Prayer Letter: July 2018

Dear Praying Friends and Family,

Thank you for praying for us this July. We appreciate you praying for us and supporting us. We are surprised at how quickly the summer is passing, but we’re thankful for the Lord’s benefits and the safety he’s provided for us so far.

The vacation Bible school this year went well. We had over 35 children and teenagers come out, and they enjoyed the Bible lessons, singing, games, and fellowship. Seven of them made a profession of faith, which we are very thankful for. Several of the ones who came during the week are from our neighborhood and have been to Sunday school at least twice and said that they got saved in last year’s camp. Pray for these three especially: Ulyana, Misha, and Yulia, that we would be able to maintain communication with them and that they would continue to come to church. Although we usually only have a couple in our Sunday School class, during the two weeks of Bible school and Institute we had to separate the Sunday School into two groups, and once met outside because there was no room in the church building. We pray that more neighborhood kids would come out and join the church.

We had a good group on Friday and Saturday afternoons during our street preaching and evangelism. One brother who is partially blind visited us and passed out tracts for the first time. He ordered a Bible last year and was so thankful to get it. With his limited eyesight, he is only able to read for two hours every day with the aid of a special instrument. He is thankful that he has been able to read from Genesis to 1st Samuel since ordering the King James Bible translated into Russian. His testimony put me under conviction; he is faithful at reading every day and wishes he could see and read more. How much are you reading with good eyesight?

We had a very good time during the Bible institute week. We are thankful for the teaching and preaching of Pastor Bevans Welder, which was an encouragement to us, our members, and visiting preachers alike. If you would like to watch or listen to the sermons online, you can find them at this address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCQUiuq3WoE&list=PLhYsY5GnSj_9-8sIE0pXloehtipVwtqI6. Some of the subjects covered in this year’s Bible institute were Proverbs, 1 Peter, Examination of Septuagint Readings in the Synodal Bible, Soul winning, and the Local Church. It’s a refreshing time for the students who come, and they leave encouraged to do something for the Lord in their city or town. Pray for Anton, that the Lord would give him wisdom and trust to follow Him. For Eduard, our friend who is partly blind, that the Lord would bless His reading and dedication, and for Ilya and Ivan, two boys who stayed through Bible school and all of Institute.

Please pray for us in the next month. We will be making a trip during the first week of August to evangelize in small villages several hours away from Kyiv. Pray for these evening services and our conversation with people that we meet, that souls would be saved and that the Lord would give us safety in our travels. Thank you again for your faithfulness.

Until His return, David and Naomi Lohman