apologize for getting this out to you a little late, but there were no internet
connections, computer problems, and even computer problems at the internet cafe I
use as a backup system (I tried two computers there that would not open connect to
the hotmail server). Anyway, here is the report for the 19th.
We didn't quite have the number of people we had last week, but we did have our
solid core group. I discussed the Disciples' differing personalities, showing
that God can use anyone to win others in the earthly world to the world of
Christ as long as we are all available. I also challenged them to do three
things and even had all of them promise to keep their word: 1) Write down on
one page what Jesus means to them, which is pivotal for developing a powerful
personal testimony; 2) Write down five personal evangelistic goals for 2005
and be prepared to share them with us in the future; and 3) Bring at least one
friend with them to our special New Year's program next Sunday. Let's all
pray that God will use our core group to make a meaningful impact in 2005.
During the service, I also mentioned something about Dima, the twelve-year
old boy who was baptized recently. Dima is very smart and well-mannered in
spite of his difficult circumstances, and he's also growing spiritually thanks
to your prayers and Ira's influence. In fact, Dima told me that when he gets
old enough, he'd like to enter seminary and become a minister. We realize that
it's rather early to make predictions on that just yet, but it is encouraging
to see how far he's come in just a few months' time. In January, Dima would
like, with a little help, to give a short devotion during our worship time.
Glory To God, John and Ira
Sunday Service Update, December 12, 2004
Hi Team.
Today's service at the cafe was great. No baptisms, but it was definitely
encouraging to see that even though we have only been meeting once a week for
the last two Sundays, there is still a dedicated group that is excited about
the future of our church. We had almost thirty in attendance and we prayed as
fervently as we have ever done. Furthermore, Larissa and Tatyana, a mother and
daughter who were baptized recently, were evicted on Saturday from their apartment.
It was great to see the folks at KRCC pull together as at least three different
individuals offered to accommodate them until they find a place to live. Praise
the Lord for that! Also, when they asked us to pray that Larissa would find a
decent job, a man named Vladimir, who recently began attending our church,
immediately offered her a job at his own business. In fact, he even mentioned
the salary he would be willing to pay her, which was an additional blessing.
God continues to work through the individuals attending KRCC, and we just Praise
Him for all He is doing.
From Al
Today, I received an answer to the many prayers Odessa Mission supporters have
been making to God about Ira's Green Card extension letter. A letter extending
her card until July 26, 2005 has been received. Her application (sent in late
July) for a permanent 10 year card will be processed in the next two or three
months, so please be in prayer that all will go well and the application will be
approved.
Thank you Jesus, Al
Sunday Service Update, December 5, 2004
Greetings in Christ!
Today's service was good because it focused on a difficult topic that's always
useful. We concentrated on the need to make sacrifices in our lives for God and
for others. Although we were back at the cafe where we used to meet, we were
all encouraged to see how much we've grown with God's help in the past six months.
The kids' program is definitely a major factor in this regard. I think there were
probably over ten kids today, which is great in my view. Ira has done an
outstanding job with the kids and they couldn't love and respect her more.
Furthermore, the adults were energized after the difficult challenge of the
message this morning, and it really seems like we have a solid group to work with.
Glory to God, John and Ira
The Odessa Mission
Sunday Service Update, November 28, 2004
Greetings in Christ!
Wow! What else can I say? Today's service was great. Oxonna, who was baptized
last week, brought her 11-year old daughter Valya this morning and she too made
the decision to give her life to Christ. In fact, along with her baptism we
added two others, which ironically consisted of another mother-daughter combination.
Larissa and her 16-year old daughter Tatyana were also baptized today. So praise
the Lord for the continued victories and waves of momentum that we're experiencing
at KRCC. Can't wait until next week,
Praise the King, John and Ira
The Odessa Mission
Sunday Service Update, November 21, 2004
Greetings in Christ!
Today we had yet another baptism. Oxonna, a woman I met at the cancer ward
several months ago, came to our service today and decided to be immersed into
Christ. Her child is doing very well and she's sure that the Lord has a hand
in that. Praise the Lord for her faith in God and desire to serve Him, and we
pray that the Lord will bless her life and use her mightily for His glory. In
today's service we had between 22 and 25, which is smaller than the usual crowd,
but we still had a tremendous service that really seemed to impact everyone. We
talked about several reasons why we should be generous toward God and others, and
I believe that it really hit home with those present. Galya, a twelve-year old
who's been with us for several months now, also wanted to be baptized today but
her mother wouldn't allow it. Galya was upset about that, but we hope that she
will continue attending KRCC and receive encouragement until she's able to
decide on her own. It is unfortunate that her mother feels the need to meddle
in Galya's spiritual life, but hopefully, her Mom will also become a believer
in due time. In any case, it's great to see so many people accepting Christ
and we look forward to many more victories in the coming months. Next week
will be our final Sunday in our current facility so please pray that the Lord
will provide in that regard. Everything else seems to be moving along pretty
well. Tatyana, the woman who gave a large donation a couple of weeks ago,
chose to do the same today. Apparently, the Lord convicted her during the
message on giving.
Praise the King, John and Ira
The Odessa Mission
Sunday Service Update, November 14, 2004
Hi friends.
Great news today! We had four people publicly repent of their sins during our
worship service and three of them were baptized afterwards. Pavel (a 54 year
old man), Igor (a 13 year old boy), and Lyona (a nine year old boy), gave their
lives to Christ, and we are praising the Lord because of their decisions.
Tanya, a girl in her late teens, repented of her sins today and plans to be
immersed next Sunday. So, let's thank God for the miracles He is continuing to
perform in people's lives here in Odessa.
Praise the King, John & Ira
Kind Road Christian Church
Sunday Service Update, November 7, 2004
Hi Friends,
In today's service, we had two people, Oxonna and Dima (the 12 year old boy
mentioned in our most recent [November] newsletter), take communion for the
very first time. [Dima was baptized October 17 and Oxonna on October 31.]
It was definitely a moment they won't soon forget. Dima, during our extended
prayer time, decided to give an impromptu testimony about how he came to KRCC
and how it has changed his life for the better. Many were touched to the
point of tears, in fact, Dima shed a few himself. He briefly explained how he
had previously been abused by his God-parents, and had very little joy in his
life. But when he came to our church and saw the meaning of genuine love, he
felt like he'd finally found a real home for the first time in his life. After
today's service, Ira took Dima to the bazaar and bought him a winter coat and
some other odds and ends. Dima actually borrowed a fellow student's coat this
morning since he didn't have one of his own. Oxonna [the 18 year old young lady],
after partaking of the elements, immediately took a seat next to me and said, "I
can't believe how much joy I'm experiencing at this very moment! Right now, I'm
just sensing God's presence like never before. What a feeling!"
Moreover, today's message was about storing up treasures in heaven by making
sacrifices here on earth. Afterwards, Tatyana, who's been with us from the
very start, decided to make a considerable donation to our church so we can
purchase Russian Bibles for newcomers to use in our services.
Praise the King,
John and Ira
Sunday Service Update, October 31, 2004
Hi team.
With today being the 26th Sunday service at Kind Roads Christian Church (it is
hard to believe it has been six months already), thankfully, our attendance was
back up to around thirty, which was nice. Although the service turned out to be
shorter than most (and I'm not really sure why), it was good to see most of our
regulars back and that even added to its charm. After the service, Oxonna was
baptized. She is only eighteen years old, but definitely has a knack for teaching
English to those students that are just beginning to learn our language. Plus,
she has a lot of enthusiasm about her newfound faith in Christ. I will expound
more in the upcoming newsletter.
Praise the King, John and Ira
This is of Oxonna's baptism. Oxonna is the one in the middle who's holding
the flowers. She's the young blonde with the red sweater.
Sunday Service Update, October 17, 2004
Hi team.
This morning's service was great. We actually had a smaller crowd today, but
that happens sometimes. Afterwards we baptized Dima, a twelve-year old boy who
seems to have a really good head on his shoulders even though his home situation
isn't the best. Praise the Lord! We gave Dima a couple of gifts, including a
nice children's Bible and a necklace with a cross, and took him out to McDonald's
too! Hopefully it'll be a day he'll never forget!
John and Ira
This is Dima, a twelve-year old boy, being baptized, on Sunday, October 17.
This is Ira and Dima at our place after his baptism. We
use the bathtub in our home for baptisms.
Nineteenth Service, October 3, 2004
"We didn't get an exact count but it seemed like we had about 35 present in
our worship service today. Certainly feels like we're gaining momentum. Rick
Deighton preached today, and if you remember, Rick is from Nampa, Idaho and
comes to the Ukraine twice a year to preach in several cities. He was here
last April and we enjoyed hosting him this week. The really exciting news
is that we had two baptisms after today's service. Valya, a Mom at the cancer
ward submitted to the Lordship of Christ, as did Victoria, a woman I'd never
even met before. We also had a special prayer service for the kids who came
from the hospital today and I think that God was clearly present and at work.
We hope to have some pictures of these events on the web site in a few days.
Be sure and check out the site regularly.
Praise the King, John and Ira"
Eighteenth Service, September 26, 2004
Today we had 27 in our service, and that is a new record for sure. We actually
had a big group from the hospital come today, and we even had them brought to
the church in an ambulance. We found an ambulance driver who agreed to work
with us from time to time for a set fee of course ($6 to the church and back).
The kids' program was a success today and the service went well overall. For
some reason, I don't think my delivery was as strong as normal today, but that
will happen from time to time. I don't know whether it is all the things going
on right now that I'm involved in or what, but I can't let those kinds of things
detract from all of the great things God is doing at KRCC. I do take great
comfort in knowing that there are many of you back home that are praying for
Ira and me and the work here in Odessa. Also, it is obvious that it was His
will for us to get this great facility that has allowed all of these events to
happen, and everything is according to God's great plan. I just have to keep
doing my best and trusting Him, knowing that He often works even more
effectively when we're at our weakest point. PRAISE THE LORD and AMEN!
John and Ira
The Odessa Mission
Seventeenth Service, September 19, 2004
Preeviyet! (Howdy!)
Today we had twelve kids in our service, eight of whom were newcomers.
One group came from the hospital with Sveta, our helper there, and another
group had attended our Friday evening video program. On Friday afternoon, I
had given out some of our free movie tickets to a bunch of kids near our
facility and several actually came, and praise God, they also attended church
today. Hence, today's attendance was at an all-time high, reaching into the
mid-twenties. Hopefully, this is starting a new trend as we reach out to the
Odessa community in different ways. Tomorrow evening [September 20th] is the
kick-off for our English lesson classes here at the Kind Road Christian Church
so we are praying that the Lord will create more opportunities and contacts
from that program too.
John, Ira and the rest of the worshippers at KRCC
Our Sixteenth Service, September 5, 2004
Hi team,
Today we had a special prayer service due to the recent hostage situation in
Russia. In fact, the Russian authorities have declared Monday and Tuesday to
be national days of mourning for the victims and their families. We showed a
variety of news segments and special clips of the footage and asked the Lord to
enter into that situation according to His perfect will. We also prayed for
the terrorists; we prayed that the Lord would work in circumstances and hearts
to free them from their hatred and spiritual bondage. (The irony of course is
that they were the real hostages in this case.) I went on to discuss the entire
ordeal with the congregation and emphasized the different aspects of it that
should be lifted up in prayer. Moreover, I used our digital camera and projector
to show pictures of most of the children at the cancer ward, sharing some
encouraging thoughts with the assembly about our ministry there. We subsequently
joined hands and placed everything into His hands by the power of intercession.
The Odessa Mission
Our Fifteenth Service, August 9, 2004
Great news! God has provided (at least temporarily) a new music minister named
Yura for Kind Road Christian Church. He leads worship at a large charismatic
congregation in Odessa, but found KRCC recently and has volunteered to help us
get off the ground. Today was his second week and we're extremely lucky to have
him and another praise team member Tanya working with us. Since the other
church's service is at 2 pm, he has time to be with us for about an hour before
heading over their way. We praise the Lord for sending us capable workers
and can't wait to see what He does next. We had a good service today and look
forward to our first Wednesday Bible study this week. It was also nice to see
three brand new visitors today including a woman from China with her eight-year
old daughter Katya.
Blessings in Christ, John and Ira
Our Fourteenth Service, August 22, 2004
Ira was away so we had a couple of musicians from another congregation lead
music today and they did a really good job. My message was about the difference
between praise and worship and it really seemed to fit perfectly considering all
the circumstances. Praise without real worship is indeed empty, but thankfully
we had both in today's service. We're all looking forward to Wednesday Bible
studies which begin on September 1, and rejoice about the current success of our
Friday evening video program. Last Friday, we had nine present and we watched a
touching Christian film called "A vow To Cherish" which was about family
relationships and Christian love. It was a huge hit and I even had a few
individuals request permission to show it to friends and family members who
weren't there. We showed the film on our new projector. We also had three
visitors including one woman from a local Jewish congregation who immediately
volunteered to develop our kids program, which is something we desperately need.
So, God is making things happen. Also, a man named Aleksi, from a local charismatic
church in Odessa, offered his interior decorator services free. God is surely at
work here and we're ecstatic that He's chosen to involve us. Thanks for your help!
Blessings, John and Ira
The Odessa Mission
Our Thirteenth Service, August 15, 2004
Today's service was great although nothing out of the ordinary regarding
attendance (12-13 present). However, as usual, God's Spirit was at work.
We had a visitor from a Jewish congregation today, and he said he would be back
with others from their fellowship. Also, I am noticing some changes in several
people, some good and some bad, but the changes are clearly turning out to be for
the best overall. So, God is working out His perfect will right before our very
eyes. In today's service, we also prayed for and layed hands on Natasha and
Sveta, who have decided to take charge of our church's ministry at the cancer
ward. It's great to see people being sent out to serve, and we thank the Lord
for all He is doing here at Kind Road.
Praise the King, John and Ira
Our Twelfth Service, August 8, 2004
Today we had our first service in the new facility and there were 14 present.
We had three kids involved in the children's program, and a quality service
overall. I preached about the plan of salvation, especially stressing the
need for saving faith in our lives, which automatically brings us to repentance,
confession, and baptism. We sure hope and pray that it will indeed touch the
hearts of those who still need to make decisions. We also had all the time in
the world to fellowship afterwards, which was obviously nice. In fact, Ira and
I didn't get home until 3:30 p.m., which probably says enough. It's also
encouraging to see that our regulars are no longer attending Sunday worship
services at their old church like they were at first. Some of our folks came
to us from a Charismatic church in the city whose services begin at 2 pm,
which allowed them to slip away after the close of our service and make it
just in time for the start of the Charismatic one. But now that's becoming a
thing of the past, especially since we're able to offer more than just Sunday
morning worship services. In fact, today two members from the Charismatic church
even mentioned something about wanting to officially place their membership at
Kind Road.
Praise the King, John
Pictures From Today's Service August 8, 2004
Our Eleventh Service, August 1, 2004
Well, in today's service we had 15 people present and lots of tears indeed.
No baptisms, but lots of emotions and we're sure that anyone who attended
experienced the very presence of God. We even had one visitor (Nastya) who
seemed to get a lot out of the service. We also showed our new facility to
the majority of our folks, after the service, and they were all dumbfounded
to say the least. Three of our regulars, by the way, told us in advance that
they wouldn't be able to make it today. Otherwise, our attendance would have
been a little better. Nevertheless, things went extremely well overall. One
woman, named Natasha, even said, "You know, our church may be small, but it's
also undoubtedly blessed by Almighty God!" Why? Because every time people
attend they experience the presence of God. People are changing and that's
exciting indeed. It's always a blessing to sit back on Sunday evening and
reflect on the great things that happened that morning, and tonight is just
another example of that. True, nobody got saved today, but several people
were at least drawn closer to Him. That's a fact, and for that we greatly
rejoice! Today was a real success, and we look forward to many more successes,
especially as we prepare to move into our new facility this coming week.
Thanks for your prayers, John and Ira
The Odessa Mission
Our Tenth Service, July 25, 2004
Today's service was great. Our crowd was small twelve (12) but our impact was
large. We had TWO baptisms today and look forward to more in the near future.
We have pictures and we'll be sending them soon so please check out the
odessamission.com website regularly for more information including new pictures.
Sasha, the woman about whom I spoke earlier [in the July 11 Service update],
whose daughter is at the cancer ward, decided to give her life to Christ despite
our small quarrel regarding her motives two weeks ago. We hope to keep her
motives as pure as possible so that her spiritual growth will be maximized.
And there was an elderly woman named Tamara who made that choice today also.
Praise God for the great things He's doing here.
John and Ira
Our Ninth Service, July 18, 2004
Yesterday's service was a major memory-builder cause we all decided to go to the
coast together and have a service there. We had fourteen people attend and
everyone raved about the experience. We even had a few visitors come with us.
After an informal, yet very meaningful service, we ate lunch together and just
spent time in fellowship. We weren't sure how things would go, especially since
the weather was acting up in the early morning hours before we headed out, but
everything turned out just wonderful. I had originally planned to preach about
the plan of salvation, but after two women gave touching testimonials, I also
decided to give an impromptu testimony based on a few Scriptures I selected
during the service.
Blessings, John
Our Eighth Service, July 11, 2004
We only had thirteen today, but the summer can be that way. Today's service
generally went well despite the drop in numbers. We were surprised to see
Natasha back because she had formerly attended, but after she missed a couple
of Sundays in a row, we just assumed that she'd moved on. I know that the
former conflict between the two women in our church kind of rubbed her the
wrong way, but she even brought her mother with her this morning. On another
note, I actually decided to use a translator today and realized that preaching
in Russian is a much better option. So, at least one very important lesson was
learned today. Furthermore, a lady from the cancer ward named Sasha, who
supposedly wanted to be baptized next Sunday, showed up just before the service
today with a story that just seemed to confirm our suspicions about her ulterior
motives. I won't go into detail, but let's just say that we've had our doubts
all along about her sincerity and commitment. I called her on the carpet just
prior to the service because of things she was saying and doing. She immediately
displayed an attitude and decided to leave. Needless to say, she probably
won't be getting baptized next week, and that's obviously good because if it's
not sincere then it's certainly not God's will. Our main goal at this point is
making sure that our new church remains pure because we believe that that's His
goal above all else. So, I'm actually thrilled that we can praise God for the
baptism that won't occur next week. Paul writes in 1 Timothy 5:24 - "The sins
of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them." We're
so very thankful that the Lord, who "knows those who are His" (2 Timothy 2:19),
is continually improving our spiritual vision as we seek to honor Him.
Praise the King, John
The Odessa Mission
Our Seventh Service, July 4, 2004
"Well, some great news to share, we had 20 today even though two regulars
couldn't make it. One is in Moscow and told us about her upcoming trip last
week, but I'm not sure about the other although we're not worried cause we're
confident she'll return. Today's service was by far the most powerful one yet.
In fact, we had four people express a desire to be baptized (three of whom
attended for the first time). We showed a touching segment of a film about
Jesus after the worship time and then I spoke to prepare hearts for our first
official communion service. I explained that only immersed believers should
partake, but I think several seekers slipped in anyway. Nevertheless, my
explanation about how immersion unites all people with Christ in His death,
burial, and resurrection, which is the whole basis of communion, surely prompted
some to consider the option. At the end of the service, I also offered that
book on Baptism [Rees Bryant's "Baptism: Why Wait?"] to anyone currently seeking
a relationship with Christ. All three copies were snatched up and another made
an additional request for one. Today was a clear victory and there were many tears.
Praise the King, John"
Please continue to pray for John, Ira, those individuals attending the Kind Road
Christian Church, and especially those lost souls that have expressed an
interest in developing a closer relationship with Jesus Christ through baptism.
God is good - all the time!
All the time - God is good!
Al
Our Sixth Service, June 27, 2004
"Okay, we had 18 in church today but the service didn't go as well as Ira and
I had hoped. My sermon was probably the main problem. We've been struggling
with the decision to get an interpreter for me to reach through but have tried
to go without thus far. My Russian is good for conversations but today's service
convinced us both of the need to use a translator. Nevertheless, there were
still positive comments about the message so hopefully some were touched in
spite of the language barrier. We're excited about the growth that's taking
place and hope that it will continue. Unfortunately, the majority of our folks
have come from other churches (i.e. transfers). In any case, we're still
grateful that at least we have something to work with.
We have recently been dealing with potential ulterior motives within the
congregation but it seems as though we nipped them in the bud for now. Moreover,
there's been some gossip in the church due to several factors. Some of it
evidently stems from past conflicts between two women who both came to us from
one of the area churches. Regretfully, they both formerly attended the same
church and apparently don't get along too well. So, last night, we had them
both over at our place to reconcile while we helped mediate a little. It seems
as though things went well since we closed with prayers, tears, apologies, and
warm hugs. Keep us in prayer, especially as we endeavor to find the right
translator (that's crucial).
Love, John and Ira
"The Odessa Mission"
Please keep everyone involved in the worship service in Odessa in your prayers.
Especially, that God's will be done in finding an interpreter if He wants an
interpreter to be used. Also, that the two unnamed women will continue to work
toward reconciling their differences.
The two women had "...attended the same church...", but seemed to be missing the
command of Matthew 6:12. As we all know, it is sometimes very difficult to
understand another persons motives (e.g., the old Indian saying about walking
in another's moccasins) without real conversation. Conversation is a two way
street, and real/meaningful conversation between two dissenting individuals only
happens if/when both individuals in a conversation allow God to intervene in
their heart and they have a desire to listen.
Praise God,
Al
Our Fifth Service, June 20, 2004
One of the kids at the cancer ward is doing poorly so a few of us decided to
go to the hospital after church in order to pray for him (Kostya) and another
girl named Nastya.
Today's service was great! I think that it was even better than last week's.
We had 14 this week and the topic was weathering life's storms, from Mark 4:35-41.
Everyone seemed to really respond well and it was very obvious that by the
time we got to the worship time, which the last part of our service today,
people were just so ready to worship from the heart. Moreover, Alla Nicolaevna,
a worker at the cancer ward, indicated a desire to be baptized in a conversation
following the service. This evening I'm going to swing by her place and give
her a book by Rees Bryant called "Baptism: Why Wait?" If the book isn't familiar
to you, then rest assured that it's rock-solid because it's got some positive
comments from Jack Cottrell (my former prof) on the back. Anyway, it seems like
God is really moving and we're sure thrilled about it.
PTL, John
Our Fourth Service, June 13, 2004
Hey guys.
Several people actually came forward at the end of today's service, evidently
indicating a desire to repent of their sins and enter into a saving relationship
with Christ. But since we haven't completely covered the plan of salvation just
yet, at least not to the point that the people here can truly grasp it adequately,
we called the rest of the people forward and simply formed a prayer circle for
the purpose of expressing to God the sorrow we have caused Him throughout the
course of our lives. There were many tears and it was clear that the Holy Spirit
was convicting hearts. So please pray that God will continue to move and work
in those hearts throughout this coming week and beyond.
Next Sunday, before the service, I'm scheduled to begin my adult Sunday school
lessons for anyone who's interested. The first lesson will focus on hermeneutical
principles for beginners. Thereafter, I'll be dealing with the plan of salvation
and hopefully we'll have some baptisms by the end of the summer. YOUR PRAYERS
ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE!
God's Richest, John and Ira
The Odessa Mission
Our Second Service, May 30, 2004
Hey there.
Our second service went well. We had ten present but it's because Tatyana
invited several friends from a couple of Charismatic churches in the area.
They all promised to keep our new work in prayer and shared some of their
personal testimonies with us, which were rather encouraging. None of the
people we were hoping would show up did but that's alright because our service
was successful.
Please keep Olya in prayer because it seems as though Satan is trying
desperately to tear her away from us. She's grown up in the Orthodox Church
and some things were said by some of our visitors about the Orthodox Church
that didn't sit well with her. We've been noticing that the Gospel is causing
her some discomfort, which is obviously the idea. But we're not sure whether
she'll stay with us or not. Ira's a little
rattled over it all but it's a good test of our faith nonetheless.
PTL : John
Our First Service, May 23, 2004
Just a quick note to let you know that the service went very well. Seven people
attended and they all seemed to really respond. Afterwards, we all had lunch
together. The theme of the service was the need to seek God with all of our
heart and soul. And Peter Pavluk, from one of the Baptist churches in Odessa,
also shared his personal testimony with us. Accompanied with this email are
some pictures featuring Ira and Olya, our worship team, as well as Peter Pavluk.
Artyome is an 18-year old boy from the school for handicapped children and
Tatyana is a local Charismatic believer who seems to support our efforts.
On the other side of the table you'll see Lena sitting with Olya and Ira.
Lena is a former member of the worship team who surprised us all by showing
up for our first service. The prayers are making a difference.
Enjoy, John