Dear Friends,
In this photo I am running on one of the many trails in the forest near our apartment. Danelle and I frequent these trails to run and pray and ask God to change lives. Paul traveled to Rome to preach the gospel,
“That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome.” Why was he eager to speak about Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection to them? Paul knew the gospel’s power to save and give a sinner new life. “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” Romans 1:15-16 We moved to Ukraine to preach the gospel of Christ to all who will listen. Here are some recent stories about how the gospel is changing lives in Ukraine. God led us to the “good soil” Jesus spoke about – people who know they are sinners, and want God’s power to change. Last spring we were in Dimitrov, where we met a young Christian and told her about our Rehab Centers in Kiev. She had a Christian friend, Natasha, whose husband Maksim, was an alcoholic. Shortly after that he went to the rehab center
and his life was changed. A few months later Natasha’s mother, Sveta, became one of the first women at the newly opened Women’s Rehab where she too committed her life to Jesus. Maksim and Sveta are pictured above (in brackets), were baptized with 11 others!Several weeks later Spring of Hope Church baptized three people. Dima, pictured on the left, is the young lawyer who helped us share the gospel at the sports camp this summer. We’ve had the pleasure of seeing him take steps of faith to share his testimony at camp, and now to follow Christ in baptism.
Prayer Requests
1. For those who were baptized to grow in God’s grace and lead others to Christ.
2. For God’s wisdom on how to prepare those in the rehab centers to transition into society.
3. For the believers we work with to have a greater passion for the lost. 2 Corinthians 5:14
Yours by God’s grace in Christ,
Steve and Danelle
