Eric spoke with the doctor today and at first she said that Sammy and I would have to come to the hospital and stay for two days. She wanted us to call an ambulance to take us to the hospital, then have all the paperwork written out like Samuel had been born today instead of last week. Eric told her that, first of all, there was no reason for us to go to the hospital and second, we weren't going to lie. So, she called her head doctor to see what to do and now he is calling his head doctor. They are supposed to call us back tomorrow. Sometimes it's so frustrating having to abide by the rules and regulations of the country. Legally, we have the right to have a home birth, just not many people know that. When we were trying to get Anna's paperwork we had a little bit of trouble too and called the American embassy. They told us that there was nothing they could do for us. Please be praying as we'd rather not have a long, drawn out battle. We have proof that I was pregnant, witnesses to the birth and saved the placenta and his umbilical cord when it fell off. We would also like to keep our ties with the hospital good for future pregnancies, as it was hard to find a hospital that would accept me. One thing I am thankful for is that they can't see me before Tuesday and at the moment, I have a very bad cold that I caught from the girls and they would probably try to separate me and the baby.
Thank you for your prayers.
Jessica
Immediately we endeavoured to go...assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. Acts 16:10
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
A Week of Blessings
On Thursday, June 17 at 12:27 PM (5:27 AM EST), Samuel James Curtis was born. Both mother and baby are doing well. To read more about the many answered prayers concerning the birth of our son, visit Jessica's blog. We ask that you pray that we will receive his birth certificate, passport, etc. without any problems.
That same day, God answered another prayer request by providing a 9-seater van for our family and church.
Another praise is that we were finally able to get a hold of Oksana. She has not been to services or Bible lessons for the past two weeks and we have not been able to contact her. We were beginning to wonder if she was through with Bible lessons and avoiding us. Today, Lina talked with her and we found out that she has been out of town. Lord willing, she will be starting up Bible lessons again on Monday. Please be praying for her salvation as she has had a hard time letting go of her Orthodox heritage.
That same day, God answered another prayer request by providing a 9-seater van for our family and church.
Another praise is that we were finally able to get a hold of Oksana. She has not been to services or Bible lessons for the past two weeks and we have not been able to contact her. We were beginning to wonder if she was through with Bible lessons and avoiding us. Today, Lina talked with her and we found out that she has been out of town. Lord willing, she will be starting up Bible lessons again on Monday. Please be praying for her salvation as she has had a hard time letting go of her Orthodox heritage.
Lastly, a prayer request. On Sunday Vladamir Vonovich (the elderly gentleman who was recently saved and baptized) told us that his wife who had alzheimers had passed away this past week. He has been taking care of her for many years now and recently had not been able to attend many services because of her increased need of care. Please be praying for this man and his family. I wish that we could say that she was saved.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Two Week Review
In the weeks following the baptisms of Yuri, Christina and Vladamir our church was hit with a very strong virus. There wasn't a family unaffected and some were in bed with high fevers for almost 2 weeks! It was such a blessing to see everyone almost recovered and in services today.
Oksana is still doing Bible lessons on Mondays, usually at about 3 PM our time (8 AM EST). It seems like the further we get into the lessons, the more she struggles. She is a strong orthodox and is having a very hard time turning from what she has been taught. Please be praying for her as we draw closer and closer to the end of our lessons. Pray that God will soften her heart and that she will stop fighting against the Holy Spirit.
In our last prayer letter we mentioned that a man named Sasha was going to be starting lessons. He has since told us that he has too much work right now. Even though it is planting season here and Ukrainians are very busy working in their fields, we don't think this is the real reason. Not only are they working in their fields almost all day, but they usually are drinking alcohol the entire time "for energy". We think that our request that those coming into our home be sober might be what is stopping him. We ask that you pray for God to give us wisdom as we work with these people.
Oksana is still doing Bible lessons on Mondays, usually at about 3 PM our time (8 AM EST). It seems like the further we get into the lessons, the more she struggles. She is a strong orthodox and is having a very hard time turning from what she has been taught. Please be praying for her as we draw closer and closer to the end of our lessons. Pray that God will soften her heart and that she will stop fighting against the Holy Spirit.
In our last prayer letter we mentioned that a man named Sasha was going to be starting lessons. He has since told us that he has too much work right now. Even though it is planting season here and Ukrainians are very busy working in their fields, we don't think this is the real reason. Not only are they working in their fields almost all day, but they usually are drinking alcohol the entire time "for energy". We think that our request that those coming into our home be sober might be what is stopping him. We ask that you pray for God to give us wisdom as we work with these people.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Baptisms
On Wednesday night in the river in Vindinka normally used for just fishing, drinking and swimming, I had the privilege of baptizing Yuri, Vladamir and Christina. They had all expressed a desire to be baptized and it was exciting to see them take this step of obedience. For Christina, it was especially hard. An hour before she was supposed to be baptized she called and said that she was not ready. The whole time during the message about baptism and when Yuri and Vladamir were getting baptized, I could see the struggle on her face. She desired to get baptized but was not wanting to be harrassed afterwards by Yuri's mom and her friend. After I climbed out of the water I told her whenever she was ready to let me know. She said, "Let's do it now." Praise the Lord!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Prayer Letter
Church & Bible Lessons
The Lord has continued to bless and it seems as if the work here has grown very quickly. We are not sure is it will continue, but for the moment we are not lacking in work, just workers. We are considering moving the church to the village and praying that if this is God's will He will open up a place for us to meet there. Right now we are very tight on space.
The Bible lessons we are doing with Oksana seem to be doing very well. She listens intently during each lesson and always has many questions. Please be praying for her salvation as we bring these lessons to a close within the next month.
We will be starting Bible lessons with a man named Sasha on Monday. We have tried to encourage Sveta, who is living with him and previously expressed an interest in Bible lessons, to come but she doesn't sound like she will. We will also be starting lesons in the middle of May with a lady named Lena who has come to church with Olea. We will be meeting at Olea's house and are praying that Olea and Costa will also sit in for the lessons.
Ruselan has said that he is still interested in continuing his Bible lessons. We will be continuing these by mail and also hope to go visit with him again sometime.
Visas
We received our new visas with no problems even though we were in Poland during a very crazy time. With the of their president and with air travel being restricted because of the volcanic ash, we were afraid we would not get back to Ukraine as soon as we had hoped. Praise the Lord that everything went smoothly and when we returned to Ukraine we received our registration with no problems.
Family & Health
The girls are growing and loving living in the village. They have made quite a few friends in just the past week. Jessica's pregnancy is going well, thouse she has been very tired lately and is having a hard time sleeping. With only 7 more weeks, we are very busy trying to squeeze in doctor's visits and last minute preparations. Please be praying for her to have a safe delivery and also for us to receive the baby's birth certificate and papers with no problems.
The Lord has continued to bless and it seems as if the work here has grown very quickly. We are not sure is it will continue, but for the moment we are not lacking in work, just workers. We are considering moving the church to the village and praying that if this is God's will He will open up a place for us to meet there. Right now we are very tight on space.
The Bible lessons we are doing with Oksana seem to be doing very well. She listens intently during each lesson and always has many questions. Please be praying for her salvation as we bring these lessons to a close within the next month.
We will be starting Bible lessons with a man named Sasha on Monday. We have tried to encourage Sveta, who is living with him and previously expressed an interest in Bible lessons, to come but she doesn't sound like she will. We will also be starting lesons in the middle of May with a lady named Lena who has come to church with Olea. We will be meeting at Olea's house and are praying that Olea and Costa will also sit in for the lessons.
Ruselan has said that he is still interested in continuing his Bible lessons. We will be continuing these by mail and also hope to go visit with him again sometime.
Visas
We received our new visas with no problems even though we were in Poland during a very crazy time. With the of their president and with air travel being restricted because of the volcanic ash, we were afraid we would not get back to Ukraine as soon as we had hoped. Praise the Lord that everything went smoothly and when we returned to Ukraine we received our registration with no problems.
Family & Health
The girls are growing and loving living in the village. They have made quite a few friends in just the past week. Jessica's pregnancy is going well, thouse she has been very tired lately and is having a hard time sleeping. With only 7 more weeks, we are very busy trying to squeeze in doctor's visits and last minute preparations. Please be praying for her to have a safe delivery and also for us to receive the baby's birth certificate and papers with no problems.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Our trip to Poland went well. Even with all that happened while we were there (the death of their president and canceled flights due to the volcanic ash) we were able to get there and back home safely and received our visas without any problems.
Since returning home on Saturday, we've resumed Bible lessons with Oksana (Lina taught them while we were away). Oksana always has many questions and seems very interested. She has been coming pretty regularly to services and really enjoys the fellowship at our church. Please be praying for her salvation.
We had a full church on Sunday, partly due to the fact that Elena came and brought 5 children with her! She sounds like she is going to start coming regularly and bringing the children with her.
We turned in our papers for registration today and should be receiving it on May 13th.
Lastly, even though Tamara is no longer attending church, her son Ruselan has said that he is still interested in continuing Bible lessons through the mail.
Since returning home on Saturday, we've resumed Bible lessons with Oksana (Lina taught them while we were away). Oksana always has many questions and seems very interested. She has been coming pretty regularly to services and really enjoys the fellowship at our church. Please be praying for her salvation.
We had a full church on Sunday, partly due to the fact that Elena came and brought 5 children with her! She sounds like she is going to start coming regularly and bringing the children with her.
We turned in our papers for registration today and should be receiving it on May 13th.
Lastly, even though Tamara is no longer attending church, her son Ruselan has said that he is still interested in continuing Bible lessons through the mail.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Prayer Letter
Church & Bible Lessons
The past few months have been very busy for our little church group. On February 12th, Yuri and Christina were married. We praise the Lord that they chose to take this step of obedience. They have also said that they would like to be baptized, but were not able to make it the day we rented a place because of sickness. Even though they were not able to be there, on Sunday, March 14th, I had the privilege of baptizing Max. What a blessing it is that even though his dad is not saved, he has not stopped Max from coming to church or from being baptized. We pray that God will put his hand upon Max's life and use him for the glory of God.
Our Valentine's banquet went well and we had many unsaved attend, including Lina's husband, Dema! This is the first time he has ever attended any of our activities. A lady named Oksana came and has recently started Bible lessons. She seems very open to listening. Please be praying for her.
Tamara is no longer coming to church and her mom has stopped taking Bible lessons. We found out that while she was coming, she was still practicing witchcraft. She would even sit behind people at church and try to get them to let her tell them their futures DURING the services! Ruselan finished the first Bible lesson. We are not sure if he will continue to do the lessons now that his mom is no longer coming to church, but we are going to send him the second lesson anyways.
A young lady named Olea has been faithfully attending services with the man she is living with now and her two sons. She is maybe 18 and already divorced. Please be praying for them. She claims to be saved. Costa (the man she is living with) is not.
On the 20th of March, we rented out a space with two ping pong tables for a church family day. We had a good group come out, again, mostly unsaved. Dema came for the second time to a church activity and Valentina's son Roman and his step son, Arteome, came for the first time. It is exciting to see people that we have been praying for start to come out. Even though Roman did not stay in the room while I gave a short salvation message, we know that God can still work on his heart.
Visas
It is almost time for us to renew our visas, so we have been preparing the needed paperwork. We mentioned in our last prayer letter about receiving a 3 year visa and applied here for the document that we were told we needed for that. When we called, they said we could not receive a 3 year visa without an "excuse". We are not sure what type of excuse is needed and no one is willing to give us that information, so we will only be able to get a 1 year visa again. Please be praying for our trip and that we will receive our visa without any problems. We leave for Poland the 8th of April.
Family & Health
Jessica's pregnancy is going well and we have been told that our new little addition will be a boy! She was able to get registered at a hospital and with a doctor, though not the same one she had for the girls. Please be praying for continued health and for a safe delivery.
The past few months have been very busy for our little church group. On February 12th, Yuri and Christina were married. We praise the Lord that they chose to take this step of obedience. They have also said that they would like to be baptized, but were not able to make it the day we rented a place because of sickness. Even though they were not able to be there, on Sunday, March 14th, I had the privilege of baptizing Max. What a blessing it is that even though his dad is not saved, he has not stopped Max from coming to church or from being baptized. We pray that God will put his hand upon Max's life and use him for the glory of God.
Our Valentine's banquet went well and we had many unsaved attend, including Lina's husband, Dema! This is the first time he has ever attended any of our activities. A lady named Oksana came and has recently started Bible lessons. She seems very open to listening. Please be praying for her.
Tamara is no longer coming to church and her mom has stopped taking Bible lessons. We found out that while she was coming, she was still practicing witchcraft. She would even sit behind people at church and try to get them to let her tell them their futures DURING the services! Ruselan finished the first Bible lesson. We are not sure if he will continue to do the lessons now that his mom is no longer coming to church, but we are going to send him the second lesson anyways.
A young lady named Olea has been faithfully attending services with the man she is living with now and her two sons. She is maybe 18 and already divorced. Please be praying for them. She claims to be saved. Costa (the man she is living with) is not.
On the 20th of March, we rented out a space with two ping pong tables for a church family day. We had a good group come out, again, mostly unsaved. Dema came for the second time to a church activity and Valentina's son Roman and his step son, Arteome, came for the first time. It is exciting to see people that we have been praying for start to come out. Even though Roman did not stay in the room while I gave a short salvation message, we know that God can still work on his heart.
Visas
It is almost time for us to renew our visas, so we have been preparing the needed paperwork. We mentioned in our last prayer letter about receiving a 3 year visa and applied here for the document that we were told we needed for that. When we called, they said we could not receive a 3 year visa without an "excuse". We are not sure what type of excuse is needed and no one is willing to give us that information, so we will only be able to get a 1 year visa again. Please be praying for our trip and that we will receive our visa without any problems. We leave for Poland the 8th of April.
Family & Health
Jessica's pregnancy is going well and we have been told that our new little addition will be a boy! She was able to get registered at a hospital and with a doctor, though not the same one she had for the girls. Please be praying for continued health and for a safe delivery.
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