Team Kharkov Requests November 27th-December 3rd

"Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him." (Psalm 34:8 NIV)

We give thanks to Him for the opportunity over the past few days to rest, relax, reflect and renew with friends in the city of Dnipropetrovsk.  Thank you for joining together with us in thanksgiving and prayer for our meeting with New Hope International girls last Saturday, and our journey to this city to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Please join us in praying this week for the following needs:

- Amanda and I will travel back to Kharkov on Sunday afternoon.  Ask the Lord to grant us a safe journey home and times of sweet fellowship with one another, and with our Father.

- I (Linda) will meet with Natasha Molodchy early this week to prayerfully plan future ministry with women just recently released from prison who are now living in a Christian half-way house.  Ask the Father to unite our hearts and minds to know His will concerning Bible studies and discipleship of the women He puts in our path.  Pray for us to understand His plans and His purpose as we schedule time to meet with the believer who directs prison ministry in the city of Kharkov later this week.

- Amanda will fly to Budapest on Tuesday for medical treatment.  Pray for smooth, uneventful flights from Kharkov to Kiev, then on to Budapest.  Intercede for the doctors she will see to have wisdom and knowledge to help treat some problems she has been experiencing.  Ask the Lord to cause this to be a time of refreshing and renewal for her even as she sees medical personnel.

- The Book Club will meet on Thursday this week and we will continue our discussion of Romans 10.  Pray the Lord would cause His Word to penetrate the hearts and minds of each one who attends.  Ask for hearts to be drawn into fellowship and relationship with Christ.

Our International Student Fellowship

 - The International girls will meet on Saturday, December 3rd to be introduced to the "Breaking Free" study by Beth Moore and for time of fellowship.  Pray the Father would draw those young women into the study according to His purposes and plan.  Intercede for me (Linda) as I prepare for this study throughout this week.

This is an exciting time of the year for outreach to many within our sphere of influence.  Your prayers are instrumental and vital in preparing our hearts and minds for the opportunities He brings our way.  Pray we will be faithful in obeying His voice as He leads us throughout this month of sharing with others the love of Christ poured into our lives.

IMPACTing the Kharkov region of Ukraine with the love of Christ!

Team Kharkov Requests November 20th-26th

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good.  His love endures forever.  Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.  Give thanks to the Lord of lords:  His love endures forever." (Psalm 136:1-3)

This past Thursday, Amanda and I had the opportunity to spend almost 2 hours after our English group (The Book Club) talking with a young woman for whom you have been praying.  She has many questions, and many fears about believing in Jesus.  Perhaps the most unfathomable aspect of our Father apart from His absolute holiness, is the extent of His love!  In a world where "love" is thrown around and abused in ways unspeakable, the concept of pure, holy, eternal love from "the God of gods," and "Lord of lords" is difficult to comprehend.

Most of you who receive these requests each week have tasted that love!  Most of you have chosen to trust the One Who is Love as Savior and Lord!  May we allow the Holy Spirit to refresh and renew the depths of His love for us as we enter into this week traditionally set aside for giving thanks.  Pray that as our hearts, minds, and spirits are refreshed and renewed, that love will arise like springs of living water, flowing to the world around us!

Sunday, November 20th  We praise Him for how He is working in the lives of the members of New Hope Church.  They continue meeting under the leadership of Baptist Union brothers each Sunday, seeking His will for them individually and corporately.  Pray He would unite their hearts together to know His will.

Monday, November 21st  Give thanks to the LORD for what appears to be an opportunity for me (Linda) to work with Natasha Molodchy to minister to women in a Christian rehab center established for those coming out of prison.  Praise Him for the passion He has given to believers in "Red Church" in Kharkov to establish rehab centers for men and women in their region of the city.  Pray we will gain permission to meet with the women, and will know His will and His plan for ministry.  Ask the King of love to pour out His love into the hearts of these women, even now as our brothers and sisters in Christ establish this ministry.

Amanda leading "The Book Club"

Tuesday, November 22nd  Lift up praise to the Most High God for the opportunities He is giving Amanda to disciple Ukrainian women.  Several weeks ago I met Yana at a theatre.  She had been an "au pair" (her term) or child care provider for children in the Washington D.C. area for 2 years before returning to Kharkov for college.  While in the states, she became a believer, but returned to a culture and family that does not encourage or nurture Baptist believers.  When I met her, I immediately thought of Amanda, and her heart and passion for discipling young women.  Yana expressed her desire for spiritual growth to Amanda after our English club this week.  Pray the Lord would keep this desire within Yana burning, and allow Amanda opportunity to walk with her along a path of discipleship.

Wednesday, November 23rd  ".....On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers.  Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many."  (2 Cor. 1:10-11)  We give thanks to Him for your continuing ministry to Amanda and I through your prayers!  We will be driving to another city today to spend the Thanksgiving holidays with colleagues.  Join us in thanking Him for the provision of our vehicle for travel.  Pray for a time of sweet fellowship with one another and with Him as we make the journey.  Intercede for Joe Ragan as well who will be traveling from his city to join us.

Thursday, November 24th  As I had the opportunity to share about our Thanksgiving traditions with Ukrainians, I was reminded once again how abundantly blessed we have been as a nation.  Our nation was founded by those seeking a place to freely worship the One True God.  May each of us take time today in the midst of all our abundance to give praise to Him alone!  "Know that the LORD is God.  It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.  Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.  For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." (Psalm 100:3-5 NIV)

Friday, November 25th  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Ph. 4:6)  Praise be to our Father who delights to hear our petitions mingled with voices raised in giving thanks for answers He has already promised!  Lord, grant that we as Your people will seek Your face first, rest in Your peace, and lay our requests at your feet!  May we be known as people of prayer!

Saturday, November 26th "...pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  Do not quench the Spirit." (1 Th. 5:17-19)  The circumstances of the past year have brought many changes to Team Kharkov, yet each change has led us to pray more fervently, give thanks more frequently, and trust in His will for us individually and corporately with greater depth of faith.  Praise be to the One who is Faithful, and whose plans are always right!  Please pray continually for Amanda and I as we endeavor to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to guide our hearts, minds, and lives in a way that will bring glory, honor and praise to our Father God.

One day, all who have received Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior will join in this chorus with the "twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God....."  May we, even this day, proclaim:
"We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign......" (Revelation 11:16-17, NIV).

Team Kharkov Requests November 13th-19th

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished.  And they recognized that they had been with Jesus."  (Acts 4:13)

Almost every day I am confronted with my inability to speak fluently in the Russian language.  It is especially frustrating when I encounter an opportunity to take a conversation to a more spiritual level.  Yet I know each time an opportunity presents itself, the Father is at work.  I only have to go forward with a boldness enabled by the the Holy Spirit, trusting Him to take my "uneducated, common" Russian to speak whatever He desires into the life of that person.  They don't need to see me, nor hear my words, as much as they need to recognize that I have a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus.  May each of us pray the Holy Spirit would grant eyes open to see those He is causing to intersect our path each day, hearts filled with a boldness to proclaim the love of Christ through our words and actions, and the "aroma of Christ" to permeate even the most hardened heart with Truth.

Sunday, November 13th  Today New Hope Russian congregation will meet for the last time in the building in the Saltavka region of Kharkov.  Pray for this body of believers as they seek the Lord's will and His plan for them corporately and individually.  Ask the Lord to enable each one to keep their eyes and their hearts focused on Him, trusting Him to fulfill His promise to "cause all things to work together for good to those who love God...." (Romans 8:28 NASB).

Monday, November 14th Pray for me (Linda) as I share the meaning of American Thanksgiving with students in two English classes led by Nadia Morokovetz this evening.  Ask the Lord to use this as an opportunity to open doors and hearts for spiritual conversations.

Tuesday, November 15th  We praise the Lord for how He is working in the lives of Natasha and Amanda as they study "Experiencing God" together.  Pray He will continue to reveal Himself and His will for each of them as they come near the end of this study.

Wednesday, November 16th  Two years ago, believers in the town of Zmeeov bought a building that had been burned out from an electrical fire with a vision for reconstructing the building for their church.  We praise Him for the provision of finances to buy the materials to put a roof on the building.  Pray for pastor Yuri Poshtak and the men in the church as they labor together to put the roof on the building before winter weather sets in.  Ask the Lord to allow them to complete the work safely.  Pray those who live around the building will be impacted by the labor of love these men invest in their church, and drawn into fellowship with this body of believers, and with the Lord Jesus.

Thursday, November 17th  The Father continues to work through the power of His Word in Romans as we discuss it in The Book Club each Thursday in the lives of each one of us.  This week, please petition the Father to speak His Truth into the hearts and minds of Ludmila, Marina, Tatiana, Sergei, Sasha, Vika, Zhenya, Vlad, Yuri, Natasha, Julia, Ira, and all who He brings into our fellowship.

Friday, November 18th  The day this is being written (November 12th), Amanda shared as she was walking her dog Bella this morning, her heart was prepared to meet and/or talk with people the Lord might bring across her path.  Tanya, a young office manager who lives in the same area and has a dog as well, and Amanda struck up a conversation.  She speaks perfect English, and had seen Amanda before in the area.  Pray for opportunities in the future continue talking, leading to sharing the Good News of Christ.

Saturday, November 19th  Pray for Amanda and I as we host a "Girls Night Out" this afternoon/evening for New Hope International students.  Ask the Lord to draw many of these young women to this time of fellowship, developing new friendships, and discussing future plans.  Pray He will work in all of our hearts to fan into flame a passion to go deeper in our relationship with Him through our fellowship with one another and the study of His Word.

We look forward to sharing with you the giving of thanks next week for how He answers our prayers and petitions!

IMPACTing the Kharkov region of Ukraine with the love of Christ!

Team Kharkov Special Request

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"


We learned yesterday that one of the churches with whom our personnel have worked for more than 11 years will no longer hold worship services for their Ukrainian members. The pastor and his wife will be attending services at another church and working alongside the pastor there, as well as continuing to lead English-speaking services.

Please be in prayer for the church members who have a desire to continue to worship together, but do not want to go to a different church.  Ask the Lord to guide and direct them individually and corporately according to His will.  Pray for this pastor and his family as they continue to seek the Lord's will for them in this time of transition.  Petition the Father to grant His people in this body of believers wisdom, trusting in His promise to give them "hope and a future."

Thank you for joining us in praying for these brothers and sisters in Christ.

IMPACTing the Kharkov region of Ukraine with the love of Christ!

Team Kharkov Requests November 6th-12th

"The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.  The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations."  (Psalm 33:10-11)

This morning, Amanda and I gathered together with over 100 Ukrainian women to unite our hearts together for the world-wide day of prayer.  Nadia Morokovetz, the women's ministry leader for Baptist Union churches in the Kharkov oblast, led our time of prayer for the nations by asking 6 or 7 women to pray for the needs of different regions of the world.  As I read the Scripture from Psalm 33, I was reminded of the futility of the nations to seek their own solutions to all the problems facing them, and the power that is ours as we lift our hearts in prayer to the One who has His perfect plans.  Pray we will continually seek His plans, the "plans of his heart" for our own individual lives, and for the future generations of the Kharkov region of Ukraine.

Sunday, November 6th  Pray for Amanda as she meets after church today with the youth of Christian Life Church.  Intercede for the Lord to lay His plans across the hearts and minds of the youth and this church as they seek to reach out to the youth in their community with the love of Christ.  

Monday, November 7th  Pray for Amanda and I as we seek to coordinate visits in churches outside the city where volunteer teams will be working in 2012, and look for new opportunities to encourage and work alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Petition the Lord to open our eyes to those opportunities, and to make clear His plans.  

Tuesday, November 8th  Amanda and her friend Natasha continue to study Experiencing God together each Tuesday.  We give Him praise for the opportunities Natasha has had on Thursday evenings to talk with Marina, a young woman for whom you have prayed who is recovering from lymphoma.  Both come to The Book Club on Thursday evenings, and Marina has been asking questions, and expressing a desire to believe.  Pray the Lord would grant her the faith to trust Him as Lord and Savior.  Ask Him to continue to draw her deeper into a personal, eternal relationship with Jesus.

Wednesday, November 9th  Pray the Lord would draw 5 - 10 International women students from New Hope Church into the study of "Breaking Free" that will be meeting 2 times a month on Wednesday evenings.  Ask the Father to break our hearts over the things in our lives that break His heart, and allow Him to bring the healing and restoration He desires.  

Thursday, November 10th  We continue with the study of Romans 9 tonight, and the Father continues to bring new students into The Book Club.  Ask Him to fill this place with His Spirit in such a way that those who enter will be overwhelmed with His love, and His holiness.  Pray we would be faithful to share the truth of the gospel with His words, and not our own.

Friday, November 11th  Thank you for your prayers for Amanda and I, along with some of our colleagues, as we met last week in Kiev.  The Father blessed our time of getting out onto the streets and sidewalks of Kiev to initiate conversations with Ukrainians.  Pray for each of us to continue to be intentional each time we walk out the door of our homes, looking for those we will encounter during the day that He is drawing to Himself.  Ask Him to enable us to speak clearly in Russian the words He would use to begin new relationships in the marketplace of our lives.

Saturday, November 12th  Membership in Baptist churches, as well as the number of Baptist churches in Ukraine is declining.  Intercede for church leaders and believers throughout the nation as they seek His face, and His plan to give each Ukrainian the opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel.  Pray for hearts willing to be radically obedient to His plans, and His will.

Prayer is the foundation for all the Father desires to do in and through our lives.  May we, like the psalmists, cry out to the Father from hearts that are filled with a passion to see His Name proclaimed throughout the nations.

Together, with you, we are  IMPACTing the Kharkov Region of Ukraine with the love of Christ!