Merry Christmas

CHRISTmas! The most wonderful time of the year! The time I want to say thank you for your love, support and encouragement to me this year and the last 15 years. You are so dear and precious to me!
I pray that you will experience His peace and His presence in your heart during this special Christmas season. May your CHRISTmas and New Year be blessed and may each day in the coming year be filled with His perfect peace.

ENDINGS

July of this year was a time for me to say goodbye and leave the church plant in the Field of Miracles that was started in July 2006. God has blessed this work by providing a pastor and servants to carry on the work. Earlier this year I began to feel unrest in my heart that it was time for me to move on to a new work.
Endings? They are a natural part of our lives. For there to be anything new, old things always have to end, and we have to let them go. Letting go is always hard. We sometimes experience hesitation, sadness, resignation or regret. The hardest part for me was leaving the relationships with people. I learned at a conference years ago that a missionary is to M – Model , O – Observe, L – Leave. God showed me that it was time to leave. I can say that this has a "Happy Ending" because the Ascent Church will continue without the missionary. I am so thankful to each one of you and your faithful support and generous gifts that made it possible to plant this church in the city of Odessa. Please continue to pray for the Ascent Church that God’s light will continue to shine in the community and that many will be drawn to His light through the believers there.

NEW BEGINNINGS

As I was preparing for my Bible study back in the spring of this year, I read these words from Isaiah 43:18-19: “Forget about what’s happened. Don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand new. It’s bursting out, don’t you see it?” I began to realize that the Lord wanted to do something new in my life. What He had accomplished in my life had been extraordinary, but He didn’t want me to cling to it anymore. He had something new for me and my ministry. Through the study of His Word, God began to challenge me to pay close attention to His leading in my life. I also read how Elisabeth Elliot talked about finding God’s will when we do “what’s next” and obediently respond to the normal duties of life. She said that one of the best pieces of advice she ever got was, “Do the next thing”. What was the next thing for me? I needed to talk to Pastor Bronislav and let him know that I felt the church was in good hands and that it was time for me to move on to a new work. He agreed with me fully and gave me his blessing to start a new ministry. About the same time that I talked with Pastor Bronislav, the first lady who came to know Christ in our church in the Field of Miracles visited our church in Odessa. Luda was very emotional and very concerned about her son who has to have kidney dialysis three times a week in order to stay alive. As we began to talk, I asked her about the town where she lives and if she had the encouragement of the church there. She told me that there was not a church in her town. I was listening and paying attention! As I continued in prayer and in Bible study, I felt the Holy Spirit impressing upon me that this was my new place of ministry. What was the next thing? I needed to speak with the new Senior Pastor for the Odessa region that is in charge of new church plants and ministries. When I began to share with him how I felt God was leading me to the town of Petrovka, he was amazed and his eyes lit up. He told me that God was at work in this town. It seems that the director of the Technical School in the town had asked some of our pastors to come and share lectures with the students on Christian Ethics. Pastor Michael felt that God was at work at the school and that we should join Him in His work. He gave me his blessing to begin work in the town of Petrovka. The next step was to form a team. In August, the Odessa Theological Seminary was interviewing new students. I met with four of the students who I challenged to be involved in the work with me. After praying and seeking the Lord’s will, three of the students agreed to join the team. One brother at the Ascent Church and one of the believers who lives in the town of Petrovka also agreed to join the team. My teammates are Lena, Nastya, Natasha, Oleg and Victor. We also have one family from the Yuzhney Church that will be involved with us from time to time, but they cannot commit to full time ministry with us. Their names are Sasha and Natasha and they have three children.
We hope to reach the 1,000 students studying at the Technical School with the Good News of Jesus Christ. We hope to minister to children and adults in the community, as well as orphans and widows. There are only four known believers in the town of Petrovka. We are committed to declaring the glory of the Lord in every relationship and person we come in contact with and to love them to Christ. Our team is passionately committed to bringing the presence of God into this community where there is little light. Pray for us!
We have been looking in Petrovka for the past three months for a building to meet in for our new ministry. Two weeks ago we found a house that we feel is in the right location with the size of the rooms bigger than most places we have seen. We have met with the owner of this house two times and we are now waiting for an answer from him whether or not he will grant us permission to rent. Please pray that God will open his heart to give us a one year lease. We are supposed to know his answer within a few days. If he doesn’t grant us permission, we will continue to look for another place.

NEW THINGS

Would you be willing to help us in start-up costs for this new ministry? Some of our needs are:
Equipment - Keyboard, guitar, microphones, mixer, speakers and accessories (stand for keyboard, carrying case, music stands, etc.)
Furniture – Tables, chairs, closets and cabinets
Appliances – Coffee pots, Tea pots, refrigerator, microwave, stove
Electrical wiring
Space Heaters
If you would like to help with any of the costs for new things, please send a check payable to: TEAM, P. O. Box 969, Wheaton, Illinois 60187-0969 and mark it “Project Petrovka”.

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Summer VBS

Thank you for your prayers for the Calvary ladies and their ministry with us July 22-29. We had approximately 60 children who were involved in our VBS. The children heard about Jesus each day through skits, songs and Bible stories. They were challenged to meet up, look up, join up, open up and fire up for Jesus. We ended the week with a special lunch and gifts for all. On Tuesday we had a special ladies meeting with the theme, “Jesus is the way, the truth and the life”. I invited all my groups of ladies and teenagers who study the Bible with me and my neighbors to come to this event. We had about 50 ladies total and 13 of the ones that I invited came. I understood that the seeds that have been planted in their lives were being watered. A few of these ladies had never entered a church before. Please pray that the seeds that were planted will sprout to new life in the lives of the ladies, teenagers and children.

Bible Classes

My Monday Bible study group started up again in September and we are completing our study of "Discerning the Voice of God" on December 5. My Wednesday group of ladies decided to join our Monday group because a few of the ladies were not going to be able to attend this year. One of the young girls in our group has recently come to know Jesus. Youla helped in our summer VBS the past few years and has been impacted by the summer teams who have come to minister together with us. She recently said to me, "Thank you so much for being my friend, teacher and guide into God's world". Pray for Youla to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Please pray for Margarita, Natasha and Sveta to have a thirst for God and to come to know Him in the New Year.

This year I am teaching core value Bible lessons at the public school English courses on Wednesdays. I have a group of 15 young men and women who are studying at the university or already have jobs or families. I have freedom to share the love of Christ each week with this group. This past summer six of the ladies attended our ladies night and three of the young girls helped out with our VBS when our summer team from Calvary was here. Pray that the Spirit of God will open their hearts to His truth.

A New Baby

Rooslan and Valentina had a baby boy on October 25. They named him Vitalik after Rooslan’s father and after his brother who drowned at age 15. Sunday, November 27, Vitalik was dedicated at the Ivanovka Church. Please pray for the baby to get on a schedule and to start eating. He has lost a lot of weight and cries a lot. I am so thankful to the Lord for this family that desires to serve the Lord and to raise their son to love and obey God.

NEW YEAR - NEW STUDY

3:16 – That’s the name of the new Bible study we will be starting on January 16. We plan to invite new people to join us in this unique study of the most famous verse in the Bible. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Pray that God will send new seekers to this study from my groups at the public school. Begin to pray that God will soften the hearts of the ladies and teenagers who don’t know our Savior.

Special Prayer Request

My sister, Donna

Please pray for my sister, Donna Pratten, who had surgery on June 10 and a cancerous tumor was removed from her body. The tests results came back and there was no cancer found in the lymph nodes or other tissue. The cancer was contained in the mass they removed. The doctor said her cancer was stage 1C. Please pray for my brother-in-law, Steve and my sister as they will be seeing doctors and making decisions regarding any future treatment. We believe that God has already answered prayer on my sister’s behalf. Please pray with us for her complete healing.

Calvary Ladies Summer Team

On July 22-29 our church will be hosting a summer Vacation Bible School for the children in our neighborhood. Please pray for the wonderful ladies from Calvary Church who will be leading our VBS and hosting a ladies conference. Their names are Donna, Hennie, Dawn, Nancy, Roberta, Betty and Iris. Hennie will be the main speaker for our ladies program. She will be sharing her testimony and the theme will be, “Jesus is the way, and the truth and the life.” We already had the skits translated and recorded into the Russian language. We are still working on the translation of the VBS songs. Pray for all the preparations taking place for this special event in the life of our church. Pray for the children and ladies who will be attending to open their hearts to Jesus.

Ukrainian Visa and Car Registration

Praise the Lord for my new Ukrainian visa and my car registration for another year. I had a really nice visit to Krakow, Poland. I was able to visit Auschwitz Birkenau German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp. It was a very humbling, educational and sad experience for me. You can read more on the site:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz_concentration_camp

While I was in Poland, I met a missionary to western Ukraine who was able to get a three year visa. Lord willing, next year I can try to obtain a longer visa. Upon returning to Ukraine I visited the Department of Motor Vehicles to renew my car title. My last step in this whole  process is to have my new visa registered with the government after I have been in the country for 90 days. Thank you for your prayers and for those who wrote and asked how things were going regarding the visa process.

Christ is risen!!! He is risen indeed!!!



Ascent Church Celebration



Ukrainian Easter Eggs



XB stand for Christ is risen!

I pray you all had a blessed Easter! It is always a special day for me when we celebrate Christ’s resurrection. We serve a living Savior! Christ Jesus lives today! You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart!!!





Easter Ukrainian Style



Rooslan’s Ordination Service

Rooslan was ordained on Sunday, April 10 and it was a blessed day! Thank you for your prayers for this special event and for Rooslan to find a job. He started a new job around the second week of May. Valentina is doing well in her pregnancy and they found out she is having a boy. Please pray that the rest of her pregnancy will go well. The baby is due around September 21. In August, I am planning a baby shower for them.

Easter Evangelism in Village Loubataievka



Oleg teaching memory verse



Valentina, Sergei and Rooslan

On Saturday, April 9 we had an Easter egg hunt for the children in the village Loubataiekva. The weather was rainy, windy and cold and we thought we would have to hunt for the eggs indoors. However, the sun peeked through and the ground dried up right when we needed to hide the eggs and just in time for the children to begin the hunt. Our main theme for the outreach was that Jesus Christ died for sinners and that He rose from the dead. We shared a Bible story about Peter’s denial of Christ; we memorized Luke 24:4b, we sang a song about Christ’s resurrection, we shared the Resurrection eggs and showed a children’s film about Christ’s death and resurrection. Please pray that the parents and children who heard the Gospel will come to know Jesus. A special blessing for me was to be able to work with Rooslan and Valentina for this outreach.

Easter Evangelism in Odessa

On Saturday, April 16 at Ascent Church we had over 40 children attend our Easter outreach. God blessed us with really nice weather and we repeated the program that we shared in Loubataievka. It was a great opportunity to share the love of Jesus with the children and the many parents who attended this event. We know that seeds were planted. Please pray with us for a harvest.

Dear Praying Friends

Winter is almost over and signs of spring are here. We started this month by celebrating International Women's Day on March 8 which officially starts the spring season. I want to express to you my gratitude for your faithful prayers and continued financial support. You have been so generous to me and my ministry here in Odessa and I always thank God for you!

It is time to begin preparations for Easter when we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! I pray that every day the power of His resurrection is manifested in and through your life and ministry for Him. We serve a Risen Savior and He lives within our hearts.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! I pray you have a Blessed Easter!

Denise : )

YURIE AKSUTIN'S ORDINATION SERVICE

On Sunday, November 28, Yurie was ordained as the first deacon in our church. Michael Pistune, the new Senior Pastor for the Odessa region, led the service assisted by our pastor, Bronislav Zirkovsky. This was a wonderful celebration for our church and the next step in seeing our church plant completed.

Please pray for Yurie and his wife, Olga, to have wisdom and strength for this important ministry in the life of our church.

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS

This year in my Bible study Christmas programs in my home and in the public schools, I used an Advent wreath and candles. The focus of the entire Christmas season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ in His First Advent and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in His Second Advent. God blessed this program as we focused on Jesus being the light of the world and as we looked at the prophesy and fulfillment of Jesus' birth. God used His Word to remind us that Jesus is the spotless Lamb of God who was born to die for our sins and to give us eternal life.

Pray that the ladies and students who heard the Word of God would seek Him and find Him in this New Year.

VILLAGE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION

On December 28, I traveled to the village of Loubataievka and celebrated the upcoming New Year 2011 with the church family. Some of my students in the public schools and ladies in my Bible studies had prepared gifts to give the children for their New Year celebrations. If you remember, Grandfather Frost leaves gifts on the New Year. There were over 60 people in attendance and we were able to give gifts to over 30 children.

Thank you for your gifts that helped me to give gifts to all the children and New Year calendars with Scripture verses for the adults.

ROOSLAN'S ORDINATION SERVICE

Rooslan will be ordained as a deacon in the Ivanovka Church on Sunday, April 10. Please pray for Rooslan and Valentina as they begin this ministry in their church. Rooslan is also leading the Loubataievka Church in addition to youth ministry and services in other villages. They just found out that Valentina is expecting their first child.

Please pray for her to be able to carry this baby to full term. Pray for God to provide work for Rooslan to provide for his family.

EASTER CELEBRATIONS

In April, I am planning to have two Easter evangelistic celebrations for the children in the village of Loubataievka and for the children in our church in the Field of Miracles. On April 9 from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., we will have an Easter egg hunt, games and sharing of Jesus death and resurrection with the children in the village. On April 16 from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. we will have the same program for the children in our church. Please pray for this wonderful opportunity to reach out to our communities and to share the true meaning of Easter. We usually have a lot of parents who bring their children and they, too, will hear the Gospel.

We will be celebrating Easter this year on April 24th. It is such a blessing when we celebrate on the same day as the rest of the world. I pray that you and your family will have a blessed Easter with your church family and friends.

CHURCH PLANTING WORKSHOP

Our Europe church planters with my mission, TEAM, will be having a church planting workshop April 30-May 4 in France. Our speaker is Alan Hirsch, who wrote the book, "The Forgotten Ways." Please pray for us as church planters to be inspired with new passion for our work and for God to speak to us through His Spirit.

RENEWAL OF UKRAINIAN VISA

It's that time again.

In April I need to start the process to get my letter of invitation in order to get a new visa. The laws have changed in Ukraine and they have dissolved the Department of Religious Affairs. We have been told that the Department of Culture will be processing our requests for a letter of invitation.

Please pray that things will go well and that I will get my LOI before my current visa expires. Please pray for me as I plan to travel to Krakow, Poland from June 5-12. It usually takes one week to process a visa. When I return to Ukraine, once again, I need to go to the police department to have my car title renewed since it is only valid the term of my visa.

Please pray for me during these days that all would go well and that I would receive all documents needed for another year.

CALVARY CHURCH SUMMER VBS TEAM

July 22-29 a team of ladies from Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, will be coming to minister together with us to have a Vacation Bible School for our church. Our theme this year is Son Surf Beach Bash - where kids meet up with Jesus. Please pray for us as we translate the music and skits into the Russian language.

This team will also be having a special evening just for women. Pray for the Calvary ladies as they prepare to minister to us. This is always a special week in the life of our church. Pray that God will prepare the hearts of the children and women who will attend these events to hear and receive His Word.

ALL EUROPE TEAM CONFERENCE

August 8-13 our mission is having a conference in Vajta, Hungary. The focus of our conference will be on the heart of the disciple and our own hearts. The theme is "iDisciple - the disciple's heart". Our guest speaker will be Bill Hull, a pastor from the States, who is the author of numerous books. He has a passion for discipleship and for helping disciples.

Pray for all of our missionaries as we meet together for renewal and refreshment in order to return to our places of ministry to fulfill the Great Commission to "make disciples."

SUMMER VBS IN LOUBATAIEVKA

Last year a group of Ukrainian nationals served in their first short term mission experience in the village. Praise the Lord that some of these workers have expressed an interest to serve again this summer. I will be coordinating and leading another team the week of August 15-19. Pray for us as we decide which program to use and as we make preparations to serve again in the village. We prayed about the possibility of having a VBS in another country, but God led us to minister again in our region.

Pray that God will give us unity and wisdom as our team forms and begins preparations. Please pray for the finances needed for transportation to and from the village and for the meals we provide for the children.

NEW MINISTRY

Please pray for me as I seek God's leading regarding starting a new church plant. My pastor, Bronislav Zirkovsky, understands that our church plant is completed and that it is time for me to begin a new work. I thank all of you who had a part in the church plant in the Field of Miracles. God is working and will continue to work in the Ascent Church. Pray for many to come to know Christ as our church members reach out and share the love of Christ.

Also pray regarding a new Bible study that I plan to start in September. God has worked in the lives of some of the students that I teach in the classes at the public schools and there are five or six girls who are interested in studying the Bible with me. Pray that we can choose a day and time that will work out for all of us. Some of these girls are studying in the university and they have a lot of demands on their time. I thank God for this new opportunity to share God's Word.