Dear Friends in Ministry, Thank you for your prayers over the past month for all of our travels and service. Here is a brief report.
Student Conference In February Danelle and I enjoyed teaching singles and college students from the University of Florida about marriage. There were over one hundred enthusiastic young people who came. After each teaching, we had a time for questions, and then broke up into small groups for discussions to talk about practical application. We used the principles about relationships from Steve’s book, Secure In An Insecure World. The folks from Gator Christian Fellowship made us feel very welcome. Thank you!!
Latvia On February 17th Danelle and I traveled to Kiev, Ukraine to work with our dear friends and missionaries, Timmy and Kenyon Powers for three weeks. The first week we went to Riga, Latvia for the first time. The young people there were eager to listen as we spoke about God’s desire to reach the lost world and make disciples through their lives. It was encouraging to us as well as we recounted how God challenged us in a similar way 38 years ago through Herschel Martindale. We challenged these Latvians to also follow Jesus Christ and fish for men, train them, and function as His body, the church. We also spoke of practical ways to spread the gospel using our testimonies. The very next week several of them told unbelievers how they were saved! Please pray for these two young couples (below) who are leading.
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| Alice &Andris Dekants, Danelle, Timmy & Kenyon | Marta, Amelija & Raimonds Logins |
Odessa Trip We took the overnight train to Odessa and had an encouraging time with the people there. We were very encouraged by Gannadi and Leana and their family, seeing them grow in their personal walk with God, as well as the faith of their teenagers. We spent all day Sunday with the house church at Leana and Misha’s. We are always amazed at how people are drawn to them and are affected by them.
Rehab Center Maxim Nicolaev invited Danelle and I to speak at a meeting with all of the rehab centers in Kiev. There were about one hundred gathered to hear us speak about salvation and how to over-come addictions and sin. I shared God’s promise from Philippians, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” God began the work in them and He would complete it by His grace and Spirit. I encouraged them to rest and trust God with their lives, their all. Then, as Danelle shared her testimony, they hung on every word. Maxim thanked us several times and said he had never heard us speak with such clarity and influence. Praise God, it was all Him! It was so cold inside that we spoke with our heavy coats on, but the Holy Spirit warmed our hearts and bodies!
House Church Conference On March 30-31 we will go to Columbia to join in a house church conference with believers from Riverbend Community Church, as well as others from the southeast. We will seek God to make us more effective in lifestyle evangelism, and to see Ephesians 4:11-16 become more of a reality in our churches.
Family Update My mother fell last week and fractured a vertebra in her back. She was in a great deal of pain initially. Praise God, she is getting better! But it is difficult to walk and will take weeks to recover. On a positive note, both Julie and Amanda are doing well with their pregnancies. Please pray for them.
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| We visited our Beekeeper friend Nadia in Kiev |
Prayer Requests
1. House Church Conference March 30-31. Pray for us to hear from God, encourage one another, and be doers of God’s word when it comes to loving the lost and serving the saints.
2. SE Leaders/Wives Meeting April 13-14 We will meet with pastor’s and their wives for two days of fellowship, encouragement and prayer. Pray for us to more effectively make disciples in our region.
3. Tanzania Mission For God to prepare our team and the nationals for this May 16-June 10 mission trip. Please pray for God to provide the finances necessary to go. Thank you all very much for your support!
4. Timmy and Kenyon Pray for their current health issues, and for leadership development in Ukraine.
5. Mom, Julie, and Amanda Pray for my mother’s recovery. Pray for Julie and Amanda’s pregnancies and deliveries in May and June respectively.
Grace and Peace from God our Father,
Steve and Danelle
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