Thank you for supporting us as we serve our loving Father. What a blessing to walk together in faithfulness and obedience to God!
Mary’s dad was nearly drafted a few months ago but was ultimately released from service. He was recently detained once more and is getting mobilized this week. He is likely to be stationed in Kyiv. This is not on the front lines, but the work is still dangerous. Please pray for him and Mary’s family.
This month marks 11 years since Russia’s military began to occupy Crimea and 3 years since Russia launched its unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, tens of thousands of Ukrainians have been killed, and countless Ukrainians have suffered the painful horrors of war. The news can make these issues sound vague and impersonal. But every casualty is a dear husband or brother or father or son. And when negotiators talk of “territory,” that really means a place someone calls home. So many of our friends were forced to abandon these homes—all their memories, their whole lives. They had to lose them, or face death. But they still dream of returning someday.
Prayer: Please pray with us for justice and peace in Ukraine.
After 3 years of finding hope in the Gospels and Epistles, our family and friends fellowship have gone back to the beginning – starting in Genesis. We will be tracing out key stories of Scripture that culminate in the coming of Christ and the gospel. So far we have had fruitful discussions of the Creation and Fall stories.
This group has members at all spiritual stages. Not everyone is a professing Christian, and this often leads to dynamic conversations. Breaking into the Old Testament has prompted our group to wrestle with some important questions: Why did God create us? What is our purpose? How should men and women relate? Why did God allow sin to happen? Why didn’t he put a fence around the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Doesn’t that mean the Fall was God’s fault? How does sin impact our lives today?
More than studying the Bible together, this group is about fellowship. Each person relates where they see God working and where they would like to see more of his presence. We also spend time praying for and encouraging one another. Recently, we have been encouraged to see group members using their God-given talents to bless and witness to those around them.
Prayer: Please pray for God to continue transforming hearts in this group. Please pray for the mental and physical health of each member as they face different challenges. Pray for hearts willing to learn and be challenged by the Spirit
Andrew continues leading a men’s discipleship group on the topic of sexual integrity. It has been a blessing to get personal and deep into the gospel with these men. For one meeting this month, each man spent time writing down the accusations of the Enemy—the lies, doubts, and fears that he tends to hear and believe. Then he went to Romans 8 and wrote down the truths it contains about his identity and destiny. Writing these things down is great. But it was so powerful as we came together and voiced these accusations and replaced them with the truth. There was a tangible sense of God’s presence with us. God gave me words of encouragement for each of the men. And somehow the goodness of the gospel became very personal and real. The men were all amazed, and so was I.
Prayer: Join us in praising God for his good work. Pray also for spiritual growth and victory in Christ for each of these men.
We are so grateful for this new season of parenthood. Raising and caring for Joanna is a joyful adventure and challenge.
We are asking God to help us be faithful students, missionaries, and parents. We are experimenting with sharing responsibilities and learning to get creative with how we do life.
We are also asking God to help us understand what it looks like to be missionaries now that we have Joanna. Ukraine is our calling. We also want to be responsible parents who provide Joanna with safety and stability. With these current peace negotiations, it feels like anything could happen to Ukraine and that is scary.
Prayer: Please pray with us over all these things.
Andrew and Mary are Inspire Missioners and OMS missionaries in Kyiv, Ukraine. They are in the USA for a season studying at Asbury Theological Seminary. Read more of their news and stories HERE.
