That title is the only way to describe the place we visited today. The Gypsy camp we went to has about 170 people. Most of them are related and less than 20 percent attend church and walk with God. We will put the pictures on the blog when we return. Seeing is believing. Shacks and squallor and dirt and bugs and sewage and naked children and depression and joy on some faces are words to describe what we saw today. But inspite of all of that, the church was clean and filled with the people who love God. The worship was wonderful and Wayne preached a message titled they will know you by your love for one another. It was a timely message for this particular group according to the pastor. Please pray for these people who are in such desperate need. After the sermon several women came for prayer. They had serious health problems and have no money to see the doctor so they rely totally on God for healing. PTL that we know He heals. We had dinner with the pastor afterwards and he and his wife talked about the challenges they face in this community.
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We got back to the center and finished our mini seminar with the 5 people who came on Friday. Today we talked about issues for singles since 3 of them are singles. We will meet with the one couple tomorrow who are married. So all in all it was a good day. We trust things at home were good and we know that Bill preached a good message since he always does. We are starting to count the days until we return home to our family and congregation. We would ask that you pray for us this week especially that we would be able to find time to spend with each family that wants to talk. We have several friends coming to talk with us on the off days so we will be very busy.
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Blessings, Wayne and Sherry
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Saturday
Today has been very busy. We started early with prayer and then at 10 met with two couples and a single woman to do a mini seminar on marriage and prep for marriage. The time went well. We taught on the differences between men and women because they said that the conflicts they have are centered on these differences. Anyway, we did that and ministered to them until 3 and then had to leave to go to our friends house for dinner. Now believe me when we say you have not eaten until you are invited to a Ukrainian home for dinner. You start off with what we would consider a full meal, meat, potatoes and salad and assorted juices. They encourage you to eat seconds and if you do not know better you do, becauseeeeeeeeeeeeeee when you finally finish and are full they bring out another full course dinner with a different meat or cabbage rolls and potatoes. Finally you are finished with dinner and huge platters of sweets are brought in for you. Today we had homemade pastries called Napoleons. They are phillo dough stuffed with rich cream. Also you are given coffee or tea and then when you finish that a huge platter of fruit is brought out to you to cleanse your pallate. We are very full. But the fellowship was wonderful and we were shown several DVDs of family pictures plus an album. It is very important to the Ukranian culture to look at pictures.
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We stayed for 3 hours and have just returned to our apt. so Wayne can study for preaching tomorrow. If you are reading this on Saturday, please pray for us before you go to bed tonite. We have a very full day tomorrow with preaching, dinner with the pastors family and then a meeting with the people we met with today plus preparation for our seminar beginning on Monday. It is so good to hear from so many of you
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Blessings, Wayne and Sherry
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We stayed for 3 hours and have just returned to our apt. so Wayne can study for preaching tomorrow. If you are reading this on Saturday, please pray for us before you go to bed tonite. We have a very full day tomorrow with preaching, dinner with the pastors family and then a meeting with the people we met with today plus preparation for our seminar beginning on Monday. It is so good to hear from so many of you
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Blessings, Wayne and Sherry
Friday, July 11, 2008
Our steps are ordered by the Lord...
Thursday turned out to be busy. We were able to rest most of the day and study and pray then our one evening apt. turned into 3 apts. and we did not finish until after 10.
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Today was the last day of our seminar. Our interpreter came in late and was not feeling well, she stopped in the middle of the first session and said she was sick and had to leave, soooooooooooo we had to find the other interpreter, we ended up with Olya who did a great job but has never done it before. At the end of the time Tanya showed up and took over. Then in the middle of the next session the power went off. What a day huh? Life on the mission field is very unpredictable. But it all turned out well. Today we taught on actual steps to Resolve Conflict, Sex, Peace and Joy principle, Process of change and Biblical finances.
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Oh and I forgot to add that 5 people showed up after a 30 hour trip here and did not realize they had come too late for the seminar, so Tanya asked us if we would do a mini seminar for them tomorrow and Sunday. We will start at 10 am. and then teach until around 3 and then meet again on Sunday afternoon when we get back from preaching at one of the gypsy churches. Please pray for us since we are very tired both emotionally and physically. But God is ordering our steps so we know He will give us the grace.
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The next group of people will start arriving on Sunday and we will start the parenting seminar on Monday.
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Today was the last day of our seminar. Our interpreter came in late and was not feeling well, she stopped in the middle of the first session and said she was sick and had to leave, soooooooooooo we had to find the other interpreter, we ended up with Olya who did a great job but has never done it before. At the end of the time Tanya showed up and took over. Then in the middle of the next session the power went off. What a day huh? Life on the mission field is very unpredictable. But it all turned out well. Today we taught on actual steps to Resolve Conflict, Sex, Peace and Joy principle, Process of change and Biblical finances.
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Oh and I forgot to add that 5 people showed up after a 30 hour trip here and did not realize they had come too late for the seminar, so Tanya asked us if we would do a mini seminar for them tomorrow and Sunday. We will start at 10 am. and then teach until around 3 and then meet again on Sunday afternoon when we get back from preaching at one of the gypsy churches. Please pray for us since we are very tired both emotionally and physically. But God is ordering our steps so we know He will give us the grace.
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The next group of people will start arriving on Sunday and we will start the parenting seminar on Monday.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Wednesday
Well today was the second day of our seminar and we realized we did not update yesterday. So we will start with that. We met Valodya and Oxana for lunch and spent 4 hours with them catching up. Valodya was one of our original interpreters 8 yrs ago. We worked with him until 2 years ago when he went with another organization, but we have remained friends. He will most likely go with us to Zhitomyr next spring to do the interpretations. We got back and then met with a couple who wanted counseling. It was good productive time with this pastor and his wife. We of course cannot give details but you can ask God to bless them and help them to obey Him in the marriage.
Today was fun. Sherry taught on the role of the woman this morning and then did a short teaching for the single man and 4 women who were present. This afternoon Wayne taught on Biblical love and then started the teaching on causes of conflict. We will finish this up on friday morning. The time has gone quickly and we have seen God do wonderful things. We also received two invitations to come to other cities to do the seminar. One invitation was to a bible school in Kiev with 1500 students and the other was to a city near the black sea. Both were issued by Pastors and we are asking you to pray with us to see if this is what God wants us to do. The need is so great here that we need to discern which invitations are really from God for us to accept. Tomorrow we will meet with couples who want to talk and we will get some rest in between. God bless you all.
Oh and thanks to those of you who are making comments and writing us, it really makes the time go faster. We also want to thank the people who gave us money to give away, we have been able to bless several people so far and they are blown away by the Lords provision for them. You all are part of what we do in a great way whether you pray or give.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Hi everyone, Day 1 has gone well. We have a diverse group of couples of all ages and 4 single women and 1 single guy her with his fiance. They were attentive and excited about what they were learning. It is amazing to us that people here have not heard the truth of the word on marriage. In the U.S. we have so much available to us and we don't' realize how blessed we are as a people. Wayne taught on the purpose of marriage today and the role of the husband as a servant leader and lover. Sherry will teach on Wed. and will cover the role of the woman. Please pray for each couple. WE have already started counseling them and have an apt. tonight as well. Today, Tuesday, we are going to meet with our dear friend Valody and his wife for lunch and then will come back to our apt. to study and prepare for tomorrow.
On a personal note, we apparently had a wee beastie visiting our bed each night and we would wake up with bite marks on our bodies that were swelling, but when we would turn on the light, no beastie. So we prayed last night before we went to sleep and wallahhhhhhhhhh no bite marks last night. PTL and we got a good nights rest.
Thanks for all the prayer.
On a personal note, we apparently had a wee beastie visiting our bed each night and we would wake up with bite marks on our bodies that were swelling, but when we would turn on the light, no beastie. So we prayed last night before we went to sleep and wallahhhhhhhhhh no bite marks last night. PTL and we got a good nights rest.
Thanks for all the prayer.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
A Day of Rest
Hello everyone,
Today we have had a lovely rest. We spent the morning with the Lord and studied and prayed and then around 2 Tanya and Vasiko came for a visit and brought Wayne a birthday present and sang Happy Birthday to him. They are good friends and it was fun to catch up on what is new since October when we last saw them. Maria their little girl is now walking and is so cute. We said goodbye to them and Sergei our friend from Khust was walking in the door so we took him to the cafe to share an ice cream sunday with Wayne and me to celebrate his birthday and once again we sang Happy Birtday to him. Then to make the day complete we were in our apartment and the phone rang and it was our daughter calling from church and the WHOLE congregation sang Happy Birthday to Wayne and then applauded and whistled why the two of us sat there with tears running down our faces. You will never know how much that meant to us, thank you to our precious church family, it is an honor to serve such wonderful people. Tomorrow we start our seminar at 10 and would appreciate you praying for us throughout the day that we hear clearly from God on what to teach each session and that the people who come will be blessed. So far there are 40 preregistered and more will most likely just show up. That is the Ukranian way. God Bless You all. Wayne and Sherry
Today we have had a lovely rest. We spent the morning with the Lord and studied and prayed and then around 2 Tanya and Vasiko came for a visit and brought Wayne a birthday present and sang Happy Birthday to him. They are good friends and it was fun to catch up on what is new since October when we last saw them. Maria their little girl is now walking and is so cute. We said goodbye to them and Sergei our friend from Khust was walking in the door so we took him to the cafe to share an ice cream sunday with Wayne and me to celebrate his birthday and once again we sang Happy Birtday to him. Then to make the day complete we were in our apartment and the phone rang and it was our daughter calling from church and the WHOLE congregation sang Happy Birthday to Wayne and then applauded and whistled why the two of us sat there with tears running down our faces. You will never know how much that meant to us, thank you to our precious church family, it is an honor to serve such wonderful people. Tomorrow we start our seminar at 10 and would appreciate you praying for us throughout the day that we hear clearly from God on what to teach each session and that the people who come will be blessed. So far there are 40 preregistered and more will most likely just show up. That is the Ukranian way. God Bless You all. Wayne and Sherry
Saturday, July 5, 2008
A country of contrasts
Romania is a country of contrasts. You can be riding down the road and pass lots of new modern buildings and then right in the middle of one is a shack or a family riding in a wagon with a donkey pulling the cart with cars passing them by. Needless to say the country is in major transition with becoming part of the Europeon Union. The economy is going crazy and the people are really struggling to make ends meet. Costs are soaring but pay stays the same. Pray for these people. While the country is in transition, so is the church. The Hope of Life church where we have been ministering was founded with young people under the age of 18. The growth a few years ago was amazing as over a 100 young people came to Christ. Now those same young people are getting married and having babies which is changing the church in many ways. Our main mission this past week has been to help Pastor Mihai and Eliza plan for these changes and train them to counsel etc. It has been a rich week of fellowship with them and the other friends we have made here. Gaby and Adina were a delight to be with also. They are working with the new teens coming to Christ. We have been asked to come back again in the spring to do more training in counseling so that they can help the couples have strong marriages. Thank you all for praying for us.
We arrived in Uzghorod today after sitting at the Slovakian border for over an hour. We will begin our marriage seminar in on Monday. We need a bit of a rest right now since we have worked non stop since leaving home. Soooooooooooo tomorrow which is Waynes 61st birthday, we will rest and start our prep for monday. We will try to update every few days at least so please keep checking back for new posts.
We arrived in Uzghorod today after sitting at the Slovakian border for over an hour. We will begin our marriage seminar in on Monday. We need a bit of a rest right now since we have worked non stop since leaving home. Soooooooooooo tomorrow which is Waynes 61st birthday, we will rest and start our prep for monday. We will try to update every few days at least so please keep checking back for new posts.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Ukraine
Mom and Dad should be travelling to Ukraine today and will arrive tomorrow, the fifth. It looks like the weather will be a little bit cooler. Good for Dad. Mom LOVES the heat. Please pray for strength and clear direction from the Lord. Constant counseling can be very tiring. They love it, but it can and does drain them.
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Dad's phone that was dropped in a puddle (wouldn't you all have loved to have been there for that!) is working again. Thanks to those who prayed and praise the Lord for answering.
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Blessings,
Jen
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Dad's phone that was dropped in a puddle (wouldn't you all have loved to have been there for that!) is working again. Thanks to those who prayed and praise the Lord for answering.
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Blessings,
Jen
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Romania
Hello everyone,
Praise the Lord this is the first time I am able to post. We have been so busy but are really enjoying our time with the saints here in Tirgoviste. Pastor Mihai is a blessing and is so teachable and hungry. We have spent each morning with He and Eliza while they are asking lots of questions on how to minister to their congregation. Most of the questions are dealing with how to counsel the people they care for on a daily basis. We have been able to share from our 23 years of ministry experience, be assured that we are sharing more from our mistakes in ministry than from our success :>) . In the afternoons and evenings we are meeting with other leaders in the church doing some marriage counseling and giving other advice. It has been productive and encouraging to be with these young men and women. Gods family is the same everywhere and we are so blessed to be able to be a part of equipping His servants. Continue to pray for us as we travel around also. The drivers here are crazy. The other day we were almost in a head on collision and daily driving on the streets is a challenge. They do not have the same laws here as we do in the states. For that matter we wonder if they have any traffic laws.
I will post again as soon as I can. Blessings to you all. Wayne and Sherry
Praise the Lord this is the first time I am able to post. We have been so busy but are really enjoying our time with the saints here in Tirgoviste. Pastor Mihai is a blessing and is so teachable and hungry. We have spent each morning with He and Eliza while they are asking lots of questions on how to minister to their congregation. Most of the questions are dealing with how to counsel the people they care for on a daily basis. We have been able to share from our 23 years of ministry experience, be assured that we are sharing more from our mistakes in ministry than from our success :>) . In the afternoons and evenings we are meeting with other leaders in the church doing some marriage counseling and giving other advice. It has been productive and encouraging to be with these young men and women. Gods family is the same everywhere and we are so blessed to be able to be a part of equipping His servants. Continue to pray for us as we travel around also. The drivers here are crazy. The other day we were almost in a head on collision and daily driving on the streets is a challenge. They do not have the same laws here as we do in the states. For that matter we wonder if they have any traffic laws.
I will post again as soon as I can. Blessings to you all. Wayne and Sherry
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Dad and mom called today via Skypes. Apparently, Dad dropped his cell phone in a mud puddle last night and it will not work now. They are waiting on a new battery. Please pray that it will be working soon. They got out of the traffic jam within 7 minutes of calling home for a check in/prayer on Monday. I am sure God can fix the phone as well!
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Things are going well and they are having a good time with the people. Please continue to pray for safety, health, divine wisdom.
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Jen
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Things are going well and they are having a good time with the people. Please continue to pray for safety, health, divine wisdom.
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Jen
Monday, June 30, 2008
The eagle has landed....
Dad just called and they have arrived safely in Romania - the first leg of the trip. The flight went well and they were stuck in a traffic jam in 95 degree heat. With no AC. But...he sounded in good spirits and jsut asked for prayer that the traffic would begin to move and they could get to their hotel quickly.
On the sidebar are clocks and forecasts for Romania and Ukraine.
Jen
On the sidebar are clocks and forecasts for Romania and Ukraine.
Jen
Monday, June 23, 2008
June 23 Pastor Alexander
Pastor Alexander arrived safe and sound on Thursday and we have had a wonderful visit with him. He is such a dear friend and so full of the joy of the Lord. Thursday we took him for a drive to the Amish country farms. He was fascinated that in America where there is so much wealth that some people live this way. He thought they were poor and so we explained that it is a religious group that chooses to live without electricity and modern conveniences. We then took him to meet our daughters family and of course the dogs. On Friday Wayne and the interpreter took him to the Auto Museum in Cleveland. He loved looking at the old cars. That evening we had our elders and their wives over to meet him and share a meal. Needless to say he was worn out by Saturday.
The service on Sunday was wonderful. Thank you to those of you who came to meet him. He preached a wonderful message about our weight with God. If you would like a copy of the message, call our church office and order one. You should have seen us fellowshiping with him at home after our interpreter left. We did quite well with our Russian phrase book and charades. We sure laughed allot, but it is amazing how much you can communicate without words. All in all it was a wonderful time with him and as we sent him off today we were already looking forward to our next time together next spring in Zhitomyr. Please pray for the work that he does in his country. He is a humble godly man and really is a true Christ follower. He oversees 23 churches that his church has planted and he has great influence in his city and has been used of God to bring the pastors and churches together in unity. His focus in totally on Jesus and His kingdom and we are sure that is why God uses him so mightily. We promise to get pictures on the site as soon as we get them on a cd so we can transfer them.
We leave this Sunday the 29 and will post as often as we can to keep you updated on what the Lord is doing. Thanks again for all the prayers and financial support. You go with us and will reap a reward along with us.
The service on Sunday was wonderful. Thank you to those of you who came to meet him. He preached a wonderful message about our weight with God. If you would like a copy of the message, call our church office and order one. You should have seen us fellowshiping with him at home after our interpreter left. We did quite well with our Russian phrase book and charades. We sure laughed allot, but it is amazing how much you can communicate without words. All in all it was a wonderful time with him and as we sent him off today we were already looking forward to our next time together next spring in Zhitomyr. Please pray for the work that he does in his country. He is a humble godly man and really is a true Christ follower. He oversees 23 churches that his church has planted and he has great influence in his city and has been used of God to bring the pastors and churches together in unity. His focus in totally on Jesus and His kingdom and we are sure that is why God uses him so mightily. We promise to get pictures on the site as soon as we get them on a cd so we can transfer them.
We leave this Sunday the 29 and will post as often as we can to keep you updated on what the Lord is doing. Thanks again for all the prayers and financial support. You go with us and will reap a reward along with us.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Saturday June 14, 2008
We are busily preparing for our trip. Only 2 weeks from today before we leave. There is so much to do and we covet your prayers. The money has all been provided so any additional funds will be used to bless the Pastor and Wives in Romania and Ukraine.
Pastor Alexander arrives this thursday. We are very excited to see him and hope he enjoys his time with us. Would you please pray for him as he prepares to minister at CCF on Sunday? We believe he has a word from the Lord for our congregation and we are praying for open ears and great attendance so no one misses what the Lord has for us. We still need and interpreter for the morning service so you could pray about that also. God has just the right person for this we just need to find them. :>)
Our schedule for our trip is as follows at this time. WE leave on Sunday the 29 at 11:15 and fly into Bucharest Romania. Tuesday - Friday we will meet each morning from 9-12, with Pastor Mihai and his wife. The afternoons and evenings will be spent with the rest of the staff and missionaries who serve along side of him. Saturday the 5th we leave for Ukraine. Waynes 61st birthday is on Sunday the 6th so we asked for that day free to celebrate with our friends there. We will worship with Vasiko and Tanya at the Methodist church that morning. The Marriage seminar starts Monday. WE will teach M,W,F from 10 - 6 and counsel on the off days while the rest of the attendees do some sightseeing. On Tuesday the 8th we are having a meal with our friends Valodya and Oxana. They work with GOIAM ministry which is based in New Hampshire, they set up ministry teams to go around the Uzghorod area. The second week is the Parenting seminar with the same schedule. Most likely things will change some when we get there, but at the moment that is what we have been told.
Thank you once again for all of your prayer and financial support. God Bless You
Pastor Alexander arrives this thursday. We are very excited to see him and hope he enjoys his time with us. Would you please pray for him as he prepares to minister at CCF on Sunday? We believe he has a word from the Lord for our congregation and we are praying for open ears and great attendance so no one misses what the Lord has for us. We still need and interpreter for the morning service so you could pray about that also. God has just the right person for this we just need to find them. :>)
Our schedule for our trip is as follows at this time. WE leave on Sunday the 29 at 11:15 and fly into Bucharest Romania. Tuesday - Friday we will meet each morning from 9-12, with Pastor Mihai and his wife. The afternoons and evenings will be spent with the rest of the staff and missionaries who serve along side of him. Saturday the 5th we leave for Ukraine. Waynes 61st birthday is on Sunday the 6th so we asked for that day free to celebrate with our friends there. We will worship with Vasiko and Tanya at the Methodist church that morning. The Marriage seminar starts Monday. WE will teach M,W,F from 10 - 6 and counsel on the off days while the rest of the attendees do some sightseeing. On Tuesday the 8th we are having a meal with our friends Valodya and Oxana. They work with GOIAM ministry which is based in New Hampshire, they set up ministry teams to go around the Uzghorod area. The second week is the Parenting seminar with the same schedule. Most likely things will change some when we get there, but at the moment that is what we have been told.
Thank you once again for all of your prayer and financial support. God Bless You
Friday, May 23, 2008
Pastor Alexander
Hi Everyone,
Pastor Alexander from Zhitomyr, Ukraine will be with us at CCF on June 22 at 10 a.m. We invite all of you to come and meet him and ask him questions. We minister in Zhitomyr each spring as a general rule and want you to meet our brother.
Also, we continue to be amazed at the provision of God for this trip. Today we received letters from Romania and Uzghorod and in both places our housing will cost less than $80 per day. What a blessing. We will now have money to be able to bless some of the people. Please pray for sensitivity to the Holy Spirit on who we should give money to during our times in each place.
God is good! Thank you for your prayers. We hope to see you in June.
Wayne and Sherry
Pastor Alexander from Zhitomyr, Ukraine will be with us at CCF on June 22 at 10 a.m. We invite all of you to come and meet him and ask him questions. We minister in Zhitomyr each spring as a general rule and want you to meet our brother.
Also, we continue to be amazed at the provision of God for this trip. Today we received letters from Romania and Uzghorod and in both places our housing will cost less than $80 per day. What a blessing. We will now have money to be able to bless some of the people. Please pray for sensitivity to the Holy Spirit on who we should give money to during our times in each place.
God is good! Thank you for your prayers. We hope to see you in June.
Wayne and Sherry
His Provision
Wow, we never cease to be amazed at the way the Lord provides. Thank you all for praying and giving. We just got a call from our travel agent and we got both tickets for $2,101. Can you believe it? Only God could do that. So unless something major happens, we have enough money now to pay for the whole trip.
Thanks once again,
Wayne and Sherry
Thanks once again,
Wayne and Sherry
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Prayer Needs and News
Dear Friends and Supporters,
Thank you so much for the prayer so far and the financial support. We are almost to our goal, we only need around $1800 - $2000 more to be able to pay for all of our trip. Would you please pray the rest comes in soon? We are making our reservations this week for the plane.
We had a lovely visit last month with two of the gypsy pastors from Uzghorod who came to Ohio to share about a project for a new church. Tom Bloom from Cuyahoga Falls and his church brought them over. I will try to post the pictures soon on the blog. I am still learning how to do that so check often because one day they will be there.
We still do not know when Pastor Alexander will be in America. He is waiting on someone else before he sets the dates.
We pray that you are doing well and enjoying this lovely spring the Lord is giving us.
Blessings,
Wayne and Sherry
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Good Reports
We received this note today from a friend in Ukraine. Thought you would like to hear a testimony of the ministry you support.
With love,
Wayne and Sherry
Our family Shevchenko (Igor, Lena) send you greeting and thanks. We often think about seminars that were in Uzhgorod. And practice some pieces of your advice. Relations become better and we get ready to serve other families.Thank you for prayers. Our daughter will enter to study further after school this year. This year is accountable. And we are happy for her choice not to leave Zhytomyr, not to leave the ministry in the church. Thank you for advice "not to irritate children" - it works. With love, secretary Lena
With love,
Wayne and Sherry
Our family Shevchenko (Igor, Lena) send you greeting and thanks. We often think about seminars that were in Uzhgorod. And practice some pieces of your advice. Relations become better and we get ready to serve other families.Thank you for prayers. Our daughter will enter to study further after school this year. This year is accountable. And we are happy for her choice not to leave Zhytomyr, not to leave the ministry in the church. Thank you for advice "not to irritate children" - it works. With love, secretary Lena
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