Happy New Year from Ukraine! We trust that the Lord’s presence is very near you as you start out this new year, and tread into new depths of His plan for your life. As we look forward to the year ahead, we find strength in knowing that He is always near, and always faithful. There are exciting plans ahead (a summer furlough!), continued development with the Bible School, the graduation of our first class of students, and yet struggles in which we trust the Lord to work peace and unity. Thank you for your prayers, which the Lord certainly hears and answers. May God bless you with His grace and peace.
In Jesus' Love,
Andy and Monica, Moriah, Isaiah and Josiah
Before the Bible School students left for Christmas break, we asked our students to share what God had been doing in their lives. Below are excerpts from the students’ responses to the topic, “personal time with God.”
"After three months at the Bible School, I can say that my personal time with God grew. I learned to be more open to prayer, learned to talk to God so that I was not as afraid to speak as before. I learned to pray always and everywhere. Now I can pray while talking to other people, or walking down the street while in the bus or anything like that. And I stopped being afraid to ask God for personal needs, because before, when I was afraid to do it, I thought that God had so much to do and my petty issues were not worth his attention. Even in the last few days, God has shown me that He is boss, and there is no other way. Now God shows me who He really is. He and I were reacquainted, and I discovered many things. Six months ago I could not imagine how my life could change so much. The soul-searching for me was important. Now, those things and people that were so important to me have lost value. The Bible has become part of my daily life. "
"My communication with God is constant. Wherever I am, I pray, and whenever I want. Prayer for me has no memorized phrases or "fancy” words. Prayer is a conversation with a friend or mentor. When I'm sad - I talk to him; when I'm happy - thank Him. He always stays with me, I feel it with all my guts. Unfortunately, reading the Bible I do not have much time, but with the ability to read wonderful verses in class, I learn more and later I can continue to reflect on them. But I would still like to pay more attention to the Word of God. "
"During the time I spent in Bible school, it has changed my attitude to the Bible. I saw how important the authority of Scripture is, and how Scripture itself is applicable to life. It is striking to me, that after being a Christian for many years, I was not so much looking for answers in the Bible. It is great that God is working with our priorities in the end, gives people the awareness of the importance of what He has commanded us. Prayer became an integral part of my life. It is important to turn to God in prayer not only when there are some problems and we need God's intervention, but in general, to thank God for what He is doing in our lives every day. I am glad that there is value in prayer. I believe and hope that when I go home, my prayer life will continue to be full and complete, and will make time for prayer. "
"When I first arrived, I seemed plunged into a different world. I found it strange that we always pray before eating, and that we prayed each morning before class. The first time I hung around at the small group, first visited the Bible hour. When we went to Novogradovka, I first learned that the church has a children's center, which ministers to many children. The first time I went to Sunday school, youth ministry. I did not know at first what to do in my spare time. Even when I was asked simply to pray out loud, I started panicking. I have never prayed out loud, very rarely prayed before meals.
I guess, for me, the biggest plus is that I have started to read the Bible, not only in preparation for classes, but just to know more about God. When we had a street evangelism practice in Odessa, we spoke with people on the street and asked them about Jesus. There was a case when a woman and I started a conversation about God, and we have a long talk about it. If someone had told me before, that I can do that, I would have just laughed at the man.
I began praying more, reading the Bible in my spare time, and thinking more about God. Now I can quietly pray out loud. "
"Here, my life has become more relaxed, I have a chance to communicate more with God. I began to feel in need of prayer more and more. It became more genuine, more diverse, more regular. Before going to bed, I read the Old Testament. Six months ago, I did not read the Bible, and did not pray often due to the bustle of life. During the three months of training in Bible school things started to change. "
Submitted by 2012-2013 Bible School Students
To be continued…
