Happy New Year!!!

Ternopil city center, Sunday morning blizzard two weeks ago.

Praise God for all of the beautiful snow and praise Him that my apartment is warm! We have had tons of snow this month. It's very cold, but after all these years I've gotten used to it, thanks to a warm coat and good boots. I've never seen this much snow in December. The white snow covering all of the dirt brings to mind the promise in Isaiah 1 of Jesus covering our sins that are as scarlet and making us white as snow, clean and beautiful for the Lord.

These are the ones who made it to church!

English Cafe Team: Me, Alison, Rebecca & Megan

Learning a Christmas Carol at our English Cafe Christmas Party

The Friday night Sisters study is going well and we're half way through the book of Revelation. It has been a great joy to study this book, especially in light of world events unfolding before our eyes. The girls have finished their medical exams at the university and we celebrated with a slumber party at my apartment Friday night. Slumber parties have proven to be a great time for fellowship and just helping the African girls feel like they have a home here in Ternopil.

As the holiday season came in full force with freezing temperatures, while preparing for English classes, English ministry parties, cooking and baking for church celebrations, I found myself once again struggling with vertigo. It put me out for about a week, not being able to focus on things and feeling nauseous most of the time. Basically it's horrible. I'm thankful that the new Italian kiosks in town have soda crackers, a true luxury for the unsettled tummy. It's so funny, the things we take for granted from home. But as always, through God's grace I completed everything I needed to and made it to all of my classes. The celebrations all went well and tonight we will come together as a church to worship the Lord, pray for the New Year, and enjoy and New Years meal together around midnight. I will also get another opportunity to celebrate Christmas, as it falls on Jan.7th in Ukraine.

Looking back over this year, I have to say it's been difficult for me personally, but the Lord is so faithful. The enemy can use many tactics to discourage and distract us from what we are called to do, but I can only thank God and praise Him that He has chosen to use me here. The church is filled with healthy believers who love the Lord and love each other and that brings me great joy. Thank you for lifting me up in prayer and helping me financially. You have blessed me so much. May God bless you with His abundant love, grace and provision this coming year.

Please pray for me that I would have the Lord's vision for the work here and would be physically, spiritually and emotionally strong in the Lord. God bless you and Happy New Year!

Ternopil- By the lake

Please pray for:

My English classes at Gymnasia No. 1 ( a high school) and Technical College, and for English Cafe and the Intermediate English class in the Gospel of John. That all would bring opportunities to share the gospel and that people would get saved.

My administrative responsibilities in the church, that I would be led by the Holy Spirit.

Sisters Bible Study. That the girls would continue to stand strong in a fallen world and those who have fallen away would return to the Lord.

New ministry opportunities in the New Year. For the Lord's leading and vision.

Financial provision to cover my ministry and personal needs.

Continued healing and good health.

Praise the Lord for His unfailing love and grace!!!!!

Summer's Over

 I really can't believe summer is over. It flew by this year and now I'm packing up my summer clothes and preparing to seal my windows again for winter. It was a busy July with our 3rd annual worship conference. It really was an incredible conference. We had practical seminars in voice, keyboard, guitar, songwriting and percussion. As a group we were encouraged by Mike Payne, the worship leader at Calvary Chapel Budapest. I was blessed to have Marcsi and Eszter from the CC Budapest worship team stay with me during the conference. I was thankful that everyone seemed well taken care of as my role was to make sure the hotel, meals and breaks were in order. I didn't get a lot of sleep that week, but it was certainly worth it. I really believe there will be much fruit from these conferences. Our biggest challenge is being able to house and feed everyone within a budget we can  afford. Please pray for next years' conference that we will have a good place to hold it and that it will be affordable for all who want to attend.

Practical Seminar  for voice with guitar and violin

The Budapest team were able to give a concert in a local restaurant. The kids from our church got front row seats, but the place was packed with locals.

The Walking Street in Ternopil 

Ternopil has undergone major remodeling. The city is looking really nice as they are continuing to paint the buildings and lay new stones down on the streets. We have beautiful fountains and classical music playing over loud speakers. But it doesn't cover up the fact that we all need Jesus to be truly beautiful. In this city of religious tradition I see the kids drinking and hear about drug use. My heart breaks when I see the kids on the street hanging out, acting tough, just like I used to. I am thankful to be here, yet it's hard ground. We are always looking for opportunities to reach out to the city, to get beyond the religion and encourage people to have a vibrant, loving relationship with our Creator. The Lord seems to have placed me in the midst of "English outreach" and now that fall is here, teaching English is  where I will be focusing much of my time.

The schools open Sept 1. here in Ukraine. It is a national holiday beginning with a big celebration at every school called First Bell. Once again, I will have an English class at a local high school beginning in October. My new class this year will be 11 and 12 year-olds. The students I taught over the last 4 years have graduated and are now attending university, mostly in other cities. I will miss those kids a lot, but I'm looking forward to meeting my new students. Please pray that I will be a light for Jesus. 

As a regular summer ministry, I work at an English school for children. I come in for a 30 minute "Tea Time" twice a week. Helping out with the schools is a great way to meet teachers and administrators in the city.




I have been praying about starting an English class at our church office one night a week. This would be in addition to our Wednesday night English Cafe which has been growing steadily. We have a wonderful group of people who come to practice English.  A couple people have come to the Lord through this ministry and several have started attending our church picnics which include the Sunday morning service. Relationships are so important here in Ternopil because of the religious traditions.  I'm hoping to start a Thursday night class where I will teach English from the Bible. We have a great program in the Gospel of John that encourages discussion. I'm praying about starting this in October. Please pray about this, as we haven't worked out all of the details.  I would like some of the Youth with a Mission (YWAM)  missionaries to be involved. Having native English speakers is a big draw for people who want to practice English.

 This summer we were blessed with three weddings in our church. Please pray for Oksana and Andre, Vova and Khristina, and Oleg and Nadya as they are starting out their lives together. May they glorify God!






Friday we are driving to Kiev for the "Calvary Chapel Kiev 20th Anniversary" celebration. Twenty years!!!! Praise the Lord! This will be a very special celebration. Please pray for a blessed and Spirit- filled time of teaching, encouragement and fellowship. We have so much to be thankful for, as this was the first Calvary Chapel in Ukraine and now there are many more.

Following the conference, we will host a team from Horizon Indianapolis for two days. We hope to go out on the streets attracting people who speak English. A YWAM group was here during the summer and had great conversations about the Lord just by putting up a sign in English that said "Come talk to us." We pray we will have many divine appointments and that people will come to church or English classes after this. Please pray for salvation!

Sisters Bible study has begun again after our summer break. We're going through the book of Revelation. Please pray for me as I prepare for this amazing study. At our last meeting we were in Chapter 4, the throne room of God. We had such a special time of sharing our hope of heaven and encouraging one another in this. It was such a precious time with the girls, I'm praying there will be many more studies like this. Please pray that we grow deeper in love with the Lord and the cry of our hearts will be "Come quickly Lord Jesus!"

We have a special prayer request for the church. We have found property in the city that we would like to purchase. We don't have money, but with the Lord, nothing is impossible! It is in a great location and has a potential to fulfill our vision for the church here in Ternopil. We pray that our vision is in line with the Lord's.

Here's a picture of George, Jon, Aleksiy and Zhenya looking over the map of the property.  The grounds are  already hooked into gas, electric and water, which is a huge plus.

The property looks over the city, and is about a 20 minute walk to the center. It's  a 10 minute walk to the medical university dorms, so the location is great.

 Please pray with us for God's leading and provision. His will be done!

One thing I am very thankful for is my friends. God has blessed me with other missionaries to get together with. It doesn't happen often, so when it does it's very encouraging.  

A special lunch out with the girls: Me, Janette Carter (CC Vinnitsya), Megan Murray( YWAM) and Christina Emerson (CC Vinnitsya).  Praise God for good friends!

 

Thank you again for your loving prayers and support.
God bless you!
Marilyn

Please pray for:

• English ministries: English Cafe, a possible class using The Gospel of John, my classes at the high school and Technical College. That I will be a light for Jesus and will have opportunities to share His love and the hope we have in Him.
• Our newly married couples in the church, Oksana and Andre, Vova and Khristina, Oleg and Nadya, that they will glorify God in their new lives together
• Worship Conference 2013, for an affordable place to house all of the people who want to come. That these conferences will bear much fruit for the kingdom and be a great encouragement for all who are involved with leading worship in Ukraine
• The 20th Anniversary Celebration with Calvary Chapel Kiev this weekend. For safe travels and a blessed and encouraging time for all who attend.
• The Horizon Indianapolis Team: For divine appointments with English speakers
• Sisters Bible study: God's anointing to teach and encourage the girls as we go through Revelation.
• Church property: That we would be able to purchase this land if it is the Lord's will.

July 2012

Greetings from Ternopil!

Tanya, Vita, Nadya and Marilyn- Easter morning

We're experiencing a lot of changes right now in our ministry team. The Pomeroys have returned to the states for the birth of their fifth child. Please lift them up in prayer for a safe and healthy delivery. Please also pray for God's will and provision for their return to Ukraine. The Bible studies in Lutsk will resume in the fall and hopefully the Pomeroys will return to continue with the church plant there.

Another big change is the church plant in Vinnitsya. Tim and Christina Emerson and their two little ones, Leah and Caleb have joined with Daniel and Janette Carter and their two children, to plant the Calvary Chapel in Vinnitsya. It is so exciting to see the Lord answering prayer and putting a team together for Vinnitsya, but it is also sad because I have been so blessed to serve here in Ternopil with the Emersons. But such is the life of a pilgrim. We see many of our coworkers come and go, but one day we will all rejoice together in heaven. Until then, I will have to make a point to visit Vinnitsya. Please pray for the new church plant, wisdom for Daniel as the pastor, and for their team to be Spirit- filled and unified.

For the past month Jon and Stephanie have been in Hungary working on their new visas. So, with the Pomeroys, Emersons and half of the Markeys gone, our team is much smaller than usual. Many in our church are also gone for the summer. One group went to pick strawberries in Finland to earn support, and most of the students have either gone back to their home countries or are traveling to other cities and countries during the summer months. Because of the Euro 2012, the students were encouraged to leave the country.  I miss them already and am looking forward to September when everyone will return. I am very happy to say that Euro 2012 is over and it seemed there were few problems, for which I am very thankful.

 

Me with some of the girls at the National Conference

In May we had the Ukrainian National Conference in Kiev. In June, I was able to to attend the Foundations Conference in Vajta, Hungary. Both conferences were such a huge blessing. Often when making preparations to go, it can be challenging with changing my ministry schedules, traveling on the trains, finances, crossing the borders and praying there won't be problems, but this is my battle: trying to hang on to my comfort zone. But when I get to these conferences and I am with all of my brothers and sisters who I've been growing up with spiritually over the years, it is such a time of joy.  We were so blessed at both conferences to be taught by Phil Metzger, Phil Twente, John Chubik and Pam Markey. Wow! Such great teaching and needed encouragement. In Vajta we were also blessed with the teaching of Jim Gallagher,  Rich Chaffin and their wives. It was one of the most amazing conferences I have ever been to on Leadership in the Church. You can listen to it online if you'd like at www.ccbce.com  

For one of the women's sessions I was asked to share a short encouragement with the ladies and my heart was filled with memories and awe of what the Lord has done in Europe over the last 20 years. To look back and think of the small group of missionaries who were preaching on the streets of Hungary, Romania and Yugoslavia with their guitars and a heart to share the gospel, it's truly a miracle to see all that is happening now. Many of the youth who were saved 20 years ago are now pastors and leaders in their churches. What is also amazing is to be a part of the work in Ukraine that was started at the same time and to see how the Lord has brought us all together as a family. That's why it's so good for us to come together and encourage one another. It opens our hearts to renew the Lord's vision for the work He's called us to. It's such a privilege to be a child of God. I'm looking forward to what He's going to do next!

Our group from CC Ternopil at the National Conference

Fellow Bible college students from the Castle in Austria 1993
Zsuzsa & Snowy are now serving in Serbia

 

Silvana- serving in Romania and Isabella- serving in Hungary

July 23rd to 27th CC Ternopil will be hosting the 3rd annual Ukrainian Worship Conference. This will consume my time for the next few weeks as I will be helping with the preparations, housing and menus. Please pray for wisdom and clarity of mind. 

Worship at a Church Picnic in May

English club will continue through the summer on Wednesday nights. We have become very close to several of the people. Please pray for their salvation. Some have come to our church picnics and are asking when the next one will be since they had such a great time.  I just pray they would want to come to church. Our picnics do combine the church service with a barbecue, so praise God they are hearing the message. I pray that one day soon they will become a part of God's family.

I've started doing tea time again with a children's summer English camp. I go in for 30 minutes and we have tea together and speak in English. It's a flexible schedule so I can go when I have time. I enjoy it. The kids are so cute and I've met new people, mostly teachers. Please pray for opportunities to be a light for Jesus at the school.

Thank you for your prayers and support. God bless you! 

Marilyn

Ternopil

Please pray for the Lord's provision, healing and strength

Please pray for Jon Markey and myself as we make preparations for the  worship conference July 23rd- 27th. We need God's wisdom, vision and provision! 

Please pray for God's will and provision for the Pomeroy family to return to Ukraine and pastor the church plant in Lutsk. Please also pray for a healthy birth of their 5th child.

Please pray for the Carters and the Emersons as they are planting a CC in Vinnitsya. For God's wisdom for Daniel as the new pastor and for unity of their team.

Please pray for English Club that it will be fruitful and we will see people get saved.

Please pray for our students who are scattered all over the world this summer. That they will be in fellowship and be witnesses for Jesus. 

Please pray for new opportunities for outreach and ministry in Ternopil.

Calvary Chapel Ternopil Ministry Team

 Left to right: Me, Stephen & Vanessa Pomeroy, Tim & Christina Emerson, Sharon & George Markey, Stephanie & Jon Markey

It's hard to believe three months have passed since my last update. Please believe me, I didn't plan it that way. I need your prayers and encouragement and it is my desire to keep you updated. I had hoped to give you a beautiful blog with lots of pictures, but alas, it didn't turn out that way. After experiencing a lot of computer and internet problems over the last two months, I lost all of my pictures from 2009 to 2012.  Last night 2009 and 2010 reappeared on my computer, so I'm hoping the last two years will do the same :) My computer and internet are now working great, after the help of a friend. I really hope we can recover the rest of my pictures. 

In January I was able to spend time in Kiev. I attended a women's retreat hosted by Calvary Chapel Kiev and taught by Pam Markey. It was a great time of encouragement and also a wonderful time of fellowship with many of the sisters and I hadn't seen in a long time. While I was there, I also had the privilege of playing flute in a trio at my friend, Anya Shevchenko's wedding.  I enjoyed staying with Cara Denney for 10 days during that time and was blessed by her hospitality. It was also a well needed time of rest. Cara lives in a village outside of Kiev.  If my pictures reappear I'll show you how beautiful it was.  The temperature dropped to 20 below 0 C while I was there and there was lots of snow. The temperatures stayed that low for several weeks, even after I returned to Ternopil. But praise the Lord, we were fine and most everyone in the church had warm apartments.

Some of the Sisters: Pamela, Khrystina, Nadya, Valya, Tanya (my roommate) and Me

Tanya: 

While praying about the need to reach out to the younger women in the church, God put on my heart to invite Tanya, who had attended our Missions Training Program, to move to Ternopil where I could disciple her for women's ministry. She is living with me now and has been a huge blessing, as more girls are coming to the house to visit and we get together here after church. I can't deny the fact that I am a lot older, so I think the girls just feel more comfortable coming around with Tanya here. Whatever the case, the Lord is bringing them and I am so excited. They are coming for Bible studies and discipleship and sharing a lot of their personal issues with me for prayer and guidance. This is a total answer to prayer. Please pray for Tanya to be raised up in women's ministry and service in the church and for me to be Spirit- led and to be be a godly example for her.

Women's Ministry:

In February I hosted a Valentines party for the single girls. I taught from Song of Solomon and talked of being content in our Beloved Jesus. Following that night I began a verse by verse study in Song of Solomon at the Friday night Sister's study and have also opened up the study to all the ladies in the church. In the past it was a study for the African sisters in English, but I could see that it was time for a change. Most of the African Sisters attend another church, so it's awesome to come together to study the Word and have fellowship. I think it is a great opportunity for them to open up and  seek to understand each other better, as their circumstances are very different. But our hope in Christ is the same. My prayer is that we will all fall more in love with Jesus and commit ourselves to being ambassadors for Christ to bring glory to God!

International Women's Day:

Our church hosted our yearly celebration for Women's Day. This is a huge holiday in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. Schools and businesses are even closed. This year was very special for us because in the past, Sharon Markey and I have always shared. But this year, we asked two ladies in our church, Pamela and Tanya Melnyk, to step out in faith and share. It was so wonderful to hear them open up their hearts and encourage the ladies. Pamela is a medical student from Nigeria and was able to share how the Lord has encouraged her in her faith and trust in Him as a single woman. Tanya is a third generation Christian in Ukraine and shared with us the miracles God did to provide for her family during communism. The theme of the conference was 1 Tim 6: 6 "Godliness with contentment is great gain." I pray there will be more opportunities for these and other women to teach because we were so encouraged by what both of these ladies shared.  I was reminded of my purpose in being here: to raise up women in the church to encourage and teach others. Please pray for me to finish well and be an encouragement to the ladies to step out in faith and use the gifts the Lord has given them.

Worship Team Last Sunday

Church: We survived the freezing cold temperatures of winter in our cement, refrigerator-like building where we meet. After installing 7 wall heaters, and covering the windows, ceiling holes and entrance in plastic, we were quite comfortable with our coats, hats and and a cup of hot tea in our hands. We didn't lose any people to the cold and now that the weather is warmer we're looking forward to a much more comfortable spring and summer. However, last week at the end of the service, when I picked up my flute to play,  it was like blowing into an icicle. Praise the Lord, the little discomforts are not a discouragement, but something that seems to bring us closer together as a church. George and Jon have been teaching through the Book of Matthew and we have been studying the crucifixion and resurrection. It's such a perfect time, as our hearts are being prepared to celebrate the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ, as we celebrate Easter in a few weeks.   

 

Fellowship after church

Spring is here and we have teams of people going each week to our new church plants in Lutsk and Vinnitsya. I'm scheduled to go to Vinnitsya this Saturday to lead the English Club. I try to go once a month. It's a long day and journey (4 1/2 hours each way) but they are the dream English Club. We can talk about the Lord and they love to have discussions.  Tanya will be traveling with me. Please pray for a fruitful time.  

Thank you all for your prayers, encouragement and support. Love and blessings to you in Jesus!