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What's New or Improved at Yodis.org
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* * * * * * * We've finally updated our friends page. This page is only for our non-Ukrainian friends so far. Thus we call it... Our Foreign FriendsAn album of nine beautiful Donetsk winter photos, plus a short movie of Eric singing Sviataya Noch (Oh Holy Night) can be found at our... GalleryWhat's the deal with men in church these days, find out at our... Ministry BlogEric has the faith to literally walk on water. Can he repeat this next summer? Find out at... Eric's Blog |
| Thank You For Helping This Man!!!!
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Our yodis.org web-site administrator thanks you for responding with information that was requested in our last issue.
From now on though, you can update your own information by clicking on the "Update Profile/Email Address" link at the bottom of each letter.
You can also forward this letter by clicking on the link at the bottom of this letter that says "Forward email"
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Dear ,
The first thing that I want to do in this letter is to thank you for your prayers. Without you, our ministry would be lacking in strength and effectiveness. Your prayers avail much and we are grateful.
Secondly, thank you for the wonderful response to our last letter. Many of you forwarded our letter on to your church, Sunday school class or small group Bible study thus multiplying our efforts. We encourage you to keep up the great work. If you received our letter from a friend, you can always subscribe using the link on this page or at www.yodis.org.
Thirdly, thank you to all who responded with info that helped us match names to e-mail addresses. If this portion of the letter begins with, "Dear Friend", please go to the bottom of this letter and click on the sentence that says "Update Profile/E-mail address". We don't want to lose track of one of our prayer warriors.
Lastly, make sure you read the prayer and praise section. As you read, pray through the prayer requests. Then keep this letter in your inbox as a reminder to pray for us, and for the needs of church planting in eastern Ukraine.
Thanks for your love and thanks for your prayers!
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"We Are Your Neighbors"
The ministry of the bomb shelter church is being founded on prayer and there is only one real way to find out what to pray about, that is by going door to door. Several of us on the church launch team have been doing just that and the reception has been great. Our purpose isn't to evangelize on our first contact, but rather to simply find out how we can pray for people. We knock, introduce ourselves as future neighbors that want to build a church on the oobezhishey "shelter" and ask if they have anything that we can pray about. So far, we've only had two doors slammed shut and one person that wouldn't come to the gate. However, Ukrainians are generally hospitable. When they ask who it is and we tell them we are their neighbors or future neighbors, they brave the freezing temps by coming out to talk to us. There are others that go door to door and Ukrainians have had their hospitality abused by them over and over, but by actually caring about the people we are visiting, Ukrainians are able to distinguish between us and JWs. We are proving the old adage that "people don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." Now, everytime someone gives us something to pray about, we actually pray about it before we go to the next house. Then we write it down in a notebook and share it with the rest of the team at our next prayer meeting. Through it all we are finding out the needs so that we can minister to people where they are at and to see lives changed as they are touched by the love of Christ.Here are some of the affirmative responses we have been hearing in the process of this unique prayer ministry:- "Build"
- "I'm not against it. Build"
- "It's about time you built"
- "Build, our young people really need this."
- "Building this spring? Great! So close to my house a church! I'll spend the whole night there!" (This was an exclamation of joy and not to be taken literally... I think)
- "Build, build... Let the devils fly away!" (Slang. Could have been a reference to the drug addicts and drunks that oft gathered at the oobezhishey.
- "So close, of course I'll be coming."
- "When you build it, I'll come light a candle" (Note for to-do list: Get candelabra.)
We'll list some of the prayer request in the Praise and Prayer section below.For more information about this ministy, go to: Church On The Shelter |
Praise 
Irina, a young believer who lives in our neighborhood, has three women interested in coming to a Bible study group. One of these women was a contact established in the door-to-door prayer ministry.
We praise God for a good winter so far. There has often been sunshine and the longest we have gone without it has been no more than two weeks.
Charity and Beth are over their flu and cold and are once again enjoying good health.
Charity made the honor roll for her first time at BFA by getting a 3.59 GPA. Yay Charity!
A small team for launching the church plant continues to meet for prayer regarding outreach and for those in the neighborhood of the Church on the Shelter.
& Prayer
Pray for the prayer/outreach ministry of those involved in the Church on the Shelter plant. Just three streets have been partially canvassed and the main prayer request is for people they know to stop abusing drugs and alcohol. The second most common request is for health concerns. (Please join us in praying for these concerns as well.)
Pray for warm weather and sunshine every week from Thursday thru Saturday so that the door-to-door prayer ministry can continue. Ideally we like the temperature to be at least 32 degrees Fahrenheit when we knock on doors asking people to visit with us on the street.
Pray for those who are planning for construction. Recently our contractor took a job in western Ukraine. Pray that God would lead us to the man of His choosing, and also that God would provide the resources, financial and otherwise, to see this project through to completion.
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"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now," said Paul to the believers in Philippi. There is a bond that takes place when people labor together. Have you ever worked on something with other people that you barely knew, and than when the project was over and you went separate ways it was difficult to part. That's the way it was with the Apostle Paul and the Philippians. They had participated in the work of the Lord together and they had grown so close that the mere thought of that partnership warmed him to the core of his being. You can feel it in the way he writes.
Quite often, I find myself identifying with those very same feelings. Many people have sacrificed for this ministry, for us, and for Ukraine. When I think of these people my heart is warmed and it causes me to thank God every time I remember it. So from the depths of my heart, I say thanks for giving and thanks for praying.
Partners Together With You,
Eric & Beth Yodis
WorldVenture
& Spiritual Renewal of the Donbas
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