Odessa Odyssey

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my dear friends! I thank God for your encouragement, prayers and financial partnership with me. It has been a difficult year in Ukraine and the crisis continues in the eastern part of the country. Many Ukrainians are fearful of the future of the country and many are going to churches for help and answers. Pray for all believers to be prepared to give an answer for the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Pray for peace for Ukraine and for peace to reign in the hearts of the people. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

Merry Christmas from my home to your home!

We Need More Chairs!!!

We are having a good problem in our church - we don't have enough chairs!!! Could you help to purchase a new chair for $25.00 for our church for Christmas and then pray that God will fill that chair with a person seeking Him? We are asking God to provide us with 25 new chairs. You can send your donation to TEAM, P.O. Box 969, Wheaton, Illinois 60187 and mark it, "A Chair for Petrovka."

Upcoming Events in the Life of our Church

Please pray for our New Year's celebration with all the new believers and their families who will be attending a special evening on December 31 at our church. This will be the first year that these young believers will celebrate the New Year without alcohol. Pray that they will not be tempted by their neighbors and friends who believe the only way to bring in the New Year is with alcohol.
Pray for our Christmas children's meeting that we will have on January 2 from 10:00-4:00. We plan to share the true meaning of Christmas by sharing the Christmas story, to bake cookies for them to decorate and take home and to make Christmas cards for their families.
Pray for our Ukrainian Christmas Eve celebration with our church family on January 6 and our Christmas Day celebration on January 7. After our Christmas service we will be going through our town and singing Christmas carols to our neighbors and friends.
Lord willing, the end of January, Misha will be ordained as the pastor of our church in Petrovka. Pray for this long-awaited day for our church family.

Misha

Amazing Times at our New Church in Petrovka - November 30

Another special day as a lady, Lena, came to know Christ. One of our sisters, Julie, who came to know the Lord last year, had been witnessing to her about how she came to know Christ in the church where she heard about the living God. Lena asked her where she could find this church and Julie invited her to come with her. Lena's mother lives in Kyrgyzstan and is a believer in Jesus Christ. She has been praying for 20 years for Lena to become a believer!!!

Lena's Repentance

Our Church's Second Birthday - November 16

We celebrated two years of our new church in Petrovka on November 16. It was another special day for our church as two more young moms, Natasha and Larisa, repented. Our brothers and the children sang special songs and we gave thanks together to God for all He is doing in the town of Petrovka.

Larisa and Natasha

Igor, Oleg, Oleg and Misha

October 5 - Another Special Day in the Life of our Church

Praise to the Lord for Oleg, Leda and Natasha's repentance on this day!!! Pray for each one to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Valentina, Alonya's sister on left, Oleg with his wife, Alonya

Grandmother Leda's Repentance

Natasha's Repentance

Children's Playground Grand Opening on October 4

Thank you to all who gave to make this dream come true!!! May God bless you!!!

Wild and Wonderful!!! This was one of the most exciting days for the people in Petrovka - the opening of a children's playground for the children in their town. I thank God for two of my supporting churches and one personal supporter who gave to make this dream come true. We had over 150 children and over 50 adults attend the opening. The mayor of our town spoke and cut the red ribbon for the opening. The head doctor of the hospital also attended. We served popcorn, cotton candy and juice to everyone who attended. We had Bibles and Christian literature for the children and adults. People are still in amazement that our church would do such a wonderful thing for their town.
Pray that God will use this playground to bring many to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.