Prayer Letter: December 2017

Dear Praying Friends and Family,

We hope that you had a good Christmas time and will have safety and health in the upcoming year. We are thankful for another year closer to Christ’s return. I know it’s been a busy time of the year, but we’re thankful for Jesus Christ, and salvation in Him, which never gets old.

This year, Ukraine made December 25th a recognized holiday for Christmas. Previously, it had been celebrated on January 7th, which was the traditional Orthodox holiday. Many people here hope that this step will distance the country from Russia, and specifically the Russian Orthodox Church, and bring them closer to Europe. Ukraine’s branch of the Orthodox Church applied for autocephaly, or self-governing, as they have been overseen for hundreds of years by Moscow’s Orthodox Church. All of this to say that in all likelihood, eventually, the Orthodox Church will join with the Catholics to bring Europe into a “unified body.” It’s good in a time of confusion to have an anchor in the Rock, Jesus Christ, and know where we’re going when we die.

We have been preparing for our bi-annual revival and institute, and we ask for your prayers during this time. The dates are from Monday, January 8th, until Sunday, January 14th. Many preachers and students are planning to come from around the country, and we are also looking forward to our guests. Pastor Nico Verhoef from Switzerland and Jacek Godlewski from Poland will be teaching on church history in Europe, and the influence of the Catholic Church in Europe against the Reformation. This is especially important for Ukraine, which has always been pulled from the East and West, and is now in the position of being drawn toward Europe and the Catholic Church. This country has had light and freedom of worship for over 20 years, and now access to a Bible that is much, much closer to the King James, so the Devil has been active in all parts of the country. We ask your prayers for the students who come out, the guest speakers, our week of evangelism outside, for salvation of souls, and the revival services in the evening. After a morning of classes, we will go out for a few hours before the evening services to preach and witness in the markets, metro stations, and anywhere where people are gathered. We will fill you in later on our time of street preaching and tracts for this last month. We were able to pass out a lot of tracts and talk to people about salvation through the Door, Jesus Christ. Our prayer is for souls to be saved and for saints to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for a year of support and prayers, and continue forward in the good fight of faith.

Until His return,

David and Naomi Lohman