The Sullivan Family

Missionaries to Ukraine

 

September 2004 
 

Dear Praying Friends,

 

We never thought we would be able to say that we were happy to be crammed in a 10x15 foot living room with 35 other people in August, with no air conditioning...but we were ecstatic.  This past Sunday as we scanned the sweaty Ukrainian faces, watching them sing sincere praises to our Lord, our hearts were full.  Five visitors looked timidly and awkwardly at the songbooks; it was their first visit to a "church" completely foreign to anything they had ever witnessed before.  This definitely was not an Orthodox service.  Vitaly posed questions about the Bible and our faith during the preaching service, and promised to come back on Wednesday.  He had been invited by another unbeliever, Sergei, who leaves in the middle of every service to smoke and then quietly returns.  Nobody condemns or judges, and he keeps asking questions and following in his Bible, a gift from the church.  Misha is a quiet man, a masterful guitarist and Oleg and Luda had no place to sleep, so they came home with us for the night.  They had many questions as well.  God is moving in the lives of those around us, please pray for wisdom for us and protection of the Holy Spirit for them.  God's timing is crucial and we need His discernment and patience. 

 

Summers are very disjointed in Kiev.  Almost everyone takes an extended vacation at different times so it is empty and quiet throughout the city, but we are always busy.  We continued working with our small church with meetings on Sundays and Wednesday evenings and our English clubs continued their study of Bible texts with about 15 students, half of which are college aged and older.  Shawn was also invited to speak at two different village churches, as well as conduct a youth leader's seminar in the town of Kmelnitsky, several hours train ride from Kiev. 

 

In July, we drove to Poland, where we were able to renew our visas.  We were granted five year visas, which was a blessing because the last time the maximum granted was only three years.  We also spent a few days in the cities of Krakow and Zakopane, where we took a short break and were able to relax a little. 

 

More than three years of our first term have already flown by and we feel like we are really just getting started.  There is so much to do, so many to reach, so much to teach and so much to learn.  Nine months from now we will return to the States for our first furlough....no small task.  In the next few months we will begin to plan our schedule, so keep us updated as your calendars start to fall into place.  Pray for wisdom as we prepare to return and report on the work, that we will be able to communicate the vision, passion and desire that we have for our Ukrainian friends.  Pray for God's grace and provision in the area of facilities for our church in Taraskivka.  Pray for growth and stability in the new church in Kmelnitsky. 

 

God bless you all for your continued faithfulness in these difficult times.

 

With Utmost Gratitude,