13 May 2022

Dear Friends,

We have been in Yerevan, Armenia for the past two weeks. I have been teaching a course for the International Baptist Bible College, founded by Dr. Ron Minton. The topic was Man, Sin, and Salvation. One of my favorite courses to teach is soteriology with all of the doctrines associated with the gospel, including redemption, imputation, justification, regeneration, reconciliation, sanctification, faith, security, and assurance. It is exciting to watch as people learn these truths and see how they are all related to the grace of God, brought to us through the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross for all sins. Shackles were broken as they learned the gospel of grace, which excludes all human works such as feeling sorry for sins, praying a sinner’s prayer, inviting Christ into the heart, or giving the life to Christ.

While we have been in Yerevan, there have been daily demonstrations with thousands of people protesting current policies of the government and calling for the resignation of their prime minister. This has to do with an old conflict with Azerbaijan and ownership of territory. And so it goes. There is no peace in this Christ-rejecting world. Man by man’s efforts cannot solve man’s problems because of the ever-present sin nature which keeps on seeking to gratify its lust for power, material wealth, status, etc. It is so liberating to learn the secret to contentment as the Apostle Paul expressed in Philippians 4:11–13, 19:

11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me ….19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

This same attitude is being expressed by our people in Ukraine, people who have been driven from their homes, having left their worldly possessions behind. They have exhibited great faith as they cast their burdens on the Lord and know that He has promised to never leave nor forsake them, but will provide their needs. The Lord has been so merciful in keeping all of our loved ones safe. Not one has been killed or injured, including our men in the military — Vova, Ivan, Eddick, Yuri, and Anatoly.

Others from the church who have been scattered to western Ukraine or other countries where they have refuge are finding ample opportunities for ministry among the millions of refugees from Ukraine. They are giving the gospel, encouraging the weak, teaching, and praying. Indeed, they are redeeming the time.

It appears that the war in Ukraine is not headline news in America any longer, having been superseded by politics and economic problems. But the conflict continues, and the future of the nation of Ukraine is in jeopardy. Please continue to pray for a quick conclusion with withdrawal of the enemy and victory for Ukraine that they may have peace. Pray for continued protection and provision for our people who are still in Ukraine, who are continuing to minister in churches, shining as lights in the midst of darkness.

Thank you for standing with us and our loved ones in Ukraine. We are so grateful for your support, your encouragement, your prayers.

Jim

28 April 2022

Dear Friends,

The war continues. Even though the media coverage in America has diminished in recent days, the fighting has not. Please do not diminish your prayers. Reports are that the Russians have taken thousands of civilians as prisoners, perhaps to use for prisoner exchanges or for propaganda displays on May 9. Also, thousands of children have been taken to Russia, being separated from their families. The purpose behind this has yet to be realized.

The good news is that many people are hearing the gospel. Our church members and our college graduates are faithful in ministry. Below is a photo of a Bible study being led by Kostya Grinyuk, [bottom right] who along with his wife Katya graduated from the college a couple of years ago.

Working with them are Sasha and Ira Kudlayev, also Bible college graduates. Please put these couples on your prayer list. They live in a town just south of Kyiv.

Kostya Grinyuk (far right) leading a Bible Study

We hear accounts of prayer meetings and Bible studies in other countries also where our people have gone. Dennis Shamrov and his wife Albina have been able to get documents which allow them to live and work in Poland. A large number of Ukrainians have come to the church where they have been attending. Since these refugees don’t speak Polish, they need someone who can speak their language. So the pastor of the church has asked Dennis to teach them. The Word of God is available to those who want to hear. God has supplied a man who is a very capable Bible teacher.

Igor Smolyar, a college graduate who pastors in Zhitomir, has been involved in ministering to people who have been bombed out of their homes. He went to the front lines last weekend to preach the gospel to the military and others in the war zone. He found audiences who are ready and willing to listen to a message of eternal life. Pray that many will come to faith in Christ. The enemy means to use this war for evil, but God can take all things and make them work together for good.

I have received a number of letters from people who are concerned about things they have read on the internet that Ukraine is rife with corruption and anti-Semitism. Their reaction is that America should have nothing to do with Ukraine. Is there corruption? Of course, just as there is in America. But the Ukrainians don’t want corruption, and they certainly are not fighting to preserve it. They have been attacked and invaded without provocation. They deserve our prayers and our support. Of the many European countries I have been in, Ukraine is the most open to the gospel. We have been seeing great advances in biblical Christianity throughout Ukraine.

The question about anti-Semitism is serious. I have lived in Ukraine for 26 years. I have taught in Messianic Jewish churches, I have visited numerous Jewish organizations and have met their leaders. They will tell you that Ukraine as a nation is not anti-Semitic. One of our Bible college graduates taught Hebrew to Ukrainian Jews at a Jewish community center in Kyiv for several years. She just recently said that there is no policy of anti-Semitism in Ukraine, nor is there any policy of toleration for anti-Semitic acts. In fact, there are laws that forbid anti-Semitism.

Here is an excerpt from a recent article that addresses the issue:
KIEV — A leading Ukrainian rabbi said on Wednesday he saw no sign of hostility toward Jews from nationalists but was cautious on whether there could be a rise in anti-Semitic threats.

Russia brands some groups that helped to oust President Viktor Yanukovych as neo-Nazis, highlighting their admiration for Ukrainians who fought against the Red Army in World War II as one of the reasons for Moscow's takeover of the majority Russian-speaking Crimea.

But Moshe Reuven Azman, a senior rabbi in the capital Kiev, told a news conference he was not aware of new anti-Semitic acts since Yanukovych's fall [in 2014] and had not heard anti-Jewish statements from leaders of far-right parties. He cautioned against speculation on the issue being "exploited" for political ends. "There's no big, general Ukrainian problem," Azman said.

One pastor recently wrote and said:

The Ukrainian people are not fighting to maintain corruption or to fulfill the ambitions of the World Economic Forum, they are fighting for their liberty, their homes, their families, their land, their livelihood. All of this other stuff [anti-Semitism, etc.] is just clutter and irrelevant to the main issue.

Phyllis and I are leaving today (Apr 29) for Armenia where I will be teaching a Bible college course on “Man, Sin and Salvation.” Please remember to pray for us as we travel and seek to minister the Word in the city of Yerevan.

We are grateful for all the support we have received to help the Ukrainian people. We are distributing funds, clothing and other items to our people in Ukraine and in the other countries where they have become refugees. Thank you.

All by grace,

Jim

20 April 2022

Dear Friends,

Below is a letter from Vasily Munko (nickname Vasya). He was one of the first graduates of our Bible College in Kyiv and has been a pastor in Lviv for more than 15 years. He is a faithful servant of the Lord and a very capable Bible teacher. He has been working tirelessly since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, housing 8 refugees in his home on a permanent basis, putting up a couple dozen people at the church every night, feeding them and providing transportation to the border. He is one of several people who we are supporting financially who are using that to provide support for the refugees.

Hello Mr Myers. Thank you very much for your prayers and financial support.

Yes, our enemy has resumed missile attacks on Lviv. Unfortunately, eight people died as a result of this. We are all right, thank God for that. We continue to serve the refugees as before. But besides this, I help financially different refugee families in different places in Ukraine.

I have attached some photos to the letter. In photo 1, the family of Sergei and Oksana who were forced to leave Kyiv. In the photo is Oksana, their youngest son Sasha and their daughter Ira. Sergei and their eldest son Andrei remained in Kyiv. They fought for the city in the ranks of the army, and now they are fighting for our country. Pray for this family, Oksana is a believer, but the rest have not yet been reconciled with the Lord

Photo 1: The family of Sergei and Oksana

In photo 2, the family of Yura and Lena and Lena's mother, Galya. This is a believing family that was also forced to leave Kyiv. Yura once worked in an orphanage. There he and his wife adopted two children. Because of the war, Lena and Yura were left without work.

Photo 2: The family of Yura and Lena and Lena's mother, Galya

In photo 3, Vitali, Olya and their daughter Vitalina. I met this family in the Kherson region in September 2019 when we held a seminar on the letter to the Galatians. In 2014, they were forced to flee the Donetsk region, when Russian troops invaded. They started a new life in the Kherson region, but now they were forced to flee again. And for the second time they were left with nothing. Vitalik himself wrote to me and asked for help....

Unfortunately, not everyone managed to escape from the occupied Kherson regions and some Christians who attended our seminar became hostages of enemy forces. They especially need our prayers.

Here is the message received from them: “We have worse than hell here, Bucha, Irpin, Mariupol are all the same here as Russians purposefully destroy the population. Almost 20 shells flew into our homes, but we miraculously survived. It is impossible to leave, the light and gas have been turned off for more than a month. No food. There is no medicine. No connection. There is no hope of deliverance. The village is under continuous shelling. There are no places left for people to hide from the shelling.”

Please pray for these people and for pastor Sasha, who is with them in these difficult times ....

Photo 3: Vitali, Olya and their daughter Vitalina

In photo 4 is Maryana. This is a woman from our church. She is a journalist who has been constantly helping our soldiers since 2014. Now, because of the war, she has lost her job, and there is no one to help her except us. She lives alone. She is going through the war with great difficulty as she has already lost several of her military friends from Lviv. They gave their lives to protect us.

From Vasya

Photo 4: Maryana

The war is fierce and devastating, and in some places the situation is desperate for those under attack as they have little hope of surviving. Yet we know that God has a plan for each one, and He is able to do that which is beyond our ability to even imagine.

Please pray for victory in Ukraine, that God will deliver them from the enemy, and that peace may come to that land once again.

By grace alone,

Jim

18 April 2022

Dear Friends,

The war in Ukraine has gone on for almost 8 weeks. Russian attacks in the north around Kyiv were repelled, but with much destruction and many deaths. When the Russian troops withdrew, there was a great reduction in the number of missiles and artillery being shot into that area. There were some strikes in the city of Kyiv over the weekend. We praise God that again our people have been spared.

On Easter Sunday Russian missiles targeted the city of Lviv in western Ukraine. This city has been relatively safe, and several million people have gone there, either to find a place to live or as the port city into Poland. The Russians would like to see that city destroyed because it is a major conduit for supplies from the west to enter Ukraine. As of now the most Russia can do is to bomb the city because they don’t have troops in that region to attack it. Many of our people are in Lviv and its environs. Please be in prayer for Vasily Munko, pastor of Grace Bible Church and Misha Grishenko, pastor of Greater Grace Church in Lviv. Luda Ugrimova is in a nearby town. These are heroes of faith, in my opinion, for their ministry among the refugees.

We just received a text from Ukraine saying they think that the war in the Donbas region is about to be a full-scale invasion. The big city of Kharkiv has been under constant bombardment since the beginning, but apparently the attacks are about to intensify. There are several cities in that area where I have taught in the past. Pray for the believers there that the biblical truths they learned will sustain them, that their faith will be a great testimony to the grace of God, and that they will redeem the time by spreading the gospel.

Word of God Church met on Resurrection Day for worship and praise to Almighty God who raised His Son from the dead in a powerful acclamation that He has accepted the work of Christ on the cross as the payment for all sins. What a great God! What a wonderful savior!

Pray also for Sasha Petrenko and his wife Ira who live in the Chernigiv area. This city was also devastated by missiles and Russian troops. Sasha sent some photos. What do you do if your church building is destroyed? Preach in the open air.

Sasha and Ira ministering to the troops, providing food and clothing along with spiritual food:

Sasha providing some essentials to a man who has lost everything.

We are so grateful for all of you who are supporting our ministry. Thank you for your prayers and notes of encouragement.

All by grace,

Jim