Nelson Newsletter April/May 2008

Greetings! Here are just a few highlights of our ministry this spring.

English Club We are nearing the end of our time with these dear people before our summer break. We will have a few more meetings and a picnic. God has giving us a great love for them, and a desire to see them find eternal life. Please ask God to reveal their need for His forgiveness and new life. We are meeting with Ivan and a few others who are serious about growing in Christ.

Ivan, Luba & Danelle	Ira, Maxim & Ivan	Victoria

Business Seminar Our friend Dale Dixon teaches a business seminar in the city of Chernigov several times a year. He invited me to come speak last week. It was a privilege to share the gospel on Friday morning at the Prayer Breakfast (right). I met Nikoli and his wife Tanya (left) at the banquet and we connected immediately. The next day Danelle and I spent several hours with them discussing the gospel. They are very interested anback together! God impressed on my heart to simply love them - to be their friends, and leave their salvation to Him. Please pray for them!
 Merry Our baby has grown up and is getting ready to leave the nest! Merry was recently inducted into the National Honor Society (pictured here). She and Danelle will return to Georgia on June 2^nd. She will work and attend High School Leadership Training this summer. Then she will enter Georgia College and State. I will arrive in Atlanta on June 23^rd to work on our support, and to spend time with many of you, as well as our family. Danelle and I will return to Ukraine on August 27^th.
We thank God for each of you, your support, your prayers and your abiding friendship! We wish we could sit down and talk to you all personally. We will do that in heaven!!!
 
Yours in Christ’s love,

Steve and Danelle

Nelson Newsletter - March 2008

Greetings from the Nelsons!
We hope that this letter finds you encouraged in God’s goodness and unfailing love. Maybe your faith has taken a hit. It is our prayer that God will use these words to build your faith and strengthen your resolve. I recently read where Paul said to his young disciple Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.” All of us are in a fight, a daily struggle of faith. Will we trust God or not? One thing that motivated Paul was the reward Jesus would give him in heaven. “And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8 Keep your eyes on Jesus and the prize He has for you - that will strengthen your faith! He is worthy of our all!
Sports School Our ministry at the local sports school continues to grow. Thank you for praying! I am convinced that is the reason we are seeing the openness to Christ. We have shared the gospel with several trainers (coaches). Vladimir (below) and his wife Elena visited Danelle and I last week and said they want to study the Bible together! Praise God! Please ask God to continue this work of grace in them. Watch my very unprofessional videos of the sports school ministry on our web site at www.gcmnelson.com. Thank you to those of you who made it financially possible for Maxim to work with me. Some of the athletes we are working with will compete in the Olympics this summer in Beijing. Serge Demiduk is the best hurdler in Europe at this time.

Serge, Steve, Dmitri, Vladimir	Steve and Maxim	Steve & Coach Vladimir

English Club The eagerness to learn English and study the Bible makes our weekly time something Danelle and I anticipate. Please continue to ask God to save these dear friends.
Family Our family received some tragic news recently. Our daughter Julie was 6 ½ months pregnant with her second child, Flannery Meredith Newton. Her baby died and went to be with the Lord on March 2^nd. It has been very difficult for Julie and Matthew. We appreciate the prayers and support that so many of you have shown them. We all look forward to seeing Flannery when we see the Lord Jesus. “Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18
Love from your fellow sojourners,

Steve and Danelle

Outreach at the Ukrainian Sports School

For the past 2 years I have been asking God to save athletes and coaches at this sports school. I have run on the track weekly to build relationships with the hope of sharing the gospel with them.

My friend Maxim and I spend two days a week hanging out here. We have had several opportunities to share the gospel with coaches and athletes. God is working! Please pray for revival!

Nelson Newsletter January/February 2008

Greetings in the name of Christ from sunny Ukraine! It has been a relatively mild winter by Ukrainian standards and today the sun is actually shinning. Yea! We don't see the sun very often in the winter, even if the temperatures are mild. "Mild" means the highs are in the lower 30's instead of lower 20's or less. We anticipate spring with great enthusiasm! Here are some things God done with us over the past month.

Awaken Conference

Danelle, Merry and I traveled to Germany for our Great Commission Europe conference (Awaken) held the first week of the year. Over 200 European believers gathered in a scenic remote setting to hear from God and be awakened to His story, His mission and His love. GCE staff David and Mindy Henson did an excellent job organizing this conference! Julia is a good friend we led to Christ five years ago in Russia. She came to the conference to grow, helped translate the messages and went home greatly encouraged!

Marshmallows! Hensons (center)	Merry, Danelle, & Julia from Russia	Evening Coffee House

English Club

God has been answering your prayers for this outreach to unbelievers! He brought five new people last week who squeezed into our tiny living room to learn English and study the gospel of Matthew. Four of these new folks are lawyers. Igor is a mechanical engineer who attends our club and has expressed a desire to get together outside of class. Please pray for God to soften his heart and save him.

Sports School and Maxim

We have been praying for two and a half years for the opportunity to speak to athletes at the sports school about Christ, without seeing visible results. Many times I have gone to the track to run and talk with the coaches and runners. I have shown an interest in their lives with the hope of them trusting Christ some day. Last week I hired Maxim to be my translator so that I could have deeper conversations with people. Max is a godly young man who has worked with our missionaries for many years. I will be building into Max's life as well as utilizing him to evangelize and mentor leaders. He shares my passion for the lost and discipleship in Ukraine. I will need to raise extra funds to cover his employment. Please pray about helping cover the extra $400 a month.  Please pray for God to use us to lead many to Christ, as well as start new churches. I am excited about the new possibilities! As always, pray for us to learn Russian! J

Merry's Future

We thank God for Merry and the special time we have had with her here in Ukraine. She has grown in Christ over the last three years, being an encouragement to us and her friends at KCA. She will graduate in May and plans to attend Georgia College & State University in the fall. Please pray for her to finish strong and be prepared for the transition to college and life in America.

We thank God for each of you!

Steve and Danelle

Nelson Newsletter - November/December 2007

A recent view from our window

Merry Christmas from the Nelsons

 

English Club
Danelle and I have enjoyed using the Bible to teach English to an eager group of young Ukrainians. God is speaking to their hearts concerning eternal issues. Please ask Him to bring them to true repentance and faith in our Lord Jesus. Paul prayed for the Jews,

“My heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.”   Romans 10:1

Vlaude and Lena help us lead the English club. In two weeks they are expecting their first child (a son). Everyone in the group is excited! Please pray for Lena and her baby.
Church Multiplication in Ukraine
God has been leading our GCM staff in Europe to evaluate our effectiveness. Our goal has always been to make disciples who will plant churches that will start other churches. We are returning to a more simple concept of church where each person has opportunity to participate in the meetings, like in 1 Corinthians 14:26,

“When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.”

We also want to see these churches led by Ukrainians where every Christian develops a passion to reach the lost – churches that are “mission driven.” Please pray for us! We sense our desperate need for God’s grace to practice this with Ukrainians. We are so very thankful for each and every one of you! Your prayers and financial support make this a reality.
Awaken Conference
Danelle, Merry and I will join more than 200 other believers from all over Europe for Awaken, our semi-annual Great Commission Europe conference. We will gather in Germany from January 2-6, 2008 to hear from God’s word, worship in many languages and enjoy fellowship and the beautiful German countryside. Please pray for our hearts to be prepared to act on what God shows us, for rich fellowship and for safe travel for all.
Family News
God provided a way for our daughter Julie and our granddaughter Jasper to visit us in November. Julie is due in May with their second child! I read this verse today and it reminded me of the effect of their lives upon us.

	“The brothers there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these men Paul thanked God and was encouraged.” Acts 28:15
Jasper's First Snow	Jasper's First McDonald's	Swinging with Aunt Merry

Here are some recent photos of our children. We thank God for these precious lives!!!
Whitney & Micah	Grace & Stephanie	Scott & Maria	Julie, Jasper & Matthew

 
Matt & Amanda

Can you tell who gets the most press? We are proud grand-parents and thankful for each of our kids! We appreciate your financial support this year. It not only pays our bills, but it reveals your love for us and strengthens our faith in Christ as our Provider!

Thank you for your kindness, support and prayers!


Yours in our Savior’s love,



Steve and Danelle

Nelson Newsletter - October 2007

Pastors Summit
The European Pastors met in Germany for our annual summit to discuss our vision and core values because we are forming Great Commission Europe (GCE). We all agreed that God wants us to be starting churches that will reproduce and reach Europe with the gospel.

We committed ourselves to God to plant self-supporting, missionary churches that are led by nationals. We enjoyed the rich times of prayer, fellowship and discussion.
Awaken
The European Churches have a conference every two years called Awaken. We will gather in Germany from January 2-6, 2008 where our Pastor’s Summit was just held. We are asking God to bring 300 young people from all over Europe to this event. Danelle, Merry and I will attend and we have invited some friends from Russia too. Please pray for this to be a life-changing time!

Ukranian Elections
Last month’s parliamentary elections appear to be positive, but you never know around here. (smiley) There was a 62% voter turn out. President Viktor Yushinko and Yulia Tymoshenko may work together in a pro-Western coalition. Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and his pro-Russian party are still very much alive and well. Russia has pressured Ukraine recently by using Ukraine’s gas debt as leverage.
English Club
Eight new people have attended our English Club. They are an enthusiastic group of young people. Please ask God to open blind eyes and reveal Himself through us.

“I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”   John 15:11

A distinguishing mark of a Spirit-filled Christian is joy. The joy that comes from Christ living in us, and the Holy Spirit empowering us, sets us apart from the world. The devil is constantly trying to rob you of this joy. Don’t let him! A joyful Christian will encourage believers and the lost will see Jesus in us and be converted. Joy is attractive! Christ is attractive! Choose to obey God and rely on the Holy Spirit so that His joy will be in you. This is God’s will for you and glorifies Christ. Rejoice in the Lord always!


Yours in our Savior’s love,



Steve and Danelle

Nelson Newsletter - September 2007

Kickoff English Club
Danelle and I met with our friends Vlaude and Lena last night to plan our English club. We will begin this weekly outreach on Tuesday, September 25th. We ask you to pray for God to bring new people and draw them to Jesus. We already have several new folks who plan to attend.
Ukraine Elections Soon!
Ukraine will have national elections September 30th, about the time you read this letter. Please pray for Ukrainians to care enough to vote, to believe they can make a difference and understand that only Jesus Christ can provide real hope! They need a revival!

Moscow Marathon
My friend Ivan and I traveled to Moscow where I ran the Marathon and he ran the 10K. Ivan is a lawyer and a new believer. We had rich fellowship during our travels, shared the gospel with numerous people and saw God answer our prayers.

It rained very hard and the wind was blowing like crazy during the marathon, but God gave me grace to finish in four hours. We met my friend Julia in Moscow. She became a Christian in 2003 in Belgorod during the English class. It was so good to see her growing strong in Christ. She was so hospitable to us that I told her we could see Jesus living in her. Praise God! Then we went to Belgorod to visit Svetlana, my first interpreter, and her family. Sveta became a believer in 1994 and is also growing in her faith. God has blessed her and her husband Max (far right) with a new baby named Uliana (in grandfather’s arms)!

Please pray for:

• European Pastor’s Summit
• Mentoring the leaders at Spring of Hope Church
• Open doors for outreach at the Sports School
• Perseverance in learning Russian
• Merry and the students at KCA to grow in Christ
• Julie and Jasper’s visit to Kiev in October

United with you to reach Ukrainians with the gospel,



Steve and Danelle