Sharing God's grace at home and around the world

18 Nov 2008

(Note:  Former teacher, Anelia, was recently hurt in an auto accident.  Please pray for her to heal quickly.)
BULGARIA
Meet Zhana
Grace Academy has a new teacher to work alongside Aksenia and her assistant, Kapka. Anelia resigned because she has been blessed with another job that pays more. Members of Grace Missionary Society appreciates Anelia’s faithful service to the children of Grace.
Grace Academy Administrator Danail Gospodinov says he thinks we have found a great gift in Zhana. She is a Protestant Christian and goes to the Pentecostal church.
Zhana was born in Novorosiisk, Russia June 25 1940. She graduated her secondary education in Russia. She came to Bulgaria in 1960. Before she started her college education in the city of Varna she worked as an elementary school teacher for 2 and a half years and later worked as a supervisor in the same boarding school. She quitted her teacher’s career because she started her college education.
In 1971 she started her college education in Hotel and Restaurant Management and started working in Albena Black Sea Resort.. She worked as a hotel manager for 20 years in the Albena resort. She worked mostly with Russian, German and English people.
Then Zhana got sick and worked as a manager of a kids camp in the village of Kranevo. Later she worked as a manager of a hut in the Karandila mountain area for 9 years. Then she retired.
Zhana wants to be in God’s plan for her life and serve Him.
Please pray for Aksenia, Zhana and Kapka as they minister to the children of Grace Academy. They are Christ’s hands and feet for all of those who give to Grace Academy, extending themselves in your behalf to the people of Nadezhda District in Sliven, Bulgaria.
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
May God’s grace of the Father, the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit be on you all!
We would like to make you coworkers with our joy through this letter. We are glad that through your help. Through the help of other others and sisters and most of all through God’s provision, we succeeded in gathering all necessary means to buy building materials for erecting the walls of the central room of our new prayer house.
Our God is true. His Word is also true: “Whoever sow generously, would be generously blessed”
May God bless you for you multifold and timely help!
Regarding your inquiry how much would be needed till the church is finally built; we would like to inform you that we would still need $8000 approx.
Brethren greetings in Christ,
Ivan Tsonkov
Mokren, Bulgaria
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INDIA
When I visited Jeevan Babu’s church at 12:00pm. Without giving notice, there was no one at the church except Pastor Babu. After I arrived he started prayer and started singing. Within 45 minutes there were eighteen people gathered.
I asked the pastor why he had started at noon. Pastor Babu said it is because another church in the village that finishes their services at noon.
I took some photos and was at the service for about a half-hour. Pastor Babu is a good preacher. He also baptizes each year.
George
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RUSSIA
By Glenda Kuhn
In April of 1994, I traveled to Orel, Russia. The Soviet Union was in economic collapse. People were suffering. The gospel was being taken into the country, but many had never heard. They were suspicious. Some hearts were open to hear the ‘good news’.
During my trip to Orel, I met several young girls. Two were especially accepting of the message of Jesus Christ and gave their hearts to Him during our evening services. They followed us to the train station the next morning. Tanya Blinova brought a loaf of sweet bread for me to eat on my way home.. I learned from our translator that this required, at that time, a full ration of ingredients. However, he told me that not accepting the gift would insult Tanya. I reluctantly took the gift and as the train pulled away promised to keep in touch.
I kept that promise. We have written sporadically and phoned a few times. She and her friend, Anya rode by train many hours on two occasions to visit me during subsequent trips to Ukraine.
Now, both Tanya and Anya are grown and have families of their own. Although Grace Missionary Society does not send monthly financial gifts to ‘the girls’ we do try to write (e-mail now) and fulfill our promise of keeping in touch. Before the girls married, some members of Grace did send a little financial support.
The Church is not only about financial and prayer support, it is about relationships as well, loving one another as Christ loved us.
Thank you everyone for giving through Grace Missionary Society and for loving those you have never met.

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27 June 2008

BULGARIA

Great Ball of Fire!

There was some shaking going on in Bulgaria as a small earthquake shook things up during a team visit May 7-15.

As the group was leaving home, they were also shaken up in the skies of Oklahoma just after takeoff.  The plane carrying six team members took off from Will Rogers Airport in an Oklahoma thunderstorm. Shortly after takeoff, the plane turned into the storm. A loud thunderous roar from a lightening bolt kicked an electrical charge the size of of a soccer ball down the center aisle.  The bright glowing ball traveled down the aisle of the plane from front to rear.  It looked like a special effect from a Hollywood movie.  The pilot’s voice reassured passengers the plane was not in danger. Each member breathed a collective sigh of relief with grateful hearts for those who had and were praying. 

Team members Larry and Vicki, Donnie and Glenda, George and Dennis arrived safely in Sophia, Bulgaria Thursday afternoon. Pastor of Kazanlak Evangelical Baptist Church, Zhoro, was waiting with the church van, a welcome sight indeed after the long flight. It seems the LORD had prepared the hearts of three Kazanlak Church families to host team members 2 by 2 and selected the members that best fit with each host and hostess.

On Friday vitamins from New Beginnings Church in Shawnee were delivered to the free clinic operated by the Kazanlak Church. Team members also purchased treats for students at a school for the deaf, and then traveled by van with the treats, stickers, and lots of love. A teacher at the school pointed out that there are only two individual swings to accommodate thirty children. Children stay at the school during the week and go home on weekends. The exception is a few orphans who stay permanently at the facility. The cost of a new swing set is about $300 USD. A group of youth from Kazanlak Church would be happy to purchase, deliver and help with painting other equipment and repair fences if someone could provide the equipment and paint. Please designate any offerings to Grace Missionary Society as unto the LORD for this project.

In the afternoon team members had a few hours of sightseeing and time for rest before church services.

 

Visiting brothers and sisters in Christ is always a rich experience. But, this time, the service seemed especially sweet. After greetings and singing, team members tearfully shared prayer requests one with another. Then, each request was expectantly carried before God.

           

Larry, Vicki and Dennis opted to travel to Sliven by train on Saturday. Brother Tony retrieved Donnie, Glenda and George by car along with a lot of luggage. After check-in at the hotel in Sliven, the team prepared for a short drive to the village of Konyovo to meet there with God’s family. An independent one-room church was filled with expectant people. Team members were seated near the pastor alongside the wall. My, my, how the congregation worshipped the LORD! Despite the cramped space and the hard (some broken) chairs, the people knew why they had gathered. It was not to meet us, but to meet with God. After services team members were asked to go to two homes to pray for individuals who could not attend services.

           

Pastor Ilia and his wife are second-generation family pastors at the Konyovo Church. Their nephew Alexander has been a great blessing to Grace Missionary Society and to the church of Konyovo. He first introduced us to the church family there during a team visit last Spring. Larry and Vicki were led to give Pastor Ilia a pair of shoes.

The team had planned a workday for the Konyovo Church, but supplies had not been purchased, so plans were changed to purchase supplies on Monday.

           

Sunday, team members split into three groups to minister at three churches, the villages of Mokren and Pedevero and Sliven. George went with Tony to Pedevero, Dennis, Donnie and Glenda went to Mokren and Larry and Vicki stayed in Sliven.  Tony assists with pastoring the churches of Pedevero and Mokren. Both are the only church for their village. When the ministry in Pedevero began several years ago, there was no building at all so the pastor and people have built one. Thanks to the vision of Grace Missionary Society member Clarice Stone, Mokren is continuing to expand their church building. Glenda presented $500 USD to the church of Mokren to continue their building project. Vickie sang and Larry preached in Sliven.  Thanks to a God encounter, teams met for lunch before taking off for the village of Kotel to minister in the evening service.

           

The drive to Kotel was unbelievably beautiful. Mountain streams paralleled the road. Trees were sprouting new growth. Some bloomed. There were places the entire city of Sliven could be seen. A Ukrainian couple with two young children and one on the way pastor Kotel. Four preachers each provided spiritual insight during the two-hour service. Afterwards the team and pastors were treated to a beautiful late-evening meal before returning to Sliven around midnight.

           

Team members dispersed for ministry on Monday as George, Donnie and Glenda met Alexander to purchase new plastic chairs for the Konyovo Church, an air conditioner/heat unit and supplies to build a porch cover. Bulgarians traditionally remove their shoes before entering a room. The cover was needed to protect the congregants’ shoes.

           

Meanwhile Larry, Vickie and Dennis traveled with the Sliven Church pastor and his wife to a nursing home. Vickie and Dennis would later say this was their richest experience during their first time trip to Bulgaria. In a city of approximately 120,000, there is only one nursing home. One resident was 105 years old and still spry. Dennis and Vickie sang to and with the residents. Larry spoke to them. All got hugs. Anyone who would like to provide care packages to the residents at the Sliven nursing home can designate donations for that purpose. Supplies can be purchased locally and delivered by the Sliven Church.

           

Purchasing construction supplies in Bulgaria is not a simple task. After purchasing chairs and an air conditioner, Donnie returned to Konyovo with Alexander to get measurements and plans for the porch cover while George and Glenda, with Tony, went to Nadezhda to meet with the ghetto physician. To their disappointment, the clinic was already closed for the day. But, God had a plan. Just as the Grace group was wondering what to do, the nurse was passing by and noticed them. She agreed to prepare a list of medication and bandage needs. God’s House in Lafayette, Indiana, has been giving $50 each month to purchase medications for the clinic and Grace students. As the nurse discussed clinic needs, team members noted an almost bare medication cupboard. Doctors in Bulgaria are not paid well as they are in the United States, often receiving only minimal salaries. Supplies are sparse. This gift from God’s House is a blessing to many, many people.

           

On Tuesday, team members, laden with toys, snacks, juice and lessons about Jesus, traveled with Tony and Danail to Grace Academy and the Nadezhda Clinic. Students were waiting, dressed their best. All forty were present for the special day. Larry used a drawing lesson to teach the children about Jesus’ love. Vickie and Dennis led the children in American songs. Donnie and Vickie gave out stickers before group toys were presented. Yes, it was the last day and Donnie finally got rid of the ‘hairball’ he had carried from Oklahoma to Sliven. It is a soccer size ball given by the daughters of Gregory and Lana. The children were anxious to touch it. Also presented to the teachers were puppets for assisting with language training, a stamp-art set, and some craft items provided by Oklahoma City Stuart Toys and the Gary and Jenny from McLoud, Oklahoma. Stuart Toys and the family also provided cars and trucks for each boy. Another donor gave dolls for each girl in Grace Academy.  A young man, Andrew, from Yale, Oklahoma, provided $5. It was used to purchase a new soccer ball for the class. What a morning!

           

Meanwhile George and Danail met with a very grateful physician and his nurse to retrieve the needs list. With around $250 accumulated from God’s House, an enormous amount of medical supplies were purchased, including antibiotics, pain medications, wound cleansing agents, bandages, baby formula and much more. An additional $70 was left with the doctor to purchase some needed controlled medications that only physicians can purchase. A tearful doctor told George and Danail that he had never had such a gift during his career. Grace Missionary Society also gave the doctor and the nurse a financial ‘bonus’ for their personal use.

           

Wednesday morning the team boarded a bus for Sophia, tired but happy. But God wasn’t finished. While eating at a restaurant in a city of millions, our friend Desi walked into the same restaurant where the team was eating dinner. What are the chances? But we serve a God of design, not chance. It was good to see our sister in the LORD and learn she was at the restaurant meeting room to attend a Christian seminar. Desi works for a non-profit agency in Sophia which ministers to women at risk. Please pray for her work there.

           

Thanks to Mike Taylor of New Beginnings the team had a ride to and from the airport. You are appreciated, Mike. And, thanks to everyone who helped make this trip possible through giving and your prayers.

 

INDIA

God’s House In Andhra Pradesh

Sponsored by God’s House, Lafayette, Indiana.

It is named for its sponsoring church to honor God’s House congregation. (An error has caused the name to be God’s Church, but will be corrected.)  The church building is being rented.  Pastor Samuel sends his heartfelt thanks for support.

I trust that God’s Word is true: Your efforts are not in vain (I Corinthians 15:58).

 

Sister Shobha

Thanks to 3 Grace supporters for $315. The eldest daughter of Pastor Shobha, Hepsiba, will now go to college. Her mother has rented a place in Indira Nagar to hold Bible studies and prayer on Sundays. Sister Shobha’s testimony about how God healed her body and saved her husband before his death is available on request.

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(Older news below)

11 Feb 2008

INDIA

(Thank you for visiting our website.  Since we do not know much about websites, please excuse the lack of professionalism in its design.  We could really use some help since we don't know how to design or use a website.  Pray about it and let us know if you think God wants to use you to help us in this matter).

We just returned from one of the best visits yet to India.  We were able to visit most of the new churches that have been established there.  It was a real pleasure to visit in the homes of the pastors and evangelists.  Pastor Dennis Stone of Tecumseh, Oklahoma accompanied me on this trip.  He was a good traveling companion and a joy to be around.  The Indian pastors reported that he was a good speaker and a "humorous" person.  They said he said funny things that made them laugh.  God has now blessed us with 9 new churches in India with 1 now completely independent.

Sister Chittamma has now established a church, but we have not found a regular sponsor for her church.  She reports that about 25 people are attending her church, with 15 already baptized.  The ladies of New Beginnings Church in Shawnee have sent some support to Sister Chittamma, and Grace Missionary has made sure that she receives monthly help; but we really need someone or an organization to take on regular support for this hard working sister.  We ask that any new support be for a minimum of 3 years ($50 monthly for the sister's family and $50 monthly for her church--$100 total monthly for 3 years).  By that time, we hope land for the new church can be purchased and that the church can become independent.  We desire that all new churches become independent of outside help.  Please pray for Sister Chittamma and her family.  She asked all Christians to pray for the following things:

1.  That the church would grow.  She now has 5 more people preparing for baptism.  She does not actually do the baptizing; she leaves that to a male pastor because she believes that is the correct thing to do.

2.  She would like to have a concrete church building with a metal roof.  As you might see in her photo in our Photo Album section of the website, her present building is constructed of poles, palm leaves, and grass.  The sister asks for God's will in the education and employment of her 2 older sons.  May God help tham get a college education and good jobs in and for the future. The boys are active in the church, singing and playing the drums.

Pastor Stone and I enjoyed visiting Sister Shoba Rani in her home.  She has not yet established a church.  She travels from home to home, evangelizing and speaking to the people.  She reported that she is presently preaching at almost 15 different sites/homes.  She asked Christians to pray that:

1.  She might some day be able to establish a church in the village of Makkevari Peta.

2.  She would like to have the finances to send her older daughter to college in June of 2008.  The daughter's name is "Hepsiba."

3.  She hopes to get more Christians baptized.  So far 30 have been baptized in her ministry.  Again, like Sister Chittamma, she does not do the actual baptizing.  In whatever village a person gets saved and requests baptism, Sister Shoba Rani asks a local pastor to do the baptizing.

One exciting things that happened on this trip was that a pastor received a new motorbike.  Pastor Melchizedek received this gift from Community Bible Church in Ft Smith, Arkansas and from Countryside Church in Tecumseh, Oklahoma.  Community Bible sent $800 to buy a scooter, but I wanted to upgrade that to a motorbike (more power, speed, and a higher clearance for rough roads).  I planned to pay the extra $200 from my own pocket, but Pastor Stone offered to have his church pay the extra.  Melchizedek received a nice, new, shiny red and gold bike (see photos).  The dealership said he could not get the red bike because they only came in a blue color, but, knowing Melchizedek's desire for a red bike, God allowed otherwise.  (Please write or contact us for more information in our newsletter about how this happened at no extra cost).

I also found out something else about Melchizedek that I didn't know.  When I previously visited him, he and his family came out from a house to meet us.  There was a sign that said "Community Bible Church" so I assumed that the building was his home.  He told me at that time that the church met under a canopy in the front yard.  Again, I assumed that the church was meeting in his front yard.  Actually, the house and yard belonged to a member of the church and the church was using the site for 1 month.  Each month, the church moves to another member's yard.  The church has no land of its own where they could build a church.  Please pray that God will provide some land so the church can have a permanent place to meet instead of moving from place to place.

There is just so much that I would like to tell you about the trip, but I can't do it all on this website (I am such a slow typist and the website only allows a limited amount of information.  My middle finger is numb at the moment from even this amount of typing).

 If you would like more information, please e-mail us or call us and have your name added to our regular newsletters.  Glenda Kuhn does a great job of writing the newsletters and God does a great job of providing good news from the harvest fields.  Glenda's phone number is:  405-964-5169. 

The Shawnee News-Star recently ran a short article about our visit to India.  You can go to the site listed below to real the article and see a photo.

http://www.news-star.com/stories/020908/rel_59302.shtml

May God richly bless you as you seek to serve Him in whatever manner He has chosen, in Jesus' name.

It is my great desire for you that you would "Trust in God and Do Something."

Brother George

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25 May 2007

BULGARIA

Grace Missionary Assignments in Bulgaria:

Before Grace Academy, most minority children of Nadezhda had no hope for the future.  Now, they know Jesus Christ is their hope.  They are acting on what they learn and they are succeeding in life.  "Nadezhda" in Bulgarian means "hope."

Grace Missionary Society believes in plowing the hearts of the Gypsy children of Nadezhda through the loving tutorship of Christian teachers who train them to pray and sing praises to Jesus Christ while they also teach them Bulgarian so they can succeed in the Bulgarian schools.  The Gypsy and Turkish childen of Nadezhda speak their own languages in their homes.  When it is time to go to school, most do not go because they cannot understand their teachers.  Their parents also do not have the money to purchase appropriate clothing and school supplies for education.  Some parents are also afraid to permit their young children to leave the confines of the ghetto.

Each year, Grace Academy gives 40 Gypsy and Turkish children an opportunity to know Christ and His love, to have a nutritious daily hot meal, and to gain public school readiness.  Grace Missionary's goal is to provide the children the knowledge, discipline, Christian values, and supplies needed to continue their education and become all that God has called them to be.

Two of the first students enrolled in Grace Academy about 7 years ago are now succeeding in the best public school in Sliven.  This would never have been possible without those who support Grace Missionary's work in the Balkans.

In Sliven, there is one school that is designated for minority students.  It is reported that this school (separate but equal) offers few opportunities for its students--even though Bulgaria has worked to improve its minority schools in recent years.  Some of the teachers at the school reportedly don't even bother to try to teach the students since they can't understand what the teacher is saying.  This leads to great frustration for both teacher and student.  Reportedly, most students drop out by the 3rd year.  The students from the ghetto also suffer from a lack of parental support, so the failures aren't just due to a weak educational program.  Many parents see no need for their children to be educated since they don't see any prospects for gaining regular employment in the future.  A cycle of dependency continues and the ghetto children join their familes on the dole at adulthood.

Now, as the students in Grace Academy finish their pre-school years, teachers from the best public school in Sliven are actually coming to the ghetto to "recruit" minority students for their classrooms.  The teachers say that they like having students who already can read some, know how to behave, and are accustomed to learning.  This makes the teachers' jobs easier and more rewarding.  One of Grace's former students actually received an honor certificate from the most elite school in the 2006-2007 school year.  It was the first time that a student from the ghetto had ever earned such an honor!  One public school teacher (from the elite school) suggested that Grace Missionary Society needed to do only one additional thing to help out.  She said that Grace needs to expand its program to include more students!

Please consider giving to the work in Grace Academy.  It costs about $180 per school term to support a student.  A Vacation Bible School at Countryside Church in Tecumseh, Oklahoma gave an offering this year to buy school supplies for the fall term.  Supplies that we hope to purchase with their donation include a whiteboard, paper, and pencils.  If you can't help personally, please pray about a group (youth, Sunday School Class, or other group) from your church helping us support these children. 

Smaller Bulgarian villages could also use help with educating their children.  Many Bulgarian schools have been "consolidated", much as we have done in the U.S. A.  However, no transportation is provided to bring the village students into the larger consolidated districts.  Parents either have no transportation or lack the money to buy expensive fuel to take the students to school each day.  Grace has been told that many of these villages have retired teachers willing to teach the students how to read and write if a small salary could be provided.  We have been told that some of the communities would provide space to hold these classes if Grace provided a teacher.  What do you think?  Is God speaking to your heart?  Can you help us do this?

Are you a doctor?  A medical doctor in Nadezhda has offered to provide space and oversight if doctors want to travel to Nadezhda to assist with patient care.  Even assistance with basic medications would be appreciated.  Because of restrictive customs regulations (we have learned this the hard way), it is better to provide funds to purchase medications in Bulgaria.  Especially needed, according to the doctor, are antibiotics, diabetes supplies, cold and flu medications, antacids, ulcer and colitis medications, and wound care products.

Providing medical attention and educational assistance expresses the love of Christ to others.  Because someone helps, the people of Bulgaria began to feel that they must be important in the eyes of God.  God has not abandoned them.     

INDIA

We have one new church in India, Edith Franklin Memorial Church, led by Pastor Athota.  That brings the total to 7 new churches established in the past 4 years.  Two new evangelists are holding house meetings in the hope of establishing new churches in their communities.   Please pray for the new churches and the new house groups.

Please consider helping support these new evangelists and others who are willing to go along the byways and hedgeways to seek new believers.

May God richly bless those who read this newsletter with increasing health, wealth, personal security, and happiness, in the name of Jesus Christ. 

Remember, true wealth is not the same as earthly riches, but we pray that you might have that as well!