Missionaries to Russia - Corinth Baptist Church

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2009
SIMFEROPOL BAPTIST GREETINGS AND GLORY. A BIG HOWDY
FROM THE SNOWY AND CHILLY LAND OF UKRAINE.
Missionaries to Russia
44 Chaykovskova yl.
Simferopol, Ukraine
95017
-v
Phone:
,-"- • - )
Baptist International
Missions, Inc.
PO Box 9215
Chattanooga, TN 37412
(423) 344-5050
Sending Church: ~
Eastwood Baptist Church
2191 St. Rt 94 E._
Murray, KY 42071
(270) 753-1834
You will never guess what happened in Sunday school yesterday. It shocked us
all. First, the background information: In SS (short form for Sunday school), we
had several first time visitors and so the class was full (26 in attendance). Among
our visitors was one quite outspoken and unashamed, middle aged fellow. We are
discussing a signup sheet for our young couples in the church who want to sign up for
a date night with their mate (the children are watched by another couple in the class
so they can invest some quality time in their marriage). Well, our outspoken guest
(Sirgay) proposes that we alter the options. He wants to sign up to take someone
else (one of our ladies) out for a date and see if he likes her "more than his present
wife." We were all shocked. I tried to hold my composer and to handle this character
kindly, yet clearly informing him that this is not what we are about, but that instead
we want to strengthen the couples in our church, not offer them "cheating options."
-Yikes! You truly never know what folks will come up with next and propose as an
okay idea for church activities. Well, Sirgay listened well in class and church. He was
a little "fidgety" during the invitation. Pray for him AND HIS WIFE.
Christmas has come and is almost gone around here. Tomorrow we will go
caroling to some of our elderly folks and grandparents of some members. You see,
Wednesday here is celebrated as Ukrainian Christmas Day - January 7. So we have
two Christmases. Pretty neat huh!
You dear folks blessed us again this year and surprised us with your sacrifice and
thoughtful gifts to our family. I really want to say a bigger than BIG thanks and
express a HUGE token of gratitude to each of you who helped us this past year
in our ministry: giving faithfully, praying effectively (James 5:16), encouraging
"thoughtfully" and serving Christ lovingly there on the home front. I HOPE YOU
KNOW THAT WE COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU. Several of you participated
in giving your missionaries something extra for CHRISTmas. Wow! Thank you for
encouraging our hearts and giving us that much more confidence in our Almighty
Heavenly Father. I'm not trying to flatter you, but say from our hearts how thankful
we are for all your love.
Please join us in prayer as we go back and forth crossing the border every three
months according to the new Ukrainian law for those with religious visas. Jesus said
not to be weary in well doing, so we are trying to stay encouraged and not let it bother
us. The Lord has even risen up a very cheap airline to take us over into Poland, which
is where we went in November and probably where we will be going 30+ days from
now. Speaking of such, let me tell you the story of our recent visit trip to Warsaw for
visa renewal...
It just came on the heels of Joshua's, our middle son, trip to Vienna Hospital. He got
very ill with an acute kidney disease. Dawn told many of you through her occasional
email update, "Dawn's Desk," about the whole miraculous story. Joshua's kidneys
were not working and he was really swelling up with water retention. His little eyes
were disappearing in his fat cheeks - REALLY SWOLLEN! We took him to the
doctor. Doc says he needs to go to the hospital. He is admitted. His blood pressure
is high, and we are beginning to be concerned about possible kidney dialysis (where
they hook him up to a machine that functions in the place of his kidneys) - NOT
GOOD. We are praying. Family is praying. Churches all over by prayer chains are
praying. GOD - He's listening and waiting for the right moment to touch that little
boy's body. It turns out that Joshua needs to be "Air-vacked" out of the Ukraine
and sent to the closest facility that can give him the best care. This meant going to Vienna, Austria.
Preparations were made, and in a couple days a crew from Germany flew in on a small leer jet and took
Joshua and Dawn to Vienna. When they got him there, it was late evening. Joshua was first in line for
attention from the doctors that night since he flew in on a jet. The medical staff ran many tests and all
came back normal. The Lord said that it was time. The doctors concluded that he must have the acute
form of this kidney disease called Acute Nephritic Syndrome. And so, when a few days had passed and
all test result were in, Joshua and Mommy returned home. Joshua will be having a blood test in about a
week as a check up. If all comes back normal, he is in the clear. We are most grateful for each of you who
prayed and wrote us about this crisis. Dawn returned on Monday night, and she and I flew out the next
morning at 6 AM to Poland to renew our visas. With all that was going on, I temporarily left the money
for the trip in my checked luggage (with every intention of getting it out the next morning). Well, you
know what happened? We flew out of Simferopol first thing that morning, and when we got to Kiev I got
the luggage and told my wife that we needed to check that bag. At that point, it occurred to me my great
mistake. You guessed it, all the money was gone. It had all been stolen. We needed to fly to Poland and
be there three days with the equivalent of about 20 - 30 dollars in "grievna." The words of the Psalmist
rang never truer: "I was young and now am old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed
begging bread." God sooo took care of us and used a couple missionary families to "save the day."
One of those families we had never met until we stood in line at the Embassy to get our visas. We
had heard that they only take cash (American dollars) at this Embassy, but here we are standing in line
hoping, praying, trusting God for help in this another mess I'd gotten us into. You want to know what
God did? The older couple who came up and got in line behind us were missionaries going to Kiev, and
when I asked the question if the Embassy only takes cash or if there was another way we could work
out payment (washing dishes, etc...), they affirmed my fear: "No, only cash. But never fear we are your
guardian angels today and for this purpose God sent us." I pinched him to see if he was real. He flinched
- the real thing. A real, breathing human being sent by our Father to save us from a wasted trip to
Poland! IS GOD GOOD OR WHAT?!!! Truly He giveth grace greater than our sin.
Well, I close this longer than usual letter with a few updates and prayer requests: please keep praying for
our discipleship and training with our Andrew Fellowship. We have been meeting about three Thursday
nights a month to study Basic Bible Principles on Youth Issues and preparing ourselves to better help
those whom we are discipling. Pray for Katya as she disciples a girl recently saved, Tanya. Tanya visited
my class last week and was in church on Wednesday too. Vlad and Mesha are showing some promise for
future leadership. Please pray. Lena, a new addition to the fellowship of disciples, is working with Katya
K. - a teen girl saved this year after youth conference and now Katya K. is playing the piano in church and
helping us in the choir.
Just after I sent my last update, Pastor Bob and some of our men and I went to Sevastopol to ordain a
deaf pastor who used to be a deacon in that small work down there. God is working in that ministry and
we were overjoyed to have a small part.
A THOUSAND GRATEFUL HUGS TO YOU FOR ALL YOUR PRAYERS, LOVE AND SUPPORT. WE
REMAIN...
YOURS FOR PRECIOUS RUSSIANJS0ULS,
kfl/^A/^^
PONY, DAWN, MARC, JOSHUA, CALEB AND little ANNA HESS