2010 Prayer Requests for Ukraine

1. Pray for our Ukrainian Youth Pastors

I have the privilege of training and educating many dedicated men and women who are youth leaders in Ukraine. I feel like I learn just as much from them as they do from me and the other youth ministry trainers that work with me. But these young men and women need your prayers. They face so many trials! They have a deep desire to reach the non-Christian youth in their cities, but they can be discouraged and even prohibited by the leadership in their traditional churches. These youth leaders are true missionaries ministering cross-culturally in a wide generation gap.

Let me share with you one example from our 50 current youth ministry students. Michael is a freshman at the seminary. He is the youth leader at his church in the city of Uman (Central Ukraine). He and his wife, Anya, make up half of the youth leadership team in their church of 300. He inherited 40 young people (mostly Christians) in their ministry when he volunteered for this position a year ago. He has a desire to go beyond the traditions of the church and train these youth to have a deeper walk with the Lord. He also wants to train them in evangelism in order to reach the non-Christian youth of their city.

After I taught Michael his first youth ministry course at the seminary, he was excited with some new ideas for discipleship and evangelism. He went to his church leadership and shared his ideas. He asked for their permission to start one or two home Bible studies for youth. They said, “No. There is no need to add to the one youth group meeting that you have each week.” As Michael was sharing, he informed me that the church leadership has shut down other small groups which have been started in the past. They feel like they will lose control of the church if people are studying the Bible outside the church. Yet Michael knows that he has to do something. He has been passing around the book “Purpose-Driven Youth Ministry” to his leadership team (our office translated this book into Russian), and they are with him 100%. They want to truly disciple their youth and reach non-Christians with the gospel.

After much prayer, he decided to start one youth Bible study in the church and not in a home. Their plan was to meet in a Sunday school room on Friday nights. He advertised the new Bible study at their youth group meeting the Wednesday night before he came to his session at the seminary. During his time at the seminary, he had gotten a call from his wife, Anya. She'd had an unannounced visitor -- a church deacon’s wife. The deacon's wife was upset about the new youth Bible study. Her son (who is in Michael's youth group) had shared the info with her. She told Anya that if they wanted to do something like this, they must first ask her permission. Michael and Anya are discouraged. They want to do what is right, but they keep wondering how they can submit to the church and still disciple young people.

I asked Michael if he has considered leaving the church. But Ukraine is not like America. It is very difficult to leave a church and find another church to minister in. In comparison to the States, there are so few evangelical churches in Ukraine. There are many cities without ONE evangelical church. And Michael’s answer touched me deeply. He said, “If I leave, who will disciple the 40 youth that I already have?” Great answer, Michael!

Please pray for Michael and Anya as they minister in Uman. They are not alone in their dedication or in the trials which many Ukrainian youth leaders face. I could speak about Larissa, Maxeem and Lena, Kolya, and so many others. (Photo is of the new 2009 KTS Youth Ministry Freshmen. Michael is next to me - second from the left in the front row.)

2. Pray for Katya's Adoption

In our last email, we shared the good news that we had received permission from the National Child Department in Ukraine to adopt Katya. Since that time, Ivan, our lawyer, has done a lot more work for us in the process. We have visited Social Services a couple more times to get documents signed. Today we went to our District Court's Clerk and turned in all of these documents. Everything went well. Ivan will return on Jan 15th to find out who our judge will be and when the first adoption court date will take place. So we are still waiting … and we ask you to keep praying. The adoption is not over yet.

3. Pray that I will have Wisdom In My New Roles

I am looking forward to 2010. I have some new responsibilities and new challenges ahead. I would ask for your prayers that I would have wisdom in how to budget my time appropriately. I also need wisdom in how to delegate more of our Ukrainian ministry to others in the months ahead as God calls me to assist in other countries as well.

If you receive our snail mail newsletter, you will have read that I have been asked to become the Vice-President of our mission, Youth Ministry International (YMI). We will continue to live in Kiev, and I will assist the President in supporting our missionaries as well as recruiting additional youth ministry trainers. This does mean that I will take 3-4 trips per year to some of our other fields of training. I will be able to share with you about what God is doing through YMI in Malaysia, Kenya, France, Mexico, Cuba, Greece, and other places. (Photo: I am pictured here with YMI's Office Administrator Anna McMullen and YMI President Randy Smith.)

Another "hat" that I have begun to wear is becoming the Kyiv Extension Coordinator for Biola University’s School of Intercultural Studies. What does this mean? Biola is now bringing their professors to our seminary in Kiev to teach Master’s and Doctoral level classes for European missionaries. (They are moving their extension site from Lithuania to Kiev.) This all starts this Monday, January 4th. So I will be starting my PhD in Intercultural Studies along with several other missionaries. Since I have agreed to be their on-site coordinator, Biola has given me a significant tuition scholarship that makes my doctoral courses very reasonable. The studies and degree will greatly assist our ministry and since I have no travel, lodging or food costs – this opportunity is honestly something that I could not pass up. Classes will be held twice a year. I am acquainted with several of Biola’s professors since I go t my master's degree with them, and I look forward to learning from them again.

4. Pray for the Presidential Elections in Ukraine - January 17th

Ukraine’s first presidential election since the Orange Revolution is less than a month away on January 17th. Please pray for peace in Ukraine and for a president that fears God to be elected.

The Montreal Gazette has given an appropriate commentary on the current state of affairs in Ukraine: “The euphoric optimism of Ukraine's 2004 Orange Revolution has vanished like the tears of a long-spurned lover, replaced by profound cynicism as the country braces for its first presidential vote since that dramatic show of people power five years ago.

President Viktor Yushchenko, greeted as a hero during his 2008 Canadian tour by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, both houses of Parliament, and members of Canada's 1.2 million-strong Ukrainian-Canadian community, barely registers in polls and is expected to be trounced in the first round of voting on January 17.

His Orange Revolution partner-turned-rival Yulia Tymoshenko, the charismatic though erratic prime minister, is running second in polls to Viktor Yanukovych, who was portrayed by the western media as a Moscow stooge when he ultimately lost that 2004 showdown.

Yanukovych, the Regions Party leader, has a political resume so blemished it would spell doom in any democracy not so deeply influenced by regionalism and corruption.” (Retrieved from http://www.montrealgazette.com on December 30, 2009)

5. Pray for our Minivan's Repair and Registration

Our last prayer request seems somewhat minor compared to any of the previous needs listed. Yet it is a real need that many families face regularly – car problems. Our minivan has done well for us the past 3 years, but is now in the shop waiting for parts. It will take 2-4 weeks to get the parts for steering and the rocker arm. Please pray that the parts get to Ukraine quickly. We will be on foot and on public transportation until our van is repaired.

Our van also needs prayer that it can be officially registered to stay in Ukraine for 2010. The documents are all done and are sitting on an official's desk at the Kiev Customs office. He said he was going to call by now, but he hasn’t. He may be waiting for an “expedition fee.” Please pray that he will call soon, and that we can register our van before the January 25th deadline.

6. Praise for all the Blessings of 2009

Our blessings are too numerous to mention: Beginning with the spiritual blessings we have in Christ to the physical blessings of good health, a cozy apartment, and food to eat. Of course we praise God for the new brothers and sisters we have in Christ all over Ukraine who have been ministered to by our youth leaders. AND we must add to this list -- our faithful supporters who enable us to be in Ukraine as the arm of their churches and families – we are so thankful for you. Have a Happy New Year!

Our snail mail newsletter can also be found on our website at http://www.youthdiscipler.com with photos and comments from each of our kids.