UKRAINE: FROM THURSDAY TO SUNDAY - May 12-15

Preface:

Time can go by so fast when you are busy and trying to catch up with everything. Here it is Sunday evening and I promised myself to have the blog updated by Saturday evening. As you can see – I DID NOT MAKE IT! So lets get started...........

Thursday - The Final Night Of The Pastor’s Retreat:

What a great conclusion to an already splendid time! The day was filled with a session for Senior Pastors and wives as well as those who were pastoring daughter churches under their Senior Pastor. The challenge was to build “generationally” and to never forget that you, as a Senior Pastor now, once sat where your leaders and the congregation now sits (the pew). This session was prefaced with a challenging devotional by Dmitry Nemchenko of Word of Life in Chernivtsi.

Of course, even though we are spiritual we did take time to eat our dinner and then returned for a session for the church staff members who present. In this session we spoke about faithfulness, stewardship and leadership as the Levels of Leadership and the attitudes of true sons and daughters of the Father of the House (Their pastor).

But nothing compares with the presence of the Lord as the Holy Spirit brought Him into our midst during the final evening service. I cannot even begin to put into words the victories we saw transpire as our worship time led us into a time of personal ministry to people you do not know and cannot speak their language, yet God had a word for them that spoke directly to their present situation and brought direction, healing and freedom.

Have you lately, tasted and seen that our Lord is Good?

The evening and morning that followed displayed a great time of fellowship and expression from their hearts for their time and the meaning of that time at the retreat. You could visibly see new relationships developing as they were preparing to depart.

Some expressed they had never been to anything like the fellowship and bonding they experienced. Others said they were looking forward to next year.

And it is all because a partnership of three God-fearing, believing families bonded together to invest into the lives of the pastors of their nation! And would you believe it, they are so tightly bonded, they do not have a contract but operate by their word and their dependence upon God. Isn’t that a novel idea? It is even Godly! Their word is their covenant!

Thank you, the owners of “Equator” of Olenivka, at Cape Tarkhankout in Crimea. We love and appreciate you for your investment in your Pastors!

Friday - The Move To Kiev:

Did I say “move?” Well it is “moving” but.... Anyway we were blessed again by the owners. They did not want us to go to Simferopol and sit in the train station and have to try to find the right train track, the right car and also carry our luggage by ourselves. So instead of going with the earlier group, they took us personally the two and one-half hours to the station, waited for our train and then helped us get in our “room” and presented us with a sack lunch for the 17 hour ride to Kiev rocking and rolling train – even though it was the smoothest of our rides this year. Which we made without incident and were met by our hosts, the Prudky Pilots (Father and Son: dad flies for Aero Svit and son is completing his training to also fly for Aero Svit). I better stop and start again, because it is now 7:34 AM, Saturday morning.

Saturday in Kiev:

Wow! A great room! A hot meal! Two hours to rest – for me and the rest of the day for Marilyn. But my day just started!

I had a service to attend and minister the Word. Then to speak to the leadership immediately after the service. Then I got to go home – my Kiev home – eat, fellowship, help Marilyn complete her packing – well by that I mean, wait and weigh her luggage and give final instructions regarding her flights. As though she really needed it. But first we were visited by Ira Ivanov – really she came to spend time with Marilyn.

Sunday - Up Early, Back To Bed And Up Again:

It was late to bed and early to rise for this day! We had to get up at 3:20 AM and join Vova Prudky in his Pontiac Aerosport Van for the ride to Borispol Airport and Marilyn’s departure for the United States. Her flight departed at 6:20 AM - Kiev time - and she is scheduled back in Fort Myers at 6:13 PM Ft. Myers’ time.

For me it was out and back to bed and then up to attend Abundant Life Church pastored by a special couple, Andrey and Ira Ivanov. Ira was the first interpreter to travel with us as an interpreter on our first solo ministry trip in Ukraine and is still very close to us both, calling Marilyn her “second mother.” When she first introduced me to Andrey, she told him I was her “father” and so he said, “Well, then, you have to be my father also.” So you can understand our relationship.

Andrey delivered a great message after one of the best sounding worship services I have had the privilege of participating in – and the presence of the Lord just made it special. Oh, yes – thank you Luda Sirenko for interpreting the message, it was great to see you.

Home again for great food, fellowship and fun and the visit of Pastor Andrey Ivanov, who just wanted to come and spend some time with me. What an honor it was to fellowship with this pastor, his wife and daughter for three hours.

Now to complete this epistle, take the required help for sleep and health and hit the sack.

I just got word Marilyn is in Atlanta. So she is back in the US again.

With love and appreciation for your prayers,
Dr D and Marilyn