Dear Prayer Partners:

I was on the road again with Lonya on the back roads of villages within a 25-mile radius of Odessa. I am excited that the Krasnosyolka Church has caught the vision for village evangelism and wants to expand their ministry horizons to other unreached groups. Over the years, Lonya and Luba and I have visited many villages as people have asked me to see patients in their homes unable to travel to clinic.  The Krasnosyolka deacons decided to survey several of these villages for possible sites our evangelistic team might visit. Lonya and two deacons and I set off yesterday across the unmarked fields beyond Kubanka.

We found a couple in Russkaya Slobodka whom we had last seen about 3 years ago. God appointed our meeting again as Tatiana was very ill at home and had recently been in the hospital. But she wasn't sure what medicines to take now. Her blood pressure was 220/90 and she was in congestive heart failure and possibly some kidney insufficiency too. She was very short of breath and edematous. Between medicines I had taken with me and meds she had at home, I was able to prescribe a reasonable regimen for her to try. Lonya and I are going back to see her on Friday. She and her husband were so grateful for our timely visit and begged us to return. Lonya said the whole village would know we had been there. If she gets better, we could have an open door to share the gospel. If she gets worse, that could adversely affect people's receptivity to us. Please pray for God's will in her health and for their openness to spiritual things.

Remember Misha, the man in New Kubanka who died in January? His brother Vasya lives in Pavlinka and sent word by their mother that he would like to see me. Lonya found his house, and we were both taken aback by how much he resembled Misha. That awakened fresh grief, but made me grateful that Vasya wanted our help. We had a good talk with him about his medical needs and his spiritual needs. He wants us to return. We also found Lessia in Pavlinka who had come to the clinic in Kubanka several years ago. Lonya, Luba and I visited her several times at home and she had trusted Jesus as her Savior and was baptized through the church in Builik, another village not far away. However, the Builik church is no longer doing any outreach in her village and she has no transportation to get there. She was so happy to see us! She had been praying how she might serve God, and has been discouraged that no one else in her village had gotten saved. Though her husband Kolya has become more open to listening, and he had a good talk with Victor and Lonya. We were able to encourage her and talk about the possibility of having a service in her home.

August 20, we held the first clinic in Shamanovka. The lady with the key to the auditorium had forgotten, but patients began to gather and someone brought the key. I saw 20 patients in one short afternoon in this small village! Lonya and I had some good opportunities to talk with them. Many expressed interest in having a Sunday service there. But only two people showed up that next Sunday! Last Sunday, four people came, but the auditorium was locked. One man talked to Lonya about getting help to stop drinking. Pray for Anatoliy. Lonya decided to wait on further Sunday services until after the next clinic Sept 17. Please pray for God's direction for us in this village, whether we should pursue ministry there through the clinic and evangelistic team.

Lonya has been mentoring several young men in the Krasnosyolka church. Each Sunday morning we hear 3 sermons in the service, and these guys have been preaching. On Sunday afternoon, our evangelistic team divides into 3 groups to go to Kubanka, New Kubanka, Vasilivka and Shamanovka. What a blessing to see that kind of multiplication! The only disadvantage to me is that I don't get to go to all of the villages each Sunday. But Lonya and I will be rotating through all of them. Please pray much for us as we consider adding services in Pavlinka, Russkaya Slobodka and Severinovka. We may change what we have been doing in the above villages. We need God's wisdom for where He wants us to serve, where He has prepared people's hearts.

Lots of teams are coming! Duane Furman, a physician's assistant from PA, is leading a medical team Sept 12-19 to cities not far from Makarovo. I have been helping him plan this new outreach, though I will not be able to be with them. Two friends from Princeton, WV are coming to work with me Sept 11-18. I'm excited to have Linda Cox from Johnston Chapel coming and bringing a friend with her. Then October 16-24, a medical team is coming from Bible Center in Charleston, WV, to serve my village clinics in the Odessa region with dentists, orthopedist, family medicine, and children's ministry. God did provide a 2nd dentist for this team as we asked. Another medical team is going to Kharkov the last week of October. That team lost their doctor, so pray that God will provide another physician from the States, or direct me to go up to Kharkov that week.

Thank you so much for praying for the visa/registration issues in Ukraine. The immigration office in Odessa is not registering any foreigners on any kind of visa except religious. All of my ABWE colleagues in Odessa left town this summer to return to the US to get religious visas. I had to make a quick trip out of Ukraine to Budapest in August when my 90 days were up. I will have to go back to the US in mid-November to apply for a religious visa. Pray that we will not have any problems registering this type of visa to live long-term in Ukraine. All that we do is God's ministry which He has given to us. (2Cor 4:1) He will accomplish His purpose! When I return to Ukraine in January, nurse practitioner Holly Friesen should be accompanying me to begin her first term of career missionary service!

Many of you have asked about my vertigo. It still comes and goes every week or so. Overall, the episodes have been milder this year. Thank you for praying. Dealing with any chronic illness throws one on the Lord to discern His will and to use wisely the healthy days that He gives.

I forgot to ask you an important question in Wednesday's prayer update. I mentioned that I will have to go to the US mid-November in order to apply for a new visa. I will be in the States about 2 months. Does anyone have a car that I could borrow during that time?  I have not settled on definite dates, but it will be around Nov 17--Jan 12.

I did go back to see Tatiana yesterday. Her condition is a bit improved after the medicines I gave her. But it is overall poor from heart failure and kidney failure. Pray that God might use this to draw her and her husband to Christ!

Thank you for praying for the need for a car and letting me know if you can help fulfill that need.


September Clinics
3 Krasnosyolka
8  Makarovo
10 Kubanka
15 Bocharova
17 Shamanovka and New Kubanka
22   Sahanskoye
25   Limaniy
29   Berdinovo

Please pray for all of these village outreaches, that God would use them to touch people's hearts to have a desire to hear His Word, to get involved in the local church, and to follow Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord.

Leaning on The Rock,
Miriam
Psalm 18:30-32