Much has transpired in the month and a half since we last wrote. We have a new president, the Pittsburg Steelers won the Super Bowl and here in Ukraine we had a blessed January 7th Christmas according to the Orthodox calendar as well as a few other holidays. In order to save time and  attention, we'll get right to the prayer requests and praises before we tell you what is new at yodis.org:

This month we are praising God for:

• Allowing us a month and a half of winter with plenty of snow and plenty of sunshine.
• Giving us a great Christmas gathering at our house in Donetsk on January 10. 
• A great visit with our daughter during the winter break.

This month we are requesting your prayer for:

• The twenty-six who were in attendance at our Christmas gathering.  Half of them have yet to put their faith in Christ and the other half need to be faithful in following through with some new-found friendships.
• Planning and document work as we get ready to begin construction on the church on the shelter church plant in the spring.
• Charity to finish her high school career well while preparing already for entrance into University in the fall. Pray that in the current economic climate she will be able to discover the maximum amount of scholarships that are available to her.

It has become stylish to say "With your prayers" (С вашими молитвами) in Ukraine. For example, in parting I might say, "Good Luck" or "(go)With Success", and someone else might say, "With your prayers". There are lots of other situations when this can be said also, but like many other phrases that are used in conversational Russian (Glory to God, God forbid), it doesn't matter if you believe in God or not. Here you will find Atheists and Christians alike using these phrases having no real spiritual significance to them at all. However, when Beth and I say to you, "With your prayers" we mean it literally. We couldn't serve without them. So we encourage you to play a vital role in our ministry on a daily basis... with your prayers.  As always, thanks for praying.
 

With grateful hearts,