Teaching Resources International

Looking Backward, Looking Forward (January 2016 Update)

Looking Backward …

As we enter into 2016, we have many things to be thankful for.  Here are just a few (there is not time to list them all). (We have also included a few pictures from the past year too).

1. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve the Lord in Ukraine, training students to be ministers and servants for the Church of our Lord for many years to come. This has only been possible because you have faithfully prayed for us and supported us for nearly 20 years (2016 will be my 20^th year serving in Ukraine)!
2. We are grateful for the opportunities to teach in Ukraine. Here is a brief list of the teaching God allowed for me this past year:
   1. January – The Book of Hebrews (KTS)
   2. February – Research for Biblical Counseling (Master Program)
   3. March – Pastor’s Prayer Conference in Ternopil; Prayer Class at KS for Church Planters and Pastoral Ministries students (KTS)
   4. May – Assisted with Research and Critical Thinking class (KTS)
   5. June – Realis Ministries Seminar in Urpin, Ukraine.
   6. August – Theology and Practice of Worship (with Sergey Bochko)
   7. September – English Clubs (Campus Ministries)
   8. October – Theology of Prayer and Worship (Lviv Seminary)
3. We are thankful for the birth of Nadia (July 13, 2015) and for the continued growth of Kristina. Both children are a real joy for us even though they take a lot of time and energy!
4. We are grateful for family. Katya’s family has been a real blessing to us, helping in many ways with the two girls.  Her mother has helped with Kristina so Katya can go to doctors appointments and other things and her grandmother comes over to cook once a week (she loves to cook!).  Katya’s nieces come over regularly and clean and watch the girls for us too.  Jim’s family continues to be a blessing too!  We have been able to stay with Joy and Shain, Joel and Alyssa, and Sean and Meredith this year.  It was a real special blessing to be able to have Thanksgiving with Joel and Alyssa (and Debbie’s parents) in Sarasota and to spend Christmas with all my children (including Todd) and grandchildren together at Sean and Meredith’s home in Fayetteville. We probably will only get back to the states every 1 ½ to 2 years so the time with family is extra special for Jim!
5. We continue to be thankful for Campus Ministry here in Ukraine. This past year, we have had the opportunity to be involved in a number of ministries using English Clubs, small groups, and Family Ministries.  They give us a chance to step outside the academic world do evangelism (people need the Lord).  At our English Clubs (usually 2 per year) we have nearly 400 students sign up for the clubs.  Most of the students are non-believers so it is especially exciting to spend time teaching English and the Bible to so many students who will be the future leaders of Ukraine!
6. We are grateful for those who support missionaries in various ways. This past year, we were blessed when a few people contributed to help us get a car in Ukraine!  We have really enjoyed the 2008 Citroën that one of my students found for us.  It has really saved us a lot of time and been very useful in our ministry.  Additionally, we have been blessed greatly by a couple of ministries that provide places for missionaries to stay on furlough.  We were able to stay in an apartment in Fayetteville thanks to the Missions Team at New Heights Church in Fayetteville and for a ministry that allowed us to stay in a house in Georgia for a week of rest.  We are grateful for all of God’s servants that make these kinds of ministries possible for missionaries!
7. I am grateful for the little bit of Russian that I have learned. It has been a great help this year to be able to understand most of the questions (in Russian and Ukrainian) and I am able to carry on basic conversations with students and others now.  I still have a lot to learn but I’ve been able to go to the dentist, the doctor and the hospital, and talk with mechanics about the car – all in Russian. That’s a big step forward!
8. We are grateful for you – for your prayers and support through the years! None of this would have been possible without you!  I continually stand amazed at your faithfulness and generosity. Each year, we have added a few more precious friends to our support team and they have been just as faithful to support us and pray for us! Words cannot express our gratitude!

Looking Forward …

As we enter into a new year, there are a number of things we are looking forward to in 2016.

1. This spring, I will be teaching a number of courses in the first 5 months. In February, one week after we return to Ukraine, I will be teaching Christology and Soteriology (Lviv Seminary).  March will be incredibly busy! After 2 weeks of English Clubs at the University, I will be teaching Research and Writing for Biblical Counseling (Master’s Program) and I will be teaching pastoral ministries students and church planting students the Theology and Practice of Prayer.  In April, I will be teaching 1 Then in May, I will be teaching Research and Critical Thinking for our new students with Natasha Tereshenko. Be praying for me as I prepare and teach these classes.
2. We should be spending the summer in Ukraine and possibly even next Christmas. Our normal schedule will probably be to come back to the states every 1 ½ years. So, unless we have a family situation, we probably won’t get back to the US in 2016.
3. Continue to pray for the situation in Ukraine. Things are stable now but that could change anytime.  Russia continues to send more tanks into Eastern Ukraine for some reason and they continue periodic attacks to find weaknesses in the front lines. We have no idea what Russia is planning but we do not think the conflict is over yet. Most believe that Putnam goal is not to conquer Ukraine but to keep it is a state of turmoil so that Ukraine cannot succeed as a Western nation.  So it seems like we may be in for a protracted war for quite some time.
4. Also, remember to pray for the people of Crimea who are have a really difficult time under the Russian occupation. We have had a number of students and graduates forced to leave there because they would not accept a Russian passport but wanted to keep their Ukrainian one. In spite of these conflicts, they continue to teach and preach the gospel in Ukraine! We are glad to be part of their lives and excited to see what they will do in the coming years for the Kingdom of God.

Thanks again for your support and prayers for us.   We are hopeful that 2016 will be a year with many new open doors – for the people of Ukraine and especially for the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Have a Blessed New Year!

Jim, Katya and Kristina and Nadia