Saturday Ministry in Perechin with the Youth & Children

We were so encouraged during our regular, Saturday ministry yesterday at Perechin. Though it is still very cold, the children braved the cold and came anyway. We were delighted to have 12 altogether. We still missed 4-6 of our children that we would consider those who attend regularly.
Cheryl planned to do a cooking lesson with the girls, but at this time it is somewhat awkward. Vita, who we miss very much during our services, is still very necessarily attending the baby and recovering from the delivery. Though we realize her time away is so important at this wonderful time, we sure do miss her being there and helping--especially when Cheryl is trying to instruct the girls about cooking and translation is almost absent. But she had a good time with the girls (and some boys as you can see in the photos) and it was an exciting and profitable time. The entire service in addition to the cooking was a joy. Stephen had presented his continuing Bible story, singing, game, and lesson. We were very encouraged with the Saturday ministry.

Cheryl demonstrating a decorating technique to youth

Ira helps Zhana as David and Cheryl look on

The entire group with their baked and decorated treats

A combined service for the youth and children

Perechin Ground Level-January 29, 2011

This photo shows the railroad in Perechin leading to the northwest away from Perechin and toward the mountains. The way will eventually lead to Lvov (Lviv in Ukrainian), one of the beautiful, historic cities in Ukraine. The railroad is used by trains both to transport freight and passengers. This picture was taken directly across the main highway from where we meet with  the youth and children each Saturday for ministry. Some of the whitened mountains can be seen in the distance in the picture.

First Class in Practical Christianity at Kamyanitza

In the evening Tim traveled to the village of Kamyanitza about 11 miles northeast of Uzhgorod . He picked up Stephen on the way and arrived to begin the Practical Christianity class by 7:00. We were delighted to have 12 students arrive to begin studying. We are offering this class on a similar level that we would in a college setting as most of the students are 18-20. We do have one older brother--about seventy, and another middle-aged fellow. We were excited to begin this class, which will be an fundamental exploration of basic Christian living. It will explore the nature of spirituality, prayer, devotional experiences, Bible study, doctrinal features of Christianity, and some practical issues in the Christian's life. By necessity this class is a survey. This is purposeful as we wish to determine the level of the students' experience. They had desired that we offer some class in theology or world religions, but we decided to go with this fundamental class first.
We were busy in the session last evening and neglected to get a picture that we could post. So next time, Lord willing, we will make a picture of the class and you may see the students.

At the Clinic in Mykachevo

It was a cold, snowy day yesterday but we had to travel 25 miles south of Uzhgorod to visit the Christian clinic there. Cheryl had some tests to complete that must be done about every three months. The clinic was very busy, but she was able to see two doctors and have all her tests done in one visit.
Otherwise we did some shopping at the market in the city, which we prefer to the shopping in Uzhgorod. The sun was shining in the afternoon as we made our way back north to Uzhgorod. We enjoyed the beautiful, bright snowscapes along the way as we looked upon the frozen fields and the hills in the near distance that lifted to the higher whitened Carpathian Mountains. We also delightfully escaped being pulled over at five police roadblocks.

Initiating Christian Studies Ministry

Expectations of being able to continue to offer some form of ministry in Christian studies this term seemed rather weak. We had very little thought that it would even be a ministry development for this term, as a priority of our vision consisted in the ministry with youth and children. That priority has not been diminished, nor neglected. However, we have been overwhelmingly surprised at how the Lord has offered an opportunity to teach and train some young Christians; and these opportunities came largely without solicitation on our part. As previous posts had mentioned, we are proceeding with these classes on two different levels--one on an official level with three students (Jason, Stephen, and Kolya), and another level in an informal setting with a group of youth and young adults at a village church. We are happy to be given both of these wonderful opportunities.
Last evening we began our course with the three young men on the subject of Christian Ethics. This course incorporates the materials developed by God's Bible School & College ADEP program, directed by Dr. Mark Bird. We have adapted the course in some necessary ways to fit the context of our situation. We gather together, listen to the lectures, and discuss relative issues. The two Ukrainian fellows are doing well in spite of the fact that all the course materials are in English. Prayer for these fellows as they study would be a blessing.
Thursday (Jan. 27th) we will begin the course with the youth and young adults on a theme that we taught six years ago in Kiev--Practical Christian Living. The youth had desired to be offered some lessons in basic theology, but we thought it prudent to start on some more fundamental themes first. Pray for this ministry.

Initiating the class about Christian Ethics

It is our desire to nurture this ministry as God leads. We hope to invite some visiting teachers in the future and ask you to help us as we try to develop this critical aspect of ministry.

Our Books for Classes and Sunday Worship

We mentioned in the post yesterday that we would be starting classes this week. On Tuesday, Tim will meet with three fellows for a class in Christian Ethics, and then on Thursday he will also meet with a group at a village church to teach a class based in Practical Christian Issues. The youth there had actually responded to a survey about what they would like to have offered to them on a theme of theology. But Tim thought it might be a good idea to get acquainted with this group on a more elementary level.
One of the very important aspects of any academic learning experience is reading, but to have access to the required books for the Christian Ethics class meant finding them online and having them shipped here by air freight to get them here quickly in order to begin the class. So, in a way we were hit pretty hard on the expenses to get the books here. Later, we want to share how you might be able to help us in Christian education ministry and leadership training here in Ukraine. Please follow this important aspect of our ministry here.
We wanted to add to this matter of the books being shipped here for our class and write that we are very grateful for the help that Cheryl's mother gave to this project as she received the books from all parts of the US and then with the help of one of her grandsons (Clayton), packed the box (along with some other goodies like chocolate chips, etc.) to ship it to us. We were so delighted that the entire process from Cheryl's mothers' house to Uzhgorod took less than two weeks. Thank you.
We went to the village of Kamyaitza to worship in the evening. We had shared with you that we have been preaching there on themes relative to the Holy Spirit. But this evening the church had special guests visiting from a church about 100 miles away and they offered singing and preaching. It was very nice and gave us a break from preaching.

Saturday Service at Perechin and Wood for Student Desks

We left from Uzhgorod earlier than usual to have some time to get some wood prepared to construct some student desks/tables. We went to Stephen's at Kamyanitza and he and I took some rough boards we had gotten a couple of months ago to a man who cut them to size and milled them. So now we have most all of the materials to build several desks/tables to use in our classes which will begin Tuesday. We doubt that the desks will be built by then, since we do not have all the right tools to do an efficient job. Additionally, since the balcony affords the only place to work on projects, it makes it a bit challenging to work in freezing weather and exposed fully to the inclinations of the weather. We have plenty of room inside, but the dust from working the wood would be stifling. So, we will see what happens.
We had a brief time for lunch and then proceeded to Perechin about six miles away for the Youth and children service. There we were encouraged that four boys were already there before we arrived. Perhaps this was because today was pretty nice and dry. It was very cold, but at least there have been several days without any snow or rain. We had five children at the first service and one of them was a first-time visitor. Cheryl and I were designated to do this service by Stephen, so we offered several object lessons, a Bible story, singing, and then tea and snacks. Afterward we were happy to have five girls come for the youth service. Stephen showed them a short Christian documentary about Christian salvation and then followed up with discussion. All in all we had an encouraging day of service. Next month we will be preparing to have a special program that will be scheduled for the first Saturday in March. This program will highlight Mother's Day in Ukraine and we wish to invite mothers and children in the community.

Cheryl Speaking to the Children at Today's Service

We're Excited to Begin the Christian Classes Next Week

We had a good team meeting with Stephen & Vita last night. Ordinarily we meet at our apartment in Uzhgorod and afterward we take them home. Since they have just received their son Timothy they are mostly staying inside. So, we cooked and took everything to their home at Kamyanitza and there ate, prayed, and discussed ministry business for the coming days, weeks, and months. Among the many activities we are planning are the classes we will be ministering through on two different levels. We will be working with three students in our apartment on an official college level of education. They will be working on the classes "Christian Ethics," and "Wisdom Literature." Then, we will be teaching a group of 8-12 eager students in the village. Mostly these are young people from 16-24, but Stephen had told me there might also be several adults come to see what might interest them. Because I do not know the level of Christian experience, nor their aptitude for learning, I am offering a basic, introduction in Christian studies. I term the class "Practical Christianity" and am adapting it from the class I taught at Kiev Wesley Bible College. I will essentially teach the students the material that I normally do with the college class and require of them the normal learning experiences of reading, writing, etc. So, we are anxious to see how God will use all this to help His people and advance the ministry here.
We are excited by this ministry opportunity, but also challenged. We have very little to work with. No desks, chairs or any classroom supplies. We have no library, which is a real crisis. But we feel like God is moving us toward this direction, essentially because the folk here are asking for this ministry. That is refreshingly positive.

Mid-January Weekend of Ministry

What do potholes, dry roads, and a sunny day have in common? Nothing particularly, except those were experiences for us this weekend in addition to ministering to youth and children, and preaching. Let us first share that today was the first day since mid-December that we had sunshine most of the day. Consequently, it was the first day that we had neither snow, ice, nor water on the roads. We have not traveled on a dry road since early December. But the drying of the roads has only made more evident the abundant and huge potholes. The constant freezing, ice, rain, and pounding of vehicle wheels have made the roads look like they have been bombed with thousands of shells. Yesterday, Tim returned home from Perechin later than usual. We like to get home before dark because the roads are so bad and it is very difficult to see, especially when it was raining, and it was last evening. So, he had to go very easy and be very alert for the huge holes. The sunshine was greatly appreciated today.
Tim & Stephen were the only ones who went to the Saturday meetings yesterday. Cheryl needed to stay home with Leah, who had not been feeling well; and Vita is still recovering from the birth of baby Timothy. At the meeting we had five children for the first service. We had one guest, Vita's youngest sister Masha, who is visiting Vita with their mother. In the youth meeting we had three girls and one fellow who just walked in from the street and sat and listened. Tim had never seen him before, but Stephen stated that he used to come to the services before. In the photo below are youth at the service with the man visiting. On the left is Masha, Vita's youngest sister. Sometimes the youth get started by asking questions before we even have a chance to begin a program. We really like when they ask questions and prefer that they do this unsolicited to help them with answers for things occurring in their lives at the time. Yesterday, they were asking about other religions and how should they respond to the youth they see dressed in all black and baggy clothes. They call them "hota", which means gothic. We shared with them that God is the God of the living, the God of truth and light. He wants us to live happy and not depressing, dreadful, and morose lives. He wants us to live in the light of the truth life and not in darkness. We shared that there was nothing particularly wrong with wearing black clothes, since many, many Ukrainians dress in dark and black clothes in the winter, but that the expression and attitude of what those clothes represented was the important thing. We talked about Buddhism, yoga, etc. You can see these are youth that are very hungry for truth.
Today, Sunday, we visited the Uzhgorod Church, and then in the evening we were preaching at Kamyanitza, where Tim has been preaching a series of messages on subjects relative to the Holy Spirit.

Masha, Bogdana, visitor, Yulya, Valya, and Stephen at the youth service

Baby Timothy Kohutka Arrives

Stephen & Vita Kohutka, our fellow laborers in ministry here in Ukraine, welcomed the wonderful blessing of their first son Timothy yesterday (January 10). He was born in the evening and today both Vita and the baby are doing well. Timothy weighed 8.2 lbs (3.75kgs). We have not been able to visit Vita, nor the baby, due to restrictions at the hospital. Basically, there is a no visitor policy. Stephen was here in Uzhgorod all day and had lunch with us. Our apartment is in sight of the hospital where the baby was delivered and where Vita is resting. Stephen is staying the night at our apartment to ease his travel burden back and forth from the village. The photos are a few that Stephen made today. More later....

Timothy Kohutka -Jan.10, 2011

Timothy Kohutak--Already a smile!

Sunday service in Perechin

We've continued experiencing a mid-winter warm-up with temps rising to 40 (+4C). All of our accumulated snow has just about melted leaving behind a much darker landscape--complete with lots of mud! The conditions caused a very dense fog this morning causing us to wonder whether we should try to drive to Perechin or not? We determined to go and experienced no problems. We picked Stephen up at Kamyanitza on the way and we were abruptly hailed to stop by the police near where we leave the village to enter the main highway. This is an extremely unusual location for the police, an attempt to surprise people when they approach. Stephen speculated that they were looking for those driving with excess holiday drinking. We thought that may be true, but what I had in mind was that the police were looking for excess holiday pay for themselves! Well, that may not be too nice--sorry! In hope, we trust the police were truly looking for people driving illegal and helping to reduce problems and accidents.
We traveled on to Perechin and enjoyed a nice service there. The service had a theme which emphasized the continuing Christmas holiday mood. Tim preached to the folk on the occasion, but taking a slant from 2 Cor. 13:5; Phil. 2:12,13, and 2 Cor. 5:17. What does Christ's coming mean for us? He came that we might be a "new creature". This should be cause for reflection and examination, as Paul writes by the Spirit to these ancient churches. The language is of a radical change, warranting careful examination of all the motives in our lives. God blessed and we enjoyed some special Ukrainian cakes after the service.

Perechin Ground Level-January 8, 2011

Just trying to keep you informed with visual aids what Perechin looks like, whether on good days or bad. Here is a photo made today which is exactly at the center of Perechin. All towns and villages have a center where official business occurs and there is a place for meetings and usually some kind of a park. In the photo at right you can see a billboard presenting Ukrainian President Victor Yanokovick offering a holiday wish for New Year's and Christmas. In the center of the photo is the town Christmas tree and in the foreground before the tree is an Orthodox monument with Jesus on a cross. You may note that the picture looks hazy, but that is just because of the thick fog that existed today.

Perechin, Ukraine town center

Saturday, January 8th Ministry

Here in Uzhgorod yesterday we had heavy snow for about an hour which whitened the soot-tinted accumulation from days gone by. It was very wet snow on a warming wind from the south. By this morning (Saturday) temps had warmed to the upper 30's (+3 C) and the snow had disappeared very rapidly. Our street was still frozen, however, and very slick.
It is still Christmas here in Ukraine. It is the 2nd of three days of celebrated Christmas and the mood is still festive. We will share more about that in a bit. Being faithful to the children and youth at Perechin, we traveled there with Stephen with the thought that our attendance would likely be very disappointing because of the continuing holiday period. We certainly did not have as many children, but had six altogether with a little girl visiting for the first time. So, we thank the Lord for those who came. We had a good time sharing with those there about Christ being born and bringing to us new life and hope.
The festive mood continues in this holiday period. We had two offerings today, but not the kind you are already presupposing. The first was a real delight as we were offered a wonderful dinner by Stephen & Vita at their home before we went to ministry at Perechin. It was a special time to fellowship, especially since Stephen's parents were there also. The second offering was to Tim only and it happened while he went to give our landlord the month's rent. When entering the landlord's home Tim realized that he and his wife had company and from the looks of the dining room table it was a festive time with guests. The guests were dressed up and the male guest (about sixty) had a nice, traditional, Ukrainian shirt on. Tim knew he was interrupting a festive occasion. However, the landlord insisted that Tim enter, probably because he knew that the only time he goes to his house is to pay the rent. Once inside and the rent paid, the guests insisted he visit a bit--an extremely, extremely, essential cultural experience that cannot be neglected. Tim began to sit and the second offering of the day was presented. Do you know what it was? What might you suspect? The table was decked out with all kinds of treats and was really pretty, but it was not the food which was offered initially. The landlord's guest (I found out in the process of the visit it was his first cousin), being completely and kindly hospitable began to pour the clear liquid and with kind insistence offered to Tim a beautiful goblet full of the stuff from a bottle which was labeled Medoff! Yes, the second offering was to share and enjoy with them a toast of vodka. Uh ooh! Well, fortunately the landlord came to the rescue as he knew previously that we do not drink any alcohol. He told his cousin to refrain, but the cousin still insisted to the point that it seemed there would nearly develop an argument. Finally, the cousin relaxed and was satisfied that Tim was offered a plateful of white mushrooms and onions. Well, mushrooms on Tim's list of favorite foods would be near the group included to eat when starvation was a threat, but they were a much better sacrifice in place of the vodka!

Post Holidays---Back to the Normal (but exciting) Business

After an evening visit yesterday to Kamyanitza Church where we preached about the Spirit's purifying ministry, we return today to a more routine schedule. Leah began her eleventh grade lessons again after a week's break and our Russian Language tutor Snizhana returned to help our stubborn minds regain some language skill.
Though it seems for many of us the holiday season has come and gone, in Ukraine there remains a festive mood as Christmas is yet to come. Most Ukrainians observe some degree of celebration for Christmas on January 7th.
We worked some today getting plans together to initiate some educational ministries. Please pray as we will soon be teaching on two levels of Christian education. A third party has approached us to offer their group of pastors some continuing Christian education. All of these opportunities are encouraging for us.

Perechin Ground Level-January 1, 2011

The "Ground Level" photo today shows a couple of our children after they have left our service at Perechin. Sleds are a popular means of travel this time of year. Cars are approaching and traveling north as they have passed through Perechin. The yellow box to the right is a postal box.

New Year's Day Ministry at Percehin

We traveled to Perechin and met with the youth there as we would usually do on any Saturday. Realizing that it was a holiday we knew that we risked being there and having no children come. We did not have as many, which was expected, but we were delighted to have six children and youth come. We carried on the service as usual and had a great time. During the youth time there was a distraction, but it was a good distraction because it had to do with some good questions. The youth were asking about horoscopes and like false prophets. The discussion moved along and included superstitions, etc. We are delighted that our youth are asking serious questions which we can refer them to the truth in God's Word instead of things they hear out in the community.
Our ministry time was a blessing as usual, but it was a tricky time getting home as it had gotten dark and there was freezing rain. But our safe arrival home was credited to God's abiding grace.

Stephen (Stopia) leading the Youth Service

Youth asking about Superstitions, etc.

Stephen a Vita Kohutka Receive a Wonderful Blessing

Stephen and Vita Kohutka, our indispensable fellow labors in ministry, are a huge blessing. They sacrifice much and put their time and resources totally into Gospel ministry to people wherever they are led. But today they also received a blessing! The Pell City Bible Methodist Church, Pell City, Alabama had asked if there was something they could do for this couple as they expect their first baby very soon. We had informed the Pell City Church folk that Stephen and Vita would need a car seat, especially since they travel often with us to ministry destinations. Cheryl and I had fun shopping for the car seat yesterday and surprised Stephen and Vita today as we stopped to pick them up for the ministry at Perechin.
You can witness in the photo below that Vita is, well------very expectant! The baby is due anytime now. Thank you very much Pell City folk for your thoughtfulness and sacrifices to help our whole team here in Ukraine.

Tim, Stephen and Vita with blessing.

New Year's in Uzhgorod

The atmosphere in Uzhgorod was festive and frosty. Early in the evening we looked down from our third-story, apartment window and observed our landlord and his friends making a festive time by soaking in their hot tub. It is fired by a wood stove submerged in the water itself. It is a totally European thing which sustains no interest for us at all. What makes it special for them, so they think, is to be in the hot tub while the outside air temperature is about 18! When you are thoroughly steamed (not angry) you then exit the hot tub But then you jump into the small swimming pool nearby which has just had the ice broken enough to be able to get fully submerged in the hypothermic mix! What a New Year's celebration!
Cheryl and I awoke at midnight (that ought to give you some idea of our increasing age and level of interest in New Year's festivities) and looked out to watch the icy sky blossom with hundreds of exploding fireworks across the city. Ukrainians make a big display of the New Year and literally thousands of fireworks illuminate the midnight sky. In each of the photos you may observe that beyond the explosions in the foreground there are many other flashes over other parts of the city. The celebrations go far into the night and we heard fireworks still booming at 5:00 am! Happy New Year 2011!

New Year's 2011 Fireworks over Uzhgorod, Ukraine

Spidery Streaks from New Year's 2011 Fireworks