Pray for Ukraine! (December 2013 Update)
Ukraine is in its biggest crisis since 2004. The President has been systematically taking away freedoms and basic civil rights for the last 3 years, but this time, the people of Ukraine are revolting against his actions. The current crisis began when the president made a surprise reversal of policy regarding joining the EU. One condition the EU required was the release of Julia Tymoshenko from prison. She ran against President Yanokovich in the last 
election and he had her punished for treason because she signed documents when she was Prime Minister (it was her job to do so). But he has refused to release her. Russia and Putin have been putting pressure on Ukraine to prevent Ukraine from joining. Yanokovich returned from a visit with Putin and announced that Russia would help us more than the EU and that Russia would not tell us what to do with our political prisoners. His decision to not sign the EU agreement has sparked peaceful protests all over Ukraine. Over 100,000 people gather daily in Independence Square to sing songs and protest the current government (some estimate that over 350,000 came to one rally).
On Saturday morning, the riot police descended and beat everyone on the square and then erected an iron wall to keep people off the square. The people responded by meeting at other places. The government has declared it to be illegal to protest publically. But people are continuing. We are not sure what will be the outcome since the president is really more of a gang-thug than a politician.
We do not think we are in any personal danger but we ask you to pray for the country. The government here has been systematically taking over news media and TV stations so that there are only pro-government stations operating. However, through other websites, the news is continuing to be published. Pray that we will have a peaceful settlement and also one that opens the door for more freedom in Ukraine.
Teaching
This week I am teaching a class on Contemporary Issues in Theology. It is an excellent group and we have already had a really good day of classes. Pray that the lectures will be clear and will also be helpful for the students in their ministries.
Because of teaching, I will be missing my Russian classes. These classes have been a great help for me! I spend 4-5 hours in class every day and then I have 3-4 hours of homework each night. It’s exhausting but worth it. I can see why missionaries spend two years doing nothing but language studies. It takes lots of time!
I am also preparing for teaching the World History class in January followed by a class on the Theology of Prayer in March. Also, Katya is due at the end of January so we have a very busy few months ahead!
Ministry
Our “Key to the Heart” seminar for our church was excellent and has already made an impact on many lives. The theme of the conference was relationships between guys and girls. There were about 10 non-Christian young people at the conference in addition to over 50 believers. Here is one testimony from a university student who attended.
“…Honestly, my understanding of dating has changed completely. I probably can’t describe all my feelings here. Everything was very interesting at the conference. Now I just want to be with God, know Him better, study the Bible, go to church and spend time with all these wonderful people.”
One young man was dating a non-believer. They have decided to stop dating now to concentrate on building their foundation in God. The non-believing girl has joined a weekly Bible Study group and the young man (believer) is involved in Bible Study and discipleship lessons! Thanks for praying for us during this conference!
Also, weekly, we are involved in our small group, and I continue working each Thursday night with an English Club at Schevenko University.
It’s December now and the cold weather has arrived! The Ukrainian name for December is Грудень which means “cold, hard ground.” Yeah, they know how to name their months! We have no Thanksgiving holiday here in Ukraine and Katya and I both have to work. But we celebrated Thanksgiving on Saturday with a traditional meal and football afterward (Ohio State/Michigan). It was great!
Thanks again for all your support! If you are not on our support team, we would really like you to join us. Our support levels are low and, due to some changes in the family needs of two of our supporters, we will be losing at least two very dear families from our support team this January. Please pray about helping us here in Ukraine!
By His Grace,
Jim and Katya
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