Team Kharkov Requests April 1st-7th

"'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.'" (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

Lugansk City Marker

I know I have used this same passage of scripture often over the years on our prayer requests.  However, it's the first one that came to my heart and mind Friday as we drove into the city of Lugansk in far eastern Ukraine.  


The first time I heard of "Lugansk, Ukraine" was almost 20 years ago as I listened to a sermon by Dr. Henry Blackaby.  He spoke of a church in Seattle, Washington that had many Ukrainians as members.  Members of the church who were originally from the city of Lugansk gave their home in this city to the church in Seattle.  That "gift" was the beginning of a new church in Lugansk - Emanuel - the same church where I shared about prayerwalking this Saturday.  (Shown in the photo below)

I have always gone back to that sermon as the moment when the Lord planted the "seed" for Ukraine in my heart.  Although I considered and prayed about other places in the world to serve during the process of applying with our company, I could never seem to get past "Ukraine."  This past week (March 27th) I "celebrated" the 13th anniversary of landing in Kiev, Ukraine to begin this journey.  Today, He has reminded me once again that His plans are always perfect, always for our good, and always so much better than anything we can imagine!  How I praise my Father for the wonderful reminder today of His faithfulness and love.

Palm Sunday (April 1st) May our hearts be filled with praise, thanksgiving, and awe to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, as we consider His obedience to enter the city of Jerusalem on the path to Golgotha.  Intercede for Amanda and I as we travel from Lugansk to Kharkov this afternoon (morning Central time) after a wonderful weekend of ministry with brothers and sisters in Christ.

Monday, April 2nd  Thank you for your prayers for our trip to Lugansk this past weekend.  There were over 100 believers for the prayerwalking conference, and probably 40-50 youth for the youth gathering on Saturday evening.  Pray the seeds planted in the hearts and minds of young and old alike will take root, grow in strength, and produce much fruit through the power of the Risen Savior.

Tuesday, April 3rd  The Lord is using "Breaking Free" to help Ukrainians, Africans, and Amanda and I go deeper in our relationship with Him.  Please continue to take before His throne those whose hearts are being made "pliable" in His hands through the power of His word.  Pray we can find a distributor for the Russian translation of this material so that future studies can be done.

Wednesday, April 4th  Ukrainians love the Easter season, and most will celebrate Easter according to the Orthodox calendar - a week later this year than the date most Western churches will celebrate.  Pray hearts will seek Him more than seeking the blessing of man.  Petition the Lord to move with power in the hearts of multitudes, changing lives, and impacting cultures.  

Thursday, April 5th  We completed the book of Romans in The Book Club last week, and asked the group to consider what they would like to read and discuss next.  "Let's study more about Jesus and what He did," was the response of Julia, one of our long-time participants in this group.  Give thanks to our God for what He has done, and is doing in the lives of those who come.  Pray we would have knowledge of His will concerning where to take them in our bible discussion next, and how He would have this group proceed in the future.

Friday, April 6th  "Thank you for the cross, Lord!  Thank you for the price you paid, taking all my sin and shame, in love you came, and gave amazing grace!"  This song came to my heart and mind as I thought about this day!  As I consider Good Friday, and the cross of Christ, I am overwhelmed by His willingness to die for even me!  May our hearts be focused on Him this day.....may we take up our cross, and follow Him as never before because of His amazing grace!  Lord, we praise you!  We thank you!  May we honor you with our lives as never before!

Saturday, April 7th  Although not certain, our hope is that the International group of Breaking Free will meet today to discuss the next to the last lesson!  Pray for each and every participant of this group as the Word of God continues to move with power in their hearts.  Ask Him to grant them the strength, and the desire to make the changes and commitment in their lives that will impact eternity.

Thank you for your prayers for my mom.  She is doing well, and is now in rehab to learn how to "navigate" better with her new hip replacement.  We hope she is able to be back home in about 2 weeks.

Blessings to each of you as remain faithful to pray for the people of the Kharkov region (and beyond) in Ukraine!  He IS faithful to His promises, and He is answering our petitions!  Thank you for being partners in this endeavor to honor Him through our ministry of prayer!

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

Team Kharkov Requests March 25th-31st

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8).

I received the following in an email this week that focuses on prayer.  They are the comments from a conversation between a believer who lived in a communist country in Eastern Europe and had been imprisoned for his faith, and the author.  His prayers from a prison cell moved the hearts of communist authorities to allow his son to attend university, something usually not allowed for believers under communism.

"I wondered how this man’s prayers could change the decisions of government leaders. He said with tears running down his face, “Many people come to my country and want to make a big fire for God. I do not want to make a big fire for God. I want to be consumed by God’s fire until I am ashes. When I am ashes, then I will see the glory of God.”  He said to me, “When I am consumed totally by God’s fire, then I will see His glory. Do you understand?”

I wanted to say that I understood. But I knew that the man understood the holiness of God in a way that I did not. He experienced a depth in his prayer life that I desired. My encounter with this godly man opened my eyes to a tremendous truth about prayer:

Holiness of heart and power in prayer are inseparable. A life that prays is a life that is wholly yielded to the will of God. It is a life that recognizes the majesty of God and has submitted to His kingship. It is a life that has power and authority in prayer." (Adapted from The Prayer Factor by Sammy Tippit)

Pray we would seek to be people of God who are so totally consumed by God's holiness that we are as "ashes" - and that we might see His glory as we pray in power and humility for His will to be done in our world.

Sunday, March 25th  Intercede today for Pastor Vitaly Sorokun and members of New Hope International Church as he leads interested believers in an 8 week Membership Class.  Pastor Vee is seeking to lay a foundation for this church that will lead to a growing body of believers in the future.  Pray the Lord would draw many internationals from the city of Kharkov who are long-term residents into this church.

Monday, March 26th  Please be in prayer for my (Linda's) mom, Ginny, who fell last week and broke her hip.  She has already had surgery, already walking a little, and doing well.  She should be leaving the hospital today to enter rehab.  Pray the Lord would continue to grant her strength physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  Lift up my younger sister Teri as she ministers daily to my mom.  

Tuesday, March 27th  Ask the Father to grant Amanda and I wisdom and knowledge of His will as we prepare for teaching in the city of Lugansk this coming weekend.  We will be ministering alongside our colleague, Joe Ragan, and two young men (Michael & Caleb) who are working with him through the  "Hands On" program for the next 2 months.  I will be leading a conference on prayerwalking, and we will be meeting with youth on Saturday evening.  Pray we would have clarity of heart and mind as we prepare.

Wednesday, March 28th  We praise Him for how He continues to work through the study of "Breaking Free" to minister to the hearts of International Students and Ukrainian women.  There are about 15 International students about to finish up the study (2 weeks of lessons remaining), and 10-15 Ukrainian women who are just beginning (Amanda & Natasha on Tuesdays, Linda with women from New Hope on Wednesdays).  Pray for the Lord to work in each of our hearts to tear down strongholds and build up His kingdom within.  Petition the Lord to help both Amanda and I as we seek to communicate in Russian with our Ukrainian sisters.

Thursday, March 29th  Ask the Lord to reveal to us what He would have us to teach through The Book Club after we conclude our discussion of Romans in the next few weeks.  Pray He would continue to lay a foundation in the hearts of those who attend for a new church start in the months to come. 

Friday, March 30th  Pray for Amanda and I as we make the 5 hour journey to the city of Lugansk today.  May we have a safe, uneventful drive, and times of sweet fellowship with one another and with the Lord as we travel.  Ask the Lord to give us restful nights in preparation for the ministry to follow on Saturday.

Saturday, March 31st  Pray for the women of the Lugansk region as they come together at 10:00 today to learn about prayerwalking.  Ask the Lord to "open the eyes of our hearts" to know how to pray, according to His will, for the needs of those around us.  Intercede for Amanda, Joe, Michael, and Caleb as they lead a youth fellowship/outreach this evening.  

We praise Him for allowing us to be a part of what He is doing in our families, our communities, our country, and our world through prayer!  May be be reduced to ashes, consumed by His fire, that He may work in power in and through each of us!

IMPACTing the Kharkov Region of Ukraine (and beyond) with the love of Christ!

Team Kharkov Requests March 18th-24th

"During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."  After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them." (Acts 16:9-10)

The verses prior to Paul's "Macedonia call" tell us he and his companions traveled throughout the region, always ready to enter in to the places the Lord would have them go.  At the same time, they did not try to go where the were not led, careful to listen closely to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  

We have had personnel living and working diligently in the Kharkov region for over 15 years.  Each one has had, and does have a desire to work alongside our Ukrainian brothers and sisters in Christ to give each of the 3 million Ukrainians living in this region an opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel.  Team Kharkov members (Amanda Dillon and Linda Gray) are committed to continuing to pray, listen, and obey as we travel throughout the Kharkov region in the months ahead, looking for those "open doors," and His vision,  even as we continue to work in those places to which He has called us.  

Please continue to join us in praying we will have ears to hear, hearts to understand and obey the guidance of the Lord as He seeks to grant us a "vision" for where we are to join Him.  Intercede for the Holy Spirit to work within the hearts of multitudes of the 3 million Ukrainians living in the Kharkov region, raising up believers with a passion to "get ready at once to leave" to go out to those who have yet to hear.

Sunday, March 18th  A 2-man team, arriving in Kharkov on Saturday, March 17th, are scheduled to depart for the states this afternoon (7:30 a.m. CDST)  They came to finalize preparations for construction in Zmeeov scheduled for a large team in May.  Pray their journey home will be a time of confirming in the hearts and minds what the Lord has spoken.  Petition the Lord to grant them refreshing and renewal even while they travel.

Monday, March 19th  Praise to God for the opportunities we have to speak the love of Christ into the lives of Ukrainian and International women.  Most of them are impacted daily by advertisements on billboards, internet, and TV telling them what they should look like to be "desirable."  Pray the Holy Spirit would grant us wisdom to help them understand the beauty of Christ that is within each of them.  Intercede for V, a young woman Linda meets with each week, who desires so much to be loved that she is seeking that love in the wrong places.

Tuesday, March 20th  Amanda meets each Tuesday with Natasha to study "Breaking Free" in her home.  When schedules allow, she also meets with Marina to practice conversational English, a young woman for whom you have prayed who is not yet a believer.  Petition the Lord to use their time of fellowship to soften the heart of Marina, granting her the desire and the willingness to say "yes" to Christ.  Pray the Lord would grant all of these young women times of refreshing, renewal, and encouragement as they meet together.

Wednesday, March 21st  Thank you for praying for the Breaking Free group that met last Wednesday in the Saltavka region of the city near New Hope Church.  There were 8 women gathered together to be "introduced" to the study, several who are either non-believers, or are not yet committed to worshiping with other believers in a church.  Pray the Lord would draw each one of them back to the study tonight (12:00 p.m. CDST), preparing all our hearts to hear from Him.  Ask the Lord to enable me (Linda) to understand and speak clearly in Russian.

Thursday, March 22nd  Ludmila, Yuri, Oksana, Julia, Margaret, Natasha, Irina, Michael, Luda, David, Katya, Ira........these and others gather together each Thursday evening for 2 hours of The Book Club conversational english group.  Please lift up these people by name before the Throne of Christ, that they may know Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior if they are not yet believers.  Pray the Lord would continue to fill our time together with His presence, and with the power of the Holy Spirit to change each of our lives as we encounter Him.  

Friday, March 23rd  Thank you for interceding for the "XTZ" church as they sought new facilities.   While a new meeting place has not been found, their "parent church," Central Baptist, chose not to disband this body of believers, but to "set them free" to support themselves through their tithes and offerings, rather than being financially supported by Central Baptist.  Pray for those in leadership in this small congregation to now grow weary in doing well.  Please continue to intercede for the Vitaly and Oleysa Maslanka as they seek wisdom from the Lord in dealing with their daughter Deana's turning from the Lord.  Pray the Holy Spirit would turn Deana's heart back to Christ through the power of His love.

We're "Breaking Free" together!

Saturday, March 24th  We will be gathering together again today with about 15 women from New Hope International Church to continue the Breaking Free study.  We have just 3 more lessons to study before completing this study, and we are praising Him for all He has done in each of our lives.  Pray all of us will allow the Holy Spirit to complete His work in us that He has desired to do through our time together.  


IMPACTing the Kharkov Region of Ukraine with the Love of Christ!

Team Kharkov Requests March 4th - 10th

"But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.  My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside."  (Job 23:10-11 NIV)

As I read those words from the book of Job this morning, I could only think "Oh, how I desire that would be truth in my life!"  Yes, he knows the way that I take, and there are times tests come into my life, but to come out as gold?  Not yet.....but I can yet praise him for I know I would not even have the desire to follow his steps and keep to his way apart from Him.  Pray for hearts attuned to his voice, even when the storms of life swirl around us. May each of us choose to follow his steps, and keep to his way without turning to the left or to the right, for his glory, honor, and praise among the nations!


Sunday, March 4th  Amanda continues to work with the youth in Christian Life church as they go through "Experiencing God" together.  Pray the Lord would use the study of His word to lay a solid, unshakable foundation in the lives of each of these youth.   


Monday, March 5th  I (Linda) have the opportunity to travel with Nadia Morokovetz, women's ministry leader for our region, to speak to the "widows" in the Baptist Church in the small city of Saventsi on March 8th, which is International Women's Day.  Ask the Lord to give me wisdom and words as I prepare to teach.  Pray He would fill my heart and mind with words that will bring encouragement, hope, and joy to the hearts of the women in this church.


Tuesday, March 6th Thank you for praying for us as we sought accommodations for a volunteer team coming in May.  The Lord provided just what we need, and we give Him praise.  Continue to pray for us as we set up transportation and get all the supplies together for the team in the weeks ahead.


Wednesday, March 7th  Pastor Sergei Dotsko of Living Hope Church in Kharkov has shared a vision for starting a rehabilitation center through their church.  Pray the Lord would raise up men and women in Living Hope with a passion for this very strategic, and needed ministry.  Ask the Lord to provide the perfect "home" for this outreach in the Kharkov region.


Thursday, March 8th  Today is "International Women's Day," celebrated throughout the countries of the former Soviet Union.  Many churches in the Kharkov region will use this time to reach out to women in their communities with the love of Christ.  Intercede for women to be drawn into a relationship with Christ today as His people share His love with their neighbors and friends.  Pray for Nadia and I as we travel to Saventsi to love on the women there. 


Friday, March 9th  Please continue to pray for New Hope Church as they seek His will and His plan for the future ministry of the church.  Ask the Lord to reveal His desire for Pastor Vitaly concerning the pastorate of the church.  Pray the members of this church are filled with a passion for reaching out to the community around them.


Saturday, March 10th  Amanda and I will be spending the morning today with women from Baptist churches in the Kharkov region for their spring "Day of Prayer."  Pray the Lord will confirm in each of their hearts His love and plans for them individually and corporately.  Join with women from Baptist churches throughout Ukraine as they pray for their communities, their country, and the world today.  


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