Odessa Mission
December 2003 Newsletter
John's Message
Zdrastvoite ('hello') from Odessa!
When we first arrived in Odessa, Ira and I (me especially) were hoping to plant a church based on the model set forth by the contemporary Christian author Steve Sjogren. I quickly devoured four of his books: Community of Kindness, Conspiracy of Kindness, 101 Ways To Reach Your Community, and 101 Ways To Help People In Need. Sjogren is currently ministering at a very large church in Ohio and has also formerly served as a cross-cultural missionary in Oslo, Norway. While many of his insights will surely prove useful in our venture, I've come to realize that it's not exactly the approach we're going to take after all. Sjogren, who also wrote Servant Warfare, naturally talks a lot about tiny servant-based projects that could attract non-believers to your church. Some of the approaches he suggests meet legitimate needs in people's lives, however, the majority do not. Instead, they fall more into the church-advertising category rather than the "love-thy-neighbor" category. For example, his congregation sends groups to local businesses and restaurants for the purpose of cleaning their toilets for free, or has people stand in front of the post office in order to hand out free stamps, etc. Generally speaking, their approach draws crowds. For the sake of evangelism, that's tremendous indeed! But the gospel is not just about fitting more people into our facilities; it's also about genuinely loving people. In the end, when we stand before God, He won't only be interested in whether or not we were baptized, but He will also be curious about how we fulfilled the second greatest commandment. I'm thankful to God for reminding us, through our hospital ministry, of the fact that real love is what He really desires most. It's that real-love approach that we'll be using in every aspect of our church development here in Odessa.
It's stunning to think about how authentic love (the kind that Jesus modeled and preached about), for the modern church, myself included, has almost become a novel idea. In all sincerity, despite our lack of Power Point capabilities, high-tech equipment, comfortable facilities, and new evangelistic strategies, I still firmly believe that we're on the right track in our approach to evangelizing the lost here in Odessa. Ira and I are very glad that each of you have decided to be with us too! "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another" (John 13:34-35).
We do regret to inform you that we've lost several children at the cancer unit over the last two months, and our precious 13-year old friend, Ira, unfortunately happened to be one of them. Ira (my wife) and I made a special effort to spend a great deal of quality time with her, given the fact that she had been abandoned by her mother because of her illness, and because we knew that the chances for her recovery were not good. Although it was a devastating loss for the both of us, especially for my wife, we will forever cherish her friendship, as well as the many memories she gave us. I was at the hospital the night she died, but I only spoke with her briefly because she was in a lot of pain. Although I knew the end was near, I just wanted her to rest. I left about two hours before her passing, and subsequently was informed that besides crying out for Mom in her closing moments, she also called out my name. It was a blessing to be able to minister to her greatest needs at a time when she needed love and companionship. We couldn't have done it without you. Thank you for ministering to us by affording us the chance to love the way Christ originally intended.
Briefly, we're happy to say that our studies with the worship team are progressing nicely. They certainly have their share of questions, but we're also seeing some results. I've been talking about the need for real love, in and through all of our lives, and I feel that it's been breaking down some initial barriers within the group itself. So, that's encouraging. Moreover, on November 30 we had our first small group meeting on a Sunday morning, which seemed to be encouraging for everyone present. We're planning to meet at our apartment every Sunday until our departure in mid-January and we'll certainly keep you updated.
Ira and I are also excited to tell you about Artyome (Igor's son in Crimea). He is the nine-year old boy who recently needed an immediate heart operation. They expected the surgery to cost approximately $1000, but it was actually three times that amount. Igor and Alleysa weren't sure where they'd get the money, but your help, combined with that of many other Ukrainian Christians, was sufficient. Thankfully, the operation was a tremendous success. In fact, Igor and Alleysa both shared amazing testimonies about all the tiny miracles that happened along the way. So, while this initially seemed to shake Alleysa's faith, being a new Christian, it actually wound up strengthening it like never before. In fact, they made me promise to send their love and gratefulness your way. Another exciting piece of news is that we learned that Karen Atkins (my forwarding agent when I was in Crimea) has officially been declared "cancer free". PRAISE GOD!!!
S Bogum (Go with God!)
John and Ira -
The Odessa Mission
From Al's Perspective: Please remember to make Odessa Mission support checks payable to "Northampton Church of Christ" and send them to me at my home address: 18 Ardmoor Dr, Hampton, VA 23666. It appears that John and Ira will be back in the United States for between four and six weeks beginning in mid-January 2004. I am sure they want to visit with as many supporting churches and individuals as possible during the limited time they will be in the U.S. Therefore, for scheduling purposes, if you want to have John and Ira visit your church, please send me an email or put a note with your next support check. It would help if you would indicate several dates for them to choose from so they can try and fit together a travel plan that would be best for you and them. That way, John can set up a schedule that will allow he and Ira to meet as many supporters in a given geographical area as possible.