The end of spring brought contrasting colors of sadness and hope.
Out of the mouth`of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?
Lam. 3:38
We empathized with those who had suffered from the epidemics, worried about organization of conferences, trainings, summer outreach camps, ministry trips, complications with kids ministry and outreach through sports. We rejoiced that the pandemic caused many to be interested in the Gospel, that media ministry among the Middle East people is being developed surprisingly well, that Bible study online has not stopped, and that the ministers were able to spend more time with their wives and children.
Warming in Yakutia
Praise God for warming and summer in this land with harsh climate. Our ministers are thankful to God for being able to do three small home groups, to visit unbelieving families with some humanitarian help, to preach the Gospel during holidays and other events during the pandemic. After reopening, our workers visited villages in the eastern part of Yakutia where people are thirsty for the Word. There are groups of believers from 3 to 10 people in some places.
Serving in the Mountains of Armenia
Some Armenian ministers and their families got corona virus. Praise God for their recovery. They continued Bible study online in April and May and sometimes they were able to meet in small groups. People in the mountain villages do not have any means of protection and therefore they do not use any. Cancellation of public transportation has isolated Yazidi villages from the outside world. Some Yazidi people were thinking it was the end of the world. They began to show interest to what our ministers preach.
Reopening and Returning Back to Life in Italy
Panic has subsided in Italy and they started to reopen at the end of April. Our minister Yaroslav Dovgy shared that the unbelieving people, who he and his wife had testified to before, call them all the time now and God is opening their ears to listen to God’s Word. Together with an Italian church, they provided groceries for eight families that lost jobs. Because of the quarantine, the small church community was able to study the Word six times a week online! It was a huge blessing for the minister’s family to be able to spend time together. Brother Yaroslav says, “It seems as if we are trying to catch up when I had to leave at 6 a.m. and come back home at 10 p.m.” Brother asks to pray for his health, he needs a surgery.
Isolated but not Depressed
Please, keep praying for our sister from Central Asia. One of her kidneys failed and she had to have an emergency surgery. The sister is in a cancer hospital now. Her next chemo is in two weeks. Please, pray for the finances for her treatments. “If it is God’s will, I will recover”, our sister writes, “we want to do a meeting for children and for women.” The sister prays for all of us, that the Lord will strengthen, encourage, and comfort each.
New Enrollment at the Bible College
New enrollment of students is starting at the Rivne Bible College Word of Grace. First classes are planned to start at the end of November, 2020. The study course is two years. Students come for classes three times a year. They learn from the practicing pastors and ministers, study the Bible, do homework, read good books, and have an interesting and useful practical ministry work in churches. You can find out more here: e-mail rbkrovno@gmail.com
Magazine Publication
Work on the second issue of the magazine Word to a Teacher continued in April. This year theme is Christian Virtues. We draw our readers’ attention to the following traits of character: obedience, humility, generosity, understanding of one’s full dependence upon God. This issue will feature interviews with two chief educators: a representative of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine Svitlana Neryanova and an academician of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Petro Saukh.
Serving Schoolchildren and Orphans
Bible lessons with students of the Rivne Ukrainian Gymnasium and the kids from the Klevan orphanage are held in a new and unusual way. Ruslana Kovalchuk sends remote assignments and videos which later kids discuss in messengers. She spends a lot of time talking to each of them on the telephone. Children are open, they send pictures of their works. During the quarantine, all children from the orphanage were sent to their relatives of guardians. Ruslana asks to pray for four children, orphans, who live in the orphanage as they have no one to live with.
Tanya Arterchuk, Nadia Dolya
