Team Kharkov Requests July 1st-7th

"And the LORD will be king over all the earth.  On that day the LORD will be one and his name one" (Zechariah 14:9 ESV)  What a promise......and our hope!  In the midst of the uncertainty of life in a world filled with multiple "gods," there will come a day when the LORD himself will reign over this earth.   Before that day, we have the privilege, the authority, and the command to "pray without ceasing" for the people of this world around us.  

Last week we shared the decision of the court in Kharkov that made the documents for the Grace and New Hope Church building invalid.  Thank you for joining with us in prayer for the church leaders (Pastor Andre of Grace and Pastor Vitaly of New Hope) as they seek the Lord's wisdom in continuing.  They have met with the "vice-mayor" of the city, and were given assurance that they would not be removed from the building.  They have begun the process of redoing their documents to meet the new requirements.  They will also seek to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Ukraine.  Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ in Kharkov who are seeking the face of the Lord first, so that they might do all things in accordance with his will.

Mariupol Holy Trinity Church

Thank you for your prayers for our trip to Mariupol last weekend.  We had about 50 women come for the conference on prayerwalking and spiritual warfare.  We praise our Lord for the safe journey, and the wonderful time of fellowship we experienced with our sisters in Christ and our colleague in Donetsk.

Amanda teaching on Praying God's Word

The young adults of Living Hope Church (Pastor Sergei Dotsko) have been conducting a football (soccer) and table tennis tournament, as well as evangelistic outreach at a local park since Wednesday.  The finals for the tournament will be held Sunday night.  Please pray the Lord will work in the hearts of many of the over 140 children and youth who have come each day, as well as their parents, to draw them into fellowship with Christ.  Ask the Lord to cause many to come to the services at Living Hope to hear the Word proclaimed.

Children/youth at Living Hope outreach

On Sunday evening, we will travel to a small Roma (gypsy) church in the city of Merefa about 20 miles outside the city of Kharkov.  Pray for our time of fellowship with the church leaders as we explore ways the Lord might have us come alongside this body of believers in the future to encourage, and reach out into their city with the love of Christ.

Intercede for us as we host a picnic next Saturday for folks in The Book Club english group, New Hope International and Ukrainian churches, and other friends in Christ.  We have encouraged each group to invite family and friends who are "not yet believers" for this time of fellowship and fun.  We'll be preparing the shashlik, while everyone else will bring the other picnic lunch items.  Pray for good weather for the day (last year we were rained out), and for hearts to be impacted with the love of Christ flowing through the lives of his church.

In the minds of most Ukrainians, Baptists are "lumped together" with Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and even other Protestant churches as "sects."  The roots for that belief go deep in this culture, and are only "uprooted" as we go out from the four walls of our churches and build relationships with not-yet-believers living around us.  Petition the Lord to grant me wisdom as I look for opportunities for volunteer teams to go out alongside our Ukrainian brothers and sisters to impact their communities through building relationships that will become eternal. 

July 6th-8th will be a Jehovah's Witness convention at the football stadium in the city of Kharkov.  They have inundated mailboxes in every building with fliers that invite people to come to hear "biblical truth."  Literally thousands of Ukrainians will attend these meetings, and many will be seeking Truth.  Pray the Spirit of Truth will open the eyes of those who attend, shining the Light of Christ to reveal the lies of the enemy.  Intercede for true believers in this region of the country to be compelled by the Spirit to speak Truth into the lives of their family and friends.

Ask always, thank you for joining with us in prayer for the people of the Kharkov region of Ukraine.  As you celebrate Independence Day on July 4th, may you be reminded of the billions throughout the world who have not yet heard of true freedom through Christ Jesus!

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