The holiday season here was nice and long as both East and West calendars were celebrated, which means that we were able to celebrate Christmas twice. In many ways, this whole country shuts down during these days. During that time, we had the joy of hosting Monica’s parents for 10 days.
We are finding a new rhythm to life and ministry here in Ukraine, including some new opportunities. Among them is Moriah's new adventure, which begins today, in a Ukrainian elementary school. God has opened the door for her to to attend the only Christian school here in Odessa. Isaiah will also be spending a few mornings a week at a local preschool-type program at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. We are thankful for these provisions as they are comfortable places for our kids to learn language and interact with Ukrainian children. We ask for your prayers, especially for Moriah. She is really excited about this, yet nervous as well. She has been memorizing Psalm 56:3, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.” Experiencing new culture, language, and situations has been a wonderful opportunity for us to help our children trust in God’s strength, grace, and power in the midst of fear.
January has also been an important month for Bible School planning. We will be presenting our formal Bible School presentation to church leadership very soon. This planning has taken much time as there are so many issues to discuss. Please pray that there would be unity and fruitful conversation for our group and church leadership as we focus on this very important ministry. These next few months will also present numerous strategic opportunities to share this school with very important people. For example, in a few weeks, all the bishops serving Lutheran synods from across the former Soviet Union will be gathering in Odessa for a conference. We will be presenting the Bible School vision, as well as facilities, to them. We pray that they would be interested in this work and bring this vision back to their home churches.
Editor’s note: To learn more about the Coyle’s Russian Language study, Youth Center Ministry and how you can pray for them, click here.
