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Dnipropetrovski UBF Mission Report, Ukraine

by WMD
Jan 25, 2012
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Dnipropetrovski Report

Last year our key verse was Gen 13:17. We accepted this word as direction to live by God's vision for us and for D. In the beginning of 2011 we were walking on the campus to measure its width and length and visiting even the farthest campus and praying for them. Before we were preaching to the students in the dorms. We were used to this comfortable environment to talk to students and drink tea. But now we have no such possibility to go to the dorms. That's why we started to preach in the streets. We have to make a new beginning withnew methods. I thank God he taught us to overcome fear and humanism. We were preaching whole-heartedly but had little fruit. No one accepted our message. In the end of May and beginning of June God blessed us to participate in the world mission report in Korea for Sh. Sarah. Through the word in Matthew 24:14 she accepted that the world's history is led by God. Before going to Korea she had a sense of failure. But through this word she accepted that God will be with those who preach the gospel to the end. This is God's purpose. This verse became a comfort and spiritual direction for Sarah and direction for our lives in D. Seeing Korean people Sarah learned patriotic love for her country. She had a decision to have a burning love for Ukraine. Even if the political leaders are not good she decided to pray for our country and the young people. Through the servantship of Anam coworkers and the family of M. John Lee she felt the heart of Jesus. This trip to Korea and the good example of believers renewed Sh. Sarah with a calling and vision.

During a long time in D. we felt very lonely and a lack of communication. That's why we decided to pray for God to give us coworkers for mission. And God answered us. Through the fall conference in Kyiv Sarah invited sister Alyona from the Baptist church. She is in the last year of medical academy. She served God humbly but she has no deep knowledge of God's word. So she decided to have regular BS with Sarah. This was a great spiritual comfort for Sarah and spiritual growth for Alyona to be a spiritual leader for her church. Through my new job God also gave me a lot of believers among coworkers. I served them with humble BS and we have prayer meetingsfor personal needs and problems of the company everyday.

We pray to grow our son Stephan with the hope and plan of God. This year he will go to school. We prayed for a cheap but good school. God gave us a much better school than we wanted. He gave us possibility to enter one of the strongest school to learn English almost for free. Also, through Stephan's class there is another boy believer and he lives near us. This was also the answer to our prayer to give Stephan faithful friends. I thank God. May God grow Stephan as a man of God's heart and future missionary.

Growth through spiritual failure and Ukrainian fall conference. In 2011 we accepted the prayer topics to invite two brother and two sisters for the fall conference in Kyiv. We prayed a lot and preached and invited students. But none came. Our hearts were broken and we were disappointed because of many rejections from students and our fruitless lives in D. There were moments when we couldn't see the meaning of our serving in D. But there was God's will. In September in Kyiv there was a conference to celebrate 20 years of UBF in Ukraine. Through the word Mark 2:17 Jesus gave us grace to see ourselves as sick people with disappointment and false priorities. We had sheep as our goal and meaning of life in D. and the indicator of our faith. But Jesus showed that he is the meaning of our lives and without him we are sick and could do nothing. We accepted direction to grow in a personal relationship with Jesusand entrustsheepas God's work. Last year God blessed us to start a business that we developed the last two years. There were a lot of troubles that seemed impossible to overcome. But God taught us to trust not in money or relationship with people but only in Him. I thank God who was with us even when we were sinful and weak. He raises us and teaches us to be fathers of faith in D.

Key verse for 2012 is Gen 13:17. We want to live by Abraham's faith. He didn't receive land that God promised him but he lived by faith and grew in personal knowledge of God. God granted him to be the father of many nations. We want to learn Abraham's faith. Therefore we accepted a small decision to absolutely and everyday keep DB meeting and once a week go to the campus, have lunch with students in the cafe to read the word and pray there.

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