Thursday, 31 March 2022 02:59

March 30, 2022 News Update

30 March 2022

Dear friends,

“The enemy has demonstrated its ‘decrease in activity’ in the Chernihiv region with strikes on Nizhyn (a town 90 km southeast of Chernihiv), including airstrikes. Chernihiv was shelled all night,” the regional governor reported.

AFP reporters also heard explosions around the Kyiv suburb of Irpin. Our pastor in Kyiv told me today that even though the Russians said that they were pulling back their troops, explosions from missles continue almost around the clock.

The good news is that our people have again been spared. Our village, although it hears sounds afar off, has not had enemy activity for a couple of days.

Do not cease in your prayers for Ukraine, for protection, for provision, for the furtherance of the gospel, for the witness of the saints to those who are fearful.

Psalm 62:5–12,
5 My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved.
7 In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God.
8 Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
9 Surely men of low degree are a vapor, Men of high degree are a lie; If they are weighed on the scales, They are altogether lighter than vapor.
10 Do not trust in oppression, Nor vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase, Do not set your heart on them.
11 God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God.
12 Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; For You render to each one according to his work.


Here is a short video that is instructive.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=334907762030028

How much we appreciate all you who are standing with us and our loved ones in Ukraine and those who have been driven from their homes.

Only by grace,

Jim

Tuesday, 29 March 2022 03:29

March 28, 2022 News Update

28 March 2022

Dear Friends,

I cannot thank you enough for your prayers for Ukraine and our loved ones there. We also give thanks to our heavenly Father who is supplying abundant grace through you to help with relief of people suffering the ravages of the war. Your gifts are causing much praise to the Lord from our Ukrainian friends. One hundred percent of donations will be used for this ministry; there are no “administrative fees” being taken out.

Russian navy, air, and ground forces continued to launch missiles and rockets at both cilivian and military targets over the weekend. These targets are located all over the country, from the far east to cities in the west, from Kyiv in the north to cities on the Black Sea. We received a report of large explosions in the southern part of Kyiv. It is now forbidden for civilians or journalists to give details about strikes or to post photos or videos of attacks because the enemy can use this information for their own purposes. The good news today is that all of our people are safe. We are not consumed because of the Lord’s mercies. Praise Him!

Our church met online yesterday. What amazing fellowship, love, and compassion for one another. And what praise to our sovereign Lord who rules over all. There is no complaining or whining or self pity. It is marvelous to behold.

I received a note from Denis, our student who fled to Poland with his wife and son. His orientation is not toward personal comfort, but toward the Lord. My heart was made glad by his news:

Mr. Myers, hello. Today we were in church. We have rented an apartment next to it, and after the service we stayed for fellowship. We took an unbelieving woman from Kyiv with us and I was able to tell her the gospel. She is very interested. We also gave her the Gospel of John to read. We will take her every Sunday with us to church. Her mother is disabled, and she was able to bring her here. Pray that God will work in her heart.

Thank you for teaching us how to give the gospel so it is understandable. We plan to go with the church to refugee centers to help them and to give the gospel. Pray about it.

We are able to do this because we know Russian and can help the [Polish speaking] church here. We are very glad that God allows us to serve here. That's why we went to college. Thanks to you. Thanks to God!

So Putin meant it for evil, but God meant it for good (Genesis 50:20), for now the gospel is being spread not only in Ukraine but in at least five other countries where our “missionaries” have been scattered by the war. The Word of God is not bound.

Psalm 128:6-9, “Blessed be the LORD, Because He has heard the voice of my supplications! 7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him. 8 The LORD is their strength, And He is the saving refuge of His anointed. 9 Save Your people, And bless Your inheritance; Shepherd them also, And bear them up forever.”

By His grace,

Jim

Sunday, 27 March 2022 03:59

Loving the Battle: Extraction from Kyiv

Jim has given permission for the presentation he made with Robby Dean about their adventure getting out of Ukraine to be hosted on this website.

This was presented on Wednesday, March 9, 2022 at the 2022 Chafer Pastors' Conference - about a week after they returned to the USA from Ukraine.

What an adventure! And, what wonderful promises our gracious God has given us so that we can “Love the Battle.”

 

Sunday, 27 March 2022 03:47

March 26, 2022 News Update

26 March 2022

To my fellow soldiers in the spiritual battle:

Stand firm. Be alert. Continue earnestly in prayer. Your role as prayer warriors is vital. As you pray without ceasing you are functioning as a priest, representing others before our heavenly Father. This is a privilege and an obligation. Remember how on the night before the cross when Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane He asked Peter, James, and John to pray with Him? He desired that they spend time in intercessory prayer for Him. We have loved ones in dire circumstances, and how much they need our intercession. Prayer can be very hard work. Will you not labor with me this day on behalf of our loved ones in Ukraine?

I talked with a man today who is involved in helping Americans to get out of Ukraine and who is trying to get needed things into Ukraine. He reports that there is a lot of donated material on the borders of Ukraine, but not very much is actually getting in. What a shame that bureaucracy and politics would hinder the distribution of food, blankets, clothing, and medical supplies to people who need them desperately.

The reports we see on the news is very confusing. On the one hand they speak of the Russian offensive being stalled, and yet the bombs and missiles continue to fall in many cities. The news channels tell us that the Russians are focused on cities in the east and the south, and yet there was increased bombing of Lviv in far western Ukraine. A message I received was that they heard bomb blasts all day long in Kyiv. Let us not grow weary in our prayers.

3 John 1:4, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”

I truly understand what John meant when he penned these words. As I hear from our people from our church in Ukraine, I am overjoyed at their display of faith in the face of disaster. Here is a letter from a great saint of God, a sister in the faith:

Jim, thank you for the lesson yesterday [taught online].
I wanted to encourage you that all that work of teaching for years in our church and college was really effective. I talk to the people of our church and they really have peace in their hearts regardless of what is going on in their lives. I noticed they quote scripture to me, they remember lots of your sermons, they see God acting in their lives and trust Him strongly. Lucia told me that now she understands what you meant when you said we should use this time of freedom to serve the Lord because if we don't, God can take it from us. I can say God prepared us very well through you for this time of distress. May God bless you and give you many more years to continue to teach and to build up this church in free Ukraine.

Knowing the Word of God, believing it, and acting on it is the key to joy, confidence, and tranquility of soul, no matter what.

Proverbs 6:22, “When you roam, they will lead you; When you sleep, they will keep you; And when you awake, they will speak with you.”

Thank you for your prayers, your notes of encouragement, your support. You have had a great ministry to us and to those in Ukraine.

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Jim

Saturday, 26 March 2022 05:42

March 25, 2022 News Update

25 March 2022

Dear Friends,

We are so thankful for all you who draw near the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. The Father has indeed been hearing your prayers, your intercessions, and your praises.

Apparently the enemy is being pushed back in several places in Ukraine, which is very good news. But the war continues. The missiles continue to be sent against buildings housing civilians: apartment buildings, hospitals, schools, theaters and others places where there might be people taking shelter in basements or bomb shelters. It is evident that these are deliberate targets and not inadvertent accidents.

According to one source who has contact with the military Russia is expected to send paratroopers into Kyiv, special forces units, with the intent of taking out communications and other things vital for the defense of the city. Many Russian saboteurs have been caught, but probably not all. Thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been taken captive and are being deported to Russia. I don’t know why. Perhaps they will be used in prisoner exchanges; perhaps they will be forced to work for Russia against Ukraine; perhaps they will just become slaves. Many of these are children. Horrible!

The high power lines that run through our village have been taken out, so now they have no electricity or internet. In some cities they have been without electricity, water, gas or heat. In some instances they have also run out of food. This is a desperate situation.

But our people are standing strong in faith. What a testimony to the grace of God and the power of His Word. So many have expressed their gratitude for having grown in their spiritual understanding, which enables them to face this crisis with peace and confidence.

I was able to teach an online Bible class with them today. What a joy! I was able to see faces and hear familiar voices. I will include a screenshot of the more than 40 people who opened the Word of God together today.

Psalm 27:13, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. 14 Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!”

Jim

 WoG Church Meeting 3 25 22

Thursday, 24 March 2022 01:46

March 23, 2022 News Update

23 March 2022

Dear Stalwarts in the Spiritual Fray,

I received a text about an immediate prayer alert. Vova is on patrol in the area of our village. He sends a short message to his wife. Pray. Danger. His wife, Natalie begins to hear gunfire not far from the house. A half hour later I received another text. All are safe, but the enemy has escaped. The danger is ubiquitous, the danger is imminent.

Someone sent me the following poem. I am sorry that I don’t know the poet or I would acknowledge him.

Pray for Ukraine

I woke up warm and safe in my bed
While someone else heard bombs overhead.

I jumped into a nice hot shower
While someone else has lost all power.

I hugged my family, we were altogether,
While others said good-bye, perhaps forever.

While I fear the money I will spend,
Others fear losing the country they defend.

In the time it took me to write this post
Many have lost the things they love most.

So when I bitch and want to complain,
I will stop myself and pray for Ukraine.

We are thankful to each of you standing with us in prayer. As we receive news we will keep you informed.

Only by grace,

Jim

Tuesday, 22 March 2022 22:52

March 22, 2022 News Update

22 March 2022

Dear Friends,

I was able to teach a Bible class for the church from Kyiv. Of course, most of them are no longer at home. Many are in western Ukraine, but others are in other countries – we had people in the Bible study from five different countries. It was a time of joy as we prayed together and praised God for His mercy and abundant grace. What an incredible testimony of how the Word of God can sustain the believer in the midst of great pressure. As the apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
8 We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--
10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

Below is the text I just received from Denis Shamrov, the student I told you about in a previous letter. He and his wife and son are now in Poland. His nationality is Belarusian, but he doesn’t want to return there for fear that he would be conscripted and forced to fight against Ukraine. So he is seeking to be granted official status by the Polish government to be able to stay there and work there.

Mr. Jim, we thank you for your financial help. This will help us now while we are not working. We are very grateful to you. We have good news - Paul Miles helped us find a biblical church here. The pastor of the church knows Russian and studied in Kyiv at the Bible Institute. He understands the gospel very well. We are now praying that we will have the opportunity to minister to unbelieving refugees from Ukraine. The pastor wants to receive them whenever possible. We can help them in this ministry as we know Ukrainian and Russian. Pray for our opportunity to serve.

Thank you for teaching us the pure gospel, free and unconditional. It changed me a lot. If not for college, I would have gone in a different direction. but you showed me what the scripture says about salvation. I am grateful to you for this. I saw the truly great grace of God.

Thank you very much for your concern. Now our greatest need is for the Lord to help us serve here. Pray that we can obtain documents and be able to work in the church and for people so they can continue to study His word and come to know God. Both I and my wife want to devote our whole lives to serving Christ. Pray that we have this opportunity. Thank you. We love you and look forward to seeing you in the future.

So we see that the Word of God is not bound. Even though driven from their homes, we now have Ukrainian missionaries in several countries in Europe. They have been equipped for the work of the ministry and are serving the Lord where they are. What a blessing to see this in action!

The suffering of being displaced and losing almost all material things, and the grief of families being separated is great. Please pray for these wonderful saints of God, that they will be sustained by His grace and mercy, that they might have that perfect peace that comes from having a mind focused on the Lord (Isaiah 26:3-4).

Pray for the peace of Ukraine,

Jim

Tuesday, 22 March 2022 02:07

March 21, 2022 News Update

21 March 2022

Dear Friends,

The war continues. It may seem far from America, but how it grieves me to see videos of the destruction of places I know very well, places where I have stood. Just this morning I was talking with Oleg when he said suddenly, “I have to go, the air raid sirens have started.” Earlier in the conversation he said that there were no places that can be considered safe because the Russians may target any building, be it a hospital, a church, a residence.

There seems to be s little bit of a lull in the Russian offensive around Kyiv right now. We don’t know why: supply problems? tactical problems? But we are sure that the heavy offense will begin again soon.

One of the couples from our church are part of the territorial guard or militia for their village. The Ukrainians are taking advantage of the lull to train these volunteers. She wrote that she and her husband were involved in training yesterday with amachine gun and grenade launcher. He he did great with both weapons. Her hands were too weak to handle the grenade launcher, but she did fine with the machine gun.

Learning to use a weapon when there is no live person in front of you is one thing, but having to use it in the life and death horror of combat is another. Can you imagine your wife training to mow down the enemy with a machine gun? The stark reality is that the enemy may soon be in their own front yard. When I think of who she was and what her life was like a little over a month ago, there has been such an incredible transition. War rapidly and radically changes everything. But it is do or die; fight or become a slave. I am so proud of the courage they are demonstrating — courage that stems from their relationship with God and His Word.

This woman has a sister who had been living in Mariupol, a city in southern Ukraine which has endured horrible bombing over the past few weeks. Almost 90% of it buildings have been destroyed. Her sister has been “relocated” to Russia by Russian soldiers, her passport confiscated, and she was told that she had to stay there for the next three years. She also reported that more than 2,000 children have been taken from Mariupol by the Russians, snatched from their parents. What will become of them?

I just heard from an American friend, a missionary who has been working in Russia for the past 25 years. He and I worked together in Belarus for 3 years when I first went to the mission field. Please pray for Steve and his wife, Natalie. Because of sanctions against Russia, he cannot use credit or debit cards, he cannot receive money from any bank, and the ruble has no value. He can’t leave, either, because he must care for her aged parents who cannot travel.

I am blessed that so many of you have written of your unflagging prayers for Ukraine and our people there. Please, labor intensely in intercession.

Because of the multitude of tender mercies,

Jim

Monday, 21 March 2022 01:49

March 20, 2022 News Update

20 March 2022

The word from Kyiv this morning is that all of our people have once again been spared by the tender mercies of the Lord. Word of God Church met online. Most of our congregation was able to join, along with numerous visitors. What a blessing that they still have access to the internet! Pray that the Lord will keep this connection intact.

The wanton destruction, especially in southern Ukraine and around Kyiv continues unabated. I pray that God will bring a swift end to this horrible war, that He will drive out the enemy, that He will give victory to those whose homeland has been invaded without cause. Please stand with us in prayer.

Luda, a single woman, one of our ladies from Kiev, a warrior for Christ, a heroine of the faith in my estimation, posted photos of the shelter being provided by a church in a village close to Lviv. It is just space on the floor for sleeping, often with people you do not know, but who are in the same situation with you: homeless, alone, without any material things left in the world.

Luda Shelter

Putting the shelter in place.

 

She writes:

How much does it hurt!? How can I handle it all, Lord?

A grandmother who was left alone without a home, and even without her city because Volnovakh doesn't exist anymore.

A boy student who saw how Russians shoot their own because they want to go home. "You have a bullet to one end!” are the words of the shooter. “They are murderers, they were sent to us to die, they don't need their homeland.”

And who are we? We can only make a drop in this sea of suffering: to listen, to give shelter in a warm place, to warm your arms, to pray. They left us with these words: "We will stop in on you on the way back, very soon, after victory."

I pray to God not to despair of this pain and not to become indifferent. Suffering together with my people and rejoicing in our victories. Just a little longer, let's hold on!


We are supporting Luda and others who are providing shelter for as many as they can. The numbers are staggering. Millions have been displaced, fleeing for their lives because of the destruction that rains down on their cities, on their homes. We pray that God will bring people to her who will be open to the gospel. She is a wonderful evangelist. We pray that she will be able to offer comfort from the Word of God to those believers whose faith needs bolstering.

We have others around Ukraine who are ministering in this same way. Not only that, but we also have our people ministering the Word in at least 5 other countries, having been scattered there by the winds of war. May the seeds of the gospel find much fertile soil in all these places.

Psalm 37:37–40
37 Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace. 38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the wicked shall be cut off. 39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in the time of trouble. 40 And the LORD shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him.

Jim

Saturday, 19 March 2022 06:09

March 18, 2022 News Update

18 March 2022

Dear Friends,

Psalm 4:8 I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

The war is in its fourth week with no end in sight, although there are reports that the Russian supply lines are not doing well in getting ammunition, food, and other supplies to its troops. The Ukrainians continue to hold their ground and inflict considerable damage on the enemy. However, Putin still has many ways to increase the pain and suffering on Ukraine. I pray that the Lord will soon put an end to this conflict. He may have other plans, but we are told to pray for what we desire.

I received a letter from a pastor today, who wrote: "Please pray for Larisa Chaplaeva’s brother and his family. They live in a village in the Kherson region. This territory is now controlled by enemies. There is a very terrible situation, the Russians are killing civilians, women and children ... Larisa's brother and his family will try to escape from this village. I don't know how they can do it ... We trust in God's help.”

I spoke with Larisa today. She said that the Russian soldiers would enter a village and first would confiscate the cell phones of any people they might encounter. Then they would just shoot them, no matter who they were. She said also that they would open the doors to houses, throw in a grenade and just walk away. This certainly has nothing to do with conquering the country; it is just evil.

Pray for Thomas Stevens, an American Christian who is still in Kyiv. He is concerned that his residence permit expires in a couple of weeks. The government has extended all deadlines, so this shouldn’t be a problem for him. I don’t know this man, personally, but he found us and has not missed a Bible class in the past two months.

I have been able to wire money to several of our people, some of whom are still in Ukraine and others who are in Poland. They are without jobs, hence, without income. They must find shelter in refugee camps or with kind people who have opened their homes. They need food, medicine and other things. Thanks to you who have given for their support. God’s grace is exhibited through you.

We are still able to communicate through the Internet. I am grateful that this technology is still open to us. We continue with our prayer meetings and Bible studies. What a blessing this is. May the Word of God be an anchor in the soul of these believers.

Continue earnestly in prayer,

Jim

 

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