Kremenchuk, Ukraine Newsletter

Doug Berry, Missionary    Volume No. 5    Issue No. 3    Date February 1, 2007

Greetings from Kremenchuk

     I pray that your holiday season was good and rewarding for you.  Through God, with you, this work is possible!  Thank you for being a part of this work.

     This last 2 months has been filled with changes, trials and blessings.  God tells us in James 1 to rejoice in trials.  In Romans 8:28, He promises us that all things will work out for the good.  I believe those promises!  Therefore many great blessings must be heading our way!

 Good, Bad & Opportunities for Growth

     In this newsletter I will first update you in a less detailed way of what has taken place the last couple of months. Then in some of the cases, I will go into a little more detail.  I hope to try to give you a picture of what will take place in the future of this work, at least what we can possibly see as probabilities and possibilities. 

     As December began, we knew that Jared and Frankie would be leaving on the 11^th.  We knew it would be hard, but we had no idea of how hard it would be for both us and them!  We had shared 19 wonderful months with them and now they have left to go back to the States to pursue their education, jobs and family.

     On the morning of December 9^th, I found out that my youngest daughter had suffered a miscarriage.  Both and her husband BJ asked me to come, so I too left on an unexpected trip to the US to be with them. I left on the 14^th from Ukraine.  I suffered the worst travel delays and connections I have ever had.  Through this 23 day trip, I spent 8 of it in travel, including 2 extra days in the New York JFK airport.  Yet, all of it was safe, even though it was very trying and tiring.  I feel the trip was worthwhile for I was able to be with Janessa, BJ and grandson Gavin a week.  They felt I was able to help them through this time.  I ended up having 5 Christmas: 1) with Janessa and family, 2) with my sister in Pierre, SD, 3) with my son Butch, Erin and granddaughters Hannah and Ella in WA state, 4) with my daughter Jenise and Jon in San Angelo, TX (Jenise is pregnant and due in mid-March and is doing well.) and 5) with my Ukrainian friends when I got back.  You can see and understand how all that was a blessing as well.

     I arrived back in Kremenchuk on January 6^th at about 7pm to a nice welcome.  All the next day, after worship, we planned and carried out our Christmas party on Ukrainian Christmas, January 7^th.  On the 19^th James returned to Kremenchuk, from being with his family after his mother’s passing from cancer.  This last weekend from Saturday through Tuesday, I was down with a pretty bad cold, but am doing better.    

December in More Detail

     Our classes on all levels were doing fine.  We had planned a going away party for Jared and Frankie on Sunday evening the 10^th after evening services.  Then I received the email about Janessa, called Jenise her sister first and then talked to Janessa and BJ.  I was devastated for the loss of my grandchild, for my daughter’s great suffering, and for my inability to be there right now.  Several close friends came to me and comforted me and helped me through the day. It was determined that I would get the quickest flight out, maybe when the boys flew out on the 12^th.  But I couldn’t get a flight until the 14^th. 

     We had a nice going away party for the boys on the 10^th, several of us went to Kiev on the 11^th to spend the last day with them and they flew out early on the morning of the 12^th.  Then I flew out on the 14^th and I have told you the rest of those travels already.  We were going to have our Christmas party on the 25^th, but all agreed to wait for my return to have this party.  The earliest flight that I could get back was leaving NY on the 4^th of January.

 January

     On the 1^st, I gave permission for our gang to have a New Year’s party at my house, with Kelli overseeing it all.  They started at about 1am and went to 8am, with some late sleeping in! On the 4^th, I was delayed getting back into NY JFK airport over 3 hours and missed my flight and had to get the next one 24 hours later. I returned on the 6^th or Christmas Eve for Ukrainians, but still 6 people were waiting for me at my house to welcome me back to Ukraine.  How I love these people!

We worked very hard on Sunday afternoon to get the party ready by 4:30pm in the afternoon!

We hung 37 stockings on my wall.  We actually had 29 people for the party!  I bought 40 stockings in after Christmas sales while I was in the US!  We had another week after this before school started back up again.  And yes, we had one more holiday – the Old New Year on the 14^th! This is a carry over from the old Orthodox calendar of centuries ago. 

     We started to go back to the schools to start classes again. At School 9 where we have been for over 3 years we were told we had to talk to the new Director.  In short, we were told we couldn’t teach here any more!  This is a real blow for we have had 2 successful classes going on there.  We are still trying to figure out how we can salvage this work.  We have continued classes at the other 4 schools where we are working.  Our Bible Clubs are going strong again and improving as well as Devotionals on Tuesdays and Bible Studies on Thursdays.  I have also renewed several personal Bible studies with people that I had going on before I left for the states.  One more thing: we have had so many birthdays in January and we are all broke! Fun!!!

 Future Plans

     One of student’s families (Max’s) has offered us the use of a home in a village about 18 miles from the center of Kremenchuk for our work.  We would trade cleaning up making the place livable for rent free use for 7 years!  It is a 3 story home (large for villages!) about 1 kilometer (6/10^th of a mile) from a nice lake on about an acre of land.  This is something that we could use, once fixed up and furnished year round for our work, for retreats, and for the Church use.  I believe it would be a very good trade!

     We are planning a month long VBS day camp in June this year in the Church building for 5^th-8^th grades from 8am to 4:30pm.  Then we would have evening classes for Teens, Univ. students and adults.  We want to have our 5^th annual Black Sea Bible Camp the first 2 weeks of July.

     We believe that we will be able to incorporate our classes and activities with the Central Church of Christ in February.  We have already done this on Sunday night worship services.  Now we will make all that we are doing a more complete part of the local congregation.  We have been given funds from a trust company out of TX to assist us in this work to make some improvements in the church building.

     Down the Road:  1) We will not have an AIM team coming this year from TX or an MAP team coming from York, NE as we have had for the last 11 years! 2) Kelli Himebaugh will leave December of 2007.  3) James Vaughn will probably leave sometime the summer of 2008.  4) We MIGHT get an AIM team in May of 2008.

    We need more workers!  Please pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send forth workers into this Harvest field!

 Things for You to Know

Ø      I am planning on continuing this work after my 5 years are up!  This is the best work that I have ever been involved with in my life and I want to continue here for a long time!

Ø      My website: www.ukrainemission.com is going through some changes and soon, you should be able to find it a lot easier to use it with frequent updated materials and pictures.

Ø      My email is: doug_berry2001@yahoo.com.

Ø      I have started a web log called a blog that is to assist you. I update it at least weekly, about the work here as well as containing encouraging articles and my bi-monthly journal. Please read and leave comments on it. It is:  www.kremenchuk.blogspot.com.

Bible Clubs are going strong once more!

Prayer Requests

1. God’s blessings upon our classes in the schools.
2. God’s blessings upon our home/church based classes in our outreach.
3. To bring the lost we are studying with to Him.
4. To open many more doors of opportunity to find new and effective ways to reach the lost.
5. To show us how to better teach and train the saved in the way of the Bible and Christ.
6. To keep us strong and united in Christ.
7. To put a stronger burden on hearts for the lost.
8. To send us workers to come and join us in our work here in central Ukraine.
9. For the church in Komsomolsk and the starting of the church in Svetlovolsk.
10. Pray for Gregory, Sasha and Valeria – my Ukrainian co-workers, their families and our mutual work together.
11. For all our young Christians for faithfulness and steadfastness in the Lord.
12. That I would be the effective leader I need to be.