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Pray for Ukraine (December Update)

Posted in Uncategorized on December 2, 2013|

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 Kiev Protestselection 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). (more…)

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Going, Going, Gone! (October 2013 Update)

Posted in Uncategorized on November 2, 2013|

Going, Going, Gone! (October 2013 Update)

Fall 2013 Leaves

I know what you are thinking!  I have baseball on my mind — I wish!  Maybe if the Cincinnati Reds hadn’t been swept by the Pirates at the end of the season (and in the wild card playoff), I might be thinking baseball.  But even if they were in the World Series, I would probably be thinking about something else — verbs of motion in Russian. (more…)

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“Rushin’ to Russian!” (October 2013 Update)

Posted in Jim Ehrhard, Uncategorized, tagged , , on September 29, 2013|

“Rushin’ to Russian!” (October 2013 Update)In=Yaz

Life has been very busy for me this past month.  In September, I taught a class on Christology.  I also decided to take a university class in Russian at Kiev National Linguistic University.  While I was told the class would begin September 16th  (the week after the Christology class was over), like many things in Ukraine, I found out it would begin on the 9th (the day my Christology class began).  So I would teach class for 4 hours in the morning, leave immediately after class to ride the metro for an hour to get to at least part of the Russian class.  I was able to catch about 15-20 minutes of class, get my homework for the next day then head back to the metro (another hour) so I could get home to prepare for teaching the next day!  It was a wild week, but I survived – I definitely did not want to fall behind on the class.  (more…)

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“March (and April) Madness”

Posted in Jim Ehrhard, Uncategorized, tagged on April 9, 2013|

“March (and April) Madness” (April 2013 Update)March Snow Storm in Kiev

No, it’s not about basketball, although I certainly love that too!  It’s about our busy schedule.  At the end of last month, I helped out with a church planting class on prayer.  Jim Albright (from the International Church in Milan) taught the class but I helped with preparations, hosting, grading and teaching some of the classes.  Katya and I were delighted to have Jim and Karen spend the two weeks at our home also.  It was a great joy being able to see them and having Jim teach his first class for us.  But it was also very busy with class every day and small group or other ministries each night.  All of this with the biggest snowfall in Ukraine since the 1960s!

The Prayer class for Church Planters was a special joy.  This group of 4 students will be graduating this May and it was great to spend the week with them learning more about their lives and ministries.  (Normally I teach classes of over 30 so I don’t have a lot of one-on-one time with students).  One student from Lithuania came to Christ in prison and he is actively involved in leading a new church plant in Lithuania.   Another student has planted a church near Kiev after serving as a missionary in Kazakhstan.   The other two students came to faith out of drugs and alcohol (one out of Satan worship!) and they are planting a new church in eastern Ukraine.   What a joy to hear how their seminary education has changed their lives and helped them in ministry! (more…)

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“Spring is Here!” (March 2013 Update)

Posted in Jim Ehrhard, Uncategorized on March 10, 2013|

“Spring is Here!” (March 2013 Update)

Optimized-Some Students for interviews

March 1st is officially the first day of Spring in Ukraine.  Even the president made a first of spring

speech.  But it still seems like it will be a while before spring really arrives.  We still have snow on the ground and some sidewalks

 still have an inch or so of ice.  Our temperatures still go below freezing … but it is “spring” here!  Березень is the name for March in Ukrainian.  It means “birch” and reminds everyone that the sap in the trees is returning and the buds for the leaves will soon be coming.  So, even though spring is no really here yet, it is certainly not far away. (more…)

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