February 27, 2013

LVC English Club

I know that it is past time for an update.  I have been so busy that I have not had time to write.  Below is a short summary of this past month's activities:  The pastoral team has been preaching through the seven churches of Revelation.  I have enjoyed preparing for and preaching through this passage.  The Lord has been opening my "eyes to see" and "ears to hear" what Christ is saying about this age in which we are living.  I am looking forward more now than ever to Christ's second coming! This past month Living Vine Church restarted their English club ministry.  The English club ministry has 4 classes and 8 volunteer teachers / helpers.  The ministry goes for 2 hours on Wednesday nights.  The first week David had 16 students in his pre-intermediate class.  He estimates about a third are new students.  Pray for the teachers and helpers to share the love and message of Christ with our new groups of students.  Our church has also been making preparations to host a short-term summer mission team from a church in Pennsylvania (Kim's home church.) We ask your prayer as we plan for a summer English camp outreach ministry for children and adults in addition to a church construction project. I believe that 16 are planning to come to Ukraine to work together with local believers.  Pray for us to make wise plans for housing, food, transportation, mission's outreach, interpretation, an other logistics.  For our small church this is a fairly big ministry project.  Kim's teaching ministry at Kiev Christian Academy is going well.  She recently hosted a student teacher from the States who came for classroom experience.  Kim recently got a new student.  She is now teaching children from the States, Nigeria, South Korea, and other cultures.  This week they are having teacher evaluations.  We ask your prayers for Kim to have strength and wisdom for this ministry to missionary and national families.  Austin recently traveled with the varsity team to Budapest where there was a basketball tournament.  It turns out that KCA won the tournament.  Needless to say, basketball practices, homework, PSAT, and other activities have kept Austin busy.  Karyn is still taking piano lessons with a national.  She is making much progress and even playing piano part-time in church.  Karyn has also been somewhat occupied with orthodontist appointments as she prepares for braces.  We have also been working on remodeling an apartment.  We are planning to move closer to the school where Kim teaches and our children attend.  Also, recently new Crossworld teammates arrived in country.  They are stationed in the southern part of the country but are coming to Kiev in March for a visit.  They have small children and plan to homeschool while settling and learning the language.  We ask your prayers for their visit.  This will be our first meeting.  Well, this "update" is already becoming longer than I had expected.  There are so many details that I must leave out because of time constraints.  Please know that we covet your prayers and continue to work hard at discipleship and growing the church in Ukraine.     Blessings, David