Day Nine

Today has been different. All the ministry activity began at 4:30 with the arrival of Pastor Vitaliy and Ira Pavlenko. He came to talk to me about ordaining him to the ministry on Friday evening at his Prayer Meeting. I shared with him that we were talking about a close relationship in which we would be there to support him, give him advice and counsel.

He is sharp and because of our meeting on Tuesday with his leadership and their questions he recognizes some of the abuses he and the others have seen when the pastor has no one to whom he/she answers. He is seeking to avoid that same scenario so that the people who are with him will feel secure and trust his leadership.

Then they drove us, Oksana and I, to the Seder Celebration under the direction of Pastor Inna Rekhlo of the House of Joy. They are the local Jewish believers. Her first husband was the pastor and died with a kidney disease caused by sugar diabetes. She assumed the work and had done a very good job. I was privileged to attend her wedding about 2 years ago when I visited here. Her daughter by her first husband is special to us as we ministered to her right after her father’s death.

The evening focused on explaining the Jewish Passover in all its areas and bringing it to a conclusion showing how Jesus is the Messiah. He is the one their song about the coming of Elijah the prophet speaks. He is the one for whom the keep the special seat available waiting for their Messiah to come. And he is the one who on the night He took the Passover with his disciples picked up the untouched, special cup of wine after supper and declared that this “cup is the New Testament in My blood which is shed for you.”

I was honored to be asked to pray for those who were invited but were not believers and give them an opportunity to receive their Messiah. Time will only tell how many did.

The best part of the evening was when one lady from the Messianic Jewish congregation came up to me and said, “Do you remember when you spoke a word saying that there was a lady in the audience greatly concerned about her child, but do not fear God will bring the child back home?” I did remember and told her I did. She pointed to a lovely young lady standing by me hold a infant in a quilted baby carrier. She said, “This is my daughter and she is the one you spoke about. And look, in there is my grandchild.” With that I got a big Jewish kiss on the cheek and a very warm hug.

God is faithful!

Dr. D.