He Giveth, and Giveth and Giveth Again! … (November 2017 Update)
One of my favorite hymns is “He Giveth More Grace” by Annie Johnson Flint. Many times when I am troubled or when God has supplied unexpectedly, I find myself singing some of the verse of this great song. It was written by a woman who lived all her life in adversity but continued to trust in the Lord. The song concludes: “For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!” (Full song is at the end of this Update).
As I think about Thanksgiving this month, I am brought back to this song – He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again! I have so much to be thankful for … a wonderful family, both here in Ukraine and in the states… dear friends that are as close as family even though we are separated by geography and by time… a warm house and a full garden… wonderful opportunities for teaching… seeing students who are living the lessons they have been taught. But most of all, we are grateful for Jesus and the change He has made in our lives! We are so blessed to be part of His family and even more blessed that “He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!” Here are some of those blessings from this month….
The Blessing of Teaching …
In October, I was blessed to be able to go to Lviv and teach a class on Worship and Prayer at Ukrainian Baptist Seminary. This school continues to grow in numbers and it is a real blessing to come and be part of this new work in Lviv. I especially like teaching this class (I will be teaching some theology classes here at the end of January) because it is an opportunity to share about the many special experiences God has given me as a pastor for over 35 years. This year’s class was made up of pastors and so we had a great time talking about practical situations related to worship and prayer.
One of my former students is now serving as a Dean at Ukrainian Baptist Seminary. He had just returned from teaching a seminar in Zaporozhe, Ukraine. He said the meeting took place in a church that was formerly the KGB headquarters! One of the older pastors there said to him, “This is the room that the KGB used to bring us to torture us to renounce our faith. Now we are hearing the Word of God taught here!”
Next week, I will be teaching Church History at Kiev Theological Seminary. This is also a very important class for our students. Many have little or no understanding of the history of the church. Pray that we can not only teach information about church history but also the implications. Historian Edmund Burke once said, “Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” History reveals the victories and the flaws of men in history. It helps us see where we have been and how we came to our beliefs today. This is why we celebrated the Reformation this year. It is a reminder of the importance of sound doctrine and keeping our focus on the Word of God. The Roman Church departed gradually from God’s Word to man’s traditions and the result was the loss of many biblical doctrines. It was the Word of God that brought Luther and the other Reformers back to biblical truth as they began again to read and study God’s Word. This is just one of the many lessons we learn from studying church history.
Thank you for praying for our Campus Ministry English Outreach that we have twice a year. We had a great class with lots of questions. I also had the joy so sitting down with some students and discussing their religious views. Their views are pretty typical for Ukrainian students. They said they believed in God but more a force or entity than a person. They accept the fact that Jesus is God’s son but really have no idea what that means. They also don’t understand the gospel. None of them have any belief that heaven or hell are real but they believe these are good things to motivate people to good behavior! So we are sharing the gospel with post-modern non-believers. They are open and willing to talk but most are not willing to commit their lives to Jesus – at least not yet! Keep praying as we and the Campus staff continue to do follow-up with these students. Usually we see a hand full of students come to faith each semester. Pray that God will open many hearts!
This year, we celebrated the 500th year anniversary of the Reformation (1517). On October 31st, I taught two seminars in celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. In the morning, I will be teaching a seminar on “Luther’s and the Power of God’s Word.” In the evening, I presented a seminar on “John Calvin as a Pastor.” Both of these lectures were well received and provoked some good discussion. We will be posting the John Calvin lecture online as soon as we get it edited and translated into Russian. I will also be preaching this Sunday in our church on a similar topic about Luther and God’s Word. Pray that these teaching will help listeners and readers to focus on the Word of God.
The Blessing of a Warm House …
We were able to get all the insulation on the house before the cold weather and rain set in. So we will have a warm home throughout the winter. However, we were unable to finish the façade and the paint because it is too cold for the paint and stucco to adhere to the walls. So we have a grey house now and we will wait until March or April and warmer weather to finish up. This is a blessing for us too because it gives us a few months to gather together enough money to finish the exterior.
We have really enjoyed being in this house. It is very simple but functional. Now, with the insulation, even with temperatures around freezing, we are able to turn the heat on at night and turn it off during the day (we have no thermostats here). Then the warmth in the concrete floors keeps us warm throughout the day. It’s a great system and very efficient! We are also still enjoying the fruits of our garden. We still have tomatoes and some fruit in storage and it looks like we will have some fresh fruits and vegetables into December! This is a real blessing for us in this colder climate.
We have also been learning how to do many things that we just did not need to do in the states. Just last week, I made my first biscuits from scratch! Previously I just bought the frozen ones and popped them in the oven. Also, we have learned that, after we process our fruits for canning, we use the scraps for making compote (a fruit juice) and syrups.
The Blessing of Partners …
For over 21 years now, we have been blessed to be able to do this ministry of teaching and training Ukrainian students for ministry! Recently someone asked me how much the seminary pays us to teach. American missionaries here teach without salary. The seminaries here do not have enough funds to pay teachers so they depend on our ministries to teach for free. It is a great blessing to do so! But we could not do this without our partners in America who support our work here.
Over the last few months, we have been praying to add 3-4 new families to our financial support team so that our support level will be back to our regular support level. If you would like to help us at any monthly amount, we would greatly appreciate it! Let us know if you would like to help by becoming a regular supporter.
The Blessing of Family …
Nadia is now in the “What is it stage?” Kristina is in the “Why?” stage. Kristina wants to know how everything works and why things are certain ways. Sometimes it is enough to tax a Ph.D 😊. The girls love playing together, cooking, dancing and playing doctor. Even though the weather is a little cold, they both love going outdoor and are even learning to collect mushrooms!
Blessings in Ukraine – Even in War …
Please don’t forget to pray for Ukraine. While in Lviv, I attended a congregation of refugees from Lugansk (Eastern Ukraine). Almost the entire congregation was forced to leave and has relocated in Lviv. Even though they have lost everything, their worship and their lives are filled with praise and a desire to serve the Lord wherever they are. Also while teaching in Lviv, I saw Maxim, a former student from KTS. He and his family along with over 2000 other believers had relocated to Gdansk, Poland because of the war. He had to stop studies at KTS but he has now begun to finish his studies in Lviv at Ukrainian Baptist Seminary. In Poland, he has become one of the leaders of the Ukrainian church in the diaspora caused by the war. Pray for these people as they continue to serve the Lord in great difficulties!
Thank you for your prayers and for your support! What a blessing to be able to serve the Lord in these times! As Thanksgiving approaches, we can only say we have been blessed over and over again. He definitely “giveth more grace!”
By His Grace,
Jim and Katya
Kristina and Nadia
He Giveth More Grace
Annie Johnson Flint
He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added affliction He addeth His mercy;
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.
His love has no limit; His grace has no measure.
His pow’r has no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!
Here is a link about the life of Annie Johnson Flint
Teaching Resources International 