May 1, 2018

Dear Friends,

Fast and furious! That sums up the first four months of 2018 for us, and there is more to come in May. Teaching at Word of God Bible College in January and February, then a month of almost non-stop teaching in Brazil and two weeks in Zambia has filled our calendar – not to mention the hours of prep time and travel. In Brazil I spoke in nine different cities, usually two hours a day, but sometimes four and even eight hours in a day!

Conference at Camp Betel, Sousas, Brazil

After returning from Brazil I went to Lviv in western Ukraine for a two-day conference with Mark Musser where I spoke about the biblical roots of the holocaust.
 
A week later I headed to Zambia from April 7-23 for two weeks of teaching in Livingstone, Lusaka, and the village of Chipembi. Typically, the conferences there are six hours a day. We packed a lot of teaching into our time in these three places.

Recently discharged Army Ranger Captain, Tyler Beck, joined me there and did some of the teaching. He is a young man with a heart for missions who wanted to get a first-hand look at a mission field. It thrills me that there are Americans in the generation of young adults who are doctrinally oriented who want to serve the Lord. After returning to his home in Houston he wrote:

Having never personally observed missionary work, I am very grateful for the opportunity to watch, listen, and participate. Especially relieving to me was the confirmation that many missionaries and pastor-teachers stay mission focused, not allowing themselves to be distracted by the worldly needs of their audiences or themselves. I was thrilled to see the 100% focus of you and your fellow soldiers on the accurate communication and clarification of Biblical truths, rather than focusing on changing Zambians’ worldly circumstances. We know that wherever there is yearning to understand the Mind of Christ, there will be sound Bible teaching. The Lord is utilizing your sacrifice to build up the faith of many Zambians. I distinctly observed this while meeting many of their church leaders and witnessing the eagerness of the renewal of their thinking with regards to some specific issues…. I could tell, by their frequent applause in some cases, that they were very ready to finally hear sound teaching on those issues.

Teaching in Lusaka, Zambia

Back in Ukraine I will teach a two-week course at the Bible College and then an all-day conference at Word of God Church. Then we will wrap up the school year and head to the States for our summer ministries. Phyllis has been working hard to coordinate all of our travels and speaking engagements.

Mark Musser, board member for JFM Ministries since its inception, has been doing a lot of work here recently. Mark worked with us in Belarus for a year and then was with us for six years in Kiev. After planting and pastoring a church in Olympia, WA for 10 years, he and Caren and their son Paul will be moving to Yerevan, Armenia at the end of summer. Caren will be teaching at an international school and Mark is hoping to establish a beach head for ministry there. Also, because of its proximity to Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia, he will be able to work even more closely with our ministry.

He finished two weeks of teaching at the Bible College here in Kiev and then went to Belarus to minister to the church we there many years ago. If that were not enough, he also led a Discipleship Makers conference in a town not far from Kiev and headed up a two-day conference in Lviv, Ukraine. His wife and daughter joined him here and taught women’s conferences. Amazing family!

We are so grateful for your prayers and your support. We are privileged to serve the Lord in these different areas where we have opportunities to teach the Word of God. But we know that we are merely part of a much larger team, and we could not do this without you. Thank you.

Finally, I will share an urgent prayer request.  Please read the following article and remember to pray for Ukraine. https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12228/ukraine-russia-invasion

By grace alone,

Jim