Odessa Mission
Bits from the Odessa Mission's History
John's book is published and available for purchase.
Rick Deighton at Pedagogical Institute
Rick Deighton had a chance to speak to students at the pedagogical institute in
Odessa in mid April, which will hopefully open a door for KRCC in the future.
He was given two and a half hours to cover several faith-based topics and there
were about thirty-five students. However, just before the break Rick gave
everyone the freedom to leave if they so chose and only about ten students
remained for the rest of his presentation. Nevertheless, it allowed more
questions from the remaining students and Rick had more time to expand on
his answers. One girl was especially opposed to Rick's Biblical
worldview but she wasn't necessarily hostile either. In any case, the
discussion certainly raised a few pertinent issues that will hopefully perk some
interest in the search for ultimate truth.
Family Visit
Ira's Parents - Ira's parents live in Crimea which is about 12
hours away by train. They visited John and Ira in late April. [Read
more about their visit in the May 2006 Newsletter]
Winter laundry - It may be below freezing outside and there might even be
snow on the ground but many Ukrainians dry their clothes this way even in
the middle of winter because they don't have the American luxury of a
clothes dryer in every home.
Russian Sauna - John's friend, Gregory, has a sauna in his apartment and
invites friends over to enjoy the use of it. John visits about twice a
month to chat, drink some tea, and do some sweating. Most Ukrainians love
the Russian sauna and consider it very beneficial to one's health. Here we
see the benches inside the sauna where visitors "sweat it out".
Russian Sauna Tools - To get the most out of a visit to a sauna, individuals
must "Do it right". Here we see a wooden bucket that is used for
the purpose of pouring some water, which has been mixed with herbs and leaves,
onto the rocks in the sauna to make aromatic steam. The branches with the
leaves are actually used to slap one another on the back and legs while
inside the sauna. [It seems it would be better to be in a sauna with
someone smaller than you are and that can't swing the branches very hard.]
When waved above one's head inside the sauna, the leaves apparently retain
the heat well and so they are then used to pass that extra heat onto the
smacked recipient for an added effect. They're especially hot if pressed
down onto one's skin which can be an unpleasant experience sometimes.
However, that hot sensation is wonderful when pressed down onto the soles of
the feet.
Russian Sauna Pool - This basin/pool contains cold water and is used
immediately by those exiting the sauna. This is done to create a contrast
in temperature which allegedly helps the body's internal organs. [Note the
word "allegedly".]
Russian Somavar - On the table behind the red candle is a big kettle which
contains hot water for the tea drunk after the visit to the sauna. Actually,
the tea doesn't seem so hot after being in the sauna. Yes, those things on
top of the somavar are two hats for wearing inside the sauna. John usually
wears one on his head and uses another to cover his face since the heat can
be a bit extreme. In fact, Gregory usually likes the sauna to stay between
85-95 degrees Celsius [185 to 203 degrees Fahrenheit]. Remember that water
boils at 100 degrees Celsius [212 degrees Fahrenheit].
Andre's birthday party
Andre's birthday party was held at KRCC. He is seated at the far end of the table
with his left arm around Casha, who is another kid that attends our church.
Andre has decided to be baptized but we are still patiently waiting to get
permission from his mother. Her name is Natasha and she's standing to
Andre's right. Ira is standing on Andre's left. Andre's
step-dad is also present and is holding Andre's step-sister (to the right of
Natasha). Andre's grandmother, who is into New Age philosophy, is seated
directly opposite him next to Casha.
Friday Night Video Invitations
"Oleg's effort" - Every Thursday evening several KRCC members gather together to hand
out invitations to our Friday night video program. Although Oleg isn't
quite ten years old yet, he is still old enough to get into the trenches and
make a difference. Whether we need someone to help clean our church
building, run to the Xerox store for copies, or hand out invitations on the
street corner, we are always sure that our little brother Oleg will be ready and
willing. So we praise God for him and his genuine faith in action.
Saturday school
Here are some of the kids that attended Ira's Bible lesson on Saturday mornings.
The study is held just before we have our kids' video program. Starting
on Ira's left and going around the table are: Zhorik, Vadik, Oleg, Kolya, and
Andre.
New pictures from 9/16/05
"Bible study" - We had a good group out for Wednesday evening's Bible study (9/14)
and also had a great discussion about the importance of fasting. We
initially planned to spend at least one month on the subject but judging from
the response we got in our opening session it will probably be more like two
months. Here, Sergei is sharing part of his personal testimony about some
experiences he had during an extended fast which was a real power booster for
our group. 9/16/05
"WCC benevolence" - Williamsburg Christian Church in Virginia sent five boxes of
new clothing for the folks at KRCC and kids at the cancer ward. We are
carefully and gradually distributing at both venues and here we see Oxonna, one
of our faithful church members, receiving a new sweater just in time for the
fall season. 9/16/05
John and Ira in Ukrainian Clothes - Here are John and Ira dressed in typical
Ukrainian clothes during their speaking engagements at various churches during
their visit in August and September of 2005. 9/1/05
John's Idea for the New KRCC Facility - If you haven't previously seen
pictures of the KRCC facility in Odessa, you might be willing to accept this
picture as that facility. However, it is really the National Cathedral in
DC. This only may be a dream today but with God's help this dream can
become a reality in the future. 9/1/05
Mechanicsville CoC - Here is John speaking at the Mechanicsville Church of
Christ in Mechanicsville, VA. 9/1/05
Vance and Angie - John and Ira welcomed Vance and Angie Fitzgerald to their
home in Odessa when the Olivet team visited KRCC in July and here is Ira,
Angie and Vance in the Fitzgerald home recently. 9/1/05
Sergei's baptism
This is John preparing to baptize Sergei on Tuesday, July 12. They are
at one of the many beaches where Odessa fronts on the Black Sea. John
met Sergei on Saturday morning July 9 when Sergei attended Dolores Murphy's
seminar on depression. He had received an invitation to the seminar and
decided to attend. He also came to church on Sunday morning and expressed a
desire to be baptized. He said he has visited other churches and when John
spoke with him about being baptized Sergei showed a considerable amount of Bible
knowledge. He is a college junior who plans to major in archaeology and he
is taking correspondence courses from one of Kiev's universities. Sergei
attended Bible study on Wednesday and we pray that he'll find true acceptance
at KRCC.
New Kids - Our children's church this morning included many new faces.
More of Gods Blessing.
Sergei is a Christian who formerly attended a Charismatic church but became
discouraged with several things about that church.
"Natasha with my book" - Natasha is the women on the right side and
she's holding a copy of my book "A
Dumb American in a Strange Country" which I gave her today.
Natasha is considering starting a ministry to women at the prison in Odessa.
Valya, the woman who leads our prayer meetings, is standing next to her.
KRCC Celebrating New beginnings
Here's Oxonna (green sweater) with her daughter Valya who was immersed in
Christ. Yura is Oxonna's son who is actually a former patient at the
cancer ward. His amazing recovery played a major role in their conversions.
Rayissa (the blonde-haired woman) is a member of KRCC who visited
the cancer ward and fervently prayed for Yura just at the right time,
in-turn planting spiritual seeds that the Lord brought to maturity.
Here's 12-year old Galya (the one whose mother has forbidden her to be baptized)
presenting a new children's Bible to Valya after her conversion.
Here's Larissa getting ready
to hug Natasha, a woman from the Jewish congregation who helped Larissa
financially during a very difficult period. And, ultimately, it was
that Christian love that helped Larissa see the need for Christ in her
own life.
Here's the whole gang who witnessed yesterday's victories at our apartment
This is our group at Oxonna's baptism. Oxonna is the woman sitting on the
floor next to 11-year old Nastya.