Teaching in Kiev, Ukraine
I just returned last week after teaching again in the Ukraine (Nov. 3-13). I had the joy of
teaching the first section of Church History (“The Ancient Church”) at the Baptist
Seminary in Kiev. It was really interesting getting everything together, making overheads
of various pictures and maps, and preparing for nearly 30 hours of teaching time. This
was my third time teaching at this school and I really appreciate being part of the ministry
of this seminary. The students also seem to appreciate my teaching. One of the full-
time professors wrote me this encouraging note: I know the students really enjoyed your
last class and they are looking forward to your return. By the way, they don’t necessarily
enjoy all the part-time teachers, but they have specifically mentioned liking your class.
Good job! Their responses while I was there were equally encouraging.
In mid-January, I should return to the Ukraine to teach the second section of Church
History, “The Reformation.” Then in March, I have been asked to teach a doctoral level
class, “20th Century Apologetic Approaches to the Problem of Evil,” at Evangelische
Theologie Facultheit in Brussels, Belgium. Finally, in April, I will return to the Ukraine to
teach the final section of Church History, “The Modern Church.” In between, I will be
teaching a few classes at John Brown and Mid America again. Thanks for helping me be
involved in the training of men for ministry.
This fall was equally busy for me. I taught three classes at John Brown University and I
also taught three times at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis. One
class was a Doctoral seminar for four missionaries. It was really a great joy to teach
them and also to hear what God was doing in their lives. During the last week of
September, I taught a Bible Conference in Spring Creek, Tennessee. This is really a
great church. The people really love the Word and each other and it is always a delight to
be with them. In addition to my teaching overseas, I have also been serving as the
interim pastor for the Bible Church of Cabot. This church has a great love for the Word
of God and I have really enjoyed being able to preach again on a regular basis.
Here are some quick praises and prayer needs.
Praises
?? With limited income this year, we were praying about how we would be able to cover
the cost of the airfare to the Ukraine. Through the generosity of one church, the entire
ticket was covered.
?? During the time I was in the Ukraine, a number of friends really blessed our lives
through various acts of kindness for our family. Some provided Debbie and the kids
with some meals and others helped her out when she experienced some car
difficulties. What a blessing to have such friends who care!
?? Before I left, I needed to do some major front-end work on our van. A friend did all the
work for us without any charge. Praise the Lord!
?? The night before I left for the Ukraine, another friend brought over a very large check
for our ministry to help us cover back salary and other greatly needed ministry
expenses. What a tremendous surprise that met a very great need! I almost didn’t
need the airplane to get to Kiev!
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?? I am also especially grateful for the opportunity to be serving as an interim pastor at
Cabot. It has been great to be preaching regularly and the church has provided a
part-time salary that has helped to bridge the gap between what Teaching Resources
can provide and what we need for our family.
Prayer Needs
?? Please pray for the students at Kiev Baptist Seminary. We hear a lot about the
Russian financial crisis, but Ukraine is far worse off. These men are training for
ministry but may be limited from full-time employment because of the economic
situation.
?? Pray for a number of new professors that began teaching in Kiev this fall. Three are
Americans who are just beginning language work but really have a heart to serve the
Lord here in Ukraine. Pray for rapid language acquisition and for them to adjust to the
culture and the poverty quickly.
?? Pray for Debbie also. A number of new spots appeared at her last check-up. We are
still in the process of deciding what treatment directions to take. Pray for healing and
for us to be able to rest in His peace.
?? Continue to pray for our cars to hold up. I have had a number of repairs on the Audi
(over 300,000 miles) and parts are very difficult to get. We have also had to make a
number of repairs on the van, but it seems to be holding up.
?? Pray for my time. I have a lot of work in preparing for these church history classes.
Unlike many other classes, church history requires a lot of notes. I have also spent
much time collecting visual resources on the Internet. I have a lot of preparations
also for my next classes—in Ukraine at the end of January and in Belgium at the end
of February.
Thank you again for your support of this ministry.
NOTE: Due to a printing mistake, there is a rather major error in the current issue of
Teaching Resources. If you are looking for page 43, “From our Hearts,” you will not find
it. Instead, page 39 appears again on page 43. We apologize for the inconvenience of
not having our personal note on page 43 as noted in the contents.
Note regarding Year-End gifts—all gifts received which are postmarked on or before December 31, 1998
will be receipted in 1998 for tax purposes. Those received after that date are recorded in 1999.
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