Pews to go!

This week MPI loaded a container to ship to Christian Hope Church in Kiev, Ukraine. It has a lot of the usual things MPI ships - hand made quilts, afghans, mittens, hats, scarfs, etc. along with purchased items. It also has 4 hospital beds, a number of wheelchairs and walkers and an almost new dental chair (see the Nov 27 post for that story!).

But half of the container is made up of church pews. Bethel Temple in Tillsonburg, ON was looking to refresh their sanctuary and prepare for a new building by replacing their pews with chairs. Wayde discovered that they were attempting to find another church to take them, but I guess most churches prefer chairs these days. Although the pews are something like 70 years old, they were in very good shape - too good to dismantle for their solid oak. So, Wayde proposed to the church that they donate the pews overseas and that is what they did. They made it a church project, so that, in addition to raising the funds for the new chairs, they donated part of the cost of shipping the container and a number of the men showed up Monday morning to carry the pews out and load the container. Once the pews were on, the container was moved to the MPI warehouse in London, where a new volunteer crew finished loading it.

This was a fun project because it illustrates what MPI is all about - partnerships. Bethel Temple wins by having their pews, not only out of their building but going to a worthy place. MPI wins because we have established a new partnership and have another container of aid on its way to the former Soviet Union. The recipients, Christian Hope Church of course wins in receiving pews for the building they are renovating as well as all the other aid in the container.

That is what missions is about: working together for God's glory.

This week's prayer requests

It's container time again! The container we sent in November has been delayed at the port in Ukraine over paperwork from the consignee (ie. the church that is receiving it). Please pray for a quick resolution, as each day of delay costs an escalating amount of money.

• We are also sending a container to Kiev this week, so pray for its speedy journey.
• Wayde and Doug are heading to MissionFest Manitoba this weekend. Pray for safe journeys and that they connect with people.

Camping Anyone?

MPI helps to support a Christian camping ministry in Minsk, Belarus. Last year, Andrei Shaitar, chairman of Together Camping Ministry executive committee was in Canada for a month, during which time we raised money to purchase a bus for the ministry. You can see pictures of his trip under the Pictures link on our home page. For the third year, MPI has provided a financial subsidy to send the camp team to a leadership seminar in St. Petersburg, Russia by Christian Camping International. This provides inspiration, training, networking and friendship. This year's seminar is taking place now. Here are some comments from last year's participants:

On behalf of all members of our team I want to say big thank you for your financial support to go to the Christian Camping conference to St. Petersburg. We divided all money between 6 team members who went to the conference. Everyone was very blessed and happy to have such opportunity to go to the conference.

The Conference program was designed for Christian Camp Directors, Camp Program Leaders, Spiritual Counselors and Camp Speakers. There were pastors and youth leaders of churches running camps or willing to become familiar with this ministry. We’ve met many new people who do the same work as we do. We got new contacts and new ideas. Now we know many people from different places personally and it makes much easier to organize camps in different places.

Such conferences help you to look at yourself from different perspective. It helps you to think unusual, extraordinary. It helps to picture yourself in different situations and to look on situations that had happened in your camp from different point of view. I was very blessed by sharing our experience and learning people’s experience. I believe it will help us to avoid some mistakes in the future.

- Andrei Shaitar, Committee Chairman

Thank you very much for your support. For me the fact that you care about us, that you are not indifferent to our situation is a great encouragement already. You are great people of faith and for me it is a privilege to know you. During the conference I got invaluable experience and knowledge and if we apply even half of it, our camps will be much more effective. Please pray for us that we can carry out our own seminars and we are waiting for you to come and visit us this spring.

- Igor Biskupski, Building Committee Chairman

Hallo, My name is Galina. Thank you very much for your support. Every day at this conference was very special for me. I received many answers to my questions. I’ve extended my knowledge and gained new experience. I’ve never dreamt to go to such a significant conference and it was a great blessing for me. I’ve understood how I can be more effective in our camps. I don’t know you personally, but from what Andrei says, you are very kind people with a big heart wanting to help others. I praise God for you and send my big hug to all you.
- Galina Lukaschuk, Team Member

MPI is the camping ministry's only external support. Pray for the team as they attend this year's seminar.

This week's prayer requests

Tomorrow, January 23 is MPI's annual day of prayer and fasting. We appreciate all those who pray for us daily. It is a humbling experience to know that people care enough to pray! The 2008 Prayer Book is just being released. If you would like one, call Marilyn, 1-877-551-5525 or email mpiinfo@missionpartners.org. We also send out daily prayer reminders. If you would like to receive these, please send an email to Wayde at aid@missionpartners.org.

Here is the basic list of items to pray for:

• MPI's Overseas Partners - Christian Hope Church (Pastor Valery), Children's Hope Orphanage, New Life Drug Rehab Centre (Sergei), Sasha & the Prison Ministry, Kiev Mercy Ministry (Dr. Irene), Krygyzstan Mercy Ministry (Andrades), Together Camping Ministry in Minsk (Andrei Shaitar), Evangelist Paul Sobol, Tanya & Home based orphanage association in Dneperpetrovsk.
• MPI's Canadian staff - Ron & Heather, Marilyn, Wayde, Doug & MPI's Board for direction.
• Ron's health
• Andrei Shander (MPI overseas coordinator) and his family in Kiev
• MPI volunteers (we couldn't be as effective without them)
• MPI Teams - to Kiev, Crimea, St. Petersburg, and travel - both overseas and domestic
• Fund-raising - that God would supply MPI's needs to meet all its obligations
• Humanitarian Aid & Shipping - especially funds to ship and that each piece of aid would get to just the right person who needs it.

Thanks for praying!

From Here to There

If you know anything about MPI, you know that a big part of what we do is humanitarian aid. Some of the aid is purchased, often at steep discounts, and much of it is handmade, such as quilts, mittens, hats, sweaters, lap blankets, baby clothes, etc. We carry as much over with us in luggage as we can and we give some to others to carry over, too. We ship a lot of it in containers. We shipped a container in early November last year and we will be shipping another in early February 2008. Containers are a cost effective way to ship. For example, the last container had 400 boxes with aid valued at almost $250,000. It cost just about $8000 to ship. But, there are a couple of drawbacks in using containers. First, we must gather up a whole load, which means aid must sit for some time waiting to be shipped, which is not what our donors want. Second, we must gather up a fairly large sum all at once to pay the shipping bill.

So, now we have another option that breaks the problem into manageable pieces. We can mail a 30kg box of donated items to an address overseas for about $100. The average box's contents range in value of $1500 - 2000. That is enough to bless several families, if not most of a whole church! We already have the aid, most of it handmade from the heart and seasoned with prayer. We know who needs the aid, through our overseas partners. We need one more piece of the puzzle - someone with $100 to put the two together. Its a great deal. See our giving page at CanadaHelps.org to make your online donation or email or call the office for more information.

Thanks!

Letters from prison

MPI works with a prison outreach ministry in Ukraine. The director, Sasha, himself was in prison for over 22 years before God changed his heart. Now he and his wife, Tanya, minister in 11 prisons. Each prison has its own prisoner-pastor. Here is a letter from one of them, from the invalid prison.

Peace and grace be with you our brothers and sisters in Christ! Hello brother Sasha and sister Tanya!

First of all on behalf of our church let me tell you a huge “THANKS” for help, care that you always show to us. All glory be to God, we are worthless slaves and God can show His glory only when we are obedient. Amen! May you always be obedient children of His. The authority of the church has risen high. Guess why? Everyone in prison knew about the wheelchair that you brought me and rejoiced. Now is the time when nobody needs nobody, crime is everywhere, that’s why people don’t have a reason to believe in something good, that’s why love has cooled down. Believers here (like probably in any other places) are considered to be pretenders. To be crippled is a real thing. Everybody can see that. I became an object of pilgrimage. Everybody is interested in me. For the world it is the most powerful testimony about the reality of God.

What happens in our church doesn’t happen in other churches. It is unique. God willing, very soon we will start planed outreach services for the whole prison. Please, pray for this need. Also pray for unity among us and that we will have a strong team. Satan is nothing. Jesus overcame him once and forever. Here in the prison Jesus will have victory. We have a vision of 500 saved people in the prison. May the Lord give us strength to fulfil what He has intended for us, amen. There are no irreplaceable people, because God will do His work whether we partake in it or not. Good servant gets bigger reward.

I am sick right now, but nothing serious, just flu. Satan is attacking on a physical level (remember Job). But we are aware of his intentions. The confession of faith written in Habakkuk 3:17-19 is very close to my spirit. The Lord is beginning something new here. Today we started fixing up a summer stage. I think it will be used for us. We are praying for God to arrange for you to come here on Easter with a band and evangelical program. Tomorrow we have church service. I think there will be many new people and many saved souls. Pray for me, please. It is hard for me to be here, many people curse at me, but in spite of that the church is growing. May the love, joy and grace of our God grow in you.

With love in Christ.
Prison #45 Church “Praise”
Michael.

You can see 2 videos of former prisoners under the MPI Video link on our home page.

This week's prayer requests

Plans are moving forward nicely to ship our next container at the end of this month. Pray for plans to keep moving forward and for sufficient funds to pay for shipping and the rest of MPI's budget.

• As Ron and Doug work on plans for relationships with new churches, as well as strengthening existing relationships, please pray for wisdom and direction.


• Andrei Shander, MPI's overseas coordinator has been in Minsk finalizing arrangements for his new vehicle (that's a praise report!) and is returning back to Kiev shortly. Pray for safe travel and that this vehicle will be protected and be a great blessing to his family and the ministry.

First Steps in Missions Work

One of the ministries that MPI helps to support is the ministry to the deaf in Ukraine through Christian Hope Church, Keiv. Pastor Natasha is a passionate, determined woman who leads the ministry. As it happens, London, ON, where MPI is based, has a significant deaf training facility, and one of our supporting churches hosts a deaf church, Royal View Deaf Church. Pastor Joe Coreno and his congregation have provided support for the past few years to enable deaf ministers in Ukraine to meet for a conference. We rarely talk about this part of our work, but it is an exciting partnership that is rare (and therefore fun!). Following is a brief testimony by a young man who is called to deaf ministry. We trust it will give you a new insight into the breadth of ministry MPI is involved with overseas.


By Vitaly Zvarich

It is not by coincidence that I started attending the missionary training school at Christian Hope Church. It is the pre-determined will of God. Among existing ministries for the Deaf, there are no focused missionary efforts to reach the Deaf in smaller towns and even in some larger cities.

The Lord has sent me to this missionary training school in order to learn and to begin to spread the Word to deaf people living in remote areas of our country. While at the school, the Lord has been revealing His specific will for me in this direction. Although the work will not be easy, the Lord Himself will be doing it through me.

I have finished my first semester of study, and I'm greatly encouraged and built up. At first I felt uneasy being the only deaf person among the hearing students, but by the end of the semester I blended right in. I have learned a lot of a new things. I learned how vast and all-encompassing the will of God is for the spreading of the Gospel through targeted missions efforts (my research).

Soon my second semester will start. May the Lord give me a lot of patience and a big heart as I study. Please pray for me!

This week's prayer requests

Please pray for the church plant in Crimea that MPI is helping to facilitate. They have faced serious spiritual warfare, have had to seriously re-consider their approach and the Canadian church providing sponorship is working through the issues.

• Please pray that God would supply MPI's needs this month, as there is usually a fall-off in donations as people recover from Christmas spending.
• This month's newsletter announced 2008 short-term teams (to Kiev and St. Petersburg). Please pray that the people who should be on these teams will respond.
  

Check our latest video

Our latest quarterly video, showing MPI's work in the former Soviet Union is now posted. It is a profile of Children's Hope Orphanage in Kiev, Ukraine. The video was prepared by Barnabas Fund, the church's humanitarian aid arm that they work through for legal purposes. They have given MPI permission to use the video to promote our part of support. This year, MPI is committed to helping them with their food budget.

The video is posted on Google Video at
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-7680460072362086684 .

Also, if you have not already seen Andrei Shaitar's mime performance to "Watch the Lamb,' you will want to check that out as well. It can be seen at http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-1389693051024090783&hl=en-CA .

Be sure to read the January newsletter under the Newsletter link, too!

Something to think about

My brother-in-law sent me an interesting article to read yesterday. Its author lives in London, England and he started off by saying how expensive real estate there is. The reason he gave was that he lived close to the 'City' by which he meant the financial centre. Of course, London is one of the world's great centres of stock trading, insurance and other financial instruments. People who work in the 'City' are paid very well - and then they get year end bonuses. The author spoke of one of his neighbours, a nice guy, who like everybody else, complained about prices. But then he let it slip that his new house on the sun drenched coast of Portugal cost over a million pounds. All that money as reward for what? This neighbour and others like him, do not build factories, employ people, add value to the world. They simply get in other others' pieces of the action and take a slice of it. And they are the same people who are responsible for the global credit crunch in which billions of dollars have been lost. No one knows how bad the damage is because everything was cleverly hidden so that more transactions generated more trading which brings fatter bonuses.

As I read the article, I could help but reflect on the contrast with the people who typically support this ministry and others like it. They often have little - but give generously. How often we hear someone say, I wish I had more to give - and you know they mean they would give it. It is these people who change the world, one miracle at a time. They add value by taking their time, talent and money and using it to help others. The child who is rescued off the street, the drug addict who is saved, the prisoner who is renewed - that is genuine value.

Our culture likes to celebrate excess and envy wealth. So sad. Now that Christmas is past, it will be a while before we hear any more stories about selfless generousity. We at MPI love working with people, whether they have little or much in life, who know that the only thing you can take with you out of life is the lives you touch. All year long, when nobody is watching. Except God.

This week's prayer requests

Happy New Year!

After a short break for the holiday season, MPI and its blog are back at it for another exciting year. Here are some prayer requests to get us started in 2008.

• Praise God for a successful 2007, in which MPI pretty much achieved its goals for the year, including its operational budget plus an exceptional year of donated aid in the warehouse.
• Pray for the container shipped to Ukraine in November. It is scheduled for arrival at its final destination this week. Pray for quick clearance of customs and for those at Transfiguration Church who will disburse its contents.
• Pray for Ron, who has been suffering from bronchitis and a touch of pneumonia since his return to Canada in mid-December.