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.
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