Dan's Report for the first half of January 2015

                                                                                           

The First Half of January 2015 

  I would like to wish everyone a Happy New year and one that will come with spiritual growth and understanding and putting into practice what the Lord God has taught us!

 I brought in the New Year in the new apartment, four of us had a late dinner as is their custom on New Year’s Eve and talked wishing each other the best of this coming year.

I decided to have the Thursday meeting even though it was the first day of the year, not thinking anyone would show up, I gave Sasha a choice to be at the meeting or not. To my surprise people came but Sasha did not, however some who came to the meetings speak some English so was able to find someone to interpret.  One wanted to continue our topic on Christian Living but I thought it would be good to discuss what we would like change in our lives in this New Year and how we should fit into God’s plans rather than making our own. Not an easy topic for a private people but the meeting seemed to accomplish its purpose and caused them to think!

I thought it important to make it to the first meeting of the year in Lviv, though it was cold and the roads were icy plus the gas man was coming to the apartment in the morning but I wanted to be at the first meeting of the year. I went and spoke on starting the New Year by putting God first in our lives!

 We made it back safely though there were some slippery moments on the road there and back but God had kept us from harm and we had our evening meeting in Ivano. I tried to encourage them to leave the past behind and trust in the finished work of Christ for a new heart, a new life and a new future that will never end!

The month of January comes to a standstill here in Ukraine with more holidays. On the 7^th they celebrate their orthodox Christmas. Christmas Eve is just as big and our meeting fell on this day so was thinking of canceling that meeting, but some said they would come if we had it so I thought it would be good to have the meeting. Some did come, which was good and I also met two teen boys from the east just before the meeting and invited them; they said they could not make it but during the meeting they came and sat in. I can only hope what they heard and the new testaments and tracts they received will speak to their hearts!

The following week the meeting fell on their old New Year (using the Julian calendar) so people did come to the meeting.

We had my first public clothing distribution in Ivano with the help of five others on a Saturday. There were two views on how many would come out; the one view was there will be people for blocks waiting to get in, but the other view was because of the holidays there will not be so many people. This was more the case, though we did have lines outside, so we took in a few people at a time but the one problem we were having was that people wanted to come in again and again after we had already told them they can only come in once, as we wanted the most people to benefit from the distribution. Though they put up a fight I told them we will have to stop doing this as it was not fair to others who were keeping the rules. This small group of women finally left and things went much smoother. Along with the clothes we had new testaments and tracts and invitations to our meetings. Most only took the clothes, which was expected but some took the tracts and one lady asked if I can give her more N/T’s to send to the troops that are fighting in the east, so I did. Overall it all worked out and some also came to our meeting later. I have planned another day of distribution on the 30^th of January; once again we will NEED THE HELP OF GOD!

Since the beginning of the New Year prices have jumped! They tell me that gas and electric will go up 5 times but the wages for the people will stay the same or even decrease, not a good situation at all! While I have been trying to get this new apartment organized I decided to change all the light bulbs and can you believe that it has more than 25 light bulbs, most are now changed. Most were from 60-75 watts I changed them to 7-15 watts. I wanted to return two of the bulbs but the price for the same bulbs has doubled for this year and my exchange will only give me last year’s price, so I kept them and will use them!

Please continue to pray for Ukraine, that peace and stability will come soon and the people will call and trust the Lord God for their salvation!

Prayer is needed for this ongoing work that those who will come to the distribution and to each of our meetings will come to know their sins forgiven through the Work of the Cross, and to give us the wisdom, the guidance and the strength to continue on until He comes.

 Thank You.

In Christ our Lord

Dan

Dan's Report for the Second Half of December 2014

Dan’s report for the Second half of December  2014

      As the weather starts to get a little colder the van was taking longer to start so had to look into getting a new battery along with an oil change. Hard to find a good battery but I think we found one and got an oil change and you can feel and hear the difference, much better now!

Sasha and I have been working on a few flyers, one for our regular meeting and another for a meeting for young people, a meeting that I have wanted to have ever since my first visit to Ukraine. We did get the flyers done and printed now need to find the young people!

 I have been trying to work out a day for a public distribution of invitations to our meetings within the town of Ivano-Frankivsk. I hope it will go well and introduce us to more of the locals in our area. The need is definitely there since the second hand stores’ prices continue to go up even matching the price of the new clothes and products here.

I was hoping to distribute clothing one day this year but the place where we will have the distribution recommended that we do it after their holidays next year so we worked out a date on the 10^th of January, I’m  praying for God’s help!

  We left early one morning to head up to the mountains to visit one school/orphanage where a man is the Director, his mother started the school many years ago. They brought in two class rooms together and I spoke to about thirty plus teen that listened very well. N/T, bible text and tracts were given out along with some sweets. Then had lunch with the Director and talked about future plans for the area, before leaving gave them a few boxes of clothes and bedding. We left in good time to make it to the next school/orphanage in Verkovena, the Director was not there because she was sick but we met with the other teachers that we know and it went well. Here we normally speak to the kids in the auditorium but since the Director was not here we went to one of the class rooms, my first time doing this here. There we spoke to 50 or more teens that listened very well and 5 or more teachers that listened even better! N/T, bible text and tracts were given out to those who did not receive one last time. As we left the class room there were a group of kids smiling and staring at me, I didn’t recognized them at first with their winter clothes on but these were the kids I spent time with during the summer at the summer camp here It was great to see them and talk with them again. They asked me if I will come back again for their summer camp, I told them I will try and hope it can be possible! Left them boxes of clothes and bedding for the poor and needy!

Visited the Men’s Home and had a good talk with the Director, he has been having some health problems but seems to be doing well now. But one sad thing is he might lose his job at the end of the year because of government cuts. There was a higher official that lost his job and now he wants to be replaced in this type of job like the director. The director has been there for about 25 years and even has put in his own money for improving the home but his said they don’t take this in consideration. We then went to speak to the staff, the nurses and doctors who were there and it looked like they were listening very well. Then came back for more coffee and tea and I started to ask him about God’s salvation, his said he is not sure but think he does not have it, so I talked on how he can now have God’s salvation. The talked went well and we left them some boxes of clothes and bedding and medical supplies and headed back to Ivano to get ready for our Thursday meeting.

One of the ladies at our meeting showed me a prescription for glasses for her young son Andrei and asked if I can help, I said I would. Sasha and I went to several places to get some quotes; there were big differences in prices. The one we decided to go to was the one where the prescription was filled out and the woman there said we needed the boy, so I came back with the mother and the boy and, as they put the glasses on him they said “show your daddy! I had to let them know that I am only a friend not his daddy. It is sad because the dad is a drunk and they live very poorly so I was happy to help them.

We will be moving to a new apartment next year and have been moving things into it throughout the week.  It is an old Austrian-Hungarian building with walls 15 to 20 inches thick with high ceilings. The reason for the thick walls they say, was once the walls were heated the rooms would stay warmer longer in the winter and I guess vice versa for the summer. I have been trying to make it comfortable and livable for us visitors who will be staying here for a time while in Ukraine. Moving, cleaning and arranging and buying new things is not as easy as it seems and take time but I think I’m getting good at it! If anyone needs advice in arranging or designing their place just let me know(only joking!)

 Pray for the ongoing work and for this coming distribution, Thank You for all your prayers!!

In Christ our Lord!

Dan