Kremenchuk, Ukraine Newsletter

Doug Berry, Missionary    Volume No. 4    Issue No. 6    Date August 1, 2006

Greetings in the Lord

     I am so thankful for your prayers, love, support, encouragement and understanding in our work in the Lord for Jesus Christ here in central Ukraine! I want you to know that with you working with us, God’s work is going forward in a way that gives new glory to God.

     We have encountered trials, yet it is through persecution and trials that we grow and show our faithfulness to Christ. In the last newsletter, I talked a lot about plans for the future.  In this newsletter I wish to spend a fair share of my writings telling you about what we are actually doing.

 Special Contribution

"Through the efforts of Margaret S. (www.pumpkin-patch.net), in coordination with His Kids, Too! (www.hiskidstoo.org), $1075.00 was raised for the boys prison in  Kremenchuk (sp) Ukraine.  Additionally, 5 VERY large boxes of clothing were gathered and sent for the boys." 

A Quick Trip to the USA

     As I mentioned in my last newsletter I was going to go to the US for my daughter’s Jenise marriage to Jon Grottis. I left on April 21^st and returned on May 5^th. The wedding was great!  It was also wonderful to spend some brief but blessed time with my family.  I also had the opportunity to visit a couple of days with a new supporting Church, the Eastside Church of Christ in Duncan, OK.  They are a great body of Christians and it is wonderful to have them a part of our work!

The Lord’s Work in Sept 2002

�     Team of 1 - Me

�      Working in 1 school; 1 Church

�      Started Singing Night with 4; Oct. 2002

�     Started 2 Bible Clubs mid Nov. 2002

�     Small prison work

�     No Orphans work

�     Just in Kremenchuk

�     No Youth Christians

The Lord’s Work June 2006

Ë     Workers Now

Ë     AIM team of 4

Ë     Team of 4 Ukrainian preachers; 5 Churches

Ë     Soon to add new city, church, & new preacher!

Ë     Teaching in 4 schools and students from 7 schools; 2 Univ.; 2 Technical Schools

Ë     5 days a week in my home:

Ë     3 Bible Clubs Saturday – average 20

Ë     Sunday Night Worship – average 10

Ë     Tuesday Singing Night - average 17

Ë     Thursday Bible classes – average 22

Ë     Friday is Fun Night

Ë     Large prison work with 130 to 150 boys weekly

Ë     Involved in 3 orphans homes

Ë     Working in 5 villages and cities

Ë     20 Baptisms in youth work – 17 faithful (85%). Many more in boy’s prison and other Churches

5^th graders from the village Bugkivka

Normal Weekly Schedule

Sundays: Worship; Make 112 Sandwiches for boy’s prison; fix lunch for 10-15 people; orphan’s home at 3pm; Sunday worship at my home at 6pm.

Mondays: Day off; one-on-one Bible study 6pm.

Tuesdays: Classes at #9,#10, #11 schools; private study; Singing Night at my home at 6pm.

Wednesdays: AIM meeting; Classes at #11; Trip to Bugkivka for Classes; 2 one-on-one Bible studies.

Thursdays: Classes at #10, #11; Thursday Bible classes my home – 3 Classes 6pm - 9pm.

Fridays: Classes at #11; one-on-one Bible study; fun night.

Saturdays: Adult Bible Club; Beginners Bible Club; Church discussion; Teen Bible Club.

Be careful to read between the lines; a lot study time for the lessons and personal study and prayer time as well.  There is always time taken by the necessity of writing Journals and Newsletters.  Be sure to realize that much of our work is building and growing relationships with people and that takes a lot of good quality time.  I spend time on the internet nearly every day so that I can gladly communicate with anyone who wishes to know about our work and so that we can encourage each other.  There is the organizing and leadership of working with 4 men from Ukraine and 3 Americans and 1 Englishman, as well, and making sure that the work goes forward in a Biblical and Godly way.  Then, of course, if you want to grow, we must be continually looking not only at the present work, but prayerfully laying out the future in God’s hands as well.  Some have asked me how many hours a week I work.  Normally that  probably runs between 60 to 70 hours a week, sometimes more, but not much less!

April and May Updates

     April came in like a lion (I know that is supposed to refer to March and the weather, but ours was April and not the weather).  Some of our young people had some very difficult trials come upon them, but I am thankful to God that they are weathering these storms very well.  Please pray for Zhenya, Angelina, and two of our fellow workers, Jared and James, as they continue to rely on God for their strength and for us as we strive to encourage them, as well.  Jared came back to us after spending 2 ½ months in the states at the time of his brother’s death.  All of our classes continued to go on at a good level.  On April 21^st I left for two weeks in the states and returned on May 5^th.  In my absence all was carried on well by Frankie, James, and Jared, as well as our outstanding young Christians.  The works in the Churches by our Ukrainian workers is progressing well and there have been 3 baptisms since my last writing. 

      On May 12^th Kelli Himebaugh arrived to work with us for up to 2 years!  Kelli has been in Ukraine the last 4 summers and now is here to work with us full time.  She is 24, a graduate of the University with an English teaching degree, and an AIM student, as well.  Another trial and disappointment that we have faced is that two of our planned long time workers, who had planned to come, have decided not.

     From May 15^th to the 22^nd, we visited 6 schools to hand out invitations for our summer classes that began on May 22 and will go through June 16.  Two of these schools were first timers for us and we were received very warmly and given the possibility that we might hold classes in these schools next fall. Finally, we have had our first week of summer classes which has changed all of our scheduling for the rest of the summer.  These classes, our Bible Camp, and Campaigns are our strongest means of outreach we have.  Please continue to pray for us!!

Doug’s Contact Information

Home Phone: 011-380-536-791-737

Cell Phone: 011-380-96-564-4311

Email:  doug_berry2001@yahoo.com 

Web page: www.ukrainemission.com

Daily Pictures of Kremenchuk: www.kremenchuk.org

West Fayetteville Church of Christ

P.O. Box 456

Fayetteville, TN  37334

Mission Contact Person: Steve Jefferson, 931-433-0189

OUR TEAM: Me, Jared, Kelli, Frankie and James

The Future: Only God Knows!

     Many of our plans have continued to be blessed by God beyond all that we ask or think!  Some of our plans have gone down the tubes – we hope to God’s glory, too.  Briefly, we still have much for you to pray about for the present and future work in Ukraine. 

     In June, Lord willing we will have 5 workers come for 4 to 6 weeks.  From June 29 to July 10, we will have our Bible Camp for 2 weeks.  On July 15, we will have 10 more Americans join us from TN and TX to work with us in our 2 campaigns the last 2 weeks of July.  From the present until the first of July, we are trying to find and hire a new preacher for the new Church in Svetlovolsk. Please pray that we will be able to start teachings of Bible Classes in 2 new schools this fall.  We also want to start 2 new works in our 2 Universities.

James 4:14-15 “…you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." 

Matt 6:33-34 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”