January 2009 Update

World events are moving quickly. Since our last blog the stock market has all but crashed; the local currency has lost half its value; Russia has turned off the gas, and Israel entered a war against Palestinian rockets. Just as world events move quickly so have events in our lives. Over the past several months there have been several triumphs, transitions and trials that we would like to share with you.

One triumph in 2008 is that David fulfilled a major ministry goal. While serving as interim pastor, David helped the church move to a more suitable location and then transitioned the leadership over to another pastor. There was a deep satisfaction by completing a major goal. But, it was difficult to leave behind a ministry in which so much time and energy was spent. The church now has national leadership, is moving along nicely, and drawing more of the international community.

When David transitioned out of the pastoral ministry God opened the door for an evangelism ministry. Through teaching English he has been building relationships with businessmen to share the gospel. Mr. Lu, branch manager of an international telecommunications company heard about the gift of Jesus Christ for the first time. Irina, a banking customer service representative, is learning more about the Bible through their discussions than she ever learned from the Orthodox Church. Patrick is a manager of a French bank. He is still very secular. But, David is praying for God to change his heart. David is just beginning to develop relationships with Vladimir and Dima who are software programmers. Pray for these and others such as Zhenya who is divorced and Daniel who struggles with loneliness. And, pray for wisdom for David to present the gospel.

Pray also for us to triumph in Jesus through our trials. This winter our heating system has broken down several times. It has left the families in the building without heat. One time it was so cold that the water lines to the kitchen had completely frozen. Without a water source to the kitchen Kim had to wash dishes in the bathtub. During this time, the family couldn’t get any filtered water since it, too, is situated in the kitchen. Thankfully, David figured how to do some temporary plumbing alterations to make things work. Also, a month ago he had to repair some circuit breakers and electrical wiring burned up. The electrical supply is unstable and wiring does not meet safety standards that we are used to.

There have also been trials with the car. Several months ago David was in a minor accident. Someone hit the car from behind. Imagine having to figure out how to get the car towed, and how to get it fixed in a different culture and language. Although the accident wasn’t David’s fault, the other driver became really mean. Thankfully, David was able to talk to him and calm things down. He even had a chance to share the gospel! On another occasion, border guards held David for an hour and threatened to take his car. By law David has to drive his car out of the country every two months. He is trying to find a way around the document issue. But, the government wants to tax the car more than it is worth.

Health trials aren’t foreign to missionaries. So it is no surprise that the family has had its share. A virus went around with members experiencing flu-like symptoms. Everyone was sick with Kaitlyn getting the brunt of it. She threw up so often that four loads of laundry had to be done. Where to hang everything to dry was a chore as we only have one dry rack and no electric dryer. When we were dealing with these illnesses, David has battled a persistent cough. Please keep the family’s health in your prayers. It is hard to avoid illnesses when traveling in packed subways and busses.

Many of you have wondered and asked how the Russian-Ukrainian gas wars have affected us. So far, we haven’t felt any of the negative affects. The government has several months of reserve supplies in storage tanks. So, our heating problems had nothing to do with the problem between the two countries.

We appreciate the way you have stood behind us and prayed for us. Undoubtedly, that is why there are reprieves from the trials. Thank you for being there. As we pray for you, we ask that you to do the same for us.

Serving Him Together!