Let the Reading Begin!

This post marks the end of our second full day of reading, and are third full day as a team here in Mariupol, but we are already feeling like we've been working for weeks! At our lunch break we were sitting around talking about the day, and I had trouble getting off the couch! However, despite being worn out, we have had some encouraging moments already with the readers. We are currently reading with over 50 people of which about half are not church members. The other half are members of the church who are coming to learn or improve their English. Some of them are in group classes where the main focus is English. I am teaching a class of about 9 people who speak very little English, and we are covering the basics. Today they learned to count from one to one hundred. It's really exciting to see how they improve a little bit every time we talk. I can't communicate with them very well, but they always seem so appreciative when the class ends. It really is serving as a means to build relationships with members of the church, and be encouraged through fellowship. Emily also started a class today for young children, teaching them some very basic English phrases and words.

As great as it is to be able to provide this service for the church, our purpose in coming was not just to encourage the church, but to reach the lost. The girls have told me several stories of how they have had some meaningful conversations with their readers already, and I am reading with a husband and wife couple who really seem to understand that what Luke wrote about in his gospel really happened. The more we read the more they seem to recognize that the things we are reading are not just made up stories, but actual historical events. Their names are Alex and Alona. Tommie has talked to me about a reader named Alevtina who says she has been struggling with depression and just wants to find happiness again. Tommie gently told her that she had come to the right place. We're praying that over the next two weeks that she would realize the truth of those words. I am sure each of us could talk about the many encouraging moments that we have already had, and we are only three days into the trip. There have also already been some difficult moments, but they are causing us to rely more heavily on God, and on each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Thank you for your comments, your encouragement, and your prayers. After only three days there is already a lot to talk about! Please continue to keep us, the readers, and the church here in your prayers. Pictures coming soon!



Our love and thanks...

Arrival

Well, we're all here. I(Brent) got in Thursday night, and the rest of the team arrived to Donetsk this afternoon at about 4P.M. (8A.M. central time) and after a 2 hour van ride everyone finally arrived to Mariupol, the end of what had been a journey of nearly 24 hours. This evening we ate together at the church flat, the apartment where the women will be staying, and tomorrow morning we will meet in the same building for Sunday morning worship, and in the afternoon we will have our "information meeting" where we will explain how LST works, and actually schedule people for times when they can study during the next two weeks. Because of a slight mix-up in the dates on the fliers announcing this LST campaign, we have already scheduled a few readers who showed up at the building yesterday thinking that it was actually the first day of the campaign. Thankfully after explaining the situation, we were able to get things sorted out, and most all of them have now scheduled a time to read with us starting Monday. Monday will be the first day of reading and from that point on we will have people coming every day, so things are getting started quick. The schedule problem worried us at first, but it really has turned out to be a blessing, since we now have almost 20 readers signed up, and the team just got here today! We are hoping that more and more people will wander in as time goes on.

We're tired and slightly disoriented, but thankful to be here, and excited about what's in store. Already God has brought good out of something that initially looked like a problem, and I know he will continue to work in every situation for His glory. We will continue to share with you as new things happen, but for now we thank God that we have made it safely, and look forward to what He will do in the next two weeks!

Love and thanks...

The Beginning

Hello everyone!

This will be the blog site for our Ukraine-bound Let's Start Talking team over the next several weeks. We will arrive in Mariupol on Saturday the 27th of June in the evening, and will begin the next day with our LST activities. We will be part of one of the shorter two week campaigns, and will be arriving back to the states the 12th of June. We are excited to keep in touch with you and share all of the things that God is doing. Please feel free to comment, subscribe, and interact with us in any way through this blog site. We will try to be as frequent as possible with updates and pictures to help you get a better feel for what is happening in Mariupol. We want you to be on the journey with us.

So this is the beginning... Please keep us in your prayers.

Our love and thanks...