Slovakia - Sunday, Monday

Today as we left Nehemiah Ukraine we traveled through the lovely country of Slovakia.  We only had a 2 1/2 hour wait at the border which was good.  We traveled through sleepy little villages with sheep grazing among the apple orchards and mountains in the background.  Below are pictures of our border experience, and our time in the city of Kosice which is our favorite city to visit  next to Prague.  We leave at 3:15 today and fly to Vienna where we have a 17 1/2 hour layover.  Yes we will stay at a hotel. We hope to do a little site seeing if time and money permit.  We will post pictures if we get to do that.  Much love, PW and Sherry

this poor guy has only a broom to do his job

Just a street view of Kosice

Out door cafe.. Note blankets

View of city from our window

Just saying hello to you all

Pretty little side street with cafe, note blankets

Bell from 1400's

St. Elizabeth Cathedral dating from 1300's

Original foundation of city gate

Love the tower at end of street

Old Mansion dated 1443

Another view of mansion

Plaque with dates on the mansion

My friend from Hungary said that it says Matthew the Righteous.

How cool is that? 

Sycamore tree

Inside St. Elizabeths

Statue of all the city Crests dating from 1400's

Saying Goodbye

Saying goodbye is always sad to us. Leaving precious friends and memories of a good times.  Saturday was a wonderful day of rest for us where we prepared for our leaving.  Sherry met with her friend Kristi for breakfast, then packed, then PW and Sherry had a lovely dinner with Vasiko, Tanya and Marishka Machabeli.  Below are some pictures we hope you enjoy.  We will be traveling to Kosice today to spend the night before our flight home on Monday  Praying for all of you as you worship today.  Much love, PW and Sherry

The hotel dog Richie.

View of the city from our room.

A picture is worth a thousand words

Anna - she has come to our seminars since 2001

Marriage Seminar NT Church

Pastor Valodia, Lilliana, PW and Sherry, Oxana, Valodya

Elizabeth, Edik's mom, Pastor Edik Opalenik from City of Life Church

Orthodox Church near us

Pet Lambs

See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil

Uzghorod Cake

Part of our class Olya our translator is on far left in back

Pastor Valodya and Maria Kyvenko

Youth from Josef's house

Silly boy

Timothy and friend

Alyona from Belaruse, Irina from Lativa, Marsha from Ukraine

Some of our class

Angela, Anna, Angela

Pastor Sasha and Angela from City of Life church

Valodya Sergachov, Carrie MacFarland, Kristi, Lena, Sherry at the English school 

Friday

This morning the sun was shining when we got up and the temperature was already in the high 60's.  By noon it was 75. The birds have been singing all day and it feels like summer for which we are thankful, since at home they are getting snow and lots of it.  Geeeeeee we can't wait to go home and enjoy the weather.  Wrong.

Wayne taught today on the Process of Change.  As we have ministered this week we have tired to help them see that there are pattens of sinful behavior in their lives that need to change.  So of course you cannot diagnose a problem without giving a solution.  This teaching is powerful and very helpful to them and others as they walk with God.  They were very attentive and leaning forward in their seats and asking questions about specific sin issues and asking how they could change them.  It was a very productive time. At the end of our time together we prayed for them and then they prayed for us and then they began to share the things that had helped them this week It was a precious bittersweet time.   We took pictures, shared a meal together and then said good bye to many as they had to catch trains.

We got to sit outside on the swing for awhile and rest this afternoon.  The swings are set up to overlook the city so it was a very relaxing time.  A few of the women who had not gone home stopped by to talk and ask counsel about things.

We went for pizza tonight on our way to our speaking engagement at the English school where we were asked to address the topic of Hollywood love vs. Real love.  We had a great time talking to the students and sharing our testimony and answering questions.  We love interacting with young people.  Valodya Sergachov, who is our friend, leads the school and loves to provide opportunities for his students to interact with Americans but also to hear the gospel.  So we have much liberty when we go to speak here at this school. Carrie MacFarland and Lena from Nehemiah ministry went with us.  It is always fun to fellowship along with our work.  God is so good to us.

Tomorrow we have a few appts. but will spend the day visiting with our friends Vasiko and Tanya Machabeli and then pack to leave. It has been a wonderfully productive week and we are so thankful to each one who has invested in ministry either through finances or prayer or both. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Only eternity will reveal the true investment in the lives of those you helped us to serve.
Have a blessed Saturday friends.

Lord willing we will post pictures tonight.

Much love,
PW and Sherry

Thursday

This morning started like all others until around 10 when Tanya and Vasiko found their 3 pet sheep dead.  A dog apparently got into the pen during the night and attacked them. You can imagine the scene and all the activity as they tried to find the dog.  Our seminar had started and of course we were all distracted for a bit looking out the window at the scene. It was very sad.  Please pray for them.

Todays morning seminar was on starting new biblical relationships after divorce.  So many jump right back into marriage without taking time to heal and some jump in and do not have a biblical right because their divorce was not biblical.  We had much discussion and questions and answers during those 2 1/2 hours.  The afternoon was spent looking at the need to forgive and just how to do that. We ended with an invitation for  those who needed to forgive.  It was a very special time.  We consider it such a privilege to help people in these kinds of life situations.  God truly has the answers for them and is there to comfort and help.

Tonight while PW stayed at the apt. to prepare for tomorrows teachings, I, Sherry went and spoke to a group of young people, on biblical relationships.  We talked about how to keep from getting into romantic relationships before they were mature enough to handle the emotions and temptations that go along with them.  It was fun and the kids laughed and talked and were very attentive during the teaching time, taking notes and looking up scripture.  I encouraged them to spend time together in groups of friends and not to worry about boyfriend, girlfriend relationships .  Surprisingly they seemed to embrace that idea and promised to wait for God to bring the right person into their lives while working on BEING the right person themselves.  Praise God.

Our translator Olya,  works harder than we do since she  has to not only hear it in English but then relay it in Russian to the people without missing the meaning of what was said.  Not only did she work all day from 10 but she also sits with us at meals and goes with us when we speak elsewhere.  That means that today alone she worked almost 12 hours using her brain constantly.  Thank God for her and pray for her please.  She needs a rest.

I want to continue to praise God for PW's health. Your prayers were answered in a powerful way the other day.  You are very much apart of these mission trips and we so appreciate each one of you.

Tomorrow is our last day with our peeps.  It is always a bittersweet time since we get to know the people God sent to us during our week together.

Much love,
PW and Sherry

Wednesday

This morning as the sun came up the city was covered with a hazy mist. It was quite beautiful.  The Nehemiah center sits high on a hill overlooking the city.  We are only 1/2 mile from the Slovakian border and the airport is down the hill.  We can see it from our room.  Early in the morning you can hear the prop plane as it gets ready for takeoff.  Yes you read that right, prop plane, a rather large one at that.  The sound is very comforting for some reason.  By 10 the sun was shining brightly and by noon the temperature had risen to around 75degrees. It was wonderful.  At home we were told it was getting ready to snow.

Our teaching time today was fun.  In the morning Sherry taught on depression and loneliness.  It was such a joy to be able to encourage our brothers and sisters from the scriptures to show the that God is sufficient to meet every need they have.  We ended the time by breaking up in discussion groups to encourage and pray for each other. It was a special time.

We want to thank all of you for your prayers for PW yesterday  I am happy to report that the Lord gave  him a powerful anointing and a clear mind to teach on Divorce and Remarriage after lunch.  We had a lively discussion as well, which always makes for a fun session.  Needless to say here as everywhere in the world this topic is a hot one.   But we could see that God was using the teaching to encourage them all.

A praise report.  Yesterday we had asked you to pray for Josef and his wife Oxana.. Today they returned to the seminar and there is a major change in his countenance. He was smiling and open, he even laughed during the teaching time when it was appropriate of course.  At the beginning of our afternoon session, PW asked Sergei, a brother who we have known for 14 yrs, to share his testimony of how God delivered him from alcohol addiction and restored his life. It was just what Josef needed to hear. Please keep praying for his salvation.   God is good.

After a quick  nap we met our friends Fila and Kristi and went for pizza in the city.  Had a wonderful time of fellowship over our  meal.  Kristi was one of our translators many years ago and we have maintained a friendship so of course we must meet each time we come to Ukraine.  It is always amazing to us at how our hearts bond with the ones we work so closely with .  It is like having an extended family.  These young people who translate are amazing in not only their ability to take your thoughts and interpret them for others, but in the anointing that they carry since most see this as a calling.

Please continue to keep PW in your prayers. Thank you so much.

Much love,
PW and Sherry

Tuesday

Today was our first full day of teaching.  We began dealing with all the emotions that rise up during a divorce. One lady cried through the whole thing. She had been married for over 25 yrs and her divorce is not yet final.  Can you imagine the pain she is dealing with?  The Lord is so gracious to His children. WE not only were able to speak with her privately and offer some help from the word of God, but we also had the privilege of counseling a couple who came with their pastor and are on the verge of divorce.  Please pray for Josef and Oxana.  Josef is not yet a believer and has a drinking problem.  We presented the gospel to him in a very clear way but he is not yet willing to give his life to Christ.  Christ is the only hope this couple  have since the problems in the marriage are huge.

On a more serious note, please keep PW in prayer.  As you know he had a stroke last January and has been doing pretty good, but he has shared with me that the past few days he is having trouble recalling things as he is teaching.  Obviously this is a concern for us both so we covet your prayers.

WE have been trying to figure out the program to download pictures.  So far we have not had any success but keep checking because one day the pictures will be here.

God bless you all.
Much love,
PW and Sherry

Monday

Today was a gorgeous day. It started out chilly and cloudy but by 10a.m. the sun was out and the smell of burning leaves permeated the air.

The Nehemiah center hosts a Montessori school so the building was filled with the sounds of little children laughing and learning. They also host an English school and people come from all over to learn to speak English. So starting around 4 adults began to arrive for their classes.  WE love the activity of life happening.

For us the day was spent in preparation and study for our Divorce Recovery Seminar.  It was good to have uninterrupted study time.  We took a walk after lunch to clear our heads and wake us up and then back to the room to study some more.  At 4 our seminar attendees arrived for a worship time and a meet and greet.  It was wonderful to finally  meet those for whom we have been praying.  It is going to be a good week.  I think I mentioned that one lady has come from Latvia, another from Belaruse and the rest from the Transcarpathian region of Ukraine.  There will be some from Uzghorod as well.  We ask that you keep us in prayer as the Lord leads.  The desire of our hearts this week is that those who have traveled so far will find healing for their souls so they can move forward in their lives.

Much love,
PW and Sherry

Sunday

This morning was dark and cold when we rolled out of bed. It was one of the mornings when it would have been wonderful to sleep in.  But God had an assignment for us so we persevered.  After a few hours in prayer and study we headed down to breakfast and then left for the service at City of Life Church.  We have the privilege of ministering at this church each time we come to Uzghorod.  Wayne preached an excellent and timely message titled the Storms of Life.  This congregation is going through a trial at the moment and the Holy Spirit definitely led him in this topic since we did not know this in advance.  Pastor Edik and many came and said it was just the encouragement that was needed.  Praise to the Lord who always meets His children in their time of need.

After service we went with Edik and Elizabeth to dinner at their home. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and sharing what God is doing in each of our lives.  We finished our time with them in prayer for wisdom as they seek God on the solution to their problem.

By the time we got back to our room we were ready for another nap.  Jet lag is almost gone thankfully.

Tomorrow our group will begin arriving. We have been told some are coming from Russia, Belaruse, Latvia and Moldovia.   That means these are hurting people if they are willing to travel that far for a seminar. Please pray for us to teach with the anointing of God so these precious people will find healing  this week.  Divorce Recovery seminars are not common in this part of the world. We want to give them Gods answers to their problems.  Please follow the promptings to pray this week.

Blessings on your week dear friends.
Much Love,
PW and Sherry

Saturday

The day dawned with a beautiful mist hanging over the city of Uzghorod.  Our room has a lovely view of the whole city and over the past 14 years we have watched new homes being built and the city come to life.  We love the morning sounds here.  Roosters crowing as the sun comes up, dogs barking as men leave for work and the hustle and bustle of life.  As we look out our windows we see each home with fruit trees and gardens and clothes lines with fresh laundry blowing in the breeze.   The Ukranians do not waste their property on just lovely landscape, they use the ground for producing food they can eat all year, even if you live in an apt. here, you will see food of some sort growing on the balcony or in the windows.

We had a lovely day resting and preparing for our evening ministry at the New Testament Church.
Pastor Valodya had invited us to come at 3:30 to have coffee and fellowship with he and his wife and then the seminar started at 5.   We had 15 couples who came to learn how to strengthen their marriages.  It was a precious time and God met with us for 3 hours as we shared principles from the word of God to help them.  At the end we prayed for them and asked God to help them continue to grow in their relationships.  We also gave each couple a copy of our marriage DVD in Russian.

It is always a blessing when we come to have people whom we have ministered to in the past come up to us to speak about what God is doing in their lives. One lady came who had met her husband at one of our singles seminars 3 years ago. She was happy to report they had listened to our marriage seminar on cd and that they are happily married and expecting their first child in a few months.  Some shared that they need to take what they have learned and apply it so it will bear fruit in their lives.

We hope to post pictures  that we have taken once we figure out how to do it on this new program.

Please keep us in prayer as you go about your day.

Much love,
PW and Sherry

Arrived Safely in Ukraine

  Coming to Nehemiah Ministry is like coming home.  As we have told you before we are torn between two continents.  Can't wait to get started on ministry tomorrow.

We had a good nights sleep, 13 hours, and hope to do the same tonight.  The older we get the more jet lag affects us.  Joy :>)

Off to spend time with our friends and catch up on all that has been happening here.  We will hopefully have a post tomorrow outlining our day and the ministry time.

Much love,
PW and Sherry

vienna

We have made the first leg of our trip and are safely in Vienna. We have a 4 hour layover and then will head to Kosice Slovakia and then a 2 hour drive to Uzghorod Ukraine. Please keep us in prayer as we travel.  We are very tired and need a good rest tomorrow since we start ministry on Saturday.
Much love,
PW and Sherry

3 Days til take off

Today was a day of excitement and bittersweet goodbyes.  Each time we get ready to leave the country to minister we are reminded of those we are leaving behind.  But the excitement in our hearts and a sense of mission begins to build.   Our church and family are wonderful in encouraging and allowing us to go and do this 2 times a year.  They lovingly pray for us and send us off which blesses us so much.

This time we are ministering in several areas.

On Sat. night we will be doing a mini marriage seminar at New Testament church where we have been invited several times.  We will have 2 hours of teaching and then 1 hour for questions and answers.  

Then on Sunday we will be ministering in the Town of Life church with Pastor Edik Opalenik.  They invite us to come each time we visit Uzghorod and are always so receptive to the word God brings. We love this church and Edik and his wife.  This man has  a huge vision from God and so much energy and enthusiasm that it is refreshing to be in his presence.

On Tuesday we begin our Divorce Recovery Seminar.  We are asking specifically that God will use us to bring healing to those who attend.   So many are suffering from the pain of divorce all over the world.  In Ukraine there is no provision made for women or children of divorce so the pain goes very deep because many times the women lose their homes and all income and have to go to work longer hours to support themselves and their children.  Many times the children are left to raise themselves so mom can work.  The long term affects of divorce are seen everywhere.

If you feel prompted to pray for us at any time, please do so, most likely we will be counseling at that time and need wisdom.  Culture defines so much and we need to be sensitive to that but true to the word of God.

Once again, thank you for your support of our ministry.  Whether financial or prayer support, it is all vital and you are a part of what we do.

Much love,
PW and Sherry

Countdown

Wow, we cannot believe it is only 11 days until we leave for Ukraine.   Our hearts are being prepared to minister.  What a privilege to serve the Ukranian church..  Would you take a minute now and pray?

Pray we will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and hear those promptings He gives.

Pray for Divine appts. in the airports and other places where we will be staying.

Pray for our flesh to be crucified so we totally focus on Jesus.

Pray that as we pray for people that Gods power will touch them and change and heal them.

Pray for those who will be attending the Marriage ministry night at New Testament Church on Friday.

Pray for the City of Life church where we will minister on Sunday morning.

Pray for those attending the Divorce Recovery seminar starting on Tuesday.  Ask God to help them forgive and to move forward in their lives.

Pray for all of our flights.

Pray for good health for us both but especially PW.

Pray for our moms to stay healthy.

Pray for our daughter and her family.

Pray for our church.

Pray for our Associate Pastor Bill as he cares for the church.

Pray for our finances that they will stretch and we will use them wisely.

Thank you so much. We will update daily Lord willing starting on the 18th.

Much love,
PW and Sherry

The trying of our Faith

The last three months have definetly been trying of our faith.. The good thing is that all things really do work together for good to those who love God... Our house was flooded as you know and the result has been a look at our hearts ..It is amazing what rises up in your flesh when you are being tested.. Praise the Lord for this time. We have learned so much about ourselves and about our amazing Father.  He has provided each and every thing we have needed from the beginning.

It is hard to believe we are leaving for Ukraine in  just a few weeks. We will be ministering at the Nehemiah Center in Uzghorod the last week of October.  We have been asked to teach a divorce recovery seminar this time. Please be in prayer that God would bring the people that are in need of what He has put in our hearts. Pray that they would be ready to forgive and ready to obey Him 100% in spite of the pain they are going through.  Pray for freedom to come to them as they apply the truth of the word of God to their lives.  Lord willing we will also be ministering in a few local churches while in the country. We would ask that you pray daily for us as we prepare and while we are there. We covet your prayers.

Today we had the joy of hosting our dear friends Richard and Anya Vandevere who stopped by in Cleveland for 24 hours on their way home from Texas to be with us. Anya was our first translator in Ukraine when we started going  in 2001. She was our main translator until she married her husband 5 years ago.  Richard preached at CCF this morning and did a marvelous job. You can access his sermon through the link here on our blog. It would be well worth listening to if you have the time.

We will start posting regularly next month. Thanks for taking time to read about our adventures.

Much love,
PW and Sherry  

The steps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord.

On July 19 at 3:10 a.m. Waynes mom woke us up saying the house was flooding.  We of course ran down stairs to the lower living area and sure enough brown muddy water was pouring in under the door and spreading quickly through her living space.  It had been storming that night when we went to bed and the rain was coming down so hard that the ground could not absorb it.  Over 1000 homes in our area were affected by flash flood waters.  So anyway, we, along with our daughter and her husband, spent the next 12 hours sucking up water, moving furniture and ripping out carpet so that things could dry out. Thankfully our damage was minimal compared to the other homes.  We had to have a demo team come in and cut out 1 foot of drywall all around the room where the walls had sucked up water, then they sprayed it with a chemical to kill any mold spores and left a huge dehumidifier which ran for 3 days to dry out the wood plus 5 high powered fans.  We are still in the process of fixing everything and MIL is still living among stacked furniture and boxes while we wait on workers to come and repair damage.  Please pray that our insurance will cover the cost of this expensive repair.  So far we have spent over $3000. with more bills coming this week. 
We cannot imagine what our 80 something moms would have done had we not been home at the time. But Our Heavenly Father knew and ordered our steps in such a way that we did not go to Ukraine as we had planned.  His grace is sufficient and in everything we are giving thanks to Him.  It is so wonderful to be able to trust Him in every area of our lives. 
So to those of you who had sent donations for our July trip, we have put the money in our account and we will use it to pay for tickets for our Fall trip Lord willing and the creek does not rise again...:>))
Much Love,
PW and Sherry

Gods ways are not our ways

The Lord has a way of directing our paths that do not always match up with what we think.  As you know we were hoping to go to Ukraine the end of July to minister.  Sent out our letter to our supporters and then prayed.  We waited and waited, money was trickling in but not quite enough to provide tickets for July. So we prayed some more and sensed Him telling us to wait until Sept.  Checked online for tickets and saw that we would save $500 per ticket just waiting.  PTL for His leadership.  Actually Sept. will be a better time to go anyway since vacations will be over and the people will be back in town. Please continue to pray for us as we prepare for Sept.  We are waiting with expectancy to see why He delayed our trip so we would be home in July. We will keep you posted.
Remember you can always trust Him to guide you. 
Much Love,
PW and Sherry

Pictures from the Youth Conference in Cabadbaran Philippines

Philippine Youth attending our conference.
We are on the screen in the background.



Pastor Paul translating our teaching. 
The computer is positioned so we can see the audience.
We are being projected on a big screen so the kids can see us.

Sat. Afternoon the computer in the church lost the skype
signal and so Pastor Rannie moved all the kids into his
living room and we spoke to them via his computer minus video.
The Lord met with us anyway. He is like that. :>)))

Here are some of the testimonies the youth gave.

"We were so blessed for the word of God which you brought to us.  Especially in the area of making decisions.  I also like that you taught us that we cannot seek peace in people, places or events but only in God.  I also learned that dating is very serious and that God has guidelines."

"I was blessed by God for the teaching on dating. I learned that Sexual intercourse is only for married people and that purity is a holy thing.  Thankful to the Lord because whatever comes along the way, I can stand on the word."

"I was blessed by the teachings.  I am thankful that God uses you in our lives even though you are far away.  I learned a lot about choices and dating. This is not the ending but only the beginning."

"A 20 yr. old young man said that he was blessed by the topic of kissing. He has already experienced kissing and just realized as we taught that it is not Gods best because unless he is married it does not honor God.  He is going to tell his girlfriend, no more kissing so they will not be tempted to sin.  (wink) "

These are just a few of the testimonies, but we pray that God takes the truth that has been taught and burns it into their hearts so that they will live lives of purity.  God is awesome.. 

Much love,
PW and Sherry