Dear Friends,

“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.”

We can’t change the world; we can’t change the political climate; we can’t control circumstances. We are not responsible to do so, but we are called to be faithful. It is so easy to be distracted by all of the chaos in the world and to forget why we are here in the world. It is not to be comfortable or successful, but to glorify the Lord in all circumstances. The question to be answered is not how can I change the world, but how can I glorify the Lord in my circumstances right now. As the apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:9, “We make it our aim … to be well pleasing to Him.”

In the spring we spent several weeks in Europe. Along with Dr. Robby Dean we taught conferences in a variety of churches in Poland and Romania. Some of these churches have not been exposed to the categorical and exegetical type of teaching from Scripture such as we do. The response was amazingly enthusiastic. Even before we finished they were already asking us to come back. In fact, they asked if we could come back in the next month. We plan to go back, but it will have to wait until after the first of the year.

After the conferences in Romania, Phyllis and I went back to Ukraine. We faced no imminent danger in the places where we visited, but we did hear warning sirens almost every night. In many places we saw devastation as a result of the drone and missile attacks. Three-fourths of the power-generating stations in Ukraine have been destroyed by the Russians. The result is black-outs for hours every day. Walking down the street in Kyiv almost requires ear plugs because almost every business has a gasoline generator roaring in front of their building to provide lights inside.

Next week we will go all the way to French Polynesia in the South Pacific to work with missionary Mark Perkins and his wife Rene. In October we will go to the Philippines for several weeks of teaching in different places. And we already have conferences planned for four different countries in 2025. Please remember to pray for us as we travel and take the Word of God to these far-flung places.

I know this sounds like a vigorous schedule—and it is—but it is what the Lord has given us to do, so we just get up in the morning and go to work. We praise the Lord for His abundant provision that enables us. And we thank you for the huge role you play in making it possible for us to carry on. We are grateful for your prayers. We do not take that lightly, but recognize that the Lord hears and answers prayers. We also give thanks for all you who have supported us through giving. We give thanks to the Father who has so abundantly supplied our needs through you.

Please remember also to pray for Ukraine. The war is still raging there, even though it doesn’t get much coverage in our American media. Below is a list of names of men from our church and our Bible college who are serving in the military. They are fighting for their families, their homeland, their freedom.

• Maxim Goryachkin
• Yura Chugai
• Sergei Chepara
• Oleg Gatsenko
• Sasha Tymoshenko
• Ivan
• Vova Lozinski
• Vasya Andreev
• Vlad Khyzhnyak
• Sasha Kudlaev

Also, there are some stalwart pastors who are faithfully ministering under difficult circumstances. Some of them are also taking opportunities to minister to soldiers on the front lines. The chaplain corps in the Ukrainian military is almost non-existent, and there is opposition to evangelical chaplains coming from the Orthodox Church. These pastors keep on in spite of the difficulties. They are heroes in my estimation. Please keep them on your prayer list.

• Oleg Lozinski
• Sasha Petrenko
• Vasily Munko
• Viktor Munko
• Genady Sinkovka
• Andrei Chikilov
• Roman Ovcherenko

By grace alone,

Jim