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Kyiv Calling March 2003
Roadmap Follows Glasses! Module Two Around The Corner ~ Can you believe it? Two more intensive weeks of teaching begin March 31! (GORDIE HOWE'S BIRTHDAY [Mr. Hockey] Hey, I, Linda, am just following orders). As I was saying … it seems just days ago when we first met these eager students for Module 1. Module 1 taught powerful concepts. It presented “biblical glasses” through which to look at people, problems and God's solution. Module 2 will walk the students through four phases of helping people. It will present a “roadmap” for the one with “biblical glasses.” Module 1 received responses such as mentioned in our last newsletter. Here are more excerpts:
“I'll never be the same” … “God is fulfilling my dreams. I waited for this for 7 years”… “It'll bring revolution to Ukraine” … I am dying to share all of this … “the personal benefit is as big as you can imagine”… “This way leads us right to the hearts of people”… “My consciousness was upside down. Now I understand that God is going to do a lot of things in my heart”… “I thought I understood but now I'm sure … I'm the pastor and I'll use this material in my ministry”… I'm very impressed …Only God knows how to fix us. This will help us help people to find God”…
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Module Two Buzz: Ron writes: The five of us at the UFI office have been working hard since the completion of the first module. The upcoming module focuses on the process of change. We are putting the finishing touches on the syllabus. Printing will be done next week. Artyom and Leanna are attending to the administrative matters of student registration, finalizing accommodations and meals at Kyiv Christian University, arranging for music and devotions to begin each teaching day, and coordinating student arrivals from all over Ukraine (and the three from Russia).
Office Action. 100, 200, 500, 560 … Flooooooooood! (Pink Panther “Flood”?) Seriously though, the numbers were both exciting and very scary at first for Ron and his Teaching Associates Sergei and Valya! It is the job of these three to efficiently yet carefully, conscientiously process hundreds of response papers and then hundreds of counselling project faxes or emails from our students, translating from Russian to English (for Ron), learn from Ron appropriate responses, then (still under Ron's careful oversight) reply to each student in Russian. Not all, but most of these cases are real. The prayers of Ukraine Family Institute staff and so many of you are once again seeing us through the seemingly impossible. Everyone understands that the feedback cannot be exhaustive. The plan is working very well. Ron again:
The quiet days of my uninterrupted study and curriculum development are no more. The floodgates of emails and faxes and snail-mail opened after the 70 students went home from Module 1 and began to send regular case reports to our office. The module teaching is the “public part” of our work; the case reviews and feedback along with marking papers and exams is the “private part.” Many missionaries drop in to teach a week or two and leave. UFI is one of the few modular programs here that have ongoing work and feedback from leadership weekly. We may be the only one. In any case we are the only formal biblical counselling training program, and we are seeking to do continual mentoring. When the students go back to their churches they complete practical assignments which includes some sort of counselling project. Many have sent regular reports to our office, and the idea is that we review these cases and provide feedback for consideration prior to their next session.
Do the math. Not every student elects this demanding project, but many of the 70 students have been submitting regular reports. Sergei and Valya each oversee 35, and we do daily case reviews with whiteboard, and a closed door. (The closed door is by request of Leanna in the other room. She is doing meticulous translation of future syllabi, and not infrequently our case discussions become animated. At times there are exclamations of joy - breakthrough in a case, a wonderful direction the student counsellor took at a critical point, and sometimes bursts of laughter as we go back and forth between Russian and English. Constrained cow??)
I have seen my two associates grow through the last two months of case reviews. Sergei could hardly bare to review a second case in one day. He doesn't mind us telling you that he was spiritually exhausted after one. Now we have developed a rhythm and efficiency, handling a number at one sitting, then a break, and so on. Both are moving carefully but with certainty and precision, learning the action steps to suggest to the counsellors. Great times together!
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Real people. Real Needs ~ Ron and Associates are seeing good work, good thinking, and good questions from the students. Their case reviews in the office draw attention from the administrative division, Artyom and Leanna, as both notice and respond to energetic discussion, emphatic comments of insight, perplexity, and humour. Ron says “As we receive faxes and emails of new cases and new developments it is like being grabbed and hurried into the personal involvement of Jesus Christ with a struggling soul. As Sergei and Valya present the case study we marvel at the privilege and huge responsibility to give wise, meaningful and practical feedback to the helper.
Entire Class Repents ~ Ron continues to agree to a few of the many invitations to teach outside of Ukraine Family Institute and our Kyiv home church, Church of The Holy Trinity. In one such non-UFI, non-CHT, “Marriage and Family” class, both he and the translators were astounded at a certain serious unbiblical belief held by the entire class of 4th year seminary students regarding marriage. Taking a deep breath, Ron proceeded to carefully, prayerfully walk the students through scripture in such a way that by the end of the day every person in the class had come to see and “own” a new understanding of God's will regarding premarital relationships. Ron is humbly grateful, knowing that he would not have been able to do that were he a young man fresh out of seminary. The knowledge, method, sensitivity and experience are precisely what these students needed. Praise God!
Totally Spent Counsellors ~ Ron does VERY minimal counselling here, as our focus now is to train leaders. With certain criteria met Ron will agree to counsel individual leaders. One such person took a train to Kyiv and stayed a few days. By the end of two days of concentrated counselling (during which time Ron had either food poisoning or the flu) he, the counsellee, and Ron's Associate Sergei dissolved in sheer exhaustion and amazement at the incredible changes God made in this leader's heart. Ron has “spent” himself similarly for years but it was a new experience for Sergei, and particularly emotionally moving for Ron. He obviously needs your prayer though, to have the strength for right work, and the strength to say “No” to so many needs now. “I just can't” is so hard to say.
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Family Focus. Prayer Needed! Don't worry, but DO pray! Our children are old enough to be mostly making their own decisions but we all know how difficult that can be at any age! With parents half way `round the globe and our Ukraine FAMILY Institute successfully beginning to cut through the darkness of Godless trends that erode and destroy the family unit, spiritual opposition is of course alive and well! And so this time we give our 3 children newsletter space.
Here is our youngest, Noel Adam (17), not exactly “roughing it” as God has provided so abundantly, flat-wise in Kiev. (About the only complaint is unpredictable hours of no water but those times are short enough that we've gotten used to it. Foresight helps.) Adam has worked hard to get grade 12, HOWEVER has had a bit of a nightmare experience with the Ontario ILC (Independent Learning Curriculum) In fact, he will not get his year unless we pray him through hurdles the next few months! The ILC computer technology never did work over here in spite of all sorts of expert attempts from the west and here locally. The snail mailed math got very delayed and strangely routed. The teachers seem inaccessible, though the ones from his old High School are there for him and he likely will get those subjects. So, the dear boy's interest in schoolwork dropped probably proportionately to his increased interest in other wonderful activities and ministry in Kiev. Is that so bad? Ron and I really don't think so. He has worked hard and given and received a lot spiritually here in Kyiv, particularly through Music Mission Kiev choir and orchestra opportunities and much teaching and fellowshipping with Church of The Holy Trinity youth. However now we need urgent attention paid to the school matter. Adam has been accepted at Redeemer College University in Ontario and really wants to go. Sooooo … please pray he finishes his Russian lessons here (which he is just now really beginning to get a handle on and enjoy), his music and other subjects, and goes “home” to Canada a month early in a last ditch effort to complete all that needs to be done to graduate. Also, pray for his continued essay writing and search for school funding.
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 Our second daughter Dawna (21: left in photo) is a still living in Ottawa, learning lots of God's faithfulness though on a rather difficult road! She's broke but fine in her house of Christian girls, where older sister Angela still lives at least for a little while longer. (See below for Ange plans) Dawna's jobs don't pay enough to make ends meet nor particularly use her God-given talents. She is getting back on the pursue-the-arts track, but there is nothing definite in the works yet other than prayer, applications, and compiling a portfolio. She's living strong and right through difficult times. I have little star in my bedroom that somehow “fell?” off her ceiling in Waterloo and into a box, which ended up here in Kyiv. It's a glow-in-the-dark star that has become a nightly Mother for daughter prayer reminder. (Not that this mother needs reminding!)
Please pray for our oldest daughter Angela (23 this month). She is settled well into a great medical job in Ottawa, yet is contemplating change. God has continued to work deeply in her heart such that tears of gratitude come to our eyes when Ron and I read her emails to us. She wants only to always be fully surrendered to God serving Him, making a kingdom difference. Medicine and missions have long been an interest of hers but the motivations now are (by her own admission) more Godly and clear. She's even keen on Kiev … with no persuasion on our part! Paramedic? Pediatrician? now or later ? are all questions she's been wrestling over. She is willing to wait to best prepare to be the best servant she can.
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Spontaneous Duplication. Inna's Letter ~ Some of our students have been converted relatively recently. Some have ministered for years, though none have received the biblical counselling such as UFI offers. I trust previous newsletters communicate much student enthusiasm to spread this teaching. We received a very encouraging email at our UFI office from INNA, a gifted student who ministers in Kharkiv. INNA reworked and presented some material from Module 1 in her ministry setting, and reported God's wonderful blessing to us, so we could share in the praise to God. Excerpts (with permission) from Inna's letter:
I want to express my thankfulness to God and to you for your prayers. God has answered them in wonderful ways. ……. The seminar was called, “Look through glasses.” It was interesting that our weekly meetings with unbelievers are called, “Clear up your glasses.” And one student made huge paper glasses (2.5 meters wide) as a symbol of our meetings with unbelievers and we had them in our office during the seminar. So the glasses were a perfect object lesson. Also I printed out handouts for those who came and made coloured paper pictures of good and bad fruit which I glued to a tree on the white board. …. All (students) were really excited about what God had spoken to their hearts through the seminar. At the end one very shy student came up to me and said, “May I hug you?” And then he said, “You can not even imagine what you have done to my life.” He did not say what it was. He just said that I would find out in heaven. He was very happy when he left .….. another saw her mistakes in working with students, and God has shown her the bitter root in her heart ……. She confessed it to God and was relieved and joyful. Many other students and staff members shared that now they understood how to help people who were entangled by sin. God answered prayers and gave me a really good case study from a student's life for our discussion. Many saw themselves in it……..I am thankful to God for the first module and the opportunity to share it with others. Everything was done by God and to Him and only Him be the glory……….
I am looking forward to the next module.
Inna
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Photos ~ This website is fairly updated, including a new slide show. Total now 2 slide shows. See link below this newsletter or above in main menu. (No worries. No huge downloads)
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Pray ~ for energy and clarity of teaching for Ron for Module Two. Pray for health for all! Between modules our staff got hit hard with the flu, as did so many in Kiev that schools were closed and orphans quarantined for weeks in their orphanages. Even now as I write, my stomach indicates perhaps I did not escape this flu season after all!?!. Pray that the students experience satisfaction and excitement again as they drink deeply from God's Word, in the power of The Holy Spirit.
Teaching our Home Church Future Leaders ~ The revised schedule has Ron teaching with Pastor Ivan April 17,24 May 1, and 8. Pray for this time. Ron has taught periodic classes within the ministry of Church of the Holy Trinity, but this could prove to be most significant, as future leaders are before him. The leadership is aware of the great beginnings of UFI and uphold the work in prayer publicly in the church. It is wonderful to be part of such an encouraging church.
War and Flying Fears ~ Yes, we are keeping up with news somewhat. (We never got English TV but internet is not too bad). Not American UFI president Mike Linville and family who will be arriving March 31st (Gordie Howe's Birthday [Mr. Hockey ~ old Ron idol] Now I'm bending the orders) nor Ron, Adam, and I who leave for a 5 week Canada visit May 23rd are worried. As Dr. D. James Kennedy used to say and maybe still does “If the plane goes down, I go up.” Same with whatever else this war may bring. Do YOU have this assurance? Truly amazing that we can. (1 John 5:13) And truly a privilege to be sharing it. We are sooooooooo happy here. Thank you all and Praise his Holy Name forever.
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“… go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name
of The Father and of The Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19,20
Serving Christ from Kyiv: Linda, Ron, & Noel Adam
From Ottawa: Angela & Dawna
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Dr. Ron Harris: rharris@iGlide.net ~ Founder of Wellspring of Life Biblical Counselling Service: wellspringoflife.com Academic Dean Ukraine Family Institute:ufi_kiev@yahoo.com , rlharris@iptelecom.net.ua
World Team Canada : NEW ADDRESS! 7575 Danbro Crescent, Mississauga, ON L5N 6P9.
(905) 821-6300; (800) 610-9788, www.world-team.org ~
International Faith Initiatives Inc. (USA) www.internationalfaith.org ~ Rev. Linville: mike@internationalfaith.org
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We send out email newsletters which differ in format from this web page and from the 8.5" X 11" snail mail format.
For information, problems / changes / deletions regarding these newsletters, please tell me, Linda: rlharris@i.kiev.ua
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(These ones work well.No bells and whistles but I chose to make them this way
to eliminate computer and time problems for you. No downoad concerns!)
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