Changes (November 2014 Update)
November in Ukrainian is Листопад meaning “leaves fall down.” It’s a great description of the beautiful forests with golden and red leaves 
now forming a carpet on the ground. It’s a scene I get to see every day from our new apartment and I get to walk through those leaves on my way to the bus stop every morning. So much has changed since our moving to the Right Bank of Kiev! My daily trip is about 1/3 of what it used to be and our opportunities for ministry have greatly increased (see below) now that we live over on this side of the river.
There are also many changes here in Ukraine this month. We elected a new Parliament and there is a “ceasefire” in the Russian-Ukrainian war right now. I put “ceasefire” in quotes because, although the government forces have ceased firing, the pro-Russian separatists have not. And Russia continues to send men and equipment across the border to reinforce the territories they captured.
But, in general, things are more peaceful – for now. Most believe that Putin is reconsidering his approach since so many Russian soldiers died in Ukraine and Russian mothers are asking how this happened if there are no Russian soldiers in Ukraine (the world has been asking this for months!). Also, many believe that Putin is shifting his strategy to a “Cold War” in which his withholding of gas supplies is the weapon. Russia has already reduced gas supplies for two countries that have sold gas to Ukraine and Putin has warned that he will shut off the gas from Russia if Europe (50% of Europe’s gas comes from Russia) sells gas to Ukraine!
Here in Ukraine, we are preparing for a cold winter. People are insulating apartments, buying electric heaters and purchasing warmer clothes. The Kiev has not had any hot water or heat since May to conserve energy for the colder parts of the winter. Just this week, with temperatures below 0 Celcius, many people began to get hot water and heat. We still have not gotten heat but we should soon. But even then, we are being told that the heat will be reduced to conserve. It’s a good idea but we know that we also face some cold nights ahead. We think we are prepared but we will see.
English Club Follow-up and Evangelistic Bible Study
After the two weeks of English Clubs, we began to help with follow-up of students who might be more interested in knowing more about the Bible and Christianity. Campus ministry uses both individual meetings and group meetings. Katya and I agreed to lead a weekly evangelistic Bible study in our apartment with a group of non-Christian guys from the university. Each week, we have been discussing the many objections to the gospel and to Christianity that these guys have. Most do not believe in God and most believe that Christianity is non-intellectual. So we have discussed many theories and ideas as well as looked at Bible passages. It is interesting to hear how their questions and comments are changing. When we began, they would have little or no reference to God and would not consider the possibility of 
God in the universe. Now, even though they are not accepting the idea of God’s existence, they frequently say things like, “If God did exist, then I could agree with ….” And “If there was a God, I could accept the Christian view.” Even though most do not hold Christian views, they have all been very positive and the discussions have been very honest and open. They are thinking … please continue to pray that I can give clear explanations, that the Bible passages will open their hearts to the truth and that some will come to faith through these meetings. We only have two more meetings before we have a semester break.
In addition to the weekly Bible Study, I am helping out with a weekly English Club meeting through Campus Ministry. This group meets on Thursday nights and follows the same format as our English Club meetings. Be praying as we reach out to students through the medium of teaching English.
Also, in a couple of weeks, we will be involved in a family seminar led by some Family Life workers in Ukraine. Katya and I will also be working with many of these couples in a follow-up a Bible Study for young families using some materials from Family Life (Campus Crusade). Be praying for Katya and me as we get ready for this additional outreach ministry in our home.
Additionally, Katya is helping Gala (wife of our Campus ministry leader) with an evangelistic Bible Study for young mothers. It meets in Gala and Sergey’s apartment because all the ladies are from that apartment. They meet every other Saturday morning. Be praying for them as they build relationships with and reach out to these ladies.
Finally, in November (we postponed due to the elections), we will begin teaching our dance classes (for free) on Sunday nights. Over the past 4 years, this has been a great way to make contact with non-believers. This year we are planning to invite some of the university students to join us too as a way of extending our outreach contacts into the university. Pray for us as we make contacts and connections that will lead to opportunities to share the gospel and invite people to church.
In November, I will also be teaching the first section of Church at the seminary. I am working on preparations and working with my translator to be sure we have everything prepared. Then in December, I will be teaching a seminar for pastors on “Improving your Writing.” In January, I will be teaching the Book of Hebrews at the seminary. So I have much to get ready for!
Seminary in Lviv
The first week of October, Katya and I traveled to Lviv to help provide some training for a new Seminary there. We were excited to go and even more excited to see how well they are doing! This year, they registered over 90 new students in a school where they usually only have about 25 students! The first day there, Katya did some training for the Registrar, Academic Dean, Administrator and IT guy. In the evening, we had a great time at the President’s home meeting his family and enjoying a meal with them (his wife is a great cook!). There, we learned a lot more about the seminary and about its extraordinary growth this year. On Friday, I taught a couple of hours about the modular system and how we prepare syllabi. Then Katya finished with more information about academic matters. We had a great time in Lviv and we got to spend most of Saturday there until we caught the fast train back to Kiev. We are looking forward to returning to help with more training and also possibly teaching next year.
Family News
Meredith and Sean Cooper are expecting their first baby in March! We are excited for them and we are hoping to come back in the Spring to help them when the new baby arrives (both Sean and Meredith’s mothers have passed away so we want to be able to help during the first month). So, it is unlikely that we will be able to come back to the US for Christmas because we cannot afford to travel home twice.
Kristina continues to grow rapidly. It seems like every day she learns something new. She is now crawling with ease and standing for short periods on her own. Soon she will be walking and then a whole new adventure will begin! Katya is loving being a mom even though it takes most of her day and nearly all of her energy (mine too!). But we would not trade it for anything!
Pray for …
Pray for the people of Ukraine. Things continue to be difficult here in Ukraine as prices are continuing to rise. We have a number of friends in our church looking for apartments and they are having difficulty finding anything in Kiev. Also, with winter approaching, most people do not have sufficient heat. Pray that the energy resources of Ukraine will last us through this coming winter.
Pray for the new parliament. Elections in Ukraine went smoothly and the new parliament was elected. This parliament is a better representation of the people’s desires. Before the elections, the pro-Russian party controlled over 50% of the seats (and, of course, the vote). In the new parliament, 90% of the seats are controlled by pro-European and Western groups. This was also the first election in which the Communist Party did not win a single seat. Previously, they were the 4th or 5th largest party. So this is very good. Now we need to pray that these new representatives can work together to make Ukraine a better country.
Pray for our ministry opportunities and especially our gatherings in our apartment. Pray that we can be good examples and provide a clear testimony for the gospel. Also, be praying for the Family Retreat and Seminars coming up November 8-9 and for the follow-up Bible Studies we will be hosting.
Pray for the gospel to go forth unhindered. We have many people in our little church helping to spread the gospel in the war-torn east as well as in the capital. We also have one man who takes donated clothing and equipment to the soldiers every week. Please pray that the people they help will see the love of these believers and be open to hear and receive the gospel.
Thank you for continuing to pray for us! We feel pretty safe right now but that could all change. So continue to pray for us. Also, remember to pray for our ministries here, especially these evangelistic outreaches. Thank you so much!
By His Grace,
Jim and Katya and Kristina
Teaching Resources International 